The San Francisco call., 1903-01-10

az Mills College, yesterday afternoon
Mrs. Susan T. Mills, president of the col
lege, presented Mr.. Washington In the
course of his address he told of his OBJ
scure birth as a slave, of the many trials
that beset him during youth and early
manhood, when he was undauntedly ex-
elting every effort to improve himself
mentally, and of the establishment and
progress Of that great educational institu-
tior for the people of his race, the Tus-
kegee Institute in Alabama, of which he
was the founder and is now the head. In
part the speaker said
TELLS OF SCHOOL DAYS.
1t is very seldom when confronted with an
audience composed Of pupils that l am not re-
minded of difficulties that l encountered when
first went to school One Of these was that
/ had but one name. Booker Boys of my own
a bout this shortage. Some of them had three
names and gloried in each one. l might have
got on In the world just the same with one
name but my teacher thought it would be
easier travelling for me II l had two names name;
like to he called and replied Call me Wash
iraton-B Booker Washington" That was the
way | christsned myself and founded my own
other difficuIty OF my hrst school days that 1
recolect was that I had no hat or cap. My
schoolmates so often called attention 10 my
hare head that one day l determined TO induce
nv mother TO buy ne a cap. she had no
,,,,rat. vyherevyith to purchase il and said that
- yto,,Id not 20 into debt to secure me a cap
Int Would make one This she did out OF two
rags. The moral / learned from that incident
was Never get into debt If you can avoid
it" have worn dinerent styles OF mats ana
caps since that time put nave cherished the
memory Of none like that OF the rag cap my
mother made for me.
| was born on a plantation in Virginia in
1855 1889, l am not certain OF the year Ny
father I never knew. All that ! am sure OF is
that l was born somewhere and at some time.
| never slept in bed until after ! was u years
old BEFORE that the bare ground was my
7 was raised DrinpiUallv bread
S,,,Teye ,I remembe- that when two spoons
full of molasses were put on my plate / would
allow it run over the plate, figuring that the
more plate was covered by molasses the more
yg6e1 with my mother and all the other
slaves on the plantation were ordered to be at
the masters mouse. / rehelnoeT nearing g pa,
per read that said we were all free. Later
Went to West Virginia and worked in the coal
Ons day overheard two miners talking of
a school called Hampton. where colored stu
dents were eligible | determined 10 go there
and made my way to Richmond arriving in
nearly famished. My first night in Richmond
| slept in a hole under the sidewalk, but did
not slumber soundy because pedestrians were
constantly walking across the top Of my bed
a few days after. when | applied for admis
was eyed suspiciously and finally given trial
at cleaning out a classroom. ! swept the room
three times and busted II as many times more
When I had finished the teacher, shrewd
Yankee woman, who was an expert on dust
rubbed her handkerchief over the desks. looked
at it and said 10 me, You'll do. That was
my entrance examination.
In 1881 ! went to the Black Belt in Ala
bama where it has been said that only black
in fact I have felt kind OF lonely since left
there Shortly after arriving there l met an
old Niger who had been a slave. He was
telling of sale in which he took part
How many were soId?'' I asked him. There
ana three mules" he replied But the good
white man has freed the niggers and l guess
he will free the mules coon"
The first school that 1 established near Tus-
egee was in pa an t old shack shack that that let in more
walk up to recte he would raise an umbrella
When / announced that | would teach the dig
nifty of labor and instruct my colored pupils
how to work 1 told that it foolish
he had been worked for 250 years and wanted
a rest Then it was that l explained what
l have ever believed that being worked is
degradation but that working is civilization.
The negro knows how to earn. but he must
of his intellect too possesses great possibilities
When Fred Douglass, the colored statesman.
was in the midst Of one of his eloquent periods
in speech during the slavery days two Irish
men in the audience Were enraptured by his
talk who is that nigger taiklng?' asked
one Hibernian Of the other. That's no mig
ger; that's mulatto." replied his friend.
And what's a mulatto?' "A mulatto -
answered the second Irshman. lis half Mig
ger wen. be jabers If a half niger can
talk that good. what won't a whole niger
do?"
cry: when 1 hated the white man. but thank
God I have outgrown it. If there is any
mental slavery which causes one race to hate
another When we free ourselves from this
slavery the problem will have been
solved
SPEAKS AT BERKELEY.
At Hearst Hall Mr.. Washington was
greeted by a large audience of the colleCe
town people DR.. J. X Mclean president
of the Pacific Theological Seminary, IN
troduced the noted colored educator In
the course of his address Mr. Washington
said:
The negro is the only that entered
America with a pressing invitation. Your race
came here against the wishes Of the Americans
in 1902 My race came on invitation and had
its passage paid In in the -p,r bargain Now some
depart to the land Of our fathers or to the Phil
ippines For one, believe the problems must
be worked out here between us. We were
brought here and we have worked faithfully for
this country, and believe that have some
rights as citizens 1 believe there is patience
enough humanity enough the part of both
races to have us work out our problems here
side by side.
The speaker closed his address by giving
a sketch of the school at Tuskegee and
the work it has already Accomplished
The training got there-tne teaching OF
men to work with their hands-he de.
| clared to be the solution of the race
nroblem. when the negro learns to save
his money" he declared, ''and gets mort
cages on the white mems farm he will
| not be driven from the polls when h.
/ goes to vote. The black man must b,
! lifted up to take a place among the mel
| Of the world and the race that lifts hin
will be made more Christ-like through
| the effort"
| Among the men on the platform wer,
! the following:
Professor Martin kellogg Professor T r
| Bacon Professor John Fryer Professor Georg,
! c Edwards, Professor William z. Ritter Pro
! fessor Frederick Slate, Professor W. ]. V. Os
! terhout Professor Frank Soule Professor FL
! mer E. Brown, DR.. W: p. Montague, DIR. J. K
! McIIean DR. Hiram Van Kirk, the Rev F. [.
| Bosmer the Rev. George f. Swan the Rev
| Fl. j. Jewett and the Rev. George B. Hatch
| ----------
Secures Fine Position.
Abraham Johnson, chief deputy clerk o
the Supreme Court Under the Root admin
| istration, was chosen secretary to tn
commissioners yesterday. The position
carries with it salary of $500 a month
Johnson is both we'll known and wei
! liked among the members of the legal fra
ternitv and his succession to the offic