The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1903-07-16
MRS. COOKER 7.
WASHINGTON
Wife Of COIared Educator at
Coventry WOmln'S Club.
SUBJECT, "COL0}ED WON M
ElOqusnily Told of Life at Iuskagea lnstl-
tute and Broadening Of the Work
In Southern States.
SUBJECT, "COIo'EO WON IN"

At the Coventry womans club which
met yesterday at Anthony, Mrs. Booker
T. Washington. wife OF the talented presi-
dent of The Tuskeegee Institute. ad-
dressed the largest gathering which that
progressive organization has ever had. on
What the club has done for the colored
women" and life at the Tuskegee Insu-
tute. ,t =
The club president. Miss Potter. intro
duced Mrs. Washington whose imposing
appearance and mastery OF her subject
won the admiration and envy OF the wo-
men present. She said In part:
There are three large bodies OF organ
iZations OF colored women in the coun-
try. the National association of Colered
Women, tho Southern Federation OF Wo-
mems clubs and the Northeastern FEEDER
ton OF Women's clubs. The National as
sociation OF Colored Women was formed
in '95 for organized effort along Industrial,
II is composed of individual clubs whose
object is not different from its own. The
national body now has membership. OF
over 400 clubs. representing several thous-
and women In all sections Of this coun-
try. and all working toward that one end.
the highest development OF It's women In
all the avenues OF life. We have our Off
GERS as you do. our president. Mrs. j. ST.
lone Yates. who is now one OF the most
prominent and important teachers and ed
ucators In the state OF Missiseippi hnv-
ing been educated I'm the schools of our
own state. Mrs. Josephine Bruce. wife OF
the late ex-senator Bruce OF Missouri Is
the chairman OF the executive board. We
hold our meetings biennially, the plan
now being TO hold the next convention in
the city OF ST. Louis during the Exposi-
tion.
WORK AT TUsKEGEE.
"To give you a clearer idea OF what our
clubs are doing shall tell you OF the
work now being done by the lady teach
ers OF the Tuskegee school. who go to
make up one part OF the great work 60
ing on by and for the women OF the race.
There are 30 women more or less who are
I'm one way or another connected with the
school who for the past seven or eight
years have been banded together for mu-
tual study and help and for reaching
down after those far and near less fortu-
nate than themselves. The work OF the
club Is divided into departments or
prison. poorhouse and charitable. art
music and literature. suffrage and tenn
perance-thus furnishing for each woman
the work she IL best fitted for and facili-
tating the general work OF the club when
all are present. Each department has a
chairman through whom Its work Is done
and OF whom written report IL required
each month This feature OF one OF the
partments may interest you. We call IL
our plantation settlement work
OF a plantation 10 miles or where men,
women. boys and girls were taken after
having been brought out OF some petty
crime. a thing which In some other boy
would probably not have been made so
much or and huddled together into one
room log cabins II made little or no DIFF
ference whether they were or the same
family or not You may be able 20 imag-
inc what life must have been 90 them.
what their ideals were. For one entire
year we went each Sunday to this plan
tation. visiting each time different
home talking with the inmates about tho
cleanliness OF the home the feeding OF
the children. the relation 81 husband ana
wife. tho duty ~ mother and father
child and parent. brother and sister. and
40 nlllng In with kindly interest and love
the lonely places IN the lives OF these
poor people on this plantation.
TEACHER WAS SENT.
After the hrt wear we saw that we
couh give I'D this house-to- house vie
sting We. therefore secured Young
woman graduate ~ the school who was
willing 90 - on 90 the plantation and
live atHnnsAt-the settlers and hy precopt
and example teach them the way 20 i'm
prove their homes and make purer their
lives. There has been n marked re
sponse 90 our EFFORTS. 60 that now we
have n cottage of three rooms IN which
the teacher lives. and 60 witch the
children come for their lessons IN read
ing. writing and ar1thnettc They are
also required 90 spend a part of the dav
On sewing and IN homemnking and house
come once or twke week; ara their