Iowa state bystander. [volume] (Des Moines, Iowa) 1894-1916, 1903-10-16

Ladies'. 'Tis with feelings Of pleasure and
gratitude that address you this after
noon. come to you from, an institution
supported by the sacrifice and phllanth-
rophy Of the United Presbyterian church.
and all that am, however little It be,
owe to Knoxville college. Entering the
Little Girls Home at eight years old,
knew NO other home until six years ago,
when was married IT'S then with grati-
tude indeed that meet each one Of you.
for you have done, and are continuing
to do your part In uplifting the most
despised, the most misrepresented, the
most misunderstood race In the world.
] want to speak to you somewhat Of the
needs Of the Negro and Of how these
needs are being met by such schools as
Knoxville college.
The Intellectual development of the race
is no longer q question In 1865 the four
million freemen had no knowledge or LETT
ters, but northern phlanthropists have
bnilt schools and colleges, men and women
have sacrificed home and friends and gone
south and endured the contempt Of being
"nigger teacher and as result. the
percentage Of ignorance among us Is largely
reduced. Each year the number Of college
graduates is Increased and we find COM
petent Negro men and women In every
vocation in life. But these, In compari-
son with those who are unlearned. are
few. In the Black Belt, where the mis-
sions Of Knoxville college are stationed.
especially In the intellectual life law. Here
is q field for great work aud earnest effort.
The race needs the intellectual culture,
30 impertive to the life Of people.
One has said, what we need more than
any thing else Is to increase the number Of
thoroughly trained minds, for these, where
ever they 60, are sure to carry with them,
consciously or not, the seeds Of sounder
thinking and higher ideals. believe
that the shortest path in the development
Of the cSfored people is the more perfect
Of their Intellect. tor this is
naturally followed by thrift, economy and
high moral life.
Industrial training also meets great
need. The negro does for pitifnl sums
the labor OF the south. He Is not Shift
less, unambitious and lazy az Rev. Guild
of Des Moines has recently declared. One
has only to visit the South and glance
at the ''darkies'' In the fields, on public
works, In the Kitchens, In fact every place
where there Is hard work and little money,
to be convinced that the black man 10
the prime factor In the building up Of that
section Yes, the masses toll indeed. but
their work Is not the outcome Of the
knowing MUD and trained hnnd. Indus
trial trimming is the complement to the
intellectual training without the former
the latter is complete. While we want
men and women In the professions, we
also want skilled laborers; the masses
must labor with their hands. and to com
pete with other men they must be taught
to labor intelligently, economize ard ac-
cumulate.
along with the literary course. aD industrial
course, and each student Is required to de-
vote part Of each day. learning some
trade or craft.
AS to our moral needs: Senator Till
man, John Temple Graves, Rev. Guild
and others, seeking notriety, declare we
have no moral FIBRE" and make our case
appear almost hopeless along this line.
We know that many Of the black faces
have faded Into those Of mulattos: we
know there is great need of more pure.
noble women to rear the children Of our
race and establish what Is so much lack
Ing among us, refined, Intelligent, Chris
tian homes. But why these conditions?
Is the Negro woman to bear the blamcI