The Montgomery advertiser., 1904-02-18
TUSKEGEE CONFERENCE
NEGROES TELL or THEIR WORK
 FOR A YEAR.
Exercise of Thrift, Getting Rid of the log Cabin Idea, and Gen eraI Uplifting of Race
 the Objects.

Tuskegeee, Feb H.-(Special) )-The con- ference met in the Chapel at 10 q. n.. Booker Washington presiding. The Con lgregation. standing, sang the old style doxology. the scripture was read by Rev. D. D. Hubbard. of Laurel. Miss. and prayer was offered by Rev. s. &. Scott | of Fannie. Ala. after which the famous the Cross" was sung with real confer ence vigor.
 MT. Washington spoke, in part, as fol-
 lows in his opening address; These meet lfngs had their origin on the part of a very few who desired to find out the real condition of the people and to set on foot movements to improve them. I hope we have not departed with the growth of these meetings. from this
 simple pupose.
 First we rave insisted that in all your reports at these conferences you should tell the truth regarding your condition.
 whether encouraging or discouragfng. If conditions are bad say so, if good say so. Tell of your motgages and debts. If you have good school say so. if a poor school say so. If you have a good teach- CT praise him. if bad ore blame him. if good preacher praise him, if bad
 one condemn him. A great many things
 trouble us in this country. There are
 some that we can take hold of and cure.
 These should receive our attention. No people can get on their feet till they own land in large or small quantities. Wives help your husbands to buy land Some say their wives do not sympathise with them in their efforts to improve. Do you tell your wives of your business? These are men to say who would avn their own
 land if they had taken thir wives into
 their confidence, and thereby won their sympathy and help. When you get a
 piece of land you must put poor house upon it. Some of you live in houses that are not fit for a horse to live in. know
 a man worth $20.0O0 who sent me pie
 ture of the house he lived in and 1t was not it to be called home. Make your house comfortable. Do the same with
 reference to your school houses Make
 them warm and attractive. Many charg- es are brought against us. We are said to seperate between the good and the bad. If this Is true we must change 1t. We must guard our hresides If we have
 an immoral teacher or preacher we must get rid of him. We know what 1t is to
 have difficulties We have seen harder
 times. Rht we have learned how to over come dfficulties. If We will take courage
 and press forward with a hopeful spir- 1t friends will come to us. The world likes a. courageous people but turns away from a whining, discouraged people. At appointed. on Declarations. I. w. Daw-
 kins, s. C., Scott Bond. Ark, J. H. Pal
 mer, Tuskegee, o. E. EnsIey Tenn,
 Senior Ernest, Ga, Robert Reese, of
 Miss. Scott Bond of Madison Ark, said, There is so much for the negro to do and am so enthused that many of bl good
 things have Slipped away from me. Our chances are great and we can grow to
 something as we'll as Booker Washington did. We don't teach our children enough
 around the fireside. We don't give them
 good reading or Ia good bed to sleep in. l If we take good care of them we can't
 run them away from home. pay taxes
 on iSOo acres of land. It only takes a
 pup nine days from the time he is here
 till he gets his eyes open. we have been
 thirty nine years in getting our eyes
 open, but now we are beginning to buy
 land" Green Weldon, of Butler County.
 Ala, said. 'T can report five who have purchased land in my beat since I was here last February. Some have built
 new houses and added rooms, but we
 have not built any school houses this
 year. They depend on the State and