Iowa state bystander. [volume] (Des Moines, Iowa) 1894-1916, 1904-04-01
BOOKER I. wAsHINeToN

+. q . y sg ! .g r . d . y
George E. Roberts in the Fort
Dodge Messenger: The Messenger
representative had an opportunity the
other evening to hear Booker T.
Washington. today unquestionably the
most distinguished man of the negro
race. He made an address from the
pulpit of the African M. e. church,
which is one Of the largest audience
rooms in this city, and thousands were
unable to obtain admission. Commits
sioner Mcfarland, president of the
board which answers for city coun.
Gil in Washington, delivered an adj
dress of welcome, Congressman Wat
son of Indiana, one of the eloquent
young men of the house, made Z
speech of introduction, and the splen.
did Marine band, which plays for all
White house functions, furnished the
music Of the occasion. 1t was a not.
able affair to be in honor Of colored
man, born slave, of unknown par
entage, but few men of the proudest
lineage deserve to be honored as
much as he
There is nothing in DR.. Washing
tons appearance to distinguish him
from thousands of other negroes Of
the mulatto type. He Is of medium
stature, and his features are not
large, but of rather the pug" or bull
dog type. AS an orator he is not pre-
tentious, but impressive and interest
ing because he is direct and is saying
something all the time. There is none
of the airs or imaginary or oratorical
style which frequently marks the, eff
forts of the negro speakers who are
ington is plain business all the time.
He is in earnest, he has a message 70
deliver, and he goes straight to the
point without any striving for effort
or any thoughts about the; figure he is
making. He does not impress one as
being a genius, but as resolute, dis
ciplined, educated, we'll balanced man.
There are no negro characteristics
about him. He is proof that racial Pc
culiarities like provincial dialects and
customs, disappear when men reach
given level of enlightenment.
Mr. Washington began his school
at Tuskegee about twenty years ago,
alone and unaided. He has now over
fifteen hundred students in it. Every
instructor is negro. The cost of
maintenance is now about 5000 per
day and upon him is the responsible
ity of providing the money. In these
twenty years Mr.. Washington has
gathered together in property an en-
dowment, now belonging to the
school, of over $1,8OO,0O0.
He has taken as his field of work, in
which to concentrate his energies, the
Industrial education Of the colored
people. He does not say that the col
ored people should not aspire to all
the culture that the white race seeks,
but he does say that the most press
ing need of the colored race is to- be
Independent industrially and financial
ly. He does not say that the colored
people should relinquish any Of their
political agitation. No class OF pee
pie, he says, who are dependent finan-
cially, who live in other mems houses
| and don't pay the rent when it is due,
who eat other mems bread and owe
them for it can be important political
ly. $
He told an interesting story Of
meeting the pastor of colored church
in one Of the large cities of the coun-
try, who took exception to the empha-
sis Mr.. Washington lays upon indus
trial education. After some discus
sion, the pastor took Mr.. Washington
to see his church, handsome edifce
which had cost 5000, all of it raised
by the congregation. Mr.. Washington
admired the church and asked who
n N v,1or cynv We q
name of a well known firm Of white
architects. He asked who was the
contractor and it proved to have been
an Irishman; he asked who made the
brick and that proved to have been a
German firm; he asked who plastered
the house and the plasterers proved
to have been white men; the irescO-
ing was done by italians, the electric
wiring was done by white electricians,
and so on throughout the entire ex-
penditure of $4,000. Now" said Mr..
Washington, do you tell me that you
have collected $25,000 from washer
women, draymen, porters and other
hardworking men and women of low
wages and paid every dollar of it out
out to high priced white men, and yet
you luluh lOO IuuCI clupudoiS Is put
upon industrial education! l want
our people to do all these things"
BY such plain, effective reasoning
and illustration as this, Booker Wash
ington inspires his hearers. He is do
ing magnificent; work among his
people. 1t takes more than one speech
to rejuvenate the average, easygoing
darkey. evenathough he drinks it in as
eagerly and becomes, as enthusiastic
as this audience did, but these people
showed that every word the speaker
uttered struck home and the fact that
they appreciated it and were even mo-
mentarily inspired by it gives conf
dence that though the progress may
be slow it is inevitable. A racetthat
can develop it's own leaders of such
character as Booker Washington will
eventually find its way up to their
level. It's capacity is demonstrated.
G. E. R.