The Montgomery advertiser., 1904-02-23
WASHINGTON SPEAKS
NEGRO EDUCATOR DELIVERS 1
 STRONG ADDRh.sS.
Sound Advice to Large Audience at Congregational Churcu Last
 Night-Many " hite
 Persons Present.

Dr. Booker T. Washington, the great negro educator and orator, spoke to an audience last night that literally over flowed every available space of the colored Congregational Church, corner High and Union Streets, of which Rev. J. A. Sims is pastor.
 Not only was every seat taken, but the aisles were crowded and many listened at the windows and doors. Many white citizens were present and intentiy fol- two hours, which was in the speakers usual witty, felicitous and eommon-sense style. '..-.ss as-a-s5 -.sls. resorts to none of the devices and tricks of many speakers. He has a message to deliver and he delivers it with an in- tensity and power seldom rtvalled. He had the more than 800 people who listened his timely hits. He spoke to his race in an especially Informal manner, ad- monishing and encouraging and deprecat- ing by turns, but always so as to carry his audience whether praising or blaming.
 The church choir sang very acceptably during the evening.
 The address of Dr. Washington was in part as followss
 "1n few departments of life has there been such progress within the last half century as in the matter of education. More and more we are beginning to realize that education within itself means little except as 1t is used in a way to make the world better. Unless ones education makes him more useful to the world than he was when he was ignorant 1t is useless. The old idea of education is that the head only was to be develop ed. The newer idea of education Is that the heart and the hand must be educated in connection with the head. 1t used to be considered that 1t was disgrace for an educated man or woman to work with theIr hands. We are fast out- learning more and more that 1t Is just as honorable for an educated man to work in the field or in the shop or in the dining room or in the kitchen as 1t is for him to labor in the school room or as bookkeeper or as writer of history.
 q want to see the time come when the most important and fundamental in dustry shall be classed as almost pro fession. mean the industry of cooking. 1 believe the time is not far distant when women are going to graduate at colleges and then take up cooking as profession and so refine 1t and put so much lntelli- genee and dignity into 1t that 1t will be- come attractive to the very hlsnest class
 ''Education increases an individuals wants Unless, while ones wants are being increased by education, his hand is educated so as to supply these in- creased wants along lines at which he can find employment, the individual Is likely to get into trouble and disgrace not only hlmselIt put HIS 1anlly anu CoM- munity Any individual who attempts to live by his wits without honest, earnest, productive labor, soon reaches the end Of his career.
 Here in the South, while we have some disadvantages, and the wise indi- vidual is always the one who takes ad- vantage of the opportunities right about his door and uses them as stepping stones. In the matter of employment the negro has an opportunity tn the South that Is afforded him in no other part of the world. Instead of his having to seek employment, as is true in most sections of the country, employment is actually seeking him, and If negro learns to do a thing as we'll or better than anyone else he Is in constant de- mand at a high wage. Unless, however, we kept abreast of the times in relation to all kinds of labor, the time will come thousands of foreigners and we will ina ourselves displaced by these individuals who have learned to do something In a more acceptable manner than we can do it. In the matter of business the negro has practically the same opportunity that any other race has.
 We should see to 1t that each one Of our children Is taught. trade or some special industry by which we are sure that he can earn his living, and above and beyond all, we should see to it that our children are not permitted to grow up III idleness. likeness leads to crime anI - many of our large cities that parents have little control over their children; that they do not know where they are at night; that they do not know anything about the company their children keep, and the re- suit is that their children fall into temp tation and soon disgrace the home. Eacn child should be taught the dignity ana beauty of labor and the disgrace of idle55 ness. In this same connection we snouIo begin to teach our children the saving habit when they are young. No race o,, ot people has ever gotten upon It's feet untli morrow until 1t has learned the value of a bank account. However small the savings may be, We should teach our children to begin putting their money Ah the bank as soon as possible.
 We should remember as a race that we cannot afford to initiate the extrGva- gances of even the white man. The whlso man Is hundreds of years ahead or usl and We are just beginning our racial eS. = reeF a nd we must lav the foundattOu An