River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1904-12-22
From the South.
CHICAGO, ILL, Dec. 10, 1904

|
To the JOURNAL
Having completed my second trip
into the sunny Cd South and gotten
back to the land of push and hustle,
where people have to keep moving,
or get out of the way to save them
selves from being run over by the
jostling, hurrying throng, will, If
acceptable to the "chief 1ill-driY-
er" of the JOURNAL editorial staff,
try to give brief account of my
trip from Atlanta, Ca, or somewhere
else where | was last heard from,
as near as | can recOllect at this
moment. Let me say on the side,
that when man Git might be differ
| ent with one of the other SEX un-
dertakes to go to several of those
southern cities, and take in" a
number of big negro schools and
universities, and large part of the
regions beyond" besides patient
| ly, or otherwise, submitting to the
long explanations of how we-uns"
in the South understand the Mig
GER" and why "you-uns" up North
don't know nuthin about the Mig
GER" he, or she, has got 10 try and
make his twelve or fourteen-hou
days reach over to sixteen or eight
cen hours. BY the way, have just
received letter from Beloit, Ala,
sent to Montgomery, Ala, Nov. 20
from River Falls. | am pleased to
say that the proposed Negro Farm
ers' Institute, the first of the kind
ever held in that part Of the Black
belt where the Industrial Missionary
Association has it's field of work,
was success in both attendance
and interest. l arrived on the field
about one week before the meeting
of the farmers was to be held, at
tended a big mig" (negro) wedding
at which had an opportunity to do
a little talking while the bride and
groom tarried; and then addressed
a couple OF meetings at negro
churches the Sunday before the In
stitute and gave out the word, and
with lot Of hustling around, and
making heap" Of noise, managed
to get the people walked up to The
Idea that something was 'gwine ter
tax place fur daid shur." A barrel
of apples came from a friend in
| Chicago and a barrel of crackers
from another friend at Green Bay,
Wis, to be used as lunch at noon
the two days of the institute. This
business | placed in the care of an
intelligent negro farmer of the com.
nunity and he dealt the crackers
out,,a handful Of crackers, and an
apple to all as they each came up.
Mrs. Curtis had big can of coffee
ready to help the crackers down,
and all in all the feeding of the
| multitude was a comparatively
easy matter, as the negroes Of this
section fortunately have few wants
and are easily satisfied if some lit
tie favor is shown them. They are
not, at least, the tends incarnate"
that some would like to have US be-
lieve them to be, but are susceptible
to the influences of a good example,
and firm but kind discipline. l
use here the views of two southern
born men whom | have conversed
with, one lawyer and ex-congress-
| man, the other prominent BUSH
ness man, both having been in the
/ South all their lives, except as BUSH
ness might take them elsewhere.
Naturally the evening sessions
were more fully attended than the
| day as most of the men were busy,
| but there was good attendance
during the day sessions and an &C
tive interest manifested. We could
not carry out the program in detail
but the principal addresses, which
/ fell to our president and general
manager, c. B. Curtis, and to our
helpers from Booker T. Washing
tons schools, Profs. Carver and
Galloway, and the general discus
sions taken active part in, by the
negro farmers, were all taken Up