Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-10-24

mechanical or Industrial work adds by so
much to the wealth of the whole community
and benefits all people In the community.
The professional and mercantile avenues
to success are overorowded. For the present
the best chance Of success awaits the In
telfigent worker at some mechanical trade
| or on a farm; for this man will almost GER
tainly achieve Industrial Independence.
am pleased, but not in the isast surprised
to learn that many among the men and wo-
men trained at Tuskegee find immediate
employment as leaders and workers among
| their own people. and that their services
are eagerly sought by white people for va
| rious kinds of Industrial work the demand
being much greater than the supply View
| ed from any angle. ignorance is the cost
lest crop that can be raised in any part of
| this union Every dollar put into the educa-
ton OF either white man or black man, In
head In hand and in heart. yields rich d.
yidends to the entire community.
Merely from the economic standpoint II
is or the utmost consequence to all our
| citizens that institutions such as this at
Tuskesee should be a success.
Reasons That Entitle It to Support
| But there are other and even higher rea-
| sons that entitle It to our support. In the
/ interest of humanity, OF justice. and of
| self-protection, every white man in Amerf-
| ca, no matter where he lives. should try to
| help the negro to help himself. 1t is in the
| interest, and for the protection. of the
| white man to see that the negro Is educat-
|
man. but 1t is to his interest, to that
| the negro Is protected In property, in life
| and in all his legal rights. Every time a
| law is broken. every individual in the COM
| munity has the moral tone of his life low
cred.
| Lawlessness In the United States is not
connned to any one section; lynching is not
| confined to any one section: and there is
| perhaps no body of American citizens who
! have deserved so well OF the entire AmerI-
| can people as the public men. the publicists
| the clergymen, the countless thousands of
| high-mfnded private citizens who have done
| such heroic work In the south in arousing
| public opinion against lawlessness in all its
| forms. and especially against lynching /
very earnestly hope that their example will
| count in the north as well as In the south
| for there just as great evils to be
warred against in one region of our coun-
| try az In another, though they are not In
| all places the same evils
And when any body of men In any COM
munity stands bravely for what is right
these men not merely serve a useful pur-
| pose IN doing the particular task to which
they set themselves, but give a lift to the
cause of good citizenship throughout the
union. 1 heartily appreciate what you have
done at Tuskegee; and l am sure you will
not grudge my saying that It could not pos
slbly have been done save for the loyal
support you have received from the white
people round about; for during the twenty
five years of effort to educate the black
man here In the midst of white community
OF Intelligence and culture there has, never
been an outbreak between the races or any
difficulty of any kind.
Honor to White Men.
All honor is due to the white men of Ala
bama, to the white men of Tuskegee, for
what they have done. And right here let
me say that If in any community a misun-
derstanding between the races arises, over
any matter, infinitely the best way out is
to have prompt, frank and full conference
and consultation between representatives of
the wise, decent, cool headed men among
the whites and the wise, decent cool
headed colored men. Such a conference
will always tend to bring about a better
understanding and will be a great help all
round.
Hitherto have spoken chiefly of the obi-
cations existing on the part of the white
man. Now let you remember the other
hand that no help can permanently avail
you save as you yourselves develop capac-
ity for self-help. You young colored men
and women educated at Tuskegee must by
pr ecept and example lead your fellows to-
ward sober, Industrious, law-abiding lives.
You are in honor bound to join hands in
favor of law and order and to war against
all crime, and especially against all crime
by men of your own race; for the heaviest
wrong done by the criminal is the wrong
to his own race
You must teach the people of your race
that, they must Scrupulously observe any
contract into which they in good faith en-
ter, no matter whether 1t is hard to keep
or not. If you save money, secure homes
and lead clean, decent. modest lives You
viii win the respect of your neighbors of
beth races. Let each man strive to excel
HIS fellows only by rendering substantial
service to the community in which he lives.
The colored people have many difficulties
to pass through but these difficulties will
be surmounted if only the policy of reason
and common sense is pursued. You have
made real and great progress. According
to the census the colored people of this
country own and pay taxes upon something
like three hundred million dollars worth of
property and have blotted out over fifty
per cent of the illiteracy. What you have
done in the past Is an indication of what
you will be able to accomplish in the flu
ture under wise leadership
Moral and Industrial Education.
Moral and industrial education is what is
most needed, in order that this progress
may continue. The race cannot expect to
get everything at once. 1t must learn to
wait and bide Its time; to prove itself
worthy by showing it's possession of per-
severance, of thrift, of self-control The
destiny of the race is chiefly in its own
hands and must be worked out patiently
and persistently along these lines. Re
member also that the white man who can
be of most use to the colored man is that
colored mans neighbour. 1t Is the south
ern people themselves VINO must and can
solve the difficulties that exist in the south.
OF course what help the people of the rest
oe the Union can give them must and will
be gladly and cheerfully given. The hope
Of advancement for the colored man In the
south lies in his steady. common-sense eff
fort to improve his moral and material con-
dition and to work in harmony with the
white man in upbuilding the common
wealth. The future of the south now de-
ponds upon the people of both races living
up to the spirit and letter Of the laws of
their several states and working out the
destinies of both races. not as races, but
as law-abiding American citizens.