The Montana plaindealer. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1906-1911, 1906-06-01
Negroes Hope Lies In Work.
PRESIDENT Roosevelt Talks to Students
OF Hampton Institute and Advises
Them to Build Homes.

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Hampton, Va. May 3o.-A notable address
was dllivered to the students of Hampton in.
stitute to day by President Roosevelt.
Pres. and Mrs. Roosevelt and their part,
arrived off Old Point Comfort in the Nav
flower shortly before 4:3o O'Clock this after.
noon, and were taken ashore in launches. The
president was escorted to the veranda of the
administration building from which he made
his add ess. Before the address the students
sang with remarkable effect "The Great Camp
Meeting in the Promised Land" The presi-
dent aPPlauded heartily and shouted "More,
more" The students in rerponse sang "We
are Climbing up Jacobs Ladder"
President Roosevelt talked extemporane-
ously amp with deep earnestness. He began
by saying, after the students had given him
cordial welcome, that they were no anxious
for him to visit them than he was 10 visit the
institution. Speaking direct to the Negro
students he said:
"Now, the first thing upon which | wish to
lay emphasis is that a school such as this.
which strives to raise the colored man and
the colored woman, to make them better men
and better women, better citizens, is promi-
nently in the interest Of the white'man. There
is nothing that can be done better for the
white man, who is to live side by side with
the colored man, than to train that colored
man up to be good citizen. From the stand
point of the white man, the safest and best
thing that can happen is to have the colored
around him thrifty, industrious home-makers
ahd home-keepers.
"From the standpoint of the colored man,
The only real way to help him is to help him
help himself. What this institution does is
10 hell men and women to walk by them
selves. The colored man who helps his race
most is he who helps teach the members ofl
MS race how to conduct themselves with self
,espeet-hard working, intelligent, law-abid-
ng citizens. No race, no nationality ever
lises itself by the exhibition of genius in
ew men; what counts is character, the charac-
er of the average man and the average
woman.
"You have sent out from Hampton Institute
n all something like six thousand graduates
nd if remember rightly, there are but two
# whom you have records as criminals, and
hat fact is an answer to the blind people who
ay that no good will come from educating
he Negro. So far is that from the truth that
may be said that the real hope for the Ne
70 as we'll as the white man, is in education,
only we understand the meaning of educa-
Gu in its proper sense.
at It's often said that the true place for the
Tegro is industrial work. That is the true
lace for average Negro and 1t is the true
lace for the average white man, and we will
OF get our civilization upon a proper basis
ntil we root out OF the mtnd OF the average
ian and average woman, of whatever color,
e belief that to become poor clerk is
etter thing than being a fast class hand
orker, first class mechanic or a first class r
yricultural laborer a
"There is one thing would like especially p
impress upon you, it is to advise you to >
ke up work on the farms with the intention
owning them. Take up agricultural work.
doing that you will be following only what
e best, most Intelligent and most advanced .
hite people are more and more growing to
}.
"The next thing is to remember that the n
eatness of the nation, the greatness and sue o
IS of the people must always depend in the T
St analysis on the home life, on the family
e that is to be found in the average family
CUP. If we have got the right type of I
erage family this nation will be great, every :,
ce successful, and if we have not got the
int type of family life, nothing else can take \
place. In the interest of the colored II
ks, see to it, colored men here, that you a
II against criminalty in your own race with
particular zeal because that criminality is in
ultimate analysis a greater danger to your II
e than any other thing can be- s.