The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1906-06-01


| fact Is a. all-sufficient answer 10 the
blind people who say that no good
! Will come from educating the negro.
j 30 far Is that from the truth that it
/ may be said that the only real hope
| Tor the negro as well as for the white
| man l. in education. is only We under
stand the meaning OF education in its
proper sense
| II is often said that the true place
! OF the negro Is In industrial work Il
| Is That - the place for the average
| negro. That Is the true place for the
! average negro and Ii Is the true place
/ or the average white man. and We will
| not get our civilization upon a proper
! basis until We root out OF rae mind Of
| the average man and the average girl
/ OF whatever color the belief that TO
| become poor clerk il a better thing
| than being "A first class hand worker. a
| frst class mechanic or first class ag-
fricultural laborer. The wrong twist
lthat has been given To our education in
the past has been Largely responsible
flor the very healthy development OF
the city at the expense OF the country.
Never in the past has any nation been
| permanently great when the city pop-
| utation has been enormous in size as
| compared with the country population.
| Tor the city folk, the people OF the
| farms, can serve certain qualities
which those who dwell I'm the large
| cities tend to lose. If there Is one
thing l would like especially 10 impress
| upon you. II l. 10 advise you 10 take
| up the work on the farms with the
intention OF owning them, take up
| agricultural work. In doing that YOU
will be doing only what the best, the
most intelligent and most advanced
white people are more and more grow
| ing TO do. The growth OF agricultural
| colleges and their development has
been one OF the significant features Of
| education for the white race in most
| all of the states OF this union, because
more and more have people grown to
| realize that the child OF the farmer
must be developed scientifically, his
| abilities be given full play as they can
| only be given through the aid OF edu-
| cation and science. So that on the one
hand, the profession itself shall be-
come more and more attractive 10 men
of brains and intelligence, and so that
! on the other hand ii shall be recog-
| niZed more and more az being the one
profession. the failure to develop
which in this country would mean that
| the development Of all the rest Of the
professions would count for but little.
Our whole civilization is going to
bNiiu iicIt anu IflOIt W" di IGCOSIllZ-
| ing the capital part played BY the
manual worker, the vital part played
by the man who actually works with
his hands, where in the work shop or
on the farm. The more and more
things are going TO shape themselves
so that he shall have the fullest recog-
milton. 1t is the work Of the man
that works with his hands that counts
in the end for the most provided that
hand work is directed by an intelli-
gent brain, and instead OF striving
what We have so often done in the
past divide the work Of the brain from
| the work of the hand, more and more
our effort must be TO keep the hand
worker as a handworker, but TO de-
velop his brain to guide his hand
work so that the most intelligent Of
our people will naturally turn to hand
| work, but will do that handwork in
| conjunction with the best kind Of in
| telleCtual development. / want TO see
the colOred man share in the benefit
| Of this movement and he can share In
| it only by becoming the best kind Of a
hand worker himself and above all by
becoming that hand worker on the
farm, for others first but ultimately for
| himself. The next thing is 10 remem-
Der that the greatness Of the nation,
| the greatness and success OF the pee
| pie must always depend in the last
analysis on the kind of home life, OF
| the family life, that ever be found IN
| the average family group. II we have
got the right type Of average family.
| this nation will be great, every race
| successful and If we haven't GOETHE
| right type of family life, nothing else
| can take its place.
| Most important Of all Is character.
| Character isn't a thing that depends
| upon race character is the case any
| more than the ability to perform man
ual labor well. If you are good man
| you are good man no matter what
your color And If you are worth
F! less man you are a worthless citizen
land draw this one distinction, remem-
ber. that while the good man Of your
race may be help to other races, just
| as much as to yours, the bad man OF
| your race Is infinitely worse for them
than for any other. The negro crimt-
nal. no matter at whose expense the
particular crime may be committed,
Is a hundred fold more dangerous to
the negro race than 10 the white race,
| because he tends to arouse the bitter
| animosities. the bitter prejudices for
which not he alone but the whole race
| Will suffer. IN the interests Of the
colored folks see to it you colored
men here that you war against crimi-
nality In your own race with par
ticular zeal. because that crim!nality
Is in the ultimate analysis a greater
/ danger to your race than any other
thing can be. / ask that you colored
people show the same virtues which
white people must show II they are te
become good citizens. I ask you TO
remember that IL is good thing 10
have a trained mind. that IL IL bet
ter thing to have a trained body which
IL worked under direction Of train
ed mind, and that better than either.
mind or body and more important is
character"
At the conclusion Of the address the
president and party were conducted 10
the institute church, where the stu
dents. at the presidents request sang
several characteristic songs. The pres
ident then visited the various depart
ments OF the school, expressing deep
sw-@ IT, tat fha