Iowa state bystander. [volume] (Des Moines, Iowa) 1894-1916, 1908-12-04
ROOSEVELT ON
THE NEGRO.
Speaks at Laying of Conner
Stone of the Colored
Y. N, G. A.
THE AUDIENCE CHEERS.


Washington, D. G.. Nov. 26.-Presi-
dent Roosevelt was the principal speak
er at the laying of the corner stone of
the Colored Young Mems Christian
Association :. Building Thanksgiving.
Hundreds and hundred of Negroes
listened to the President who was ap-
plauded tine and time again during his
address
The President declared that what is
known as the race problem is one of
the difficult questions, that it exits in
the north as well as the South. He
said the only way in which to bring
nearer the time when there shall be
even an approximately fair solution of
the problem is to treat each man on
his merits as a man; that he should
not be treated badly because of his
color, nor should he receive immunity
for misconduct because he happens
to be of given colcr. Mound Bayou.
Miss, was also praised during the
Presidents speech for being model
Negro community.
Presidents Roosovelt's address in
full:
ut is to me matter of peculiar
pleasure to be present on this occasion
at the laying of the corner stone of
the Colored Young Mems Christian AS
sociation, of Washington. The Y. M.
C, A. has worked among the Colored
men for less than thirty years yet for u
number of reasons for some time after
the work was begun very little pro-
gress was made; indeed at first curious
ly enough the churches tended to an
tagonize the J. M. G A. But during
the last twenty years the Y. M. c. A.,
work among our Colored fellow citizens
has proceeded rapidly, aud these are
the very twenty years in which the
Colored race in America has made most
progress. The religious people, those
standing highest in the Colored
churches, now appreciate quarter of
a century ago, that innocent sports
and amusements should be encouraged
and the poorest lesson to be taught to
any men of any race is that pleasure
and vice are synonymous terms. The
bowling alleys, the swimming pools
and gymnasiums of the Y. M. G. F.,
buildings are adjnncts of very i'm
portant kind to the effort for the NOR
al and religious uplift with which the
Y. M. G. A. movement has always been
identified. Moreover, the Y. M. G. A.
reaches both the classes that are
reached by the churches and the classes
that the churches fail to reach. Such
a building as this will be is open every
day and every evening. 1t brings in
men of many different types, for it ap-
peals to many different sides of human
nature. Already the Colored Y. M. G.
A. has membership in this country
of nearly 10000, 5000 belonging to the
thirty-seven city associations and
5000 to the student organizations. Of
the 100000 spent last year for current
expenses of the thirty-seven city as.
socations, threefourths were paid by
Colored men. 1t is noteworthy that of
the 10000 Colored men attending the
Colored colleges of this country, half
are active members of the Y. M. c.. A.
This speaks well for the spirit of these
colleges, and gives us hope and en-
couragement for the character of the
leaders of the Colored race in the fu-
ture. Over 1000 volumes we're circu-
lated last year from the as yet limited