The Washington bee., 1908-12-05
President LAYS Stone
YIELDS TROWEL AT NEW
COLORED y. NJ. {. A. BUILD

Tells W f-men He Likes to Meet
the Men Behind the Gun"
SPEAKS TO LARGE CROWD.
Commissioner MacFariaHd, Secretary
Morse and Others ADDRESS
Gathering.
President Roosevelt, assisted by
prominent officers of the international
committee and the local branch of the
Y NJ. c. A, laid the corner stone of
the colored mems branch of the
Young Mems Christian Association
Thanksgiving afternoon, in the pres
ence of several thousand residents
of the National Capital.
Music was rendered by choir of
one hundred young men under the
direction of Prof. ]. T Layton, di-
rector of music in the colored public
schools.
At the conclusion of the address of
Mr. Roosevelt it was announced that
the corner stone, which had been sus-
pended by derrick ropes over its final
resting place, would be lowered. The
President walked to the northeast cor
ner of the building and extended his
hand to Levi Adams, a colOred mason,
who was holding the pail of mortar
and directing the lowering of the
stone.
Il want to shake your hand" said
the President, holding out his right
hand. The colored workman hesitat-
ed a minute as he wiped the stone
dirt from his fngrS Then followed
the hearty handshake between the
chief executive and the workman.
4 always like TO shake hands with
"the man behind the gun" the man
who is actually doing the work, the
President remarked to those nearby.
A minute later the President grasp
ed the trowel, plunged it into the wet
mortar and threw a trowelful on top
the brick foundation wall under the
overhanging white boulder. Then he
-smoothed it out fiat. Richard C.
Morse, general secretary of the Inter
national Y. NJ. c. A., who had come
from New York to attend the ceremo-
nies, followed the Presidents lead and
others who helped to put on the NOR
tar that is to hold the corner stone in
place were Commissioned. H. B. F.
MacFarland, William Knowles Coop
er, general secretary of the Washing
ton Y. NJ. c. A., J. f. Moorland,
member of the international commit
tee; f. J. Morton, chairman of the
colored mems branch, and Lewis E.
Johnson, secretary of the branch.
A tin box containing a Bible,
copy of the Presidents speech, cop
les of the local newspapers containing
the advance notices of the cornerstone
laying, literature of the colored mems
department of the association move
ment and a Y. NJ. c. A. button was
placed inside the corner stone. Then
It was lowered into its place under
the direction of the colored work
man.
After seeing the huge stone set,
President Roosevelt shook hands with
the many prominent white and color
ed residents of the District who oc-
cupied seats on the platform and
amid the applause of the thousands
who had listened intently TO his re-
marks jumped into his waiting car I
riage with Secretary Loeb and was
driven back to the White House.
Secretary Morse's Address.
After the departure of the Presi-
dent Richard C Morse, general sec
retary of the Y. NJ. c. A, was intro
duced.
This building you are putting up
here" he said, has a tremendous
significance. Not only in the District
of Columbia; not only in the United
States. but throughout the American
Continent.
"The Y. NJ. c. A. movement owes
its extension to great leadership, and
if the colored work is to progress It'll
must have strong leadership. What
you need to carry on this work in this
new buildn.e is strong leadership.
Il saw the Y. NJ. c. A. when it
had only one building; since then
have seen 500 buildings erected for
its use. That first building was put
in the right place. Your first great
building. that of the colored mems