Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-11-21
PRESIDENT AS TRUSTEE
Mr.. Taft Attends Meeting of
Hampton institute Board.
DELIVERS BRIEF ADDRESS
Expresses Deep Interest in Work Of
the Institution.
ANDREW CARNEGIE'S SPEECH
Believes Race Prejudice Is Being
NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. Party
Leaves for Washington.
ANDREW CARNEGIE's SPEECH

guns, reviewed the students was enter
tained at luncheon, and, together with a
number of prominent educators gathered
from all sections of the country. made
an address to the students and % a
large gathering of white people In the
school late this afternoon.
AS soon as the gymnasium exercises
were ended the President went aboard
the Mayf1ower, where Mrs. Taft had
just as the night shadows were falling
| the graceful little cruiser weighed
| anchor and headed for Washington. A
| southwesterly gale, which blew during
| trip by launch from the Mayhower to
the Hampton School a rather risky
! undertaking, had completely died away
this evening, and the Mayflower started
| up Chesapeake bay under slvery mo n,
which glistened brilliantly on calm
| water. He is due in Washington early
| tomorrow morning.
Expresses Deep Interest.
| President Taft's speech to the students
of Hampton was brief His address came
at the end Of a long program and he de-
clared he had been so deeply interested
| in all that had been said as to the work
of the institution that he had no time tc
think up anything to say himself.
| The President said he believed that the
| institutions like Hampton and Tuskegee
and the spirit of cooperation which they
| engendered among both white and col
ored people for the general uplift of hui
mainly are doing more for the solution
| of the sO-called race problem than any
other factors that could be brought to
! bear.
| Former Gov. A. ]. Montague Of Vir-
ginia had spoken Of the interest the
white people of the state had always
taken in the work of Hampton, and de-
clared that no. race could prosper by the
oppression of another race, and that the
happiness and prosperity of the white
people depended largely upon what they
should do to improve the condition OF
the blacks. Mr.. Montague had been
followed by a number of colCred grad
yates Of Hampton, who bore testimony to
the interest taken by the white people
both while they were students in the
| school and in the application of their
education to the betterment OF their fell
| lows since leaving the institution
DIR. Charles w. Eliot. president emeri-
tus of Harvard; Bishop McVickar of
Rhode Island, Andrew Carnegie and
| President Herbert B. Frizzell of Hamp-
ton also were among the speakers.
Carnegie Compliments President.
Mr.. Carnegie paid a high tribue to
| President Taft and declared that, among
other things he had done more than
any other man to bring the north and
| south Unto closer union. He predicted
| that Mr.. Taft would go down in history
| as 1.-The great pacificator." Mr.. Carnegie
| near the close of his remarks, after first
| admonishing his audience not to be
startled declared that there is no such
thing in the world as forgiveness.
| There cannot be- he added. ut does
not accord with the laws of nature, which
n,ete out justice only. We are all weav-
ing webs in this life and if we commit
an error-if a fault passes into our web
it goes down. I do not mean to say
that any of use are perfect. We all have
our faults. But mans character is
| affected by every fault he commits and
| by every thought he harbors. If we err,
| If we commit sin, we never can be as
perfect as IL we had never erred or never
sinned. Bear that in mind as you go out
of here today and let 1t stand as my
| word to you, and you will have less diff
| ficulty in living up to a higher standard
of life. Remember that you have to give
| an account for all you do, because every
| thing you do affects your character. In
| that sense ] say there is no such thing
In the world as forgiveness
Eradication Of Race Prejudice.
| Earlier In his speech Mr.. Carnegie pre-
dicted that the lines between the white
and colored races soon would be obliteratet
as the lines between the north and south
SO rapidly are disappearing.
| II do not mean," he explained. tina
| the black man will cease to be black, bu
l do mean that the races will live in con
tentedness. wishing prosperity each to the
| other, and with common purpose II
mind will go forward hand in hand.
1T is an odd thing in this world tina
when people get together for good pur
pose all goes well with them. But wher
| they congregate for nefarious purposes
like the stock selling business. for in
stance, and begin to cheat the people
| they soon fall to cheating each other anC
the whole bottom drops out. Thus the
good goes on and the evil perishes.''
| Clarence Kelsey, president OF the Title
Guaranty Company of New York was to-
day elected member of the board OF
| trustees of the institute.
| President Taft said 1t was his hope, anG
he believed it already to be realization
that Hampton should serve as model fol
Industrial and educational work not alone
! for the negro and the Indian, but the
| white people as we'll.
| Before he spoke President Taft listened
| for an hour and a half to a series OF
talks by five Hampton graduates on char
acteristic phases Of the schools work In
| agriculture, industrial and social welfare
activities.
Indian Girl Speaks for Tribe.
One of the speakers Lena Ludwig, an
Oneida Indian girl. told of what education
had done for members Of her tribe at Ho
bart, Wis. Lacemaking by the girls and
| farming by the boys. it had been said
were the occupations which enable the
Indians to get along without the support
| of the government. Lena called out a
gale Of laughter from President Taft and
| the audience when she dryly corrected
this statement by saying:
| "Once a year we do receive from the
| government A cents apiece from funC
allowed our ancestors for services rem
dered to the country by our fOrefathers.
| Lena declared. however, that the uplif
of her people at Hoh4rt had recently been
halted by the appearance of the white
man and the saloon in the community
| many of the weaker Indians having al
ready sold all their land and squandered
1t on liquor.
Lends Touch Of Color.
| Maj Robert Morton, commandment OF the
Hampton Cadets, made a rather striking
address. The major is particularly dark
of skim and declared he had been put on
the program to lend a little real color
to the celebration"
| Ever since the black man set foot or
! the shores of this country" said the
| major, he has been a problem. l sym
pathize with the white people that they
my friends. 1 am mighty glad we are here
and I'm going to do all in my power to
keep all our people here. We have i'm
bibed many Of the traits and ambitions OF
the Angio-Sexon race and believe thai
the American negro IL 500 years ahead OF
any body Of ten million black mon to be