The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-01-17
Next President Is Greeted By
 Body of Students
AN ADDRESS 10 NEGROES
White Men of the South Are Working To Uplift the Negro, Says Taft,
 Who Pays a Tribute To
 Booker Washington.

Atlanta, Ga., January 1e.-(Special.)-
 Taft's visit to Atlanta was ushered in
 with a flood of rain, but Judge Taft, with
 his eyer-present smile, was an early riser. Shortly after an early breakfast at the Piedmont hotel the next President with
 his party was escorted to the School of l Technology, where MT. Taft addressed
 the students at 1915 O clock in the chapel.
 As he ascended the rostrum he was greet
 ed by the ''raft yell" followed by the
 college yell of Yale. The enthusiasm was tremendous and Judge Taft bowed again and again.
 N. G. Harris, president of the board
 of trustees, introduced the President
 and the students again gave the Taft
 yell Only once did the judges speech
 border on politics and that was when he
 criticised the use of the engineering corps
 of the United States army-the finest in
 the world-for so much civil work that the army was almost deprived of it's serv-
 ices He devoted much of his address
 to the ethics of engineering, once stating
 that the possibilities for temptation were
 more powerful than in other professions and saying:
 "The greatest liars I have ever met
 are interruptions experts"
 Closing at 1o:4o o'clock, Judge Taft was presented with sofa cushion by the
 little daughter of President Matheson of
 the school and the students sang Amer ! ica''
 1 The party then set out for Big Bethel 1 church (colored), where they arrived at 1 Il o'clock and Judge Taft addressed a
 large gathering of negroes. His speech
 here showed that he had given this DOT | ton of the American people, their his | tory, their trials, their achievements and | their destiny most careful and consclen- tious study Not word was uttered which would in the least fan the fires of race prejudice or create unrest In the breasts of the colored people. Several 1 times during the course of his speech
 Judge Taft stressed the fact that his 1 hearers must work out their own des-
 tiny, fin the man himself must be found
 the seeds of progress"
 l Good character, he said, was essential 1 to good citizenship.
 Every one of you knows in your 1 heart" declared the President elect, l that your greatest hope and greatest
 sympathy is in the white men, who are
 your neighbors. I thank God that the | white men of the south are working to ] uplft you. They feel the responsibility of southern civilization"
 1 His tribute to Booker Washington was 1 enthusiastically received. After his ad- dress inside the church Judge Taft made 1 a short speech to those on the outside l who had not been able to gain admis- | sion, and was then driven to the train, | where he embarked for Athens, Ga. I The Taft party returned from Athens 1 at o'clock tonight. The visit of MT. | Taft to Atlanta came to fitting close ! here tonight when he was the guest of 1 honor at a reception given at the Capital 1 City club.
 1 The President-elect avoided any re- ! marks of a political nature and his i speech tonight was one principally of ! thanks and appreciation for his enter 1 tainment by Atlanta.
 1 MT. Taft and his party left for Au- | gusta shortly after midnight.