Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1909-06-22
BOOKER WASHINGTON
ADDRESSES GREAT CROWD
White People and Negroes Pack
Academy and listen TO the
Educator.

ings ever held IN Inc local AcadeIny VI
Music was the one addressed by Book
ct T. Washington. the negro educator.
lSunday afternoon at 2:30 o'clock. The
house was packed to It's capacity ana
hundreds were turned away. the box
es and lower floor being filed with
white people, and the rest OF the house
by negroes. on the stage were num-
Der OF prominent citizens. including
Mayor Marquis Jones, who introduced
the speaker, and Rev. +. T. Wexford.
who offered a prayer after the exer-
cises had been opened with The
Prince OF Peace sung by the colored
Trinity Baptist church choir.
J. Thomas Newsome. the local col
cred attorney. with whom Washington
stopped during his brief stay In the
city. made a few remarks and Tre-
scented Mayor Jones. When the may
or introduced the visitor. many peo-
ple In the crowd rose and cheered the
visitor.
washington spoke. in part. as fol-
lows:
"A short while ago, in October last.
| made a trip through the state OF
Mississippi, and in March through the
state Of South Carolina, in order 10
see something OF what is being done
by cur people in the way OF futherih5
their citizenship. am glad to tell
YOU that | was very greatly pleased
TO make note of what they are DO
ing in all the directions that make
for their general uplift.
Il know something Of the difficult
ties and the struggles that our peo-
ple not only in the South but in the
North as well, have to meet, ana can
for that reason all the more appre-
ciate the success which you have Deeh
able to win. Just so Tar as you sue
coed in building up In all OF these
Southern communities an orderly
thrifty, progressive negro element
YOU will be able to convince the
rest OF the world OF our ability 10
make progress as race. your ca
ample as orderly. progressive clu-
zens will be copied by other members
of our race everywhere. There are
AT present between eight and nine mil
lions OF our people in the Southern
States. A very large proportion OF
them are here In the state OF Nlr-
einia To very large extent you
have the future in your own hands-
II your labor is honest, systematic.
intelligent. you will prosper. the peo-
ple around you will prosper. and the
country will prosper. II II is lrregu-
lar. dishonest. you and your neigh
Dor i'm spite of the fertility the
natural richness of the soil, VIII lag
behind the rest of the world. We
have. I repeat. a great responsibility
in this respect At the present time
the people of our race have prac-
teal monopoly of the labor or THIS
part of the country. but | warn you
that II will not always be so. IL we
do not learn day by day to work IN
telligently. more SYSTEMATICALLY. II we
do not make up our minds here ana
now that we will get as much or more
out OF the soil both as laborers ana
farmers than any other race or PEG
nile is able to get. the time VIII CONS
when more progressive race Will
step in and take our places This
APPLIES not only to you who are work
ING as laborers or as renters on the
lands OF others. it applies equally 10
Won who are buying lands which you
work You must be progressive. You
must make these lands produce Just
as much as any other race can make
them produce II you do not do THIS.
the time will come when you VIII
lose these lands. There Is nothing
more true than this. No man can
SQUAT on land and hold II permanently
unless he can make 1t produce all
or nearly all that 1t ought to pro-
duce.
Advantages and Disadvantages.
We have some advantages. my
friends. in living in this Southland
We also have some disadvantages
For some time before the Civil war
and for some years afterward when
this country was disturbed by agita-
ton and by contentious of all KINDS,
we did not exactly know what We
were TO do CT what place We were
to occupy politically. socially and eco
nomically here in the South. II was
pretty hard to get our people to set~e
down to do work and make the pro
gress that a great many people think
we should have made which we hope
and believe we can make under prop
ct conditions In spite OF these DIFF
fculties we have done well. ! re-
peat. my friends, We have done well
But there is no reason why the negro
in Virginia as well "a elsewhere can
not make himself more useful In the
future than he has in the past. and
during the time that I have had an
opportunity TO see what you are striv-
ing and hoping TO do. say that my
confidence in your future has been
immensely increased. and as stated
IN the beginning. my highest ambition
in coming here is 10 help urge the
negro to reach the point wnere every
year he will be more useful 10 him |
self more useful 70 the state OF Vfr-