Evening star., 1909-02-17
Booker Washington Appeals to
Negro Conference.
NOT ENOUGH TO PROFESS
Declares That Faith Should Be
Shown by Works.
OPPORTUNITIES IN THE SOUTH
Farmers Told That They Have Good
Climate and Soil-Urged to Stay
Away From the City.

Tt SkEGEE, Ala, February 11.-'If YOU
believe in the work we are trying to do
here. IL you subscribe TO the gospel that
this conferences breaches. you should show
it in results" said Booker Washington to-
day, addressing the eighteenth annual ne
gro conference, which met at Tuskesee
Institute. You should show 1t in the
condition of your gardens. in the in
creased number of pigs and cows and
calves you own: YOU should show it by
better-looking fences. farmhouses. and
farm buildings generally
Il have watched the growth not only
in numbers. but in interest, of this an
the progress that you have made from
year to year. and it has been %great en-
couragement to me and to all of us who
attend this conference to be able to wit
ness this Improvement There are some
of you. however. who have been coming
to our annual conference for ten or twelve
years, but live in the same kind OF houses
that you did when you first came here.
Some of you have been bowling your
heads and saying amen and groaning for
twelve years and havn't improved one
iOta.
Opportunities in the South.
You have great opportunities here in
this southern country. In the first place,
you have one Of the finest climates in the
world-a climate that is SO favorable that
you can work all the time if you want to.
There is not a month in the year when
you cannot find something to do mean
if you want to work. That is a great ad-
vantage.
Some of you. know. have poor land.
H,,x I'm
country you own the rain and the sun
shine that go with it. We have plenty
of rain and plenty of sunshine here In
the south. Out west. where 1t Is dry, they
sell you land for . an acre and then
charge you $40 more for the water you
need to make anything grow on it. Here
you not only get the land cheap, but you
get the water for nothing.
DO not yield to the temptation of
leaving the land. Of leaving these beau
cities. Why. think of the happy, the
successful, the Independent life you lead
out here upon this land and In this beau
tiful climate. Compare it with the cramp-
ed miserable, and sometimes starving life
that many Of our people live
Atlanta. Baltimore. New York and Bos-
ton. You are many times better off and
many times more Independent than they
are. And you should consider and take
ties that your life here offers YOU
Benefit of Prohibition.
There is another thing l wish to speak
Of. We have prohibition in many parts
Of the south now. We have it in this
state and l hope we will soon have it
in every other southern state. There is
no class of people going to be SO bene-
flied by the closing Of the saloons as the
people of our race. For that reason, If
for no other, just because we are going
to get the greatest benefit from that law
which closes the saloons, We should do
our part in seeing that the law is en-
forced. Every one of you can help en-
force that law You can do it in the
first place by refusing to patronize blind
tigers You can do II in the second place
by persuading your friends and neighbors
not to patronize them.
IF You know of whisky being sold
illegally in any part Of the south report
1t to the sheriff or to the proper county
Official whoever he Is. We all should
be in favor Of closing these barrooms
and blind tigers and we should be in
favor of keeping them closed.
In conclusion, l want to urge you
when You come here again next year
that you will take advantage OF the les
sons you will hear here today. and l shall
De aDle 10 see the results OF Wnat you
have learned today in better farms, in
the possession of lands, in the character
Of the schools ard in the character of
your lives. In every respect We hope to
be able to note greater improvements
next year even than We have noted this
year.
From the Black Belt.
OF the thousand or more delegates to
the conference probably two-thirds came
from the eight surrounding counties
which make up what is known as the
Black Belt Of Alabama.
Twenty-Five years ago, when the school
was just starting here, there was a fa-
nous camp-meeting ground just few
hundred yards away. where now stands
the little model negro village of Green
wood. The negro conference is to a GER
tain extent modelled on that old camp
meeting and has come to take its place.
Questions Discussed.
The conference took up and discussed
in order the following questions:
l. How can We succeed in keeping our
women, who are not engaged in busi-
ness, off the streets and from the public
places where they have no business?
.. How have we succeeded in improving
the moral and church life in our COM
munity?
). How can the farmer succeed in help
ing to enforce the prohibition laws
throughout the south?
4. How have we succeeded In 1engthen-
ing the school term in our community?
j. How have we succeeded in building
a schoolhouse In our community?
6. Dangers to be avoided in farming.
I. How can the husband encourage and
help his wife and children in making the
farm successful?
s. How can the wife help to make her