The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1909-02-02
Booker Washington Gives
Advice To His Race
At MEETNG|NWAsH|hGTON

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Theme Of Confcrence-Baltimo.e
Workers Prominent.
Washington, ID. c.. Jan 25.-For
the betterment OF the dependent chill
dren Of the unit nearly. 200 dele
gates are gathered in Washington at
the call Of the President. This after
noon they met in the East Room of
the White House, where they were
welcomed by the President and Mrs.
Roosevelt. and entered upon their du-
ties. which will consume two days.
Advising the members of the con-
ference to do all in their power to
keep the Southern negro in the rural
districts of the South. declaring that
Of the 900. ooo negroes in Alabama
but 301 are in dependent institutions,
n saying that he is suspicious OF
most asylums. DR.. Booker T.. Wash
ingTon. president Of Tuskegee Lnsti-
5ute. addressed the delegates tonight
His speech VAS by far the most i'm
portant. both in interest and in matter
presented of all the speakers.
DR.. Washington declared that while
theaegro has his vices he has his vir-
tues as well. and needs encourage
ment. The negro in the rural dis
tricts of the South is not SO much a
degraded creature as N ignorant
one" he said. Neither is he a pro-
fessionai beggar. Seldom does n see
the black hand stretched out. and
when it is seen 1t unusually belOngS to
a black who is working his way to
the South from the North instead of
the other way. But then" added DR..
Washington. the negro never
~starves."
He is best off in the rural districts
OF the South. Use your influence to
keep him there. In my own county out
Of $4,000 negroes there are but 6 Of
any age in dependent institutions. The
negro has a stronger instinct Of caring
for the dependent of his race than
most other nations.
Whenever a negro leaves the South
ana comes to Washington or New
York he Gems to learn that there is
some sort Of q fund maintained to re
litve cases Of necessity, and at the
present time this artificial help is the
worst thing for the negro. He should
be made to stand alone.
7 do not thoroughly believe In or
phan asylums. a great many of them
are established solely for the purpose
of giving the superintendent q job
Outlining his objects, the President
SAID, in part:
There are haIf q dozen different
types of children for whom We need to
care. There is. first Of all, the COM
plete orphan, the child who has lost
both father and mother. For this child
We wish to make permanent provision.
Ny own belief is that the best kind OF
permanent provision. if feasible, IS TO
place that child in a home. We then
have to meet the caSe-One of the
most distressing of cases-where the
father has died, where the bread-Wt1-
ncr has gone, where the mother would
like to keep the child, but simply
lacks the earning capacity Surely
in such q case the goal toward which
we would strive is to help that mother
50 that she can keep her own home
and keep the child in it: that IS the
best thing possible to be done for that
child. HOW the relief shall come.
public, private or by a mixture of
both. In what way. you are competent
70 say and l am not. But ! am COM
petent to sd! what / think the goal
hould be.
'Ther We colne to the case of the
child who must temporarily be taken
away from the parent or perentS. but
where it Is not desirable that the sep
aration should be permanent Those
children OF the cases for which the In
Stitution is peculiarly fitted. There are
other problems. Of course. that You
will have to deal with-fOr instance,
thecrippled child, the child that can
not be treated at home for q disease,
but yet can be completely cured in a
hospital; and the case Of the child
whose parents are hopeiessly vicious
Or hopelessly inefficient.
The government can do much But
never forget hat the government can
not do everything; there must al
ways be help by individuals n asso-
Citations outside; that religious \
DhilanthrOpiC associations of many
different kinds music cooperate with
the government or we cannot get the
best results"
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