The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-01-20
TAFT PRAISES
 SOUTHERN GIRLS New Point of Attack Is Made
 Upon the South SPEECHES AT THE SCHOOLS
President-Elect Finds Much to Admire and Inspire Him When He Makes Addresses Before the
 Young Women.

point of attack on the solid south" was made today by the President elect, when he put in good word for the who know a good thing when they see it., in the charm and beauty of southern young women. This lighter gein of MT. ,Taft's humor was given vent before what he termed a ban quet of bright and charming faces" the students of Tubman high school for girls. although nearly an hour late In his appointment, the songs of tho class, which he listened to preceding his brief talk, he declared had carried him off in enjoyable fancy and his introduction to speak was "a rude awakening"
 The charming appearance of the stu dent body, he said, impressed itself on him as an entirely new and convinc- ing argument in favor of the separa- ton of the sexes for education. The speaker admitted his point of view had changed somewhat on the question Of woman suffrage since, when 16 he ardently advocated that doctrine in his graduation paper, because of the ad miration he had for the intelligence of tIC 8lIl ilCAnDCt6 OA HIS tldSS III w OOu- ward high school, Cincinnati When the trained and intelligent women of the country wanted suffrage he pre- dicted they would get it, just on the very natural ground that they always get what they want But, he renna ked in passing the subject for the dis cussion of matrimony, that he did not Aee the slightest interest in the faces of his hearers in what he was dis cussing.
 Proper Matrimony.
 Matrimony, as he hac said at Ath- ems, last week, sh ouId not be the only future to which asvoung woman should Hook, and no unsatisfactory accept ances should be made of marriage pro posals, simply to avoid being an old maid. The great success of many un- married women of his acquaintance justified this conclusion.
 But, of course, here in the south you are not troubled as they are in Massachusetts" he continued, where there are so many women that there is no possibility that they can all marry and it is real serious problem there, as to what shall be done with the unmarried women. rlere l know that the situation Is different
 But, my dear young ladies'" the speaker remarked, q did not come here to make a prepared address. 1 came here trusting to the inspiration of the moment for what your bright eyes and pretty faces and your charm ing presence might bring out of me. l trust I am not toe old yet to yield to the charm of beauty and that 10 which even a northern man may be awakened to. I know there is the ory that we are all cold in the north, but I assure you it Is not true. l re- member once, while in Nashville, or making inquiry regarding a great many northern officers who exercised admir- able taste, and who found young ladies of beauty and charm formerly on the other side who were willing, or who at least were induced, whether will ing or not, to become the wives of northe ern men, so that 1t might not be the worst lot, should your fate ever carry you north of Mason and Dix ons line, for we know good thing when we see it.'
 Speech to Negroes.
 From this gathering, which was held in celebration of the centenary of the birth of Edgar Allan Poe, MT. Taft at once went to the Haines Normal and h. dustrial Institute for Negroes, where he delivered an address on the benefits of industrial education.
 Expressing the most profound sympathy, for the struggle upward of the negro race, MT. Taft remarked, having evidently in mind the recent utterances of Senator Tillman:
 T do not think 1t inappropriate to refer to some of the expressions that fall from the lips of men prominent in political life, that are utterly lacking in any sympathy of that kind, and that are cruel and abrupt in their meaning, if they are to be given the meaning that the words naturally bear. I refer to those gentle men who deem it necessary to affirm that, in the interest of this country, the negro race should have no education. Now, I am glad to know and believe that those men. in their hearts, do not believe that; it come rather from desire to say some thing that shall have sensational ef- feet, than it does from a real spirit, I was going to say, of cruelty toward a race that deserves from those of us who are white all the aid, all the assistance, and all the sympathy we can give them. know that you know that those ex- pressions do not represent the feeling of the great body of intelligent white men in the south.'
 MT. Taft at once disclaimed a meaning that education was everything. It did not make character. Nor did he mean that a university education should be uni versal The great body of the nation he said, from necessity, earned their live lihood by the sweat of their faces. They needed primary and industrial training. Happiness, he asserted, was not to be fousld in the possession of the luxuries of life. but in the consciousness of hav- ing done the best you could under the Work brought good di- gestion, and this was no small matter. as he could testify from many banquets,
 Capt. Thomas Allen of Chicago will be added to the board of engineers which is to accompany MT. Taft to Panama. Missouri politics was the subject which MT Taft talked of today with w S. Dickey, who spoke of the availability for a cabinet place of Charles Nagel and President Sweeney of the First National bank of Kansas City.
 MT. Taft will address the people of Augusta tomorrow from platform erect ed in the center of the town, and will he given banquet at night at Hampton Terrace.