Middletown transcript., 1910-07-16
nIDDEErOWN, DEL, JULY 70. 1910
R0ngEP TAIIARRRR0 WASHINGTON

few In all history have ever been.
Born in the hopeless night Of
Slavery-just where or when he
never knew; reared in his early
years amid the most abiect pow
erty and squalor in . windowless
cabin littleI better than q dog
kennel; and getting by his own
painful efforts as achild the hum
blest rudiments of letters, in the
words of Tennyson:
"He breaks bis births invidious bar"
and though he found no ''skirts
Of happy chance" to grasp, yet
manfully did he
ssBreast the blows Of circumstance"
to accomplish for his own race
and sectien through his integrity
and industry q noble work of
great and ever-expanding useful
ness-.an achievement that enrolls
the name OF this black slave in
the worlds pantheon of those
rare souls who have been bene.
factors OF the human race.
With philosophic acumen he
discerned those simple truths Of
slow growth that are the founda.
tion OF all character, individual
and national, and realized that the
splendid civilization of the Eng
lish race, the rich fruition Of over
q thousand years Of growth and
struggle, could not in day be
attained by his race scarcely two
hundred years escaped from bar
barism, and not ten from re.
pressive slavery. And knowing
that his race yet In it's childhood,
was fitted to receive only the
chings Of children, he wisely
refused to permit the students of
the great Industrial School he
founded to humbug themselves
getting an illusory, vicious veneer
of high sounding ologies, but with
robust common sense taught
them instead the A B C's of
morals and conduct, the elements
Of English and insisted that each
should learn some trade or craft
following herein the wisdom of
the Talmud that enjoins q like
duty upon every Jewish parent.
He utterly repudiated the false
notions widely current among his
people that to get "book learn
ing" meant q life Of ease with ex-
emption from hard work, but
everywhere and always Taught
the dignity of even the humblest
manual labor and its absolute
necessity for them; preached
the saving gospel of honest,
faithful toll, of thrift and probity;
Of cleanliness in body and mind
and every sentiment making for
character and uprightness.
AS a constructive statesman
for his own race in the South he
has shown qualities Of the high
est order; a wisdom and modera-
ton; q patient, tireless industry,
and a resourcefulness of exped-
lent that has wrought seemingly
impossible things. In the indus
trial education of the negro he
found a solution of the problem
which had bafaed white states
man North and South. And
though at first many SoutherDers,
blinded by racial prejudice that
believed no good thing could
come out Of the Nazareth of Afri-
can slavery, either opposed or
ignored his efforts to found in
dustrial schools, set later the
entire South came to recognize
the value and fsrsighted wisdom
Of his work and is now not only
chivslrously applauding but gen.
erously aiding that work as a
profound blessing to both races.
Like the eloquent Fred Douglas
DR.. Washington has won high
distinction as an orator. His ad-
dress ut the Atlanta Exposition
before 10000 Of the very flower
OF Southern beauty, chivalry and
intelligence, was q superb piece
Of oratory that swept the sur:
prised and delighted multitude
clean off their feet and brought
him instant renown. In its
simplicity Of language and felicity
Of illustration; in it's power Of
logical argument; and above all,
in IT'D deep wisdom and compre-
hensive grasp Of the difficult
racial question which was its
theme, it reminds one OF the
Cooper Institute speech Of the
great Lincoln, whom Booker
much resembles in the plainness
and humility of bis character
His devotion to duty and the
most exacting toll, i boundless