The advocate. [volume] (Charleston, W. Va.) 1901-1913, 1910-08-11
Annual Banquet
or the National Negro Press Associa-
ton under brilliant auspicies OF
Washington Commercial Council
and Local Business League.

Special to the Advocate.
| Washington. d. c., August Tn
an atmosphere redolent with harm
ony, sympathetic cooperation and
the spirit of goodfellowship, the first
annual banquet Of the National Neg
70 Press Association was given last
saturday evening at Martins North
West Cafe, 18th and U streets north
west. Acting in conjunction with
| the Press Ass ISOLATION were the WASH
ington Commercial Council, of which
}. A. Lankford, the noted architect
Is president, and the Negro Business
League Of the District of Columbia,
headed by Robert l.. Waring, the
lgifted author Of "As We See IT,
The object Of the tripartite COM
| bination was to arouse a deeper in
terest in the development Of race
journalism and to stimulate our peo-
pie to greater activity along civic,
commercial and business lines and
the movement was a success in every
particular. Gathered at the long
table, where covers were laid for
SIXTY or more, were representatives
or nearly ever phase of useful en-
deaVor that mortal can think of.
Preachers, teachers, doctors, law
yers, editors, correspondents, publish
ers, printers, photographers, house
decorators, musicians, poets, me-
chanics, inventors, book and maga-
zine writer's, missionary workers,
architects and builders, bakers,
bankers, stenO graphers, contractors
and men Of high official station,
touched elbows, with a happy i'm
pulse of a common brotherhood, and
all went merry as a marriage bell"
speeches were made-and in abun-
dance. The many utterances were
not merely flights of picturesque
oratory, to be forgotten the moment
alter delivery but each speaker had
distinct message to offer that car
rled home a burning truth, and the
practical tinge of personal expert
ence gave the addresses an education
al and inspirational value beyond
computation. No .'one. struck a. dis
cordant note. The occasion was a
Ver1table '1ove-feast," and generated
an Influence that bids fair to be ma
tion-wide in Significance 1t was the
consensus Of opinion that the affair
should be an annual event, and that,
as far as possible, the newspaper men
and commercial forces Of other cities
should be encouraged to follow the
example so happily set at the ma
tion's capital
Among the themes discussed were
race leadership, race protection,
town building, home ownership. civic
reform, education that hits the mark.
literature, art and science, the
philosophy of social and industrial
conditions, medicine and surgery,
hnance and trade, and how to make
Ihe Negro newspaper more potent
agency for the advancement Of every
element OF society and how to make
1T such paying venture that the verv
Dest men could be induced to give
IL their full time and rare talents.
No similar event in recent years has
attracted so much favorable comment
or provoked such a profitable trend
or thought as this "three-headed"
harmony-fest of the Journalists and
their manifold clientage The whole
town is talking about it and those
who participated have been wonder
Ing why such an affair-has MOTH
thought of long before.
j. A. Landlord acted as master of
ceremonies, and after an impressive
opening address, introduced MIR. r.
w. Thompson, who served as toast
master for the evening, and presented
the speakers in felicitous fashion,
Keeping everything going at rapid
clip until the wee sma' hours" ap-
preached an alarming size.