New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1911-07-30

of modern life Mrs. Booker T. Washing
ton does not agree with them. Mrs. Wash
ington saws II is voman's tendency TO stay
az home and think OF the affairs Of her
house and her husband and children exclu-
sively that has kept her from being man
intellectual equal and that II women all
had some business or work outside their
homes. and II married women especially
we're occupied ~ least half OF every week
day away from husband and children and
hresde they could cope more inteligently
with their household problems An office.
she thinks. is a great educator for wOn1-
an; some hours day In an office, seeing
the newspapers. and keeping In touch with
world affairs Is en- important part OF her
recipe for making good wife and mother.
Mrs Washington doesn't speak without
experience As head of the womsn's DE-
partment AZ Tuskegee Institute she meets
daily there scores OF ambitious young col
cred women. whose wants and needs are
the wants and needs Of their white sisters
AS chairman OF the executive committee Of
the National Association Of Colored Won
@N LIgDN 10H mas luQ y great dCQu dlTT-
ance with the progressive women OF her
race. At Tuskegee she has her own Office
and works in II for a good part ot avery
school dav, as che has ever since she WAS
appointed dean Of the worans department.
soon after she was graduated from Fiske
University. in 1899 All the same. she can
cook wash. iron and order a house with
caln1ness and cspsbllity, and It was in her
own home that she told the Tribune re-
porter her views about the desirability OF
greater emancipation for women, black
ard white. Not her home AZ TuskegAe--
the Washingtons are living now on Long
Island. in cottage IN a hidden corner on
the Sound. az Fort Saongs. TO which they
moved short time ago. Five miles from
the nearest railway station u is. a white
frame house rather old. approached by a
lane hordered with tall growing sumachs
and Looking out over the water Mr.
Washington spends few DAYS there as he
can. between lecture engagements. He was
there. working on his new book, when the
reporter called, and he agreed to every
thing his wife said.
The woman. black or white, who gets
up a. dawn, cooks the breakfast washes
the dishes. gets lunch. washes the dishes.
makes the dinner. washes the dishes-the
woman who does this, day after day, grows
old before her time observed Mrs. Wash
ington from her chair on the porch 70 the
rAporte~. on another chair The monot-
onv OF the life makes her lose that interest
in herself which is wOman's chief prop
She gets careless about her dress. She
has no fresh ideas 10 inlpart 70 her nus
band and children. II her family have
any Intelligence at all they are pretty sure
10 come 10 look on her as the household
drudge and TO disregard her accordingly
n woman has ability for anything above
6r,idEerv IL IS her duty 70 cultivate that
ability. 20 pursue her art or her business
part NJ her time. away from the cares or
home which cares may he looked out FOR
lbs. a paid domestic. This rule as / said
is applicable 70 white women ana coiorea
women alike
"gut" SAID the reporter. aren't there
difficulties In the way Of the coiored
woman who would follow this rule? Are
there many positions open 10 educated col
ored vomen-those who graduate from col
leges?'
Let a coored woman obtain a sood euu-
cation. either literary or manual ana she
will have no difficulty in obtaining suita-
HE occupation" said Mrs. Washlns ON
,,-o-,,tIv VERY few colored women OF
educarion nave 70 look for work worN
lool,s COR them. In the South our women
who do not teach find positions IN oHices'
some as stenographers. / suppose we have
nc many a. a dozen women stenographers
AZ Tuskegee Some colored women are re-
norters on newspapers. Some nave tnelE
own shops or business offices. Ihere are
colorad women in the grocery BUSINESS
-,,,,,ps restaurants, conducting millinery
oe,a hlishrnents and doing catering. lnere
,re colored women physicians. Not long
,oo ,Ye found two colored women in san
Antonio Tex. winning success as dentls's.
Near Indianola a colored woman cohduc's
o,,,b her husband a prosperous banking
establishment our people employ lawyers
ana doctors Of their own race ana 'heIe
are some very fine colored surgeons.
.r,f course. YOU won't find many colored
women. or men either. getting an education
70, Northern schools coca sonally colored
s,,dert vyfI ne seen al smith or Wellesley
and there are some az Western universities
more. perhaps. at Oberiin than at any
other institution outside Of the South. As
FOR the Southern schools. they give Tue
oomen an equal chance with the men.
Very few of our industrial colleges for me
co,orad are for men only. they welcome
women as well And when the woman grad
yates she can easily get a position AS
teacher II she doesn't want TO 80 INTO
sornethine else The bulk OF the graduates
Al become teachers but there ia nee1 for
many more teachers among us In many
Of the country districts OF the South the
colored schools keep open only four months
IN the year. in other districts there are no
colorec schools az all. That is the prob
len, colored women have 70 deal with be-
fore they can take part in the advanced
r,ocements that are agitating women :
c,,bs i common school education should
ne available FOR every coiored man and
woman. sirl and boy in the country II is
for us 10 make Il so. We have begun the
work. indeed. one Of the most effective
things accomplished by our race is the es-
adjustment by clubwomen OF coiored schools
in country districts
Tell about the colored vomens clubs,
suggested the reporter.
Well our national association is organ
lied after the manner Of the white women
national federation. And the clubs OF
which 1t is composed have done some very
definite things besides establishing schools
in country districts. For example. In Some
Of The Southern States the idea OF retorma-
tories for Juvenile offenders has taken root
very slowly boys and girls are sent 10
prison for slight msdemeanors, housed
with older prisoners and treated with the
same severity. But in Alabama and several
other states the local colored women