The weekly Republican. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1911-1922, 1911-11-09
INTERESTING CAREER
How a Poor Colored Boy Climbed
70 a High Place In the History
of His Race and
Country.

According to the program the Sat
urday Club held the regular meeting
of Nov. 4. with Mrs. Pearl Troyer,
at her home on Sophia street. There
was fair attendance of the ladies,
with the President Mrs. Martha
Stevens in the Chair. The usual
order of business for the day was
taken up. Final arrangements were
talked over for the entertainment
at the X. p. Hall Tuesday evening,
by Cora Mel Patten. which is given
under the auspices of the Saturday
Club, the proceeds to be given to the
Public Library fund.
The subject for the Day was Book
er T. Washington, and was in charge
Of Mrs. Leonore Deeds-O 'Keefe and
Mrs. Laverne C. Price Mrs. O'Keefe
read an article written by Arthur
Dixon, the writer of stories Of the
South, in which he criticises some of
the acts and words of Booker. T.
Washington. The question of the
amalgamation of the races was dis
cussed, but of course II was not de-
cided, only as each lady held her
own opinion on the subject. Some
think that the races should be kept
distinct and pure, arguing that only
by such purity can We hope to build
up strong and vigorous nation. On
rhe other hand there are those who
argue that the commingling OF the
races. with intermarriages, will pro-
duce that strength that is lacking
| In each.
| Mrs. Price had made careful pre-
paration of a paper on the subject
of the day. She said that she had
always been interested in the Negro
question, and that when girl she
stood one commencement night on
the platform and delivered can im.
passioned oration' on the Negro.
With that assurance that is ever
with the "sweet girl graduate,
Mrs. Price at that time surmounted
all the difficulties of the problem.
and pointing to Booker 7. Washing
ton as the black Moses who should
lead his people out of captivity, she
declared that the Negro would work
out his own salvation. Mrs. Price
remarks that this is the first instance
or record "where the lurid pro-
phecies of commencement oration
have been, in any measure, fulfilled.
She then goes on with a survey Of
the life of Booker I. Washington.
How he was unable to tell where or
when he was born, or who was his
father, as he was born In slavery. He
later in life learned that he most
likely had such relative as a
father, and that he was born about
1858. He remembers early in life
that his motheer. who was a plan
tation cook. lived with three chill
dren in an old cabin, holes serving
as windows, no floor in the house
and pile of dirty rags for a bed.
his sole article of clothing being a
fiaxen shirt. his meals consisting of
piece of bread. scrap of meat, a
cup of milk and a potato at times.
He had no schooling when slave,
bat carried the books of his little
mistresses to the school house door,
and occasionally caught a glimpse
of the inside where other children
studying looked to him like "para-
disc. After the war that gave the
black man his freedom, the father
was found, and they went to live al
!! Maiden, West Virginia, where the
man worked in a salt furnace. His
first book was an old copy Of Web
ster's blue backed spelling book,
and with this ne set himself to lear,
to read Afterwards school was
lopened for the colored folks, and he
had chance to attend part of the
year. When be was to be enrolle]