Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1911-11-14
BOOKER T. WASHINGTON,
Not Well While in Wausau Wednes.
day Evening. Painted During AID
dress at the Opera House.

GENTLY to leave on the Ills passenger
in company with his secretary, for
Milwaukee where he addressed the
teachers on Thursday.
Mr.. Washington was to have ar
rived here at 1870, Wednesday, but
the train being late, itwas nearer two
O'Clock when he finally reached Wau-
sau. He was met and entertained
while in the city by S. B. Tobey.
Quite number of our citizens met
Mr.. Washington at dinners given by
Mr.. and Mrs. Tobey at two o'clock and
six o'clock p. m. Mr.. Washington
seemed to be very tired and anything
but well man. He hadcOm through
from New York City where he had
been attending the trial of the man
who had so ViciOuSly and brutally as
saulted him last March. This had
undoubtedly worried him consider
ably. He visited our high school
building late in the afternoon and
was shown other places of interest
in our city, prefering to walk than
ride to get the exercise.
His lecture was given under the
auspices of the Y. NJ. G.. A. and the
opera house was filled at 8:15 when
Mr.. Washington was introduced by
5. b. TObey, superintendent of schools.
The speaker entered into history Of
his work to educate the negro, and
his elOquence and earnest, interest
ing statements completely absorbed
the attention Of his listeners. He
was frequently applauded, especially
when he described the great work
which had been accomplished at the
Tuskegee Institute, Alabama. He
told of its beginning, of its progress,
how it now had a scholarship of 100
and owned 5000 acres of land and
with one hundred buildings had a
reasonable value Of 100000. The
history of himself and his trials were
very interesting. He was born a
slave about 1857 or 1858 near Hale's
Ford, Virginia. When lad, he
heard of the Normal and Agricul-
tural Institute at Hampton, Va. He
made his way there without any
money and when he reached Rich
mond, he had nothing, but finding
work where a ship was being unload
ed he earned enough to reach the
school into which he was taken and
where he remained and received his
education. He resolved early to give
his life to eleyating and educating
his race. The story was simple but
very pathetic.
He visited southern Europe last
year to observe the conditions of the
cOlOred men, and to compare them
with the blacks of the South. He
| said that the race in Europe was the
old race, in America it was the new
race. Over there they had the future
| behind them here it was before
them. Here the colored people want
to better themselves. In Europe the
negro has no such ambition. He
said that in this country 100000
cOlOred men are passing through the
interesting experience of acquiring
an acre of land, getting a deed of the
ground, building a house on it, add a
room to that house, build a school
house for the community, next a
church. The cOlOred man has not
done that before. That's the new
cOlored race. Statistics show that in
the south the cOlOred man purchases
land faster than any other race, in
yidually.
Mr.. Washington urged the white
race to continue to set a noble exam
| pie to the colOred man. "The colored
man studies the white man." he said.
HE always wants to get hold of the
best. He learns quickly. He is a
good judge of culture. The colored
nanny can tell very quickly where
there is quality. among the white
folks"
1t was noticed, after Mr.. Washing
ton had talked for an hour and a
quarter, that something was wrong:
he walked the rostrum; hesitated,
and often wiped the perspiration
from his face, etc. After telling an
incident he stepped in front of a
stand on which he had a few notes,
muttered something which could not
be distinguished, swayed backwards
and forwards, and would have fallen
| If Rev. j. M. Duer, DIR. A. w. Trey
lit and G. G. Kruger had not rushed
from the boxes and caught him. As
it was, Mr.. Washington had gotten
so far in his fall, that the stand was
knocked over. He was carried off
the roStrum and made comfortable,
and finally reSuScitated; he had very
little if pulse and it took several min
uteS to bring him to consciousness.
Heart StimulantS were administered
and he revived sufficiently depart for
Milwaukee at Ills o'clock. As. Mr..
Washington spoke twice or three
times on the Thursday afternoon, it
was perhaps the worry of his trouble
in New York, his long trip and the
exertion of the evening that brought
about his condition. 1t was the first
time he said, that anything of the
kind had ever happened to him. All
were delighted to have had an oppor-
tunity to see and hear Booker Wash.
ington.
The PILOT would suggest that the
y. NJ. c. a. secure another date with
Mr.. Washington, at a time when his
mind is not haraSsed by petty annoy
ances and when he is in the vigor of
health. The opera house would not
hold the crowd that wDpld rt,rr, ont