Arizona republican. [volume] (Phoenix, Ariz.) 1890-1930, 1911-09-23
PHoENIX. ARIZONA. SEPT. %. 1911
Booker 7. WASHINGTON.

In this busy age the plaudits of
the world are Tor the man who does
things. The rewards are for the man
who accomplishes results.
Society takes little account Of the
dreamer and the visionary. Its recog-
milton Is for the man whose thoughts
are crystallized into deeds
And il deeds are the currcn; coin
for public favor. surely few citizens
of the United States have paid a
more generous price for success than
has Booker T. Washington. educator.
economist, and head Of the great
Tuskegee Institute.
Dr. Washington is the greatest
negro of the twentieth century. In
deed. if one measures his greatness
10y the rule of usefulness to his fell
low men, it is not too much to say
that he is the greatest negro of any
century. He is great enough to take
his place side by side with the real
thinkers Of whatever race; and at the
same time his greatness is Of that
rare kind that recognizes the honor
abIeness of all useful work
And this man is great for another
reason. He is great because Of diff
ficulties overcome. The son Of Tom
Lincoln, the ne'er- do-weH Of the poor
whites Of Kentucky, overcame the
handicaps Of lowly birth and the
crushing weight Of direst poverty.
and finally took his place as one Of
the greatest men Of America and OF
the civilized world But he was a
white man. His successor as presi-
dent. was unable to read until after
he was married, yet he reached the
heights Of political preferment. But
he was a white man. James a Car
field. one of the greatest and most
scholarly men the American people
have ever called TO the office Of chief
executive. fought his way past I'M
numbered discOuragements and died
rich in the honors that only true
greatness can exact. But he was
white man. Without detracting from
the splendid achievements of any Of
the great figures, whose history is
the pride Of all Of us. it is not too
much to say that Booker T. Wash
ington, in rising to the plane he now
occupies. made a fight such as no
one of them was compelled to make.
Whatever Of encouragement there
is in the crushing weight of poverty.
this man has known. Whatever there
is in dearth Of opportunity. has fallen
to his lot And more than all else.
whatever there is in racial disquali
fication ne has shared in common
with all the negro race in this coun-
try.
Booker T Washington is now 81
Hampton Institute. where he did
mental work for the sake of an edu-
cation. He also holds an honorary
degree from Harvard and from Dart
mouth. But while college degrees
are desirable and not TO be dispised,
the education Of this man is of the
sort that does not need university
recognition. He is life student in
the college Of human usefulness.
NK~2Ghfrrr.gv &c 20
work at Tuskegee. Of which he IS the
founder and president. There he has
educated thousands OF his own race
to lives of honorable usefulness. He
has tauoht the trades, the arts. and
the sciences; but he has taught some
thing else that is immeasurably bet
ter than any Of these things. He
has impressed upon every one IF his
students the great truth that all use
full work is honorable and that self
respect is, after all. the greatest
achievement.
This great educator has steered
clear Of the two pitfalls that have
wrecked so many negro leaderS-the
dreams Of social equality and of po-
litical advancement. He has taught
his students that these are necessary
neither to success nor to happiness
that after all, honest work is the
great desideratum. And in doing that
he has come nearer than has any
other man TO a solution Of the negro
problem.
The negroes believe in Washing
ton; and the reason is that what
ever his honors, whatever his edu-
cation, whatever his advancement he
has remained one Of them. He stands