The Washington bee., 1911-05-27
THE POWER OF SPIRIT"


The New York Age, in its issue Of
Thursday, May II, contains a signih-
cant editorial 1t IS an editorial de-
failing how a girl in the South who
IS being educated at a school founded
and conducted by one of Booker 7.
Washington's graduates swept the
boards in a contest with all the ne
gro colleges and universities of Mis-
sissippi recently. But we will let the
editorial speak for itself. The Age
says.
Two weeks ago more than thou
sand people gathered in the American
Thcater, in Jackson, Miss, to witness
an oratOriCal contest. Not since Jeems
Katydid Vardaman first dropped from
the glorious dews Of Leflore has any
things stirred the people OF this quiet
old Commonwealth as this contest
stirred them. Excursions were ar
ranged from nearby towns, and edit
Gators from afar gathered to hear the
orators of tomorrow give sign to-
day as to the well-being of the great
est art IN the future. Judges were
picked with care, and the places of
the orators were chosen with stern
VI Aiil II w cto el44 ONNCiSiCli III llAN
life of the State.
The leading colleges sent their star
takers to compete in a talking-fest
Tougaloo Natchez College, Jackson
College, Rust University-all the
lighthouses lent watchmen, and their
keepers had seats on the platform.
Great was the enthusiasm as each
speaker, under his title, dressed
thoughts in wOndrOus words and
sent them ringing down the ages,
In the midst of the program a girl, d
plantation girl, was presented. She
came to speak for Utica Institute, the
one school represented on that occa-
sion that makes no pretense at col
iege training" She chose for her
subject "Ye Are the Salt Of the
Earth Her manner, her speech, its
dress and power, captivated the audi
enCe as she proceeded A homely
subject she graccd with all the faith
of a struggling and determined youth.
One sentence plucked the honor:
"Oftcn do / contemplate the charac-
ter of great Eliot, the New England
scholar, who discovered the true
usage Of knowledge, and gave Har-
ward its curriculum But there IS an
other in whose fame I find my hope;
that Merino-haired negro working out
Gods plans in irOn-belted Alabama" "
This simple girl touched the spirit of
the present, and defined the awaken
ing of her race First prize she won
by a unanimous vote.
Here was a girl from an indus
trial" school, as they call It, pitted
against strong young men from five
"cOIleges' in d contest of thought.
How or why she won seems to be
mystifying to many in her State. But
not to us. She was a child of the
spirit; her competitors children Of the
letter. She learned her lessons from
one who had caught the inspiration
of a useful life from Booker Wash
ingtOn, a master mind working un-
der the spirit Education IS not let
ters, but spirit, which produces
thought and gives to. it a moving
speech. The erudite Paul, around
whom is built all the logic Of Chris
tianity, had great learning, and was
proud Of it, talking Of it often and
without reserve. But when he reached
the end of his recital it was Gamal1el
to whom he turned to prove his pow
ers. At GamaliePs feet he had sat.
To have sat in humility at the foot
Of Booker T Washington, "a master
spirit for the Nations need, as
Holtzclaw did, and as many another
has done, is to have caught the spirit
# education, and to have caught
enough of it to give it freely to all
v-bO NAV Ceal IF
The girl from Holtzclaw's school
simply got down to the fundamentals,
and without any sophistry talked ap-
parently in a sensible, whole-souled
way, and simply put to the bad' the
colleges and universities which sent
representatives to engage in the con
test with her.
P. S. A. L. Notes.