Alma record. (Alma, Mich.) 1878-1928, 1912-10-24
BOOKER I.NASH1dG|ON
Addressed Two Alma Audiences On
Work Of TuSkegee Institute
1000 HEARD NOTED EDUCATOR
Told of Wonderful Progress Made by Negroes
in PaSl Two Decades

Over a thousand people of thi;
community heard the addresses oi
Booker T. Washington at the College
Chapel and Opera house last Friday
afternoon At 1880 he addressed as
many people as could find seats and
standing room at the Chapel and at
500 he made forty-hve minute talk
to one Of the largest crowds that ever
gathered at the Realty Opera house.
DR.. Thomas {. Blaisdell in his in
PRODUCTION of Dr. Washington to the
audience at the Chapel, accorded him
a hattering ovation when the noted
educator was referred to as "the
greatest educator in the United States
to day"
Problems are not always an evil,"
declared Dr. Washington in his open
ing remarks. Only as we have
great problems are we taken out of
ourselves and given larger and
more important depth of thought.
"For forty years has been discuss
ed and my people have been advised
what TO do and what not to do"
Mr. Washington then took up the
early history of Tuskegee Institute,
recounting how in 1881 he went into
the back region OF Alabama near an
obscure village OF Tuskegee and or
ganizcd d school Of 80 pupils in a
12 by II shack He showed how the
little school OF 80 pupils had deve-
students, recruited from Sc states,
with 16 branch schools in various
parts of the south and 1856 instructors
He declared the school comprised
more than 5000 acres with 90 build
ings, most of them of student con-
struction, and property valued at 81,
100000 without cent of binding in
debtedness on a single book"
Reviewing his first months work,
DR.. Washington told how he went
among his people. visited with them,
ate with them, slept in their homes
and became acquainted with their
feelings, ideas and ambitions. He
discovered tremendous ambition for
book learning but accompanying that
ambition was the belief that book
learning would end all necessity for
labor with their hands and that an
easy life would be theirs upon the
gaining of book knowledge.
Our instruction has always en-
braced farming, housebuilding, house
keeping, sewing, cooking and other
practical industrial problems of every |
day life By farming we do not mean
the study Of agricuture; nor do we
teach domestic economy, or domestic
art, but just plain cooking. Xou |
know sometimes domestic art gets
on to our tables and causes unpleas-
antness in our families.
AT Tuskegee our people are be-
ing taught how to work instead of
being worked; and there is a vast
difference in working and being
worked. To me the greatest evil
dence of the development of my race
in the south has been the changing
attitude of the public mind with re-
gard to the disgrace of idleness and
the dignity and beauty of all kinds
of labor.
We are a young race; and | do
not think it is any more dsgraceNto
be a young race than it is to be a
young man. Races pass through a
silly period as the boys do My race
was passing through that period 25
or 30 years ago. We are through
with all that now and the educated
negroes want to aid their fellow cit
liens Our people have learned mod
esty and simplicity and the lesson of
service to their fellow man, whether
black or white.
AT Tuskegee most of the 90 build
lngs from the first drawing of the ar
plans to the installation of
electrical fixtures have been the work
Of students. a. thousand acres are
devoted to the farm on which prac-
lical farming is demonstrated. The
farm is at present engaged in the \,
harvest of 10000 bushels of sweet
the cultivation of which has
been an object lesson in the practicar ,
in farming.
We believe that one can derive
mental training and education through
the study OF things without reading
Them from a book. This has been {
demonstrated in the passing of the 2
commencement day !
The advancement Of our new ideas {
vas venturesome innovation In :