The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-10-28

negro leader for his sound advice to
members of his race.
lows:
1t Is matter of peculiar pleasure
Tor me to be In Perry county I realize
that I am In a section of the south thar
mas had the reputation for years of
having in 1t some of the best educated.
cultured and prosperous people of the
south A county that is in a peculiar
degree inhabited by the very best blood
or the south. Not only is this true of
ahe "hite people, but as I have often
saiu' the colored population in any
community has its life shaped very
largely by the character of the white
people In that community.
Wherever one finds a high intel
ligent, cultured class of white people.
there ne will find the black people in
very large degree partaking of the
characteristics of the white population
IN a most emphatic sense. There are in
TINS county some of the most conser-
VatlVe, wise and successful people In
the south. There have gone out from
this county numbers of my race who
are making themselves felt because OF
their good sense and usefulness in all
parts of the United States.
How Washington Came
come however, to that which
makes me most proud to be in Perry
county; perhaps 1t may not be known
20 many or you that 1t was through one
OF your great citizens the late Mr.. J. r
Murfee, that l was led to come into the
state or Alabama. About the year 1880
lhlnk 1t was the state board of com
mlsslohers of Alabama were in search
VI someone to start the state school at
Iuskegee. Mr.. George w Campbell of
Macon county appealed to Mr.. J. T.
fAl1 lA.
llhd principal for the school Mr. Muir
Zee recommended Mr.. Campbell to write
General Armstrong, principal of the
hampton institute. in Virginia General
armstrong recommended and advised
me to come to Tuskegee. Thus you sec
tnat II Is through one of your deceased
citizens that became a citizen of Ala
pama' and 1 am glad to know that In
this county and throughout the south.
the spirit of liberality and generosity
eXhlb1ted by his father Is being kent
IN existence by his son. Mr.. II. O. Muir
fee' who In such a high degree has the
respect and love of all the people.
Here In very large measure the in
terests of the two races are bound up
together in ways that Is not true in all
parts of the south. These black people
are going to prove an increasing element
OF userulness in the county or they will
prove burden and an hinderance in the
county. The day has long since passed
when any man of vision will dare to
predlct that the negro In any large num-
bers will leave this county I want TO
see the members of NV race remain here
however because as | have said on many
occasions the south is the very best place
Tor US and we are far better off In the
country than we are In the large cities
The Negro Must Improve
mt
remain In this county in such large num-
bers simply because the people will feel
that they cannot get anyone to replace
them as laborers but | want to see our
people throughout this county make them
selves so useful by reason of their satis-
Factory labor that the people who employ
them will feel that they do not want
anyone else to come into the county and
attempt to replace them. In an increas-
ing degree the south is in competition
with the rest of the world.
I'm commerce, sentiment has no place;
In commerce racial prejudice cuts no
flgure. lf man wants to buy a bushel
Oh corn he Is going to buy it from the
man who can sell it cheapest regardless
of where that man may live; regardless
of the color of his skin I think an
analysis would show, for example that
very large proportion of the grain con-
sumed in a county like this is imported
from the west. BY reason of brains and
skill, which means use of labor-saving
machinery, one man in some of the west
ern states produces as much corn as
five ignorant men can produce In sew
eral of our southern counties So long
as one man can sit down on a labor
saving machine, under an umbrella
smoke his cigar and raise as much as
five ignorant men in the south can raise
80 long will the south go to the west to
hItU nc "a,
laboring classes throughout the south
must be educated
Negro Needs Practical Education
II know when l speak of educating
oolored people that 1 strike a pretty sensi-
tive cord because too much in the past
we, as a race, have not understood the
meaning and object of education. and
the white man has not understood lust
what we meant to accomplish through
education. The result Is that many of
the most conservative and best white peo-
pie in the south have taken a negative
or indifferent position regarding the edu-
cation of the negro. Just in proportion
as we can convince the white people
everywhere that we have reached that
point in our development as a race where
we feel and see the value of education:
where we are going to use our educa-
tion in way to advance the success
or the community IN which we live wheth-
er We work on the farm or SHOP In the
kitchen or laundry; just In that same
degree will white people be willing to
provide better schools for U.S. Throughout
the south, school officers are not going
to be anxious to appropriate money in
any large amount for negro education IL
they feel that just as soon as the negro
gets education he will leave the county
go to the city and begin spending his
time In Idle gossip on street corners
wearing flashy and snowy clothes, smol-
ing cigars. strutting about with q big
walking stick producing nothing but diff
ficulty. On the other hand just In the
degree that white people throughout tho
south see that a coored man Is educated
in hand, head and heart and he becomes
conservative sensible individual, feel
ing that 1t is just as sensible to work
in the field, or kitchen, or laundry, or
In the shop with the hands as 1t is to