The Birmingham age-herald., 1914-04-11
WASHINGTON TALKS
 ID LARGE AUDIENCE
 AT THE JEFFERSON
Asks Co-OperatiOn in Edu- eating the Negro and Gives Statistics Show
 ing Condition

Dealing plainly with the educa tional
 conditions in Alabama, and giving facts and figures to show that Alabama was
 far down the list when it came to edu-
 oational efficiency, concluding with a
 strong plea to all the educators of the state, white and black. ito lift the load
 of ignorance from all the people, regard | less of race or color" Booker T. Wash ington, principal of the Tuskegee insti-
 ute, spoke at the Jefferson theatre last | right before an audience that filled every available seat In his audience were l leading negroes of the state, negro busi- ness men of Birmingham. and leaders in I the colored state convention, well as I prominent white men ana women of Bir- Iningham and officials of the Alabama i Educational association.
 l Dr. Washington was frequently ap- plauded he exposed the poor education al facilities in Alabama for negroes, and particularly was close attention given when he asked for cooperation on the paIt of the white people and showed | the continual struggle and sacrifice on l the part of the negro teachers. committees Named President Picllens appointed the follow ing committees for the ensuing year: Frogramme-Mrs. J. T. Washington, | chairman, Montgomery; R. B. Hudson, Selma: Minnie L. Johnson, Birmingham;' $. T. Clanton, Selma; J. R. D. Lee, Tus- kegee institute: E. w. Jones, Bessemer; E. H. Barnes, Selma; E. c. Silsby, Tal- ladega; w. H. Brazi-r, Mobile, and q. s. Jones, Demopolis.
 ;gt,- t;1., Toe I Gomery; W. T. Breeding Montgomery; D. W. Woodward, Tuskesee institute. The three members of the executive commit tee appointed by the president are J. H. Creed, Talladega; Joseph Lawrence, Montgomery; G. w. Trenholm, Tuscum- bia.
 In the outset of his address Dr. Wash inston paid a high tribute to the leaders
 of the convention and declared this meet ing in Birmingham to have been the best and most successful in the history of the organization. In the course of his re- marks he said:
 Are Still Behind
 While We have made great progress as race and as a state in material
 matters especially in agriculture, we are still woefully behind, as l shall show in detail, in providing schoolhouses, length of school term, number of schools and ray of teachers. All these questions are vital to the civilization of any race of reople. and so long as we are without proper public school facilities. Alabama will not cope with the other states in producing that from the soil which 1t is necessary for the people to live on. Alabama, according to an estimate by the Orange Judd Southern Farming consumed from October 1, 1912, to Sep teinber S0 1913, 93,0O0,OO0 bushels of corn. CT this amount 39.000,0O0 bushels were im- rorted into the state cost of about 1 s3e .O00.0oO This same authority estimates that the south's cotton crop barely off sets it's imports of foods If this is true for Alabama, then every year this state | is importing some $50,0O,0OO or $6O OOO 900 worth of foodstuffs that ought to be raised right here. Largely because of ig- norance. we are standing out of the state every year millions of dollars to be used in purchasing grain and foodstuffs which could be produced in Alabama and this IT oney kept in the state and turned in tho direction of better. schools, churches and homes.
 "The most notable progress of the ne- Eroes of Alabama has been along agric- cultural lines. They constitute 50 per cent Of all persons in the state engaged in ths occupation. Seventy per cent of the negroes of the state are engaged in agri- culture. There are 110, 40 who are oper- eting farms They are 42 per cent of all persons operating farms in the state
 The progress of the negro in agricul-
 trre in the state appears to be Keeping | race with the progress of the state as
 whole along this line,
 Progress in Education