The Birmingham age-herald., 1914-04-10
P|CKENS SPEAKS
 ID NEGRO TEACHERS
Sessions at Sixteenth Street Baptist Church-Wash-
 ington Speaks Tonight


 Pickens of Talladega college, president ot the Alabama State Teachers association last night. delivered before an audience
 of about 25o0 representative negroes, resi-.
 dents of Birmingham and visiting teach. CTS. to the association at the Sixteenth Street Baptist church. Professor Pickens declared in his address that the public school was a permanent and prominent part of modern education and sought ir the outset to dfferentiate between the ma ohinery of public education and the type
 of education in the public schools a,
 distinguished from that of sectarian ant r1ivate schools.
 From the freedom of the negro to the present, Professor Pickens traced the edu- cational system of the south as it related to that race, and declared that the ele-
 mcnt of prejudice could not be ignored if one would understand the developm ent and the present condition of negro edu- cation in the public and largely in the private schools of the country
 Does education make negroes more criminal and less usefus.'' he asked. q will not beg the question by saying that SbhNdlioii ilStil ultdilS iudklnR the man better and more useful. but I call for facts. The records of our schools har- nonize with the experience of mankind. Do the graduates of >a..adega and Tus- keSee furnish a bigger proportion in our state penitentiary than co those negroes who have never seen the inside of either of these school or of any other? We have no enemy who is bold enough to affirm a definite thing like that, yet they assert in general way that education makes negroes criminal.
 The race that enjoys all the advantages of official position and emolument should be scrupulously just if not generous to the race that has none of these advantages Nopody will deny that sn the payment of taxes and fines the n.gre race in Amer lea is treated as if it were absolutely equal by race. They are assessed and nned as much as anybody. people who are required to share equally the burdens should be permitted to share equally the benefits of government.
 The south is now coming into the era or compulsory education. We believe it with all our souls. but the reform will miss more than half of .ts great oppor- tunity if it is schemed so as to leave out the negro race; if the law is so wordad that the proposition can be iuggled in the case or the negro child. If we want to be a civilized nation we mEst civilize all the people, Tor we shall always be barbaric m proportion as We have an ignorant and barDarous population iA our midst
 The negro must convince the white man that the education of the negro is worth while; that it will not only not huft White people, but ~ill help them. Ii IS not enough to convince the well dis posed white man only. but the averag ge "iilte person of the state. The oppo' trnit,, at hand must be used to the a,terr,,ost ahn i1ils IS the surest 1ormwal for pushing -'ra Nesao cnnursn love school. What aie our white peopie going to do ahout It? We are all in the same boa+ owS " ''.n 1'eu lnis civilization reaches it's destiny s4e all going to arrive together. 1t is not enough for the enlightened and con- sctentious white man to say, when others XII or degrade or plunder the negro that they do not represent the best white south. The worst whine south will help to make destiny for the best in this word. certainly. The best white south must become the dominant white south, else 1t will lose character, if it does not lose position, and the best of the future will be inferior to the best of the present"
 Throughout the day the sessions of the convention were attended with a great snow Of interest. For the most part the tune was taken up in round table discus sions Of subjects closely pertaining to the work or the teacher in the negro schools. Considerable interest was manifested in the round table on farm work. conducted ny A. K. Bridgeforth of Tuskegee institute and P. C. Parks of Normal How the school should reach the benefit and teach him to make better crops bring forth larger results. raise more of the things fatl nx IAI .l.
 many questions and spirited discussion.
 Secondary schools and colleges, conduct ed by Prof. A. P Camphor president of Central Alabama college, also was an in- terosting review. Participating in the vari- ous discussions during the afternoon were Mrs. J. T. Washington, Montgomery; c. J Galloway, Tuskegee institute; Mrs l.. II. Turpeen, Willie M. Madd of Normal, Rosa. Nixon of Montgomery and others A tele- gram of greetings and congratulations was received from Montgomery, signed by pr. C. First Johnston, H. J. Phillips II A. Loveless and O. L. Campbell.
 The principal feature of the programme today will be the address of Dr. Booker T. Washington. He will speak at the Jeff ferson theatre tonight and while there will be no admission fee admission will be gained to the theatre only by tickets the same being in the hands of the Bir- nilngham Negro Business league For several weeks Dr. Washington has called attention to the negro teachers and others interested in the negro's welfare to the low standing of Alabama as to negro education and hopes to be able to impress white and colored alike of the urgent need in this regard. He will reach the citv at noon, coming direct from Tuskegee institute, and will be the guest of Dr. Y. G. Mason.
 The exercises during the day will take Tlace at the Sixteenth Street Baptist church. The programme will be equally as interesting as on Thursday. The elec- ton of officers will be held in the after noon. In orfder to give as many people as possible an opportunity of hearing pr. Washington he will also deliver short address at the Sixteenth Street Baptist church in the afternoon at o'clock