The bystander. [volume] (Des Moines, Iowa) 1916-1922, 1916-06-09
GOOD ADVICE OF
ABLE EDUCATOR
Major Motion Delivers Address
TO Alabama Teachers.
POINTS WAY TO SUCCESS.

Successor Of Dr.. Washington at Tus.
kssss 10 Principal Speaker at An
nuaI Meeting Of the State Tsaehsrs'
Association Held In Birmingham.
Let Us Follow Washington, Hs Says.
Major Robert R. Motion of Hampton
institute, who Is the principal elect OF
Tuskegee institute and successor to
DR.. Booker T. Washington, made his
first big Alabama address before the
Colored State Teachers association,
which met in Birmingham the early
part of April Some 500 white people,
including Governor Charles Henderson,
were present.
In his address Major Motion in part
said:
Booker r. Washington's educational
program was not merely local. but 1t
was national, worldwide in scope-in-
dustry, thrift, morality, decent homes,
clean bodies and minds, better meth
DDS of farmlng-a kind Of education
which made universal appeal was his.
It was an education that helped farm
ers to do better farming, the carpenter
to do better carpentering and the cook
to do better cooking.
He believed that education in the
broadest sense should teach farmer
how to get more out of an acre by bet
ter methods; that carpenter was re-
ceiving useful and very necessary in
struction when taught how to build a
better and more beautiful house at less
cost, and that to instruct those who
cook how to keep clean.i,N, chen
end More sn4otjssr k,t. Kit. y At
less expense was, in his opinion, an
education of the most essential sort.
You, no doubt, have often heard
him say that handsome mule or
horse well groomed was fine to look at,
but that a hungry, struggling commun-
Ity would soon tire Of looking at him
unless hitched to plow, cart or wag-
on, or unless it was doing something !
that would help humanity. And, my
friends, just so it is with education.
Wearing fine clothes and presenting
IN attractive appearance does not
mean anything to a struggling and
hungry community, unless you set to
work to perform some service for your
fellow men.
Booker T. washington was most
persistent in his efforts that education,
farmer, preacher or teacher,
should be linked in a definite way to !
life, and the life Of the lowly man and |
in particular, for he wanted to
see each man and each woman live
md do better in his daily vocation.
This idea he worked out and put into
practice in such q remarkable and con-
vincing way as to command the re-
,pect and admiration of the entire |
world.
The colored people Of Alabama, as
4 rule, have been wise enough to fol-
ow DR.. Washington's course, and as |
/ result the white people of the state
ire growing more interested in the
Negro schools. If the white man sees !
hat Negro education makes a more
Industrious community, If he sees bet
,er results on his farm, in his kitchen,
better behavior on the streets in the
ife and conduct Of the colored people |
# the community generally he will
lot only believe In and unreservedly
approve of Negro education, but he |
will find some way to assist in giving
FOR better schools.
White people can usually find way
Tor anything they think is really worth
while, but they must be convinced that
It is so worth while, and nobody can do
that better than the Negro teacher.
md no one demonstrated this more
more effectively or more
beautifully than the man in whose
memory we are gathered tonight.
We as teachers must first Of all live
clean, honest, Industrious, unselfsh
Ives. We are now living in an era
when we are expected to practice what
we preach. Let US take firm stand
FOR morality and set our faces like
lint against the loafing, worthless ele-
nent in any race. Let .ps follow DR..
Washington in teaching the members
If our race the necessity Of decent liv-
ng and the beauty and dignity of la
Dor, for indeed we have more to fear
from the lazy, shiftless, ignorant GRIM
nal than from any race prejudice in
Alabama. And let us remember that
IN the solution Of the race problem
large measure depends upon us, and
education will be one Of our most
forceful and helpful mediums for
good.
BUXTON, IOWA. g.