The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1916-11-12
NEGROES OPPORTUNITY
IS HERE, SAYS MOTION
Virginia Negro Educator, Successor OF
Booker Washington At Tuskegee,
Makes Splendid Address.
NEGRO ORGANIZATION SOCIETY.
Aiken Washington, OF Hampton. Elect
ed to Head Body. Which Is Doing
So Much For Betterment of It's
Race.

Especial to The Richmond virginian.)
Roanoke, Va. Nov 11.-Dr. Robert
r. Motion, principal of Tuskegee In
stitute, and foremost negro educator
in the country. pointed out the road
for success to the negroes in an ad-
dress delivered last night before a
large audience Of both races In the
Academy OF Music. at the closing OF
the fourth annual session of the Negro
Organization Society. OF which he Is
the founder and honorary president.
The negros opportunity is right in
the South among the people who
knoV him best and know best how TO
Bympathize with him. They were with
his fathers and mothers in the dark
days of slavery-they had contributed
to his education and were still doing
1t. He urged them to remain in the
South. and in return the Southern
white people were urged to protect
life and property. provide good
schools for the training of negro chill
dren DR. Motion declared that It
was possible for the two races 10
dwell together in peace and unity.
Major Motions Address.
He said In part:
1T is not easy to sever my official
connection with the Negro Organiza-
ton Society. and | want to express
my keen appreciation of the honor
which this organization has conferred
upon me from it's very beginning In
having me act as its president. There
is no movement that know OF that is
more unique in It's makeup and that
has offered greater opportunities for
the advancement OF my race than the
Negro Orga nization Society. While
this is my last official address IL Is not
my valedictory.
Permit me to express my appre-
citation to this large number OF our
white friends who come out tonight 10
join with us by their presence in the
effort to help our people to have bet
ter homes. better farms, better schools
and better health. You viii forgive
me, am sure. If l follow my usual
custom Of being perfectly straight
forward and frank with my audiences.
especially with my own people. do
not think we can get very far unless
we are frank with each other.
Dilicult To Leave Virginia
1T has been very difficult for me
to leave Virginia, my native State, and
to cast my lot in Alabama l have
received in Alabama as cordial and
as sym pathetic consideration from
white and black people. including
State officials. from His EXcelIency.
Governor Henderson down and It
woui8 he hard to And more loyal,
a more sympathetic and more ef-
~c-eaf corps Of workers than the 200
a and women Of my race whom
}r. washington gathered about him
ne great Tuskc gee Institute. They
.~ working together to help our
reopie along the line OF prac-
~kiHg.
We col0rod people sometimes ex-
press the feeling to ourselves that we
Gre as good as any other race, That
is not Il bad idea IL is not my pur-
pose tonight to discuss whether we
arc aS. good or whether that asser-
tIeu .s l4ue In the last analysis It Is
none Sse Ntial. and saying 1t does not
prove it, not only to white people.
bat there Is much skeptictsm even in
the minds OF colored people az to the
trnthfuiness OF this statement. One
thing is true. thar tho two races wifi
probably live together here in Virginia
and the South for ali time. The ne
groes love this country. the South.
and the white people, at least the
best element OF them. see and APP
preciate the value OF the presence Of
the negroes In the South. and they
want them TO stay here, however
by careless people to the contrary.
There arc certain fundamental eic--
ments which We as a race should
take seriously into account II we are
to continue to live and prosper along
side the American white man.
Must Believe in His Race.
In the first place the negro must
have faith and believe In his own race.
II is easy enough to give reasons why
in, ha
been lacking In race pride. The idea
that the negro has been cursed by
the Creator should ind no Judgment
In any Of our minds IL We are to
live and prosper alongside the white
race. the dominant race in America,
We must have greater faith in our
race, in its possibilities A few hum
bred years ago. the white race was
not the dominant race and they have
had a hard and bitter struggle TO win
out. and you and l must go through
the same sort OF difficulties, the same
wilderness as Il were before we reach
our promised land. We cannot hope
to get the respect and confidence or
the appreciation OF other races IL we
are ashamed of ourselves and wish
we were anything else but ourselves,
for race respect. like individual self
respect, begets respect. Let us re-
member that few II any race In our
stage of development, notwithstand-
ing the difficulties under which we
live. have as good a chance to grow
and develop and be really and truly
useful as Is true of the negroes in
the United States and especially in
the Southern part OF the United States.
Must Be Healthy.
I'm the second place. If are to
hold our own alongside Of the white !
man here In Virginia and the South. /
We must be healthy. strong. vigorous |
people. No sickly happy-go- lucky. |
weak tolerable' race can hope TO cope |
In any sense by tha side of strong !
vigorous. healthy, proud seIf-respect- |
ing race OF people. in other words the |
coiored people must lay more stress
on good health II they are to succeed /
They must give more care to their !
premises and their person. must insist /
upon having proper sleep proper food I
We cannot stay out all night at dance \
halls. pool rooms. gambling dens, and I
give our employer a good days work
such dissipation leaves us not only
ply sically, but morally unfit The /
death rate is entirely too high among |
our people. We sometimes say we i
can beat the white race doing things