The Denver star., 1916-01-29
LOFTY TRIBUTES
PAID WASHINGTON
National Memorial Service Held
For Lais Educator.
SETH Low Chief SPEAKER

Mammoth Threns Assemblies At Met.
repoIitan Church, In Washington, e
Honor Memory Of Tuskssss Insti
tuts's Foundsr-cabinst o6oiais Aiss
Attend Ceremonies.
Washington. The nations capita
p, has Joined with the millions Of Amer.
leans in paying tribute to the memory
Of DR.. Booker T. Washington. founder
and builder of Tuskegee institute. A
tremendous outpouring of men and wo-
men Of both races which packed spa
cious Metropolitan A. NJ. e. church to
the doors Mt the recent national memo
rial meeting held as mark of respect
to the lofty character and constructive
labors Of the remarkable educator and
mastery man Of affairs, who passed
away at his southern home on the 14th
of November, 1915.
The meeting was held In the name Of
the 100000 Negroes under the stars
and stripes. the local arrangements be-
ing in the hands of citizens commit
tee, headed by Henry Lassiter as chair
man, r. w. Thompson as secretary
and Daniel Freeman as treasurer. For
more than two hours, with the rapt at
tention Of the immense crowd, speak
ers of national fame extolled the vir-
tues Of the Negroes greatest educator
and leader and commended In unstint-
ed terms the work which he set in
motion and carried on with such sig
nal benefit not only to the people Of
his own race, but for the good of the
nation and for the general uplift of
mankind.
All agreed that Booker T. Washing
ton had practically revolutonized ed
ucational standards by his aggressive
insistence that 1t is what man does
rather than what he knows that
weighs most heavily in the scale Of
human advancement 1t was the con
sensus of opinion that the work of in
dustrial training and character build
ing for the Negro youth launched at
Tuskegee institute more than three
decades ago must go on and that its
permanency must be secured by the
active efforts of the American people
to raise an endowment fund to guar
antee the legitimate running expenses
Of the races greatest civic center.
The principal address Of the occasion
was delivered by the Hon. Seth Low,
former mayor OF New York city and
chairman of the board Of trustees of
Tuskegee institute. He was 1ntroduc-
ed In a happy fashion by Mr.. Lassiter.
the presiding officer, following the lat
ter's opening statement touching the
cause that brought together the host Of
friends and admirers Of the deceased
teacher and philosopher. Mr.. Low
said in opening his intensely practical
and helpful address:
II wish that every Negro in the
United States-for that matter, l wish
every white man in the United States
could see Tuskegee institute In Ala
bama."
For the benefit Of those of either
race who have not been there the
speaker then gave 4 luminous descrip-
tion Of the wonderful community. built
up in what had been almost a waste
place in the heart Of the southland
He told In graphic language of the
broad scope OF the training of the
head, hand and heart that was offered
there and how efficiently the correla-
ton of academic, manual and moral
elements Of education are being car
ried on in the school and its environs.
Tuskegee institute impressed him as
miniature city, sufficient unto itself,
where every man, woman and child
was worker and an influence for the
common good.
In ho
splendid buildings that had been plan
ned by a Negro architect and erected
entirely by student labor He cited
Tompkins hall, where 1,GOO or 1900
persons are accommodated at one time
at the meal hour, and then told of the
John A. Andrew Memorial hospital
This structure said Mr.. Low, "is
a concrete example Of the kind of In
struction the colored boys get at Tus-
Kegee institute. The building was
planned by Mr.. Taylor, head OF the
Industrial side of the school
'The boys cut down tile trees in the
forest, hauled the logs to the sawmill.
cut out their own timber; they made
the bricks and put up the building, do
ing all of the brickwork, all of the car
penter work, installed the plumbing.
installed the electric lights; they roof
ed 1t, and when 1t was done 1t was as
complete hospital as you will find
anywhere. north or south. OF course
there are hospitals larger, but none
better. The branches of industry
taught at Tuskegee are too numerous
to be mentioned here, but they COM
prise everything that enters into the
daily life of people. and the school
Is training the Negro youth to do the
things the world wants done, and to
do them in the best possible manner.
The young men and young women
who go away from Tuskegee with Va
rfous training. and after having learn