The broad ax., 1916-09-09

don't know where to tell you 1 am, ex-
cept 1 am on the James river with some
of the many agencies at work for the
development and uplift of this race of
ours.
| We hear and talk about education,
yet we don't know of the many ways
that are being used to educate our peo-
pie, and am so glad that 1 have been
able to get off of the farm for little
while and just get around to see what
1 can see and hear what can hear.
Ny very soul has been made happy.
have never met as many representative
men and women in all my life and did
not know that they lived.
wrote to you from Kansas City, and
then pulled out from there making a
trip into Virginia. went from Kan
sas City to st. Louis, and from there
to Nashville, Chattanooga, Atlanta,
Ga, and at this place found Rev.
Ernest Hall getting installed as pastor
of the Liberty Baptist church; and
then on to Danville, Va.
Going into Kansas City, and while
it was around about my early days, yet
was able to meet some big men, some
men 1 had never known much about,
and mingling with those big men,
caused me to think that 1 was getting
to be some pumpkins myself. I was
thrown with Mr.. Emmett ]. Scott, Sec
retary of Tuskegee Institute and one
of the finest men of this race of ours.
1 talked with him and other officials
of the National Negro Business League.
This organization has brought to-
gether some strong men, and they have
declared that it must continue to live.
DR.. Washington planted this and after
living to help to celebrate the 18th an
niversary, died and went home to
heaven. But then Hon. J. c. Napier
was his successor, and he is good one.
The next session goes to Chattanooga.
1 have said all of this in order to get
to say to you that have had the pleas
ure of meeting some other big men,
and that is the cause of me being right
here where 1 am. You will recall that
one of the leading men, and one of the
strongest men of our race was selected
to succeed DR.. Washington. 1t was DR..
Robert R. Motion, who was for a long
time connected with Hampton Insti-
tute. By training, by ability, by con-
tact DR.. Motion was just the man for
the place, and he is going to make
good. Already the world is recognizing
him as the Educational Leader" and
he is much sought even right now by
the people. He was at the National Ne,
gro Business League and was a promi-
nent figure in that section of the coun-
try. I was delighted to meet him my
self. Then 1 met Major Allen Wash
ington who is the successor to DR.. Mo-
ton at Hampton. Now it was these
men who invited me to come to Hamp-
ton, and join them in a tour up the
Nancemond River, and the James Riv-
er. 1 did not know what it meant, but
accepted the invitation.
They started out Monday morning,
August %, at Franklin, Va. Now there
! is where 1 saw the people of all the
races come together. They were there
to do all the good they could. The
mayor had his say, and declared that it
was the best thing he had seen since
the close of the war. He said that it
meant so much to the race.
Now then they took the Seaboard Air
Line and rode to Suffolk, where they
had automobiles lined up to do the rid
ing of the people. They were there
and there to remain. They went
around to see the town, and then after
supper went to the theatre to hear the
speakers, and meant to say that some
of them were to make speeches.
1 was there and heard them all.
White men and men of our race spoke
on the same rostrum and occupied
seats on the same stage and there was
no mixing. Each occupied the space al
lotted to him, and that was all. These
men said some good things to our peo-
pie. They had the things all in line.
DR.. Motion was the main speaker, as
he has been all along the line,
and the people were all proud to
hear him. He is some speaker, and I
am here to tell you that he is going to
make the world hear him. He is q fine
looking piece of manhood. He is the
type of man that would attract atten.
tion.
After the meeting then we found our