The Kansas City sun. (Kansas City, Mo.) 1908-1924, 1920-05-15
Prominent Men Tour South
Their Purpose to Make An Exhaustive Study Of
Negro Business and Educational Development
An Interesting Trip From Every Angle

y INOoCl d1u VI ShANd6O hO mos
done so much, yea more than any
other man in America, for the moral,
educational and economic advance
ment of the Colored people of this
country. These schools are doing
wonderful work for the race in Ala
bama and are usually crowded before
the crop season begins by the boys,
girls, young men and young women
of the race. We also passed many ex-
cellent farms and poultry ranches
owned by the race and met one stur-
dy old fellow who was the owner of
500 acres of fine land near Mt Meigs.
At Mt. Meigs is located the reforma-
tory of which We just spoke and its
various buildings, inmates and equip
ment was studied with careful inter
est by the visitors both of our party
and of Montgomery who accompanied
us on the trip. There are six or
eight buildings on the ground, the
largest of which is the Chapel and
Assembly room where the principal,
Augustus Simms, graduate of Tus-
kegee had US assemble after the in
spection of the buildings and the
grounds, to witness calisthenic exer-
cises by the boys and to hear them
sing. Both were entertaining. Brief
addresses were made by one or two
members of our party and one or
two citizens of Montgomery. The
one regrettable feature observed by
us was the failure to care for the
hair of the boys; few of them gave
evidences of having not combed their
hair for a month or more and when
at Tuskegee the matter was called to
the attention of Mrs. Washington, she
Immediately dictated a letter to the
Superintendent insisting that combs,
brushes, and all other toilet accessor-
les be secured to correct this very
noticeable omission. There are more
than 200 boys ranging from 6 to 10
years of age in this Institution and
about 100 yards east of the Boys Re-
formatory, ground has been purchas-
ed and building is being erected as
a necleus for Reformatory for Negro
Girls for whom no provision is made
in the state of Alabama, although
many think it unwise to locate the
Girls Reformatory to the other In
stitution. We had the pleasure of
meeting the Rev w. w. Matthews,
pastor of Old Ship A. NJ. E. Zion
church of that city who at one time
was pastor of st. James A. NJ. E.
Zion church, Kansas City; he is
very active candidate for Secretary of
Missions and the wise ones say his
Conference now in session in Knox
Vile, Tenn, will elect him for this
position. We also visited the busi-
ness places OF Mr.. Victor H. Tulane
one of the South's most progressive
business men and also the splendid
Newstell Shoe Store, which really
should be called a Department Store
as they carry complete line of mems
women's and children's clothing, fur
nishings, notions and tailoring es-
return to the City we were Joined by
Prof. e. ]. Jones. son.in-law of Prof.
]. R. f. Lee and Captain Stewart,
vice commandant at Tuskegee, who
had been sent on by Principal Moten
to conduct our party to Tuskegee.
We paid a hasty visit to the historic
State Capitol where we viewed many
interesting souvenirs and relics Of the
late Confederacy and viewed with in
terest the Gold Star embedded in the
front portico of the Capitol marking
the spot where jefferson Davis stood
to take the oath of office and deliver
the inaugural address as President OF
the Southern Confederacy. Then we
hurried to the Station where we
boarded our special enroute for the
main objective of our trip. historic
Tuskegee Institute, the idol OF that
greatest of all Americans Booker T.
Washington of which we shall speak
in our next chapter.