Evening star., 1920-04-28
MR.. TAFT PRAISES
NEGRO COLLEGES
Former President Sees Tus.
kegee and Hampton Con-
trolling Race Progress.

TJSkEGEE INSTITUTE. Ala. April
| s.-DeclarinG Hampton and Tuskegee
institutes. the great institutions CON
trolling the circumstances of the
progress OF the negro upward from
slavery. William H. Taft former Presi-
dent Of the United States, addressed
a large audience Of students and
friends of the latter here yesterday
celebrating Founders day.
| Mr.. Taft was introduced by DIR. r.
II. Motion. principal Of the institute. as
la great American who has risen
above politics"
MIR. Taft's Address.
1T is now fourteen years since |
had the pleasure of visiting Tuskegee
for the first time" said the former
| President This lis nv second visit.
| never come here or go to Hampton
that | do not feel better man for
| having done SO. and hearing the
speeches OF hope and courage that
come from young coiored men and
| colored women who have been out in
the world and have practiced the
principles Of Booker Washington and
| those who have stood with him, and
| nave reaped the success that has at
| fended their efforts. and the happi-
ness that has followed | have
known pr. Motion for a great many
years and the wonderful success YOU
| have had"
/ The evolution Of the negro from his
| introduction into the United States as
| a slave to present days was the gen
| eral theme of Mr. Taft's address, He
| dWelt upon the vicissitudes of the
negro race in the early days of their
| importation to America down through
| the civil war days. and in Gen. Arm
strong, founder of Hampton Institute
revealed the first great leader of men
| VINO mad sought to better the eco
nomic conditions of the race.
Lauds Founder of Tuskesee.
Booker Washington. founder of
| Tuskegee Institute. was brought into
the discourse and his selection to found
| great. vocational school for negroes
| was pointed to by Mr. Taft as the out
| come OF Gen. Armstrong; knowledge
| that negro must carry on the work
| that he had started Booker Washingi
ton was pictured a creator of opinion
and a greater leader Of his people than
any other man. The greatness of a
| man may be measured by the ideal
chara cter Of his ambition, its scope and
realization" Mr. Taft said, "and the
founding of Tuskegee and its develop
| lnent by Booker Washington, entitled
him to every merit definition of great
ness"
Booker Washington's Simplicity.
The simplicity of the man who did
| so much for his people was discussed
and In him he was held up as a man
| of force. character. above petty dandy
| ism and one to whom the American peo-
! pie owed a debt of gratitude He
| revolutionized the southern attitude
toward the negro" Mr. Taft said, and
lived to see the fruitions of his hopes
and tangible results Of his work
Nothing is more fascinating, moth
ing more useful in its lessons, than the
tracing Of the march of events to the
logical evolution Of a race and the de-
! pendence of this evolution upon the life
and character of leaders who made it
possible" Mr.. Taft said, in discussing
| the negro's progress in which the part
played by Gen. Armstrong, Booker
Washington, Robert r. Motion and
James E. Gregg was noted
Trustees In Attendance.
In the audience were trustees of
| Tuskegee. including the chairman, Will
| liam G. Wilcox of New York, who ar
rived Sunday afternoon with large
party of friends from that city, Boston
and Philadelphia from Chicago came
| julius Rosenwald, accompanied by sew
eral interested people from that section
of the United States. During the day
| a meeting of the trustees was held and
at l o'clock large number of the white
visitors were entertained with Mr. Taft
at an elaborate dinner served in Doro-
| thy Hail.