Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1922-11-17
SOUND SENSE FROM A NEGRO.

SOUND SENSE FROM A NEGRO.
When Booker T. Washington died
there was widespread wonder as
tc, who might be found to take his
place as a leader among his race. He
was a remarkable man, however
viewed, and his record is one of the
Negro's best possessions.
The appointment Of Major Robert
r. Motion to take his place as princi-
pal OF Tuskegee Institute brought
forth many expressions OF approval,
and a few of sincere doubt. To follow
so unusual man was. in itself. not
an easy matter, however able the sue
cessor. Added to this was the fact that
the Negro race naturally had not pro-
duced a large number Of outstanding
figures.
From the minute when he brought
to a close his address of acceptance,
however. 1t was seen that an able man
had been selected for tho large task
in hand. And since then the promise
Of high ability has been fulfilled.
On many occasions Major Motion has
evidenced a measure OF sound judg-
ment wholly in keeping with that of
his famous predecessor, and at no
time has he been found lacking in a
quality which is all too rare among
men in places OF large responsibility
-commonsense.
Whenever he has publicly expressed
himself regarding the needs and con-
duct of his own people, he has shown
q measure Of this most valuable COM
modify. And recently. IN An address
in the west, he gave utterance to
homely truths which should be given
the widest possible circulation among
both the white and colored people.
The occasion was the annual ban
ouet OF the colored fellowship club
at the plant OF the Commonwealth
Steel Co., near ST. Louis, and hero, in
part, Is what he said:
II want 10 give you some good ad-
vice. There are many things which
we can learn from the white race tc
our profit. A member OF the white race
10 never ashamed TO admit he is g
white man. 1 know one race thai
seems 10 think that God cursed then
when he made them black. Don't le
anybody fool you into believing tha
God cursed the black race. Don't fee
that you have to apologize to ever.
black face. The white man can bea
me at being a white man, but / cal
beat him at being n Negro. I an
proud Of my raoe. There Is no rae
in history that has made as mucl
progress in the last sixty years "a
we have made. Don't be ashame
OF your race.
Everybody respects an America
because Americans believe in America
To respect your own race means tha
you win set respect from other races
II we do not respect ourselves. W
can be sure that other people won
respect US. Self-respect begets sci,
respect. Let's show the white rae
that we believe in ourselves.
There is another thing we ca
learn from the white race, and ths
Is efficiency. You take a colored ma
and make him mad and he wont wor
for anybody. He is the most indepent
ent man on earth. II white ma
10 hard up and has a family depend
ing on him, he will take any sort
job and stick 10 il, but II a colore
man does not like his lob, he just quit
"a colored man can learn mar
things from white man in bus
ness I have q very long arm ar
my shirts have TO have extra leng'
sleeves. j wanted to buy dozt
shirts, and i went to a store run by
oolored man. When I told him VIII
length sleeves 1 wanted, he told n
nobody wears shirts with sleeves
long as that. and he did not ha'
any. j then went TO a store run
white man. and when he look
NJ me he saw I needed extra leng
sleeves. and so he told me he did u
have these shirts in stock, but
would be glad 10 order them for I
right away. / got the shirts in go
colored storekeeper's shirts. The ne
time i saw the colored man he sa