Musings of the South 147 



tor. He believes that the way to liberation from 

 present oppression is through virtue and manhood. 

 He begins, therefore, at the bottom, with charac- 

 ter. The way for the negro to win his civil rights 

 from the white man is to win his confidence. He 

 must show to the white man that he is a good citi- 

 zen, a desirable member of society, an honest and 

 thrifty producer, whose industry enlarges the wealth 

 and well-being of the whole community — a man to 

 be relied on, both for faithful service and honesty 

 in trade. He must show to the white man that he 

 is indispensable to the prosperity of the country. 



I cannot go into the details of the training in 

 Tuskegee. I will only say that the best farmer of 

 the South is at the head of that department of the 

 institution; that the improvement and care of live- 

 stock is here perfect in system and in principles; 

 and that just so far as the negro follows the teach- 

 ings of Mr. Washington and his aids, to that 

 extent he becomes a prosperous and respected citi- 

 zen. The most gratifying fact about this whole 

 movement is its rapid extension. We had present 

 the apostle of the reform in Texas, Mr. R. L. Smith, 

 of Oakland. Mr. Smith is a man of brains, the 

 best kind of shrewdness, and of education. He 

 organized among the negro farmers the "Farmers' 

 Improvement Society of Texas." The motto of 

 this organization is "The abolition of the credit 

 system; better methods of farming; co-operation; 

 proper care of the sick and dead; and the improve- 



