til
we master them thoroughly. There is no nation so thorough in
their education as the Germans. Why? Simply because the German
takes hold of a thing, and sticks to it until he masters it. Into
it he puts brains and thought from morning to night. He reads all
the best books and journals bearing on that particular study, and
he feels that nobody else knows so much about it as he does.

"Take any of the industries I have mentioned, that of
brick-making, for example. Any one working at that trade should
determine to learn all there is to be known about making bricks;
read all the papers and journals bearing upon the trade; learn
not only to make common hand-bricks, but pressed bricks,
fire-bricks,--in short, the finest and best bricks there are to
be made. And, when you have learned all you can by reading and
talking with other people, you should travel from one city to
another, and learn how the best bricks are made. And then, when
you go into business for yourself, you will make a reputation for
being the best brick-maker in the community; and in this way you
will put yourself on your feet, and become a helpful and useful
citizen. When a young man does this, goes out into one of these
Southern cities and makes a reputation for himself, that person
wins a reputation that is going to give him a standing and
position. And, when the children of that successful brick-maker
come along, they will be able to take a higher position in life.
The grandchildren will be able to take a still higher position.
And it will be traced back to that grandfather who, by his great
success as a brick-maker, laid a foundation that was of the right
kind.

"What I have said about these two trades can be applied with
equal force to the trades followed by women. Take the matter of
millinery. There is no good reason why there should not be, in
each principal city in the South, at least three or four
competent coloured women in charge of millinery establishments.
But what is the trouble?

"Instead of making the most of our opportunities in this
industry, the temptation, in too many cases, is to be
music-teachers, teachers of elocution, or something else that
few of the race at present have any money to pay for, or the
opportunity to earn money to pay for, simpl