This was, in a sense, the beginning of my public-speaking career.
On the evening that I spoke before the Association there must have been not far from four thousand persons present.

Without my knowing it, there were a large number of people present from Alabama, and some from the town of Tuskegee.

These white people afterward frankly told me that they went to this meeting expecting to hear the South roundly abused, but were pleasantly surprised to find that there was no word of abuse in my address.

On the contrary, the South was given credit for all the praiseworthy things that it had done.

A white lady who was teacher in a college in Tuskegee wrote back to the local paper that she was gratified, as well as surprised, to note the credit which I gave the white people of Tuskegee for their help in getting the school started.
This address at Madison was the first that I had delivered that in any large measure dealt with the general problem of the races.