New national era. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1870-1874, 1873-11-13
Old Men sO the is< sCic.

Amid all the colored mans disadvantages
in the olJen times of bondage and disfran-
chisemcnt he clung to one trait OF character
which rises respendant in contrast with this
new era of young bloods among his descend
ants. The cOlored man of the past was
polite man. Politeness is the lite-blOod of
society. Unless it cigculates society must
die and therefore good manners are very
nearly akin to good morals.
The truest pleasures of social life are east
" transmitted into the highest duties of
moral obligation, and none understood this
better than those men aud womcn who lived
in tie almost eourtly era of the Pauls, the
Downngs, the Bastiens, the Cornishes, the
Jnningses, the Crommells, the Lattimores
and the like-whcn New York was the CEN
ter of colored social life, some twenty years
ago. Whether il was that these people cop
led the refinement of the white society
with which they came i'll contact OF tyansla-
ted what has been regarded as almost an in :
stinct in our race into habit, does not matter.
The Downings my have learned their most
winning social ways from the white Bancrofts,
the Crommells from the Van Renselaers,
aul so on, or they may have determined to
give their nature fall scope in social Graces
because denied the exercise Of every other
grace. But whatever the cause, they were
a set of people who enjoyed tie most perfect
social health and liiiuscd the most inspiring
social virtues among our people. 1t is the
custom now among those whom either ability
or accident has brought II the suffice, to de-
preciatc the social virtues of our fore fathers,
on the ground that they lid not possess lib
erty enough TO do wrong. The young Alri-
can Blood of the lrCsCn: day will tell YOU
that these old social patterns are out of fash
ion, and that he and his class are in vogue,
and that the substitution involves great
improvement.
Let us see
First Of all how MAN. SONS lave inhclited
the undoubtedly good traits OF Their fathers
Admitted that in manv respects ihcse an
clients Of our race were srrlI!c 10 the whites
they were, at least, true "a one another. AL
lowing that they were polite because, III
many casCs, if they iu>ultcd md whipped
'
the whites for lighting, >;il they recognized
the moral and social Obligation of correcting
a wrong when the, had done our. suppose
they were ignorant II public aiiiile aud cut
off from pOiii.C.! E"nur. ;.md cinolumcuts.
they at icas. brought ~ good families and
devoted themselves Ia some sort of regular
business Can a. much bc .ail 81 tic Young
men al Tie front to-day"
j. il nvt tue that the old s,rliiiv, en-
forced IcCausc Of ill. black Irau's weakness
has simply changed ia his descendants to a
voluntary political sub>or'ieucys Io ii not
Fl ic ,ha Il SYSTEMATIC depreciation &c ,oul:
colored men by each other has shipped them
of whatever consideration their talent, or
their standin: might cntitic them Ia among
the whites? Why is it that society among
US is always rumbling VIII earth Guakes If
faction and swept By the fierce winds II |
mutual denuuciatiCn? Are thcse iie best !
fruits that our young, educated, oiiice-hUlding,
money-nlakin", contemporaries have Ia lay in /
the lap o! tn new era? Or arc thcy trying
on their feedcm like boy does his tin
sword, fr ghtening other smaller boys with
it, commanding the ducks aud geese about
him till use lenls vulaarlty to his weapon,
and he ends by digging with il in the dirt?
Whatever the cause may be the fact Is
pa nfully apparent that the manners and So
;ial morals Of our Young people sadly need