National Republican., 1875-12-02
.FUTUREoF THE NEGRO RACE
IB CIVIL RIGHfs and EQUAL PRIVILEGES
MENTAL AND PHYSICAL QUALITIES
ADAPTATION TO SKILLED LABOR

ADAPTATION TO SKILLED LABoF
INATTENTI0N TO LAWS OF HEALTH
Vital Statistics and their Isdications-
tality-An Address by Prof John M
Lasgston, OF Howard University.
The following address Was delivered before
"The Colored Mems Progressive Union and Co
operative Association" Of Baltimore, at its recent
Inauguration:
THE ooLoRRD AMERICAN CITIZEN.
Mr.. PREsIDEsT: lam not insensible Of the
distinguished honor shown me In the Invitation
which brings me before you on this occasion. 1
experience and express 70 you and tho "Progres-
sive Union and Cooperative Association" the
liveliest feelings OF gratitude. As value the
honor you do me, through your invitation, I trust
| in some proper sense appreciate the dignity and
Importance of the task 1t imposes, as well as the
difficult and perplexing character of its wise and
1 conscientious performance
despair of my ability to perform the duty, self
imposed by tho acceptance Of your invitation, in
such manner rs to interest and edify you and pro-
mote the welfare Of that large class of our popu-
lation described in the phrase, 'colored American
citizen" With no large confidence in my ability,
and with purpose TO cultivate oratorical art or
display IN its discussion, bringto the consdera-
tion of the subject which you have named as the
theme Of my address the deepest and most abiding
loyalty to those on whose behalf you have organ
lied your association. And, like you, would dis
not only the excellent qualities of character
the commendable facts Of conduct, and the more
important and. taluablo achievements which
render memorable the history of the colored
American, but, exploring the hiding places Of his
weakness, the secret haunts of his insldlous foes
the destroyers of his physical, industrial, educa-
tional moral, social and civil greatness, would
induce him to erect and sustain the strongest de-
fenses against these enemies.
j may, ought, TO congratulate you and our
fellow -citizens especially our colored fellow-cit
whose purposes, generous and phiiauthropic, are
30 clearly and tersely set forth In It's declaration
Of objects, In the following words:
Whereas IL is IN undeniable fact that strong
and powerful ORG anized opposition exists In this
country to the colored mans full and complete
enjoyment OF all the rights and privileges OF
American citizenship; and wher eas we believe
that the full enjoyment Of said rights and priv,
leRes Is TO be obtained and preserved only by
com mbipation, organizstion and perseverance, by
colored meE: therefore
Resolved, That We organise for the following
objects under the name OF the .Oolored Mems
Progressive and Cooperative Union:"
i. To secure equal advantages fn schools OF all
ssSure snS oo%p.ss S
our civil rights and privileges, and to defend
them by all proper means against any aoridg-
s. To use all justinabie means to obtain for our
children admission into the workshops Of our
edge Of ali mechanical branches Of business
To labor for the moral and social elevation
Of our people.
Upon the organization OF such association and
fits public Inauguration on this Thanksgiving
evening, under auspices 50 favorable to fts sx-
Its success is assured in the disinterested and
earnest devotion Of its projectors and members;
the humane and Christian purposes which it
According to a resolution unanimously adopted
by the association have been invited to speak on
tain to the colsred American citizen"
infer from the statement OF my subject and
o. aoS oSSc snn eG ne.
ing upon this theme, speak Of certain duties
which We are bound to periorm In our own behalf
ought to acknowledge and respect as binding
upon them. Atthis hour In our history Iconsfder
pO e se PSa
as progress. II We do not agree now, feel as
sured that We will ere I conclude.
is THE NEGRO DYIxo QUIT
Since our emancipation great deal has been
sa,O ds1 Wh IEsra 20 our nr, ypg H,a
cratic weekly journal containing what he called
well-considered and philosophical article, In
.The decree Of eusncipation was sentence Of
death TO the negro race upon this continent; none
the less inexorable because it is seifexecuting.
II TO that sentence there is any alternative 1t IL
barbarism-the loss Of all that three centuries
have gsined-and lapse into tho old and normal
multiplied efforts to overcome and to avert It,
is what experience show to bc inevitable. In
the tropical and ssTirOpsab = e9Snsris: Of the
survival VIII be upon tho terms Of bis own ma
elements Of his character. In the temperate
regions be Will go out slowly or rapidly. In pro-
portion as the climatic infiuences are more or
less adverse TO his constitution"
Continuing, the writer says:
"Admitting that the climate Is, other things
being equal, such as to allow of the continuance
Of the negro upon this continent, the fact Of his
survival depends upon another condition-thst he
snar ees0ms indusrs dOsns NO race 81 people not
nsnent existence In temperate climate. Slavery
made the negro fnvoluntariiy Industrial; per-
him voluntarily 90. In order 70 elevate the negro
and nt him for bis material environment, and In.
sure sTs S s %sa n n TO school a%
OF schooling upon the white f. to make him, as an
Individual, non n-industriaL The rationale of the
order to survive must be Industrial. The blacks,
q race, are not Industrial; the whites are.
Schooling makes the individuaI white non-indus:
black Industrial, he must be schooled.' And this
is no more feeble than the rest OF the educatiO-
"Desth or-so far as the relations Of tho race |
norneeS upep the atriesn sT nv s.srs. ~ pro
cipatiop. The negro in the United States Is dying
out. Whether or not he is elevsted is, therefore,
either to himself or the white, matter Of small /
and ut tue most, temporary e1neernment In the /
race between education AMI extinction It u stters
little which comes out ahead when the latter IL /
Inevitable But, admitting the possibility, under /
favorable circumstances, OF educating the African
into the equivalent OF an European, there Is one /
End with which the negro cannot comply. A race /
Of people which, through the circumstances Of |
.neir @ environment. OF through detects IN their
OF these combined, DO not Keep good their own /
numbers, cannot propress; can enly deteriorste.
The stamina Or the Character or the constancy
essential TO tho one s an innexibie condition 10 |
the other. Multiplication and Advancement and Il
dimipution and retrogradation arc things 90 or.
does not furnish an example OF people who were
falling OF numerically and advancing spiritually
between the physical and the psychical in humsp-
fiy that the thing 10 impossible. Stamina and |
rooustitude in the one Is stamina and robus'itude
in the other, and there Is no instance 10 which |
diminrtiOn OF reproductive capacity and conse-
quent dIrfnution In numbers has not been found |
associated with reduced Intellectual audaclty and
moral co1stsncy. This Law is 80 absolute that
each ratio Of increase or diminution has It's cor.
responding mode and degree of intellectual and
III we carefully and critically examine the
words quote We shall ind that tho writer
uahC1 tuetC tuIco aStcrllOucs 4
l. That the decree OF emancipation Is a seu- |
tenee Of death to the negro race.
= That In tho temperate regions the negro |
VIII 70 out slowly or rapidly In proportion as the
climatic influences are more or less adverse 70 |
his constitution. |
3. That no race OF people not spontaneously
Industrious can maintain q permanent existence 1
in Q temperate climate. The pegro Ia not spon. |
tencoutly industrious. Education will not make |
him sucn. TEereiore the negro in the United
States Is dying out.
lie does not quite believe his first assertion
himself; for after speaking OF the sentence OF |
ssth IS "Done the loss inexoraJle becauTe 10 is |
q" he declares that IL thers Is any
NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. that there may be Eucn |
1t Is .bsr esrfsIn." Mother logic nor the pre- |
septsIion OF facts In support OF bis conclusions |
are ehtTeos and that, too. when the history Of tue
waElr. ss regards ali oppressed and outcast races
IN all regions snd all periods, tll complications
and nsttonsliiies, shows that emancipation, free.
dem. wit ift bielsings. its Infusion OF manly as
pfrat.Cn and enpobiing purposes has always |
proved the hesf, the most valuable and dearly |
pIiIed OF human benefits: never q curse. always
tesd. /
There Is nothing In bis second assertion to a. |
list him. For BIS statement huds an irresistible
md perpetual answer In our daily observation OF
he colored man living in our climate to Hike
.ge, In many cases to q greater, with bis white
elow- w-couDtrymcn. And this efter an enforced |
service OF centuries In sla, cry; fed and clothed in