The Leavenworth weekly times., 1878-02-21
THE COL0RED RACE AMERICA.

| Present and Future of the Colored Ameri-
can," is the title of pamphlet just issued
by Rev. j. c. Embry, formerly of this city,
but now OF Fort Scott. 1t composes a Sc
ries Of six letters, or lectures, TO the colored
people Of the United States, and is r, pIete
with sound logic, good sense and valuable
advice, is not only interesting 10 the colored
people, but contains much that may he
read with profit by white persons As well.
4 few extracts will serve 10 illustrate the
character Of the work. Referring to the
fact that if the government, at the close OF
the war, had conferred upon the newly
made citizens a portion of the Nations
wealth, in land or cash. ii would have been
no more than an act Of simple justice,
but" says he, The things We most need
cannot bc given away-wisdom, knowledge
by experience, self reliance These surely,
the nation has, but God has written upon
them, Not tran =ierablc.'" He continues:
people of any race SO poor and wretched,
are not apt 10 b. attractive. To some they
will be objects of pity, 10 Others, of con-
tempt. But looking back upon the twelve
years passed away since the close uf the war
Qs65), who can -sainsay the wonderful ad
vancement made by this people" Ii doubt
less surpasses anything of the kind Oh record.
The writer next refers TO the fact that, as
political element, the colored man, in the
Southern states, has disappeared, and adds
We are tree, however, to record the belief
right here that the temporary exclusion OF
the colored men of to-day from political pow
er and places OF influence will prove a great
advantage. 1t breaks up the wide spread
mania for Office that had grown among them,
and which, through the cOrruptibilIty of ig-
norant men, was turning the South into
pest house Of inquity. Henceforward, the
time given to political wransling will be
more profitably employed in studying
schemes OF industry, education and self I'M
provement.
There is a great deal OF truth in the above
paragraph, and it would b. a good thing
for very large class of white Americans,
If some power could induce or compel them
to devote to some useful end the time now
wasted in political wrangling. Referring
to the social peculiarities of the colored
people, the writer says:
While it is true that the coIored people have
some infirmities in their social life and relig-
ious practices, peculiar TO the emselves, W. be-
lieve any candid and fair-minded man, who
is thoroughly conversant with the facts, will
say they are in 10 general sense worse than
the average of American people.
A fact too little recognized among the color
ed people themselves, and seldom thought OF
by the wife people, Is that there are two class
es of co,ored people, as well as of others. A
hopeful earnest struggling element, who
study seriously the condition of themselves
and children, and who try TO take advantage
OF every opportunity at command TO improve
tn .ir future; who labor faithfully at any busi-
ness in which they are engaged, and save a
fair proportion Of their earnings. These are
the people who are building, as best they cana
for their race, by forming their
own character upon an honorable model.
IL is this class that are buying small homes
in both city and country that have an ac-
count in the savings bank; who send their
children to schsO; with regularity and in
who subscribe for papers, buy
books and employ their spare hours in self
I'M provemeut
Then there is another element that arc
the diIect opposite Of these, that have
nothing in common with them, save
mere humanity. There is no denying that
in the cities and larger towns, especial |
ly since the war, this shiftless, thriftless, |
worthless class, are in the majority. They
are the tools of the town politician, since the
the &C has been enfranchiseJ, and pack |
ward meetings, and vote for drink. They
infest The streets by day and by night, and In |
the prominence OF filth and rags, and bloated |
ugliness, are a disgrace to their people and an |
offense to citizens generally. 1t is among |
this class of people that the death rate runs |
30 high annually, In many cities, as to au- |
thorize a prominent correspondent of the New |
Yo. Tribune to assert that the race is dying |
out.
The language of the writer, in the para
graph quoted last above, is not very COM
plimentary, it must be confessed, to the
class it refers TO, and yet every word is true
a. holy writ. The colored people, them
selves, are their own worst enemies. The
following paragraph, in the same vein,
states the truth SO plainly that it requires
no comment:
Our youth OF the cities, is a shiitless, pur-
poseiess fellow in most cases, and in many, /
positive nuisance. The colored young men
who have grown up in town since the war,
are the most discouraging class Of the race in
America He has been in the public school.
He regards himself educated. He has no
earthly idea or intention of work. He re-
CARDS his parents as ignorant old fogies, and
yet depends on them for his daily bread.
These are the ''rass' that crawl into our
houses. seduce and ruin our girls, by what we
too often cali marriage.
The following sentence contains fund of
good sensible advice, not necessarily con-
fined to people of any particular color but
applicable alike to all races. The writer
says: