The state journal. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1883-1885, 1884-05-17
is CENTS PER MONTH.
Only Give Him a Chance.

Only Give Him a Chance.
THERE appears in the Daily EUen-
ing Telegraph Of Philadelphia for
Thursday, the 9Th instant, an editorial
relative to the colored brother. 1t
says: g He has his ups and his downs
in life just like other people. Some
times he gets what he thinks he
wants, and thinks he ought to have,
and sometimes he doesn't We ad-
NIT that the colored brother has his
ups and his downs, but very unlike
other people. Why? Because even
in free America, under the goddess
of liberty and the flag of the free, he,
because Of his color "a something for
which he is not responsibility, is ostra
cised and wrongly considered an in
ferior by people who have grown rich
from his labors, and have been pro
NOTED to afiuence and power by his
votes, be this said to their shame and
condemnation for robbing an honest,
cEedulous, faithful, but weaker nation
making fair headaoay, hoaoever, and
IF he has patience and knoacS hoao
to Improve his opportunities as they
present themselves, there's no knox,
ing aOhere he may or may not come
out IN the course Of gears or GEN.
turtles We are glad to herald the
fact to the world that he is making
progress in some things; but what
kind of progress is he making me
chanieally or in any kind of skilled
labor, while you who control such
institutions keep the doors of the
same closed against him? Educa-
tionally and morally he is rapidly
progressing, and thereby gives great
evidence of what he can and would
do in other fields of usefulness if op-
portunity offered. And right here
we admonish him that the sooner he
becomes more independent or don't
care-ish in politics, and exercises his
learning in discretionary manner
as to voting, the better it will be for
him. AS to having patience" he
has had so much that it has ceased to
be a virtue. Perhaps you would
have him wait till the race becomes
extinct; if so, he would have a long
wait, unless he follows the illustrious
example Of Fred. Douglass, and
thereby hasten the extinction. We
ask no more special legislation for
him. The decision Of the Supreme
Court does net cause him restless
ness, but we do ask for him fair
and equal chance for competition in
the race of life. He will then obtain
the status for which the civil rights
bill originally aimed. Then it would
not require years nor centuries to see
his coming out. That he is an i'm.
plicit believer in prayer and has made
commendable advancement in re-
liglon, there can be no question, and
while "the theologianS tell as that
God helps people aCho help them
selveS," which is a very pretty pre-
cept, we are also told, and in no mis-
takeable language, to help one an
other and live In brotherly love. Do
YOU do it? We admit that the
churches pay some attention to this
matter. but aside from this instance,
the admonition is basely disregarded.
For centuries his white brother ille-
gally or irreligiously kept him in
thraldom. Twenty four years since,
when the tocsin of trouble was
sounded, when war was rampant IN
this country; when rivers, creeks
and the smaller streams flowed with
blood; when thousands mourned for
their wounded and dead; when pc.
tition after petition was made to high
heaven for the preservation Of the
Union and a cessation OF hostllltles;
when the nation groaned under the
burden Of debt incurred thereby,