Richmond planet., 1894-07-07

dertaking this charitable trust within
it's own race lines, where it is most need
ed.
These homes arc for ALL MEN AND wo-
MEN OF the RACE whether they be OF the i
brotherhood or not.
Sick benefits, death benefits, and liv-
ing benefits, are extended alone to Foun |
tain, Rosebud and Class members, but /
the OLD Fol ks homes are for the RACE /
who may not be members of any of the /
Departments Of the Order, and those of !
the Order, who may fall by the wayside, |
and from age and poverty may have |
need of the benefits of the Homes.
To those outside OF the Order, who |
may look with an "evil eye" upon the |
work it is doing DIRECTLY for the mem
bership, and the reflex influence of it's |
work upon the race; we regret that any |
feeling of JEALOUSY should possess them,
and while we entertain no malice to-
ward those whom we know to be mimi
cal to everything not done by them
selves; yet we do PROTEST against any
MISREPRESENTATION OF the Order, with
the means clearly within the power OF
Alt to know the tIatA.
There is mora tnzp1l00e In tiie HAN
.,r woman who irisrepresentsa au indiyid-
nal or an organization. when the means
of knowing the truth are not taken
advantage of, and he or she may not be
excused by pleading in extenuation OF
such wrong done that, Il was mistak-
en-"
1.-The true role for the social reiormer
in our day is to comfort and help the
weak hearted, to raise up those who fail
| to strengthen those who stand, and to
keep down the worlds supply of envy,
hatred and malice"
| We publish a monthly organ, The Re-
| former, OF sixteen pages, OF 1900 words
| to q page, in which the whole work OF
| the Order is placed before the public
gaze, for public scrutiny and public cri-
ticism, excepting the ritualistic work.
The way farer, though he be a fool,
! cannot fail to know what becomes of
| the. monthly dues of 80 or 90 cents
| which he or she pays, the 10, Is or %
cents. paid by children monthly, the
semi-annual tax OF 40 cents and five
cents and the quarterly class dues, s L 20,
| SLAB, $1.66, $,.90, $40, 81 60 or
50 S5, which are paid by the member
ship; and which in 13 years and six
months by honest handling have
amounted to 81 900, 900 90, in aid not
alone of the brotherhood directly but of
the public indirectly.
To illustrate The Auditor of Public
Accounts Of the State of Virginia in bis
last annual report shows the increased
value of personal property of Negroes in
the state for 1893 over 1S92-to be
$122, ,420 90; while il shows a decrease
I on the part of the whites for the same
period of 81 ,152 ,0S7.00 increased val
, ne of real property of Negroes for the
same period four percent OF the whites
3 IL percent. The Negroes being one
3 fourth or 20 per cent of the whites in
3 crease. Now of the $50. .032.O spent
' throughout the brotherhood, for the
! fiscal year ending Aug. 3 Il, 1898, in pay
' | ment of death claims $22 ,622.0O wer'
g spent in Virginia and the volume o
t the circulating medium was swollen In
t | Alexandria, Amelia, Arlington, Ashland
0 BowdeD, Boutwell,, Centraiia, Cha riotte
! vile, Clarksville, Chesapeake, Church
land, Columbia, Crcmora. Danville, Dow
r er Mines, Richmond, Roanoke, Spring
:, field, Stony Greek, Winterpock, Glel
r Allen, Lynchburg, Portsmouth, Beave
e Dam, Houston, Lexington. Mens h yill
p and Ph9bus These $22, ,622 80 givel
e widows, orphans and widowers, O
4 other legal representatives of the de
IA, ceased members Of the brotherhood
Ie have helped to pay taxes to the state
have been spent in the purchase OF land
Of and the erection of buildings, in givin
Dtl employment to mechanics and artisans
. and in increasing the gains ot.tradesme
and have been spent in travel by Ian
X and water, in and out of the state;
n short, the wealth of the Commonwealth
ss has been added to by So, ,622. 90 {
e. money accumulated by industry. unit
OF aud cooperative effort of Negroes, citi
he zens of Virginia, fifteen other states, an
p the District of Columbia, known as TrI
re Reformers. This money of Negroes hs
e- helped to increase the value OF the
ne personal property, 1922, ,42000 in
rs months and their real estate to $40
ed 49S 90 during the year 1898 in Virgini
Nv This represents the indirect infiuen
tn of the True Reformers on the State
he Virginia.
nu More, when that disastrous fire
IN stroyed the greater part of Clarkesyill
and the Negro sufferers were discrin
lSo mated against, in relief given the sufft
pie ers as consequence of that calamit
er this brotherhood made a free gift
~ $3.50, not to True Reformers alone, b
ISo to others of the race who were affect
" by the fire.
fTw Let not the moral support of Neg
leaders be given to schemes of white m
= to build monuments for white me
- 80 through the hard earnings of Neg
w. men and women. until the material CO
:. dition of the race through'th (True
II former Order) and other Negro benefic
&c organic atoms, shall have raised
,:: .:s race out of the slough of despond
N'o poverty until prejudice shall have bt
.,,o so far dissipated by white men. as tl
Ine black men shall have an equal chance
the struggle for bread until their n
= terial conditions shall be on a par W
. 80 that of their white brethren.
|, to We have a few Negro martyrs of
68. cross, martyrs of liberty, martyrs to
cause of popular education among
ept sanity black mothers whose self de
fed. ing labors, have given to the race no
lect sons and morally beautiful daughtt
and Would it not be more seemly that
a of should give our moneys, and our lead
oh their moral support, to such an effor-
tual Dena't OF our own, when would be an
uch. spiration rather than give their t
the and attention to white men who
ons more interested in glorifying themseI
rder than in beneftting us?
gsr. We would not detract from the mil
tive rN genius, the great craftsmanship
the the mora excsllencies of any man
and woman of q race other than the Nc
w. race, who may have, IN any mann
phil contributed toward our moral and D
sical emancipation. We are grateful
men all such, but we are too poor
ace. give money to build monuments
with them while a million of the race ar
The the bondage of ignorance; and in
ecu gall of the bitterness of degradation,
the in abiect poverty and some prematu
with aged as a consequence OF the iDjustiC
the another race.
as a We cannot forget that the Negro
hu degraded by the Anglo-Saxon and Ii
ONES races in Africa and in the Americas