The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1895-02-07
THE RACE PROBLEM.
Probable Solution Of the Question
The Subject Viewed from, & New
Standpoint.


kindly obliged me on former occasions
| make bold to approach you on the ia
lnilIar subject OF the African IN America,
and if his presence here Is IN accordance
with the sentiment pressed IL this let
ter ii is high time that it should be made
known Ii you think it worthy OF space
in the GOLD LEAF you will Ob,ig. me by
it's insertion.
Although the continent Of Africa is the
seat Of neathenism, il has been known TO
civilization from the earliest ages: beng
ii geographical neighbor to two CONT
nents, and connected with one OF them by
an isthmus, il IS considered to be the
richest country i'll natural resources on
the planet; yet strange TO say, with the
exception Of few scattering settlements
around the coast, it has not been taken
up and occupied by the avaricious white
man; Il prerulnable fact that it has been
prOvid.ntiaiiy reserved for the everlast-
Ing abode Of the colored race.
Here is 1 America, unknown to the rest
Of the world until four hundred year.
ago, during whick time it ha. been taken
up and occupied by millions of inhabl-
tants. emigrated from different parts OF
the world, (posoibfy some from Africa
ITSELF and still filling up by millions
have gone up like magic and immense
wealth accumulated But Africa, in
sight Of civilization is sadly in the rear
OF the march OF progress, and is today a
mystery to the outside world. A few en-
tnrpri.ing men have gone with their live.
in their hands and traVersei Il small pOr
ton OF the interior, some Of whom have
emerged from the mysterious wilderness
while Others have failed to appear. OF
late that country has attracted the at
tention OF some OF the European nations,
Osten-Ibiv for the purpose OF opening IT
NJ to civilization. but virtually, no
doubt, for the sake of its rich natural re-
sources, but providential purposes are
thereby unwittnglv accomplished. 1t
seems that n special provision has been
made for the civilization OF Africa more
than any OF her heather country, mas
much az one OF its tribes Che negro) has
been selected from and transported
to a new country, then being cOonized
| by one OF the greatest and most progress
sive nations in the world, speaking the
/ prevailing language OF earth. True, the
| negro arrived in the condition Of slave,
| he could not have come under any other
| system had he been landed in a state OF
| freedom, the probabilities are that Ill
! dian-like" he would not have submitted
! to the novelty OF manual labor; but by
| being kept under the restraints OF COM
/ nulsorv sprvitudp he has. in n co,nparu-
| tivcly short space Of time, learnt the De
c4ncips and advantages OF civilized lie,
which took the white man long ares to
acquire.
y hen the late eolorcd orator, DR..
| Price, was in Henderson some time ago,
| he lrctuyed on the condition OF the col
! orrd neoulp in the Southern States. The
| burden OF his; lecture was "The Negro
for the South ANA the South for the Ne
gro. aud how RAPIDLY lie was growing
up into material wealth. lie advised
them not to go to WASHINGTON to seek
redress (whutevpr that may beg but to
become comLetent TO take hold OF the
| State governments of the South, and re-
dress themselves II sentiment he did not
endorse in reply to a question out by
myself. which was, had he ever enter
tanned the idea that the negro i, in
America nrOyidpnt!alIv. and if so, for.
what PURPOSE? His reply was to the ef-
feet that he believed the negro to BIZ here
for the DrOvidential purpose of being
prepared to carry back to Africa
en- masse the blessings of both civiliz4-
lion and generalization to their be-
ni~hted brothers there. Had Dr.. Price
been acquainted with the chronological
dates. and understood the limited time
left for the preparation of such a great
| undertaking. he would hardly have adj
vised that Valuable time be lost in dab
| bl;ur in notifies with a view TO become
competent to take hold OF the State
| Governments Of The South" and to rule
the white man: an object quite foreign to
the sentiment contained in hia renIy ia
nv question. Indeed. had he been as pro
found in chronology. as what he seemed
to be in politics, he would have made the
important discovery that in the short
space of nineteen wears from now there will
be- no governments left to take hold of.
which is the eliminating date of that
predicted trouble, "Such rs was not since
| there was a nation" Daniel II: |. when
every existing government, be they Re-
publican or monarchiul. will be.waliowed
up in the vortex of that stormy sea of
! human passion. and pass away with a
great noise, the awful result of that
ominious trouble now brewing between
capital and labor, when human govern
ments will become a thing of history
No doubt that Dr. Price was a talented
man, and if the tenor OF his able address
had been in conformity with his reply to
my question: he would have advised his
| brethren to devote their spare time to
the preparation of their thousand year
missionary work now before them, the
commencement of which is at hand !;
and to discard politics altogether by
casting away that vote, vindictiveIv
| given them for sinister puyDOsps and for
them to turn IL deaf ear to the stereo-
typed strains of the political denagogue
who, at stated times, expresses himself
as greatly concerned for the general well
| fare of the poor cOOred man. which il
to be feared that on the whole is q little
too "highIv colored r. il known IA
these political professionals that if vas
not intended that the Southern States
should become a Workshop in which TO
manufacture the so-called poor colored
man into political dupes, but as an Acad-
envy for the far more sacred purpose of
taking lessons in much higher degree.