The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1895-11-29
G0ODADVICET0NEGROE
JOHN u. sMfLLWOOD's HIGHLf ~
TEREsTryG ADDRESS
Before the Teachers and students OF the
Temperance Industrial ana 'ohes'"'o
Institute-A synopsis of the Speech

OF TINS place, dclNettu "a HisAiS A'-
teresting address here this evening be-
fore the teachers and students Of the
school President Smailwood is one
Of the most intellectual negroes Of the
South, and is doing great work among
his race. lie spoke in part as follows;
1t mas been more than thirty years
since our fathers and many OF us were
eInsScipated from the shackles OF human
JaFery. II has been more than q-arteT
81 century since We entered upon the
great responsibilities Of American ciu-
zenship. Your fathers and mine have All
these years been taught that we must
look upon this country as belonging TO
q race Of people in which We Were not
and are not Immediately interested. Ihls
thought IS wrong; wronG IN purpose.
wrOns in existence. wrong IN us influence
upon the minds of the people To which
race you and / belong. ] shall, therefore,
tonight speak TO y0u as American CIT
liens, not as foreigners but as Christians
who are working for the prosperity OF
our native land We as Negroes, cannot
longer sit with our hands folded, with
our hearts contcnted, with the Idea mat
this is "a white mans country, 10 "hich
We have no interest. This old lesson mas
been taught the negro IN TINS country
above the level Of that human prejudice
that has called him inferior for over one
hundred years
America DE IL the white mans country
or The country for white people. expects
OF the negro now 20 show forth his moral
intelligence. his intellectual qualifications,
his high conceptions OF human Justice
his political discretion. his pecuhidry
progress. and ais religious truth. We
as q race OF people, all along nave waited
for some one 10 call as Americans We
have plunged through this country for
quarter Of century. claiming mat the
Republican party was the salvation or
the negro. and calling upon the Demo
cratic party 90 make MS men and women
neither OF these Two great parties can
help as 10 be- true men and true women.
by the accumulation Of wealth, by
high conception of their duty 10 their
State and nation. by an exercise OF true
and religious patience by having a strict
line drawn between the social gentleman
and the social hypOcrite, by putting our
religion upon practical, common-sense
basis 10y attending church at 1910 in the
morning and closing out a. quarter TO
T. by getting o. church upon the proper
time in the evening. and closing Dc upon
the proper time, 10y placing in our pulpits
q class Of high-culfured. strictly moral
and worthy ministers, by taking OUT OF
| orr school-rooms set Of brOken-do"n
| politicians. who have commenced seeking
sehool-teaching FOR d living after hecom-
img demoralizei in politics. 10y turning
from our doors class of ministerial
tramps who. simply because they have a
/ license as local preacher. feel that they
have a perfect right 10 rest for days 40
weeks i'm the homes Of our best families
with the prctence that they are their
spiritual adyis rs-We are 10 solFe the
I race problem in our country by opening
| our own bank-account, by paying our
| debts. we are 10 make ourselves the best
Americans possible by buying land. build
| ing fine houses. building colleges. acade-
mics and manning them with our best men
/ and women of our race. We are 10 solve
the race problem by learning how 10
/ work-this viii make MS the best Amerl-
! cans possible We will be- called Ameri-
cans when we know how to 60 into me
merchants shop and there DO anything
| that our hands may nnd 10 DO We shaD
/ be called Americans when we know now
TO nelfcm all those duties In the labofing
world that brings about such unity OF
action that constitutes the great lapofins
/ examinations AN over this land You VIII
| excuse me If / do not speak 10 you IN
natteting words tonight, for often have
men stood and spoken 10 ds IN mere
pleasing and Gathering words; bat as an
educator at the mead of an institution
that is struggling for It's very me-
| would be less a man. far less an Ameii-
can. if / stood here and told you that an
/ within our race is perfect
Until the negro understands that there
| is a difference between the black drunk
ard and the black temperance man. until
/ We draw q distinct line between the ny
pocrite. who prays upon sunday ana
drinks whskey upon Monday until we
shall see 10 10 that our best women are
protected from the company and influence
of the ni-famed. W. can never hope 10
prove 10 this 49, that We are true
earnest Amer,r,-
The white man no Is q Democrat must
/ create his OWE bank account. must be-
come "a good citiZl % of his OVID commune
IN. IL he desires the best made possible,
/ the negro who is a Democrat or ke-
publican must buy his own farm, must
produce his own credit In merchant
/ house, must own his own house. bis
piano or his organ We must learn, ladies
/ ana gentlemen. that politics never have
/ created for any race, as "a set of indiNid-
uals human wealth. And again, We must
! see % IL that We are purely American IN
| that we shall assist I'm the PRONUNCIATION
/ Of The Constitution of our country Let
/ 10 be said of us that We do not admire
such "A Governor as Illinois now has. Let
| IL be- said of us that such "A wing Of pO-
ntical factions as is now led by Mr. Till
/ fan. OF South Carolina is not a fair rep
resentation of fair Americansm. Let ms
not look with any degree of admiration
upon any such man as PETER. OF Kansas,
or Martin. OF Nebraska, who stand In the
American Senate and sneak merely for
the express purpose of gaining the pOlit-
/ ical admiration of the Socialists and the
Anarchists and the more illiterate men
/ OF our country. IL is wrong, II is wrong.
/ whether IL Doe found in the white man or
/ in COlored man. such be the teachings
| Of our Republic. Again. we must under
stand that this nation expects something
of us and that which is greatest in this
| expectation is found in the fact that the
| best men all over the country. North,
/ South. East. and West. expect us 10
make friends OF the best people In the
| community where we live. For twenty
five years We have been praising the
white man in Massachusetts and in
Maine for twenty-five years we have
been mistrusting the white man who
! lives next door 10 us. thereby not only
making that neigbor an enemy TO many
/ Of US, but 10 our children. The best peo-
/ pie in this country admire intelligence.
and the time will come when America
/ will call upon YOU and upon the succeed
! ing generation in every conflict.
! Until We learn these great laws govern
ing the fundamental principles upon
which all nations must be governed,
| do not now See how we can ever hope