The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-10-22
FUTURE OF THE NEGRO RACE.
ONE OF THEIR ORATORS TALKS OF
1T AT THE EXPOSITION.

Negro Day the Largest in Point of
Attendance the Exposition Has Yet
Had-The Orator of the Day Rev.
j. W. f. Bowen, Prominent Negro
EducntOr-"An Appeal to the King
His Subiect-An Equality of OppOr-
tunity All the Negro Asks.
Atlanta, Ga, oct. 21.-Negro day was the
largest in point of attendance the ex-
position has had. The blacks made a
great success of the day set apart for their
race. They had an ode, an Grafton and
addresses by state and exposition officials
and the blacks did their part of it with en-
inent success. Their purpose was ex-
pressed in the opening stanza Of the ode
by Daniel Webster Davis of Richmond
Va, who wrote
To-day we come to show the world what
God for us hath wrought,
Here, where but thirty years ago. we
were as chattels bought
The orator of the day was Rev. J. w. e
Bowen, a prominent negro educator of
the south. His subject was AN Appeal
to the King" The theme was: HAS the
Negro Any Place in American Life, and
if So, What Is That Place to Be?'
Nearly every country in the world has
a political problem, said he Russia has
her nihilists, Germany her socialists,
France her communism and England the
submerged Tenth. In this country there
is the Chinese problem in California the
scandinavian and other foreign struggles
in the northwest and middle west, the Ital-
ian, Hun and Irish problem in the east,
and in the south the negro problem. The
speaker proceeded to attack the theory
that there must be amalgamation of blood
to secure the greatest development in ma
tonal life please Cod" said he "the ne
gro will have sense enough to stay in this
country and contribute to the correct solu-
ton of this race question until this nation
snail become in truth homogeneous in
sentiment, though heterogeneous in blood"
There is no such thing as perfect equal
ity of individual or race. This Pigment is
chung TO by minds that are deficient in
rudimentary training. 1t was frequently
stated that the negroes place in America
was as slave or servant. And he must
be a worker. All sensible negroes agree
to that. The negro does not shirk from
work. All he asks is an equality of oppor-
tunity. We say to the king that the story
of our past fealty is the best answer we
can make touching our future interests.
IL is written of us by one of the greatest
democratic presidents, Andrew jackson,
that we may be aetuated by lofty purposes
as seen in the noble defense made by the
negro soldicry of New Orleans in the sec
ond British war 1t is on record for us that
IN all OF the social uDneaValS between cap
ital and labor the negro has never been
found with fire brand In hand"
Touching on the education of the negro,
Rev. Bowen declared that IT must be
on par with the education of the white
man. 1t must begin in the kindergarten
as that of the white child and end with
the university, as of that of the white man.
Abiding to another matter, he said:
= AS a representative of the thinking peo-
pie of my race, take off my hat to
the white man of this country, north and
south, when he swears by all that liveth
that the sanctity of his hand and the
purity of his family shall be maintained
that the purity of woman means the
purity Of the family, and the purity OF
the family, purity OF race and nation,
and whatsoever insults that purity is an
enemy to society and in league with hell.
We simply ask that the sins of the vicious
be not charged to the whole race. Our
training on the whole has not been what
it should have been, but the race Is
making a heroic effort to expel from
and thus far we have made progress. We
do not ask that the criminal escape, but
that the court shall ferret out his crime
by due process of law. We ask that JUS
tfce be meted out to all criminals, black
and white"
Referring to the negro department at
the exposition, the orator said that the
race presented to the country few prod
ucts of the races skill, wrought out under
adverse and trying circumstances. 1Aey
were rendered as the earnest work of
the races undeveloped power and the
promise of its possible future
President Collier made a short address,
congratulatng the race on it's efforts and
the results. The speech made by Rev
Bowen made a great impression. it
was heard by, the largest audience that
has yet assembled i'm the auditorium
President Cleveland has expressed a de-
sire to see the negro building thorough
ly. The blacks are elated at this interest
and expect to have an opportunity to
shake hands with the President. The d.
rrsctors OF the exposition have arranged
the programme so that the President can
have all the time he wants in the negro
building. Thousands of blacks are com
ing just to see Mr.. Cleveland
To RenOvate the Ocala House.