The commonwealth. (Scotland Neck, N.C.) 1896-1929, 1896-11-05
Gt SCOTLAND NECK C.TH NOVEMBER 1896.

VI UOtu SuSpeuucIS, Ill OrQer 10 keo
his pantaloons intact. Now, compar
this progress with what was being don
by the Indiana farmer. What was tn
difference? The man in Indiana wa
educated or in some way he had learn
ed to apply his education to agriculture
He had put his brain Into it. Wha
l mean by industrial education is t,
get the masses of our young men tt
the point where they can apply thei
education to conquerlng the forces O
nature In some way that this man IL
Indiana is doing, and who can say tha
this is not specially needed here in tn,
South? The plain, hard tact Of tht
matter is the South is called upon tt
compete with the world, and when i
comes down to plain, hard business
propositions, the business man is goine
to buy his corn from the man who sells
1t cheapest, whether the corn be pro
duced in Indiana or Alabama, and just
so long as the man in Indiana is able
to do as much work With cultivatol
and one workman in one day as foul
men and a mule can do in three OF
four days in Alabama, just SO long will
he continue to buy corn of the Indiana
producer.
"We must bring our education down
to the plain, practical, hard, every day
facts. As race, we are very emotion
al. We are inclined to spend more of
our time in preparing to live in heaven
than on earth. We like to talk about
living in the white mansions in the
upper world, and at the same time live
in one-room log cabins here. We like
to preach about wearing golden slippers
and long white robes in the other
world, and 60 bare-footed and nearly
naked in this world. We like to sing
about living on milk and honey in the
next world, and eat corn bread and peas
here. believe that living right in
this world is the best preparation for
happy life in heaven.
eve should never grow discouraged.
In due time, every right now enjoyed
by every other citizen will be ours. /
think the most sensible colored people
In this country have settled down to
three things-that just in proportion as
we secure intelligence and property,
and learn to practice morality and re-
l1glon, all of the rights now enjoyed by
every other citizen will be ours.
''When it comes to social equality,
no one, but an 1ll-informed person,
gives himself much concern regarding
that. It will be with us as with all
other people. The matter of social rec
ognition will take care of itself. Mol
power can force man to recognize an
other as his social equal unless both
agree. On social matters the two races
can be as separate as the fingers, yet
one as the hand on all matters pertain
ing to the welfare OF our common coun-
try. You will find that friction be-
tween the two races will pass away just
in proportion as the black man pro-
cures something that the white man
wants Or respects. Our present trouble is,
we are empty-handed, nobody spends |
a great deal of time with an empty
handed and hungry man. And when
you come to analyze the question you
Will find that one white man does not |
care a great deal for another white |
man except the one has something that |
the other wants he either has proper
ty, culture, or influence, something |
every time that the other wants, and |
that thing brings them together and |
makes them friendly in their business,
social and political relations, and the
same is true as regards races and ma
tions.
"I sometimes fear that we are too |
much inclined to lay stress on our griev-
ances rather than our opportunities.
While many wrongs have been perpe-
trated upon us in the South, still at the
same time it is fact now recognized
by all intelligent colored people, the
black man has far better opportunity
10 rise in the South than in the North.
While the black man Is not permitted
to ride in the first-class car in the
South, you will find that in many cases
IN the North he is not allowed to build
that first-class car. I have always held
that the colored men can sooner con-
luer Southern prejudice than Northern
There is an absence of
prejudice against the black man In the
South in business that means more
than we have heretofore realized.
find that when it comes to business,
pure and simple, the black man is put
on the same footing with the white
man, and here it seems to me is our