The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-01-13
PROF. wRIGHF's ADDRESS.
Al. takes the Position THAT the Negro
Race is Advancing.

Race is Advancing.
--,-. address Of Prof. r. r. Wright,
..-ent OF the Georgia State Industrial
I~s-e. delivered before the negro college
--ra Atlanta exposition is receiving the
e---vsbIe Endorsement that it merits. He
--,~- If the most prominent leaders Of the
800 race. and is the head Of the leading
-r, educational institution of Georgia
-4.s views are similar to those Of Prof.
----ts- r Washington, whose speech at
- 0uening of the exposition ettracted so
.r attention Prof. Wrights address
e divided into three parts-the negro
W. present and future. AS reported in
- Atlanta Constitution he said in sub
stance - - .,,.,,, f-or, +ba
,,,-faee Of the early days, he was without
s-s and educational facilities. He was
L-f rhe stone in the rough and the work
If polishing and making intelligent was
eeoriathing that was to be accomplished in
- ffIture He said that the present was
y +f-,e for rejoicing, as the race had made
~s~iT strides in educational and industrial
So king Of the progress made by the
,,.-ero race since emancipation he said
nj much more had been accomplished
tran had been hoped for.
Thirty years ago not more lnan one III
% b-rr.5red could read or write. To-day out
o. everv hundred persons over ten years
XII fortv-three can read and write. thirty
--.nr= ago there were III an oA AliE NlLt
s,bout $4,000 members, while to-day there
- 59g iG0 a clear gain in single gen
-5+iou of nearly 200O, 600 members for the
CHRISTIAN churches. Since the emancipation
tlese churches have acquired church prop
nv m the amount of thirty millions of
dollars. and besides the church and school
,ron4rty acquired by them, it is estimated
mai the cOlored people pay taxes on real
STATE valued at more than three hundred
million dollars. 80, ..-, ~,
= ~ .,
speaker, that the negroes on Ine SCUM ,-
have acquired in the thirty years, or the
mast three decades, 233A1 homes ana
farms. which are free from membranes
and S,64l others which are mortgaged,
making total of 262, SSS-more than
quarter of a million homes which have
feen builded and are now owned by the
colored people of the country"
Other statistics were given by the speak
sr among which was that So per cent. of
Inc negroes of the United States live in
the rural districts, and that, under the
existing circumstances, the number OF
homes and farms that are now owned ana
ODerated by them is marvellous.
When the educational progress made by
the negro is considered, said he, the ma
fiOns of the entire civilized world look
on in establishment. The negroes have
builded schools and have in many in
stances supported the teachers and preach
ers out of their own purses. They have
attended the churches which have been
builded with their own money, and the
number of converts in the last thirty years
has been very large indeed. The present
OF the race is bright, with future promise
and the negroes have everything to en-
courage them in believing that the dawn
of the new year will bring to them much
substantial and solid advancement.
Speaking OF the result Of slavery, he said
that it had bound the white and the col
ored races together with bonds of love
that would never be broken and would
possibly have never been made had IL not
been for the relations that once existed be-
tween master and servant.
Declaring that slavery was the sum OF
all villainies,' said he, I'VE have been in
the habit of looking at but one side of
it, I do not propose to pursue this in
curry Just now, but simply wish TO say
that among the slave holders We're many
noble men and women whose deeds were
most potent in softening the asperities Of
that institution, and while it may be
heresy to say itft is nevertheless true that
many a colored man and woman looks
back to the days spent on the old planta-
tons as the happiest day of their lives.
Woven away back IN the days of bond
age, moistened if you please by its bitter
teanEgfthere rs a. cord of sympathy, II
not of affection, which. will continue as the
years roll by to bind the white and the
black man closer and closer together.
And while thank God that slavery has
gone and gone forever 1 fully appre-
cate that kindly feeling, that existed be-
tween the bondsman and his master; that
feeling that caused the slave to weep on
the field of battle about the wounded ana
the dead; that feeling which caused him
to tehderly care for and watch over the
wife and little ones of his master who
was. absent fighting the battles OF the
cOnfederacy."
The south, he thought, had done a noble
part for the race in building SchoolhouseS
and making it possible for them to edu-
cate their children but the north had
done much more and the negro would
never forget the sacrifice and devotion OF
northern men and women who had left
their homes and spent their lives in the
work of aduc1TiOn and nnDullUlng OIL the
southern negroes He said it was love
that had seldom been equaled in the his
tory of nations that had prompted the
northern people to do this great work
for them and the heart of the colored
man would ever be grateful for the many
deeds and acts of Kindness rendered by
the men and women of the north.
He painted the future of the race in
glowing terms and appealed to those pres
ent to begin anew the struggle of life and
place their ideals and ambitions on a high
moral and spiritual plane, so that the re-
suits would be an honor to the race and
benefit to mankind and the world at large.