The Washington bee., 1896-08-22
OUR WOMEN.
Mrs. E. V. c. Williams, Editor.

eeen organized, Ine ODJecC OF Wnlcn
is to lift the race morally, spiritu-
ally, industrially and Intellectually.
Then too, individual effort outside
of the club has been the means in
many localities of revolutionizing
things for the betterment of all
concerned. The following is clip
ped from the New York Age:
4" | was at the commencement
exercises of the Hampton Institute
last summer and listened to the pa
pers Of two students, one an Afro
American girl and the other an
Onondaga Indian. The burden of
both discourses was that the speak
ers were going out into the world
and lift up their people. They can
not do it !; they will die paupers in
the effort. 1t should be the su-
preme business of each person to
build himself up, to put himself in
position to help himself, before
he undertakes to build and help
others. Thousands of our men and
women have gone to pieces in the
struggle of life since the war, striv-
ing to help others when they could
not help themselves. There is
much self in this philosophy, but
it rules the world, and it is likely
to rule it. We must strive less to
build up the race and more to build
up ourselves ; we must attend less
to the business of other people and
more to our own, and we shall find
that We will produce more men and
women, who, having lifted them
selves up can safely and easily lift
up others. -
The writer would have US be-
lieve that if the young people who
come out from the schools, colleges,
and academies from time to time
would first build themselves up,a
better state of things would exist
We are somewhat mystifed. At
this juncture we do not understand
what the writer means by " build
ing up" If he mean, first, ac-
quire an education before going out
among the people to teach them !;
then we hold that one who gradu-
ates from a first class institution is
supposed to have, already, built
himself up" and is fully prepared
to I" lift up the people" "
If on the other hand the writer
means from a material standpoint
his article is misleading to the
highest degree.
He styles it selfish philosophy. so
it is. He says it rules the world.
That we question. What about the
many reforms inaugurated, to lift
the fallen and rescue the perishing.
Listen to the roll call ! Hear the
response G. E. S., Lend a Hand,
W. G, L, o., Social Purity Socie
ties, Rescue Homes, Reform
Schools. Training Schools. All
with one mighty voice exclaim,
We are not dead, neither are we
paupers.
Who does not know that most of
the oldest institutions of learning
were founded on faith, and through
the self sacrificing labors of conse-
Grated individuals. Also, most of
the younger colleges and academies,
were brought into existence in the
same way, which are being sustain
ed by the pray rs, labor and self
denial Of people who are not
wealthy, always, but feeling their
obligation to help others, GIVE only
"a penny it may be, but VIII n
summed up, form great aggre-
gate which go far toward making
this world better. OUR PEOPLE do
not help others enough. We should
give according to our ability, be it
a penny, prayer or our lives.
Suppose at The close Of the civil
war the many good men and wo-
men who gave up home, friends and
all tender ties Of love and went into
strange distant fields with the BIZ
bic and spelling book to lift up the
masses, had philosophical as the
writer of the above .rticle, could |
we to-day point with pride to the
grand institutions of learning
founded by their sacrifices, tears
and labors for our people at the
South? No. These schools are
doing more to solve intricate race
problems than the bal OF can or
ever will.
The race needs more, yes, thou
sands more young men and women
who like those young ladies who
stood on the rostrum at the Hamp
ton commencement fully equipped |
for the work with willing hands,
heart and feet, to labor in the vine
yard for the uplifting of the
masses.