Iowa state bystander. [volume] (Des Moines, Iowa) 1894-1916, 1896-02-28

| lolOHCOo ttAC W OC oCLtlCu t3y lHlOl
ligence and reason. Formerl,
armies were placed against arm1ei
on the field of blood and carnage
Now school house and teacher art
placed opposite school house anc
teacher, and institution andreasor
are enlightened and sentiment
leads them as shepherd his flock.
The 279,000 school teachers car
do much toward the solution o.
this problem if they will teach the
facts Of history and not the preju.
dice Of their day and time. If in
their illustrations of distinguished
men of their country and history.
they would take black men some
times, and not always a white
man, then the children will know
that intelligence and courage do
not belong to one race or class.
If in teaching geography, they
will explain the history of the races
in its true light, and if the publish
ers Of the country would take out
that old century crowned Negro,
the representative OF Negro bond.
age, and would put in its stead the
representative OF the freedman,
this would help US in our conflict,
for the early impressions of the
child are most lasting. And when
the children by their text-b books
become familiar with the geogra-
phical Negro they put him up as
their ideal; and when the Negro of
the present day does net agree
with the geographical Negro his
better qualities are attributed to
another race.
If we enlist the services of the
teachers in common schools, they
will do more good than an army
with bayonet and banner. Many
of the leading institutions are at
work and are trying to solve the
problem. Harvard, Yale, Prince
ton and Drew and many others
are doing their duty, and have
laid down the rule which will
finally triumph. Character, brain
and industry are the conditions of
success. The school house is the
battlefield where intelligence must
conquer ignorance, love conquer
prejudice.
The press is acknowledged to be
great factor in the moral, reli-
gious and social training Of the
people in the commonwealth Of
civilization. 1t goes to families
who never go to church. Itspeaks
to people who never meet a living
ministry. 1t has the whole house
hold for its audience. What we
as a race want to do is to read the
papers and secure the influence of
the press; to get them to speak Of
us as they do Of other people; to
defend us as they do others, and
to condemn us when we should be
condemned. When that day comes
more than half OF the trouble we
now experience will have passed
away. Our valleys will have been
exalted, our mountains laid low,
our crooked places madg straight,
and our rough paths maze smooth,
and shall be enabled a5 American
citizens to mount up as eagles
wings. We shall ran and not
weary, we shall walk and not
faint, for the prbe essll sha our
sun and shield.
There are two great parties and
many small parties in our coun-
try. One believes in Anglo-Saxon
civilization and Anglo-Saxon rights;
the other believes in human civlliz-
alton and human rights. One be
lieves that the Negro is entitled to
all the rights which belong to the
AngloSason the other believes
that the Negro has no rights that
the white man is bound to respect.
So that the country politically is
divided upon the equal and political
rights of the Negro.
If the Christian church will treat
the Negro as the Negro is treated
in the sporting world, we will have
no cause to complain. The sport
ing world gives Jackson and Dixon
fair chance in the physical combat
and the gtas. exhibiting the greater
amount Of skill and power is de-
clafed victor, whether Anglo-Saxon
~, Nacrro