Richmond planet., 1897-07-31
A Review of Blood Will Tell.
Mr.. Editors.

49, A@0af0+r
wish, by your permission,
to publish few comments upon the
poem of Mr.. O. M. steward, entitled,
Blood will tell" which appeared in
the last issue of the PLANET" shall
say nothing of the timeliness of the
sentiment breathed through it, nor
how the characters of actor and audi
ence are sustained; nor yet whether
the poem was well conceived, grand
or common place. i shall leave that
or others. wish Co ded uct few
cold and potent facts from it and that
is all.
Let us take the sum and subs tance
OF the fret stanza-That people who
lay false foundation can never sue
ceed is as true as gospel. Make the
foundation correct and hrm and the
superstructure will be safe.
lake the second stanza: How many
colored people who have work to give
out, give it TO white mechanics who
neither want it nor thank them for il I;
aud yet when they want TO raise "a
little thunder (i - borrow money or
other ntcessaries, 60 TO their own race
Tor the same. The third stanza treats
upon the same subj ject as the End.
But it goes down to the motive of such
procr ty-big-he which
makes us think it great big thing"
to hire those above US, while 1t would
be SO much more becoming To hire
our own needy brother"
The fourth stanza is the cream OF
the poem. What Can be dearer to any
race than its children? We are send
ing our boys and girls to school to get
an education.
And when they shall have fin
1 Hnfch.f 64.,hf ~ Aou
will want some paying occupation"
And yet, how can we expect to afford
them such occupation, il, instead OF
strengthening one and other by deal
ing as far as we can in trade, etc., witt
eoch other, I'VE spend with other
t'ibes our every cent and dollar?
| And then there is another view of it
Let US look at it from that standpoint
ne have now with as colored meT
skilled in nearly every mechanics
trade. These coIored mechanics wer'
trained by their former masters il
the days slavery: Their training was
thorough because the former master
thought he was training his black ap
prentice for the masters sole benefit
1t turned out otherwise. 1t now ben
etits the then apprentice-the now me
! chanic. You cannot find a white me
Julb CITY duO uOuOJ IL JO
can find one in this country who wo ul
take black apprentice and teach hin
his trade. Are we not, then, playing
the part of very unwise people by al
lowing these colored mechanics to di
IOut-for they are fast dying Out-be
ore we bind our children with them I
: learn the valuable trades of whic
they are masters, and which will b
: closed to them after all of these ol
colOred mechanics are gone the wa
, of all the earth2 But colored mt
: chanics cannot afford to take appreI
1 tices unless we give them work enoug
to enable and encourage them to
: so.
I The sixth stanza teaches liberality-
I that we should not be clannish and r
fuse to give work to men on accouI
7. of color or race. And yet the tifI
d stanza tells US that charity begins
: i home-that is that we should strive
o be just before we are generous
q The seventh and last stanza exhor
3 US to learn of the white race, f
. "when they give their best away, be
: on land or water. if there be two
h choose between they will give it
a their daughter" that is, they tn
II icare of their own first and then if th
have something left, they give it
II strangers. For. as the refrain says
g "Blood will tell"
! and we could not do better than to I
m ember it we'll.
.. If the above lessons (drSWn from t
d poem) shall be learned and acted up
le by our people, Mr.. Steward will 4
Of have written it in vain.
e Respectfully yours for more hbE
~ ality amongst US race,
IN EVA