Evening star., 1898-11-21

is difficult to convince, indeed. When will
he cry, Hold, enough?' Even the proud
southerner, when he found himself between
death and 1.-The last ditch" was compelled
to yield, and to suffer deprivation of the
very right in question.
1t is true that a people who surrender
their rights may have a difficult time to
regain them. Our duty however lies in
the immediate present. Sufficient unto the
day is the evil thereof: alas that we might
say its wisdom is sufficient also. In deal
ing with issues which involve human pas
sion and interests no one can tell what the
future may bring forth. The coming gen.
erations will doubtless be competent to
deal with their own problems. They Will
have more WISDOM more experience. and
let us hope more patience and forbearance.
I'VE call our fathers FOOLS 20 wise we grow;
Our wiser so1s, no Doubt Will call US So"
Our immediate concern is with duty, not
destiny. So far as the human eye can dip
into the future this problem will not reach
its ultimate solution in our day, nor yet in
any day with which we need concern our
selves Abstract truth will not conform
with rigor to practical life. Even the most
exact of the sciences can be applied, only
with approximation, to concrete things
Justice is truth in the concrete. 1t applies
only approximately to human affairs. No
people have ever been lifted into all of their
rights and privileges by legislative fat. IT
took the Roman plebeianfiveor or six centuries
of constant struggle, compromise and con-
cession to gain equality with the ruling
class. The negro must learn to labor and
to wadt I repeat here the advice to the
race which / gave on another occasion:
History teaches that the path of moral
progress has never taken a straight line,
but has ever been q zigzag course. amid the
conflicting forces of right and wrong, truth
and error, justice and injustice, cruelty and
mercy. Do not be discouraged, then, that
all the wrongs of the universe are not right
ed at your bidding. The great humanitarian
movement which has been sweeping over
the civilized world from the middle of the
eighteenth century to the present time
manifesting itself in political revolutions
in social and moral reforms and in works
of benevolence and mercy, affords the am
pieSt assurance that all worthy elements
of the population will ultimately be permit
ted to share in the privileges and blessings
of civilization according to the measure of
their merit"
In the current issue of the Independent
there appears sentiment which every ne
gro should grapple to his heart with hooks
of steel, for in it lies, think, the ultimate
salvation of this people: DO not speak of
certain races as the 'despised races or in
ferior races or even depressed races
They are rather undeveloped races. They
have not passed through the hot crucible of
modern civilization. Fer aught we know
they have in them just as much stuff for
the making of manhood and culture as the
English, the Germans or the French. All
they need is the chance of becoming devel-
oped."
An UndeveIOped Race.
The negro race falls in this undeveloped
class. His highest endeavor should be di.
rected toward the development of his latent
faculties. The hope of ttat section of the
human family under sixteen years of age
is that, in the course of time, II will de-
velop into the fulness of the stature of
complete manhood. But during their minor
fty they should spend their time in prepara-
tion. performing only such service as is
fitted to their growing faculties and
strength. 1t is impossible for them to sus-
tain open rivalry with the adult world
Beneficial rivalry can take place only
among forces that are approximately equal
A boy cannot, except to his detriment,
Measure strength With a. man, He simply
strains bis muscles oy breaks his bones.