The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1898-01-05
Richard Carroll
Advises His Race.
A CoLoRED PREACHERS
GOSPEL OF GOOD
SENSE.
Some Remarkably Plain and Whole
some Speaking for an Emanci-
patton Day Celebration.

Fellow Citizens: | thank you
heartily for this invitation to address
you on this occasion. You will hard
" agree with everything shall say,
nor endorse all of my statements, but
l come to benefit you, not to please
| may woundthe sentimental and faeti-
dious ones, but remember that a truth
that will not wound will not heal.
Salt that has its savor burns the sore
spots /; the bud may have bitter taste
but the flower will be sweet We
must kill to make alive
l shall not speak of the wonderful
progress the race has made you have
heard enough of thai or point out
the great women and men of the race,
but l will speak of the present and
future, forgetting those things which
arc behind, ] shall press forward to
ward the mark of the high calling
of the Negro race of to day
On January /, 1863, Abraham Lin
coin, with trembling hand, signed
his name to the emancipation procla
nation, which gave freedom to 4, 4,000,-
900 who had been in bondage We
should thank God, JEFF Davis, Abra
ham Lincoln, and the gallant and
brave soldiers of the Confederate and
Federal armies for this freedom
Slavery brought on the war, aud the
war brought us emancipation
The negro was made q citizen of
the United States, with the right to
vote aud hold Office. EIe exercised
this right. and the government in the
south was placed on his shoulders
I must confess that he was not pre-
pared to bear this great burden at the
time He was ignorant, inexperi
enced and poor: consequently be
failed. The Negro race went up to
the top of the mountain, not round
by, round. but with ; one leap he
reached the pinnacle of fame and
honor, while the world looked on
with wonder. The race did not begin
right. and it will have to make anoth-
er start. by laying the foundation deep
down on the rocks of permanence.
1t was contrary to the laws of nature
and divinity 30 to build. he who
breaks the laws of nature will suffer,
and have we not suffered for this
act ?
We have astonished the civilized
world by our unprecedented progress
and achievements, though we did not
begin right We went into politics
when we should have gone back to
the fields !; we went into Office when
we should have gone to school; we
went gambling when We ought to
have gone to church (; we went to
making and administering laws when
we should have been studying law !;
we emigrated when we should have
remained where we we're we went
to fighting southern white people.
when we should have made friends
of them Gentlemen, the race was
badly led. for they went against their
best interests. Could it be possible
for ignorance to govern aud rule in
telligence Can poverty control
wealth (? Is it not true that weak
Dees must give way to strength.
No one can question the possibili
ties of the negro. for be has been
tried as silver is tried, in all the avo-
cations of life. He has successfully
followed the white man. he can
shoot gun, follow plow, build
houses, practice medicine, crate,
preach the gospel, practice law, teach
school, manage banks, write books,
edit newspapers, navigate the high
seas. invent machines and hold Office to
the credit oft race but we must go
back to the first principles-to alpha
before we think of omega
People who live fast do not live
long. and those who run soon reach
the end of the journey. and find that
they did not enjoy the blessings
strewn all along the pathway The
race is in too big hurry The boys
want to Be men before they are 2l.
aud marry before they are able to
take care of wife The preacher
wants the title of D. D. before they
know divinity and the lawyers want
LII D. before they understand the
law. Most all who graduate in the
course must be addressed as
Professor" We want a biography
before we have lived, we want to be
pastors when we ought to be in the
pasture. Some want to teach that
should be in school some want recog
nition. when there is nothing about
them worthy of notice ; some want
river to swim in, when small creek
is too large some want to take Latin
and Greek, that do not know per-
oocol nrorOur IN ErrIish Coma