The Washington bee., 1898-02-05
THE NEGRO PRESS.
GEN. GEORGE II. HARRIES DE.
FINES IT'S DUTY.
IN NEED OF EDITORS.
A WHITE JOURNALISTS VIEW OF ITS
CONDITION.

There was a large and representa-.
tive audience present at St Luke's
Guild Lyceum on last Thursday even.
ing. The occasion was a paper read
by Gen. George II. Harries, journal
ist and commander of the District OF
Columbia National Guard. The gen
tleman having been introduced by the
president, DR.. Bruce Evans. he said:
he gentleman who requested me TO
address you suggested a topic-"The
Duty of the Negro Press to the Ne
gro"-not the Negro who controls
and operates the press but the other
Negro; the one who is in need of good
sound advice; the one who as yet NAV
be unable to make unaided progress.
1t is as rule easy enough to tell the
other man what he ought to do and
that is the case now. 1t will be my en-
deavor to be more than critic, for it
is my heart desire that you achieve
all the good and noble things the
WlSeSt OF you ever planned
The plain duty Of the Negro press is
to inform the ignorant, admonish the
erring, and encourage every rational
effort that may be made to elevate a
race which is destined to play SO con-
Spicuous part in the civilization and
material growth of this great republic.
But before make plain my iIeas as
to duty let me devote brief season to
discussion of the Negro press In
everyday life when we propose to do
a certain thing we, if we are business
like, make careful arrangement of our
plans and procure the materials and
tools necessary, in cur opinion, to the
result we desire. 1t must be manifest
to every one that improper material
aud lily adapted tools will not permit
us to satisfactorily work Gut our plan.
To-day we are planning great things
Tor the millions you racially represent.
Let us inquire into the character Of the
material and the tools which are being
used at this time.
More than all else-unless execution
be made to the important matter of
financial support-the Negro press
needs editors. Always interested in
your literature, | have been especially
watchful OF it since the topic we have
under consideration was suggested
to me and | am thol oughly con-
vinced that your newspapers need
editors. Those whom you now have
are probably energetic and many
of them are blessed with the best of
good intentions but only few display
IN the columns of their papers ANYTHING
that approaches to editorial ability.
his is a weakness that extends to
for which you are not in
any sense responsible, but am talk
ing about your newspapers now and
am not engaged i'll working out paral-
lels or making odious comparisons.
Like great many of your Caucasian
brethren you may imagine that almost
anybody is capable of running news
paper. You have probably heard of
the dog whose owner endeavored to
dispose of him because he was un-
good coon dog, A pros
pectlve customer called for testimony
in behalf of that good quality and was
informed that the animal must be a
good coon dog because he wasn't good
Tor anything else. 1t would probably
be unfair to apply that story to the ed
torlai situation; as matter of fact a
number of your editors could undoubt-
sdly do many things much better than
hey are doing the work which some
low OF otneT mas Deen placed in their
hands.
No writer with whom | am familiar
has ever voiced more truthfully the
vast extent of public ignorance as to
he requirements of the newspaper
business than did Will Carleton when
lie wrote Maxim An Editor Outen O.
Him" Those of you who have read
he poem will remember how the old
nan, endeavoring to secure an edito-
'lal position for his half grown bow.
'aid:
But ne DON'T take to nothing but vitties and
m nell never do much, Pm afraid,
30 tnought 1t would be good notion to Iarn
him the editors trade: ''''O" ~ '"-"
His body's too small for !. f,-,,ar ~; i'd
ment is rather too slim ms I"us
But thought we perhaps Could be ,,,1,;,,
editor outen him."
That was an interesting volley of
queries fired at the ancient aericultu-
'ist by the not-unreasonable Editor.