The Appeal. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. ;) 1889-19??, 1899-03-11
Rev. G. s. Smith, the Noted Colored
# Divine and Orator, Gives
--.5.... d.. His Views.
DEFENDS The NEGRO RAGE.
Booker Washington's Idea of Indus
trial Training Pronounced
s Unsound.
NEGROES OPPOSED TO RAPE.
Political Status of the Colored Man Set
Forth-Plea Made for the Whites
and Blacks to Live Together
in Peace.

reprint from the Nashville Tenn, american,
January 20, 1884, %
The revival of the race question is but
one of the crucibles in which the Chris.
tan religion is being tested. The theory
of the brotherhood of man must evolve
into living reality before Christianity
shall have done it's perfect work. It is
useless to expatiate about the inferiority
of the darker races and the divine right
Of the white race to rule them, which i'm
plies that God has delegated a part Of his
sovereignty to the latter. Human pride
and arrogance, engendered by the transi-
ton from low to high estate, may as
sumo such; still God is sovereign and ST.
preme, and is as jealous of his sovereignty
and as unwilling to share it with any of
his creatures as he was when his wrath
was provoked by the Israelites when they
fashioned their jewels into a golden calf
God may assign to the white race, as a
part of it's stewardship, the civilization
and redemption of the darker races,
but their civilization and redemption
must be according to his plans, and not
according to the dictum of race prejudice
Then it would be we'll for the proud An
glo-Saxon to be certain Of his steward
hip in this particular, lest in the end he
should find himself as much deceived a.
vas Caesar when he based his conquest
of the Britons on the assumption Of di-
vine right.
Industrial and Mechanical Training.
Yes, I am heartily in favor Of in
dustrial and mechanical training for surl
Negroes as may feel that their calling
on the farm or in the factory, but cha'.
lenge the assertion of those who claim thai
the only solution of the so-called raceprob
lem lies in the direction of the Industrial
md mechanical training of the Nero.
Then, again, the mechanical and indus
trial training of the Negro has been il,
progress ever since the first cargo of slave
was landed on the banks of the James
River in Virginia.
Slavery Was School.
Surprisingly strange, perhaps, but nev-
ertheless true, slavery itself furnished tht ii
lave with valuable lessons in industrial
and mechanical training, and produced a
grade Of high-class mechanics, skilled
workers in wood and iron and metals of
various kinds, many Of whom remain un-
til this day, and, I regret to say, fa'
more than can obtain employment caused
by the unreasonable and unfriendly atti-
'u'le of the Trades Unions toward colored
mechanics. How, then, can the multiple
cation Of Negro mechanics help to solve
the so-called race problem, when those
who are already skilled cannot obtain
employment? In this city, to my per:
>onal knowledge, there are a score or
more of skilled Negro mechanics who are
subject to enforced idleness by reason Of
he colorphobia which dominates the
Trades Unions. Those who are disposed
,nadvance the Negroes best interests can
'.'nder him invaluable service by de-
handing, in tones of thunder loud and
long, that the Trades Unions shall cease
to draw the color line, and that fitness
md character shall be the only passport
to their fellowship. When this barrier
shall have been removed, the time for the
multiplication of Negro mechanics, on
like large scale, will have be-
come opportune; but not until then. =.
The Contra-Argument.
I know full well the argument of the
ntra-contendents- that an appre-
cable increase in the present number of
Negro mechanics would make white
contractor independent of white mechan-
les when his interests might warrant the
employment of Negro tradesmen: But it
cannot be justly claimed that this Ian.
guage rises to the force and dignity of an
argument. It is, at the very best but a
mere theory, and one shorn of plausible
ity for the reason that it apparently over
looks the fact that the Trades Unions, BY
the power of the boycott, could influence
the dealers both in raw and manufactured
material not to sell to said contractor,
and thus abort his designs to defy them
by the employment Of Negro artisans.
The Trades Unions constitute q most po-
tent organization, and il is very difficult
to thwart it's will. Therefore, the primal
and essential accompl ishment is to influ-
ence its directors to abandon the cruel
and frigid color line.
But, then, it may be answered that if
the Negro mechanic cannot find employ
ment for his skille hands, let him go to.
the farm and engage in agricultural pur-.
suits-learn how to scientifically raise
sweet potatoes, as the present chief reviv.
alst of the industrial training for the.
Negro is wont to urge.