The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1899-07-13
TO UPLIFT HIS RACE.
Rev. l.. T. Christmas Will Labor
Among the Colored People Through
out the South With q View of Bet.
tering Their Condition intellectually,
7oraIIy, Religiousiy and Indus
friHIlv


tering Their Condition Intellectually,
HoraIIy, Religiousiy and Indus.
triaIly.
We had call Thursday morning
from Rev. l.. +. Christmas, colored,
late of Charleston, West Virginia,
but native of Warren county, N. c.,
who was here engaged in worthy
and commendable work, that Of help
ing to uplift his race and make better
men and women and more useful citi-
zens of them. He spoke to large
crowd at Rev. r. |. Walden's church
Wednesday night and was much
pleased and encouraged at the marked
attention and courteous consideration
given his words of counsel and advice.
OF his mission we will let him speak
for himself. Just previous to his
departure from Charleston. having
resigned his position as pastor OF the
First Baptist church, colored, in that
city, to engage in missionary work
among his people in the Southern
States, in discussing his plans and
purposes with representative of the
Charleston Daily Gazette, one of the
leading Democratic papers published
there, he said:
eve will enter general missionary
work among our people for their educa-
ton and uplifting in matters social, re-
lgious, industrial and intellectual. We
will go into every State in the Union.
"Our people need very much to be
aroused from the awful slumber Of idle
ness, extravaganza, intenperance and
Responsiveness. And while the better
and more efficient OF our ministers are
anxious along these lines, 80 enormous
and intricately difficult is the work that
a special organized effort is Indispensable,
and necessary, to be pushed for all there
is in it by determined, prudent and con-
sentative agencies.
"This is indeed a work that lies nearest
of all to my heart, and for years it's claim
has been burning upon my conscience and
influencing me to enter tine field for its
| advocacy all over this country. Every
opinion for years has linked into an un-
broken chain of corrobOrative evidence,
and our final conclusion is unwavering
that this blessed work is divinely laid
| upon our shoulders. And in the name OF
God we shall enter upon vigorous cam
paign in striving to arouse the dormant
| powers of our poor, unfortunate people.
| And we shall not enter the field with
abuse for those who differ with US, nor
| to magnify and criticise the mistakes
| of Others, but more with the view of car
rying out the idea of Christ: to first cast
| the beam out of our own eyes, or of fight
ing our own faults.
''What is my idea about lynchings, ETC.,
and the hardships of the cOlOred people?
Certainly, lynchings are to be deplored
beyond desert ption by all civilizations,
| especially, Christian civilizations, and
the success of our work will at least leave
the way for clear sky. Unfortunately,
the negro has been educated to expect
relief from a hopeless source. He has
looked for protection as negro at the
hands of certain political party. 1t is
true that he has gotten some protection
at the hands of the Republican party,
but that protection, such as it has been
and is, has not been G iven him SO much
as an American citizen, but simply as a
political ally Of that party.
"The Republican party alone cannot
protect the negro. 1t has not done it.
| acknowledge that it cannot do is. The
Democratic party alone cannot protect
them. The negro, if ever protected, must
be protected, not as a negro. not as a
white man, not as an object of pity, but
zen, and this must be done by the Ameri
can people and no one party And if
this is done, the negro must identify
himself with the best interests OF his com
munity, State and county and adjust
himself pOperly to the principles that
will produce these results, regardless of
party, whether that course puts him in
the Democratic or Republican column.
And there is nothing that will so in
fuence, rapidly enhance his usefulness
i'll business, and other worlds as this
position.'
The Warrenton Record, of June
23rd, after speaking of the visit of
Rev. L. Il. Christmas and family to
his native town and county, says of
him:
Rev. Christmas, who was born and
raised in our county, is about forty five
years old, and sustains and unimpeach-
him, both white and colOred. He is a
man of fine appearance and well educat-
ed, fully capable, we think, in very par
ticular for the immense work he is to
undertake..
For eleven years he was the pastor of
the first Baptist church, colored, of Will
mington, \. c., which is the finest colored
church in North Carolina, and while
there he had the confidence and esteem
OF all, irrespective of race Or denomina-
ton.
The work he is going to undertake is
one that the colored people need more
than any thing else in the world. The
coored people are good people, but
they have missed their course in life
when they take to politics. Rev. Christ
mas proposes to tell his race this, and
lead them to let politics alone and apply
themselves to industrial pursuits, to
education, religion and temperance
The sooner the colored brother learns
these things, and let's politics alone the
better for him, and therefore We wish
Rev. l.. T. Christmas God speed in his
noble work, and most heartily COM
mend him to the good people of both
races OF this and other States in which he
may labor.
FROM bad to worse are the manipu-
lations of the combines. A late in
dication of this is the movement at
Danville to form tobacco warehouse
trust. Not satisfied with the profits
made out of the farmer by com bina-
ton of factories and consequent remov-
al Of much of the competition, it APP
pears now that the Tobacco Trust
proposes to come little closer to
the farmer and exercise greater
control over his products and grab a
share of the profits heretofore made
| by warehousmen for handling and
selling the planters tobacco. 1t is
true that such a course will add
greatly to the Golfers of the trust.
but it seems to Us that it is a short
sighted step upon their part. This
and similar steps will hasten the dav
when the people will arise in their
might and destroy the enemy whose