St. Landry clarion. (Opelousas, La.) 1890-1921, 1899-10-21
ONE DOLLAR PER YEAR.

erful governments of this age.
LET the south alone and look to your
own neglected opportunities and correct
your own wrongs.
81 appeal to the white men of the north
to think more kindly of both black men
and white men Of the south. Every hon
est negro heart Is loyal and true to the
SOUTH We all deplore what is wrong
there. In every community the best
black men and white men are united for
our common good. The criminal class is
made up of the worst elements of both
races. We can no more check, in sin
gle generation, our criminal tendencies
than you can put down the mob spirit in
your own section, which manifests itself
In strikes, boyeotts and riots-starying
women and innocent children, paralyZing
industry, crippliHg commerce, filling the
air with the black smoke and red flames
of ruin, the cries of the dying, and the
walls of the friends of the murdered dead.
Compared to these. our disorders are as
gentle Florida breeZes to Kansas cyclones.
We need and want the sympathy of every
section of the country, but there is a
kind and unfriendly meddlfng which in
variably increases friction and harms
the negro. We have strong men in the
south who are capable, and have the
righteous inclination to fairly adjust all
problems growing out of our new rela-
tions. There is class of northern whites
who come south as disturbing element.
the negroes, and another to the whites.
There are many mistakes in our own
social life, which we as race must cor
rect and which we alone can correct.
Our women and children arc left unpro-
tected by fathers; mothers and sisters are
deserted by sons and brothers and often
leave home to increase the army of idlers
and criminals The great majority OF our
boys are not in school, do not attend
church, are growing up idle, vicious, in
solent, ignorant, or shun hard, honest toll
and look for soft jobs. The negro wom-
an, almost alone, is fighting one of the
grandest battles In the annals OF man,
with the cook pot, the washboard, sew
ing needles, ironing board, scrub brush,
she builds churches, supports schools. cd
ueates her daughters, often supporting an
fmprovident husband, or an unworthy son
tempted, assailed on all sides, she main
tains a degree of virtue which would de-
serve commendation in women with more
favorable environments.
I'VE are negroes and should be true to
our own nature in order to become strong
and fair in the eyes of an Intelligent
world. Let us be more concerned about
Strengthening the kinks inside Of our
heads and the kinks on the outside will
be all right.
II honor the white man because he
honors himself. / honor him because he
does not so whining around, begging
other races for sympathy, but ever since
the old Teutonic tribes of German fores-
ters started out for civilization by their
own efforts they have dissipated rivers,
raised valleys, leveled mountains, dipped
the great ocean dry, and harnessed nat
ural forces to their applianees-they cut
and carve their own destiny-true to their
racial characteristics. They protect and
defend their women, and throw their pow
erful arms around their children and
make it possible for them to rise in this
world. Let the negro do likewise. He
has it in his power to do so, especially in
the south. There he can grow rich. TleFo
ard here American prejudice Is but the
voice of God telling him to establish all
kinds of business; put his ewf boys and
girls in charge ana crow rich. Hear. this4
voice and do not 90 about begging for az
mission and accommodations where We
are told plainly we are not wanted Afnerl-
can prejudice may yet do for us what a
lack of race pride fails to accomplish
force the negro to patronize himself anG
to grow rich in the goods of this world.
That negros head and heart are both
right. Here is a brave man and dares to
speak the truth. wonder why the re,
gro papers don't copy that address. 1t
should be scattered broadcast among
their readers and would do good. l,ut
the Atlanta editors are not on that line.
They want sensation and northern SYM
pathy. They are politicians. Poli-
ticians and preachers keep things hot,
My friend Ham, who has been to chau-
tauqua in Missouri, says he heard 4
lecture there from Bishop Fowler on
Abraham Lincoln, in which he took oc-
easion to 1ampoon and scarify us, as is
usual up there, ,and among other things
recharged that old lie that Coy. Brown
had offered reward OF $1,000 to have
William Lloyd Garrison Kidnapped and
brought to Georgia The bishop ought
to make up d new stock. Those old lies
are worn out. lie knew it was lie
when he repeated it. This is q lie for
which there was no eycnse and no fonn-
dation, but it is a good traveller and
preachers can send lie as far as any
body. If the devil, who is the father OF
lies, had any preference for subjects,
think he would choose lying, slander-
Gus preacher before anybody. Butsup-
pose that WASH Il a lie; what good can
possibly come Of resurrecting 1t now2
Joe Brown is dead; Garrison IS dead,
and maybe they have settled their o#n
affairs over there. I was ruminating
about the difference between this white
northern bishop and the black man.
President Council, who made that kind
conciliatory address at Bismarck. and
that brought to mind the persistent
slanders of our. southern hero, Lieut.
IIobson, who was retired almost 10 OBJ
liYion because he was a southern man.
Not long ago the English government
presented to sailor the annual medal
for the greatest act of individual hero
ism performed during The year. He
had saved two men al sea when no other
man would dare to attempt it, and the
inquiry was made in a northern paper
as TO who was entitled to the medal in
the United States. Why, Hobson. of
course. No other act of individual hero
ism will compare with his, but Yankee
newspapers and reporters were jealous
of him, just like they are Of Schley, and
they magnifed few kisses into thou
sands and made sport of him. The y.e.-
low journals and the white ones are nil
alike for lies on our men. Suppose the
ladies did kiss him and he submitted to
it. They are the best judges ot hero
ism know of. lie was sent away to .Ia-
pan, and letter from Miss Benedict in
the last Missionary gives extracts from
a speech he made at Kobe to the Young
Mems Christian association that were