Iowa state bystander. [volume] (Des Moines, Iowa) 1894-1916, 1900-05-25
PROBLEM OF THE RACES.
Mrs. Murray Of Washington. Colored,
Speaks Earnestly Of Her Race.

1850 2~~~O~s
The feature which at yesterday fore
moons session attracted widest atten-
ton was the address by Mrs. A.. j. Muir
question as a national issue. Her topic,
1t is true, did not suggest that SO wide
field would be covered in her dis
Zcussicn. She was assigned to the
theme, Mothers Clubs Among Colored
Women; but the theme served rather
as a starting point from which, with
out entirely dissociating her argument
from the subject, she entered on dis
cussion of the race problem generally.
Mrs. Murray is tall, slight, with man
ners and speech which betoken the tru-
est culture, and very earnest. She
spoke without notes, easily, slowly and
most impressively. She had plainly
come with the deep conviction that her
message was an important one, and
she impressed 1t on her hearers. She
was applaused frequently, and her ad-
dress plainly touched a sympathetic
chord in the hearts Of the audience. In
the house We're a large number Of col
ored women, and at the close of the
session they pressed forward to the,
platform to. meet her. But the others
in the audience were just as anxious
to take her hand and express sympa-.
lily Will ISl VIEW slAlO III q NSAy ~"
moments after the adjournment the
platform was thronged by the multi
tude, and Mrs. Murray was holding a
reception which lasted about fifteen
minutes Mrs. Murray said:
Ia Members of the Congress and Friends:
L cannot bring you reports OF system
matte organization, such as you have
heard this morning. You do not expect 1t.
I know. We are too young in organized
efforts to have accomplished as much
as have been brought here from the other
states by the more fortunate. women. l
ask your attention briefly to the past,
present, and look into the future of the
homo building Of a people, whose eleya-
ton Is the most absorbing question of the
day, although the past is only. necessary
to appreciate the results of the present
and help us to forecast with wisdom the
line of action or of effort for the future.
The work Of home-building among the
colored people Is not to be measured by
the heights to which 1t has attained but
out Of the depths from which it has
arisen. For more than two long cen
turtles we were the victims of ruthless
violation of family sanctity whereby the
hottest instincts Of the human soul were
vitiated. Today, as a result of these con-
ditions. we have race of colored people
10000, 900, out which not more than
100000 retain the hue of their African
fathers. Yet. with a knowledge of this
fact, We have had, as a basis of the
greatest problem America has had 10 deal
with, the inherent and God-ordained in
ferority of the colored race.
What becomes of the opposite. the
strong powerful blood of the Anglo
Saxon when mixed with other bloods?
The slave had no hope of home In this
hope of a, future home in heaven. And
when emancipation came to him, home
less and penniless, 1t was but natural
that he should center his life in that
church. It was the only social institution
started In the African forest under the
leadership of the priest and medicine man
and later, through the Christian pastor,
which survived slavery. For the major
ity it is today the center of their life
work.
Much of the present degradation is due
to thu. fact of lack Of G. God-enlightened
ministry. If 1t had been an educated min
istry great as has been our progress, it
judge. Of their great Interest, in our
church when 1 tell you that out of their
hard earnings they have church property
costing $7,000,0O0 while for education they
have given but slO,ooo,ooo out Of their
pockets. AS the more progressive be-
came educated and the possessors Of ma
terlal gains they built and their
children growing up around them began
TO realize the Importance of the spiritual
side of home life, and in those commun-
tiles, where you find the prosperous and
intelligent colored people, you will find
the home taking rightful precedence of
the church. After twenty years of free
DOM when a new condition had grown
up the results that had been attained
were not satisfactory ard it was perfect
ly natural that a people. wronged, de
graded, should be very anxious concern
ing the steps that they should take to rise
above their misfortunes and to lift them
selves. In 1892 in the city of Washington
band of thoughtful and intelligent wo-
men gathered themselves together to look
into this question and to see what means
could be found and how the remedy could
be applied. Out of this organization grew
another organization In the southland, led
by Mrs. Booker r. Washington. aa
In 1896 there was call for national
convention, to which both of the organic
atoms responded, and after each had had
its separate, convention a union was
formed resulting in what is now the Ma
tional Association of Colored Women. In
1897 think it was that the Mothers
Congress became a possibility. To the