The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1900-09-28

man, and It is false doctrine to teach
THAT he is right when he is wrong
1--WE should seek to find our places in
| life and when We find them. we should
stay in them. Too often the negro is
| found concerned in those things that he
has no business with, things that will
damn and not bless him.
| TOO MANY LEADERS AND TOO EASILY
LED.
There is no race in the world that
has as many leaders as the negro race.
Most every negro wants to be q leader.
Whether he knows when to lead, how to
| lead. or where to lead is not a question
with him. Again, it is not always a
Question of fitness with our people, nor
of character, but the one who is the loud
| est in his abuse of those who don't agree
with him. 1t is a rare thing that a
good man or men can get to lead many of
our people. This fact is to be lamented. We
very seldom stop to see who the leader
| is so he suits our ideas it is all right.
| There is no principle involved. He is
my man and + am going to follow him, is
too often the cry.
thine has shown that the negro is not
enterprising. He is content to sit quietly
by and wait for something to turn up. 1t
seems that he is at a loss when there is
no one to omen ~ way for him. He
seems to be the baby race of the world,
and he VIII be until he learns to be en-
terprising He IS not q thinker. He is
not an active thinker; if he is, as a race,
he has not as yet shown it. 1t is my
sad experience that it is hard piece of
work to get a number of the best men
of us to understand what it is to be enter
prising. Here IS where we make a great
mistake. He is afraid to venture into an
enterprise, because he cannot see from
q TO z.
GOD AND THE WORLD IN DEBT TO
HIM.
Somehow the negro seems to think that
God and the world are in debt to him. /
don't know where they got the idea, but
somehow they claim that the world owes
them living and they mean to see that
it pays its debts. Notwithstanding it
seems to be a little slow in paying the
bill, they have patience to wait for it's
payment. This is a delusion. The world
owes 70 man who has not done any
thing for it, We must put the world under
obligation to us before we can claim that
it is in debt to us.
What has the negro done to obligate
the world to him? Where are his great
inventions? What great discoveries has
he made? What great movement has
he set on foot for it's material advance
ment? Let us get the world in debt to
us by doing something and not by talking.
40 dol foil M
something for the world, then the world
will be in debt to YOU.
THE negro as whole is not as hon
est as he should be. am pleased to say
that we have some in the race who are
Just as honest as are to be found in any
race, but they are too few. The work
before Us demands that every member
Of the race be honest We have got to be
more so, If possible, than any other race.
We cannot afford to make a promise and
fail to carry it out. Let all with whom
we deal understand that we will be true
to whatever trust may be committed to
us, and if we must fail let us show a
reasonable reason why we failed. We have
got to do more along this line than any
other race.
HOW DISGREDIT is BROUGHT
THE RACE.
at IS a we'll known fact that many of
the negroes as a rule, don't like to work.
Somehow he seems to have it in his mind
that he can live without work. This is
especially true of the young negro of to-
day. He seems to have been born tired.
His greatest pleasure is in standing on
the street corners, sitting around some
ha for 10
of whom he may ask treat sitting
around dens of vice and immortality, al
ways engaging in idle talk.
This element of the race is in the
majority, and hence when leaders are
selected they largely come from this class
of our people, and they damn us instead
of doing us good. This is the class that
is at the front. These are the ones that
our enemies measure the race by-these
products of the incubators of hell. They
come from places where the idea of crime
is conceived. where plans are laid to put
into action those hellish designs. This
element is largely responsible for the
trouble that is upon us today and a num-
Der of the best men and women of the
race are afraid to open their mouths in
denunciation Of such characters simply
because this turbulent crowd is in the
majority. Shall we forever hold our
peace, while this part of the race drags us
down? Shall we let hem destroy us in the
eyes of the other races of the world? I
say no. The time has come, and we must
and we will lift up our voice against this
class. Though they be in the majority we
need not fear, for the good people of the
other races are with the good people of
our race, and will lend us aid in any good
work.
PROTECTION OF THE HOME.
''This same class of people is too often
allowed to enter our best homes. They
even sometimes marry in the best fami-
lies OF us. They are admitted there be- |
cause they dress well. or because they |
may have been to school, This kind Of |
business must be stopped. | have never
allowed i and ! never will No man
should be allowed to go with our daugh- |
tiers or with those in our care without |
first getting our consent, and he should |
never be granted our consent without our |
first examining into and finding out that
q c Of oh aafp