Saint Mary's beacon. [volume] (Leonard Town, Md.) 1867-1983, 1900-07-19

any period in your history. Do
not for moment delude yourselves
With the belief that the white men
OF the north are going to stand up
for Jon against the white men Of
the south. The day for that is past.
You who read the newspapers, you
Who keep mp with the currentevents,
you know that / simply give utter
snce to what Ia in your own hearts,
and that i that jon are more
friendless today than at any period
in your existence. There was q
time when it was different, and q
great wrong was done TO you at that
time. | do not think there was any
wrong in abolishing slavery. l re-
joice in it, and do not believe that
there is q man Of my race, who has
any sense who does not. I need
not say there was q wrong commit
ted when you were made equal, po-
litically with the white man. The
wrong that has been done to you
since in this respect, has been done
by yourselves. But the wrong done
then was that you we're made to
believe not only that you were the
equal Of the white man, but that
you we're better. Yen were taught
then that you we're in every respect
equal to the people Of the south,
and what turned the scale in your
favor and made you even better
was your loyalty to the union, and
there was an attempt to invert the
cone and stand it upon its apex.
and that aroused resentment that
has not altogether subsided even
yet. But there has been o revul-
sion of sentiment in the north since
that time. and now they are less
your friends than we Of the south.
l will not take up the time 90 dis
cuss these matters further. Read
what is said even in Boston papers
about you. Things that would
never be said in True Southern
newspaper.
Now You may say have presented
o gloomy outlook for your people.
/ am rather endeavoring to save
you from a gloomy experience.
The outlook need not be gloomy
except as you yourselves make it 30.
| think that your destiny is largely
in your own hands, il you will rec
ognize those fundamental facts,
which have endeavored to present
to you, and shape your course ac-
cordingly. It is in your power by
your own wise and prudent conduct
to confound your enemies and
strengthen the hands Of your
friends.
But why call the picture gloomy
at all? The effect Of every picture
depends greatly on the point Of
view and the light in which one re-
CARDS it. Do not, therefore, dwell
30 much on what you aspire to be
in future generations, bat think
more on what you have been in
comparative recent Past, and what
you are in this wonderful Present.
There never has been in the history
of the world such rapid progress
from savagery to high civilization
as your people have made. But
short time ago, as we measure time
in the history Of races, your ances-
tors were superstitious ssvages in
the wilds Of the cradle Of your race.
For several generations they went,
in the course of their progress from
that estate to civilization, through
the hard bitter school of slavery.
But we must all admit that there
was no other school, in which such
vast numbers could be taught and
such rapid progress be made. Above
all we must admit that it was the
school, which the Providence that
rules over rs permitted to stay open
till it had accomplished its work.
And all because you are not abso-
lutely abreast with the white race,
which has had its hard and bitter
and bloody struggles Of two thous-
and years to reach its present po-
sition, you are to become gloomy
and Disconnected ! Let your
Thoughts dwell upon the present.
How much it holds for you? There
10 your absolute freedom, which yop
prize so much. This fine church
edifice with it's educated and en-
lightened pastor-types each Of 80
many others. Your numberless
schools with their efficient teachers,
in whose support the money of the