The colored American., 1901-01-12
SPLENDID PAPERS READ AT THE
Second Bap iSt Lyceum Last SUNDAY
Ih9 Negroes Case Plainly Stated.

| Ano SECOND Baptist LYceum las
sunday enteTtaintd d it's audience witt
interesting papers, presented respect
lVely by Dr. Bruce Evans, a veteran
schooI teacher Of the District; Mr
Charles w. Williams OF the Govern
ment Printing Office; Mr.. A. 0. SAT
f1rd, another of the District teachers
and Mr.. Blackburn OF Ohio a depart
mental clerk and law student. Th,
subj 'cts, the Twentieth Century arc
the Negro in the School Room: Tn,
New Negro in the Industries; The Ne
gro In Literature; and the Negro's Flu
ture Public Life, were all hand ed phil
0sophically and elOquently by the diff
felent speakers In the order named
Mr.. Williams said in substance thai
the new Negro must prepare himseI
for new lease OF life in the industrial
WoTld Or be lett in the distance by the
other races. In educational matters a
far as the masses were concerned. tbs
time spent wrestling with Greek and
Latin could be more prOfitably giver
TO the mastery of elegant English
arithmetic and kindred branches. In.
dustrial and mechanical equipments is
the need OF the hour, as the numb ar OF
places requiring a knowledge of the
science Of industrial economy greatly
exceeds those versed in the dead Ian
gusges. All honest work is honorable
B Dot blacking has it's dignity when the
plyer of the brush makes it 30 by the
excellence Of his work and the accu
mutation OF the dollars and cents, All
should work. The parent who seeks to
rear children and not teach them to
work will some day rue the TslIacy.
Proficiency should be the paramount
aim; capable blacksmith or finished
carpenter is a more worthy nersonage
than poor doctor Or makeshifC LAWYER.
The Negroes shOrt.sightednesg and
imp8tieuce when he takes up an ap-
prenticeship, often tend to make him
an iu com petent workman. He thinks
he must go up by leaps and bounds,
and If he does not he is soon seeking
fields new and pastures green as he
would put it. When he fails to come
up to the requirements becaus of 8
lack Of preparation, he generally pleads
color prejudice when often the fault
lies at his own door. The Negro COM
plains because of his scant amount of
recognition. The world, the speaker
said, is commercial exsctor. He who
parados his wares must have some
thing which he can exchange for q
price; something the world wants. IF
that commodity is in the shape of liter
ary attainments, skill In the handling
of the ar isan'S tools or what not, let it
be of such quality that 1t will bring the
highest marketable value. Legislative
enactments can not otencompsss our sue.
cess nor defeat, very long. The mex.
orable law Of consumption ard de-
mand, the intrinsic worth of things be-.
ing regulated aud adjusted by simple
face values. eliminate sentiment from
the case. Nothing short of the ele
ments that make recognition for other
races will reach our case, and until
these are forthcoming, appeals to Ce :
sar will be in vain.
The white lab orer possesses 8 re-
ource not fully developed IN the colored
tOlIer. The former had the faculty. to
40 guage his pace as to keep in q fob,
while the latter hurriedly worked him
self out of every thing in sight At
the conclusion of his remarks. Mr.. r
w. Thompson in very felicItous vein
presented Mr.. Williams copy of Ten
nysOn's poems. as q token OF esteem
by The COI0red American force with
whom he had formerly worked
The papers by all the speakers we're
fine. MIR Blackburn was in excellent
voice and held the attention of the au-
dience well which by this time was
growing res less because of the Ia+eness
OF the hour.
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