The colored American., 1902-06-21
SOWING AND REAP,Ec
Nontinued from First passl

z4FVg-
but when they began business rbe;- So
1eilow clerks and messengers ralI;rc
around them, and made their buSinss-
prosperous and solid. What do or-
young men do: They take greaf deI;ob,
IN telling you that they take no 81.
IN coiored banks, colored stores ~ -
KIND, or other enterprises owned sn3
operated by members OF their own rgrs
What can the harvest be from srci,
creatures? The young Negroes tbasa
who came into existence since the W
OF the Rebellion, and who are educa,eJ
IN the book, but are woefully lackino =
race enterprise, race pride and self r.
SpeCt, are the ones mostly 10 blame io-
present conditions. / could cite marv
instances 10 prove this statement. bnt
the narration would be too hunuliatno
In reading the accounts OF the High
ocnoOl drills, white and Colored. could
but notice the fact that not single
representative cOlored official or citizen
was named as being in attendance uoon
the white dFill, much less occupying
boxes, while at the cOlOred cadets drill
the choicest boxes were reserved for
white officials and white guests.
We scream about Jim Crow" cars.
and gTOan because OF race discrimina-
tiOns in theatres. and elsewhere. vet our
highest educational institutions set the
example of preference for our white
citizens IN all their public functions
They take all the prominence We choose
TO give them, and in return kick Us out oi
theatres, COnsign us TO j lin Grow" cars,
send us up into the coon gallery" and
utterly ignore us upon all such occasions
as public school drills or commencement
exercises for their thanks.
We advertise our lack OF self respect
further by annually going TO the white
officers of the District Militia for our
Judges at cadet drills, giving them PLAIN
ly TO understand that We have no con
fidence in the ability of our colored Off
GERS of the First Separate Battalion. who
gain their commissions by the same tests
of ability as the whites | am often
taunted with these facts by white peo-
nle in discussing the race question
They point TO the servant class OF our
people, and tell me that they prefer 10
serve them 10 us. and II | attribute II 10
their Ignorance and degradation, they
turn 10 our educated class. and cite Just
such cases as | have mentioned n our
High School cadet drills-a splendid OD-
ject lesson 70 our young men, and young
women in these schools.
The white race have Us all along the
line. from the highest TO the lowest
Whenever they come among rs IN OuI
churches. schools, or on public occasions
OF any kind. they are objects OF the most
Iobsequious attention from rs. We Ill
cur hats higher, bow lower, and give
them a broad grin in return toT the
slightest sign OF recognition. Those oi
MS who do not practice this sort OF thihg
are the exception. | wish II were other
wise.
We have a great National organizl,a,,
tion. The AfrO-Amerlcan Oounal'
whose influence has been acknowledge
IN some quarters, and IN the iace oi lIlC
fact that We have put forward tor pace
on the Federal bench. lawyers OF learn.
in and experience, OF our own race ye.
when We have q cause 10 bring DelOI1
our courts. We gather up our THOUSANDS
CT dollars and dump them INTO thT .1P
OF some white lawyer OF only local
pute. thereby at the very outset aCNi'oHii ~
ledging our lack of confidence III me 4u-
ity of those we press upon the FIeS-u''''
for judicial appointments -,
4 race that cannot find ability "lll'iH
its own ranks TO plead its own cauSe, =
cert1inly in sore straits. But We Hass ~
the men equal to the emergency, N .,,s
small fly managers alone are 70 Di'''''
/ for not employing them
CHAs. R. DOUGLASS
Washington, D. C., June 10, 1901