New-York tribune., 1902-08-06
A NEGRO CONGRESS.
MEETING IN ATLANTA TO Nohh FUN
THE UPLIFTING OF THE hAOE
TO REACH THE IN
REACHED MASSES.

get together NioNSAAi---N
negroes for the purpose Of self-hep ana oo-opsi ID"
zion in the work OF redeeming race
The congress stands for distinct IDEA As liie
National Negro Council stands for the negro
political rights; the Negro Business M'n
Tsap1e headed by Booker T Washington haS ioi
its object distinctvely to encourage the negro -
have something in the business and commercial
world. so this proposed congress is to put en-
rhasis upon what the negro ought 10 be III '1e
moral religious and social world
The congress comes not to antagonize O in any
way encroach upon the sphere of the Two other
organizations. The three will be mutually hepiul
70 one another. What man ought to be comes
before what he ought TO have. The not having
what we ought 10 have may be the fault OF the
other man. but the not being what We ought to be
is usually own fault
The motto of the congress is. Reaching the Un-
reached Negro" and around the idea expressed in
this motto vii! circle all the thought and discus
sion Of four hundred representative men and
women of the race. The whole field Of subjects
which vitality touch the welfare of the race viii
be discussed by the congress The three general
divisions of the programme are: The Religious
rife Of the Race The Educational Life of the
Race and The Civic and Material Status Of the
Race"
A few of the many subjects which come on the
programme Under these general heads are: The
-r-pe and False in Revival Methods of the Race
-Tx-hat improvements Should Be Made in Religious
Worship" The Need of Properly Trained Min
fstry- The Contribution of the South to the Re
IigYous Development Of the Race. The Contriou-
ton Of the North to the Religious Development of
the Race" THE Fundamental Requirements in the
Growth Of the Negro and other Races" The Mis-
sion Of the Negro in American Civilization. 'Ihe
Present Educational Outfit Of the Negro for the
Education Of the Race. The obligation OF 1he
American Negro in the Redemption Of Africa.
etc
The method of the congress will be intensely
practical Division conferences will be held deal
ing with special subjects. such as mothers meet
Sings child life the home life Of the race tedch-
ers, conference etc. The congress has had CON
siderable attention from both the secular and re-
Isious press From present indications ten thou-
sand delegates visitors, representing the pest
type of the race. will he in attendance.
MANY Northern philanthropists and teachers ana
commemorative Southern white men have promised
70 he present Among the marks Of attention palo
-b. congress bv religious bodies is the appoint
r,ent of two Bishops by the Board Of Bishops OF
-he Methodist Episcopal Church to attend ana
report signs Of progress made by the race
The tirnelness Of such a congress. and the real
needs which show the wisdom Of its spirit ana
methods must be evident every one who mas
studied even a little, the many sided qnesuoh III
the South known as the race problem Inc iuIlua-
mental problem lying at the door OF that class Oh
regroes who will attend this congress is the max
;ne of 2 better type of man out Of the masses oI
+be race The 1lnreached negro and the unreacheu
white man in the South furnish the acute stages u
the race problern But it is the negros SIDE OF tls
question and his duty in its solution that the con-
gress meets TO consider
One % convinced after having travelled through
-. ..,ra south that the ''uureached negroes.
bo constitute nearly one-half of the race. in many
communities in the South are millstones about the
neoks of those who struggling upward.
The negro problem all over the United States Is
ro- What is the white man going 10 90 Win 'Ie
,,a.ro9 b,,t What is the decent. clean selt-re-
specting negro going to do with the indifferent
slothfuI. irresponsiye mass which hangs as "eie'S
10 his every attempt at fhShtE
A white man. representing neither the culture
nor the best blood Of Georgia. was seated IN
s+reetcar in the suburbs Of Atlanta On passing
= school established for negroes by Northern pnli-
anthropists he remarked. in Georgia cracker tones
..Tt,s - pity that Northern people viii waste so
much money in a school like that. where negroes
are taught to forge notes ana tleh 20 4I'i' '-i'
to the chain gang
Riding to town with an old colored man who
came in from the country TO sell eggs. as MS
mule drew the cart within the shadow Of one of
Atlanta's new skyscrapers the olG man elanceU
upward 10 sweep the heights and feast his eye
rpon the u1agnificence Of twelve story structure
thinking Of the log cabin from which his slow
plodding mule had separated him, he demonstrated
How is dis? We IS all Gods chillIns. and yet
de white man got all dis. des cause he's white?
The white man and this black man each repre-
sent type or class Of people in the South.
Both men meant well in expressing what they
call their convictions or opinions on the situation
but neither should be allowed TO speak in meet
in where there are weak minded or hot headed
people. Both would greatly exaggerate. and
neither would say anything TO edify. A great
teacher once said that some peoples opinions ought
to be arrested a charge Of "vagrancy' having
no visible means OF support As to the white
mans opinion. il is simply matter Of record that
not one negro student who has gone from the
school he referred has been arrested for any
crime, and the Yankee teachers he referred to- in
stead teaching the students to forge notes, make
it a part of their daily instruction inculcate
principles Of honor. purity of life and 10 exhort
them live peaceably with their Southern white
neighbors-
AS to the coored mans opinion, II is needless to
say that all these things he referred the
white mans just because he is white. The white
is wealthy a rule, because he is thrifty.
economical and saving: the negro is poor in many
cases because he is lazy. shiftless and wasteful.
still. this colored could get a hearing in his
community and receive great applause, he dis
coursed upon the advantages de white folks
tak.n' Of de po cullud man. forgetting that when
he bought candy and gingerbread and other things
profitable with the money he received for
his eggs he illustrating weakness which
keeps many Of his kind in want Of the real neces-
saries OF life.
In regard TO the present situation close observer
Of conditions says:
of the Southern white man who has the advan-
tage in wealth and power and in the machinery Of
State. The Southern white man is wrong but
not all wrong. There is some truth il his posi-
ton and there is no treating with him until that
truth is admitted When he refuses TO sympathize
and cooperate with the Northern pfilanthropsts
and teachers who TO make the q better
citizen he is unkind and unwise.
When he refuses 10 recognize that there is a
distinction among negroes there is among white
people and fails TO give credit and recognition 10
the intelligent. industrious negroes of genuine
worth and merit-some of whom in almost
communicable is unjust. When he INDUCES
and protects the vicious and low class of whites in
their impositions upon defenceless people. ne is
criminal