The Ocala banner. (Ocala, Marion County, Fla.) 1883-194?, 1903-10-02


clr shops aal ,n- meeting houses
were closed against the r-ach~. and
her pap:l~: ride in p.uiIc convey
auc-~ w-r. denied th-u: physicians
would nor wait upon tEem; N!--
CrAuda..- o~u family aud friends
were Forbidden under PENALTY Of
heavy fines to visit her: the well Wa
filed win human filth: the school
building was also ~mear-d with il;
assaulted with rotten egg and finally
set on fire.
That l. the history Of the first col
ortd school in this country and thai
ha, barely been fifty years ago.
Every slave Is now freeman, and
there II not a man, even in the south,
| believe, that would have it other
wise if it were in his power to 10 20
Not only this, bat every hilltop and
valley in the south there a.e colored
schools for the education and elevs-
tIon OF your race. The taxes for the
maintenance Of these schools are col
lected mainly from the whites. and l.
paid as cheer;uily Is any other tax is
paid.
The school in this building has been
conducted peacgably AMI quietly for
nearly twenty years, and during tina
period no teacher. white or black, ha-
been SUBJECTED To a harsh epitaet.
Knowing how strong arr human pas
siou- and pr JUDGES, how aImo,t inn
possible it l. Tor u 10 eradicate them
from our natures, the growth Of this
sentiment in this country, ard par
ticu.4rIy AT the south, firmly believe,
i without it, parallel III history.
The greatest calamity that can over
take a nation i to have the execution
Of its laws committed mo the hand,
OF ignorance. a, the ballot was plac-
ed III your hands the conservative
elements % the >ou'h -aw the nece--
>jty o. 5ue education or your children
- that they could exercise this trust
iltelI;gently and not become ;ha
dup=s and Tools of designing
and dangerous men. Il i. this
that has stimulated tee sentiment for
the distribution Of free schools in the
south for yours as we'll ~ the white
race. The great question for you and
me to consider il whether it is TO be
success or a failure. Twenty years is
not enough to form a correct opinion
upon 80 profound question, but it
l. long enough To throw out scintilla-
tiOns here and there from which We
can form basic ideas. Great events
move slowly. The grOwth of govern.
ments and developments of races
from barbarity and ignorance to in.
telligence and re finement is the work
of centuries. Your improvement has
not been as rapid as many hoped and
believed that it would be. But it must
be admitted both by the friends and
foes of your race that you have made
progress. 1t was the opinion OF many
that you had no capacity for learning.
But visitors to our cOlored public
schools can no longer entertain such
opinions. But learning amounts to
but very little il you do not make o
proper application Of it. 1t does not
require . knowledge of arithmetic or
grammer to polish shoes. You are
living in an energetic age. Man
makes the forces OF nature bend to
his power and his will. He has con.
nected all the ends of the earth by
bent Of his genius. New discoveries
upset old theories. Inventions crowd
upon inventions. The impossible of
the last decade becomes the common
place Of the present. That which is
new and startling Of today becomes
the rubbish of the next generation.
Countries that could not be subdued
by armies are quietly absorbed by the
arteries OF commerce. Everything is
instinct with life, and energy, and
thought. Is your race keeping proper
pace with this grand and rapid march
OF man, and do you contribute your
proper share to his wonderful achieve.
ments? 1 know that you are laboring
under drawbacks of which all other
race are free, but Notwithstanding
which let me say to you frankly and
not unkindly that in my opinion no
people in the world were ever con-