Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1903-03-18
SAYS THEY BEG TOO MUCH.
DR.. Brooks Urges Negroes to Amass
Propety-Is Confident.


preached last night at st. Marks
Methodist Episcopal church, in West
SD street, near Sth avenue, on one
phase Of the Negro Problem" There
was not a seat in the church unoccu-
pied at the service last night. DR..
Brooks said he intended to speak
plainly about the duties, obligations
and shortcomings Of his race. He de-
clared that when he talked to white
people he defended his own race, but
1t was proper that when they talked
among themselves they should look
searchingly at their own faults, and
not dwell always on the wrongs in
flicted upon them. DR.. Brooks spoke
from Proverbs, xiv, "a: Righteous
ness exalteth nation, but sin Is re-
proach to any people" He said In
part:
God is not on the side Of the weak
simply because they are weak. When
He used the weak to confound the
mighty it has been because the weak
had higher conceptions Of righteous
ness. Our people have been flattering
themselves that God Is on their side.
We have read that princes shall come
out of Egypt, and that the Ethiopian
shall stretch out his hand toward God,
and we have got to feeling that we
had a sort of special claim upon God.
Now, let me say, God will have no
princes out Of Egypt, nor accept the
hand Of any Ethiopian, unless those
princes have a princely character and
unless that hand is hand OF right
eousness.
I am audacious enough to say that
we ourselves can solve, this problem
that we are considering, If we Will,
and we can solve it right. There are
some things that the narth can never
do for us, and that the south can nev-
er prevent our doing for ourselves.
Let us, therefore, find. out our weak
nesses and apply the remedy.
And, first Of all, let me speak OF In
dolence. Laziness is inconsistent with
Righteousness. No man can be IDLE
and righteous at the same time. work
NAV be difficult to secure, but II we
cannot get what we want let US take
what we can get, and If we cannot
find work in the city, let us seek work
In the country.
Second. A political conscience Is
needed. 1t is so far off from election
time that you will not think 1 am
talking for political effect. And 1 say
we must rise above party politics, II
the parties will not rise above petty
policies. If we should stand together
and vote on the side of law, order and
If it were known that no
man of my race would vote for a bad
man. no matter on what ticket he
might be running; if that were known
to be q fact, I say, we should not oe
where we are now, between the upper
and neither millstones. 1t Is fact
that too often, both in the north and IN
the south, your ballots have been held
ND to be disposed Of to the highest
bidder.
Then I would urge financial stability
as an end to be sought. There has
been too much wastefulness and too
much begging among us for our own
good. We rely too much on our wnlte
friends to help our enterprises along.
There are many industrial schools IN
the south for our people. which exist
nowhere except on the subscription pa
per, and in the too vivid imaginations
of begging sycophants.
We have too much religion, 80 to
sneak, and too little Christianity. Per-
haps we are too religious in a way.
Threats, braggadocio, vengeance. the
sword and the faggot have no place IN
race building. Solid worth is the
thing that wins. I believe that God
will take the handful Of US and shake
creation. 1 shall see the day. though
perhaps not in this life, when the
heather shall rage, when the south
shall rage and imagine a vain thing.
I have no fear, except that my own
people forget to be true. I wish that
every man here would start some new
course Of reading before he goes TO
sleep tonight. And II you have not
saved money begin saving right
away. Invest it wisely. Buy property
and buy more property and use your
means in the way Of righteousness