The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1903-11-03

tation TO go TO a city and try 10 earn
their living by their wits instead OF ~
honest. hari work. ] do not mean that
all negroes should become farmers. be-
cause we need teachers. and docrorS. and
LAWYERS and ministers. but just in proper
ton as We have intelligent. skilled farm
ers. just in the same proportion Will there
be q foundation for the professional class
TO stand upon. In the South. al the pr"S
ent time, in a large degree, we are per
mitted to work without hindrance at most
Of the skilled trades, such a. carpentry.
br~ickmasonry, painting, hnsmlthlns,
shOemaking. and what not. II we are
wise. we viii teach our children 70 be
come 50 skilled in these fundamental in
dustries that we can hold on to them from
year 10 year. In some sections OF the
country, especially IN the Northern states.
the negro barber has been replaced by a
European barber. In some large cities
Of the North. the negro cook i being re-
placed by the French cook. In othef
sections. the negro nurse Is being replaced
~ the white nurse. The native Southern
white man prefers to glve~employment 10
a black man when he can do the work as
we'll as a white man can do 1t III a gwen
case. He does not like to give orders 10
another white man, but we must not ex-
ptCt " Ue tAIplOSC Gu Tx tIt mp
| because we have been employed IN the
past IN these directions unless We can
perform the service as well or better than
any one else. In a word. it seems to me
that the whole future of our race hinges
largely upon the question as to whether
or not we can make ourselves OF such IL
~dispensable service IN the
where we live that the community Will
feel they cannot dispense with our ser
vices.
IF we can succeed in making ourselves
indispensable, we will find that this fact
alone will settle a large number of vcN-
ing and p%erplexing questions. In a verJ
large degree, believe that education
| more and more should be used as a tool
to lift up domestic life. Heretofore Ike
most ignorant person In the community
in many cases has been the cook. The
average family has food prepared anG
served three times IA day. Still 1t is sur
prising to know how little brains. how
little foresight is put into the matter OF
preparing and serving food. We are
willing to send our children to school and
to have them spend years in learning to
~analyze the most complex sentences III
grammar, or to locate cities and rivers
in foreign countries, but precious little
time has been given heretofore to the
analysis of bread, or to the location on
the table Of the vegetables and knives
and forks. Education should concern 1t
self in these matters.
"Our children should be taught that all
forms of labor are dignified and honora-
BILE, and that all forms of idleness are d
disgrace. One of the problems that our
ministers and teachers should give spe-
cial attention to is the large number CT
idle men and youths that hang about
the street corners of our large cities.
Unless we bring about an influence that
shall put those people to work with the
hand or with the head, they will get us
as a race into trouble and disgrace us.
Education should teach the youth to
save money, should teach him to sacri-
fee today in order that he may possess
tomorrow; should teach him that he can
never have the respect and confidence Of
the community in which he lives unless
he has a bank account. or owns a piece
Of land, or in some way is tied in a bust
ness direction to the community in which
he lives. AS fast as possible we should
become the owners of homes and become
tax payers. No man deserves to vote IN
less at the same time he helps to support
the government under which he lives By
the prompt payment of taxes
After all, the greatest question before tie
race was that of morality. He had re
Gently studied the morals of the poorer
classes of Europe, and he could say thu
the morals of the black race were as
good as those of the corresponding class
in Europe. But that was no excuse for
his race.
Education should make US sec the i'm.
pOrtancc. OF drawing the line between
the vicious and the v%irtuous; between the
good and the bad. I fear very much that
in some parts of the country there is a
tendency fOI US to make no difference
between the criminal and the person who
lives a righteous life. We should begin
right in the pulpit to draw the line. 1t
any cost. we should see to it that our
leaders, and especially the ministers ana
teachers, are men of the very highest
moral character. We should permit no
one to come into our families who is not
an individual of the highest moral char
acter.
Education should help US to get to the
point where we will condemn crime.
whether it is committed by black people
or white people.
The Individual who has not education,
as a rule, is lgnorant and narrow minded.
Education is Of little value to any man.
black or white, unless it helps him 10 ge.
rid OF racial prejudice and hatred. Show
ice a man of any race who hates another
individual or another race on account OF
the color OF his skin, and ! Will show
you, as q rule, an ignorant, narrow
minded individual. Education should as
sist us in Kidding ourselves of the idea
that we will be lifted up IN proportion AZ
we Cypress somebody else. On the 9th
er hand, we should have the idea drilled
into every fibre Of our being that we are
strengthened in proportion as we help lift
someone else up, not in proportion as we
tear them down or Cypress them. 1t re-
quires no special courage or intelligence for
a strong man to Cypress a weak man, bur
it does require strength and courage for
one. man to take a weak one by the hand
and lift him UP when it is unpopular 20
do SO.
Nothing is more encouraging and sat
isfactory IN the midst Of conditions that
surround US here in the South than the
fact that from tine to time the bea3