Richmond planet. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1883-1938, 1904-03-26

on their white masters for every thing
while enriching the men upon whom
they relied.
They were taught to regard them
selves as inferior and in support OF this
great truth" were told to listen 10 the
reading of Peter 2:lS:
Servants, be subject to your masters
with all fear
and Oollossians S:22:
Servants. obey in all things your
Masters
These citations from the SCRIPTURES
which impressed the religions black-man
were not without their effect upon the
white master as well.
White children. youngsters and the
like of Mr. THOMAS NELSON PAGES
stripe believed from the bottom of their
hearts that they were dlvinely commits
stoned to rule over the black people and
many black people shared the same
opinion relative to the right of the F. f.
VS. OF Virginia to own and exercise
their sweet will upon the poor, deluded
blacks of the Sunny Cline.
This then was the picture of forty
years ago., What is it to-day? Then
there were four millions of us, but
thanks TO our own fecundity and our
We of each other and the white men
love of us, there are to day more than
ten millions of us, and the census fig
ures are still rising.
EduCation has done its work and
every hillside is dotted with farm
houses and the cities well "peppered'
with the tasty homes of the colored reo-
pie. We have lawyers, doctors, minis
tiers, pharmacists, real estate agents,
insurance presidents and managers,
authors, editors, publishers, merchants,
liuguists, deatists, Bank presiden s.
Bank cashiers, college presidents, copy
lists, stenographers, statesmen, office
holders and ty oe-writers.
These much abused people, owning
nothing at the close of the war now
own seven hundred million dollars
worth Of propery in the United States
i TO day and IN Mr.. THOMAS NELSON
! PAGES own state is increasing his real,
estate and personal holdings at the rate
of over one million dollars per year.
The official report of the Auditor of
! Virginia shows that the colored people
of this state pay taxes on property, real
and personal, aggregating eighteen mil
lion doll ars.
The standard of the pulpit has been
raised and the teachers who now in.
struct the young of the race are of Ne
gro Iarentage. We no longer can tell a
colored mans home by the poverty of
his surroundings.
Sambo has profited by education, the
work of the philanthropists He is
working upon the farm, Mr. PAGE, but
it is his own farm, thank Con.
Come home, Mr.. RoosEvELT's advis.
er! Come to Richmond, the capital OF
the late Confederacy and open your
eyes and see.
We own one million dollars worth OF
property in this city. We maintain
and support four Negro Savings Banks
with an aggregate capital of one hun.
cred and eighty thousand dollars.
Come and visit our homes, Mr.. PAGE.
You are a Virginia gentleman and we
will permit you to enter.
A servant ushers you into the parlor.
1t is richly furnished, is it not? You
hear sweet strains of sweet music from
the fingers of AN accomplished graduate
from the Virginia Theological Seminary
and College, the Hartshorn Memorial
College or from the numerous other In
situations of learning that are p,ayiu g
so important part in the elevation of the
down-trodden and m ach oppressed PEG.
pie.
oh, yes. Mr.. PAGE, the mistress of
this house was slave and the good
manners your parents taught her are
being impressed upon the children who
roam through this household.
This is a new picture of startling
boldness, of course. Your associates
have been visiting some colored peoples
houses, but not these kind of colored
people and when they Left, it was not
through the front door, but through the
back gate, with step that betokened
hurry in order TO reach place of safety
where they might avoid detection.
But that was the low, degraded N
gro that he visited and his ideals were
formed by just such associations.
But now, you see the New Negro.
This one is not after your white fe-
males, and the greatest favor that he
asks is that your people will let the col
ored females aloue. On his side of TIN.
line, he is content.
Neither does he wish for the so called
social equallty,-the great phantom
which runs the average poor white man
crazy.
But the most remarkable part of Mr.