The Montgomery advertiser., 1904-05-30

many or the things ot WHich S.S~-a plain. Not that the acts of them selves are just or beneficial, put she | effect upon us has been beneficial op- 1 position to our advancement, m tne I language of your iIlustrious prfncipai.
 has taught us to cease grasping at the
 shadow, but to lay hold on the suo- | stance.
 From my earliest recollection my great desire was to become farmer. My father encouraged me in my wisn I by allowing me to leave school ana go to work on a farm to see wnetneK | I would like 1t and if I showed dis- | position to stick to it, he had promis-
 ed to assist me in owning small farm worked one year on the farm of an old I English Quaker. and another year on the farm of friend of my fathers, but the excitement of the war aroused my a volunteer going to the front. After lnearly three years service found my 1 self of age, and my purposes changed
 and though welded to the soil from youth. my position had become chang I ed, and I never became farmer. have often regretted that did not. T make this allusion to myself to show merely that what I advocate TOT
 others of my race. I considered best Il I would impress upon you young. wo- men. and young men, to ever keep fresh philanthropic benefactors of your race who have poured out so literally of
 their means to aid you in this great I Their names should be handed down to our children and to our children's children. We can't afford to forget a
 womeA % WI who have in nth the Slightest de- gree given us encouragement to hope for 8 future in this country.
 sE srieyances ws ls do not plSEY falYy sppre Il cfate the efforts of our friends. It may not be strange that we do not. for I there are so many others reminding us and that we should be content to re- main a subject class.
 Il We should not for a moment harbor
 such a thought, especially when on all
 sides you are demonstrating to the lcontrary; Forty years is a. short time
 for the transformation or development but 1t is but a day when you consider
 the depths from whence you came.
 Which we shoud pan no heed Tss phantom of social equality is one. 1t is the "scarecrow" exhibited by the fn-
 spirit of Saeee Sase beeswsen 0 yourseives, ass and
 a class of whites among whom you
 must live. It is the ruse of the poli- , and is not what you are striving for. Your own self-respect will forbid you
 ever attempting to force social recog- milton upon any one. no matter what In this broad land of ours there is room for all There is no crowding or iostiing; ,ss you'd ,ts encourage ds Tn every spect. the most anicable relations in : business, and other pursuits of good : citizenship with our white fellow-coun- Make them to feel that your educa- tion and advancement Is in no way a
 to any right It s,,ss that they entoy joy ! would extend a helping hand at any critical moment that your aid would be of service.
 Cultivate such feelings as should ex- l ist between neighbors.. and set your $ faces hard against evil doers among I believe that much of the friction ! that exists between the races in this | Southland is due more to misunder-
 standing motives .n than ve etheEwise Sg , a spirit to dominate. No friend to our s race in this country, be he white or black, will urge you to bitterness It @ oi 2 Iwhom you must live. -
 Prosecutions can be lived down by
 proper department. You win gain more vised resentment; remember 1t requires a as much or more courage to forbeaT ? than to resent that which we may con' sider an injustice, and in the end for bearance will win more substantial and
 beneficial results.
 I have been reading recently ,i some .n < } ! Bishop of our race. Can you imagine that a particle of good will result from ! such display. of resentment? Whole. ; sale indictment of @ race because of the conduct of a few is what we our selves often complain bitterly of as : unjust, and it is unjust, unmanly, and
 have spoken to you along these , general lines believing them most ap- . pTopriate to an occasion or this Kind Kind ! our own faults first. Sto acknowledge them, and to set about as quickly as
 bow fS fSr we oSrseIves are to Same } for the discriminations against us, be sure that we are not in a measure con- , tributors to some of the things we con. can with better graSe appeal to those in authority to come 50 our relief. , If we furnish just though of cause to produce unfavorablA effect, then we , must set about-at once to remove that
 cause. I appeal to you in the name lof all our people throughout this broad ,. land to strive on in the paths laid out tbefore you in this grand institution. Let the example set here be carried ' out with you to those with whom your , lots may be cast. Enter into whatever
 lduty you may be called upon to per- , form when you leave here, with pur- , pose to do credit and honor to your { Alma Mater as well as to personally ] benefit yourselves.
 , We as Q race occupy in this country unique position NoIWlLnSt&hoin6 X . that we are to the manor born natives of the soil. for generations back, yet ! I've are continually on trial-not indi- i. vidually as other peoples are for their . individual misdeeds; but as whole . Our accusers. prosecutors, judge 7 jury, and executors, are our white fel- { low citizens. Any misdemeamonrs you I may commit however trivial, Is charg- ! ed up to the race. Any thing meri- l torious you may accomplish a reason fs found outside of yourself or your race
 to which the credit Is given.
 f In the face of such facts, and theiI ' obvious injustice, it behooves you to
 be ever on the alert as to your de- a meanor through life. What you dc ! that is praiseworthy regardless of the ! | restrictions which I have mentioned s will in the eyes of all fairminded meI
 and women, help the race.
 9 Anything unbecoming that will tend 2 to degrade you, will in like manner af. :. Y, feet your race.
 often hear it urged by members oi n my race when certain crimes or mis - demeanors are charged against them 2 that similar crimes are committed bI z members of the white race, and ever n on much larger scale. My answer a to that Is that 1t should be our ain
 to emulate the best. and not the wors
 elements in the white race.
 I have no doubt that you have beer . lectured and advised time and agail
 on these subjects, that you are becom
 ing weary of this sameness but let m
 say to you that the lesson cannot b
 learned too well, or taught too often
 You are to go out into the world a. Al Acraf fd zf NEn K4.. Nl11