Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-02-14

| the effort to do fair and equal justice
among all men: and TO demand from them
| others. Our effort should be to secure to
each man. whatevdt hisy-color. equality of
| opportunity, equality ofitreatment before
| the law.
AS a people striving to shape our actions
| in accordance with the great law of right
| eousness we cannot afford to take part in
or be Indifferent to the oppression or NAL
| treatment Of any man who. against crush
| ing disadvantages, has by his own indus
| try, energy self-respect and perseverance
| struggled upward to a position which would
| entitle him to the respect of his fellows, if
| only his skin were of different hue
Safe Principle for Americans.
Every generous impulse in us revolts at
| the thought of thrusting down instead of
helping up such man. To deny any man
the fair treatment granted to others no bet
ter than he is to commit wrong upon him
"a wrong sure to react in the long run
upon those guilty of such denial.
The only safe principle upon which "a mer-
leans can act is that of .'all men up" not
that of some men down." If in any COM
munity the level of intelligence morality
and thrift among the colored men can be
raised it is. humanely speaking sure that
the same level among the whites will be
raised to even higher degree; and it is
no less sure that the debasement of the
blacks will in the end carry with it an at
tendant deba sement of the whites
The problem is so to adjust the relations
between two races of different ethnic type
that the rights of neither be abridged nor
jeoparded; that the backward race be
trained SO that it may enter into the pos
session of true freedom, while the forward
race is enabled to preserve unframed the
high Civilization wrought out by its fore
fathers.
The working out of this problem must
necessarily be slow: 1T is not possible in
offhand fashion to obtain or to confer the
IL r.A@ s.x.J.
cheney, political capacity and domestic
morality. Nor is it only necessary to train
the colored man; it is quite as necessary to
train the white man. for on his shoulders
rests a well-nigh unparalleled sociological
responsibility.
1t is a problem demanding the best
thought. the utmost patience, the most
earnest effort, the broadcast charity, of the
statesman. the student. the phlanthropst;
of the leaders of thought in every depart
ment of our national life.
The church can be most important fac
tor in solving it Alright. But above all else
we need for its successful solution the
sober, kindly, steadfast, unselfiSh perform
ance of duty by the average plain citizen in
his everyday dealings with his fellows.
The Ideal to Keep Before Us.
The ideal of elemental justice melted out
to every man is the ideal we should keep
ever before US. 1t VIII be many a long
day before we -attain:to it, and unless we
show not only devotion to it, but also
wisdom and sef-restraint in the eXhi-
bition of that DEVOTION we shall defer
the time for its realization still further.
In striving to attain -to-se much of it as
concerns dealing with men of different col
ors, we must remember tye things. In the
first place, it is true 6f.;tlE colored man, as
it IS true of the White man that in the
long run his fate must depend far more
upon his own effort than upon the efforts
OF any outside friend: .s..-s-t-.E r-,.
Every vicious venai or ignorant colored
man is an. even greater. fes to his own race
colored marty self-resbecii aentitles him to
90 that share lin thsf political work Of The
country which is Warranted by his 'ndi-
Vidual ability and ihtegffty and the posi-
prime requisite of the race is moral and
s ,sss5 s; 2s ,ssa ~ IA
the black race than-all acts of oppression
OF white men put tosethar. The colored
nan man who S2 sf5lls 10 condemn crime in an
irals to Justice, IS the worst enemy of his
the people.
Law-abiding black men should, for the
sake OF their race, be foremost in relent- \
less and. unceasing warfare against law
breaking black men. If the Standards az
private morality and Industrial efficiency
can be raised high enough am ong. the black
race then Its future on this continent is
secure.
The stability and purity of the home is
vital TO the welfare: of the black race. as
II is TO the welfare of every race
In the next place the white man, who
IL only ne is willing, can help the colored
man more than all other white men put
tcsether, Is the white man who is his neigh
DOR north or south.
\
friendship for the Negro.
Each of us must do his whole duty with
out finching, and if that duty is national 1t
must be done in accordance with the prin-
ciples above laid down. But in endeavoring
each to be his brothers keeper it is wise to |
remember that each can normally do most
LOT the brother who is his immediate neigh
Dor
III we are sincere friends of the negro let |
US each in his own locality show it by his
actlon therein, and let US each show it also |
py upholding the hands of the white man. |
IN Whatever locality, who is striving to do |
Justice 10 the poor and the helpless, to be a |
is great.
Inc heartiest acknowledgements are due to |
the ministers, the judges and law officers |
the grand Juries the public men and the |
great daily newspapers in the south, who |
have recently done such effective work in |
leading the crusade against lynching in the |
south; and L am glad to say that during |
the last three months the returns, as far as |
they can be gathered show a smaller num- |
Der or lynchlngS than for any other two |
months during the last twenty years.
Let US uphold in every way the hands of |
the men who have led in this work, who are /
striving to do all their work in this spirit. |
/ am ABOUT to quote from the address of |
the Rlght Rev Robert Strange, bishop CO.
ad]utor of North Carolina, given in the |
Southern Churchman of October 8. 1904:
The DlSlOD first amnlatin nlaa |
against any social intermingling of the |
races; question which must, of course, be |
left to the people of each community to |
settle for themselves, as in such a matter
no one communicated indeed no one indi-
vidual-can dictate to any other; always
provided that in each locality men keep in
mind the fact that there must be no con-
fusing of civil privileges with social inter
course. Civil law caunot regulate social I
practices. Society,", as 'ssch is a law unto
itself, and will always Regulate its own
practices and habits T.
Full recognition of the fundamental fact |
that all ShnnlI STOOD m a puDa1 foot