The Birmingham age-herald., 1905-02-14

act in the long run upon those guilty of such denial The only safe principle upon which Americans can act is that Of all men up,' not that of some men down. If in any community the level of intelligence, morality and thrift among the colored men can be raised, 1t is, hu- manly speaking sure that the same level among the whites will be raised to an even higher degree; and it is no less sure that the debasement of the blacks vl in the end carry with 1t an attendant de- basement of the whites
 With Justice to Both.
 "The problem Is so 10 adjust the re- lations between tr-o races of different ethic type that the rights o4 neither be abridged nor ieopardized; that the back ward race be trained so thas 1t may enter into the possession of true freedom. while the forward ra ,e Is enabled to pre- serve unharmed the high civilization wrought out by Its forefathers The working out of th.- problem must neees- sarily be slow; it is not possible in off, | hand fashion to obtain or to confer the priceless boons of freedom, industrial efficiency political capacity and domes- tic morality. Nor Is It only necessary to train the colored man; it is quite as nee essary to train the white man, for on his shoulders rests a Weil-nieh unparalleled sociological responsibility II Is a prob lem demanding the best thought. the ut most patience, the most earneat e.4ort the broadest charity. Of tha stato.man, the student, the rhilanthroeist: of the leaders of thought in every department of our national life. The church. can be a most important factor in solving 1t aright But above all else Te ne'u for its successful solution the sober, kindly steadfast, unsel1sh performar e of duty by the average plain citizen In his every day dealings with his fellows.
 Ideal of Elemental Justice.
 "The ideal of elemental Justice meted out to every man Is the ideal ' should keep ever before us It will be many | long day before we attain to it. and un- less we show not only devotion to it. but the wisdom and seif-restraint In the exhibition of that devotion we shall de- fer the time for It's realization still fur ther. In striving to attain to so much of it as concerns dealing with men of different colors, we must remember two things.
 Tn the first place. it is true of the 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. Every vicious, venal. or ignorant colored man is an even greater foe to his own race than to the community as q whole The coored mans self-respect entities
 
 of the country which is warranted by his individual ability and integrity and the position he has won for himself But the prime requisite of the race Is moral and industrial uplifting.
 Potent Factors for Harm.
 "Laziness and shiftlessness these. and above all, vice and criminality of every kind, are evils more potent for harm to the black race than all acts of oppres- sion of white men put together The l colored man who fails to condemn crime in another colored man, who fails to CO., operate in all lawful ways in bringing colored criminals to justice is the worst enemy of his own people as well as an enemy to all the people Law-abidlng | black men should, for the sake of their race be foremost in relentless and un- ceasin8 warfare against law-breaSng | black men, If the standards of private morality and industrial effency can be raised high enough among 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 it Is to the welfare of every | race
 Tn the next place the white man. who if only he is willing. can help the colored man more than all other white men put together. is the white man who is his nelshbor, north or south. Each of Us must do his whole duty without finch ing, and ii that duty Is national 1t must be done inaccordance with the principles above laid down. But in endeavorng each to be his brothers keeper it Is wise to remember that each can normally do most for the brother who is his imme- diate neighbor.. If we ara sincere friends of the negro let Us each in his own locality show 1t by his action there in, and let us each show 1t also by up- holding nf ufbIf ms in whatever locality. who is striving to do justice to the poor and the helpless, to be shield to those whose need for such a shield is great.
 Have Led the Crusade.
 "The heartiest acixnowledgments are due to the ministers. the judges and law officers tho grand juries, the public men, and the great daily newspapers in the south. who have recently done such effec- tive work in leading the crusade agsinst | lynchinR in the south; and l am glad to say that during the last three months the returns. as far as they can be gath cred, show a smaller number of lynch ings than for any other two months during the last twenty years. Let us uphold in every way the hand. of the men who have led in this work who are striving to do all their work in this | spirit I am about to quote from the address of the Right Reverend hobert l Strange, bishop coadjutor of North Car olina, as given In the Southern Church. man of October g. 1904:
 Quotes from Bshop Strange. 'The Bishop first enters an emphatic plea against any social intermingling of the races a question which must. of course, be left to the people of each com munity to settle for themselves, as in such a matter no one commrnity-and in- deed no one individual-can dictate to any other; always provided that in each locality men keep in mind the fact that there must be no confusing of civil privil-