The Montgomery advertiser., 1906-05-23

of their bondage. From eight millions
 white slave holders, have. evolved fif-
 teen millions white tax payers, who ] former slaves The contribution to negro education and religion in pro-
 portion to the ability of the South. ex- country. The North, East and West, with iimftless resources. have hundred | years of unbroken prosperity. The
 vast armies have thundered over her
 and wasted her life; her whole social and
 commercial fabric was destroyed: yet
 out of this she has crawied and with l the new order of things, promises more
 excellent development.
 Old slave plantations have been turn
 ed Into industrial schools for the old | into colleges for the slaves. and old | slaves are presidents of these colleges.
 Normal, winch have the honor to pre-
 sent; was once f famous mo n,s,,I nm and race stood the grogshop; there stood the auction block. wnereon the negro was | sold. Today it Is one of the most use ful Negro Collegiate and Industrial Schools in the world, and every man on 1 Its board of trustees was a Commission- cd Officer in the Confederate Army. The prophet has said, "The people
 that walked in darkness have seen q great light. They that dwell in the
 land of the shadow of death, upon them
 hath the light shined:' All this has
 
 my short life from. the turpeptine groves of North Carolina through the Richmond Slave Pen and the Cotton most luxuriant and widest dreams Of
 my childhood have been more than real | ized.
 Tn the building up of the South there are too many things of common inter- | ests to be concerned about. to be happy over Of which to be proud. to spend | one moment In racial combat or one I A..1 slH In Af1f fnf Re- | cine strifa.
 As I have intimated let us do all we can for the peace and happiness Of the
 living present, for the establishment I between the black man and white man | and we need not spend any sleepless | nights about the future. Every age has its problems and will raise up mcn to solve them. From our standpoint we can not see the problems | far up the centurIes
 The problem in political life forty | us today; the problems of industrial | life forty years ago are not the prob- | lems of today. The problems in civil
 not the problems of today. There Is | one question that should be the su-
 preIne concern of all men. Let us
 white. Let us stand together for every thing that lifts the world higher, for
 the putting down of error and the ex- |
 gether to give all men an opportunity
 to breathe, eat and drink. for after all | when we reach the last analysis in the
 life of the human being. he must have an opportunity to do these things. Let | us strive by the exaltation of mind, in- | dustry and goodness of heart to give to | all mankind a chance to breathe, eat | and wear comfortable clothes and en- 1 joy all the other necessities of life in | their simplest forms.
 The perpetuation of mutual useful vaA &-x.
 the past should be the effort of black l and white In the schools, churches and l all other humanizing influences It I should be the effort to humanize our i educatio nand christianity This must | be done Or the races not only in the 1 South but on the face of the globe will
 degenerate from the humanity stand | point into the brute creation and bru- | tality will be the result that will final | ly drift into extermination-we will devour one another.
 Without a bringing back of the
 highest heart of the old South. all of I the mighty powers of this age will be
 turned into the destruction of man.
 kind. Therefore, the best service we
 can he to the future Is the perpetuation or the virtues of Christianity as was | exemplified in the development of the must be oheckmated by the common | school and church. We must recog- nize this fact and the school master
 must be recognized in this regard as i | human race. The age does not diff | ferentiate from the past age and we
 have right to all we can get that IS | valuable from the past.
 l The schoolmaster has always been | the great reformer of the human race. | The more than twenty millions of boys | and girls in our schools are to produce
 the entire population of the future. and
 with these twenty millions must the work be done.
 About twenty-five men own mora | than two and one half billion dollars | of the monetary wealth of the coun- | try. These men under the influence of
 great good for. this country, in the | collection of this almost fabulous
 wealth, which is being applied through
 Sy o the Pu69 up | the people--the common people must
 be reached and lifted up. It is more
 necessary that this work be done by
 common people. poor white men and poor black men by their weak powers than have at theif backs this great wealth. A mans own efforts must bring blood into his veins. strength ia- | to his sinews. none of this can be done l by other influences As we must learn l by doing SO we must grow strong by effort.
 The South Is immensely rich and powerful It is richer and more pow erful than anybody would have dared predict fifty years ago Again the South Is not only rich and powerful, but the white South has more and more of the svmpathr of the nation and the
 whole world As the South gets more power because of this great prosperity and grows in sympathy of the world, so we as a people. must go up with Lne South or fall behind in grass and weeds. where there is now seeming prosperi- ty.
 The building of the race Is alone in our hands; we can make 1t what we wish All the wealth of about twenty five men who seem to own the nation cannot make a race of us. We must do 1t ourselves.
 The billions of dollars unless guided by good hearts and wise heads will only be Inducements to final degreda- ton and death. Mir. Carnegies Millions. Mir Rockcfeller's millions are simply the collection of brain. heart and in dustry. Their spirit of munificence is
 of less value to the human race than their lesson and providence. We must take che past for 1t Is the greatest les
 The solution of the race problem
 does not depend upon votes. Houses and lands cannot solve 1t. Wealth and all the power ease and comfort which
 it brings may aggravate 1t. The race question can be settled only by each race understanding It's relation to the other. The solution of the race ques- tion Goes not mean social equality be-
 tyy twne,, inc races, but it does mean fair treatment of races in inferior condi-
 tions by races In superior conditions. The solution of the race problem does not mean the triumph of one race over another. 1t does not mean the meas uring of industrial and literary capa- cities; it does not mean comparison of racial endurance, nor comparison or rac- ial possibilities, but 1t does mean, peace and mutual helpfulness among the racas If this is not to be the result of discussion and present educational efYort- our civilization Is a failure and
 our Christianity farce.