The advocate. [volume] (Charleston, W. Va.) 1901-1913, 1907-02-21
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in Plain Language the
initials Under Which ),
WeLabor !
New York, Feb, 18.-Yesterday
at Carnegie Hall, DR.. II. b.. Du-
Bots, of Atlanta, UNIVERSITY delivers
ed an address on Negro Ideals"SThe
nall was crowded with prominent;
folk, and Dr.. Felix Adler, preside
fof the Ethical Culture Society. un-s
'deT WAoss auspices DIR. Dubois spoke,
J ptG pr'' nuBois aa,d: T..
For, most people It is enough for
the world to know that they aspire.
The world does not ask what their
aspirations are; it ia contented with
the fact of aspiration, trusting in
cir. common humanity that those
aspirations are, In the main, for the
bsst and greatest things. But with
regard TO. the descendants of the Ne
gro race In America, there is feel
ing that their aspirations In some
way are not consistent with the great
Ideals -of the country, and, there.
fore, when one Hnds Negroes who as
ptre, they are asked with some asper-,
1ty: What Is it you want?", And
there Is also a certain Simpatience
with the fact, Of aspiration at Hall.
why are they not content to be USE
fut? therefore this morning + come,
IN answer to- that rather Impatient
question, and am going to try soberly
and earnestly to say what those Ne
sEroes, aspire to, who aim, to- be. some
thing more, than their fathers. In
brief. I may name three great ends
Of Negro aambtti n-freed dom. : and
knowledge and human brotherhood
The American Negrosis not free, in
earning his. living. ! In. the first, place
he Is confined to. certain sorts Of oc-
cupattpn which are supposed to- be-
long particularly to him. These oc-
eupattans In themselves are perfectly
hntorab Bile and good 0ecunatinns--
that of domestic work-7that.. of farm
labor, and some sorts OF common la
hoF in particular. But the difficulty
is that when any class OF a human
group: is confined to- any particular
occupation, then on, that occupation
fall all the contempt and restriction
that belong TO the group. feonse-
Quently TT is not SIMPLY a fact that
the great mass of Negro are farmers,
but with that MUST also go the fact
that they are, farmers who work Jun.
der. peculiar and deadening oopdi-
tions., = ~ 1, III.
In the last number of the Review
of Reviews Is an article on Italians
In Arkansas, which tells in detail how
these new Italian laborers, are excel
ling the, surrounding: Negroes, and.
fntfmates that Unless the Negro
makes q startling advance he Is GO
ing to lose his place as the farmer
of the South. And yet the very kerr
mel Of that problem is left out; for
what have you really in this Arkan-
sas, experiment. You have on the
one hand men from a foreign country
coming out Of their restrictions and
their conventions, coming with new.
freedom to- a new chance for life and
work, trained In many ways for the
particular work which they are do
ing, with the, best Of the local. public
schools open to, them, with the feel
ing Of the community favorable to.
them, with q chance to have their
wishes and their desires known
through theS casting Of their ballot in
regular elections-in other words,
every social institution welcoming
and inspiring their work. On the
other hand, you have class of black
laborers who have seen slavery and
are in serfdom~ to the community,
whose every advance is feared and
discouraged; who by long, unwritten
rule can be exploited to every extent
(which any particular landlord may
wish; who are shut out of the best
public schools and confined to the
worst, or often, to none at all; who
have no chance to vote, no influence
with those who administer the laws;
who are excluded from all the best
Influences Of the community, and
ton that they are less than men.
Two Glasses Compared. j.,
Now put these. two classes togeth-
er and assume that they both have
the same. natural abilities, there is
absolutely no question as to which
class is going to outstrip the other
in the race Of life. SO it is in SER
vie in the home. In Atlanta, as in
been a movement for the immigra1
ton Of foreign servants. But the
president Of the immigration League
recently said plainly in the Atlanta
Constitution: Yes, 1 can get you
WhlIe SCI VdhOS, puI Ihele are CerCalu
things that you must do. In the
first place, you must give your SER
want girls room in the house, and
not detached lonely pen in the,
yard. You must treat your SER
wants with a certain respect and
consideration, and you must pay
them better wages. If you do these
things, / can get you servants" And
one can easily see what the results
would be. If you raise the grade OF
pay and treat persons better in any
human occupation you can get bet-
ter human being to go. into that oc-
cuDation Now not onlv ia If tr,1o