Iowa state bystander. [volume] (Des Moines, Iowa) 1894-1916, 1908-06-19
Rev H. w. Porter's Visit to
Cedar Rapids and What
He Noted.

Cedar Rapids is one OF the most
beautiful and enterprising small cities
in the West; with busy population of
both white and colored.
Among thu many things worthy of
mention is the fact that the Negro
population is solving the Negro prob
lem by acting, rather than talking.
Marshall's Restaurant is the most up
to-date Negro restaurant ever took
meal in, everything is as neat and busi-
ness like as you would find in any
business run by white man, Both
white and colored take their meals at
Marshal's Restaurant.
There are other men in Cedar Rapids
among the Negroes who. are doing
things. Mr.. Thomas, master ma
chinist, working for the Rock Island
r. R.; Mr.. Peekins, carpet cleaner; Mr..
Fields, barber; and each one working
faithfully each day ut their place OF
business. But the family that is really
doing more to prove what the Negro
can do to prove themselves men and
women is MIR. and Mrs. w. II. Milligan.
They have ten acres two miles from
the city of Cedar Rapids and there is
not a small farm in the state of Iowa
in any better condition. There is
nothing more charming than to walk
over their farm and note vegetables,
cherries, peaches, apples, gooseberries,
raspberries, strawberries, plumbs in
abundance; ard bees and honey-all
of this stuff growing and much OF it
already having been gathered and sold
and much being gathered. 1t is mar
velous to see what little push, pluck
and perseverance will accomplish. On
Monday morning went out into the
stra rawberry patch and gathered twelve
quarts of as fine Strawberries as ever
grew on q vine. There is no problem
when the colored farmercan have in his
field twenty white girls and women
picking his berries and his wife sitting
in the field only to see it well done.
There is no problem when the colored
farmer can make for his own use his
bee hives and furnish his white neigh
bors. 1t seemed to me that Mr.. Milli-
gan has all of the bees in Cedar Rapids.
When | noted three swarms out at one
time to be hived, and while he was
working among two hives all swarm
ing bout him, handling them with as
much ease as he could handle dozen
birds, was running from one bee and
then was stung.
TO my mind the man who is accom-
plished in some one profession will ac-
complish more in this country for the
race than a race of takers who never
did any thing and are not willing to be
taught. The producers and not the
consumers are the men needed to move
the world today. Let more .of our
men, women, boys and girls get busy
on some of this land laying waste in
this country.
The Rev. Moore, pastor of the A. M.
E. church, is doing an excellent work
for the people. Rev. Moore is gentle-
man of intelligence and is highly re-
spected by the white ministers of Cedar
Rapids and all who know him.
am more and more convinced that
wa car, onlv he men and women as fast
as we, be, do, and have something.
The young man or woman who isn't
tax payer, business or professional
man or woman will more and more
have to retrograde. .u
Get money and property and you will
have power and influence. You are
supposed to have an education and if
your having been born since emancipa-
tion and haven't an education you are
of all creatures most miserable and un.
fit for the duties of life.
Talk less, and act more, spend less
and save more, complain less and be
more contented and you will be heard
and known in any town, city or state.
l change Cowpe-'s lines little:
Curly locks and dark skin
Doth not forget natures blace;
Skin may differ, but creation
Holds the white and black man,
Then be up and doing, be a hero in
the strife. ........' "