The Muskogee cimeter. [volume] (Muskogee, Indian Territory, Okla.) 1901-19??, 1909-03-19

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Of men, white and black, baptiz.
ing battlefelds of the Civil War.
consecrated that gift for an ever
lasting heritage. Let us inquire.
for moment, if American citizen.
ship is worth the having and
holding, the cherishing. Is it
worth while living up to the
|, ideal Of American citizenship?
With a far.seeing eve, the eye
Of the mind, take u Kaleidoscope
view Of the negroes Of these
United States and her lnsular
possessions. Behold them in
North and South. in East and
West, enjoying the inalienable
rights Of mankind, life. liberty
and the parsuit of happiness.
They dread no tyrant king. but
honor n ruler Of their own chOOs.
ing. They cringe not at the lash
of a master. but come and 60 at
the dictatiOn of their own will,
pursuing each his own line of
happiness in 90 far as il does not
conflict wite the rights Of others.
Schools and colleges of every
kind are open to us; we are en.
gagged in every occupation and
practicing evedy trade and pro.
fessiOn. Thousands Of our race
are holding positions under our
government and drawing from
ts treasury millions of dollars an.
nually. We own farms and fac.
tories, shops and stores, church.
es, schools, parks and palatial
residences.
Is it not Il gOodly thing to live
in country which affords such
advantages tO all of its citizens.
and withhOlds them not because
of race, color. or previous condi.
ton of servitude? Let me repeat.
il it not a goodly thing? We
think il is. Others think so, too.
When America was yet Il vast
wilderness. when the Indian and
the buffalo roamed at will over it's
rolling prairies and through its
tangled forests, the proud states
Of Europe glittered in the brill.
ance of empire. But the little re.
public founded on the Western
shore of the Atlantic lived and
grew to demonstrate the fact that
the history of a nation is not
bound up in the history of it's
kings, but i'm the life of its peo.
iple; and that the glory of Il ma.
ton is not measured by the splen.
dor of it's court, but by the hap.
piness and prosperity Of it's peo.
ple.
From those empires whose ma.
tiOnal greatness so often rested
on dOwn-tridden pOpulace, have
come to these shores both the
rich and poor, noble and peasant,
to find opportunities for them.
selves and help build up the cOun.
try. 1t is true that for many
years men were blind to the in.
justice of denying these rights to
the negro, but that blot on the
nations honor was at last wiped
out and today free men every.
where are working ont their des.
tiny along avenues Of their own
choosing, and under a govern.
ment of their own making.
"A nation is a thing that lives
) and acts like a man, and men are
) the particles of which ii is com
posed" The whole can be no
greater than its parts. The char
acter of the nation is shaped by
the character Of its citizens. Great
privileges carry with them great
responsibilities; for every right
which we enjoy there is Il cor
responding duty. If il delights
us to review our liberties, let il
strengthen us to recount our oh
legations. Let this whole panO
ramic view put iron into the
, blood. nerve into the fibre, ant
! resolution into the soul of ever,
negro citizen to live up to youl
blessings and never disgrace youl
birthright, for
, what is liberty without wis
dan and without virtue"
/, The noble American citizen il
the one who is law-abiding, peace
loving, ambitious and energetic
y whose life and activities are al
+ honor to himself, his family, hi
I race and his country. Such ;
e citizen is our beloved pastor, Rev
: :. :. Jones. 'lf God ever pu
A anything majestic and noble int
$ man, and gave him fittin,
e frame for it, He never INTENDED
! that it should be hidden in
h meal bag
Rev. Jones has not hidden hi