The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-05-26
SAYS SOUTH IS PLACE
 FOR NEGROES ID LIVE
c. T. Walker of Augusta Delivers Strong Address to Negroes at
 Shiloh Church.

Dr. c. T. Walker of Augusta, Ga., one of the best known negro clergymen in the country, delivered an address last night at the Shiloh Baptist church, Avenue G
 and Nineteenth street, on Some Factors in the Solution of the Race Problem" !"
 before an audience of about 800 promi-
 nent and representative negroes. The meeting was held under the auspices of the Advance club, organization com posed of leading men of the negro race
 for social, literary and racial purposes.
 Dr. J. B. Kigh, the president of the club,
 presided over the meeting.
 After a few preliminary features of the programme Dr. Walker was intro duced by Prof. A. J. Welton. of the Mu-
 tual Aid association Dr. Walker is a prominent minister of the Baptist church and orator of no mean ability. He has a commanding Influence in the coun- cls of the negro race and is frequently referred to as the Black Sturgeon His church has been visited on several occasions by President Roosevelt, Pres- dent Taft and John D. Rockefeller.
 In the outset of his address he briefly discussed the social, financial, labor and
 
 and added that it was highly important to understand a few of the important facts underlying the race question and to know what things were necessary to elevate any people. He stressed the inn portance of practical Christianity and defined it as meaning religion lived and acted, in being right and doing right, in the practice of love and mercy and the 1 cultivation of all Christian virtues. He
 pleaded for a cultured brain and a re- | generated heart as being the two requi- sites for peaceful living with neghbors l of whatever race and color.
 | He laid particular stress upon the inn | portance of a practical religiony making a difference between religion and Chris l tanity. He declared that the negro had enough religion, but of practical Chris tianity there was yet need of more in the actual everyday walks of the peo- pie.
 His address was predicated upon this question, which he propounded: Can a race of people once enslaved and now emancipated remain in the same land that served as a theatre of their thral- dom and receive all the rights and inn munities granted them by the national constitution?'
 He replied that the reception of all these blessings rested in the main upon the negro, fin the establishment of a pure and dignified home life, the practice of the Christian religion, a perfect edu- cation of service and usefulness for the young people, and the ownership of land
 "There is a woful lack of parental gov ernment in the home." the speaker de- cared "You cannot take a race and expect to have anything like permanent progress in it unless that race owns land and builds homes for it's people. The reason the colored man of the south outstrips his northern brother is because he is acquiring property and has an in- terest in the land There is more sta bility and permanency in his life. He has something to live for. He is interested in law and order and good government and cannot afford to be lawless and dis orderly and always on the tramp. The only way for us to have good churches, good schools, and to make good cti- zens, is to secure good homes,
 'The colored people ought to settle this matter of staying in this country once and forever by buying homes and re-