The Nashville globe. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1906-193?, 1909-11-05

from the tropical forest, from the
great inland seas and rivers of the
dark continent
At worst. the colored American
has only a century or so of degrading
civilized tradition and the habit to
forget and unlearn. His nature has
only been injured on the outside by
these late circumstances of his exist
ence. Inside he is new man, fresh
from nature-a color lover and enthu-
siast, a believer by the heart, phi
losopher, cheerful, natural, good
natured man. believe the col
ored American to be the kindli-
est human being in existence. All
the inhumanalities of slavery have
not made him cruel or sullen or re-
vengeful. He has all the qualities
that fit him to be good citizen of
any country; he does not worry his
soul to-day with the fear of next week,
or next year. He has feelings and
convictions and he loves to show them.
He sees no reason why he should
hide them He will be great
natural expression if he dares
to express the beauty, the color
the harmony of Gods world as ne
sees with a Negroes eyes. That is the
meaning of race distinction-that it
should help us to see Gods beauty in
the world in various ways.
What this splendid man needs most
is confidence in himself and his race.
He is dependent man at present. He
is not sure of himself. He Undertakes
his own qualities. He must be self
respecting man. Not all men can be
distinguished, but assuredly some dis
tinct expression of genius will come
out of any considerable community of
colored people who believe in them
selves, who contemn and despise the
man of their blood who apes white
men and their ways, who is proud to
be a Negro, who will bear himself &C.
cording to his own ideas of colored
man, who will encourage his women to
dress themselves by their own tastes,
to select the rich colors they love,
to follow out their own natural bent,
and not to adopt other peoples stupid
and shop-made fashions. The Negro
woman has the best artistic eye for
color of all the women in America.
The Negro is the only graceful,
musical, color-loving American. He
is the only American who has written
new songs and composed new music.
He is the most spiritual of Americans,
| for he worships with soul and not
/. with narrow mind. For him religion
| is to be believed, accepted like the
: very voice of God, and not invented,
a contrived, reasoned about, shaded and
. made fashionably lucrative and mark
! etable, as it is made by too many
t white Americans.
3 The Negro is new man, a free
}, man, a spiritual man. a hearty man;
: and he can be a great man if he will
t avoid modelling himself on the whites
J. No race ever became illustrious on
e borrowed ideas or the initiated quail
l. ties of another race.
n No race or nation is great or illus
j trious except by one test-the breed
d ing of great men. Not great mer
e chants or traitors, not rich men, bank
# ers, insurance mongers, or directors
e of gas companies. But great think
f ers-great seers of the world through
D their own eyes-great tellers of the
e truths and beauties and colors anC
equities as they alone see them. Grea
Il poets-ah, great poets above all--ant
their brothers, great painters and mu
:. sicians, fashioners of Gods beautiful
o shapes in clay and marvel and har
Il mony.
The Negro will never take his full
IS stand beside the white man till n
% has given the world proof of the trutl
e. and beauty of heroism and power tina
II are in his soul. And only by the or
CANS of the soul are these delivered
IS by self-respect and self-refiection, b,
to philosophy religion, poetry, art, low
j. and sacrifice. One great poet will b
D. worth a hundred bankers and brokers
70 worth ten presidents Of the Unite
at States, to the race. One great mus
IS, clan will speak to the world for tn
IL black men as no thousand editors o
ne politicians can.
st The wealth of our Western soil i
its endless miles of fertility, is les
of to America than the unworked wealt
cs of the rich Negro nature. The Negr
,r, roet of the future will be wort
es two Mexicos to America. God sen
lie wise guides to my black fellow-coul
al trymen who shall lead them to unde
is stand and accept what is true an
oo | oroot ond nerennial and IN reia(