The advocate. [volume] (Charleston, W. Va.) 1901-1913, 1910-08-18

| rNh Gay @SiA AhiliiOua OIL people III
the old world, the price received fol
our labor Is three and four times
higher than that received in many
Of the old countries.
Let us never forget that the sue
cess of the man In business is de-
pendent upon the success, the hap,
rlness and prosperity of the laborine
classes. Let US advertise. then, the
fact that the Negro is in demand as
laborer rather than place too much
stress upon the exceptional cases
where the Negro cannot get work,
Tor here again my text applies, For
to him that hath shall be given" for
no one wants to employ the man who
cannot get work. The world is not
in search of the lazy man. No one
cares to employ the lawyer who has
no clients or the physician who has
no patients.
Again, to the Negro in business,
especially in the Southland, in the
| matter Of freedom of trade there Is q
golden opportunity. While in other
directions there are restrictions, in
the business world there is a free
com and an opportunity that has
rarely come to any race so recently
out Of slavery. The Negro retail
merchant can buy his goods from the
| wholesale dealer on as favorable
terms as the white retail merchant
can. The Negro business man can
MORROW money at the local banks
Just as readily as the white business
man can. The best white people in
the South are just as ready to pur-
chase from the Negro merchant as
from the white merchant.
With all that l have mentioned in
this country the Negro enjoys free
dom of opportunity to get educa-
ton, freedom of religious Worship,
to degree not afforded any similar
group of our people in the world.
With all Of these fundamental ele-
ments favorable toward our industri-
al and business success, as a race in
the Cnlted States let us not, | repeat,
make the mistake of dwelling over
much upon the things that we have
not, but rather glory in the opportu-
mites that we possess, for the max
ing of the most of these opportu-
mites will bring us more openings
and more opportunities The more
we advertise to the world that dis
examinations are made against us,
the more will determinations multi
ply.
Let us as in some degree repre-
sentlng the present prosperity and
the future hope of our race, go out
from this meeting determined that
each individual shall be missionary
IN his community missionary in
teaching the masses to get property,
to be more thrifty, more economical,
and resolved to establish an indus
trial or business enterprise whenever
a possibility presents itself.
''To him that hath shall be given. q"
TO him that hath influence will be
given more influence. To him that
hath power will be given more pow
er. To him that hath credit in the
financial world will be given more
credit. To him that hath money will
be given more money. To him that
hath land will be given more land.
TO him that hath houses will be
given more houses. TO him tn at
hath stores and banks will be given
more stores and banks. To the race
that hath many business enterprises
will be given more enterprises. Let
us go out, then, to start everywhere
the doctrine Of getting, not with the
idea Of selfishly keeping, but with
the idea that in proportion as we
secure the substantials of life we
shall be in position to add much to
the larger life Of our race.
--Ihave-referred to the-importance
Of keeping the bright side of our
race before the public. In what ]
now say l may be guilty Of seeming
contradiction, nevertheless the mat
ter is so important and so fundamen-
tai to industrial and business sue
cess that l cannot fail to call atten-
ton Of the public to it,
| | have referred frankly and plain
~ to the duty of the ten millions OF
colored people in fitting themselves
for industrial and commercial use.
tulness. / want to be equally plain
and frank in referring to the res
possibility resting upon those whose
duty 1T Is to enforce the Iaw.--to pro.
tect life and property, for there car
be little progress in securing prop.
in,