Iowa state bystander. [volume] (Des Moines, Iowa) 1894-1916, 1911-07-28

inc same etAundr0 apples 70 inc
colored people that applies to the
white, that all work Is honorable and
necessary. There most be manufac-
turers as wen as senators. There must
be good business men as well as poll
ticians. There must be fine artisans as
well as litterateurs. There must be
good laborers in the field as well as
millionaires. And | wish to impress
upon you that the success Of your
race, the future Of your race. does not
lie in the success OF q chosen few, but
In the success Of all. Work with the
hands is Just as honorable as work
with the brains, and the best workman
is the man who has his hands and
brain both trained.
"ExcELsioR."
A good rule to follow Is to foster an
undying ambition to excel all In SO
far as your abilities will permit, and
while the men or women who constant
ly endeavor to excel in all things
will find others who by natural ability
and adaptability, pass them In the
race, yet the one who strives to excel
the others Ia certain Of excelling the
great majority. We are too prone to
measure success BY wealth. AS rule,
the wealthy man Is termed the success.
full man, and yet this is absolutely
sophistry. A man whose entire success
ID an accumulation OF money, and who
has given nothing to posterity. has
paid small tribute for the privilege Of
having existed. do not mean that
the accumulation of wealth Is not a
thing to be proud of. But there are
other things which spell success In
more brilliant letters. believe in
all persons being thrifty, but do not
lose your better self in wild race
for wealth alone. We must have
producers of wealth. We must have
scholars, divines and thinkers.
GOLD is NOT ALL.
The man who with his brain. and
the skill Of hand and muscle. can CON
template beautiful structure of which
he took part in the building; the WON
an who can look upon hundreds Of the
youth Of the nation, and realize that
their minds and their morals have been
under her control, that she has taken
part in their training for a future life
OF usefulness, even though both draw
a mere days wage, and live in compar.
alive obscurity, can be just as proud
OF their achievements as can the mil
Honaire who gazes gloatingly upon his
accumulated millions in stocks, bonds
and gold. Each has been a producer
Each has contributed to the develop.
ment of his country and to the better.
ment of his people. It is wrong for q
person to willingly 1--we in poverty sim.
ply through lack Of ambition to rise
above it. But man or woman who
devotes his or her life to the better.
ment Of the people and fails to &C.
cumulate a fortune, yet industri-
ously labors throughout his life
need feel no pang II he should
be counted among those who lack
in wealth. On the other hand, the
man or woman with talent, either
undeveloped or latent, who sluggish
" sits by and lets opportunity take
wings, mad fails to lift hand or use
his or her intellect to benefit the PEG
pie. or produce something Of value
y sluggard and should be treated
with utter contempt.
KNOW THYsELF.
First let me urge that you com
mune with yourselves. Do not foster
an ambition to be that which you can
not be. .3e brave enough to map out
your life within the scope OF your-abili
ties. urge an unfaltering ambition t
succeed and progress, but misplaced
ambition to attempt that in which yor
cannot succeed, is not an ambition
but delusion. Follow the admoni
ton Of Shakespeare. TITS vaultine
ambition which oft o'erleaps Itself
and falls on the other side And an
other old philosopher says that HE
who hews above his height may have
chips in his eyes," do not say this
by way Of encouragement. but ]
have seen too many good men and
women fail through misplaced effort
through thoroughly misunderstanding
their own limitations, and the mar
and woman Is assured o; success who
is courageous enough to analyze him
self and frankly acknowledge his
shortcomings. You will find much o.
encouragement, but that only gives
.zest to the great delight OF living 3
successful. upright, future life.
BE PROUD OF YOUR RACE.
Let me admonish you. and l speal
from the bottom Of my heart, never
be ashamed that you were born OF col
ored blood. Go out into the world full
of pride Of race, and take not with
you race prejudice and race hatred
Pride Of race is proper, but one 81
the greatest distractions to the prog
ress Of your race has been race hatred
and prejudice. both among the whites
and the negroes. You are here By
right. You are entitled to equal rights
under the law. This is guaranteed
you by the Constitution.
You cannot unmake IN q day sec
tional prejudice, but you can by pa
tiently striving toward good citizen
ship. by industriously working to ere
ate something Of the brain or the
hand that the people want. bring
about more rapidly than by any Other
means. a proper understanding with
the people Of other races and nation
alities, living under the same nag. Yor
have no cause to be ashamed Of the
past history Of your race. The rec
ord Of the last hfty years should send
you forth full Of encouragement and
enthusiasm Of the future. When yor
take up your LIES work. do 50 a