The advocate. [volume] (Charleston, W. Va.) 1901-1913, 1911-08-24
be your guest on this occasion and
to say word to you.

Ethis organization, but to congratulate
you also upon the fact that in the past
harmony and peace have prevailed
within your borders.
! You who are living and working in
the present owe much to yourselves
and owe much to that great leader of
the organization, Samuel Starks, of
West Virginia. Largely it was through
MS work, his loyalty to the race and
to this organization, that it was placed
upon s4ch a firm foundation, and it
IS largely through the work and in
huence of Samuel Starks that this or
ganizatiom enjoys it's present pros
per1ty. l not only congratulate YOU
upon the high character and worth OF
your departed leader, but equally so
| upon the high type and character of
| the work Of your present chief and
leader, S. w. Green Of New Orleans.
Ih1s organization will continue to
| prosper In proportion as it has such
unselfish leaders at is head.
AT the present time there are GER
| tain functions which a fraternal Or
gan1zat1on can perform for the race
after a manner that no other bodv
can 90. One of the functions of this
organization is to teach pride of race,
10 teach our people to have faith in
| themselves. No race of people can
! prosper unless that race is proud Of
Itself proud of it's past and of ITS
present. have no sympathy or na-
t1ence with any black man of America
VINO IS not proud Of the fact that he
Is an American Negro. There are in
some parts Of the country, I am sorry
! 10 say, some colored people who are
SO weak and shOrt-sighted that thew
would prefer to be third-rate white
people rather than first-rate colorad
people. The Knights of Pythias teach
us Dy precept and example that there
IS as much glory in being a first-class
colored man as in being a first-class
white man.
Another part Of the work of fra
ternal organization in this genera
tlon is to teach our people how to
govern themselves, to direct, to con-
troll themselves. This means the teach
ing or the race to subordinate selfish
and narrow ambitions in the INTEREST
of the general welfare.
Still another function of a fraterna1
organization Is to teach our people to
have respect for racial workers, racial
leadersh1p; to teach our people to hold
up the hands Of those who have the
responsibility Of leadership and ra-
clal guidance Thrust upon them. This
organization in the past has held up
the hands of it's leaders, and 7 Dredict
and urge that it Will do so in the fu-
ture.
Stlll another part of the duty of a
1ratenal organization is to teach and
emphasize racial harmony and unity.
In the last analysis there are more
lhlhgS upon which the great bulk
or our leaders agree than upon which
we disagree. In all things that are
hon-essentlal we can have our own
individual preferences and leanings.
put everywhere the time has come
"hen as a race of people in all things
that concern the fundamentl progress
or our race we should come together.
overlooking and subordinating selfish
interests, selfish and narrow ambi-
tlohs and dedicate ourselves to the
general welfare and uplift of the
race.
AN organization representing a
great mass Of our people, as YOU do
mas tremendous responsibility
In
nances, the dollars which come from
the pockets of the hard-Worlxing mem
bers OF our race, are carefully and
judiciously handled. In too many
cases in the past money intrusted to
the leaders of -fraternai organizations
has been squandered either through
dishonesty, carlessness or ignorance.
The time has come when the masses
of our people should see to 1t that no
man Is Entrusted with the use Of their
dollars unless they are thoroughly
convinced that that man is honest,
wise and careful. If fraternal organ
izations do not begin to apply the
same methods Of handling money that
great banking and insurance organiza-
tions apply to the handling Of their
money the Negro race will lose faith
in these organizations and great will
be the disaster. Every fraternal Or
ganization should see to it that there
Is no opportunity for graft; every
fraternal organization should see to It
that the man who used the money Of
the people dishonesty or carelessly
Is replaced by some one who will be
honest In the handling Of the peoples
money.
Still another responsibility rests up
on your organization, that Of helping
| everywhere to inculcate into the mem
bers Of our race habits of thrift, hab-
Its of economy. AN idle man, a vic