Franklin's paper the statesman., 1911-12-30
TO EDUCATED COLORED MEN
GREETINGS.

GREETINGS:
/ am taking advantage of the ap-
proaching New Year to address you a
few words of serious greeting. You
represent the first generation of your
race. now grown TO fullness OF the
stature of manhood. under the inilu-
ence and power of education. You are
the first ripened fruit of philanthropy
and by you alone will it's wisdom or
folly be justified. The hope OF the
race is focused in you. You are TO
furnish the headlight TO direct the
parth through the dangers and yiscis-
situdes OF the wilderness. For want oil
vision the people perish; Tor want OF
wise direction, they stumble ana lall
There is no body of men In the
world today, now in the history OF the
world. who have. or ever nave had
greater responsibilities or more COW
erted opportunities than devolve upon
YOU. Il is indeed a privilege to De
Negro OF light and leading in such a
time as this The incidental eInbar'
rassments and disadvantages when
-fur-the time being. must be endured
are not TO be compared with the iar
more exceeding weight OF privilege
and glory which awaits you II you
a privilege well may you forego the
pleasures of civilization for 4 season
Your world consists OF l0.O0O.oOu
souls. who have wrapped up in them
an the needs and necessities. pow
ers and possibilities of human nature;
thc~ contain all the norms OF ciHlllZ-
alton from its roots to its florescence.
Yours is the task to develop and vital
fZe these smothered faculties ana po-
tentialities Your education VIII prove
to be but vanity and veNauon oil splr-
1t. unless IL ultimates in TINS TASK.
You are the salt of this earth, ana II
the salt lose it's savior wherewlth
shall it be salted? If the light within
the racial world be darkness. how
great is that darkness?
The highest call of the civilization
OF the world today is TO the educated
Young man OF the belated races. Inc
educated young manhood OF Japan
China, India. Egypt and Turkey must
lift their own people up to the hlsh
level OF their own high conceptloh'
They must partakc OF the best thlhss
in the civilization OF Europe and sho"
them unto their own people. Your
task is the same as one Europe IN
tensified. perhaps, by the more diff
stances and conditions with which
you must deal.
You cannot afford to sink INTO
slothful satisfaction and do your lit
tie lob. draw your little pay, and en-
ioy your tasteless leisure. and with
inane sclf.deception hide your little
head under the shadow of your wings,
like the foolish bird, which thereby
homes to escape the wrath to come.
As YOU look over the field the whole
sweep of racial movement seems TO
be retrograde. The race has been dis
Aranchised and jim-crowed and segre-
Egatcd. Lynching and burning of Ne
groes and horrors of indescribable
atrocity. has become fixed Ameri-
can institution. The Christian con
science has become sore. and only
Christ In Heaven weeps
There ia no other source of help but
God and you. The white race through
philanthropy has done much; but It's
vicarious task was practically com.
pleted when 1t developed you. ffon
must do the rest. Our gratitude can
never repay the debt we owe. They
spoke for us when our tongues were
tied: they pleaded for us when we
were speechless. But now our facul-
ties are unlOoseu, We inust s'ahu vi
our own footing. The greatest srau-
tude that the beneficiary can show to
the benefactor is, as soon as possible,
to do without his benefaction. True,
we are not yet able to cut loose wholly
from the benevolent assistance; we
still need some more earrings and
finger-rings and other furnishings
from the Egyptians. But the great
outstanding fact remains, the task of
race craftsmanship and reclamation is
not primarily the white mans burden,
but yours. Upon you will depend its
success or failure.
AS far as righteous insistence upon
Lalienable human rights will permit.
live at peace and helpful cooperation