The Twin City star. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1910-19??, 1911-02-18

ment In the persons OF PROFESSOR Ou'
bois, Judge R. n. Terrell and Roscoe
Conkling Bruce, who won signal hon.
ors from Harvard, the most famous
educational institution in America.
To this number l desire to add the
name Of Young Locke. colored man
Of your own state, who recently won
4 Rhodes scholarship and Is now
studying at Oxford. in England. His
record there is most commendable.
Within the last thirty years we have
been able to eliminate over 80 per cent
Of our illiteracy. We have 10000
children in the public schools and 140.-
600 students in the higher institutions:
students learning trades, 10000; teach
ers. 10000. There are $4,000 volumes
in colored libraries, 256 institutions
for higher education, 500 physicians,
$50 lawyers, 1000 books written by
members Of the race and about 400
newspapers under our management.
We consider this a creditable showing
for forty five years Of freedom.
Our Moral and Religious Progress.
We have made marvellous progress
along moral and religious lines. Mr..
Douglass used to say. 1--WE are to be
measured from the depth whence we
came, and not from the height to which
We are to attain" We are aware that
we have a criminal class among us,
and we would do different from any
other race If we did not have such q
class. Our criminal class is greatly
augmented, however, by trumped up
charges on the part Of southern whites
in order to create a false impression
against us and destroy what sympathy
we have in the north; in the second
place, to supply the convict lease
camps; thirdly, If we were not de-
barred from certain kinds Of work in
the north there would be less necessi-
ty for criminality in this section.
This argument is not advanced to
condone crime, but to enlighten those
who are ignorant on the subject. Our
ministers, teachers, editors and other
leaders are doing everything in their
power to reform the criminals among
us and to prevent others from becom-
ing criminals. This we hope to do by
urging upon our people the necessity
Of more thorough home training. The
watchword among us is, 'the eleva-
ton Of the home" As I stand here
and look out upon the possibilities Of
the twentieth century I am conscious
Of the fact that because Of our color
and previous condition Of servitude our
task is the most difficult Of any race
in this fair land. And yet, If he would
reach the goal Of substantial accom-.
plishment, it must be due largely to
our own exertions. The question Is,
how is this to be accomplished?
First.-By the continuation Of our ed
ucational work. Education Is the in
dispensable requisite for the advance
ment Of any people. While we, as
race, have made unprecedented prog
ress in this direction, as shown above,
there Is still great room for improve
ment There Is large amount Of ig-
norance among the masses which Is
yet to be overcome. 1t is our purpose
to educate the head, the hand and the
heart.
Secondly engaging in business. We
have entered every avenue of business,
from the skilled bootblack, laundryman
and farmer to the banker. Our great
need today is more business men. We
are not ashamed to begin on small
scale. That Is the way to develop
business capacity. As rule our
wages are so meager that we cannot
save sufficient money to embark in
large financial enterprises. Therefore,
we have had to do like the white man
combine our capital, organize COOP
erative enterprises. Indeed, enter into
all kinds of honest alliances in order
to make money.
Third.-Development Of character.
Character is the first essential in the
upbuilding Of any people, and we know
that If the colored man Is to take his
rightful place among the races of this
great commonwealth he must continue
to develop his morals. Our teachers
and preachers are laying great stress
upon virtue. both by precept and ex-
ample. We are lifting the standard Of
morality high, and all kinds Of immo-
rality is discountenanced. A noble.
well rounded character Is the goal to
which every Afro-American is urged
to reach. We need the help Of the
good white people everywhere in the
work Of our moral advancement. We
sound the Macedonian cry to our white
friends of the east, west, north and
south, Come over and help us!'
Help us by the establishment of more
state reform schools, orphanages, hos
pitfalls, colleges and industrial schools.
As a race we are very grateful for
what has been done for us along these
lines, and we are striving to show our.
selves worthy recipients Of such bene-
fits. We realize as never before the
necessity of helping ourselves, and the
leaders Of the race have resolved to
do more for the moral elevation of the
race in the future than they have in
the past.
Fourth.-The groundwork Of our ma
terial advancement is industry. AS a
race we are generally industrious. but
we need to become more skillfully So
Unskilled labor cannot compete with
skilled labor. neither north nor south
In the past we were given certain 20,
sitions by our white friends as the re-