The Colorado statesman., 1911-11-25


given TO be at a given place OF labor
on Monday morning at certain hour
we must be there, no matter what be-
falls us.
And then we mast remember that
progress is being made in every kind
satisfy on the farm, or in the factory
OF shop or kitchen or dining-room or
laundry twenty years ago will not
satisfy today. In all these respects
improvements are constantly taking
place, and the negro man and the me-
gro woman must make progress or
they will find themselves left behind
and other races will come in and take
their places in the world OF labor
which We now occupy.
'T am glad to see that the colored
people have two banking institutions
in the city OF Birmingham. This is
most praiseworthy and important. 1t
is not only necessary that our people
have instilled into them proper meth
ods Of labor, but equally important
that they be taught through the
church and the school to save a large
proportion of what they earn. And
let me add here that it will pay every
white man and every white lady who
employs colored labor to encourage
them to save part of what they earn.
The colored people for the most part
who do not render satisfactory ser
vice as laborers is the class that have
nothing and want nothing. The class
of colored people who cannot be de-
pended upon as laborers for the most
part are those who want such a lit
tie that they can supply these wants
by working two or three days in the
week, and when they have gotten
enough money to supply their few
wants, whether it is drink OF whisky
or a chew of tobacco, then they stop
work and say what the dickens isNthe
use of working any longer. On the
other hand, the colored man who owns
house and wants to add another
room to that house, who owns one
dwelling and wants to buy another
dwelling, or the colored woman who
has 500 in the bank and wants to
put 5000 In the bank, is the individual
who will work steadily for six or sew
en- days in the week.
Through education the wants of
the negro must be multiplied If we
expect him to become more satisfac-
tory as a laborer. Wherever people
have little education, they do not give
satisfaction as laborers, because igno-
rance means that the individual has
few wants to be satisfied and these
wants can be satisfied by working
two or three days in the week and
then the individual ceases to work.
"A gentleman residing in Birming
ham who has mining interests In Mex
leo told me few days ago that the
worth from three to four times as
much as the Mexican as laborer
This meant that the negro in Birmfng-
ham had by contact with the white
man, through the influence of the
church. the Sunday school, and the
day school had been educated to some
extent, had his wants increased above
the wants of the Mexican, consequent
ly the negro in Birmingham was more
satisfactory as laborer than the
Mexican. In proportion as the col
ored people are educated everywhere,
/ repeat tEat thy will boone more sat
isfactory as laborers. y
81 am glad to see that you are erect
ing new school buildings for the
housing of the colored children in this
city, and l am sure that our people
appreciate everything that is done for
them in this regard. To my own race
in this county, however. l want to
suggest that 1t is most important that
a large proportion of the colored chill
dren be put into the public schools.
l find that during the past school year
while So per cent. of the white children
in the county attended public schools,
only per cent. of the colored chill
dren in the county attended any pub
lie school. This means ignorance and
ignorance means crime and crime
means not only inefficiency, but it
means in the last analysis a heavy
load for the community and the state
W carry. IL 10 " GuuCdlt
than 1t is to punish.
THE main point which l want to
urge upon my colored hearers is this:
Beginning from tonight. | want to
urge that every member of our race
begin to save larger proportion OF
what he earns. Too much in the past
we have squandered our earnings,
it has been thrown away for things
which we could have done without
In many cases we have worked hard
all the week and then in few min
utes on Saturday night the last dol
lar has been squandered. So long as
we have the reputation of being race
of spendthrifts. SO long will our entire
race be hindered in its progress.
want to urge each one of my hearers
to exert his influence in helping our