The Appeal. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. ;) 1889-19??, 1912-01-13

and church, you and your family,
!, and mine, cannot exist, unless we
have something to do, and we are
sure to have less and less to do, I'M
less we do better work, give more re-
liable service, put some brains into
our business, cease to take advantage
Of patrons just because we can.
We've got to learn that when we are
dishonest in our dealings we are
cutting off our noses to spite our own
faces, that misappropriation now
means no appropriation after awhile.
What do l mean? Just this, that
when we are put out here and put out
there, and the question arises why,
Somebody says, prejudice. Now, pref
udice might not admit you to the
establishment of Mr.. A, or B., but
| when once you've gotten there, and
that business begins to pay better
| dividends because of your service than
it has ever paid before, will prejudice
put you out? Generally speaking
gentlemen, we're wrong! Our utility,
| our indispensable service to that bust
ness, would keep us there forever, but
| you go backward instead of forward,
il business loses instead Of gains, what
then? You've got t. find an answer
in the character Of service And if
! there is business man or woman
among you, ii there is a student Of
Industrial ard social conditions among
you, you know that | speak truly.
Take our own business men and
women OF color in this town and ask
them Why our people do not succeed
better, and they'll answer you every
one it's service, just the character Of
service. The barber can't find reli-
able trustworthy men. the head wait
ers Of color can't get courteous, hon
est, walters who won't talk too much
The grocery keepers cannot depend
upon clerks and deliveryboys, the
and deliver half done next week,
house but knows that any kind of
domestic service that's half way right,
is practically impossible to get
Some colored employees say to me,
that colored man Or woman will not
do for his own people, what he'll do
for others, it's sad if it's true. l do
not know that It's true, l do know
that it's becoming more and more diff
fcult for us to get employment among
white people, and you may not agree
with me when l tell you that the
cause is $40 to be found in our serv-
ice, but way down deep in your
hearts you know that it's difficult to
get anybody to do for you as you can
do for yourself.
| beg of you, gentlemen, protect
yourselves, your family, your COM
munity by your utility, by the charac-
ter Of the service you renderd.
Again, your own character, what you
are. is your best protection, that is,
if it's a good one. What you and | have
been doing all our lives, that's good,
that moral type that's Impressed up
On a man by the habitual exercise of
noble emotions and a we'll trained
WILL
You and l can live so we'll that
nobody will come to ask you to betray
your trust, to sacrifice your honor
to barter your rights; that nobody
will APPROACH you with proposals of
dishonesty, indecency Nobody will
dare to suggest that you sell your
birthright for mess of pottage.
And [ tell you gentlemen this is
the real, invaluable protection to you
whether in lodge or family or COM
munity.. You tell me that the law
protects and so it does, or ought to-.
You tell me you protect yourself, and
SO you do, but | maintain still that
your character reaches to vital things,
people, influences where the law can
! never reach. Within you are the is
| sues of life, the life essence. No
| pliceman or sheriff or Judge, gets
| there but conscience and consciousness
are there, sometimes making towards
of us all sometimes heroes, fearless
when you know you're right, cringing
| when you know you're wrong. Nc
fear of exposure when you're right
there's nothing to expose. No fear Of
full orbed day, when you're right, yOr
love the light and sunshine.
Gentlemen, that character protects
you from without, gives you peace
within, it's better attorney, than the
most eloquent advocate, it's more con
vincing than the most effective plea
it carries greater weight than tn
testimony of witness.
! say that character is greater thar
law, because if men had character W.
would need no law. Your complain
of the laws delay, the circumlocution
the influence of money, the corruption
of juries, the selling out of lawyers
the bias of Judges, means what
Means, and means only, that men ar
devoid of character! The failure, tn
miscarriage of justice, is not in law
it's in men!
But why should it be? There i
, no advantage in it, it breeds dissatis
ifaction, discomfort, hatred, revolution
There is no economic advantage il
it, it wastes money, time, energy.
| You and I should long for the time
pray for it, when mems protection vii
reside in good character. We shout
: help that day to come, by being goo
7 ourselves and in lodges, in state, i
: church, in family, anywhere, every
| where encourage others to be so!
Some day the heart painting fC
cooling streams come to the life gi0
l ing water, and while he slaked hi
} thirst concealed hunter shot hi
: through the heart.
Some day Ponce de Leon, sought fC
the tabled water of youth, in whic
if a man should bathe he would b.
= come young again, and while he wa
. still engaged in the search an India
l arrow wounded him unto death.
It's true story of humanity, alway
=. getting ready to live, always in tn
shadow of death.
! Some day you and l congratulate
ourselves upon our security, and a
unlimited visitor, seats himself in OF