The Denver star., 1914-10-17

Prsaehss Doctrine Of Character ~
True Measure Of Manhood.
BY WILLIAM II. DAVIS.
Okmulgee. Okla.-The high esteem in
which Or. Booker T. Washington is
held by the people of both races in
Okmulgee and vicinity was never more
generously shown than 1t was on his
recent visit to this town. At the meet
Ing held on this occasion DR.. Washing
ton WAS made welcome in most time
ly address delivered by DR.. o. A. Lam
BERT who In part said:
come today as a representative of the
| Anglo-Saxon race to bid your people q
| godspeed in every undertaking that will
lift them to a better. higher. nobler.
condition of life Whether we will II or not.
you are part o: our national existence.
and in the years gone by the hand of fate
has linked your destiny with ours. and
| future years can only reveal its fullest
| meaning. AS people your place in his
| tory is unique. Torn from a dark conti-
| nent OF ignorance and superstition by the
| ruthless hand OF greed, enslaved for 100
years by superior race redeemed from
that bondage by treasures Of money and
sacrifice of the best blood OF nation and
| suddenly given all the rights and priv
| ileges OF citizenship of that nation. you
hold place in history unparalleled and
| AS a race stand alone.
Believing in the doctrine that charac-
ter Is the true measure of a man. that
merit is the determining factor in tho
scale OF life and that true worth may be
found under black skin az well as the
white. that race of people has \ mo-
nopoiy on all the good or all the bad. but
that the virtues and the vices flourish
alike in all the races under the same con-
ditions OF life and environment-witht these
truths uppermost in our hearts today We
can speak the message OF cheer and hope
to the Afro-American race. Fifty years
ago 100000 OF your people were wearing
the calling chains of slavery. without
property.
But today you present yourselves with
more than 10000 of people, paying taxes
on t7o0 10000 worth of property. sus-
taining more than sixty Afro-American
banks, having your own schools. churches
and colleges. with representatives Of your
race permeating all branches Of indus
trial. commercial and intellectual lie and
activity Of the nation. In the south
schoolteachers. where half century ago
1t was . crime to teach = Negro % read
and write There are today more than
l.loo instructors in 1e9 academies. schools
and colleges Yho are graduates Of col
ieses; more than 10000 Sunday school
are graduates from theological schools
There are 100 lawyers, ,3N doctors and
scores OF editors OF magazines and news
papers who are engaged In lifting the
once benighted and superstitious mind OF
the race hlto the sunlight Of knowledge
and truth.
To the question "1s the Negro capable OF
Intellectual attainment" you have given
the affirmative by such Afro-American
colleges as wiberforce. Allen. Livingston
and Tuskesee. schools with such intel
Iectual minds as Bishop Payne. Mitchell.
Price and Booker 7. Washington.
To those who think that the Negro lacks
enterprise and business accumen you can
point with pride to j. IL. Lewis the sec
ond largest merchant tailor In the state
of Massachusetts and fourth IN the Unit
cd States, or 10 M o. Atwood OF East
sagamore Mich, one of the largest lum-
ber dealers of the northwest. born an Al
| ALBANIA slave. or to Walter y, Han, the
largest Wholesale produce merchant on
Market street Philadelphia, But why take
| time to specify by nameg For they are
legion who have entered the Industrial
and commercial field and have shown
great ability and thrift in the manage
ment of business enterprise.
| To those who thought the Negro lack
| ing In ingenuity and mech3nical skill you
can tell then, OF Mccoy. who Invented
the Iubricator now in use on nearly all
| railroad engines, or Lewis H. Latlner'
| the expert electrician Of the New YORK
Electric Light company. who personally
| lsuperintended the installation OF light
plants in the great cities Of England. or
W. A. Hezel, the noted designer and dec
| orator. Some Of the finest art glass IN
our churches today are his designs 10
those who think you are devoid OF culture
and love Of the esthetc, point them to w
E. Bannister, whose painting Under the
Oaks" won the medal at the Philadelphia
exposition in 1876. or Professor Henry o.
Tanner. who recently sold to the Lusern- =
burg gallery his famous painting the
| "Raixng of Lazarus" the second Amer
lean artist to sell his work to that inst-
tuition.
To those who charge that the Negro
lacks physical courage and fortitude let
the annals OF history answer how at FORT
Pillow and Cold Harbor In the war TO
save the UrIebn the black troops stood the
merciless fire Of the enemy in such n
manner as TO call forth the admiration OF
the whole country. or. In the spanish =
American war with the well disciplined
. and fortified Spanish troops pouring n
deadly fire from the hill into the faces OF
tho black troops. with q song on their
, lips, MY Country. Tis OF Theo. S~ect
! Land of Liberty" went charging up the
hill and saved to the rough riders inc VIC
tory of San Juan Hill
You, sir. have already proved to the
, world that you have tho essential ele-
ments. though crude some may be. to be
. come self supporting, self governing
race OF people. Give you 400 years OF
American freedom. American opportunity
and possibility and such will be your
achievement that II 1t were possible for
Lincoln. your great deliverer, to look
down from the portals of heaven he would
little suspect you were the descsn1anta
, from those from whose limbs he uniooset
d the shackles. Napoleon once said. II and
time can accomplish all thfNGs.'e THIS
was not true. but we have the faith that
| with patience and sober judgment N God
own good time the race problem Wiii be
satIsfactorily settled. not by violence. nos
by transportation or segregation. not BY
social equality or distinction or race n'ix.
ture, but along tho lines of inteilectuAi
and Industrial attainments by the lndi-
vtduai growth OF character into true won,-