The broad ax., 1914-09-05
OF THE BROAD AK BILL
LOOKING BACKWARD FORWARD

1 they say made love to Mary the wife
of Joseph-the mother Of Jesus, who
brought three or four other children
into this world aside from the SON Of
God. They can explain how Daniel
happened to tGrry so long in the Lions
den without being devOured by them.
They can very infinitely relate to you
that the three Hebrews rested up in the
frey furnace without getting one hair
on their heads singed by the roaring
flames. But they are as dumb as oysters
when they are called upon to elsborate
on the achievements Of the scholars be-
longing to their own race.
Therefore, let the Afro-American re-
frain from spending 80 much time in
studying the wild and visionary stories
in the bible and devote more Of his
time in familiarizing himself with the
literary productions Of those of his own
flesh and blood; then it will not be hard
for him to learn that the pen is more
powerful or mightier than the sword.
As Victor Hugo says in his eloquent
and classical Grafton on that great
humanitarian "Voltaire," that Vol
taire uttered a loud shrek Of horror
which penetrated down to the bottom
of his warm iberty-loving heart, when
he beheld the priesthood and the church
cutting the tongues out of the mouths
Of the people, pouring melted lead in
their ears, tearing them to pieces over
the racks, binding them by putting
out their eyes, simply because they
would not yield obedience to the church
and the priesthood in all things.
Voltaire, alone, with his pen, in the
presence of those united forces, the
court, the nobility, the church, capitol,
that unconscious power, the blind null
titude, that terrible majesty so severe
to subjects, so doeile to the master,
crushing and hattering, kneeling upon
the people before the king; that clergy
vile, melange of hyprOeisy and fanatic
ism, Voltaire alone, we repeat it, de-
elared war against that collation. of all
the social iniquities against that enorm-
Gus and terrible world, and he accepted
battle with it. And what dear readers
was his weaponf That which has the
Ightness of the wind and the power
of the thunderbolt-a pen. With that
weapon he fought, with that weapon
he conquered.
Our main contention is that if Voltaire
could stand up single-handed alone and
work up and create a sentiment which
ompelled the rulers or the authorities of
the church and of France itself to
accord to them their religious and po-
litieal liberty, what could several hun
dred able Negro writers accomplish in
the way of creating public sentiment in
favor of the Afro-American being per-
mitted to freely enjoy all of his natural
rights, if their publications were prop
erly supportedi For it hath been said
by that eminent authority who was one
Of the greatest champions of the man.
hood rights of the Afro-Ameriean-I
Wendell Phillips-that "Armies are
nothing, courts are nothing, laws are
nothing, unless they are backed up by
public sentiment" And mark our
words, the Negro never will have public
sentiment on his side in this country
until he is willing to heartily and
eheerfully support newspapers published
for the advancement of his
race.
For printers ink and education
tinged with irony and song saps away
the strong foundations Of all monument
al wrongs.
In conclusion, from the bottom of
our warm and sympathetic heart, we
most gratefully desire to express our
lasting gratitude to each and every one
who have in the past and the present
time assisted in any way to make it
possible for US to present them with q
copy Of the Nineteenth Anniversary
edition Of The Broad Az.