The Twin City star., 1914-03-06

Paotor OF firet unitarian Cnuron IN
Detroit Gives His Views on the Prob.
lem Of Manhood Rights 40 II Relates
70 oAfro-Amerieans-True Meaning Of
Emancipation.
BY FRANCIS II. WARREN.
Detroit, Mich.-My interest was
much aroused when I read the an
in the daily press Of this
city that the Rev. DR.. Eugene Rodman
Shipper, pastor Of the First Unitarian
church, Woodward avenue and ed
mund place. would preach sermon on
'The Negro. Our Brother" as a pre-
lude to the general celebration of Lin
coins birthday, and l at once deter
mined to hear that sermon. -.r.
I was first to arrive at the church.
A good sized congregation turned out
to listen to this learned divine talk
upon this burning subject just one
month after the now famous DR.. Joel
q. Spingarn addressed a mass meet
ing Of 1900 people at the Second Bap-
list church.
Shows Oneness Of the Human Family.
DR.. Shippen took for his text the
twenty-sixth verse of the seventeenth
chapter Of Acts, HE hath made Of one
blood all nations of men," He in part
said: a 81. a..r "'..
The anniversary of the birth of Abra-
ham Lincoln brings to our attention the
50 called race problem. Lincoln wrestled
with the problem that our attention il
called to today. Emancipation in his time
related to the freedom of man to do what
he pleased with his own person and labor,
freedom to go and come and move about
Emancipation today means a different
freedom. 1t means the freedom Of the
Negro to enjoy all the civil rights and to
receive q just administration of the law
There has been q reaction toward greater
prejudice, and race prejudice Is now found
north az well as south. The north can
no longer point its finger Of shame at the
south.
A young woman possessing O trace Of
Negro blood was employed In q large De-
troit establishment for three years, Civ
ing satisfactory service. before It was
learned that she possessed Negro blood
when she was Immediately discharged.
shall not make further comment on the
act, but the problem has become national
In it's scope. The Negro has been polit-
ically disfranchised In some states. 1t Is
said that some Of them will sell their
votes for drink Of liquor. but this Is
not q Negro popularity, There are hum
dreds Of white men who will do the same
thing. II there is to be discrimination In
permitting people to vote 1t should be a
Rot ofv1o ho oad odn-
cation or other like qualification. but not
upon race or color in this democratic ma
ton.
Country Should BE Ruled by tho People
Whites don't want to be ruled by the
blacks. Neither do the blacks want to be
ruled by the whites. We want neither
white nor black to rule. We want rule
Of all the people. as Lincoln advocated In
his great speech at Gettysburg. Industri-
ally the Negro faces many hardships
Even II he has the slightest trace Of Negro
blood he meets with ostracism and exclu-
sion from many fields of employment.
Many employers would employ Negroes.
but their workmen in,erpose serious OBJ
jections to working with their colored
brethren. which Is q grave wrong against
humanity.
In the face of such conditions 1t is no
way to criminal lives No colored man
may now go through West Point or An
napolis notwithstanding there is no law
to prevent 1t Is simply the fact that
state There are at least nine great COL
leges north Of Mason and Dixon's line,
where life Is made miserable for Negro
students. The refined and educated Negro
meets with many difficulties when trav-
cling, and he Is often denied the courte-
sies and accommodations due refined peo-
pie, while white man. though he be In
ferior Is made entirely welcome and &C.
corded every courtesy.
Negroes have souls as well as we. How
any one can willfully injure one with such
impunity Is simply inconceivable, / am
not concerned with the question Of social
equality. That takes care of itself Ev-
cry man has the absolute and inherent
right to select his own associates, and
that question does not enter into the dis
cussion Due to the agitation Of enemies
Of the race, for the first time dfscrimina-
ton is being practiced against Negroes In
the governmental departments. l know
from personal experience there has been
no friction between the white and colored
employees at the nations capital who
have worked side by side for more than Q
generation. President Wilson promised
just and fair Christian treatment to the
Negroes before his election, and those OF
us who admire him most expect the most
from him and a faithful performances OF
his promise.
Make Cinsoin's ideals Effective.
The failure to give the Negro civil JUS
tice was nothing to the failure to give him
legal justice. The defender Of lynching Is
the defender of murder. The Negro suf-
fers through no fault Of his own. He Is
what the great God Of nature has made
him. They are now preparing to build
great $1,000 900 monument to Lincoln. This
will be erected Of marble and cement. but
the truest and most lasting monument
that could be erected to the memory OF
the greatest of Americans would be tc
carry into effect the simple ideals which
he advocated while on earth.
The Negro has proved his fitness fol
American citizenship. has proved his brav.
cry and heroism by receiving seventeen
Carnegie prizes for heroism during the
past year. He owns billion dollars ir
property. He has dispelled ignorance and
10 now 60 per cent literate and he is alto
gether as ft as any other class Of oui
complex citizenry. The spirit Of love Il
bound sooner or later to prevail. Lin
coln's religion was love Of God. love OF
man. We win do well to follow his noble
example In both word and deed.
Thus twice within the space Of one
month have the best Of Detroit's white
people proved that they are one with
ma I'm a righteous desire to wipe out