The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1915-08-23
Yesterday in the Churches
NEGROES HAVE GREATER
OPPORTUNITY IN SOUTH
More Friendly Understanding Between
Races In South, Says DIR.
Drew.

Dr. Simon p. w. Drew, who has
been conducting very successful
series of revival services in Richmond
Tor the past three months, took occa-
sion yesterday as a prelude to his SER
mon to praise the Southern white peo-
| pie In the highest terms. DIR. Drew
Us pastor OF the Cosmopolitan Baptist
Church, of Washington, D. c., and has
travelled extensively through the
North, East and West. and thus is In
position to speak with authority on
questions affecting the condition of the
race In different parts of the United
States. DIR. Drew said In part:
After sotourning in your city for
over three months, coming in contact
with both white and colored people In
all walks of life, am thoroughly con-
WINGED that the South offers better op-
portunities for the masses of the COL
ored people than the North. East or
West / find that there is a more
friendly understanding between the
races in the South than there Is any
! where else. am a Southerner by
birth. my parents coming from Drews-
vile, Southampton County, Va.
have been up North about twenty
years. leaving the South when / was
very young.
! Better Opportunities Here.
/ II have found that the weathiest
negroes in the country are in the
South. They have better opportuni-
ties here than they do in the North
or the West. The negroes in the South
have an opportunity to get better and
more regular occupation. Especially
the laboring and domestic classes, than
they have in the North. The negro IL
supplanted by foreigners in the car
penter's, wheeiwrtght's and brickma.
sons trade. The white unions will
not work side by side with the col
ored men. therefore / am advising oul
folks not to colonize in great masses
! in the North. 1t will take years for
you to compete with advantage ur
there"
| DIR. Drew gave very high praise to
Mrs. Maggie L. Walker, treasurer oi
the Order of st. Luke. who was offered
months vacation with 5000 for her
expenses. but which Mrs. Walker de.
clined, saying that her conscience
would not let her accept the money
while so many old colored people were
| in need. Mrs. Walker is not oni,
connected with the order of St. Luke
but she is also president of a colored
bank In Richmond, being the only
woman of her race to hold such po'
sition.
National Negroes Home.
! Referring to the efforts of the ne
groes to establish a home for ex'
slaves and their dependent heirs. DR.
Drew said:
II believe that National Old Folks
Home should be erected somewhere in
| the United States for these old people
and I have been praying to Almighty
! God for many years that some charit-
able phiIanthropist would donate tbs
land for such home. / am pleased
Ito announce that the Richmond FL
nance and Realty Corporation ha:
given ten acres of land for Nationa
| Old Folks Home, where a home will
be erected. also an orphan asylum and
an industrial school. Five acres oil
land for a park in Myrtle Grove have
been donated also"
DR.. Drew ended his remarks by
praising the industry of the negroes
of Richmond. He said that the ne
groes of this city pay taxes on $4,000
900 worth of property, and through
out the State, on ss4.000,oo0 worth
Over two-thirds of the negroes in the
United States lives In the South and
they are the most prosperous OF the
whole race.