The Twin City star. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1910-19??, 1915-08-07
DR.. JOHNSON IS OPTIMISTIC.
Loader Of New England Baptists Tells
Race to Stand Firm.
BY N. BARNETT DoDsON.

Iodoor OF NEW 6n9Iano pdPtiStS tolS
Race to Stand Firm.
BY N. BARNETT DoDsoN.
New York.-In closing his annual ad-
dress to the New England Baptist mis-
sionary convention, which closed its
forty-first annual session In this city
recently, DR.. w. Bishop Johnson, presi-
dent, said:
The New England Baptist missionary
convention Is Negro institution and
as such stands for everything good
that has the Negro brand upon 1t. She
believes in the capability of the Negro
first, last and all the time. Her faith
In glorious future for the race leads
her to plan and suffer, remembering
that "the sufferings Of the present time
are not worthy to be compared with
the glory that shall be revealed in U.s."
She also believes In that he who
would be free must himself first strike
the blow"
our problem is the Negro himself. The
record of sterling character and worth
that makes men superior must be made
by the Negro himself. We have made
record for patience; now let us make
one for persistency. The Pauline ex-
preston, "We press forward" must be
the slogan Of the Negro everywhere,
"from Names tall pines and crags Of
snow, to where magnolia's blossoms
blow; from oriental chambers, whose
windows open upon the turbulent At
lantic, to Hesperian hills, who wash
their feet in the peaceful Pacific"
1t is the conspiracy Of American
prejudice to humiliate the race every
where, north and south.
Nowhere upon history's pages can
an example Of race hatred as wicked
and devilish be found as that of Amer
lea. If 1t were leveled at the criminal
and dangerous classes 1t might be justi-
fable, but 1t is directed to that ele-
ment in our race life that contributes
the highest and best to western civili-
zation and lives by the inspiration It
receives from government officials and
clerical parasites, who, instead Of
preaching q gospel Of love for all men,
are preaching gospel Of hate and con-
fusion toward the Negro.
1t would be good policy for this coun-
try to court the love rather than the
hatred Of the black citizenship; to de-
velop their loyalty by administering
justice and equity rather than lynch,
disfranchise and segregate the very
people who will certainly have to be
reckoned with to repel an invading foe
from abroad or put down insurrection
and civil strife at home. What has
happened in American history with the
black man on the battlefield will sure
ly happen again, but unless the govern
ment acc0rds him better treatment
both as a man and citizen in the fu-
ture he may not be so loyal and pa
tient, but use his larger intelligence
and finer powers Of discrimination In
other rather than constructive way.
The new brand Of American states
manship which has found its way to
the front must be taught at the polls
to have conscience as we'll as fat
pocketbook. He must be taught the
value Of brains as well as q bank ac-
count. He must be taught that citi-
zenship and individual liberty are one
and the same. Anything else is hum
bug and national disgrace. We call
upon the race to stand firm for high
character and race unity-unify our
forces in church and state at home
and abroad, sink individual ambition
when the good Of all Is In the balance.
The race Is closer together now than
any period Of its history. To say less
would be confession of judgment to
retrogression, stagnation and inability
to respond to all that education and
religion have done for the worlds bet
terment. We are rising in spite Of Or
ganized and diabolical efforts to hinder
US. We are nearer the heights today
than we have been before. We easily
assimilate in the heterogeneous civili-
zation Of the world, and we serve no
tice on our contemporaries and unborn
generations that our feet shall stand
where others are, our hands shall gath
er the priceless heritage Of racial self
sacrifice and racial glory, and our eyes
shall feast upon the golden glories Of
a people once lost, but now redeemed.