The Twin City star., 1916-06-24
INTERRACIAL GOOD WILL.

Byrd PriIIerman Tells Sunday School
Workers How It Is Obtained.
Professor Byrd Prillerman, president
of the West Virginia Collegiate insti-
tute, in concluding his address before
the recent annual meeting Of the West
Virginia Sunday School association
said:
The Negroes interest in the work Of
the West Virginia Sunday School as
sociation dates from the time you de-
clared a special interest in him. This
at once attracted his attention. For
ever since party of Negroes took that
trip In a Dutch vessel with party Of
white men to jamestown, Va, in 1919,
the Negro becomes suspicious when
the white man shows any special in
terest in his welfare. Herein lies one
Of our most serious problems. The Ne
gro Is suspicious of the white man, and
the white man is suspicious Of him.
The best way to convince the Negro
Of your interest in him is to manifest
the same kind of genuine interest that
has been shown in him by this associa-
ton. You have impressed him with
your interest by putting special work
er of his own race in the field in the
person of Rev. e. G. Page, by making
it possible for Rev. H. G. Lyman, D. D.,
national worker, to hold Sunday
school institute at the summer school
for teachers at the West Virginia Col
legiate institute for two sessions and
by having the students Of that institu-
ton to attend your last convention in
Charleston in body.
But your most genuine interest has
been impressed by Mr.. Arthur T. Ar
mold, your scholarly, consecrated secre
tary, coming among us and helping us
and by the Sunday school institute he
had conducted at the West Virginia
Collegiate institute last January. It is
generally thought by teachers and stu
dents that this was the most helpful
week in the history of our school. 1t
has not been the practice of your secre.
tary and other workers Of this associa
ton to grow respondent over the evils
the Negro brought with him from hea.
thenism through slavery. But they
have needed the injunction that the
strong ought to bear the infirmities Of
the weak.
I agree with Macaulay when he says
that there Is only one cure for the
evils which newly acquired freedom
produces, and that cure is freedom
When d prisoner first leaves his cell he
cannot bear the light Of day; he is un
| able to discriminate cOlOrs or recognize
faces. But the remedy is not to re-
mand him to his dungeon. but to ac
custom him to the rays Of the sun. The
blaze Of truth and liberty may at first
dazzle and bewilder nations which
have become half blind in the house of
bondage. But let them gaze on and
they will soon be able to bear it. If
men are to wait for liberty till they
become wise and good in slavery they
may indeed wait forever
The Negro has proved his loyalty to
this country by his devotion to her best
interests. Who ever heard Of member
of this race melting strike or leading
mob? Crispus Attucks. Negro
slave, shed the first blood for American
liberty. The Negro soldier has fought
on the battlefields Of every war this
country has waged in defense Of hu-
man liberty. To right his wrongs the
Indian uses the tomahawk and scalp
ing knife, the Frenchman applies the
torch, the Russian uses dynamite. But
the American Negro has fought, bled
and died for the flag that enslaved him.
"The sweetest song in human story
will tell you how. when laundering
guns moved white men down on fields
of glory, he stayed at home to save the
helpless ones"