The Kansas City sun. (Kansas City, Mo.) 1908-1924, 1916-06-10
ON SOCIAL EQUALITY.
BY CHAS. A. STARKS.

IHe IHluSS IlldI make lOr q nlSneT
civilization naturally make for a bet.
ter society. Science, art and litera.
ture forms the triple alliance which
has ever importantly promoted men
to higher planes of experience. These
subjects occupy the minds of those
that make up our communities. These
subjects of discourse are represented
and discussed in their multiform sub.
divisions. These make up the great
idea of human life. Here sociality be-
comes world thought
To every individual of the world the
pertinent question could be asked:
How have you complied with the con.
ditions of human experience that you
found here upon your arrival and your
awakening to manhood? How much
have you contributed TO the stability of
social Institutions? The final ques-
tion appears to be: How far have you
raised the standard in your individual
sphere, or have you really lowered it &?
Men act uponrconditions either good
or bad. This is the only real social
distinction. Mere wealth. power race
or color are fading nonenities. The
great moral law of right, of purity of
motive is the only true line of demark-
! alton. 1t separates the wheat from
( the chaff. Men may not always see
( this on account of its subtlety, but it
is eternally true.
Social equality is only proven by
somebody's social proclivities. 1t is
necessary, in order to prove any de-
( gree of social equality to standardize
/ those who would socialize, and there
/ fore form what is correctly called so
ciety. But in the Standardization of
men let us have truth value, merit,
| honesty and purity. Let these form
/ the basis, the sub-stratum of our eX-
I istence.
/ The true value of any knowledge
is its immediate application or dem
onstration. Therefore a brief exam.
/ ination of the applied term social
equality will reveal wonders. We
have seen a reasonable definition OF
the phrase, now note the sophistries
Social equality means white SUI
premacy. 1t means pushing back one
unit and holding up another; it means
ignoring the merit sign and putting
a premium on color and caste; ii
means hate against love and preju
dice against justice. All of which
serves to prevent a free or compan
ionable representation and discussion
of social ethics among all qualified
units and naturally stays the wheels
of progress.
AS for the Colored man who is I'M
happy the butt of this illogical course
He is still demanding some of hi'
primitive rights and asking a smat
tering of consideration. The Coloret
man knocks at the portal of socia
equality-call it social justice if yol
want to, but prefer the former
The white man forces the averag
Colored man away from the very ide
of social equality" The Colore
thinker comes back with the clair
that he only wants social justice.
| But when was there ever justice witt
> out equality? The scales correctl
! balanced spell either Justice" o
equality" Two and two are foul
and this conclusion is reached eithe
+ by just or equal law of reasoning
r Now, what is the difference? Pu
/. ice after just-and i-t-y after equal
and you have respectively Justice
on the one hand and equality" on tn
other. Can you beat it?
The constant and recurring assumI
tion of our white fellow is his vaUnte
superiority. He does this to rejec
the equally constant knocking of hi
Colored brother who summons him I
account by his own meritorious cor
tentions for recognition. The brothe
in black says in substance: / conforr
> with what l find here already estat
i lished; | accept it; | meet the cond
tions of your common cause; aid it
stability by my work; l contribute t
it's elevation by my genius and soul
II its solidarity by my loyalty to tn
working principles; l give you pa
II tient toll; ] suffer for you; l give yo
II music to cheer you, music froI
II Africas muse from Ethiopia, the Ian
of the day sun; give you heart an
II service in the calling of citizenship,
Il am meeting the requirements of maj
II hood and a new day. The spirit of
nobler civilization is upon me, al
looking up, not selfishly, but for h
Y manity. Now what ] ask. yes deman