St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1917-05-09
NEGRO Is LOYAL
Stirring Address by Negro Preacher
Appealing for Patriotism During
Americas Pressing Need.

ND1W,HttuS IDf l-itThDtISIII
Americas Pressing Need.
An address that would be credit
able to any American was delivered
last week by Rev. III. e. Jones. pastor
of the colored church in Admission
Ala. 1t was delivered at mass meet
ing and contains SO many noble senti-
ments that we reproduce it. He said
Fellow Citizens:
The speaker who has preceded me
upon this program has outlined pa
triotism; has told you what it is and
what it accomplfslles.
1t is mine to state briefly. some
reasons why we, Americas dusky
sons and sable daughters, should be
patriotic.
% Self preservation demands that
we be patriotic. We are at grips
with the greatest military autocracy
that the world has ever SEEM, with
the most marvelously efficient fight
ing machine developed since the de-
cay of the Roman legions; with a ma
ton whose entire population can be
utilized for war, whose scientists,
chemists, writer's, scholars; engineers,
newspaper men,-in fact, men in
every walk of life, have been mobiliz-
ed in their respective spheres for the
service of the god of war. We are at
war, not with an army or. armies, but
with a nation of super men,. To OPP
pose successfully such a foe, this ma
ton must be a unit Heterogeneous
as are the component units of our
nation. the fires of a common danger
must fuse dissimilarity and similarity.
Our country needs every man. A
chain is no stronger than it's weakest
link. The Negro must not be this
weak link, If our country goes down
in defeat and disaster, every race in
this country goes down with it..
Patriotism Necessary.
Self preservation demands that the
Negro be patriotic in this national
crisis. This is no small war in which
our country is engaged; no small
task have we undertaken to punish
the German government for its per-
fidy, for it's harrying of our COM
merce. for its ruthless, red handed
murder of our citizens. For the Ger
mans are a nation of trained soldiers
with tremendous resources behind
them, and Russia from now on is an
unknown quantity. At any moment
German intrigues and overtures may
bring about a separate peace for Rus
STA. Then myriads Of soldiers released
from the East may hasten westward
to stiffen the Hindenberg line, and
stubborn England, devoted France,
and our own country may be left to
bear alone the brunt of battle. Add
ed to this is the fact that our country
yes our Congress, is honeycombed
with lukewarmness if not with trea-
son. Our country needs every man.
To be neutral is to be a traitor,
and the penalty of treason is death.
Another reason why we should be
patriotic is that our enemies-and we
have them-desire that we should, at
this juncture, be disloyal. We fee, we
know, that the same constructive,
conservative, keen visioned, far. sight
ed. public spirited white. man is our
friend. and is expecting the Negro to
measure up.
There are others who would rejoice
to see the Negro stand sullenly aloof,
brooding over wrong When the re-
adjustment comes, as come it will, the
most powerful pleas for or against
the American Negro will be that he
did or did not do his duty in this
crisis - We should be patriotic to full
fill the expectations of our friends and
to disappoint the expectations of our
enemies .r--' -
Negro An American.
We must be patriotic because
America is our country and needs us.
The Negro is an American to the core.
This present generation was born here
in this country over which Old Glory
SO proudly waves; and somewhere in
the U. S. A, North or South, or East
or West, we mean to stay. Here were
we born, here We're we reared, here
we will live, here we will die. Our
brawny arms have helped fell the for
est and tunnel the mountains and
bridge the rivers. Our hands have
held the pillow and made this land OF
ours rival the famous Delta of the
Nile in fertility and productiveness.
We have purchased homes here. Our
dwellings from mansion to hut dot
every hillside and valley. Magnificent
church edifices and halls of learning
the product of Negro brain and Drawn
are here. ~~ !
What do we know of :. any other
home? The answer is ..Naught.'
Our parents, wives and .children's
graves are here. Oh, when I die
bury me here IN my country, mine tc
live in, mine to die in, mine to live
for, mine to die for. We do not rule
this country, but we own a little hi,
of it. We have turned the job Of rul-
ing it over to our White brothers be-
| cause they are better rulers than we
but here we mean to stay. And wher
we are told to get out we will go
and come back again.
| Loyalty of Negro. ~.
The question arises, Shall the Ne
| gro be loyal to a country in which hi
! is prescribed and oppressed? Shall ht
be loyal to government that has al
4 lowed the practical disfranchisemen
of race of ten million?" We answe1
Eyes" Two wrongs do not make {
right. We cannot. we must not, WI
will not take advantage of our coun
!! try's distress as did the Sim Fein il
| ireland, when England was fghtin.