The Kansas City sun. (Kansas City, Mo.) 1908-1924, 1917-01-13
A Great Address

Speech delivered by Mr.. J. w. Per
ry, president, Southwest National
Bank of Commerce, to the Lincoln
High School Community Improvement
Meeting, Sunday, December "a, 1915:
Stenographically reported by
(R. H. Jackson.)
Mr.. Hueston, and ladies and gentel-
men, If / could speak as well as Mr..
Hueston, it might be worth your while
to listen to me for hours, but as
cannot, am only going to talk to you
for short while, giving you some of
my experiences, and talking to you
heart to heart and man to man.
When l was invited to make a talk
before the Lincoln High School asso-
citation, told your Professor Lee that
l would be glad to do it. ! was to
speak to you last Sunday afternoon,
but having been called from the city,
l could not keep the appointment, and
it was postponed until today. Now,
why should l, is the question that you
might ask; and my answer would be,
Why shouldn't 1? In the first place,
we are citizens Of the same great coun-
try, of the same great state. If a por-
tion of our citizens do not succeed,
then we have not succeeded in the
fullest measure. If the colored people
are not succeeding, then Kansas City
is not succeeding to its fullest extent
Therefore, am going to lay upon your
shoulders the responsibility of max
ing Kansas City what it should be.
The colored man, for long time,
has been an object of great interest.
i mean the colored people of this coun-
try. l have studied his history some,
and want to say to you frankly, that
there is not people on the face OF
the earth that has made such progress
in so short time. You ought to be
thankful, / think, and know you are,
for the opportunity that you have
had, lust the same as / am thankful.
This is a government, not of races,
not of languages; it is a government
of the people, for the people, and by
the people, and it is for all people,
and you are a part of this government
l hope that the colored man, whlie
he may sometimes think that he is
handicapped, may know that every
man is expecting him to do man s
part in the upbuilding of this country.
You have moral and financial RESPONSE
bilities lust as much as l have, and if
you are not meeting these responsi-
bilities you are not fulfilling your part
Because you have recently come into
possession of wonderful opportunity,
you are expecting me, no doubt, TO
say something about you in a financial
way. This is applicable to ninety
nine per cent of the colored race, you
are not saving people. You all seem
to get along, but you don't get along
very well. You live, but you don't
live very well, and you are willing to
put up with what you have. The
facts are that you ought to be de-
manding more all the time, and de-
manding it by sacrificing. You ought
to be laying by for a day in the tu-
ture, so that your savings Will Keep
Won from becoming objects of charity.
Now L want to say to the business
men, and l hope, and as far as l know
this is true, that your principles are
as good as those of any other people.
Now in banking we know you to be
honest, and let me tell you this, that
If you do an injury to anybody IN
business way, you are a fool VINO Is
going to lose in the end. You cannot
hold up your head in this community
and be a liar and thief, for that Will
undermine your standing in the COM
munity, and you cannot go about, ex-
cept in braggadocia spirit and bluff
ing your way.
/ sometimes think that in business,
you are working out your own policy.
Lawyers, doctors, grocers, chicken
men, all with whom / have come IN
contact, l have had NO complaint OF
their integrity with me. Now are you
lust as fair with the fellow who can
not take care of himself? You can
not afford to do any other way. George
Teetersl / heard his name! We trust
him with anything in the bank But
if George Teeters ever took hve
cent piece, he would lose his posi-
tion, he would lose my respect ana
he would take the colored people
down in the estimation of the business
ymenJ of the community. The integrity
Of the race is tied up in him, and there
fore the responsibility is laid on him
10 be honest and square, and he must
show others how to be the same thing
He must set the example in honesty
}eyery minute, and teach others to dc
(the same thing.
Many of your people are failures
In the first place you have not mao
the proper surroundings, the proper
teachers. But you are getting them
wonderfully fast. This Lincoln High
Schdol is V,st as good in every way
as ahu CO ID high school was ever
a.l. a. =
ople fhal
his was
sss men
town,