Richmond planet. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1883-1938, 1917-05-12

sell were he to indulge the siren ca
jolery Of dependence.
Those who charge the members Of
the convention as breeders Of discord
and factional strife are those who
would conceal the truth And the
truth is what the convention Is striv-
Ing to give to the people. There are
some who reluctantly want tho truth
and there are somo who anxiously
need the truth.
May we not say to you that the
convention is not having any hallu.
cinations about those who reluctantly
want the truth. The reluctantly
want-class Is very capricious, argu-
mentative and they think subtle. The
NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. Is usually the
great parliamentarian class OF polish
rhetoric, Of voluminous vocabulary Of
most generous diction. They are the
twentieth century Pharisees and
Scribos, color-blind and race-blind;
tied down fast by puerile servial OBJ
legations. whose manhood Is dictated
to, warped, inundated and coerced
Beware Of them!
And yet they are very helpful. They
inspire your greatest energies that
would otherwise remain slumbering.
They polish the truth and cause 1T to
stand.
The NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. belongs
to that galaxy Of courageous men and
women who In deed and truth are
consecrated to the realization Of an
ideal freedom. These souls are ablaze
with the truth-the consuming truth
the truth that knows no retreat
the truth that knows no surrender.
That Is somewhat akin to Divine
Truth, isn't it? A man must have an
heavenly vision to comprehend this
Truth. The anxiously-need-c!ass is
the aggregation Of the worlds most
glorious achievements. Analyze CIV
ilization and its progress and you will
End this bit Of philosophy prominent.
The convention represents this class.
Has the convention achieved any
thing? The question suggests
textbook Of answers. One answer to
this question Is the surprising apti-
tude of the people Of Virginia for the
doctrine OF ideal freedom. The
masses readily give attentive ears to
this very strange, singular declara-
ton. There has been passive rest
lessncss among tho people for half
a century. Their language has been
inadequate to describe the needs Of
the soul. This state was not destined
to remain forever without" concrete
definition. The people have discov-
cred tho fundamental need of pro
grcss-freedom. ,
Have they enjoyed this inalienable
right to the same degree that other
distinct races have, Fifty years OF
emancipation from corporal slavery
finds tho Negro yet slave to ideals
and institutions not OF his own pro-
duction. He is almost afraid to
protest. against them because Of his
previous training. When he speaks
or acts there is Neutrality-suspicious.
sive Of the censorship Of traditions
and Affiliations and grim tutelage.
Has his intellectual freedom been
cmancipated or IS the present system
OF intellectual development broad
and radical enough to guarantee just
results? The promoters Of this dire
system know they arc taking advant.
age Of q crcdulous race.
The new physical freedom thrust
the Negro In strange civilization
with its ceaseless revolutions of, eco
nomic uncertainties. Ho must pre-.
pare to figure out the meaning of
his new environments by dint OF his
own ratiocination and this mental
process Is susceptible to tho highest
possible development only when
quicl1ened by the sense and weight
Of responsibility. This responsibility
may be individual, corporate or racial.
But whether individual, corporate or
racial the sense and weight Of respon-
sibility are absolute essentials to the
symmetrical development Of ideal
manhood.
Asymmetrical indeed, Is the product
rs 1t now stands for universal In
spection. An exhibition Of the pro-
ducts imperfection Of development
needs no Aristotilion philosophy to
signalize the defects. Five minutes
palpable eXcogitation dressed in the
most dilusive linguistic garb will
give an arc Sufficient to measure
their entire circumference where
strictly race questions are involved
with Anglo-Saxon afllliation.
All the debates, polemics, intrigues
and star-chamber deliberations are
focused at Lynchburg. The Virginia
Theological Seminary and College
the product and progeny Of the Vir-
ginia Baptist State Convention. The
only grounds of opposition and OBJ
lection to it's existence Is that 1t
represents the highest attainable edu-
cation for Negroes and that 1t instills
in it's student body the spirit Of
courageous, uncompromising man.
hood and womanhood. eve do not
use the word uncompromising in that
narrow demagogic sense where trifies
are involved--but only where the
principles Of right and justice obtain)
The progress Of the Negro needs
and must have educated, courageous,
fearless leadership. And there must
he some institution in the State and
nation where such leadership is
trained. The institution at Lynch
burg Is dedicated to a most sacred
duty-the sublime duty Of moral,
religious and educational training OF