The independent. [volume] (Elizabeth City, N.C.) 1908-1936, 1919-04-11
BECKETT TALKED
TONECROESHERE
Celebration Of Slavery Ter
centennial Unique In
History

anniversary of their residence in Am
erica which was celebrated here this
week. It was on April z, 1919 that
the first slave ship landed in Virginia
a cargo of 20 slaves. From that be-
ginning the Negro race in America has
increased to 100000 souls. Some of
the leaders of the race conceived the
idea of celebrating the three hundred
tn anniversary of the transpIanting of
the race from Africa to America.
But the absence of the crowds justified
by tercentenial celebration indicated
that the colored folk wsre not all en-.
thusastic over the idea of celebrat-
ing their inauspicious beginning in
America. And SO far as this news
paper can learn no such celebration
on such an elaborate scale was cale-
brated by the colored fox anywhere
in America
The celebratio opened here Monday
with a parade; qul,e the biggest parade
ever staged here. 1t was led by a 24
piece band from ..orfolk and was de-
signed to show something of the pro-
gress of the race. 1t W Is an order:v
procession, we'll marchalled and thoro-
ly dignifed. Tha throns. of Negroes
along the line Of march were we'll be
haved. There was no disorder, no
boisterousness and no confusion any
where. The city never entertained a
more orderly celebration.
Governor T. w. Beckett himself was
the feature speaker of the ocassion
He addressed an audience of nearly
1,500 at Mt. Lebanon A. M. E. Zion
church Monday night. The house was
packed to overhowing and crowds
swarmed in the streets in front of the
church. Governor Bichett's speech
ably reported by Herbert Peele of The
Advance, was in part as follows
"You are no gladder than am that
Abraham Lincoln issued his Emanci-
patton Proclamation. There are two
things that I believe. One is that God
Almighty is running this world. The
other is that he knows how to do it.
He suffered slavery to be instituted
in this country in his own good time
and for his own good purpose. And in
his own good time he bfotted it out. 8
The Higher Freedom
"I rejoice with you in your freedom.
But after all physical freedom is the
lowest form of freedom. 1t is the free
dom of the wild animal of the jungle.
And freedom unwisely used may be
curse instead of blessing. The cage
protects the tiger as well as the man
outside. Let the tiger escape and he
will be hunted to his death. Let the
tiger in your breast escape and you
will be shot or lynched.
.The mud sill of true freedom is self
control
you have heard it said that eternal
vigilance is the price of liberty.
But obedience eternal obedience is
the price of life.
"Sun. moon, and sea and every liv-
ing thing moves in obedience to that
Law which is the Fathers Will.
Let a man set himself against Law,
the law of man, or the law of health,
or the law of God, and he is ground
to powder.
''Three hundred years ago when the
event you celebrate transpired ten mil
lion Indians roamed these forests, and
YOU were a handful. Today you are
twelve millions, and they are hand
full. In the hard school of slavery you
learned obedience. The Indian would
not. and as a race he has perished from
the earth.
"Physical freedom, to be of value,
must be coupled with moral freedom
and financial freedom.
fha woke of the
lender and the man who lives under
a mortgage is the chattel of the mort
gagee. If you've got to get an order
from a white man before you can
get ANYTHING to eat or to wear how
much freedom have you got?
The Lesson of Thrift
CAS- a race you have two faults. You
don't make enough. And you spend
too much of what you do make. You
can't rise until the black mans credit
at the bank or store is just as good as
the white mans Neither banker nor
grocer draws any color line on the
long green.
"Yo11 have come back from the war
clothed with victory and crowned with
honor. The white people are ready to
help you. But God Almighty can't
help the man VINO won't help himself.
"Get you job. Work six days IN
the week. If you can earn enough IN
three days to live on salt 1T down.
NV cook has been with me for eigh-
teen years and she has saved more
money than any of the rest of us.
The negro is the best spender on earth.
IF a white man earned two dollars
today there is a strong presumption
that he will earn two dollars tofnor-
row. But if a negro earned two d$lIars
TODAY there is a strong presumption
that he won't earn any more until ne
has spent that. And that's what's the
matter with the negro. Save some
part of your earnings every week and
if a smooth-tongued agent comes round
irving to sell you something sic old
Towser on him. If that doesn't move
him, Sic your wife with hot skillet
on him-and if you get in trouble for
it I'll pardon you
"Put your heel down hard on every
appetite and passion. He that ruleth