The Washington herald., 1919-09-13
PASTOR TELLS OF NEW
RACE PROBLEM IDEAS
Rev. Sutton E. Griggs Addresses Baptists on
Courses Negroes Can Follow in Meet
ing Their Problems. s

Newark, n. j., Sept. l2.-Tho Rev.
sutton (. Griggs, Of Memphis. to-
night addressed the National Bap-
T. Washington made the principal
address. discussing race problems,
Rev. Grigg.s said In part:
There are some thinEs in our uni
verse that remain unchanged by the
fiow Of time and the comilg of new
conditions. 1 Men are born and die;
they sleep and dream. and awake and
digest their food now as always. We
have no need TO be on the alert for
any changes in these fundamental
processes which are ever the same
among all men in al ages. But not
so with what the world thinks.
Thought Is not ono Of the unchangc-
able things OF the universe.
Opinions as to the proper relations
that should exist between different
races have varied from age to age
In 145l B. c., Moses. up to that time
the worlds greatest religious leader,
expressed himself on a race question
affecting his people in these words
Thou shalt blot out the remembrance
of Amalec from under heaven
In 1919. in the city OF Nashville
Tenn, at a conference called by
Christian white men in an effort to
patch up certain differences existing
wholly within the ranks Of Colored
men, DR.. J. B. Gambrell. white. said
I ask nothing for myself nor for my
children after me that I would deny
to members OF the negro race
Let it be understood in passing
that We catch the true meaning Of
the utterance of DR.. Gambren. We
know that he wants the perpetuity
of the white race as a white rae.
and would aid negroes in the fur
thcl anCc of a like ambition for
themselves. He would like to have
all the Legitimate human needs of
his people satisfied and he would
have the same for the negroes.
With these two posts marking the
goal line he would press forward.
This depression must be pardoned
as the ghost of social interming-
ling is sought for in almost all
that men say and do concerning
race questions. and it is sometimes $
profitable to proclaim his absence.
The question may be asked as
to what can be the practical value
Of a discussion of what the world
thought is on race questions In an
swer we say no man, however high
or low. can afford to be Indifferent to
world opinion. Its reach is great and
its grasp is powerful.
Jesus. tho Christ. brought to a
world operating along lines OF the
survival Of the fttest the doctrine of
the Brotherhood OF man, of love for
the other fellow-altruism- The rush
of his blood from a broken heart
through pierced side. down to mother
earth, planted in her bosom the seeds
of altruism which have borne fruit
that has shaped the destiny of the
whole human family. It was this al
truism that begot the potent doctrine
of the native equality of all men.
This doctrine found its largest ex-
preston in the period covering the lat
ter part of the eighteenth century
and the greater portion OF the nine
tecnth. In 1872. which was near the
close OF the eighteenth century. mo-
ton was carried in the English House
OF Commons providing for the gradual
abolition of the slave traffic. In 1884
the French convention decreed that
the rights OF French citizens should
be granted to all slaves in French
colonies. In 1884 the British abolished
slavery entirely within their domin-
ions. In IS4S French slaves were
Cmancipated. In 1853 the Dutch set
their slaves free.
The South, unmoved by world
thought, chung to it's slaves. but they
were violently torn from her grasp In
the Civil War. Under the impulse of
the doctrine of the native equality OF
all men the Fifteenth Amendment to
the Constitution of the United States.
forbidding the denial OF the right to
vote because Of race, color. or previ-
Gus condition of servitude,' was
adopted in the year 1859. In the year
1870, bills were passed by Congress
providing fines and Imprisonment for
anyone who, even tried to prevent the
negro from voting or to keep his
vote from being counted
But all OF the forces that could be
marshalled have not up to the present
time been able to move our nation or
the world one inch forward in a
straight line from this point The
action just mentioned stands as the
last recorded national act designed
to incorporate the negro race in the
governmental structure without reser-
vations. Further efforts were made by
powerful forces but all have proved
to be abortive-
I'm 1873 very comprehensive bill,
intended to make the negroes OF the
South secure in their rights, passed
the lower House of Congress. but was
defeated in the Senate. Some year
later the Lodge election bill. having
the same purpose, passed the House.
but was defeated in the Senate. The
Republican party's platform upon
which President Taft was eiected con-
tGined an unequivocal declaration in
favor of enforcing the Fifteenth
Amendment in letter and spirit, but
no legislation in that direction was at
tempted during his term Of office To-