The bystander. [volume] (Des Moines, Iowa) 1916-1922, 1919-04-11

Ry N. G. Bruce, Principal Bartlett AgTi,
cultural and Industrial School, Chair.
man Missouri Negro Industrial Com.
mission, President Missouri Negro
Farmers Bureau.
TO the Editor:
Dear Sir. Through your valuable
naper I desire to call as MANY of our
people Is attention as will hear, to what
seems the greatest need at present
PATIENCE WITH LABOR, SAVING
and WISIeeM. I do this In no spirit of
criticism, but of caution. Nor have L
the least ambition for temporary fame,
praise or notoriety, nor to appear as
any Mosis simply, plain, blunt man
and q straight, every day American
The present is q day full Of peril and
fate for our race as for the Nation.
Our race $ city leaders have the great
est burdens upon their shoulders. In.
the first PLACE, they and their followers
are located among the halo and the most
bright shining appearances of gilded
domes, great wheels Of business aud the
final word in styles Of all sorts, repre-
senting the so.called best Of eivili1a-
tion. An easy place to get deceived bv
other people s belongings Then again
the problems of homes and housing off
employment, of saving, or rightly spend
ing, of health and sanitation, of ehafae
ter building, and the greatest of ALL
that of Christian education, III these
should increase outsiders Pa ieneetn3i
pity and sympathy rather than their
hasty criticism of Negro city leaders.
There never was d time when theTeI
was greater need Of God i grace AMI
wisdom among ala American Negroes AZ
now We have just emerged fForn tlEe
world s bloodiest war with olir race
skirts, hearts and hands ali clean.
though, for years shut ont from sst{
Point, Annapolis, and froln afl st9feE
and national military schools, naf Yeii3
permitted id but two or three 81 int a Y n
serve as state IS guards and set n riasgei' II
cum of military trimming, ana besides
have suffered all sorts Of dist
ment and Determinations f6r aH ef oar
ehatteI free lives, vet All oulr ess
call, orr one answer s Ready, proved /
less of fake and pretensa tilaa ssaas
the other specially favored nj Hons l3f
three months NE IN ere made iii ~
and many of our u GERS eosGlEs 4
four years West Point trafliing Id tho
same three months went avgE
there. fought and helped q
Right now is our ens s.no ~ Nsa
have again won It, how shall sSessf
it The right answer y as ltaYeta
fore, with ,nodesty. with seslses Ont
nonsense. We all know That isoa 5tlgg
and Dragging have never vet E3ai Astst
even great, sNa efasla aas ss{1xtliss5
get by and away with boasting tslsl3
much protesting and altlt fading " ~
good. We shall succeed in he oally WY
that ever was possible for race Z
people 10 succeed, by frusti1ag iats SOD
and in ourselves to get for tas sslssat s1s
is rightly ours. Denanding hi n0ts
threatening viii not, Dragging 3 YER s3saf
heroic living or dead VII not: ~ n shass
got to keep on acting our paft keep olfsf
quietly going OH aeennau latiiag, Nj Nifatsssts
and reach the point where m h 40 ff5a az
mand our own race Is e0nfiden ce an fs
spect first by having a 3pleflt aas2f ala
for d living independe nee but I,lellt
courage to- back up our oislalifatd s. Af-s
Justice. unfairness, mai eatsnaa Z fss 5Ii
America meet thei ii Just reg 'sslpealse sgssk
reward quicker than IA any O 4 o1sal
try on earth. IS "a race, sve d liaatas is q B
worry and fret as some are e esssiEa n
to do about The evil dom BIS of asstf
man, our hearts, brains, eIler pes & sisA
right now be spent in isss
buckets down among ursel Y sss 4 ilsassss
us To continuous werthwIi lie Iabo efsEt # 9