The Dallas express. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1893-1970, 1920-02-14
BY N. W. Harllee.


a man or woman, who has reached
the age OF fifty-fiye years? And nov
what shall we say or expect OF
group or a race that has reached
the age OF fifty years, since the race
is made up of individuals2 How
shall we measure this race that
other races declare is still in the
stage? Shall we mea 3
ure 1t by results and racial achieve
ments or shall we measure 1t by
what some think we are? Let the |
results speak for themselves.
The measure may be applied in
two ways: 1t may be found from
the growth within and the outward
growth and taking the two together,
we may arrive at the correct meas
urements of the race.
One way TO measure a person
is by the number of acres of land
he controls or owns, and the first
thought that comes to the mind
when speaking of a citizen is he
tied to ground. that is, does he own
the house in which he lives. or Isl
he a part of the community by pos
session? Well, these are good homely
questions that should be asked and
re-asked till we shall have some
million or more of Colored people
to become home owners. real estate
that counts and makes the man a
part of the community in which he
lives Today the race that was born
fifty years ago without home, now
according to the best authorities,
own five hundred thousand homes,
and some sixty banks; coming into
freedom without an author, they
can lay claim to five hundred Negro
authors, and in looking over the
records of the patent office at Wash
ington. we find that one thousand
Negroes have been granted patents;
remarkable showing in fifty years
Some of these inventions have been
of material aid in the advancement
Of the practical operations along
many lines. We find that brains
and skill will pay good dividends
whoever possess them and can APP
| ply them so as to bring about the
best results. For these consider
atoms. we are much indebted to the
late Or. Booker T. Washington, the
apostle of Industrial education. DR..
DR.. Booker T. Washington made one
speech at the state fair that has
had better effect on our people in
home than any other single
address ever delivered in our city.
Hundreds of Colored people pur-
chased homes and opened bank ac-
counts after that address. 1t was an
industrial gospel sermon that went
home to the minds that became en-
gagged for material uplift Soon after
the address. the records in the city
showed that Colored people paid tax
es on property valued at over a mill
lion and half dollars. Mr.. Wash
! ington was most wonderful char
acter that impressed all who heard
him in his home getting sermons.
for such they were.
-Four thousand physicians in fifty
years for race born in day, meas
ures up in a degree that any people
might be proud of, and record Of
excellent showing. Then too, the
six hundred dentists is another ag-
gregation of which we feel proud,
and the twenty-five hundred trained
nurses VINO are to look after our
sick and to handle the afflicted with
tenderness and care is an invalu-
| able asset in the time Of need, while
the two thousand lawyers of the
race mark an unusual progress up
from slavery with not single at
torney Of race men; then 90, we
are told that there are now more
than two hundred and thirty-seven
Negro civil and mining engineers,
whose skill and dexerity in their
profession are meritorious and praise
worthy and that men are as gen.
eral thing credit to their race
wherever and whenever they have
been put to the test. But we are
told that the era of land that the
Colored people own in this coun-
| try will equal that of ireland,
and that this is almost surprise
when IL is taken in consideration
| that the Colored man started with
nothing. not even the rags on his
back. with no home, with no shelter
except the blue sky above his head
and today he owns land enough to
measure up with that territory known
as ireland. What has the race
wrought, and yet we are only fifty
4 years OF age, the age of a young
man. We could numerate much
more along other line but this is
sufficient to point to some of the
few achievements that may encour-
age US to go on.
We can scacerly believe that a Col
ored man in Louisiana gave one
million dollars. to the purchase of
Liberty Bonds during the late war,
the highest amount purchased by
single individual in, that state.
This is sure some purchase in fifty
years of progress from poverty and
pinching want in 1866. Then. too.
| the part that the whole race took
in the purchase of Liberty bonds
Land other government, securities are
a matter of fecord and need not be
mentioned here.
We could mention the great work
that the church is accomplishing
led on by host of earnest christian
ministers Of all denominations among
our people and without these the
race would be at sea. for it has been
the ministers that kept the faith
and kept our feet in the sraight
and narrow path. The teachers too
have accomplished commendable
work at a sacrifice, working on small
salaries and with many incovenien-
ces.
But to conclude the work Of fifty
years after two hundred and fifty
years OF servitude. is a most remark
able one.