The northwestern bulletin-appeal., 1924-01-19
Timely Topics
A LOOK FORWARD
(Chicago Whip)


When the present captains OF our
industries, directors of our finance
and our so called spokesmen in pub
lie matters pass over in to the great
beyond" how and by whom will their
places be filled? What preparations
are we making for the next genera
tion? Is It to drift In as the seasons
or are we planning to shape men to At
the places Of their fathers? While
our enemies are planning to preserve
their supremacy for the next ten thou
sand years, while they with their pen
etrating and prophetic brains are com
batting the natural laws of evolution
and fraternity to insure the wealth OF
the world to their sons 1t appears that
we should peer at least ten years in
front of us to make sure that what
we have already achieved and acquir-
ed may not be destroyed and the
heights which we could not reach may
be scaled by those who will come aft
er us.
Almost every black man who has
accomplished anything. to our under
standing, has veritably lifted himself
by his own bootstraps. His fathers
did not build him fulcrum and lever
and then command him to move the
world, but he was forced to manu-
facture his own implements of ad-
vancement and then find place for
them before he could begin his lift
ing. Something should be placed in
the hands of the next generation. A
spoon in the mouth of a new born
black boy may mean star in the
armament of men as the clouds roll
by. The present fathers of black boys
have no desire to have their sons
raise their eyes into the blackened
ceilings of misery as they have done.
They wish for them fuller careers and
grander achievements, but the wish
without work will mean nothing but
the same old story.
The fathers of white boys have al
ready visualized the careers of their
sons and following the syllogism of
Kant that the "sons Of priests must
be priests" they are teaching their
sons not only to master their
own affairs but also the affairs
of all mankind. The white father
does not sen dhis sons to worship
at the feet of the masters of science,
philosophy, and human conduct for
mere accomplishment, but he has
stated that white supremacy must be
maintained" When the sweet voice
of Hayes is blended with that of Car
uso, when the incompatible genius Of
Tanfier is made to commune with Ra-
phael, when the brilliancy of Dubois
has been shunted somewhere to COM
mingle with Poe and Hawthorne and
when the entire array of lights of
black men are detected out yonder
into the mystery Of infinity, who will
take their places? Is the innate gen.
ius Of the black race to be born to
blush unseen" or will the present gen.
Grafton recognize as fact that it is
here and proceed to develop 1t?
Every possible encouragement and
opportunity should be given to the
youth of today and every business
man and individual who is concerned
with the affairs of his people should
select his understudy in order that in
the years that follow the next gener-
alton may carry on and on until sup
remacy is theirs. While our rivals
in the race of life seek to keep US
under perpetual handicap it is en-
tirely wise that we should match their
plans with our own whereby we may
be stripped of every weight.