The broad ax., 1925-06-13


vancing making a charge Oh ignor-
ance and illiteracy? Perhaps you
have, because every institution OF
learning i the center of the universe.
the center Of thought, the center Of
power. 1t is the onward march Of
civilization.
As you look back to yesterday, look
back to the days Of slavery, the days
when man owned man, when our peo-
pie were chattels, sold at auction to the
highest bidder, we can but join David
in saying "The Lord hath done great
things for US whereof we are glad"
We must pause and ask whether or
not the son and daughter will be an
improvement on mother and father.
This is a wonderful age, this is fast
world, and / am at times constrained
to say we are faster people, and the
world in its rush cannot hold the light
for some Of our young people today.
We are producing graduates, and at
this time thousands Of diplomas and
certificates are being handed out, and
young women dressed in spotless white
gowns and young men in their best
clothes are receiving them, but we
pause to ask whatnext? Whittier are
you bound, young people?
Mothers and fathers have been at
work for months making sacrifices for
sons and daughters to remain in
school, that they might see this hour,
the hour when my child will graduate
from this or that college, from high
school and the like, and now that it is
over, will that graduate break the
hearts of mother and father, or will
they make them glad and happy, and
this is not the question of fool. AS
they step out of the school, and re-
turn home there will be set for them
hell feast, the welcome dance, the
card party the automobile car car
riage joy ride, the worthless dude who
has worked a month to get hold Of
money to take the graduate for a ride
to hash-e-square-lull.
There will be the mother and father,
the Sunday school the old people who
have spent hours on their knees for
the graduate while in training, with
an humble dinner, with an invitation
to accompany me to church, to Sun
day school, to the road that leads
upward, to happiness to God Which
way will they GO? OF course the pool
room, the gambling dens, the holes of
sin and vice, the butterfly whose house
is the road to hell leading down to
death inviting the young man; which
way will he GO?
Will the desire be to serve or be-
come the fashion platef Are the
graduates educated away from their
people and common sense? Are they
too educated to work? Will they want
to Be wall flowers, and sit around
waiting for something to turn up?
Will they sell their souls for dress or
will the girls realize one dress tattered
and torn representing virtue is worth
more than thousand silks and
broadcloths earned by debauchery?
Today, I am writing to you from
great college, an institution Of the
Colored Methodist Episcopal Church,
fighting hard against ignorance, Tilt
eracy, and sin. Pointing the youth to
the higher things in life. At the head
IS a consecrated Christian man, Prof.
WI. r. Banks, a native Of Georgia, and
right by his side is to be found his
educated Christian companion, also a
native Of Georgia. They have dedi-
Gated their lives to God and to the
youth. They were trained iii Atlanta
University, and then in the common
school with common homespun teach
ers, parents. They were not Up on
the modern dances, but they enjoyed
themselves with Walking on the
green grass dusty, dusty dust;;" or
London bridge is burning down" or
'sOld man turn for himself who'll turn
for old woman Of pillow or now
and then the Virginia reel" or First
four forward and back, forward and
cross over" They may be looked
upon as belonging to the foggy class,
but when we See 50 many young peo-
pie going down, we are ready to cry
back to the days Of foggyism.
This school was organized 1894 BY
the leaders in the Colored Methodist
Episcopal Church, and while it Is
known yet as Texas College, its name
was changed in 1909 to Phillips Uni
versity. IN honor Of old Of the living
bishops, Charles H. Phillips. It rep
resents the Negroes faith in himself