Richmond planet. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1883-1938, 1925-05-23

relations chat always have existed
between the races here, and paying
ribute to that faithful allegiance to
,heir white friends which has been
One OF the most notable traits of the
Negroes of The South.
THIS is an admirable statement Of
the event. The personality of Ro-
! bert Dame.L the humble co!ored sex
eon Disappeared as the great out
pouring of white and colored people
recognized the transcegdent qualities
for which he stood and emphasized
| the fact that he represented a type
OF black humanity that is unfertun-
ately growing beautifully less"
These colored folks of recent parent
81, ~. ss urch r}Iz,ed over this
..lou.a as ara che porthesuers who
have seen many summers and who
cuuuot understand tha; friendship
aerreen tlts class Of white ,snd black
reaYle Is OF q kind That Time cam
rot s&~>c or eternity WASH away.
= says LurthoF-
'Eut the South Unda> Stauds: ii,
understands. too WIZ Tom Lee, d
Negro OF Memphis, is recognized rs.
he~o: wty columns OF newspaper
~cc4 are used in telling OF his
,.rvovy. and why tide city Of Memphis
s. swing Iim Il home and collecting
eS U.cQ3nce iIDd 10 make I.
MS .emgiung years Tree from pow
erty Tom Lee IS q simple. Black
IN. ettere1 Negro. bur today Memphis
ana The South generally are paying .
linn the tribute due to the honest
ra~r whC withCUt thought Of SELF:
~-~tSo1 his i<tle boat into the murky
VIZ rSrnolS OF the Mississippi River
e.zli carried safely 10 shore thirty two ;
wr.fe "assangers who had been,
,.-rcwr ;a.O the waters when the
steamer n. e. Norman suddenly
turned turtle and sank Tom Lee had
no thought Of reward, no thoughs ef
persona, danger. Like the zeal hero.
No difference what rhe race or col0r.
he did only what he conceived to be
MS duty at the moment, and he Is
honestly surprised to find that his
simple performance of duty has made
him an outstanding figure among
his people,
Tor more than forty years, we
have been endeavoring 20 bring all
Of the white people to q full realiza-
ion of the fact that there have been
and that there are today TENS OF
thousands of Robert Daniels and
Tom Lees in the Southland, They
are humble. polite. obligfng and
would give their lives for those white
people regardless OF sex or religion,
who have won their confidence and
are entitled 10 their service. They
VIII do more for the approval OF this
class of white people than they will
for money.
The Times.Dispatch editor con-
cludeS as TOllOWS.
Here. again. the North will not
understand; it will more nearly
grasp the meaning. OF Tom Lee and
the honor done him than it did the
significance of Richmonds burial of
its aged Negro servitor, for at Mem
phis there was single, concrete
instance of great personal bravery to
be rewarded. But still it will not
see in this further evidence that the
South is the natural home and the
one real friend of the Negro, and
that 1t recognizes and respects devo'
ton and courage wherever and In
whatever fashion it may be displayed.
These two incidents are oated here
not because they are unusual but
because they reveal to world With
on. the South conditions to which it
has been blinded hy ignorance and
.ealica. One wonders ii either one
of these incidents could have hap
pened IN Chicago or any other North
ern CITY that has been wont to point
the finger of scorn at the South be-
cause of its trea tment Of the Negro
1t should not be forgotten that
Just in proportion as one class OF
liberal white southerners recognize
the worth of this class of colored
folks. another class of illiberal ones
a~e endaoyOrinp 10 bring about the