Richmond planet., 1925-04-04
n RINGING PLEH
FOR My RHLLY
Rev. DR.. Graham Gals Baptist TO Ser
vice. .~=M0ney Needed TO carry on
GOd'S Work.
Tributes to Leaders Who HI We Responded 10 tne
Neecs of Great Educational Institution.

One cannot think of the Virginia
Baptist State Convention without
having in mind the fact that The
Richmond Planet and Editor john
Mitchell, Jr. played a conspicuous
Fart in the days of striking history
making, the days when the grand old
Convention took its stand for Negro
self-help, Negro ownership, Negro
management. And this was not done
as ingrates, or haters OF our white
friends who spent SO many millions
in the Southland, following in the
wake of the Civil War, TO lift our
people in the scale Of Christian civ.
iEzation. No, a thousand times, No!
1t was done, however, because the
fathers back there thought that they.
could best show their worthiness by
beginning to do some things for
themselves.
Today it is common thing for the
white philanthropists of this cou2try
to inquire if the Negroes are doing
anything for themselves. Thank God
nearly forty years ago, our group in
Wrginia struck out to plant a college
in Lyr,chburg. The columns OF The
Planet. the stirring editorials from its
editors pen and his official and per
sonal interest in Virginia Seminary
DID much TO make our great school
what it is today. No paper nor
editorial. aside from The Christian
Organizer. edited by Gregory W.
Hayes, ever equalled The Planet in
ite contentious for our principles.
We come therefore to the old
battle axe journal, calling on the
Baptist forces under the mastery
leadership of T. j. King, d. D., to
meet us in large numbers in Newport
News, 18th day of May. in the First
Baptist Church, DR.. A. A. Calvin.
pastor.
Great preparations are being made
for our entertainment by the brethren
in the Tidewater section. The North
is coming down in large numbers.
The District of Columbia will be
there. All Virginia is on the way.
We must succeed. President Woods
is a man of the hour. Chairman
Calvin is the giant OF the Board.
T. J.. King is the matchless Presi
dent. Secretary C. e. Miller is the
Hive wire of the West. M. G. Allen
is a young watchman ON the wall;
let's go. There is no discharge in
this war"
If the Negro Baptists fail to sup
port school like ours, then all our
fraternal societies, all our business
concerns banks and all are in dan
ger and rightly so. Every Negro
organization and race loving indi-
vidual should come to our rescue.
The Negroes Of this country will
never forget the Independent Order
of st. Luke, the Southern Aid Society
the Richmond Beneficial Insurance
Company, led on by those outstand-
ing headlights. Maggie ~ Walker, b.
L. Jordan, John T. Taylor. They in
their magnificent spirit, have shoul
dered all our debts to the amount of
s65,0OO. Our property is worth
s35O000 and every cent belongs to
the Negro Baptists in fee simple.
If We would be what we ought TO
be in this country, we must own,
control manage and conduct things
in way that will prove our fitness
for such citizenship as America
gives us. Once more, as one of the
old vanguards, I call upon the Bap
t'st hosts and friends to meet us in
Newport News, the thirteenth OF May
Yours for the cause,
w. F. GRAHAM.