The Enterprise. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 192?-1930, 1927-06-17

This 10 the month of graduates.
All over the land from our institu-
tions of learning will come thousands
Of young men and women supposed
" equipped for the battle of life.
But are they? Casual observation of
most of the graduates nowadays is
that they are great "wanters." They
want" to go to college or they
"want" to be druggists doctors or
lawyers or something else. But most
Of them just want" Most of them,
after graduating from high school,
sit around home wanting" to go to
college, wasting valuable time, shirk-
ing work, unless they can get some
thing easy or can pick their jobs.
They want" to "wish" themselves
through the profession of their choice
without making the necessary sacri-
fees. But it can't be done. Too many
of our young men and women who
graduate "want" to chang around"
home and the big cities, where they
can attend all the "hops" and spend
the little money they earn trying to
be Negro Rockefellers and Astors.
The result is they are Gin want,
live "in want" and die Gin want"
Many of our young men are re-
stricting their professional training
to too narrow a field. We have doc
tors. druggists, lawyers and minis
ters galore. So many we could well
afford to lose few of the "shysters,
"quacks" and "jacklegs." But what
about engineering with its many
branches? Why not some architects?
Some metallurgists? Some analytical
chemists?
No opportunity in America with
its color prejudice? What about
Central America, Mexico, all the
South American countries, China,
Africa and other regions of the
world? A competent Negro engineer
of any kind or architect or chemist
with knowledge of Spanish or Por-
tuguese can go to any South Amer
lean country and, if he applies him
self seriously to business, make a
real fortune in ten years time.
The American Negro is laboring
under double handicap. Aside from
the oppression that comes from the
dominant group the Negro is shackled
with crooked leaders who deliberate
ly misdirect the efforts of the strug-
Cling masses. Large groups of Ne
groes have been brought under the
sway of cheats, robbers and hypo-
critics whose sole objective is to en-
rich themselves at the expense of the
ignorant poor. AS great as the pres
sure is that comes from without, the
most damnable injury which the Ne
gro suffers is from false leadership.
They gain the confidence of the
people by false representation and
fraud. Because colored people suf-
fer so keenly on account of racial
prejudice they are easily preyed upon
by every fakir with black skin
who claims that he is interested in
their progress.
There is no valid reason for pro-
tecting a crook. A black crook is
Just as dangerous as a white crook.
We have been too sympathetic with
black folk who have robbed us and
defrauded us out of money and our
rights. We have permitted black
men to sell us out to white politicians
for their personal gain without pro-
testing against them. Instead of send
ing those who cheat us to Jail we
permit them to escape and to con
tinue their fraudulent schemes. These
false leaders are making US drink
the very dregs of hell. And until we
summon sufficient courage to gel
rid of them the great mass of oui
folk will continue to follow a leader
ship that will keep US in the vale!
of despair, ignorance and supersti
ton.