The Omaha guide., 1936-01-11
KELLY MILLER
SAYS

o Jan LIST, 1868, Abraham Lin
coin issued the Emancipation
Proclamation which inauguarated
the new life of the Negro race.
on the 31st day of Dec. 1885, sew
g ty-three years, to a day, since the
issuance of that life-giving docu-
ment. The writer's span of life,
now in the second half of his sew
enty-third year, is an exact yard
stick by which to measure the
progress of the race since freedom.
The occasion, therefore, seems fit
ting for comprehensive reflection
and suggestion.
The commendable and much
boosted progress of the race dur
ing the past seventy-three years
has now come to a standstill or a
halt. The race as a whole, during
the last five years of depression
is marking time rther TIM NIX
ing progress. Indeed, the whole
world is upset; times are out of
joint. The Negro is peeping
about under the legs of the huge
COLOSSUS of civilization if haply
he might find an assured place
for himself. He is without ideol-
ogy and does not know for a GER
tainty where he is going or how
to get there. At this critical
juncture the race should come to
itself as did the prodigal son in
the parable. In the language of
the game of marbles, the Negro
should come to "taw" at the be-
ginning of the year of 1896.
l.. Through the eyes of his
trained young men in political and
social science he should observe
and carefully study what is tax
ing place at the great capitals of
the world-at Moscow, at Berlin,
at Rome, at Washington and at
Geneva-with a view of under
standing its portent to the dark
est of the dark races of men, by
which their path may be wisely
guided amidst this maize of pres
ent day civilization.
2. He should aim to under
stand the nature and opertion
of race prejudice which is stern,
stubborn fact constituting the con-
trolling factor in the equation of
racial life. He should seek to de-
termine, if possible, how far he
may be able to overcome, modify
or mollify it and to what extent
he will be compelled to submit
to its harsh and cruel exactions.
He must develop a protective
philosophy. Where he cannot
overcome, he must undergo; for
that which cannot be curedmust
be endured. 1t is as foolhardy to
shake the impotent finger of de-
flance in the face of the inexor-
able without power to put that
defiance into effect as it would
be suicidal cowardly to yield to
cruel and inhuman ~exactions with
out ~exhausting every possible re-
course.
3. The race has but one wea-
pom with which to compat race
prejudice effectively, and that is
to oppose hate with love. The
Negro is endowed beyond other
breeds of men with loving kind
of spirit and non-resistance of
evil. The Nordic looks upon this
endowment as an amazing grace
but for the Negro it is assuredly a
saving one. Although the Ne
gro may not be able to overcome
the evil of race prejudice. he
should not be overcome by it; but
should rather seek to overcome
evil with good. Even the Nordic
cannot have a race which loves
him. The maxim of Edward
Markham will ultimately conquer
race prejudice if indeed it is con-
querable:
"He drew a circle and shut me out
Hereto rebel, a thing to flout,
But love and l had the wit to win:
We drew a circle and took him in.
4. The men and women who
stand in the high plces of spirit
ual, moral, intellectual and social
leadership should be guided by the
motive of service and not of pro-
fit. The money motive which has
well nigh played havoc with the
world is leading the Negro to
destruction. The minister, physi-
clan, the lawyer, the school teach
er or the business man who pro-
fiteers at the expense of the poor
brings his profession into disre-