Year: 1859

extremes, neither of which is exclusively
desirable, but both of which are inclusive
ly indispensable. The first of these is
composed of those who believe that our ell
ovation depends upon the mere obtaining
on our part of refined education, refined
manners, refined appearance, political
rights, and social rights These, and these
only, they believe, will elevate us to our
proper level.


This class can see but very little good
effected outside of lectures, orations, speech
es, special pleadings, courts of justice, pull
pits, rostrums, cars, steamboats,, hotels, and
comfortable dwellings-in short, good ap-
pearance and pleasant recognition from
the dominant class generally. The attain
ment of good trade or good business
never SO much as once have entered their
minds; the exercise of rigid system OF
domestic economy, or even a moderate de-
gree of temperance in their domestic af-
fairs, they have scarcely even dreamed of.
They look on and behold corresponding
class of whites, who, by the full possession
of the one and the rigid exercise of the
other, rise first to comfort, then to ease,
then to competency, and then to indepen-
dence They look on, but feel that this
method of getting ON in the world is not
for them-is not to be by them nor to them
commended-is not elevation. Theirs is
higher ideal, they tell US. They aim at
a nobler goal. They are, in fact, truly
transcendental. Speak, speak-lecture, lee
ture-talk, talk-declaim, advocate, agi-
tate; this is their mission, and is all right
and good-very good, as far as it goes.
Indeed, it is all so important to the pro-
gress of our cause that it ought to be the
earnest life-work Of the special individual
man; still, it ought not to be the sole creed
and entire basis of an entire class from
which only they are to strive to effect their
complete elevation. 1t forms platform
neither long enough nor broad enough, and
hence it is that some of our best efforts and
best resolves fail ere the first symptoms of
success, while most of the rest die of stran
gulation long before the great masses of
our people perceive that there are any
signs of life in them. Something more,
then, is needed, and the city and village
life to which this class of our people is
mostly confined, fails to supply that some
thing.


The second division of our people, on
the contrary, are those who, if they ever
knew of it, eschew this entire method of
promotion. Certainly they have no faith
in anything as a means except, primarily,
labor. Labor! That with them is the key
note not only, but the entire note to the
end Of the scale and down again. Labor !
labor They work to live and thrive, and
live and thrive to work; they work, they
eat, they drink, they sleep; they sleep,
they eat, they drink, they work Thus,
day in and day out, do they perform the
same dreary round of hard labor, unreliev-
ed by an encouraging lecture, a good book,
a useful journal, or pleasant thought For
these they have neither time nor taste.


This class, where economy and sobriety
predominant, is pecuniarily advancing; and
here as we did for the other class, we pro-
nounce their effort clever enough as far as
it goes. It. has, unlike the other, sufficient
breadth and depth of foundation, but not
height enough upon which people may
stand and therefrom rise to their full stat
ure. The country life which this class has
led, and the primitive training it has had,
have combined to contract their views to
too narrow limits for just and proven ele-
vation. For them too something more is
needed.


Here, then, are the two extremes of col
ored society, forming excellent materials
for permanent advancement. What we
need, then, is third party-a middle par
ty, rational party, party constructed out
of the essential elements Of both-the
blending together of the extremes into one
great whole.


Let our people who are located in the
rural sections of the country-we mean
those who are toiling and thriving-look up





occasionally from their toll, and see what
else is going on in the world beyond. Let
them endeavor to learn something beyond
their immediate neighborhoods. There
are other lessons than those they have mas
tered Though perhaps none so difficulty yet
to be learned before they can be all that
true state of society demands.


And let those of our large cities and vii
lagos, who at present see elevation only in