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Thls Is tho problem ot tho hour. It domnnds a solution now.
Wo must adtlrcm ourselves to tho work, whllo tho difficulties may bo
mot. Tho situation Is a pocullnr and delicate one No Btop Hhould
bo taken without tho most scrupulous enro. For upon tho one
hand Hob tho futuro ot nn on tiro nice. Upon tho othor, tho olllclonry
nnd Indeed tho vory permnnonco of our dimooratlc Institutions.
Lot us then, with nil soborncss, nak ourselves tho question, what
nro tli ureal dlfllcultlcH In thowny of nnc(iiltable8olutlonofthlHmoHt
knotty problem. Aro thoy Inherent In theclmractorof tho Negro, or
nro thoy to bo sought In Ills social nnd political relations? In tho
answer to thoso questions will bo found the key to tho situation.
Tho charnctor of the Negro mny host be shown by a glanco at his
history. Throo hundred years ago, ho was a savago, steeped In lg
nornnco nnd superstition. Ills dielrcs were few. His ambltlops
fowor. Ills religion wns tho most savago heathenism. In tho whole
range of his history ho had mndo no pcrcoptlblo progress. Further
more, tho first two hundrod and fifty years of his llfoln Amorlcagavo
little opportunity for rtdvancomont. Ilody, mind, nnd soul, nllwcro
kept lit a most galling bondngn Everything tonded to develop to
tho uttermost thobnsor lnsttnots ot his nature And yet, in tho fnco
of nil thoso obstacles, as a rnco ho has mado alow but suro progress
from tho moment he ramo Into contact with our civilization. Ho
was early flllod with nn Insntlnblo desire to Improvo his condition.
Would you know how he longod to lenrn to rend, ask tho Southern
lads, who traced for him the letters In tho sand, and taught him tho
words on the sign boards. Do you doubt that he prized personal
liberty? Head tho tales of n thousand runaway slaves, who tolled
a llfotlmo to purchase tho freedom ot a child, of a wlfo, of a fathor.of
a mother. Ills heroic struggle for ndvnncomcnb during tho Inst
twonty-flvo years hns called forth the admiration ofovon his enemies.
If you would know how great lins boon his progress, comparo tho
Negro of to-day, In industry, In education, In political sagacity, In
religion, with tho Negro of 1G20 or, Indeed, of twenty-five yonrs ago.
And still tho work of advancement continues. To-day, hundreds of
the young men nnd womon of tho raco aro annually graduated from
tho colleges and seminaries of the South, who go forth ns a loavon
wherewith tho whole loaf shall be leavened. Whorover they locate
their inllucnco on the community Is incalculable. As teachers, ns
physlcluns, as ministers they aro gradually elovatlng their raco. In
tho Negro schools, being best acquainted with tho desires, tho noeds,
nnd tho capabilities of tho raco, they make tho most successful
tcachors. They securo a larrer and moro regular attendance In tho
schools, and exorelso nn Influenco upon tho social nnd political tend
encies ot tho community that Is not to be ovor-ostimated. Ah minis
ters thoy never fall to bring about a moro olmplo and practical In
terpretation ot lllblo truths, and a moro Judicious application of Its
precepts. Hut especially is ono favorably Imprcssod with tholr Influ
onco upon Industry ; for, ns a Southorn enthusiast says, labor Is tho
greatest mqrnl torco in civilization. They Inculcnto habits ot In
dustry nnd. thrift; tho results of which muyboBeen from thofnet that In
Louisiana, during a slnglo year, tho Negroes more than doubled tholr
prlvnto holdings In land, which amounted, In that state, In 1S80, to
nearly twonty-threo thouHand. In agriculture In stock raising, and
in tho mechanics, Increased skill and thrift nro every where romarked
ovon by his enemlos.
Finally, tho Negro Is pcnceablo bynaturo and takes kindly to civ
ilization, lie Is In tho Infancy of his development, and easily con
forms himself to established modes ot thought and habits of living.
And yet, ovon nt his prosont rato of progress. It will requlro many years
ot patient toll to completo his emancipation. Will you lond a hold
ing hand to this unhappy brother, as he tolls slowly, but pnttontly,
upward toward tho heights of civilization? Or, will you, Impatient
at IiIh slowness, with aruthloss hand, hurl htin again to the bottom?
In tho light of tho Negro's development, do yon bellovo that his
character renders n solution of tho problem Impossible? If not,
whero lies thodlfllculty? I answer, In what Is known as "tho peculiar
Hltuntlon."
Two potont factors go to make up this situation. First, public
bontlmont against thoNegro as a raoo, or his social relations. Sec
ond, his position with respect to tho two grent political parties, or
his political relations.
Now, this ad verso public sentiment, aroused as It is by social prldo
and raco prejudice, has been tho greatest obstaclo In tho way of tho
Negro's progress. Public sontlmcnt Is thostrongestfactor In tho life
ot a nation. Without its favor, laws, nay, oven constitutions fall to
oporato. Tho creators ot it hold In their hands the destiny of na
tions. It has boon tho morobnneful In Itslnfluencosagalnst thoNegro,
bocauso it has boon controlled and directed by such inhumnu pas
slons. Iiut public sentlmout s gradually changing to tho sldo of tho
Negro. Tho passions that onco controlled It aro fast dying out.
Social prldo or cnslo, tho Inst romnant of foudnllRm Is quickly dlsnp
ponrlng boforo tho advnnco of 'emocrntlc Ideas. So too, on account
ot ItH poloncy In tho past, tho Inlluonco of raco prejudlco upon th6
futuro of tho Nogro has,heon groatlyovor-sstlmatod. For aswopnss
down through tho history of tho nations, wo find arising upon ovcy
hand nowforccs thnt tend to mltlgato Its evils, and that, In tho nonr
futuro, wlllwlpo out ovory vostlgoofltsbnnrfullnflupncos. Chrlstlnn
Ity Is tho grentost loveler known to modern civilization. Who will
ossay to mensurolts Inlluenceln thlsdlrortlon? Commercial activity
has opened to us tho lroti'bound gntos of far-off Japan, has explored
tho most distant Islands of tho sen, and, aided by tho steamship
nnd telegraph, has brought us Into almost dally contnet with tholr
peoples. Such forces to nil to brondon tho mind of men, and aro fast
pu ling down tho mighty bnrrl rs that formerly separated tho races.
Surely, wo of America will not nllow theso prejudices to separate us
from our duty.
Tho political situation Is nono tho less complicated. The homo of
tho Nogro Is, and for many years must bo, tho South. Ills political
atllllatlonB aro with tho North. Thocausos that havobrought about
this anomaly need not bo commented upon; thoy aro well known to
overy Amorlcnn. Tho Negro Is allied to tho Republican parly by tho
almost Indlssolublo ties of child to pnrent. Ills faithful heart has
enshrined In his momory, for all time, thogroat leaders ofthnt party,
and that army of heroes, martyrs to tho causo of his freedom.
Naturally his Interests llo with tho South. Hut tho North, ovor
onger to securo his vote has, In tho pnst.overstcppod all boundnrlos
of proprloty and public policy. Tho South, oqually anxious to pro
sont a solid front to hor opponents, hns Btrugglod to Veep tho Negro
In Ignoranco, and to doprlvo him of tho right of franchlso. He has
thus been a bono of contention, In that fl rcest of struggles, tho
contest for political snpremncy. Two forces, ho wovcr, nro fast solv
ing tho political situation. First, tho attltudo of tbo North and tho
South towards tho rnco. Thoso two sections are no longer arrayed
against each other on tho questions that first divided thorn. New
generations, unacquainted with thoso sectional Jealousies, nro
taking their places In tho councils of tho nation. Now Issues nro
arising thnt know no North, no South, no Knst, no Wost. Tho
North Is no longer nn over-sympathetic champion of tho Negro's
rights. She Is taking a broader vlowof tho situation. Sho Is begin
ning to sympnthlzo with tho South, nnd to consider her wolfaro, as
well as that of tho Negro. Tho South Is conservative nnd has been
long In dlscoveilngtho mighty possibilities of hor undeveloped re
sources. Hut sho Is now entering upon n now ora of prosperity and
development. In tho nenr future, by a union ot tho labor ot tho
Nogro, tho capital of tho North, and tho resources of tho South, Bho
will lead tho world In tho multiplicity nnd Importance of hor indus
tries. 8ho is beginning to realize hor dependence upon tho Negro.
Sho sees that ho Is peculiarly adapted to her climate nndtotholabor
sho needs. In short, thnt ho Is an Inseparable part ot her futuro
greatness. Again, the Increasing Intelligence ot tho Nogro wilt, In
tho future, onablo him to ally himself with principles, not pnr
tles; with measures, not mon. Holding In grateful romombranco
his benofnetors, conviction, not sentiment, will henceforth actuato
him In his political alliances.
Time, commercial Intercourse, and now blood, together with tho
education ot tho Negro, will afford tho remedies for all his social and
political Ills.
Tho vlow that tho Negro Is taking of tho sltuntlon Is, Indeed, on
courglng. Ho Is beginning tosoo that thcro Is no high rond tu civil
ization; that ho must ascend tho ladder ot material, moral, and
Intellectual progross, as other races have dono; that ho must begin
at tho bottom, nnd mako tho slow and painful nHcent, round by round .
that no war measure, no stroko of political powir.no amount ot
legislation, will onablo him to reach the top at a slnglo bound. In
his own words: " Wobellovo thnt our futuro deponds Infinitely more
upon ourselves than upon nuy othor agency. It Is high timo for us
to ceaso following tho Igntw tiituua of politics, nnd to begin tho work
ot development along thoso lines only, on which real progross Is pos
sible. Tho politician has long slnco exhausted his storo-houso for
us." Tho thoughts of tho Negro aro no longer upon revenge His
fnco Is turned toward tho future a futuro full of realization for his
noblo aspirations. Ho, full of hope, peoilng out through this dark
est night ot oppression, bollovcs that oven now, ho sees, though
dimly, tho first rays ot tho sunlight of freedom harbingers of his
glad day of llborty. Ho Is girding himself for the strugglo nlroady
at hand. Ho realizes that tho contest will bo long and bitter. He
knows that his greatest foes aro Ignornnco nnd superstition. He
bcob arrayed against him an unalterable color Hue, tho prejudlco ot
his white brothren, and thnt fiercest of human passions, race antip
athy. Hut, on tho other hund, ho musters for tho conflict, patlonco,
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