Among men, if a man refuses to work when able, and nothing but laziness is his trouble, he is quickly thrown out and becomes a “tramp,” and when a man becomes a tramp, why then, an ignominious life and an ignominious death are his portions.
The Colored Americans have it within their power to rise above any race prejudice just as the Jews and other races are doing. They made a bitter fight, and finding that the Constitution, while giving them political rights, could not give them the respect of other fellow citizens, they, turned to education, business, employment and embraced every opportunity to get on top in progressive influences and they succeeded. They made themselves kings of finance and are deeply concerned in scientific investigations, appropriating large sums of money to the cause of education.
The Irish stand in the front as builders and workers, and none can point his finger at any particular successful Irishman and call him a “Flannel mouth” in derision. “Paddy” can refuse to eat meat on Friday, or eat it as he wishes without calling forth any vulgar remarks—he is respected as a race worth respecting.
So with the Italian, he is a worker and a fruit and produce caterer. He is no longer a mere member of the “Dago” race, he is a respectable member of the community. He does something.
The once despised “Chink” has arisen out of ages of superstition into an enlightened member of a great republic. He is no longer a “washee-washee,” but a man. He has cut off his pigtail and put on civilized clothing. At a banquet or gathering, the chairman is proud to introduce to the audience “My friend Wun Lung, who started out as a laundryman in the Fifth Ward, and has risen up to the presidency of the great Ginseng Company.” The Chinese are doing things and none of them is sitting around waiting for something to turn up. They go after opportunities and seize the one nearest and hold on to it until another and better one comes along and then they grasp that.
We are all living in the present laying up treasures or preparing for the future, and the Colored American stands in the same category as every other race. The petty details incident to human nature of every kind, go away with the present into the past. Every footstep made in the mud yesterday is sunk out of sight on the morrow. What you are called today, is nothing tomorrow, if you hold your position in the world’s respect. Keep on doing something, and if the epithets of the vulgar offer obstacles in the way of your progress, then give battle as have the Jews, the Irish, the Italians, and the Chinese. You belong to a race entitled to respect if you yourself respect it.
INCREASE OF OPPORTUNITIES FOR COLORED AMERICANS
Trades, Business Occupations, and Professions Opening Up in Every Part of the United States—Four Hundred Millions of Acres of Fertile Land Waiting for the Tiller—Agricultural and Mechanical Facilities Multiply—Honor and Profit Within the Grasp of Every Colored American
Nearly every occupation known to the world of endeavor, that is to say: the trades; arts and sciences; commerce; business; manufactures; skilled labor, and others, are now filled by Colored Americans with success and profit.
There are at least one hundred and fifty different occupations and professions utilized by Colored Americans, and not a single occupation can be mentioned or thought of that is not open to them.
One colored citizen in any business, occupation, or profession, means another one, and the field grows more extensive every year, with the advantages offered by institutions of learning, trade and mechanical schools and colleges, and every industry represented by an institution of learning.