“The race of which we are members feels proud of the part played by James B. Parker in preventing the assassin from firing the third shot, though prejudice has prevented his receiving his due meed of praise. But let us not despair. Mr. McKinley is not dead to this American nation. He is still joined to us by the past, and by the still more glorious anticipations of the future. Heaven has discussed the sins of America as Lincoln, Garfield and McKinley, our martyred Presidents, have walked the golden streets, arm in arm. Too long have we winked at crime, lawlessness and anarchy. And we must yet learn that the highest citizen is not safe so long as the life of the lowest citizen is not protected.”
From Dr. Walker’s celebrated “Reply to Hannibal Thomas,” which he has delivered in many American cities, next will be given two or three short extracts. The lecture, lengthened somewhat by additional facts and tables, has been published in pamphlet form. The pamphlet contains about 31 pages, and is well worth reading.
REPLY TO HANNIBAL THOMAS.
“Allow me to state that the author of ‘The American Negro’ has given us a book that will pass as a well-written, and in some respects, scholarly production. He has given important and interesting historical information and some advice that no sensible Negro will object to. On the other hand, he has made such sweeping charges against his own race—false charges, slanderous charges, malicious charges—as to entitle him to pass alongside of Judas Iscariot, Benedict Arnold and Aaron Burr, the trinity of traitors.
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“In his chapter on ‘Characteristic Traits,’ Mr. Thomas charges that the Negro represents an illiterate race, in which cowardice, ignorance and idleness are rife. In reply, I ask that Mr. Thomas read the history of the wars of this country from colonial times to the present days. Let him acquaint himself with the 54th Massachusetts regiment in the late Civil War; let him inform himself of the deportment of Negro soldiers at Cold Harbor, Fort Pillow, Fort Donelson, Fort Wagner, Port Royal, Port Hudson, Petersburg and Palmetto Ranch. Let him learn something about San Juan Hill and El Caney. Then ask him about this charge. It will fall of its own weight. As to ignorance among the colored race, it may be stated that they have decreased their illiteracy by nearly one-half since emancipation; they have given $13,000,000 towards their own education; they have 17,000 graduates; 500 doctors; 400 lawyers; 1,000 authors; 5 banks; 6 magazines, and 500 newspapers. At the close of the war, there were not more than 75 Negro teachers in the United States. To-day, we have more than 30,000 men and women of the race engaged in teaching school. There are yet many ignorant Negroes, just as there are still many ignorant whites, and the whites had a start on us of 250 years. As to idleness, there is a great deal of idleness among colored people—that is true; but you will find a smaller number of idlers, loafers, beggars and tramps among colored people in proportion to their numbers than among any other race. His criticism on Northern teachers who entered the South immediately after the war to lift up the recently emancipated Negro is unwarranted, as well as is the slap at Northern philanthropists for making contributions out of their princely munificence toward removing illiteracy among Southern Negroes. Their money was wisely spent, as can be clearly seen in the thousands of men and women who have been trained at these mission schools. The great men and women who went from the North to teach the despised Negro did the best work of their lives. Hampton Institute would have done good for the race if it had not educated any other man except Booker T. Washington; for he has inspired his entire race, and is to-day doing for the race what a thousand Hannibal Thomases could not do. Hannibal Thomas is pessimistic; Booker T. Washington is optimistic. Hannibal Thomas is grumbling; Booker Washington is working.
“With regard to Negro men seeking to marry white women, it is untrue of the masses. Nearly all of our men are satisfied to marry the women of the race to which they belong. We have women as good and as pure and as beautiful as any other race; and, as to variety, we excel them.
“I state it as my opinion that the solution of the so-called Negro Problem does not depend upon emigration, amalgamation nor colonization. The Negro must learn that character, industry, education and money are the essential prerequisites for intelligent citizenship. Let the American white man decide to lend a helping hand to his struggling black brother on life’s highway; give him justice, equal and exact justice, North and South, East and West.”
At the famous Golden Rule Meeting held at Calvary Baptist Church, West 57th Street, New York City, March 26, 1901, Dr. Walker represented the Negro race. The object of the Golden Rule Society is to do away with race prejudice and religious intolerance as far as possible. Jews, the followers of Confucius, and Protestants took part in the meeting. Rabbi Schulman and Rabbi Silverman represented the Jews, Wu Ting-fang, the Chinese minister to this country, represented Confucianism, and Dr. R. S. MacArthur, the pastor of Calvary Baptist Church, and one of the very ablest pulpit orators and lecturers in the world, Gen. T. L. James, Dr. R. Heber Newton, Edwin Markham, the poet, and Dr. Walker were among the prominent Protestants on the program. Dr. Walker was the only colored speaker and was next to the last on the list of participants. More than three thousand people were packed into Calvary’s great auditorium. The audience had already been kept for nearly two hours when it came his time to speak, many hundreds having been compelled to stand during that long time. There was some interest, at least the interest of curiosity, to see and hear the colored man, and it was thought by a few that there was some misgiving on the part of the promoters of the meeting, because no one knew just what he would say or just what course he would take. An ill-timed word, an ill-considered expression on his part, might have cast a dampness over the meeting—might, in fact, have destroyed the very purpose for which the meeting was called. But he discussed his subject, “The Golden Rule as an Individual Motto,” without one single mention of the Race Question in an offensive and undignified way. He made his mark, and won a great place for Negro leaders on that memorable night. Of the ten or twelve speeches made that night, the metropolitan press the next morning united in saying that the honors of the evening were carried off by Mr. Wu Ting-fang and Dr. Walker. As Wu Ting-fang was the honored guest of the occasion, it seemed courteous to couple his name with that of the man who made the best speech of the evening and won the greatest applause. Dr. Walker caught the crowd at the outset by announcing that if any one doubted the sincerity of the promoters of the Golden Rule Meeting, their doubts would be dispelled so soon as they saw him on the platform to make an address; for, said he, so far as he knew, his race identity had never been questioned. This sally provoked great laughter and applause, because Mr. Walker is a very dark-skinned Negro, and the audience saw at once the wit and humor of his statement and appreciated it.