VOL. XLVIL
CHARLOTTE, N. C,
/__' '
THE PATHWAY TO THE NEGRO’S
FINDING HIMSELF
An Address by Mr. W. P. Evans, of Laurinburg, delivered before
the Catawba Synodical Sabbath School Convention
4and School of Methods at Johnson C. Smith
University, August 25th.
Part II
* The muddy waters of the Pee
Dee had been wasting over its
rock-ribbed basin for years,
but the energy and ingenuity
of men dammed the stream,
harnessed the power, and to-,
day hundreds of cotton mills!
and as many cities and towns
are being electrified and illum
inated by the work of men’s
hands and brains.
Colored boys, men,, women
and girls, harness your wast
ing energies, combine your fi
nancial strength and build up
Negro enterprises so as to em
ploy your educated men and
women.
Old men dredm dreams;
our young men have visions;
Where there is no vision the
people perish, because the
needs of our people this day
demand it. Our great leader,
Dr. R. R- Moton, had a vision
which has led him to be instru
mental in organizing a Nation
al Negro Million Dollar Finance
Corporation so as to aid and
afejet poor young colored ;men
striving to do business and to
apply their educational quali
fications.
The Chinese have a National
organization that backs every
poor Chinaman coming to this
country to open a Chinese laun
dry. The Jews have a Nation
al financial association that
lends money to any poor Jew
\ starting in business.
nVg; W*ry f>*** in Dr. Motors
vision and -his Negro Finance
Corporation because I have
faith in myself and in my race.
* Just forty years ago I had a
vision. (Pardon a personal re
ference which I must use to
show that what one Negro has
done another Negro can do.)
Forty years ago I left Wilming
ton, my home city, friends and
parents, and cast my lot in
what was then a very small
town, Laurinburg. I had a vis
ion that I could do business like
a white man, and with about
one dry goods box of goods I
moved into a little two-by-four
brick store on Main Street and
went to work selling groceries
and second hand shoes, putting
in eighteen hours per day, eat
ing scant rations for breakfast
and dinner, and for supper soda
crackers, smoked herrings and
a cup of tea; but I had the de
termination, and, best of all, I
had a loving wife by my side,
who bore hardships and made
acrifices, mediums to our suc
cess.
The next year I rented a
larger store, so I could carry
dry goods and notions on one
side and groceries on the oth
er. Later, during my toil, I
was able to lease a lot and
build a store and residence to
gether. My store had the first
plate glass front ever built in
the town, and after getting
thus far on, my vision in
creased, and I soon had run
ning the first wood and >coa$
yard in the town. Then I saw
the need of better homes for
colored people. I built the first
wainscoted'and plastered house
ever rented to a colored man
in Laurinburg.
I saw business in farming
and at one time planted three
hundred acres in cotton, which
amount no colored man of the
county had planted. And so I
have labored and served until
today I have a store that is no
discredit to any people, employ
ing eight to fifteen men and
women of my own race in the
various lines of my business
activities.
Every Monday morning we
collect, or at least try to col
lect, rent from twenty-four
houses and lots. Since I, only
one man, have done even this
much, how many hundred
times more call the combined
strength of Dr. Moton’s Fi
nance Corporation do towards
proving to the world that a
black corporation is as potent
in the promotion of black en
terprises as the Jews in tke
promotion of Jewish enterpris
es.
Young men, you will mean
more to the race as a peanut
vender than as a headwaiter in
some Northern hash-house, be
cause in business there is some
progression and independence.^
The race’s redemption lies in
business cooperation.
The laws of success m bus
iness are honesty, faithfulness,
perseverance and courage. To
attempt to get along “without
honesty means moral disaster;
without faithfulness you get
inefficiency; without persever
ance you waste your time. If
you leave out courage there is
a weak place that will mean a
break-down in some sudden
emergency. Young men, get
busy. Stop whining over
grievances and seize opportu
nities and instead of fussing
over the chance to spend a dol
lar, work for the chance to
make a dollar.
Fellow citizens, the great
Negro problem is our problem
and we must solve it. We must
roll the stone away from the
sepulchre of ignorance, selfish
ness, non-cooperation and petty
jealousy among ourselves.
The white man nor the red
man, nor the foreign man will
ever change the condition of
the Negro. We ourselves will
change the attitude of the
world toward us as soon as we
change the attitude of our
selves towards one another.
The world loves courage,
manhood and womanhood and
as soon as we have the cour
age to stand for race pride and
cooperation, making the Negro
first, last and always, and the
manhood to preserve and pro
tect the virtue of our wives
and daughters; as soon as we,
like the Jew, will walk by
everybody’s else . enterprise to
get to one of our own; as soon
as we exchange cheap politics
for business, indolence for
thrift; as soon as we remove
Negro earmarks from dirty
restaurants and slouchy barber
shops; so soon will a second
freedom come and we will com
mand the respect of all people
of the world.
Mothers, you need no longer
to rub the skin off your knuck
les in the wash-tubs educat
ing your son to be a doctor;
you need no longer educate!
your son to be a merchant, if
you won’t patronize the colored
merchants already struggling
to do business. Fathers, you
need to foster, support and
build up Negro business enter
prises so that you will prepare
high grade business men as
husbands for your high grade
daughters.
Make sincere friendship with
the best white people in your
respective communities, and, to
have friends, you must show1
yourselves friendly. The races
that have grown strong and use
ful have not done so by depend
ing upon fault-finding with
others, but by presenting
to the world evidences of their
progress in agriculture, indus
try and business, as well as re
ligion, education and civic
growth.
When every Negro farmer
in the South land shall eat
bread from his own fields and
meat from his own pastures;
and, disturbed by no creditor
and enslaved by no debt, shall
sit amid the teeming gardens
and vineyards and dairies and
barnyards, pitching his crops
MR. JAMES p. DUKE
(Photo by courtesy
(Charlotte News)
in his own wisdom and growing;
them in independence; making
cotton his clean surplus and
selling it in his own time and
in his chosen market, and not
at a master’s bidding; getting
his pay in cash and not in a
receipted mortgage that dis
charges his debt Jbjft does B6ti
restore his freedom, then shall
be the breaking of the fullness
of the Negro’s New Day, and
the race will find its rightful
place along with other people
of the world
The many and varied needs
of our people in building a
foundation for the race’s su
perstructure should lead our
educated young men and wo
men to an ideal life of
service equal to or greater
than that of our lamented Dr.
Washington, who u-uly gave
his life for his people. He who
would save his life will lose it,
but he who would lose his life
for the sake of his down-trod
den and benighted people will
find it again and will live on
and on throughout the lives
and ages of posterity.
The fundamental aim of ed
ucation should be manhood and
service. Dr. Washington said:
“I would not care to live if
there were no perplexing prob
lems to solve, no weak to up
lift, no ignorant to enlighten.”
Let me say to you, be coura
geous. Courage is a primal
virtue. Discouragement hides
God’s means and methods. It
blots ouff^Jf sight everything
that is helpful and friendly to
us. It paralyzes our ability
and self-confidence, destroys
our efficiency and cuts down
the effectiveness of every one
of our faculties. Cultivate hu
man sympathy; be reciprocal
and yearn for the chance to do
something for others.
The fleeing herd deserts its
fallen companion; the wolf
pack devours its wounded com
rade; but man, made in the im
age of God, lifts up the fallen
and supports the weak.
Yonder is a river with steep
and rocky banks, and it roars
like a young Niagara, as it
rolls over its rough bed. It
does nothing but talk about it
self all the way from its source
in the mountains to the place
where it empties into the sea.
The banks are so steep the
cattle cannot come down to
drink. It does not run fertil
izing rills into the adjacent
fields. It hasn’t a grist mill or
a cotton mill on either of its
banks. It sulks in rainy
weather with chilly fogs. No
one cares where such a river
s born a^d no one cares when
dies into the sea.
But there is another river,
ater lilies sleep on its bosom,
invites herds of cattle and
ks of sheep and coveys of
ds to come there and drink
has three grist mills on one
its banks and six cotton
te&Mj!other. Itisthe
wealth of two hundred miles of
luxuriant fa^ms. The birds of
heaven chanted when it was
born in the mountains and they
hail it as it comes down to the
Atlantic coast. The one river
is the man who hves for him
self ; the other river is the man
who lives for others.
EVery Black Man Should Own
His Home.
The home is the foundation of
civilization. It is not in the
expensive landscaping sur
rounding it, not in the luxury
with which it may be fur
nished, but it is in the home
as an institution that humani
ty finds solace, comfort and a
character - building atmos-.
phere. We can each one of us
own our own home. We can
build one through the Building
and Loan Association and have
six years to pay for it in week
ly payments, or we can build
one by getting the wife and
children to deny themselves
fine dressing and high living
for a while.
In short, get in debt and take
on burdens and weights, then
come on up and you will soon
have $ ir home. We must
take on weights and responsi
bilities before we tan accom*
plish much. The seeds you
plant don’t' come up until you
place the weight of the soil on
top of them.
When we neglect so great a
duty, the duty to own our
homes, we commit wrongs in
our community- And we can
not demand the rights we are
always clamoring for until we
correct the wrongs we are al
ways committing in the com
munity.
Young men, start in bus
iness. Cast down your buck
ets where you are. There is
opportunity right here for
Negro business. No one of
you need to be rich to start.
John D. Rockefeller was born
in a little country place, and
he was a poor plow boy, too.
One day he was digging pota
toes and espied a wild turkey
hen. He followed her to her
nest and found her nest full of
young turkeys which he took
to his home and raised. Near
Christmas he carried them tc
town and sold them and put
(Continued on page 3)
MR. JAMES B. DUKE DIES IN NEW YORK-IS
LAID TO REST IN NORTH CAROUNA
Mr, James Buchanan Duke,
one . of the country’s greatest
captains of industry and phil
anthropists, died last Saturday
at his home in New York City,
after an illness extending over
eight or ten weeks. The body
was taken to Durham, Mr.
Duke’s boyhood home and the
scene of his early struggles for
burial, and the funeral service
was held there Tuesday morn
ing.
About a year ago Mr. Duke as
tounded the country and immor
talized himself by setting aside
from his vast wealth $40,000,
000 to be held 'in trust for edu
cational and charitable purpos
es in North and South Caroli
na. The income from the bulk
of this fund is to go to four ed
ucational institutions—name
ly, Duke University (formerly
Trinity College) at Durham;
Davidson College, Furman
University at Greenville, S. C.,
and Johnson C- Smith Univer
sity, Charlotte. Johnson C.
Smith University’s share of
the total fund is 4 per cent, or
abqjit $1,600,000. The income
from this will be available an
nually beginning in 1926.
A large delegation of friends
and admirers of Mr. Duke left
Charlotte at six o’clock Tues
day morning on a special train
for Durham to attend the fun
eral service. Dr. H. L. Mc
Crorey, President of.'Johnson
C. Smith University, was invit
ed to join this party and was
accorded Pullman reservations
for the trip.
Following is p beautiful ac
count : of tlfe*fttitf6ral servkfc
written by the Editor of the
Charlotte Evening News:
HUNDREDS STAND WITH
BOWED HEADS
By Julian Miller
In Charlotte News, Oct. 13.
Durham, Oct. 13.—North
Carolina’s appreciation of the
labors and affection for the
life of James B. Duke followed
him here today to the final
place of sleep of his body as it
was borne to the mausoleum
in Maplewood cemetery while
surging thousands stood in re
spectful and reverent silence.
The city to which he came
as a country lad 50 years ago
to earn through the sale of
eggs the first 25 cents of the
colossal wealth he later accu
mulated, hushed its activities
for two hours, between 10 and
12, as the last obsequies were
being spoken in the palatial
Duke Memorial church which
the deceased had erected in
memory of his father.
The houses of business in
Durham were closed, the hum
of industrial machinery was si
lenced as the community that
claimed him through the years
as its greatest contribution to
the world of achievement
sought to show him its final
honors.
The body of Mr. Duke, ac
companied by members of his
family and intimate friends
from New York, reached Dur
ham at 7 o’clock this morning
with its seven coaches, the en
tourage being in charge of Mr.
G. G. Allen, Mr. Duke’s busi
ness confidante, and president
of the British-American Tobac
co Company, Thomas F, Ryan,
capitalist, R. E. Reeves, bank
er, Frank Fuller, counsel for
the Liggett & Myers Tobacco
Company, and other close bus
iness friends of the deceased
Mrs. Duke and the only child
of the illustrious magnate, Miss
Doris, accompanied the re
mains. The only Brother,
Benjamin N. Duke, is critically
ill in his New York home.
After the body reached Dur
ham it was taken under escort
’ from the railroad station to
Duke University where it lay
in state until removed to the
church for the 11 o’clock pub
lic funeral service.
The members of the senior
class of Duke University
served as an escort of honor
bo the Duke Building and four
hours later when the remains
were brought into the church,
the entire student body with
bared heads marched in a
body. At the church, the stu
dents lined up on either side of
the street to Maplewood as the
seemingly endless lines of lim
ousines went their slow and te
dious way to the tomb.
250 From Charlotte
The Charlotte special train
of ten cars, leaving this morn
ing at 6 o’clock, brought a par
ty of 250 friends and employes
of the dead capitalist, arriving
at Durham at 10 o’clock after
a non-stop run with the excep
tion of Greensboro. The spe
cial train carried a diner, five
Pullman cars and three day
coaches and was in personal
charge of R. H. Graham, divis
ion passenger agent. Not only
executives of the companies
Mr- Duke organized and direct
ed, but scores of subordinates,
many from the ranks of the
street car men, the gas sta
tions, the lighting department,
each of the ramified sub-divis
ions of the utilities company
being represented.
In addition to these, there
were nearly 1,000 friends of
Mr. Duke from the business
and professional ranks of the
life of Charlotte, all having
•ma&'-tlie journey '
final tribute of esteem for the
State’s most outstanding ben
efactor and for a citizen Char
lotte intermittently claimed as
its most conspicuous citizen.
The Charlotte delegation was
piloted to the church from the
tr^in which stopped at Duke’s
crossing, within a block of Me
morial church, by W. S. Lee,
vice-president of , the Southern
Power Company and its chief
engineer, John Paul Lucas, of
the public relations depart
ment, and John W. Fox, and a
section of the church was re
served for the entire party,
which was given seats be
fore the doors were opened to
the public. The Charlotte del
egation reached the church
just as the hearse conveyed
the remains of Mr. Duke into
the building.
Casket Heavy.
The bronze casket, weighing
1,500 pounds, was laboriously
borner into the church by ten
pall bearers of Durham citi
zens. At 10:45 the marvelous
ly melodious chimes sent forth
mellowing notes of “Nearer
My God to Thee” and the doors
swurjg open to 'admit the
throng that crowded about the
premises. First came the
board of trustees of Duke Uni
versity and then the members
of the faculty of the institution
reserved seats being held for
these while the few remaining
seats were occupied quickly by
some of the old time friends of
the deceased of this city and
.general section of the State.
In the audience sat not only
professors of Duke University,
but among the visitors from a
distance were Presiderit Mar
tin, of Davidson College, Dr.
W. L. Lingle, of Union Semina
ry, chairman of the board of
trustees of Davidson, Dr. H. L.
McCrorey, president of John
son C. Smith University, of
Charlotte, aJnd representatives
Furman University, all of
which institutions were lately
remembered munificently in
the $40,000,000 Duke Endow
ment Fund. Bankers, cotton
mill executives from the two
Carolinas and distinguished re
presentatives of the profes
sions joined in the democratic
crowd that uncovered in the
(Continued on page 2)