attempt made to
establish relationship between him and the monkey, that even in this
new century there exists, in some quarters, grave doubts as to his
origin, and a general misapprehension as to his nature, capabilities
and purposes. But research into the primeval history of man evinces
the fact, beyond the possibility of skepticism, that mankind had only
one common origin. We are taught that in the beginning God created man
in His own image, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life,
and that man became a living soul. The closest and most thorough
analysis of the blood of different races fails to detect the slightest
difference in the color, size, shape or quality of its corpuscles. The
fact that one people are white, another yellow, another red, another
brown, and yet another black has its cause in the workings of a law of
nature which we do not fully understand. Sacred history plainly
teaches that the Negro is a man like other men and that of one blood
God created all nations; hence there can be no racial barrier to a
successful business career, in the general constitution of a black
man.

What was the business of the Negro in the land of his nativity, or at
the time of his emancipation in this country, does not so much
interest us now, except as it may help us to appreciate his capacity
for business at present.

Life for our forefathers in Africa was very plain and very simple. The
multitude was engaged with problems little more difficult than the
acquirement of food and drink and rest, raiment not being a necessity;
hence their only business, aside from frequent wars with kindred
tribes, was to explore a way to the fruit tree, the water brook and
the shade, and so their years were principally filled up with the
business of merely satisfying those three physical wants--hunger,
thirst, and rest.

When human slavery was established in the colonies, those of our race,
either fortunate or unfortunate enough to be brought to these shores
were instructed mainly in the care of cotton, tobacco and rice crops;
and from these few Southern industries we could not turn aside.
Slavery deprived the Negro of the little responsibility devolving upon
him in his savage state--that of providing food and drink and finding
rest. No responsibility was allowed to devolve upon him, other than to
perform allotted work, not even the selection of his wife; and when
children were born to him, he was not confronted with the problem