ld find a single negro who understood the Greek
syntax, he would believe the negro was human and would treat him as
such. At that time it was a very safe test. God accepted the challenge
in behalf of the negro race, and inspired his white sons and daughters
both in the North and South to teach their brothers in black; and a
few years afterward black men were examined and the world pronounced
them scholars, while later still the schools were using a Greek
grammar written by a black man, W. S. Scarborough of Wilberforce, O.
In his class were Frederick Douglas, Henry Highland Garnett, Robert
Elliot, the Rev. J. C. Price and John M. Langstone, as defenders of
the race. Bishop Allen Payne, Bishop Hood and John B. Reaver will ever
be remembered for their godly piety and Christian example, as we shall
also remember Bishop, Sumner and Bubois for their great literary
productions, William Washington Brown as the greatest organizer and
financier of the century, Prof. Booker Washington as the greatest
industrial educator of the world, and last, but not least, Thomas
Condon, the greatest crank for the spiritual training and higher
education of the negro race.
Under the leadership of such men, assisted by our white friends and
backed up by our colored race journals--the Christian Banner of
Philadelphia, the Christian Recorder, the Star of Zion and the
Afro-American Ledger of Baltimore, Ind., the National Baptist Union
of Pennsylvania, the Age of New York, the Christian Organizer of
Virginia and the Guardian of Boston--our onward march to civilization
is phenomenal and by these means we have reduced illiteracy 50 per
cent.
In the South we have over $12,000,000 worth of school property, 3,000
teachers, 50 high schools, 17 academies, 125 colleges, 10 law and
medical schools, 25 theological seminaries, all doing a mighty work
for God and humanity.
Now as to laziness. We have now in practice 14,000 lawyers and
doctors, and have accumulated over $150,000,000 worth of church
property. In the South we have over 150,000 farms and houses, valued
at $900,000,000, and personal property at $170,000,000. We have raised
over $11,000,000 for educational purposes. The property per capita for
every colored man, woman and child in the United States is estimated
at $75, and we are operating successfully several banks and factories;
we have 7,500,000 acres of land, and the business activity of the
colored people was never as thoroughly aroused as
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