than by
cultivating that amount of faith in the race which will make us
patronise its own enterprises wherever those enterprises are worth
patronising. I do not believe much in the advice that is often given
that we should patronise the enterprises of our race without regard to
the worth of those enterprises. I believe that the best way to bring
the race to the point where it will compare with other races is to
let it understand that, whenever it enters into any line of business,
it will be patronised just in proportion as it makes that business as
successful, as useful, as is true of any business enterprise conducted
by any other race. The race that would grow strong and powerful must
have the element of hero-worship in it that will, in the largest
degree, make it honour its great men, the men who have succeeded in
that race. I think we should be ashamed of the coloured man or woman
who would not venerate the name of Frederick Douglass. No race that
would not look upon such a man with honour and respect and pride could
ever hope to enjoy the respect of any other race. I speak of this, not
that I want my people to regard themselves in a narrow, bigoted sense,
because there is nothing so hurtful to an individual or to a race as
to get into the habit of feeling that there is no good except in its
own race, but because I wish that it may have reasonable pride in all
that is honourable in its history. Whenever you hear a coloured man
say that he hates the people of the other race, there, in most
instances, you will find a weak, narrow-minded coloured man. And,
whenever you find a white man who expresses the same sentiment toward
the people of other races, there, too, in almost every case, you will
find a narrow-minded, prejudiced white man.

That person is the broadest, strongest, and most useful who sees
something to love and admire in all races, no matter what their
colour.

If the Negro race wishes to grow strong, it must learn to respect
itself, not to be ashamed. It must learn that it will only grow in
proportion as its members have confidence in it, in proportion as they
believe that it is a coming race.

We have reached a period when educated Negroes should give more
attention to the history of their race; should devote more time to
finding out the true history of the race, and in collecting in some
museum the relics that mark its progress. It is true of all races of
culture and refinement and civilisation that