No. 4.] THE COLORED RACE. 263 



about what it says ; and I believe it is very largely possible 

 for a race, as for an individual, to actually work out its sal- 

 vat ion ; and in the south, in a large degree, we are to work 

 out our salvation in the farm, in the shop, in the school, in 

 the college, with the drill, with the hammer, with the saw, 

 with the plow, — in a large degree we are to work out our 

 salvation. 



At one time in Georgia an old man wanted a turkey for 

 Christmas, and every night he prayed, " Lord, please send 

 dis darkey a turkey," but none came ; "Lord, please send 

 dis darkey a turkey," but none came. One night the old 

 fellow r got down on his knees and prayed, "Lord, please 

 send dis darkey to a turkey," and he got one that same 

 night. Now, I do not know how Massachusetts farmers 

 get their turkeys ; but there is not very much we get as 

 individuals, whether we are black people or white people, 

 unless we put forth some kind of an effort for it, like that 

 old black man down in Georgia. 



Slavery was a great curse in this country, — a curse upon 

 my race, a curse upon your race ; but, in the providence of 

 God, when it comes to the matter of production, I believe 

 that God permitted us to get two blessings out of the curse 

 of slavery. I am not apologizing for that institution. For 

 two hundred and fifty }^ears, through the. medium of slavery, 

 God made the southern white man come into business con- 

 tact with the negro. When the white man wanted a house 

 built, he went to a negro mechanic to consult him about 

 the plan of the house ; he went to a negro mechanic to 

 construct the house; he went to the negro shoemaker for 

 his shoes ; he went to the negro tailor for his clothing. Not 

 only that, but for two hundred and fifty years every large 

 slave plantation was, in a limited sense, an industrial school. 

 On those plantations a large number of our people were 

 taught farming, wheelwrighting, carpentering and brick 

 masonry. It paid in the days of slavery to make mechan- 

 ics of the black people. A common black man on the 

 auction block would bring about seven hundred dollars ; a 

 mechanic would bring from twelve to fourteen hundred dol- 

 lars ; and at the same time when }^ou could get as much as 



