But this visit convinced me
that I did not know the greatness and the generosity of the man.
I soon learned, by his visits to the Southern white people, and
from his conversations with them, that he was as anxious about
the prosperity and the happiness of the white race as the black.
He cherished no bitterness against the South, and was happy when
an opportunity offered for manifesting his sympathy. In all my
acquaintance with General Armstrong I never heard him speak, in
public or in private, a single bitter word against the white man
in the South. From his example in this respect I learned the
lesson that great men cultivate love, and that only little men
cherish a spirit of hatred. I learned that assistance given to
the weak makes the one who gives it strong; and that oppression
of the unfortunate makes one weak.
It is now long ago that I learned this lesson from General
Armstrong, and resolved that I would permit no man, no matter
what his colour might be, to narrow and degrade my soul by making
me hate him. With God's help, I believe that I have completely
rid myself of any ill feeling toward the Southern white man for
any wrong that he may have inflicted upon my race. I am made to
feel just as happy now when I am rendering service to Southern
white men as when the service is rendered to a member of my own
race.
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