"
I have heard the great orators of many countries, but not even
Gladstone himself could have pleased a cause with most consummate
power than did this angular Negro, standing in a nimbus of
sunshine, surrounded by the men who once fought to keep his race
in bondage. The roar might swell ever so high, but the expression
of his earnest face never changed.
A ragged, ebony giant, squatted on the floor in one of the
aisles, watched the orator with burning eyes and tremulous face
until the supreme burst of applause came, and then the tears ran
down his face. Most of the Negroes in the audience were crying,
perhaps without knowing just why.
At the close of the speech Governor Bullock rushed across the
stage and seized the orator's hand. Another shout greeted this
demonstration, and for a few minutes the two men stood facing
each other, hand in hand.
So far as I could spare the time from the immediate work at
Tuskegee, after my Atlanta address, I accepted some of the
invitations to speak in public which came to me, especially those
that would take me into territory where I thought it would pay to
plead the cause of my race, but I always did this with the
understanding that I was to be free to talk about my life-work
and the needs of my people.
Pages:
231
232
233
234
235
236
237
238
239
240
241
242
243
244
245
246
247
248
249
250
251
252
253
254
255