here in this city that are the carcass on which rich cormorants are fattening, my soul is sick within me. Congress may investigate the cause of the emigration of the colored people to all eternity, and come to what conclusion they may, it won’t stop. I pray God it may not stop until enough laborers get away from the South to give room for those who remain to grow. God knows the truth, and He will open some way for His people to go out. I assure you His new Israel has not yet come to the land flowing with milk and honey. What think you of a man supporting a family of four on 25 cents a day, and paying five dollars a month for house rent? What think you of a family of five living on the wages of the daughter who gets six dollars a month working out, and paying five dollars a month for house rent? _Hungry mouths will stifle conscience._ Or, how long could the good people of the North live on hasty-pudding without molasses or milk, morning, noon and night, and nothing else, day after day and week after week? Do you say, why not go back into the country and work the land? So I said to one who had brought his family of five or six down here to starve with the rest: “Why didn’t you stay up in the country?” “Couldn’t lib up dar no how. Starve up dar shuah. Rent so high couldn’t lib. Had free acres of land and a po, misable shantie, and had to work fo days ob de week fur de rent, and but two days to tend my own crop. Hab to buy ebreting ob de commisary. Hab to pay twenty cents a pound fur meat (bacon), and forty cents a peck fur grits (corn meal). Starve to deff up dar shuah.” Four days’ work every week for the rent of three acres of land! The best land in that section is worth four dollars per acre. Call the man’s work worth twenty-five cents a day. His rent was one dollar a week—fifty-two dollars a year. No wonder the landlords are not anxious to sell land to the colored people, when they can get four times the value of the land every year in work at twenty-five cents a day. Defunct institution! Yes, on the statute book. “But, my man, why didn’t you buy the land at four dollars an acre?” “Well, sah, some ob ’em did buy de land. I dunno how much dey pays; but I knows when dey’s paid two or tree stalments dey can’t pay no mo, and gibs em up.” Do you wonder the people listen to glowing pictures of better opportunities somewhere else? If these people had a decent chance at home, they would not listen to invitations away. The fact is, they are perfectly helpless, and there is nothing for the mass of them but to sit down and wait, wait, wait, through the long, long years till the morning comes. I do not wonder they emigrate. I pray God they may continue to go, until those who remain shall have their hands full to supply the demands for labor. It may not be better for those that go, but it will be better for those that remain. The more you thin out your woodland, the taller and stouter will be your timber. The only hope