Progress and Achievements of the Colored People: Containing the Story of the Wonderful Advancement of the Colored Americans—the Most Marvelous in the History of Nations—Their Past Accomplishments, Together With Their Present-day Opportunities and a Glimpse Into the Future for Further Developments—the Dawn of a Triumphant Era. A Handbook for Self-improvement Which Leads to Greater Success
John Stuart Mill · en
Your children want things you did not have when you were a child, and
therefore, if the things that were good enough for you are not good
enough for your children, they must go without. You reason like a cheese
that is full of blind mites.
We are progressing far beyond the dreams of your youth, and your
children are tied to the car of progress. You must not only let them go
along with it, but you must help them to keep up with the procession.
They are confronted by opportunities, and you dare not blind their eyes
to them. Education is the only thing that will keep their eyes wide open
to the chances of life.
THE GOLDEN RULE, OR THE PRINCIPLE OF LIVE AND LET LIVE
Life is a natural right in all men, and it is inalienable.
“The Lord is not willing that any should perish.”
Under our constitutions and laws, life, liberty and the pursuit of
happiness are the inalienable rights of all men.
No man has a right, under any sort of provocation to deprive another of
his life, no more has another man any right to deprive us of life.
There is an eternal balance in this right to live, and an eternal duty
on our part to let our fellow man live. But there are indirect ways of
accomplishing another man’s death, and we are equally as guilty as if we
were to deprive him of life directly.
A mark was set upon the murderer Cain lest any one finding him should
kill him. The right to live may be extended over all men, the sinner as
well as the saint, even the murderer is marked so that his right to live
shall not be interfered with.
When a man is in the full tide of vigorous life, his impression is that
he has more right to live than the weak, decrepit and useless, but there
is no such difference—the right is conferred upon all.
We must look to it lest we so act as to deprive another of this right to
live, for though we may not actually kill, we may interfere with his
life in many ways. We wrong him in many ways; destroy his character;
interfere with his existence in business, by slander, and often “drive
another to the wall,” as it is said. But when we do that we are
interfering with that man’s right to live, for the right is attached to
everything that a man may do. I have a right to work, but you say, “Not
unless you do as I say.” This is an invasion of his right to live.
Every man orders his life to suit himself, it is his life and no one may
order it for him. The Golden Rule is here exemplified: “Do unto others
as you would have others do unto you.” It is a good and safe rule to
follow always.
DON’T GO INTO PARTNERSHIP WITH “THE DEVIL”
It may be true, as many contend, that every man has a personal devil
within him that goads him on to do the wrong things at the right time.
Any person who has that sort of a devil can easily get rid of him by the
use of a strong will and determination.