The Afro-American Review from Pittsburg, Kansas • 4

THE -AFRO-AMERICAN REVIEW rAGE FOUR. cent of them became branch members of the National Association. Still after being in the city three days and nights when it came to the getting together of 15 men and women to pay $1.00 to join the association she could not get even half of that number. There is hardly, any question about it that there must be a campaign of education launched by our leaders and women of the race to get the rank and file of the race to become interested in the vital things effecting their life and destiny. For it is painfully eveident that the great body of them is woefully lacking in race sacrifice.

"race problem" as no other agency can. Not only will it make the race self supporting and self sustaining, but it will add greatly to our physical status. Consumption is a very rare thing on the farm. But it finds its harvest among our people in the big cities. First, because coming from the rural districts where many of us spent our childhood days we don't seem to be able to stand the temptations of the "white ways," and by our intemperate living soon find early graves.

Aside from this we are forced as a rule to live in the most unsanitary places, and most unhealthy surroundings. These things would not exist on the farm. The farm advocates the simple life, the life that has in it the quality of elasticity. Back to the farm, then, should be the slogan. Race interest and race sacrifice is THE AFRO-AMERICAN REVIEW.

EDITORIAL PAGE. SAMUEL BARRETT, Editor Pub. Admitted as second class matter under the Act of March 3rd, 1879, at Pittsburg, Kansas. Niibvription Rales (in advance.) One year $1.00 Siv months -60 Three months .50 Advertising Rates. 1 inch 50 cents Reading notices and ads, 1 cent per word.

MAY, 1915. Vol. 3, No. 2. Published at 310 W.

11th Pittsburg, Kansas A SIRE WAY TO BCILD IP AN ECONOMIC COI I ATI 0 Someone has said that the farmer is the most independent man in the world. While the farmer is not absolutely independent he is perhaps more nearly so than any other producer in the world. And the farm offers to to any race, especially our people, who are forced for the most part tolive on the ragged end of our industrial system, opportunities for industrial and financial success that no other avocation can offer. There is no discrimination on the farm. A man who can raise food has always got a market.

And the people are not particular whether the food is produced by black hands or white. If a man can raise potatoes, corn, oats, barley, wheat, alfalfa, chickens, pigs or cattle he can always sell it, and come pretty nearly getting his price. In looking over the economic and industrial conditions of our people in many large urban centers where they live "from hand to mouth" we are fully convinced that they would be a thousand times better off if they would get together and form farming communities. This could be done either on a small scale or a large one. But we fully believe that farming communities in several restricted localities in the various states North, South, East and West will help tosolve the economic and industrial phase of the to many ot our people like banscript.

MEN WHO ARE MAKING GOOD. Dr. R. E. Smith, Parsons, Kansas.

Dr. Smith was born in Parsons, Kansas, June 10th, 1884. He was the only member of his race to graduate from the Parsons High school in 1903. For three years following his graduation he was employed by the government in the Indian territory. After which, he taught school in Parsons.

In 1909 he entered Maharry Medical School in Nashville, Tenn. In 1912 he was granted a license to practise in that state. In 1913 he was graduated, granted a license topractice in Kansas, and has been practicing in Parsons since that time. Dr. Smith has a large practice among all classes of citizens.

And he has host of friends among the leading white people of the town who hold him in high Being a man who pays his bills and who sticks close to his business; being a man who is civil and courteous and genial, coupled with an undaunted determination to win out he is bound to succeed in every sense of the word. The success of Dr. Smith in his home town is a strong refutation of the common notion that a man cannot succeed'in his home town. A man can succeed almost anywhere, other things being equal, if he has the grit, the backbone and the will power to succeed. For he always "can who thinks he can." RACE INTEREST AND RACE SACRIFICE.

In our last issue we had occasion to call the attention of our readers to the general lack of race interest and race sacrifice within the race. But we were really dumbfounded during our visit to Joplin, Mo. to see it so vividly shown at the final meeting of the "National Association for the Advancement of Colored People." Miss Catherine Johnson, the national organizer had spoken to our people there for three consecutive nights; and she showed in a masterly way what the organization meant to the race and the attitude the race ought to assume toward it. She said that the operating costs of the organization which was born to fight unreasoning race prejudice, and to halt the passage in both the state and national lawmaking bodies of our government discriminatory laws, was $15,000. And only one third of that amount of money was donated by Afro-Americans.

And yet, the organization would not have been in existence were it not for our benefit. Notwithstanding that fact, nor notwithstanding the further fact that the most prominent and influential white people of the country were identified with the movement, men and women absolutely without sinister motives, and altho she had visited during the last six months 30 cities and 9S per.