LEADERS.

The Home Mission Monthly of the American Baptist Home Mission Society, in an article upon “Leaders,” agrees with us in saying:  “A different style of men is needed as leaders of the colored people to-day from that of those who aspired to leadership twenty-five years ago; the race has made great progress; there are multitudes now of Negro men and women who have had the advantages of the common schools, many who have a college education, and some who have university culture; to wisely influence them in their thought and action is more difficult than to control the masses of the illiterate and untrained.  It is especially worthy of consideration that among the Negroes of the South to-day are some men of power and of education who are leaders; but whose leadership, unfortunately, is in the wrong direction.  This renders it all the more urgent that the Mission Society and kindred organizations should seek to supply them with a class of leaders who, by reason of their godly character, their knowledge, their training, their consecration, will be able to counteract the evil influences now at work, and to lead their people into paths of righteousness.

“The Mission Society does not attempt to provide a college education for the multitudes of Negroes; even this would be a task beyond its resources.  What it does aim to do is simply to secure, if possible, the education of a comparatively few young men and young women, who shall become leaders among their people; men and women who by their knowledge, training, culture, power, will be able to organize and direct the energies of the masses of the people.  Leaders are needed, and these should be thoroughly competent for leadership; it is a hard task to influence successfully the development of a race of eight million people, and those who attempt the work require natural qualities of a high order and also unusual attainments.”

What is to prevent these people who have been enfranchised from becoming the prey of demagogues and designing men who wish to use them for unchristian purposes and in unchristian ways, unless they have large minded, thoroughly educated leaders with knowledge of history and of life who can lead their own people in the ways of righteousness?  Events now transpiring give significance to this question.

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The University of Pennsylvania has conferred the degree of Doctor of Philosophy on Mr. Lewis B. Moore, who graduated from Fisk University a few years ago.  We listened to his “graduating address” at the close of his college years at Fisk, whence he went to Philadelphia to take charge of a branch of the Y.M.C.A.  While attending to the laborious duties of this position he has, during four years of earnest, patient, and thorough study, earned his degree of Ph.D. in Greek and Latin and Ethics, in one of the severest graduate schools in the country.  Dr. Moore is one of “our boys”; and there are many of them who are preparing themselves, by their vision of a larger life and their attainment of larger possessions, to be wise leaders among their people.  Dr. Moore is now an instructor in Howard University, Washington, D.C.