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قراءة كتاب The Colored Girl Beautiful
تنويه: تعرض هنا نبذة من اول ١٠ صفحات فقط من الكتاب الالكتروني، لقراءة الكتاب كاملا اضغط على الزر “اشتر الآن"
as fruit is grafted to a finer degree of species, so the colored race will some day show its latent powers. The child of today is to be the mother of the great child that is to be, and each one must do her part to help prepare for the future great colored child.
Teach the colored girl about prejudice. Parents should read up the World's history of persecution and note the accounts of race and religious persecution in England, France, Germany, Russia, Turkey and Spain. Even today there is English hatred of the East Indian, Russian persecution of the Jew, and Turkish persecution of the Armenians. Then, too, Europeans are only just beginning to regard the Oriental nations as human beings. Prejudice is hard to explain and hard to conquer. It has taken generations in other instances and the world has always kicked the under dog. Tell the colored child how these other persecuted nations are conquering prejudice; tell her that each colored child must be a race missionary and prove her worth and powers, thus winning friends for the race.
She must be taught the application of the story of Esther to her race. Tell her that each colored girl may be an Esther, especially in all matters of cleanliness, manners, and self sacrifice, to advance and change the prevalent opinion of the Negro. Each colored woman, not only bears her own burden, but she bears the burden of posterity and the burden of the race. Each one must fit herself for the triple burden. Not even a talent should be used wholly for personal gain nor solely for present uses. Her education must be a process of development of powers not only to fit her for citizenship and life, but it must fit her for her race's burdens.
Some one has said:
"To educate a boy is but the education of an individual—but when one educates a girl, the education of a family results."
Every little colored girl, like every little white girl, wants to be beautiful. What is beauty? Beauty is a combination of personal appearance and charm, and it can not be purchased.
Each year the merchant takes stock and separates all the best articles, the medium articles, and the poor articles.
And so when one determines upon self improvement, she should take stock. She sums up her good points and her bad points. The good points she will accentuate and the bad points she will eradicate, unless Thought, the inward Sculptor has been at work too long. It is for this reason that little colored children should be taught early in life to think rightly.
"As the sprig is bent, so will the tree be."
Every thought, every emotion has an outward manifestation. Because people think, feel, and act, they leave marks of these in bodily lines and habits. Not only is the face a bulletin board, but as Schopenhauer says, "One's life may be his autobiography." One's life may even be read from his skeleton.
Sometimes certain thoughts and habits repeated and repeated leave spots. Spots always depreciate whether on wool, meat, wood, animals or people. Has the Negro any "Spots"? Other people think so. If these so-called "spots" will interfere with his future success in life then let him eradicate them with the inward Sculptor—Thought.
Is the dark skin a spot? Oh no, it is his history, his strength, as was Samson's hair. Because of his color he has powers and forces which could get him anything he desires in life if he would only begin while a child, to learn restraint, how to govern and control himself until he could accumulate sufficient will power to direct these forces for his own advancement.
Because of his color he has rare psychic powers which are not yet understood by himself or by the world.
What is the largest Spot? If one wishes to get a true estimate of himself he finds out what others ridicule concerning him.
What feature about the Negro is ridiculed the most? Why, the mouth. What is the matter with it? A large mouth is supposed to be the sign of generosity. No, but if it has thick lips and is a leaking mouth? If it hangs open too much? Only two classes of persons are excused from having open mouths, and these are children with adenoids and imbeciles. Every one else is supposed to keep his mouth shut most of the time.
The leaking mouth with the hanging under jaw causes a tendency to "leak" along other lines. One's business and personal affairs "leak" in street cars, public places, and on the streets to the detriment of the race.
Permitting the lips to hang, thickens them. They grow too heavy to hold up. Too much grinning and loud laughter will widen the mouth and loosen it. We do not desire small mouths, but we do not look attractive with "leaking mouths." Our mouths are improving. In the schools and college pictures we find unmistakable evidence that Thought is working wonders with the Negro mouth.
What is the next most ridiculed "Spot"? The nose. What is the matter with the noses? Large noses are said to be an indication of character and ability. Napoleon always selected the generals with large noses because he believed them to be more efficient. Oh, but the noses are often flat and have no hump.
Look at the hump of the Roman nose which indicates "fight." Look at the hump of the Indian nose which also indicates warlike tendencies. Take the Jewish nose. The hump means fight—a continual warfare for gold.
But the Negro has been a peaceful person, consequently he developed no nose hump. It is time that he developed a hump—a Negroid hump. He must pinch up, think up, will up, a hump. The time has come to fight, not only for rights, but for looks as well. He must build up a nose with more character, which can not be ridiculed. Grinning widens the nose and prevents its upward building, so grinning must cease.
In examining the pictures of graduates from the different schools, we find that Thought is changing the noses as well as the mouths. As the mouth and nose are changed, so will the whole expression of the face be changed.
The Negro's hair may be considered a "Spot" by some, but care and cultivation are changing this so-called "Spot" and more care and attention will work more wonderful results.[B]
His eyes and his teeth are good points and he has been given a magnificent backbone as well as a beautiful voice, although he often permits these gifts to degenerate.
Because God has given each colored girl a beautiful voice, she should be taught to speak in a soft mellow tone. She should speak eloquently and elegantly. If she screeches or yells and abuses her vocal cords, she will not only disgust people but she will lose her voice and have no beauty of tone to bequeath.
As the colored child has been made in the image of God, her poise should be erect and fearless. Nature bestowed the gift of a straight backbone.
The native African has always been straight like the pine sapling. In civilization his descendant permits his back to bend. The chest caves in, squeezing the heart, lungs and liver. One is more liable to pneumonia and tuberculosis, and can not fight them successfully as these organs have lost much of their vital force because of their cramped conditions.
Power is expressed in the way one carries her shoulders, and vitality is measured by breathing capacity.
One may sin against God and be forgiven, but Mother Nature never forgives the sin against her. Unto the