m enthusiasm.
No matter how poor a woman may be she may be original in her ideas. At
first, of course, she must use the ideas of others, until she can show
her cleverness through her adaptations, and employing her powers and
gifts will add until larger powers and gifts result.
She must try to get a new line of work for race advancement and dedicate
herself to it. If she eliminates the Ego (Self) and will aim to work for
the good of others, she will succeed.
Each one should find a realm, something in which she shall be supreme,
and be first. "It is better to be first in an Iberian village than
second in Rome." The race needs daring original people, to think and
speak.
Emerson says, "Every man has a call to do something unique."
The person who thinks up new lines of study, thought and ideas for the
race, enlarging its vision and enriching its mind is a race benefactor.
Ruskin's creed of work should be the universal creed. "The man or woman
who does work worth doing is the man or woman who lives and breathes his
work; with whom it is ever present in his or her soul; whose ambition is
to do it well and feel rewarded by the thought of having done it well.
That man, that woman, puts the whole country under an obligation."
Colored women have a genius for leadership. There is great executive
force in them. Many a colored woman is an undeveloped genius waiting for
opportunity. One should try avenue after avenue until the right one
opens, for her life work.
In spite of criticism she must fight on, alone if necessary, "With God,
one is a majority," said Frederick Douglass.
If one can not be a genius or be original, she may do anything near at
hand. She should find something to do so that she will have something
to talk about besides herself and her friends.
One might take up the study of music, voice culture, elocution, art,
embroidery or housekeeping (domestic science) and pass it along to
others.
The surest way to make people "take notice of one" is to work for
others. One may also live in peoples' hearts as well as their minds, if
she will ally herself with a good humanitarian cause.
If one is not what is termed religious, or is lacking in religious
feeling, she should at least conceal this serious void by showing
respect for religion in no unmistakable terms for the sake of example.
One should always hold up Christian ideals even though she may not be a
spiritual woman or be called an earthly saint. She
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