JNF-The-Working-Class-Struggle-of-Half-a-Century

Basseterre. The short, dark, thick-set man expressed himself in simple
terms and with great depth of reeling. He was bound to his listeners by
common ties, his “straight-from-the-shoulder” and hitting humour will
long be remembered.
Message of Hope
The crowded hall of the Mutual Improvement Society in Market Street,
broke into thunderous cheers on the morning of 2 nd November, 1937, as
Marcus Garvey arrived there to address the gathering. His appearance
had been heralded by the throng outside the building who could not get
room inside. Another round of applause burst forth when the worldfamous
Negro rose to speak. After expressing pleasure to be in St.
Kitts, he said, The chairman struck the key-note when he said the purpose
of my visit was to help. This is not only the purpose of my visit, but
the purpose for my life - to help my fellow men. I am doubly glad to see
the make-up of the audience. At a glance I can see it represents all classes
of the community. But there is a special class that I am specially
interested in and that is the more unfortunate class. I feel that I have a
massage for them, a message of hope and self-confidence...
It is God’s purpose for man in the creation plan, that he should
be happy. I don’t like to see misery. It is hellish, devilish and ungodly.
God never made misery. It is the result of the mistakes of man. But if
you can get men to go right, they will lessen their own misery. I want to
set man right, so I am going to talk to you in that strain....
The poorest people you find in any town or country are those
who pay more attention to their stomachs than to their brains.... I like
people who look like me. Everywhere you turn you find them. They
seem to live in spite of the hell that surrounds them. But it is not always
going to be so, for we are approaching the scientific age when oranges
that were once sour are now made sweet, and sour oranges have no
market.......
It is useless for man to approach God as though it was possible
to change him. God in making the earth, made it with laws more rigid
that those of the Medes and Persians. The stars and sun and rain etc.
never change, everything remains the same irrespective of our desires.
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