"The Victory That Overcomes"

Mr. Chairman, Distinguished Visitor, Officers and Members of the New York Local, and Friends - My Subject to you tonight for a few moments is "The Victory That Overcomes."  As I think of victory I think of that national event that is to be celebrated within the next few days.  I refer to Decoration Day.  And as I think of that my thoughts go back to the days when this land was nothing short of a wilderness, and when the first settlers braved the stormy waves of the Atlantic and left the land of their fathers in order to establish themselves upon a new continent for certain specific reasons.  And as they landed at Plymouth and found themselves confronted with the austerity of nature, with the cruelty of the natives, and with the necessity of gaining for themselves the sustenance of life, we can think of the problems that were theirs.  But here they were by their own choice upon a strange land with the difficulties confronting them.  They left Plymouth, and under the leadership of Roger Williams, they went down to Connecticut and Rhode Island and down to Manhattan, and then another section under the leadership of Lord Baltimore, established themselves in Maryland.  Do you know what caused them to leave the contentment and ease of their native land  It was a desire within them to attain unto a status of religious liberty so that they might be able without disturbance to worship their Sod accord­ing to their own conscience .and the dictates of their will.  It was because of this desire within them that they braved all the obstacles and planted themselves on the soil of the new world.

SELF GOVERNMENT THE BEST

I think of another incident in the onward march of this great republic.  I think of that time in the life of the Colonies when they came to the realization of the fact that the best government is self-government - when they came to realize that they themselves could best take care of themselves.  When they came to the point where they decided that no one outside of the Colonies should have a right to levy taxes on them and have a right to make laws to govern them, and have the right to determine how they were to live; and so they struck for governmental freedom.

In the first instance there was freedom of conscience, religious freedom.  In the second instance, there was civic freedom. And I think of the time when the North clashed swords with the South- when brothers on one side of the land fought with brothers on the other side of the land to the death.  Why was that done?  It was done for the specific purpose of national solidarity.  And these three ideals, my friends, when they grip the imagination and control the will of any people you can rest assured that that people will mount up to the heights sublime and will realize for themselves the things that they are seeking - religious liberty, freedom of conscience, governmental independence to rule ourselves and national solidarity.  These three points I say should strike home and drive home to the hearts and consciences of every downtrodden and oppressed people on the face of Sod's green earth.  It is pleasant to us tonight to recall these episodes in the early life of the first settlers of this nation of ours.

AN ABIDING FAITH

Do you know how they did it? They did it because they had an abiding faith.  When I speak of faith I am not using it as a dead, dormant and moribund theological term.  I am using a term that is pregnant with practical, present day significance and meaning-faith, faith unshaken.  And do you know that it is absolutely impossible to accomplish anything worthwhile without faith?  A youngster comes into the world crying; he comes into the world absolutely without hope because of the fact that hope requires consciousness.  He comes into the world without love because love cannot exist without consciousness; but he comes into the world full of faith.  That is the reason why within a few days he recognizes his parent and realizes the fact that no one can take the place of his parent.  He has faith in his parent and it is that faith that causes him to live.

Do you know that it is absolutely impossible

for the physician to bring healing to the wounded patient- to bring healing to-the body that is subnormal- unless the patient has faith in the science in the art and in the technique of the physician.  It is absolutely impossible for any fundamental accomplishment in the world without the precondition of faith. We have heard from time to time of the necessity of patronizing our own.  We have heard of the necessity of seeing to it that all those of us who have nerve enough to go into the   business world-into the commercial mart- those of us who have faith enough to pin their confidence in the solidarity of people, need to be supported. Do you know it is impossible for us to support them unless we have faith in their integrity, and in their honesty? So faith is a pre­condition to the successful development of any business, any profession, any art, and any science on the face of the earth.  It was because the Pilgrim Fathers had that faith in their integrity, had that faith in their possibilities and in that naive capacity of them­selves that they established this great American Republic.  It is by virtue of the faith that controls us as a people- of that undying determination that is within us that we shall accomplish that which seems impossible.  It is by virtue of that faith that we shall be able to bring to pass that which prophets have declared- that which sages have sung about. "Ethiopia shall stretch forth her hands unto God and Princes shall come out of Egypt.” (Applause.)

THE IMPOSSIBLE CAN BE ACCOMPLISHED

If you could only, my brethren, so occupy yourselves with the psychology of faith, we could absolutely remove mountains of difficulties and bring to pass those things which would seem to those who have no faith impossible.  Let me give you in conclusion the real essence of faith to show to you that faith is actually the foundation upon which all life, all hope, all aspiration must rest, I quote the words of England's philosophic poet Browning:

Think not the faith by which the just shall live Is a dead creed, a map correct of heaven, Far less a feeling fond or fugitive-A thoughtless gift withdrawn as soon as given; It is an affirmative and an act That bids eternal truth be present fact. If we have that faith we shall attain unto our govern­mental independence on the continents of Africa; if we have that faith we shall establish ourselves in racial solidarity and go on conquering and to conquer.  "That is the victory that overcometh even our faith," as the Apostle says. (Applause.) *1

The excerpt of the speech by Arnold Hamilton Maloney which is reproduced here was published in the Negro World 12:16 (3Junel922), 7 and was delivered in Liberty Hall, 30 May 1922.

*1 Black Redemption- Churchmen Speak for the Garvey Movement

Burkett, Randall K. c. 1978 (Philadelphia; Temple University Press)