TH E WH ITE MAN

BURDEN
A D I S CU SS I O N O F T H E NT E R R I ACIA L " U E ST I ON
W I T H S PE C I A L R E E R E N C E F TO THE RE
S PO N S I B I LIT Y OF T H E W H IT E R A C E
TO TH E N E G R O P R OB LE M

BY

B . F . R I LE Y , D . D .
, LL D . .

T he y
are s a l v wh f es t o ea r o s p eak ,
F or t h e r e n f i dl d th
ess w
an e e ak ;
T he y
ar e s a l v wh f t
es o e ar o be
i t w i th tw th —L
”
I n t h e r gh o or re e .

OW E LL"

I
TH R D E D TI ON I

PU B LI SH E D B Y

B F R ILE Y
. .
,

B I R M I NG H A M A LA B A M A ,
 TH E N E W YOR"
PUB LIC LI B RARY
8 9 92 52 A
A ST O R ,
L E N OX A N D

I
T LD E N F O U N D A T I O N

1 9 34

COPY R I GH T BY

B . F . R ILE Y ,

1 91 0

PR I N TE D B Y

R E GA N PT G . H OU S E

C H I C A GO, I LL .
 TO A LL
L OVE R S OF I
R GHT AN D LI B E RT Y ,

A LL
F R I E ND S OF H U M A N IT Y ,

I R R E SP E C T I VE OF C L A SS OR I I
C ON D T ON .
 “
RE M E MB E R t ch ang e thy op i ni on and t o f ollow
h at to ,

hi m who c o ect s thy erro i s as c on i st en t w it h f eed om

rr r, s r

as it i s t o p e si st in thy er or
r
” r .

M A R CU S A U RELIU S .

“ T H E R E is i gnoranc e m ore sh am ef ul th an t o admi t

no

as t u e t hat w hich one d oes n ot u n d e

r t and ; and the e is rs r

no adv ant ag e so g re at as th at f b e i ng set f ree f om

o r

error .

S OCRA TE S .

SI T D OW N be f ore a f ac t
i l e child b e p ep a ed
as a l tt ,
r r

t o g iv e u p ev e y p ec once iv e d not i n f ollow hu m b ly

r r o ,

wh ere v e and t whate v e aby sses natu e l ead o you

r o r r s, r

w ill l earn nothi ng .

H U X LE Y .

“
I S TA N D t o G od and my c ou ntry .
”

M oTTo or TH E S COT CH LORD A S TON .

 T AB LE O F C O N T E N T S

I N T R O D U CT O N I .

A l v i w f t h w k—I t p u—
g e ne ra re p —A d van t ag
e u o e or s r ose es e
j y d b y t h A u th i p p a ati R p i a f il u
t——P m p t a ct i n d m n d d—C t i —d i f
o e it e or n s re r on e re s s o n a re
in ll g v a nm o er en s ro o e a e er a n
fi u lt i
c i c esi g T h p a t w h i c h t h N g w i ll t k T h
n re a s n e r e e ro a e e
i t —t f c i v i l i z a t i n n f all c i a l g u p E g l d—
n e re s o o o e or so ro s- n an
’
s ex
am pl e C n c i l i at i h p licy f m
o t h an a c n t u y H
on er o or o re e r on .

" am es B ryce

CH A PT E R I .

i o n S t at e d T h e " ue st
e a c h e d—
.

T he g ea t ac e p r bl e m —A c i t i c a l ju n ct u—
r re ro T he r r
c on t i b u t i n f th e a l ac q u t i u p t p ol i t i c
—H w
r
h i f t i ng c h ang
on t
h av
th
o
a gg ava t d t h
n
i
C
nt
s oo
al q u
o e r e es o o rr s

l m n t —F u t i l —p p al s—T h e
o s a es e r e e e r- r cx es
t i n—C t a i n s—c i l g i c a l
o er o o o e e e s e ro os
N g e p —ro s
’
g e s C m pa d w i th t h H b w
ro r s N g
o p g— re e e re s e ro ro re s s
p henom na l S u p a e t h a t o f a ll t h e n s l a v d a c s A
r ss e s o r e e r e
t u m p t ca l l
r e for a id . 17

CH A PT E R II .

G e ne s is of t he N e g ro P ro b e m l .

i t is—I t b g an 258 y a ag T—
W ha t h N g not e e s p n s i bl e e rs o - e e ro r o
A b i f
-
u v y f N g
r e s d H w t h p bl m h a
v i t u—r e o e ro se r e o e ro e s
g w n f m t h b g i nn i n g f sl av y —
ro ro Th d i c v y f A m i ca
e e o er e s o er o er
H w i t fa c i l i t at d A f i c a n
-
o l ave y B th N t h an d S u t h
e r r o or o
d in i t —T h N g a p a i v i n t u m — n t —H
s
Sha re e w the p e bro ss e s r e o ro
l m i p n d f t w an d a —ha lf c n t u i Th
v l u n t a y f i gn i m m i g an t I n A m i c a b y c c i on—W h i
e r e e or N g n t a
o e r es e e ro o
o r o re r er oer o s
res p on s i bl e ?

CH A P T E R III .

T he H g h e r L aw i .

c y f P v i d n—c —S l v y an b—j ct f gai n—T h hand

A ge n o ro e e a er o e o e
o f P d c h w G d n t—
v i— ro en m c k d C u l t y f l v y an d
e s o n o o o e r e o s a er
i t f ui t Th i p i n g ha v t P v i d c i b v hum n
—T a t m t a cc d d t h
en en ns a
l aw — C h i c k n
s r e r g r es ro e re o e a
“
c m h m t e t— s o e o e o roo s
”
re en or e e
N g e f t u i n g—h im v 250 y a A
ro a er s p n ibil i ty n b th o er e rs re s o s o o
N t h an d S u t h I n ju t i c d —
or n oth N g b c u h i n s e o e e e ro e a se e s o e
" u ti c m u t ul tim t l y i g n G d d m an d a n b v n c f
H i l aw —
s e s a e re o e s o se r a e o
s S n sl at P v i d n c w i ll b h a d
oo er o r 39 er ro e e e e r .

CH A PT E R IV .

T h e S o ut he rn N e g ro as H e I s .

A t t i n f th m att —S u p i and i n f i
c al —
m p re s e n a o o e er e r or e r or
N g e H w t ha t w a
ro e s d m—n t t d n S u t h n pl an t a t i n
o s e o s ra e o o er o s
d u i ng t h gim l av —y H w i t f u n d xp i n aft
c and c ha act —A
r f e re e o S er o o e re s s o er
em an c i p a t i n N gr l ad M no f f-
e o e ers e o or e r er o

5
 5 C ON TEN TS

c o m p li s hm e n t s
—A p p t u l i n p i t i
c f dd H b i f ac i al p
i n t he f a
—T h i d
ng g e o o s- ar e rs o r ro
re s s
—
t
er th e c a t
—T h i u gg d f
s n ra on o e ra e e r e ser o e
c o u ra
g m t Th m i ddl
e c
enl y m y ass , an r
c h ct —T h i —h p in t h i c h i—
e e or eo e r r e
a ra er ld e r H w im p o d e e r re n -
o o se oh
Th i
—N d f m
de rwb c k P c ul ira t u g gl a M i t ak n m t i v f lif
—H w i t i nv l v
ar s r
l d i ct i —T h c i—
s e es s e o es o e
ee o m in l cl
o ra re on e r a ass o o es
ti c i —t h p u bl i c m i n d A ll h ld p n i bl f t h
c l —W m u t
th e en re ra e n e e re s o s e or e
d d f th f w O d uty v n t th b
ee s o e e ur e e o e as e a ss e s
l ift , t h y w i ll l w
or e o er .

PT E R V CH A .

A W D bt t th N g ? re e e o rs o e e ro

A c an d i d c i d t i d d — P ju d i c
ne e e o ns e ra
e a ser o s i u b a i
on t
ju d g m t—M i— d t d i g —W h t t h N g —h d
re rr e r o
en sun e rs an n S a e e ro as on e f
or
th whi t
e c H i i d u t y i c h t h u t y —S v n g n
e ra e s n s r enr es e co n r e e e er a
tions f wh i t
o es d u c t d b y t h N— g
e a e e e ro l v Th c u t y
s a e e o n r
t f—m d b y h i t i l d w t T u n d l — w i t h u t a
ra n s o r e s o an s ea r e oo se o
p y H i l y l t y — d d v t i i t i m f w H w h—
e nn s o a an e o on n e o ar o a
s eh
be en c mpo t d A pp l t g —
en sa e ? h a ea o t i tu d
ra e an d ju t i c
s e Th e
ff t i b tt t hi g I ju t i c c u t
—I ju t i c c m m c i —D a g t h i c k n—W c a t
t i
’
N g
e ro s e t
or s o r se o e er n s n s e n th
e o r s
n s e on o on arr e rs n e rs e e n no
cl y t t h f ct
o s e o ur e e s o e a s .

P T E R VI CH A .

Sh in B ui l d i ng t h N at i n
’
Th N g e e ro s a re e o .

H i l y al t y d p t i t i m d u i n g t h R v l —
s o an u t i —C i p u
a r o s r e e o on r s s
A tt u c k N g s,th fi a t—
t f ll in t h c u P t S l m
e ro , e rs o a e a se e er a e
k i ll th B i ti h c m m d P i c N g c p t u G n an er r n a a
l P c tt—N g t p i t h R v—l u t i — G
s e r s o e, e ro , re s e
e ra re s o e ro l " ck roo s n e e o on e n e ra a
n
’
pp —
s al t th N g ea f L ui i a Th N g d u i ng t h ro e s o o s an
c h ct i t i c — f t h N g —A l x d
so o e e e e ro r e
C ivil W C hi f ar e a ra er s o e e ro e an er
S t ph n c n t p c h W h t t h —c u t y w
’ ”
e e s or er - s on e s d ee a e o n r as an
is, d th
an N g h in i t
e d v l pm nt O d u ty i t h
e
’
ro s S are s e e o e ur n e

p rem i se s

CH A P T E R VII .

i ou s B a S er i
rr e rs t o N e g ro P ro gre ss .

H i p v i ou
s vi tu d
re s s er e i —t h im —U n q ui t d l ab
ag a n s f re e o rs or
g tt n i n a p i d f p re ju d i c— A d v an t a g t a k n f hi n
n —T h
o e er o o e e e o s co
di ti — o N g in h i e e ro s t —y H i u cc
or d i p u t d at v y
s s e ss s e e er
t p H i c l ai m u n h d
s e s s ee e d H i n w a d m a c h— f p g
s o r r o ro re s s
B ad d d xpl i t d a n d
ee s e o e g ood d d u n n t i c d W ha t h h a
ee s o e e s
b n a bl t a cc m pl i h
ee e o o s 88

CH A P T E R VII I .

Va lu i i l i at i on
e of t he N e g ro t o O ur C v z .

W h a t i th N g w t h t th c u n t y —A fi n an c i al t i ?
es
—C m p a d w i t h t h
or o o
m a t —H w h a
s e e ro e r
h p v d hi v al u e?
l ab — —H i t h l ab S u t h —N
e o s e ro e s o re o er
o r e rs f th
e s e t—
h an t ak
o re r hi or e o o o er c e s
pl a c A m an f p t ct i n t u —c i v i l i z a t i n S t n g —a n
e e s o ro e o o o r o ro re so s
f g i v i n g h im a fa i c h an c in l i f T hi i a ll h a k W hat s s e s s
a d y d n —W h a t h
or r e e
h ha al an d i f n c u a g d —A h lp
v c n i d a t i n—S hall h h av i t
c o e o r e er
—H d
e s re o e e e
an d n t a h i n do e re r e e s er es o s er o e e ?
 C O N TEN TS 7
CH A PT E R 1x .

\ \ y
A F o rc e of C o nse rv at o n i . E
u pp d w h i l t t h — H is l a c k f u nd u e
t i n h a av d h im —R —
Hi s s ose ak n a neg esses s re s re o
i t an c w u ld h av d t y d him
a
— s s er
C m pa o
o s s e
d w i t h t h I n d i an —W h a t t h N g h a n d u d
re e
es s e o
e e ro
e es
s
ro
e
e
re
H i l y al t y t
s o th w h i t a c H i ad j u t ab—
o e il i ty t c ndi ti n
e r e s s o o o s
W h il t i m—i d an d d c i l h h a u—
e cc d d H i u bd u d t m
o e, e s s ee e s s e e
N v cc a i n s t i k N v d i l ya l t t h e fl ag
—H as c om p e ll e d ec ogn i t i n of h is w t h
p am n t
er e e er
r
o s o
o
s r es
or
e er s o o

CH A PT E R X .

N e gro W o m anhood .

W ha t w
—
ti — — w
om an is t o a ra e o r n a o n N e gro o m an n o e x c
d v t t k l v w
of s a e V i c i
om en u p t i t u
ti — i — ti t d l —
c e p t io n A a n ag e a en o s ro s
on w it
T h e r e s m a e o f t he h e s as m o e s T h e s a d re sul t s
c
o n t h e ra e
—I d u t y
p c p w
H o e o f t h e N e g ro ra e re o s e s i n i t s d
o m an h o o
—V i t u u
n w
and d V
o m a nh o oi t u ppl
r u ad d a
i c— —
e e o s
—
s r r
w d
o m a n h oo on t he id
n r e a se T he e a o f h om e l
N o re a h o m e
du i vi t u
r n g N e g ro s e r de id T he c t d ft f
e a h ad t o b e re a e a e r re e
ui i i y t d d
d om - G e n n e m s s on a r e ff or n e e e 1 31

CH A PT E R XI .

i st i an H um ani t arianism
A C all for C h r .

A re w e c o n s c i o u s o f u bl i ga t i n t o a a c e o f m i ll i o n s
o r o o ?

a y —S h a ll w
r
Th N g
e
—
i h
e t rot s e rem ak e t h b
o t s w r t e e es or
W h a t t h S u t h i d i n g d u c a t i n a ll y—P ju d i c t
o s
o f h im ? e o s o e o
d u c at i n—E — xpl d d—I ll u t a t i n f u n a —nabl e
re e o
N g e ro e o rro rs e o e s r o s o re so
i nju t i c an d c u l t y E t h i p i a t tc h fo t h h h an d s R a c
s e r e o s re es r er e
av i n an t ag n i t i c t o t h C h i t i an p i i t
e rs o o s e r s s r

PT E R X I I CH A .

M b Vi l n o o e ce .

W ha t i t i —H w i t b gan w i t h t h N g —
s o P a i g i nale ro
b u n d i ——L wl n
e e s s es or
o ar e s b g t l awl n —C i m a v n g d
a ess e ss e e s ess ess r e e e
b y c i m W hi tr e f ll i n g —v i ct i m a a l g i c al c
es a re qu nc
a s s o on se e e
u nd c l i m d f l y n c hi g A g um n t l y c hi g xpl d d
—T h m b a m n c t
G ro
e
s
o
a e
e
for
c i t y—I ll u—t a t i n ff d i p f
a e o so
n
e
r
s r
e s
o
or
s o
n
e re
n
n
e
ro o
o e

T nd n c y t w
e e d c ha t i c c n d i t i n T h A t l n t a C n t i t u t i n
o ar o o o s e a o s o
and C u i " u na l q u t d
o r er - o r o e

CH A PT E R X III .

W hat C an B e D o ne ?

A pl an p p d —A n t i n l m v—m t n d d—A n ga i za
ro o se a o a o e en ee e or n
ti —on w i t h pp p i t d p t m — a ntro A t m
r a e d u d d i ffi c u l t
e ar e s re en o s an
t k O u c i v—
as il i z ti r i v l v d I ll u — t t i n d wn f m f
a on n o e s ra o s ra ro or
ig m i i A c c
ss on s t i t u t i I t l y p
on ct i c
re l a on n e n se
d i t i n—
e h e s ra a c on
Wh t
o b d a f th c anN g f th d onef b th
c —A ju n ct u
e or e
a —D m
g e ro or e oo o o
ra es ? f d fre ui o
n m her d s an en
q u t d—A m v m t f u g h t w i t h p m i
g e or e an oo
S e at n R v l or e e s o e o e en ra ro se
W 11 w 1 c gn i z u p n t d u t y nd pp t u i t y
e re o e o r 165
res e a o or n ?
8 C O N TEN TS

CH A PT E R X IV .

u c f E n u ag m ent So r es o co r e .

The p n t c n d i t—
re s e o i i n v i t t b n v l n t a ct i v i t— y —Th
on es o e e o e e
s i t u t i n n c u g—
a o e o ra n i g Th N g ad y d p i v —A e e ro re an re s o ns e re
f m t i n p i bl —V h t t h N g h d n u i d d W h t
or a o oss e
V
a e e ro as o e na e a
i f h lp d N g l i g n c
—H w m u c h t h N g h
h e ca n d d p ju d i c D t i d u lt an re ne
h i v d —U k
o e e e e e e- es re s s
c w e d
ro as a e e n no n an u n re c o
d —B i h p
o e g
ni ze G ll w a y s q u t d—A m i t k —c u — S t —
o a o ik o e s a en o rs e r e
g ai t th N g gi R il d l
d d —T h p
a ns th G It on A e or a a ro a e s so n s
q u t d — " udg
e e ro e s
wh l m
o e so ju d g m n te e re n e re e re s s o e e
L v tt
o eu cc , ts M H i m n n t h S u th n N g
es so r o r . 1 81 a rr a , o e o er e ro . .

CH A PT E R XV .

l Th i f A pp
G ro und h n i n e ss eor es o re e s o .

—F l
P d i ct i
re f th p t c mp
on s o d w i t h t h f ct f—t h p
e as o nt are e a s o e re s e
a se l m d— i pl c d b y w h l m f ct I m gi y
a ar s s a e na r o e so e a s a
t u bl u
ro es e l i z d F ct d i p v i ll f u d d —p d i ct i
nre a
s ro e -
o n e re a so ns
W t h t bl i h d b y m y t h u d f N g
es a s e o s an s o P ani
o s se s s o ns
t —D p i
or e ro e s
o f th e N g
e ro i d t i f y h im w i t h c—m m i t
en o on n e re s s e re s s o n
o f on e ra e c d p
e re s s e s th
e o ert h— N g
e ro r iv l y
a r a b u gb e ar
S ci l
o a e qu l i ty —
a ea i d ill f u d d T h v l u f t h t h—i f t y d
- o n e e a e o e r an
e duc t d N g T h
a e e ro e so r e o u c f—c t i pp h i
er a n a re e n s on s W thy
or
N ge ro e s n v
e er o cc i t u bl T h d m d t m k m
as o n ro e e e an o a e f
o re o
t h m w th y
e or

C H A P T E R X VI .

O m e ns of P ro m i se .

I nsp i rat i on d e i v e d f m t h p a t—A w i e l ad sh i p—C—

r ro an t h e s s e er e
N g e b
ro li d n e S t i ll a c h i v i g
re e o t i ll p u u n g S n t i
? “
e n s rs i e
m n t t wa d t h N g ac g a d u a ll y c h a n g i n g f b tt
,

th
w ha t i t i d u —R act i n l wl y tt i n g i n—T h —a l f i n d
e o r e e ro r e r or e e er
T o s e e o s o se e re r e
f th N g Th N a t i na l N g
ro- B u in L agu W hat i t
d n —f t h a c —T h C l i f t n C n f n c —M W N
o e e e o e ro s e ss e e
ha s o e or e r e e o o e re e r
H a t h E ff t w t hy N g ai f a ll n
. . .

n f th or s t th f or
a c —I g n
r s or o e e ro o r se e e o
an c f what ach ac d i i u t
—A c a l m v i w f t h i t u a t i n n d d—W ha t w i ll A m i c a n
th e r e
re
or
e o
e ng a
o
e
a
s
e
o
r
ee
e
e
is o ser o s
er
s se

C hri ti an i t y d O
s ? 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

CH A PTE R X VII .

“
A N ew D e m and for an A ge of R e aso n .
"

i s p ass i on a t c n id ati n n d d —C t ai n p t n t u s i gns

—P i bl —d an g —V a i u t h i —— E m b d y t h i w n m an
D
o ss e
e
e rs
o s er
r o
o
s
ee
eor es
e er
o
or e
e r o
o s
e s
o f f ai l u R rep n i b il i ty u p —
es m T im
o fs c l a ct—i n T h s re e e or oo o -
e
N g e ro p g i— ro ng n t re ssc d i n g F i n dl i n — f p i i t R p ct
o re e r e e ss o s r es e
f or th f u t u S p i i t f t h A n g l S ax n T w p p ct i v
e re
,

r o e o- o o ro s e e
c i v i l i z a t i on N ow n v r
s- or e e
 I N T R O D U CTI ON

The situation in the S out h has b een p resented in

the following chapters as the writer has seen it for
,

a period o f years H e claims that the a dvantage o f

.

being on the ground as a close student o f the exist

,

ing situation gives him at least som e advanta g e in

,

the p resentation o f his views and a claim to be hear d

,

regarding a p roblem which has so long a fflicted o u r

people From its numerous S i des the p roblem has
.

b een o ften p resented b ut o ftener than othe rwis e

, ,

from v iew points o f prej udice o r partisanshi p It

-
.

b etokens signs more favorabl e however that i n the , ,

most recent wor k s which have appeared on the su b

j cet from th e pens o f representatives o f b oth races
, ,

sentiments have assumed a m ilder and more assurin g

tone while they have not b een without the a b atem ent
,

o f fi rmness and cando r It i s also grati fying that

.

the extravagance which has characterized so much o f

the l iterature advers e to the Negro in the p ast i s ,

losing its popularity among the people o f the S outh ,

thousands o f whom happen to k now that many o f the

statements which have b een made are to say the ,

l east exaggerated
, .

The assumption o f en coura g ing p ro p ortions b y a

q uestion so grave seems to call fo r a more com p r e
,

9
 W H I TE M A N S URDEN
’
10 TH E B

hensive treatment of the vital features of the prob

lem In the present discussion the writer has lai d
.

stress on those features inst ead of giving a summary

,

view o f the entire subj ect as has been so frequently

,

done T he present task has been actuated from a

.

genuine desi re to perform a humanitarian and

patrioti c duty A son o f an o riginal slave holde r
.
,

and a native o f the South the writer has been ,

impelled to the performance of a tas k which has

involved a painstaking investigation o f the facts
b e fore they were committed to record H e k nows .

whereo f he speaks .

The conclusions at which he has arrived may not

be concurred in by many but they seem logical and
,

j ust to a diligent student o f a ffai rs and to possess ,

some merit above those which are founded largely

on theory E xceptions may be taken to some o f the
.

views expressed alike by representatives o f both

,

races This is to be expected in view of the consid

.

cration o f so many phases o f a grave and momentous

p roblem .

Throughout the discussion the writer has been

impelled by an honest desire to present the truth i n
unvarnished form with studious abstinence alike
,

from exaggeration or extenuation I mpelled by a .

spirit o f absolute candor and divested o f even the

,

semblance o f passion at any point the facts have been ,

sought to be presented as they are known A round .

two chie f facts are all the rest gathered one o f ,

which is that the burden of this mighty problem l ies

 W H I T E MA N S URD EN
’
TH E B I I

at the doo r o f the white race an d the other i s t h at

,

p ractical action i n the attempted solution o f the di f

ficulty should no longer be delayed The tas k is .

undoubtedly a t remendous one and the period o f its ,

performance must be one o f lon g transition but i t ,

woul d seem that on account o f these facts a direct ,

e ffort at solution should not longer be delayed Con .

t inued inaction only invites the possibility o f fresher

complications and i f the matter i s to receive the
,

comprehensiveness o f attention which i t woul d seem

to merit and even to invite nothing i s to b e gained
, ,

b y delay .

It must b e clear to t h ose interested in the situation

that a poli cy o f racial repression can never alleviate
conditions b ut the rather wi ll serve to aggravate
,

them It i s equally clea r that d i fficulti es in the way

.

o f even p artial solution cannot b e removed b y b rin g

ing to the underta k ing existing prej udice o r p recon
cei v ed notions unfavo rable to the Negro G enuin e .

magnanimity from a stronger to a weaker race must

b e the fi rst stepping stone in the ascent to a fi nal
-

solution Notions may have to be revamped and

.

opinions changed but this should not be di ffi cult in

,

the face o f facts duty and absolute necessity all o f

, , ,

which at p resent seem urgent .

W ith every instinct o f hi s being the writer shares ,

in the a b horrence o f the atrocious crimes so o ften

claimed to b e commi tted but h e sees no relie f by
,

answerin g crime with crim e E very one shoul d .

k now that that means only continued aggravation

 W H I TE MA N S URDEN
’
12 TH E B

and demorali z ation U nti l we come to see eye to

—
.

eye on a tremendou s problem until we approach it

with calmness and dispassion nothing can be done , .

C oncession is not demanded by the presen t s ituation ,

only unbiased consideration This is not asking too .

much seeing what i s involved in the industrial edu

, ,

cational pol i tical ,

social and mo ral aspects o f the
,

q uestion W hile the Negro must not be remiss o r

.

inactive and while he must work out his own des

,
~

tiny he cannot do so successfully without the aid

,

and co operation o f the best elements o f the white

-

race B ecause o f the compl icated relations now

.

existing the ai d o f the whites is indispensable

, .

The concrete fact which con fronts us is that the

Negro is here ten m illion strong and i s constantly
growing stronge r o r mo re numerous No matter .

who may now wish it were otherwis e the fact re ,

mains W e must not toy with theo ry but face a

.

fact—a vital and mighty condition I f the question

,

be raised W hat can be done let patriotism philan

,
?
,

t hropy chivalry and C hristianity answer

, There is .

no hurt which can come to the Negro without seri

o uslyinvolving our civilization T he Negro i s now .

so interlaced into Am erican li fe that he must be con

S idered an important part thereo f T o heed the .

suggestion to let things dri ft and permit the matte r

to work itsel f out is only the putting o ff o f the evi l
,

day T he better part o f soberness and wisdom i s

.

s q uarely to face the situation realize its len gth and ,

b readth and res p ond to its demands The sub j ect

, .
 WH I TE M AN S B U R D EN
’
TH E 13

can on t be d i smi sse d as u nwort h y b y a taunt o r sneer ,

for it must remain in vital and insep arable contact

w ith Ameri can l i fe N o r must we los e si ght o f the
.

ob li g ation which i s impose d on the whit e race whic h ,

i s s olely res p onsi b l e f o r the p re sence o f the b lac k

m an in America .

T o contri b ute to the i nterest o f the N e gr o is to ,

contri b ute at the same time to the interest o f the

, ,

p ublic weal o f which he i s a part To accompl is h .

the most for hi m as well as fo r ourselves the policy ,

must be one o f construction an d not o f destruction ,

f o r a policy o f destruction i s a two edged swor d -

w hich cuts b oth ways Action toward anothe r or

.

others i s reaction toward ourselves W e cannot .

escape th e fact that the destinies o f b oth races are

inseparably boun d together and the tas k now im
,

p osed i s to fi nd a way which will be e q ually produc

tive o f good to b oth races Nothin g less than the
.

development o f each race will p roduce this result ,

for m anhoo d i n a democracy is the essential b asi s

"‘

”
o f participation .

To claim that w e canno t see what can b e done ,

shoul d excite to d iligence fo r a prope r cours e to b e

p ursued b ut to say t hat nothing can b e done i s to
, ,

ac k now l ed g e f o r the fi rst time in the history o f the

,

Anglo Sa x on h is i na b ility to gra p pl e wi th a g rea t

-
,

p ro b lem The w rec k s o f di ffi culti es overcome and

.

shattered lie alon g the centuries o f his histo ry In .

his a ggressive marc h over the wo rl d the Anglo

S a xon h as met a condit i o n i n Ameri c a unencounter ed
 W H I TE M A N S B
’
14 TH E URDEN
—
in the past stages o f his history that of fusing into
a symmetrical government dissimil ar elements under
conditions which wi ll bring them into harmonious
adj ustment to a flexible governmental policy and o f ,

according to each his due proportion of liberty and

j ustice T he demand of the highest constructive
.

statesm anship will be needed to e ffect this but where ,

so much has been done by the white man and in ,

w ays so many the task however di fficult can be

, , ,

accomplished W e have tried the e ffect o f drasti c

.

l egislation and know what it is T his has always

,
.

failed as a governmental policy eve n where i t i s ,

autocratic Force may repress but i t i s like the

.
,

suppression o f a volcan o .

L ong ago E ngland pursued a policy o f repression

and coercion but signally failing she wisely turned
, ,

to a basis o f conciliation as one o f her greatest

,

statesmen persuaded her to do in dealing with the

A merican colonies S he i s even no w encountering
.

di fficulty in a conciliatory policy which i s attempted

i n the federation o f the S outh A frica n states where ,

the sullen D utch spirit so much at variance with

B ritish rule stubbornly resists ; but E ngland recog
,

niz es that a policy must be discovered by means o f

which the recalcitrant elements must be brought into

fri endly and easy relations wit h the powers that be ,

and She will not fai l to discove r such a poli cy T he .

U nited S tates has a somewhat si milar condition in

its Philippine possessions where ai d o f a substantial
,

character must be rendered fo r years and the cou rt ,

 W H I T E MA N S URDE N
’
TH E B 15

ship o f a friendly spi rit must go on in o rder to win ,

the natives to the dom inant American sentiment .

Compared with eithe r o f these the conditions di ffer ,

materially with res p ect to the ten million Ne g roes ,

but the one cardinal principl e al i k e underl ies all I t .

i s as the H onora b l e James B ryce has suggested ,

’
“
D uty and poli cy a re o ne fo r it i s equally to the
,

interest o f both races ( in Ame rica ) that the i r rela

”
tions shoul d be friendly .

O ne decided advantage seems to li e on the side of

America in deal in g with the present perplexing ques
tion B oth races white and black have su ffered
.
, , ,

and seriously su ffered i n the transition crucible o f

,

long years L i k e all su ffering this has not b een

.
,

unattended b y lessons o f v alue alike to b oth races .

E ac h understood the other in the relation o f master

to slave ; b ut when this relation was shi fted to a
novel o rb it complications arose H ere we en
, .

countered a grave pro b lem and i t remains to this

,

day It i s not necess ary that we here descend into

.

the detai ls o f that p ro b lem to set forth which i n its

,

essential features this littl e volume has b een written

, .

To meet the issue squarely as men and Chri stian

p atriots i s ou r present duty
, .
 W H IT E M AN S B U R D E N
’
TH E

C H APT E R I

TH E " U E S T I O N ST AT E D

Fo r almost a hal f century the colossal race q ues

tion o f the S outh has absorbed much pu b lic thou ght ,

given ri se to endless discussion and pro duced not a

,

l ittle speculation as to its final settlement The com .

p rehensiveness and manys idedness o f the question

have a fforded the amplest oppo rtunity al ike fo r seri
ous thought fervi d debate and the wildest specula
, ,

“
t 1on The new racial cosmopolitanism induced b y
.

the sudden transitions which followe d the clos e o f

the Civil W ar the methods o f its creation and the
, ,

means o f its management have occasioned su fficient

friction an d com p lication to p ro duce a most serious
p ro b lem.

E mancipation with its atte ndant conse q uences

the delight with which it was hailed as a boon by the
millions o f the enslaved equalled only by the dismay
,

with which a mighty industrial system was wit

nessed by the original slave owner to collapse the
;
unp rep aredness o f many thousands o f the late slaves
to p rize the meaning o f freedom and the demand fo r
,

labo r on the farms o f the S outh at a crit i cal j u n ct u r e ;

I 7
 W H I TE M A N S URDEN
’
5
1 8 TH E B

the hilarity o n the one h and o f the former slave

, , ,

and the sting o f defeat and sense o f appalling loss

,

on the p art o f the pl anter on the oth e r within them ,

s elves p roduced initial complications o f no mean

dimensions B ut when added to thes e were other
.

complications which dwarfed the former the tension ,

o f di fficulty at the S outh was at the highest taut .

No matter what entered into the original conception

o f the reconstruction o f a ffairs at the S outh and ,

there were no doubt both of vindictive animus and

—
o f si n cerity o f purpose to accomplish good both of
the pla n to pu n ish an d humiliate the S outh and to ,

p rotect the Negro in his new born rights the result -

,

p roved fo r a time at l east disastrous to the settle

, ,

ment o f the r ace qu estion T he occasion was pro

.

duct iv e o f a brood o f political miscre ants al ike from ,

both sections who took adv ant age of the u ntr ained
,

masses o f Negroes by arraying them in hostility

against thei r former own ers .

T h e r e is another eleme n t which is invariabl y lost

sight o f in the tre atm ent o f this critic al period and ,

yet without which it is doubtful i f the breach b e

tween the two races ih the S outh would have been
so serious T he drinking den from which the Negro
.

as a slave was restrained alik e by legal statute and

by the severe discipline of the plantation was one ,

o f the most e fficacious factors in the pro found dis

t urbance o f the reconstruction period I t was found .

that the N egro w as not easily pitted against his

former master an d thi s arrayal was an indispe n s abl e
,
 W H I T E M A N S B URDE N
’
TH E 19

ad j unct o f the fell purpos e o f this unconscionable

ho rde o f pol iticians derived al i k e from the N orth
,

and the South until the saloon was lai d und e r

,

tribute In recognition o f this palpable fact the

.

Negro leaders throughout the S o uth today are

among the most hostil e elements o f the saloon and ,

never lose an opportunity to deal it a deadly blow .

I nfl am ed by cheap l iquo r which was sol d at every

,

cross road in the S outh the Negro was more easily

-
,

manipulated against the white race and stri fe and ,

bitterness were more readily engendered than they

would have otherwi se been This bitterness and
.

stri fe have bee n p rolonged into the years o f the

future and have been the occasion o f creating other
,

d i fficulti es as they have gone on thei r way through a

period o f almost a hal f century .

These statements are bare h istorical facts which

lie on the surface o f that dark period o f S outhern
history A t a time when i rritation in the S outhern
.

m ind was fresh thi s most unfortunate condition was

,

introduced and had much to do with the dark

,

troubles which followed Not that all the rece nt

.

slaves w ere thus easily betrayed into the hands o f

the saloon for even at thi s tim e there were men
,

among them who deplored the condition i nduced ,

and who threw themselves i nto the breach in loud

p rotestation o f thi s inroad o f vice on the race The .

natural anxiety o f the Negro to assert his right by

the use o f the ballot which assertion was stimulated
,

b y the means al ready named was met by a hostil e

,
20 TH E WH I TE M AN S B
’
URD E N

demonstration on the part o f the whites w h o w er e ,

q uick ened by racial antipathy an d a desire to p re

serve thei r institutions from the sway o f the un
scrupulous political plundere r The reign o f terro r
.

which e nsued i s known and appreciated by those

who were in the thick o f the troubles of that period .

A nother element much to the disadvantage o f the

Negro entered into the period " W hile emancipation
was generally recognized as a fixed fact there were ,

those who believed that the proper relation o f the

Negro was one o f servitude and that out o f that
,

e lement he was outsi de his natural sphere The .

result was much harshness o f treatment and conse

quent diso rder E ven at that early period there was
.

the absence o f discrimination as between the good

,

and bad Negro as there i s today T he good among

, .

them o f whom there were not a few were forced

, ,

by an indiscriminate public se ntiment to share in all

the blameworthiness o f the worst The continuance .

o f that sentiment has acted as a most serious barrier

to the aspiring N egro since the era o f emancipation .

The reference to faults and crimes is often made in

such way against the Negro as a race rather than ,

against the single o ffende r as to occasion much dis

,

satisfaction T he mani fest unfairness o f such whole

.

sale allusion seems never to have occurred to those

who in exploiting the failures and shortcomings o f
,

some include the many who by every commend

, ,

able means are seeking to rise in the scale o f being .

W ith the gradual passing o f the last generation o f

 WH I T E M AN S B URDEN
’
TH E 21

slaves and slave holders cam e a new crisi s As has .

b een shown a b r oad breach had been created at the

,
’
most inausp icious period o f the N egro s history .

F resh from the fi elds o f bondage without equipment ,

o f mental strength o r moral force poo r w ith natural , ,

ambition benumbed and p ractically obliterated by

long servitude the N egro i n an em ergency like thi s
, ,

needed a friendly hand to gui de and a k ind voi ce to

cheer H is was at thi s time a race o f dependence
.
,

a peopl e in thei r childhood Could i t have b een

.

p ossible fo r the passion o f the time to have been dis

p laced b y friendship coul d the p retended ai d ren
,

dered b y the wors t o f pol iticians been wholesome

instead o f vicious and seditious coul d some seer ,

penetrating the future with undoubted sagacity have ,

recognized the full meaning o f the situation the ,

condition o f both races woul d today be vastly

di fferent M istakes are o ften better seen th rough
.

the retrospective than th rough the prospective .

G radually front to front rose two generations o f

racial and opposing strangers the one inheriting the
,

assertion o f rights guaranteed by the governmen t ,

and remem b ering the troubles o f the years o f the

i mmediate past with not a little o f racial hatred ; the
other resisting such assertion and disposed to ta k e
,

advantage di rectly o r o b liquely and resolve d to sav e

,

the institutions o f the S outh to the whites there ,

was nothin g in a cond i tion l i k e this conduc i ve to

h a rmony b ut everyt h ing to hostility
,
.

The mult i plied events o f this secon d p eri od w ere

 TH E W H I TE M A N S URDEN
'
’
22 B

portentous o f much sad disorder and demoraliz a

tion fo r which the immediate future stood in wait .

W ith these troubles the public is altogether too

familiar for them to be recounted here New com .

plicatio n s arose collisions w ere frequent and dem o r

, ,

aliz ation e nsued T here is another fact ge n erally

.

left out o f accou nt in presenting the elem ents which

entered i nto the p eriod an d which the faithful chron
,

icler w ould b e re m iss o f duty should he fail to record

it Wh ile the o riginal sl ave hold e r an d his de
.

scen dants w er e in the main actuated by a sense o f

pit for the recent and o ften misguided s erf of other

y

days he who owned not slaves the whit es on the

, ,

lower levels were the inveterate enemies o f the

,

Negro B etween the two the thri ftless whites and

.
,

the slaves ther e had all along been a smothered

,

antipathy I t w as as customary on the part o f the

.

slave to respect a slave owner as it was to regard

’
w ith cont empt those whom they called p o white
”
trash M utual h atred characterized these two ele
.

m ents o f S outher n society S eizing the occasion o f .

the Negro s crucial hour these old time enemies

’

,
-

became conspicuous in the wreak of vengeance and ,

with no knowledge of the black man other than that ,

“ ”
he was a nigger many o f this class of whites have
,

been demonstr ative in thei r opposition to the p rog

ress o f the N egrO and to his general wel fare W hile
,
.

this does not admit of universal application to thi s

class o f whites many there were and still are amon g
, , ,

them who cherish hostility toward the Ne gro In .

 WH I TE MA N S B URDEN
’
TH E 3

the u p heavals o f fo rtune and mis fortun e which

have come to the South i n its era o f transition some ,

o f thi s class have come to more o r less o f conspicu

ousness whil e b y the sam e law o f revolution many
,

o f the once wealthy and aristocrati c o f the S outh

have receded i n influenc e because o f the novelty o f
,

the b ustling times i n consequence o f b oth which con

,

ditions the N egro has been made to su ffe r .

Three d istinct p ropositions were eventually

evolved from the chaotic conditions following the
close o f the Civil W ar O ne o f these was that o f
.

the disposal o f the Ne g ro That he was valua b l e

.

as a l aborer and that he was the only availa b le

,

labo rer fo r th e plantations o f the South every land ,

owne r recogni zed W hile h e was not desi re d as a

.

citizen he was as a labo rer Citizen o r not he

, .
,

must b e retained to cultivate the soil f o r which ,

he was admi rably adapted and fo r whi ch he had b een

trained and tri ed The muscle o f the N egro had
.

much to do with savin g him f rom sore r trou b les

than those which he had to undergo That fact .

con j oined with a sens e o f p rotection in the b reast o f

many a S outherner interposed i n his b ehal f .

Anoth er p roposition was that o f ado p tin g such a

cours e o f humanity as to b e considerate o f the claims
due the N egro and at th e sam e time p rese rv e the
, , ,

well b eing o f society W hile there were those an d

-
.
,

still are who oppose his intellectual advancement

, ,

there was a p reponderance o f S outhern sentiment

which favo red it else the N egro woul d never have
,
 W H I TE MA N S URDEN
’
24 TH E B

ha d a sch ool for the old threadbare tradition has not

,

ceased to prevail with a certain class i n the S outh ,

’
that education would mean the Negro s undoing .

A third proposition had respect to the general

healthfulness o f the tone o f the American nation ,

and such an adj ustment o f the new order as woul d

b rin g to pass that condition I n the very nature.

o f the case the nation is to be more o r less a ffected

,

by the outcome of the Negro question Tasks li k e .

these were the ones to which the sage wisdo m o f the

states o f the South set itsel f As time has passed
.
,

the sit uation has been one between rep ression on the
one hand and o f construction on the other To
,
.

repress the Negro and deny him the most o rdinary

rights even the right o f working fo r a livelihood
,

excepting under servile conditions rep resents one ,

element of Southern sentiment ; to rehabilitate and

construct a new system one adj usted to the demands
,

o f existing conditions leaving the Negro untram

,

melled to shape the destiny o f his numerous and

growing race in a region in which he i s an un
,

dou b ted fixture i s representative o f another senti

,

ment o f the South .

M eanwhile the Negro himsel f has not been inac

, ,

tive in contributing to the solution o f the di fficulty

and in a ffo rding omens which serve in no small way
to brighten the future T o the surprise o f all even
.
,

o f his most expectant and sanguine friends he has ,

p rodu ce d a l eadership o f great and surprising worth .

Am b itious and worthy spirits ev en from the stripl ing

 TH E W H I T E MA N S B U R D E N
’
25

class o f young slaves posses sed o f foresi gh t p ru d

, ,

ence wi sdom and the hardier virtues have met t h e

, , ,

shock o f disadvantage under which the race w as le f t

by the turbulence o f years and with a display o f
,

manhoo d whi ch has challenged the admi ration o f all ,

have vindicated thei r worth by the stations whi ch

they have made fo r themselves and in h ono r o f thei r
race.

As from ignorance they have attained to scholar

ship ; from penury to competence and even to fo r ,

tune ; from a vaga b ondism where slavery left them ,

when they were released from its bonds to the erec ,

tion o f goo d homes and to the ownership o f lands ,

and from the gross conditions o f immoral ity to

those o f respectability and hono r these leaders have
,

become the harbingers o f hop e and o f inspi ration to

the race and have set forever at nought the opinions
,

held in former years o f the inca p acity o f the N e g ro

tostand alone .

True the croak i s sometimes h eard that the N egro

,

has mad e no such p rogress as i s j ustified b y the p riv

ileges which he has so abundantly en j oyed B ut i t .

i s charitable to suppos e that those who now ma k e

such charge are not aware o f the ama z in g strides
which have been made That the N egro has done so
.

much don e it so marvellously well and within so

, ,

short a perio d o f time i s creditabl e not on l y to h im

, ,

but would be to any people s imilar l y situate d .

W hen it i s remembered that two an d a h a l f cen

turies ago the ancestry o f thi s race was sava ges i n
26 TH E W H I TE MA N S ’
B URDEN

the land o f the D ar k Continen t and that forty fiv e

,
-

years ago some o f these same Negroes and their

ancestors were slaves on the plantations o f the S outh ,

i t i s astounding that they were able to enter the gate

way o f the new century with so many demonstra
tions o f genuine p rogress T o claim as i s some
.
,

times done that no people o f inherent worth would

,

have submitted so willingly to the galling servitude

o f more than two hundred years and to o ffer that in
,

p roo f o f thei r inherent weakness and worthlessness ,

i s su fficiently answered by the historic f act that the

H ebrew race the most wonderful people o f all time
, ,

was in servitude fo r four hundred years was grossly ,

ignorant when the b ondage Cf slavery was broken ,

was embruted by slavery was superstitious and

, ,

at the end o f forty years was not su fficiently recov

ered from the di re e ffects o f servitude to be entrusted
to entrance into the land o f promise .

To have seen the surging multitude of H ebrews ,

said to have been two million strong on the border ,

o f the R ed S ea when the E gypti an host thundered

,

threatingly in the rear would have inspired but

,

slight hope o f the future prominence of the race ;

but within that ignorant mass lay the germ o f the
future church the blessings o f our C hristianity and
, ,

the coming o f the Son of God They too produced

.
, ,

but few leaders in the outset but as a people they

,

have spread the influence o f thei r power around the

habitable globe O f course the conditions attendi ng
.
,

the two races were vast ly di fferent T he Negro has .

 W H I T E MA N S URDEN
’
TH E B 27

w i t h i n easy reach the facilities o f advancement B ut .

the comparati ve advantages a re not the q ues tion ih

volved but that o f the possi b il ity o f the N egro to
,

ma k e progress I f the re was nothing i n the Negro

.

to respond no inherent quality no germ o f prophecy

, , ,

he could never have risen at all and certainly not to ,

the point to which he has surp risingly attained when ,

i t i s remembered that he has been compelled to con

test every inch o f the way against the gravest o f
disadvantages E ffort i s ma k ing the Negro as i t
.
,

invariably ma k es civilization The Indian en j oyed .

the same advantage b ut he decayed under the infl u

,

ence o f civilized li fe .

L et it be remembered also that when one spea k s

o f t he advancement made o r not made by the , ,

N egro his standard o f j udgment i s that o f a race

,

which for ful l eight hundred years o r more has , ,

b een pushing along the highway o f p rogress I f a .

comparison be i nstituted let it b e between the

,

African in A frica and the A frican i n America and ,

not between the Anglo Saxon with hi s growing cul

-

tu re o f many centuries and a race the bi rth hou r

,
-

o f whose freedom dates b ac k to a period o f less than

fi fty years A race no more than an indivi dual can
.

change its ha b its and customs overni ght .

These general statem ents b ring the situation som e

what before us and p repare us fo r a mo re s p eci fi c
,

p resentation o f t h at w h i c h i s to f o ll o w .
 C H APT E R II .

GE N E SI S OF T H E N E G R O P R OB L E M .

B ythe stereotyped exp ression The N egro Pro b

,

lem is commonly und erstood that condition which

,

has ari sen in the states o f the S outh since the close
of the C ivil W ar and in consequence o f the freedom
,

“ ”
o f the S outhern slave That the problem came
.

to its culmination at that time is true but that it ,

i s a condition con fi ned altogether to the brie f period

in which i t reached its consummation i s not true , .

The roots o f the trouble run back under two and a

half centuri es and its incipi ency was when the first
,

slave ship set sail from the coasts o f A frica I ts be .

ginning was occasioned by the dealer in human soul s

as a commodity o f tra ffic and one in which the
,

Negr o himsel f had no part save i n an humble and

,

passive way as an obj ect o f commerce B o rn o f the .

spirit o f cupidity it was nursed in the interest of

,

gain and when the Negro ceased to b e a chattel it

,

assumed the p roportions fo r which it was logically

destined when the first purchase o f slaves was made
i n Africa .

S lavery under certain conditions was not new

when the importat i on o f A f r i cans to America be
gan For ages a custom ha d prevailed amon g bar
.

barons p eoples to reduce to slavery p risoners cap

28
 WH I TE M A N S B U RD E N
’
TH E .9

tured in war, b u t thi s was on l y one of the met h od s

by w h ich p eo p le were ens l aved fo r they w er e b,ou ght

and sol d in d ivers wa y s from anci ent times do w n to

the nineteenth centu ry F o r centuries to gethe r A i
.

ric a h ad been a common slave m ar k et fo r di ff erent

nations P rio r to the discovery o f America the
. ,

Ara b s had b een the most active in the p urchase o f

slaves in Africa W hile the A frican was b ought b y
.

themselves sometimes for tra ffic the g eneral use o f ,

the slave was that o f se rvice o r labo r to the A ra b

master The discove ry o f the N ew W orl d and the
.

su b se q uent development o f the mines and planta

tions which re q uired severe toil physical endu rance
, , ,

and unusual hardship gave a fresh impulse to the

,

A frican slave trade B y reason o f these develo p

.

ments on a new continent the value o f the raw slave,

was advanced and the importation o f A fricans

,

q uic k ened I f the discove ry o f America was an

.

i mmense b lessing it was not unattended b y as d i re

a cu rse as ever afii icted humanity It does not com e .

w i thin the p rovi nce o f thi s wor k to enter at l engt h

on a histo ry o f the slave trade and only to allude to ,

i t thus b riefly b ecause o f its connectio n with the

matte r now under consideration .

T he N egro i s in Am erica then not b ecause o f , ,

any vol ition o f h is own b ut b y reason o f com p ul

,

sion E ither b y k idnapping o r b y purchas e from

.

p etty savage chi e fs in A frica he fel l into the hands

,

o f the Ame rican slav e deale r an d w as b rought ,

hith er an d so l d i nt o se rvitud e .
 W H I TE M A N S B URDEN
’

30 TH E

The lack o f adaptation o f the Negro slave to N ew

E ngland on account alike o f climatic conditions and
,

the infertility o f the soil and the success of slave ,

labor in V i rginia from the founding o f Jamestown

onward led to his gradual dri ft to the warmer states
,

and the rich agricultural lands o f the S outh T he .

rapi d development o f the South following the close

o f the wa r o f 1 81 2 and the increased peopling o f
,

the regions westward created a growing demand ,

fo r slaves with physical stren gt h and power o f en

durance alike ben eath the hot su n s o f the South
and in regi ons i n fected by malaria fo r which the ,

white man was not p repared T he Negro inured .

,

to conditions like these i n his own tropical Africa ,

was therefore in gr eat demand fo r this arduous

se rvice .

W hile the middle o f the nineteenth century found

the Negroes massed for the most part in the states , ,

o f the S outh from M aryland to Texas and A rkan

,

sas and M issouri they had traveled all the way ,

across the continent from New E ngland I f South .

‘

ern planters bought the slaves Northern traders in ,

the earlier years sold and supplied them ,

If .

C harleston S outh C arolina was one o f the chief

, ,

port s o f destination fo r slave trading vessels S alem -

, ,

M assachusetts was one o f the chief ports from

,

whence these vessels

*
E x t ract fro m dd e
an a r ss of H on . W . H . F l em i n g be
f o re t he Alu m ni S o c i ty e of t he U n iv e sity
r of G eo rg ia
,

"u ne 19 190 6 , .
 W H I TE MA N S
’
TH E B URDEN 31

Fo r generations then Southe rn ers came naturally

, ,

to re gard the slave as a legitimate commodity in

trade an d as a ser f designate d f o r j ust the lab o r
,

which was imposed on him H is se rvitude was

.

easy his tempe r docile and tracta b le and his la b or

, ,

was remunerative especially on the fi elds o f the

,

further South The slave hims el f a fte r the fi rst

.
,

generation had p assed igno rant o f hi s origin and

, ,

k nowing nothin g o f his ancestry was disposed to ,

regard hi s servitude as his natural destiny H is .

pro fi t lay largely in hi s i gnorance o f the wherefo re

o f his servitude and most sedulously was h e p re
,

served in that igno rance by the white master H is .

p r o lificne ss was encouraged by every possibl e means ,

j ust as was that o f the grazing herds o f the owner ,

b ecause his increas e meant an enhancement o f

wealth Laws were enacted in the S lave states to
.

hedge him about with ignorance that he m ight not ,

learn his real condition and the vi rtue o f chastity

,

was a thing rarely k nown among N egroes The .

b i rth o f a slave chi ld was hailed on the plantation as

an additional accumulation o f wealth and it was a ,

matter o f slight importance how the i ssue came .

From hi s earliest years the N egro was trained i nto

,

su b mission and thence disciplined into perfect o b e

,

dience . H is rearin g was ami dst the exactions o f

hardship and naturally and conditionally h e was
,

s easoned for hard and exacting service The re was .

not lack ing the inculcation o f certa i n d estructive

 TH E WH I TE MA N S B U RDEN
’

32

vci es by the ex amples o f white men w hom the slave ,

reverenced and who were to the serf the highest

i deals o f integrity In some instances rewards for

.
,

productiveness in child bearing were o ffered on

-

S outhern plantations and but little was p resented

,

as an encouragement to the virtue o f chastity .

F or centuries the utmost laxity as to morals p re

vailed on S outhern plantations C raven fear o f .

p unishment was the pri m e motive to honesty and

truthfulness I f one w as a successful thief he felt
.

that he was but getting a portion o f his due as he ,

was the creato r o f the wealth o f the master .

In this deplo rable condition lasting through gen

,

erations o f the enslaved race there were forecast ,

the horrors which were to come in the years o f the

future In the p rocesses step by step beginning
.
, ,

with the capture o f the Negro s avage on his native

shores and running through his experiences and
,

those o f hi s descendants was ripening the N egro

,

p roblem o f the present .

W hile all this was going on the moral sentiment ,

o f the world against slavery was rising and bearing

with greater force against the system in the South .

The revolution was i rresistible and slavery was ,

doomed N C W and then under the stress o f the dis

.
,

cussion which went on for years a Southern master ,

would reach the conviction that human slavery was

wrong in principle and would voluntarily manumit
,

hi s slaves .

" ite naturally the S out h was the last p o rt i on of

u
 WH I TE M A N S B U RD E N
’
TH E 33

the country to which general attent i on was ca ll e d

w ith respect to slave liberation becaus e the N egroes
,

were mainly massed on the rich lands o f that region .

j ust as naturally the S outhern owner was reluctant

to relinquish his hold on hi s slaves because they were
—
the most valua b le o f his possessions the b asis o f
,

his industrial system an d o f hi s commerce Train ed

,
.

to re gard his slaves as his rightful p roperty he was ,

ready to de fend his rights b y biblical logic b y con ,

st itutional p rovision ,
an d i f need be b y the use o f
,

the b ullet and the sword H is slaves were his by

.

purchase o r b y inheritance and f rom this conception

,

the logi c was easy to a position o f defense o f A frican

servitude based on the ada p tation o f the Ne g ro as
,

a la b orer to the fi elds o f the South T h e torri d .

sun the heavy and stubborn b ut fertile soils so ill

, ,

adapted to the labo r o f the tenderer white the mus ,

cularityo f the slave his servi le o b edience his cheer

, ,

fulness in toil his uncomplaining mood in the en

,

j y
o m en t o f the scant com fort a ffo rded hi s devotion
,

and loyalty to his master and most o f all the benefi

, ,

cence o f the system o f slavery i n comparison wit h

the dismal conditions o f mentality and utter absence
—
o f civili z ation o f hi s fatherlan d what mo re was
needed to j usti fy the perpetuation o f Afri can
slavery ?

B ut the p rinciple o f human freedom o b taining

elsewhere ove r the world found its way w ith in
,

creasing p ressure into the states o f the Sout h The .

wo rl d wa s moving and leaving i n its wa k e the relics

 TH E W H I TE M A N S URDEN
’

34 B

o f bar b arism of which slavery was one S lavery .

was doomed .

S ilently the fo rces of the race problem w ere con

verging toward a given point W hile the S outhern
.

planter was complacently congratulating himself

that he was being enriched by the multiplied prog
eny o f his Slaves he was only increasing the com
,

plicated elements o f the race question which was

to loom into frowning prominence in the years of
the future H is supposed blessing was after all
.
, ,

not unalloyed All supposed advantages of slavery

.

were but hidden ob structions o f the race question

which had been on the march since first the wrong
began by enforced slavery on the A frican coast .

The problem was already growing toward maturity

and consummation I n vain was the ethics of hu
.

man liberty and o f reciprocity openly r epudiated in

the schools and colleges o f the S outh W hen that .

portion o f moral instruction was reached in the

schools counter lectures were delivered in defense
,

o f slavery as a biblical system so blinded were the

,

cultured people o f the South by thei r valuable slave

possessions and to its ultimate consequences Given .

certain premises o f choice the argument w ill be

,

forced to certain conclusions o f satis faction even ,

though it b e wrong Only R ight li ves and moves

.

on a straight l ine into the light while W rong is ,

blindfolded till retribution li fts the alarm and the ,

bandage is ta k en from the eyes T he brothers of .

Joseph did not realize so fully the wrong done till ,

 WH I TE M A N S B U R DEN
’
TH E 35

it was disclosed in the p erp lexity encountered lon g

“
years afterward in E gy p t W e are veri ly guilty
.

concernin g ou r b rother i n that we saw the anguis h

,

o f his soul when he besought us and we would not

, ,

hear ; there fore i s this distress come upon us .

N ever were a people sincerer never a cause more ,

man fully struggled f o r than the cause o f Afri can

,

serviture by strong and a b le m en o f the South E very ’

.

scra p o f de fense in b ehal f o f the institution o f slavery

was adduced To mock thei r e fforts even at this
.

late day were unbecoming b ut it seems strange that

,

with an incep tion such as domesti c servitude had ,

i n human piracy and in corrupt dicker there shoul d ,

not have b een an occasional misgiving o f the right

eo usness o f the cause so ardently defended The .

wrong done at the fountain source could not clea r

the stream o f its sediment however b rill iant the in
j ected rhetoric however
, k een the incisive logic A .

wrong b egun and prosecuted wor k s itsel f out to its

conclusion howeve r s inuous its course and how
, ,

eve r it may be sought to be averted .

The race problem consi dering it in its full scope

,

as em b racing the perio d o f the regime o f slavery ,

was not unattended by certain advantages some o f ,

which fell to the lot o f the slave himsel f b ut that ,

does not atone fo r the original wrong done To .

k idnap decoy purchase o r ot h erwise g et posses

, , ,

sion o f the Afri can on hi s own distant shores was

eithe r right o r wrong I f right i t shoul d have b een
.
,

done and all the de fens e o f slavery w as correct

, .
 WH I TE MA N S B U RD E N
’

36 TH E

B ut to ins i s t on its rightness would be subversive

o f the code o f morals I f w rong then no amount
.
,

o f k indness done the slave no reasoning however ,

a b le no views however sincere can diSplace the

, ,

wron g done The slave dealer then as the prime

.
, ,

o rigin o f N egro servitude was also the primitive,

source o f the much mooted race p roblem I f the

-
.

N egr o had b een left in A frica the race problem ,

would not be W hy is he here ? H o w came he

.

here ? These questions answered answers also the ,

q uestion o f the origin o f the race p roblem .

H ad the Negro been a foreign immigrant in the

sense in which others are w ho ha v e sought our
shores from p reference ; had he come as have come
the Irishman G erman Italian Japanese C hinese
, , , , ,

and all the rest and had he under conditions l ike

,

these been the occasion o f exi sting complications ,

then i t woul d be not only the Negro p roblem but ,

the p roblem o f the N egro B ut he was forcibly .

seized o r otherwise gotten forcible possession o f

, ,

and b y that sam e force b rought to A merica inj ect

‘

ed into American l i fe with all the possible complica

—
tions attachin g to his presence not complications
o f his own ma k in g b ut those o f the whites who
, ,

have manipulated swayed directed and controlled

, , ,

his course eve ry step o f the way f rom the landing ,

o f the slave ships more than two hundred and fifty

years ago to the p resent B y a partnership of the
.

sel f seeking purchaser and owne r o f the slave and

-
,

o f all others connected with him and the di rection ,

 WH I TE M A N S B URDEN
’
TH E 37

o f affa i rs o f a mysterious Providenc e the so ca l l ed ,

-

race p ro b lem has come to its logica l consummation .

N o matte r ho w i t has b een b ro ught about the ,

res p onsibility o f such result rests not on the N eg ro ,

b ut on the white man The N egro has been only a

.

passive agent a subj ective instrument and in noth

, ,

in g that has occurred in hi s history has he b een the

p rime mover and i s there fo re not responsible H e
,
.

di d not leave A f rica by volition he di d not volun

,

t arily assume the function o f servitude he did not ,

emancipate o r en franchis e himsel f he di d not d raft

,

the amendments to the national constitution adopt

—
ed in his behalf he di d none o f these things b ut ,

they were the wor k o f the whites The result is .

there fore not chargea b le to the N egro no r i s the ,

p roblem his . In order to fi nd the source o f the

trouble which we popularly call the N egro p roblem ,

we must follow up the stream t w o hundred and

fi fty years and see k its source in the land o f H am
, .

Shee r fai rness demands that w e vi sit not on the

N egro because he i s a Negro the conse q uences o f
, ,

a train o f events no r o f thei r resultant when he

, ,

has had nothing whatever to do either in settin g

them in motion o r i n di recting them As well might .

the pilot burn hi s boat fo r strikin g a snag in the

stream when he himsel f was in the pi lot hous e .

T his seems a primary p rinciple n ecessary o f rec

o gnition be fore we are p repared to tak e the fi rst

step toward the solution o f the race question It is .

historic as a fact and j ust as a mora l p ri nci p l e B e

,
.
 8 W H I TE M A N S B URDEN
’

3 TH E

c ause o f the benefits derived as a result o f N egro

labor for more than two an d a half ce nturies not by
,

a few only not only by the owners of slaves but

, ,

by all alike o f all sections of the country the white

, ,

race is committed as a whole and morally to ai ,

ford prop e r relief to the present situation in a w ay

,

reput able to the white man and equitable to the

bl ack
.
 C H A P T E R I II .

TH E H I GH E R LA W .

At thi s j uncture o f th e discussion it i s not inap

p p
ro riat e in the light
,
o f the facts involved in the
great race question to call attention to the sugges
,

tions o f providence concerning the outcome o f the

histo ry o f the A frican A merican for as a Christian
-
,

nation dealing with a problem o f anomalous char

,

acter and o f vast proportions and one too which , , ,

vitally concerns ou r enti re A merican li fe we cannot ,

w ell leave this phase o f the question out o f account

,
.

B rought to A merica as the N egro was by coer

, ,

cion and reduced to slavery f o r a long period o f

,

time and denied most o f the ordinary rights o f hu

,

manity with no will j udgment o r conscience save

, , , ,

that derived from a dominating powe r the sole ,

aim o f whi ch was fi nancial p ro fit — a race which in

the evolution o f Pro v idence finally emerged into

freedom with all that that nominally means in a de
m ocracy and yet the victim o f much i n j ustice is
, ,

there nothing in al l this to appeal to the American

conscience ? That there i s much in the varyin g
phases o f Negro histo ry in America to suggest the
d i rect agency o f a guiding Provi dence seem s un
questionable .
 W H I TE MA N S B URDEN
’

40 TH E

I mpelledby a lust for pro fi t and regardless o f ,

all else in the enforced subordination of millions o f

an uno ffending race the stronger race now finds
,

itsel f inextricably entangled i n a network of con

ditions from which there is at present no visibl e , ,

means o f escape M eanwhile the released race with

.

dramatic pathos and with uncherished passion o f

unkindness for all past wrong— the Shuttle in the
loom o f contention between two mighty sections o f
the white strength struggles on uncontrolled by the
,
j

thoughts o f the past and unbaffl ed by the disad ,

vantages o f the present to gain a foothold o f hope ,

fulness In this hubbub o f confusion and conten

.

tion the Negro produces no discord by undue claim

, ,

but simply asks the recognition which is due a man

j oini ng in the rough encounters o f the world and ,

for the chance of a l ivelihood along with other men .

C onsidering all this is there not a suggestion o f

,

equity to the A merican mind ?

As a race the Negro is unable to ta k e the initia

,

tive in the appeal o f his cause to the stronger race .

B ecause o f the strained relations between the two

races white and black and because o f the subo rdi
, ,

nate position which he i s forced to occupy any ini ,

t iativ e on his part woul d be regarded as im p ert i

nent and woul d therefore go unheeded H e must

,
.

needs therefore accept whatever is granted and

, , ,

await the favorable action o f hi s white neighbor .

In all the transactions concerning himsel f he has

 WH I TE M A N S B U RD E N
’
TH E 41

had no p art no r l ot an d is o b l i vious to the p ast

, ,

i f on l y i n the future he may be given a chance .

The remark abl e l eadershi p d eveloped by the race ,

despite the accumulated d isadvantages encountered ,

asks fo r its p eople nothing more than an o p portun

ity to demonstrate thei r m erit It as k s not to b e .

ta k en as a ward o r regarded as a f ondlin g no r yet ,

as a mendicant does i t see k p ity b ut only that i t ,

may b e a b le to stand full on its feet i n the attitude

o f manliness This i s the reasonable request o f the
.

leader s o f the race the achievements o f whom merit

,

attention and excite confidence In the face o f the .

facts al ready b riefly stated in w hat condition do we

,
s

now fi nd this lately enslaved race ? In the section

which i t s erved so long under the conditions al ready
named and fully k nown the N egro is hedged a b out
,

b y restrictions w h ich o ften p revail i n the denial o f

the simplest j ustic e in the courts his development is ,

opposed by many hi s rights to la b or i s in som e in

,

stances deni ed opposition i s rai sed to his presence

,

i n some quarters in most questions o f popular con

,

tention b etween hi m and the stronger race the result

is usually un favora b l e to him so that h e i s com ,

p elle d o ften to scram b le fo r a mere f ootin g in the

o rdinary j o b s o f li fe .

In the criminal courts pre j udice and p assion rath

er than j ustice are o ften accorded him and under ,

the guise o f a false chival ry an d a monstrous per

version o f l a w h e i s fre q uently ta k en and han g ed
 TH E WH I TE MA N S B URDEN
’

42

without the opportunity o f a syllable of defense .

A ll that is wrong concerning him is paraded before

the world in such a way as to involve the w hole race ,

i rrespective o f merit or demerit while his worthier ,

—
acts go unnoticed the heroic e fforts o f thous ands
o f them to render aid and benevolent assistance to
yet other thous ands on the inferior planes of li fe ;
the daily i ndustry o f millions in domestic servic e ,

on the fields in the vari e d vocatio n s o f busi ness in

, ,

the schools churches and on the distant fields o f

, ,

missionar y e nde avor ; the Negro s ambitio n shown in ’

the purch ase o f lands from earnings eked from the

most exacti n g economy in the establishment and ,

maintenanc e o f libr aries in the founding o f pub ,

lishing houses and in the establishment o f good

,

—
homes who knows o f these things ?

This is a plain general statement o f fact conc ern

,

ing the Negro in the states o f the S outh relieved it , ,

is cheerfully admitted by certain exceptions o f in

,

d ividual consid eration in his behal f but the facts , ,

as recorded remain Yet in the face o f all these

, .

conditions conditions produced by the stronger an d

,

“
dominating race we speak of the Negro as an un
,

”
desi rable citizen a menace a peril and as the
, , ,

“
occasion o f an impending crisis Instead o f con .

sideration we o ften employ exasperation and for ,

patience more frequently than other w ise substi

, ,
~

tute passion I f then the co ndition today be one of

.
, ,

strained relations and o f unfortunate m isunder

 W H I T E MA N S URDE N
’
TH E B 43

stan d ings b etween the two races i s the N e gro ,

wholly responsible ?
The facts above reco rded relate to conditions in
the South and yet despite these the N egro fi nds
, ,

ampler scope and bigger opportunity here than he

does elsewhere N ot that this last statement in the
.

least impairs the integrity o f those already made ,

but serves the rather to sho w the grave disadvan

tages o f the Negro in a country for which he has
done so much and fo r w hich he was almost wholly
,

unrequited .

W ithout sectional o r p artisan b ias and prompted ,

alone by the desi re to get b efo re us facts how about ,

the treatment o f the Negro at the N orth ? On this

subj ect Pro fessor N S Shaler o f H arvard U ni
. .
,

versity has recently spo k en with authoritative em

,

phasis and declares that racial antipathy i s as dee p

,

toward the N egro at the No rth as elsewhere I t .

would seem from his statements that certain b ar

riers are rai sed i n the way o f the N egro in the

N o rth as certain other o b structions are thrown i n

,

his way i n the South In the N orth the N egro i s

.

denied mem b ership in the la b or unions and then i n -

,

order to seal hermetically the situation against him ,

an employer is forbidden to engage the services o f

non union la b or In other words the N egro i s pre
-
.
,

cluded altogether Should the employe r engage the

.

services o f N egroes the mem b ers o f the labo r

,

unions rathe r than wor k b esi de the colored men

, ,
 W H I TE MA N S URDEN
’

44 TH E B

decline to labor at all B esides these it i s a fact .

,

well known that even in some o f the m enial f unc

,

tions o f industry the Negro is denied employment

, ,

purely 0 11 account o f color T his pertains to certain .

hotels restaurants b arber shops and to domestic

, , ,

service as hostlers butlers maids j anitors sextons

, , , , ,

and other simil ar functions .

I n the North the Negro can ride with the whites

in street cars and on railway trains which privilege ,

i s denied him in the S outh ; he can occupy a place ,

along with the whites in the schools churches and , , ,

operas in the North but not in the S outh— almost ,

any thing which may involve the payment O f money ,

he can have North but not South I n the S outh ,

.

he does find opportunity to make a dollar ; in the

North he is given opportunity to spend it This .

i s only putting in another form the language o f

“
D r B ooker T W ashington when he says
. . I f the , ,

Negro would spend a dollar at the opera he will ,

find the fairest opportunity at the North ; i f he woul d

earn the dollar his fairest opportunity is at the
,

South T he Opportunity to earn his dollar fairly

.
"

is O f much more importance to the Negro j ust now ,

”
than the opportunity to spend it at the opera .

“
Again this greatest o f Negro leaders says I t is
, ,

at the S outh that the blac k man finds an open sesame

in labor industry and business that is not surp assed
,

a nywhere I t is here that that form o f sl avery

.

which prevents a man from selling his labor to whom

he p leases on account o f his colo r is almost un ,
 WH I TE M A N S B U R DE N
’
TH E 45

k no w n W e h ave had slavery in the South now

.
,

dead that forced an individual to labo r without a

,

salary but none that compelled a man in idleness

,

”
while his fa mi l y starved .

Yet i n the South as has already b een shown and

, , ,

as i s w ell known there are certain restrictions im

,

posed and p rivileges denied even i n the field o f in

, ,

dustrysometimes because O f color ,

There are many.

simpl e features o f j usti ce denied the N egro which ,

could be accorded without hurt or compromis e and ,

yet w hich are withhel d because o f a dar k skin .

W ithout captiousness this is written respecting the

treatment O f the N egro in b oth re g ions N o rth and ,

South .

Toward what doe s all this tend ? Toward the

creation o f a condition throughout the U nion o f an
economic disturbance even to i rritation—a perpetual
restlessness that necessarily throws conditions ou t
o f p o ise I f this condition shall continue to prevail
.
,

that which we now account a problem will become ,

’
mere child s play in the complications which the
f uture i s destined to b ring It boots but l ittle to
.

create conditions such as have been described and ,

“
then li ft our hands in holy horro r and say H o w ,

”
can we solve the p roblem ? It i s o f small wort h
to write learned essays on social and economi c con
dit ions with a certain tang o f dismay when the
.

root o f the conditions li es untouched It i s not nec .

e ssarv to becom e f ranti c or extrava g ant about the

N e g ro and to see k to enlarge his im p ortance—that

,
46 TH E WH I TE MA N S ’
B U R DEN

is not the matter at issue—it i s a fundamental prin

cip le as p lain in the code o f ethics as the sun in

the heavens I t is a principle that stri k es at the b asis

.

o f a nation which has a heterogenous and cosmo

politan population To hedge deny repress and op
.
, ,

press by means o f sheer force will inevitably pro

,

duce a condition through which j ustice will inevit

ably brea k as certainly as G od reigns The slumber .

o f j ustice is not its death That there i s a power

.

overruling and directing the destiny o f the a ffai rs

o f the world a power transcending our plans pur
, ,

poses and schemes the history o f every race and

,

nation teaches .

H istory records only the f ootprints o f Providence ,

and in the sudden transitions which have fre quently

ta k en place there are seen so many revolutions O f
,

the wheel which is guided b y an unseen H and .

Fo rce may prevail fo r a period arrogance may hold ,

sway fo r a season and wrong may seem triumph

,

ant ; but they are movin g under a directing H and ,

not in the interest o f a race o r a peopl e merely but ,

in the interest o f principl e which must b e fi nally

uppermost At some point in the future though
.
,

long delaye d i t may b e in order to accomplishment

, ,

that purpose will b e revealed .

The iniquity O f the syst em o f s l ave ry has wrought

and still wor k s That wron g principl e abides yet i n
.

American li fe N othing i s gained by an e ffort to

.

resist an inex ora b l e law It w ork s unseen w ork s

.
,
 W H I T E MA N S B URDEN
’
TH E 47

with s ilent fo rce and transmutes the plans the

, ,

schemes and the acts o f men into agents in the con

summation o f its ultimate result They are b ewil .

dering— th e examples and i llustrations o f history

in p roo f o f thi s statement A cours e o f w rong a
.
,

pol icy o f i n j ustice can neve r reach the resu l t o f

right.

As appli ed to the p resent discussion i t i s easy ,

“ ”
to say that thi s is negrophobia and to denounce ,

”
one as a negrophile b ut that answers nothing
,
.

W hen a given policy o r course can portend nothing

less than peril ali k e to j ustice and to freedo m it ,

were criminal to b e silent There i s nothin g novel

.

o r unusual in the enunciation O f certain homely eth

i cal princip l es They are as O ld as the race and are
.
,

written on every page o f human history N o r .

have such enunciations b een without utterance from

S outhern sources even w ithin recent years In 1 90 3 .
,

“
sai d the M ontgomery ( A la ) Advertiser T he
white race has a duty which i s imperative It is a .

duty which i s demanded by j ustice by humanity ,

and b y sel f interest Ours i s and will ever b e the

.

governing race It wi ll elect the lawma k ers ma k e

.
,

the laws and en force them That b eing so that

, .
,

principle o f eternal j ustice which b ids the strong

p rotect the wea k ma k es i t ou r duty to p rotect the
,

N egro in all his legal i ndustria l and social rights

, .

W e shoul d see that he has equa l and exact j ustice

in the cou rts that the laws b ea r ali k e on the b lack
,
 W H I TE MA N S B URDEN
’

48 TH E

and the white that he be paid for his labor j ust as

,

the white man is paid and that no advanta g e be ,

taken o f his ignor ance an d credulity .

“
A n d the t ask is a simple and easy one The .

courts and j uries should know no di fference between

whites and blacks when a question o f right and ,

j ustice is up fo r settlement T he man who employs .

a Negro to wor k fo r him should deal as fairly wit h

him as he would deal by a white man The li fe O f .

a Negro who has done no wrong should be as sacred

as the li fe o f a white man H e i s in our powe r .
,

pol itically and otherwise and j ustice humanity and , , ,

good policy unite in demanding fo r him an equal

and exact j ustice " eep the Negroes among us give
.
,

them the full protection o f the laws and l et them ,

have j u stice in all thin g s That is the so l ut i o n o f .

the race
“
Carel ess seem s the g e at Av eng er ; hi st o y s p ag es but
’
r r

re c o rd

O n e d eath g rapp l e in the d ark nes t w i x t Old syst em s and s,

’

t he W o rld ;
T ruth fo rev er on the sc affo ld W ron g fo rev e r o n the ,

th rone
Y et the sc aff o ld sw ay s the f utu re an d b ehi n d the dim , ,

u nkno w n ,

S t and eth G o d w ithi n the sh ad o w k eep i ng w atch ab ov e his ,

”
o wn .

N or is this sentiment exceptional in the states o f

the S outh Ther e is much robust sentiment O f the
.

same character throughout the better element O f

Southern people Still conditions hereto fore de .
,

scribed prevail I t may be idle fo r the time to

,
.

“
" u ot e d f o m fo ot not e M u rp hy T he P resent
’
*
r a in s

S outh pp 182 3
” -
.
, .
 W H I TE M AN S B U RD E N
’
TH E 49

p rotest a gainst t h em b ut t h e y as certa i n l y b ea r w ith

,

i n themselves the g erms o i retri b u tive j u stice as t h at

the stars shine .

There i s a higher l aw than that o f h uman w ill ,

w hethe r i t b e exp ressed in the force o f p ractical

action o r on the statute b ooks o f th e commonwealth
, .

This hi gher l a w has ultimately p revailed in the

mo ral gove rnment O f the world i n the p ast and w ill
,

cont i n u e to d o SO in the f u tu r e
.
 C H APT E R I V

TH E SO U T H E R N N E GR O AS H E IS .

To have the Negro before us as fully as possi b le ,

not i n an abstract way but concretely and to be

, ,

able to see him and k now him as he is will prove o f , ,

great value as we shall consider him in the subse

quent chapters O f this work That there is p reva .

lent much misunderstanding and the absence O f accu

rate information respecting the N egro will b e read ,

ily admitted It must also b e admitted that there

.

i s much pre j udice in the public m ind O f the white

race concerning the N egro so that in some instances
,

the mere men tion o f the subj ect is su fficient to

awa k en p rej udice which is an invariable barrier to
,

all right thinking and o f course to any satisfactory

, , ,

conclusion B y divesting ou r minds o f prej udice

.

or o f any notions which have hitherto controlled us

in ou r estimate o f the Negro and b y a faithful ,

study o f him as he actually exists in the states o f

,

the S outh we shall no doubt find it a matter o f

,

profit ali k e to ourselves and to the Negro race O f .

hi s natu ral disposition his temper and his dominant

, ,

characteristics we shall have occasion herea fter in

these pages to spea k W hat now concerns us i s the
.

classification o f the N e g roes o f the South .

50
 WH I TE M A N S B U R D E N
’
TH E 51

N aturally t h ere were diversities and d i ff erences

which were reco gni z ed among the N egroes even
while they were slaves on the p lantations o f the
South There were subordinate leaders d eveloped
.
,

so far as the system o f slavery allowed develo p ment ,

and developed to a po int where the sp irit o f leader

ship was inexora b ly chec k ed but leadership never
,

theless there was which di fferentiated the in ferior

,

from the superio r To such l eaders on the planta

.

tions was acco rded certain discretion in the direc

tion O f a ffai rs in a subordinate way and such lea d ,

”
ers were usually called drivers The lim itation
.

o f authority with which they were entrusted di ffered

wi dely on di fferent plantations The duty o f the
.

“ ”
driver was to superintend o r di rect the perfo rm
ance O f a certain portion o f wor k assigned to him
“ ”
and hi s gang apart from others fo r the p roper ex ,

e cution o f which he was responsible o f all o f whi ch ,

m ino r di stinction the slave was duly p roud There .

was an instance o f which the p resent writer k new in

“ ”
the B lac k B elt o f Ala b ama where a slave o f es
,

tablished reputation having grown old was made

, ,

by hi s maste r a sort o f ar b iter i n the ad j udication o f

di fferences b etween slaves and even O f those b e
,

tween the slaves and the white oversee r o r super ,

intendent during the a b sence o f the owner

, This .

O ld man was exempt from all labo r and was charged

alone with the function al ready named Thus even .

in slavery there was not un recognized that superior

ity among N egroes which found exp ression i n the
 TH E WH I TE M A N S B URDEN ’

g enera l leadership O f that race when the N eg r o

entered on hi s career in the new orbit o f f reedom .

In vi ew o f these facts i t i s the less su rp rising that

w e fi nd the w idely di fferin g classes in the race to
da y In certain p articulars the lines o f separation
.
,

are very distinct Any failure to recognize this d is

.

tinction by the exercise o f j udgment concerning the

entire race based on the crimes o f the few is e x ceed ,

ingly unjust and acts as a serious barrier to the

,

p rogress O f the N egro race and indirectly levels a

,

b lo w at the wel fare o f all the people for to a ffect ,

one p ortion i s to a ffect all As E dmund B urk e long

.

a go expressed it we cannot indict a whole people

, ,

neither can we hold a race responsible for the deeds

O f the few . It I S most unfortunate certainly at this
,

particular j uncture that the N egro is the only race

,

that i s so j udged I f a crime be committed by any

.

other than a N egro it i s the individual that i s reco g

,

niz ed ; i f com m itted b y a N eg ro the entire race i s

,

implicated This h as been the occasion o f much

.

unnecessary friction o f much ill advised j udgment

,
-
.

N ot till the l ines o f cleavage are j ustly draw n in the

distinction b etween the di fferent classes o f N egroes
will there come a pro p er accord o f desert to those
whose every energy is b eing bent toward the a ecom
p lishm e n t o f the most f o r thei r p eopl e and for the
good o f the American p eople at large Far more .

than i s commonly k nown are the Negroes o f the

higher types doing what they can for the el evation
o f those w ho move on the lowe r levels W ith the .
 WH I TE M AN S B U R D E N
’
TH E 53

p ro p e r accor d o f meri t ther e w i l l result a corre

spo nding p rogres s i n the solution o f the ra ce q u e s 6

tion i n the states O f t h e Sout h .

T h e N egro race o f the S out h may be sai d to be

—
div i de d into three classes the i ntelligent l eaders ,

the lar g e m i ddl e o r laborin g class and the crimina l

,

class The hi ghest class is not s o l ar ge as t h at o f

.

the m iddle class and yet i t i s larger than that o f the

,

lowest o r criminal class That h ighest class i s con

.

stantly increasin g i n num b ers w hile t h ere is a p er

,

cep tible decrease i n t h e l owest class W hil e acces

.

sions to the ran k s o f t h e high es t class com e f rom t h e

m i d dle class b oth the u p pe r and m iddle classes b y a
, ,

com b ined i nfluence f o r good are tendin g to relieve

,

the lowest class O f the forces daily at w o r k i n

.

this di rection the p ubli c i s commonly u nawar e Any

, .

'

wo r d s p o k en to the detr i ment o f the race any un ,

wa rrante d action ta k en b y t h e stron ger race acts as ,

a h indrance and handic ap to a p eo p l e the e fforts o f ,

w h om f or the good o f t h ei r own p eo p l e have never

b een anyw h ere surpassed It i s hoped t h at th i s wil l
.

b e d emonstrated i n the su b se q uent p a ges o f t h i s

wor k .

E mer g ing f rom the g reat mass o f i gno rance

whi ch characterized the N egro r ace in t h e d a w n o f
emanc i pation there were certain leaders amon g the
N egroes w h o cam e to b e recogni z ed amon g thei r
peo p l e as such a num b er sma ll at fi rst b ut o f suffi
, ,

cient stren gt h to ga i n t h e attent i on o f the rac e W i t h .

w i s e d iscriminat i on and q u i et j u d gm ent t h es e lea d

 W H I TE MA N S B URDEN
’

54 TH E

ers foresa w the necessity first o f becoming e x emplars

to thei r people at a time when i rritation was fresh
and sensitive at the S outh in the establishment O f the
,

maintenance o f thos e principles without which th

race must ever remain i n a condition more or less
degraded Never was an undertaking more diffi
.

cult never was one attended by more serious dis

,

a dvantage and it may be said neve r was there more

, ,

genuine pluck exhibited than was shown by these

same p roj ectors on a basis on which thei r lately en
slaved peopl e might be abl e to come to a position o f
respectability and usefulness in the Ameri can re
public .

T hese leaders had themselves been slaves and ,

they k new the tempe r o f the great white race and ,

with the spirit o f adj ustability fo r which the Negro

is remarkabl e and without which he would have
,

gone as has gone the I ndian they entered as pioneers

,

on what seemed a forlorn hope " uietly availing .

themselves o f whatever facilities lay within thei r

reach fo r equipping themselves fo r usefulness they ,

have steadily held on their course blazing the way ,

fo r the great mass to follow A s they have pressed

.

up the heights inch by i nch they have been a source

, ,

o f inspiration t o the millions below E ager in the .

pursuit o f knowledge none ever turned to more

,

p ractical account the slender resources within reach ,

none ever made more crucial sacrifice The intrinsic .

value o f this class o f men to the country at large ,

even though they are Negroes has never b ee n fu l ly ,

 TH E WH I TE M AN S B
’
URDE N 55

a pp reciated b y the American p eo p l e They w ere the .

fi rst to fi nd a path out o f the tangled wilderness p ro

duced b y the chaos which followed the p eriod o f
emancipation fo r none o f which we re they respon
,

s ible The exploits o f these people in a realm o f

.

thei r own creation have done mo re to relieve the

di fficulties attendant on the race q uestion than i s
commonly supposed T hese leaders have never b een
.

arrogant never p resumptuous neve r turbulent o r

, ,

sel f assertive against the white race but always p a

-
,

tient always respectful and thei r i nfluence on the i r

, ,

own race has been potent fo r good beyond measure .

It i s a remarkable fact that a N egro leader amounts

to more and accounts fo r more among his own peo
ple than does that o f a leader among any other
people That thes e initial leaders with such clear
.

ness O f discrimination seized on this fact to turn i t

to so vast advantage reflects on them immense
credit Nothing could have b een mo re timely for
.

the Negro race nothing fo r the good o f the country

,

at large than that there arose such a class o f lead

,

ers at j ust such a j uncture among the Negro masses

,

o f the S outh .

W ithout a leadership li k e this i t i s impossi b le to ,

say what the results would have been These same .

leaders naturally endowed as they were had they

, ,

b ecome leaders in the opposite di rection woul d have ,

b een the occasion o f ho rri b l e conse q uences throu gh

out the States o f the South That they moved up .

ward toward a hi gher sphe re and fo r the b est things

56 TH E WH I TE MA N S ’
B URDEN

attaina b le i s a matte r o f exceeding great credit to

themselves and one that calls fo r the p laudit of
,

every unbiased whit e citi z en throughout the land .

The achievements wrought in education in pro ies ,

sio ual li fe in commerce and in the establishment of

, ,

the i dea o f homeli fe among thei r people are in them ,

selves considered a vast benefaction to the country

, .

And when we consider the influence wrought on the

race of which they are the worthy representatives ,

these leaders are worthy O f all praise The Negro .

race is not unlike all others in the invaluablen ess and

i ndispensableness o f a leadership M ost fortunate .

i s the Negro race o f the South in having as its ini

tial leaders men o f so quiet robust and sturdy worth
, .

They have set the pace fo r the race and have set it ,

well In this service these Negro leaders have done

.

fo r the country at large that which they only could

do N 0 others could have e ffected so much fo r the
.

race o f which they are members no other course ,

coul d have been so productive o f quiet good to the

country N o r i s this all T his same class o f de
. .

serving men have had frequently to encounter the

sorest trials and confront the gravest di fficulties .

They have been severely tested and much o f the ,

work done has b een of a delicate nature Them .

selves reaching a high plane they serve as a per

,

p etual animation to those who are striving to follo w ,

and every year there have been substantial reinfor ce

ments added to this vanguard o f N egro p ro gress .

The second or m iddle class is the yeomanry o f

 TH E WH I TE M AN S B URD E N
’

57

t h e N e g ro race Thou gh less f avored than thei r

.

b rethre n on the u pp er level they are not a whit less ,

—
w orthy T h ey are the la b oring class the men and
.

w omen o f hard and horny hands and o f patient p er ,

severance They are plain many O f them b eing un

.
,

a b le to read and lab orious In p o int o f merit they

,
.

ran g e from the p oint o f approximation to the high

est O i thei r race to that o f contact with the l owest
, .

They constitute a large bulk o f the race In its ele .

m ents this class i s far more vari ed than either o f

the others In thei r e fforts to improve thei r condi
.

tions the mem b ers o f this class are O ften be guiled

,

i nto unwar y purchases to thei r detriment I n a .

'

ca b in one fi nds sometimes a costly piano o r o r gan ,

purchased on the installment plan at an exaggerate d ,

fi gure Again thei r humble homes far in the in

.
, ,

t erio r are O ften o rnamented by showy lightning

,

rods as these unsuspecting peopl e have fallen vic

,

tims to loquacious venders O ne o f the chie f diffi .

culties with this class and one which O perates to ,

thei r in j ury is that many o f them are excellent

,

spenders o f thei r hard earne d means -

.

Thei r am b ition i s to el evate thei r children fo r ,

the education o f whom they will toil and s p en d to

the last limit From this clas s comes the seed —
. corn
o f the race From out this mass come the boys and
.

gi rls o f b ri ghtness who in som e distant school

achieve scholarship o r develop b usiness power and ,

this i n turn serves as a stimulus to a multitude o f

, ,

others Steadily thi s class o f industrious blac k s is

.
 W H I TE M A N S B URDEN
’

58 TH E

imp roving are buying small tracts o f land and are

, ,

learning to husband with more care thei r limited re

sources The most serious practical drawback of
.

this class is its disposition to spend I t furnishes .

gullible victims to O ily tongued peddlers and shrewd

-

clerks in rural stores T hese p eople a re O ften easily

.

bewitched by the showy and tawdry and lack that ,

“
p rovi dent spirit o f laying up for a rainy day .

B ut they are the backbone o f the industrial sys

tem o f the S outh Their parents never toiled harder
.

as slaves than do hundreds o f thousands o f these on

the fields o f the S outh today W ith respect to their .

“
resou rces m any o f them are content to m ake ends
,

meet at the clos e o f the yea r W hile they enrich

”
.

others by thei r toil ma ny remain u nchanged in thei r

,

financial condition from year to year .

T here is however a perceptible cha nge for the

, ,

better in som e quarters of the South due largely to ,

two causes one o f which is the influenc e o f those

,

who occupy a racial station higher up in li fe Now .

and then representatives o f this more favored class

penetrate thes e masses as genuine missionaries and
, ,

inculcate principles of thri ft and economy by means

O f which the yeoman class i s vastly aided A nother .

agency i s that o f the rural free del ivery which brings

these people into touch with the outside world W ith .

increasing volume books papers and magazines are

, , ,

fi nding their way into the far O ff homes o f these -

people T hese serve to push back contracted hori

.

zons and awa k en new visions of li fe From this .

 WH I T E MA N S URDEN
’
TH E B 59

m i dd l e station there pass many each yea r into the

higher class o f N egroes Thi s constant rein force
.

ment going q uietly on g i ves increasing hope f ulness

, ,

to the future o f the race I f the leaders fi nd diffi .

culty in clearing the way fo r the race to follo w ,

those o f the mi ddle class fi nd pecul iar di ffi culty i n

maintainin g thei r footing In the centers o f popu .

lation much relie f has come through the agency O f

savings b an k s which the mo re p rogressive o f the
,

race are increasingly founding Throughout the .

country the N egroes hav e well nigh fi fty such insti -

tutio ns which belong to the mem b ers o f the race and

are conducted enti rely b y them .

The last class to be noticed i s that o f the thri ftless

and criminal The rep resentatives o f this class are
.

the hange rs on about the su b u rb an tenements o f the

-

towns a nd cities where they are content to dwell in

poverty and vice and o ften i n squalo r Their homes

, .

are o ften misera b le a b odes the haunts o f drin k ers , ,

o f gamblers and o f cocaine fi ends N otw ithstand

, .

ing the d rastic laws enacted to regulate the sale o f

these deadly drugs there are not wanting men o f
,

the white race who sell them from thei r shelves to

the ignorant b lacks O f the inroads made b y cocaine
.

on these un fortunate peopl e throug h the a g en cy ,

o f the conscienceless whites there i s but little k nown ,

save b y the investigato r o f conditions l i k e these and ,

the police fo rce S o m u c h fo r those w h o i n fest the

.

populous centers .

Thi s crimi nal c l ass i s found a l s o in the l o ggi n g

 W H I TE M A N S B URDEN
’
60 TH E

camps the mining regions and on the far interior

, ,

plantations O f the South It acts as a serious hin .

drance to the lower layer o f the great middle class .

B rou ght into frequent touch with this middle class ,

the contact is necessarily contaminating Not infre .

quently in the milling regions o f the South this last ,

class dwells apart from all others in a segregated ,

camp o f tents o r huts where the worst possible vices

, ,

are practiced and where these men are O ften hoister

,

ous and dangerous From this class come the crim

.

inals o f the race The influence O f its members is

.

deadly wherever it touches the youn g o f any other

class I n these segregated retreats o r camps these
.
, ,

desperate Negroes are O ften a terror to the O fficers

o f the law T o invade these places is often to tak e
.

one s life into his own hands Fortunately this is

’
.

quite a small percentage of the rac e but its deeds ,

are often heralded in such way through the press O f

the country as to imply that the criminals are the fi t
representatives o f the entire race O f which they hap
pen to be members Care is thus tak en to draw the
.

line o f cleavage between the several classes o f N e

groes and to indicate thei r characteri stics that they
, ,

may not be confounded the on e with the othe r W it h .

this f aithful classification one need not err with re

spect either to the worthiness or the unworthiness o f
the di fferent classes into which the N egro rac e o f
the South i s divided .
 C H A PT E R V .

AR E WE D E B T OR S TO T H E N E GR O ?

In o rder to a can d i d consi deration o f t h i s q u es

tion one w ill h ave to b rin g to i t a divestment o f all
p recon ce i ved notions unfavora b le to the N e g ro as
well as an a b eyance o f p re j u d i ce E it h e r w e are .

de b to rs to the N egro o r we are not I f so h o w .

, ,

why and to w h at de gree ? I f t h ere b e a d eb t i s it

,

one o f humanit y o r an Ob li gat i o n sp ringin g from

,

gratitude or one involvin g l egitimate com p ensation ?

,

I f there b e the p ossi b ility o f Ob l igation is i t not ,

p ro p e r t h at w e seek to fi n d it and i f discovered to

, ,

see k j ust as d ili gent l y to meet it ? It is not insisted

on i n the o u tset t h at suc h o b l igation exists b ut the ,

b are p oss i b i l i ty O f i t i nv i tes investi gation T o this .

i nvestigation let us now p rocee d .

It i s not d enie d t h at f rom ex i stin g con d i t i on s and

,

f rom t h e relations b et w e en t h e w hite and b lac k races

in the South t h ere i s p re j ud i c e and even rep u l sion
,

o ftent i mes on t h e p ar t o f t h e w h i tes M uch to the .

d i sa d vanta ge of t h e N e g ro i n his rel ations to the

w h i tes he is Of tene r than ot h erwise seen at his
,

worst Th i s i s the s i d e o f t h e race O ftenest held

.

to the ga ze o f t h e w or l d T he s l ovenl y lo i terer

.

61
 W H I TE MA N S B UR D EN
’
62 TH E

alon g the streets the denizens of the forbidding

,

haunts o f the city suburbs the rough laborer worthy

, ,

o r industrious though he may b e b ut clad in the ,

garb of the work man alike on the streets and on the

field the court room with its herd O f violators the
, ,

cell with its inmates the chain gang on the streets

,
-
,

o r the occupant in stripes on the penal plantation or

in the wor k shop of the penitentiary and the domes ,

tic servant not always honest in the manipulation of

the groceries these conditions represent the race to
,

the eye o f the public and furnish the basis o f the

,

popular estimate o f the N egro race I n consequence .

,

it i s more commonly understood than i s generally

supposed that worth among Negroes is a rare qual
ity and that honor and honesty are the exceptio n s
,
.

A nd yet the f act remains that there are thousands

among those especially o f the servants in the homes
, ,

who are scrupulously honest and entirely trust

wo rthy This I think i s a fai r statement of the
.
, ,

case as it generally prevails .

The writers o f articles on the Negro for enter

prising j ournals from without the South as well as
those on q uaint and facetious character i stics from
within the South present not the laudable side o f
,

the Negro b ecause that is rarely turned to the eye

,

o f the public The descripti ons o ften given are

.

muc h l ike that o f the cocoanut as a f ruit f rom a

description o f the outside W e revert to a subj ect .

already in part discussed in a p revious chapter by

raisin g the q uestio n of the occasion o f the p resence
 WH I TE M A N S B U RDE N 63
’
TH E

o f the N egro in America H e is not here by any

.

vol ition o f his own but b y coercion ; he was re

,

duced to slavery which extended over a period o f

more than two and a hal f centuries ; he labored with
a loyalty and faithfulness unexcelled by any peopl e
i n similar servitude ; he felled ou r vi rgin forests ,

and transmuted them into plantations o f beauty and

profit ; he built our homes and was the means o f
,

the education o f seven generations o f S outherners ;

he fu rnis hed the m e ans fo r the establ ishment o f
our commerce ; he was fo r centuries the industrial
system o f the states o f the S outh he built the ships
which floated at ou r wharves and which bore ou r
p roducts to d is tant parts ; he lai d our r ailway lines ;
he fi lled ou r co ffers with gold fo r two hundred an d
more years ; he furnished the means for the mainte
nance o f a numbe r o f wars and so far as the people
,

o f the S outh are concerned he sustai ned the arm ies

,

o f the C on federacy during the great C ivil W ar ; he

was the guardian o f the helpless women and children
o f the South while the husbands and so n s were at
the distant front doing battle to preserve the shack les
o f servitud e on his limbs ; against him was not a
whisper o f unfaithfulness o r o f disloyalty during all
thi s trying and bloody period ; when the land was in
vaded by the armies which sought hi s freedom he ,

remained faith ful still and o ften at great personal

,

ris k o f li fe secreted from the invader the horses

,

and mules and buried the tr easures o f the family

,

that they might not fall into the hands o f the ene
64 TH E W H I TE MA N S B URDEN
’

mi es o f the whites but the friends of the slave h im

,

sel f ; in many thousands of instances he declined to

accept freedom when it was o ffered by the invading

army pre ferring to remain loyal and steadfast to

,

the charge committed to him by the absent master ,

all this and more the Negro slave did T here was .

not a day during the trying period o f the C ivil W ar

when he m ight not have disbanded the S outhern
armies A n outbreak on his part against the de
.
.

fenseless homes of the S outh W O U ld have occasioned

the utter dissolution o f the S outhern armies and ,

turned the anxious faces o f the veterans in gray

toward their homes B ut no S outhern soldier ever
.

dreamed o f the possibility o f a condition like this .

S o far as his home was concerned it was not any

,

apprehension o f the unfaithful ness o f the slaves

which occasioned the slightest alarm .

W hat other peopl e known in history ever behaved

wit h similar conduct ? W here was ever anomaly
l ike this ? There was not wanting on the part o f the
slaves a k nowledge o f the occasion o f the war .

There were scarcely any who did not k now what was
involved i n the conflict so far as they were con
cerned Yet there was this devotion which bound
.
,

these faithful people to thei r masters H istory i s .

without a pa rallel o f conduct l ike this .

N or i s this all W hen the armies of the South

.

capitulated and freedom came with suddenness to

the Southern slave did he assert hi s right to any
,

portion of the property o f w hich he was the chi e f

 WH I T E M A N S B URDEN 65
’
TH E

creator ? D id he set up a claim which woul d have

been the occasion o f fresh disorder to the S outhern
soldie r on his return to hi s home in his tattered
j acket o f grey ? S o far from that being true many ,

thousands o f the recently enslaved cordially j o i ned

the family o f the returning veteran in a ffectionate
greeting when he finally reached hi s home Not .

a syllable o f demand not a murmu r was heard from

,

the lips o f the m illions o f the recently enslaved O n .

the other hand many thousands readily j oined in

,

the endeavo r to save the growing crops in the event

-

ful spring o f 1 86 5 and as much to the Negro as to

,

any other i s the country indebted that there was

not di re want entailed i n consequence o f the war ,

which woul d have been in addition to the disastrous

e ffects o f the confli ct .

Let us suppose that a people other than the Negro

had rendered the same service as that rendered by
the slave during the war L et us suppose that mil
.

lions o f Chinese o r o f Japa nes e had cultivated the

crops protected the families o f the absen t soldiers
, ,

fed and clothed the armies fo r a period o f four years ,

would there b e any bound to ou r gratitude fo r th e

service thus rendered ? Poets would have extolled
them i n song and historians woul d have embalmed
,

them in extravagant p raise and ou r cities would

,

have been adorned with monuments o f gratitude to

a people so loyal and devoted to ou r interests W hen .

LaFayette with a hand ful o f Frenchmen came across

the Atlantic to assist in the achievement o f American
 W H I TE MA N S B URDEN
’
66 TH E

independence the gratitude o f the peo p le k new no

b ounds and our historic pages are still laden with
,

expressions o f laudation to the disinterested French .

I s less due the Negro especially since he came to

,

A merica not o f his own will but was forced to our

,

shores and reduced to slavery for a period cover

ing seven generations o f the history o f his people ?

S till further the Negro was turned loose at the

,

period o f his emancipation without a penny in his

pocket without a loaf o f bread and without a shel
, ,

ter over his head H e had not a barleycorn of land

.
,

nothing which he could call his own but his muscle

and will H e had enriched the states of the S outh
.

with the cotton bale fo r many generations he had ,

equally enri ched N ew E ngland and the M i ddle

States by the same means and even while the hub
,

bub o i abolitionism was rampant he was the chief ,

means of the enrichment o f the land and what was ,

the compensation a fforded him ? H e was usually

given a miserable hut in which to live ; the scantiest
clothing o f the coarsest sort ; he was maintained
,

on a peck o f corn meal and three pounds of bacon a

week ; he was denied any rights save those o f the
scantiest nature ; he was forbidden intellectual devel
o pm ent as that would have unfitted him for the
, ‘

profitable servitude to which he was subj ected ; he

knew but little o f the tender rel ationship o f home
li fe as families were frequently sundered in the o r
,

dinary tra ffic o f slaves as common property ; he

k new nothing but to lab or from day to day and ,
 WH I TE M A N S B UR D E N 67
’
TH E

f rom y ear to y ea r til l he found his last resting p l ace

,

i n t h e humbl e g rave into which a stream o f seven

,

generations o f slaves passed b efore the boon o f free

dom came .

B ut it i s claimed that slavery was a b lessin g in

disguise to the imported African as by that ,

means he came i nto the possession o f the dom inant

la nguage o f the globe was taught the arts o f
,

industry and was made a sharer in the b enefits o f

'

the most splendi d civili z ation the worl d has ever

k nown There i s much plausibl e glamo r in all this
.
,

but i s there as much in i t for the Negro as is o rdi

narily assumed ? O f w h at use were all these i f they ,

could not be employed fo r his benefit ? W hatever

there was to him was merely incidental I f the char .

acter o f the Negro was not b enefited was there any

genuine b ene fi t at all ? As M ar k H op k ins says ,

M an may have strength o f characte r only as h e is

capable o f controlli ng hi s faculties ; o f choosin g a
rational end ; and in its pursuit o f holding fast to
,

hi s integrity against all the might o f external na

”
ture. Apply this p rinciple to the N egro i n his
—
slavery and what b ecomes o f the much boasted b en
,

efit o f which we hear so much ? The s imple fact o f

slavery itsel f neutrali z ed all the so called bene fi t It

-
.

i s not necessary to go into details o f the influence o f

the dominating race on the race o f slaves The fact .

i s well k nown t h at the animalism o f the white owner

and o f others was not conducive to the highest i deals
o f character and o f l i fe To the N e g ro sl av e the
.
68 TH E W H I TE MA N S ’
B URDEN

white owner was the ideal o f manhood H e must .

needs learn from his conduct what li fe really i s .

H o w much w as there in the conduct o f the whites

o ftentimes to contribut e to the e rection of lofty char
acter on the part o f the Ne gro ?

A t its best estate slavery was degrading and im

,

bruting T he i ncidental advantages came far short

.

o f atoni ng for that o f which the Negro was the com

p elle d recipie n t E n teri
. n g on life for himsel f he ha d
but little to take with him into his untried Sphere .

’
Certainly he had nothing whatever o f this world s
goods For the incidental advantages for which so
.

much is claimed the Negro is indebted more to

,

Providence than to man T h ese slight advantage s

.

happened to be inseparable from the d egradation

to which he was subj ected T he motive of the slave
.

owner generally was that o f making the greates t

number o f dollars out of slavish l abor and not that ,

o f benefiting the Negro morally o r oth erwi se T his .

is a plain statement of fact and the fact spea k s for

,

itsel f
.

N ow in view of this array o f facts the service

, ,

o f the slave for seven generations the lac k o f com

p en sa t io n during that long period ; the repression to
which he was subj ected ; the devotion to the cause
o f the whites a devo tion u nequalled in all history
,

the enrichment of the states by his labor ; the fact that

he was turned loose without a dime in his pocket ,

ignorant and defenseless in the presence o f the machi

 WH I TE M AN S B URDE N 69
’
TH E

nations o f evi l men is there nothin g to suggest

,

gratitude in all this ? I s there nothing that appeals

to the heart and consci ence in his struggles to dis
i nthrall himsel f from the conditions in which he
fi nds himsel f After all that can be sai d against the
?

N egro a fter the last w o rd i s spoken the facts as

, , ,

here p resented remain remain uncontested in thei r

,

verity and outweigh all that may be sai d to the con

,

trary Is there not due him in his struggles fo r a

.

higher li fe at least the stimulation o f encouraging

words and not the constant disposition to decry
,

him ? In spite o f hi s o riginal igno rance his d ire ,

poverty the denial o f many o f the primary rights

,

due humanity and the fiercest competition ever en

,

countered by any people he has mastered many o f ,

these and b y dint o f genuine merit has evoked the

,

admi ration o f the world .

W ith rapi d strides the N egro has overcome the

dismal illiteracy with which he was o riginally laden ,

so that o f the ten million which now are there are ,

six mill ion o f them who have ri sen a b ove illiteracy .

O vercom i ng poverty the N egro has bought lands

, ,

e q uipped plantations built many excellent homes

, ,

establi shed schools erected chu rches founded places

, ,

o f b usiness and i s movin g on the upgrade to highe r

,

and better things E ven though the Negro had re

.

mained i n the leaden torpo r o f ignorance where

emancipation found him there woul d still b e the ,

o b li gation to assist him when b y vi rtue o f an exce l

70 TH E WH I TE M A N S ’
B URDEN

lence rarely shown b y a lately enslaved race he has ,

accomplished so much , and is still pushin g alon g

the plane o f achievem ent .

B ut the clai m i s common that the N egro i s b ase ,

worthless unreliable and criminal These epithets

, , .

are quoted because they are o f frequent occurrence ,

and are popular in thei r application to the Negro .

Grant that all is true does that forfeit our obliga

,

tion to the race which has done so much for us ?

B ut these terms so glibly l evelled against the Negro
are not borne out by the facts in the case as has ,

be en shown i n a preceding chapter Some o f these .

may admit o f application to some Negroes but cer ,

tainly not to the race and to only a mino r portion

,

o f the race B ut admitting that they be true could

.
, ,

not the same thing have been urged against the

C ubans when our land enlisted in thei r behal f
against Spain I t is certainly true o f many I talians
?
,

yet there was unstinted beneficence exhibited to that

people when the disaste r at M essina came It is .

true o f every nation to which the Christian churches

send missionaries and yet nobody hears all this as
,

s igned as a reason why we should withhold mission

ary aid from the benighted On the contrary this
.
,

is assi gned as the chief reason why help should be

a fforded the nations which sit in darkness W hy .

the n should the A merican Negro who has done so

,

much fo r us be made an exception ? M ust we be

, ,

cause o f traditional prej udice against the N egro a ,

p rej udice O ftene r un founded than otherwise deny ,

 WH I TE M AN S B UR DEN
’
TH E 7 1

h im t h e a i d w h i c h w e can a ff ord S h a ll w e s u ff er
?

o u rse l v es to b e b etraye d i nto the i nconsisten t atti

tude o f w i t hh oldin g f ro m the N e g ro the ai d needed
on the ver y g ro u nds w h ic h f urn i s h t h e most s ub
stantial b asis f or assistance ?

W e are de b tors to t h e N e g ro t h en fi rst of a ll

, , ,

b ec ause o f h is willin g an d o b edient servitude ; be

cause o f h i s unre q uited la b ors in the enrichment o f
t h e country ; b ecause o f t h e services w hic h he h as
su b stantially and e ff ectively rend ered to ou r Ameri
can civilization ; b ecause o i hi s l oyalty and d evotion ,

so fa r as the South is concerned to her armi es h e r, ,

cause and the f amilies o f t h e soldiery and b ecause

, ,

o f his e fforts to rise i n the sca l e o f man h oo d in t h e

face o f u ne x am p led o b structions .

Lay i n g as i d e all p reconceive d i dea s o f the N e g ro ,

is there noth in g due h i m ? D om inated b y a s ense

o f j ust i c e an d g rat i tu d e as we shoul d b e i s ther e
, ,

not h i n g to b e accorde d h i m ? W e fi nd i n him o ften

t i mes an o bj ect o f merrim ent an d laugh at his w e i rd
,

su p erstitions and his fol k lor e and reli sh w ith a gusto

,
.

the i gnorance o f t h e i gnorant amon g them W e .

mete out to h i m t h e h eaviest p enalties i n our co u rts ,

sometimes w i thout j ustice and fi ll ou r j ails an d p eni

,

t entiaries w it h h is race . H e s h ares not in t h e cou rts ,

exce p t i n g as a cr i m i na l h as no place on the j u ry

, ,

though his cause i s o ftenest ad j udi cate d and i n many ,

instances w e su ffe r h i m to un d er go w ron g an d op

p ress i on b ecause h e i s a N e g ro H e i s den i e d i n
.

m an y i nstances any trial at all an d miscreant offi

, ,
 TH E W H I TE M A N S B URDEN
’

7 2

cials sometimes su ffer him to fall into the hands o f

violent men that they may wreak on him thei r v en
g e an ce
. In his extremity we su ffe r him to live in a
congested population on the outskirts o f our cities ,

where he festers society with abhorrent vice W e .

permit the drinking den to demoralize and de b auch

his race by the ten thousand or to use him for the
,

clandestine sale o f liquor and the matter goes no

,

further than to excite unfavorable comment against

the Negro himsel f .

It is easy to denounce the low Negro to threaten ,

and hang him but in a country o f C hristians is

,

there not something else that may be done ? Is it

not due him from the point o f view of humanity
that more be done in his moral behal f ? Aid i s with
held from the millions because o f the criminality
o f the few It i s here insisted and must ever b e
.
, ,

that the criminal be duly punished for h is deeds b ut ,

i s it not b etter to prevent the perpetration o f crime

by proper measures than to p unish the o ffender
,

a fter the crime is committed ?

I t woul d seem in a great Christian land that there
are some measures that might be adopt ed for the
improved moral condition o f the race and not that ,

i t be permitted to su ffer the utmost corrup tion with

out the slightest interposition on the part o f Chris
tian men and women T here are thousands o f men
.

and women among themselves who are seeking b y

every possible means to relieve thei r fallen ones and ,

that wor k is worthy o f supplement at the hands o f

 WH I TE M AN S B
’
TH E URDE N 73

t h e b est w h ites It i s not deni ed that in a l imited

.

way some do ai d thos e o f the N egro race who are

seeking to bring relief where it is most needed ; but
while not abating one j ot or tittl e o f the execution
o f the law the gospel i s a far mo re wholesom e di s
,

solvent o f wrong doing than t h e law Is p rej udice

-
.

a stronger principle with us than pi ety ? I f the

N egro b e discounted b ecause he i s a Negro we ,

should remem b er ou r debt o f gratitude to him be

cause o f the long services o f the past I t would .

seem that the American people coul d never get out

o f sight o f this obligation H is services were in
.

valuable fo r centuries and when he was no longer

,

our chattel we discard him as the o ffscouring o f

,

the earth . There is a debt which w e owe him ,

whether we reco gni z e it o r not .

 C H APT E R V I .

TH E N E GR O S
’
SH AR E IN B U I LD I N G TH E N AT I ON .

The Negro has been in America from the time o f

its first occupation by white colonies For a period .

o f more than two hundred and fifty years he was

the slave o f the whites and seven generations of the
,

slave race l i e b uried in the soil o f the A merican

states The story o f the African American is one o f
.
-

toil su fferin g privation and largely Of unrequited

, , ,

labor In all the revolutions ruptures and upheav

.
, ,

als o f our continental American li fe he has been a

sharer It is a noteworthy historical fact that the
.

first blood spilt in the R evolution was that of

Crispus Attuck s an intrepid Negro leader and a
, ,

slave who when th e B ritish entered B oston head ed

, ,

a party o f whites and blacks using stones clubs , , ,

and even thei r clenched fists i n resisting the i nvasion .

R aising the cry that the way to drive them bac k was
to attac k the center and suiting the action to the
,

word Attucks led the attack and was the fi rst to fall
, ,
.

Three whites were also killed and the four heroes ,

were buried in the same grave within a short dis

tance o f where Faneuil H all now stands T hei r .

memory i s embalmed in the following lines

74
 TH E WH I TE M A N S B U RDEN
’

75
Lo ng as in f re e d o m s c au se t he w i se c o nt e n d
’
,

D e ar t o y o u r c o u n t ry s h all y o u r f am e e x t e n d ;
W hil e t o t he w o rl d t he l e tt e re d st o n e s h all t e ll
k
W h ere C al d w ell , Attu c s, G ray an d M an e rick f e ll .

It w as another N egro Peter S alem who ad

, ,

vanced to the front o f the line at the b attle o f B un

k er H il l and k illed M a j o r P itcai rn the B ritish com ,

mander S till anothe r N egro named Prince cap

.
, ,

tured G eneral Prescott the B ritish commander at

, ,

N ewport R hode Island Lieutenant Colonel B arton

,
.
-

lai d th e plan fo r the capture o f the B ritish com

mande r and too k wit h him the courageous N egro
, ,

Prince E vading the guards t h e two men Col

.
, ,
.

B arton and hi s blac k attendant reached the mansion ,

i n which slept the B ritish general It was meces .

sary to force two strongly loc k ed doors and thes e

-
,

were b urst o p en b y Prince butting them open Com .

in g i nto t h e b edcham b e r o f G enera l Prescott uh ,

attended b y any other than Prince B arton captured ,

the B ritish comman d er which in t urn led to hi s

, , ,

exchange fo r G en Lee who ha d p rev i ous l y fal l en

.
,

i nto the hands o f the B ritish .

It i s not generally k nown that m any N egro

troops f ought in the ran k s o f the American arm y
throughout the R evolution O f one o f these S alem
.
,

Poo r honora b l e mention i s made b y fiftee n white

,

men i n the American a rmy who memoriali z e d Con

‘

, ,

gress i n h is b ehal f in the followin g l an gua ge

,

“
To set f orth the p a rticulars o f his conduct w ould
b e tedious ; we only b e g leave to say i n the p erson o f ,

thi s sai d N e g ro ( Sa l em Poo r ) centers a b rav e ga l ,

 WH I TE MA N S B U R D EN
’

76 TH E

lant soldier The reward due so great and distin

.

g uish ed a character we submit to C ongress , .

In the beginning o f the R evolution it was under

stood that the Negroes who served as soldiers would
b e rew arded by thei r freedom at the close but this ,

was not done M uch more could be said o f the .

Negro troops during the R evolution but space for ,

bids H is co nspicuous ness in the Federal army dur

*
.

*
T he foll ow i ng p ro cl am ati on w as i ssu e d b y Gene ral
A nd w re "ac k so n a fe w m o n th s b ef o re t he b attl e o f N ew
O l an s
r e
H ea d q u art e rs
7t h M ilit ary D i st ric t
of
“
.

M o b il e S ep t e m b e r 21, 1814 , .

T o t he fre e c o l o re d i n h ab it an t s o f L o ui si ana "

“
k
T h ro u g h a m i s t a e n p o li cy yo u h av e h ere t o f o re b e en
d ep riv e d o f a p artic i p ati o n in t he g l o ri o u s st ru g g l e fo r
n ati o n al ri g ht s in w
hi ch o u r c o u nt ry is e ng ag e d T hi s no .

x
l o n g e r sh all e i st A s so n s o f fre e d o m yo u are c all e d
.
,

u p o n t o d ef e n d o ur m o st i n e sti m ab l e b l e ssi ng A s A m e ri .

c an s y o u r c o u n t ry l o o k s w ith c o n fi d e n c e t o her ad o p t e d
,

c h ild ren fo r a v al o ro u s su p p o rt as a faith f ul re tu rn fo r ,

t he adv an t ag e s e n jo y e d u n d e r he r m il d an d e q ui t ab l e g o v
e rn m e n t A s f ath e rs hu sb an d s and b ro th ers, yo u are
.
,

su m m o n e d t o rally aro u n d t he s t an d ard o f t he e ag l e , t o

d efe“n d all w hic h is d e ar in e x i st en c e .

Y o u r c o u nt ry alth o u g h c alli n g fo r y o u r e x erti o ns,

,

w
d o e s no t i sh yo u to e n g ag e in her c au se w ith o u t am p ly
re m u n e rati n g yo u fo r t he servi c e s re n d e re d Y o u r ih .

t e llig e n t m i n d s are n o t t o b e le d aw ay b y f al s e re p re se m
t at io n s Y o u r l o v e o f h o n o r w o ul d c au se yo u t o d e sp i se
.

t he m an w ho w
o ul d att e m p t t o d e c e iv e yo u I n t he sin .

c e rit y o f a so ldi e r an d t h e l an g u ag e o f t ruth add re ss I

y o u . T o e v e ry n o b l e -
h e ar t e d g e n e ro u s f re e m an o f c o l o r
, ,

v o lu nt e e ri ng t o serv e du ri n g t he p re se nt c o n t e st w ith
G re at B rit ai n and n o l o n g e r, th e re w ill b e p aid t he sam e
,

b o u n ty in m o ne y and l and s no w re c e iv e d b y t he h it e , w
so ldi e rs o f t he U nit e d S t at e s vi z " o ne h u n d re d and , .

w
t enty fo u r d oll ars in m oney and o ne hu nd red and si x ty
-
,

ac re s o f l an d T he n o n c o m m i s si o n e d o ffi c e rs and p ri
.
-

v at e s w ill al so b e e ntitl e d t o t he sam e m o nthly p ay and

d ail y rati o ns an d cl o th es f u rni sh e d to any A m e ri c an
, ,

so ldi er .

On e nro lli ng y o u rselv e s in c o m p ani e s , t he m ajor

 TH E WH I TE M A N S B U RDEN
’

77

i n g t h e C i vil W ar is well k nown and it i s a l so well ,

k nown that measures were ado p ted to arm the N egro

fo r the Confederate service near the close o f the war ,

but its a b rupt termination p revente d the e ffort .

E qually may it be sai d that the N e g ro was promi

nent i n the wa r with Spain b ut it i s not so much ,

about the martial history o f the race that I would

s p ea k as i t i s concerning his servi ce in othe r s p heres
, .

g e n e ral c o m m an di ng w ill se l e c t o fli c e rs fo r y o u r g o v ern '

m e n t f ro m y o u r w h it e f e ll o w ci ti z e n s Y o u r non c om m i s
-
.
-

s io n e d o ffi c e rs w ill b e ap p o i n t e d f ro m am o n g y o u rse lv e s .

D u e re g ard w i ll b e p ai d t o t he f e e li n g s o f f re e m e n an d
s o l di e rs Y o u w ill n o t b y b e i n g a s so ci at e d w i th w h it e
.
,

m e n in t he sam e co rp s b e e xp o se d t o i m p ro p e r c o m
,

p ari so ns o r u nju st sarc asm A s a di sti n ct i n d e p e n d e n t

.
,

b att ali o n o r re g i m en t p u rsu i n g t he p ath o f g l o ry yo u

, ,

w ill u n divid e d re c e iv e t he ap p l au se o f g ratitu d e o f y o u r

,

co u“nt y m en
r .

T o assu re yo u o f t he si n c e rity o f m y i n t e n ti o n s an d ,

m y anx i e ty t o e n g ag e y o u v alu ab l e servi c s t o ur

r e o

c o u nt y I h av e c o m m u n ic at e d m y w i sh e s t o t he G o v er
r ,

n o r o f L o ui s i an a w ho is f ully i n fo rm e d as t o t he m an
,

n er o f e n ro ll m e nt an d w ill , g iv e yo u e v e ry n e c e ssary
inf o rm ati o n o n t he su b jec t o f th i s ad d e ss r .

“
A n d re w "ac k so n ,

M ajo r General C o m m andi ng -

.

T hi s is taken fro m N i le s R e g i st e r Vo l vii p 20 5

’
, .
, . .

F ro m the sam e s o u rc e o n p ag e s 345 346 w ill b e f o u n d ,

the f a c t th at A d jut an t G e n e ral E d w a d L ivi n g s t o n e ad r , r

t o t he c o l o re d t o o p s o f "ac k s o n s arm y o n D e c e m b e r
’
r ,

18 1814 t he f o ll o w i n g add re ss
, ,
“
T o t he m en o f c o l o r " S o l di e rs " F ro m t he s h o re s o f
M o b il e I c o ll e c t e d yo u t o arm s I i nvit d yo u t o s h a e . e r

in t he p e ril s and t o d ivi d e t he g l o y o f y o u r w h it e r

c o u nt ry m en I exp e ct e d m u c h fro m yo u fo r I w as n o t
. ,

u ni nfo m e d o f th o se q u ali ti e s w h i ch m u st ren d e r yo u

r

f o m i d ab l e t o an i nv adi ng fo e I k n e w th at yo u c o ul d
r .

e n du re h u n g e r an d t h i st an d all t he h ard s h i p s o f w ar
r I .

k ne w th at yo u l o v e d t he l an d o f y o u r n ativi ty and th at , ,

li k e y o u rselv e s yo u had t o d efe n d all th at is m o st de ar

,

t o m an B u t you su rp ass m y h o p e s I h av e f o u n d in
. .

y o u ,u n it e d t o t h e s e q u aliti e s th a t n o b l e e n th u s
, i asm w h i c h
 W H I TE MA N S B U RDEN
’

78 TH E

The history o f the N egro has been singularly

marked by loyalty and devotion to the white race ,

which race enslaved him and made him a drudge

and burden bearer for centuries A s the great tides
-
.

o f influence and a ffluence swept on the Negro was ,

kept in a subj ected condition toilin g and su ffer ,

ing not only in an uncomplaining way b ut in his

, ,

innocence singing as he went H is plantation melo

,
.

dies quaint poetic nature wei rd superstitions an d

, , ,

undiminished fealty are a part o f our American his

tory H is i s a strange story one of pathos o f ro
.
, ,

mance and o f love to the white man even in the

, ,

depths o f servitude O f the wrangles in the press .

,

’
on the platform and in the nation s forum concern
,

ing himsel f most o f them knew but little and many

, ,

nothing at all T o him his past history was as blank

.

as his deStiny was dark The great mass knew o f .

nothing else than that they were to labor for the

white man The slave was subj ect to his beck and
.

call in season and out o f sea so n never rebelling

, , ,

never resisting never revolting b ut docilely toi l

, ,

ing on .

Among the races o f men the N egro has his domi

i m p el s t o g reat de e d s S o l di ers " T he P resid ent o f the

.

U n it e d S t at e s sh all b e i nf o m e d o f y o u r c o n duc t o n t hr e
p e s n t o c c a i o n ; and t he v o i c o f t he re p e se nt ativ e s o f
r e s e r
t he A m eric an n ati o n sh all app l au d y o u r v al r as y o u r g e n o ,

e al n o w p ai se s y o u r a d
r r T he e n em y is n e a r H is
or . r
.

s ail s c o v e t he l ak e s
r B u t t he b av e a e u n it e d ; and i f he
. r r
fi n d s u c nt en di n g am o n g o u se lv e s i t w ill b e fo r t he
s o r
p ri z o f v al o r and fam e it s n o b l e st w a d
e , re r .

T hi s w as al o s i g ne d b y G e n e ral "ac k so n an d de
s .

liv ere d in his nam e .

 W H I TE MA N S B U RD E N
’
TH E 79

nant characteristic T h at o f the E uropean o r An g lo

.

S axon i s energy and love o f dominion ; that o f the

,

A m erican Indian i s revenge ; that o f the M alay i s

, ,

cra ftiness ; that o f th e M ongol ian is theft ; that o f ,

the N egro i s docility subm issiveness This q u i et

, ,
.

p assive v irtue has made him largely su b ordinate to

others hence his history o f long enslavements O f
,
.

this disposition the most aggress iv e and p rogressive

race has ta k en advanta ge and fo r centu ries held the ,

b lac k man in b onda ge .

To trace the history o f African s l avery throug h

the territories and the states w ould re q ui re a sep a
rate and independent volume and t h e matter wi ll b e ,

given here only so much notice as i s necessary to

serve the p resent purpos e The idea o f general .

emanci p ation was preceded by that o f a b ol ition o f

the slave trade In I 787 a society fo r the suppres
.

sion o f the slave t rade was formed in London This .

l ed to the abolishment o f the slave trad e by G reat

B ritain which was followed b y the U nited States
,

and othe r portions o f the wor l d which had been en

gaged in the tra ffi c H owever slavery continued as
.
,

an institution till its fi nal overthrow in 1 86 5 S om e

,
.

o f the states had previously abolished slavery out

ri ght and others b y means o f gradual emancipation
, .

Positive action was ta k en b y V ermont i n I 7 77 ; b y

M assachusetts in 1 780 ; N e w Yor k b egan the grad
,

ual e mancipation p rocess i n 1 799 and fi nally a b ol ,

ished slavery i n 1 82 7 ; N ew Jersey b egan the same

plan in 1 80 4 and had 2 36 s l aves st i ll l iv i n g as l ate
,
 TH E W H I T E MA N S B URDEN
’
80

as 1 850 and Pennsylvania began gradual emanei

,

p at io n in 1 7 80 and b
, y 1 840 had 6 4 slaves within its
territory .

The favorable conditions o f climate and o f fertile

soil in the newer states o f the S outh made that re ,

gion the last rendezvous o f the American slave .

T he slave tra ffic continued in the South till the be

ginning o f hostilities between the states in 1 86 1 .

On the broad and rich cotton fi elds o f the S outh the

slave was exceedingly remunerative and the valu ,

ation o f slave property led to the encouragement o f

the increase of the race The production o f the .

domina nt staple cotton in increasing quantities

, , ,

under slave labor year by year led to the prosperity

, ,

o f the two sections notably o f the states o f the

,

S outh and o f those o f New E ngla nd

,
E ven while .

New E ngland was the storm center o f abolitionism

its cotton mills were steadily maintained by the sta
ple produced by the S outhern slave .

T he agitation o f the question o f the freedom o f

the slave once begun it was continued with increas
,

ing force and fe rvo r till in consequence o f the dis

,

cussio n o f that and o f cognate questions the states ,

were plunged into war T he intensity o f opposi

.

tion to slavery w as answered by equal intensity by

those who advocated the perpetuity o f the institu
tion V iews were resolved into what were regarded
.

as settled principles and the utterances o f ce rt ain

, ,

leaders f ell but little short o f the oracula r in the

estimation o f the masses An illustration o f this .
 W H I T E MA N S URDE N
’
TH E B 81

p rinci p le was a fforded in a famous deliverance from

H on Alexander H
. Stephens on the occasion o f .

“ ”
what i s called his famous Corner Stone speech -
,

at S avannah G eorgia in the early days o f 1 86 1

, , ,

and j ust a short while before the fall o f Ft S umter . .

“
Amon g other things he said " M any governments ,

have been founded upon the principle o f subordina

tion and serfdom o f certain classes o f the same race .

S uch were and are in violation o f the laws o f na

, ,

ture O u r system contains no such violat i on o f

.

nature s laws W ith us all the white race how

’
.
, ,

eve r high or low rich o r poo r are equal in the eye , ,

o f the law Not so with the Negro ; subordination

i s hi s place Then referring to the new born Con
.
-

“
federacy he further sai d , Its foundations are ’

laid its corner stone rests upon the great truth that
,
-

the Negro i s not equal to the white man that slavery , ,

subordination to the superior race i s his natural and ,

”
normal condition " S till further on i n the same ad ,

dress M r Stephens gives emphasis to that alreadv

, .

“
q uoted b y saying " , It i s upon this as I have ,

stated ou r social fa b ric i s fi rmly planted and I can

, ,

not perm it mysel f to doubt the ultimate success o f

the full recognition o f thi s p rinciple throughout the
”
civilized and enlightened world It was utter .

a uces l i k e these which made the conditions o f slavery

i deal i n the estimation o f the g reat mass o f the
Southern people .

N ot to trace further the history o f slavery in

the states we turn now to a b rie f revie w o f
,
 WH I TE MA N S
’
82 TH E B URDEN

the industrial and commercial worth of the N egro

to A merica W hen the nineteenth century opened
.

the region extending from the C hattahoochee

westward to the Pacific was one o f primeval for
ests and rolling prai ries scarcely touched by the
,

hand o f art save here and there in L ouisiana and

,

Texas there were settlements o f foreign folk the

, ,

improvements o f whom were the scantiest and their ,

e fforts at development the feeblest T he useless .

magnificence o f Nature slum b ered in the rich soil ,

unwarmed b y the sun b ecause o f the dense foliage ;

,

the rivers rolled wanton to the sea and the p rice ,

less ores slum b ered u ntouched by the pic k H er .

culean strength was needed to level the forests to ,

drain and fence the land and to evoke the slumber

,

ing wealth from the alluvial soil S emitropical heat

.

and the poison o f malaria had to be encountered by

a forti fi ed muscularity which the A nglo Saxon had -

not but which the African had C onsequently the

, .

A frican was summoned to the gigantic task .

A hal f century later the forests had disappeared ,

and expansive plantations o f corn cotton cane and , , ,

other products overspread the same vast region dot ,

ted here and there with emporiums and marts of

trade the bustle and din of which filled the land ;
,

steamboats plied the broad rivers laden with their

cargoes o f value and railways ram ified in every
,

direction as arteries o f commerce ; ships came and

went from the ports giving and receiving argosies
,

o f wealth ; colleges throve where once savage li fe

 iTH E WH I TE M A N S B U R D E N 83
’

re i gned su p reme and homes sumptuous and lux uri

,

ous adorned with domestic tran q uillity the wi de ex

panse throu g hout Thi s m ighty transformation was
.

wro u ght b y the la b o r o f the slave W hile genera .

tions o f whites w ith i ncreasin g a ffluence passed to

thei r tom b s living in the luxury p roduce d b y the
,

s l ave while l iving and dyin g thei r l ast restin g

, , ,

p l aces were mar k e d b y stately column an d mauso

leum themselves the p roduct o f slave la b o r the
, ,

slave himsel f toil in g b eneath the heat with j ust a

, ,

su fficiency o f coarse foo d to g ive him vitality to

la b o r p assed in a p rocession o f g enerations to hum
,

ble graves unmarked b y art an d soon leveled to

, ,

the surface and covered b y tangled vines and riot

,

ous wee d s Through hi s lucrative labo r luxury

.
, ,

wealth education and re fi nement were produced to

, ,

the enri chment o f the nation while the share o f the ,

slave was ignorance vice penury servitude an , , , ,

hum b le cabin and a few feet o f earth where he

,

found at last a restin g p l ace fo r his w orn and aged

b ody
N ot the S out h alone was developed in its wealt h ,

b ut N ew E ngland and the M iddle S tates as well

and for that matter indi rectly old E ngland also
, , ,

fo r the cotton o f the South became one o f the chie f

p roducts o f the wealth o f the world W ith the .

monumental wealth thus built and cemented b y the

sweat o f the N egro slave can it now b e sai d that ,

t h e N egro has forfeited all clai m to th e considera

t i on o f the American whites b ecause o f his b l unders ,
 W H I TE M A N S B URDEN
’
84 TH E

and misdeeds W ith the history o f an enriched

?

continent behind it and with the ashes o f seven

,

generations sleepi ng in the soil o f America is there ,

nothing in a hi story so tragic to appeal to a stronger

race to inspi re thi s same race o f blacks to higher
planes of li fe ?

The questio n is no t one o f mere sentiment it i s ,

o n e o f profound principl e H ere are the monu

.

ments of the slave s labor ; here are the p roducts o f

’

hi s toil i n the prosperity which i s today enj oyed .

C an we disregard our obligation to this race o f ex

'

slaves and dismiss the matter with a sneer

,
? To
the C hristian religion by its inj ection into the world
, ,

is the bondman indebted for the elimination o f sla

very W hen C hristianity appeared slavery was
.
,

inextricably involved in the society o f the world ,

and it seemed as firmly rooted in human society as

are the A pennines in the substance o f I taly E nter .

ing on the mission o f re forming society from within

outward abuses fled and arrogance fell before its
, ,

sway A s fast as its power widened over the world

.
,

slavery gre w gradually m ilder weaker less crush , ,

ing narrower in its range and more merci ful in its

, ,

rule until it ceased altog ether

,
.

B ut the work o f C hristianity is not yet done with

r espect to the lately enslaved race in these Ameri can
states T he school i s most valuable and it should
. -
,

be made more expansive and thorough in its work

as an invaluable adjunct to Christian e ffo rt D e .

Sp ite the e fforts and clatter o f the cheap politician

 TH E W H I TE M A N S B URDEN 85
’

and t h e mounte b an k author and lecturer i n o pp osi ,

tion to the N e gro the spi rit o f education is abroa d

,

in the land but the higher and sterne r assertion o f

,

the ethics o f the gospel must be felt more potently ,

i f we woul d dissol ve the grave di fficulty o f the p ro ~

digious race p roblem American Chri stianity must

.

face the issue an d by an insertion o f its p rinciples

into othe r age ncies into all agencies indeed the
, ,

fulcrum o f the gospel must be brought into play to

elevate a race which i s p resent b y the coercion o f
our forefathers a race which has lai d the foundation
,

o f our national w ealth thereby imposing on the

,

p resent generation o f whites a dou b l e o b l igation .

W ho will dare say that th e gospel in its appl ication

to thi s great q uest ion will p rove inefficacio us ?
S heer gratitude on the p art o f the Ameri can Chri s
tian should incite to aid ful action in b ehal f o f the
N egro A lo fty sense o f duty independent o f grati
.
,

tude should impel to his ass is tance and the claim s

, ,

o f the Negro to Chri stian agency are undeniable .

Let i t be sai d again that i f the race was still in

,

the throes o f a degraded condition we coul d not

spurn its claims but s ince it is struggling and by
, ,

every possi b le sacri fi ce i s s eeking to raise itsel f to

usefulness and respectability the b etter among them
,

seeking by every possible means to li ft the fallen i s ,

there not i n vi ew o f these conditions an appeal pa

theti c and t ragic which i s made to the heart o f every
Christian ? A fter the utmost that can b e o ff ered
against the N egro be u rged Christian o b ligation
,
86 TH E W H I TE M A N S ’
B URDEN

remains No amount o f argumentation rel ieves the

.

obligation ; no evasion displaces it The Negro is .

here and in the providence of God he is destined to

,

remain H e is a fixed element o f our civilization

. .

H e is here by compulsion ; he will remain here from

necessity A s the recipients o f his unrequited toil
.

o f ce nturies shall we now show him only indiffer

,

ence and su ffer him to scramble for a footing in the

race for li fe ? I s it the duty o f the C hristian public
to regard with i cy indi fference the wrongs frequently
done the Negro without a word o f protest and with ,

out the exercise o i some e ffort in his behal f ? To

pursue a course other than that of substantial and
help ful consideration i s at variance with the sim
,

p lest principles o f the gospel .

W e have spoken of hi s contributions to the civili

z ation o f America ; it has been shown how by his

ener gy and sweat and l i fe he has aided in b uilding

the nation ; how he has transformed the wilderness
into gardens o f pl enty and o f beauty ; how he has
supplied the means o f ou r splendid commerce and
sent it over the world ; how he has educated genera
tions o f our people while his share has been that o f
dismal igno rance ; how he has fed our armies ,

shielded our families guarded our interests with a

,

j ealousy that was remarkable and without parallel

in the history o f peoples ; how when liberated he , ,

took up his line o f march he k new not whither

, ,

without means without knowledge without ex pe

, ,

rience and yet emerging from a condition li k e this

, ,
 WH I TE MA N S B URDE N
’
TH E 87

h e has made himsel f worthy by h i s own mer i t ; h o w

he is strugg ling a gainst the odds still f rowning be
fore him and disputing hi s commendable e fforts ; how
he does not p ine and see k pity at the hands o f a
stronge r race b ut with herculean struggle i s seek
,

—
ing to overcome is there not in all t h is a p atheti c
app eal to the heart o f Christianity ? N o r has the
N egro ceased to be useful and a p roduce r o f p ros
p er ity
. H i s accumulated m illions o f p roperty are
a material f act patent ali k e to all As he advances
.

and i s elevated his usefulness expands his d evotion

, ,

to country increases hi s value as a resi dent and citi

,

zen improves hi s power o f p ro duction o f wea l t h is

,

enhanced .

D oes this con d ition not im p ose an ad d itional o b li

g a tio n on the Caucasian Christian o f America to ex

tend to the brother inb lac k every possible means
“ ”

o f p rotection and o f assistance ? Let eac h ans w e r

for h i m se l f
.
 C H A P T E R V II .

SE R O I US I
B ARR E RS TO N E GR O PR OGR E SS .

F ew stop su fficiently long to consider the immense

disadvantages with which the Negro i s compelled
to battle in order to gain a footing as a man and
citizen in demonstration o f his right to l ive and be
, ,

respected on the scene o f his late servitude L ike .

the bi rd emerging from its shell into the wide uni

verse o f being without moving the distance of an
,

inch the Negro has been delivered from his bonds

,

and the narrow confines o f his servitude without

stirring beyond his original habitat and ushered ,

into a universe o f l imitless possibility I t has been .

a change o f condition and o f rel ation rather than

one o f linear measurement R ight within sight of
.

the old plantation and the remembered scenes o f its

exacting discipline the cabin o f discomfort and the
,

graveyard hardby—right i n the midst o f scenes like

these must the mettle o f the race be tested its vir ,

tues tried .

H ow poorly equipped the Negro was for the ini

tial encounters with the surrounding di fficulties we ,

each know W ith what he had to contend by con

.

tact with the b est qualified race o i the globe we ,

88
 WH I TE M AN S B 89
’
TH E URDE N

k now and the disadvantage with which h e h ad to

,

b egin the stru ggle we are each aware N ominally

,
.

free he was handicapped by ignorance inexperience

, , ,

and by the a b sence o f means with which even to

ma k e a b e g innin g This was the fi rst serious bar
.

rier encountered by the race to which freedom sud

denly came and eve ry one recognizes that difficul
,

ties such as have b een named would have been seri

ous to any p eople In daily contact with hi s o riginal
.

owner with relations between them now radically

,

changed with the former master smarting under

,

the stin g and humil iation o f de feat and the deeper ,

and so re r stin g o f a wrec k ed fortune a large part o f ,

which the N egro himsel f was was itsel f not an ,

indi fferent facto r in the sum o f disadvantages with

which t h e e x slave had to contend W hether
-
.

thought o f o r not these b arriers were o f a most

,

serious characte r to the recently enslaved man i n

b lack Add to this the more serious and distressin g
.

condition o f poverty bequeathed to the N egro in his

emancipation Absolutely penniless fou r and a
.
,

hal f million p eople were turned adri ft on the world

with no hope b ut that which woul d com e o f the ex
ercise o f shee r muscl e The worl d never b e fo re
.

witnesse d a condition li k e t h is wit h res p ect to any

peopl e .

G reat as t h ese d i sa d vanta ges were t h ey w ere ,

triflin g compared with those w h ich were destin ed to

follo w S adly duped into th e co rruptest o f p ol it
.

i cal con d itions condit i ons which will re q uire many

,
90 TH E W H I TE MA N S ’
B URDEN

years to overcome and made the victim and the

,

scapegoat o f a system concocted by the worst of

men who preyed on the credulity o f the ignorant
,

Negro to his own fell disadvantage the wonder is ,

that the race was able at all to survive the ordeal .

H ere was the most serious crisis o f the Negro and ,

one that met him at the threshol d o f his new born -

freedom H ad the Negro gone to wor k deliberately

.

to engender an aversion the deepest o f whi ch the ,

whites were capable he could not have more e ffect

,

ually succeeded Yet in all this the N egr o was not

.

so blameworthy as were the vultu res who fattened

on his mistakes and when the worst had been done
, ,

these same harpies fl ed leaving the Negro to shoul ,

der the consequences H ere as elsewhere the N egro

.

in his relations to others was at a grave disadvan ,

tage C oul d the scenes and events crowded into

.

the tragical drama o f reconstruction been averted ,

’
the Iliad o f the N egro s woes would never have been
so great I n the light o f the subsequent capabiliti es
.

o f the Negro his original barriers might have bee n

,

easily overcome ; but wit h an i ncubus li k e this ,

all his other advantages were aggravated The .

graver lent emphasis to the lesser .

B ut then his di fficulties di d not end here H e is .

a man with a dark skin which i s the inevita b le occa

sion o f aversion to the white races T his has b een .

true in all ages and was the occasion o f the serious

,

rupture between the great lawgiver M oses and his , ,

 WH I T E M A N S B
’
TH E URDEN 91

b rother an d sister b ecause the renowned b rot h e r

,

*
had taken fo r a wi fe the Cushite woman .

B esides all this sti ll the Southern N e g ro had

, ,

b een a slave and this stigma h e has to b ear no mat

, ,

te r what hi s merits be This too has always b een .

, ,

an obstruction to an enslaved race till it has b een ,

able to b e overcom e by time To the N egro i t i s a .

peculiar disadvantage i n the S outh for reasons that

a re O bV i O ll S In spite o f himsel f and i n spite o f hi s
.
,

p romptings o f generosity the Anglo S axon is arro ,

-

gant in his assertion amon g other races which he may

touch .

W herever f ound ove r the g lo b e he is self ,

assertive and dominating in sp irit This i s not sai d .

captiously b ut stated as a mere fact H e must b e

,
.

superior o r nothing That superiority i s claimed .

by himsel f wherever he has found hi s place on the

glo b e B rought into contact with the p roudest seg
.

me nt o f the A nglo Saxon race the ex slave a b lack

-
,
-
,

man was at once at a disadvantage Any one o f the

, .

disadvantages named would have b een serious in

the p athway o f a race sim ilarly conditioned b ut all ,

o f them were the N egro s H ow has the Negro met ’

.

these di fficulti es ? The answer i s found in his

achi evements during the last thi rty years fo r hi s ,

ex p lo its as a race di d not b egin till after the throes

o f years It is answere d b y a l eadership which chal
.

“
*
SeeN u”mb ers X I I and e sp eci“ally Geike s O ld T est am ent
,
’

Ch aract ers p 122 and B i rch s A nci ent E gy p t p 81

, .
,
’
, . .
92 TH E W H I TE MA N S B URDEN
’

lenges the admiration o f all ; b y the youths

o f the Negro race engaged in the acquirement o f
trades and valuable occupations ; in the
farms purchased and owned by the N egroes ; by the
homes built and owned by the race ; by the
fi fty or more banks established and maintained by
N egro capital ; by the p laces o f business
found in the cities of the country ; by the
0 0 0 worth o f taxable property in the possession o f

Negro owners ; by the public schools manned

by N egro teachers ; by the 1 70 industrial
schools and colleges conducted by the N egroes o f
the country and by the
, ministers and
,

churches owned and pai d for by the N e

groes to say nothing o f the large number o f mis
,

sionaries on the distant and di fferent fi elds o f the

globe.

Facing the future with a will and a pluc k un

daunted by di fficulty and led by men o f wisdom and
,

o f expansive policies and o f great achievement the ,

N egro has made himsel f an exception among the

peoples o f the earth in the rapidity o f his advance
ment Never was a more herculean tas k under
.

tak en than was that o i the Negro in his emergence

,

from the envi ronment by whi ch he was at fi rst b eset

behind and before and never were achievement s
,

more si g nal H ere are the facts to spe ak for them

.

selves W e may answer some things but facts we

. ,

must accept The pen alty o f leadership w as never

.

greater than was that imposed on the intr epid m en

 TH E WH I TE MA N S B URDE N
’

93

and w omen who essayed to lead thei r p eo p l e out o f

the tangled wilderness o f di fficulty i n w hich they
found themselves a few years after the boon o f
emanci p ation came W hat was the tas k impose d
.

on these daring and untuto red leaders few in num ,

ber and themselves fo rced to p ick sligh t advantages

,

along the way— the task coolly assumed with diffi ,

?
c ulties b loc k ing every inch o f the struggling march

Though themselves once young slaves and b earing ,

the traditional rep roach o f such consequences they

"

placed themselves beneath the burden o f l i fting to

a higher place in l i fe mi ll ions o f igno rant black an d ,

despised ex slaves M o re than that these sam e

-
.
,

leaders had largely to assum e the responsibility o f

the numerous shortcomings o f as stoli d a mass o f
igno rance as ever sought to follo w As th e years .

have gone there have b een rained on the devoted

,

heads o f these pioneers o f the race abus e and male

diction not a l ittl e b ut with philosophi c serenity
,

they have met i t all and are still do ing so In thei r

,
.

bewildering struggles these p rimary leaders were

beset b ehind and b e fore—b ehind b y a tremendous
load which they were seekin g to draw ; b efore b y ,

barriers w h ich re quired the utmost tact and sk ill to

overcome H ow well the tas k has been performed
. ,

let the monuments o f thei r labors tell These daunt

.

less sp i rits o f a des p ised race will go down i n history

as the b uilders o f a new race unencum b ered b y the
,

traditions o f a past To them the unwritten and

.

unlettered history o f a D ar k Continent i s an abso

94 TH E W H I TE M A N S B URDEN ’

lute blank This is what has b een aptly called the

.

re emergence of A frica in another and distant land

-
.

T hey have set in operation agencies which are full

of prophetic meaning T hey have astonished the
.

age with their tremendous strides T hey have .

s ilenced opposition once ri fe and popular that the

, ,

race would rapidly decay and pass away They .

have hushed i nto muteness the clamor once raised

that i n individual endeavor they would fail and ,

lapse again into barbarism T hey have adj usted .

themselves to the favoring breezes o f the times and ,

are being borne toward the sam e port of destiny as

are others I n scholastic work in industry in
.
, ,

commerce in manufacture in the creation o f wealth

, , ,

i n missionary endeavo r in distant parts in all that ,

enters into modern li fe they are quietly coming and

,

bringing to pass A nd all this is bein g accom

.

p ished in spite o f the di fficulties strong and fo rm id

l
able met at every step o f the way They have but .

littl e without to cheer much to retard T hey have

,
.

been scorned ri dicul ed obstructed and yet the

, , ,

march has been an onw ard one T hey have illus .

t rated the spi rit o f the li nes o f Gerald M assey

’

We b eat en b ac k in m any a fray

are ,

B ut new er st rength w e b o rrow ;

W h ere t he v angu a d rest s t o d ay
r ,

T he re ar sh all c am p t om o ow rr .

W ith an optimism peculiar to the race they have ,

declined to be hindered by the past and move with

unquailing front toward the future W hile others .
 W H I T E MA N S URDEN
’
TH E B 95

h ave philosophize d a b out thei r i ncompetency and

p rophesied thei r racial doom they have quietly ,

toiled l i k e the coral insect i n the depths b ui lding ,

thei r fortunes and rooting dee p their own cherished

,

i nstitutions .

I f under the b urden o f the di ffi culties already re

counted ignorance inexperience poverty the impo
, , , ,

sition o f vicious white men prompted by fell design ,

the paralysi s o f the drinking den racial o p position ,

and obstruction , and the b itter residuum o f it all ,

which was the sum total l eft the Negro —if from
conditions l ike these he coul d rally an d clim b so far
u p the hill within so b rie f a span o f years he shoul d ,

no w b e a b le with advantages immensely superio r

, ,

to intensify the brightness o f his future W hen the .

j u b ilee o f thei r emancipation shall come the N e ,

g roes o f Ameri ca shoul d be able in som e substantial

,

and spectacular way to demonstrate b y an accum u

,

lation o f i llustrations o f thei r achi evements these

facts in som e central expos ition The history o f thei r
.

successes i s k nown only in pa rt ; let it be grouped

in tangible shape and set before the eyes o f the
w orld B y an exposition o f this k ind pre j udicial
.

b arri ers will largely give place to encouraging won

der and surprise and fresh i nspiration will be im
‘

parted to many laggin g sp irits o f the race .

O ne o f the essential necessities o f the Negro race

j ust now i s an e x alted racial p r i de O ne who is
,
.

ashamed o f b ein g a N egro an d w h o assumes to ap e

others is u nworth y o f the race It should b e the .
96 TH E WH I TE MA N S ’
B U RDE N

aspiration o f every negro to invest the name of the

race with honor dignity and worth W ith a racial
, , .

patriotism like this a patriotism which inspires ,

other races an increasing propulsion will be given

,

the upward movement o f the Negro people S tand .

ing full in the gaze o f the world for almost a hal f

century as its fortunes have ebbed and flowed in a
,

mighty grapple with impediments o f every k ind ,

and wringing victory fro m multiplied catastrophes

and calamities the Negro has awakened questions
,

as to the limit o f the possibility o f accomplishm ent

o f his race as well as the possible e ffect o f his
,

peopl e on the future desti ny of the country and o f

the world That which was o nce exceptional in the
.

leadership o f the race which itsel f was discounted ,

because it was esteemed as only exception al an d ,

therefore provi n g nothi ng for the Negro race as a

w hole is annually becoming more common as the
, ,

ranks o f the worthy are swelling and thei r accom

p li shm en t s are multiplying .

Yet while much has been done much more re ,

m ains to be done T here are still numerous ob .

st ructions to be met many di fficulties to be over ,

come From present indications there is no prim

.

rose path fo r the Negro in the years o f the imme

diate future On his merit he must rely i n the fu
.

ture as in the past H e must insist on ma k ing him

.

sel f an indisp en sable ad j unct o f American civiliza

tion I n all the stations occupied f rom the lowl iest
.
,

boot black on the streets to the o ffice o f the b ank

-
 W H I TE M A N S
’
TH E B U R DE N 97
’
p resi dent and the p ro fessor s chai r i n the institution
o f learnin g hi s p ro fi ciency must be such as to ma k e
,

him an ob j ect o f demand This has been the sp irit

.

o f such schools as thos e at H ampton and Tus k e gee ,

an d o f others as well ; thi s has animate d the business

interests establ ished and maintained throughout the
country and thi s principle must b e sternly main
,

t ained
’
. Con fi dence i s the p ivot o f the N egro s ulti
mate hop e o f success B ecause o f the traditional
.

de fects attri b uted to the race i n the past the eye o f ,

the publi c will be mo re k eenly ri vete d on this tha n

o n any other element which will enter into the l i fe

and success o f the Negro That thi s confidence is .

steadily growing i n public esteem and growin g be ,

cause o f that whi ch the N egro has accomplished i s ,

evident on all hands H e must discourage lawless

.

ness must inspi re virtue must awaken yet more an d

, ,

mo re integrity In cool d isregard o f obstructions

.

i n the past he has p ressed on and has i n innum er , ,

able instances pushed hi s way to success To a b ate

,
.

thi s spi rit one j ot o r tittle woul d mean his down ,

ward turn i n li fe To compel the pu b l ic recognition

.

o f merit by wi sely di rected pluc k and unabated per

-

s istency is the fulcrum by means o f whi ch the race

wi ll steadil y ris e i n the American states That .

thes e have b een many times illustrated in the

achi evements wrought by N eg roes i s an earnest o f ,

the future success o f th e race .

B oo k er W ashington b eginnin g at Tus k egee i n a

chic k en h ouse fo r a schoo l room and a b lin d mul e
- -
,
98 TH E W H I TE M A N S B URDEN ’

and one hoe on a few acres o f land and that poor ; ,

beginning at a time wh en prej udice against the

Negro was supreme and evolving from contemptible
,

conditions like these the gre atest N egro industrial

institution in the world with its more than a hun,

dred buildings o f architectural attractiveness all ,

built by materials manufactured by the students

themselves and erected by these same students ; with
the halls yearly thronged by from fourt een to fifteen
hundred students ; B oyd assuming to establish a pub
lishing plant at Nashville without a cent o f capital, ,

and yet succeeding in the erection o f a plant within

a few years the value o f which is quot ed by D un at
Petti ford openi ng a s avings ba nk in the
city o f B i rmingham by placi ng a table for the re
ceip t o f deposits and after a few years h aving a
,

capital stock o f more th an with authorized

stoc k o f and with deposits o f

Groves wor k ing at forty cents a day on a potato

farm in " ansas and now worth,
and the
“ ”
acknowledged potato king o f " ansas ; Preston
T aylo r the preacher financier o f Nashville an orig
,
-
,

inal slave lad from L ouisiana now worth $ 2 ,

R F B oyd a country lad reared on a farm in Giles

. .
,

C ounty Tennessee now one o f the most sk ill ful

, ,

surgeons in Nashvi lle i rrespective o f color and a

, ,

man who has amassed a fortune ; H arry T odd o f ,

D arien G eorgia once a slave but no w worth $ 60 0

, , , ,

0 0 0 the wealthiest Negro in Geo rgia and hundreds

. ,
 W H I TE MA N S URDEN
’
TH E B 99

o f others that m ight b e named are the illustrations

, ,

o f what the Negro is accomplishing .

Yet a little more than a generation ago some o f ,

these whose names and successes are here recorded ,

were slaves in the cramped quarters on Southern

plantations E ach has m et every adverse condition
.

raised i n his way has conquered it and b ecome an

, ,

accomplished success .

I t i s not an exaggeration to say that some others

o f the races would have gone to pi eces under the
colli sions catastrophes and disasters o f various
, ,

kinds encountered by the Negroes but b y dint o f ,

fl exible pluck thousands o f them have attained to

,

eminence in agricultural commercial scholasti c and

, , ,

p ro fessional l i fe and are worthy o f the hi ghest meed

,

o f p raise
.

6 9925 2 A
 C H AP T E R VII I .

A UE
V L OF T H E N E GR O T O O U R I I I
C V L " AT O I N .

T he well nigh all pervasive idea o f commercial

- -

ism ih the A merican mind reduces almost every

question to the basis o f the si gle principl e
n — “
W ill
”
i t pay ? T he estimate o f causes and movements ,

o f whatever kind turns largely on this questio n and

, ,

the consequent decision o f acceptance o r rej ection

i s founded fo r the most part on this idea
, , .

I t i s proposed to discuss the so—

called Negro ques
tion fro m this commercial point o f view o r to raise ,

and face the question fairly and frankly as to

whether after all it i s wort h while to shield and
, ,

protect the Negro against imposition and to seek ,

to p romote his welfare o r whether we shall crush

,

him as an unworthy element o f civilization .

W herein lies the intrinsic advantage o f protecting ,

def ending and promoting the welfare o f the Negro ?

,

I n the prosecution o f a policy like this would there ,

accrue any value to the community or to the country

at large ? A fter all is the Negro worth it ? Is
,

there a probability that there would be anyfi nanci al

return commensurate with the expenditure o f inter
est in his behalf ? Is the presence o f the N egro one
10 0
 TH E
. W H I TE MA N S B U RDE N ’
10 1

o f value o r o f disadvantage especially to the states ,

o f the S outh ?

Aside fro m all other considerations such as thos e

o f humanity philanthropy o r Christianity which
, , ,

a re elsewhere discussed i n the p resent volume let ,

us see i f there is a fi nancial rem u neration connected

with his continued presence amon g us Consi dering .

now alone as far as possible our relation to the su b

, ,

je ct in its b al d financial aspect would there be a cor ,

resp o ndingly remunerative return i f the N egro ,

were granted conditions by means o f which he could

en j oy an unbro k en sens e o f p rotection by the guar
antee o f simple j usti ce which is constitutionally p ro
v ided fo r all alike and which finds expression in th e
,

democrati c axiom — “
E qual rights to all sp ecial ,

privileges to none ?
‘
It is a p rincipl e o f common o b servation relative to
all classes o f ou r peopl e and ce rtainly o f the industrial
,

histo ry o f the Negro race during the last few dec

ades that so soon as security is giv en imp rovement
, ,

begins Assure every m an o f the fruits o f his ex er

.

tions and o f hi s certain protection equally with all

, ,

and a fresh spi ri t i s excited fo r worthy accomplis h

ment and he i s naturally m a ted to his b est en
,

deav o r E verywhere the p rinciple o b tains that s e

.

curity p roduces industry while insecurity e q ually

,

p roduces i dleness and criminality M en can be .

induced to wo rk b y only tw o motives hop e and —

fear ; the former the motiv e o f the f ree l a b o rer t h e ,

latte r that o f the slave

,
.
10 2 TH E W H I TE M A N S B URDEN ’

It is but the statement o f a fact commonly k nown ,

that th ere is a large minority o f the sentiment o f the

white population o f the people o f the S outh which
is opposed to the N egro W ithout now stopping to .

name the allege d grounds o f such O pposition i t can ,

be said as a m atter o f fact that some o f this oppo ,

sitio n shows its e l f i n forms that are moderate ex ,

tending no furthe r than to expressions o f contempt ,

scorn o r ridicule while much o f it is quite hosti le

, ,

mani festi ng itsel f in di fferent forms o f imposition ,

and sometimes in acts o f cruelty and in shocking

expressions o f violence Not infrequently from this
.

“
hostile cl ass come such expressions as I t were bet ,

ter i f we had no Negroes in the country It i s fai r .

to assume that thi s and similar expressions are the

result o f hasty and inco n siderate speech rather than ,

o f serious sentiment T here are not wanting among

.

such and they o f course the more reasonable those

, , , ,

who when the subj ect is red uced to logical demon

strat io n will materially modi fy such sentiments
,
.

In order that the question may be brought fully

before us on its merits and the fl im siness o f a posi
,

tion like this be shown let us suppose it possibl e to

,

remove in a singl e day every Negro from the coun

, ,

try L et every place occupied by him in the home

.
,

as a cook hostler gardener butle r porter o r waiter ;

, , , , ,

, ,
—
every farm mine shop school every place be v a ,

cated by the Negro how many o f those who now

,

reproach him would consent to this ? A partial

illustration o f the how" o f objection which would be
 W H I T E M A N S B URDEN
’
TH E 10 3

raised to a p rocedure like this is a fforded now and

then when agents from one part o f the S outh invade
,

other parts to o ffer pecul iar inducements to laborers

to remove elsewhere On occasions like this it has .
,

sometimes been interesting to note what a popular

up rising is produced against the removal o f the
much hated Negro
-
.

B ut to all this it may be said in reply that the

Negro is the only source o f labor but i f he were out ,

o f the way other laborers would supply hi s place

, .

W hat others ? This question brings us to the core

o f the discussion No one at all fam iliar with labo r
.

conditions i n this and in other countries can be ,

unaware o f the fact that in a number o f respects so ,

fa r as the South is concerned the labo r o f the N egro ,

surpasses that o f any other Nor can the p roposi .

tion be questioned by any one o f fai r and candid

mind that the capabilities o f the Negro as a class
, , ,

expand and develop in proportion to hi s opportuni

ties to improve .

I f again the answer be made that white men till

the lands in other parts o f the country and can do ,

so here i f necess ity d eman ds it i s only su ffici en t to

, ,

say i n r eply that white labo rers in the W est and

, ,

Northwest woul d be unable to perform the same

amount o f labo r beneath the burning suns o f the
S outh Yet i f i t still be sai d that white men by the
.
,

thousand labo r on the fields o f the S outh it must be ,

borne in mind that thei r tillage is almost without ,

exception confined to the lighter and thinner soils

,
.
i1 0 4 TH E WH I TE MA N S ’
B URDEN

W ho s ees W hite men tilling the sti ff heavy and fer ,

—
tile soils o f the S outhern states soils the staple
p roduct o f which has made the S outh famous
throughout the world ? T he large planters o f the
South i n recognition o f the fact that the power o f
,

endurance can be undergone by none so well as by

the black laborer rarely engage the services o f a
,

white man A ppreciating the value of the Negro

.

laborer these employers come by an instinctive law

,

to prize the Negro as a man an d i f they know his ,

faults they know his merits as well and as a rule

, , ,

this class is the readiest to defend him Prom iscu .

ous and wholesale denunciation of the Negro rarely

comes from this class of S outhern whites I f they .

pity and sympathize with the weaker elements

,

among them they equally applaud the worth and

,

merit o f the others Never from this cl ass o f whites

.

come abuse and viole nce No one ever he ars from

.

this rep resentative class o f S outherners an app re

hension o f that delusive fad and politically popular
will o the wisp — social equal ity
-
’
- -
R epresentative .

people like these have no fear th at thei r social stand

ing is in d anger o f being impaired by the Negro .

I t is altogether from another class that the app re

hension o f social equality comes The power o f .

endurance and the muscularity o f the Negro hi s ,

ability and p romptness to meet the many sided de -

mands m ade on him his proverbial tractableness and

,

responsiveness have served him as a bulwark of de

fense while con j oined w i th this has been the rein
,
 WH I TE MA N S B URDE N
’
TH E 195

fo rcement o f many white fri ends who k now hi s

worth and i n numerous i nstances have i ntervened
,

to shield him from violence The fact that the .

Negro holds his place against the p eoples o f the

world as the laborer p referred above all others on
,

the lands o f the S outh establ ishes hi s worth beyond

,

q uestion The Negro population is a vast m ine o f

.

wealth which needs only development and encour

agem ent to make it p ro fi table beyon d calculation .

U p to thi s time we have considered the Negro

only as a su b ordinate as a subsumed manual labo re r
, .

N ow let us go a step further and consi der him as

an indep endent p roducer o f wealth i n the direction
and management o f his own a ffai rs H is ability .

to accumulate so much wealth unde r so many disp ir

iting conditions w ithin the short p eriod o f only
,

forty five years illustrates the capability o f the

-
,

N egro and hi s i ntrins ic worth to the country I f

, .

the taxable p roperty alone o f th e Negro population

was divi ded equally among the members o f the race ,

each woul d have per capita fully sixty dollars Thi s .

woul d includ e every in f a

nt every i ndigent ol d man
,

and woman every crim inal In other wo rds the

, .
,

aggregate valuation o f the taxabl e property o f the

race amounts to about all o f which
has b een acqui red within l ess than fi fty years and ,

that under contrary conditions and i n the fi rst stage ,

o f the freedom o f that people G ive th e Negro .

fo rty five years more with hi s i ncreasing k nowledge

-
,

his a p tness to acqui re as p i ration to imp rove and

,
10 6 TH E WH I TE MA N S ’
B URDEN

advance expanding power and develop in g s k ill

, , ,

remarkable readiness to adj ust himsel f to condi

tions and who can foresee what his contributions
,

to the wealth o f the nation will be within the next

half century ?
A bove many things Americans want p roducers
,

o f capital T here is scarcely an A merican town or

.

community which would not warmly welcome any

man who is a p roducer o f wealth T he wealth o f .

no one is o f any value unless it i s distributed i n the

community acco rding to the laws which control
money as a ci rculating medium The more wealth .

one creates the more does he bestow on the com

,

munity accordin gto the general principles o f trade

, .

I t may be the result o f brawn o r brain o r o f both ,

i t is created and therefore dispensed I f a p opula .

tion as unp romising as the ex slaves o f the S outh -

were in the outset can accomplish so much in the

, ,

very teeth o f fierce competition what may these ,

people not yield to the country i f protected and ,

gi ven j ustice and security in the full exercise of un

hampered powers ?

As a laborer the Negro i s the chea p est ; as a citi

,

zen he is the most frugal ; as a business man he i s

, ,

economi cal ; as an American he sp ends his money at ,

home and does not transm it it to another and re

,

mote region as do many others who have sought

,

residence in the U nion M altreated by advantage .

taken o f him by designing men does he sulk and ,

repine ? I s he revengeful and threatening ? E ver y

 TH E W H I TE M A N S ’
B URD E N 10 7

f a i r man k nows that thes e thin gs are not tr u e of

him .

B ut th e story o f the N e g ro s worth is yet b ut im

’

perfectly told To S ho w the utter hollowness o f

.

muc h o f the inconsiderate and fl ipp ant denunciatio n

o f the Negro largely because it i s a fashion thus to
,

indulge in cheap twaddle i t i s k no w n as a well ,

established fact that many who give vent to senti

,
~

ments like these do so o ften whil e i n the en j oyment

,

o f the servi ces o f colore d domestics o r employes .

T here i s th e unconscious sati sfaction o f having suc h

servi ce while there is at the same tim e the d isposi
, , ,

tion to indulge in abuse An apt illustration o f this

.

was met with i n a S outhern home where there wer e ,

several chi ldren who were entrusted to the care o f

a Negro nurse rathe r an elderly woman though
, ,

alert and acti ve H er control o f this grou p in the

.

s itting room and at the d ining table seemed to be

.

absolute even thou gh the parents were p resent

, .

This i s by no means an uncommon condition in a

S outhern home It was observe d that he r mana ge
.

ment and di scipl in e was perfect as was shown by ,

“ ”
an occasional Ah " attended b y the pointin g o f the
index fi nge r o f the ol d woman i n respons e to which ,

the urchin would sto p sho rt his utterance o r un

seemly conduct At one time when the se rvant
.
,

d isappeared fo r a short while the father found no ,

stronger motive o f appeal to on e o f the l ittle b oys

“ ”
than to say B etter mind M ammy will get you "
, ,

Fo r nine tenths o f the tim e thes e children were

-
 WH I T E M A N S URDEN
’
30 3 TH E B

under the control o f that careful nurse W hen at .

last the old wo man disappeared with her group o f

dependents the father remarked to the interested
,

guest that the ol d servant had been with them for

a number o f years and that she was regarded as an
,

indispensable adj unct o f that home and that he ,

could not see how her services could be dispensed

with T he care the character and largely the des
.
, ,

tiny o f those children were lodged in the hands of

that old black mammy Yet when the conversation .

turned on a casual discussion o f the Negro question ,

the language seemed inad equate to furnish terms

su fficiently harsh to enable him to express hi s ah
tip athy to the race H is abuse was so indiscrim i
.

mately wholesale that o ne would have thought the

race o f Negro es without exception was to him a
, ,

favorite aversion T he writer happened to kno w

.

that neither he no r his immediate ancestors were

ever the owners o f slaves T his illustrates the .

phase o f spoken expression without a practical

source o f sentiment so prevalent i n many quarters
of the S outh .

B ut to proceed further Notwithstanding the .

common abuse to which the Negro is subj ected

partly from habit as has been shown and partly
, ,

because o f racial hostility the fact remains that he

,

has all alo ng be en the guardian o f protection to

S outhern society H e i s usually considered and
.

spoken o f as a standing menace to the interests o f

soci ety and as endangering by his presence the
, , ,
 TH E W H I T E M A N S B URDEN
"
’
10 9

sa fety o f ou r in stitutions ; yet the fac t that he has

b een our chief cordon o f defense n eeds only to b e
stated to b e recognized .

S up p ose the millions o f blacks had not b een i n the

S outh durin g several decades past occupyin g the ,

multitudinous stations o f use fulness whi ch they hold ,

whom should we have in thei r stead ? M illions o f

the scum o f southern E urope o r o f the O rient .

W it h inherited vice mo ral obli quity crim inality

, , ,

i n fi delity social i sti c and anarchical i deas w e shoul d

, ,

have had them by the m illion in the homes the ,

p laces o f business and on the farms o f the South

, .

B ad as so many claim o ften w ithout reason o ur , ,

condition to be it woul d be immeasura b ly wo rse but

,

fo r the p resence o f the Negro H aving him what .

,

have we ? A docile tractabl e unrevengeful race a

, , ,

p eopl e whom we k no w and have known fo r cen ,

turies a race which has demonstrated its loyalty to

th e white race i n i nnumerable ways ; that i s anxious
’

to remain am o ng us and from abused conditions

,

raises onl y now and then a su b dued p rotest and ,

O ftener than otherwise appeals to the stronger race ;

which i n the wea k ness o f its numbers as compared

with thos e o f t h e stronge r race implo res p rotection ,

from the commercial aggrandizement o fficial impo ,

sition and abuse and j udicial inj ustice from which

, ,

i t su ffers ; a peopl e am bitions to advance to wider

spheres o f usefulness and respectabil ity ; a race with
out infidels without the mafia o r black hand o rgani
,
-

z ations without d isloyalty to the flag o f ou r com

,
1 10
. TH E W H I TE MA N S ’
B URDE N

mon country without a deeply nourished grudge

,
-
,

and in full accord with the genius o f ou r institutions .

Place the one element o f population over against

the other and what choice would even the most
,

hostile enemy o f the N egro race make ? The pres

ence o f the faithful Negro has k ept bac k the in
roads o f a most undesirable population which would
have brought a train o f evi ls and vices debauchery ,

and demoralization and crimes nameles s and with

,

out number A servant population we s hould have

.

had and i f not N egro what other ? None other

, ,

would have been avai lable than that already named .

T hen i s the Negro o f any value ? H as he ever

,

been o f use and worth ? A re not the possibilities

abundant fo r making him more valuable still ? The
p romotion o f hi s i nterest a s an industrial asset i s
the p romotion o f that o f the community and state .

W ith only partial encouragement he builds his places

o f business establishes his banks and insurance o r
, ,

g an iz atio ns the,
progress ive ones act as a constant
stimulus to the others in the lower ranks animating ,

to thri ft and habits o f industry ; he writes his books ,

not to excite passion and incendiarism but to create

respectability—publish es his newspapers only to ,

incite to sel f respect and racial advancement while

-
,

those on the higher rounds are constant in their

endeavo r to raise to lo ftie r p lanes others strugglin g
up from beneath The N e gro purchases land and
.

tills it with pro fi t to the commonwealth establishes ,

his home his school hi s church and with each

, , ,
 TH E W H I T E MA N S ’
B URDEN 111

recurring y ear vindicates his claim to recognition

because o f his soli d wo rth in contributin g to the
wealth o f the community and the state I s there .

nothing in the face o f the facts which a re matters ,

o f every day observation even to the m ost casual

observer to appeal to the stronge r and more f avored
,

race i f not fo r the sa k e o f humanity i f not in the

, ,

name o f philanthropy i f not i n the cause o f Chris

,

t ianity but purely becaus e o f hi s financial value

,

i s there not su fficient i n all this to cal l fo r a revi sion

o f much p revailing misconception and a reversal o f
so much ill nature against the N egro ? I s there not
-

enough to appeal to every thought fu l man and

woman among us to lend to th e blac k man f riendly
hel p and support i n his faith ful endeavors ?
In the p receding part o f thi s chapter attention was
called to certain facts which are such as addres s
,

themselves to us every day .

ct s th e e are l aw s
T o all f a r ,

T he e ffe ct c u se and I m ou nt t o
has it s a , the ca se u .

Some things may be answered— facts cannot .

The p rincipl es presented appeal to cool reason not ,

to passion N ow in Spite o f al l thes e things there

.

i s a peculiar p re j udicial d ispos i tion sometimes even ,

among the m ore thought ful to di sparage and di s ,

count the wort h i est e fforts o f the N egro B egin .

’
ning in the d awn o f the N egro s f reedom some o f ,

the animadversi ons on t h e N egro have become tra

ditio nal The p rediction was current and copiou s
.

in the outset o f hi s l i b erty that when the support ,

1 12 TH E WH I TE MA N S B URDEN ’

ing arm o f the white man was withdrawn and the ,

Negro was left unp ropped he woul d return to his

,

original paganism H owever the N egro p referred

.
,

the opposite course S lowly but with certainty he

.
,

began the ascent to a better and thri ftier li fe A .

leadership o f worth emerged from his ranks and ,

by its W i sdom and guidance astonished the world .

W hat then ? The p rophecy failing the predicters ,

insisted that these wer e only sporadic excep tions

such as we might fin d even among quadrupeds giv
ing abnormal and unusual expressions o f superior
ity B ut instances o f actual worth continued to
.

multiply and the p rominent became more prominent

,

still The exception was fast resolving itsel f into

.

the rule Not the fulfilled p rophecy b ut the o p po

.
,

site had come to pass .

The n what ? An accommodat ed twist was given

to the p rotest at fi rst raised against the Negro D e .

clin ing to return to the darkness o f paganism and ,

p referring rather to grope his way to the light o f

the advantages afforded by civilized li fe in the midst
o f which h e had been reared and o f which he was ,

p reviously only a spectator he brought himsel f con

,

sp icuouslyinto the gaz e o f the world T he next stage .

o f disparagement to which the un frien dly betook

t hemselves was the institution o f the comparative
merits b etween the intellectual caliber o f the tw o
races This was an unconscious compl iment to the
.

N egro o f whom it had b een p redicted only a few

,

years b e fore that h e would lapse into the dar k ness o f

 TH E W H I TE M A N S B U R D E N
’
1 13

h i s j un gl e ancestry No r di d the com p arison sto p

.

there The N egro w as disparaged because he did

.

not attain unto the standard o f li fe and o f p rogres s

which had been reached by his Anglo S axon neigh -

b o r B ecause he had not at a s ingle b ound lea p ed

.

the distance m ade by the whites a fte r centuri es o f

struggl e and p rogress he must b e made a man o f
,

small worth B ut there i s an immens e di ff erence

.

between a few decades and many centuries,

.

To this the answer i s sometimes made that the

black man had o nly to ente r on the inheritance o f the
civi lization built by the white race B ut this is a .

clear evasion o f the i ssue The question o f advan

.

tage i s not the point at issu e but that o f the capa

,

bility o f the Negro race to grasp and app rop riat e

civi lized advantages no matte r whence they came
, .

It i s as equally t rue that the p resent generation o f

whites inherit the advantages o f all the past as ,

that any othe r p eopl e does The question is Is the

.
,

N egro capable o f applying the p rivileges o f our civi

liz at ion in such a way as to be a p romote r o f p ros

p e r ity and
,
i f so
,
i s he not worthy o f at l east an o p
p o rt un ity t o demonstrate hi s ful l worth by the re

moval o f th e di fficulties which dis p ute h is p rogress

and hinder hi s development ?

W e have seen how f a r sho rt certain prediction s

concernin g the N egro have fallen W e have oh .

served his astonishing ascent to a station in civiliza

tion o f which h e was not at fi rst thought to b e capa
b le S ince h e has accomplished s o much in so
.
1 14 TH E W H I TE M A N S B URDEN
’

incredibly short tim e it is a questi on what the Negro

,

may be able to do in the years of the immediate

future .

It must be borne in mind that all the d az zling

accomplishments of the white race o f modern times
have been achi eved withi n the last centu ry For .

eighteen hundred years the results o f A nglo — S axon

civi lization were comparatively p rimitive and bung
ling A ll the centuries preceding that o f the nin e
.

teenth were those o f preparation accumulation , ,

formation and assimilation

, .

A s late as 1 80 9 no steam propeller had ev e r

plowed the wat ers of the globe ; victories on battle
fields had been w on by fl intlo ck musk ets ; in Great
B ritain at that time it cost fourte en pe nc e an equiv
, , ,

alent of twenty eight c ents to send a letter thre e

-
,

hundred miles and in the U nit ed S tates sev entee n

,

cen ts for the same service ; there was not the n a

si ngle i ron barred tramway on the globe nor was
-
,

there a known plow with iron or steel mold board ;

then the harvesters in ev ery land o f the world cut
thei r grain with the primitiv e sickle ; the most rapid
transit o n earth or sea was the saili ng vess el p ro
p e lle d by the winds ; the industrial ge n ius o f man
was shown only in local enterpri ses and in ar ticles o f
curious handiwork ; the packhorse and clumsy
st age coach did the work o f transportation on land ;
-

the sci en ce o f geology was then unknown and ,

human knowledge o f the sol ar system was limit ed

to the orbit o f U ra nus ; but littl e w as known o f the
 W H I TE M A N S B URDEN
’
TH E 1 15

constitution o f the earth and o f the atmos p here

w hich envelo p es ou r g lo b e ; the g reatest telescop e
in ex istence was the twenty foot reflecto r o f H er -

s chel and bot h G reat B ritain an d the U nited S tate s

,

at that period fostered and defen ded human slavery

’

It i s worthy o f note that i n the yea r 1 80 9 there

were b orn into the worl d a group o f notabl e men
who have m ighti ly shaped th e destiny o f the Anglo ~

—
S axon race Oliver W endell H olmes E dgar Allan ,

Po e F eli x M endelssohn C harles R obert D arwin

, , ,

Al fred Tennyson W i lliam E wart G ladstone and

, ,

A b raham L incoln Thes e men and others like

.
,

them the p roduct o f the centuries which had gone

,

be fore grasping the advantages within reach and

, ,

following diverg ent l ines l i fte d the race till with

, ,

its imp rovements i t came within the reach o f an

,

other generation and that anothe r all o f whi ch has

, ,

p acked within the compass o f a single century the

m ightiest achievements k nown to tim e .

D uring all these p receding ages the latent p ossi

bilities which have fruited into realities were un
dreamed o f B ut thei r consummation was due to
.

un fettered thought and nothing stood i n the way

,

save the grim barriers o f Nature W hat hidden .

poss ibilities may exi st in a race such as that o f the

A fro American p ossibiliti es o f quite a di fferent
-
,

o rder it may be from those en umerated but still

, , ,

great i f unhindered in the exercise o f opportun ity

, ,

no one can foretell any mo re than forty five years

,
-

a g o the success o f th e race attained by this time

1 16 TH E W H I TE M A N S ’
B URDEN

could have been foretold T hat which has b een .

done b y the Negro is frankly acknowledged to be

astounding especially when we recall the unfavo r
,

able conditions which have been s u spended at every

step over his head .

A t any rate the Negro being a man we dare not

, ,

see k to mak e less o f him and i f we venture to do so

, ,

no matter under what pretext we fly into the face ,

o f Providence S ince his foot first touched A mer

.

’
i can soil the Negro s yearning has been Godward
, .

H e has his faults hi s vices his crimes and in these

, , ,

respects he shares with all other races ; but he i s the

most religious o f the r aces o f men S o far from .

r eturning to the fetishism o f his ancestors on the

D ark C ontinent his general disposition has been
,

heavenward and hi s loyalty to his r eligion has itsel f

,

been a mighty asset to our prosperity H e may .

have hi s superstition but i t i s o f a harmless sort

, ,

and has not attai ned to that rank o f horri d tragedies

which has involved the murder o f hundreds o f inno
cent peopl e agai nst whom there w as no charge laid ,

save that o f a superstitious notion that they were

W itches "

W e return to the original question I s the Negr o ,

o f any value to our civilization W hat verdict shall

?

?
we render i n the face o f the facts j ust presented I f
he be o f value are we the people to decry and dis
,

courage the struggling race born and reared on ,

American soil and loyal to all to which the more

favored race is loyal and in full attune with the
,
 W H I T E MA N S URDE N
’
TH E B 1 17

advancement o f the times and faithful even i n d is

,

co u ra gem e n t to the whites ? Is i t the sp irit o f chi v

alry o f wisdom and o f p ractical j udgment thus t o
, ,

do seeing the immense valu e o f the colore d race to

,

ou r civi li z ation ? M ust we countenance and support

divers attem p ts to undervalue an d depreciate the
‘

commendabl e feats o f that lesse r and unfortunate

race ? I f withi n the span o f a few years t hat p eople
have accomplished so much what immens e value ,

wi ll they not p rove withi n the next hal f centu ry ? -

I f in all departments o f industry an d thri ft w e aim

at imp rovem ent why should w e not ani mate a race
,

o f ten mi llion peopl e the strides o f whom withi n

,

forty five years have b een ph enomenal

- ? Improve
ment o f vegetable and fruit p roducts is sought with;
comm en da b le assiduity yea r by year The sciences .

are invoked to ai d i n the p ro pagation o f improve d

species al i k e in the vegetabl e and animal k ingdoms ,

and in the p roduction o f immaterial agenci es to

b ene fi t humanity Lives o f m en and o f women too
.
, ,

are being devoted with a b eauti ful consecration to

th e development o f various species o f flowe r fruit , ,

and fou r footed b easts W hynot devote some such

-
.

attention to the elevation o f a race which i n spite

o f ver b al denial to the contra ry insi sts on p roducing ,

concrete illustrations o f its m ighty capa b ilities fo r

good ? W hy not at least clear the way and give ,

that p eopl e a chance ?

W e are o ften met b y the p re j udicial p ro p osal to

keep the N egro in his place There can b e no ob .
 W H I TE MA N S URDEN
’
1 18 TH E B

ection
j to this provi ded
,
we first give him a place to
stay in B ut to hinder restrict hedge hamper
.
, , , ,

sco rn a b use ridicule and denounce should not in

, , , ,

all conscience represent our relation to the race

, .

The questio ns herein discussed are those which

appeal to clear and cool reason and are not unw or
,

thy o i the most studious consi deration o f even the

highest and the best among us A dvantageous .

rootage w ill yield abundant fruitage .

 C H APT E R IX .

A F OR C E OF I N
C O N S E R VA T O .

It s eems to have escaped the attention o f w rit ers

o n the sub j ect o f the N egro that that whic h i s re

garded as hi s Weakest point o f character is really

his strongest and one that has stood him i n hand
,

i n the di re di ffi culties to which he has b een sub j ected

since hi s emancipation T he dominant character
.

istic o f the N egro i s that o f submission o f tract ,

ableness N othing short o f this possession could

.

have saved the race from di ssolution Yet this trait .

has b een o ften urged against the N egro as an indi

ca t ion o f hi s wea k ness In this event his wea k ness
.
,

is his strength The stron ger race has o ften ta k en

.

advantage o f thi s element o f wea k ness and in con ,

'

sequence the Negro has been the su fferer b ut he

, ,

would have b een a greater su ff ere r had he not p os

sessed it H is refuge o f protection i n many an
.

o rdeal has been his qui et su b mi ssiveness to w ron g ,

and then ma k in g the most o f that whic h was le ft .

H ad the Negro b een as a gg ressive as the white

man he woul d have b een pulveri z ed H e h as m et
, .

the rep eated shock s o f racial revo l ution w i th a r esil

iency that has saved his race from utte r d issolution .

Thi s passi ve vi rtu e has b een hi s g r eatest means o f

conservation .
 TH E WH I TE M AN S B URDEN
’
1 20
.

In this respect the N egro race has not been alto

gether unlike that o f the H ebre w T his last named .
-

race has be en hounded through the centuries with ,

out a l and without a language and without laws

, , ,

and yet has survived the shocks revolutions and ,

persecutions o f the ages and emerges into promi ,

nence with representative leaders in commerce in ,

politics and in war the greatest race the world has

, ,

ever known T he A merican Negro is a new race

.

which has been touch ed by the vitality o f modern

civilization and i s destined to play an important
,

part in the history o f the future in the states o f

Ameri ca .

Fo r centuries A frica was the slave market o f the

,

world T he easy subserviency o f the Negro to

.

gether with his muscularity and his power o f endur

,

ance i n hot climat e s has been the occasion o f his ,

dissipation through the heated regions o f the globe ,

but the flexibility o f our republican institutions is

aptly suited to the pl iable character o f the Negro ,

and it i s here that he is coming to his own Tend .

encies are always proph eti c and the indications are ,

that the refl uent i n fluence o f the A merican Negro

will eventually prove the redemption o f his dark
fatherland I nto the realm o f p rediction howeve r
.
, ,

we need not now go .

I t would have been di fficult fo r any other race to

have undergone that to which the Negro race has
been subj ected without serious detriment and yet
, ,

the N egro has not only survived but has continued

 TH E W H I TE MA N S B URDEN
’
12 1

to thrive W ith the patience o f the ox he su b m itted

.

to the hard and exacting demands o f p rotracted

bondage and o ut o f this p assive dis p osition came
,

the cheerfulness which lent song and melody to hi s

labo r on the hot plantations o f the South and made ,

hi s gloomy q uarters vibrant with j oy at night when

his heavy tasks o f the day were done Instead o i .

th e gloom and moroseness o f almost any othe r peo

ple the Negro inj ected a cheerful minstrelsy into
,

his gloom and drove dull care awa y It i s the testi

,
.

mony o f travelers in Africa that the slaves o f the

D ar k Continent accompany their tas k s with song ,

j ust as do the N egroes in America G loomy and .

despai rin g i ndeed must be the condition o f the

N egro i f he fails to give vent to melody The .

gloomy cell s o o ften h is portion the chain gang on ,

-

the street the p enal servitude on the plantation o r

,

i n the penitentiary sti fle not his melody H e pines

, .

not over m is fortune as do other men he b roods not

, ,

ove r calamity he i s not burdened with fore b odin g

,

care as are others he cha fes not under smarting

,

wrong he cherishes no deeply nourished grudge b ut

,
-
,

passi vely accepts the situation and i s content to ma k e

th e most o f i t whateve r i t may b e B y this mean s
, .

hi s stren gth is husbanded and when the opportunity

i s h is he i s ready to seiz e i t and press i t o n to his
,

advantage .

O ut o f thi s d isposition as a s l ave g re w h i s d evo

tion to his maste r The severest pun i shment di d
.

not alienate his a ffection and his su b se q uent j ocu

,
 W H I TE MA N S URDEN
’
1 22 TH E B

larity would o ften disarm his owner of an ill

natured disposition toward him T o this same .

passive quality i n the character o f the Negro was

the S outhern C onfederacy due for the success of its
arms on the field . W ith no other race of men
would this have proved true B ut the Negro sub
.

m itted agai n st his well k n own adva ntage and it

-
,

inured in s ev e ral ways to his subsequent benefit .

H e did not accept freedom till it was literally thrust

on him .

T he period o f hi s greatest disaster was when he

was shunted o ff his accustomed pla n e o f disposition
and course o f conduct and was bewitch e d by un
,

scrupulous whit es into the pol itical scr ambles of the

notorious reconstructio n period T hat which he .

then di d was not really himsel f but the schem es and

,

designs of men o f infamous purpose speaking

through him as a subservient mouthpiece H ere .

the Negro was quite out o f his element i n an en

forced aggression fo r which the dive and dramsho p
were largely responsibl e and under the deception
,

by which he w as mov ed he became the chi ef su fferer

,

and the permanent burden bearer o f the ills o f an

-

infamous era .

B ut what of the e fficacy o f that passive quality o f

character since he has been subj ect ed to dependence
on his own resources ? H as it stood him in h an d
during these years o f sor e trial since he has had to
lean alone on himsel f ? T he Negro has never un
dertaken anything worthy without encounteri ng
 W H I TE MA N S B URDEN
’
TH E 1 23

di fficulty and disadvantage At every step o f his .

p rogress his way has bee n disputed by obstructions

o f divers sorts M any advantages have been denied
.

him by his opponents H e has su ffered not a l ittle

.

from a dominant and masterful p rej udice Pre .

texts and petty o ffenses have served as much to

crowd ou r j ails and penitentiari es as has genui ne
j usti ce I nfl iction on infliction has been borne with
.

passive doci lity and each recurring event has been

,

su ffered to pass into fo rgetfulness without opposi

tion E very possible advantage has been taken o f
.

the N egro in commercial transactions o f all o f ,

which he was duly aware but he has quietly su b ,

m itted and gone on hi s way That passive disposi .

tion docility o f sp i rit resil iency and adj ustabil ity

, ,

o f characte r have served as his shield o f p rotec

tion S uppose he had been truculent and aggres
.

sive he would have gone the way o f the Indian

,

woul d have gradually disappeared f rom among men ,

at least i n the states o f America U npossessed o f .

those strident qualities and burly passions whi ch so

o ft en sway men in s easons o f wrong and which ,

wea r away e fficiency and unpoi se disposition the ,

Negro has a fte r each mi s fortune taken up his march

, ,

a fresh with an alacrity o f sp irit that has been the

astonishment o f many .

N ot that the N egro is lac k ing in assertion and

persi sten cy but is o f the q ui escent cast H is cool
,
.

n ess cheer fulness p liancy o f disposition and readi

, , ,

ness o f adj ustment have p revailed where t h e more

1 24 TH E W H I T E MA N S ’
B UR D E N

robust q ualities would have failed This quality o f .

submissiveness on the part o f the Negro has done

more than he is aware of in its appeal to the chival
,

ri c type of white manhood I t has not in a few .

,

instances sti rred into sympathy the depths o f his

,

W hite neighbors when resistance on his part would

have failed and aroused opposition T here is much

, .

o f that in the genuine A nglo S axon which to use -

,

“
the parlance o f the street i s for the under dog in
,
-

”
the fight . The weak and oppressed the defen se ,

l ess and dependent have never failed to appeal to the

really chivalri c white man This was the very ge .

nius o f the age o f chivalry I n more instances than

.

the N egro i s aware heroic whites have stood be

,

tween him and contemplated violence simply be ,

cause he was what he was as a defenseless and sub

missive being H is friends among the whites are
.

the more numerous because o f his possession o f this

quality.

W hile possessed o f this docile spirit the Negro , ,

in his higher types is not wanting in pluck to grap

ple with di fficulty however forbidding and by
, ,

means o f a combination o f qualities so rare he has ,

largely succeeded B ack o f much o f his success

.

has been the silent rein forcement o f the better ele

ment o f the whites I t may seem a roundabout
.

means o f success one o f i ndirection and cer

, ,

tainly it is unusual but by means o f this qual ity the

,

Negro has in large measure succeeded and is des

, , ,

tined yet more to succeed H ad the Negro be en .

 TH E WH I TE M AN S B URD E N
’

" 125

r e b ellious and assertiv e i n the hour o f his em anci p a

tion he woul d never have succeeded in hi s subse
,

q uent cours e H is q ui escent moo d o f temp era m ent

.

whic h so many have been swi ft to attribute to weak

’
ness i s the sourc e o f the N egro s strength and w ill
, ,

dou b t l ess p rove mo re a p revailin g q uality in the

future than i t has in the past .

W hile the N egro i s timi d and docile i t must not ,

b e p resume d that he is lac k ing in a substratum o f

cou rage when o ccasion dem ands I t i s an erro r to .

p resum e that the Negro is in the general acceptation

o f the term a natural coward U nder conditions he
,
.

will resi st with desperate cou rage W herever his .

courage has been tested on the field o f battle he ,

has p roved himsel f an excellent soldier It was a .

F ederal commander who dispatched to W ashington

during the C ivil W ar concerning the N egro sol
,

di ers The colored troops fought nobly

,
The gal .

lant charge o f the Tenth Cavalry a N egro troop at , ,

S an Juan H ill is one o f the events o f the S p anish

,

American war .

B ut his staying q uality is his su b due d temp era

ment F o r hi s success and it has been unique h e
.
, ,

i s mo re inde b ted to hi s doci l ity o f spi ri t than to any

othe r cause In a number o f instances conditions
.

have arisen which might have p recip itated passion ,

b ut it has b een hel d in abeyance til l the storm has

passed and the N egro has qui etly pursued his even
,

way thenceforth H e has met m is fortune without

.

resistance and y et with a strange firm purpose

, ,
1 26 TH E W H I TE MA N S ’
B URDEN

which spran g f rom the soil o f his characteristic pas

siveness he has fi nally prevailed where o ften success
,

was not at all p robable " uietly dropping into

. the
current which was bearin g the stronger race on to
success and driftin g not aimlessly but with a sp irit
, , ,

unperturbed he was the more alive to the opportuni

,

ties which came his way and on these as on buoys , , ,

he has borne himsel f toward a destiny which grows

more luminous with his steady advancement .

The varied ordeals through which the Negro has

been compelled to pass since the coming o f his free
dom have served to evoke this latent q uality o f his
,

characte r as the humdrum o f slavery could not I n .

slavery he was compressed within narrow bounds ,

with no will o f his own and without personal choice

,

in the direction o f his course ; but as has been al

ready remarked this element even then was not
, , ,

without avail I f it be accounted a weakness ho w

.
,

happens it that the Negro has so marvelously suc

ceeded in so many spheres ? W eakness is not an
element o f success T he truth o f this paradoxical
.

condition i s found in the fact that beneath this ap .

parent weakness there is a hidden means o f strength .

I t is the preservation o f an equanimity that seems

characteristic o f the Negro race B ecaus e o f hi s .

rare combination o f qualities the Negro has been ,

called by some an inscrutable being

, ,
T hi s in .

scrutableness resides in the fact that he i s capable

o f wringing success at the most unconj ectured quar

 W H I T E M A N S B URDEN
’
TH E 1 27

ters and at po ints where there was eve ry indi cation

,

o f failure .

Le ft to himsel f the N egro raises no tumults ; in

,

cites no strikes ; and when smitten smites not again ; ,

when p ersecuted bows to i t in meekness ; when

,

wronged seeks no malicious revenge but peaceably

, ,

goes hi s way and placidly dismisses it from his mind .

W here others would resist he tamely subm its and , ,

where others woul d cherish mal ice and hatred he ,

returns a qui et good humo r .

E li citing as this does the impulse o f the old time

, ,
-

chivalry o f the S outh the Negro wi ll find that in ,

proportion as he establishes hi s genuine wo rt h in his

e ffort to imp rove public opi nion in hi s behalf will
,

increase on the higher l evels o f the stronger race .

This will serve to give hi m increased nerve and fit ,

him more to draw upward the lower elements o f hi s

race T he destiny o f the N egro i s within his own
.

keeping I n proportion to his worth will it be rec

.

o gniz ed and appreciated A s time goes on the duty .

,

o f the family ci rcle the pulpit and the school will

, ,

becom e more pronounced not only in holding that ,

al ready gained but in pressing with eager ambition

,

an d w isdom fo r a higher footing fo r the masses o f

the Negro race V agrancy must not only be dis
.

countenanced but steadilv overcome and lawless

, ,

n ess in all its fo rms denounced E ach one gained

, , .

to the higher round o f p rogress and thri ft must .

1 28 TH E W H I T E MA N S URDEN
’
B

become an evangel to win yet others T his seems .

to be the propelling spirit now animat ing the active

moral forces o f the race Notwithstanding the dis
.

orders o n the lower levels and they are destined yet

,

to continue at least for a season the race i s on the

, ,

onward march I t i s making vaster opportunities

.

fo r itsel f each year M uch has been most creditably

.

done withi n the space o f a few years but much more ,

remains to be done One thing at least has been es

.

t ablished by the leaders o f the rac e and that is the ,

proo f that the Negro has capabilities which years

ago he w as not supposed to possess H is route to .

success has been an anomalous one but in the end , , ,

i t i s g enui ne success .

S o lo ng as the race remained prostrate and help

l ess it was r egarded as a men ace to the S outh but
, ,

this bugaboo i s r apidly disappearing as the Negro ,

becomes i dentified with the interests o f a common

‘

country and is a contrib utor to its useful ness and its

,

wealth T hat which has been done by some can

.
,

be done by many T hose who have succeed ed show

.

the possibility o f success to others Pione ers are .

p rophets .Forerunn e rs are necessary in all great

moveme nts and undertaki ngs B ut leaders are .
,

a fter all o nly leaders T hey poi nt the way indi

,
.
,

cat e the dir ection to be followed and pr ess toward ,

the heights but i f they are to advance or even hold

, ,

th ei r o w n they must be co nsiste ntly r einforced

,
.

T hat there is a slow but assuring racial reac tio n i n

 WH I TE M AN S B URD E N
’
TH E 1 29

process i n the South seems clear The g rowin g

.

worthiness o f the Ne g ro his outreach o f enterprise

, ,

his interest in current a ffai rs so far a s he i s pe r

,

m itted to share in them and above all his placi d

, ,

temperament are serving to bring him into closer

touch with the stronger race T he movements o f
.

the Negro are closely watched not so much with a

,

criti cal sp irit as with one o f i nterest and concern

, ,

and his worthy deeds make a p ro found imp ression .

There never was a happ ier conception fo r the race

than that o f the o rganization o f the National Negro
B usiness L eague which m eets annually i n some por
,

tion o f the country .I t focuses and summarizes

the achievements o f the Negro calls attention to his
,

expanding usefulness and is conducted with so

,

much saneness and remarkable j udgment that it i s ,

winning annually increasing attention .

T here can be no d enial o f the fact that where a

N egro has made himsel f at all conspi cuous no mat
ter in what community in the S outh he is esteemed ,

by all whos e esteem i s o f any worth Just in p ro .

po rtion as he shows himsel f worthy as an American ,

a citizen a civi lizer and an up right man o f a ffai rs

, , ,

he will receive cordiality o f welcome at the hands

o f th e stronge r race C an he ask for m o re
.
P In
truth thi s demand wi ll act more and more for the
,

elevation o f the race I f a standard is erected to

.

whi ch he can even measurably bring himsel f h e i s ,

the b eneficiary far more than the white man .

 TH E W H I TE MA N S
’
B URDEN

T he o utloo k is then one o f inspiratio n for the

, ,

Negro race There are yet obstructions many and

.
,

certain species o f inj ustice to be corrected b ut time

,

will ta k e care o f these and the calm poise o f the race

,

is doing more to e ffect this than any othe r agency .

 C H APT E R X .

N E GR O W O MA N H OOD .

A rac e or nation i s j ust as goo d as its w o m en

no b etter W het her on the highest plane to which
.

a p eo p l e may h ave attained in the scale o f e x cel l enc e ,

o r the lowest to which one may be de p ressed the ,

p rinci p l e admits o f e q ua l appl ication I n every age

unde r all conditions the fact remains—w om an i s
.
,

the ar b ite r o f th e destiny o f a p eople .

F o r the reason o f thi s w e do not have far to go

to ascertain W oman i s the embodied h om e and
.
,

the h ome i s the b asis o f all institutions the b uttress ,

'

o f society The p rimal f o rm o f government the

.
,

hom e holds its regnant p lace in the so ciet y o f the

,

wo r ld It i s the fountain source o f p owe r an d in

.

fl uence o f character and sentiment and has l ent a

, ,

dominant colo r to eve ry g reat histo ri c event every ,

movem ent t h at has up heaved i n th e revolutions o f

ti m e The mother and wi fe are th e Vital sou rce o f
.

p owe r i n the home That accumulated and mysteri

.

ous i nfluence i s the l eaven which has l i fted and ex

p a nd ed o r the,
element w hich has contracte d and
shriveled in p ro p ortion to the characte r o f woman
,
.

The l esson o f the p osition p rovidentially ass i gn ed to

the sex has neve r b een l ost to the w or ld .

1 31
1 32 TH E W H I TE M A N S B URDE N ’

No less applicable is the principl e to the Ne g ro

race in the phenomenal transition through which it
has been passing since the freedom o f 6 5 O f the ’
.

unfortunate e ffects on the condition o f the race o f

N egro es in the uncontrolled animalism o f the men
of the dominant race we o f the S outh k now per
,

fectly well To the slave the white man was the

.
,

highest ideal and the conduct o f thousands o f them

,

had a most untoward e ffect on the character o f

Negro womanhood The trespass of the stronger on
.

the weaker the advantage taken o f the relation s

,

between the owner and the slave as well as that o f ,

other rep resentatives o f the controlling race the ,

levelling o f di fferences by clandestine conduct which ,

has not ceased with the years subsequent to eman

cip ation have left and still leave an influenc e for
, , ,

evi l in the minds o f the colo red women I f they .

shared in the fault by reason o f the weakness oc

casioned fi rst by the la x ness o f original savage ry ,

and as a result o f the examples o f slave li fe what ,

shall be sai d o f the white man with ages o f culti

v ated restraint behind him ? It i s j ust this condition

which excites the apprehension so o ften voiced in ,

hal f suppressed utterance o f race amalgamation

-
,
.

The interdiction o f intermarriage between the two

races in the stat es in which the N egroes are massed ,

serves as a b an and barrier so fa r as lega l statute ,

is concerned and raises an insurmountable parti

,

tion betwe en the races This meets ali k e the appro

.
 TH E WH I TE M A N S B U R D E N
’
1 33

bation o f b oth races b ut does not serv e as a c h ec k

,

to the vi ce on the lowe r levels o f li fe .

The hope o f the N egro as a people l ies i n the

growing aspi ration o f his leaders to p reserve intact
the integrity o f the race No r is this the least amon g
.

the di fficult tasks o f the race which in thei r aggre ,

gate are mani fold In thi s endeavor these l eaders

.

encounter a vice which i s rooted deep into the ages ,

the growth o f which was not retarded under the

regime o f slavery They must needs teach the al
.

p ha b et o f chastity under discouraging conditions I n .

the delicate assumption they must necessarily reach

the wi lls the consci ences and the loyal race pri de
, ,

o f thei r young womanhood T he initial sources o f .

influence on which they must rely must b e the hom e ,

the church the school R igi d safeguards must be

,
.

placed above the persons o f thei r growing woman

hood C haste womanhoo d fo r the Negro as well
.
,

as fo r every other race is i ndispensable i f the race

, ,

as such i s to be preserved
, V i rtue must be the .

angel with flam ing sword guarding first o f all the ,

portals o f the home M ore than anything else yea

.
, ,

more than all things else combined must be the ,

moral strength o f Negro womanhood This is the .

one indispensable first stone lai d in the foundation

o f race i ntegrity and no less the cement and the fi nal
,

capstone o f the whole T he p rotection o f the wom

.

anliness o f w oman in the Negro race is the bulwar k

o f N e g ro race inte g rity .

1 34 TH E W H I TE M A N S ’
B U RDEN

I f there were nothing else now before the race if —

all other questions were already settled concerning
the bi racial di fficulty in the S outh industrial social , , ,

—
political educational and all o f these are far from
,

reduction to an undisturbed basis—and thi s solitary

question of Negro womanhood remained it were ,

amply su fficient within itself to enlist the profound ,

est moral concern o f both races I n its very nature .

i t is the one fundamen tal qu estion the one crowning ,

concern T here i s no disposition in a matter so

.

transcendentally important to evade the brunt o f the

issue no r to do other th an to treat the cas e as it de
,

serves I n grappling with a question the propor

.

tions o f which are so fundamental and colossal i t ,

woul d be the utmost recreancy to duty to be other

than candid .

T here is p ro found philosophy i n the pronounced

guidance given the race first o f all in the realm o f
, ,

industry T he moral side o f this c ourse exceeds

.

far that o f the economi c The fi rst vision o f thou

.

sands o f Negroes in thei r emergence from the bonds

o f slavery was that o f deliverance from toil T o .

such freedom was synonymous o f idleness H ap

,
.

pily this was not true o f many other thousands

,

among them and from the class uninfl uenced by a

,

delusion so fatal came the practical leaders o f the

,

race who taught the lesson that industry and not ,

the ven eer o f scholarship and a showy appearance ,

i s the fi rst essential o f race respectability i f not o f

race prese rvation It was the embodiment o f this
.
 WH I TE M A N S B U RDE N
’
TH E 1 35

t hou gh t i n the foundin g o f the greatest N egro in

stitutio n i n the world that made Pres ident B ooke r

T W ashington the g reatest N egro in the world It

. .

was not alone an answer to the empty dream o f i dle

ness i t i s the piston by means o f which a m ultitudi
,

nous people are moving to a mo re advanced position .

T he chief di fficulty then b ein g the largely un

, ,

check ed unchastity reaching from the i nfluen ce o f

o riginal savagery clea r through the b l ighting cond i
tions o f slavery this serious di fficulty to race p rese r
,

vati on would have received fresh i ncentive by the

m istaken notion o f the real meanin g o f emancipa
tion but fo r the timely action o f certain wis e lead
,

e rs Idleness i s one o f the chie f causes o f immoral

.

ity among wom en no matte r what the race o r na

,

tion b e the climate o r the condition W hen to the

, , .

bli ght al ready named i s superinduced that o f i dle

,

ness i t becom es a q uestion o f growin g formi dable

,

ness to the women o f the N egro race H ence the .

wi sdom o f the inculcation o f p ri nciples o f industry

and thri ft so a b undantly i llustrated in the N egro in
dustrial schools in the states o f the S outh .

To leave thi s b ranch o f the subj ect here would

be mani festly un fai r to the N egro race Among hi s .

othe r aspi rations i s to be named that o f a higher

i deal o f characte r The highe r plane o f the racia l
.

l i fe o f the N egro i s being constantly supplemented

by fresh installments o f stren gt h E ach yea r the .

racial ran k s at the front a re being rein forced by

men and women o f undoubted mo ral strength .
1 36 TH E W H I TE M AN S B
’
URDEN

A long the heights are the exceptional ones of e xal t

ed worth who serve as a source o f inspi ration to the
struggling masses beneath A ctuated by a purpose
.

to make the race worthy o f a place on the A merican

continent so fund amental a principl e as that o f
,

ch aste an d pure womanhood i s not lost sight o f .

T h at this spi rit is growi ng and that the race is ris

,

ing in the scale o f moral excelle nce on the s ide o f

bo t h sexes i s o n e o f the most assuring indi cations
o f the worthiness o f the race I nfractions o f race
.

i ntegrity decrease as the gradations o f Negro char

acter are follow e d from the low levels until they
cease on the higher planes o f racial li fe T here .

is an evident race patriotism a commendable ,

loyalty looking to a wholesome segregation o f blood ,

that i s growi ng with the growth of the race VVith .

out all this all else that i s claimed for Negro ad

,

vancement were a sh am .

Not until the Negro was free did he come to

know the full meaning o f home H e had a habitation .

in the hut o f his servitude but not a home To him

,
.

a home was an i nstitutio n as new practic ally as his

fre edom w as to him novel M other and wi fe were
.

l argely mere names so far as the i r influence for

,

pr actical good to the millions o f the enslaved race

w ent I n starting on his other tasks on a race ca
.
“

r eer the Negro had to found the new i dea o f home

, ,

an d begi n at bottom to generate the principles o f

home li f e Among the accomplishm ents o f the race

.
,

this achi evement silently but certainly wrou ght into

,
 W H I TE M A N S B U RDEN
’
TH E 1 37

the tex ture o f the N e g ro li fe o f the South i s not ,

the least To hundreds o f thousands o f the race

.
,

home now has a meaning and mother and wi fe are ,

no longer p ractical mi snomers S evered families .

and disrupted homes were common in the tra ffic o f

slavery T his destroyed the true sens e o f security in
.

the attempted home in the N egro q uarters o f the

L ong Ago and individualized the N egro i n such a
,

way as to blot out the i dea o f home .

The commendable ambition o f the N egro to own

lan d and to bui ld a home o f hi s own each as goo d ,

as h is means will allow i s one o f the most anim at

,

i ng signs o f Negro p rogress A race possessed o f an .

ambition like this and ex empli fying a sp i rit such

,

as i s shown by the Negro race at present i s not cer ,

tainly on the decline All thi s ci rcles around the

.

single idea o f womanhood fo r at last the N egro , ,

woman i s the Negro home A race which supple .

ments its ambition to attai n to learning to com ,

m ercial and realty possession to school s and church ,

es o f excellence with that o f bui lding and maintain

,

ing a com fortable home i s not among the d ecadent

,

p eoples M easured by the ambition alone o f found

.

in g th e b est homes possibl e the Negro race would ,

be regarded as on the up grade W hen this is re -

.

in forced by a group o f ambitions that rami fy into

p ro fess ional industrial and educational l i fe th e
, , ,

p rogress o f the Negro race must be regarded as in

disputable .

L ike other assets o f th e N egro thi s improve d ,

 WH I TE MA N S URDEN
’
1 38 TH E B

home is annually increasing alike in the city and ,

i n the country I n many o f them are to be found

.

the elements which elevate and inspire books — ,

magaz ines musical instruments pictures and paint

, ,

ings together with decorations graduated o f course

, , ,

by the means o f the owner T his generation o f .

home owners will be immensely increased when the

f amili es of boys and gi rls issui ng from co n ditions,

o f a higher conception o f li fe shall themselves take ,

their places in the future onward career o f the race .

I n cooper ation with the home other agencies are ,

meanwhile active in the production of you ng man

,

—
hood and womanhood the schools in thei r annual
p roducts the aspiri ng class reaching to heights
,

above them the elimination o f the saloon from the

,

states o f the S outh and other agencies by the activ

,

ity of which the race is being steadily aided i n its

ambitious march S till the disparity b etween the
.
,

chaste and the others i s so great as to b e well —nigh

appalling and would be to any other race than that
,

o f one which has resisted disintegration under the

most adverse cond itions possible T here is a long .

and fearful uphill struggl e still ahead o f the Negro

race and from o n e poi nt o f view its envi ronment o f
, ,

temptation from low seductive white sources i s,

against it In some particulars the inertia seems

.
,

almost i rresistible and the friend o f the Negr o

,

would be almost tempted to lose heart but fo r the ,

inherent genius o f the worthy colored man to over

come appalling discouragements W ith undaunted .
 WH I T E MA N S B URDEN
’
TH E 13
9

step he has entered the various pursuits and p ro fes

sions and while o ften ri diculed and discouraged he
, ,

has increas ingly vindi cat ed his right to live to labo r ,

and to p rosper .

There a re serious local di fficulties i n some parts o f

the S outh where traditional influences operate to the
degradation o f Negr o women to say nothing o f the,

e ffects on the class o f men w ho are largely respons i

ble for these conditions I n sections especially
.
,

“
where the spo rting gentry p revail Negro woman ,

hood is peculia rly exposed to imposition B ut the .

steady p rogress o f the Negro is serving to expose

these more and more and with the sam e commend
,
~

able zeal displayed fo r a high e r li fe these influen ces ,

must eventually succumb S o l ittl e i s generally

.

known o f th e silent and interio r agencies at work

among the highe r class o f Negroes and so much is ,

known o f th e opposite class as the eye o f the public

,

i s di rected chiefly to this lower class that the publ ic ,

generally i s altogether unaware o f the contributions

which the wo rthier Negro i s making to ou r com
mon wel fare O ne must be familiar with these
.

i nterio r conditions and consi der them in thei r total

,

ity be fo re he i s able to pass proper j udgmen t on

the Negro as a whole To know o f th e strenuous
-

e fforts o f thousands o f worthy men and women

among them o f the force o f thei r example fo r goo d
,

to the publi c o f the sacrifices which they are con

,

stantl
y making fo r the elevation o f thei r k ind i s ,

to awa ken the liveliest ho p e and inspire than kful

 TH E W H I T E MA N S B URDEN
’
1 40

ness D etached facts are occasionally brought to

.

light respecting Negro progress but they are o ften ,

regarded as so exceptio nal as to indicate nothing else

than exceptionalness A fai r presentation o f the
.

meritoriousness o f the race would awaken pro found

surprise Not only in the attainment o f better ma
.

terial things i s the N egro laboring but for higher ,

i de als o f character he is also striving .

B ut the cardinal hop e o f the race resi des in its

w omanliness That many o f the men o f the race
.

have made a definite advance a ffording a m agnet ,

t o attract others upward i s immensely t o thei r credit

, ,

an d that the educated class o f young women is

doing much to segregate their race on an inde

pendent basis by the preservation o f thei r wom anly
ho nor is worthy o f all prais e I f no other co nsid
,
.

e rat io ns were urged in favor o f the scholastic train

ing o f the Negro the fact that as they are education

,

ally tr ained they become more numerously virtuous

and more segregated as a rac e w ould be su fficient ,

to p rompt every patriot to espouse the cause of his

education and elevation H ere as elsewhere may it
.

not be said that because the Negro has advanced so

far i n the womanly upli ft o f the race and in the es ,

t ablishm ent o f homes in the face o f abounding dis

,

advantage that w e may look fo r a rapid increase

,

o f these in the years o f the immediate future ?

I f on the men o f the race there is imposed a duty

o f clearing the w ay for the future p rogress o f thei r
p eo ple on the women o f the Ne gro race is impose d
,
 WH I TE
’
TH E M AN S B URDEN 1 41

a w or k m ore s ilent and less spectacular b ut o f the ,

hi g hest i m p ortanc e in the stimulation o f vi rtue and

the safe gu ardin g o f thei r youn g er sisters a gainst the
pitfalls o f the times and the peculiar p erils o f thei r
envi ronment That the re is the utmost endeavo r
.

and care on the part o f thousands o f Negro mothers

and w ives to recti fy conditions and to forti fy the
youn g womanhood o f the race against the dangers
o f p revailing vice i s true T he extent o f p revalen t
, .

vice i n the years o f the past and the ruin which i t

,

has wrought have served to quic k en the diligence

,

and care o f these worthy women in bringing into ,

re q uisition the b race o f moral forces wh ich without ,

these previous conditions would not now be so

earnestly emphas ized T he laxness o f past years i s
.

suggesting greate r restrictions in the p resent j ust ,

as the dangers lai d bare by the past no w show the

conditions to b e shunned The Negro woman must
.

vi ndi cate her sex in the matte r o f chastity j ust as ,

the race o f which they are an impo rtant part has ,

al ready come to vindicate itsel f against the charge

originally made o f racial incapacity T he enco ur .

agem ent o f thi s feature o f Negro endeavor on the ,

p art o f the whites woul d b e most p raisewo rthy

,
.

G enuine womanliness i s so fundamental to the pres

ervat ion o f a race that i t cannot be accorded a sec

o ndary p lace i n the movement toward lo fti e r i deals

on th e p a rt o f the N e g ro .
 C H APT E R XI .

A C A L L FOR I
C H R ST A I N H U M A NI T A R I A N I S M .

T he C hristian public o f America i s confronted by

a condition which i s unique i n the history o f nations .

B riefly stated it is that a segment o f the A frican

,

race has been forced from its haunts in the land o f

its nativity brought to A m erica subj ected to bond
, ,

age fo r centuries set at liberty given the right o f

, ,

the franchi se and then without experience without

, , ,

initial wisdom and without m eans o f a l ivelihood

, ,

le ft to care for itself T he complications growing

.

out o f these conditions we call the Negro p roblem .

T hat it is a problem centering in the Negro by rea ,

son o f the successive st eps already named there i s ,

no doubt but i f it be the Negro problem i t is by no

, ,

means the Negro s problem I f he b e the agent b y

’
.

which it has been created he i s not its creato r I t

, .

is the creation o f others with the Negro as an hum

ble instrument I f the p roblem be in consequence
.

o f the Negro it i s nevertheless the problem o f the

,

white man To solve it i s there fore the duty o f

.
, ,

the whites N o r will its solution b e without the

.

amplest compensation fo r in ma k ing the N egro al l

,

that he is capable o f becoming the white man by , ,

this same exercise will himsel f b e made the b etter

,

1 42
 W H I T E MA N S
’
TH E B U RDEN 1 43

and greater In making the N egro he wi ll ma k e

.

himsel f.

N o r is the p ro b lem one fo r the white man o f the

S outh alone i t is a national q uestion It is q uite
, .

p opula r ev en in certai n hi g h o ffi cial circl es with

, ,

“
out the states o f the S outh fo r some to say It i s
, ,

a Southern question and let the peopl e o f the Sout h

,

settl e it They have the N egro on thei r hands um

.
,

derstand him and they only can control the s itua

,

tion Yet it i s neithe r a S outhern question no r yet ,

i s i t a N o rthern one but one the settl em ent o f which

,

must be made b y the p eopl e o f the whole country .

The results o f t h e labo r o f the N egro we re share d

i n alike by the people o f all the nation and were ,

b ein g vastly en j oyed in the E ast even during the

long perio d o f the abol ition agitation F o r yea rs .

together while the abolition ti de r an high the cot

, ,

ton mi lls o f the E ast were manu facturing the fabrics

from the cotton fi elds o f the South to th e enrich ,

m ent even o f thos e who were loudest i n thei r pro

testations against slavery This is sai d not b y way
.

o f recrimination but as a matter o f fact and i n

, ,

maintenance o f the statement that al l shared in the

p roducts o f the toil o f the slave and to that degree , ,

at least are under o b l i g ation to participate i n hi s

,

p resent relie f .

The Sout h has not b een altogethe r recrean t to

the o b l igation imposed b y the continued retenti on o f
the N egro within her b orders W ith h e r fi elds le f t
.

d esolate b y a protracted wa r he r industrial system

,
1 44 TH E W H I T E MA N S ’
B URDEN

w recked , her people demoralized and impoverished ,

the S outh has been compelled to provide educational

facilities for the Negro along with p rovisions for

the children o f the whites A double obligation has
.

thus been imposed under conditions when the South

w as least p repared to assume it T hese educational .

f acilities have been altogether inadequate but there ,

have continued in the S outh annual app ropriations

, ,

for a cause so meritorious T rue there has not been

.
,

lacking on the part o f som e from w ithout the South ,

a comme ndable display o f beneficence in behal f o f

the education o f the Negro but even with this there
, ,

i s still an alarming inadequacy o f means .

Fo r forty —fiv e years this co ndition has continued

to exist A t the outset in the d awn o f Negro free
.
,

dom there were practically four and a hal f million

,

illiterates amo ng the Negroes Practic ally that same .

number exists tod ay I lliteracy has be en immensely

.

reduced but the colored race has also immensely in

,

cre ased so that the situation in the S outh so far

, ,

as the numb er o f Negro illiter ates is co ncerned is ,

about that which it was in 1 86 5 T he Negro has .

made giganti c strides in the advancement o f his

race ; he has do ne what he could and has done it ,

well an d has surpassed the most sa ngui ne expecta

,

tions o f his friends S outh and North by his com

, ,

mendabl e feats ; still the means fo r his education

,

have been altogether inadequ ate .

W hile it might be said t hat th e states o f the South

h ave not done all that might have been done fo r the
 TH E W H I TE MA N S URDEN
’
B 1 45

e d u cation o f the N egro that w hich has b een don e

, ,

has been done out o f her poverty and that she should
,

hav e don e as much i s praiseworthy The condition .

is one which appeals not to the South alone in be ,

hal f o f an unfortunate race but to all the states

,

alike It is a question which addresses itsel f to the

.

constructive statesmanship o f a C hristian nation .

There i s l ittl e hesitation to approp riate m illions an

nually to i nternal imp rovements to p ubl ic buildings
, ,

and the improvement o f waterways and the increase ,

o f the navy not to act so much for public defense as

,

“ ”
to act as a defiance to an imaginary yellow peril ,

while the great black peril is statedly overlooked ,

and i s not even s o much as named N o r is it for .

gotten that there i s a white peril i n the i lliterate

,

C aucasions i n the states o f the S outh E ducation .

i s as much in demand fo r the one as fo r the other .

T his i s a condition left largely untouched fo r long

an d dreary decades b y the Christian nation o f
America .

N ot alone from this has th e Negr o populati on o f

the S outh su ff ered The q uestion o f hi s education
.

has not been without stout opposition locally It i s .

claimed by not a few in the S outh that from the ,

e ducation o f the N egro there would ensue a worse

condition than that whi ch comes o f hi s b eing k ept
in a state o f i gnora nce Thi s ob j ection to the edu
.

cation o f a certain class i s not new It was u rged .

long ago against C hristi ani z m g t h e N egro o f the

W est Indies w h en t h e M o ravian missionaries D o b er
, ,
 W H I T E MA N S UR D E N
’
1 46 TH E B

and N itz schm ann sought that far region to carry

,

the gospel to the Negro slaves labori ng on the sugar

plantations T o the M oravians belong the honor
.

o f first preaching the gospel to the enslaved N egro .

E nlightenment was opposed because it was stoutly

insisted that it would permanently unfit the slave for
p rofitable service T he sam e monstrous obj ectio n
.

confronted W illia m C arey when he went to I ndi a

with the gospel The E nglish traders resisted him
.

by cruel insult and mistreatment because it was

claimed that the enlightenment o f the people o f I ndia
would render them the more capabl e o f resisting the
cupidity imposed on them by the avaricious B ritish .

The ti me was when the education o f women in E ng

—
land was opposed for a similar reason that by the
divers ion o f the faculties o f woman to l iterary pur
suits she would b e unfitted for domesti c cares and
household duties I t was this agitation in E ngland
.

which evoked from the p en o f the celebrated vVit ,

S ydney Smith in The E dinburgh R eview a scath

, ,

ing article on female education who among other

, ,

“
things said " Can anything b e more absurd than to
suppose that the care and solicitude which a mother
feels for her children depends upon her ignorance
o f Gree k and mathematics ? It would appear from
such obj ections that ignorance i s the great civilizer
,

”
o f the world .

Not unti l it can b e demonstrated t h at igno rance

i s more help ful than education i s the ob j ection
,

worthy o f serious consideration As a matter o f

.
 W H I T E MA N S URDEN
’
TH E B 1 47

fact t h ere are thousands o f educated N egroes in

,

A merica H as the country su ffered i n conse q uence

.
?

W ith thei r increasing e ffi ciency as a resul t o f mental

trainin g there has been a corresponding increase o f
p rosperity D oes p rosp erity invite detriment ? Is
.

increased skill i n the use o f implements o f hus b andry

and o f the shop to b e decried in the clamo r fo r igno r
ant labo r ?

B ut the ob j ection to the N e g ro does not en d here .

Years ago h e was mocked with the charge o f inca

p a city and now
, . that he has shown himsel f capable ,

the cry i s ra i sed from the opposite quarter that he

—
is becom ing a competito r in the varied spheres o f
la b o r W ithout stopping t o show the utter futility
.

o f an outcry l ike thi s becaus e o f the multipl icity o f

,

the m eans o f labo r and b ecause o f the su fficiency o f

,

room fo r all y et i t may be said that the N egro i n

,

his onward strides may expect to encounte r this diffi

culty In p roportion to the growth o f his e fficiency
.

will h e continu e to encounte r oppos ition o f divers

kinds In the erection o f the barri er already named
.
,

the re a re involv ed unj ustifiable opposition the at ,

tempted retard o f a race which i s seeking to advance ,

and to p romote its interests the attempted check o f

,

i ndustry the e ffort to take advantage o f a p eople

,

whose conditions place them at a d isadvantage an ,

unworthy appeal to racial p rej udice and the e ffo rt ,

to crowd the N egro o ff the scene altogether .

Loo k ing still furthe r into th e s ituation every one ,

is a w are o f numerous acts o f un k indness p etty in ,

1 48 TH E W H I TE M A N S ’
B URDEN
j ustice and not infrequently o f cruelty and yet
, ,

O ftener than otherwise these occur without the

slightest provocation A single incident will serv e
.

to i llustrate many others S ome time ago in a .

,

S outhern city a street car was in the act o f starting

,

from a terminal poi nt which was near a railway sta

tion B etwe en the two points the sand was deep the
.
,

sun was blazing and the interval o f distance un

,

shaded T he hand o f the conductor o f the street car

.

was al ready on the bell cord when he standing in a ,

group o f young m en on the rear platform observed a ,

corpulent Negro man with a heavy bundle over his

shoulder and a large worn sachel in his hand tug
, , ,

ging as rapidly as he could through the hot deep sand

to reach the street car H e was evi dently a passenger
.

seeki ng tra nsfer across the city T he struggles o f .

the bl ack man his strai ned eyes and perspiri ng face
, ,

excited th e m erriment o f the group on the platform ,

in which merriment the conductor j oined Just as .

the Negro came withi n a few feet o f the car the

bell was rung and the car started W ith desperate .

e fforts the struggling m an w as e nabled to swi ng his

heavy bundle to the platform b ut with his satchel ,

he was left rapidly behind A block o r two further .

on the bundle was ki cked into the street leaving the ,

unfortunate man wid ely sep ar ated from a portion o f

his luggage U nd er similar co nditions a white man
.

woul d have resorted to the courts for redress but ,

what recourse was possibly l eft the Negro ? Ex

pressions o f inj ustice not to say o f do wnright in
,
 TH E WH I T E M A N ’
S B URDE N 1 49

h umanity like this are not infrequent and call fo r

, , ,

the p rotection o f a lo ftier sentiment No t alone .

by the exp ression o f sentiment but by the exercise ,

o f di rect interest and e ffort shoul d the Negro be

ai ded . I n the p rovi dence o f G o d there i s com
m itted to ou r care as common trustees the fate o f
, ,

mi llions o f p eople Independent o f the obligations

.

i mposed fo r reasons stated in a former chapter i s ,

the one o f bare humanity H ad the N egro never

.

struc k an industrial blow no r yi elded a cent o f

,

p rofit an d was sti ll i n contact with the stronger and

,

mo re hi ghly favo red race the demand o f C hristian

,

humanitar i an i sm woul d still be urgent B ut that .

w hich he has been to the country that o f which he ,

has been the pro duc e r together with th at which he

,

now i s a recept i ve responsive man groping his way

, , ,

as best he can toward a better li fe and condition

all thes e would see m to indi cate that he is worthier
o f some t hing more than avers ion and p rej udice .

S ide by side with the white race the large Negro ,

population a ffo rds a sphere fo r the exercise o f the

spi ri t both o f home and foreign m issions A frica .

is at ou r doo r—E thiopia stretches forth her hands .

The m isinterp retation o f p rovidence woul d seem un ,

der exi sting conditions to b e impossibl e I f how

,
.
,

eve r our thoughts concerning the Negro be only

,

those o f opposition p rej udice o r aversion then shall

, ,

we absolutely fail o f the appreciation o f ou r duty .

W e despi se the arrogance and exclusiveness o f a

sect which flou rished in the days o f the M aster the ,
 TH E WH I TE MA N S URDEN
’
1 50 B

haughty bearing o f which sect was such that it ab

stained from touching others fearful o f contamina ,

tion W e detest the stateliness of their port as they

.

hel d themselves aloof from the Gentiles whom they ,

classed as heathen and whose bearing wore the ex

,

“
W e read with
”
pression I am better tha n thou
, .

interest o f the prej udice o f a Jewish disciple who

had been commissioned to a Gentile heathen home ,

“
and who after a struggl e was compelled to say O f ,

a truth I perceive that God i s no respecter o f per

,

sons ”
W ith reluctant spi rit the ste rn j ew yield e d
.
,

and the centurio n was recognized as a man o f God

purely from u nclouded principle .

Far more th an we are willing to acknowledge we ,

are swayed by prej udice W hile its class among the .

passions is that o f the unworthy prej udice is as ,

strong as steel as firm as adamant I n its stability it

, .

is lik e the mou ntains I n its paradoxical character it

.

can both hear and not hear D ea f to a thousand .

thunders on one s ide on the other it can hear the tick

,

o f a watch A n element of weakness there is yet

.
,

nothing stronger W hile it is unworthy it is one

.
,

o f the most potent o f the agencies th at sway the

j udgmen t I t excites ridicule and oppos ition where
.

it should sti r pity and awaken interest B ut once .

ov ercome by j udgment and conscience it is like the ,

sudden reversal o f a mountain torrent S aul the .

,

p rejudiced Pharisee became Paul the p rince o f , ,

apostles I t indicates the sudden development o f a

.

great characte r when prej udice succumb s to p rin

ciple and passion yields to duty
,
.
 WH I TE M A N S
’
TH E B URDE N 1 51

T h is i s the d em and o f the p resent ho u r M or e .

than on any others Chri stianity has lai d its g ri p on

the whit e race o f the world y et innately this white,

race cherishes an aversion fo r the colored races

the red the tawny the sa ffron and the b lac k This
, , , .

aversion i s b o rn o f nature not o f grac e I f G od is

, .

no res p ecter o f p ersons neithe r shoul d his peo p l e

,

be Controlled as we may b e by the conventionali

.

ties o f social li fe with God the common b asi s i s

, ,

one o f humanity And the genius o f ou r C h ristia n

.

ity is one o f r el igious equality N o t till the m iddle .

wall o f p artition i s leveled religiously b etween man

and man and every nation and tribe i s greeted on
,

the b asis o f co fraternity wi l l the religion o f the

,

Nazarene mak e headway i n the world The en .

la rged appli cation o f thi s p r i ncip le to the p resent di s

cussion i s unnecessary its statem ent i s its a p pl ica

,

tion M ore than on any ground Chri stianity halts

.
,

j ust here N o C hristian can follo w alone the cleav

.

age o f p re feren ce fo r that may b e only the i ndex

,

finger o f p re j udice ; each must yi el d to duty an d

p rinciple i f hi s convi ctions savo r o f the views o f
“
the N a z arene .Let every m an b e fully persuaded
i n h i s own m ind .

T he numerous i ne q ualities i n the a p plication o f

the laws o f a common country ; the frequent in
'

j ustices already recited in the p receding pages ; the

acts o f vengeance indulge d and tolerated and the ,

neglect o f the moral condition o f millions o f a race ,

no matte r what b e the reasons g iven o r t h e p retext

152 TH E W H I TE M AN S B
’
URDEN

o ffered are conditions which call for white Ch ri s

,

tian manliness sympathy and e ffort I t should be

, , .

clea r to all alike that p resent conditions are bearing

on thei r surface toward the future the seeds o f trou ,

bles to come The results are not yet visible they

.
,

are only indicated in the tendencies o f the present ,

and tendencies are p rophetic U nless relief to the

.

present situation be a fforded a harvest o f prob ,

lem at ical di fficulti es will grow fo r a future genera

tion Not hing i s clearer than that demoralization
.

i s insi diously seeking its way beneath the fo unda

tions o f our most cherished institutions R emove .

from the p resent generation respect for law and a

disregard o f the simplest rights and the vision of ,

disaster already looms on the horizon o f the future .

Some time ago the writer was seated in the editorial

room o f a certain p rominent daily j ournal when the ,

report was brought i n that a young man known to

the edito r had k illed a Negro and the reporter o f ,

“ ”
the deed said A nd he is thinking o f running o ff
,
.

“
T he reply from the young edito r was " Not for kill
”
ing a Negro " T he conditions from which s enti
ments l ike these are even possible portend nothing
cheering for the future I f the sturdy C hristi an sen
.

t im ent o f the land cannot correct these and other

conditions nothing can

, .
 C H APT E R X I I .

M O B V O LE I NCE .

( Fo r m uch of t he u b st anc e o f thi s ch ap t er the au thor

s ,

ac k no w l e d g es his i nd eb t e d n s t o th at ad m i rab l“e and i nci siv e

e s

w o k o f E d g ar
r G ard ne r M u rp hy entitl e d T he P resent
,

So uth C h ap t er VI
”
,
.
)

U nti la late p eriod in the history o f the S o u th ,

lync h in g was p ractically un k nown There was an .

occasional outbrea k o f violence but so rare was i t , ,

that it ex cite d unusual surp rise an d comment and ,

create d a p ro found sensation B ut withi n the last .

few decades o f Southern history lynching has be ,

come so prevalent that it ceases now to excite ho rro r

or t o awa k en surp rise L i k e all other evils with
.

whi ch society is a fflicted and which rem ain un ,

checked lynching has continued to grow unti l i t has

,

com e to assume alarming p roportions Li k e other .

uncheck ed evi ls too lynching has passed its o riginal

, ,

b ounds not now being restricted to the infli ction o f

,

violent death fo r a singl e crime b ut employed fo r ,

other o ff enses sometimes fo r the most trivial N o r

,
.

are its victims o f one race now as was once true ,

.

Once only N egroes were ex ecuted b y the mo b b ut ,

it has come to pass as a result o f the growth o f the

,

evil whites have b ecome its victims also

, .

W ith res p ect to lync h in g it is as true as i t i s o f ,

I S3
 W H I T E MA N S URDEN
’
1 54 TH E B

all —
open violations o f the l aw lawlessness b egets
-
.

lawlessness Tolerated and unrestrained lawless

.
,

ness invariably grows T he es sence o f lynching is

. .

not the satisfaction o f the law but revenge and re , ,

venge i s an endless chain Fo r the same reason .

which first actuates it i t may be continued indefi

,

nitely . Once sought it may be responded to with

,

the same motive and thus continue indefinitely I ts

, .

di rect e ffect is demoralization without limit No .

law can be satisfied by the display o f revenge .

Justification fo r lynching is sought upon these

grounds the first o f which i s that the methods which
,

i t employs a re necessary to prevent the repetition

o f the crime o f which the criminal i s guilty T he .

second ground i s to avoid the delay o f court p roce

dur e in the matter of bringing the perp et rato r to trial .

T he thi rd i s to save the victim o f assault from the

humiliation o f publicity i n bearing testimony at the
trial o f the o ffender T hat i s to say this was the
.
,

original basis when lynching was employed alone

fo r criminal assault B ut the demoralization p ro
.

duced by the methods fou n ded on these grounds as

a common basis has long since passed beyond these
boundaries and has assumed a vaster range in which
,

sometimes eve n petty o ff enses are included .

B y even a casual examination o f the basis o f

the mob bent on l y nching we shall find that the
,

grounds sought fo r its j ustification are altogether

untenable—that they fall far short in each instance
o f the original purpose Take for instance the
.
, ,
 TH E W H I T E MA N S URDEN
’
B 1 55

fi st
r - —
named reason assigned that o f p rev enting the
repetition o f the crime H as lynching done this
.
?

D o the o ffenders against the law decrease b ecause

o f m oboc a y H as i t p roved a remedy f o r the
r r ?

crime o f rap e ? E very one knows that i t has not

a cted as a deterrent to crime N o matte r ho w thi s
.

may b e accounted fo r i t i s true The holocaust o f

, .

cri me continues the demoralization is still rampant

, ,

the law continues to be violated This has been evi .

dent fo r years and yet the p ractice o f lynching con

,

t inues . I s there not evi dence i n thi s that the plea

o f the lynchers is not sincere when they claim that i t
i s to p revent the repetition o f the deed and does it ,

not go fa r toward establishin g the fact that it i s

i n the interest o f revenge rathe r than fo r the pur
,

pose name d as the reason fo r the mob ?

H ow about the law s delay i n the trial o f off end

’

ers ? There i s o ccasional reason f o r this complaint ,

but not o ften with respect to crime committed espe ,

cially by those who are charged with assault on

women .There are conditions when the o ffense

against a given victim i s p eculiarly horri b le and ,

when the o ffender as a member o f a wea k e r race

, ,

becomes the obj ect o f special publi c wrath and when ,

the courts seem tardy o f action B eneath th e rest .

lessness evinced on such occasions i t i s the sp i ri t o f

revenge which cries fo r execution and not t h e sp i rit ,

o f j ustice fo r which the populace clamo rs The .

crowd on the outside has al ready ren dered the v er

dict and demands the penalty and yet not a step
, , ,
1 56 TH E WH I TE MA N S ’
B URDEN

h as been ta k en save that o f the apprehension o f t h e

o ffender U nder a strain o f popular excitem ent and
.

exasperation a short time is regarded as quite long

, .

D elays o f the court do not ordinarily come in con

“
nectio n with cases where the accused i s a helpless
and ignorant member o f society but where the de ,

fense can command those resources o f legal talent

and o f tech nical procedure which are possible only
to the W here are the cases on record where
heinous crime in any of the states has failed o f
p rompt action on the part o f the courts It does not
?

seem that a charge like thi s can be j ustly made

against our A merican j udi ciary A s between the .

morbi d mob swayed solely by passion and a court

, ,

where j ustice i s sought to be administered there ,

shoul d be no hesit ation o f choice .

The plea sometimes made that the mob is the

”
people resumi ng thei r power delegated to the court ,

i s too flimsy as a defense and utterly void o f the ,

“
thing assumed S o far from being the people the
.
,

mob is usually composed o f an i rresponsible minority

with nothing o f popular coherency holding i t to
gether nothing o f a great popular and permanent
,

movem ent fo r good utterly nothing to vindicate its

,

existence o r its conduct and going to pieces after

,

the excitement is past T hin k o f a body o f reck l ess

.

“ ”
men assuming the august prerogatives o f society "
“ ”
S o far from being the people every mob i s an ,

enemy o f the p eopl e assailing th e stro ngest cordon

o f de f ense a b out soc i ety It turns law into chaos
. ,

T he P resent So uth ,
”
9 178
. .
 TH E WH I TE M AN S B
’
URDE N 1 57

and del i b e rately s ets at nau g ht the most cherished in

stitutions o f the peop le I t usurps the most delicat e
.

functions p ossible and for o rder substitutes violence

, ,

to avoi d whic h the courts are established and main

tained Int o the hands o f the police o r the con
.
,

stabulary and the courts i s lodged the app rehension

,

and prope r adj udication o f o ffenses against society ,

and thes e are the stronghol ds really attac k ed by the

mob In the p rotection o f that most sacred o f all
.

earthly b oons human li fe o n the one hand and o f

, , ,

society against crim e on the othe r the constabulary

, ,

and court are maintained T hey one o r both may .

, ,

err sometimes do but they are the nearest app rox i

, ,

mation possi b le to the ends in vie w To p rotect the .

innocent and to p unish the guilty each with due de

, ,

liberation i s the function o f the court Its duty is

,
.

clea r and well defined That there may be no un

-
.

due delay an d e q ually no undue haste should be the

, ,

motive controlling the court .

At tim es there has seeme d to b e unseemly haste in

th e trial s o f o ffenders charged with the crime o f
assault on women Courts have been hurriedly
.

called j uries empanelled the verdict r endered and

, , ,

the s entence p ronounced within the space o f a few

hours U nder conditions like these with th e publi c
.
,

mind inflamed th e verdict has been made in advance

, ,

and the court p rocedure has been nothing more than

a merely mechanical performance There i s danger .
,

under conditions li k e these as M r M urphy wisel y ,

.
 WH I TE MA N S URDEN
’
1 58 TH E B

suggests in his Present S o u th o f see k in g to p re

, ,

vent the m ob from turning itsel f into a court by

turning the court into a m ob The animus o f at .

least some mobs has b een shown by thei r forcibly

taking prisoners from the o fficers a fter they have
been duly tried convicted and s entenced and while
, , ,

passing from the court room to the prison have

-
,

be en hanged in utter defiance o f the law before the

eyes o f j uro rs and court al i k e W hat becomes o f.

the p retense o f the p rotection o f society i n vi ew o f

a spectacle like this ? Fortunately fo r society these ,

morbi d minorities are quite anything else than the

“ ”
rep resentatives o f the sentiments o f the p eople .

C riminality like this i s at least as harmful to the

interests o f societ y a s i s that o f the indivi dual
charged w ith the crime for which he was sentenced
to hang .

Coming no w to the last p retext o ffered in de fense

of mo b ocracy—that o f protecting the V i ct i m o f the
crime from being forced publicly to face her accuser
in the court this is as devoi d o f substantiation as
,

are the other grounds over which we hav e come .

B y reason o f its association and that a woman o r

, ,

a feminine child this has been considered unanswe r

,

abl e when urged in d e fense o f the exi stence o f the

“
mo b To quote again M r M urphy in the Present
. .
,

“
S outh there may b e sai d in reply to this " yet
—
when we have eliminated the cases byfar the great
e r num b er—in which the prisoner o f the mo b was
 W H I TE MA N S B URDEN
’
TH E 1 59

not even char g ed with any crime a g ainst women ,

b ut wi th arson o r rob b ery o r attempted murder

, , ,

and when w e hav e eliminated amon g the cases o f ,

assault among women the num b e r in which deat h

,

has resulted and the Vi ctim i s thus p revente d f ro m

,

all testimony legal o r e x tra legal t he num b e r o f

,
-
,

cases which com e within the traditional e x cuse i s

”
extremely small That on which t h e ar gu ment in
.

defens e o f the mo b is f ounded then i s th e o rdeal , ,

o f b earin g testimony in the court and thus ad d hu ,

m iliat ion to shame and criminal in j ury b y b ein g e x

pos ed a fresh to p ublic gaz e B ut is t h e wo man really
.

reli eved o f this o rd eal by the mo b ? Is she not mo re

exposed to publi city than she would be in a tria l h el d
unde r restrictions such as are g uara nteed t h e co u rt ?
Let us s ee .

The j udge b e fo r e w h om the t ri a l i s h e l d has f u ll

autho rity to clear the court room o f a l l e x ce p tin g
-

those di rectly interested H e has author i ty to con

.

fi ne the ex am inati o n to q uestions whi ch occasion

no o ffense o r in his discretion so c h ange the place
, ,

o f holding the court as to p reserve the utmost p ri

vacy and yet s ecure the en ds o f j usti ce Is t h ere
, .

any such guardi anship o f p rivacy in the hom e o f the

victim where any one o r every one who wishes to
, ,

j oi n i n the p romiscuous crowd i n the scout o f the

count ry arresting eve ry susp ected N e gro and h alin g
,

h im into her p resence i s permitte d to enter ? N ot

one s u s p e cted crimina l p er h a p s b u t a n u m b e r are
, ,
 TH E WH I TE MA N S’
B URDEN

brought by the miscellaneous multitude before her

fo r i denti fi cation S o much for the p rotection o f
.

privacy from prurien t curiosity .

H o w about t e identification
h ? I s one able always
“
to say Thou art the man
, In her darkened room
can the vi ctim sa y positively who is o r who is not
the assailant ? I n a number o f reported instances ,

vi ctims have said that they could not positively say

that the apprehended Negro was the one w ho made
the assault yet in its fury this same mob o f ex
, , ,

cited m en these chivalrous protecters o f society

, ,

“ ”
these who call thems elves the people have as ,

sumed that a certain one is the criminal assailant ,

and acting on thi s assu m ption have hanged him

, ,
.

Supposing that the arrested one be th e assailant ,

there is not a stiva o f right guaranteed the viol ent

crowd to i n flict punishme nt On the most slender
.

ci rcumstantial evi dence sometimes mobs have acted ,

in the execution o f thei r deeds W hat i s the result

.

o f all this ?

The law has been violently violated by th e mob ;

the publi c demoralized ; the courts abj ured and the ,

relations between the races made more stringent

without cause .

T he mob is without a si ngle redeeming quality .

It has everything in i t to condemn nothing to com ,

m end I t may have its defenders but it has no de

.
,

fense T he end which it serv e s i s hu rtful and only

.

hurtful T he r ecognition o f the fact that this p seu

.

do chival ry deals a blo w at soci et y at large i s sufli

-
 TH E WH I TE M A N S B U RDEN
’
16 1

cient w i thin itse l f fo r heroi c step s to b e ta k en to g iv e

a summary check to thi s b arbarous p ractice It i s .

t h i s g rowing pu b li c sense which found a voic e i n

“ ”
T he ( Atlanta ) Constitution , unde r dat e o f June
2 7th, 1 90 3 when it says "
, The ti me when the
lynchin g o f a certai n breed o f brutes coul d b e winked
at b ecause o f satis faction that puni shmen t came to
h im q uietly and to the uttermost has given way to a
,

tim e when the g reate r peri l to society i s the mo b

itsel f which does the wor k o f v engeance Against .

the growth o f that evi l the b est sense o f the natio n

needs to com b ine and enfo rce an ade q uate protec

Late r than this cam e a r ecommendation i n a mes

sa g e to Con g ress from P resi dent R oosevelt that
t h e matter b e made on e o f natio nal im p o rt b y the
p assage o f a law a gainst lynchin g b y Con g ress .

Thes e omens point to a gradual cessation o f the

"

crime o f lynching b y virtue o f the ro b ust p u b li c sen

t im ent o f the people o f the country at lar g e N ot h .

ing i s clearer than that lynching must claim attention

suc h as it has not hitherto had The a b le j ou rna l ism
.

o f the S outh i s b ecoming more p ronounced a gainst

i t b ut this i s not su fficient o f itsel f to check it The
, .

ap p eal com es to the highest type o f p atri otism to

wipe out a stain which has become national i n its
e ffect though restri cted lar g ely to only one p art o f
,

the Ameri can U nion .

It is refreshing i n this connect i on to p resent an

e d itorial f rom the columns o f T he C owner I oum al -
,
“
" u ot ed f rom The P resent So uth p 182
* ”
, . .
 W H I TE MA N S B URDEN
’
1 62 TH E

Louisville " entuck y under date

, , A ug . th
13 , 1 90 9 .

I t is as follows
T H E C OLOR L IN E .

The color line is drawn sharply by lynching in

" entuc k y. S everal w eeks ago a Frankfort Negro
was lynched by a mob fo r having shot a circus man .

In T rigg county a Negr o boy charged with at

, ,

tempted assault was lynched B etween the dates of

, .

these two lynchings D r N uttall a physician i n

.
,

c harge o f pati ents at the F eeble M inded I nstitute

‘
,
’

at Frank fort was charged with having assaulted a

,

woman under his care H e was allowed ample time

.

to make preparation to avoi d arrest and a fter a good ,

deal o f delay that might easily have been avoi ded ,

a reward was o ffered for him T here was no ap .

parent interest upon the part o f the authorities in

bringing him to trial .

“
The hoodlums at Frankfort and those in Trigg
county committed murder for the pleasure there was
in stringing up a defenseless victim The three .

brothers o f the girl in T rigg county to whom an ,

improper proposal was made were guarding the ,

N egro on his way to j ail when the mob interfered

, .

Thei r conduct under trying ci rcumstances was cred

itable . The Negro no doubt would have been con
victed i f he had been put in j ail A Negro tried for .

criminal assault i s not dealt ten derly with by a j ury

o f white men .
 TH E WH I TE M AN S B
’
URDEN 163

T h ere i s b ut one conclusion to b e drawn from

the three cases A ttem p ted criminal assault is pun
.

ishable b y death without trial i f the accused be b lack , .

S hootin g and wounding i s punishable by deat h with

out trial i f the accused i s blac k Crim inal assault
, .

is to b e win k ed at i f the accused is white and p romi

,

nent It i s di fficult to deci de which i s more hum ili

.

ating to decent citizens the mo b murders o r the con ,

t emptible machinery o f the law which admits o f

”
courtesy b eing shown to D r N uttall . .

Yet in the face o f these facts we hear much a b out ,

the N egroes shielding thei r criminals from j ustice .

It seems eminently p roper for the authoriti es to fum

b l e about matters p rovided the crim inal be not o f a
g iven color N 0 serious p rotest i s raised i f one w ho
.

i s not a N egro b e furn i shed avenues o f escape f rom

the conse q uen ces o f his crime much o f which proves , ,

not so much th e desi re to b ring the criminal i rre ,

Sp ectiv e o f all consi derations to j ustice as that o f , ,

the disappointment o f the mo b to fi nd its v i ctim in

o rde r to wrea k on him its full vengeanc e .

This is said not to encourage the Negro to shiel d

,

his v i ctim from j ustice no r in the least to j usti fy ,

it b ut in the interest o f the p rotection o f society

,

against all criminals no matter what thei r color

,

o r position b e I f it b e w rong fo r t h e N e g ro to
.

protect th e criminal it i s equally so fo r eve ry ot h er

,

to do so In any event it i s the principl e o f partice/I S

.
,

criminis . N O system o f soci ety i s sa fe nor can it en ,

d ure where any class i s de p resse d and su p p resse d on

,
1 64 TH E WH I TE M A N S B UR D EN
’

account of any disorder o r criminality while anothe r

,
.

i s supported and upheld fo r the same the authoritie s

,

meanwhile abettin g Thes e conditions in our Sout h

.

ern society cannot b e condoned They create a gap

.

that is widening with time and sooner or later a

, ,

revolutionary breach will come the conseq uences o f

which we cannot possi b ly foresee .
 C H APT E R X II I .

W H A T CA N BE DO NE ?

Up to this time we have been main l y concerne d

about the d i fficulties and complications o f the Negro
question b ut no remedy di rectly fo r the cure o f the
,

malady has b een p roposed Now and then sugges

.

tions have been o ffered to meet the demands o f cer

tain emergencies but no gen eral p lan as a p ractical
,

hypothesis has been o ffered T hat something shoul d

.

be done the tension o f con diti o ns in the South abun

,

dantly suggests . That something will have to b e

done sooner o r later all thinking persons readily
,

admit The perpetual presence o f the Negro the

.
,

certainty o f his remaining i n the S outh the steady ,

growth o f the sp i rit o f worth among the aspi ring

ones the struggles o f so many thousands to im
,

p rov e thei r condition the weakness and crim inal ity

,

o f others on the lowest planes the avers ion with ,

which the race i s regarded by many whites which ,

aversion springs chiefly f rom regarding the N egro

from his worst si de the dispos ition on the part o f
,

an i rresponsibl e m inority to accord to the Negro

only mistreatment and cruelty simply b ecaus e he is a
N egro—all these and other facts are p ropheti c o f
f uture trou b l es to the country un l ess someth i n g b e
,

1 65
 1 66 TH E W H I T E MA N S B URDEN
’

done by the influential whites to relieve the s ituatio n .

The task is by no means an easy one Any cours e .

that mi ght be adopted would doubtless b e attende d

with di fficulty ; but it is clear that unless somethin g
be done the di fficulties will thicken in the years o f
,

the future The strain is not relaxed by time b ut

.
,

rather made the tauter W hatever is done will hav e

.

to be by the slow process o f propitiating publi c sen

t im ent which while it may try patience promises
, , ,

after all the most durabl e results No sudden move

.
, .

ment will avai l anything it must be the work of ,

years B ut that there li es open a cours e alike honor

.

able to the white race and j ust to the N egro every

, ,

one o f equanimity o f mind breadth o f observation , ,

calmness o f j udgment and rightness o f heart must

,

believe M any di fficulties p reviously existing have

.

been minimized ; lessons o f vast and deep importance

have been learned alike by the thoughtful of both
races ; di fficulti es which at present exist are now well
de fi ned alike in thei r nature and scope and certain ,

o b l igations are recogn ized as imposed i n p art on , ,

both races .

The Negro i s not without multitudes o f sym p a

thetic friends among the high minded and enl ight -

ened peo p le o f the South who b y concert o f action

, ,

on the part o f even a goodly numb er can gradually ,

succeed in convincing b y a pol icy o f helpfulness

, ,

even many o f the most prej udiced that white ignor

ance and law l essness are j ust as b ad and dangerou s
 TH E WH I TE M A N S B UR DE N
’
1 67

to the country at larg e as b lac k ignoranc e an d l a w

l essness ; that the patriotism integ rity a b ility in , , ,

dustry usefulness thri ft and pu b li c s p irit on t h e

, , ,

p art o f the N egro are j ust as good and are entitle d

,

to a s much encouragement and res p ect and rewa rd

as the capa b i lities and vi rtues o f the sam e name

amon g the whites ; that the rights o f the w hit e man
are no more sacred than thos e o f the b lac k man ,

and that neither w hite no r b lac k can overri de the

rights o f the othe r without endan gerin g hi s own .

Thes e are plain homely p rinciples which in a sea ,

son o f calmn ess would seem ali k e accep ta b le to all .

A dis p assionate reco g nition o f t h ese followe d b y a ,

campaign fo r thei r p ractical expression i n d eeds , ,

would allay multitudes o f ex i sting di fferences and ,

rally to the sam e plan e o f action the b est o f b ot h

races That such coope ration would res u l t i n vas t
.

good which woul d gro w with the years every one

, ,

must see To b e sure i t woul d encounte r o p pos i

.
,
s

tion h ere and there b ut the a g itation whi ch would

, ,

result woul d be who l esom e rather than ot h erwise ,

and sho w the nature o f the O p position to be a poli cy

a gainst the pu b l ic good It woul d awa k e n the in
.

terest o f the a b le p ress o f the South the p otency o f ,

which would b e o f vast avai l It w ould direct the .

attention o f thousands to the im p ortance o f a su bj ect

a b out which perhaps they have thou ght b ut l ittle
, ,
.

B ut i f it should g o steadily on d o i n g its w o r k with ,

tenac i ty o f p u rp os e the resu l ts w o u l d b e so grati f y

,
 WH I TE MA N S URDEN
’
1 68 TH E B

in g that eventually the races would find thei r rela

tions and adj ustments and peace would be as preva
,

lent as disorder now is .

E very thoughtful person must reco g nize the fact

that our Southern civilization is largely involved in
the treatment which we accord a weaker race which
G o d has placed within our hands as trustees for
thei r elevation and imp rovement as well as for H is ,

glory The fact o f the sacredness o f this charge we

.

cannot shun even i f we would T o its p roper con

,
.

s ideration we must sooner o r later address ourselves

as patriots out o f a concern for future generations ;
as philanthropists i n the nam e o f a common hu
,

manity and as C hristians from a bald sense o f duty

, , .

A duty sh u nned or a duty delayed i s a duty still .

Perhaps we can better arrive at a starting point

by the presentation o f an accepted principle and one ,

which has found expression in the practice o f years .

For many years the di fferent C hristian denomina

tions have been sending missionaries to Africa as ,

well as to other pagan lands T hese denominations

.

exercise the same care with respect to the mi ssion

aries sent to the D ar k Continent that i s exercised
with respect to those sent elsewhere T hey must .

b e men and women o f ability and o f adaptability to

thei r work ; wise and intelligent and capable o f ,

reaching and influencing a people sodden i n ignor

ance and vice and unacquainted with the sacred
,

p rinciples and advantages o ffered by the gospel .

These m issionaries undergo the same investigatio n

 TH E WH I TE MA N S ’
B URDE N 1 69

as to c h aracter and a b i lity to w h ich ot h ers sent to

othe r fi elds o f the world are su bj ected As Chris ~ .

tians the duty o f in fusin g the gosp el into the g reat

,

b l ac k mass o f A fricans is as readily r eco g ni z ed as

is that o f reachin g an d influencing the p eople o f any
othe r race or any other q uarter o f the g lo b e A frica .

i s an immense continent on w h ich l ives a b out on e

eighth o f the population o f the glo b e and fo r almos t
,

a century from the first missionary i nvasion o f the

,

D ar k Continent in 1 81 6 by M o ffatt till the p resent

, , , ,

this land o f dar k ness has claimed ou r attent i on N 0 .

one asserts amon g Christians that because these are

A fricans they are not worthy o f the gospel no r do es ,

any one withhol d his o fferin g s to A f rican mission s

on t h at account .

A missi ona ry f ro m t h e So u t h ern states l andin g ,

on the coast o f A frica must ta k e u p hi s a b ode

,

among these degraded pagans and as a wise con , ,

secrated man o f G od ,must se dulously study ever y

p ossi b le means o f reachi ng thos e people H e mus t .

necessarily come in contact with them learn the ,

metho d o f approachin g them and diligently seek a

,

b asi s o f ad j ustment o f himsel f to ex istin g condition s

i n orde r to wi n them to C h r i st W or k l i k e thi s mus t
.

b e un p l easant muc h d uty i s ; i t must p rove o ften

,

times di ffi cu lt as tas k s o f o b l igat i on f re q uent l y are ;

,

t h e e fforts o f the m issionary must b e atten d e d wit h

muc h repuls i veness to a re fi ne d sens e o ffen d i n g ev
,

ery natura l i nstinct o f h i s culture d characte r but ,

he i s there on a m i ss i on and i s constant l y impresse d

 W H I TE MA N S
’
1 70 TH E B URD E N .

by an onerous sense o f duty to which all el se must

su ccumb W hat must he do and what would w e
.
,

expect o f a m issionary under conditions like these ?

R epulsive and abhorrent as these people might be ,

sunken in degradation to the lowest limi t of morals ,

and utterly benighted to thei r destiny the mission ,

ary must stoop to conquer W ith keen penetration

.

he must watch fo r every slight ri ft in the darkened

mass that he may let in the light o f li fe H e cannot .

scorn or repel them because of thei r dark skins thei r ,

.

filth and squalor ; in Spite o f these and all else he ,

must set himsel f to win them H e cannot by any .

force o f authority compel them to accep t the religion

which elevates and saves ; he must by patience and
condescension to thei r needs win thei r confidence as
the first step toward winning them to God Nor can .

he reach them by a denunciation o f thei r vices or ,

convert them by a display of aversion to them be

cause o f thei r inferior moral status H e cannot .

p roduce the slightest impression by leading them

to infer that b ecause they are what they are they ,

are worthy only to be cast out as unworthy H is .

must be a persuasive mood one o f adj ustment to a

,

peopl e who k now not G od and to these all els e must

,

bend It doing this the m issionary woul d not be

.

regarded as surrendering his refi nement his ideas ,

o f genuine li fe as he knows it b ut as retaining all ,

these while doing the rest N or i s this an ex agger

.

ated statement o f a s ituation which has b ecome com

mon in Africa .
 WH I TE MA N S B URDE N
’
TH E 1 71
.

N o w i nstea d o f t h a t condition let us su pp os e an

, ,

other o f e q ual p racticalness Let us su p pos e that a

.

segment o f the populatio n o f A frica numberin g ,

several million i s b rought to our American shores

,

and assigned to a stipulated p ortion o f ou r territory .

They are pagans still e q ually as degraded and sun k

,

en as those le ft in distant A frica In an event l ik e .

this Ameri can Christians w oul d b e criminally amiss

,

to duty di d they not send amon g thes e sable savages

men and women to win them to righteousness A .

colony li k e the one sup p osed would b e a challenge

to Ameri can Christians so soon as they touched our
borders That w hich the m iss ionary does on the
.

D ar k Continent would have to b e done i n this im

ported p o p ulation in A m erica The same studious .

consi deration o f the demands o f the s ituation the ,

same di ligent observation o f methods to b e em

ployed the same ada p tation to p revailin g condition s
, .

There woul d b e apparently insup erable barriers to be

b ro k en down numerous and f ormi da b l e di ffi cu l ti es
,

to b e overcome and discouragement on discourage

,

ment to b e constantly met ; b ut duty woul d meet al l

thes e w ith a courageous f ront and the missionary ,

among thes e imported pa gans would p ress on in his

work W hether there were immediate visi b le si gns
.

o f encouragement o r not he would persist in hi s en

,

deavors fo r to surrende r woul d b e to deny the effi

,

cacy o f the gospel to dissolve all moral di fficulty .

B ut in the p resence o f a concrete condition we are

le f t neither to su pp os i t i o n nor t h eory H ere are .
 WH I TE MA N S
’
1 72 TH E B URDEN

the Africans at our doors H er e the y are by mi l

.

lions H ow they came to b e here i s well known

. .

W hile the y have been the recipients o f cer t ai n advan

tages it is well known what they have undergone
, .

T hei r history in America has been one o f long en

slav em ent o f i rksome servitude and o f restricted
, ,

p rivilege O f the result o f these the white race has

.

been the abundant recipient W ithout any direct in

.

strum entality o f their own the Negro in America

,

has been brought into peculiar relations with the

white race and into such relations as impose onerous
,

obligations on the stronger people T hese obliga .

tions spring from several grounds among which ,

i s that o f gratitude for t hat which the Negro has

done for the enrichment o f the country and the ele ,

vation o f the stronger race by the means a fforded

b y the Negro for such elevation Independent o f .

this and even had it not occurred would be the

, ,

ground o f philanthropy because o f the condition o f

,

the race In addition still would be the demand

.
, ,

o f humanity because o f the racial relations, Then ,

there is the ground o f chivalry because o f the rela

tion of the stronger to the weaker and last o f all ,

would be the ground of Christianity because of the

obligation everywhere imposed on that system to
raise the fallen .

B y these conditions and obligations are we today

confronted T hey are inexorable principl es to
.

which we dare not close our ears and eyes Nor .

are t hey to b e dismissed by subtl ety o f reas

 TH E WH I TE M A N S B U R D E N
’
1 73

on i n g or b y t h e ma k eshi f t o f e x cuse W e can no .

mo re reason them o ut o f e x istence than w e can

shovel dar k nes s out o f an unlighted room This .

duty these facts th ese p rinciples we must meet as

, , ,

men and as C hristians To deny them does not re .

move the o b ligation The white race i s the creato r

.

o f the p resent situation i s responsible fo r it as the

,

o riginal importers o f the b lac k man to America an d ,

on him is imposed the dut y o f relievin g the situation .

H oweve r this b urden i s greatly reli eved by many

,

encouragin g conditions In dealin g w ith the N egro .

as he i s he deals not with a pagan H e does not

, .

have to study his approaches to the hea rt and min d

o f the N egro H e knows him at hi s b est at his
.
,

worst Conditions are wel l de fi ned

. H e under .

stands hi s wea k ness as he does hi s stren gth H e .

’
understands the N egro s habits and the means o f
reaching and o f influ encing him The gateways to .

his nature li e open M any thousands o f N egroes are

.

Christians O ther thousands o f them have clim b e d

.

h igh up the ladde r o f ou r Splendi d American civiliza

tion M ultitudes o f them are intelligent t h ri fty
.
, ,

p rogressive w i de awa k e in the p roduction o f p ros

,
-

p e rity la b orious
, useful i n thousands
, o f ways whil e ,

other multitudes o f them need just the aid and en

couragem ent w hich the whites only can give If .

duty respecting thi s p eople is inexora b le it i s stimu ,

l ated b y many elements o f encou ragement In any .

e ffort to ai d and to elevate t h e two higher class es ,

w oul d p rove invalua b l e allies i n ass i stin g in the ele

1 74 TH E WH I T E M AN S B
’
URD E N

vation o f the l ower elements o f the race to a higher

p lane of li fe W as ever C hristianity confronted by
.

an obligation plainer ? W as ever a vaster fi eld

opened to philanthropy ? W as eve r Christian duty
more suggestive and urgent ?
There is not the smallest dou b t even fo r a mo
,

ment on the part o f those who k now the N egro that

, ,

the two higher classes o f blacks would respond most

readily to any e ffort made to elevate the N egro race .

They would account it a privilege to ma k e any pos

si b l e sacri fi ce for the attainment o f this end The .

mere fact that the white race would enter on a cam

a
p g i n li k e this woul d rally every worthy N egro to
its support Negroes are a responsive people and
.
,

in the light o f the experience o f late years they ,

would be doubly so now This fact stren gthens the

.

o b ligation to assist them to b etter things in li fe .

Shoul d a pol icy like this be entered on what would

?
b e the result It would allay di fferences which now
op erate to the detriment o f b oth races by the
estrangement occasioned and the bitterness engen
dered ; it woul d weld into cooperation the best forces
o f b oth races which in itsel f would constitute a
,

condition o f con fi dence and harmony which does not

now exist and this without the impairment o f the
,

segregation o f the races w h ich is much desired on

,

the part o f the b etter b lack s as it i s b y the b etter

whites ; while the b oundaries o f cooperative e ffort
woul d touch at many points it woul d not mean
,

racial fusion ; it would p rove mutua l ly b eneficial to

 TH E WH I TE MA N S URDEN
’
B 1 75

b oth races by l i fting the colored race up to a plane

,

o f merit whil e i t would ma k e the white man better

,

fo r the e ffort thus made ; i t w ould level the existing

barriers in the highway o f p rosperity di smiss the ,

app rehensions which haunt the future and illustrate ,

anew the p rowess o f the Anglo S axon in grappling -

with a di ffic ul t situation an d i n conquerin g it All this .

i s possible and while it would requi re years in order

,

to reach a grati fying consummation it can b e ac ,

complished The i dentity o f interest would come to

.

b e recognized and the Negro would prove to be the

,

b est friend the white man has Among all th e col .

’
o red races he i s today the white man s best friend .

A policy l ike thi s would be in thorough accord

with the spi rit o f the times W e are living in a p e .

culiar p eriod It is a j uncture o f eras It i s a period

. .

o f transition from the old to the new O l d habitudes .

o f thought old customs old systems all the b eaten

, , ,

paths o f poli cy and o f custom are being a b andoned

for a sphere that is new It is a brea k ing up period
.
-
.

The crash o f ol d o rders i s heard throughout the

world and a new system is being ushered in In all
,
.

this the Anglo S axon i s leading H is ideas o f right

,
-
.

and o f liberty are trans forming the world W her .

ever he plants his flag prosperity b looms and ,

fruits The world i s i n the throes o f a tremendous

.

upheaval W hile vi ews are shi fting and sentiments

.

are changing p rinciples which never change are as

,

sum ing new phases B ack o f all thi s are the dv

.

namic p rinciples which the N a z arene came to e x

1 76 TH E W H I TE MA N S B URD E N
’

p ound to the nations an d generations o f men .

C hristianity ex alts and as the dynamic force o f the

,

ages i t has raise d man to a higher level by successive

,

revolution It has brought us face to face w ith an

.

oppo rtunity which no nation has hitherto en j oyed

that o f elevating a race and o f makin g it capabl e
o f b ecoming a mi ghty factor in a land to which that
race is as loyal as the most p atrioti c o f the Angl o

S axon I n a period like this when human liberty

.
,

and rights are uppermost in the minds of men every

W here the opportunity is a fforded o f according to
.
,

the imported A frican the merits o f his j ust deserts .

The N egro is human he i s a man and as such we

, ,

mus t d eal with him Preconceived notions and Opi n

.

ions p rej udices previously formed and all else m ust

, , ,

yiel d to the dem and o f duty—duty b etween man and

man .

W e h ave t h e situation b efore us W hat is our .

duty to the N egro race ? W hat can b e done ? W h at

shoul d b e done ? The Negro craves not p ity he ,

—
pleads not helplessness all that he asks i s that which
is due him as a man T hat he should do this i s to
.

his credit and instead o f excitin g O pposition should

,

command ou r respect the more H e as k s that the .

ci rcumscriptions which have so long operated to the

cramp o f hi s powers b e removed that he may b e a b l e
to stand on his feet and vindicate hi s claim to g enu
i ne manhood H e desi res not to be fondled an d
.
“

caj oled b ut that h e b e unfettered to j oin in the rough

,

encounters o f the w or l d H e i nsists not that the

.
 WH I TE MA N S B URDE N
’
TH E 1 77

s tronge r race give him a fi sh b ut on l y a h oo k N ot , .

till the N egro proves utterly unworth y not ti l l he ,

b ecomes a lo athesom e b urden too heavy to b e b orn e ,

shoul d w e tal k o f h i s repudiation Certainly not .

whil e h e stri k es out with the b oldness with which

h e has done to help to overcom e the di fficulties which
encumber his people should he have othe r than ,

w ords o f cheer and ins p iration an d the mora l sup ,

p o rt o f hi s b rothe r in white W hile the N e g ro has .

never b een w ithout his friends b oth S outh an d ,

N o rth the question is W hy shoul d not all ali k e be

, ,

hi s friends ? It i s well k now n that the b lunders o f

the reconstructio n p erio d w er e not his b ut thos e ,

o f m en who w e re actuated b y sel f aggrandizem ent -

.

O f this not a few o f them learne d a fter it was too

l ate *
. B etrayed i nto this condition h e s h oul d not ,

b e held entirely responsi b le an d certainly this shoul d ,

not b e charged against h i m no w I f som e are cr i m .

inals t h ey deserve to be d eal t w i t h as commo n

,

crim i na l s w i t h a ll t h at b e l on gs to su c h
, E v en .

*I n the H i story" uof

arter the
C e n t u
Last ry by E B en ja , .

m in A n d e w s he f u n i sh es the fo ll o w i ng e x t rac t f ro m a l ett er

r ,
r

w ritt en b y the c ol o r d senat or f rom M i ssi s i p p i H on H i ram

e s , .

R R e v el s t o P re sid ent G rant in the early 70 3 w hich il

’
.
, , ,

lu st rat e s the c onditi o ns i n t he So u th at th at ti m e T he ex t rac t .

is as foll o w s
“
S i nc e re c onst ructi o n the m asses o f p eop l e h av e b een as ,

it w ere ensl av e d in m i n d b y u np ri nci p l e d adv entu re rs

,
A .

g reat p o rti on o f t h em h av e l earne d th at th ey w ere b ei ng

u se d as m ere t o o l s and d et e rm i ne d b y c asti ng t h e i r b all ot s
ag ai nst th e se u np i n ci p l e d adv entu re s t o o v erth o w t h em
r r r .

T he b itt e rness and h at e c reat e d b y the l at e civil st ri fe ( l o c al

t ro u b l e s m M i ssi ssi pp i ) h av e in m y o p i n i o n b een ob lit erat e d
,

in thi s S t at e e x c ep t p e h ap s i n som e l o c aliti es and w o ul d

, ,
r ,

h av e l ong si nc e b een eff ac ed w ere it not fo r som e unp ri n

 TH E W H I TE MA N S B URDEN
’
1 78

criminals have rights in a democracy N o r should .

the enti re race have lai d at its door the crimes o f

the few I s there nothing worthy o f a mul titudinou s
.

race that can b e done by the stronger race o f A nglo

Saxons ?
S ince near the close of the seventeenth century ,

which signally m arks a period when the hum anitar

ian idea began to take hold on men and which found ,

expression in various organizations and through

the medium o f literature at a later time there have ,

sp rung up movements for the amelioration of the

human family One of the fi rst organizations which
.

spran g from this spirit was o ne which was called

the Society fo r Promoting Christian " nowledge ,

and later The Society for the Propagation of the

Gospel in Foreign Parts Crude and cumbersome .

as these original humanitarian organizations were ,

they wrought a mighty work for good and opened ,

the way fo r the great missionary o rgani z ations

throughout the world .

C ould there be b egun in these American states a

society fo r the promotion o f the good o f the N egro ,

which coul d be so di rected as to reach him at every

cip le d m en w ho w o uld k eep aliv e the b itt erne ss o f the p ast
and i nculc at e a h at re d b et w e en the rac es in o rd er th at th ey
m ay agg randi z e th em selv e s b y o ffi c e an d it s em olu m ent s t o
c ont rol my p eop l e the e fl ect o f w hich is to degrad e th em
,
'

I f the St at e ad m i ni st rati on had adv anc e d p at ri otic m easu res ,

app oi nte d o nly h o ne st and c o m p et ent m en to o fli ce and ,

so u g h t to rest o re c on fi d en c e b e t w e en the rac es b l o o d h ed

,
s

w o uld hav e b een u nk no w n p e ac e w ould h av e p rev ail ed

, ,

Fed eral i nt eferenc e b een u nth ou ght o f and harm ony f ri end
, ,

shi p , and m utu al c o nfi d enc e w o uld h av e t ak en the p l ac e o f

the b ay o net
”
.
 TH E WH I TE M A N S B U R DEN
’
1 79

p oint o f h i s li fe so cially ind

, u strially
, commercially , ,

educationally benevolently and mo rally what a

, , ,

mi g hty trans fo rmation m ight be wrou g ht in thes e

American states " M uch has been done fo r the N e
g ro s education and all hai l to the philanthro p i sts
’

who have rendere d such ai d yet i t has been o f a ,

f ractional sort and b y p iecemeal each work in g in

, ,

its own way C ould there be such a combination O f

.

e ffo rt as would resolve all others into unity and un

de r separate divisions o r departments di rected from ,

a common center a few years would witness a tre

,

mendous change in the country A movement li k e .

thi s would acquaint the world with the growing

worth o f the Negro and his merits would be as well
,

k nown as his crimes and short comings now are -

.

Thi s would require management and di rection o f a

colossal cha racte r but o f no greater p roportions than
,

are some o f the mammoth commercial organizations

now exi sting I t would mark a new era in the p rog

.

ress o f Anglo Saxonism and o f the refl uent co nse

-
,

q u e nces on the fatherland o f the Negro none coul d ,

tell M ore than anything else it would lead to the

.
,

C hristianization o f A frica as well as other regions

,

where the habitats o f the Negro a re over the habit

a b le globe I t would in fuse fresh l i fe into the N egro
.

population o f the American states and p rove not ,

alone a blessing to the A frican Ameri can but woul d -

,

b e far reaching in its e ffects over the wo rld

-
.

It woul d set an educative example to othe r peo

ples o f the wo rld and the moral influence would b e
,
1 80 TH E WH I TE MA N S
’
B URDEN

unspea k able Christianity has an opportunity in the

.

p resent status of the Negro race in A meric a such as

it has rarely enj o yed since its introduction to the
world T he Negro can survive in regions in which
.

the white man cannot H e could take with him to

.

Africa and other regions where the Negro l ives a ,

knowledge of the civilization o f which he has been

made a beneficiary in America and along with this
,

would be the dispensation of the gospel I n the midst

.

o f the great world movements of the p resent none ,

woul d ecli p s e a movement li k e this .

 C H APT E R X I V .

SO U R CE S OF E N COU R A GE M E N T .

It is admitte d that i f th e N egro had remaine d a

l eaden mass cold inflexible inanimate after hi s
, , , ,

emergence fro m slavery there would now b e b ut ,

slight hope and little encoura gement to assist him

to reach higher l evels i n li fe B ut this i s far from .

b ein g tru e W hil e some are indolent and even

.

wo rthless hundreds o f thousands have met the diffi

,

culties which have b eset them at every step an d , ,

with a g rim determination worthy o f any race have ,

mad e remar k able p rogress It is easy to decry an .

entire race b ecause o f the worthlessness o f the few ,

b ut sheer j ustice demands that honor b e accorded to

whom i t is due .

In urging the claims o f the N egro race on the

Christian philanthropy o f the American states i n ,

the chapte r immediately p receding there were pre ,

sented supposed cases in missionary endeavo r b oth

with respect to wor k among the pagans on the D ar k
C onti nent and those who m ight have been landed on
ou r own shores Instead o f encountering the cor
.

rupt paganism i n A frica suppose the m issionary ,

shoul d fi nd that a ma j o rity o f th e peo p le could read

and write and that amon g them were orato rs edu
, ,

cators editors
,
ministers o f the g os p el lawyers
, , ,

1 81
1 82 TH E WH I TE MA N ’
S B URDEN

druggists artisans skilled mechanics and rep re

, , ,

sentatives o f the various crafts o f civilization S up .

pose too he should fin d millions of Christians with

, ,

thousands o f houses o f worship devoted to the ,

propagation of the true religion would he not hail a

,

condition like this with j oy ? W ould this not be

true concerning any people among whom missionary
endeavo r was made ?

This is true concerning the N egro in America In .

view o f these facts it may be sai d that i f any people

,

have eve r won the consideration o f a C hristian na

tion the A merican Negro has because o f his e fforts
, ,

under disadvantages the greatest and because o f the,

success which he has been enabled to achieve L ying .

b ack o f present conditions it should not be lost sight

,

of that the Negro is at least worthy o f ou r gratitude

because o f his centuries o f unrewarded toil but es ,

p ecia lly since his freedom has ,

the Negro proved his
worth by his struggles to ascend to the highest at
tainm ent possible and that too in t h e face o f giant
, , ,

di fficulties which he has mastered and mastered in ,

spite o f every possible handicap A situation like .

this a ffords a broad b asis of encouragement and

hopefulness .

That a movement similar to the one already named

i n b ehal f o f the entire race o f Negroes would elicit
fresh energy on the part o f the race in its own be
hal f and in turn stimulate it to newer e x ertion
, , , ,

seems certai n from ou r knowledge o f the Negro .

I nstea d o f creating undue assertion on the part o f

 TH E WH I TE MA N S ’
B URDE N 1 83

the N e g ro as some are dis p ose d to thin k i t woul d

, ,

beget an hum b l e gratitude and immensel y rela x the

,

strained relations between the two races whit e and ,

b lac k B ythe N eg ro it would be hai led as an omen

.

o f b etter things and as an advent o f conditions that

,

would restore confidence and a spi rit o f restfulness .

In view o f a prospect li k e thi s there i s the am p lest

‘

encouragement fo r action U nless there b e a desi re

.

f o r a continuation o f racial tension and a perpetua

tion o f conditions that will be productive o f race dis
harmony some movement for the relie f o f the p res
,

ent situation wi ll have to b e inau gurated whi ch will

guarantee p rotection to the Negro and a fford such ,

ai d as will enabl e him to b ecome o f the greatest pos

s ible advantage to himsel f and to the country at
large R ancor and prej udice are the teeth o f drag
.

ons the harvests o f which will p roduce fresher and

g raver pro b lems fo r other generations to solve To .

adopt a course which w ill gradually p ropitiate publi c

sentiment is th e policy wisdom woul d now recom
mend prudence suggest and sanity dictate P resent
, ,
.

t roubles will not b e rel ieved b y delay b ut fostered ,

the rathe r and i n dispassionate conduct in the crea

, ,

tion o f mutual con fi dence li es ou r only hope W e

,
.

may e act drasti c l egi slation for the control o f the

n

N egro but what then ? That only m eans the culti

,

vation o f a new crop o f criminals who i n a desperate ,

and h ardene d condition are turned loos e anew on

soci ety to foster fresh crimes and per p etrate new
,

deeds o f w rong W hat would b e the conse q uenc e

.
 W H I T E MA N S URDE N
’
1 84 TH E B

of ?
that condition The lawless N egro invites coun
ter lawlessness on the part o f the white man and ,

demoralizatio n in divers forms b ecomes a routine in

, ,

every S outhern community .

L oo k ing further into the sources o f encourage

ment we find certain other auguries o f inspiration
,
.

I n an impoverished condition the N egro emerged , ,

in 1 86 5 from slavery and unmurmuringly faced the

, ,

future H is has been a steadily and laboriously up

.

ward clim b W hile some other races would have

.

disintegrated unde r the stress and strain the N egro ,

has continued to multiply W ithin fifteen years after .

the advent o f freedom the Negroes had increased ,

from to and by the end o f the

nineteenth century o r by 1 90 0 the increase was
, ,

per cent o r ,
T he next census will reveal
that the N egro race has gon e to o r ab out
one eighth o f the population o f the country N egroes
-
.

have thriven and increased in spite o f the innum er

able disadvantages encountered The Negro rac e .

is virile prolific and flexible and re sponds in ad

, , ,

j ustment to all conditions b ut all the while it mul ,

t ip lies .

W hat p rogress has t h e race made meanwhil e ?

W ithin twenty fiv e years a fter em ancipation this

-

penniless population o f ignorant b lack s though ,

meetin g opposition at every step o f the way ha d ,

reached that stage o f progress that h ad come

to own homes of thei r own and o f them ,

were engaged in profita b le vocations 34 per cent o f ,

 TH E WH I T E M A N S B U R DEN 1 85
’

w h om w ere a g r i cu l t u ral la b orers farmers an d ove r

,

seers Amon g thes e were those o f such e x ce p t i ona l

.

a b ility and mana gement that b eginnin g as s h are

, ,

tenants they
, b ecam e cash tenants t hen p artl y own ,

ers o f p roperty and fi nally com p lete owners The

, .

merit o f such p rogress becomes more consp icuous

when w e b ear in mind that thirty five years b e fore -
,

they we re ignorant and poverty stric k en and in the -

,

stru ggle to accumulate they had met w it h the mi ght

,

iest o f disadvantages .

Acco rding to the cens u s o f 1 90 0 o r t h i rt y five ,

-

years a fte r the dawn o f freedom the N e g roes ha d ,

ac q ui red i n the South Central S tates f arms ,

while the tenants o f land num b ered or

p er cent o f all the farms w ithi n that group o f states .

W ithin the same perio d o f thi rty five years the N e -

,

groes in the S outh Atlantic States had ac q uired

f arms o f whi ch num b e r
, w ere tenants ,

and were owners outright Yet three and a .

hal f decades b e fore not o ne o f thes e i n either o f the

group o f states named owned an inch o f land o r a
,

dollar in money It is a remark a b le fact t h at the

.

growth o f land owners amon g th e N egroes with in ,

the same p eriod o f years was three fourths as ra p i d

,
-

as the relative num b e r o f owners amon g the whites .

The total value o f N egro farm p roperty i n the grou p

al ready named amounted to an d in
cludin g imp rovem ents it amounte d to $ 3
,

to w h i c h w h en the valuation o f im p lements and l iv e

stock are added app roximate in value
 W H I TE M A N S URDEN
’
1 86 TH E B

Ten years ago o r when the last nationa l census

,

was taken there were in V i rgini a

,
Negro
land owners ; in M ississippi in T exas , ,

in South C arolina in North C aro

,

lina ,
in A labama in A rkansas
, ,

in G eorgia in Tennessee
, ,

i n Louisiana in Florida in " entucky , ,

in M aryland in W est V i rginia 534;

, ,

i n D elaware 332 and in the D istrict of C olumbia 5

, , ,
.

N or does this list include real estate owned in the

towns and cities in which there are thousands of
,

establishments of busin ess inc luding stores o ffices

, , ,

banks O ffice b uildings residences for rent hotels

, , , ,

churches and much else T his represents the prop

, .

erty sho w ing of the Negro ten years ago and his ,

holdings have rapidly increased since that time I f .

so much was done during the first generation fol

lowing the yea r o f emancipation w hen the Negro ,

was deficient in intelligence wisdom experience and , , ,

forethought what may we reasonably expect o f him

,

within the nex t generation ?

W idely scattered through the states of the S outh ,

thi s p rogress has gone quietly on and so quietly , ,

that to many it was an occasion of surprise when

the census rep orts were published W hile unaware .

of these facts the public was duly i nfo rmed o f the

,

fa ults and crimes o f the worst class o f Negroes as ,

these expressions o f lawlessness were exploited in

the public prints o f the country This suggests the .

fact that i f the merits of the worthy Negroes were

 W H I TE MA N S B URDEN
’
TH E 1 87

as we ll k nown as the crimes o f th e few and they the ,

wo rst the sentiment o f the publi c concernin g the col

,

o re d rac e would be vastly di ff erent It is an unfo r .

tunate fact that one o f the principal assets o f the

race q uestion is that o f the mutual i gnorance o f both

races concerning one another The g ravest o f q ues
.

tions b efo re the American public i s the one about

which least is k nown .

The educational strides made b y the N e g ro are

as astonishing as are those made in material p rog
ress Among the commendable aspi rations o f the
.

N egro is that o f the acquisition o f an education .

T he sacrifices made by Negro parents for th e edu

cation o f thei r chil dren are alike patheti c and p raise

worthy In consequence o f this i lliteracy among

.
,

Negroes has annually declined I n 1 880 o f the .

,

Negro p opulation above ten years o f age 70 per ,

cent was illiterate B y the end o f the next decade

.
,

or i n 1 890 thi s illiteracy had b een reduced to

,

pe r cent and b y the close o f the century it was re

,
”

duced to per cent D ur i ng the last ten yea rs

.

o f the nineteenth century there was an increase o f

,

the N egro population o f i n the school age

o f ten years and over ; yet desp ite this increase
, ,

there was a decrease o f illiteracy o f This

tells the sto ry o f pinched livelihoods untold sacri ,

fice frugal ity struggl e and aspi rat i on

, ,
T hese facts .

li e within the realm o f unwritten history b ut the ,

a ggregation o f d ry figures means much o f whi ch

the world can neve r k now I f so much has b ee n
.
 1 88 TH E W H I TE M A N S ’
B URDEN

done in the face o f discouragement by the N eg ro ,

what might have been accomplished had the condi

tions been the O pposite ?
F rom some to who m these facts are k nown have ,

come the suggested apprehension o f that which is

p opularly known as Negro supremacy S uch a sug .

gestion is unworthy the C aucasian T o quote the .

“
language o f another Southerner " The old cry
‘ ’
that white supremacy may be imperilled is a trav
esty o f A nglo S axon chivalry W ith every ex ecu -
.

tive j udicial and legislative o ffice o f the state in the

, ,

hands o f the white p eople and with su ffrage qualifi ,

cations that have practically eliminated the Negro

from political a ffai rs the old slogan is the emptiest ,

cant .

“
T his i s no question for small pol iticians but for ,

broad patriotic statesmen I t is not one for non

,
.

resi dent theorists but fo r practical publicists ; not ,

o n e for academic sentimentalists but one fo r clear ,

visioned humanitarians On a subj ect o f such vital .

concern to state and nation passionate declamation ,

and partisan d enunciation are to be deplored Oh .

,

that some patriot may arise with the prescience o f ,

a statesman and the vision o f a prophet and the soul

o f an apostl e who will p oi nt out the path of a na
,

t io nal duty and guide our people to a wi se and

heaven approved solution o f this mighty

-

*
F rom d el iv ere d b y B i sh op Ch arl es B Gall o
an a dd re ss .
.

w ay o f the M E
,
C hu ch S o uth o n the o cc asi on o f t he
. . r , ,

S v enth A nnu al C o nf
e nc f r E duc ati on in the S outh B ir
e re e o ,

m ingham A la A p ril 26 1904,

.
, , .
 TH E WH I T E M A N S ’
B URD EN 1 89

N othing can be e ffected by constant i l l spea k in g

against the N egro and by an underestimate o f hi s
,

worth I f w e are eve r to b e g in the solution o f the

.

N egro q uestion it must start b y shi ftin g p rej udice to

a basi s o f recognized O bligation o f duty to him as a
man and o f right and j ustice to him in the sphere s
,

in whi ch he moves T o s p ea k o f expedi en cy as a

.

course to b e pursued i s to ignore these fundamental

ethical grounds unless indeed we b ear i n m ind
, , ,

that p ri nciple i s the path o f highest expediency .

W hen ten m illion E thiop ians i n these American

states stretch fo rth thei r hands to the Christians o f
America what reply will they ma k e
,
? W hen they
as k fo r ai d will we reply with a taunt o r a b low ?
W hen they endeavo r to rise in the scale o f being ,

will we see k to rep el them ? W hen they aspi re to

worth shall we close to the m the doo r o f oppo rtu
,

nity ? W hen by sacrifice and painful e ffort in the ,

face o f fi erce competition they q ual i fy themselves

,

fo r e fficient service shall they b e regarded as rivals

, ,

and be driven out o f legitimate pursuits ?

It wi ll b e remem b ered that i n the early part o f

the year 1 90 9 there was a strike o f remonstrance
,

on the part o f the white engineers on the G eorgia

R ailroad b ecaus e the managem ent o f that corpora
“
tion was seeking to place them on the same equality
”
with the N egro The demand was extended so as
.

to em b race the i dea that the Negro firemen be elim i

nated and stipulat e d for othe r m inor concessions .

N ot a l ittl e viole nc e o f divers sorts follo w ed an d ,

1 90
1 TH E WH I TE MA N S ’
B URDEN

for weeks the enti re country was engrossed with

,

the a ffair T hat this should have occurred in

.

Georgia which had so long been considered one o f

,

the most conservative states of the South and that ,

i t should have come so soon after the notorious out

break in the city of A tlanta lent increased interest ,

to the matter A s a result of the strike violence

.
,

was visited on not a few colored men the trains ,

w ere stopped the mails ceased general business was

, ,

interfered with provisions became scarce along the

,

road and general disorder prevailed

, .

After weeks o f disturbance it was agreed to sub ,

mit the question in dispute for settlement to a , ,

board of arbitration composed o f C hancellor D avid

C B arrow o f the U niversity o f Georgia ; H on
.
, .

H ilary A H erbert secretary o f the navy under

.
,

C leveland and H o n T W H ardwick congressman

, . . .
,

from A ug usta who represented the firemen T he

,
.

decision o f the board was j ust and equitable it being ,

that the railroad shall be allowed to employ Negro

firemen whenever the same are qualified to render
e fficient service and that the wages o f the Negroes
,

thus employed shall be the same as that of the whites

fo r the same character o f service T he proceedings .

o f the board thus appointed were watched with keen

interest throughout and when the final decision was
,

announced the expressions which came from the

,

press of the country showed not alone the interest

felt in the matter but voiced a sentiment that was
,

rati fying and disclosed the latent thought o f the

g ,
 TH E WH I T E M A N S URDEN
’
B 1 91

pu b li c concerning the N egro S o u th as wel l as

, ,

N orth S om e o f those exp ressions are given here

.

to sho w the s entiment concerning the Negro not ,

only but within thes e exp ressions o f op inio n are

,

indi cations o f conditions which i f marshalled and

organized would settl e many elements i n the much
vexed race question T he extracts are furnished
.

from som e o f the representative papers o f the South

as w ell as o f the North .

T he C olumbia ( S C ) S fate commended the

. .

action o f the board and then p roceeded to say

,
’

“
T o have deci ded against the right o f the Negro
firemen to make a living to have yielded to the un
,

reasonable and selfish and prej udiced demands o f

the white firemen o f the Georgi a R ailroad to have ,

yielded the crucial point o f j ustice and right would ,

have been nothing less than a calamity not only to ,

”
Georgi a but to the S outh .

F rom another po int o f vi ew i s the question con

sidere d by the C hattanooga ( T enn ) T im es which .
,

“
i nsisted that the decision means that in vi e w o f the
most influential leaders among Southern men the ,

Negro shall have a right to earn a l iving in the

South i n any sphere o f manual o r technical labo r fo r
”
which he may be fit .

T he A ugusta ( Ga ) C hro nicle which was on the

.
,

scene o f the disturbance takes a more co m p rehen

,

“
sive view o f the s ituation I t sai d .Inasmuch as ’

’
the Negro constitutes the bulk o f the S outh s labo r
ing popu lation to take away from him the right to
,
1 92 TH E W H I TE MA N S B URDEN
’

‘
labo r s ide by side with the white man when
-
’
-

necessary would place the heaviest possible handi

,

cap upon the S outh itself ; for it would not only have
a surplus o f idle N egroes to contend with but a ,

”
scarcity o f labor in all industrial pursuits .

Other southern papers were equally as pro

nounced but these are furnished as fai r samples
,

o f S outhern sentiment regarding the Negroes in thi s

unnatural and unj ustified revolt .

T ur n ing now to the North quotations are made

,

from some o f the leading j ournals o f that quarter .

The New York E vening P ost pronounced the deci

“
sion of the arbitrators a grati fying triumph o f
common sense and common honesty W hile the
B oston Transcript regarded the settlement with a
goodly degree o f doubt an d called the decision a
“ —
two edged sword it mani fested an interest which
,

showed that a regard for the Negro and his welfare

retains a firm hold on the public mind I t s aid .

“
Outwa rdly this appears like a splendi d exhibition
o f fai r play between the two races but p ractically ,
.

whenever an employer i s compelled by statute o r by ,

agreement with labor unions o r by public s entiment

-
,

to equalize wages in disregard o f economi c law the ,

result is usually that he takes the class which coul d

”
only be had at the high er figure .

The New York W orld took the vie w that in the

long run it is the white labor o f the South that will
’
profit most from the Negro s economic equality
“
and then proceeds to sa y when such equality 18
 TH E W H I TE MA N S URDEN
’
B 93

established white la b or has nothin g to fea r from

,

N egro competition The superior intelligence o f

.

the white man and his g reater productive capacity

are a continuing insurance against hi s displacement .

In the higher ran k s o f arti sans and mechanics only

a relatively small number o f N e g roes will attain the
w hite standard b ut the door o f h 0 pe wil l b e closed
,

to no man .

“
B ut i f the N egro is to b e discriminated against
on a wage b asi s merely because he is a Negro an
, ,

i rrepressible industrial conflict i s created i n which

white la b or is bound to lose The cheaper labo r .

will drive the higher p riced la b or out o f employ

-

ment j ust as slave labor brought the p oo r whites

,

to shi ftlessness and degradation .

“
E q ual pay fo r equal work for white and blac k ,

ali k e i s the only road to industrial security fo r the

,

white la b or o f the S outh O n this i ssue the N e

.

’ ’
gro s cause is the white man s cause .

The N ew Yor k Tribune too k up the matte r in a

“
mo re j udicial sp irit and expressed the thought that
i t is b y no means certain the deci sion will eliminate
” “
the Negro and continued b y saying E ven at the
same wages employers may p re fer to employ a cer
tain proportion o f Negroes b ecause the N egro i s ,

not unionized and the p rospect o f labor troubles

,

will b e lessened M oreover wh ite labo r is not

.
,

a b undant in the South and the Negro m ay find hi s

,

O pportunity fo r that reason I t i s interesti ng to se

.
e

the fi rst appearance in the S outh o f this f a o ite v r

 WH I TE MA N S URDEN
’
1 94 TH E B

device o f the labor unions to crowd out cheap er

-

labor W ith regard to the labor o f women in the

.

North the unions have adopted the same equal pay

attitude ; i n unionized trades women must receive
the same wages as men No doubt we shall hear
.

more o f the same doctrine in the S outh Its e ffect .

i f generally put in force would be problematical

there I n some trades it might mean preference
.

fo r the cheaper N egro labor and the elimination o f

the whites T hat would be impo ssible on the rail
.

roads however since white firemen must be re

, ,

tained in o rder to recruit en gineers from their

”
rank s .

W hile these expressions were generally favorable ,

t h ere were not wanting some papers which rep re

sent a lesser aspect o f thought which expressed un
favorable comment on the decision reached by the
board o f arbitrators B ut this was to be expected
.
,

as the source represented that which was unfavor

able to the Negro The fact that this emergency
.

was possible in the states o f the South shows the ,

necessity o f the timely interposition o f j ust such a

force as was here called into requisition the charac ,

ter o f which will be needed again as future exigen

cies will arise B ut the fact that the Negro was
.

vindicated on the basis o f merit alon e is a favorable ,

augury As he increases in importance and indus

.

trial value he will need more and more t h e i nter

,

p osition o f the b etter c l ass o f w h i tes .

 TH E WH I TE M A N S B U R DE N
’
1 95

O ne o f the di fficulties respectin g the relations of

the two races i s that the large worthy class o f N e
groes come but rarely into contact with the better
elements o f the white population o f the South .

Thei r pursuits and vocations l i e apart i n di stinct

Spheres o f action an d but l ittl e is known o f that
,

which each i s doin g E vents already named sev

.

ered them and the disposition to recount only the

,

misdeeds o f the unworthy Negroes has built up a

partition b etween the two races I nduce d into co .

O peration with the b est whites this highe r and

,

worthier class o f Negroes are in position to render

e ffectual aid i n relieving the s ituation o f much o f
its stress A ny specific movement lookin g in that
.

di rection on the part o f the philanthrop ic white men

would be hailed as a happy augury by thi s class o f
-

Negroes who are i n position to assist as no other

,

agency can It would seem that nothing short o f

.

a general popula r movement which woul d b ring into

exe rcise the b est o f both races wi ll rel ieve the s itua
,

tion i n the S outh and the impo rtance o f a move

,

ment li k e thi s woul d suggest that i t not b e delayed .

T he worth whi ch the Negro has establ ished in the

S outh makes it important that some action be ta k en
i n hi s b ehal f H e i s not w ithout thousands o f
.

friends amo ng the better peopl e o f the S outh but ,

the sentiment i s dissipated and uno rganized The .

time must come soone r o r late r when th e matter

must claim the attention o f th e b est people of the
 WH I TE MA N S B URD E N
’
1 96 TH E

country in a more g eneral and generous way tha n it

*
has yet done .

* ’
k
I n T he W o r s W o r for O tob er, 1909, in a b r ef s e
ld c i k tch
g en o f R ob er S Lo e t, the s esso r to“ M r H arr m an
iv t . v t ucc . i ,

app ears the fo o w ng ll i u d of h d

M r H arr m an s i ’
n e r t he ea .

C ef o f S aff
hi t
”

O ne day as s m m er " g e L o e re e e f rom a com

l t u ud v tt c iv d
“

m itt ee o f p ro m nen z ens o f H o s on, T ex as, a o ng e er

i t citi ut l l tt
ki
as ng a he m ak e it his b s ness t o see
th t u i a w e m en be th t hit
g en the fi rs
iv an e to fi
t ch c a an es in t he sw
ll v c ci ng ar s itchi
y d
at H o s onut c u d ya se b t he ropp ng o f N eg roes I n his rep
d i . ly
he oo t k u p and em o s e the reasons set fo r b the
d li h d ‘ ’
th y
citi z ens T he o n
. c cludi ng p arag rap s o f t he e er are w o r
h l tt th
q o ng as an
u ti illu t ti
s ra on o f t he m anner o f the m an s m n i d ’

in ea ng w
d li p b
ith u lic u ti
q e s ons
A th e r reaso n g en in t he p e
iv o n f ro m the
titi z citi
“‘
no ens
u t
o f H o s o n is,
“
W e be e e a p os
li v th t o n s p a ng t he w ag es
iti yi
th e se p o s iti h uld an s o f w
h d hit
”
ons do s o b e in the e m en .

T s s mp
hi i ly m eans a N e g ro e s s a
th t h ll
no t b e a o e ll w d
t o do
w o rk a p a s g oo w ag es w ene er ere are w e m en
th t y d h v th hit
w ho w an t he job
t W ere is t he ne t o be raw n p on the
h . li d u
ra e o f w ag e s an d t he
t nki do f ab o r t he N e g ro s a
l b e al h ll
lowe ? I f
d thi c
s o m p an m s n ot em p o
y u t l y th
em as s m en, w itch
m ay e b e em p o e as se on m en, p o r e rs, saw m
th y l y d cti t an s, ill h d
br ic k l y
a ers, team stersh w are o se ab o re rs, b arb e rs, g ar ene rs,
h u l d
f arm e rs o r in an y o f t he o er p p rsuit s in w ch e must
, th hi th y
lab o r t o liv
e? It
wo be j s as r g
uld “

u t i ht
and reaso na b e to l
rep a e t he N eg ro in any o f
l c th
e se o p a ons w w e m en,
ccu ti ith hit
s mp
i ly c u b e a se the a er w an the job as t o rep a e the N eg ro
l tt t ,
l c
s w itch m en o f thi c
s om p an , w ho are
y o ng e r w or
d i th i we , k ll
w w e m en, m ere b e a se e w an t he p o s ons
ith hit ly c u th y t iti .

I
f the p o
‘
rg e
licy thu u d u
s p o n s o m p an is t o b e the
thi c y
po licy o f the S o o w ar
uth t the N e g ro ; f he is t o be a o w e
d i ll d
t o do o n ly uch l
s ab o r as no w e m an w
hit ill
do an d re e e ,
c iv
on ly uch
s w ag es as no w e m an w an s, w a is to b e om e
hit t h t c
o f t he N eg ro e s ? H o w are e th y
to e? liv oo F d
and o es cl th
th y u t h v I
e m s a e f not b ab o r how are e to get t he
. y l th y
c i
ne e ssar e s o f f e ? H ng er m s and w b e satisfied
li u u t ill
p r so ns and a n g ang s no
i ch i -
t w ith t di
s an ng .

f e r m os aref and resp e f

At
‘
t c ul ct ul c id ti
o ns e ra on s, no n e
o f the re asons s gg e s e u t d
and no ne I h v
a e b e en ab e t o n l thi k
o f j s fi es m e t o
u ti c
om m ng
itti thi c
s o m p an y
in any w ay t o a
po licy fra g wu ht ith uch s far- rea ng chi c u c
o n se q en e s an d so
m uch O pp o sed t o my Ow n sense o f j s e to fa
u tic f ith ul
se v ant s
’
r .

"ud g e L ov et t is a South ern m an h avi ng b een b orn and ,

reared 1n T ex as .
 C H APT E R X V .

GR O U N D LE S S I
T H E OR E S O F APP R E H E N SI O N .

It i s interestin g to compare the p redictions made

b y many in the outset o f N egro freedom i n the
“

S outh when the N eg ro was penniless and friend

,

less and was turned loose wit h a liberty which was

,

a positive embarrassment to him with the theories ,

which came to prevai l after he began to realize the

force o f the meanin g o f his liberation and entered ,

o n a course o f steady advancement i n i ntellectual

imp rovem ent and material development At fi rst .

,

he was deemed incapa b le o f advancement and the ,

p rediction was made that he would become an incu

bus and a b urden to society b ecause o f his incapacity .

It was honestly b elieved b y not a f ew that he would

b e una b le to cope with existing conditions i n the
scrambles o f l i fe and that his dri ft woul d b e toward
,

paganism In the initial stages o f freedom his e fforts

.

were crude and b ungling and were a source o f much

,

merriment B ut as he has pursued his torturous

.

way mani festing first o f all an avidity fo r lea rn in g

,

in the schools and as he has turned to p ractical ac

,

count the slight advantages within hi s reach and has ,

gradually gained a footing in l i fe p rosper i n g as he ,

has gone o p inions have under gone a radica l chan g e

, ,

I 97
 1 98 TH E W H I TE MA N S B URDEN ’

and favorable sentiment is now turning toward him .

T he anomalous position and condition o f the race

exposed i t to the curious gaze o f the public as eve ry ,

one was anxious to see what i t would be able to make

o f its novel freedom As the race has pursued its .

way procuring what was a fforded by the educa

,

t ional facilities placed at its disposal building ,

homes building houses o f worship and manning

, ,

them with a ministry trained in the schoo ls bought ,

lands and tilled it with p rofit to itsel f and to the

state est ablished schools o f its own and conducted
, ,

them by the most approved means o f modern in -

struction s ending meanwhile its rep resentatives

, , ,

into the di fferent professions founded banks and ,

established stores many o f which are patroniz ed b y

,

the whites developed leaders of wisdom and o f

,

power w ho are slowly getting a grip on the race

,

fo r its improvement and as orators authors edi , , ,

to rs educators surgeons bankers managers hotel

, , , , ,

keepers planters and others have been developed

, ,

original predictions o f failure have been changed into

theories o f apprehension l est the race attain to an ,

importance which may not only bring it into acute

competition with the C aucasian race but occasion ,

such conditions as will result in race conflict .

Not a few have been the e fforts made by noisy lec

turers and prej udiced authors o f a certain type o f
,

literature to have it appear that the Negro is risin g

,

“
to such prominence as to imperil even white su
p r em acy H ad the original concept
. i ons b een r ealize d
 WH I TE MA N S URDEN
’
TH E B 1 99

respectin g the N egro he would have been des p ised

, ,

but no w that the opposite i s true he is by a given

, ,

class envied and feared V arious have been the ap

,
.

p rehensions ex p ressed i n the event o f certain contin

g encies concerning the p ro g ress o f the N e g ro b ut ,

i n every instance these have p roved g roundless with

,

the arrival o f the facts It has b een foun d that

.

these a pp rehen sions have b een more the results o f

the i m a g ination than those o f reali z ation As the .

gateways one b y one have opene d to the N e g ro he ,

has quietly entered them e fficiently done his wor k

, ,

and i t has been found that the world has a place f o r

the N egro and when he has reached i t he has fi tted
, ,

himsel f into it as do all other men The result o f

.

thi s has generally been an appreciation o f his adapta

bility and readiness to respond to conditions and ,

has served to evoke due m eed o f p raise The N egro

.

has not b een S low to acqui re much wisdom and to

learn many important lessons in the ups and downs
o f hi s career among whi ch i s that when they bring
,

to an assumed undertaking ability to accompl ish ,

there has not been withheld the p roper accord o f

merit As a result o f this steady condition all fears
.
,

have vanished and all theories have dissolved where

N egroes have b rought to tasks in li fe ability to ac
complish that to which they have s et thei r h ands .

O n e instance will se rve to illustrate others An .

intelligent an d p rudent young colored man a grad ,

uate from one o f the colored school s o f the S outh ,

went to a town in one o f the South Atlanti c states ,

20 0 TH E W H I TE MA N S ’
B URDEN

procured a piece o f land and began the erection of a

school buildi ng for the purpose o f teaching the
young Negroes o f that region the methods of agri
cultu ral industry H e was quietly waited on by a
.

body o f white citizens who after learning of his

,

purpose informed him that they were opposed to his

,

p roj ect as it would bode no good to the town no r to

, ,

the Negroes o f that region and advised him that he ,

must desist from further procedure H e assured .

them that no such conditions as those which they ap

preh ended would result and gave assurance th at if
,

he be allowed to proceed with his enterprise they ,

would have no occasio n to regret the reversal o f

thei r decision H is plea was so assuring and sub
.

missive with al that they agre e d to hold thei r objec

,

tions i n abeya nce an d aw ait the test The school .

building was completed and duly opened was con ,

tinued with increased use ful n ess from year to year ,

with such wholesome results o n the Negro p opula

tion o f that region and with so much financial profit
,

to the town that every worthy white citizen would

,

now protect i t against any attempted assault o r even

against adverse criticism .

I t is not from the worthy class o f blacks that

troubles come in the South W here they make .

themselves worthy and indispensabl e where they ,

can do things bet ter and for less money than can
others they are sought Such as these never fail
,
.

to make fo r thems elves positions o f respectability

which is duly accorded I n another Southern town
.
 WH I T E MA N S URDEN
’
TH E B

a well to do N egro casually passed two white men

- -

on the street T he Negro i s a thri fty business man

.
,

owning several houses for rent and a good planta

tion besi des a bank account o f which any o rdinary
,

citizen might feel proud A s he was passed one o f

.
,

“
the whites turned to the other and sai d I t is all I ,

can do to keep from call i ng that nigger M ister , .

The incident though tri fling i s not without abun

, ,

dance o f suggestion .

W hile the apprehension has materially lessened

because it has so o ften been eclipsed by concrete fact ,

yet it still lurks in many m inds that the better e q uip

ment o f the Negro intellectually would p rove an
inj ury to himsel f and to society at large ; but when
the e ffort is made to summon the facts in p roo f o f
this they are usually found wanting The Negro
,
.

takes the place which the worl d p rovi des for him .

H is e fficiency readily adapts him to his sphere .

W ith him it i s as true as i t is o f all others l i fe i s ,

what he makes it In no community in the S outh

.

do people su ffer in consequence o f Negroes who

know something and are prepared to do something .

The truth is that such are sought and will continue ,

to be N ot the slightest apprehension i s created by

.

the class o f w —
ell to do Negroes o f the South It i s
-
.

a noteworthy fact that no graduate from either

H ampton o r T uskegee has ever been accused o f even
the slightest improp ri ety o f conduct toward ladies .

I t is equally to the credit o f these school s and to the

w ork whi ch the y are doing fo r the colored race ,
20 2 TH E WH I TE MA N S ’
B URDEN

that none o f thei r graduates have been sentenced to

the penitentiary I f intelligence and general equip
.

ment are dangerous weapons in the hands of the

Negro the fact would long ago have been developed
,

by at least one o f thes e products from these schools .

Nor is it true that this class o f colored people are

unduly assertive and mandatory o f special rights and
favors A ll observation proves that they are usually
.

the quietest of the Negro population and the most ,

submissive to wrongs imposed T he culture acquired .

so disposes them T hat there may be exceptions o f

.

undue assumption is not denied I t would be most

,
.

marvelous i f this were not so B ut these slight ex .

cep tions i f they be do not p rove the rule as every

, , ,

well informed person in the S outh knows True

-
.
,

an exception respecting the Negro usually goes fur

ther than when commonly applied as to the conduct ,

o f one to the many yet the absence of the exceptions

,

means much .

It i s ordi narily the case that wherever one is able ,

b y dint o f e ffort and economy to buy and till land , ,

to found and maintain a home and to become a pro ,

ducer o f marketable commodities in a community ,

he is b y virtu e o f these facts a much better man and,

citizen Observation teaches that e fficiency and lit

.

e racyp romote thri ft sel f respect interest in the gen

,
-
,

eral welfare o f the community and strength of ,

character whether these pertain to the white red

, , ,

black o r sa ffron r aces o f men T o elevate men so .

that they can observe and think fo r the mselves and ,

 TH E WH I T E M A N S ’
B URDEN 29 3

act fo r themselves i s in fi nitely b etter than to repress

,

them by sheer force and control them by the stern

ness o f law As President B ooker T W ashin gton
. .

“
pithily puts it One man cannot hold another down
,

”
in the ditch without remaining down there himsel f .

Touching the race question it should always b e ,

b orne i n m ind that not only are there two races in

volved but two sides o f an issue as well W hat , .

ever benefi ts the N egro will bene fi t the white man ;

and contrariwis e whatever w or k s to the detriment
,

o f the one b y a law i nsepara b l e from the very condi

,

tion o f things wor k s to the detriment o f the othe r

,
.

The relation o f the two races ma k e this an inex or

a b le principle The races must stand o r fall to
.

g ether I f drasti c measures are employed to the

.

exclusion o f j ustice and mercy the reaction i s one ,

o f hardness and the general impairment o f cha r

acter on the part o f the infl icter In o rder to repres s .

the N egro we must necessarily depress the standar d

o f our own manhood W e may grati fy revenge b y
.

undue advantage ta k en b ut such grati fi cation reacts

,

in a tendency toward savagery with the certainty ,

o f an inexora b le law N o one can escape the con

.

sequences to characte r o f cherished sentiments an d

overt action To cheer ai d inspi re and relieve
.
, ,

broadens one while another is helped

,
.

H e is e ad d wh
o seh d
an is not op ene w d id e
h l d hu
T o e p t he n ee o f a m an b ro e r ; th
H e o b es t he en g
d u l l th o f his fe on g r li -
l id e
W ho o f his fo r ne g es t o ano er ;
tu iv th
 W H I TE MA N S B URDEN
’
20 4 TH E

A nd a th o u sand m illi o n liv es are his

W ho c a ri s t he w o ld in his sym p athi es
r e r .

T o d eny
I S to die .

As has already been pointed out from the dire ,

predictions of years ago o f the incapacity o f the

Negro there has come to pass in these later times
, , ,

an apprehension o f the industrial rivalry o f the

N egro I t is certainly not creditable to the A nglo
.

S axon with centuries o f culture and advantage be

,

hind him and with the most splendi d civilization the

,

world has ever known at his ready command to lisp ,

a syllable o f apprehension concerning the rivalry o f

the Negro in any particular I t is di fficult to deter .

mine which is more involved in such an app rehen

sion the conscious inferiority o f the C aucasian o r
,

a tremendous compliment to the lately enslaved -

Negro The A nglo Saxon who ventures to utter

.
-

such apprehension does his race great discredit In .

the multiplicity o f industrial opportunities a ffo rded ,

and in the vast untouched domain o f that which is

,

yet to be done it sounds like the refi nement o f sar

,
’

casm to express the slightest fear in b ehal f o f the

growing e fficiency o f the Negro It is not too .

much to say that i f the white man with all his ,

boundless advantages is to be surpassed by the

,

Negro with his numerous handicaps then he is

, ,

worthy of being excelled S O far from fearing the .

Negro there i s not an A nglo S axon who should not

,
-

from his exalted advantage be ready to inspire every

 TH E WH I TE M A N S ’
B URDEN 20 5

wo rthy N eg ro to do his b est i n p ersonal imp rove

m ent and for the publi c good .

B ut one o f the chiefest o f the concerns in the

m inds o f some in the states o f the S outh is that of ,

the assertion o f the N egro in his ambition to

,

attain to e q uality in social l i fe Possibly no app re

.

hension i s more far fetched and strained than this

-

one Certainly none i s more groundless yet it has

.
,

b e en a popular bugaboo for almost a gene ration .

F o r years i t has b een a favorite slogan o f the stump

i n the lips o f the paltry dem a gogue It has fur .

nished to the cheap lectu rer on the platform not a

little o f prej udicial material and to a certain class

,

o f m ercenary authors o f sensational novels it has ,

b een an occasion o f bonanzas It distur b s not the

.

class o f peopl e whose wi dth o f i n formation and o f

o b servat i on j usti fi es no such apprehension They .

see no occasion o f such fear N o r i s there occa

.

sio ned with this c l as s othe r than ridicule b ecaus e o f

the entertainment o f a fear li k e this .

Ce rtainly there has b een nothing on the part o f

the Negro to j usti fy it I f such assertion shoul d b e
.

made it would com e fi rst from the class o f intelli

gent and p rogressive b lack s W e shoul d loo k natu
.

rally fi rst in that d i rection fo r such a demonstration .

H as i t b een made ? Are they not real l y th e b est

be h aved and the least demonstrative o f the N egro
peo p l e ? In thi s respect they have occasioned no
more trou b l e than they have in any other They .
20 6 TH E WH I TE MA N S B URDE N ’

are orderly and uni formly polite and more concess

ive than any others I n j ustice to the educated
.

N egro and to hi s credit let this testimony be borne

, .

Perhaps the apprehension is due chiefly to certain

exp ressions o f protest on the part o f N egro es as ,

occasionally but seldom made because o f the gross ,

inj ustice experi enced by them on the common car

riers .T hey have not resisted the s eparation o f the
“ ”
races into jim crow compartments but they have ,

protested against the inferiority o f the accommod a

tions sometimes yea o ftentimes a fforded and the
, , ,

unj ust discrimination o f certain corporations by

declining to p rovide equal fac ilities o f comfort fo r
a uni form rate o f travel Alike by most o f the .

Southern states and cities there has been adopted

the method o f separate apartments on the common ,

carriers fo r the two races with the theoretical pro

, ,

vision o f uni form facilities for uniform rates Yet .

i t is a fact commonly known that while the fares ,

have been uni form the facilities o f com fort have

,

not been At times Negroes have p rotested against

.
,

this discrimination and j ustly So far from this ex

, .

p ression on the part o f the Negro exciting appre

hension and opposition lest it savo r o f demands of
,

social equal ity it should excite our app reciation o f

,

the N egro B ecause he does thus insist o n f ai r

.

treatment at the hands o f the corporations we ,

shoul d the more respect him H e has a clea r right .

for that fo r which he has paid and a chivalrous ,

pu b li c sentiment shou l d interpose to see to it that

 W H I TE MA N S URDEN
’
TH E B 20 7

g reedy co rpo rations b e not allowe d to ta k e advan

tage o f the N egro b ecause he I S one N o g enuinely .

chi valrous white man would su ff e r a N egro to b e

op en ly ro bb ed b e f ore his eyes on the street no r ,

would he without p rotest witness undue advantage

taken o p enly o f an ignorant N egro in the purchase
o f goods Yet when the N egro rais es a p rotest
.

against mistreatment on the railway lines it i s o ften ,

construed as an exp ression o f undue assertion on his

part and as indicating a desi re fo r riding in a mixed
,

condition with the whites S o fa r as th e present

.

w riter i s in formed the separation i s p referabl e to

,

t h e N e g ro p rovi ded the conditions b e on an equit

,

a b le basis o f fare and com fort The protest on the

.

part o f the N egro against un fai r treatment no more

means a craving f o r social e q uality than does hi s
deman d f o r value rece i ve d i n a m ercantil e esta b l ish
ment .

Th i s b u gb ear o f a des i re on the p art o f t h e N egro

fo r social equal ity li k e certain others exi sts chiefly
, ,

i n the imagination W hen the N e g ro shall b egin

.

to p u b li sh b oo k s and pa p ers in the interest o f social

equality when he shall teach it i n his schools and
, ,

inculcate i t f rom his pulpits then may we ta k e cogni

,

z ance o f i t b ut not ta k e counsel o f our f ears merely

, ,

and b r i n g a ra i l i n g acc u sat i on a ga i nst t h e blac k man .

 C H AP T E R X VI .

O ME N S OF P R O M I SE .

The years o f race agitation in the South have not

been without the production o f certain results which
are advantageous in thei r bearing on the future set
tlem ent o f the question Certain features have be
.

come distinct every one o f which is suggestive o f

,

the general course to be pursued in the fi nal settl e

men t o f the problem I n addition to thes e are other
.

existing indications which seem fraught with en ~

co uragem ent among which may be named that o f

,

the growth o f the division o f sentiment among the

whites o f the states o f the S outh T hat is to say .
,

while for a period there was no such division as was

percep tible there are those who are now the pro
,

no unced fri ends o f the Negro and the number i s ,

steadily increasing H eretofore most o f the dis

.

eussions o f the question were not altogether fri endly

to him and many o f them were decidedly unfavor

,

a b le many are rising up to be heard in his defense ,

,

from di fferent points o f observation T his i s due .

to more than one cause one o f which i s a growin g

,

conviction that the policy of repression so long pu r

sued is in certain respects a mistaken one and must ,

be exchanged for one o f encouragement and o f in

20 8
 WH I TE MA N S B U R DE N
’
TH E 20 9

citement to attain to the utmost p ossi b i l it y o f

a chieve ment .

That there i s a b ility i n the N egro race has b een

a b undantly demonstrated H o w much more clearly
.

that demonstration m igh t have been but fo r the ,

conditions o f circumscription o ften imposed on the

N egr o cannot now b e determ ined ; b ut on e thing i s
clearly mani fest namely that the leadership devel
, ,

oped by the race has b een o f mani fold benefi t in the

d i rection o f the forces o f the race M ore than it .

i s aware the publi c is indebted to that leadership fo r

,

the frequent services rendered i n di recting the race

away from courses from which society woul d have
su ffered had certain contingenci es arisen Portu .

nately al i k e fo r the N egro and society at large

, ,

there i s an unusual sanity which has all along domi

nated that l eadership W hil e its course has ex
.

cited the confidence o f the race which it rep resents ,

i t has commanded the esteem o f all the white friends

o f the N egro W hile those leaders m ight have
.

s eized on certain excited j unctures fo r expressions

o f violence in o rde r to sti r i mprope r passion thei r ,

policy has b een to turn the gaze o f the race to the

possibilities o f the future and have sought to arouse
,

its impulses to the performance o f deeds whi ch every

sincere citizen has b een fo rced to applaud H o w .

ever much such leadership may have deplor ed cer

tain violent an d uncalled fo r exhibitions its infl u

-
,

ence has b een thrown to the better si de o f tu rning

eac h occasion to p ractical b ene fi t The influence o f

.
 WH I TE M A N S URDEN
’
2 10 TH E B

those leaders has b een lent to peace and su b miss i on

rather than to retaliation T he utter inutility of re
.

taliation and its folly have be en duly appreciated .

T o have been betrayed into a course o f attempted

retaliation would have occasioned an outbreak of
interracial flames the final result o f which has been
,

cl early foreseen by those i n the front fil e .

T ru e these leaders have not escaped much harsh

,

criticism at the hands o f some even o f thei r own ,

race because of the pursuit o f this poli cy but it has

, ,

been those o f the more impetuous who have failed ,

to catch the ear o f thei r people and have e q ually

fai led to win them from the di rection o f the more

prudent and sagacious W hile the notives o f the
.

wiser have not escaped impugnment and while at ,

tempts have been made to reduce the strengt h o f

thei r influence with the masses o f the race their pol ,

icy has been unchecked their course unbrok en All

, .

this has not failed to attract the attention and to

command the admiration o f the more thoughtful
o f the whites and has served to increase thei r z eal
,

i n behal f o f the Negro race T he p recipitation o f

.

tumult no matter for what cause would place the

, ,

Negro at a tremendous disadvantage Challengin g .

the admiration and confidence o f the b etter whites ,

who h ave shared in the disapprobation o f the vio

lence against the Negro these same leaders have
,

succeeded i n building up increased interest in behal f

o f thei r race the result o f which has been that
,

w rongs which were unnoti ced at one time now clai m

 W H I T E MA N S URDEN
’
TH E B 211

p ro found attention and arouse deep indignation B y .

reason o f conditions li k e these the loftier tone o f

se ntiment i n the South i s steadily turning toward
the wel fare o f the Ne g ro race From sources here .

to fore s i lent are now coming p ronounced sentiments

i n favo r o f the Negro and with a vigo r and force
,

which a re destined to tell for good on the future o f

the colored race I n addition to this the leadin g
.
,

p ress o f the country is manifesting signs o f i nterest

in the N egro s behal f which seem to promis e much
’

fo r his future good .

To two p rincipal causes are the conditions no w

operating in the S outh fo r interracial improvement
, ,

due O ne o f these is the emphati c worth o f the

.

N egro himsel f H e is b ecoming growingly use ful

.

i n the varied pursuits into whi ch he has entered ,

and i n the accumulation o f p roperty i s becoming a ,

taxpayer and is showing increased interest in gen

,

eral a ffai rs H is quiet and unostentatious attention

.

to business and hi s readiness to respond to any

,

publi c o r general good a re acting powerfully fo r

,

the benefit o f the race Thi s tendency i s being met

.

by a revival o f interest in behal f o f the N egro which ,

interest i s being shown by the higher typ e o f whites .

Another o f the p rincipal causes mentioned i s due

to a sociological change which was occasioned i n
the S outh i n consequence o f the chaoti c conditions
p roduced by the Civi l W ar W ith th e overthro w .

o f slavery in the South came the crash o f its in

dustrial system Alon g with this too came a de
.
, ,
 W H I TE M A N S B URDE N
’
2 12 TH E

cline o f the i nfluence o f the aristocratic class—the

o riginal slave owners Then too wit h the sub .
, ,

sidence fo r a period o f years o f thi s aristocratic

, ,

influence there came into partial and temporary

,

p rominence men o f a lesser class o f influence whose

,

conditions fitted them the more to grapple with the

conditions o f the tumultuous times than the men of

the aristocracy M any o f this latter class though

.
,

far less powerful came to political ascendancy and

,

to the domination o f publi c a ffai rs To this fact can .

be traced the decline of the power o f the South in

the leading councils o f the nation Once dominant .

i n these high circles the S outh has for a period o f

,

years been at a vast disadvantage because o f the

,

scarcity o f its greater spirits among the l eaders of

the U nion Not i n every insta nce but in most the
.
, ,

politician o f the South has succeeded the statesman

o f former days .

Now there i s a gradu al r easce n dency o f the bet

,

ter South That higher and dominant class o f other

.

years is coming again to the front T here is a grad .

ual revival o f a long suspended interest and the -

,

immediate descen dants o f the element which once

controlled the S outh are again rallying and resum
ing the station o f influence .

This class has never ceased to be the friends o f

t h e N eg ro H e has never had sincerer friends than
.

they They have understood him as have no oth

.

ers They know alike his weaknesses and hi s mer

.

i ts N or have they participated in the cruelties

.
 WH I T E M A N S B URDEN
’
TH E 2 13

which have been vi sited on him M ost fortunate .

for the Negro i s thi s reaction taking place j ust at

this time when the p rospects o f his p eopl e are
,

b rightening because o f the conditions named several

times i n the d iscussion whi ch has preceded N o r .

are conditions wantin g fo r bringing these fo rces

into contact W hi le the leaders recognize the im
.

portance o f k eeping the race well within itsel f i n its

i nherent p rogress and while they recognize the ne
,

cessity and the wi sdom o f the race thin k ing fo r

itsel f rather than have another race to thin k fo r

it at the same time it equally recognizes the imp o rt
, ,

ance o f keeping i n vital touch with the influential

members o f the stronger race B y means o f this
.
,

there is an exchange o f i deas from which comes a

p ropulsion o f force help ful to the Negro and it may ,

b e sai d equally help ful to the p hilanthropi c sp irit

o f th e wh ite man .

The o rganization and steady growth o f such help

ful institutions o f the Negro as the National Negro
B usiness L eague which was founded by President
,

B ooker T W ashington in 1 90 0 have been o f im

.
,

mense ai d to the colored race o f the country This .

Leagu e was a healthful augury o f Negro progress

as the race entered the gateway o f the new century .

It i s possibly the greatest concrete advertisement o f

N egro progress that has ever been conceived The .

detailed presentation o f the success o f the men o f

the race who hav e accompli shed much in the varied
vocations awa k ens increased interest and e ffort and ,
2 14 TH E WH I TE M A N S B URDE N ’

speak s through the League as a common me d iu m , ,

o f the growth o f its achievements .

N or must we overloo k such occas i onal assemblies

as the C li fton Conference held at the summer home
o f M r W N H artshorn nea r M arblehead M assa
. . .
, ,

chusetts where were invited to meet together

,

p rominent men o f both races white and black to , ,

discuss vital topics relative to the race question .

The Conference had an additional significance when

a prominent commander each o f the opposing armies
—
o f the C ivil W ar was present G en erals O 0 . .

H oward o f V ermont and R D Johnston o f Ala

, , . .
,

bama whose commands were di rectly opposite at

,

Gettysburg One o f these was an original aboli

.

t ionist and the othe r a large slave owner yet they ,

were here seated s ide by si de in a conference o f days

to assist the black man in his dilemma W ith these .

distinguished m en sat the most prominent o f the

colored race in the same room for days together in , ,

the hom e o f a quiet philanthropist seeking m eans ,

fo r the amelioration o f the conditions o f the colored

p eopl e of the S outh .

These may be said to b e among the silent forces ,

and so they are ; and the outcome o f the genius of

these and other e fforts will undoubtedly be slow but ,

they are at least the prophetic blooms o f f uture fruit .

T hei r silence and slowness give promise o f ripeness

and permanence Agencies l ike thes e acting in co
.

operation with others less demonstrative perhaps , ,

but none the less e fficacious are serving to clear the

,
 TH E W H I T E MA N S ’
B URDEN 215

w ay to a gradual so l ution o f a q uestion w h i ch has

too lon g ve x ed t h e m ind o f the p ubl ic E mphasi s .

g i ven to movements l ike these continue to enhance

i n the p u b li c m ind t h e i m p o rtance o f this v i tal su b
j ec.t N o r does the steady growth o f th e p rogress
o f the N e g ro f ail to win pu b li c attention This does .

more than q uick en pu b lic sympathy i t a rouses su b ,

stantial interest i n the race E very colore d man

.

w ho establ ishes himsel f i n a use ful and l ucrative

p ursuit wi den s the interest i n b ehal f o f hi s p eo p le
,
.

N or i s the pu b lic uno b servant o f the e fforts most ,

p atheti c i n themselves o n the p art o f the higher

,

typ e o f t h e Negro race to reach and influence the

,

baser el ements o f thei r p eopl e Prompted b y no

.

other desire than tha t o f th e m ost gene rous phi

lanthropy thousands o f the b est are m inisteri ng in
,

d ivers ways d aily to the un fo rt unate o f the race

, ,

i n a most q uiet and u nostentatious manner possible .

They are not aware that this s ilent wor k i s k nown

and o b served by thos e who a re closely studying thei r
conditions ; yet it is k nown that i n many sections
there is a house to house ministration o n the part
o f the b est fo r the worst It i s dou b tful i f any other
.

people on the glo b e are doing more with p ropo rtion

ate means at command than the N egroes o f th e
South i n genuine philanthropic e ffort B ymeans o f .

hard earnings e k ed out b y the daily toi l o f thou

,

sands the wo rthie r are seeking to relieve and rais e

,

thei r un fo rt unate o nes on the b ottom rounds .

U nti l the condition o f the N egr o i s studied in

 WH I TE MA N S B URDE N
’
2 16 TH E

detail one fail s to gain a genuine insight into w h at

,

the maj ority o f the Negroes are doing In their .

own c rude ways they are seeking to wor k from

'

within outward for the improvement of their p eo

ple and such race loyalty has never been known
“

as th ey exhibit A people displaying a spirit like

.

this is altogether worthy o f encouragement and it ,

is gradually on the way .

S o notwithstanding the indulgence o f certain mor

,

bi d and lugubri ous predictions concerning the race ,

its darkest days seem to b e behind i t D i fficulties .

great and grave are yet to be met but the agencies ,

no w on the march many o f which are silent and

,

without observation give p romise o f their gradual

,

removal T he Negro has a place in A merican li fe

.

and cultivation and he will eventually settle into

,

i t with a pluck to wor k out his destiny alongside

that o f the white race I t will not be by a fusion
.

o f the races fo r against this the Negro is as firmly

,

set as is his brother in white ; but side by side the

races will eventually live and thrive in mutual ben e
fit and fo r the general good Tendenci es are con .

cent rating toward this end and calm wisdom will ,

eventually find the proper path which W i ll relieve

the p resent stress by the discovery o f a racial orbit
fo r each and racial ad j ustment will be fully con
,

summated .

There will continue to b e more o r less violence on

the lower basis o f societ y but the public i s waking
,

up to the fact that the pr eservation o f society de

 TH E WH I T E MA N S URDE N
’
B 2 17

mands that this shall fi nd an end and so i t wi ll S o

, .

lon g as the race o f N egroes p roves its worth as it ,

i s constantly doin g j ust so lon g will i t continue to

,

elicit the esteem o f the b ette r whites among them ,

and elsewhere The Ne g ro must wor k out his own

.

destiny as he has bravely set f orth to do and he

, ,

will continue to command the encouragemen t o f

others a b out him H e has thousands o f friends o f
.

w hom he k nows nothing the interest o f whom i s

,

stimulated by his commendable p rogress and thi s ,

w ill g row as he continues to show himsel f worthy .

There a re at present di fficulti es which seem impene

trable and which moc k even the m i ldest fo rm o f op
tim ism b ut the hop e o f the situation l ies i n the
,

application o f the p rinciples o f the gospel concern

“
ing which M otley says " R eligion on all great his
to rical occasions has acted as the most powerful o f
dissolvents ”
. W hen the situation i s cleared o f its
o b scurity which p rocess is now i n p rogress C hris
, ,

tian Ameri ca will see in this question one that i s

without an equal in its appeal to heart and con
science from any point o f view that i t may be re
garded .

Ten million human b eings whose p resence i n

,

America i s not one o f choice but one o f coercion

, ,

with a histo ry that i s unique and with a destiny

,

whi ch mighti ly relates itsel f to the permanent l i fe

o f the nation cannot b e l ightly esteemed It shapes
, .

itsel f into a tremendous issue which carries with i t

a chal l enge ali k e to philanthropy and Christiani ty .
 C H APT E R X V II .

“
A N EW DE MA N D F OR A N A G E O F R E A SO N .

C ome now and let us reason together was a

, , ,

di vine inj unction put into the l ips o f an ancient

p rophet to be voiced to a people who swayed and ,

controlled by the agitation of the times had dri fted ,

far from duty and obligation T he preceding chap

.

ters have been p repared with a view o f concen

t rating public attention on a stupendous question

which towers i n ou r midst and in whic h inher es

,

p roblems which must sooner o r later be grappled

with E very one capable o f even ordinary reflection
.

i s forced to a recognition o f this as a mighty fact .

M en o f both races white and black see in the drift

, ,

o f present events and in the meanings whi ch they

bear on thei r surface an inevitable increas e of diffi
,

culty unless some policy can be devised fo r its solu

tion W hile this i s true there are certain plain
.
,

p rinciples which must inevitably push thei r w ay

through the yea rs o f the future and bear along ,

with them certain results for good o r evil accord ,

ing to the direction which may now be given them .

B y no possible means can these principles be stem

med T he purpose shoul d now be so to control
.

and di rect them that they may result in good and

2 18
 TH E
. W H I T E MA N S ’
B URDEN 2 19

not in evi l The p lia b ility o f our institutions and

.

the nature o f ou r la w s for b i d the interp osition of

any policy other than that b ased on truth and j usti ce
i n see k i n g to solve the p resent di fficulty The soon .

er this fact is recogniz ed and acted on the b ette r i t

will be fo r all concerned T here are hidden germs

.

in the di fficulty which have not yet come to li fe and ,

which when they shall do so will mean immensely

,

more than i s now apparent i n the au gm entation o f

the race p roblem .

D rastic laws may p rove a temporary ma k eshi ft i n

the p resent state o f partially raw conditions and ,

t he vent may b e stopped ther e by fo r a tim e but ,

m eanwhile fresh compl ications are germ inating ,

with a p romise o f future harvests The attempted .

settlement o f the di fficulty has been deferred suffi

c iently long and the problem has reached such p ro
,

portions a s to demand i t would seem some prompt

, ,

action Let us calmly and quietly loo k at the situa

.

tion and conside r i t in its varied relations to the

future for i n its consideration we must b e as p ro
,

fo undly concerned with respect to the futu re o f this

grave q uestion as we are with i t as it pertains to the
p resent It i s a matter o f concern not to one mo re
.
,

than to all It i s the one supreme Am eri can prob

.

lem the b al eful shadow o f which i s thrown toward

the future o f our prospective civili z ation .

It i s well k nown that there is a p revailing idea

that the Negro should be curtailed in hi s develop
ment and hel d within certain bounds In some re .
 WH I TE MA N S B URDE N
’
2 20 TH E

gions thi s is a popular theory concerning our deal

ing with the N egro W e may advise direct and
.
, ,

assist but cannot restrict Thi s i s in opposition to

,
.

the laws o f nature and is destined to failure no

,

matte r b y whom attempted In the very nature of .

the case we cannot set arbitrary boundaries to the

,

development o f any race and say to such under in

exo rable edict — “
T hus far shalt tho u go and no ,

”
further An e ffort li k e this will carry with it its
.

own defeat and failure The e ffort will b eget fresh

.

forces and energies to its own undoing N othing is .

plainer than thi s p rincipl e i n all the past o f human

history and it is certainly patent in its application
,

to the present j uncture W ith the gateways o f

.

O pportunity and e ffo rt lying equally open to all ali k e ,

the conclusion i s apparent that a race o f people who

have been able to achieve so much under the h eavy
pressure of di fficulty the constant frown o f opposi
,

tion and who have borne so successfully against the

,

inerti a o f complicated disadvantage will accomplish ,

yet more as the momentum o f success increases In .

the face o f this fact it should be borne in mind that

this is but the beginning o f the caree r o f a new race
the accomplishments o f whi ch far exceed those of
any other o f the colored races in America Thi s .

p rogress cannot be checked and will not A suc ,

.

cess which enriches and improves the country a ,

su ccess which every one desires and applauds will ,

no t yield to any i nterdiction o f opposition W hile .

this i s true und e r prese nt conditions with hostility

, ,
 WH I T E M A N S B URDEN
’
TH E 22 1

p reva i lin g this success is not without certain racial

,

di ffi culti es This i t would seem i s a matter o f nec

.
, ,

essa ry recognition even to the most casual observer .

A summary and violent disposal o f the race ques

tion can neve r b e I t is i dl e to cherish a dream like
.

this Its u rgency may serve th e p resent purpose o f

.

the mounte b an k b ut to the solid ci tizen i t i s the veri

,

est fatuity The q uestion li k e all others must

.
, ,

b e met on i ts merits N O harsh pol icy will avail

. .

That woul d b e nothing short o f persecution which

never fai ls o f reaction Persecution invariably re
.

turns with resounding and rebounding force Cer .

tainly th e N egro situation in the S outh is not one

which calls fo r the exercise o f any policy which ap

p ro a ch es persecution W
. hat woul d b e its ground
o f excuse ? W hat has the N egro done to invite it ?

M ust he b e persecuted fo r the services o f centuries

rendered as an enslaved man ? M ust he no w be p er
secuted as a reward fo r hi s endurance and toil and ,

fo r hi s remunerative labo r fo r generations ? I s he

no w to b ecom e a victi m o f persecution b ecause he
served so well and so long i n the development o f the
soils and mines o f the country ? S houl d the i ron
hand o f persecution now grip him b ecause he i s
strivin g to turn to practical account the grim disad
vantages which meet him at every angl e o f his strug
g lin g marc h ? W ho that is p repared to say that he
m ust not develop the powers o f hi s e fficien cy to the
highest degree possible especially since b y such effi
,

ciency h e i s mad e a mo re potent facto r in the ma

 TH E W H I T E MA N S URDEN
’
B

terial enrichment of the country ? B ywhat possibl e

law human or d ivine can this be done ? To do this
, ,

in republican America with any social group any ,

people among us would requi re a recast o f our in

,

st itutio ns and a transformation o f the genius o f our

government .

S et the boundaries as we may and hedge them

about as we please with arbitrary circumscription ,

yet so long as ou r system o f government i s flexible ,

j ust so lon g will the superio r and worthy Negro

go beyond the m and find a niche o f his own mak
ing where he will establish himsel f and com
, ,

mand respectful recognition No r i s this m eant to .

apply to social relations T he worthy and respect

.

ful Negro who dominates the rest i n thought and

sentiment entertains no such vision T hey claim
, .

that i t would be unworthy o f them and o f the race

to assert such claim T hey are intent on erecting a
.

worthy racial pri de and insist on the concentration

,

o f thei r people on thi s worthy purpose T hey do .

ask for the exercise o f simpl e j ustice in a free gov .

e rnm ent ,
and for the consideration due them and ,
,

because o f this they should excite ou r esteem S ocial .

equality i s a phantom born in the brain o f the racial

h ater and while it has been the occasion o f much
,

discussion it has been found on investigation to be

,

as baseless as a ghost story Time and again spec.

,

ters like that o f social equality and o f Negro ascend

ancy have come to disturb certain b rains b ut on ,
 WH I TE M A N S URDE N
’
TH E B 22 3

examination they have b een f oun d to be w ithout

foundation .

E ver y thought f ul m an must know that i f even a

fraction o f the num b er o f imaginary bu gb ears con
cernin g the N egro had ever develo p ed the ra ce ,

would have lon g ago entered on the p athway o f e x

tinction N o r is i t thi s apprehension which deters
.

the N egro from such assertion i t i s b ecause h e has

,

no such foolish dreams H e recognizes the fact that

.

h e must ma k e fo r himsel f his own o rb it o f exist

ence he must build hi s o wn civili z ation under the
,

auspices o f an aspi rin g race and to these ends h is

,

energies are di rected without distu rb in g himsel f

with concerns which are unp ractical unnatural an d , ,

unp ro fi ta b le Is it not true that as he p roce eds the

.

p hantom o f social e q uality recedes i n the p ublic

mind ? All alon g he h as succeeded in settin g ove r
against adverse theories concernin g himsel f f acts ,

o f wo rthiness .

Failing in al l t h i ngs els e reso rt i s h a d to t h e the

,

o ry o f the rapi d decline o f the race as a p ossi b le

fact b y which the p ro b lem will he eventually solved
and the land b e ri d o f the N egro race C zrtain .

works have b een prepared in which t h is is h eld forth

as a possi b l e solution I f a theory l i k e this be worthy
.

o f answe r a su fficient one i s found i n the fact that

,

a race which has increased almost two m illion wit h i n

a single decade shows b ut slight S ign o f di minution .

It recalls the incident o f t h e merchant w h o b ou ght

 W H I TE M A N S URDEN
’
2 24 TH E B

his matches at fi ve cents a b ox and sol d them at fou r ,

and when asked how he could do this repl ied that ,

i t would b e impossible did he not sell so many "

The fact that the Negro i s submissive and tract ,

—
ably accepts the s ituation that he yields at one
point only to come again at another ; that mean
,

w h ile he makes a place for himsel f in the heavin g

and tumultuous world and occupies it i n thorough
accord with well defined laws o f human prog ress ;
-

that his growth o f e fficiency multiplies the spheres

o f his adaptation o f the worl d s demands thes e are ’

facts o f enormous significan ce to which no thought

ful man can clos e his eyes T hat the Negro by v ir
.

tue o f f rugality and economy logically and naturally

thrives and that his services are so indispensably in
,

demand in itsel f constitutes a fact that i s prodigi

, ,

ous i f not portentous For the moment forecasting

.

the future i t requires no philosopher with micro

,

scopi c Sharp sightedness no r seer with acute dis

crimination to discover that to which the present
'

will inevitably lead I f his advancement has been

.

so rapid within the initial years o f his freedom in ,

the future it will b e more conspicuous B y reason .

o f his well k nown characteristics and his p rogress

-
,

it may b e concluded that the darkest days o f the

N egro are now b ehind him I f he has succeeded .

under conditions so unfavorable w her e he has no t .

only encountered direct r ep r essi on but has shared in ,

all the dis ast ers s uch as shortness o f harvest and

,

financi al reverses what may he not be expected to

,
 W H I TE MA N S B URD E N
’
TH E 225

achieve w it h in the ne x t generation w i th an increase d

efli ciency widenin g
,
o b servation ripen i n g ex peri ,

ence and deep ening wisdom ? N or will thi s b e done

,

save in the o rdinary way i n which he has al ready

succeeded as a plante r hom e b uilder educato r au
, , ,

tho r artist artisan econom ist b an k e r and p ro

, , , , ,

fessional man .

The achievements o f th e N egro have b een q ui et

and undemonstrative H e has never b een clamorous
.

i n the p ubli cation o f his deeds to the world B ette r .

woul d it b e fo r him i f these were more generally

known The worthy ones k eep within themselves
.

and are content to succeed without fl aunting the

facts in the face o f the public B ut the deeds o f .

the unworthy are b road ly k nown th roughout the

land and the worthy ones must needs share in the
,

oppro b rium because all happen to b elon g to the same

race The progressive ones are content to la b o r on
.

without inviting public recognition o r without see k

ing applause They have S kill and learnin g have
.
,

sowed and reaped p rospe rously have directed their ,

a ffai rs along legitimately commercial lines have ,

q uietly built thei r homes schools and churches and

, ,

established and maintained remunerative p lants o f

divers k inds all without demonstration and with
,

out interference with the a ffai rs o f the stronger race

‘

Yea t h ousands o f them have f ound thei r way to a

,

goodly degree o f p rominence without the eli cit o f

local applause without recognition and sometimes
, ,

encountering stout opposition The a ggregated re .

2 26 TH E W H I TE MAN S ’
B URDE N

sults of Negro progress are enormous as his taxable ,

property o f $ 6 0 0 ooo ooo attests T hat the Negro

, , .

by dint o f exertion and well recognized e fficiency -

has so often made himself indispensable in a variety ,

o f spheres for which he is so uniquely qualifie d ,

means much for the future of the race I n some of .

these spheres because of hi s peculiar fitness and

,

adaptability he is preferred above all others B y

, .

common consent any substitute in certain spheres

, , ,

would be unacceptable so long as his services were

,

available The Negro is not blind to these facts

.

and opportunities and is not slow to appear on the

,

scene at the proper time to use them to advantage .

H e may be decried and ridiculed o ften is ; his simple ,

rights may be questioned as is sometimes done ; but

,

—
the academic law o f economics demand and sup
ply—comes to his rescue and the question is often
,

est settl ed not by the Negro himsel f but by those

, ,

o f the dominant race who need his services and pay

for them .

Notwithstanding racial di fferences and friction ,

it is not uncommon to see Negroes and white men

engaged in conversation about divers a ffairs in
which they are mutually interested W ho sees .

members of the white race chatting with C hinamen ,

Japanese Greeks or Italians

,
? T here is nothing in
common between such and there i s nothing to talk
,

about T hese are facts o f common observation and

.

are not without credit to the Negro race among the

colored races o f A merica .

 WH I T E M A N S B URDE N
’
TH E 22 7

Consider another fact which relates to the future

the indulgence o f racial prej udi ce serves to hold the
races as such apart the logical outcom e o f whi ch
, , ,

is to discount the Negro purely on the bas 1s o f racial

aversion This natural ly leads to imposition on the
.

N egro race and to the taking o f advantage o f him

by sheer force M ust it be su ffered to escap e us as a
.

prospective fact and one that i s inevitable that in

, ,

the years o f the fut ure when th e Negro has becom e

,

more learned and generally more e fficient with his ,

power increased we may d eplore that we have al

,

lowed the opportunity to escape fo r making him our

friend and have made him ou r enemy instead ? Be
,

cause o f the pressure o f existing conditions because ,

o f the exactions now imposed he i s steadily engaged ,

i n equipping himsel f and i s overcom ing the barriers

,

raised i n o rder to meet the re q ui rement o f the de

,

mands imposed .

W ithout entering the sphere o f politics save for ,

the purpose o f illustration for politics has been stu ,

diouslyshunned throughout this discussion fo r obv i

ous reasons let attention be called fo r the tim e to
, , ,

a matte r o f practical interest alike to all The bulk .

o f the N egroes is now practically di sfranchised in

a number o f the states yet there are limits to whi ch
,

when he shal l attain he will b e a q uali fi ed electo r

, .

H e has dropped from view and is quietly accepting

the situation and is fi tting himsel f fo r future citizen
ship W h en he shall reach the gateway o f constitu
.

tional re q ui rement what will be his attitude to the

,
 WH I TE MA N S B URDEN
’
22 8 TH E

white race i f present conditions of race alienation

,

be su ffered to go on ? S hall he reach this stage the

friend or t he enemy o f the whites ? S hall he be
permitted to bring with him to this goal a race hat
red o r a sentiment of friendliness ? T he present
purpose is not to discuss the restrictions imposed on
the ballot but that o f the relation o f the races in
,

the future C onditions now favor racial concilia

.

tion and shall the policy be to continue a course

,

by which the Negro is estranged or shall it be to

make him the fri end o f the dominant race now that ,

he may be such when he comes to citizenship Now ?

,

in certain quarters it is unpopular even to espouse

,

the cause of the Negro in a temperate way but is this ,

the policy o f wi sdom ? I t is not now claimed that

.

the result will be as indicated above but it is worthy ,

o f consideration j ust at this time and in view o f the ,

present dri ft I f the Negro be made our frien d

.

now he will be our friend then H e is now access

, .

ible pliant responsive W hat assurance have we

, , .

that this will continue ? I t is evi dent that a policy

such as here advocated will be for the good o f both
races alike S hal l the opportunity be now slighted
.
?

I t may be arrogantly said in reply to this that

, ,

this is a white man s country and that he has noth

’

ing to fear T his is ch eap talk and cheaper logic

. .

Granti ng all that may be implied in this boast who ,

wishes to have in our midst a racial hostile minority ,

when it can be avoided ? W ho is indi fferent to the

 TH E W H I T E MA N S ’
B URDEN 2 29

multi p lied and mani fold complications permitted b y

ou rselves to b e transmitted to ou r children ? Con
ceding that the N egro voter o f the futur e may be
b eaten b ac k who i s goin g to do the b eating ? I f he
,

b e deceived who i s to p ractice the deception ? I f

,

he is to be held down who i s going to remain do w n

,

?
to do the holding D oes not this suggest future fri c
tion and fri ction continually
,
? B ecaus e one may
chance to be physically and financially stronger than
his next doo r neighbor is he j ustified in the exercise
,

o f a hectoring sp irit which requi res perpetual v igi

lance o f a susp icious nature as w ell as tim e energy
, , ,

and the waste o f moral strength i n o rder to hold ,

hi s neighbo r i n abeyance and in awe ? W ho that

covets an existence l ike this ? D omination and p re
eminence are o f small worth i f they are to b e adu l
t erated with gall and vinegar .

The N egro i s not without f riends among t h e b et

ter whites of the South who as certain emergencies
, ,

have arisen have b een heard with e ffect The sen

, .

t im ent in hi s favo r is not o f the maudlin type b ut it ,

i s a p rinciple as sol id as granite Nor is it called .

into exercise b ecause he i s a N egro b ut b ecaus e he ,

i s a man .

D eep in the no b lest type o f the Ang l o Saxon char -

acter i s the principle o f loyalty to human oppor ~

tunity and b rotherhood and in the states o f the

,

S out h are many who are p ossessed o f this spi r i t .

It i s not th e particula r race w h ic h evo k es this spi rit ,

2 39 TH E W H I TE MA N S ’
B URDEN

but principle and the common cause of humanity

, .

To this element o f our chivalrous civilization the

present question addresses itself with respect to con
ditions which now are as well as to other s which are
,

l iable to arise .

As the present writer sees it no people ever enj oyed

,

an advantage greater than that which is now O ffered

the white race in its relation to the weaker race in
thes e A merican states L eaving out o f vi ew the un
.

questioned moral obligations which arise from the

past and which have already b een emphasized it ,

would seem the dictate o f reason and of wisdom that

we should now seek to make the most of the Negro ,

both for his goo d as well as fo r our own T hat .

there could now be easily summoned to an under

taking like this the combined l eadership o f the Negro
race in a policy o f conciliation and o f mutual help
fulness there i s no doubt and that a course s uch
, ,

as is here advocated would be help ful to all alike i s

beyond question W hy then should there be delay
.
, ,

in the adoption of a movement which will rob the

future o f rac1al ominousness and clear the y ears to
,

come o f inevi table di fficulties with which other gen

e rations must grapple ? To listen to the hoot o f the
racial hater and the clatter o f the political pettifog
ger who sees no further than his own temporary
,

sel f advantage seems folly in view o f that which is

-
, ,

involved as well as that which portends Could a .

course j ustified by conditions well k nown b e adopted

 W H I TE M A N S B URDEN
’
TH E 2 31

fo r the relaxation o f present conditions and coul d ,

there be established between the white and blac k

races that which is fri endly and tranquil there coul d ,

be but one result S i de by side there would eventu

.

ally g row up a dual civilization in the Ameri can

.

states and especially in those o f the South— one

,

p urely white A merican and the other A fro Ameri -

can As races they would k eep within themselves

.
,

founding and maintaining each its own interests and

institutions and yet i n spirit they would be com
,

bined E ach would be genuinely American each

.
,

would possess its own instincts and racial charac

teristics W hile the races would not fuse thei r ih
.
,

terests would be in common That which would

.

be good fo r the one would b e equally so fo r the

,

“
other They would b e distinct as the b illows one
.
,

”
as the s ea A t multiplied points they would com e
.

into contact b ut the better o f each woul d sedulously

,

and j ealously guard the boundary o f racial integrity .

I n such contact un der the sam e laws and beneath

,

t he same flag with interests i dentical harmony

, ,

would hold sway and the land would p rosper .

The dominant race faces an O pportunity today

which may decline with the p resent stage o f advan
tage O n this race i s imposed the duty o f taking
.

the initial step toward the realization o f a condition

whi ch seems altogether possible U nless it be done .

b y the stronger race it cannot be done at all As in .

the future there shall come to pass this dual condi

2 32 TH E W H I TE MA N S’
B URDEN

tion of society in the A merican stat es shall the races

'

be friendly each to the other and work in adj ustment

fo r the good of each o r shall they be hostile ? On
,

this question as on a common pivot tu rns the N egro

, ,

p roblem o f the present as well as o f the future

.
 I ND E X

Advert i ser M ontg omery ( A la ) qu ot ed 47

, , .

A f i ca res t ed to 29 ; sl av e ma k et f the w o ld 1 20 ; relatio

r ,
or ,
r o r ,

of A m e ic an N eg o to f utu e of 120 ; p ossi b ility of Ch ri sti an

r r r ,

i za tion o f, 179 .

A mal g amati on opp ose d b y the N egro 21 6 ,

.

A me ic a effec t of its di sc ov e y on sl ave trad e 29; N eg o s resi

r ,
r ,
r
’

d enc e in 7 4 ,
.

A pp reh ensi on u nf ou nd ed 1 88 u nreali z ed 1 99 two sou rc es of 211 , , ,

A n d rews P resid ent E B enj qu ot ed 1 7 7

,
. .
, , .

A ng l o Saxon achi ev em ent s of the 1 3; b li gati on o f the 38

-
, ,
o ,

i nd eb t ed ness of the 6 2; chi ef ch a act e i sti c o f the 79 ; esort ,

r r ,
r

t o the N egro 82 ; p rog ress du i ng the l ast c en tu y 1 14; k i ndl

,
r r ,

di sp ositi on of 1 24; opp o tu nity of the 1 7 9 ; dang er of sel f ,

r ,

di sc redi t 20 4; p resent opp ortu ni ty of 230

, ,
.

A rab s as sl av e p u rchasers 29
, , .

A rb i t rati on of Ga R R 193 . . .
, .

Ari st oc racy easserti on of S outh ern 21 1 ; c au se of its temp orar

,
r
,

d ecli ne 212 , .

Attuc k s C i p u s ki ll ed at B oston 74
,
r s ,
.

Au g u st a ( G a ) Ch ron icl e q u o t ed 191 .

,
.

B ank s N eg ro 59
, , .

B a t on C l and his N eg o aid 7 5

r ,
o .
,
r ,
.

B arri ers t o N eg o p g ess 20 ; se i ou s 7 5 r ro r ,

r , .

B ar w Ch anc ell or D C allud ed to 1 90

ro , . .
, , .

B i ch Sam u el allud e d to 91
r , , ,
.

B l ac k B elt the 51
”
, , .

B o st on T ansc i p t qu ot ed 1 92
r r , .

B oyd D R F allud e d to 98
,
r . . .
, ,
.

B oyd D r R H allud ed to 98
, . . .
, ,
.

B owni ng M rs q u ot ed I I I
r , .
, .

B yc e H on James qu oted 15
r , .
, ,
.

B u rd en w h ere it l i es I I
, ,
.

B u rk e; E d mu nd q u ot ed 52 , ,
.
2 34 I NDE X
Censu s of 1 90 0 sh ow i ng o f 1 86 , ,
.

Cha act e g w th of app ci ati on

r r, ro re of, 135 ; affect ed b y c onduct ,

20 3 .

C ivili z ati on i nv olved ,

16 8 .

C ivil W a r, 1 7, 23 ; the N eg ro du ri ng the, 6 3; his con r t i b u ti on to

the, 6 4 .

Ch att an g a ( T enn ) T i mes qu ted 1 91

oo . o , .

Ch i tia n ity it du ty to th N g
r s ,
84; app eal e d to 87 ; ch all eng ed
s e e ro, ,

b y a c nditi n 1 42 ; h sit ati n 1 51 ; p la i n duty of 1 74;

o o ,
e o , ,

e l ev ati n g p ow e 1 76 ; pp o tu n ity 1 80 ; effic acy 21 7 r, o r , , .

Cli f t on C on f e nc e 21 4 re ,
.

C lu m b ia ( S C ) S t at q u ot ed 1 91
o . . e ,
.

C n f ed acy S outh e n N g o d u i n g the reg i me of 63; N egro s ’

o er r e r r
, ,

el ati on t o 1 22
r ,
.

Confid enc e the N eg s h op e 97

,
ro
’
,
.

C n tituti on ( A tl ant a ) q u t e d 16 1
o s o ,
.

C u i e J u nal ( L oui svill e ) ) q u t ed 1 6 1

o r r- o r ,
o , .

C i m d enou nc d I I ; s u c e f p i nt ed out 6 0
r e e ,
o r o ,
o , .

C i si s in N eg
r s hi st o y 21 ro
’
r , .

D arw i n allud ed t o 1 1 5
, ,
.

D ema g og i m and the N eg o 20 5 s r , .

D beo the M
r, avi an m i ssi ona y t o the W est I ndi es 145
or r , .

D u tc h in So uth A f ic a 14 r , .

E duca ti on c m p a ed w ith oth e q u esti ons 1 45 ; ob jecti on t o N eg ro

o r r , ,

1 45 ; N eg o st id in 1 87 ; h lpf ul ness f t o the N g o 20 2

r r es ,
e o ,
e r , .

E m anci p ati n mi t ak en vi ew of 1 7 o ,
s ,
.

E nc u ag em ent s t o as i st the N eg o 1 81 ; d iv e d f om his p ro

o r s r
,
er r

g ress 1 84 ,
.

E ng lan d c han g e , of p olicy of , 14; i ndeb t ed ness t o the A m eric an

N eg ro 83 , .

E nm ity sou c e of ag ai nst the N eg o 22

,
r ,
r ,
.

E qu ali ty soci al a b u gb a
,
1 0 4; g u ndl essness of i ts app e
, e r, ro r

h n i n 20 5 ; wh l ly sub jectiv e 20 7 ; a sp ect er 222; its rec es

e s o , o , ,

i on 223
s , .

E thi p ia all u d e d to 1 49 ; nu mb er of its p eop l e 189

o
, ,
.

E u p ean i m m i g ati o n m ena c e of 1 0 9

ro r , ,
.

F aneu i l H all 7 4 ,
.

F l em i ng H n W H qu ot ed 31
,
o . . .
, , .

F t S u mt e allud ed t o 81
. r ,
.

Gall oway B i h p Ch a B ,
q u t ed 188 s o s . .
,
o , .
 I NDE X 2 35

G eike, Cu nn i ng h am , D D . .
,
q u ot ed ,
91 .

G eorg i a ail a d t i k 1 89 r ro s r e, .

G l ad to ne allud e d t o 1 1 5
s , .

G osp el i ts effica cy i n seas ns of ju nc tu e 85

,
o r ,
.

G ant P esid en t U S allud e d t o 17 7

r ,
r . .
, , .

G reat B i t ai n ab ol i sh es sl av ery 7 9
r
, .

“ the p ot at o k i n g o f " ansas

G rov es Ju n iu s G
,
”
98 .
, , .

H am p t on I nst itu te allud ed t 20 1 o, .

H a d w ic k H on T W
r allud e d t o 1 90
, . . .
, , .

H a t ho n W N
r s allud e d t
r 21 4
, . .
,
o, .

H eb ew rac e c om p a i son w ith 26 ; g eat ness of 120

r ,
r ,
r
,
.

H e b ert H on H A
r ,
allud ed to 1 90 . . .
, ,
.

H l m es O liv e W end ell allud e d to 1 1 5

o ,
r , ,
.

H om e the N eg o s c ea ti on f the i d ea o f 1 37 ; its i mp rov ement

,
r
’
r o ,

an d f u t u e p m i se 1 38 r ro , .

H pk i ns P esid ent M a k qu ot ed 6 7
o ,
r r , , .

H wa d Gen 0 O allud e d t
o r ,
21 4 . . .
,
o, .

I llit e acy educti on of 144; its p e il s 145

r ,
r ,
r , .

I ndi sc i m i nati on u nfai rness of 20 ; ob scu res m eri t 42 ; unfor

r , , ,

tunate, 52 .

I ndu st y i n di sp ensab l eness f 134

r , o ,
.

“ " im C ow ” c om p a tm ent s 20 6
r r , .

J oh nsto n Gen R D allud d to 214, . . .

,
e ,
.

Ju stic e slu m b er of 46 ; d em and ed for 48; d eni ed 72; ch aracter

, , , ,

of illu st at d 148
,
r e ,
.

L an d ow ne s N eg o 1 84 r ,
r , .

L ead e N eg o and the sal oon 1 9 ; di ti ng ui sh ed 49 ; ea ly de

rs r , ,
s ,
r

v el p m ent of
o 52 ; w i sdo m of 54; m e it of 55 ; one ou s task
, ,
r ,
r

of , 93 .

L ee, G en , l ti on to the f eat o f a N eg o 75

re a r ,
.

L eg i sl at i n d ast ic its efi cts 20 3 ; what i t f o ec asts 219

o ,
r ,
e ,
r ,
.

L i nc l n A b rah am allud ed t 1 15
o , ,
o, .

L ov ett Jud g e R b t S q u ot ed 1 96
,
o . .
, , .

L ow ell qu ot ed 48 , .

L y nchi ng p actically u nk nown in f o mer y ea s 1 53; i ts immedi

r r r ,

at e co nsequ enc es 1 54; i ts f ailu e t o acc om p li sh the en d p ro ,

r

p osed 1 55; its cl ai m s ab su d 156 ; it s a su mp ti n 1 57 ;

,
r ,
s o ,

d efianc e o f the ju dici a y 1 59 ; ec k l s l awl essn ss 1 6 0 ; illu s r ,

r e s e ,

t ated 16 2 ; i nju stic e sh ow n 1 6 3

r , ,
.

M ag nani m ity nee d ed I I ,

.
236 I NDE X
M ar b l eh ead M ass , 214 . .

M assa chu sett ab li he l av e y 7 9 s o s s s r ,

.

M as y G e ald qu t ed 94
se ,
r ,
o ,
.

M nd el ss hn F li x all u d d t o 1 15
e o , e ,
e ,
.

M iddl e S tat s i nd b t ed n ss f t N eg e ,
6 6 ; enj yi ng the f ui ts
e e o , o ro, o r

o f his t oil 83 ,
.

M ff att the m i i na y allu d d t o 1 6 9

o ,
ss o r ,
e ,
.

M avian m i ssi n
or 1 45 o s, .

M ses al lud d t
o 90 e o, .

M t l y J hn L t h p q u t d 21 7
o e ,
o o ro , o e , .

M u p hy E G q u t d 48 ; allu d d t o 1 57 1 58
r , . .
,
o e ,
e , , .

N ati nal N eg
o B u in L agu e a h app y c onc ep ti n 1 29
ro s ess e , o ,
°

f u nd ed 213
o ,
.

N eg o lati n to A m ic an li f e 12 ; effect of aidi ng him 12

r ,
re o er , ,

p rop sa l c nc ni n g him 23 24; his c nt i b uti n t o the s lu

o s o er , ,
o r o o

t i on of th p b l m 24; adv an c m n t f 25 ; st anda d of c m

e ro e ,
e e o ,
r o

p a r i s n 27 ; n t a v l u nt a y i mm i g ant 29 ; i m p o iti on on 32 h w
o ,
o o r r ,
s ,
o

he cam e t b in A m e ic a 36 ; u nf ai n s t 37 ; his p siti n 40 ;

o e r ,
r es o, o o ,

hi di sp ositi on 40 ; m i st at m nt f 41 ; N t h an d So uth com

s ,
re e o ,
or

p a ed 43; di ff e ent cla s f 51 ; u nju st di sc ri mi nati on ag ai n t

r ,
r sse o ,
s ,

52 va i d c lass 53 ; l a d e s am ng 55 ; st u gg l e af t er ed u ca
r e es, e r o ,
r s

t i n 57 58 ; c i m i nal c lass 59 ;
o , , een at hi wo st 6 1 ; l y alty
r ,
s s r ,
o

and d ev oti n 6 3 6 4; i n d b t ed n ess to o 6 5 ; t eat m ent d u i n g

, ,
e ,
r r

slav e y 6 6 ; achievm ent

r
,
6 9 ; w thy of aid 7 0 ; i n the R ev s, or , o

luti n 76 ; se v ces du i ng the C ivil W ar 7 7 ; w rang l es ov

o ,
r 1 r ,
er

t he 7 8 ; ch a act i tic s c mp a ed 7 9 ; why b u g ht S out h

,
r er s o r ,
ro ,

80 ; lab d em and d 82 st uggles 85 ; c n t i bu ti n t o civili

or e ,
r ,
o r o o

z ation 86 ; di sadv ant ag es

,
f 88 ; d aw b ac k s 89 ; di fficulti s o ,
r , e

agg avat ed 90 ; sti g m a

r n t he 91 ; c n t act w ith A ng l o S ax n
, o ,
o -
o ,

91 ; ma t e i al p og e s of 92 ; hi p l u c k 92 ; l ea d e s a
r r r s ,
s ,
r s

p i onee s 93 ; aci al p id e need ed 95 ; m i st ak en noti on con

r ,
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ce ni n g his lea d e hi p 96 ; his eli an c e 96 ; i s he w orth wh il e

r rs ,
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1 0 0 ; c n id e ati n in fav o sof 1 0 1 ; opp o iti n t

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 I NDE X 2 37

1 26 ; not w ak ens e t eem b y his worth 129

tu rb ul ent ,
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his esp onsiv en ess 1 7 4; w o thy o f enc ou ag m ent 1 7 7 ; dis

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21 5 ; hi s p hila nth rop y 21 5 ; his p l ac e in A m e ic an l if e 21 6 ; ,

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P i nc e a N eg o c ap tu res G en P esc ott 75

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 2 38 I NDE X
P rog ress N eg ro illu st rat ed 1 85 ; has b een qui et 1 86 ; cannot
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f i endli ne s b et w en i ndi sp ensab l e 232

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the G p l in F os i g n Part 1 78
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wh at she ha d n f N eg educ ati n 144 c au e of d ecli n s o e or ro o ,

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 I NDE X 239

Tu sk eg ee I nsti tu te allud ed to 20 1 ,
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Verm ont ab oli sh s sl av e y 79

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g enu i ne need ed in p esent ju nctu e 141

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Yea 180 9 not ab l eness of 114

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