From: sunny@me.cs.wm.edu (John S. Egbo)
Subject: The White Man's Burden.
Organization: College of William & Mary, founded 1693
Date: Fri, 8 Jan 1993 18:21:29 GMT

                          The White Man's Burden

So what is the white man's burden?

According to E. D. Morel in his 1920 book "The Black Man's Burden:"

   "The bard of a modern imperialism has sung of the White man's burden.

    The notes strike granite surface of racial pride and fling back
    echoes which reverberate through the corridors of history, exultant,
    stirring the blood with memories of heroic adventure, deeds of 
    desperate daring, ploughing of unknown seas, vistas of mysterious
    continents, perils affronted and overcome, obstacles triumphantly
    surmounted...

    ... For conceding every credit to force of character, innate in the
    white imperial peoples, which has enabled, and enables, a handful of
    white men to control control extensive communities of non-white
    peoples by moral suasion, is it not mere hypocrisy to conceal from
    ourselves that we have extended our subjugating march from hemisphere
    to hemisphere because of our superior armament?"

Regarding the first slaves brought to Europe, Morel writes:

   "The captains of two of Prince Henry's exploring caravels brought
    back with them to Lisbon in 1442 a dozen Africans, whom they had
    captured on the West coast in the course of wholly unprovoked
    attack upon an African village.  Further exploits of similar kind
    followed.  The ancient Portuguese chronicles recording them
    resemble the literature of the Crusaders.  The African was a
    heathen, and as such fair game for the prowess of the noble
    Christian knights who opposed their steel breast-plates, tempered
    swords and cross-bows, to his bare chest and primitive spear. 
    Here is a typical account of one of these predatory forays:

       'Then might you see mothers forsaking their children and
        husbands their wives, each striving to escape as best he
        could. Some drowned themselves in the water, others
        thought to escape by hiding under their huts; others
        stowed their children among the sea-weed, where our
        men found them afterwards, hoping  they would escape
        notice. . . . And at last our Lord God, who giveth a
        reward for every good deed, willed that for the toil
        they had undergone in His service they should that 
        day obtain victory over their enemies, as well as a
        guerdon and a payment for all their labour and
        expense; for they took captive of those Moors what
        with men, women and children, 165, besides those that
        perished and were killed. . . . '
        
    Thus did Europe first bring the 'glad tidings' to the African.  It
    did not take long to ascertain that the spiritual consolation
    derived from converting the African to Christianity had its
    utilitarian counterpart.  He made an excellent labourer."

It would be interesting to see the many people, especially white people,
that have written a lot about Malcom X, Spike Lee, and just about many
figures of African descent (even the venerable Patrice Lumumba was
accused by someone of being a crack-pot) say about the above quotation.
Where are Stephen Chaney, Stefan Michalowski, Terry Parks, Weiner, Tim 
Smith, and others.  Let's hear some really good debate on this one.
Newsgroups: soc.culture.african.american