The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1868-03-04
The Fate of the Negro.

rH
Professor DU CHAlLLu delivered in New
York on Friday evening last another one OF
his interesting lectures upon the tribes OF
equatorial Africa, and, departing from his
usual course, went into consideration of
the different races of men. According to
his theory, which is the same that has
been advanced in Great Britain and been
maintained by one Of the great British
quarterly Reviews, and the same referred
to by Mr.. SoUTHALL in his speech in the
Convention last week, there is, among ami
mails, law of "natural selection (Which
operates the disappearance of the inferior
types and the increased prevalence Of the
superior. 81 believe FIRMLY" says Pro-
lessor DU CHA1LLU, sin the extinction of
"the races of men with the exception of
"the progressive Caucasian race. not
only believe in that extinction, but see
it. We all see it. Hence the Hottentot
Bushmsu, being the lowest type of the
"negro, will disappear first" But he does
not accuse the white race of cruelty and
Injustice to the other races. On the con-
trary, he says: ST am amazed when
hear men asserting that the white man
"is the cause of the extinction Of the
"aborigines, wherever he comes in contact
"with them-as if races had only been
disappearing of late" eve see the races
disappearing one after another; and, as
81 have said many times before, ! mourn
"not; for in this order of thipgsI see .
&c wise law of Providence law by which
i" the highest man takes the place Of the
/" lowest.n s
It seems reasonable that the superior
race should supersede the inferior one.
We cannot imagine how it could well be
otherwise. Ina struggle for existence-a
struggle which in every country comes
sooner or later-a superior race mast get
the advantage of an inferior one. This law
was, however, overcome in the southern
States while slavery existed, by the force
of that institution. The negroes increased
in numbers with great sapidity, and, being
protected and provided for by their mas
tiers, drove out the poorer classes of whites.
CARLYLE long ago called attention to the
fact that horses and cattle we're we'll fed
and we'll protected in England because
they had owners, while there were
many poor people who could neither
take care of themselves nor find any
one else to provide for their wants.
It was because they had owners that the
negroes formerly increased in numbers SO
rapidly. Deprived of the protection of
their former masters, and left to depend
upon their own efforts, the negroes will
hereafter not only not multiply as they
did, but they will, if Professor DU CHAII-
LUIS theory be true, gradually disappear.
Let this theory, however, be true or false,
the negroes must necessarily lose their
relative numerical strength in the southern
States. Every immigrant who comes
hither from Europe is o white man every
settler from the northern States is white
man. 1t follows, inevitably, that not many
years can elapse before the white race will
outnumber the blacks in every State of
the Union. Nothing less than the Afrl-
canisation Of some Of these States can pre-
vent that result. Virginia, at least, is
safe. She has already q large majority Of
white citizens. In ten years the proper
ton will be- three whites to one black
perhaps FIVE to one.
Whether, then, Professor DU CHAILLu's
theory be true or false, the negroes of Vir-
ginia should remember the near future. and
conduct themselves accordingly. They
should not render themselves odions to the
w ,lIs ~ setting mp any absurd claims to
absolute equality between the races. The
Rhitss Will not tolerate any such spretsn.
sions, and will eventually prove them.