Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1888-12-20
THE NEGRO PROBLEM.
Exhaustive Review of the Subject by
Professor Blackshear of Austin.
proving-An Interesting
Discussion.
To the Editor of The Statesman.

lem ELECTED more attention than now.
Ever since the introduction of the Afri-
can slaves into Virginia, in 1920, the
black man has been cause of discord
and dissension. The presence of this
alien race disturbed the founders of the
American republic. They saw in slavery
constant danger to the union they HAD
with such pains effected; perpetual
menace to the national prosperity.
slavery was one of the chief causes
lding to the civil struggle, and, after
all the loss of life, destruction of
property and expenditure of money
attendent on the war which resulted in
the negroes emancipation, he still is
source of concern to those who love their
country and TO those who are interested
in the progress of humanity. Many
questions are asked concerning this rather
unpleasant ''brOther in black sis
he improving or is he retrograding? Is
he destined to dominate those Southern
states of whose population he forms so
great part? Is not race war thing
to be expected in the South? Ought not
this race to be transported to Africa?'
These and many other questions are asked
and answered. While not so absurd as
to imagine myself about to settle this
controversy, will ask and answer a few
questions, which may shed some light on
problem i'll which many thinking peo-
pie, north and south, are interested.
CAN THE NEGRO BE EDUCATED?
This question was once seriously dis
cussed, and many held and firmly be-
ieved the negro incapable of education.
But, fortunately, the experience of the
last twenty years has settled this ques-
ton by demonstrating the fact that the
negro is susceptible in a high degree to
those influences which, in their entirety,
constitute education. His mind is. GER
tainly capable of development. His ca
pacity to comprehend those sciences ands
master those arts which constitute the
college or university curriculum is I'M
doubted by any who have taken time to
investigate.
A CONTRAST.
Is his intellectual capacity as exhibited
in the schools and colleges which he at
tends equal to the capacity of white pu-
pills of the same age?
Considering that the white people of
America and Europe have been for CEN
turtles under the influence of civilization,
we should certainly expect a white child
to inherit brain and nervous organiza-
ton more easily impressed by educational
methods than the organization of the
negro. And, too, apart from mere indi-
vidual mental power, the white child is
surrounded by those potent influences
which constitute the cultured home and
refined society, which fact gives an i'm
msnse advantage over the average negro
child, whose parents are unlettered, un- /
refined and poor. Yet despite these adj
vantqges which the white child possesses,
the negroes comparative progress is re-
markable. He is, i'll ability 60 grasp and
apply the truthes of science, not far be-
hind his more favored brother :: We are
speaking of the average negro, not of
those occasional pupils whose mental
power and growth surpass that of the av-
erage white pupil. To claim that
the negro is absolutely equal to
the white race i'll power, energy
and fertility of intellect would be
to lay claim to something for which there
is no proof, but much disproof. The
equals of Newton, Hirschel, Mendels-
sohn, Beethoven, Bacon, Shakespeare,
Edison and scores of other names equally
great in the Anglo-Saxo race, have not
appeared i'll the negro race. That such
will appear we hope and believe. But
thus far they have not come, and hence
we cannot claim to be as great intellect
ually as the yet greatest of races. But
ties of evolution are known only to God. |
"We know not what we shall be!''
HIS MORAL STATE.
Is the state of morals among the ne
groes equal to the white race?
Moral excellence is the height of human |
development and vital energy; industrial |
prosperity and intellectual force and |
progress are valuable only as they give |
greatest power and scope to moral action,
and enhance moral and spiritual Develop |
ment. To expect high state of morals |
among negroes would be to expect the |
impossible, the miraculous. Two hundred |
years of slavery would hardly make saints |
of those who started as savages. That |
the morals of the negro are improving is
indisputably true. The negro woman is
subjected TO the double trial of temptation
from her own race and from the immoral
men of the white race. The poverty and
mental condition of the negro woman
renders her liable TO temptation and in
suit at the hands of the base and depraved
of the white race. The scoundrel, who
TO crafty his beastly lust seeks to spoil
the virtue of n race, inferior to his own,
is wicked coward, who ought to be
tobooed among respectable white people,
and subjected to punishment at the hands
of the law.
In spite of adverse circumstances,
there is a constantly increasing element
of virtue and morality, which has segre-
gated itself from the impure. The negro
can say truly that, in spite of ridicule
and caricature, there is such thing as
"elite'' colored society in Austin, in
every city of size in Texas and the
South. "Elite'' not i'll wealth, nor
display, nor 9Stheticism, 1--WE are too
poor for that yeti but in character, and
no one is admitted to the better circles of
colored society whose lives and character
are disreputable. Yet we do not blindly
boast. We know that the class of the
immoral, the impure, the base is large
and flourishing. The better and wiser
among us are endeavoring to uplift the
fallen and to rear the young that they
shall avoid the snares into which too
many of their elders fell. We hail, too,
with delight the assistance rendered TO
the negro by the Freedman IS Aid societies
of various white churches, by the Ameri-
can Missionary association which main
tains several excellent colleges, indus
trial and normal schools in the Southern
states, including Tillotson Institute here
in Austin, most excellent institution.
The Methodist Episcopal church, North,
is also doing Il noble work for our race.