New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1890-02-16


endurance and general physical characteristics,
the records of his enlistment and history of his
service in the Army as well as his record as a
voluntary labOrer, show that he falls little, il
any, below the average white American Indeed,
il may be doubted if the average physical char
acter Of the American negro is not superior TO
that of the white race in the States in which
he constitutes large proportion OF the popua-
ton Not only is this true, but In Instincts
aspiration habit Of mind, and religious and po-
litical development, he is so far removed from
the barbarian, and so nearly appropriated to
the American, that, regarding the race as
whole, it cannot be doubted that 1t constitutes
new and distinct variety OF the human lainlIy,
allied in color and by some racial marks 10 the
African and by physical and intellectual quail
tics to the Anglo-American.
This result seems only natural, II we consider
with little care the history of the negro in
America. The transportation of any stock, I'M
der favorable conditions, results always IN It's
improvement; This is q law OF growth as IN
flexible as the survival of the fitteSt. All the
conditions under which the imported African
had up to that time existed were radically modi-
fled when he became q slave in the New World
Climate, food, clothing, physical haDts ana en-
vironment were thenceforth absolutely different
from anything he had before experienced
climate which works such o striking changr
in the physical quality OF European stocks could
not he without effect on the imported negro
His food formerly Of the lightest sort and least
conducive to muscular development, assumed at
once the substantial character which, until re-
men of the American people. Hog and homlny'
may not seem poetic food but 1t is the meat on
which our American Caesar has chiefly fed, and
constituted almost the entire ration of the
slave Clothing took the place Of nakedness !;
labor of idleness regularity. of irpgularity I;
obedience Of indulgence. Every moment the
physical and intellectual powers OF the sluggish
barbarian nature were taxed TO the utmost TO
meet the demand of the masters greed. Slavery
was n harsh school, but the lessons which were
learned in it were Of priceless value to the race
hn india Of ivili finn
on its rights and merits. 1t gave, instead Of
weakness strength; instead OF heathenlsm, Chris
tian faith instead of savage recklessncss, obedi-
ence to authority. and in lieu Of the impulse Of
ycnge n long-su1ering patience at which all the
world wonders. Added 70 these influences Of
climate, condition and environment was another
force which must never he forgotten In attempt
ing to measure the racial quality Of the Ameri-
can ncgrO-amalg amatiOn
slavery was the nurse Of vice Greed as well
MS lust invited to racial adIniXture The highest
prices were always paid for fancy lots. One
can hardly appreciate this fact unless, like the
writer. he has examined the books Of slave
dealing firm covering over forty years OF trailic
in Christian men and women. Slavery was the
paragon Of PROGRESSES. She bound the victim
hand and foot not with cords merely, but also
with laws. The cry for assistance was stlhed WIN a
statute. no slave dare resist n master; no slave
could testify. The Church was powerleSs III
had declared the institution OF slavery DIVINE, anu
50 shut its door against the colored believer 5
tale Of the white Christians Wrongd0lng. Inc
importance OF thlS cONQltlOH as lb'iot III tilc
character of the American negro Will be better
appreciated If we glance at few statistical facts
Keeping in mind that the white race ltse1 IS
more fccund in the southern states IMAM al the
North, because Of more favorable physical condl-
tons: that there was practically no importation
Of negroes after 1903, and that every child OF
slave mother was a slave and by irrebutfaole pre-.
sumption a negro, let rs compare the growth OF
the two races I'm some Of these States from the
date of the first census in which they appear
until the last. Tho white population OF virginia
increased between )7PO and lsSU w per cenVi
the blacks l06 per cent. In Norm Corollha
during the same period the whites Increased 200
per cent, the blacks, 4o2 per cent IN SCUM
Carolina, the whites 179 and the blacks 454
per cent; in Georgia, the whites |, 493 per cent
and the blacks 2,345; In Alabama, since 1880,
when it first appears in the census, the IN.
crease Of the white population was O!6 ana or
the blacks l,3l4 per cent: in MISSISSIPPI, since
1900. whites have increased 0,lj6 and blacks
1854 per cent The average increase OF the
white population in these six States since the FIRST
census will be seen to be-whltes go per Gehs
and blacks 3, 705 per cent. This gain in numbers
by race which was practically cut on from rem
forccment through immigration proves cohcIu-
sivcly the extent 10 which amalgamaton pro-
cceded under the encouragement which slavery
offered Had the child Of mixed blood succeeded
~ the condition of the father and been accounted
free according to the rule OF the common law;
no such gain could have been made by the colored
race These figures indicate the normal increase
OF the race plus its enhancement through "hl'e
paternity
The significance OF ms adnAtuTe as Il quail
fvlnE influence upon the race, removing IL IN
tyne from the African and approNimatlng IL IN
qnality and character 10 the dominant race, cam
not be- estimated by an enumeration Of the APP
pnrent mixed bloods in our population. ne eA-
tcrnal traces Of white ancestry were easily lost
I'm succeeding generations OF darker parentage !;
but the physiological effect upon the original type
remained, producing a general m3dhleauoh OF
racial cha racteristics, both physical and mental
1t is not unusual even to find individuals showing
clearly marked Caucasian features with hardly
traccablc tightening Of complexion, the result
~ remote admiNiure, followed by repeated Atrl-
can crossinVs One OF the most eminent colored
men I'm the country is an instance OF TINS MS
features are strongly Caucasian, though ms SKIN
is Of that dark, even brown, so frequently met
with in the United states and 50 rare among IN
mixed blacks His great grandmother was Whte
woman. So far rs known. all his other progch-
tors were Of uu,nXed African lineage; yet he up,
provimates the Caucasian, both physically ana
Intellectually. much closer thnn many who are
evidently half-hrceds. This new type, when, III
connection with other influences, amaiSamatloh
has produced as is usual in such admMtures,
approNimatcs I'm intellectual qualities more nearly
thr maternal stock, and in physical character the
maternal. As a consequence. the American negro
shows in moral and intellectual qualities the et-
feet Of repeated white paicrrlZaton, WhIle ms
nhrsicol ,iror and especially his remarkable
lonVevitv attest the influence of continuous col
orrd maternity Whether this influence VIII con-
tinuc or not depends IN very great ueIr'e upon
tho future civil and political status of the negro
Ipcounlitv Of right tends directly and ineVltaply
10 admiNturc: equality Of right 70 Self.respect
and srlf-nsSrrtion Scf-reSpect, family PRIDE ana
social position are potent props of virtue, none
~ which the colorcd race enjoyed, even to linn
tied extent, until since their emancipation. When
courts and iurics shall punish raVishment OF 4
coorcd woman by white man as certainly ana
severely rs If the victim were white; when the
seduction Of Colored woman by white oe-
trayer shall constitute the basis OF an action
sounding in damages as If she were white wnen
the colorcl man is encouraged to defend the
honor OF his family in the same manner ana 10
the same extent as n white man, racial admINiure
will become rs rare an event as the nternarria9e
of jew and Gentle or any other classes between
whom a racial or religious barrier exists.
NOBLE TENDENCIES OF THE NEW RACE
The evils which confront us to-day are but the
ripcning fruits of that terrible seeding of vice and
lust which we call slavery, whose horrors we
vainly seek to hide with the mantle of oblivion
Like all cOrrupting forces, its remedy is neither
simple nor instantaneous, but God and Nature