Evening star., 1896-12-30
MACEO IN ENGLISH EYES.
Greater Than TOussaint l'OuVerture-
Ability of Half-Caste Races.

Ability of Half-Caste Races.
From the Spectator.
The career of Maceo, the Cuban insur-
gent. the reports Of whose death, whether
by an accidental bullet or by a treacher-
Gus assassination, seem at last to be estab-
hshed, has an interest other than the po-
litical one. He was probably the greatest.
certainly most successful. mulatto or quad
room who ever lived. For eighteen months,
with a force which has never exceeded
10000 men all told with inadequate arril-
lery, and supplies which We're at best in
termitten;, ne has held at bay ar army of
100000 Spanish soldiers, commanded by
specially picked general, and supported ty
the resources in the way of supplies of
great European state. He inspired his fol
lowers, half-caste peasants most of them.
with zeal like that Of Hofer's Bavarians,
a zeal which enabled him to fight a per-
petually retreating battle without ever risk
ing the decentralization of his men, or any
grand defeat such as might have fatally
impaired their numbers.He organized a sys-
tenn of espionage which the Spanjards met
in vain by executing every suspected spy;
he maneuvered half-driled men with a ra
pidity which bewIldered his scientifically
trained opponents. and at the moment when
he was shot, or stabbed, he had drawn the
great force opposed to him over a line Of
fortifcatlons constructed by them with inn
mense expense and labor; had got behind
Gen. Weyler, and was in full march upon
the capital, where he Is believed, on Span
ish testimony, to have thousands of adher
ents. These are the feats of great guer-
rilla captain, and a great guerrilla cap
tain is at least an undeveloped general; but
there was in Aaceo something beyond mil
itary ability. He must have had impress
iveness of character Of very unusual
kind. Nothing can exceed the prejudice Of
the true Spaniard, the man who was train
ed at home, against the half-caste, unless
it be the prejudice of North American
for an Englishman; yet there can be no
doubt that Maceo was followed and rever
enced by thousands of Spaniards and hun
dreds of Americans, and that had ne lived
to see the independence OF his country ne
would have been the first president of the
Cuban republic OF the impression which
he made upon his enemies we need no
other proof than the exultant gratulations
of all Spain when the news OF his death
was officially confirmed City after city
proclaimed festival, and from every
municipal and other corporate body In
Spain there went up kilograms Of congrat-
lation to the queen regent. To overcome
the prejudice of color SO completely that
white Americans are mourning almost with
shrieks over the fall of quadroon, and
to make SO deep an impression upon hos
tile European people, Maceo must nave
been a great man, at least as great as, or
probably greater than. Toussaint fOuver-
ture. the hero of San Domingo.
Sucn a career compels one to pause and
iruuire whether the prejudice against half
breeds, which it is only just to acknowl-
edge that the writer himself feels in all its
force, has any foundation in reasoning
thought. 1t is quite clear, to begin with,
that the popular notion that men sprung
from a cross between white and dark races
lack manliness and are invariably deficient
in courage rests upon no foundation. II
was always a prejudice born OF mere con-
tempt The half-casteS Of San Domingo
fought with the utmost daring, and re-
peatedly defeated French soldiers, though
they We're hampered to the last degree by
the incurable distrust OF the pure blacks.
Hundreds of mulattoes who were enlisted
in the last throes of the civil war extorted,
not only by their courage, but by their dis
oipline in battle, the admiration of Ameri-
can officers. General Diaz, the president OF
Mexico, a most daring soldier, Is half an
Indian. General Dodd, the hero of Daho-
mey who has just been SO unfairly super
seded in Tonquin. whittier he had been sent
as commander-in-c n-chief, Is a Senegslese
uuadroon. The men who are defeating the
Spaniards in the Philippines, rousing
against them island after island, have
many of them faces which, in their blue
blackness, seem to the inexperienced darker
than most negroes, though, OF course, their
skins, when closely scrutinized, are of
lighter shade. The Zulus, who have
cross Of Arab blood; that is, OF blood which
was originally no darker than that OF the
Jews-have proved themselves match for
British soldiers; while the half-castes of
the Soudan are admitted on all hands to be
among the bravest of the brave. There is,
in fact, no evidence whatever that the
crossed race loses In the cross any Of the
courage possessed by the races from which
II sprung. The Eurasians of Bengal may
share some of the timidity of their moth
ers though we have heard that denied by
both officers and mining captains who have
had to test their quality; but at all events
there is no proof that in this essential ele-
ment there is general deterioration.
1t is more difficult to obtain evidence as
to intellectual qualities. because the cross
ed race has seldom risen high; but Gen.
Dodd Gen. Diaz and Maceo showed them.
selves considerable administrators as Wen
as soldiers, and many succesefui poiti-
clans. merchants. and htterateurs In span
ish America have been counted 10 the
crcss-breeds The most successful novelist
Of France the author of Monte Cristo.
acknowledged that he had negro blood In
his veins, and so. we have been told have
two other conspicuous litterateurs In
France whom we will not annoy by CIV
Ing their names There are families IN
Scotland and England known to have gip-
sizes among their forbearsr who display re-
markabie mental ability, while q whole
group OF bArrtetere may be named In In