The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-08-01
AMUsEMESrs OF a RACE.
serse Singular Yaets Stated st the Hsnpteu
Negro Couference.

serse Singular vaets Stated at the Hsrapts-
Negro Conference.
HAMPTON, Va, July 31.-Prof. w. r. Burg
hardt Du Bois, who was educated at Harvard
and in Germany, and is the author OF q valuable
work on The Suppression of tho African Slave
Trade road a paper at the Negro Conference
here on THE Amusements of q Race" The
position no took was in the nature Of an ar
raignment Of tho methods Of tho Afro-Ameri-
can Church and the abuees which have crept
into 1t through carrying Puritan ideas too far,
in tho almost total elimination Of harmless
amusements from the life Of the people. He
stated as q basis Of his contention tho place
which harmless amuscments have In the life OF
young people, as well as their necessity TO q
healthy condition Of mind and body. a. he had
observed them in New England. where he was
born, and in Europe, whore he had studied and
travelled extensively, and In the Southern
States, where he was laboring.
Prof. Du Bots contends that to maintain Its
position the negro church has been forced to
compete with tho dance hall, the theatre, and
the homo as an COMMUNICATING agency.
Aided by, color prescription, In public amuse-
ments and the fact that the church among Afro
Americans IL older than the home, tho church
has been peculiarly successful. " 10000 OF
the persons whom he askod in philadelphia,
S wnSFe edc' NJ ro ams'f the a@u eSarah.'" The Afro,
American church was looked to to provide tho
people With social interoourse, amusements OF
various kinds, to act as n newspaper aid intel
ugence bureau; 1t supplanted the thehtrej IL
directed the picnic and excursion, and iur.
the community; It served as a lyceum, library
and lecture bureau.
alous institution, said Prof. Du Bois, must
have adaptation and education for his difficult
role; he must be, IN fact, the chief MAGISTRATE
the diCtation OF q not overintelligcnt town
council. according to the law and custom Of
c~essities Of his budget. He may be q spiritual
guide; he must be a social organizer, a leader
q m %splri.a nag iisy Of a9 sis ao bS ep bas aS SoS fs al IL
must have church members. He may desire
to revolutionize church methods, 70 elevate the
truth to a people who heed a little more truth
and q little less fattery: but how can he do
ton demand that I he shall take from the spirit
ual life of his work its spirituality and minister
to the amusement the diversion, and the physi,
revival BECOMING a social event Of the Season N
ersi G reee Pa @1's and riVai or gan att %s' plunged III seal
into debt to furnish their houses with an ele.
saI Ss1s .hst :, f tajcE ontrq peoD the d MSe n ,bs ability eb1rs Of
door becomes the trysting place of all the lovers
and ubertines Of the community; when q cease.
necktie parties chase the week through, what
minister can be more than Afro, American min
lstere are 'oihlnB 10 De- mo pusihess Hahagers
.o. .srhi' u.s.. Is t4 Prof. ;it ia ssi,, of i. th so nsFr s,x eh by s1
negro churches, but I.niean the average church.
It Is rather the misfortune than the fault Of the
church. With the peculiar development we
eonias sar en more snrs noSIyfsidll edq its huge, mutt muIti.
form task. II it totters beneath its burden, it
oastqssion Of d lSs s6iiity ye 81 sSs e er liz af nss qs% to
govern himself. Notwithstanding all this. the
s%ituatiop demands. peremptorily demands, re-
irgly:restless crowd of young people who are de.
handing ways and means Of recreation, and
that goes to increase that growth of a distinct
class of negro libertines, criminals, and pros.
ti,Ites ., Thie h,,i is or growing StIs.ts among Smag , us day .b BY
taunts our brothers and sisters, and which
does more in a day to tarnish our good name
than the Hampton Institute can do In a year to
Under such circumstances two questions
i mama for am muse aar''ii es Il lnis f''T Second aS'
can the church continue to be the centre Of
e. TssIhm. rh wh 4ish It s S%use on int pe Ai iis
makes the pointer 90 round, but the lett swing
must follow it; the down stroke OF the hammer
between blows; the heart must beat, and yet
between heart beats comes a pause: the day is
q period of fulfilling the functions OF life, and
yet The prelude and ending Of day is night:
Throughout nature, from the restless boating OF
yonder-waves to the rythm OF the seasons and
rest and work, Of activity and relaxation, Of in.
splrBtion and amusement.
I'VE. might imagine a short-siRhted philoso
pher arguing stron ly against the loss of time
involved in the intermittent period, arguing
against the time spent by the hammer in rails
ing itself for the second blow; with such a phil.
osopher the world has never agreed. The
whole world is organized for work and recrea
ton. Where the balance between the two is
best mair tanned we have the best civilization
the best culture; and that civilization de
clines to barbarism where on the on.
hand.work and drudgery so predominant a.
TO destroy the very yigor which stands behind
thcm,. or. on the, other hand, where relaxation
and amusement become dissipation instead o
recreation. l dwell on these simple facts be
cause I fear that a proverbially joyous people
like the American negro. are forgetting u
recognize for their children the God.given RICH
TO play, that there is n perfectly natural. legit
innate demand for. amusement on the part OF
the, young people, and that no people can al
ford to laugh at, sneer at, or forcibly repres
tho natural joyousness and pleasure seeking pro
pensity Of young womanhood and young man
hood"
Prof. Du Bots naturally concluded that youni
people would have amusement and recreation
and that while 1t was no business OF the churcl
to furnish them, the church should so modif.
Its restrictions as not TO include all those thing
in which young human nature finds an Quite
Tor its pent-up spirits.