The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1897-08-21
AMAssACHUsETTs PUZZLE.

The Boston Journal quotes an educated
negro as having said that there was lit
tie encouragement in this country for the
negro TO strive to improve his condition,
as he was practically excluded from all
positions, save those of mental char
acter.
The dOur6m honfesses that there is
much trulNk' what the negro says. and
adds; esNs
Here is@ ny, well fitted to fill respec-
table bosiHaSS An life, that would be
more cSneMg& to him than humber and
equally 10 gctable positions; yet he Is
debarredAiSS purely epidermic reasons
ter educatisG struggle to perfect him
self, when his very striving and suug-
Cling may tmake him the more discon'
tented with his apparently inevitable lot.
We say apparently inevitable lot be-
cause positions in negro schools ana ne
gro colleges are limited in NUMBER nor
is it possible for every negro 10 gam
Office in State or national government
The ordinary callings of life are still IN
a large degree closed against this race
II is a singular fact that the most deep
rooted DItJuQlct dEdllloN AiAN itNc-N
companion in the walks of life is In the
Northern and Southern States of the
limited States of America No French
man. no German, no Italian and hardly
any Englishman in his respective country
would change his seat in a public Vehl-
Gle because a negro should happen TO SIT
next him. There are negroes who are re-
ceived as a matter of course III foreign
society.
There is in these countries no such
marked division as is found in Boston
as well as in Savannah or Richmond.
Indeed we once saw in virginia rdll-
way car an old negro nurse holding the
little granddaughter Of wealthy to-
bacconist. The rich man-no doubt her
former owner-sat by her side, talked
with her. considered her comfort helped
her out when the train reached their
destination. We remember seeing the fu-
neral Of an old negro on Virginia
plantation. He could neither read nor
write. but he had been a willing, faith
ful servant. To his funeral came
the representatives, of all the
leading, long established white families
OF the neghboring plantations. Is it pos
sibe that the deserving negro IS often
treated with more courtesy in Virginia
than In Massachusetts?
1t is not our purpose TO enter into a
discussion Of this subject. But we are
much interested to note that a news
paper published in the state of Massa-
chusetts, the birthplace OF American
slavery and abolition. should openly con-
fess that there IS as much prejudice in
that state against the negro as there is
in the Southern States, and that with
all the love which Massachusetts, has
professed for the black man, he should
be debarred by his color from occupying
such positions in Massachusetts, as his
intelligence and fitness fairly entitle him
TO.
We shall not try in this article to sug-
ccst a remedy. Massachusetts, should
have thought Of all this when she
brought the Africans TO this country and
sold them to the South; and when in after
years she clamored for their freedom
and took up arms to break their shackles,
she should have decided ia advance what
she was going TO do with the negroes
after she had set them free. Wen may
our Boston contemporary say that the
question is puzzling.