Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1897-10-28
SOLUTION OF THE RACE PROB
LEM OFFERED.
UPDIKE'S STRONG ADDRESS
Madison Minister EloQuently Considers
Race Antagonisms Before Ameri-
can Missionary Association row in
Session at MinneapoIis-Neg
Must Be Christianized

leading addresses at Wednesdays ses-
sion Of the American Missionary as
ISOLATION was that OF DR.. E. G. Updike
Of Madison, Wis.
Christianity the Solvent of Race
Antagonists was the theme consid
cred eloquently by DR.. Updike. He said
in part that it is no doubt true that
race antagonisms are Intensified by
heredlty. Successive generations OF
men hating a despised race will trans
nit this hatred to their children. This
tendency, intensified by an atmos-
phere charged with race prejudice
comes to be one of the mC1t difficult
OF the anti-social forces with which we
have to deal. The circumstances are
somewhat mitigated by this fact per-
haps, but the nature of the evil re-
mains unchanged. The atagonism
which one rece or class has for another
is absolutely without reason. An
tagonisms may exist legitimately be-
tween individuals-when they are
based on unworthy or hateful quail
t1es,-but to exist between classes or
races without taking into account the
capacity or merit of individuals, has
no possible justification in the COM
mon sense of mankind. There is no
man living who can stand before an
intelligent audience and defend. on
the grounds of reason, the idea of
caste. But in spite of reason it exists.
1t exists in spite of Christianity.
There has perhaps never been in the
history of the church one idea so ut
terly abhOrrent to the very spirit of
Christ, which has yet so persistently
kept itself in the church and ATTEMPTED
to wear the cloak OF religion as that
OF race and class hatred The central
idea of Christianity is fatherhood and
brotherhood. The one involves the
other. There can be no fraternity
without common father, and there
can be no fatherhood that does not
involve brotherhood To build a.
church on the idea OF class or race
distinction is to strike at the very
heart of the Christian system. 1t had
justification among the Jews, but an
ethnlc morality or an ethnic religion
now is only an evidence of SO much
barbarism still lingering among us.
Eut now the remarkable thing is that
we OF the north, who are so severe in
our condemnation of the south for
race antagonism, have slumbering the
same latent, hateful feeling. which is
awakened with little provocation.
The town of Alton, ILL.,, where Love
JOY was murdered for asserting his
right to free speech but which has
since named its streets after Lincoln
and other distinguished worthless of
the war to atone in some sense for
its crime, has recently built a separate
school building for the colored people
and attempted to force them into it,
II We were to change places with the
southern whites we should perhaps
lind as much of this anti-social, anti
Christian feeling asserting itself as
they have. Somehow it is in the blood
OF the white race, and it should be
the chief mission of Christianity to
get it out as soon as possible A
prejudice that exists without reason
cannot be removed by reason. No
attempt to enlighten the south on it's
duty to the colored man will ever Sc
cure what We want. That feeling will
not be removed by argument 1t will
not be removed by threats or intim-
idation. There is no power in the ma
tional government to take it away. 1t
must come through the negro himself,
and we must help him to secure 1t.
DR. Updike continued: "A northern
gentleman of college education, who is
now living in the south, said to me re-
Gently: There is no hope for the
negro. The only thing is to keep him
socially and intellectually subordinate
and make him know his place This
is the feeling of a great class of
southern whites. 1t is said God de-
signed them for dependent and sub
ordinate positions. To impose upon
them the duties of civilization and give
them the same mental and moral
training as a superior race is to do
violence to their nature and must re-
oolC III Of1l. AL dlCSupI " uSFSIOp
the negro skull into that of the eau
Cassian is just as idle, not to say alb
surd and wicked, as would be the edu-
eating Of apes with view of develop
ing their skull with those of human
beings This is southern anthropology,
and that in the face of such men as
Booker T. Washington and other
leaders who have shown the negro
capacity for manhood development.
Now repeat it, one can't reason with
that kind of feeling. There is nothing
left for US to do but to go on making
men and women of the right kind out
Of the negroes until they shall capture
the south by their very superiority.
THE work of the American Mission
airy association is the grandest and
most important work ever undertaken
by the church. We must be possessed
of that divine enthusiasm for humanity
which can see the possibilities in this
despised race and help to bring them
out But he must be made self-reliant
Or he cannot be saved. The struggle
for existence with proper restriction
will go on forever. Might will not
give right, or mere shrewdness sur
vive; but an inferior race that con-
tinues inferior will not permanently be
bolstered up even by Christianity.
The negro population of the south is
NOT increa sing &c ia cf rpIafivoIv DC +bo