The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1898-12-27

self called TO the editors chair. TO the
presidency of q college. to a professor
snip, or to a diplomatic position? The
colored youth teaches and breaches:
but such positions are limited both in
number n scope. He must do some
thing else. Few Offices are open to him:
and these are besieged. Sometimes he
gets a place as clerk. secretary. type
writer. stenographer; more often the
only vacancy for him Is that of janitor
or doorkeeper. He may perhaps study
law, but that brings him no income
unless he plays the part Of the lawyers
office boy while so studying. As TO
learning his fathers business. . the
father seldom has a paying business in
to which he can take his son or laugh
ter. When he has. the graduate does
not tai to mental work.
Again. to become a man Of business
calls for capital as well as brains; but
every educated man is not cut out for
a business life. Inclination and adapt
ability are to be considered here as well
as elsewhere Travel Is out Of the
question, as a rule, because of lack Of
a Should he WELD a brilliant.
trenchant pen. he can expect his talents
to find recognition only as he enters
the army of reporters. This he does at
times; but a chair In the editors sane
tum Is seldom for him. Though Re
may be a graduate and a post graduate.
he cannot expect the presidency of any
but a negro college. The majority OF
such positions are held by white men:
and the professorships follow largely
along the same line. Only IN inferior
OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES. instructor. etc
may possibly be his. The fact that he
Ia a specialist. a post graduate. makes
little difference. The same holds true
in regard to diplomatic positions; only
minor appointments are his.
When 1t comes to considering the
possibility OF a life of leisure. what
shall be said? One of luxurious idle
ness Is. happily for the race. out OF
the question: n a negro tramp, as /
have said. is a rara avis. As for h
enforced idlenes of a felon's cell, h
act is that the educated negro Is very
seldom a misunderstanding Flax" and
such atrocious Misrepresentation to
the contrary Notwithstanding. I'm
fortunately some are lazy: but the vice
of laziness Is not peculiarly the negroes.
IL the negro youth starts out In law or
medicine or business he has an ex-
ceptionally uphill task. The conditions
are. however. growing better In these
lines: for the race has more confidence
in men of its own color than IL once
had. The colored lawyer, editor. dem
list. physician, and grocer are all bet
ter ~patronized than formerly. 1t is all
a matter OF growth. and until a certain
healthy maturity comes there will be
the blighting influence Of discourage
ment.
These, then, are reasons why the edu-
Gated negro youth does not do the
things that the educated white youth
does so largely. II ne becomes pessi-
mistic and thinks IL all a mistake-this
education he las gained at such an ex-
pense of pains and time-and should
turn to a trade as a last resort for a
livelihood. he finds himself again balk-
ed. Trades-unions have shut their
doors; and the labor party has see
sawed so much on the question Of his
Gdmittance that IL is difficult to know
where il stands. Here and there tie
may succeed I'm attaching himself t. a
master-workman who will give him
work and teach him the trade: but this
is the exception. Because of these
conditions there are many who. seeing
only his phase of life, make the un-
qualified assertion that the negro was
vastly better off during the slavery re-
gime. when the negro master-workman
was no rarity. But there is a light
ahead I'm this respect. such schools as
Hampton and Tuskegee. with their mag
nificent equipment of Industrial shops.
are helping to solve this part of the
problem. They will give the negro the
knowledge. He must hen push out
and compete for the work.-Prof w. 5.
Scarborough In the December Forum.