The Washington bee., 1898-10-15
THE NEGRO AT THE SOUTH,

to deliver an address before that
body at Fort Worth, Texas, in
December next. This remarkable
fact called forth left-handed COM
pliment from the Boston Globe in
which it was stated that it is a
striking evidence ofss southern
white mems appreciation for the
good work done for his race by a
black man." The Mobile Register,
accepting the compliment, ac-
knowledges the same in these
words:
"The mistake made by the northern
philanthropists In their efforts to help
the negro was in thinking the negro
was white man with black skin
and that he needs what white men
most need, namely, high school ed
ucation. What the negro needs is
knowledge Of how to cultivate the soil;
how to make things; how to acquire
moral status"
Referring to this bit of exchange,
the Post, pretending to see in it an
exact correspondence of sentiment
between the North and the South,
in gush of enthusiasm explains
that,
To-day all observant and enlighted
men this side of the Potomac realize
that at the South the negro finds his
truest friend and his most generous
opportunities.
Just how the Post makes this out
is hard to see. The Globe merely
congratulates the southern Whites
upon their appreciation for the
good work Mr.. Washington is do
ing for his own race. 1t does not
say that the southern people are
doing anything very appreciable to
assist in race elevation. 1t was
simply generous enough to express
|, satisfaction at the mere fact of
viting colored man to address
a body of southern whites. But
the Register throws the fat in the
fire when it explains The motives
and reasons which prompted the
southern friends (?) to extend the
invitation. 1t claims that in point
of moral and intellectual constitu
, ton there is no similarity between
the whites and blacks; that a high
school education which white
man most needs is no sort of use
to a colored man and that the
negro is fit only for agriculture
and other vocation in which manu-
al labor Is required. The negro must
know how to farm and how to make
things. Pray how long an appren-
tlceship is it necessary to serve
before one can be said to know
how to farm? The negro has done
al of the farming at the South for
10 these two Ecenturies. And to
what extent has he profted by 1T
in point of material, moral or
social advancement? He must
know how to make things. How
and where is he to learn this useful
art? The southern whites do not
make things. About everything
they use is made at the North and
during al the year of leisure which
they have had they have yet to
produce a respectable author.
Manufactures as southern enter
prises are as yet undiscovered arts.
The few located in the South are
manipulated mainly by northern
skill and strife. He is to acquire
moral status. And how is he to
do that when the thousands of
whites young and old are practical
ly turned loose to despoil the char
acter and humiliate and degrade
the manhood and womanhood of
the race. The fact is that invita-
tion which the Post wishes to mag
Nifty into an expression of sincere
friendship, is merely an attempt
on the part of the southern people
to distract the attention of our
people from the pursuit of those
lines of education which tend to
elevate the intellectual status of
the race and are destined to enable
us to grapple successfully with the
great moral and intellectual ques.
tl0ns which detarmina tho or,,o+