The Worcester spy. [volume] (Worcester, Mass.) 1898-1904, 1899-11-16

the south. When emancipation strand
ed them, most Of the colored race were
either domestic servants or else agri-
culturists. The dividing up of the old
plantations and the exploiting of the
mineral wealth Of the land have forced
him to take up new occupations, but it
is blessing TO the south that the ne
gro continues there.
las an agriculturist the negro's
ability is unquestioned but his ambi-
ton is so slight that while the farmer
succeeds in supporting his family, he
adds nothing to the wealth of the COM
munity. Four hours a day and three
days week is the average amour of
his work week. AT present shiftess-
ness is the negro farmers chief
enemy"
AS for the negro in the north, Miss
Goodell said that he generally inhabits
the worst districts of large cities, where
the physical and moral conditions were
or the poorest, but that if it were grant
ed that the negro was immoral, you
could not expect it to be reformed in 30
years While the lazy and immoral ne
gro has all sorts of societies to help
him, the industrious, good charactered
young colored man finds every trade
closed to him.
Politically the negro is in several
states losing the franchise given him
by the 10Th amendment to the consti-
tuition, for certain property and other
qualifications which he finds difficulty
in meeting have been introduced and
are enforced which work to deprive
him of the ballot This, however, like
the appropriation of the funds for ed
ucation, is not, said the speaker, so un-
just as IT may sound, for it would be
a tremendous hazard were the proper
ly-owners subjected to the negro vote.
In at least one state negroes are pre-
vented from jury service, circumstance
es thus reVerting to the conditions be-
fore the war, when a colored man was
not allowed to testify against a white
man. If the negro has not fulfilled the
vague but sanguine hopes of his north
ern friends, he has proved himself a
CONSCIENTIOUS student, a workman able
TO compete satisfactorily with the
Whlte workman, one who has learned
the value of a pure family life and in
few cases he has shown himself able
to meet political crises.
In the discussion that followed, Mrs
A. ). Carver said that she thought the
whites were responsible for a good deal
OF the immortality of the negroes. Miss
Phelps said she thought so. too Mrs
u. Il. Francis asked Miss Nav if she
llVed IN state where the negro popu-
lation outnumbered the white, would
she like to be governed by them, and
MISS May said she couldn't tell. Later
she explained that she couldn't tell be-
cause she had never tried it, AS II
was, she was governed by Irish Mrs
w. H: Bliss said that when she taught
at Atlanta university the colored girls
could not be sent down town alone on
account of the insults of the white
men. Because she taught in a colored
school she was not allowed a sitting
IN the church CEpiscopaD. If a color
ed girl were with her she could not
ouy glass of soda or sit in the front
OF hall or ride in the cars with
whites. Miss Patrick of Hopedaie
thought the opposition of the southern
whites to the education of the negro
the most pernicious phase of the stu
atlon. ct these are the people who
are going to civilize the Philippinesl"
lnterJected Mrs. A. F. Chamberlain.
Mrs. W H. Bliss upheld the govern
ment IN acquiring the Philippines, Por-
10 rico ana CUBA. The president re-
marked that Booker T. WASHINGTON
advised the negro to keep out of poli-
| tics. and Miss Frances Hill and Mrs.
| b. I. Rice corroborated this statement.
The third and last paper was by Miss
Carrie M. Bunce, of the Salem street
| school, who discussed the future of the
negro. The Question is not merely
what we shall do with the negro" she
| said, but what the negro will do with
| our national institutions. 1t has been
| suggested that if every unworthy i'm
migrant could kill a negro and then
| be hanged for it, the negro problem
might be solved. The deportation of the
| negro to Africa will not solve it. neither
| VIII his segregation. The negro will
not help US out by dying off, for he
has the largest birth rate of any race
that the colored race will be absorbed
| by the lower class of whites and 40
disappear to be considered.
MISS Bunce spoke in particular of the
lndustrlaI oppression to which the negro
| is subjected. A young colored girl of
good character learned stenogranhv. a
| lawyer offered to find her employment.
several persons engaged her through
recommendation, but when he said she
was colored, no one would employ her
A graduate Of Columbia university
could find no other work, and became
a waiter at the University club, where
ne waited on his classmates. Another
man who learned the trade of paint
ing, was obliged to become a porter
reese instances of the unjust operation
of the industrial prejudice against the
race were from Philadelphia.
In conclusion, the speaker said:
costly as is the education Of the col
ored race, it is more costly to neglect
1t. We must fight it out on this line
for all the summers and winters, and
the progress must be in Industrial and
religious training
A collection amounting to over So was
taken up. A committee, consisting Of
Mrs. George D. Clifford and Mrs. M Fl,
Cowden, was appointed to draw up
resolutions on the death of Mrs. Jerome
Wheelock.
Secretary Frederick w. Hollis Of The
Hague peace commission sent a letter
thanking the league for their recent
resolutions adopted in support of his
course. His letter was read by the
secretary. Mrs. A. S. Carver, delegate
q the fnt.n....L.