The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1899-03-05

NEGRO IN TIE SOUTH.
Dr. Groszmann Gives n mprehensiNe
Vevicw of the = tuat on.

Vevicw of the = tuat on.
Dr. Macmillan T. r. Groszmann, who
may be well remembered 10y many of The
Times readers through his Success nd
course Of lectures on education az 81. AM
drews Parish house a year ago. recently
published an instructive article Oh the me-
gro problem in the South 100 the columns
OF the New York Stats Zeltung,' lie
calls attention 10 the difficulties OF this
problem which, in the North are rarely
understood in their fun gnhc9uco A.
Dr .Groszmann is by birth German. and
has becu living % northern territory for
well nigh quarter of "a century. his ut-
terances are particularly noteworthy ass
showing that 10 requires but real ac-
quaintance with southern conditions as
they are 10 convince INTEL gent and un-
prejudiced men that our cause never was
as wicked ana ncOmpreheus. as some
so-called historians try TO make men be-
lieye.
Dr. Groszmann shows c0ncmsivey that
the emancipation of the slaves by force
Though IL was perhaps the logical conse-
auence of a long cham Oh deyel0pmeutll
occurrences Was FAR from solving the nee
gro problem salts actorily and that this
problem became further complicated by
the sudden granting oft al tine rights of
citizenship 10 So many mali ous of ienQ-
" %
Thoroughly foreign Zoo Aryan or Tcutonc
traditions. lie describes very clearly tho
deplorable POLITICAL results OF This primi-
tive and nl-adNIsed sttp aud maintains
that the recent happenings m the Caro-
linas, unfortunate as they were. are but
the natural outcome ut "a long series of
intolcrablc wrongs consequent upon tho
presence of AN lrresp0us. nie voting class
On these State. Ia Virginia. the coiOrcd
fraction represents g. per cent. of tho cu-
tire population. in South Carolina. even
az much as 20 per cent, yet lu uo SOUTH
ern State does this vast proportion oi
colored inhabitants pay mo.e than or 4
per cent of the total amount OF taxes.
Small wonder Dr. GrOszmann thinks,
that such am appalling discrepancy hc-
tween rights and burdens should cause
friction and lead 20 Outbursts of passion
and resentemont
1he author then proceeds Co describe
the negro as Doe has found him in Tine
Virginia of to-day comparing him with
what DO thinks be may have been iu the
times Of slavery. THIS gives MIN an op-
portunlty Of defe llIns tle Oae-time
s,ave-holder against the accusations so
common in ito North, that be treated
his servants cruelty and numerically
and 70 state % az his conviction that. al
things considered, The free negro SIS
less prosperous. happ3 auo desEap.e
member Of society llan was the Save iu
days gone by 90 course, Dr. GT0szmana
IS very far from Jusufyiug avery, %
simply pleads that me methods oy Wh.ca
the new state OF things has been brOugh'
abous. were anything but rational and
wise and that they have plunged The
South into au abyss OF confusion ana
distress lie then turns 90 The C1ucatiuI
OF the negro and proves chat the South
b. II tr. b. i
superhuman task which DO has nooiy dis.
charged In this connection he produces
some figures which show the reolNe
number Of adults and children of school
age an the different states. THUS the In
teresting fact IS elected nat there are
twice as many children in tho Caroiihas
as there are adults, while there are one
and one half as many adults ass there
are children ip New Hampshire in
Virginia, the proportion is DO children
20 68 adults These figures mean
al course that thc school TX is 90 mu'h
heavier burden Co the South than 90 the
North Remembering further the fact
that the negro TO whose proiihcness this
excess OF children over the number Of
adults Is largely due. contributes almost
nothing 10 the expenses for administer
ing 10 their educational needs, We can
realize the difficulties With which the
path OF educational advancement In the
South T. best in comparison with North
ero conditions
This is indeed but a scanty extract
or resume Of Dr Groszmann'r article
But surely his eloquent plea Tor bet
ter spprec!ation OF the Southern side
81 the situation cannot fan 20 proidce
a beneficial erect among our Northern
brethren. Such impartial expositions Of
cscts too often ignored, should be CRATE
n,Ily acknowledged as opening a way