The Weekly Tallahasseean., 1901-11-29
CASTE AND COLOR.

CASTE AND COLOR.
If Booker T. Washington had to d.
gest all the editorials and pro and con
comments published since his dinner
with the President, his gastronomic
capabilities would be as severely taxed,
as they were at the pickup" dinner,
which the writer once gave him unek-
pectedly in Illinois. The private White
House dinner, probably occupied less
han an hour. But what has directly
and Indirectly been written about it,
would nearly fill freight train reach
ing from here to TuSkeegee.
The recent colonel of the Rough
Riders" of Cuban fame might scarce
ly be expected to be too fastidiOus in
matters Of social or court etiquet,
but we doubt if he for a moment SuS-
pected the immense amount of good,
and the immense amount of harm, that
would result from his breaking bread
with cultured gentleman whose skin
was slightly darker than his own.
Harm was done by unwittingly
arousing race prejudice, and the ugly
bug-bear of sO-called social equality"
and good was done by capable dis
cussiOns directing public attention,
North and South to the race problem
with frankness and earnestness that
has not been witnessed in many years.
If the incident did nothing else than
call forth the splendid symposium"
or series Of letters in the New York
Journal from some Of the highest in
tellectual and spiritual authorities in
the country, ION both sides Of Mason
and DiXOns line,) it would not have
been in vain.
The letters of Bishop Johnston, of
Texas, Bishop Gailor, of Tennessee,
and Bishop Dudley, of Kentucky, (men
whom we have personally known in
the work. are particularly strong in
pointing out the need of Christian In
dustrial Education.
The fear of social equality result
ing from ROoseVelt's dining with
Booker, is about on a par with the
Chinese fear of the moon swallowing
the sun at every recurring eclipse.
"The Caucasian race, for generations
to come, will govern this country"
writes DR.. j. L. M. Curry, Director of
the Peabody and Slater Fund, at the
close Of his letter;-and everybody
knows it, or ought to know it by this
time"
Booker T Washington has three
times spoken from the same platform
as the President of the United States,
with the President as an interesting
auditor, and at the Peace Jubilee in the
great auditorium of Chicago he re-
ceived an ovation from six thousand
people, second only to that accorded
the President himself. Although he par
took of the same banquet as President
Mckinley, and subsequently had Nc
Kinley as his own guest at Tuskeegee,
no such uproar was made by the press,
as followed BOOker's recent lunch at
the White House.
Meeting Booker some months ago
in front of the Grand Central station
in New York City, he introduced us
to. his companion, Mr.. Frissel, Of the
Hampton Institute, Virginia. Booker
was dressed in what appeared to be
gray hOmespun cloth, possibly of
Tuskeegee manufacture. But although
Booker, in his boyhood, only had fifty
cents in his pocket when he first arri-
we'd at Hampton, and slept under board
walks on his way there, (as he told
US, in our dining room in Illinois,) he
cerainly has had a pretty good time
ever since. His success in raising money
has been phenomenal. This he does
largely (he told us) by personal visits
and appeals. His public addresses are
largely attended and even his ''parlor
talks" are remunerative.
At Lake Mohonk Mountain House,
two months ago Tin the Catskill,) Mr..
Smiley, the proprietor, told us that
Booker had recently been there and
given talk" after which Smiley's
hat was placed on the table and six
teen hundred dollars were dropped into
1t in contributions and checks, for
Tuskeegee. Frissell also made an ap-
peal, later, and got thirteen hundred
dollars for Hampton. The annual In
dian Conference was held there after
wards. We heard Bishop Gray, of South
Florida, make an appeal Tin Saratoga
for his Indian work in the Everglades,
and he was delighted in getting $T5.
But Booker seems to get the most.
And he gets it all for "Tuskeegee No
other name or place enters his ealcula
tiOns. g.
Twice we have tried to induce Book
er to come down this way and see the
condition Of things in the Gul section
Of the Black Belt. But his last reply on
that point, was You're got Tucker
down at Tallahassee"
But our reply was, that Prof. Tucker,
(polished and Christian gentleman as
he is) was ''far above" the heads OF
the average plantation negro, an in
dividual whom neither Normal Schools
nor personal effort have as yet reach
ed. We thought that Diogenes mending
his tub, was better model for the in
dustriOus colored youth, than the use
loco oanI110ifInra ~ 4Ia nj mill