The times., 1901-04-30
Circulation statement.
DIR. Parkhurst on the south.

Our readers are familiar with the
vigorous and fearless. if sometimes eX-
treme. course Of the Rev Dr.. Park
hurst. CT New York, as a municipal re-
former and vice fighter. If We may
judge from his latest utterance respect
ing an important public question, he Is
not in all things an extremist but is
able to take a very judicial view of the
race problem ia the South, which he
has been studying in the course OF
nine days visit TO that region.
As a result Of personal observation,
and of an educational conference at
winston Salem. North Carolina, paru-
cipated in by the doctors party, he
MADE a presentment Of conclusions in
his pulpit Sunday which cannot fail
10 attract attention, and, possibly, vary
ing comment In any event, his state
mentg viii be regarded as an addition
10 the controversial literature Of the
subject. 1t Is not our purpose critically
to discuss the new opinions OF Dr.
Farkhurst in connection with the race
problem; but rather TO review them
with particular reference to their diver
sence from those held by many other
philanthropists. especially in New Eng
land The latter as a rule, are unwill-
ing to admit that any mistake was
made in Incorporating a vast and indi-
gestible mass of negro ignorance into
the body polite. at a time when the
race had but just emerged from a con-
dition Of slavery which naturally rem
dered it unit for the duties and re
sponsibilities Of independent citizen
ship. DR.. Parllhurst frankly takes the
opposite side. and says:
..The Understanding &C; ly which negroes
had conferred upon them the right 20 vote was
one Of those bunders from which Il is not
easy 10 escape, once 4 j. committed, but winch,
il would seem we ought 10 have had Northern
craftsmanship sufficiently intelligent 10 prevent.
And this position Is one that ought TO be taken,
not so much in the interests Of the Southern
whites as in the interests of the Southern blacks.
The premature granting Of the prerogative has
built up a wall OF antagoniSln TO the colored
race that only shuts the race out from the en-
joyment OF the prerogative-
The counsel. therefore that both the Northern
and Southern friends Of the negro are giving 10
him is to keep quiet on the whole suffrage
matter 10 keep out Of politics not 10 insist
on his rights but 10 attend industriously 10 the
work Of getting himself well ready, 10 learn to
much - he can into his row empty head.
The less we up here talk about racial ques-
tons the better. II Is the social question that
20 the Southern mind IS the sensitive nerve oi
the entire situation. IL is hsrd enough for them
now 70 get along with the negroes, and every
thing that the North does for the negro only
makes the situation more strained and the South
ern white man more nervous and -tcuehy, unless
with every Northern dollar that Is laid out Tor
the education Of the poor blacks an nswerIng
dollar is appropriated for the education OF the
poor whites
There is sound common sense and
good advice in the foregoing, as far as
abstention from long range agitation
IS concerned. The South justly resents
the enfranchisement Of the negroes af-
ter the civil war, in the sense that in
principle ii was punitive measure and
intended by its authors TO be 50; and
that it imposed burdens, losses, dis
aster. and humiliation upon intelligent
American communities. during the dark
reconstruction days. that should not
have been imposed upon them in honor,
after their frank acceptance of the
military terms offered by Generals
Grant and Sherman. But the Southern
people. taken as a whole. have not held
the negro responsible for the blunder
OF politicians who, in 1866, thought they
could use him as club To prevent a
successful reorganization of the party
Of jefferson and Jackson in the recently
seeded States, under the once more
common flag of the country. If DR.
Parkhurst would spend six months il
different parts Of the South, part OF
on.
lucky, and part in the States where the
black population almost or quite equals
that of the whites, ne would not fal
into an error, more serious than one O
mere detail. which is contained in tn
following extract from his sermon. H
is quoted as saying:
..Tl,e Southerner does not like the negro an
better than the average NorjhcuT does. an.
ihc two carry themselvc- toward the negro VIII
just about the same amount ~ Christian consld
eratiou-ouly Of the Two the Southern whit
man has perhaps This advantage that he docs no
make quite 90 lamluysut pretcncc q iOsln
The negro as his Northern conirere does Tn
Southern white man dislike, tie negro and own
mp 10 T.. Tire white man IN the North DISLIKE
the negro and lies about it'
We are not inclined 10 doubt th'
honesty Of the above statement, which
nevertheless. VIII not strike people in
timately acquainted with the Southern
States. their people and their condi
tions. as in accord with the facts. o.
the average, the Southerner does lill
the negro better than the Northerne
does. Since the race line has beel
broken politically. the former is willin
that his former slave should eXercis
the right Of suffrage. provided alway
that he is sufficiently educated, and ha
some reason TO be interested in goo
order and good government The ide
Of domination by ignorance, without re
gard 20 color, is repugnant To the in
teiligent elements Of the South, just a
il would be to any other Anslo-Saxo
people. But here applies an objectio
TO outside interference in negro educa
ticn which IS not without force. on
can travel from end TO end OF the sec
tion without hearing a word in oppO
sition 10 such educational enterprise
as Booker Washington's Tuskcgee In
sutute. Why? Because that schoc
teaches the negro 10 work 10 becom
skilled in agriculture and the manua
arts, and TO take a possible place with
in his environment On the other hanc
pseudo philanthropy from the Mort
has been too much devoted TO givin
him a bellies lettres training Of II
earthly use to him in present circum
stances, and only calculated TO max
him discontented with his necessar