Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1901-02-21
COMMENT And CRITICISM.
Every tub must stand upon It's bottom;

hdohAui htlHb bOAftuGhtih ui wv tHb
is, in some respects, remarkable
book. 1t is Of q kind one likes 10 read
occasionally for its broadening effect
upon ones sense Of appre citation, ard
in the prescott instance it is % dis
tinciiveiy informing naturs As a
study in human character it is some
what GU, OF the ordinary, the SUBJECT
belnR an old negro slave. but IL IL on
that account none tho less attractive,
apart from certain scientific irterost
the Analysis ~ uro's char cter
arouses. here IS wsa ID Of lit,rai y
material in he negro tGnlpersLif at
that could be utilized in many ays
had the ci CONS aacas Of his ArJris
caHizatioA tean different; but t6at
feature OF it faithfulnees to II tr lst,
which is probadiy the mos rOmirent
- excepting oil couisr, savage bru-
tality--in the whole range o tho
African character, that appears rs the
leadiog motif in tStfiuatown Gin the
| FAKE, is all that eau eeer--in tao
| present age. at east lend Itself to
| literary int pretutlUn by the Anglo
Saxon writer. In one sense this is I'M
| inrtuSate in that it precludes intel
| lentual Justice TO race that Ia
\ unfavorably situated and hopeiesay
dominated by insurmountabe odts,
| both 10 its native land and in its now
| enviionment; but in another, it might
| he considered v lse dispensation in
atrording q pregnsnt' oppur unity FIR
| the race itself to lonsen lis literary
| shRokles aud illuWine its own intel
ectual ohscurity. Unfortu 1ateiy, there
is little hope 10 the latter direction.
1t is true, Booker T. Washington,
Paul Laurence Dunbar, and some
others that might be mentioned would
seem to coDrroYert 80 pessimistic an
idea, but fear heir work, a. succs4a-
| ful and far reauhing MS it is, cann3f b.
regarded in orhes hight than as a
dramatic admiration OF what might
| occur, under soGie uDfora cen circum-
stances, in tho innre or less ehimerical
| field of futuie possibility. however
That may be, in the person OF o d Cupe
| Mo. lhoyd has depietsd .perh Ups I'm
consciously character that illustrates
| equally the hopoles5uess and the hone
fulness that any analysis OF tho nero
mentality will show TO an ohseryant
mind, and in the picture here rre.
sented Of tho African civilized there
| is unqu stiunably no encouragement
| Cupe was faithful, but unreasa nable
in his faithfnlness: be was constant,
but his constaney was basad ON
emotion; BIO was skilful in working to
| an end. but curiously regardless OF
consequences, and while he was loyal
TO the child Susia he did not hesi ate
to murder h6r father with cold-b olded
caimness in all he was notuated by a
tanatical and invulnea ble belief in
| the potency of .'ai1ns.r When the
sign" failed to work hs was i'm
movable; when ID pointed the wy
nothing could check him. These
| qualities, acting CONFORMITY in an in
dividua whosf wits had been sharpened
| by association with higher environ
mental intelligence. judged from the
standpoint of intellectual enlighten
ment, fail to disclose any evidence al
a tfue response TO civilized influences,
On the contrary, they Indicate that
Cupe was still negro in the sayase
sense, still yirain product of the
African Jungle without reason, with
out morals, aud without conscience.
Faithful because he was emotional,
unyieldinR because he was without
appreciation, and oblivIous of con.
sequences because he was Blinded by
the indifference OF the savage. Here,
take it, lies Mr.. Lloyd's LITERARY
failure, for it does not appear that be
intended his rsaders To draw any such
dark differences. At the same time,
paradoxical as it may seem, the failure
establishes the accuracy OF his ohserva-
tion. Cupe is the negro as Mr.. Lloyd
sees him las we all see him, 10 fact,
and with whom we come ia more OF
less daily contact however much We
may be imbueti with the Massachusetts
idea of tho ''colored'' race. We may
take the negrn and by compulsory
education and ASSOCIATION increase his
cuteness, sharpen his wits, cultivate
his cunning, but We will never intel
lectualize him, nor make him mora
creature. L OF course speak OF the
race as q whols. Isolated Instances oil
INSTRUMENTATION do not invalidalt
the argument, though most Of these
1T may be noted, are half-breeds, Of
witness blanche Il. Bruce and Frederick
Douglas, who was part indian. Blu
there is no hope in this direction since
the cross between the negro and chs
white man is not durable product
it seldom lives through the thire
generation.
Those who take an interest in tn,
negro should read this book. tDodd
Mead & Go. From Il, S, r. Butler 4
lSon.)
The nomination of Gen. f. d. Grant
Capt j. Franklin Bell and DR.
Leonard Wood to be brigadier-generaIl
III tho regular army illustrates VERY
beautifully the view Mr.. McKinley
taxes Of administrative art. and iu
cidentally an unfortunate feature O
his character. These officers have per
formed their duties creditably SO far a!
the public knows, but neither one O.
them has done anything to deserve 81
handsome u reward, and to promot,
them over many other older and more
deserving men is despicable act ant
wauton prostitution. OF executiv,
privilege. The President has beer
spoken of as a man WHO acts witt
his ear to the ground" be tinl beer
cynically dismissed as an opportunist
and Mir. Thomas Brao cit Reed ha
styled him the Emperor of Tx
podiency;" but these IRE merely witt,
descriptions of parts OF his multifariou
character and none of them cover hin
as whole. But when. we view him Of
q political socialists very differen
entity from the ordinary socialist, b.
1t understood, but nevertheless indanti
cal in principle then do we have ligh
on the remarkable performances of
personal nature that have disgracet
, the government since he has wieldet
executive authority. Judging fro ii hi
conduct, he does not bsiieve in meri
torious distinction unless such dis
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