The Savannah morning news., 1901-04-13
OUR RACE SUPERIORITY.
Able Address by Prof. Edward Ross
of Leland Stanford, to PoIiti-
cal Scientists

Philadelphia, April 12.-The fifth annual
meeting of the American Academy of Po-
ltical and Social Science began here to-,
day and will continue tomorrow and to-
morrow night There is a full attendance
of the membership of the Academy. The
general topic for discussion is Americas
Race Problems" and the many phases of
that subject were ably discussed to-day
by men well known the country over. The
annual address was delivered tonight by
Prof. Edward A. Ross, formerly of Leland
Stanford University and now a member
or the faculty of the University of Ne
braska, who spoke on 1.-THE Causes of
Race Superiority"
Among other things, Prof. Ross said:
The superiority of a race cannot be
preserved without pride of blood and an
incorporating attitude toward the low
er races. In Spanish America the easv-
going and untastidious Spaniard peopled
the continent with half-breeds and met
the natives halfway IN respect to relig-
1ous and political Institutions In East
Africa and Brazil the Portuguese showed
toward the natives even less of that race
aversion which is so characterized of the
Dutch and the English. In North Amer
lea, on the other hand, the white men
have rarely mingled their blood with that
OF the Indian or toned down their civiliza-
ton to meet his capacities The Span
lard observed the Indians the English
exterminated them by fair play or foul
Whatever may be thought of the latter
policy the net result is, North America.
from the Boring sea to the Rio Grande
is dedicated to tie highest type OF civiI-
cation; while for centuries the rest of
our hemisphere will drag the ball and
chain of hybridism.
Since the higher culture should be kept
pure as well as the higher blood that
race is stronger which, down to the Gull
tivator or the artisan, has a strong sense
of its superiority. When peoples and races
meet there is a silent struggle to deter
mine which shall do the assimilating The
issue of this grapple turns not wholly on
the relative excellence of their civiliza-
tons. but partly on the degree of faith
each has in itself and it's ideals The
Greeks assimilated to themselves all the
peoples about the Mediterranean save the
Jew. partly because the humblest wan
dering Greek despised "the barbarians''
and looked upon himself as a missionary
to the heather. The absorbent energy
of the United States probably surpasses
that of any mere colony because of the
stimulus given US by an independent ma
tional existence. America is a psychic
maelstrom that has sucked in and swal-
lowed up hosts of aliens. Five millions of
Germans, for instance, have joined us
and yet how little has our Institutional
development been DETECTED by them
dare say the few thousand university
trained Germans and Americans educated
at Heidelberg or Gottingen. have injected
more German culture into our veins than
all the immigrants that ever passed
through Castle Garden. There is no doubt
that the triumph of Americanism over
these heterogeous elements. far more de-
cisive now than eighty years ago, has
been FASTENED by the vast contempt that
even the native Farmland or mechanic
feels for the unassimilated immigrant
Had he been less sure OF himself. had he
felt less pride in American ideals and in
stitutions, the tale might have been dif-
ferent.
one question remains. is the superior
race as we have portrayed Il, able 70 sur
vive al competitions and expand under
an circumstances? There is. I am con-
WINGED. one respect in which the very
foresight ana willpower that mark the
higher race VIII dig a pit beneath is
feet"
Samuel McCune Lindsay, president Of
tho Academy preceded Prof Ross with
an address reviewing the work of the
Academy during the past year