The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1902-04-18
FRIDAY, APRIL IS, 1902.
II SOUTH RELYING UPON ITSELF

The more northern writer's discuss
the south and the greater their desire
to take charge and show the educated
men OF the south the a to solve the
negro problem" the more the dark
ness and the difficulties increase. No
northern man has ever understood the
true conditions in the south who has
not Iived in the south, and no man OF
northern birth. association and resi-
dence will ever be wiser until he comes
into this section to dwell and study the
real situation. 1t is all laundering and
sentimentality whenever their ravel
lers, speakers, writer's and newspaper
men embark on a sea OF discussion Of
h negro question as applied to the
south. If their motives are right their
ignorance is dense. But let a northern
educator or preacher visit the south n
make an address or two bubbling with
fine sympathies and sentiment, and fill
ed with kindly meant suggestions and
advise, and at once the teachers throw
up their hats and bonnets, and they are
declared to be angels Of wisdom and
salvation, and are hailed as magniic-
snt know-alls. The hlunders, the con-
eeits, the rhetorical gush are all lost
sight OF, and the opinion goes out that
at last northern prescIence and wisdom
have settled the question Of education
and the vexed negro question for all
time.
Men are short-sighted and hasty in
deliverance. Excitement and enthusi-
asm mount the seat ard take the reins
too often, and when the road is I'M
known and dangers ahead are hidden
h south is certainly very unlike the
north in almost every particular.
Gather a half dozen Of educated, able
men from either section in a room, and
they will see things differently, n
there will be variance Of judgment and
PERCEPTION on all questions that appeal
TO the higher and nobler man-civili-
cation, religion, citizenship, social ques-
mons n so on. 1t is wise then to leave
the south to work out it's own political,
social, educational salvation. Imperti-
Aent dictation or b1unGering suggestion
will be rejected i%nstanter, and why!
Other sections have great advantages,
vast wealth, immense resoul ces, great
schools, etc. They are prosperous and
in their way great, but they are still
unlike the south, and why? Because
of the origin, antecedents, history, ex-
periences and descent.
We were interested in an elaborate, !
thoughtful, sound editorial on Danger |
10 Southern Civilization by tina able |
exponent at Charlotte of southern Pres
.byterianism, the Standard, DR.. Nickel
way, near the beginning of his most in
seresting paper, began in this wise:
There used to be but two sections, !
Inc north and the south. Now there
are at least four, the west II the Pa
sifc coast having each a distinct type !
of its own, as we'll as tie north and the
In what we shall say here we do |
mean to decry the eXcellencies of
these other sections. We wish to make |
the point that our southern civilization
is n distinct type of its own, that it is
n good type, even though imperfect,
and that it should be cultivated to-
wards it's perfect Towering along the
lines OF it's own natural development,
and not along lines hat are foreign to
it's life
1T is impossible to understand its life
unless it's origin and its past history be
studied. One distinctive characteristic
OF the south is the predomiT ance of the
dnmixed Anglo-Saxon strain, using the
word in the wide sense. The great ma
jority OF the racial Stock is pure Eng
lish, the next largest is Scotch. includ-
ing the Scotch-Irish. and there is a
small German and Huguenot element,
the one in North and the other in South
Carolina. In religion all this race is
Protestant. In spirit it is democratic
and n~berty-loving. 1t has an inherited
and intensified passion for ono and
purity Of its woman-kind. And with
the love of liberty there is nevertheless
an observance of the moralities which
makes the people eminently a law
abiding people"
If a man has sense to perceive 1t
there is much OF wisdom and truth and