The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1902-02-16
IHOS. DIXON ON HIS BOOK
No Rteoneiling the Essential Differ.
sncs Between Negro and White.
A DROP OF NEGRO BLOOD nAKlsA NEGRO
he Beginning q Negro EQUALITY as Vital
fact is the Beginning Of the End Of This
Nations Life. Loss Of Racial
instinct Is Death.


The negro problem in the United States
is the subject matter of problem his
torical novel by the Rev. Thomas Dixon,
Jr. The book is now in press and will
be issued in three weeks by Doubleday,
Page & Co of New York city Mr.. Dixon
was at the Coates house yesterday on
his way TO fill lecture dates at Marion,
Peabody and Mcpherson, in Kansas, and
POINTS in Colorado. THE Leopard S
Spots" is the name of the novel. Mr..
Dixon has been engaged on it for two
years.
If was born i'll North Carolina. which
Is the scene of my story said Mr..
Dixon. "A great part OF my youth was
passed there, and I am consequently
thoroughly familiar with every phase of
social and political life treated in the
story. II is a political story, with a
strong love story woven into it 1t is
written from the standpoint Of the South
ern white man and includes the period
OF time from the surrender OF Lee in
lSG5 and the acknowledgements OF the ne
gro to the riots and bloodshed that ae-
companied his disfranchisement in North
Carolina two years ago. advance no
theories or opinions of my own in the
book, though of course the negro prob
lem is discussed by my characters OF
necessity. 1t is simply a presentation in
story form of the condition as they exist
with absolute historical accuracy.
TWO GREAT QUESTIONS.
And let me tell you how / worked to
get that accuracy. | have been a stu
dent of this question for twenty years.
| have long realized what Frederick W.
Harrison, the English philosopher found
on his visit here six months ago. Said
Mr.. Harrison: There are two great
questions that shadow the future of
America, and they are the war between
labor and capital and the war between
the negro and Anglo Saxon When made
up my mind two years ago to write this
story / began by reading all the books
| could find not only directly bearing on
the matter. but collateral to 1t. | read
over two hundred volumes in this way
and then visited North Carolina. There
| found that / knew next to nothing OF
what ! wanted. l began reading news
paper files. For three months | read the
leading daily newspapers of North Caro-
lima. published from 1866 to 1876, includ-
Ing twenty three volumes. Then | went
TO work on my plot When ! had the
plot completed in 500 or GOO pages OF
notes / began on my manuscript.
wrote the story in 10000 words in about
TWO months and then spent two months
more in cutting it down to 12O,O 900 words.
| have since read 1t six times in proof
There are certain parts of the story,
said Mr. Dixon, that mi ght almost lead
you TO believe it was inspired by the
dining OF Booker Washington by Presi-
dent Roosevelt, but almost the entire
book was in type before that.
THE refrain of the whole story is that
the future American must be either an
Anglo-Saxon or a mulatto; that there is
no reconciing the essential difference
between the negro and the Anglo Saxon;
that one drop of negro blood makes u
negro; that we cannot, as we are trying
to do, build up nation within nation
OF two absolutely opposing races; that
il Is impossible because our nation is u
democracy OF which equality is the law
OF life. and that the North has no more
idea of giving the negro social equality
than has the South.
'PenapS the best exposition OF the
tenor of the story may be found in GER
tain extracts from it that contain parts
OF discussions OF political conditions be-
tween my hero Charles Gaston'-of
whom. by the way, Charles Aycock, the
present governor of North Carolina. is
the original--and John Durham Bap-
list preacher, who has his real count err
part in the Rev. j. ID. Hufham, now liv-
ing at Henderson, N. G. This preacher
is one of the dominating characters OF
she book, the power who finally makes
Charles CASTOR the political leader and
governor of the State In explaining a
plan of the, opposition. led by Mcleod.
an ex-Kuklux and a Republican leader.
Durham says
AS TO SOCIAL EQUALITY.
when the white race begins to hobnoh