The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1902-05-14
ANORTHERk VIEW OF THE NEGRO
PROBLEM,

In an address the other day before the
Society for Ethical Culture In the city
OF New York. Professor Felix Adler dis
cussed his recent trip to the South with
the Ogden party and gave his impress
sions'' Of the negro question.
1.-The first point that impressed me-"
saiG he. was the difference between a
Historic race and a child race. The Ar
van and Semitic races. after thousands
Of years Of hard thinking and dealing with
emergencies. are historic races. The ne
g1oes are a child race. Contact with
the superior races has only permeated to
their level in a few places. They have
Che recklessness. the carelessness. the i'm
patience In industry. the lack Of provi-
dence the sudden gusts of emotion. OF
children. This child race was planted
In the midst of the advanced race. and
now in some parts of the dark belt they
number seven TO one. The problem Of
rapidly taking them over the distance IN
ferveninE between them and the adranc-
Cd race is tremendous.
1t is indeed a tremendous problen-a
prob,em that can be solved only by those
who thoroughly understand the subject
End who address themselves to 1t with fun
knowledge of its Importance and Its diff
ncu!tics. 1t certainly cannot be solved
from afar off. It cannot be solved by a
li.tle cotcrie Of fanatics who assemble
eyery now and then in New England ana
talk chiefly about the poor down-trod-
Gen negro and the ''enmity of the South
Rrn whites The negro problem is. for
the present at least. a Southern problem,
and so far as it relates to the South it
must be solved in the South's own way
BY Southern men. Northern mon deal
here and there with the negro as an in
iaidual: Southern people must neccs-
sartly deal with the negro en- 11asse and
ms a race. i,sll IS e as HHszs
In concluding his remarks. Professor
!, ADLER said:
The third impression which received
asas a sense of the damage we had done
Inv injudicions interference. by our par
tally climinally culpable policy of recon-
s.1uction AS General Armstrong said.
ST was a bridge of wood over a river of
ire. 1t set enlancipated slaves over
their former masters. !: gave them
rights they We're not fitted to use or eS-
crcisc. 1t was an abstract regard Tor
rights. the working out OF which oi-
verted the negroes from the only paths
along which their redemption can be ac-
complished.
Here is full. and frank confession that
the Northern people in dealing with the
negro committed blunder that was
hardly less than crime. 1t was. to say
TIC least. public outrage. yet these same
people. or many Of them at. least. with
FOL, knowledge of this blunder. have eve:
since been meddling and trying to solve
Z TIE problem for the South. 1t does seen,
to Us that those who made such dis
NAL failure at the outset would feel some
hesitation in trying TO force their subse-
<pent views and plans upon the South.
arn people. The negro with the New
Englander IS theory: with the South
he Is condition. and we must meet CON
tlttions as they are and deal with them
in practical way.
we may remark in conclusion that II
from the beginning the South had been
j lett free to DEAL with the negro question