The semi-weekly messenger., 1903-02-06
ROCKER WASHINGTON AND THE
GAINESVILLE CONVENTION.

have refused the use of their aud to-
rum for an address by Booker Wash
;ngton before a convention of school
superintendents which he was invited
70 deliver by the state superintendent
of education That a body of o"e-
horse school officials in Florida could
be compromised in its dignity or its
standing by listening to an address by
4 man Of Booker Washington'S brains
md chara cter is a notion that would
be amusing if it were not pltiable.
The above is from the New York
World. While it is surprising that this
usually fair-minded paner should
make such comment on the objection
of white officials of a southern state
having a negro address them in public
meeting on the subject of education or
on any other subject, there are three
other circumstances connected with
this case more surprising. The first is
that the superintendent of public in
struction Of the state of Florida should
have invited Booker I. Washington to
make an address before a convention of
that states county superintendents.
The second is that Washington should
not have had sense enough to decline
the invitation without hesitancy, even
if the state official was 80 ootuse as to
extend it: and the third is that the
mayor Of Gainesville should pretend to
be so ignorant of the public sentiment
of the town as not to be able to tell
Washington, on inquiry, whether there
was general opposition to his delivering
the address. The citizens Of Gaines
willie have given expression in no am
biguous words to their opposition to
the delivery of his address. The may
or. instead of waiting to be interrogat-
ed on the subject by Washington and
then pretending that he did not know
the sentiments of the community,
advised the negro not to accept the in
vita ton.
If Booker Washington has kept post
ed on recent events and has at all ia
miliarized himself with the sentiments
and feelings of the white people of the
south as expressed through the press
he would know. IL he has half the sense
or a modicum of the desire to reilly
improve the condition of his race that
he is credited with having, that to &C
cept this invitation would be the worst
thing for the negroes of the south that
he could do. He did them a great in
jury when he accepted the invitation
to dine at the White house In that
matter a great many southern white
people gave him credit for acting In
houghtedly-acceptin the invitation
without considering the effect it would
produce. The way that matter vas
viewed by almost OF the entire country
showed him, or should have shown him,
that as leader Of the negroes in their
striving to better their condition he had
made a great mistake. He was given
credit for having acted without cue
consideration of the effects. The South
thought he was taught severe lesson
and would take care not to err aga.n IN
the same way.
What are we to think now? Dies
not the acceptance of this invitation
show that the negroes, especially the
educated among them are ever on the
alert to push themselves forward into
positions Of social equality with the
whites whenever an occasion offers?
This is not the first illustration of
late of the manifestation of this dispo-
sition on the part of negroes. That
famous White house reception was a
notable one Formal invitations to
such functions issued to federal negro
officials were never before taken ed
vantage of by the women of their fam
lilies to present themselves at such re-
ceptions and take position among the
ladies IN attendance.
These circumstances show the bent
of the negro mind and the negro's dis
position to push into the circle of white
society whenever occasion gives an ex-
cuse for so doing and demonstrates to
the white people that because of the
Avowed ana publicly demonstrated So