The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1903-04-27

trying to turn out workers and not poll
ticians. producers and not idlers. His aim
is not social equality, but Industrial equal
ity The Southern whites have contrib
uted literally towards the public school
education Of the negroes, and many OF
them have publicly expressed their sympa-
thy with the efforts making for their high
er education. A short time ago the prin-
cipal of a normal college at Pine Bluff,
Ark. for the training of colored young men
and women as teachers, an institution sup
ported by the State, invited a number of
white citizens to join with a few negro
speakers in delivering a course Of lectures
before the classes. In response to his in
vitation a local lawyer agreed to lecture
on Crime and Criminal Law" the editor
of the leading paper on 1.-The Press as a
Maker of Policies;" the president Of
bank on Banks as Schools of Economy"
prominent physician on Causes of High
Mortality Among Negroes" a Jewish rabbi
on Some Modern Aspects of Judaism. 1t
would be difficult in any Northern city of
the size of Pine Bluff to get five leading
q
colored school in a course with colored
speakers.
But while there is reason to believe that
majority of the Southern people, and espe-
cially of the better class. are in full SYM
pathy with the movement for the education
Of the colored people, there is an element
that opposes it. The Atlanta News voices
this feeling in an article which opposes
the education Of the negro, even in manual
and industrial arts, on the ground that If
the negro becomes a skilled workman he
will crowd out white workmen. The News
admits that from the negro's point of
view he ought to be educated. but 1t says:
But what Of the white man of the working
class? What of the great army of thou
sands In the Southern mountains who are
empty and useless and hopeless, wearing
skins white as our own-the heritage of
our blood, the appeal of our race? When
| the white army of labor comes in compe-
uti0n and conflict with the dark army Of
skilled labor will 1t be over clasped hands
| or with crossed weapons? When the oper-
atives In the mills, the carpenters unions
the plumbers councils. the skilled weav-
ers, the practiced joiners. the molders of
the Caucasian type are supplanted in wage
scales or replaced in strikes by the skilled
workmen with ebony faces, will the white
dove or peace hover over the scene or will
| the black raven of discord be there?
when the faces, however worthy. and the
hands, however skillful, that are stained
with African suns shall hold the spindle
and the loom, the anvil and the plane in
our Southern factories, will the starved
Caucasian strain, however worthless, ac-
cept the situation with complacency, or will
his prosperous brethren above him forget
the tie of race in the triumph Of education ?
Stripped of verbiage. this argues that il
the negro Is educated he will outstrip the
white manor an equal number of white
men-in the race of life and therefore he
should be kept down. 1t is a strange argu-
ment for white man to make but it is
plausible one and will appeal to the
class prejudice of large number. 1t is to
be hoped, however, that the more liberal.
generous and humane view of a majority
of intelligent Southern whites will prevail.
and that efforts to educate the negro will
continue to receive their approval and sup
port.