The Appeal. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. ;) 1889-19??, 1903-07-11

Burghardt Du Bots. $1.20 net Chicago:
II is probable that quite large per-
centage of the Caucasian people in the
Cnileu States, il one Judges w the splllr
of prejudice which exists here, really
or colored skins. >ar.ue -
:. The wave OF color prejudice which has
recently swept over the country, threat
Of the citizens Of this land, by, the denial
of their simplest rights, and the attempt
now being. made by the South to relegate
all and naegenaa fd
of practical serfdom, makes 'The Souls of
Black Folk" by Prof. Du Bots, an Afro
American, graduate OF Fisk University
of Harvard University and Of the Uni
versity of Berlin and now professor Of
economics and history at Atlanta Uni
versity, one q, the most striking books in
In his forethought the author says:
Herein lie buried many things which,
read with patfiehhe nee, may IS sh6 6~ro the
the dawning Of the twentieth century.
This meaning is not without interest to
you, gentle reader, for the problem Of the
twentieth century is the problem OF the
color line.
II pray you, then, receive my little book
in all charity, studying my words with
me- forgiying mistakes sand and f2 4o 1Gr
me, and seeking the grain of truth hidden
there.
IT nave sought to sketch on vague, I'M
certain outline. the spiritual world in which
strive. First, in two chapters, have tried
| to show what emancipation meant to
| them, and what was its aftermath. In
third chapter have pointed out the slow
| rise of personal leadership, and criticised
candidly the leader, who bears the chief
burden of his race to-day. Then, In two
outline the two worlds within and without
| the veil. and thus have come to the CEN
| trail problem of training men for life, |
in two chapters st1die a. the
| antry, and in another have sought to
make clear the present relations of the
sons of master and man.
| Leaving then, the world OF the Whlte
| man, have stepped within the veil, rails
ing it that you may view family its deep
est recesses-the meaning of it's religion,
the passion of it's human sorrows, and the
| struggle of it's greater souls.
Before each chapter stands a bar OF
the sorrow songs-some echo OF haunting
| melody from the only American music
dark past. And finally, need add that
who speak here am bone OF ths bone t ana
thesh Of the flesh of them that live wltnin
the veil?"
Book l. is called ''Of Our Spiritual
Strivings." In it he says:
Between me and the other world there
is ever an unasked question:; unasked by
through feelings g;o or ae af Siebt1y
framing it. All, nevertheless, futter round
it, They approach me in a halt-hesltant
sort of way, eye me curiously or compass
sionately, and then, instead of saying d.
rectly, How does it feel to be problem
they say, know an excellent colored man
in my town; or, I fought at Mechanics
ys or Do bo S be %t tseze
or arm interested, or reduce the bolllng 70
simmer, as the occasion may require.
To the real question, How does 1t feel &c
| T a
ut is peculiar sensation, this double
consciousness, this sense Of always look
ing al. ones self through the eyes OF on on
erS of measuring ones soul by the tape
| of a world that looks on In amused con-
tempt and pity. One ever feels his two
ness-an American, Negro; two sous
two warning ideals in one dark body
whose logged strength alone keeps il
from being torn asunder.'
The third essay IS criticism Of Booker
T. Washington full and frank. Inc au-
thor says:
= Easily the most striking thing IN IN, the
history of the American Negro since 1915
| is the ascendency of Mr.. Booker = WASH
ington 1t began at the time. when wal
memories and ideals were rapidly passing
day of astonishing commercial! develop
ment was dawning; sense OF douot anC
hesitation overlook the freemens sons
then it was his leading began. Mr.. Wash
ington came, with a simple, definite pro
gramme, at the psychological moment
when the nation was a little ashamed Of
having bestowed so much sentiment or
Negroes, and was concentrating it's ener-
gieS on dollars. His programme OF lnouS
trial education, Cancellation of the Soutf
and submission and silence as to civil anG
political rights, was not wholly orlslnal
! the free Negroes from 1880 up to war time
had striven to build industrial schools
and the American Missionary assoclatloi
| had from the first taught various trades
| and Price and others had sought way
of honorable alliance with the best of the
| Southerners. But Mr.. Washington mrs
indissolubly linked these things; ne ~ pr
feet faith into the programme, ana cnaIS
ed it from a by-path into a verltable "as
If life. And the tale OF the methods o!
which he did this is a Fascinating ot"u.
of human life mr..
After detailing the greatness of Mr.
Washington's task and the means o.
which he accomplished his aims ana gam
ed the cooperation of both the South an'
the North, he says:
And yet this very singleness of vision
and thorough oneness with MS age IS -
mark of the successful man. IL IS
though nature must. needs make me-
narrow in order to give them force s.
:. Mr.. Washington's cult has gained unq9es
tioning followers Sc ms fe w9rk ar nae legion an
his enemies are COMPOUNDED; Ioday n
stands as the one recognized spokesm "a
| of his 100000 fellows, ana one ~ ~ oo ~
most notable figures in a nation OF 7oooo'
w Then he says that among his own PEG
pie Mr. Washington has encounters. IN
strongest and an times btterges2 and tha
there is among educated and thoughtfu
Afro Americans in all parts OF the lana
|: feeling of deep regret, sorrow anu app
hension at the wide currency any a, sstnr
theories have gained. He Continues: 4,o
Mr.. Washington distinctly asks tina
black people give up, at least Tor the pres
ent three od th nH|i rrbt RGi higher educa
ton of the Negro youth-and conc enti;a.
ali their energies on industrial educatl o
the accumulation of wealth, ana the con on
Citation of the South. This poncy ma
been courageously and insistently advocat
ed for over fifteen years, and mas peer
triumphant for perhaps ten years; AS
result of this tender OF the pam ILL., ~ Ca
there have occurred: l. The disfranchlse
ment of the Negro; 2: The !egal cieatt fo
of a distinct status of civil ln1er1orlty, ~
the Negro; 8. The steady. withdraWad o
! aid from institutions for the higher train
ing of the Negro. ,o
."These movements are not, to be sure
direct results of Mr.. Washington.s teacn
ngs but his r ga1ped their speede
ACCOMPLISHMENT The question, then
comes: Is it possible: and probable, ina
10, 600, 900 men can make effective pI ,d 81
no1itical rights, made a servile caste, anc
. allowed only the most meager chance !o'
developing their exceptional! men? II ms,
tory and reason g1 y i ANY my smphatic no
i And Mr.. Washington thus faces the tr1ple
paradox Of his career. =
81. He is striving nobly to make Negro
> artisans. business men and properly OWL
ers. but it is utterly impossible under mod
ern competitive methods, for Worklngmen
and property owners to defend their rights
and exist without the right OF suffrage. :.