New-York tribune., 1903-07-12
DIR. ABBOTT AND NEGRO QUESTION.
A Presbyterian Minister Differs from Him
in Opinion.

To the Editor of The Tribune.
Sir: In his Montclar, n. J., Fourth of July ora
ton DR.. Lyman Abbott is reported by The tribune
to have stated that "the African race is socially
different from the Anglo-Saxon' and that the
negro Is at present inferior to the Anglo-Saxon
If it were true that the American nesro's socal
life differed from the American white mans what
would that difference imply? But the statement Is
incorrect. There is law In natural philosophy
which says every atom of matter has an ar1nlty
for every other atom of matter, and from this law
have been deduced the famous laws OF natural
selection elective affinity" And the social
life of the AfroAmerican does not differ essentially
from the social life of any other people. There is
more of similarity than difference. The differ
ence, II any at ALL does not consist in the color or
the skin of the hair. but in the singular
tastes inclinations habits and mode of living and
upon the amount of culture. education. refinement
and wealth of the several peoples. In all the
social pleasures OF the American white or black
there is essentially a similarity. rather than
difference. For example horseracng, baseball,
theatres music, cards dancing, concerts billiards
and every form of entertainment which amuses the
white seems to amuse the black man IN
church life, school life, and industrial life the law
of similarity manifests itself. The Georgia Camp
Meeting" "Whistlng 'Rastus,' Under the Bam-
boo Tree and other coon songs seem to cheer both
white and colored hearts. while many white people
have heard negro singers render the OLD plahtauoh
melodies with such pathos as would almost bring
tears the eyes of the listener. Now, the dlHer-
ence in the social life of the negro and Anglo
Saxon is not difference. but similarity, as SHOWN
by various and inclinations The three negro
students who graduated from Harvard IN
June and OF whom The Sunday Tribune spoke
Nart H. page D. would feel at home in the
company of DR.. Lyman Abbott than they would in
the society of a Southern moonshiner; whereas
there are many men of the race as the Chris
tian editor. DR. Abbott who would feel more at
home with the mountain dew distillers than they
would in the company of Harvard's negro gradu-
Why? Because their aims in life. their tastes
and inclination at variance.
What, then is the difference between the social
life OF the colored people and the whites? The rule
is the higher the race people are, from stand
point of education and refinement. the more refined
are their tastes and inclinauons and; vice versa,
the less refined the more gross is their social lie
This law applies to all human beings Mhether they
the eminent and scholarly speaker assumes that
the negro is inferior to the Anglo-Saxon race
condition To say that the coored people in
with favoritisIn and the Word tells us that God
made of one blood all nations Of men and that
Jesus has no respect Of persons Would the dis
tnguished preacher writer lecturer and editor say
that the Germans are an inferior race when II Is an
that they were so low down in the scale of civlza-
Danube and Rhine. clothing their nakedness with
the bark Of trees and skins of animals taken IN the
chase. while their only occupation was to war upon
another and subsist upon what they could eaten
in the streams and forests!
Would the distinguished educator say that the
Anglo-SaXOn was inferior? If so, julius Caesar and
Romans invaded Britain they were so low in con,
priests would offer up human sacrifices in their
religious orgies while their neghbors little TO the
rorth ran wild upon the highlands OF scotland,
with only such food and clothing as spticed for the
wants Of John the Baptist. When the negro race
shall have passed through certain refining infu-
ences The will show itself as not being IN
ferior but possessing the undevelOPed qualities,
traits and tendencies which will exalt the nation.
So the American negro is simply passing
through a period in which he IS developing
courage. patience. thrift. industry, education and
refinement; and il Is American for any state or
community to withhold from any American citizen
anything which he might win by his gifts, charac-
ter and ability. President Theodore Roosevelt, In
nearly all of, his New England and Western ad-
dresses as the head OF the American nation. again
and again laid stress upon fitness. ability ana
character and that he would not close the door OF
hope the door of opportunity, upon any man.
The one great problem in our national lfe--VlZ
the negro probem-would settle itself II the North
and the South would allow to the colored man an
equality of opportunity in the race of life, simply
a white mans chance, and the problem would
settle itself. And this is the Christian task TO
which DR. Abbott ought to address himself. in
stead of Offering apologies in the North in behalf
of mob rule and lynchers in Delaware ana the
Southland 1ReV) JAMES M bO1SUi,, 4RL,
Liberty Street Presbyterian church.
Troy. n Y. July T. 1903.