The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1903-11-10
The Freak Disease Coming South.

the Charlotte Observer. had a very
fattering review of the latest copy OF
the South Atlantic Quarterly, a maya
zine published at Trinity college. It es-
pecially commended hat number TO
people who min In looking Yer TIL
contents we must take the charitable
view that our contemporary is ike
Sidney Smith. who did not like 10 read
q book before reviewing it lest ne
should become prejudiced. For this par
ticular number Of the Quarterly con-
tains q symposium Of freakishness by
a syndicate of freaks that must bring
a sigh OF regret from every friend o.
the college, which in a way stands
| sponsor for the magazine. The most
sensational article is that by Professor
Basset, entitled, stirring up the Fires
OF Race A~ntipathy." The professor ma
| congratulate himself on kinGIing quite
a little bonfire Of his own. Ordinarily
we should suppose that Professor
BaSSet We're simply advertising him
self as a candidate for a northern pro
~fessorship. But DR.. kilgO and Profess
sor Minis chime in, and we suppose
they do not all intend to emigrate. So
the only theory left is that the freak
disease which breaks out in the north
now and then. Very frequently in the
University of Chicago. has cropped OUT
at Trinity. 1t has become necessary to
attract attention and these distin-
| guiShed gentleman are for the moment
standing on their heads and thinking
with their ~brainIess feet.
Professor Basset's paper is SO start
ling that The New York Sun declares
of it and of the others, that they might
have been written in. New York Or Bos-
ton, London or Edinburgh" Consider
ing the ignorance that is displayed in
these centers concerning the negro and
the south. the compliment of The Sun
Is rather a back-handed one.
| We publish elsewhere some eXtractA
from Professor Basset. DR.. Kilgo. in
so for as he understands it. gives hia
endorsement, as it were, by declaring
that " the cry of social equality be-
tween the races is a political hOcus-
pocus of the hugest sort and is no part
of the negro problem" Professor Bas-
set, however, thinks that lin spite of
our race feeling the negroes will win
| SSoo4iIy dI III III anu lldl hol
even a black skin and a fiat nose can
Justify caste in this country" So Pro-
fessor Basset and Dr.. kilgo did not
entirely ''hOmologate" ere they went
into print.
And then Professor Minis comes up
smiling and says: When a southern
writer speaks of the civilization of the
Old south as the sweetest, purest II
1 most haontifnl in tn, hictor,- % tho
world, he needs to know something of
other civilizations"
The News Ices not care to give ex-
preston to the condemnation that will
follow this remarkable outburst wher-
ever it is read by men who know the
truth about southern conditions. The
Basset article especially is a piece OF
clotted nonsense from beginning TO
end. He takes the negrO's view of
what 'eQuality"' means, namely the
opportunity TO foist himself where he
is not wanted. in the cOmpanionship of
the white race, at~tkeir tables, in their
schools. And from his treatment of the
Booker Washington dinner and the
Hamlet Dining Room, it is evident that
the Professor thinks his social sepa-
ration Z bad thing. Well, the suggestion
Will arise as to a practical carrying out
of the idea. Just open Trinity to negro
students. If not, why not?
Professor Basset thinks that Booker
Washington is the greatest man, save
Lee, born in the south in j hundred
years" We must demur to the fact OF
his superiority TO a few southern men,
StoneWau jackson. jefferson Davis,
and the military leaders Of the Con
federacy, to TOOmbs, or Ben Hill, OF
Stephens, or Lamar: to Wade Hamp-
ton, OF ZeZ Vance, to HOge or Palmer
or Broadus or MinnegerOde or Marvin
Of W. w. Moore, to Alderman Or Dab
ney or several others. Measured simply
by the ability to get endorsement for
his college, DR.. Kilgo is almost Book
er's equal. But we can make one ad-
mission on this line. We really do not
believe that Booker Washington, con-
sidering the welfare of his institution
could have made quite such an eyre
gious ass of himself as has Professor
Basset. And hen there run through
this whole business the sneers and gibes
at the south that wouId make one sick
at heart if they did not make the blood
boil at the same time. Professor Bias
set say of the truest of all southern
Interpreters, Thomas Nelson Page,
NJ Thomas Nelson Pages castles
We're castles in the air. We should
like to ask where Professor Basset was
raised if he knows nothing about
the benign old man or gracious NAM
my, a guardian Of the family children
and a dignified expression in ebony OF
the family honor" Let him Skinny on
his own side. If he is altogether ignor-
ant Of a character that is familiar to
every well-bred southern man and wo-
man, in memory or almost sacred radi,
ton, he is welcome to his Ignorance
with all that it implies, but let him
keep quiet about it. And Professor
Minis thinks it simply ignorance of 9th,
er civilizations that eXalts the old life
of the south for its sweetness and purity
and beauty. The same to Professor
Minis. But if these gentlemen will al