The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1903-11-19
DR.. BASSETT'S EDITORIAL on
THE NEGRO.
His Article Unfortunate and hurtful
and Has for the Time Being Unneces.
sarily lmpalres fiis Influence for
Good - Receiving Wide Comment,
Much of Il Heated.

Much OF 1t Heated.
Charlotte Observer
There has been wide comment, much
of it very heated, on the opening ar
ticle in the October number OF the
South Atlantic Quarterly, of Durham,
by DR.. John Spencer Bassett, the ed
itor Of that publication and profess
sor of history in Trinity College, hav-
ing for it's title Stirring Up the Fires
OF Race Aneipathy" It is pointed
out that this antipathy is ar old as
the negro's residence in America, and
that it is increasing, North and South,
until now it is more marked than it
ever was before. 1t results, it is said,
from ''the contempt of the white man
for the negro. 1t is the reaction of
the superior against the touch of the
inferior; for the white man has no
doubt of his superiority. 1t is doubt
ful if the average Southern white far
mer would admit that the highest
negro in America is superior to the
Southern hired man who is white" )"
Some of the negroes, we are told,
have advanced and others retrogra-
ded since the abolition of slavery,
and "singularly enough, both his
progress and his repression under the
regime of freedom have brought down
on him the hostility of the whites. :"
''Neither of these two classes, the up
per or the lower the writer contin-
ues, ''are all the negroes; and in for
getting this fact some well-intention-
ed people have fallen into serious
error A man whose mind runs away
into baseless optimism is apt topoint
to Booker T. Washington as a pro-
duct of the negro race. Now Wash
ington is great and good man, a
Christian statesman, and take him
all in all the greatest man, save Gen
eral Lee, born in the South in a hun
dred years: but he is not a typical
negro. He is an exceptional man;
and, endowed as he is, it is probable
that he would have remained unedu-
Gated but for the philanthropic inter
vention of white men. The race, even
the best OF them, are SO far behind
him that we cannot in reason look
for his reproduction in the present
generation. 1t is, therefore, too much
to hope for continued appearance
of such men in the near future. 1t is
also too much to set his development
up as standard for his race. To ex-
pect it is to insure disappointment" "
But, it is argued, it is not just to
Judge the race by it's worst element.
It's progress, it is claimed, is upward,
not downward, and much of the prei1-
dice that has been fostered against
the negro has been bipartisan polit-
ical effect. Just before saying, as he
does in the beginning of his last para
graph, that he "has no solution for
the negro problem" DR.. Bassett
writes:
"The only solution reserved for us
is the adoption of these children OF
Africa into our American life. In spite
OF our race feeling, of which the wri-
ter has his share, they will win equal
ity at some time. We cannot remove
them, we cannot kill them, we cannot
prevent them from advancing in civ
ilization. They are now very weak;
some day they will be stronger. They
are ignorant and passion-wrought
some day they will be wiser and more
seli-restrained. I do not know just
what form the conflict will take. 1t
may be merel y political conflict; it
may be more than that. | am per
suaded it is in many respects the old
conflict between Roman plebs and
Roman patricians over again. II
ought to be shorter than that strug
gle and the issue ought to be more
fortunate than the issue of the RO
man conflict; for American life il
richer and better than Roman life. "
The author sees a better day fol
the negro, when she will be a great
industrial factor in the community,
when "his struggle will not be SO un
equal as now," and hopes that theI
che will have brave and Christia,
leaders," Meantime he advises con
} ciliation, foreseeing that cas- long al
one race contends for the absolut'
inferiority of the other, the struggl
, will go on with increasing intensity.
He scouts the feeling of caste in th
, white man, which he says, is inherit
ed, saying upon this head:
sTo make him (the negro) know
his place. and to make him keep hi
, place. sum up the philosophy Q
many people in reference to this intri
cate and perplexing problem. But W
ought to remember that such an ide;
J | is neither scientific nor charitable
3 The place of every man in ou
American life is such a one as hi
virtues and his capacities may ena
|, able him to take. Not even a blac
skin and fat nose can justly [just
n fy?1 caste in this country"
We have given above a fair sum
# mary of this remarkable article, copy
d ing verbatim it's most offensive prop
r ositions; and while our voice sha
A not be added to the general denur
r ciation, we cannot regard DR.. Bas
:. sett's deliverance otherwise than III
fortunate and hurtful. He is Soutf
ern man, North Carolinian, born i
Edgecombe county, reared in Colds
boro; a man of ability, a thinker,
student and scholar; an accomplish
s ed gentleman-apparenly normal
| ICSpCtlC. We ctiC tAdFi'|o ~
a gentlemen who know him. Yet i
Y this article he is unfathomable. Ri
s statement, published yesterday, doc
s not do much to elucidate or he'll
S Even with his qualifications OF tha
e dictum, it is almost inconceivab
8 that he thinks Booker T. Washin.
e ton the greatest man, save Gener;
# Lee, born in the South in hundre
e years. AS for the equality" whie
J, the black man "will win at SON
d time" DR.. Bassett explains that
2. did mot mean that there will be s.
n cial mingling of the races, but thu
lt asthe time viii come when the 'negl
,e race win have q due proportion
gl wealthy, educated, prosperous o.
aIriviized individuals, Just as the 9th
,e peoples Of the world have. SUmedi
L -