The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1903-11-24

French army was on it's advance from Il
sea to Cairo, under the phenomenal your
Corslcan. it soon became the derislve G.
along the line: ''Jackasses and Wise on
to the rear!' A suitable reprimand eve
in this day for those overwise in the
own conceit, one of which sort and a vel
pronounced type of the concrete class
now under consideration, one Bassett,
college professor in an institution of r
pute, and who by common concensus
recognized opinion reflects no credit upC
his school, his State or himself, judge
by the tone and standard Of a late ma
azine article of his, which will arouse II
disgust of all decent people everywher
who may chance to read it. Of cour
he has his apologists and eXtenuators,
who has not? OF course too by his oW
lame and impotent so-called explanatio
disclaiming much, explaining nothing: b,
exposing himself to the full force of tt
French adage: "Qui sexcuse, s'accuse
Guilty But in order that all may judf
for themselves Of the merits and deme
it's "of these two delectable gems"
recent literature, copious excerpt is he
given of each with comment of one of Il
sue of the 10th:
''The truth is that Prof Bassett moves
and lives in an atmosphere that is as far
removed from the things which ninetenths
of the North Carolinians hold dear as if he
resided another continent The spirit OF
measuring everything by the standard of the
dollar, of looking up to the trusts as bene-
fcent institutions, of regarding political
questions from the standpoint OF Hannaism,
and regarding hostility to and contempt of
the things that are dear to the North Caro-
linans the only evidence OF breadth and
liberality, has long dominated DR.. BasSett
and some of his associates. Step by step
he and others have gone away from every
Southern ideal and every Southern tradition
and every Southern conviction until he and
they think they are right only when their
opinions conflict with Southern thought 1t
was, therefore, not a long ways for Mr..
Bassett to go to reach the conclusion that
the negro is the equal of the white man,
that Booker Washington is the greatest man
except one born in the South in a hundred
years, and to declare that the only way
to solve the race question was to repudiate
the idea of negro inferiority, and to make
this assertion:
US is THE ADOPTION OF THESE Chill
DREN OF AFRICA INTO OUR AMERICAN
LIFE. IN SPITE OF OUR RACE FEELING,
OF WHICH THE WRITER HAS HIS
SHARE, THEY WILL WIN EQUALITY AT
SOME TINE. We cannot remove them, we
cannot kill them, we cannot prevent them
from advancing in civilization. They are
now very weak; some day they will be
stronger. They are now ignorant and pas
sion wrought; some day they will be wiser
and more self-restraped. ! DO NOT KNOW
JUST WHAT FORM THE CONFLICT WILL
TAKE. IT MAY BE MERELY A POLITE
CAL CONFLICT; IT NAY BE MORE THAN
THAT. | AN PERSU AIDED TINT 1a,-r 1T Us Is
IN MANY RESPECTS THE OLD CONFLICT
BETWEEN ROMAN PLEBS AND ROMAN
PATRICIANS OVER AGAIN. IT OUGHT
TO BE SHORTER THAN THAT STRUGGLE
AND THE ISSUE OUGHT TO BE MORE
FORTUNATE THAN THE ISSUE OF THE
ROMAN CONFLICT; FOR AMERICAN LIFE
Is RICHER AND BETTER THAN ROMAN
LIFE
"The Patricians and the PlebiaRs inter
married after years Of conflict. Ii his COM
parison of the conflict between the races
with the old conflict between the Patricians
and the Pebians does not indicate his be-
lief in miscegenation what does il mean?
Why was the comparison introducedY
''His explanation does not make the fol-
lowing declaration less incendiary:
1--WE ARE NOW JUST ENTERING THE
STAGE OF CONFLICT; and this is because
the negro is now beginning to be strong
enough to make opposition. The CON
FLICT WILL BE FIERCER IN THE FU-
TURE THAN IN THE PRESENT LYNCH
INGS AND 'OUTRAGES' WILL, PERHAPS,
BECOME MORE FREQUENT THAN THEY
NOW ARE. AS LONG AS ONE RACE CON
TENDS FOR THE ABSOLUTE INFERIORI-
TY OF THE OTHER THE STRUGGLE WILL
GO ON WITH INCREASING INTENSITY.
But if some day the spirit OF Cancellation
shall come into the hearts OF the superior
race the struggle will become less strenu-
GUS THE DUTY OF BRAVE AND WISE
MEN Is TO SEEK TO INFUSE THE SPIRIT
OF CANCELLATION INTO THESE WHITE
LEADERS OF WHITE MEN"
''The friends of Prof. Bassett will regret
that he has said anything at all unless he
was ready to make the only explanation that
would have given him claim to their for
giveness for an article contcmptuous OF all
that Southern people hold dear
Is the owner of the heart that could col
ceiye such vile suggestions and lncendlaT
insinuations, or of the hand that coul
write them down, suitable instructor
Southern youth? By my racial MANHOOD
and historic recollections, l for one vol
NAY. There are two voluntary course
still open to him-resgnation or sci
strangulation. If in the perverslty OF tf
human heart, he declines to avail hlmse
of either, there is but one manly courS
omen to the Board of Trustees, and that
his involuntary expulsion from the facu
ty. If neither is adopted, there is stl
one recourse left the patrons OF the schoo
and that is to take their boys away an
send them to others that recognize an
inculcate Caucasian superiority, and tur
a deaf ear to the Sirens song of raclf
and social equality, leading inevitably
miseegenation. mongrelism and moral 70
Rather than have a son OF mine suhJecte
TO such baleful influences, I'd bring hi
home and let him learn to weed his wa
and run straight furrow behind OF
Molly Mule to the total abnegatlon OF a
the "ologies, atics and dead languages.
If it be urged that it would be cru
thing to turn this learned Dedant adrl
upon the cold cold world, weighted dow
with his novel and unsulted ideas to III
climate about him, the reply is "Dlsp
vour apprehension on his account. Thel
are lots of high-schools and colleges wit
more congenial surroundings that wou
take him on his record at his own valu
ton. most exalted one, as evlneed b
his running "amuck" against the preco
ceived preiudices of the world"
Booker" his ideal man of the 19t
century, would doubtless appreciate h
services as Sous Lieutenant at Tuskeege
Oberlin would meet him with open arm
and a brotherly embrace. So too wou
Hampton and Howard and presumab
Harvard. Gentlemen, of the directory II
his sake as we'll as ours. don't debar hi
longer from such high promotion.
Heavens name, let him CO. and not star
on the order of his going. If necessal
expedite his departure with a partlr