The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1903-09-22

the rabble; they were, for the most
part, cultured and influential negroes.
While some of those who helped prepare
the questions to be submitted to Dr.
Washington regret the extreme meas
ures Of Trotter and Martin, it remains
true that there is large element Of;
Boston negroes-aIld indeed Of negroes
throughout the country7po positively and
aggressiyely to Booker Washington. "A.
prominent writer Of Boston tells me
while lecturing to negro audience in
this city he incidentally mentioned up
from Slavery as one of the best books
OF recent years--a statement loudly
Missed by some of the audience. 1t Isl
also to be remembered that of the five
delegates to the recent Afro American
Council at Louisville-suppose to be
the best representatives OF the race in
Boston all but Assistant District
Attorney Lewis and perhaps, one
other-Were involved in the riot at Mt.
Zion Church. 1t is useless to minimize
this fact; that under the excitement of
the moment they should have carried
their opposition to such violent and out
rageous extremes is Indicative of a
danger in the future.
Such men are idealists and as SUCH
, are bitterly opposed to a man who Isl
above all practical ana sensible; they
would see their race come at once into
the full possession Of all the privileges
and opportunities Of am advanced civ
ilization; they fret because of the we'll:
they are bitter towards the South
they think only Of themselves and that
in very selfish-and not of the masses
of their race. In the South this element
rather Withdraws itself from their race
they are quality folks. Al notable
expression Of the feeling of the most
highly educated negroes Isl found I'm
Professor Du Bois's Souls of Black
Folks--a very moving and tragic book =
by a man who has reasons to feel the
veil. But 1t will be, unfortunate If al
large number Of negroes read it and be-
come Influenced by it to complain and
even despair of their future.
In striking contrast with Professor
Du Bois-thoroughIy sincere, but an ex-
tremist-is Booker Washington, who is
eminently sensible, fair-minded,
practical. Whether he; speaks i'm At
lanta or Boston, he is always pre-em-
inently fair to, the Southern people; he
has never appealed to, the prejudices Of
the extreme Northerner or the extreme
negro: he has occupied the, position of
the liberal Southerner. He has been
misunderstood; because. he believes that
for the present the great need Of his
race in industrial education, some have
said that he is opposed to higher educa-
ton; because he believes that for the
present the negro should not make much
ado about certain social and political
privileges, they Insist that he is; the,
enemy of his race.
There has seldom been a time, in his
tory when a man was SO fitted to meet
a critical situation as he. His recent
speeches at Louisville, Atlanta and Bos-
ton should be read by all men at this
time of intense excitement. His words
supported by life of constructive
efforts-are a standing protest against
the extreme Northerner who will persist
in seeing things in the abstract rather
than In the concrete, against the ex.
trene Southerner who, would shut the
open door of hope in the face of every
aspiring negro; and against the extreme
negro who would forget what Southern
people have done FOR him and would
look to outside forces entirely for the
solution of his problems. The fair
mined sensible people of the whole
nation ought to rally to him in his great
work.-Professor Edwin Minis in the
Congregationalist. @ w