The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1903-10-01
. '77' Faf-
+ Booker Washington and His Critics.
70 the Editor of The ohnrnnSaais-5 - -

10 1ne Edltor or Inc eornal, sss> s, -
At a recent meeting sof the Boston
Negro Suffrage league resolutions were
adopted denouncing1 Mr. Wa shington and
his course as a race leader and his at
titude toward fourteenth and fifteenth
amendments to the constitu ton, accusing
him also, Of ,acquiescing in and copniving
at the: REVISED constitution of tho south
ern states, ETC. ...E..
= Everysracs has its weakest link and the
negro is no except1oHsS 80 Teffiss rule: ~ t9 !:
Jealousy seems to he! .i1as#bes ettings SIM
it turks in, .his blood bohe. (.
He imbibed it from primitive environ
ment, and he carries, it to- the length of
malicious 80 pers ecutions This, spirit is
plainly seem in the treatment which DIR:
Washington; was subjected at recent
meeting Of coloreds people in Boston.
Our would-be leaders, are opposed to
ME-. Washington because (they say he
is not safe leader for Ms ira ce@ Second,
they are opposed to sindlsrrial education
because they say it is Of secondary i'm
portance and will have a tendency to
| lower the standard for the race. The
contention among them is that if higher
education is good for the, Anglo-Saxon
it is good also. for the negro, and. shall
not attempt to dispute that. proposition
granting them then all they say about
higher education for. the negro race, One
| thing these critics Quite. overlook, and
| that is that, the AngIo-sax has, 4oC
years of civilization behind him and the
| masses Of the negro race less than fifty
years, and it is incumbent upon the. negro
| to climb the ladder as the. Saxon has
done by beginning at. the bottom ,anG
taking the first step first. This is the law
of nature and progress and there is nc
royal road to fame. 49,. 49,. -.
I 1t is plain to everyone who will sto1
to think that we cannot all be preachers
| doctors, lawyers and salesn1en.r ,74.:e.
The opposition to Washington ignore:
the fact that his policy. is to. lift. thu
masses Of the race to a higher plane, t
mold and build character, to. educate
the hand in conjunction with the brain
He is laying a foundation upon which
the. whole race may feel secure. The op
position want to build their castle in tn
air and look out for the foundation after
| ward. A. large majority Of the coloret
] people in this country must in the yer.
nature Of things, get their living by tn
sweat of the brow. s.,.,. >
IF this is SO then the kind Of educatio,
which will best qualify them to carry OF
their daily ayocation IS the kind Of edu
cation needed. r.
, The man who gets his living by prac
teal market gardening is likely to b
more interested In the roots and develop
ment Of plant life than he. Is in the Gree
roots. e.. 49,. .
Washington's policy is to give til
masses Of the negro race the best posi-
bic. training in the Industrial arts. I
his earnest endeaVor to do this, to NEE
and encounter the jealousies Of the poll
ticians Of his race, who stigmatize hil
as usurper and unfit to be a. leader {
I the negro race. Washington's idea is t
build up wholesome publfc sentirner
back of the fourteenth and fifteent
amendments to the constitution. -
Right Or wrong, you cannot successful
: enforce a statute against existing publ
sentiment. Nor is this public sentimer
u to be created by strategieal maneuverin
{ of the dice on the political checker boar,
t J. II. Montgomery of North Dakota, wit
t his 900 acres of waving grain. is doin
n more toward creating that public sent
81 1nent than 200 kid-glove political asp
8 rants tuggiIig at the political van. TT
!. main trouble with Washington's criti,
lis that they see the gameafast slippir
from theii& grasp; Gradua as IL
masses beceme prosperous and 1ndepen'
c ent, they-the political aspirants drop
S their own common level, and their occl
n patton is forever gone ~
: Industrial education Is the most pote
r factor in the uplifting of man known
: this age Of civilization, and precedes
: other kinds, of education. Mr. Washin
= ton needs no defense, but he may expe
III to. be. assaiIed by the malcontents of b
race, as Douglas was in his day. O
Of the charges made against Douglas W
that they (the opposition thought he W
little loose. in his church policy al
:. didn't read the Bible as they did.
Therefore he aclassed among t
o heretics and not "a fits nader for his raj
How many Of the gra duates oflNfr. Was
" lington's school. have been accused a
II convicted of criminal assault up
women? Will critics answer? 1t is VIII
$ a man does that counts. Know the tt
n by its fruit. Fs.s Beal
! Washburn Park.