The news & observer., 1905-08-22
PROF. BASSETT QUOTED AS AU-
THORITY.

There is an illustrated magazine
published in Atlanta called The Voice
of the Negro" published by negroes
in the interest of the negro race
which contains as its most conspicuous
advertisement the picture of negro
girl, nearly white, whose kinky hair
is made straight and long by the use
of "Ozonized OK Marrow" a patent
medicine manufactured in Chicago
ton, if there is no other sign, by the
prevalence of advertisements that
makes hair long, soft and easy to
comb"
There are some good things in this
magazine, the best being an editorial
advising the negroes not to patronizc
excursions, but to brand as an enemy
of the race the man who seeks to get
an excursion among us" closing with
this wise admonition: Let us be
frugal and hard-working, and thus by
saving our earnings. once or twice
year we can take a decent trip with
out riding on excursions" The writer
did not have the horrible tragedy
near Norfolk before his eyes as an
awful example. If he had, his object
lesson would have been most effective.
The leading article of the month is
by Professor Kelly Miller, "A Reply
to Tom Watson" accompanied by
full-page picture of the professor,
well-dressed colored school teacher.
Recently Tom Watson wrote a strik
ingly vigorous article on the iEferiority
of the negro, basing his article on
Booker Washington's statement; Tine
negro race has developed more rapidly
in it's thirty years of freedom than the
Latin races have in one thousand
years of freedom" Professor Miller
argues with Booker Washington and
disposes of Tom WatsOn's historical
argument by saying that zone rarely
meets outside of yellow journalism.
such lavishness of language wasted
upon a hoary and exploded dogma,
and calls Watsons argument " a dis
credited dictum" and the like. The
professor quotes from the writings of
a number of prominent men who do
not accept the fact of the inferiority
of the negro and as his strongest an
swer to Watson, the professor says;
Prof. John Spencer Bassett, of
Trinity College, North Carolina, has
had the courage to state the belief
that the negro would gain equality
some day. He also tells us that DR.
Booker Washington, whom Mr.. Wat
son takes so sharply to task for hint
ing that the negro may be superior to
some white men, is the greatest man,
with a single exception that the South
has produced in hundred years
This is indeed a suggestion of negro
superiority with vengeance. In the
Judgment of this distinguished South
erner. one negro. at least, is superior
to millions of his white fellow citizens,
including the editor of Tom Watson's S
Magazine"
Thus we see that the false and alb
surd statement of Professor Bassett
that Booker Washington is the greatest
man the South has produced except
Lee is bearing its logical fruit. The
acceptance and PRONUNCIATION of a
view that even the worse illiterate
knows is a slander upon the South
is now quoted by a negro professor
as proof of the superiority of the
negro to both the Latin race and the
bulk of the Soouthern people. No
man can measure the evil influence of
absurd statements, and college profess
sors in institutions heavily endowed
by trusts seem to have genius for
conceivinG absurd regulations for
cilIinpGc worse