The Donaldsonville chief., 1906-12-01
THE RACE PROBLEM.
A Sober and Sensible View Presented by
Northern Magazine-The Duty of

A.
Northern Magazfne-The Duty OF
| Coed Citizens Made Plain.
The American Monthly Review or
Reviews, one of the ablest and most
influential OF contemporary magazines
published in the United States, supple
ments an account Of the recent race
riots in Atlanta with the following
timely observations:
ssIt would be the height OF Stiffness
for criticism to take on geographical
character. White people in the north
are no more considerate Of people
against whom they may have griev-
ance or prejudice than are white peo-
pie In the south. The problem of adjust
ing the relations Of two races so totally
different as the white race and the negro
race where they have to live to-
pether In the same communities is diff
cult under any circumstances, and It
becomes increasingly so where the in
ferior race is present in large numbers
and where many Of its members are
ill-disciplined, idle, and OF criminal
Instincts. Yet, while southern people
know all phases of this problem better
than northern people can know i, il
remains true that northern opinion IS
not TO be dismissed as worthless. The
subject is national, not local.
'sFirst, then, there can be no imme-
diate or wholesale remedy for these
race troubles. Improvement must come
through q great many channels, and
there must be patience and forbear-
ance. The beat elements Of both races
must do everything in their power to
restrain bad men, whether black or
white. Even though involving greatly
increased expenditure, there must be
more complete police surveillance,
rural as well as urban. Vagrancy
laws must be enforced with the utmost
severity. Id1ers OF both races must
be made to give an account of them
selves, and where the worthless and
| and decent must be recognized and
rewarded. Mobs, riots and lynch law,
| whatever the provocation, remedy no
evils and only make bad situation
worse. The penal systems Of the
southern states must be greatly inn
| proved. Temporary servitade of vi
FeSr nh ~ low
the southern system only makes these
men the more dangerous when turned
loose again. # they are a menace to
society, they should be kept under re-
straint. II there is chance to make
decent and law-abiding men out OF
them, it should be carefully provided
that their serving shorter or longer
| terms for police offenses Or for crimes
should make for their reformation
rather than for their hopeless debase-
ment. Furthermore, it must be better
understood in the south that educated
negroes are not the dangerous ones,
but quite the contrary. Il it hurts
the negro to be educated there must be
something wrong with the school. The
| purpose OF negro education should be
to train decent and Industrious work
ers. For the exceptional few it is
permissible that there should be col
| legiate md professional education.
Without apology and with entire
frankness, we again commend TO our
readers the article by the editor Of
this magazine entitled, What Hamp-
ton Means by Education IL tappeared
in the September number. Hampton
Is training teachers TO 60 out into the
negro schools ard communities to
preach self-control, good conduct,
and the need and worth of labor.
There cannot be too much negro educa-
tion in the south If it is the right sort.
Through all the southern states the
people are taxing themselves to main
tain two school systems, the one for
whites and the other for blacks. Having
committed themselves TO this policy,
they will show their faith ID it by Civ
ing it Q fair trial. Every negro school
| should be made the center of whole
some influence. It matters very little,
comparatively, what book iearning
4 children, whether white or black, get
In school. The really important thing
is that they get the right habits of
thought and life and the right attitude
toward the human society in which
they are placed.
/ Generally speaking those high in
authority in the southern states are
trying their best to keep order. Ne
gro agitators 10 the north are doing
their race no good when they adopt
resolutions calling for the emergenee
OF a new Garrison, or Sumner, or
Lincoln. Nothing is easier than max
ing phrases, airing grievances, and
adopting resolutions. The negroes
have their troubles, but they are do
ing remarkably well in this country.
They are better OF than most labor
elements in any country whatsoever,
and far better of than any inferior
race elsewhere. Human society in our
day and generation is in q condition
of fermene and struggle in almost every
i land. Yet through all the dust of con-
Il fiiab and strife a keen observer aan