The new age., 1906-12-08
PROGRESS OF THE NEGRO

Those who argue 'that the coAered
beople are something either to be
epslaved or gotten rid aDf, banished or
e1terminated. as incomparably inferior
and hopeless people along the lines of
progress and civilization might we'll
consider candftily what the colored
peoule were less than haSf a century
ago, and what progress they have
shown, under nct always Vesy encour-
aging circumstances, since their en-
ancipauon 43 yeaEs ago. AS to the
criminal propensity or inclination of
.colored keople it is anuch exaggerated
by some, and to many a crime com
1nitted by a black man is tenfold or a
handredfole more hefnous than the
same crime committed by a white
man. We are no apolog1sts for crime
by whomsoever committed, but If
there is to be any excuse made or
lenieney shown, ut ought to be in be-
half of the weaker man, the one who
has had less advantages, who for only
a little over a single generation has
been his own master and responsible
for his acts as citizen. Some men
can quickly see and magpify the crim-
inai negro, but are blind to the hun
dred or thousand criminal whites who
go out to lynch him, and often without
knowing that their victim is guilty of
any crime.
Some insist that the negro is not
and cannot be intelligent, but remem-
bering that he emerged from bondage
only a little over two-score years ago,
homeless and moneyless, ignorant and
unprotected, let us note what progress,
1
with the aid of philanthropic white
friends, he has made. The candid and
impartial inquirer will find 1000 news
papers and magazines published by
negroes, ESQ books whose authors are
colored men, 1000 first-class type
writer's, 1926 male telegraph opera
tors, 326 colored women telegraph op-
orators, 7,496 first-class engineers,
2,4OO colored carriage manufacturers,
$500 colored mail carriers in the
United States mail service, $4,000 in
business of one kind or another, 1,100
negro lawyers, 1880 graduated negro
doctors, $50 colleges and universities
with negro presidents, 32 negro banks
in the United States with average paid
up capital of $35O,OOO and average de-
posits of $1,19O,OOO, real estate owned
by negroes to the amount of $400, 900,
900, together with 5000 graduates
turned out from the Booker T. Wash
ington school, besides 1900 students
enrolled this year
AS to the possibility of the native
African one might mention w. T. Yer
non, registrar of the treasury at pres
ent, and the Rev. M c. B. Mason, D
. D.. field secretary of the Freedman's
Aid Society of the Methodist Episco
! pal church. which has forty-two col
7 leges, white and colored, that are sup
: ported by this society under his sup
ervision; Edward w. Blyden, LII. D,
/ Phi. D., who speaks and writes fluent
ly forty different languages; Prof. vii
( liam Scarborough, whose Greek text
: books are used in Yale and Harvar'
= universities, and last, but not least
r the millions of church-going negroe
t following as their leaders tens of thou
|. sands of colored teachers and edI
/. Gated negro ministers, with nearly
e score Of negro bishops.
a With such statistics at hand 1t seem
?. absurd to say that the negro is incal
IL able of education, of progress OF reco'
W milton as a man and citizen.
e
- H1re,nrnr ON XNCAIN(