The Birmingham age-herald., 1907-10-20

ton: How many Amercan illterates in this grand old state, and in the United States, and then ask yourselves If 1t IS right to say that these are undesirable because they cannot read and write. on the contrary my experience has shown me that scoundrels exist among the edu- cated in greater proportion than amongst the uneducated.
 The only sensible and reasonable solu- ton to the problem of immigration, in my humble opinion, is the qualification test; that to exact of every immigrant an affi- davt sworn and subscribed to by the proper authorities and attested by ths American consuls, testifying to the immi- grants standing, morally and otherwise, in his own country. This, in conjunction with the laws which we already have and which debar all diseased and im- beetles, will furnish us ample protection There Is hardly any use to discuss the education test, except to repeat what l have often said, that the man With collegiate education and high hat is not going to soil his kid gloved hands in the red clay of Alabama for S1.5o a day. So much for the education test.
 Mr. Burnett alludes in his speech to the Caucasian as a separate and dis tinct race from the semitic or east Aryan branch This Is technically true, if he had not fallen into the error of enumer- ating as Caucasians the Teutons and the Celts.
 The Caucasian in the strict sense was derived from Caucasus, which represents a mountain between the Black and Cas- plan seas, and the Caucasian strictly be- longs to the Iranie branch of the east Aryan family. However, the accepted and universally understood meaning of the word Caucasian today is. Any member of ha xph ta q the accented and unquestion authority, Webster, so defines.
 No less authorities than Gibbons. John son, Sayee, Douglas, Rawlinson, Ridpath. Oman Cowlidge and Wells have divided the human race into three stems. The stem of the black race, the stem of the brown or Mongollan race, and the white race. Further, all of these historians have placed the Semetc family in a very im- portant division of the white race, not withstanding MT. Burnett to the contrary, who would have the Jew. the Syrian, the Russian and the Pole belonging to a dis tinct race other than the white race. Another assertion was made that God Almighty intended the Teuton. and the Celt to be superior to every other race.
 It is good for one to have an opinion of himself. but are these facts. MT Bur nett doubtless forgot that our Creator ana lOfu, lHe DdNlOI, Jesus onIlSl, was a Hebrew, and consequently of the Semitic family, and doubtless 1t did not occur to him that in placing himself racially su- perior to the Semitic he considered him self raoially superior to Jesus Christ our Lord and our God. 1 have no doubt that the racial hatred that is developing is due largely to such unguarded and un- conseiNative utterances which are practi- cally Aggers stabbing the hearts of the people Attacked.
 Through the aid and protection of AL mighty God, and as a result of the char itable and conservative doctrines of the fathers of this great republic this coun- try has developed until now it Is admit tedly the greatest country on Gods green earth.
 Is 1t becoming for the broad d-minded American who has attained such emi- nence to look down upon others with scorn and contempt because they have not had the same opportunities, and are rom standpoint of education and mod ernism not up to the standard?
 Is it American like? Yea. is it inst, right, and reasonable to stamp a class of people as undesirable because they are not able to live in mansions and are not so- cially bon tons?
 For my part if "bontonism" is to de- velop my people into professional gam blers carpet baggefs, and wholesale thieves, then l pray to God that they may remain ignorant until they are ex uhct and no more. If modernism will corrupt virtue and morality, and has for It's co-operator pollution immortality ond wee, then give me ignorance every time
 And aside from all of these arguments nave We so soon forgotten that inc semitic was the original civilizer. devel oper and lntermediator of culture and learning? Who dare deny that the Phoene- clans were the intermedlators of ancient ciVlhzatlon? Have the great artists of today accomplished the equal of Rnbv Ionic arts? Are not the chief elements In Greek arts and civilization Assyrian in origin, as admitted by all historians qIg not the best type of Greek art a repro duction or Phoenecian genius? The Greek alphabet was Phoenecian gift. a fact that Is undeniable. The advance and farming of the Israltes was Phoenecian culture. Soomon's temple. the coffins of Egypt, the iron and bronze bowls of Ninevah are all Phoenecian workman ship. The earliest navigation and shin building was Phoenecian originality. As carpenters and mechanics. they were head and shoulders above everybody. and even this day with its great modern equip- ments has not reached the highest type of Phoenecian art
 The5O oar galley the shin of ,rarsbisb the Gaulus, were they not all Phoenecian workmanship and art? What historian doubts the Assyrians' valor and courage9 Besides, did not God himself extend to the Semitics special privileges? Did he not call them his own beloved people? Did he not descend from heaven and was born of Semitic parents? And what about their conduct as citizens? To an swer this question I need but ask few questions.