The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1907-02-27
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY ~, 1907.
Certainly It Is heaven upon eartl,
to have mans mind move In char
Ity, rest In Providence, and turn upon
the poles of truth.-Bacon.
The Race Problem.

The Race Problem.
The discharge by President Roose-
Welt of the negro soldiers at Browns
vile, Texas, and the subsequent inves-
tigation by Congress have had the eff
feet to bring the negro question more
than ever into prominence at the North.
Most of the Northern newspapers, and
many OF the Northern magazines. are
devoting a great deal of space to its
discussion. In the March number Of
McClure's there Is an article on the
subject by Thomas Nelson Page. Of
Virginia. and the Van Norden Maya
zine, of New York. for the same month";
has symposium by Southern college
and bank presidents. with All "appea,
for the black man. by Booker T.
Washington. The contributors arc
President William w. Smith. of Ran
dolph-Macon Woman's College; Presi-
dent A. p. Montague, of Howard Col
lege. Alabama; President Benjamin
Sloan, of the University of South Caro-
lima; President George T. Winston. of
the North Carolina College of Agrl-
culture and Mechanical Arts; President
r. u. Blackwell, of Randolph Macon
College; President William G. Frost,
of Berea College. Kentucky; President
F. B. Guernsey. of Roger Williams
University, Tennessee; President B. Y
Mullins. Of the Southern Baptist Thco-
logical Seminary; President L, NJ. Po-
e teat. of Furman University. South
Carolina; President l.. l., Hobbs, OF
Guilford College. North Carolina, and
number of bankers.
1t would be impossible, of course, to
give even a synopsis of these various
discourses; but, as rule, the writer's
are far from hopeful, and some Of them
take a despondcnt view of the situa-
ton. The most hopeful note, perhaps,
is from President BLACKWELL of Ran.
fnlph-Macon. who says that 1t is the
Fad negro who makes trouble. and
that, after all, he is largely In the
minority. DIR. Blackwell's remedy is
saducaton. He thinks that we should
60 everything that is possible to make
the negro as good citizen as he is
capable of beGpg,ng. and that the best
way to do..thls is TO take the negro
children in hand and train them.
Booker Washington insists that the
kind Of education that the negro Is
= receiving at his school, the Normal
School at Hampton and other such In
stitutions. is taking the negro out OF
The criminal class and making better
citizen OF him. II have made a search
ing investigation" says he. but have
not been able to find that single
graduate of Tuskegee. Hampton, or
any OF the negro colleges, can now be
FOUND In the prisons of tile South. Last
summer a special and very thorough
Investigation was made among the
graduates and ex-students OF Tuske.
gee who are living In Montgomery
county, in which the city OF Mont.
gomery is located. or 1o1 students O
whom we could get definite informa
ton, 30 per cent. had work, either al
farmers, or. In the case of the wome,
who had married. as housekeepers o
at trades In which they We're trained
or tho others five were employed /,
The post-otice department, three wcr
employed in the stores in the city @
montgomery, one was IN the real cs
tate business one In a barber shor
ID and one q walter in q restaurant Q
this number. thirty-six have alreal
acquired homes of their own"
The records of the negro high schoo,
end colleges in Virginia viii, we thinl
make quite as favorable an exhibit.
Booker Washington also says thf
the experience of his school Is that III
negro who has learned trade has r
difficulty in finding work, bur, on IL
contrary, IN tho trades, as elsewher
there is work for every workma,
THAT, we think, Is also true in VI
Einia. negro who has any usef
occupation Will hrd no difficulty
securing "A job.
The race problem Is with us, a,
likely TO remain; but Governor swa
sons receIt statement that there is
serious negro problem in Virginia
this time has been generally co
frmed py newspapers In various pa,
CT the State Certain 1t Is that /
good negroes are giving Ne no troub
and certain 1t Is that the good and
dpEtrious negroes are getting elo
very comfortably, and many of tn
are accommodating property Bool
Washington ra, ~ that In the coul
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