The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1908-04-19

Bluftown has to, between the two
republican. negro hater or negro
phile, aristocrat or hoi polloi; whether
you viii scorn Abraham Lincoln or
canonize him; and a number of other
things"
Mr.. Dorsey, the "negrophile," has a
shop in the town where he sells medi-
cines. transacts the business of the
Van Weller philanthropy. and sells
the products of the negro farms and
HIS own lands.
The hero is Clay Hardesty of Ken
lucky. son of a good family. with in
herited social position and inherited
political influence, the way open before
him to place and honors. Suddenly"
the story tells, "he had faced the alter
native of a career wholly different.
BY the will of an aunt he might come
into possession of a township of Indi-
ana corn lands, upon condition that he
continue and develop project for the
uplifting Of the negro already in op
Grafton there"
The negro problem is old in fiction
and one looks askance at a new vol
ume upon this puzzling question. One
can help the prosecuted Jews in Rus
STA, uplift the downtrodden Armenians,
open schools for the children of immi-
grants, teach the Chinese or the Jap
anese, send flannel petticoats to the
South Sea islanders-even do settlement
work among the poor of ones own
town-and be called a philanthropist;
but once touch the negro problem and
there rises a chorus of protest, vitu-
peration and controversy. 1t is the
Pandora's box; lift the lid ever so lit
tie and out flies the rabid microbes of
race prejudice, intolerance fury and
abuse. From the days Of Uncle Toms
Cabin" to the present time, novels
dealing with the negro problem have
been strongly biased pro and con. In
the "Leopard's Spots" there is no hope
for the negro. He is depicted as all
that is vile, unworthy of help, incapa-
bic OF making an effort in his own
behalf. In George Cables novels we
get the reverse picture. The book un-
der discussion. The Stuff of Man."
though inclining to the latter view,
frankly presents the battling difficult
ties, the shiftlessness and childishness
Of the negro character. The stumbling
block that all philanthropists in this
cause have to reckon with, first and
foremost, is the political value of the
negro as a voter. Even enthusiasts
admit that the greatest harm ever
done the black man was the gift of
the franchise. Had he been left I'M
hampered to work out his salvation
he might have had some chance to es-
cape the temptations, the bribery, the
corruptions of white politicians.
You know yourself" says Philo
Dorsey in the book. that if 1t wasn't
for the white men that prey upon
him, selling him whisky and cocaine
and polluting his home and cheating
him out Of his money and his honesty,
a person might develop better niger
a heap sight easier"
The elder of the Methodist Episcopal
African church gives the average ne
gro's political views very clearly: IT
is eldah of the Methodist Episcopal
Africans, as you know. sab, and look
like a eldah got a right to carry his
congregation whe' he go. Broth Dave
Bowman and me. though we differen-
tiates on mattahs of doctrine him be-
ing still in the bonds of Baptism.
we stands togethah on politics. You
know you'se'f we bound to unite and
compoundulate the cullud vote or it
amt wo'th shucks. In union, sab, the's
mo- money n strength; we hangs to-
gethah, and verify ] say unto you, we
gets heap sizabler reward"
1t has been said that much of the
crime in the south comes from the
strain OF vicious white blood, and that
few of the criminals are pure African.
The author seems to share this view
winch she voices In the COMPLAINT of
old Lettice for her grandson: st know"
she said, sadly but look like Bah
remus can't help his meanness He's
a sort of stray 'mongst Lilies; he's
the onliest one of my gran'babies It's
got white blood. Look like Lille
neber is had no control of him, case,
you know you'se'f, sah white blood
ain easy han'led. Allus told m Remy
d bring sorrow. He's a yellow niggah
and he natu' ally give ovah to sin. The
Lord didn't make the yellow no mon
he made the mule. He ain prepared
no place fob him in this world nor
the next. The poo creatures boun' to
fall into the debiIs hands, case they
ain no other held out to m"
The tale deepens in tragic interest,
involving the inevitable subject A
black man. Hamp. is seen holding a
screaming woman in his arms They
are in the woods and a band of pass
ing white men run to her assistance.
She disappears, however, and there is
hue and cry out for the brutal negro.
1t turns out that the man was re-
straining the woman, who turned out
to be nulatto. In getting at this
explanation the hero, young lawyer,
says to her:
do you know that Hamp, who had
no intention of hurting you is run
away. hiding for his life, because they
thought he meant to violate your
The woman lifted to his the un-
shrinking eyes OF accepted doom.
at reckon they don't know I'm a
niggah, she said.
. OF course that would make all the
difference in the world He was con-
scious of a flush as her eyes swept
ouar hs,7. Soma b1uab of raef.1 ahov,o