Virginia citizen. (Irvington, Va.) 1891-1921, 1908-01-24
EDUCATING BOSTON.

lime was Wnen Boston dld not care
for such education as was given its peo-
pie on December 31st by Senator John
ston, of Alabama Time was indeed
when Senator Johnston would have
been hooted at, mobbed and otherwise
maltreated for such words in Boston.
1t is different now. The Senator told
some truth to the Bostonese, truth that
has come slowly to their ears, but truth
all the same. When he showed by the
census reports that crime in the South
is six times as frequent among the
blacks as among the whites, Boston
might have retorted it was no Won
der, seeing the degraded conditicn edu-
cationally of the poor Southern neg 70;
tbut when he showed that this ratio
held good for Pennsylvania and worse
still for Ohio, and that in far-away
Michigan the black is ten times as
criminal as the white, in spite of the
educational advantages of that region,
Boston listened. And what he had to
say about education should set people
everywhere to thinking. Here is part
of it:
What has this race accomplished?
They entered the race of life with the
white man, according to the Scriptures.
Now, compare the careers of these two
races. See the continuing procession of il
lustrious lawgivers, statesmen, authors,
divines, soldiers, scientists, artists, in
|ventors, of the white race, and in all
the history of the black man for 1900
years, show me single man of that
race, of the full blood, who stood at
the head in any pursuit in. life. 1t is
said that the door of opportunity has
not been opened to him. When the
white man finds door closed, he does
not wait for some one to open, but un-
locks it himself or tears it from its
hinges.
''Is there race prejudice in the South?
Yes, but not race hatred. There is no
spot on the earth where the Anglo-Sax-
on comes into contact with the Brown
or Black race that he does otdominate
it. Take India, where Great Britain,
with less than 900 soldiers, has gov
erned 800, 900, 600 of these people, one
fifth of all the inhabitants of the world,
for 130 years. Is it thinkable that
so, 600 soldiers, or a million soldiers, OF
any race of people on earth could govern
and dominate the $4,000, 900 of Ameri-
cans in this country?
els there no race prejudice in the
North? If not, why do not the races
intermarry? Why do we not find sin
gle negro in the Senate or House al
Washington or Governor of single
State in the North? Our national ad
ministration is certainly not unfriendly
to the negro, and yet, after 40 years
do we find single one in the army OF
navy commissioned officer, having
the smallest command of men?"
| And Boston, the Boston of Wendell
Phillips and Ralph Waldo Emmersor
and all that philanthropic tribe, allowed
it to be said, nay even listened will
attent ears.
Senator Johnston quotes TOWNSEND
the historian as authority for the state
ment that the negro race remains al
insoluble puzzle except on the theor,
that there are breeds of mankind il
which the strangest of all phenomena
the arrestment of development, occur
at an early age: that he learned the US,
of fire, that sown grain will grow, tn
value of shelter, the use of the bow an,
canoe and the good of clothes, but ther
he stopped, until stimulated by anothe
race. He did not die or degenerate
but he stopped at point as if arreste
} by divine will" And his words (thos
of the Senator were full of wisdor
when he stated that the South "need
the aid, good will, kindly suggestions
Christian charity and patience of tn
| North. ''From babarism and Gambia
ism, within about 100 years, the peopl
, of the South so civilized and improve
: the race that many people North though
r after the Civil War, that they were (
r ! to be Governors and Senators-of 9th,