The Montgomery advertiser. [volume] (Montgomery, Ala.) 1885-1982, 1908-01-29

rs rT IGNoAANcn. ON woHsEs
It IL difacult for the ordinary lay
MAD to undsrstans The sntricae,.s ana
sbsurdities Of the brain Of the coll
lese president or professor. whether
to attribute It to mental aberratiou.
brainstorm or natural cussedness" we
cannot say. but they sometimes have
strange IDEAS Here for example. 10
President 0iddings. Of Columbia, ssri-l
ousiy declaring that because Of the
intermarriage OF the blacks and whites
the negrt Is fast disappearing In the
South"
Wouldn't that jar your" to speak in
the vernscuiar. ut would be unfair"
says jThe New Haven Register. 'tc
assume that as careful student as
Professor Giddings has been talking
loosely or without knowledge. But
tho American public. whose interest in
the negro race Is constantly acute.
would doubtless be Interested to know
the facts and figures on which be
bases such a statement. The census
does not indicate It. The last count
found s.sis,s6s persons who confessed
to being negroes, gain Of s5s.oss. or
eighteen per cent over the decade pre-
vious. Those who have been fully as
near the black belt as has Professor
Giddings seem alarmed rather that the
simon pure negro will overflow the
country than that he viii disappear
BY intermarriage. II the latter really
is true, then have the whites in the
North as well as in the South some
reason for disauietude. 1t does not
seem to the caucasien who respects
his race that it is likely to be i'm.
proved by admixture with the Afri-
car"
Why talk Of unfairness towards one
who deliberately makes such state
ment as we have quoteA7 Either Mr..
Giddings is Totally ignorant on the
subject. or he made q voluntary mis-
statement and is guilty Of knowingly
uttering gross Islander on the South.
In either case 1t is not unfair to as
sumo whatever we please about him.
II he didn't know what he was talk
ing about he should be ashamed Of
such an utterance, and II he does
know the facts he should be still
more ashamed of having been guilty
OF such q Islander.
That there Is more or less inter-
mingiing Of white ana black blood in
the South is not denied. for the fact
is apparent to all. The same is true
Of the North. the West and any other
section where the two races ara as
ISOLATED together. ana the same is true
wherever q superior and an inferior
race live together. but that the inter-
marriage OF whites and blacks in the
South is common or even frequent IL
a very decided SANDER. Massach usstts
has but few negroes. as compared with
some Of the Southern States. but we
venture the assertion that IL Mr.. Cid
dings or any other cares to make an
exemination into the matter he viii
md that there are more marriages be-
tween whites and negroes in Massa-
chusetts than in an the Southern
States However, such a disclosure
might not be pleasant to Mr.. President
Giddings, or to any other person who
wants to ind something to taunt the
South about, but 1t might add TO their
stock of knowledge--if ignorance is
really behind. such Charges.
AS to the statement that the me-
groes are fast disappearing from the
south-well, we have heard that FREE
quently without being much impressed
with 1t. AS stated by The Register.
the figures fail to carry cut the as
sumption. II he had said that the
genuine old negroes OF the South are
disappearing we should not take issue
with him, but otherwise his statement
is wide of the truth. We are not miss
ing them to any appreciahle extent.