The Nashville globe. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1906-193?, 1909-08-27
COMMUNICATION.
Superiority Versus So-caIIed Inferi.
ority.


stopped to consider the bill in
troduced by one Reynolds for
the compulsory education Of
white children to the exclusion
of colored children, it did the en-
tire state grave piece of injustice.
1t was hardly to be expected that the
saner members of law-making body
in Southern commonwealth would
stand for such a small, onesided and
bias piece of legislative enactment as
that which the man Reynolds was dis
posed to infiict upon the state. He
accomplished one thing sure and that
was he succeeded in publicly adver.
Using and acknowledging by his 'lit-
! tie" compulsory education bill for
white children only, that they need
just such stimulus to prick them on,
to drive, to urge, to force, to con-
strain them to keep the colored lads
and lassies from forging ahead in the
| acquisition of the intellectual dole
melted out by the state in its public
| free school system.
! When it is remembered that the
white man boasts, and that, too, loud
ly, of his naturally superior endOw-
ments over those of his brother in
black, it is passing strange that he
has to resort to such and so many dis
eliminating and drastic laws and sub
terfuges to bolster up and make seem
ly that much-vaunted superiority. II
by nature he is the favored child OF
the gods, then why not take his
chances on an even footing with his
inferior brother in the scramble for
the goal? This is rather an exaspera-
ting question, and hard, too, to an
swer when all the facts relative to
"jim-crow" legislation to hold in
allegiance inferiority are taken into
consideration. Why tie the hands
and feet of your competitor who is to
compete with you for the goal and
then because he does not amble along
as rapidly as yourself, say he is in
ferior? Does superiority have 70
have recourse to such tactics to win
over inferiority? If so, is there a sin
gle commendable element or redeem
ing feature about such superiority?
Speaking of genuine superiority, the
answer, emphatically, is-No! The
real article is self-reliant, courageous
and fair. 1t is the embodiment Of
self-faith, and takes no unfair advan-
tage.
In one of his great speeches, and
touching upon the boastfulness of his
race as to its superiority, Bob Inger-
soil said, in substance that the thor
oughbred did not care how many
jackasses were on the tract when the
time came he would show them his
heels The illustration is homely, but
to the point. If the solon who intro
duced the compulsory education bill
for whites only in the Alabama Leg
islature belongs to the race which
claims superiority, for such a bill pre-
supposes that he does, then what need
had he to do so? Is it possible that
he feared the indisposition of the
white progeny Of his state to distance
the colored boys and girls in intellec-
tual pursuit? The bill is an ill-con-
cealed admission that there is a deep
rooted fear somewhere, which Is
clearly indicated by the bias and
frenzied action of such men as
that compulsory-educa tion-for-whites.
only solon of Alabama.
Here is another example of
fear or uneasiness on the part
of an opponent Of compulsory
education for all the people, which ap-
peared in local daily paper Thurs
day, August 9:
Senator Tilman warned the peo-
| pie of the State against compulsory
education, saying that it would pre-
pare the Negroes for the ballot and
might in time result in their CONTROL
ing elections in South Carolina"
Editorially the same paper quotes
Tom Watson and comments quite
pointedly:
Keep the Negro ignorant says
Tom Watson. Even brute should
not be kept ignorant-not even Tom
Watson"
Superiority should not have to re-
sort to such methods as it is doing to
mold in the shadows of ignorance a
so-called inferior peope. But in all
seriousness, is it not clear as noon
day fact, that underlying all this OPP
position is fear of what the sober,
Iushful and inferior (?) people are
doing in the way of creditable
achievements?
JADFCEE.
ACADEMY AND INDUSTRIAL