The advocate. [volume] (Charleston, W. Va.) 1901-1913, 1910-12-29
FROM A STUDY OF THE POLITI
CAL, SOCIAL AND ECONO-
MIC PROBLEMS HERE.
Negro's Case Stated
And MIR. Barker, Whose Eyes Have
Been Opened to True Conditions
Plans, Salvation for Those he
Thought Little Better Than Saw
ages.

, Washington, D. c., December 27.
). Ellis Barker, who is making his
headquarters temporarily in this
/ city, has come from his home in
ELondon, England, to study some of
the political, social and economic
problems Of the United States. He
| Is taking an especial interest in the
race problem, and has made it
point to meet all of our representa-
tive citizens and to visit the schools
OF various types, the churches, the
hospitals, social settlements and
homes Of every class of colored peo-
pie, SO numerously found in the
cosmopolitan capital of the nation
Mr.. Barker is finding the race ques-
ton a highly fascinating one, be-
sides offering a field for much seri-
GUS missionary work, and will make
tour covering the entire United
States in search Of stories and ex-
periences Of an intensely human
character that will throw light upon
a dark subject, and may embUdy hts
observations in a publication Of
some kind
Mr.. Baker is a gentleman OF the
highest culture, easy Of approach. an
earnest seeker after the whole truth
and possesses a wonderful magnetic
personality He is one of England's s
most prominent political and eco
lnomic writer's, and is the author of
1"Gfeat and Greater Britain" Mod
iern Germany" "The Rise and De-
cline Of the Netherlands, British
Socialism, and other works which
are considered standard books and
which have been published both in
England and America. Several of
these have been translated into
Japanese. His booklet on "Free
Trade and Protection has been
sold in England in more than quar-
ter of million copies and has been
reprinted in this country by the Uni
ted States Senate as an official au-
thority on this great subject. Our
representative saw Mr.. Barker and
asked him for a message to the COL
ored people Of America, and Mr..
Barker readily acceded to his re-
quest He said, in part
AS AN ENGLISH WRITER SEES
THE RACE PROBLEM.
eve people in Europe do not un-
derstand the race problem, and we
do not know the colored people, for
the, simple reason that there are not
any 'colored' people in Europe.
"In London, where I live, there
| are only a few hundred cOlOred stu
dents whom one does not meet. Be-
| fore T came to the United States, my
prejudice against the colored peo-
pie was as great as that Of any
southern planter. My prejudice
against your race, as I believe the
prejudice Of most white people, was
due rather to ignorance than to i'll
will. l had been told in the books
and papers published in Europe that
the colored people were a race OF
barbarians and savages. l had been
told that the colored people were a
worthless set Of people, dressed in
rags, working day or two during
| the week, and 1Uaftng during the
rest Of the time. I was told that
| the colored people were idle, dis
eased and vicious. SO l imagined
that all Of them lived in slums and
alleys and that the aristocracy Of
| the race consisted Of walters and
railway porters.
Il had been told that the colored
lpeople only played at science; that
their doctors and lawyers were
charlatans. / had been told that the
people Of mixed race were even
worse than pure Negroes; that the
mulattoes had lost the primitive vir-
tues of the Negroes and had acquired
| all the vices Of the whites.
MIR BAKERS EYES ARE
OPENEU.
| "A chance encounter with q cul-
tured man Of color induced me to
look into the race problem" con
tinued Mr.. Barker, land was per-
fectly amazed when I discovered
Ihave been libeled and traduced.
Ihave spent a considerable amount OF
Itime with colored people and have
met many who are highly cultivated
have found that among your race
Iyou have excellent lawyers and some
Of the foremost physicians and sur.
geons.
/ II have been over large numbei
of your elementary and higher grade
schools and colleges and over How.
ard University, and / have admired
the earnestness and resolute deter.
mination with which your children
try to improve their minds and tc
lraise themselves. In your night
schools 1 have found old men and
y~-s',~