The Washington bee., 1910-05-14

race antipathy is growing in all the
colleges of the country. Then, too it
is said, the feeling against the Afri-
can is shifting from the South to the
North more and more, and the ulti-
matum of Oberlin's students is but
added proof of this.
What made the race question vital
IN the college was an article which
appeared in the March number of the
Oberlin Alumni magazine by Prof. L.
E. Lord, editor of the periodical. This
article stated that inasmuch as the
literary societies of the college had
slammed the door OF admission in his
face, the Negro was obliged to organ
ize a society of his own.
This Negro society has its own pro-
grams and debates as do the white
students organizations. The Negroes
conduct the society along exactly the
same lines as the Phi Delta or Phi
Kappa Pi The only difference is that
the members are all Negroes. Here
are a few excerpts from Prof. Lords
article:
The presence of Negroes on the
track team has caused difficulty in
securing proper hotel accommoda-
,ions for the white men-''it is said
that last year the track team volun-
tarily went to a third-class hotel be
cause of its Negro members.
The manager of the track team
offered to go with the Negroes to any
hotel in Columbus which would Ie-
ceive them but the Negroes refused
to go to Columbus at all unless the
whole team could be accommodated
-"notice has now been served on
the Negroes that they will have to
shift Tor themselves at Columbus
(the management paying the eX-
penses )-''the track team members
say that they cannot afford to put up
at an inferior hotel"
Charles w. Williams, assistant to
Fhe president of Oberlin, said yester-
day that the attitude of the under
graduate body toward the Negro was
due in a large measure to the posi-
ton held by Booker T. Washington,
leader of the Negro race. Mr.. Wash
Ington says that he will not demand
social equality between the Negro and
the white man until the Negro has
secured an economic status in society
The students at Oberlin," said
Mr.. Williams, have taken Mr..
Washington at his word on that point
and do not feel they are obliged to
accept the Negro socially" While
Williams can see the students point
of view, he deplores the recent move
to ostracize the Negro socially at the
college.
Prof. L. E. Lord said: L am sure
that there is no more growing SEN
timent here at Oberlin against the
Negro than there is ali over the
country in the colleges and universi-
ties. | think the prejudice has in
creased from the Atlantic to the
Pacific tremendously of late. The
faculty OF Oberlin, however, is OPP
posed to any discrimination along this
line. We do not uphold the students
in their action"
Prof. a. S. Root, acting president
of the college, thinks the sentiment
against the Negro is gaining force in
the Northern States. He is of the
opinion racial prejudice is becoming
nation wide He says that the facuI-
ty does not indorse the attitude OF
the undergrates in the move tc
erase the Negro socially from the col
lege map.
Z. ]. Goodrich, one of the college
trustees, said last night he did not
believe the present uprising of the
white students against their Negro
classmates was representative of tht
whole college
This prejudice IS stirred up b
only a few men and by no means re
fleets the true spirit of the academi,
body he said.
INDUSTRIAL SCHOOL