The advocate. [volume] (Charleston, W. Va.) 1901-1913, 1911-01-05

When you play roulette, that JOY
Gus game,
Two cOlors on q wheel,
You play the red or else the black.
With vast, unflagging zeal -.
Perhaps the black, perhaps the red,
Your little bet may bear,
But red and black have even chance.
If the wheel is on the square!
It's different on the diamond,
though r. e.
You cheer the star of red
But if black should try to show,
The bricks hail round his head!
: Scott
Too bad Tim Hurst is a little old.
FRom all l hear OF. his past record,
he would be a sWen white mans
hope.-The Remarks of James J.
Corbett.
Curious thing, isn't it, how the
magnates, players and base ball
bugs all stand upon the racial ques-
ton? They welcome the North
American Indian with open arms
and loud applause. They give the
red man every chance in the world
to show his speed~and prove his
skill. If a young redskin is a good
pitcher or a sterling batsman, he
has half a dozen ball clubs bidding
for his services, and he can draw
enough money to oamake the old
home back on the reservation BIOS
som~nas the rose.
And yet, If an Afro-American
shows base ball skill they don't well
come him-they don't invite him
into the fast company. On the con-
trary, they bar him out of all orga-
nizcd ball and compel him to flock
by himself as it. were-to play with
colored teams, or to lie idle. There
isn't a word in the statutes of the
game concerning a color line,, and,
SO far as the wording goes, the
blacklist man that ever threw a
ball would be perfectly eligible to
the game. But he couldn't break in.
The darkest Injun is welcome. but
the palest Senegambian is strictly
barred. Nowhere is the color line
drawn SO strictly as among the big
and minor leaguers, and Yet the COL
Or line fades away when there is a
chance to make any money by play
ing black teams on the outside. No
big Lacquer, not even the Georgian
Cobb, makes the slightest objection
to playing the black men who make
up the Cuban clubs, and practice
games with Negro mines are far
from uncommon during the early
months and after the regular sea-
son.
The black rman is an able and ac-
complished ball player. That is con-
ceded by everybody. He is perfect
ly able to take care Of himself at
the bat, in the field, and on the
bases, and, as a CHEEKY comedian
and amusing coacher. he has no
equal The Indian is no better as
ball player, and is apt to have a
grim and sullen disposition instead
Of the infectious cheerfulness Of the
Negro
It's queer thing, this human ma
tuTo. We respect the Indian and
we welcome him into our schools,
our colleges, and our ball teams.
For why? Because the copper
hided son of Satan is a fighter. Be-
cause his folks were never slaves,
that's why. Because he met our fa-
theirs with substantial wallop on
the knob, instead Of going to work
for day wages or toiling as a chat
tel. Peace may be lovely thing,
but the prestige the Indian holds and
the respect we give to him to-day is
wholly due to his scrapping reDuta-
tion In the long ago
The unfortunate black man came
here as a slave, and we got used to
seeing him work. Slaves came, in
50 per cent Of all cases, from peace
full and unwarlike tribes that could
be easily raided. These black men
were not fighters, and so We never
had to feel the same respect for
their prowess that we had to have
for the. Big Tniun. If the early
Americans had been forced to deal
with Zulus, BasutoS, Gallas. or Ma
sal, the fierce fighting tribes Of
Eastern and Southern Africa, men
who are every whit as brave and
warlike as the Indians, it would
have been different. and we would
| have, had a different opinion of the
African people
It's the fighter and his descend.
ants who command respect and re-
ceive good treatment. Consequent
ly. the Indian is welcome, and bis
athletic sons can get both admira
ton and big money on our bal
fields. Some Of our grardpops, per
haps, might feel like heaving a rocl
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