The Muskogee cimeter. [volume] (Muskogee, Indian Territory, Okla.) 1901-19??, 1911-12-02
HUxTING THE MAN
fARTHeST DOWN

NOutu EiNt me FtfTtdAlOL duu itcN.
At one time 1t occurred to me that ]
should like to spend my vacation In
the West indies. looking into the con
dition OF the portion OF my race In
that part OF the world. After consid-
eriDg the matter. however. ! finally
came to the conclusion that could.
perhaps. learn more In Europe than
anywhere else about the problems In
which J am particularly interested.
concluded that In Europe I would be
able to get an outside view, so to
speak. OF my own country and by max
Ing comparison with what ] was able
to see there. with what knew OF con
ditions at home. should be able TO
get a clearer and more comprehensive
view OF the situation OF my own peo
pie In America than I could in any
Other way.
Having settled upon Europe az the
piaoe To take my vacation. determin-
ed TO carry out plan had long had
In mind Of making myself acquainted
with the condition of the poorer and
working classes In Europe. particular.
ly In those regions from which an ever
increasing number OF immigrants are
coming to- our country each year.
The best way to get acquainted with
an Individual or with people. accord
ing to my experience. is to visit them
at their work and in their homes. and
In this way find out what is back Of
them.
SO II was that determined to make
use OF my stay In Europe to visit the
! people In their homes. TO talk with
them at their work and to find out
everything ! could.
was curious. for one thing, 10
learn why II was that so many of
these European people we're leaving
the countries In which they were born
and reared. In order To- seek their for.
tunes In "A new country and among
strangers In distant part OF the
world
The majority of the people who
reach this country as immigrants from
Europe arc, as one might expect. from
the farming regions. They are farm
laborers or tenant farmers. Further
more. there exists. as ! discovered. a
very definite relation between the con-
dition of agriculture and the agricul-
tural peoples In Europe and the extent
Of emigration TO this country. In 9TH
er words. wherever In any part OF
Europe I found the condition of agri'
culture and the situation of the farm
laborers at their worst, there | almost
invariably found emigration at the
] visited a part OF the country where
emigration had. In recent years de.
creased. there | quite as invariably
found that the situation OF the man
on the soil had improved.
What interested me still more was
the fact that this Improvement had
been. to very large extent. brought
about through the influence Of schools
Agricultural education has stimulated
an intensive culture OF the SOIL this
In turn has helped TO multiply the
number OF small landowners and stim
ulate the organization OF agriculture
the resulting prosperity has made
itself felt not only In the country. but
also In the cities.
Another matter In regard TO which
! hope to get some first.hand informa
ton during my stay abroad was wha,
] may call the European. as distin
guished from the American. race prob
lem. | knew that In the south OF Eu
rope, "A number Of races OF widely diff
I ata,l,, nd ,h.. 81. ~
been thrown together In close contact
and In large numbers | suspected
that in this whirlpool OF contendins
races and classes | should find prob
lems-race problems and educationa
problems-different TO be sure, bu
quite as complicated. difficult and in
teresting as In our own country.
. There was another thing that mad,
the trip had outlined peculiarly at
tractiye To me believed that
, would find In some parts OF Europe
peoples who In respect Ia education
opportunity and civilization generally
were much nearer the level OF IN,
, masses of the negro people in IN,
south than ! was likely to ind any
where In America, | believed. also
. that II ! went far enough and deel
, enough, should find even In Europ,
great numbers of people. who. IA thei
: homes. IN their labor and IN thei
manner of living, were little. II any
in advance of the negroes In tn
I southern states, ! wanted 10 study a
iirsthand, as far as | was able. tn
, methods which European nations wer
f. using 10 uplift the masses of the pee
pie who are at the bottom in the seal
OF civilization
One of the first things learned Il
, Europe was the difficulty OF meetin
; the ordinary man and seeing and get
, ting acquainted with the matters q
: every day life. I soon discovered tha
the most difficult things To see are no
, the sights that every one goes to loo
al. but the common place things tha
| M nna seps I'm order IN carry ON m