The Colorado statesman., 1912-07-06
DR.. THIRKIELD'S SUCCESSOR
CONSENSUS OF OPINION AMONG
MEMBERS OF THE RACE IS
THAT NEXT PRESIDENT OF
HOWARD UNIVERSITY SHOULD
BE A NEGRO.

THAT NEXT PRESIDENT OF
HOWARD UNIVERSITY SHOULD
BE A NEGRO.
Washington, D. C.-The election of
Dr.. Wilbur T. Thirkield to the bishop
ric in the NJ. E. church will caus" a
vacancy in the presidency of Howl
university. Already number of prom
inent colored educators have been
mentioned for the vacancy. Who will
succeed DR.. Thirkield as president of
Howard is not merely of interest to
the colored people in Washington,
where the university is located, but it
Is of great interest to every one of the
| 1,200 Howard students, to the several
hundred Howard alumni, and to the
thousands of colored men and wom-
en- everywhere interested in the edu-
cation of the race primarily, and in
higher education secondarily.
DR.. Thirkield is a white man. Every
president Howard has had has been a
white man. Many colored men, and
correctly, too, think the next president
ought to be a colored man in order to
constantly emphasize the need of
Howard university as an institution of
learning to give hope. There is moth
ing in the laws and rules establishing
and governing Howard to make it a
separate institution for colored, yet the
entire student body is colored, not a
white student to be seen in any de-
partment. 1t is as effectually col
ored institution as If made so by con-
| urn oil fnfo oil CT
President Thirkield, although himself
white, and although very successful
president, has not been able to attract
a single white student in the past sew
eral years. The faculty, for the most
part, is composed of colored professors
and instructors. Howard university
by and through the mutations of race
prejudice has become, so far as its stu
dent body is concerned, distinctly
colored institution, and congress
appropriates for it upon this assump-
ton.
There are, however colored men who
claim, and are insisting, that Dr. Thir
kield's successor must be a white man
for the reason that it is not time to
make colored man president of How
ment not only discredit their race and
oelittle themselves, but they give white
men an argument to use against plac-
ing colored man in any new position
whatsoever. If 1t is not time to elect
colored man president of Howard then
the time is not yet ripe for colored
trustees for that institution and those
colored men who are now serving as
trustees ought to resign in order to be
in harmony with the backward move
ment. If it is not time for a colored
president of Howard is 1t not possible
that the colored deans at Howard are
serving in positions several years in
advance of the races right to these
positions?
The pioneer is always met with the
aggard's argument of "it is not time"
Catching their cue from race preju-
dice, and backed up by weak, serviIe
colored men, some white men have al
ways objected to the entrance of every
colored man upon any unbeaten path
on the ground lit is not time" When
R. H. Terrell and E. NJ. Hewlett were
proposed for municipal judges here
white men who coveted all the Offices
and colored men who lacked race con-
ddence and race pride contended that
the time was not ripe for such ap-
pointments The men were appointed
however, and both filed the positions
acceptably and well, and in some cases
better than any of their white asso-
ciates. Given the opportunity to sue
ceed as municipal judges has prepared
these men for round higher on the
judicial ladder There is not single
place occupied by colored men today
but what was won against and in spite
Of the mot time" argument. When 1t
was proposed to raise 100000 for
colored Y. M. G. A. building here the
same weak argument of mot time"
was used, yet the conception of, the
camganiging for, and the raising OF
that 100000 was the work of colored
men; and now DR.. Moreland, interna-
tional secretary, and Lewis e. John
son, local secretary, whose efforts more
than any two men are responsible for
the success. can behold the completed,
furnished, equipped and occupied $780,
300 colored Y. NJ. C. A. building. Who
will cay it is not time for a colored
man to manage this institution? And
it is just as reasonable to say that
white man should be in control of and
manage the 100000 Y. NJ. C. A build
ing as to say white man, of neces-
sity, should be head of Howard uni
versity.
One of the favorite, and as they
think convincing, arguments of these
colore1 men who favor a white presi-
dent for Howard is that the president
must raise money for the maintenance
Of the institution, and no colored man