The broad ax. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1895-19??, 1912-01-20
WHAT THE NEGRO
PROBLEM IS NOT
Subject Considered From an
ImDeFsORaI Point Of View
FACTS ABOUT GLITERACY.
Professor r. r. Wright In Sociological
Treatment of the Great Question
Says It Is Not a Negro Problem II
the MaIsdiustmsnt 10 Not Common to
the Whole Group.

Says II Is Not . Negro Problem IL
the MaIsdjustmSnt 10 Not Common TO
the Whole Group.
Philadelphia. - Professor r. r.
Wright. Jr.. has recently issued in book
form extracts from his two lectures on
;ba sociological attitude In the study
Of Negro problems, which he prepared
Ger and delivered to the social study
class at the university Of Pennsylva-
MA. The first part tells Of the atti-
rude which social students ought to
have in the study of race problems
and the difficulties involved. The sec
ond part consists Of an analysis Of the
Negro problem. The lectures attracted
considerable attention, being regarded
as among the most philosophic and
logical ever delivered on the subject
at any Of the leading colleges.
Under the caption the Study of
Race Problems" Professor Wright
says:
Tue SluON VI lnC LdSlo IL uuH1dh
activity the very condition OF scientific
value must be the accuracy and impair
tiality Of the observation Of students.
For accurate observation the student
must be tolerant and open minded He
must be widely acquainted with the
history and condition Of peoples In diff
ferent parts of the world In order to
be entirely nd Of national, sectional,
racial. religious and political bias.
In spite Of his race. religion and
early education, he ought to be able
10 look at the facts Of society entirely
from an impersonal point OF view.
This is especially necessary In the
study Of nationalities and races diff
ferent from our own. We are very
liable to underrate these peOples-tO
consider their mental and physical diff
ferences and mental and physical In
feriorities: to call their religion hea-
thenish; to look upon their racial tend
encies as downward II they are not as
ours. This viii give us a provincial
philosophy, but nothing OF real scien-
tifc value.
"In what consists the particular and
peculiar Negro race problem OF which
We hear so much? A social problem
may be said to exist with reference to
any particular group when there Is in
any way maladjustment Of that group
with respect to its environment. Then
the Negro problem must be social
problem Of maladjustment between the
Negro group and its American environ
ment. A social problem IL a Negro
problem in SO far as the social malad-
justment is, first, common to the great
mass Of the Negro group and, second,
peculiar to it. 1t is not Negro prob
lem II the maladjustment is not COM
mon to the entire Negro grOup-that IL,
only Negroes suffer It This we must
get clearly in our minds II we are to
understand the problem Of the Negro.
What the Nssrs Problem, 10 Not.
Much confusion already exists as to
just what this maladjustment is. and
to avoid further confusion careful
analysis is necessary. The average
person with whom have come in con-
tact Identifies In some way the Negro
problem with the problem Of Ignorance
and vice. or with poverty and immo-
raIity, or with industrial inefnciency
unemployment or some other patholog'
zeal social condition One says II II
were not for the ignorance Of the Ne
gro there would be no problem But
let US examine this and we win SCI
that the Negro problem Is not a prob
len Of illiteracy or ignorance. In the
first place. illiteracy is not common tC
the Negro race, for the majority OF
them can read and write.
an the second place, nlitefacy IL moi
peculiar to them as q race, for there
are more white ilHterates In this coun
try than Negro nHteFates. In 1900 thu
census gave 3200069 as the numbel
Of white illiterates and 2yS5S,194 q.
the number Of Negro illiterates In th'
United States. There are. according Z
'he same census, fourteen times q
many white illiterates In the state Of
Pennsylvania as Negro illiterates-
by the same authority in proportion
10 population there II len nllteracJ
among the younger generation Of Ne
groes living in the north than In tn
same class Of whites living In tn
south. The throngs which come q
our great cities have Q great deal NOR
ignorance among the foreign whit
element than among the Negroes /
Is plain. therefore, that ignorance ant
hhteracy are not the Negro peOolsu
although many Negroes a. wei q
whites are involved In the genera
problem Of ignorance, which has n
color whatever"