Iowa state bystander. [volume] (Des Moines, Iowa) 1894-1916, 1912-05-03

two are closely bound together, tyran
ny and cruelty, ON the part OF the
whites, show In their faces. and car
also be read IN the constraint and
caution and timidity OF their black
neighbors: and again. where you ind
the blacks frank and Joyous, as Ia
their nature; you may be sure that
the whites Of that region are Just and
broad-minded and kindly, az ts char
acteristic Of people really civilised'
What ! here write comes from close
personal observation; and l say that
the bitter enemies which the negro
has in the south are the ignorant sen.
sual crackers" the vicious lower
classes of the whites: the higher
grades OF white men tend toward JUS
tice and patience and encouragement
In their treatment OF the as yet i'm
mature black race: sometimes, when
election IL at hand, some educated
white candidate will indulge In pub
lie denunciations of "niggers"; but
this ia usually for political effect; he
is after the ignorant cracker" vote;
and very likely he is the friend and
helper OF q half-dozen colored neigh.
bors.
At Tallahassee ! overheard signifi-
cant comment on the closing words OF
Mr.. Washington's address, made from
a bandstand on the common; group
Of white men had been listening close
ly, and feared sullenly, to the speak
er's words: then, at the close one OF
them spoke to the others. concisely.
solemnly: That's true, what he says
about our trusting each other; you
know we have left today, part OF our
families at our homes, outside. with
our niggers; and there's nobody else
in Gods world we'd have trusted them
with"
A charming and effective feature OF
the program of most OF these Florida
meetings was the singing by the
blacks in the audience usually q
thousand Of them) of the real songs
of slavery; not the tawdry negro
minstrel songs Of later white compos-
ers, but the quaint old folk-songs Of
fifty and more years ago; the singing
was led by Major Motion Of Hampton,
that sweet-voiced singer. with the
physique Of Hercules and the sen
sibilities OF q girl OF seventeen. This
singing seemed to bring the various
elements In the audienc, together, be-
fore DR.. Washington gave his address;
and 1t revealed the poetry and senti-
ment OF this patient, toiling, loving
race, as they CROPPED their way out OF
their captivity, singing as they came.
with faith In their God and confidence
In the day-star which was rising out
OF their night of gloom.
Many time | have heard the die
tum laid down by over-confident
prophets like Thomas Nelson Page
that the negro was capable OF mod
crate degree Of academic education,
but could never 60 very high. In re-
buttal, let me say that one OF the
members of DR.. Washington's party
through Florida was young colored
man who Is graduate OF Harvard,
also Of Oxford as q Rhodes scholar,
and have rarely met any man, OF
any race Gas Harvard man speak,
who possessed more genuine and
unostentatious cultivation OF mind
than does this young man, not in man.
ners and voice alone, but in tastes
and inner standards he is among the
best graduated from our universities.
Somebody will respond, HE is only
an exception" Such was the comment
made ten and twenty years ago, as
young negro men came up, singly and
by twos and threes, into the ranks OF
the professions; but those "excep-
tons" are now too numerous to be
longer called exceptions" there are
scores and hundreds of them In the
south; and similar results will be
reached In the case Of colored men OF
literary and esthetic taste; the num-
Der is steadily increasing.
It Is high time that we laid aside
the bugaboo of social equality" DR..
Washington and other educated col.
ored men condemn all movements Of
their race in this direction; they urge,
with great earnestness, that the ne
groes keep to their own social life,
that they develop all they can OF civil
ization, within their own borders;
whatever mingling Of the races there
may be in the business life is easily
arranged, but socially. colored men
and women are urged to keep apart
by themselves, and already, In sew
eral southern cities have been ad-
mitted, on my rounds Of journalistic
inquiry, into many charming negro
homes, where good taste was the rule
and the good offices of a genuine and
tactful hospitality were extended to
| me-
At the close of Or. Washington
address at Tampa, accosted, pleas.
antly, two white men coming out OF
the hall, and one said: Booker Wash
ington Is as great man as can be
found in the world today" And the
other man said. The whole situation
and Internationally of the two races
can be summed up IN that story which
Washington told about the colored
bishop and the white hackdrlver."
And this is the story in brief: At a
town In North Carolina, a colored
bishop Of DR.. Washington's party was
anxious to catch train; he addressed
a white hackman: Take me to the
depot. please, and l will pay you a
quarter" The hackman replied, Il
would like the quarter, but l can't
drive a negro in my hack" Then the
resourceful bishop suggested, Very
good! Now you take the back seat
and ride. and I'll take the front seat
and drive" And this was done; and
the colored bishop got his train and