The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1913-07-24
PROFESSOR JoRDAv's RACE VIEWS.

PROFESSOR JoRDANS RACE VIEWS.
Having read the deliverance of Professor
Jordan, Of the University of Virginia on the
biological aspects Of the race question, the
assaults made upon him therefor and the de
Tense Of his friends The Virginian Is forced to
the conclusion that Professor Jordan has shown
himself 10 be totally ont of sympathy with the
viewpoint OF the people whose teacher he is and
utterly at variance with the ineradicable opin.
ions held by them this subject
So far has been noted Professor Jordan
has left TO his friends any defense that might
be made, merely denying that he believes in
miscegnation. This defense does greater credit
TO the staunchness of the friends than to their
ability at explanation No censure attaches
10 them for this. for the conclusion to which
Professor Jordan's reasoning leads is miscegna-
tion-something indefensible to our way of think
ing and to the way Of thinking of the Southern
people and so far as we have seen the way
of thinking OF the vast majority OF the en-
lightened element of the Northern States. To
say that these friends ability to defend Pro
desire is to say merely that they have failed
III an atleuIpt HI tHe lWpusSlDIe
Professor Jordan denies that he believes in
miscegnation In justice to him quote the
following letter written by him TO tho Char
lottesville Progress.
Editor Progress: WIZ you kindly say for me
in your columns that trust the people OF Char
lottesville knew tine better than to believe that
/ could. advocate intermarriage OF whites and
negroes Tor muattoesl. as stated in the extract
from the Petersburg Index-Appeal in Saturday
nights Progress. inalictouSy
excerpt from scientific paper, and wholly
rn.srepresenns the facts spirit and motive Of
the original article.
Very truly yours.
H Il. JORDAN.
University of Virginia, July 81.
No matter what Professor Jordan may have
said in one paragraph of his article the
question or what he may have said in another.
he said this:
The negro raspires to be nulatto the mulatto
TO be white These aspirations should be en-
couraged.
How Is II To- be encouraged? How Is the negro
to become mulatto except by intermarriage
either with whites mulattoes? How is the
mulatto to become white. or near white-for
he cannot become pure white? How, except by
intermarriage with the whites? Professor Jor-
dan believes the negros aspiration TO be white
should be encouraged. There Is but way for
him to become white and If he is to be en-
couraged in his aspirations he must be en-
couraged to go about it In that one way, which
is intermarriage.
In that one sentence Professor Jordan means
one thing or he means nothing. That one
thing is niscegnation. and az an advocate of
1iscegnation stands forth Professor Jordan. pro-
fessor al the University OF Virginia, supported
by the State, which secures its funds from peo-
pie who will never accept any such doctrine
To emphasize his belief In cross-breeding OF
the races Professor Jordan takes issue with
Darwin. Aggasiz and other distinguished biolo.
g4sts and arguesthat altogether ntliattoes usually
are degenerate this is due to the fact that il is
a low class Of people who mix breeds and that
the character OF their descendants is not due
TO the fact of mixed marriage. II Is the indi-
vidual and not the mating OF two opposites that
causes the degeneracy he holds. 81 admit the
general inferiority Of black.white offsprngs."
says Professor Jordan, but emphaticay deny
that the result is inherent in the simple fact
of breeding" Professor Jordan believes
in cross-breeding. He argues strenuousy and
at length for it. That is the chief purpose
of his article. But probably he stops when he
comes TO oss-breeding of white and black?
Probably he finds sufficient for making
exceptions in this and would not have
black and white cross-breed? No. He admits
7. the inferiorty Of "black-white offspring" but
emphatically denies that it Is inherent In the
simple fact OF cross. breeding, and argues to
prove his contention, quoting examples to prove
that the offspring Of union OF white and black