The Guthrie daily leader. [volume] (Guthrie, Okla.) 1893-1996, 1914-03-30


'Why is il an unpardonable sin I
me that my ancestors were born unde
tropir skies where skin ana hair wcr
tanned ANA curled to suit the sun
fierce rays"
AN tropic races are not negroes. an,
ynr race has characteristics apar
from accidents of climate that make /
unique in the annals Of man rejoine,
| Lowell
And yet you demand perfec
equality of man with man. ahsolutel,
| IN form and substance without reser
| walton or snhterfugc''
Yes; political equality
] Politics is hut Il secondary phenom
enon of society You said absolute
| equality protested Harris,
THE question You broach ls Ques
| tion of taste. and the deeper social in
| siincts of racial purity and self prescr
| yalon | care not what your culture
| or your genius or your position | dc
not desire and viii not permit, Il mix
ture Of negro blood IN my family. The
idea Is nnuseating, and to my daughter
II would be repulsiye beyond the power
OF words 10 express IT.
And yet pleaded Harris, you in
vited me to your home. introduced me
to your daughter, seated me at your
table and used me IN your appeal to
your constituents, and now. when
dare ask the privilege Of seeking her
hand In honorable marriage, you, the
scholar, patriot, statesman and philoso-
pher OF equality and democracy, slam
the door In my face and tell me that
| am negro! IL this fair or manly?'
II fail to see Its unfairness'
"COuld | control tile beat OF my
heart? There are some powers with
In us that are involuntary. You could
have prevented my meeting your
daughter as an equal. But all the will
power OF earth could not prevent my
loving her when once had seen her
and spoken to her
Social rights are one thing, political
rights another" interrupted Lowell
Il deny 1t. II you are honest with
yourself. you know it is not triie. Poll
tics is but a manifestation of society
Society rests on the family The fam
ily is the unit of civilization The right
to love and wed where one loves Is
the badge of fellowship in the order
Of humanity The man who is denied
this right in any society is not mem
Der Of it, He is outside Of any mani
festation OF its essential life You had
AS well talk about the Importance OF
clothes for a dead man as political
rights for such Il pariah You have
field As II human Unit ne does not
exist for you"
Harris, 1t is utterly useless to argue
II point like this" Lowell Interrupted.
rodly. This must be the end OF our
acquaintance You must not enter my
house again
MY God. you can't kick me out OF
5our home like this when yon brought
me to II, and made ii an issue Of life
or DEATH
I
have brought YOU here against her
wishes She left the hollse with her
friend this morning 10 avoid seeing you. |
Your presence has always been ~
pulsiye to her, and with me 1t has been
u political study. not a social pleasure
Il beg for only desperate chance |
to overcome this feeling. Surely Il man !,
of your profound learuing aud genius |
cannot sympathize with such preju |
dicesy i-et me try-let her decide the
issue"
II decline to discuss the question
any further"
Il can't give up without II struggler'
the negro cried, with desperation.
Lowell arose with gesture of i1l-
patience
Now you are getting to be simply
a nuisance. To be perfectly plain with
you. haven't the slightest desire that
my family. with its proud record of
thousand years of history and achieve
ment. shall end In this stately old
house In n brood of mulatto brats!"
Harris WINGED and sprang TO his feet.
trembling with passion. II see" he
''tre soul OF Simon Lcgree has
It last become the soul OF the nation
The south expresses the same luminous
ruth with a little more clumsy bru
allty. But their way is after all more
nerciful. The human body becomes
at the touch OF an oil fed
lame In sixty seconds. Your methods
Ire more refined and more bellish In
'ruelty. You have trained my ears t.
lear. eyes 10 zee. hands TO touch anu
leart to feel. that you might torture
With the denial OF every cry Of body
md soul and roast me la the flames OF
impossible desires for time and eter-
ity~
That Will do now. There's the door,
huhdered Lowell. with a gesture Of
tern emphasis. Il happen 10 know
bs important fact that . man VI