The Appeal. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. ;) 1889-19??, 1917-01-27
HAMPTON AND TUskEGEE.
The Following Article is Taken From
The Cleveland Gazette, and is Only
One Of Many Such That Have Ap-
peared From the Trenchent Pen of
Rev. William A. Byrd.-Read and
Ponder.

- mat Hampton and TuSkegee have
done much good for the colored race
and the country at large, no sane man
will deny, but there is a serious ques-
ton as to the harm they have also
done. Hampton in Virginia empha-
sizes humility for colored men. Tus-
kegee in Alabama emphasizes non
resistance and deep respect for
southern traditions" Such men as
Seth Low and many others have built
and do maintain Tuskegee because
they hope through it to uplift the
colored race and in a measure solve
the race problem. The trouble with
this policy is it's one-sidedness. These
men constantly advise the co1ored
race to be patient while the white
men continually heap upon them
more and grievous burdens. Colored
men are continually reminded that
the southern white man is his "best
friend" and this white friend" is
continually showing his friendship by
OPPRESSION: violence and death. Be-
sides these evils both Hampton and
Tuskegee stand for the kind. of edu-
cation the south is half way inclined
to .tolerate-industrial training,
teaching the niger how to be
good servant" From Tuskegee a SEN
timent of this kind goes out over the
country. The head of Tuskegee must
stand for this sentiment or fight like
man and quit; or acquiesce like "a
good niger" and be allowed to re-.
main. No one can sit and hear a.
lecture from Hampton's teachers with
out being impressed with the fact that
all OF the effort of. that institution is
to make the colored people patiently
receive whatever the whites or the
south may give them They are fos-
tering sentiment of inferiority of
the black man to the white man, urg-
ing the colored youth to accept this
as fact and prepare to make useful
his life under such conditions. THIS
is WRONG! Within Hampton itself,
this inferiority of the colored to the
white is emphasized. We are reliably
informed that even little advance
agent, white of course, secured for
Major Motion, after he was chosen
head OF Tuskegee, a very humble STOP
ping place in Syracuse, NJ Y, but he
himself stopped at the "Onandaga, ;"
the most expensive and exclusive
hotel in that city. When a protest
was made against such, he said that
he regretted it, but did not want it
published. He should have been more
OF man than to have done such a
thing where discrimination is unlaw-
full. For Major Motion to stop in the
same hotel with him would be too
much like equality of the president
of Tuskegee N. & I. Institute with
an agent of Hampton, who CHANGED
to have a white skim" Mind you, an
agent begging the public for a chance
to present his black school progeny.
Major Motion was very wise when he
told his New York audience a few
days ago that he did not aspire to be
the leader of the colored people in
this country. No southern man who
must live and make his living there,
can be this leader! Major Motion must
suppress his own resentment at in.
Justice in order to do what good he
can for his race. Heads of southern
schools cannot be the leaders in civic
and national matters pertaining to
colored people. In church and state
schools these teachers must accept
the southern policy. The colored race
is unalterably opposed to accepting
anything as it's portion which any
other self-respecting race would not
accept. The danger of Hampton and
Tuskegee is their building up a man.
hood of weaklings and non-resistants.
They are making colored youths be-
lleve that they are right when they
humbly take southern sand and say
they have sugar. These institutions
should remain and be encouraged,
BUT THEIR POLICY SHOULD. BE
CHANGED. The colored youth should
be taught to shun bullyism, but love
to embrace those principles of cour-
ageous manhood which resent wrong
when Wilfully and maliciously given.
The weight of these institutions will
be sought to stem the tide of emigra-
ton from the south. We hope they
will speak out and utter the truth.
The colored people of the south have
nothing to fear by leaving there.
they may die by reason of the cold
in this section (and this it not at all
probable) but that is more merciful
than dying by the rope and at the
mouth of the shotgun. Here in the
north their children can receive the
education any child receives, and their
ambition will not be curtailed by
making them believe and recognize
the fallacy that they are inferior to
some one else. If the south desires
the black people to remain there let
them lift the embargo on education.
voting, protection of life and prop
erty, and discontinue "jim-crowism,"
segregation and general cussedness.
Black people are insulted when they
are asked to accept such as their
portion. The trustees of Hampton
and Tuskegee should recognize the
fact that their work must fail If they
continue to try to build up a race
that is too weak and cowardly to
demand it's rights. These white trus-
tees should demand for their wards
greater degree of freedom of
thought and action than they now
nave. The pandering to the wishes
of the south is not making it better
for the colored race but it is firmly
establishing a policy which the whole
race will be asked to accept. Now,
the colored people not in the south
ern states will NEVER accept the
policy of the South. Colored men
working there have the sympathy of
those of us who are not there, but
we will not stand for any loud
mouthed proclaiming that the colored
race should accept the policy as
taught by Hampton and Tuskegee.
Major Motion is wise in doing the
best he can under the most unfavor-
able conditions so far as real man.
hood is concerned, but he is unwill-
ing to advocate what he has to accept
as the policy of his race. We take
of our hat to him in this. The time