The Twin City star. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1910-19??, 1918-05-18

of people who have been enormously
looked upon for the past fifty years
as the greatest problem with which
the American people have had to con-
tend.
The reason the Negro problem as
sumes such large proportions in this
country is because the. white people
as whole know-but don't know they
know-so little about the Negro. Very
few have an adequate comprehension
Of Negro characteristics, most all hav-
ing accepted the unfavorable impress
sion created by newspaper reports of
the criminal class, and from the pub
lie and private utterances Of those
who are filled with a blind and un-
reasoning race prejudice. / know
that few have any actual knowledge
of Negro life and real living in their
homes, churches and social inter-
course; especially of their individual
hopes and fears, of opportunities de-
MED them. of temptations besetting
them, of prejudices they encounter,
of victories they achieve. 1t is, there
fore, obvious that the American white
people have no intelligent insight in
to Negro sociology, and it is reason
able to assume that apart from the an
nual visit of the Educational mendi-
cant-by that I mean the few Negroes
who represent the fake or sham insti-
tutions of learning-and the Clerical
Begger land fortunately we have but
few of them in this community, as we
are fast learning to support our minis
tiers by our personal contributions,)
the essential facts of Negro life are
little known to the great mass Of
White people as they were fifty years
ago. Few demands are ever made,
iii any quarter, and few opportunities
are sought, as you seek this one to-
day, to know the Negro as freeman
and as a citizen of our republican
commonwealth. He has rights which
are denied, as we'll as wrongs which
have gone unredressed, and though
he possess many undesirable traits
that environment has accumulated,
nevertheless, his acknowledged exam
plars have not all been saints, nor are
the white people of this country alto
gether blameless for existing racial
conditions.
The error most commonly made by
those who consider the Negroes at
all is that they are all alike. No
thought is given by the majority of the
people to the fact that the Negro
race is differentiating and should
be. considered by classes, as any other
race, and not as whole.
There are some who recognize that
there are intelligent and we'll be-
haved Negroes. But it is doubtful II
those who recognize the existence Of
some differentiation realize to what
distinct and widely separate classes it
has developed. The better elements
have risen higher than people ap-
preciate generally. This evolution pro-
crosses faster as the years 90 by. It
is rapid now. The cleavage Is encour-
aged to grasp the opportunities Of the
new conditions as shown right here in
our own city of st. Paul.
The Negro population Of st. Paul
is conservatively estimated at 5000,
and its personnel, physically, morally,
and mentally, when measured by the
Negroes opportunity here, squares
splendidly with that of any other race
of people forming part of this great
and progressive commonwealth.
That you may the better under
stand and know the Negro of st. Paul
I have prepared some data showing
his religious, civic and economic con-
dition.
As previously stated conservative