Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1922-01-20
AS ONE WOMAN SEES Ir
Race Question Has Many Angles,
Some Few Of Which Are Touched
Upon In Two Letters From
Thouqhtfui Man
BY SARAH d. LowRIE

L thought at the time how lucky 1t Is
that we are turned out of the bakery Of time
In different sizes, shapes, colors and char
ncters.
We may all be made of dirt" as the son
of tho Scotch minister averred but no two
mud pics Of us look or act alike. On the
other hand, though each goes about his busi-
ness with different gait and air to him,
as Shylock remarked, we have rs humans
more points of similarity than Of difference
by about 20 per cent. Only Shylock put 1t
more picturesqucly l turned here to quote
tne Jew verbatim and found an empty space
on the shelf where the Merchant of Venice
and others of his ilk most do congrcgate"
And one of the ways we are alike Is that
we can be hurt or offended or wrathful or
alienated by injustice or what seems to US
injustice.
TN COMMENTING upon the rather dan
l. gerous propaganda that was recognizably
propaganda that has floated about this coun-
try since the war began and since the war
was announced MS ended, ] mentioned in
this column the propaganda of hate and dis
trust introduced into this country by other
nationalitics tending to give those of the
Negro citizens of America who were ignor'
ant disproportionate idea of their wrongs
and futile and dangerous way out Of those
And l told story Of some floating gossip
oy way OF illustrating how credulous ignor-
ance can be and how easily misguided. And
L went on to say that some of the Negro
papers made rather too much specially OF
lynchings. Now did not say any of these
things idly or without what seemed to me a
good backing of experience. But neither did
L say them from the viewpoint of a white
woman looking down ut the black race.
r Il ka -
l. today as not many Southern men and
women can know 1t, because wherever there
was school for colored boys or girls from
Hampton to Birmingham and through the
Georgia and Alabama Black Belt I've been
pretty much. l knew Booker Washington
and Major Motion, and I've stayed at Tus-
kegee and lived at Hampton in my youth.
j realize that whatever else the United
States owes, 1t. owes its colored citizens and
their children an education. And 1t is my
conviction, based on Il good deal of obser-
vation, that that education must be given
either by private gifts or by Federal gifts
In the South, for the States cannot shoulder
the burden of black and white illiteracy.
And the. whole point of my story in the
column the other evening was that ignorance
was about the easiest ground for dangerous
propagnnda that could be found, and that
the feeling of hate or, at best, injured feel
lngs would be safest met by a propaganda
OF faith and understanding based on real
facts and possible remedies.
have, received two very interesting let
ters on the subject from readers Of the COL
umn, and l print them here--so much Of
them as is applicable to the subject under
Sideration-because of the dignity and
yet frankness Of their point Of view.
am doubtless at liberty to use their Sig
natures, but because l am not printing the
letters in full shall not avail myself of
that privilege. ..1. -
can only say with regard to the two
pamphlets by Kelly Miller referred to in
one of them that have read both with in
terest, ana the one on Booker Washington
with complete agreement. The other en- I
titled is Race Difference Fundamental
Eternal and lnescapabie?" touches the fun.
damentals of historyt,and of science too
deeply Tor me to have an opinion on, much
less discuss. One can have feelings about
1t in plenty and, therefore, prcjudices but
as TO what are feelings and what are in.
stincts and what are prejudices I am too
ignorant to Gnalyze.
To the Editor Of the Evening Public Ledoer:
nEAR SIR--An article in the EVENING
- PUBLIC LEDGER of January 4 headed
Negro Wrongs Aired by q Porter is very
interesting as showing the peculiar work.
ings of an intelligent mind with regard to
the Negro.
wonder, for instance, II your corrc-
epondent has read Kelly Miller's "Open
Letter to President Harding" on his Biz.
mingham speech. II shall be very glad to
furnish her with copy.)
Then she takes fling at the poor colored
EDITORS lhe way she criticizes those poor
were guilty of the lynchings instead of the
publishing Of the lynching news.
But when she says that the white papers
do not often front-page the Negro assaults,
then / know that she reads only the EVE
MING PUBLTC LEDGER. Just the other day
fa1
amount OF space 10 resume of important
events In Philadelphia during 1921. The
death OF DR.. William a. Credit, the autumn
fair, the game of football between Howard
ana ana Lincoln Universities, Bishop Rhine
lander epochal sermon to the colored ply
siclans OF Philadelphia-al these were ig-
nored but murder committed in another
state by crazy Negro, who is more white
than BLACK but, of course, still Negro, Is
mentioned three times in the review and is
the only reference to the Negro.
The point of view is hard to get.
Miss Sarah D, LowrIe, care EVENING Pm
Lie LEDGER, Philadelphia, Pa.
Dear Madam:
1t IS encouraging to find that Won sr.
interested in the race problem TO the eytent
that you took the time to read and answer
my comment.
Please let me make it clear that do nor
believe that the Negroes and the Jononase
United States. Neither do I belieye tbot
the Negro's many % virtues should be en-
tolled In and out of season. Rather do 7
believe In deserving before demanding. Az
for Equality whatever that is. Chris.
uanity, education and common sense, IL
given change. will take care of that
] also believe that there are happcn,ngs
among the Negroes of Philadelphia that the
EVENING PUBLIC LEDGER could publish and
comment upon to the profit Of ali concerned
20 tSn1f rIfJ
eyes Of the other papers. Too many peonje
think that the Negro's acts are compeiIed 70
be either criminal or comic ~
Yours respectfully.
T. b.
/ have written TO the writer of the aho,o
letter asking him for data of the sort tbot
he suggests, and ] heartily recommend tbe
thought studies of modern conditions Of the
Negro race by Prof Kelly Miller. of Hous
ard University, Washington, d. 6.
SONG