The monitor., 1928-01-27
Social Fact Finding and
Stock Taking Important
Task for Negro Race in '28
Kelly Miller Wel-Known Educator, Pubcs and Thinker
Sums Up the Debts and Credits of the Past Year and
Suggests the Formulation of a Program for
the Present One.

lenged. The battle line of separate
schools stetches across the continent.
The supreme court has given this is
sue black eye blow by the Mississip-
pi decision, so far as federal encour-
agemeht is concerned. Lynching is
moving along haltingly with diminish
ing speed. Segregated areas in the
cities will slowly fill in the establish
ed outlines and gradually extend the
boundaries. Our schools will carry
out the curricula with increased eff
ficiency, but without corresponding
zeal and inspiration. The city Negro
has taken on large property obliga-
tions which will engross his chief en-
ergies to have and to hold. The
church life of the race is certainly
not inspiring. The Negroes compet-
ency to control great religious organ
ization of his own is being seriously
questioned by the most thoughtful
of these several communions. From
present indications, these great reli-
gious estates are not calculated to
make the same good showing during
the next half century as during the
past fifty years. The moral and So
cial life of the race but reflects the
general tendency of the times, which
is not reassuring. The loss of vital
religious belief and feeling on the
part of the so-called Negro intelli.
gentia is the tragedy of the age. II
philanthropists who built our schools
and colleges could have foreseen this
lamentable debacle, they probably
would have hesitated in the dispen-
satioR-of their philanthropy.
But | must not go further for fear
of being accused of impotent pessi-
mism. | am not pessimist, but am
simply describing the situation as
every clear thinking and fair minded
Negro knows it to be. The prophet
is always preacher of despair. He
sees and foresees, and reminds the
people of the wrath to come unless
they mend their evil ways. On the
other hand, the blatant optimism goes
on eating and drinking and boasting
in blissful ignorance of impending
doom. Thus it was with the low
thinkers and high livers in the days of
Noah, who went on eating and drink
ing, fiddling and dancing while the
devouring floods gathered about
them. They could not discern the
signs of the times.
What, then should be the program
of the Negro, for 1928? This should
be a year of fact finding and stock
taking. / do not mean merely stats
tical and historical facts of which
we already know enough. I mean
comprehensive social facts. What
are the limits of race prejudice?
How far can we modify it, and how
far will we be compelled to submit
to it? / read in a well known jour
nal a proposed program for 1898 to
abolish the color line. 1t is folly of
an unexcusable character to deceive
ourselves or to mislead the simple
minded folk who look to the intelli-
gentia for guidance, to hold out such
fatuous optimism. We can more cas-
lily abolish the Mississippi river in
1928 than the color line. Is the col
or line abolishable? If so, what
means have we at our disposal to
abolish it? Who will begin? Where
shall we take hold?
The organized evils of which we
complain have been enacted into law
or crystallized in public sentiment.
How can we propitiate public senti
ment or remove iniquitous laws? Our
experience is not reassuring. With
the united endeavor of all of our agi-
tative organizations we have never
been able in two generations to have
a single proscriptive law removed.
Jim-crow cars, separate schools, dis
franchisement, a t i miscegenation
laws, prescription of civil rights, and
segregation on it's operative side are
more pronounced today than ever be-
fore. Shall we go on screaming and
screeching, denouncing and defying,
impotently, as they who beat the air.
Or shall we be as sensible men formu-