The Michigan chronicle. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1936-current, 1943-05-29
THE DETROIT NEWS

Anyone VINO ASSUMES tIIdI 'ui ""A "''''S "'>
clear and that they have widespread support may
be guilty of very rash assumption II the national
state Of mind squares with the views expressed IN
the lead editorial Of last Sundays Detroit News
The editorial states:
THE more we are obliged to look into the nature
Of the Jan as revealed in this war, the more we
incline to wonder what is the highest common dyl-
sor Of the races of mankind to what degree we are
really brothers under the skin.
Outraged by Jap atrocities the News writer
goes on to question the doctrine that claims all men
are pretty much alike when you peel away their
cultural differences. The writer adds that: At
times, as when we attempt to fathom the psychology
Of a race that blows up hospital ships and saughters
the nnocents by tens of thousands on suspicion OF
harboring fugitive fler it is like studying CHAR
acters from another world" We might add mere
that the Germans and Italians have done some fancy
butchering of innocents also.
It is a great pity that the News writer permits
Jap atrocities to blind him to some very fundamental
truths In the first place a good case can be made
for the savagery of Americans when you consider
the lynching of five thousand Negroes without the
stimulus Of organized warfare and the popular IN
difference of the majority of the people to nhuman
practices perpetrated against us every day. we
have not heard any stories yet of the japanese col
ecting fingers and toes of their victims for souvenirs
as has been true in this country Thus on the point
of savagery, we suggest that if the Americans and
Japs were not brothers under the skim they are aW-
fully close cousins
The News writer intimates further that some
races of people may be incapable of achieving
democratic society. There are races" ne states,
(which have lived with or in close proximity to
democracy in practice without ever mastering Its
essentials or evincng an ability to undertake the
experiment for themselves to assume its burdens
along with its advantages" We might point out
first that it is possible that some of these races
which have witnessed our attempt at democracy
may not have been too favorably impressed, partc-
larly peoples of color. Secondly, considering the
years we have been at the job ourselves and the
present rate of progress in making democratic
society, there is plenty of time for people OF other
cultures to start from scratch and catch up with us
before many years. Then too it might be dscourag-
ing for outsiders to see that while Negro Americans
assume all the burdens of the democratic system,
they are not permitted to share all the advantages
of the system.
The gloomy world picture painted by the News
writer who cannot quite see world in which all
races of mankind are free and at peace with one
another is certainly depressing One thing is sure,
if we promote skepticism over the basic aims Of
the war effort, it is going to be doubly difficult to
achieve them. While the vagares expressed by
troubled mind might have some interest to the read
ers Of the Detroit News, believe that any attack,
no matter how subtle, on such principles as the
brotherhood of man becomes well nigh reasonable
at this period