Minneapolis spokesman. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1934-2000, 1950-01-27
INTERPRETING NEGRO IRE


The Negroes Morale. by Ar
mold NJ Rose. Minneapolis; The
University Of Minnesota Press,
ISaS. NHIBS %. s2.50
The anthropologieal term ethOs
refers generally TO what II called
the prevailing spirit" OF q group.
Arnold Rose in Tho Negroes Nor
ale has attempted 70 project what
he believes 10 be the ethos Of the
American Negro. Such q chimer-
zeal and qualitative factor aS the
spirit Of q people u difficult TO
anAlyze, for one cannot be sure
whether the fundamentals upon
which he bases his premise are
sound. DIR. Rose has tried To lay
q foundation for his assumptions
largely on what has been said by
and about Negroes and through
a sociological Interpretation Of
their actions. both individually
and In concert.
Considering the problem he
tackles and It's significance In
American society. DR.. Rose has
done q commendable job In these
few pages. The history Of Negroes
from slavery through the Civil
War and Reconstruction, the Re-
publican double-cross OF 1915, the
Booker T. Washington era, the
emergence Of a new philosophy a.
advanced by w. Il. B. Dubois, the
two world-war migrationS and
other developments are assessed
briefly but with q high degree Of
accuracy. The relationship OF these
events and factors TO the current
morale OF the Negro Is handled
with skill and insight.
The treatment OF factors retard-
ing the growth Of morale, such a.
the role of skin color, cleavages
due TO class, the talented tenth"
theory. the fight for segregation
by Negroes with a vested interest
in its perpetuation, separating
elements traceable to poverty,
residential segregation, personal
and social disorganization, ethnic
distinctions, theological differences
and intra-group Negro hatred are
pointedly observed In relation TO
the question OF morale. The limit
cd space given to a study Of
solidarity OF the Negro with other
minority groups Is devoted main
ly to an analysis Of Negro-Jewish
relations, merely mentioning ORR
entails and a few others.
II Ia almost impossible TO do an
exact and scientific job on Negro
morale purely from the literature.
The author IL aware OF his being
somewhat presumptious in writ
ing about q matter which 30 many
other persons could handle much
better" But believing that Negro
writers have not tackled the job.
he has proceeded in his efforts
with the result that a number Of
defects serve to reduce the value
Of his contribution.
The author land the guest
writer of his forword) thought he
was pioneering with this mono
graph. but had he consulted Alice
NJ. Dunbar's Masterpieces Of Ne.
gro EIOQuence, published in 1914,
he would have found in these col
lected essays a story OF Negro
morale. He discarded the studies
by Reid, Drake and Cayton,
Charles s. johnson, Dubois, Fraz-
Ter. Doyle and others as simply
segmentaTy or local studies. But
Il Is indisputable by his own cri-
terra that these are Investigations
Of Negro morale. Likewise, in view
Of the sparse photography which
Is appended. It Is understandable
that he made several misintrepre-
tations about Negroes, of which
the following are representative.
There Is little Of the puritanism
and personal aloofness that char
acterizes the white American cul-
ture." Up. 7D
Significant fact Is that West
Indian Negroes are not used 10
living under caste" Up. III
Because Communism Is such