,,the ,,education ,,of ,,the ,,negro    
,by ,charles ,dudley ,warner  ,at the   
close of the war for the ,union about   
five millions of negroes were added to  
the citizenship of the ,united ,states4 
,by the census of #ahij this number had 
become over seven and a half millions4  
,i use the word negro because the       
descriptive term black or colored is not
 determinative4 ,there are many         
varieties of negroes among the ,african 
tribes1 but all of them agree in certain
 physiological if not psychological     
characteristics1 which separate them    
from all other races of mankind2 whereas
 there are many races1 black or colored1
 like the ,abyssinian1 which have no    
other negro traits4  ,it is also a      
matter of observation that the negro    
traits persist in recognizable          
manifestations1 to the extent of        
occasional reversions1 whatever may be  
the mixture of a white race4 ,in a      
certain degree this persistence is true 
of all races not come from an historic  

common stock4  ,in the political        
reconstruction the negro was given the  
ballot without any requirements of      
education or property4 ,this was partly 
a measure of party balance of power2 and
 partly from a concern that the negro   
would not be secure in his rights as a  
citizen without it1 and also upon the   
theory that the ballot is an educating  
influence4  ,this sudden transition and 
shifting of power was resented at the   
,south1 resisted at first1 and finally  
it has generally been evaded4 ,this was 
due to a variety of reasons or          
prejudices1 not all of them creditable  
to a generous desire for the universal  
elevation of mankind1 but one of them   
the historian will judge adequate to    
produce the result4 ,indeed1 it might   
have been foreseen from the beginning4  
,this reconstruction measure was an     
attempt to put the superior part of the 
community under the control of the      
inferior1 these parts separated by all  
the prejudices of race1 and by          

traditions of mastership on the one side
 and of servitude on the other4 ,i      
venture to say that it was an experiment
 that would have failed in any community
 in the ,united ,states1 whether it was 
presented as a piece of philanthropy or 
of punishment4  ,a necessary sequence to
 the enfranchisement of the negro was   
his education4 ,however limited our idea
 of a proper common education may be1 it
 is a fundamental requisite in our form 
of government that every voter should be
 able to read and write4 ,a recognition 
of this truth led to the establishment  
in the ,south of public schools for the 
whites and blacks1 in short1 of a public
 school system4 ,we are not to question 
the sincerity and generousness of this  
movement1 however it may have halted and
 lost enthusiasm in many localities4    
,this opportunity of education 7found   
also in private schools7 was hailed by  
the negroes1 certainly1 with enthusiasm4
 ,it cannot be doubted that at the close
 of the war there was a general desire  

among the freedmen to be instructed in  
the rudiments of knowledge at least4    
,many parents1 especially women1 made   
great sacrifices to obtain for their    
children this advantage which had been  
denied to themselves4 ,many youths1 both
 boys and girls1 entered into it with a 
genuine thirst for knowledge which it   
was pathetic to see4  ,but it may be    
questioned1 from developments that      
speedily followed1 whether the mass of  
negroes did not really desire this      
advantage as a sign of freedom1 rather  
than from a wish for knowledge1 and     
covet it because it had formerly been   
the privilege of their masters1 and     
marked a broad distinction between the  
races4 ,it was natural that this should 
be so1 when they had been excluded from 
this privilege by pains and penalties1  
when in some ,states it was one of the  
gravest offenses to teach a negro to    
read and write4 ,this prohibition was   
accounted for by the peculiar sort of   
property that slavery created1 which    

would become insecure if intelligent1   
for the alphabet is a terrible disturber
 of all false relations in society4     
,but the effort at education went       
further than the common school and the  
primary essential instruction4 ,it      
introduced the higher education4        
,colleges usually called                
universities--for negroes were          
established in many ,southern ,states1  
created and stimulated by the generosity
 of ,northern men and societies1 and    
often aided by the liberality of the    
,states where they existed4 ,the        
curriculum in these was that in colleges
 generally1--the classics1 the higher   
mathematics1 science1 philosophy1 the   
modern languages1 and in some instances 
a certain technical instruction1 which  
was being tried in some ,northern       
colleges4 ,the emphasis1 however1 was   
laid on liberal culture4 ,this higher   
education was offered to the mass that  
still lacked the rudiments of           
intellectual training1 in the belief    

that education--the education of the    
moment1 the education of superimposed   
information1 can realize the theory of  
universal equality4  ,this experiment   
has now been in operation long enough to
 enable us to judge something of its    
results and its promises for the future4
 ,these results are of a nature to lead 
us seriously to inquire whether our     
effort was founded upon an adequate     
knowledge of the negro1 of his present  
development1 of the requirements for his
 personal welfare and evolution in the  
scale of civilization1 and for his      
training in useful and honorable        
citizenship4 ,i am speaking of the      
majority1 the mass to be considered in  
any general scheme1 and not of the      
exceptional individuals --exceptions    
that will rapidly increase as the mass  
is lifted--who are capable of taking    
advantage to the utmost of all means of 
cultivation1 and who must always be     
provided with all the opportunities     
needed4  ,millions of dollars have been 

invested in the higher education of the 
negro1 while this primary education has 
been1 taking the whole mass1 wholly     
inadequate to his needs4 ,this has been 
upon the supposition that the higher    
would compel the rise of the lower with 
the undeveloped negro race as it does   
with the more highly developed white    
race4 ,an examination of the soundness  
of this expectation will not lead us far
 astray from our subject4  ,the         
evolution of a race1 distinguishing it  
from the formation of a nation1 is a    
slow process4 ,we recognize a race by   
certain peculiar traits1 and by         
characteristics which slowly change4    
,they are acquired little by little in  
an evolution which1 historically1 it is 
often difficult to trace4 ,they are due 
to the environment1 to the discipline of
 life1 and to what is technically called
 education4 ,these work together to make
 what is called character1 race         
character1 and it is this which is      
transmitted from generation to          

generation4 ,acquirements are not       
hereditary1 like habits and             
peculiarities1 physical or mental4 ,a   
man does not transmit to his descendants
 his learning1 though he may transmit   
the aptitude for it4 ,this is           
illustrated in factories where skilled  
labor is handed down and fixed in the   
same families1 that is1 where the same  
kind of labor is continued from one     
generation to another4 ,the child1 put  
to work1 has not the knowledge of the   
parent1 but a special aptitude in his   
skill and dexterity4 ,both body and mind
 have acquired certain transmissible    
traits4 ,the same thing is seen on a    
larger scale in a whole nation1 like the
 ,japanese1 who have been trained into  
what seems an art instinct4  ,it is this
 character1 quality1 habit1 the result  
of a slow educational process1 which    
distinguishes one race from another4 ,it
 is this that the race transmits1 and   
not the more or less accidental         
education of a decade or an era4 ,the   

,brahmins carry this idea into the next 
life1 and say that the departing spirit 
carries with him nothing except this    
individual character1 no acquirements or
 information or extraneous culture4 ,it 
was perhaps in the same spirit that the 
sad preacher in ,ecclesiastes said there
 is no knowledge nor wisdom in the      
grave1 whither thou goest4  ,it is by   
this character that we classify         
civilized and even semi-civilized races2
 by this slowly developed fibre1 this   
slow accumulation of inherent quality in
 the evolution of the human being from  
lower to higher1 that continues to exist
 notwithstanding the powerful influence 
of governments and religions4 ,we are   
understood when we speak of the ,french1
 the ,italian1 the ,pole1 the ,spanish1 
the ,english1 the ,german1 the ,arab    
race1 the ,japanese1 and so on4 ,it is  
what a foreign writer calls1 not        
inaptly1 a collective race soul4 ,as it 
is slow in evolution1 it is persistent  
in enduring4  ,further1 we recognize it 

as a stage of progress1 historically    
necessary in the development of man into
 a civilized adaptation to his situation
 in this world4 ,it is a process that   
cannot be much hurried1 and a result    
that cannot be leaped to out of         
barbarism by any superimposition of     
knowledge or even quickly by any change 
of environment4 ,we may be right in our 
modern notion that education has a      
magical virtue that can work any kind of
 transformation2 but we are certainly   
not right in supposing that it can do   
this instantly1 or that it can work this
 effect upon a barbarous race in the    
same period of time that it can upon one
 more developed1 one that has acquired  
at least a race consciousness4  ,before 
going further1 and in order to avoid    
misunderstanding1 it is proper to say   
that ,i have the firmest belief in the  
ultimate development of all mankind into
 a higher plane than it occupies now4 ,i
 should otherwise be in despair4 ,this  
faith will never desist in the effort to

 bring about the end desired4  ,but1 if 
we work with ,providence1 we must work  
in the reasonable ways of ,providence1  
and add to our faith patience4  ,it     
seems to be the rule in all history that
 the elevation of a lower race is       
effected only by contact with one higher
 in civilization4 ,both reform and      
progress come from exterior influences4 
,this is axiomatic1 and applies to the  
fields of government1 religion1 ethics1 
art1 and letters4  ,we have been taught 
to regard ,africa as a dark1 stolid     
continent1 unawakened1 unvisited by the 
agencies and influences that have       
transformed the world from age to age4  
,yet it was in northern and northeastern
 ,africa that within historic periods   
three of the most powerful and brilliant
 civilizations were developed1--the     
,egyptian1 the ,carthaginian1 the       
,saracenic4 ,that these civilizations   
had more than a surface contact with the
 interior1 we know4 ,to take the most   
ancient of them1 and that which longest 

endured1 the ,egyptian1 the ,pharaohs   
carried their conquests and their power 
deep into ,africa4 ,in the story of     
their invasions and occupancy of the    
interior1 told in pictures on temple    
walls1 we find the negro figuring as    
captive and slave4 ,this contact may not
 have been a fruitful one for the       
elevation of the negro1 but it proves   
that for ages he was in one way or      
another in contact with a superior      
civilization4 ,in later days we find    
little trace of it in the home of the   
negro1 but in ,egypt the negro has left 
his impress in the mixed blood of the   
,nile valley4  ,the most striking       
example of the contact of the negro with
 a higher civilization is in the        
powerful medieval empire of ,songhay1   
established in the heart of the negro   
country4 ,the vast strip of ,africa     
lying north of the equator and south of 
the twentieth parallel and west of the  
upper ,nile was then1 as it is now1 the 
territory of tribes distinctly described

 as ,negro4 ,the river ,niger1 running  
northward from below ,jenne to near     
,timbuctoo1 and then turning west and   
south to the ,gulf of ,guinea1 flows    
through one of the richest valleys in   
the world4 ,in richness it is comparable
 to that of the ,nile and1 like that of 
the ,nile1 its fertility depends upon   
the water of the central stream4 ,here  
arose in early times the powerful empire
 of ,songhay1 which disintegrated and   
fell into tribal confusion about the    
middle of the seventeenth century4 ,for 
a long time the seat of its power was   
the city of ,jenne2 in later days it was
 ,timbuctoo4  ,this is not the place to 
enlarge upon this extraordinary piece of
 history4 ,the best account of the      
empire of ,songhay is to be found in the
 pages of ,barth1 the ,german traveler1 
who had access to what seemed to him a  
credible ,arab history4 ,considerable   
light is thrown upon it by a recent     
volume on ,timbuctoo by ,m4 ,dubois1 a  
,french traveler4 ,m4 ,dubois finds     

reason to believe that the founders of  
the ,songhese empire came from ,yemen1  
and sought refuge from ,moslem          
fanaticism in ,central ,africa some     
hundred and fifty years after the       
,hejira4 ,the origin of the empire is   
obscure1 but the development was not    
indigenous4 ,it seems probable that the 
settlers1 following traders1 penetrated 
to the ,niger valley from the valley of 
the ,nile as early as the third or      
fourth century of our era4 ,an evidence 
of this early influence1 which          
strengthened from century to century1   
,dubois finds in the architecture of    
,jenne and ,timbuctoo4 ,it is not ,roman
 or ,saracenic or ,gothic1 it is        
distinctly ,pharaonic4 ,but whatever the
 origin of the ,songhay empire1 it      
became in time ,mohammedan1 and so      
continued to the end4 ,mohammedanism    
seems1 however1 to have been imposed4   
,powerful as the empire was1 it was     
never free from tribal insurrection and 
internal troubles4 ,the highest mark of 

negro capacity developed in this history
 is1 according to the record examined by
 ,barth1 that one of the emperors was a 
negro4  ,from all that can be gathered  
in the records1 the mass of the negroes1
 which constituted the body of this     
empire1 remained pagan1 did not become1 
except in outward conformity1           
,mohammedan and did not take the ,moslem
 civilization as it was developed       
elsewhere1 and that the disintegration  
of the empire left the negro races      
practically where they were before in   
point of development4 ,this fact1 if it 
is not overturned by further search1 is 
open to the explanation that the ,moslem
 civilization is not fitted to the      
development of the ,african negro4      
,contact1 such as it has been1 with     
higher civilizations1 has not in all    
these ages which have witnessed the     
wonderful rise and development of other 
races1 much affected or changed the     
negro4 ,he is much as he would be if he 
had been left to himself4 ,and left to  

himself1 even in such a favorable       
environment as ,america1 he is slow to  
change4 ,in ,africa there has been no   
progress in organization1 government1   
art4  ,no negro tribe has ever invented 
a written language4 ,in his exhaustive  
work on the ,history of ,mankind1       
,professor ,frederick ,ratzel1 having   
studied thoroughly the negro belt of    
,africa1 says of writing properly so    
called1 neither do the modern negroes   
show any trace1 nor have traces of older
 writing been found in negro countries4 
,from this outline review we come back  
to the situation in the ,united ,states1
 where a great mass of negroes--possibly
 over nine millions of many shades of   
colors--is for the first time brought   
into contact with ,christian            
civilization4 ,this mass is here to make
 or mar our national life1 and the      
problem of its destiny has to be met    
with our own4 ,what can we do1 what     
ought we to do1 for his own good and for
 our peace and national welfare8  ,in   

the first place1 it is impossible to    
escape the profound impression that we  
have made a mistake in our estimate of  
his evolution as a race1 in attempting  
to apply to him the same treatment for  
the development of character that we    
would apply to a race more highly       
organized4 ,has he developed the race   
consciousness1 the race soul1 as ,i said
 before1 a collective soul1 which so    
strongly marks other races more or less 
civilized according to our standards8   
,do we find in him1 as a mass           
7individuals always excepted71 that slow
 deposit of training and education      
called character1 any firm basis of     
order1 initiative of action1 the        
capacity of going alone1 any sure       
foundation of morality8 ,it has been    
said that a race may attain a good      
degree of standing in the world without 
the refinement of culture1 but never    
without virtue1 either in the ,roman or 
the modern meaning of that word4  ,the  
,african1 now the ,american negro1 has  

come in the ,united ,states into a more 
favorable position for development than 
he has ever before had offered4 ,he has 
come to it through hardship1 and his    
severe apprenticeship is not ended4 ,it 
is possible that the historians         
centuries hence1 looking back over the  
rough road that all races have traveled 
in their evolution1 may reckon slavery  
and the forced transportation to the new
 world a necessary step in the training 
of the negro4 ,we do not know4 ,the ways
 of ,providence are not measurable by   
our foot rules4 ,we see that slavery was
 unjust1 uneconomic1 and the worst      
training for citizenship in such a      
government as ours4 ,it stifled a number
 of germs that might have produced a    
better development1 such as             
individuality1 responsibility1 and      
thrift1--germs absolutely necessary to  
the well-being of a race4 ,it laid no   
foundation of morality1 but in place of 
morality saw cultivated a superstitious1
 emotional1 hysterical religion4 ,it is 

true that it taught a savage race       
subordination and obedience4 ,nor did it
 stifle certain inherent temperamental  
virtues1 faithfulness1 often highly     
developed1 and frequently cheerfulness  
and philosophic contentment in a        
situation that would have broken the    
spirit of a more sensitive race4 ,in    
short1 under all the disadvantages of   
slavery the race showed certain fine    
traits1 qualities of humor and good     
humor1 and capacity for devotion1 which 
were abundantly testified to by         
southerners during the progress of the  
,civil ,war4 ,it has1 as a race1 traits 
wholly distinct from those of the       
whites1 which are not only interesting1 
but might be a valuable contribution to 
a cosmopolitan civilization2 gifts also1
 such as the love of music1 and         
temperamental gayety1 mixed with a note 
of sadness1 as in the ,hungarians4  ,but
 slavery brought about one result1 and  
that the most difficult in the          
development of a race from savagery1 and

 especially a tropical race1 a race that
 has always been idle in the luxuriance 
of a nature that supplied its physical  
needs with little labor4 ,it taught the 
negro to work1 it transformed him1 by   
compulsion it is true1 into an          
industrial being1 and held him in the   
habit of industry for several           
generations4 ,perhaps only force could  
do this1 for it was a radical           
transformation4 ,i am glad to see that  
this result of slavery is recognized by 
,mr4 ,booker ,washington1 the ablest and
 most clear-sighted leader the negro    
race has ever had4  ,but something more 
was done under this pressure1 something 
more than creation of a habit of        
physical exertion to productive ends4   
,skill was developed4 ,skilled labor1   
which needs brains1 was carried to a    
high degree of performance4 ,on almost  
all the ,southern plantations1 and in   
the cities also1 negro mechanics were   
bred1 excellent blacksmiths1 good       
carpenters1 and house-builders capable  

of executing plans of high architectural
 merit4 ,everywhere were negroes skilled
 in trades1 and competent in various    
mechanical industries4  ,the opportunity
 and the disposition to labor make the  
basis of all our civilization4 ,the     
negro was taught to work1 to be an      
agriculturist1 a mechanic1 a material   
producer of something useful4 ,he was   
taught this fundamental thing4 ,our     
higher education1 applied to him in his 
present development1 operates in exactly
 the opposite direction4  ,this is a    
serious assertion4 ,its truth or        
falsehood cannot be established by      
statistics1 but it is an opinion        
gradually formed by experience1 and the 
observation of men competent to judge1  
who have studied the problem close at   
hand4 ,among the witnesses to the       
failure of the result expected from the 
establishment of colleges and           
universities for the negro are heard1   
from time to time1 and more frequently  
as time goes on1 practical men from the 

,north1 railway men1 manufacturers1 who 
have initiated business enterprises at  
the ,south4 ,their testimony coincides  
with that of careful students of the    
economic and social conditions4  ,there 
was reason to assume1 from our theory   
and experience of the higher education  
in its effect upon white races1 that the
 result would be different from what it 
is4 ,when the negro colleges first      
opened1 there was a glow of enthusiasm1 
an eagerness of study1 a facility of    
acquirement1 and a good order that      
promised everything for the future4 ,it 
seemed as if the light then kindled     
would not only continue to burn1 but    
would penetrate all the dark and stolid 
communities4 ,it was my fortune to see  
many of these institutions in their     
early days1 and to believe that they    
were full of the greatest promise for   
the race4 ,i have no intention of       
criticising the generosity and the noble
 self-sacrifice that produced them1 nor 
the aspirations of their inmates4 ,there

 is no doubt that they furnish shining  
examples of emancipation from ignorance1
 and of useful lives4 ,but a few years  
have thrown much light upon the careers 
and characters of a great proportion of 
the graduates1 and their effect upon the
 communities of which they form a part1 
,i mean1 of course1 with regard to the  
industrial and moral condition of those 
communities4 ,have these colleges1 as a 
whole1--,this sentence should have been 
further qualified by acknowledging the  
excellent work done by the colleges at  
,atlanta and ,nashville1 which1 under   
exceptionally good management1 have sent
 out much-needed teachers4 ,i believe   
that their success1 however1 is largely 
owing to their practical                
features4--,c4,d4,w4--stimulated        
industry1 thrift1 the inclination to    
settle down to the necessary hard work  
of the world1 or have they bred         
idleness1 indisposition to work1 a      
vaporous ambition in politics1 and that 
sort of conceit of gentility of which   

the world has already enough8 ,if any   
one is in doubt about this he can       
satisfy himself by a sojourn in         
different localities in the ,south4 ,the
 condition of ,new ,orleans and its     
negro universities is often cited4 ,it  
is a favorable example1 because the     
ambition of the negro has been aided    
there by influence outside of the       
schools4 ,the federal government has    
imposed upon the intelligent and        
sensitive population negro officials in 
high positions1 because they were       
negroes and not because they were       
specially fitted for those positions by 
character or ability4 ,it is my belief  
that the condition of the race in ,new  
,orleans is lower than it was several   
years ago1 and that the influence of the
 higher education has been in the wrong 
direction4  ,this is not saying that the
 higher education is responsible for the
 present condition of the negro4  ,other
 influences have retarded his elevation 
and the development of proper character1

 and most important means have been     
neglected4 ,i only say that we have been
 disappointed in our extravagant        
expectations of what this education     
could do for a race undeveloped1 and so 
wanting in certain elements of          
character1 and that the millions of     
money devoted to it might have been much
 better applied4  ,we face a grave      
national situation4 ,it cannot be       
successfully dealt with sentimentally4  
,it should be faced with knowledge and  
candor4 ,we must admit our mistakes1    
both social and political1 and set about
 the solution of our problem with       
intelligent resolution and a large      
charity4 ,it is not simply a ,southern  
question4 ,it is a ,northern question as
 well4 ,for the truth of this ,i have   
only to appeal to the consciousness of  
all ,northern communities in which there
 are negroes in any considerable        
numbers4 ,have the negroes improved1 as 
a rule 7always remembering the          
exceptions71 in thrift1 truthfulness1   

morality1 in the elements of industrious
 citizenship1 even in ,states and towns 
where there has been the least prejudice
 against their education8 ,in a paper   
read at the last session of this        
,association1 ,professor ,w4 ,f4        
,willcox of ,cornell ,university showed 
by statistics that in proportion to     
population there were more negro        
criminals in the ,north than in the     
,south4 ,the negro prisoners in the     
,southern ,states to ten thousand       
negroes increased between #ahhj and     
#ahij twenty-nine per cent41 while the  
white prisoners to ten thousand whites  
increased only eight per cent4 ,in the  
,states where slavery was never         
established1 the white prisoners        
increased seven per cent4 faster than   
the white population1 while the negro   
prisoners no less than thirty-nine per  
cent4 faster than the negro population4 
,thus the increase of negro criminality1
 so far as it is reflected in the number
 of prisoners1 exceeded the increase of 

white criminality more in the ,north    
than it did in the ,south4  ,this       
statement was surprising4 ,it cannot be 
accounted for by color prejudice at the 
,north2 it is related to the known      
shiftlessness and irresponsibility of a 
great portion of the negro population4  
,if it could be believed that this      
shiftlessness is due to the late state  
of slavery1 the explanation would not do
 away with the existing conditions4     
,schools at the ,north have for a long  
time been open to the negro2 though     
color prejudice exists1 he has not been 
on the whole in an unfriendly           
atmosphere1 and willing hands have been 
stretched out to help him in his        
ambition to rise4 ,it is no doubt true1 
as has been often said lately1 that the 
negro at the ,north has been crowded out
 of many occupations by more vigorous   
races1 newly come to this country1      
crowded out not only of factory         
industries and agricultural1 but of the 
positions of servants1 waiters1 barbers1

 and other minor ways of earning a      
living4 ,the general verdict is that    
this loss of position is due to lack of 
stamina and trustworthiness4 ,wherever a
 negro has shown himself able1 honest1  
attentive to the moral and economic     
duties of a citizen1 either successful  
in accumulating property or filling     
honorably his station in life1 he has   
gained respect and consideration in the 
community in which he is known2 and this
 is as true at the ,south as at the     
,north1 notwithstanding the race        
antagonism is more accentuated by reason
 of the preponderance of negro          
population there and the more recent    
presence of slavery4 ,upon this ugly    
race antagonism it is not necessary to  
enlarge here in discussing the problem  
of education1 and ,i will leave it with 
the single observation that ,i have     
heard intelligent negroes1 who were     
honestly at work1 accumulating property 
and disposed to postpone active politics
 to a more convenient season1 say that  

they had nothing to fear from the       
intelligent white population1 but only  
from the envy of the ignorant4  ,the    
whole situation is much aggravated by   
the fact that there is a considerable   
infusion of white blood in the negro    
race in the ,united ,states1 leading to 
complications and social aspirations    
that are infinitely pathetic4 ,time only
 and no present contrivance of ours can 
ameliorate this condition4  ,i have made
 this outline of our negro problem in no
 spirit of pessimism or of prejudice1   
but in the belief that the only way to  
remedy an evil or a difficulty is       
candidly and fundamentally to understand
 it4 ,two things are evident3 ,first1   
the negro population is certain to      
increase in the ,united ,states1 in a   
ratio at least equal to that of the     
whites4 ,second1 the ,south needs its   
labor4 ,its deportation is an idle      
dream4 ,the only visible solution is for
 the negro to become an integral and an 
intelligent part of the industrial      

community4 ,the way may be long1 but he 
must work his way up4 ,sympathetic aid  
may do much1 but the salvation of the   
negro is in his own hands1 in the       
development of individual character and 
a race soul4 ,this is fully understood  
by his wisest leaders4 ,his worst enemy 
is the demagogue who flatters him with  
the delusion that all he needs for his  
elevation is freedom and certain        
privileges that were denied him in      
slavery4  ,in all the ,northern cities  
heroic efforts are made to assimilate   
the foreign population by education and 
instruction in ,americanism4 ,in the    
,south1 in the city and on plantation1  
the same effort is necessary for the    
negro1 but it must be more radical and  
fundamental4 ,the common school must be 
as fully sustained and as far reaching  
as it is in the ,north1 reaching the    
lowest in the city slums and the most   
ignorant in the agricultural districts1 
but to its strictly elemental teaching  
must be added moral instructions1 and   

training in industries and in habits of 
industry4 ,only by such rudimentary and 
industrial training can the mass of the 
negro race in the ,united ,states be    
expected to improve in character and    
position4 ,a top-dressing of culture on 
a field with no depth of soil may for a 
moment stimulate the promise of         
vegetation1 but no fruit will be        
produced4 ,it is a gigantic task1 and   
generations may elapse before it can in 
any degree be relaxed4  ,why attempt it8
 ,why not let things drift as they are8 
,why attempt to civilize the race within
 our doors1 while there are so many     
distant and alien races to whom we ought
 to turn our civilizing attention8 ,the 
answer is simple and does not need      
elaboration4 ,a growing ignorant mass in
 our body politic1 inevitably cherishing
 bitterness of feeling1 is an increasing
 peril to the public4  ,in order to     
remove this peril1 by transforming the  
negro into an industrial1 law-abiding   
citizen1 identified with the prosperity 

of his country1 the cordial assistance  
of the ,southern white population is    
absolutely essential4 ,it can only be   
accomplished by regarding him as a man1 
with the natural right to the           
development of his capacity and to      
contentment in a secure social state4   
,the effort for his elevation must be   
fundamental4 ,the opportunity of the    
common school must be universal1 and    
attendance in it compulsory4 ,beyond    
this1 training in the decencies of life1
 in conduct1 and in all the industries1 
must be offered in such industrial      
institutions as that of ,tuskegee4 ,for 
the exceptional cases a higher education
 can be easily provided for those who   
show themselves worthy of it1 but not   
offered as an indiscriminate panacea4   
,the question at once arises as to the  
kind of teachers for these schools of   
various grades4 ,it is one of the most  
difficult in the whole problem4 ,as a   
rule1 there is little gain1 either in   
instruction or in elevation of          

character1 if the teacher is not the    
superior of the taught4 ,the learners   
must respect the attainments and the    
authority of the teacher4 ,it is a too  
frequent fault of our common-school     
system that1 owing to inadequate pay and
 ignorant selections1 the teachers are  
not competent to their responsible task4
 ,the highest skill and attainment are  
needed to evoke the powers of the common
 mind1 even in a community called       
enlightened4 ,much more are they needed 
when the community is only slightly     
developed mentally and morally4 ,the    
process of educating teachers of this   
race1 fit to promote its elevation1 must
 be a slow one4 ,teachers of various    
industries1 such as agriculture and the 
mechanic arts1 will be more readily     
trained than teachers of the rudiments  
of learning in the common schools4 ,it  
is a very grave question whether1 with  
some exceptions1 the school and moral   
training of the race should not be for a
 considerable time to come in the       

control of the white race4 ,but it must 
be kept in mind that instructors cheap  
in character1 attainments1 and breeding 
will do more harm than good4 ,if we give
 ourselves to this work1 we must give of
 our best4  ,without the cordial        
concurrence in this effort of all       
parties1 black and white1 local and     
national1 it will not be fruitful in    
fundamental and permanent good4 ,each   
race must accept the present situation  
and build on it4 ,to this end it is     
indispensable that one great evil1 which
 was inherent in the reconstruction     
measures and is still persisted in1     
shall be eliminated4 ,the party         
allegiance of the negro was bid for by  
the temptation of office and position   
for which he was in no sense fit4 ,no   
permanent1 righteous adjustment of      
relations can come till this policy is  
wholly abandoned4 ,politicians must     
cease to make the negro a pawn in the   
game of politics4  ,let us admit that we
 have made a mistake4 ,we seem to have  

expected that we could accomplish       
suddenly and by artificial ,contrivances
 a development which historically has   
always taken a long time4 ,without      
abatement of effort or loss of patience1
 let us put ourselves in the            
common-sense1 the scientific1 the       
historic line4 ,it is a gigantic task1  
only to be accomplished by long labor in
 accord with the ,divine purpose4       
,thou wilt not leave us in the dust2    
,thou madest man1 he knows not why1     
,he thinks he was not made to die2      
,and thou hast made him2 thou art just4 
,oh1 yet we trust that somehow good     
,will be the final goal of ill1         
,to pangs of nature1 sins of will1      
,defects of doubt1 and taints of blood4 
,that nothing walks with aimless feet1  
,that not one life shall be destroyed1  
,or cast as rubbish to the void1        
,when ,god hath made the pile complete4