A Comparative Study of the Negro Problem: The American Negro Academy. Occasional Papers No. 4Cook, Charles C. (Charles Chauveau)
History
A Comparative Study of the Negro Problem: The American Negro Academy. Occasional Papers No. 4
Cook, Charles C. (Charles Chauveau)
African Americans; United States -- Race relations
The basis upon which the historic monogamous family rests is reverence
for parents and respect for women: the basis upon which the village
community rests is the common ownership of land;--and it is in just
those great countries of Europe, where common ownership of land longest
prevailed, namely, in Russia and Germany, that great cities are fewest
and the inequality of wealth, least. In such village communities we
would be strong enough to resist single handed aggression, yet too weak
to warrant persecution; rich enough to escape the degradation of
unending toil, though not rich enough to arouse in our oppressors the
spirit of avarice. He who seeks to maintain himself in his social
privileges and political rights must have in reserve abundant means of
subsistence, and beyond this, rugged manhood. If he is going to defend
himself in the possession of anything which another covets, he must be
prepared to fight down the whole decline from civilization to savagery.
Not only would the village community furnish us with centres of
resistance to oppression, but what is of greater importance, with
custom, and tradition, that understanding among men and between
generations which is stronger than law. It is the peculiar weakness of
our efforts at organization, that they proceed from the minds and wills
of a few individuals, and not from any popular demand, and until our
many society constitutions, in part at least, codify existing customs,
it is like making ropes of sands to expect our organizations to endure,
or our articles to bind.
In the cities, where so many of us now live, the village community is no
longer available, and the replacing of it is one of the serious tasks
before us. Men who will help to solve this and other like problems are
desperately needed. Without armies and without government as we are,
leaders, whether statesmen diplomats, politicians or orators, we can
well depense with; without national life of any sort, national
organizations to control our political, social, religious, literary or
scientific affairs may easily be spared. But quiet, earnest, trained
workers, who will help to improve our family life, and bring into
communion even small groups of families, are destined to be the pioneers
of our civilization.
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