Fifty Years of Freedom: with matters of vital importance to both the white and colored people of the United StatesGrimké, Francis J. (Francis James)
History
Fifty Years of Freedom: with matters of vital importance to both the white and colored people of the United States
Grimké, Francis J. (Francis James)
African Americans
not yet willing to believe it. It cannot be that this white race, which
prides itself upon its superiority to all other races, under this
highest test of superiority—the ability to accord to every man his right
and to treat every man as a brother of whatever race or nationality, is
going to be found so sadly deficient. It is a great race. It has done
many wonderful things. All the greater is the reason, therefore, why it
should not permit itself to be controlled by such an ignoble spirit. It
has done, too, many wonderful things to have its greatness marred by
settling down permanently on the low level of race prejudice. No; I
cannot believe that the white man is so hopelessly bad, so absolutely
possessed by this demon of race hatred that there is no honorable future
in this country for the colored man. The Tillmans, Vardamans, Hoke
Smiths are not always going to be the leaders of even Southern public
sentiment. A better day is coming, with truer, saner, wiser leaders. Dr.
Josiah Strong, in his last volume, "Our World," in the chapter on "The
New Race Problem," after some remarks on the improbability and the
undesirability of blending all races into one says,—"If we recognize any
plan in creation, we must accept a differentiation of the human family
as an expression of the divine purpose, infinitely wise and benevolent.
And it behooves us as colaborers together with God to find that purpose,
if possible, that we may work with him and not against him."
"This conclusion affords not the slightest excuse for race antipathy.
The experience of mankind has convinced all peoples that close
consanguinity must be a bar to marriage; and scientific observation
seems likely to show that the mixture of races most widely divergent is
perhaps hardly less a violation of nature. But there is in this fact no
reason why there should not be as genuine respect and esteem and
fellowship between the races as between brother and sister; no reason
why the spirit of brotherhood which obtains in the home should not
extend to the family of nations and races." And Hamilton W. Mabie, in
his article in the Outlook for August 2nd on "Americans and the Far
East," says: "Race differences must be clearly and frankly recognized;
economical differences must be candidly faced; but race hatred must be
driven beyond the pale of civilization; it is a survival of barbarism
and it must go back where it belongs."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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