African American farmers -- Southern States; Agriculture -- Economic aspects -- Southern States
It should not be forgotten that the
question of the progress of the Negro has far more direct meaning for
the southerner, and that he is far more deeply interested in it than is
his northern brother, the popular impression to the contrary
notwithstanding. It is unnecessary to seek explanations, but it is a
pleasure to recognize that there are many indications that a better day
is coming, and indications now point to a hearty co-operation in
educational efforts. There are many reasons for the change, and perhaps
the greatest of these is summed up in "Industrial Training."
The North is slowly learning that the Negro is not a dark-skinned
Yankee, and that thousands of generations in Africa have produced a
being very different from him whose ancestors lived an equal time in
Europe. In a word, we now see that slavery does not account for all the
differences between the blacks and whites, and that their origins lie
farther back. Our acquaintance with the ancestors of the Negro is
meager. We do not even know how many of the numerous African tribes are
represented in our midst. A good deal of Semitic blood had already been
infused into the more northern tribes. What influence did this have and
how many descendants of these tribes are there in America? Tribal
distinctions have been hopelessly lost in this country, and the blending
has gone on so continuously that perhaps there would be little practical
benefit if the stocks could be determined to-day. It is, however, a
curious commentary on the turn discussions of the question have taken,
that not until 1902 did any one find it advisable to publish a
comprehensive study of the African environment and to trace its
influence on subsequent development. Yet this is one of the fundamental
preliminaries to any real knowledge of the subject.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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