414 



POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY. 



graphs and reprints, contains very 

 few of the expensive volumes. One 

 must seek these, and if they be in 

 English or German, very likely in 

 vain, in the Bibliotheque Nationale. 

 The Public Library of the city 

 of Boston has apparently tried an ex- 

 periment in this direction, and is 

 certainly to be congratulated upon 

 the result. To a very rich collection 

 of standard works has been added, 

 by co-operation with a special inves- 

 tigator, a large part of the -flotsam 

 and jetsam which is of such extreme 

 value to the student of original 

 sources. The library has set a worthy 

 example of encouragement to re- 

 search; it has offered definite proof 

 of the ability of our American insti- 

 tutions to rival their European con- 

 temporaries. And a peculiarly ap- 

 propriate rounding-out to the suc- 

 cessful career in the distinctively 

 popular phases of administration of 

 the institution of the late librarian, 

 Mr. Herbert Putnam, is afforded in 

 this work, the last at Boston offi- 

 cially, perhaps, to bear his signature 

 and the stamp of his approval. 



OUR RACE TROUBLES. 



THE article which we publish in 

 the present number of the Monthly, 

 under the title of The Race Problem 

 in the United States, is a sequel to 

 one which appeared in the May num- 

 ber entitled The Negro Question. 

 Both writers have a special acquaint- 

 ance with the subject, and are widely 

 known as active workers for the ele- 

 vation of the negro race Mr. Booker 

 T. Washington, the writer of the sec- 

 ond article, being himself one of its 

 most distinguished representatives. 

 While both manifest abundant sym- 

 pathy with the negro, and a deep 

 sense of the pressing nature of the 

 problems to which the presence of a 

 large negro element in the population 

 of certain of our States gives rise, 

 they virtually acknowledge that it is 

 extremely difficult in discussing the 



subject to do more than present a 

 few broad general views. That there 

 is a very bad condition of things 

 in some of our Southern States no 

 one will dispute. -The crimes which 

 have been committed by white men, 

 in avenging real or supposed crimes 

 committed by black men, stamp 

 a character of utter savagery on the 

 communities in which they have oc- 

 curred, and in which they have re- 

 mained unpunished. At the same time 

 there is no doubt that the existence 

 of so large a negro element in the 

 South constitutes a serious obstacle 

 to the moral and intellectual as well 

 as to the economic development of 

 that part of the country, and tends 

 to keep alive a dangerous condition 

 of public feeling. Our contributor, 

 Dr. Curry, states significantly that 

 he could give very impressive details 

 on this point, were it not that it 

 would furnish altogether too un- 

 pleasant reading. 



What are we going to do about 

 it? No doubt we have before us an 

 illustration of the old adage, " The 

 fathers have eaten sour grapes, and 

 the children's teeth are set on edge." 

 The South had its " peculiar institu- 

 tion " for some generations, and held 

 to it with extraordinary tenacity 

 went to war rather than give it up. 

 Now, by the simple force of events, 

 the old patriarchal and slaveholding 

 system is broken up, and there the 

 former slaves and their descendants 

 are emancipated citizens who have 

 their rights under the Constitution, 

 and who therefore have to be reck- 

 oned with. They can not be de- 

 ported against their will; they have 

 the same right to live in the country 

 that any white man has. 



Manifestly there is but one hon- 

 orable way of dealing with the 

 blacks, and that is to treat them 

 with absolute justice. Upon this 

 point we are in entire agreement 

 with Mr. Booker T. Washington. If 

 a black man is excluded from the 

 suffrage on account of his ignorance, 



