Thus, by national opin-
ion, the Negroes began to recognize Mr. Washington's lead-
ership; and the voice of criticism was hushed.
Mr. Washington represents in Negro thought the old atti-
tude of adjustment and submission; but adjustment at such a
peculiar time as to make his programme unique. This is an
age of unusual economic development, and Mr. Washing-
ton's programme naturally takes an economic cast, becoming
a gospel of Work and Money to such an extent as apparently
almost completely to overshadow the higher aims of life.
Moreover, this is an age when the more advanced races are
coming in closer contact with the less developed races, and
the race-feeling is therefore intensified; and Mr. Washing-
ton's programme practically accepts the alleged inferiority of
the Negro races. Again, in our own land, the reaction from
the sentiment of war time has given impetus to race-prejudice
against Negroes, and Mr. Washington withdraws many of the
high demands of Negroes as men and American citizens. In
other periods of intensified prejudice all the Negro's tendency
to self-assertion has been called forth; at this period a policy
of submission is advocated.
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