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.

In close connection with the preceding is the question of the mulatto.
Besides the blending of African stocks there has been a good deal of
intermixture of white blood. We do not even know how many full blooded
Africans there are in America, nor does the last census seek to
ascertain. Mulattoes have almost entirely been the offspring of white
fathers and black mothers, and probably most of the fathers have been
boys and young men. Without attempting a discussion of this subject,
whose results ethnologists cannot yet tell, it is certain that a half
breed is not a full blood, a mulatto is not a Negro, in spite of the
social classification to the contrary. The general belief is that the
mulatto is superior, either for good or bad, to the pure Negro. The
visitor to the South cannot fail to be struck with the fact that with
rare exceptions the colored men in places of responsibility, in
education or in business, are evidently not pure negroes. Even in
slavery times, the mulattoes were preferred for certain positions, such
as overseers, the blacks as field hands. Attention is called to this
merely to show our ignorance of an important point. Some may claim that
it is a matter of no consequence. This I cannot admit. To me it seems of
some significance to know whether mulattoes (and other crosses) form
more than their relative percentage of the graduates of the higher
schools; whether they are succeeding in business better than the blacks;
whether town life is proving particularly attractive to them; whether
th