h
seemed to threaten the continuance of that favorable opinion. In
response to a letter in which Mr. Murphy expressed these fears and
asked for an opportunity to discuss the situation with him Mr.
Washington replied as follows:

[_Personal_]

MY DEAR SIR: I have received your kind letter, for which I
thank you very much. I was very much disappointed that I did
not have an opportunity of meeting you, as I had planned the
other day, so as not to be so hurried in talking with you as
I usually am. I shall be very glad, however, the very first
time I can find another spare hour when in New York (Mr.
Murphy was then living in New York City) to have you talk
with me fully and frankly about the matters that are in your
mind.

However we may differ in our view regarding certain matters,
there is no man in the country whose frankness, earnestness,
and sincere disinterestedness I respect more than yours, and
whatever you say always has great weight with me.

Your letter emphasizes the tremendous difficulty of the work
at the South. In most cases, and in most countries where a
large section of the people are down, and are to be helped
up, those attempting to do the work have before them a
straight, simple problem of elevating the unfortunate people
without the entanglement of racial prejudice to be grappled
with. I think I do not exaggerate when I say that perhaps a
third or half of the thought and energy of those engaged in
the elevation of the colored people is given in the
direction of trying to do the thing or not doing the thing
which would enhance racial prejudice. This feature of the
situation I believe very few people at the North or at the
South appreciate. What is true of the Negro educator is true
in a smaller degree of the white educator at the South. I am
constantly trying, as best I can, to study the situation as
it is right here on the ground, and I may be mistaken, but
aside from the wild and demagogical talk on the part of a
few I am unable to discover much or any change in the
attitude of the best white people toward the best colored
people. So far as my own individual experience and
observation are concerned, I am treated about the same as I
have always been. I was in Athens, Georgia, a few days ago,
to deliver ah address b