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It has been always been a pleasure to learn from Neal. The stories and examples
that urge every business to stay "relevant" served to provide my own source of
motivation. The concepts presented in this book helped to resolve issues that I
have been having to address. This book teaches almost all aspects of the data
industry. The experiences, patterns, and anti-patterns, are thoroughly explained.
This work provides benefit to a variety of roles, including architects, developers,
product owners, and business executives. For organizations exploring AI, this
book is the cornerstone to becoming successful.
Harry Xuegang Huang Ph.D., External Consultant,
A.P. Moller – Maersk (Denmark)
This is by far one of the best and most refreshing books on AI and data science
that I have come across. The authors seek and speak the truth and they pene-
trate into the core of the challenge most organizations face in finding value in
their data: moving focus away from a tendency to connect the winning dots by
‘magical’ technologies and overly simplified methods. The book is laid out in a
well-considered and mature approach that is grounded in deliberation, prag-
matism, and respect for information. By following the authors’ advice, you will
unlock true and long-term value and avoid the many pitfalls that fashionistas
and false prophets have come to dominate the narrative in AI.
Jan Gravesen, M.Sc., IBM Distinguished Engineer,
Director and Chief Technology Officer, IBM
Most of the books on data analytics and data science focus on tools and tech-
niques of the discipline and do not provide the reader with a complete frame-
work to plan and implement projects that solve business problems and foster
competitive advantage. Just because machine learning and new methodologies
learn from data and do not require a preconceived model for analysis does
not eliminate the need for a robust information management program and
required processes. In Smarter Data Science, the authors present a holistic model
that emphasizes how critical data and data management are in implementing
successful value-driven data analytics and AI solutions. The book presents an
elegant and novel approach to data management and explores its various layers
and dimensions (from data creation/ownership and governance to quality and
trust) as a key component of a well-integrated methodology for value-adding
data sciences and AI. The book covers the components of an agile approach to
data management and information architecture that fosters business innovation
and can adapt to ever changing requirements and priorities. The many examples
of recent data challenges facing diverse businesses make the book extremely
readable and relevant for practical applications. This is an excellent book for
both data officers and data scientists to gain deep insights into the fundamental
relationship between data management, analytics, machine learning, and AI.
Ali Farahani, Ph.D., Former Chief Data Officer,
County of Los Angeles; Adjunct Associate Professor, USC
There are many different approaches to gaining insights with data given the
new advances in technology today. This book encompasses more than the
technology that makes AI and machine learning possible, but truly depicts the
process and foundation needed to prepare that data to make AI consumable
and actionable. I thoroughly enjoyed the section on data governance and the
importance of accessible, accurate, curated, and organized data for any sort of
analytics consumption. The significance and differences in zones and prepa-
ration of data also has some fantastic points that should be highly considered
in any sort of analytics project. The authors’ ability to describe best practices
from a true journey of data within an organization in relation to business needs
and information outcomes is spot on. I would highly recommend this book
to anyone learning, playing, or working in the wonderful space of Data & AI.
Phil Black, VP of Client Services for Data and AI, TechD
The authors have pieced together data governance, data architecture, data
topologies, and data science in a perfect way. Their observations and approach
have paved the way towards achieving a flexible and sustainable environment
for advanced analytics. I am adopting these techniques in building my own
analytics platform for our company.
Svetlana Grigoryeva, Manager Data Services
and AI, Shearman and Sterling
This book is a delight to read and provides many thought-provoking ideas. This
book is a great resource for data scientists, and everyone who is involved with
large scale, enterprise-wide AI initiatives.
Simon Seow, Managing Director, Info Spec Sdn Bhd (Malaysia)
In the 21st century the ability to use metadata to empower cross-industry eco-
systems and exploit a hierarchy of AI algorithms will be essential to maximize
stakeholder value. Today’s data science processes and systems simply don’t offer
enough speed, flexibility, quality or context to enable that. Smarter Data Science
is a very useful book as it provides concrete steps towards wisdom within those
intelligent enterprises.
Richard Hopkins, President, Academy of Technology, IBM (UK)
A must read for everyone who curates, manages, or makes decisions on data. Lifts
a lot of the mystery and magical thinking out of “Data Science” to explain why
we’re underachieving on the promise of AI. Full of practical ideas for improving
the practice of information architecture for modern analytical environments
using AI or ML. Highly recommended.
Linda Nadeau, Information Architect, Metaphor Consulting LLC
In this book, the authors “unpack” the meaning of data as a natural resource
for the modern corporation. Following on Neal’s previous book that explored
the role of data in enterprise transformation, the authors construct and lead the
reader through a holistic approach to drive business value with data science. This
book examines data, analytics, and the AI value chain across several industries
describing specific use and business cases. This book is a must read for Chief
Data Officers as well as accomplished or inspiring data scientists in any industry.
Boris Vishnevsky, Principal, Complex Solutions and Cyber Security,
Slalom; Adjunct Professor, TJU
I hold over 150 patents and work as a data scientist on creating some of the most
complex AI business projects, and this book has been of immense value to me as
a field guide. The authors have established the need as to why IA must be part
of a systematic maturing approach to AI. I regard this book as a “next generation
AI guidebook” that your organization can’t afford to be without.
Gandhi Sivakumar, Chief Architect and
Master Inventor, IBM (Australia)
A seminal treatment for how enterprises must leverage AI. The authors provide
a clear and understandable path forward for using AI across cloud, fog, and
mist computing. A must read for any serious data scientist and data manager.
Raul Shneir, Director, Israel National Cyber Directorate (Israel)
This is an excellent guide for the data-driven organization that must build a
robust information architecture to continuously deliver greater value through
data science or be relegated to the past. The book will enable organizations to
complete their transformative journey to sustainably leverage AI technologies
that incorporate cloud-based AI tools and dueling neural networks. The guiding
principles that are laid out in the book should result in the democratization of
data, a data literate workforce, and a transparent AI revolution.
Taarini Gupta, Behavioral Scientist/Data Scientist,
Mind Genomics Advisors
Smarter Data Science
Succeeding with Enterprise‐Grade
Data and AI Projects
ISBN: 978‐1‐119‐69341‐3
ISBN: 978‐1‐119‐69438‐0 (ebk)
ISBN: 978‐1‐119‐69342‐0 (ebk)
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ATM4
About the Authors
Neal Fishman is an IBM Distinguished Engineer and is the CTO for Data-
Based Pathology within IBM’s Global Business Services organization. Neal is
also an Open Group Certified Distinguished IT Architect. Neal has extensive
experience working with IBM’s clients across six continents on complex data
and AI initiatives.
Neal has previously served as a board member for several different industry
communities and was the technology editor for the BRCommunity webzine.
Neal has been a distance learning instructor with the University of Washington
and has recorded some of his other insights in Viral Data in SOA: An Enterprise
Pandemic and Enterprise Architecture Using the Zachman Framework. Neal also
holds several data-related patents.
You can connect with Neal on LinkedIn at linkedin.com/in/neal-fishman-.
Cole Stryker is an author and journalist based in Los Angeles. He is the author
of Epic Win for Anonymous, the story of a global gang of hackers and trolls who
took on big corporations and governments, and Hacking the Future, which charts
the history of anonymity and makes a case for its future as a form of cultural
and political expression. His writing has appeared in Newsweek, The Nation,
NBC News, Salon, Vice, Boing Boing, The NY Observer, The Huffington Post,
and elsewhere.
You can connect with Cole on LinkedIn at linkedin.com/in/colestryker.
ix
Acknowledgments
I want to express my sincere gratitude to Jim Minatel at John Wiley & Sons for
giving me this opportunity. I would also like to sincerely thank my editor, Tom
Dinse, for his attention to detail and for his excellent suggestions in helping
to improve this book. I am very appreciative of the input provided by Tarik
El-Masri, Alex Baryudin, and Elis Gitin. I would also like to thank Matt Holt,
Devon Lewis, Pete Gaughan, Kenyon Brown, Kathleen Wisor, Barath Kumar
Rajasekaran, Steven Stansel, Josephine Schweiloch, and Betsy Schaefer.
During my career, there have been several notable giants with whom I have
worked and upon whose shoulders I clearly stand. Without these people, my
career would not have taken the right turns: John Zachman, Warren Selkow,
Ronald Ross, David Hay, and the late John Hall. I would like to recognize the
renowned Grady Booch for his graciousness and kindness to contribute the
Foreword. Finally, I would like to acknowledge the efforts of Cole Stryker for
helping take this book to the next level.
Neal Fishman
Thanks to Jim Minatel, Tom Dinse, and the rest of the team at Wiley for
recognizing the need for this book and for enhancing its value with their edi-
torial guidance. I’d also like to thank Elizabeth Schaefer for introducing me to
Neal and giving me the opportunity to work with him. Thanks also to Jason
Oberholtzer and the folks at Gather for enabling my work at IBM. Lastly, I’m
grateful to Neal Fishman for sharing his vision and inviting me to contribute
to this important book.
Cole Stryker
xi
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Contents at a Glance
xiii
Contents
xv
xvi Contents
Chapter 3 Framing Part II: Considerations for Working with Data and AI 35
Personalizing the Data Experience for Every User 36
Context Counts: Choosing the Right Way to Display Data 38
Ethnography: Improving Understanding Through
Specialized Data 42
Data Governance and Data Quality 43
The Value of Decomposing Data 43
Providing Structure Through Data Governance 43
Curating Data for Training 45
Additional Considerations for Creating Value 45
Ontologies: A Means for Encapsulating Knowledge 46
Fairness, Trust, and Transparency in AI Outcomes 49
Accessible, Accurate, Curated, and Organized 52
Summary54
Chapter 4 A Look Back on Analytics: More Than One Hammer 57
Been Here Before: Reviewing the Enterprise Data Warehouse 57
Drawbacks of the Traditional Data Warehouse 64
Paradigm Shift 68
Modern Analytical Environments: The Data Lake 69
By Contrast 71
Indigenous Data 72
Attributes of Difference 73
Elements of the Data Lake 75
The New Normal: Big Data Is Now Normal Data 77
Liberation from the Rigidity of a Single Data Model 78
Streaming Data 78
Suitable Tools for the Task 78
Easier Accessibility 79
Reducing Costs 79
Scalability79
Data Management and Data Governance for AI 80
Schema-on-Read vs. Schema-on-Write 81
Summary84
Chapter 5 A Look Forward on Analytics: Not Everything Can Be a Nail 87
A Need for Organization 87
The Staging Zone 90
The Raw Zone 91
The Discovery and Exploration Zone 92
The Aligned Zone 93
The Harmonized Zone 98
The Curated Zone 100
Data Topologies 100
Zone Map 103
Data Pipelines 104
Data Topography 105
Contents xvii
There have been remarkable advances in artificial intelligence the past decade,
owing to a perfect storm at the confluence of three important forces: the rise of
big data, the exponential growth of computational power, and the discovery of
key algorithms for deep learning. IBM’s Deep Blue beat the world’s best chess
player, Watson bested every human on Jeopardy, and DeepMind’s AlphaGo and
AlphaZero have dominated the field of Go and videogames. On the one hand,
these advances have proven useful in commerce and in science: AI has found
an important role in manufacturing, banking, and medicine, to name a few
domains. On the other hand, these advances raise some difficult questions,
especially with regard to privacy and the conduct of war.
While discoveries in the science of artificial intelligence continue, the fruits
of that science are now being put to work in the enterprise in very tangible
ways, ways that are not only economically interesting but that also contribute
to the human condition. As such, enterprises that want to leverage AI must turn
their focus to engineering pragmatic systems of value that contain cognitive
components.
That’s where Smarter Data Science comes in.
As the authors explain, data is not an afterthought in building such systems;
it is a forethought. To leverage AI for predicting, automating, and optimizing
enterprise outcomes, the science of data must be made an intentional, measur-
able, repeatable, and agile part of the development pipeline. Here, you’ll learn
about best practices for collecting, organizing, analyzing, and infusing data
in ways that make AI real for the enterprise. What I celebrate most about this
book is that not only are the authors able to explain these best practices from
a foundation of deep experience, they do so in a manner that is actionable.
xix
xx Foreword for Smarter Data Science
In 2016, IT consultant and CEO Seth Earley wrote an article titled “There is
no AI without IA” in an IEEE magazine called IT Professional. Earley put forth
an argument that enterprises seeking to fully capitalize on the capabilities of
artificial intelligence must first build out a supporting information architecture.
Smarter Data Science provides a comprehensive response: an IA for AI.
xxi
Preamble
advent of the Internet, and later mobile devices and IoT, it became possible for
private companies to truly use data at scale, building massive stores of consumer
data based on the growing number of touchpoints they now shared with their
customers. Taken as an average, data is created at a rate of more than 1.7MB
every second for every person (www.domo.com/solution/data-never-sleeps-6).
That equates to approximately 154,000,000,000,000 punched cards. By coupling
the volume of data with the capacity to meaningfully process that data, data
can be used at scale for much more than simple record keeping.
Clearly, our world is firmly in the age of big data. Enterprises are scrambling
to integrate capabilities that can address advanced analytics such as artificial
intelligence and machine learning in order to best leverage their data. The need
to draw out insights to improve business performance in the marketplace is
nothing less than mandatory. Recent data management concepts such as the data
lake have emerged to help guide enterprises in storing and managing data. In
many ways, the data lake was a stark contrast to its forerunner, the enterprise
data warehouse (EDW). Typically, the EDW accepted data that had already
been deemed useful, and its content was organized in a highly systematic way.
When misused, a data lake serves as nothing more than a hoarding ground
for terabytes and petabytes of unstructured and unprocessed data, much of it
never to be used. However, a data lake can be meaningfully leveraged for the
benefit of advanced analytics and machine learning models.
But, are data warehouses and data lakes serving their intended purpose?
More succinctly, are enterprises realizing the business-side benefit of having a
place to hoard data?
The global research and advisory firm Gartner has provided sobering anal-
ysis. It has estimated that more than half of the enterprise data warehouses
that were attempted have been failures and that the new data lake has fared
even worse. At one time, Gartner analysts projected that the failure rate of data
lakes might reach as high as 60 percent (blogs.gartner.com/nick-heudecker/
big-data-challenges-move-from-tech-to-the-organization). However, Gartner
has now dismissed that number as being too conservative. Actual failure rates
are thought to be much closer to 85 percent (www.infoworld.com/article/3393467/
4-reasons-big-data-projects-failand-4-ways-to-succeed.html).
Why have initiatives such as the EDW and the data lake failed so spectacu-
larly? The short answer is that developing a proper information architecture
isn’t simple.
For much the same reason that the EDW failed, many of the approaches taken
by data scientists have failed to recognize the following considerations:
■■ The nature of the enterprise
■■ The business of the organization
■■ The stochastic and potentially gargantuan nature of change
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Exploring the Variety of Random
Documents with Different Content
The Project Gutenberg eBook of The American
Missionary — Volume 41, No. 4, April, 1887
This ebook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United
States and most other parts of the world at no cost and with
almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away
or re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License
included with this ebook or online at www.gutenberg.org. If you
are not located in the United States, you will have to check the
laws of the country where you are located before using this
eBook.
Author: Various
Language: English
EDITORIAL.
Financial, 97
Consecration of Wealth, 98
New Pastor Park St. Church, 99
Decision of Supreme Court Regarding the Chinese, 100
Chinese Indemnity Bill, 101
Treatment of the Indians, 102
The Color Question Again, 103
Paragraphs, 104
Henry Ward Beecher, 105
The Negro on the Negro, 106
Religious Doggerel, 109
THE SOUTH.
THE INDIANS.
THE CHINESE.
From Rev. A. F. Newton, 118
NEW YORK:
Vice Presidents.
Rev. A. J. F. Behrends, D.D., N.Y. Rev. Alex. McKenzie, D.D., Mass.
Rev. F. A. Noble, D.D., Ill. Rev. D. O. Mears, D.D., Mass.
Rev. Henry Hopkins, Mo.
Corresponding Secretary.
Rev. M. E. Strieby, D.D., 56 Reade Street, N. Y.
Treasurer.
H. W. Hubbard, Esq., 56 Reade Street, N. Y.
Auditors.
Peter McCartee. Chas. P. Peirce.
Executive Committee.
John H. Washburn, Chairman. A. P. Foster, Secretary.
For Three Years. For Two Years. For One Year.
S. B. Halliday. J. E. Rankin. Lyman Abbott.
Samuel Holmes. Wm. H. Ward. A. S. Barnes.
Samuel S. Marples. J. W. Cooper. J. R. Danforth.
Charles L. Mead. John H. Washburn. Clinton B. Fisk.
Elbert B. Monroe. Edmund L. Champlin. A. P. Foster.
District Secretaries.
Rev. C. L. Woodworth, D.D., 21 Cong’l House, Boston.
Rev. J. E. Roy, D.D., 151 Washington Street, Chicago.
COMMUNICATIONS
Relating to the work of the Association may be addressed to the
Corresponding Secretaries; those relating to the collecting fields, to
Rev. James Powell, D.D., or to the District Secretaries; letters for
“The American Missionary,” to the Editor, at the New York Office.
DONATIONS AND SUBSCRIPTIONS
In drafts, checks, registered letters or post office orders may be sent
to H. W. Hubbard, Treasurer, 56 Reade Street, New York, or, when
more convenient, to either of the Branch Offices, 21 Congregational
House, Boston, Mass., or 151 Washington Street, Chicago, Ill. A
payment of thirty dollars at one time constitutes a Life Member.
FORM OF A BEQUEST.
“I bequeath to my executor (or executors) the sum of —— dollars, in
trust, to pay the same in —— days after my decease to the person
who, when the same is payable, shall act as Treasurer of the
‘American Missionary Association,’ of New York City, to be applied,
under the direction of the Executive Committee of the Association, to
its charitable uses and purposes.” The Will should be attested by
three witnesses.
THE
American Missionary.
Vol. XLI. APRIL, 1887. No. 4.
“It is with pleasure I assist you. I have made several of our young
ladies life members during the past few years, to get them
interested in the A. M. A. Anything I can do to help on the good
work, be sure and call on me for, and I will do all I can for you.”
“I think the placing of the work of the Association before individual
church members is productive of good results, as I find that only
those well informed of the Society’s needs contribute regularly and
liberally to its support.”
“We are to make a careful canvass of our congregation, with a view
to increasing our missionary offerings, and securing a larger number
of regular readers for our missionary magazine. Can you send us ten
or a dozen copies of The American Missionary to be used by our district
visitors?”
“My gifts to the A. M. A. have been necessarily reduced to meet my
change in circumstances. I gave five dollars at our last collection,
which was the price of a cushion in my pew. I believe that under the
circumstances the hard side of a board will be softer than the soft
side of a cushion. There is no special merit in it, but I feel that it is
an encouragement to the workers to know that many in the
churches are willing to give up little comforts for the sake of them
and the cause.”
EXTRACTS FROM LETTERS.
The new pastor of the Park Street Church, Boston, Rev. David Gregg,
in his first sermon after installation, discussed the duties of the
Pulpit and the Pews. One who heard it said at the close, “Well, that
was a sermon that would please the secretaries of our benevolent
societies as well as the rest of us.” Depend on it, that any sermon of
which such testimony can be borne has two things characteristic of
it: One is, it must be a gospel sermon, and another is, it must be
interesting. It has been our privilege to read the sermon as reported
in the Boston daily papers. It fills the bill. It is full of the gospel, and
a thrill of interest runs all the way through it. Speaking for the
Secretaries of the A. M. A., we can say they are pleased, intensely
so. Here are two brief extracts that sufficiently justify their pleasure:
“Is it the duty of Park Street pulpit to accept the service and co-
operation of the Park Street pews? The pulpit here and now
solemnly performs its duty, and declares its acceptance of co-
operation and service. I have come among you for this very purpose.
I come to beseech you to throw yourself for all you are worth into
the work of the church, I come to command you in the name of the
Lord that you love, not for yourselves. I greet your locked-up wealth,
and ask it to come forth from the vaults of the bank to meet me and
to join me in the work of Christ. I promise you to be the most liberal
man in the world in dealing out your money from your pocket-books,
and in accepting and in giving away your time. I am willing that
every righteous and needy cause under the broad heavens shall call
upon you for aid. I come among you to tell you that you have the
same obligations before God to consecrate yourselves and all you
have to the gospel that Jesus Christ had when he lived his sublime
and devoted life. I put a gospel mortgage this day upon the pastor
and people of this church, and upon all that we have, by way of
brain and heart power, and gold and trade, and time and business,
and natural endowment and acquired attainment. Park Street pews,
you can offer no good thing to the pulpit of this church, in order that
you may glorify Christ and build up his cause here, that the pulpit
will not take and publicly credit. This pulpit welcomes to the service
of Christ every agency filled with the spirit of Christ.” * * * * * * *
“If we are to realize the possibilities open to us as pastor and
people, we must keep a constant eye upon the land and age in
which we live. Our age and our country speak to us to-day. Because
our lot has been cast in them, they have a claim upon us, and their
voice should be heard. Our age is an age telling of ages, and it
commands us to meet the duties of the hour. No relations in life
ought to be more helpful for this than our church relations. There is
no place for mediæval fossils outside of a museum. The demand of
the hour is for living men and living women. Our age is a pivotal
age, a cardinal age, a burning age, a crucial age. Let us not forget
that we are living under the westering sun of the 19th century, and
that this lays us under obligations to be 19th century Christians.
“While we forget not the age, we must not forget the land in which
we live, and which expects an outcome of good from our church
relations. America is the land where the battles of the future are
destined to be fought. In push of discovery and of civilization there
is no land beyond this. The fields of America are the outer rim of the
earth, and here the nations of the world, crowded out of the old
lands, meet, and here all the great problems and questions of ages
must be debated and settled. Our land cries for help, and we can
help it. We can give it the gospel of Jesus Christ and that is what it
needs above all things. The gospel alone carries in it the principles
which can solve with safety and finality the social and political
questions which are coming to America to stay.”
By treaty stipulations the Chinese in this country are guaranteed the
same rights and privileges as are accorded the most favored nations.
One Thomas Baldwin was arrested by a United States Marshal for
driving out with force and violence a number of Chinese residents
from the town of Nicolaus, California. The circuit court refused to
discharge him upon a writ of habeas corpus. An appeal was taken to
the United States Supreme Court. The Supreme Court looked the
matter through and found that while the United States Government
has the power to provide for the punishment of those who deprive
the Chinese of their treaty rights, there is no statute law by which it
can exercise its power! The decision of the circuit court was
therefore reversed. Justices Field and Harlan dissented. In a
separate opinion, Justice Field held that if the Chinese could not be
protected in their treaty rights, neither could the subjects or citizens
of any other nation. This is a beautiful attitude for the great United
States to be placed in before the eyes of the world. Making treaties
when it has not power to compel its own citizens to observe them!
What a farce. Is it to be supposed that if this were understood
nations would go to the trouble of making treaties with us? Were the
questions at issue about the Chinese raised in regard to subjects of
Great Britain or Germany or any of the first or even second-class
powers of Europe, is it to be supposed that any such a decision
would have been formulated and promulgated by our Supreme
Court? We do not question the ability nor the integrity of our
justices. The probability is that in the strict construction of the law
they are right. But even judges, when put to it, can sometimes find
such latitude in the field of interpretation as to warrant them in
setting aside mere technicalities rather than to allow justice to be
defeated.
That such eminent jurists as Field and Harlan found interpretations
that justified them in dissenting; that the circuit court in California
found reasons for refusing to release Baldwin from custody, would
certainly indicate that the decision is fairly challengeable. It is a
national humiliation. It ought to be so felt by the people. It would be
so felt if regard for right and justice were supreme in the national
heart and conscience. It is to be hoped that this matter will be
brought by the proper authority, as soon as practicable, to the
attention of Congress, and that the United States Government will
speedily be clothed with statutory power to enforce its own treaties.
If this decision shall have the effect of getting us out of the painful
predicament that it reveals our Government to be in, we may
reluctantly accept it as a means of grace. Meanwhile even China is
on record as being far more Christian in her treatment of our people
than Christian America is in its treatment of hers.
Money compensation is a very poor return as an offset to outrage.
Congress passed the bill appropriating $147,750 to indemnify the
Chinese sufferers from the Rock Springs riots. Hon. Wm. Walter
Phelps, representative from New Jersey, spoke words upon its
passage for which every Christian in the country must feel grateful.
Said he:
“I want to pay this amount because the Chinese Government asked
for that sum. The sum represents only the property destroyed. The
Chinese Government knows that our Government never likes to pay
a claim in full, so it wisely presents its bill only for the property
destroyed, and says nothing of 28 men murdered—nothing of 15
men wounded—nothing of 700 Chinese hunted for ten days with
club and rifle like rabbits, until they were dispersed into the
wilderness and their village was made an ash heap.
“In the time when Great Britain was at war with China, an American
citizen named Edwards was arrested by mistake as an Englishman,
imprisoned from sunrise to sunset, and then released. The Chinese
Government paid $31,600 for the injury done to his person and to
the dignity of the United States. There were 700 Chinese who
suffered at Rock Springs—all of them more than this man. We
hesitate to pay them $200 each. Recall the familiar story of heathen
generosity—how China once gave us $700,000 and said: ‘Take it and
pay the claims of your citizens.’ We took it; we paid the claims with
twelve per cent. interest, and there was enough left to return
$200,000 to the Chinese Government.
“If this seems ancient history, long after the Rock Springs massacre
there was a riot in Ching King. The rabble destroyed property
belonging to the American Methodist Missionary Society. The
Chinese Government has already paid $25,000 for these losses; and
also, since our discussion on this bill, a riot, under similar
circumstances, at Shanghai, destroyed other missionary property.
The Chinese Government has paid this bill too, $5,000.
“I have no heart to speak of the obligations founded in the
international law. I don’t want even to refer to the treaty, where we
pledged ourselves to exert all our powers to devise measures for the
protection of Chinese subjects in this country. It is not on the ground
of legal, but of the moral obligations that I prefer to rest this claim.”
Our treatment of the Indians is very much like the way a kindly
parent allows his judgment to be at the mercy of the pranks of his
mischievous boy. The boy takes a stick, and chasing a dog, pokes it
and pounds it till the maddened brute turns upon his tormentor and
bites him. This enrages the father, who forthwith takes his gun and
shoots the dog. In strict justice he ought to have taken the stick and
applied it to the back of the boy. The good man had no ill will
whatever toward the dog, nor would he ever have thought of
shooting it had the poor brute been let alone and not tantalized into
biting the boy. But the dog having been enraged so as to become
dangerous, there was nothing left but to destroy it. White men—
some of them not even citizens of the United States—in violation of
law enter the Indian reservation, steal the Indians’ ponies, drive off
their cattle, shoot down a few of the Indians for resisting them, or
perhaps for the mere fun of the thing. The Indians, maddened by
the wrongs inflicted upon them, go on the war-path. The savage
stirred with anger strikes back, and the innocent with the guilty—if
indeed the guilty do not go scot free—are made to suffer. Had the
Indian been let alone he would have remained peaceful and quiet
and friendly. But by desperadoes he has been maddened to go on
the war-path in vengeance, to retaliate for wrongs he has suffered.
Then follow the blood-curdling stories of ambuscade and massacre.
Popular indignation is roused. Extermination of the Indian is
demanded. There is nothing left now for Uncle Sam to do but to
send his army and put the Indian down. A pity that the chastisement
cannot be inflicted on those whose wickedness started the mischief.
Bishop Whipple bears the following testimony to the good effect of
making the Indians feel the responsibility of individual distinctive
effort for themselves by vesting them with individual rights of
property and by compelling them to live by their own labor:
“Twenty years ago we began with a small number of Indians at
White Earth Reservation. They were wild folk, used only to savage
life. Now there are 1,800 people living like civilized beings. They
have houses built by themselves. They are self-supporting. It is an
orderly, law-abiding, peaceful community. In religion they are about
equally divided between the Episcopalian and Catholic churches. The
laws are administered by an Indian police. This year they raised
40,000 bushels of wheat and 30,000 bushels of oats. They have a
herd of 1,200 or 1,500 cattle, several hundred horses, swine, sheep
and fowls. They are proud of their homes and of living in them like
white people. They are as neat and orderly as old-fashioned Dutch
housekeepers. They are excellent cooks, too; they never need to be
shown twice how to cook anything. Their sewing is the most
beautiful I ever saw; it is impossible to see the stitches. They have
made all the carpets and bedding I have in my house. The contrast,
therefore, between these White Earth people and the scattered
bands of Chippewas shows plainly what can be accomplished with
them by adopting right methods. The latter are utterly degraded.”
In the February Missionary we commented on the causes which had
led the Executive Committee of the Freedmen’s Aid Society of the
Methodist Episcopal Church to direct the Trustees of the
Chattanooga University to ask Professor Caulkins for his resignation.
This the Trustees refused to do, and, in view of a current
expectation that colored students would again seek admission, they
have passed a series of “whereases” affirming that the University
was designed for white pupils, and not intended to be a mixed
school; that well-equipped schools for colored pupils were easily
accessible; that to admit colored students would injure the school,
defeat the object for which it was established, alienate the races and
prove especially detrimental to the interests of the colored people;
that the General Conference had declared the question of mixed
schools to be one of expediency “to be left to the choice and
administration of those on the ground, and more immediately
concerned,” and then wound up with a resolution declaring that they
deemed it inexpedient to admit colored students to the University,
and instructed the Faculty to administer accordingly.
Such action on the part of the trustees could not be permitted to
pass unnoticed. The Executive Committee of the Freedmen’s Aid
Society called a meeting of the Board of Managers, and submitted
for consideration the above-noted “whereases” and “resolution.” The
whole subject received full consideration. We have not space to
publish the report in full, but it is all summed up in the last
resolution, as follows:
“Resolved, That if the Chattanooga University fail to secure the
resignation of Prof. Wilford Caulkins, to take effect at a date not later
than the close of the present school term, and to so modify its action
as not to exclude from instruction in that institution students on
account of race or color; i. e., if the said university fail in either of
these particulars, we hereby instruct our Executive Committee to
secure, by agreement, if possible, with the Trustees of said
University, the immediate termination of the contract between the
Chattanooga University and the Freedmen’s Aid Society; and, in case
a termination of said contract be not secured by mutual agreement,
in either of the contingencies named above, to notify the Trustees of
the Chattanooga University, within sixty days from this 24th day of
February, 1887, of the termination of the contract as provided in the
same.”
This brings matters to an issue. We congratulate the Board of
Managers of the Freedmen’s Aid Society upon the stand taken.
Writes a teacher in Georgia: “With the close of 1886 many left our
school, some to teach in the public schools and others to engage in
any work that they could find. Over thirty schools have been
supplied with acceptable teachers from our schools.” We have here
an illustration of what is taking place more or less in connection with
all our schools. We are supplying teachers for the public schools of
the South. Reports that tell only of what our missionaries are doing
among those whom they personally reach, fall far short of that
larger work, which, through their scholars, they are doing all over
the South. Think of the difference between a school taught by a
Christian teacher and one under the care of a godless teacher. The
A. M. A. is sending out Christian teachers.
The Charleston News and Courier is authority for the statement that
one thousand and fifty-seven colored people of that city have
deposits in the local savings banks amounting to $124,936. The
person who has the largest deposit, $6,747, to his credit, is a pure-
blooded African, but a born financier. He has recently bought a
valuable plantation for $10,000, and has paid $7,000 of the
purchase-money. The News and Courier adds: “There are thousands
of active and thrifty colored men in the State who have bought land
since the war, and who are steadily collecting about them the
comforts and many of the luxuries of life. Comparatively few of the
colored people entertain decided notions of economy or have any
faith in Government savings banks, but the wealth they have hidden
away in old stockings and the money they are investing from year to
year in lands and houses, if it could be rightly estimated, would
prove a pleasing revelation.”
THE END OF A DISTINGUISHED LIFE.
The death of Rev. Henry Ward Beecher has evoked a widespread
expression of interest. His funeral was more like that of some
distinguished statesman, over whose bier all political and religious
differences are forgotten and only the good connected with his life
remembered. It was certainly a most remarkable demonstration.
And why all this? Because he had worked himself into the popular
thought as the faithful champion of reforms and measures that
touched the popular heart. His pulpit power, as an orator, made
Brooklyn famous the world over. His splendid victory in turning the
tide of British opinion on the side of the Union as against secession
by his marvelous speeches in England, challenged and won the
admiration of his countrymen who were loyal to the integrity of the
republic. But what more than anything else created an affection that
his death has resurrected, and that will make his name famous so
long as its memory remains, was his fearless and uncompromising
Abolitionism. Plymouth pulpit was a battery whose shot and shell
made continuous breaches in the defenses of slavery during the
days preceding the great conflict, and when the conflict came, it was
heard as a voice in trumpet tones calling the people to battle and
steadying them in courage and determination. The preacher saw
with prophetic eye not only the preservation of the Union as the
issue, but the emancipation and enfranchisement of the slaves. Mr.
Beecher was, therefore, always the friend of the American
Missionary Association. For eleven years he was one of its vice-
presidents. At Lawrence, Mass., in 1870, he preached its annual
sermon. Its representatives have always been welcome to his pulpit,
and its work has always been sustained by the contributions of his
people. It was fitting that the same man who had been the
undertaker for John Brown and Owen Lovejoy should perform the
same service, as he did, for Mr. Beecher. It was fitting that a Virginia
Confederate general and former slave-holder, and a Massachusetts
colored commander of the William Lloyd Garrison Post of the Grand
Army of the Republic, should march arm in arm, as they did, at the
head of the procession when the body was carried to Plymouth
Church under escort of the 13th N. Y. Regiment, of which Mr.
Beecher was the chaplain. It was fitting that the last letter Mr.
Beecher wrote, and which he left unfinished, should be, as it is,
about a colored man and the word of God.
And it is fitting that The American Missionary should join, as it does,
with the tens of thousands who testify to the wonderful power, the
marvelous achievements, the great value of the varied ministrations
of this justly distinguished and remarkable man, and who thank God
that the transcendent wealth of his great mind, and tender,
sympathetic heart was consecrated to the service of the loving
Father, who bestowed it, in behalf of liberty, justice, equity and right.
THE NEGRO ON THE NEGRO.
The New York Independent, always on the alert for information
concerning the colored people, and fearless in its championship of
those people’s rights, has published under the above caption seven
most interesting articles.
A circular was sent to two hundred representative intelligent colored
men and women in the several Southern States, “to ascertain the
prevailing opinions and feelings of the colored people themselves
about the relation of the races and the outlook of the colored race.”
The seventh article, which is a summary of the answers received, we
take great pleasure in publishing:
“Material Prosperity and Ambition of the Negro.—There is a
practically unanimous opinion (the dissenting opinions coming from
a few communities which have abnormal hindrances) that the
colored people are becoming home owners with great rapidity. The
proportion of families who own their own homes is variously
estimated, and no estimate is trustworthy for statistical uses. But all
the correspondents report an ambition to accumulate property, and
the accumulation of more and more every year. The great mass of
the blacks are not real estate owners. The great mass of black
families are yet tenants; but the progress making in the acquisition
of land seems to be satisfactory. In most Southern communities,
land is yet very cheap, and the mere ownership of land does not
argue material prosperity to any great extent; but the ownership of
homes does argue a social advancement that is exceedingly
significant. There is reported from some communities a lingering
opposition by the whites to the disposition of land to Negroes. But
this has had the natural effect to make the Negroes the more
ambitious to become land-owners. In most communities this
opposition seems to have disappeared, or at least to have taken the
modified shape of opposition to the Negroes’ acquisition of the most
desirable land for residences. The race is indisputably laying the
foundation for all healthful progress.
The System of Wages, Credit, etc. There is very general complaint of
the credit system which prevails in most Southern communities. The
most grievous shape this takes is the payment of wages in supplies,
whereby an oppressive interest is exacted, and by the nature of the
system generally made necessary. By such a system the thrifty are
taxed to make up for the thriftlessness of the rest. It is at this point,
in fact, that the industrial servitude which yet lingers as a relic of
slavery obtrudes itself most oppressively. The abolition of this
system is necessary for the material advancement of the South—of
both races alike; necessary for the elevation of the laborer and for
the promotion of his efficiency; necessary as a corollary to the
Emancipation Proclamation; and necessary as a means of freeing the
whole system of Southern labor (the employer as well as the
employee) from inefficiency. No conceivable amount of extraneous
capital invested in the South would so add to material prosperity as
the abolition of the credit and supply system. The labor problem
there is to effect this emancipation. As for wages, they are low, but
their lowness is not itself a cause of distress. It is the system which
keeps them low and keeps labor inefficient and taxes thrift and skill,
and puts a premium on thriftlessness and untrustworthiness, that
does the damage. The gist of the whole problem is here.
The Races and the Laws.—The statutes of the Southern States are
not a matter of complaint, except the bastardy and marriage laws;
but there is a very general opinion that in the execution of the law,
race prejudice appears. One correspondent lays great stress on a
fact which several others mention, that many ignorant blacks often
fancy that they are the victims of injustice when they are not. The
opinion of the colored practitioners of law is practically unanimous
that a Negro tried for certain crimes is more likely to be convicted
than a white man for the same crimes, and likely to pay a heavier
penalty where the penalty is discretionary with the court or jury. The
marriage and bastardy laws of several Southern States at least
concentrate the pressure to crime at the weakest social point, and
do not give the Negro woman a fair chance, nor the same protection
or reparation that the white woman has.
Schools and Churches.—In the answers to the inquiry whether the
Negroes themselves prefer separate or mixed schools and churches,
a peculiar state of feeling was made plain in this regard—that
“union” or “mixed” schools were opposed by the colored teachers
because the white teachers would then have a monopoly of the
business of teaching. This implies a belief that the Southern whites
would teach Negro schools if it were made profitable. The dominant
sentiment of the colored people is decidedly in favor of the present
system of separate schools and churches; but they prefer them
because mixed schools and churches would emphasize and provoke
the race prejudice. As an independent question, apart from the
difficulty of readjusting a plan now almost universally adopted, they
would prefer mixed schools and union churches. The most intelligent
of these correspondents, even as things are, favor mixed
congregations and schools as a means of eradicating race prejudice.
It is worthy of notice that several correspondents declare that the
separation of the congregations of the same creed on the color line
has had much to do toward causing the blacks to doubt the sincerity
of the religion of those who, though they teach that their religion is
universal in its application, allow it to yield to race feeling. This is a
significant confession for colored men to make; and it is worthy of
the attention of the Southern churches.
“Civil Rights.”—There is a unanimous protest in these letters against
the discrimination made between the races on public thoroughfares,
and at places of amusement. The desire of the colored people for
the obliteration of the color-line in these places seems to be
universal and is strong.
The Most Pressing Need.—-In answer to the inquiry, “What is the
greatest hindrance, and the most pressing need of the race?” the
Negro’s appreciation of instruction, and his ambition to be educated,
were forcibly expressed. “Education is the greatest need,” is the
answer in substance of every correspondent. In the replies it was
made plain that the race is prepared for an important prohibition
movement. Drink is thought to be the greatest hindrance by a large
number of the colored lawyers and teachers, as well as preachers.
This points to a probably early agitation of prohibition over a wide
Southern area. The colored man himself appreciates, too, the
necessity of practical instruction, instruction in the trades.
Morality and the Mixture of Races.—A general moral improvement is
what the Negro himself believes his race is making; and this belief is
in itself strong evidence that this judgment is sound. But the
dominant opinion is that the black race is already perceptibly
disappearing. Colored men are everywhere reported to prefer light-
colored women. There is a race pride on the Negro’s side as well as
on the white man’s against intermarriage. But the Negro has,
nevertheless, reached the conclusion, if these letters are
representative of the race’s opinion, as they are believed to be, that
the pure African will become rare in a very few generations, and that
he is doomed to extinction.
It remains to be said that the letters which have been received in
answer to these inquiries show not a little mature thought. They
show, too, a profound interest in all phases of the subject. The
Negro is at least seriously thinking over the problems that his
presence presents. Many of these correspondents have expressed
great interest in this investigation, and have put themselves to no
little trouble to make it full and fair. The sincerity and frankness of
these letters have spoken for themselves. A deep moral purpose
pervades most of them that is impressive. They emphasize the
conviction that the race is making an heroic struggle, according to its
opportunities for advancement. That the Negro is true to his race,
moreover, is a fact of some importance. The educated are working to
educate the rest.
It is noteworthy, moreover, that out of all the answers received only
two displayed bitterness of race feeling. The Negro’s temper, as
shown in this correspondence, is the temper of a patient, charitable
worker for a great purpose. And, above all, the Negro has faith in
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