The article we reprint from the New York Sun touching the status of the Colored man in Cuba was shown to Rev. Father Walter R. Yates, Assistant pastor of St. Joseph's Colored Church.
A Planet reporter was informed that Father Yates had resided in that climate for several years and wished his views.
"The Sun correspondent is substantially correct," said the Reverend gentleman. "Of course, the article is very incomplete, there are many omissions, but that is to be expected in a newspaper article."
It would take volumes to describe the achievements of men of the Negro, or as I prefer to call it, the Aethiopic Race, not only in Cuba, but in all the West Indies, Central and South America, and in Europe especially in Sicily, Spain and France.
"By achievements I mean success in military, political, social, religious and literary walks of life. The only thing I see to correct in the Sun's article, continued the Father, is in regard to population. 'A Spanish official told me that the census figures were notoriously misleading. The census shows less than one-third colored. That is said not to be true. As soon as a man with African blood, whether light or dark, acquires property and education, he returns himself in the census as white. The officials humor them in this petty vanity. In fact it's the most difficult thing in the world to distinguish between races in Cuba. Many Spaniards from Murcia, for instance, of undoubted noble lineage are darker than Richmond mulattoes.'"
[Illustration: GENERAL RUSSELL A. ALGER, SECRETARY OF WAR.]
May I ask you, Father Yates, to what do you ascribe the absence of Race prejudice in Cuba?
"Certainly. In my humble opinion it is due to Church influence. We all know the effect on our social life of our churches. Among Catholics all men have always been on equal footing at the Communion rail. Catholics would be unworthy of their name, i.e. Catholic or universal were it not so."
"Even in the days when slavery was practised this religious equality and fellowship was fully recognized among Catholics."