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48 THE ATHENAEUM TN seeking the reasons for the above cited facts known to be com mon to our group, certain causes loom up in the background which will in a way account for lack of scholarship. The causes can be classified as group causes and personal causes. Under the head of group causes we find that the group fails to bring the necessary pressure upon an individual which will make him ?£S f^el a deep disgust at failing to keep high scholarship. fc'9f.c - - Early society used crude methods of enforcing the idea of greater scholarship and adaptability. Such means as public ap- r.-prqval, taboos, rituals, and the like served their purposes, and 3-sq effective were these means of enforcing increased scholar- j^slaig tfiat remnants of them are handed down to us today, and it is readily perceived that these means have influenced profoundly fcsJbfc. whole character of subsequent history. But as standards ,g^are set up by one civilization which standards change from cvcnltural epoch to cultural epoch, we today find ourselves in the midst of a hostile civilization—a civilization in which egotism is the ruling motive—a civilization which is ready at all times to discourage amibiton. In fact among our group, instead of one being praised by his friends for great deeds, he is snubbed, en vied, hated, and at times even his very life is endangered. The cause of delinquent scholarship, looking at it from a group standpoint, lies in the fact that no ideals are set up-^no parti- ' cular point is aimed at—no pressure is brought to bear—no in centive is given to further pursuane of studies after the college course is completed—and even at times increased scholarship is discouraged by personal animosities. I OOKING at the cause of delinquent scholarship from a personal ^ standpoint, it centers around the lack of ambition in Negroes, a : subconscious feeling of inferiority when the other races are under question, and a functioning of improperly formed habits. , Due to the Negroe’s environment on first entering the United States he naturally gave himself over to laziness, and felt that he just could not.do it. Held from executing his thoughts by restraint on the one hand and fear on the other, he naturally handed down to his descendents an instinct of laziness com plete with a feeling of inferiority. The 19th century Negro, believed he was inferior by virtue of the fact thajt amid the complex civilization in which he lived he never saw great things