The Marrow of Tradition · Chapter
The Editor at Work explained
Major Carteret, now a father, returns to his office and is visited by General Belmont and Captain McBane, who share his outrage at the political and social advances of Black citizens in Wellington.
What happens
Major Carteret, now a father, returns to his office and is visited by General Belmont and Captain McBane, who share his outrage at the political and social advances of Black citizens in Wellington. They conspire to take action to restore white supremacy, setting the stage for a coordinated movement.
Themes in this chapter
Racial Injustice
The chapter centers on white supremacist backlash against Black political and social equality, with Carteret, Belmont, and McBane conspiring to suppress Black rights.
Class and Privilege
The differing backgrounds of Carteret (aristocratic), Belmont (upper-class), and McBane (poor-white) illustrate class divisions within the white supremacist movement, yet they unite against a common perceived threat.
Politics and Power
The chapter depicts the mechanics of political manipulation, as the three men plan to use their influence to overturn election results and restore white dominance.
Characters to notice
- Major Carteret
Returns to work after his son's birth, feeling renewed pride in his race and class. He writes an editorial decrying Black political participation and is receptive to the conspiratorial visit from Belmont and McBane.
- General Belmont
A polished, aristocratic lawyer and politician who visits Carteret to express alarm over 'negro domination' and to propose action. He is pragmatic and less scrupulous than Carteret.
- Captain George McBane
A coarse, ambitious man from poor-white stock, who made a fortune through convict labor. He joins Belmont in urging Carteret to act against Black advancement, and is viewed with suspicion by Jerry.
- Jerry Letlow
The colored porter and grandson of Mammy Jane. He brings chairs for the visitors, is treated dismissively by McBane, and reflects on the major's condescending but not openly hostile manner.
- Mr. Ellis
Mentioned as having shaken hands with Jerry in the past, reflecting his more egalitarian Quaker background, in contrast to Carteret's pride.
Key passages
“I saw a spectacle of social equality and negro domination that made my blood boil with indignation—a white and a black convict, chained together, crossing the city in charge of a negro officer!”
Belmont describes seeing a white and Black convict chained together under a Black guard, which he interprets as a degrading sign of racial equality.
This incident galvanizes the men's resolve to act against what they see as a reversal of the natural racial order.
“He believed in the divine right of white men and gentlemen, as his ancestors had believed in and died for the divine right of kings.”
Carteret's worldview is rooted in a quasi-religious belief in white supremacy and aristocratic privilege, akin to the old doctrine of divine right.
This line underscores the ideological foundation of Carteret's racism and his sense of entitlement to rule.