The Black Man
The Father of Civilization
Proven by Biblical History
James Morris Webb, A. M.,
AUTHOR
Evangelist and Biblical Lecturer
FRATERNAL PRESS
107 E. 35th Street
Chicago, III.
1919
Copyrighted
PREFACE
I have many objects in presenting this book
to the public.
First: I love my race regardless of the pre¬
judice against her, the unenviable position she
holds, and the things she is falsely said to be
guilty of.
I demonstrate my love for her by launching
this book before the public as somewhat of a
defense against the prejudice of ancient, as well
as modern historical writers and lecturers, who
have misrepresented her, and took from her the
good deeds and honors that are justly due her.
Secondly: I realize that my race has had
defenders, and has some now, men of my race
and men of other races. But I am simply pre¬
senting this book as an humble race defender,
in connection with the body of race defenders,
and if my theory in this book is accepted as
one of the little fingers of this splendid body,
I will feel that I have accomplished some re¬
sults and thus portrayed the story of "The
3
Widow's Mite"—she gave all she had, and I con¬
tribute likewise.
Thirdly: To appreciate my argument, the
reader had best have a Bible at his finger tips
so as to examine my references and compare
them with my statements, which I make wholly
and solely upon the authorities found in the
Bible, which in turn is the real and only author¬
ity on ancient history (again my authority is
not inspired in the slightest degree with malice
or hatred for the white race). My profession
as a Minister of the Gospel of Jesus Christ
would not permit me to defend in the name of
justice, harboring malice and hatred or any ill
feeling toward my white brethren. I am act¬
ing with that meek and humble spirit and with
a gigantic pride in my race, wJhich I hope,
pleases God.
J. M. WEBB.
4
INTRODUCTION
THE Bible gives the first and only true ac¬
count of the origin of mankind. It is the only
book containing an accurate record of the pro¬
gress of man toward civilization, and it is the
indispensable reference of all searchers after
the real facts of the birth of humanity and its
progress toward the civilization of today; be¬
ginning with his creation, it is the only authen¬
tic record of man; authentic because it is first
hand, not a copy of something else or a scienti¬
fic or literary review, but a dispassionate rec¬
ord of man's creation and progress, untrimmed,
unshaped and unvarnished, to suit prejudice.
It would not be a complete record if it did not
show with the rest of them the origin of the
black man and "Woe for all these pinnacle
thieves"—it shows that he, the "black man" is
the "father of civilization."
The black man has been misrepresented by
prejudiced historians and lecturers. It has
been and is now quoted that Ham, the father
5
of the black man, was cursed by bis father,
Noah. Now, in regard to this incident let us
take the Biblical record for it, and anyone not
totally blind with prejudice will be convinced by
reading in the Book of Genesis, the 9th Chap¬
ter from the 20th to the 27th verse inclusive,
that Noah did not, "for he could not curse"
Ham, although he did in a fit of intoxication
pronounce a curse on Canaan, the son of Ham.
In passing, I might mention that Canaan was
never inconvenienced by the curse of Noah, be¬
cause he was the Father of seven prosperous
nations, foremost among them were the Canaan-
ites, Phoenicians and Sidonians. The Sidoni-
ans sprang from Sidon, who was the first son of
Canaan, according to Genesis, 10th Chapter
15th verse. These same Sidonians are the men
"descended from black men" whom Solomon
ordered Hirman of Tyre to engage to do the
skilled hewing and designing of the timber work
on Solomon's temple—Solomon declaring that
these Sidonians, "black men," were the only
men possessed with anywhere near sufficient
skill to take charge of and successfully complete
the artistic timber work on "His" Solomon's
temple. First Kings 5th Chapter 6th verse
speaks very plainly of this fact. Solomon knew
the black race was a superior, not an inferior
6
race. He married Pharaoh's daughter—see 1st
Kings, 3rd Chapter 1st verse; 7th Chapter 8th
verse, also the 9th Chapter and 16th verse. So¬
lomon's wife might have been as dark skin or
even as black as he was, for history shows that
Egypt had two full blooded Ethiopian Pharaohs
just before and during the reign of Solomon,
according to Herodotus, the names of these two
Ethiopians were Sabaco or "Sebichos" and
Sethos, so Solomon surely got an Ethiopian
"Negro or black" wtrman for a wife. This
naturally increased the proportion of Negro
blood in the veins of the future King of the Jews.
Viewing the progress of the immediate descen¬
dants of Ham we learn that a curse laid upon
one by a mortal of that day was as foolish and
ineffective as it is in this, the story about this
curse, also the story of the black man who con¬
tended that a black skin and woolly hair is a dis¬
grace, has, according to the Bible, no founda¬
tion. Speaking of black skin, the greatest brain
work and wisdom ever given to this world was
given by men of black skins, or at least in whose
veins the greatest portion of blood was Ethio¬
pian or Negro blood. As to this assertion and
King Solomon, see "Songs of Solomon 1st Chap¬
ter 6th verse." Solomon's dark skin should
cause no surprise, because his mother, Hittite,
7
was also the widow of Uriah (see 2nd Samuels
12th Chapter 9th and 10th verses). The Hitti-
tes are the descendants of Heth and Heth w;as
the second son of Canaan (see Genesis 10th
Chapter 15th verse). .
As to the woolly hair, Jesus, the Blessed
Saviour of Mankind, will have His head cover¬
ed with woolly hair when he comes to judge the
world (Daniel 7th Chapter 9th and 10th verses).
Now, if Daniel's prophecy is true that when
Christ left this earth he had woolly hair, he na¬
turally will return with woolly hair, and the pic¬
tures of Him today are an erroneous conception
of Him, by the artists. This grand old book the
Bible, does not show that God ever turned a man
black to disgrace him for his sins, or anything
else, but this same Bible does show that God's
power did turn a man white to disgrace him be¬
cause of his sins, and said that his seed would
be likewise forever. Facts are stubborn things
and often very disagreeable, sometimes even
sickening, and by reading carefully the 5th
Chapter of the 2nd Kings, 25th, 26th and 27th
verses, many of our highly civilized brethren
"whose ancient ancestors disgraced them" will
suffer an alarming fit of nausea. Among the
many low, cowardly things that have been said
and done against the Negro during this Chris-
8
tian era, one poor benighted individual publish¬
ed a "joke" in book form, in which he claims
that, the Negro is a beast, the poor fellow tries
to be serious, and no doubt thinks he is offer¬
ing at least some proof of his assertion. The
poor fellow, of course, receives some sympathy,
and would no doubt receive as much as any of
the rest of his class w'ere it not for the fact that
he holds a Professorship in one of our leading
American Christian Universities. Of course,
the disgust, if any, is felt for those responsible
for placing the poor devil in such a position,
and the real and well placed sympathy is for the
student, who must suffer because of this fellow.
The fact remains, however, that regardless of
what has been said and done against the Negro
and of whatever might be said or done against
him in future, he is the ONLY man who can
trace himself back through the ages to his ori¬
gin, and find monumental evidence of his un-
equaled greatness, his prowess, the laurels and
great honors he won, the things he created and
perfected which have a direct influence on our
civilization of today.
The "black man," I boldly assert, "was the
Father of civilization," born in the land of
Egypt, and the different branches of Science
and Art were simply transmitted to other races,
9
which, as the ages have rolled by, have only-
been enlarged and to some extent improved up¬
on. Even the modern American Negro has
proven that he is original, for instance—as a
Tonsorial Artist he has no superiors and no
Negro was ever known to enter a "Barber Col¬
lege" to learn the trade. Negroes inherit the
sweetest, most musical voices, and if you have
not heard a Negro quartette or chorus after
they have arranged the harmony of a piece
they are to sing, you have not heard what is
best and sweetest in vocal music. As instru¬
mentalists "not forgetting the many others" I
simply mention Blind Tom, and Blind Boone,
the fame of these two men needs no comment.
They only displayed that talent handed down to
them through centuries by their black ances¬
tors. As for the Negro being original, why the
Negro has given great American the only claim
she ever did or ever will have to a National
music.
God honored the black man by allowing some
of his Ethiopian blood to flow in the veins of His
only Son Jesus Christ, and I unhesitatingly as¬
sert that Jesus would in America be classed a
NEGRO. I make this assertion only on the
authority of the Bible, according to which Jesus
was born out of the tribe of Judah. Judah had
10
only five children and they were males (1st
Chron. 2nd ch. and 4th v.), three by his first
wife and two by his second wife (1st Chron. 2nd
ch. 3rd and 4th vs.)) and both of his wives were
descendants of Canaan, a black man who was
the son of Ham (Genesis 10th ch. 6th v.).
Tamar, Judah's second wife, bore him two of
these sons whose names were Phares and Zarah
(1st Chron. 2nd ch. and 4th v.), these two
names appear in the genealogy of Jesus Christ
in the Book of Matthew (1st Chapter 3rd v.),
so it is no trouble to see that Judah of whom
Christ was to come, started out by presenting
to the world children of Canaanite women who
were Hamite descendants. Now, Virgin Mary,
of whom Christ was born was beyond all doubt
a woman out of the tribe of Judah, and every
Bible reference proclaims that Jesus was to
spring from this tribe of Judah (Genesis 49-
10, Heb. 7-14, Rev. 5-5th). Our beloved St.
Paul tells us in (Romans 1-3) that Jesus was
of the seed of David according to the flesh.
David is the 10th man named from Judah in
the genealogy of Jesus Christ (Matthew 1st
Chapter, 3rd, 4th, 5th and 6th verses). Added
to this David's great, great grandfather "Booz"
was born of the woman Rahab, who was a di¬
rect descendant of Ham (Matthew 1st Chapter
11
5th verse). This also shows that David, one of
God's greatest soldiers, was one who most suc¬
cessfully led his people and one who had Negro
blood in his veins. Bible history is full of hon¬
ors for the Black Man, Jethro the Ethiopian or
Negro father-in-law of Moses, who was the
author who first employed that, which is today,
our judicial system, considerably twisted and
revised to meet the changing conditions of civi¬
lization (Exodus 18th Chapter). This chapter
tells of Jethro's visit to Moses, and how he gave
Moses the foundation of what is today our sys¬
tem of graded courts for pronouncing judg¬
ments. Again Moses "The Hebrew Emancipa¬
tor" was named by a black woman "Pharaoh's
daughter"—she said she called him Moses be¬
cause she drew him out of the water (Exodus
2-10) and besides black men educated Moses.
At any rate he received what education he had
in the schools of the black people of Egypt
(Acts 7th 22nd), so there is nothing remarkable
in the fact that Dr. Booker T. Washington, W.
E. B. DuBois, W. S. Scarborough and many oth¬
er Negro or black men occupy places among the
foremost and most eminent educators of the
world, and why should they not? They are
descended from fathers who ruled Egypt cen-
12
turies ago and with their great wisdom laid the
foundation of learning.
13
THE BLACK MAN
FIRST CHAPTER.
"THAT time changes all things" is a saying
so old and so true as to admit of no argument.
It is exemplified in so many different ways as
to require no comment, and yet when we hear
the phrase used glibly and thoughtlessly, every
day, it is but natural to wonder if the one who
uses it realizes what he is saying, or rather, if
he knows what those few commonplace words
mean, when used to form that sentence.
It is a foregone conclusion that he does not.
He never stopped, "he, of this enlightened age,
I mean," long enough to examine even a little
of the abundance of indisputable proof that the
saying "Time changes all things" applies to
things and conditions, seldom if ever present,
to his own narrow1 mind, and far away and be¬
yond even his meaner and low prejudiced in¬
fluence. If he did, his retrospective mood,
would, before carrying him back to the very be-
14
ginning, suffer something of a shock, and his
attitude would change. Instead of delighting in
history, modernj medieval and ancient, his at¬
titude would change so noticeably that an ob¬
server would imagine that his only interest was
in tearing dow*n and falsifying facts, and con¬
cealing records that he could not falsify. When
we hear or read the sayings of some of our
"misnamed" great men, but in reality disgust¬
ingly conspicuous public figures, we are fully
justified in making the charge of falsifying and
concealing such facts as they are not really
ignorant of. One of these conspicuous public
characters delights in making the assertion that
the Hamite Ethiopian or Negro never amount¬
ed to anything, or' possessed anything, never
occupied an eminence, save to which the Semi¬
tic or white man had dragged or driven him up
to. If ignorance alone was responsible for this
glaring falsehood, a great deal of sympathy
would go out to those who make the statement
as well as those who believe it to be true be¬
cause of their ignorance. As harsh as it may
seem sympathy would be wasted for a great
deal of the self asserted enlightenment of today
is but egotism. Much of the so-called wisdom is
self praise for successfully concealing, or at
least surrounding historical facts with such
15
mystery as to place the descendants of Shem
upon an eminence which is not justly his and
makes him in his own opinion appear much
larger than what he really is. And yet with all
the egotism, some knowledge of the true origin
of mankind exists, and it is this knowledge that
causes the falsifying and hiding as much as
possible the true historical records, especially
of the black man. It cannot be said that the
learned historical writers, the great Divines,
Theological students and lecturers of today are
ignorant of the history of Ham, the son of Noah,
and his descendants, such as Nimrod, the found¬
er of the great ancient city of Babylon, and also
Menes the first King of Egypt and the founder
of the great ancient city of Memphis.
Ridpath says that the traditions of antiquity
point to Memphis and Babylon as the fountains
of human wisdom. If those above-named are
ignorant of the history of the last-named, they
are doing the world a great injustice in assum¬
ing the position of teacher and leader. If they
are familiar with the history of the races and
the deeds of men, they will no doubt have for
them and their kind good and sufficient reasons
for making false and misleading statements as
to some historical records, and totally forget¬
ting or demeaning others.
16
An early Queen of Egypt was a descendant
of the Ethiopian or Negro race. This is con¬
ceded by some of the modern writers; some of
them going so far as to say that her skin was
very black, and a few of them acknowledge that
it was this black queen who placed the first fleet
of war ships on the river Nile. They have no
doubt traced this woman back to where they
are satisfied that she was descended in a direct
lineal line from Zipporah, the black and Ethio¬
pian wife of Moses. We read very little of these
two women, because modern writers seek to
obscure them, and our ministers of the gospel
never preach or lecture on that part of the Bible
in which they are mentioned. WHY? Because,
if they do they must give credit to black people.
In this connection, I do not speak of Biblical
history only. Were it not for the fact that the
dimensions of this book would be extended far
beyond what was intended, I could begin even
with Hannibal, the Carthagenian General, and
record the accomplishments of black men with¬
out the intervening of any long periods of time,
down to the time of Alexandre Dumas, Tous-
saint L'Ouverture, and Alexander Sergievitch
Pouskin, Russo-African poet. I could do more,
I could come into the borders of this Republic
17
and beginning with Crispus Octikus, or Alexan¬
der Hamilton—record the accomplishments of
these same black descendants of Ham, down to
this day. This modern record would contain
many references to both the war of Indepen¬
dence and the war of the Rebellion. It would
also mention a great many black men who can
never forget El Caney and San Juan Hill. Be¬
sides the heroes of war, modern history is re¬
plete with the names of black men famous in
peace for their accomplishments in science and
letters of art. Space will not permit me to
dwell upon these men and their accomplish¬
ments and the towering obstacles in spite of
which they succeeded. I could not fail, how¬
ever, to mention Frederick Douglass who was
one of the greatest statesmen America ever had,
even though he was born a slave. Dr. Booker
T. Washington was also born a slave, and is one
of the greatest educators the world has ever
known. As to the many other great things
black men have done and are doing, I cannot
fail to mention the north pole, for, if human be¬
ings have stood on the spot claimed as the north
pole, the black man was preceeded by no one.
I speak of Mr. Matt Henson, the Negro, who, if
indeed, the pole ever was reached, was one of
the first of the only two "to date" to reach it.
18
SECOND CHAPTER.
HIS FIRST HOME.
God but faintly revealed the puzzle of civiliza¬
tion to Noah and his three sons, Shem, Ham and
Japheth (Genesis 9th Chapter 1st seven ver¬
ses), and it became their duty to start to work
on the first moves of the puzzle, as well as to
create nations. He, who would begin from the
first, moves and wbrks the matter out to per¬
fection .
Ham, the father of the black man, located in
Africa. Africa was his homestead, so to speak.
David, the Psalmist, credited Ham with this
territory in the 105th Psalm 23rd and 27th
verses, and also in the 106th Psalm 22nd verse.
Now, if this is not true, and we reject it on the
ground of not being sufficient proof of the
black man's first and original home, we can on
quite as good ground reject any and every
other part of the Bible, for what I here state
is no wild imagination, but PACTS taken from
the Bible.
Cush, Mizriam, Phut and Canaan were the
first sons of Ham (Genesis 10th Chapter, 6th
19
verse), and these four sons including Nimrod,
the grand-son of Ham, were the first to start
work on the problem of civilization; in a word
they were the pioneers and the very pillars of
civilized governments.
Cush located in South Egypt on the River
Nile. He became the father of the Ethiopians
as well as the father of the Cushites through
Nimrod who located on the Southern part of the
Euphrates River. It is to be remembered that
Nimrod is the founder of the Babylonian king¬
dom (Genesis 10th Chapter, 10th verse.) Miz-
riam located on the upper part of the River
Nile, and he became the father of the Egyp¬
tians. Phut located in the Northern part of
Africa. Canaan located in the land known as
the old Palestine country, which is modern
Turkey. Canaan became the father of the
Canaanites (Genesis 10th Chapter, 15th, 16th,
17th, 18th, and 19th verses). According to the
Bible the above is the exact location of the first
sons of Ham, and the question which naturally
follows is, "Was civilization born in their land
and given birth by Ham's first offspring?" It
is conceded by John Clark Ridpath and a few
other writers on ancient history that the Egyp¬
tians were the fathers of civilization, according
20
to the chronology of Manetho, an Egyptian
priest. Egypt was founded in the year B. C.
3892, and Menes was the first mortal King. The
all important question now arises, "Were the
Egyptians descendants of black men} or were
they descendents of white men? Were they
descendants of Ham or Shem?" It is well
known that students claim to be divided in their
opinion as to the original stock from which the
ancient Egyptians came. Ridpath, among oth¬
ers, says they were neither Semitic nor Negro,
but concludes his remarks on the origin, of the
Egyptians by saying that the ancient Egyptians
were considered a branch of that part of the
Cushite family, which settled in Asia. Proba¬
bly the little matter of the Cushites being the
grand-children of Ham slipped Ridpath's mind,
else his statements would not have been so con¬
flicting, because he just says that they were not
Negroes, but ends his argument by saying that
they were a branch of the Cushite family of
Asia.
It requires no laborious research to establish
che facts that Cush was the father of all Cushite
nations. He was also the first son of Ham
(Genesis 10th Chapter, 6th verse). Now then,
if the Ethiopians and all other Cushite nations
21
who sprang from this first son. of Ham were not
Negroes, will some of our historians omit the
Word "probably," so much used by them, and
say what they were. It is fair to assume that
with their boasted intelligence and superior
brain power, by this time they would have been
able to search out and connect at least some of
the many facts, and plain, indisputable records
in the Bible which leaves no room for doubt or
"probably."
We learn from the Bible that Ham is the fath¬
er of the African family; the. Ethiopian is the
darkest or blackest tribe of the Hamites. Cush
was the founder or father of this tribe. Moses
selected his wife from this black or Ethiopian
tribe (Numbers 12th Chapter, 1st verse). It
must be plain to any one who will read the parts
referred to in the Bible, that Radpath's conten¬
tion that the Egyptians sprang from the Cush-
ites was the wrong avenue to escape the blood
of the Negro, or their relation to the black
man's family. I believe, however, that Ridpath
wrote in good faith for the majority of the his¬
torical writers claim that the Egyptians de¬
scended from a white race, notwithstanding
they admit that the Old Testament gives the
truest, the most complete and reliable record
22
on the origin of the Egyptians of any other
book, so it is not unnatural to believe that their
opinions are influenced by racial prejudice.
Now it is true that the Bible contains the only
authentic, and certainly the most ancient re¬
cord of not only the Egyptians, but of all man¬
kind, and I CAN and will PROVE by it that the
Egyptian—Hamite—sprang from Mizriam.
According to the Biblical Gazette, the word
"Egypt" is derived from the word Mizriam, and
this word "Mizriam" w&s the name of one of the
first sons of Ham (Genesis 10th Chapter, 6th
verse). By the word "Egypt" being coined
from the word "Mizriam," it strengthens my
contention that the Egyptian w'as rescended
from the black man. I will now dig down fur¬
ther into the rich earth of proof for more en¬
lightenment out of the Book of Truth. By view¬
ing the ancient Bible map of Africa and Asia,
which map can be found in the back of the New
Testament, one can readily pick out the spots
upon which Shem, Ham and Japheth first lo¬
cated. You will notice that Miriam, the second
son of Ham, and the accredited father of the
Egyptians located on the very spot, so to speak,
where the great City of Memphis w!as built by
Menes, the first King of Egypt. Again you will
23
notice that all the names within African borders
are names of the sons of Ham, Shem and his
offspring) located in Asia. Perhaps a better
way to locate Ham, Shern and Japheth and their
first offspring is first to read the 10th and 11th
Chapters of Genesis, then locate their names on
the map, and it will be seen that not a Shemite,
or white man, originally located in Africa. All
of the white men located in Asia, and according
to the Bible white men never began to travel in
Africa until Abraham's time, B. C. 1921. The
Egyptians lived in a high state of civilization
near 2,000 years before Abraham's first visit to
Egypt, and the appearance of white people was
a circus and a curiosity to the black people.
Abraham realized this fact and commanded his
wife to represent herself as his sister, because
as he said, "she was fair to look upon," white
(Genesis 12th Chapter, 11th, 12th and 13th ver¬
ses). This would indicate that the Egyptians
were not white, and I will say without fear of
my assertian being disproven, that until after
the time of Abraham, the Egyptians were a Sim¬
on pure black race. Shortly after Abraham's
visit, the Shemitic or white travellers began to
pour into Egypt to such an extent that the Egyp¬
tians began inter-marrying with them, and of
24
course, this inter-marrying had its effect of con¬
taminating the pure Negro blood, and this inter¬
marrying was the cause of the black man, or full
blooded Egyptian losing the power of control in
the Kingdom. In other words—this is the loop
through winch the Shepherd or white or She-
mitic kings slipped through and took possession
of the Egyptian kingdom.
25
THIRD CHAPTER.
HIS RULE IN EGYPT.
Dr. Leonhard Schmitz, Ph. D., LL. D., F. R. S.
E., says in his work on ancient Egyptian history,
that these Hyksos or Shepherd Kings were
Semite people. "White;" of course, and they
comprised the 15th, 16th and 17th dynasties,
which covered 511 years. Now, during this
period, Jacob and his twelve sons and their fami¬
lies moved from Canaan to Egypt, and other
Semite or whites from Asia did likewise, because
.the white man had begun to rule Egypt. At the
18th Dynasty, however, fortune turned against
the white rulers of JSgypt, and the black men or
the Negroes regained possession of their coun¬
try, and banished the whites from their land,
except the Jews, whom they held as slaves.
They reorganized the Kingdom with their own
blood, "the blood of the Negro." Aahmas was
the first King after the whites were driven out,
and his wife was Nefruari, the Ethiopian Prin¬
cess, greatly celebrated for her dusky charms,
her wealth and her accomplishments. The be¬
ginning of this reorganization of a period is re-
26
corded in the 1st Chapter of the Book of Exo¬
dus, which shows that at the beginning of the
slavery of the Jews, God told Abraham that his
people w'ould be held in bondage in Egypt for
400 years (Genesis 15th Chapter, 13th verse).
Those 400 years marked the period of Egypt's
most rapid and substantial progress, as Dr.
Schmitz says in writing on ancient Egyptian
history, those years were the most brilliant in
Egypt's record, and the period at which her art
reached its highest point. It is but reasonable
to suppose this to have been so, for the Sheph¬
erd, or. "white Kings" had destroyed all of the
former brilliancy of Egypt, and did not because
they could not do anything to replace or imitate
its grandeur or beauty. The black people when
they regained possession of their Kingdom and
again began to rule, made slaves of the Jews
and compelled them to do all the heavy, dirty,
unskilled labor, such as carrying bricks and
mortar and working in the field (Exodus 1st
Chapter, 13th and 14th verse). While the
Egyptians turned their attention to science and
art and reorganizing and drilling their army, so
as to be able to protect their country against all
nations. As Dr. Schmitz says, the Eastern
boundaries of Egypt were well protected by
27
strong fortresses. This is but natural, because
on the East, the Semitic or white races reigned,
and no doubt they were unfriendly to the Egyp¬
tians, or "black" people, because they had ex¬
pelled the Shepherd or "white" Kings from
their land. Now, when the Egyptians had at¬
tained "in that Age" to the highest degree of in¬
telligence and wisdom, and were possessed of
the greatest human power God deemed it wise
to make His own Infinite wisdom and power
felt over that of human wisdom and pow'er, by
using Moses as an instrument to knock at the
door of the Egyptian government and ask for
the release of the enslaved Jews. Moses did not
appear in Egypt by any human authority, or
power, but by the authority and the power of
God, for it would have been useless for not on¬
ly Moses, but for any nation or number of na¬
tions to approach Egypt with hostile intentions,
without God, because Egypt with her wisdom
and power had the world at her mercy. There
it required Gbd with His immeasurable wisdom
and power to overcome the wisdom and power
of these black Egyptians. The evidence of
God's power was displayed to the "Pharaoh
Meneptah," who is generally conceded to be the
"Pharaoh of the Exodus," by His, "God's" in-
28
struments, Moses and Aaron who were to ap¬
pear before the Pharaoh and cast down their
rods which turned to serpents (Exodus 7th
Chapter, 10th verse). When they had cast
down their rods before Pharoah, and they turn¬
ed to serpents, Pharoah called the wise men, or
magicians of Egypt with their enchantments,
and they cast down their rods which also be¬
came serpents (Exodus 7th Chapter, 11th and
12th verses). This was the performing of two
miracles, one by God's power, and one by hu¬
man power. This vieing with God, though only
for an instance of time is what no white man
has had the power to do since his creation.
But, however, God, in order to demonstrate
His supreme power, caused the serpents trans¬
formed from the rods of Moses and Aaron to
swallow the serpents transformed from the
rods of Pharaoh's or Egypt's wise men (Exo¬
dus 7-12). This rod and serpent incident was
the beginning .of a series of plague miracles
(read the 7th, 8th, 9th -and 10th Chapters of
Exodus), which wrecked the Egyptians' or
black man's kingdom, and also destroyed that
great power which he had over all other na¬
tions and released the Jews from slavery.
The black man's power, as the first power
among the nations had now begun to decay,
29
and as the black race began to die, a power
among nations, the white race began to rise to
where it had never been before, but this was
2,500 years after the black man had worked out
'all the problems of civilization.
In reading Revelation, 13th Chapter, 11th
verse, of St. John, the Divine, I am very much
impressed by the description of one of his re¬
velations which God unfolds to him, and which
he describes as follows:
"I behold another beast coming up out of the
earth and he had two horns, like lamb's, and
he spake as a dragon." ISfow, to my mind, the
foregoing vision of St. John the Divine, was this
very country, the United States of America, re¬
vealed to him ages ago before this country was
discovered and named, the two horns I inter¬
pret to be the two great political parties, that
have done so much to corrupt this Government
and misrule its people from their infancy to the
present day. Again, the American Govern¬
ment spake like a dragon when it permitted
slavery to exist, especially when its Constitu¬
tion says "That ALL MEN WERE BORN FREE
AND EQUAL."
Now, concerning the creating and enthralling
of nations, their rise and fall, that is the will
30
and the work of God. (75th Psalms, 6th and
7th verses.) (Jeremiah, 27th and 5th verses.)
Daniel, 2nd Chapter, 21st verse.) (Daniel, 4th
Chapter, 17th verse.)
So, since it is true that the black man is the
father of civilization, it is just as true that the
white man is now at the helm, and the big "I
AM" of the civilized world. But the fact re¬
mains that he took his civilization and his posi¬
tion after the black man had created it, and
passed from the stage of action, just as the
white man must do at God's own appointed
time, to make room for some other race, pro¬
bably the yellow race, Chinese or Japanese.
David, the Psalmist, said: "Egypt was the land
of the black man—Ham not Shem, the white
man," and he further said that the Tabernacles
which were the houses and dwellings from the
lowest to the King's palaces were Ham's, and
not Shem's, the white man—(Psalms, 106th
Chapter, 22nd verse; 105th Chapter, 23rd to
27th verse; 78th Chapter, 51st verse).
It is easy to understand why the Negro or
black man is not identified with his Egyptian
brother; that reason is seldom honestly and
earnestly sought for. The reason is—that the
historians, with a very few exceptions, write
31
from a prejudiced standpoint, together with the
fact that they do not give credit to the Old Tes¬
tament, if indeed, they study it at all, especially
that part of it which is the most ancient, and
beyond all shadow of a doubt the first and only
TRUE account of the origin of mankind it is
easy to understand.
It is impossible for God to forget that the
black man and his land (Egypt) was the cradle
of rescue that rocked and nursed the Son of
God in his first two years of life, wiien Herod's
decree to destroy all children under two years
of age was issued. It was known that the de¬
cree was issued for the express and only pur¬
pose of destroying *the infant Christ, but God
chose Egypt, the black man's land, as a haven
of rest and safety during the life of the dis¬
pleased and would-be infant murderer, Herod.
(Matt., 2nd Chapter.)
This might be the origin of that old, old say¬
ing, "Blood is thicker than water," for Jesus in
going into Egypt, went among black women
and men, who were the founders of the tribj
from which he sprang.
When God in His infinite wisdom, His great
love, justice and mercy, and at His own appoint¬
ed time, summons mankind to take his rightful
32
place in the wavering human line to be reward¬
ed for that smallest of virtures, in proportion as
he for the greatest of virtures, will say to the
black man, who will be found heading the line,
"Well done, thou good and faithful black ser¬
vant, thou, My instrument, the Father of Civili¬
zation."
THE END.
33
COMMENTS ON LECTURE TOURS
OF THE WRITER.
To Whom It May Concern:
"I beg to say, after hearing Elder Webb on
the subject, that the blood of the Negro coursed
through the veins of Jesus and Solomon. I am
frank to say I have seldom, if ever, enjoyed such
an intellectual treat. The position he assumed
as the subject of his lecture touching the Hami-
tic blood and race is difficult and requires a
practical knowledge of Biblical and historical
lore. But I am pleased to say that he not only
shows himself an expert, but the master of the
situation, and I commend him to the ministry
and churches of our race of every denomina¬
tion. Truly,
"BISHOP H. M. TURNER."
34
COMMENTS FROM LEADING PAPERS OF
THE WRITER'S HOME.
"The evidence submitted by Elder Webb tend¬
ing to prove that the Saviour of mankind, was a
black man seems to be sufficient to put those
who oppose the proposition upon their proof.
Now that the chain of evidence presented by
Mr. Webb appears so complete, it is strange that
none of the delvers in the Biblical records have
not advanced the sensational proposition be¬
fore. 'Not only was Christ a Negro, but it seems
Solomon, who has been held up through all of
the ages as the personification of wisdom, had
Ethiopian blood in his veins also.—Seattle Daily
Times.
"Elder J. M. Webb, evangelist of the Church
of God, in his book describes the black man as
the father of all civilization. He takes the
Bible to show that the fathers of the church and
all the great leaders, even the Greatest One,
were black. Mr. Webb's work is able and
thoughtful. Whether the Anglo-Saxon believes
him or not, Mr. Webb writes what he believes
to be true about his race and their place in
Biblical history." Seattle Daily Post Intelligence
35
THE COLORED SOLDIERS.
(From Dunbar's "Lyrics of Lowly Life.")
If the muse were mine to tempt it
And my feeble voice were strong,
If my tongue were trained to measurers,
I would sing a stirring song.
I would sing a song heroic
Of those noble sons of Ham,
Of the gallant colored soldiers
Who fought for Uncle Sam!
In the early days you scorned them,
And with many a flip and flout
Said- "These battles are the white man's,
And the whites will fight them out."
Up the hills you fought and faltered,
In the vales you strove and bled,
While your ears still heard the thunder
Of the foes' advancing tread.
Then distress fell on the nation,
And the flag was drooping low;
Should the dust pollute your banner?
No! the nation shouted, No!
36
So when War, in savage triumph,
Spread abroad his funeral pall—
Then you called the colored soldiers,
And they answered to your call.
And like hounds unleashed and eager
For the life blood of the prey,
Spring they forth and bore them bravely
In the thickest of the fray,
And where'er the fight was hottest,
Where the bullets fastest fell,
There they pressed unblanched and fearless
At the very mouth of hell.
Below are written some of the comments on
his poetry and prose:
Dr. Adams, editor of "The Advance," says:
"Dunbar was a genius bound in ebony."
Former President Theodore Roosevelt said:
"I was a great admirer of his poetry and his
prose."
37
Abraham Lincoln Frederick Douglass
Dr. Booker T. Washington
38
THREE OF THE GREATEST MEN
IN AMERICAN HISTORY
Frederick Douglass, the thunder-bolt, whose
mighty peals of thunder awoke the sympathy of
the Christian men and women of ^ this country
in behalf of his enslaved and suffering people.
Abraham Lincoln, the flash of lightning, who,
like a streak of light from Heaven giving hope
to the black people, struck the shackles from
their hands and left them lying shattered at
their feet.
Dr. Booker T. Washington, who nobly
directing a never-to-be-forgotten battle for that
moral and industrial education, which Douglass
and Lincoln made it possible for them to obtain.
39
BISHOP H. M. TURNER, D.D., L.L.D.
The Most Fearless Defender the Afro
Americans Have
40
BISHOP H. M. TURNER, D.D., L.L.D.
Bishop H. M. Turner, born at Newbury, South
Carolina, February 1st, 1833, is the senior Bish¬
op of the A. M. E. Church. He has been Bishop
for thirty-one years, and is quoted as the walk¬
ing encyclopedia of Methodism, and for this
cause the last general conference that conven¬
ed at Norfolk, Va., on May, 1908, voted unani¬
mously for the good Bishop to be the historian
of the African-Methodist Episcopal Church. It
is to be remembered that Bishop Turner was
the first colored man to be a commissioned of¬
ficer in the United States Army, which appoint¬
ment he received from President Lincoln. The
Bishop was twice a member of the Georgia
Legislature, and also the first of his church to
be elected Bishop to Africa.
41
PROF. W. S. SCARBOROUGH
Prof. W. S. Scarborough is head of the Classi¬
cal Department of Wilberforce University of
Ohio, and President of the same institution.
He, too, is a great writer in defense of the Afro-
American race. Here are some of his remarks
in his master-piece, "Race Integrity": (See next
page.)
42
"The truth is that the term 'Caucasian' has
little or no meaning as it is now used. The
word itself is a conventional term given at the
first by Blumenbach to designate what he con¬
sidered the highest type of the human family,
shown by a skull from Mount Caucasus. When
we attempt to trace those w'ho would claim the
name as an expression of their superiority we
find the type has disappeared. There is no
pure specimen now in existence. And if we ask
what is 'white' we can only say, 'that it is a
term used to designate the absence of color'—
that is all, and no sign whatever of 'race in¬
tegrity.' We have already indicated that
science and investigation point to the fact that
primitive man was not white. It is no new
theory, but it has seemed convenient for the
Saxon to let it rest as much as possible in dis¬
creet oblivion. Bishop H. M. Turner of the
African Methodist Episcopal church has often
promulgated it in his own inimitable way, and
Moncure D. Conway has also declared that the
white people of the world today are only a re¬
flex leprosy and that the natural color is brown
or black."
43
DR. W. E. BURGHARDT DUBOIS
Dr. W. E. Burghardt DuBois is the most schol¬
arly speaker and writer of the Afro-American
race. He is the author of the book "Souls of
Black Folks," which is a marvellous book. On
the following page are some of the phrases from
his famous address to the Social Study Clubs of
Chicago University, February 13th, 1907, on
Education and Civilization:
"The doing of the world's work is a great
duty and a great privilege. It is a thing not to
44
be aimed at but to be aimed beyond. Just so
soon as a nation or a country can put its foot
upon this satisfaction of the loWer wants and
step upward to the greater aspirations of hu¬
man brotherhood and the broader , ideals of civi¬
lization, just so soon the real building of civili¬
zation begins. It seems to me, therefore, that
the students of Chicago University and they
that teach them, ought especially, on every oc¬
casion to impress this broader iaspect of the
race problem. That instead of putting it in its
narrower, nastier channel, instead of stooping
to listen to men, who themselves represent
what is lowest and least in our national organi¬
zation, that you should strive in every way to
realize yourselves and to show others that this
great broad question of humanity is not a ques¬
tion of petty crime, not a question of so many
bales of cotton, not a question even of mere in¬
dustrial development, but is a question of hu¬
man aspiration, and that if here in America, on
the very forefront of present advance, it is pos¬
sible to murder the aspiration of 10,000,000 of
men, then America is not yet civilized."
45
HENRY O. TANNER
The World-Famous Afro-American Artist
Henry O. Tanner is the world famous Afro-
American artist. He is the oldest son of Bishop
Tanner of the A. M. E. Church. He was born
in Pittsburg, Penn., but was trained in the pub-
he schools of Philadelphia, to which place his
parents moved soon after his birth. His first
steps in his life work were taken in the art
46
schools of Philadelphia from wEirh training he
.went to Paris where his genius developed and
flowered in the studies of Benjamin Constant
and Julien. In 1895 his "Sabot Maker," was
shown in the salon exhibit and received friendly
treatment from the French critics. Frenchmen,
as a rule, are not too favorably inclined to the
works of foreigners and their appreciation of
Tanner is truly significant of the real value of
his work—a merit which puts it beyond the lim¬
itations of race and country. In 1896 he exhib¬
ited "Daniel in the Lion's Den," the first of a line
of religious works with which his fame has been
since connected. This picture received Honor¬
able mention from the French Jury and was
bought by the Pennsylvania Academy.
Mr. Tanner's picture, "The Two Disciples at
the Tomb," was purchased by the Chicago Art
Institute for $1,600.
47
Jtt Ukrnanj of
Paul Hattrettre
Imtlmr
3Famo«a
Afrtran-Ammratt
Port
48
P. KA ISAKA SEME
A Native Born African
49
P. Ka Isaka Seme, Who delivered such a
wonderful oration on the subject, "The Regene¬
ration of Africa," which oration is reproduced
from the Colored American Magazine of New
York (June, 1906). This oration substantiates
me in my article wherein I claim that the black
man was the FATHER OF CIVILIZATION.
50
THE REGENERATION OF AFRICA
Curtis Medals Oration, First Prize, April 5,
1906, Columbia University.
I HAVE chosen to speak to you on this oc¬
casion upon "The Regeneration of Africa." I
am an African, and I set my pride in my race
over against a hostile public opinion. Men
have tried to compare races on the basis of
some equality. In all the works of nature,
equailty, if by it we mean identity, is an impos¬
sible dream! Search the universe! You will
find no two units alike. The scientists tell us
there are no two cells, no two atoms, identical.
Nature has bestowed upon each a peculiar in¬
dividuality, an" exclusive patent—from the
great giants of the forest to the tenderest blade.
Catch in your hand, if you please, the gentle
flakes of snow. Each is a perfect gem, a new
creation; it shines in its own glory—a work of
art different from all of its aerial companions.
Man, the crowhing achievement of nature, de¬
fies analysis. He is a mystery through all ages
and for all time. The races of mankind are
composed of free and unique individuals. An
attempt to compare them on the basis of equal¬
ity can never be finally satisfactory. Each is
51
self. My thesis stands on this truth, time has
proved it. In all races, genius is like a spark,
which, concealed in the bosom of a flint, bursts
forth at the summoning stroke. It may arise
anywhere and in any race.
I would ask you not to compare Africa to
Europe or to any other continent. I make this
request not from any fear that such compari¬
son might bring humiliation upon Africa. The
reason I have stated,—a common standard is
impossible! Come with me to the ancient capi¬
tal of Egypt, Thebes, the city of one hundred
gates. The grandeur of its venerable ruins
and the gigantic proportions of its architecture
reduced to insignificance the boasted monu¬
ments of other nations. The pyramids of
Egypt are structures to which the world pre¬
sents nothing comparable. The mighty monu¬
ments seem to look with disdain on every other
work of human art and to vie with nature her¬
self. All the glory of Egypt belongs to Africa
and her people. These monuments are the in¬
destructible memorials of their great and origi¬
nal genius. It is not through Egypt alone that
Africa claims such unrivalled historic achieve¬
ments. I could have spoken of the pyramids
of Ethiopia, which, though inferior in size to
those of Egypt, far surpass them in architec-
52
of the new order of things that belong to this
new and powerful period.
The African already recognizes his anomalous
position and desires a change. The brighter
day is rising upon Africa. Already I seem to
see her chains dissolved, her desert plains red
with harvest, her Abyssinia and her Zululand the
seats of science and religion,- reflecting the glory
of the rising sun from the spires of their church¬
es and universities. Her Congo and her Gam¬
bia whittened with commerce, her crowded
cities sending forth the hum of business9 and all
her sons employed in advancing the victories of
peace—greater and more abiding than the spoils
of war.
Yes, the regeneration of Africa belongs to this
new and powerful period! By this term regene¬
ration I wish to be understood to mean the en¬
trance into a new life, embracing the diverse
phases of a higher, complex existence. The
basic factor which assures their regeneration
resides in the awakened race-consciousness.
This gives them a clear perception of their
elemental needs and of their undeveloped pow¬
ers. It therefore must lead them to the attain¬
ment of that higher and advanced standard of
life.
57
The African people, although not a strictly
homogeneous race, possess a common funda¬
mental sentiment which is everywhere mani¬
fest, crystallizing itself into one common con¬
trolling idea. Conflicts and strife are rapidly
disappearing before the fusing force of this en¬
lightened perception of the true intertribal rela¬
tion, which relation should subsist among a peo¬
ple with a common destiny. Agencies of a
social, economic and religious advance tell of a
new spirit which, acting as a leaving ferment,
shall raise the anxious and aspiring mass to the
level of their ancient glory. The ancestral
greatness, the unimpaired genius, and the re¬
cuperative power of the race, its irrepressibility,
which assures its permanence, constitute the
African's greatest source of inspiration. He
has refused to camp forever on the borders of
the industrial world; having learned that know¬
ledge is power, he is educating his children.
You find them in Edinburgh, in Cambridge, and
in the great schools of Germany. These return
to their country like arrows, to drive darkness
from the land. I hold that this industrial and
educational initiative must be regarded as posi¬
tive evidences of this process of his regene¬
ration.
58
The regeneration of Africa means that a new
and unique civilization is soon to be added to
the world. The African is not a proletarian in
the world of science and art. He has precious
creations of his own, of ivory, of copper and of
gold, fine plaited willow-Ware and weapons of
superior workmanship. Civilization resembles
an organic being in its development—it is born,
it perishes, and it can propagate itself. More
particularly, it resembles a plant, it takes root
in the teeming earth, and when the seeds fall in
other soils new varieties sprout up. The most
essential departure of this new civilization is
that it shall be thoroughly spiritual and human¬
istic—indeed a regeneration moral and eternal I
O AFRICA!
Like some great century plant that shall bloom
In ages hence, we watch thee; in our dream
See in thy swamps the Prospero of our stream;
Thy doors unlocked, where knowledge in her
tomb
Hath lain innumerable years in gloom.
Then shalt thou, walking With that morning
gleam
Shine as thy sister lands with equal beam
59
CHICAGO * * ILLINOIS
February, Nineteen-Nineteen
60
HAYES BOOK STORE
3640 SOUTH STATE STREET
CHICAGO, ILL.
Is the Headquarters for all my books and
Biblical Pictures.
61