THREE PROMINENT EDUCATORS AND AUTHORS. Progress or a Race ...OR... THE REA\ARKABLE ADVANCEMEINT OP THE COLORED AMERICAN. prom tbs Bondage of Slavery, IgooraQce and Poverty to tl)e Freedom of Citizenship, iQtelligence, Affluence, Hof^o'' OQd Trust. REVISED AND ENLARGED BY J. W. GIBSON Menjber of G. A. R.. Author of U. S. School History AND W. H. CROGMAN, A. M. Professor in Clark Uolversity. Atlanta, Ga., Author of "Talks for the Times" SPECIAL FEATURES National Negro Business League ar)d Introduction By BOOKER T. WASHINGTON Principal Tuskegee Nornjal and Industrial Institute Club Movement Among Negro Women By FANNIE BARRIER WILLIAMS PUBLISHED BY J. L. NICHOLS & COMPANY NAPERVILLE, ILL. AGENTS WANTED L \8 5 Copyright, 1902, by J. L. Nichols & Co. Copyright. 1912. by J. L. Nichols & Co. Soid only by subscription and not to be had in the bookstores. Any one desiring a copy should address the publishers. This book, including illustrations, is protected by copyright, and any infringement will be prosecuted to the lUllest extent of the law. nB 2C19t3 i^-3a5:>f PREFACE. Our apology for presenting to the public a new book is not that there are not sufficient books already written on the Negro, but that to our knowledge there has been no attempt made to put into permanent form a record of his remarkable progress under freedom— a proo-ress not equaled in the annals of history. Although the "Progress of a Generation" might, as to time, more accurately bound the limits of our theme, we have preferred to record as well the struggles and triumphs of the Race in the dark days of bondage, for slavery, with all its appalling horrofs, was neverthe- less in a sense educative to the Rap^ We are not ignorant of the fao€ that the eye of the critic will discern imperfections, but after much and labored research we have followed the plan that, in our judgment, would make the volume an incentive to greater progress in the future. In the chapter on Noted IMen and Women we may be charged with gross omissions, but the modesty of manv men and women worthy of mention has pre- vented a record of noble lives. In other cases the manuscript did not reach us in time. J We have quoted largely from different authors, and wherever possible have given credit, but in some cases even this was not possible, as the author was not always known. We are especially indebted to Dr. Hubbard, of Meharry Medical College, and Prof. Spence, of Fisk University, for valuable i-nformation. Our motive throughout has been that of an increas ing desire to aid in the work of elevating the Race foi which many noble lives have been given. We shall feel well repaid for our labors, if, through the perusal of these pages, there shall be an incentive to even greater efforts, during the second generation of freedom. With the sincere hope that our efforts may aid in inducing the multitudes to catch the same spirit of progress that imbues their leaders, we send this volume forth. ,,^r-r^-r.o THE AUTHORS. INTRODUCTION. The Progress of a Generation in the history of the Negi'O is the most fascinating study modern times pos- sesses. Springing from the darkest depths of slavery and sorrowful ignorance to the heights of manhood and power almost at one bound, the Negro furnishes an un- paralleled example of possibility. In the pages follow- ing, the authors have performed a duty at once difficult and needful — that of following the rise of the Negro through the different stages of his career. It is a task that merits respect, commands attention, and is, unhap- pily, too seldom attempted. The task of a biographer of a people is too frequently a thankless one. In sifting out the conflicting elements which present themselves for his consideration he is apt to injure tradition. In using material which he thinks best he is likely to upset preconceived ideas of theorists. His work must be the result of careful think- ing and an astonishing amount oifijiesse and diplomacy. The historian of the Negro race has all this and more too. He must, in addition to the other duties which devolve upon him in his work, be able to prophecy and foresee the days to come. For the progress of the Negro is far from completed — it is yet in its incipient stage — and the eyes of the prophet must discern whither the road leads, upward or downward. The unprecedented leap the Negro made when freed from the oppressing withes of bondage is more than deserving of a high place in history. It can never be chf onicled. The world needs to know of what mettle these people are built. It needs to understand the vast possibility of a race, so much despised and so thor- oughly able to prove without blare and flourish of trumpet its ability to hold its own and compete, after only thirty years of life, with those of centuries of lineage. The dawn of new life is again gleaming behind the 4 INTRODUCTION, 5 horizon. After the words were spoken which pro- nounced the Negro free, he hesitated a minute, then sprang towards the highest place at once. It was not many days before he was heard from in all positions, in all walks of life ; he was in high government posi- tions, his name was on the most exclusive professional roles, yet the common horde lingered in surprised help- lessness, wondering what next. Such a state of affairs, though brilliant, was without foundation and could not last. In building the structure of his race-life the Negro had begun at the top. The cupola could not last without a foundation ; the Vv^ork was shaking without a firm support. Of late years this is being realized, and we are turning our attention to the foundation work. It may be that some are blind to the crying needs of an absolute and unwrenchable foundation in the soil of the state, but those whose eyes are opened must realize that we can advance no further, or do no better work, until we have paused and implanted ourselves firmly. The progress made thus far has been magnifi- cent, but like the house built upon sands. Ere we add another gable or tower to its structure we must insure it against the lash of the storm's fury by placing a solid rock beneath its surface. This is where the progress of the Negro leads us today — to pause in the brilliant meteoric advance and stride forward henceforth as a solid phalanx of earnest, industrious toilers^ for a merited place in the world's array of nations. By the work-shop, the well-tilled farm, the scientifically conducted dairy, the mechanic's well-done work, our advance is now being noted. From gaining the wondering curiosity of the world for a chosen, brilliant few, we are compelling its respect and admiration for ourselves as a whole, as a people upon whom the stigma of idle dreaming can no longer be laid. Thus, while the authors record m these pages the progress of the Negro within the past generation, let us hope that when another quarter century has passed away the race's biographer may have a still more Dromisinof story to tell. Let us hope that it will be a 6 INTRODUCTION. story of a people taking part in the interests of a nation — not in isolated cases, but as an integral part of a magnificent whole. Let us hope that there will be manufacturers, as well as senators ; good and success- ful business men, as well as politicians; reputable artisans, as well as literateurs; millionaires, as well as laborers. Let us hope that the wave of industrial feeling now extending over the country may find its culmination in the unmistakable and solid foundation of a magnificent people, and crystallize a race into conformation with the high standard reached by man in the present age. BOOKER T. WASHINGTON, Tuskegee Normal and Industrial Institute. TusKEGEE, Ala., January, 4, 1902. CONTENTS. CHAPTER. PAGE, '"-"I, History OF THE Race 13-32 II. Slavery 33-6o III. The Negro in the Revolution 61-72 ^ IV. Anti-Slavery Agitation 73-88 V. Fugitive Slave Laws— Underground Rail- road System— Slave Population 8g-io6 VI. The Negro in the Civil War , 107-130 VII. The Negro in the Spanish-American \'Var,i3I-i46 VIII. Moral and Social Advancement 147-196 IX. Club Movement Among Negro Women 197-232 X. National Negro Business League 233-254 L-^XI. Progress in Industries 255-296 XII. Financial Growth 297-304 XIII. Mortality 305-322 XIV. Educational Improvement— The Press — 323-454 I.' XV. Religion and the Negro 455-484 7 8 CONTENTS. CHAPTER, PAGE, XVI, Noted Personages of the Afro-American Race 492-632 XVII. Plantation Melodies — Incidents — Pleas- antries 641-654 XVIII. Present Standing and Outlook 655-672 XIX, Statistics OF THE Race .,. = .,.,,,.673-718 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. Page. Abbott, Miss Helene 208 A Bold Strike for Freedom, 98 Abraham Lincoln 106 Adams, J. W 256 Alexander, Rev. W, G. . . . 546 Allen University, Columbia, S.C 256 A. M. E. Big Betbel Church, Atlanta, Ga 461 A. M. E. Sunday School Union. . 473 An Ex-Slavc 35, 36, 38 Arkansas Baptist College, Little Rock, Ark 436 Arnett, Bishop B. W 540 Atlanta Baptist Seminary.. .408 A Valiant Negro Soldier ... 141 Ballard Drug Store, Lexing- ton, Ky 241 Banks, Dr. J. B 597 Barrier, Miss Ella D 225 Biddle Univer.-Hy, Char- lotte, N. C... 445 Black, Henry 192 Blocker, Miss Sarah A 200 Bowen, Rev. J. W. E 590 Boyd Building, Nashville, Tenn 449 Boyd, Dr. R. F 586 Brown, John 88 Bruce, Mrs. Josephine 224 Cadets, Knoxville College, Knoxville, Tenn 435 Campbell, i^Irs. Haydee. . . 225 Captured Slaves 41 9 Page. Carney, Sergeant Wm. H.. .iig Carter, Rev. E. R 549 Carver, Prof. Geo. W 599 Charity Still loi Cheatham, H. P 256 Children of Distinguished Negroes 162 Clark University, Atlanta, Ga 410 Class in Chemistry, Atlanta Baptist Seminary 330 Class in Mech. Drawing, Rust Univ., Holly Springs, Miss 448 Cooper, E. E 612 Cornell, A. C 256 Coshburn, Mrs. W. M 196 Coshburn, Walter M 193 Councill, Prof. \V. H 284 Custalo, Wm 256 Darden, J. H 256 Davenport, Mrs. M. L 196 Davis, Mrs. L. A 224 Davis, Miss Mattie B 224 DesperateConflict ina Barn, 94 Dogan, AL W 193 Douglass, Frederick 4^*5 Dunbar, Paul Lawrence ^01 Earnest, Lewis 192 Emma Brick Works, Emma, N. C 289 "Equal to the Emergency".. 651 Fall of Attucks 60 Ferguson's Delivery Wag- ons, Jacksonville, Fla. . . .304 10 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. Page. Fierce Encounter with Bloodhounds 123 First Congregal'nal Church, Atlanta, Ga 470 Fisk Jubilee Singers 397 Fisk University, Nashville, Tenn 378 Francis, Mrs. John R 208 Franklin, G. W.. Undertak- er, Chattanooga, Tenn... 335 Frontispiece. Furness, Rev, Wm. H 321 Gammon Theological Sem- inary — Class 386 Garnett, Miss Belle 209 Garrett, Thomas qi Garrison, William Lloyd 75 General Ed. Johnson as a Prisoner 127 General Grant and Colored Guard m Gibbs, Miss Hattie 225 Girls' Industrial School, Clark University 322 Gordon, Nora A 406 Grandchildren of Slaves... 56 Grey, F, H., Residence, Lex- ington, Ky 334 Hampton Institute, Virginia Hall 390 Hansberry, E 1^3 Harper, Mrs. F. E. W 21 Holmes, Prof. Wm. E 518 Holsey, Bishop L. H 532 Hort, Mrs. Emma T 209 Industrial School, Gladden's, Greenville, S. C 273 James & Allen Drug Co., Chattanooga, Tenn 240 Jenkins, Hon. S. J 580 Johnson, Jack 633 Page. Jones, Miss Anna 196 Kelly, James 193 King, Horace, and His Sons, 257 Knoxville College, Knox- ville, Tenn 434 Ladies' and Gents' Furnish- ing, Montgomery, Ala 463 Langston, Hon. John M 577 Left by Slave Traders 58 Lehman, M. J ig2 Little Chicago Millinery. Helena, Ark . 462 Love, Miss Lulu 208 Lucas, Rev. W. W 168 Lyons, Hon. Judson W 631 Maceo, General Antonio.. . . 133 Magnolia Drug Store, Deca- tur, Ala 321 Martin Luther Graves Hall, Union University, Rich- mond, Va 338 Mayor and Councilmen, Hobson City, Ala 288 .Meharry Medical College. . .427 Moorland, J. E 488 Morris Brown College, At- lanta, Ga 433 Morris, Rev. E. C 476 Murray, Prof. J. L 344 Myers, Rev. Cyrus 618 Napier, Hon. J. C 566 Negro Educators, Group of. 186 Negro Farmer's One-room Cabin 261 "Negroes (The) Saved the Fight" 136 Norman, Rev. M. W. D 477 On Picket Duty 115 Parker Model House 271 Pettiford, W. R 193 Phillips, Wendell 78 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. 11 Paee. Picking Cotton 269 Piatt, Miss Ida 574 Powell, Bartow F 290 Proctor, Rev. H. H 541 Residence of Albert Nash. .275 Residence of John T. Schell . 279 Resurrection of Henry Box Brown 99 Roanoke Institute 45^ Robinson, Mrs. M. A 209 Rosenwald, Julius 486 Rucker, Hon. H. A 285 Ruffin, Mrs. Josephine St. P. 224 Rust University, Holly Springs, Miss 636 Samuel Huston College, Aus- tin, Texas 438 Sanders, Rev. D.J 366 Saw-Mill Men of Tuskegee.266 Scarborough, Prof. W 511 Scripture Reminiscences. . .641 Scruggs, Dr. B. E 593 Settle, Hon. J. T 560 Singleton, Huston 192 Slave Traders and Their Captives 32 Smalls, Robert 192 Smith, Amanda 483 Smith, Albretta Moore 209 Smith, Mrs. C. S 224 Southern Mercantile Co., Pine Bluff, Ark 305 Spelman Seminary, New Building of 400 Spelman Seminary, Stu- dents of 402 Page. Still, William 96 Stowe, Harriet Beecher 83 Students, Mrs. Gladden's, Greenville, S. C 272 Sumner, Charles 81 Sykes, Undertaker, Decatur, Ala 320 Tanner, Bishop B. T 538 Terrell, Mrs. Mary C 208 Thankful Baptist Church, Augusta, Ga 465 Thomas, Lillian J. B 196 Trained Nurses, Spelman Seminary 356 Turner, Bishop H. M 537 Union University, Lecture Hall 430 University Hall, Leland University 348 Walker, Rev. C. T 625 Washington, Booker T 232 Washington, Mrs. Margaret. 21 West, Rev. W. B 551 Wheeler, L. G 571 Williams, Miss Emma Rose. 225 Williams, Mrs. D. H 196 Williams, Mrs. Fannie Bar- rier 197 Williams, Mrs. Sylvanie F..208 Williams, S. L 573 Wilson, Henry 86 Wright, R. R 423 Yates, Mrs. J. S 225 Young, Major Charles 145 V WE ARE RISING. BY REV. GEORGE C. ROWE. Among the sayings of our race, Suggestive and surpiising, That fill a most exalted place, Is, "Tell them we are rising!" The question asked for right and truth, What to the North your greeting? The answer from a Negro youth — "Tell them we are rising!" Within Atlanta's classic halls, This youth, self-sacrificing, Wrcte high his name upon her walls, His motto: "We are rising!" Out in the world he makes his mark, Danger and fear despising, E'er soaring upward like the lark, My brethren: "We are rising!" He meets the foe with voice and pen, With eloquence surprising! Give us a chance, for we are men! Most surely we are rising! Rising to take our place beside The noble, the aspiring; With energy and conscious pride, To the best things, we're rising! Within the class-room is his place, Greek, Latin, criticising. To raise the youthful of his race. And show the world we're rising! Go forth, my friend, upon your v/ay, Each obstacle despising. Prove by your efforts every day To all that we are arising! In farming, trade and literature, A people enterprising! Our churches, schools, and home life pure. Tell to the world we're rising! Note.— About a score of years since, Gen. O. O. Howard, then con- nected with the Freedman's Bureau, on visiting one of the colored schools in Georgia, asked the children: "What message shall I take from j ou to the people of the North?" An intelligent boy answered promptly: "Tell them we are rising!" The boy was Richard Wright, of Augusta, Ga., who has since graduated from Atlanta University, ably filled the editorial cha'*', and is now President of the State Normal School, of College, Georgia. 12 CHAPTER I. HISTORY OF THE RACE. Unity of the Race. — Attempts have been made in the past to prove that the Negro is not a human being. In this age of the world such a preposterous idea does not receive countena,nce. The remarkable progress of the Negro and the rapid disappearing of race malice and prejudice, have made this theory so absurd that to-day no one can be found to advocate it. It is, how- ever, to be noted that as late as 1868 a minister of the South advocated this theory. Arguing from this stand- point he says, "Half an eye tells us the fate of the Negro on this continent is fixed, his doom is irrevocably sealed, he is out of his natural condition to which he aspires. If he is separated from man he sinks speedily to savage cannibalism. Men cannot refute the fixed decree of Omnipotence ; nothing but the power of God can save the Negro from extinction. Four millions of blacks are doomed to extinction. The history of the Negro proves that he does not, never did possess, a self- directing, independent mind. The white man regards him as a natural, lawful slave, the Negro admits the fact and instinctively seeks the condition of slavery to man. ' ' Of One Blood. — Why should we here refer to this theory so absurd and contradictory to all history? Not that we place any confidence in any of the argu- ments, nor that we will refute the arguments, they need no refutation ; but that the young man of to-day, who is an American citizen, may know something of the tendency of the times when slavery existed. 13 14 PROGRESS OF A RACE. To-day the universal belief is that God "Created of one blood all nations of man to dwell on the face of the earth." The unity of the race is demonstrated with emphasis in the possible and actual assimilation of all the races in the one man, and is distinctly shown in the personalities and careers of men like Benjamin Banneker, Frederick Douglass, and Alexander Dumas. ■■" No Inferior Races. — God did not create an inferior ' race ; there are races with inferior conditions, and these maybe black or white, but, says Dr. Blyden, "There is no absolute or essential superiority on the one side, nor absolute or essential inferiority on the other. Man is a unity in the plan of salvation. No man is too inferior to be saved. In all the wondrous work of creation the making of man is God's crowning act, and whoever has His image has infallible credentials of his high origin and sonship, Man is our universal repre- sentative head and from him all peoples sprung. God never made a superior race nor an inferior one ; and there is nothing in the heavens above, nor in the earth beneath, that can substantiate any such doctrine, "For God hath made of one blood all nations of men to dwell upon the face of the earth." The Curse Theory. — Failing to establish the theory that the Negro is not a liuman being, we find an attempt on the part of those who would have held the Negro in perpetual slavery to show that he belongs to an inferior race. That against him an irrevocable curse has been pronounced. But the remarkable advancement of the race in all lines of activity has dispelled even the doubts of those who "hoped against hope" that this might be the case, and has scattered the mists of unbelief that rose above the horizon of a few of the Anglo-Saxon race. HISTORY OF THE RACE. 15 Base of Arguments. — Such arguments are based upon passages of the scripture in which Noah cursed Canaan in these words: "Cursed be Canaan, a ser- vant of servants shall he be unto his brethren. Blessed be the Lord God of Shem, and Canaan shall be his servant. God shall enlarge Japheth, and he shall dwell in the tents of Shem and Canaan shall be his servant." If this were a prophecy then the argument might have some weight, but it is considered a prophecy only by a very few writers, and these are those who would sub' stantiate preconceived opinions thereby. The best evidence of -a prophecy is its fulfillment. This state- ment was never fulfilled either in the case of Canaan, whose descendants have often conquered and been among the powerful nations of olden times, nor of Shem and Japheth, whose descendants were frequently enslaved. The Hebrews were in bondage in Egypt for centuries, they were the descendants of Shem; Egypt was peopled by the Children of Ham. The Proper Interpretation. — We have neither incli- nation nor time to spend on extended argument against this theory so contradictory to all facts revealed by the light of true history and now no longer a question of debate, and yet a statement is necessary for the information of the youth who knows nothing of slavery, and the arguments and the attempts to hold in per- petual bondage a race destined to play an important part in the civilization and Christianization of the world. Noah was once a preacher of righteousness, but he afterward became drunk on the wine that he made. The exposure to which he was subjected by his drunken condition caused him in his irritable and self- defensive mood to utter these words, which cannot in any sense be prophetic. The best argument against 16 PROGRESS OF A RACE. this theory is the remarkable progress of the race and the moral and intellectual condition of the best of the race in these closing years of the nineteenth century. Josephus says: "The children of Ham possessed the land from Syria to Amanus, and the mountains of Libanus, seizing upon all the maritime ports and keep- ing them as their own. Of the four sons of Ham, time has not at all hurt the name of Cush, for the Ethiopians over whom he reigned are even at this day, both by themselves and by all men in Asia, called Cushites. " Herodotus. — Herodotus states that Cambyses at- tempted to conquer Ethiopia but failed. He succeeded in conquering Egypt, but he found the Ethiopian equal to the Egyptian in refinement and intelligence and superior in inilitary skill. Cambyses attempted, by means of spies and by means of various designs, to entrap and enslave the Ethiopian, but was forced to return to Egypt with but a remnant of his army. The Case Stated. — Rev. Norman Wood puts it thus: "Whereas, Noah got drunk and cursed Canaan, an innocent party; and whereas, this curse was never fulfilled; therefore, all to whom these presents may come, greeting: Pagan, infidel, or pirate, are hereby empowered to kidnap and to enslave all the sable Africans who are descendants from Cush. We are here reminded of the statement of Liliuokalani, the recent dethroned queen of Hawaii, that the best blood of the English flowed in her veins, because her grandfather devoured Captain Cook." The Color Theory. — Another argument in support of the curse of Noah is the color of the African. This argument also fails utterly when we take into account the climatic influence. Climate, and climate alone, is the sole cause. The predominant color of the inhabit- HISTORY OF THE RACE. 17 ants of the tropical regions of Asia and Africa is black, while the whites are found in the temperate and cold regions. We see and admit the change which a few years produce in the complexion of a Caucasian going from our northern latitude into the tropics. If a few years make such great changes why shall we hesitate to recognize the changes of centuries and ages? Plants and Animals. — There is perhaps no better evidence of the influence of climate upon man than to witness its effects upon plants and animals. The flowers of the north are almost invariably white, while the arctic rabbit is spotless white, and the fox and polar bear are either white or pale yellow. The lack of color in the northern regions of animals which possess color in more temperate regions can be attributed only to change of climate. The common bear is differently colored in different regions. The dog loses its coat in Africa, and has a smooth skin. Gradations of Color. — Let us survey the gradations of color on the continent of Africa itself. The inhabit- ants of the north are whitest; and, as we advance southwards towards the line, we find in those countries in which the sun's rays fall more perpendicularly, the complexion gradually assumes a darker shade. And the same men whose color has been rendered black by the powerful influence of the sun. if they remove to the north, gradually become white (I mean their pos- terity), and eventually lose their dark color. Caucasians. — The Portuguese, who planted them- selves on the coast of Africa a few centuries ago, have been succeeded by descendants blacker than many Africans. On the coast of Malabar there are two colonies of Jews, the old colony and the new, separated 2 Progress, 18 PROGRESS OF A RACE. by color and known as the "black Jews" and the "white Jews." The old colony are the black Jews, and have been longer subjected to the influence of the climate. The hair of the black Jews is curly, showing a resemblance to the Negro. The white Jews are as dark as the Gypsies, and each generation is growing darker. Dr. Livingstone says: "I was struck with the appearance of the people in Londa and the neighbor- hood; they seemed more slender in form and their color a lighter olive than any we had hitherto met. " Lower down the Zambesi, the same writer says: "Most of the men are muscular, and have large, ploughman hands. Their color is the same admixture, from very dark to light olive, that we saw in Londa. ' ' Equator to Polar Circles. — Under the equator we have the deep black of the Negro, then the copper or olive of the Moors of northern Africa ; then the Span- iards and Italian, swarthy compared with other Euro- peans ; the French, still darker than the English, while the fair and florid complexion of England and Germany passes more northerly into the bleached Scandinavian white. From Inland to Coast. — As we go westward we ob- serve the light color predominating over the dark ; and then, again, when we come within the influence of the dampness from the sea air, we find the shade deepened into the general blackness of the coast population." If these opinions, given by the best authorities, mean anything, and if we shall credit them as having any value, then the color line can be drawn only where there is deep-seated prejudice. Black, a Mark of Reproach.— Prof. Johnson, in his school history, justly says: "Black is no mark of re- HISTORY OF THE RACE. 19 proach to people who do not worship white. The West Indians in the interior represent the devil as white. The American Indians make fun of the 'pale face' and so does the native African. People in this country have been educated to believe in white because all that is good has been ascribed to the white race, both in pic- tures and words. God, the angels and all the prophets are pictured white, and the devil is represented as black." Ideals of Negro.— The ideals of the Negro are the ideals of the white man. The two races are both edu- cated to one standard, that is, the white man's standard. While the white man would have the Negro adopt his standard, at the same time there are those who would repel him; somewhat like putting on steam and throttling the valve. True manhood knows no color. While the ideals are the same, the standards the same, let all, black and white, aim to attain to a virtuous manhood that would impress itself upon mankind and make men more and more to see the ideals shine out in the lives of all true leaders. God Knows Best— George Williams says: "It is safe to say that when God dispersed the sons of Noah he fixed the 'bounds of their habitation,' and that from the earth and sky the various races have secured their civilization. He sent the different nations into separate parts of the earth. He gave to each its racial peculiarities and adaptability for the climate into which it went. He gave color, language, and civilization; and, when by wisdom we fail to interpret his inscrutable ways, it is pleasant to know that 'he work- eth all things after the counsel of his own mind.' " Antiquity.— It is difficult to find a writer on ethnol- ogy or Egyptology who doubts the antiquity of the 20 PROGRESS OF A RACE. Negroes as a distinct people from the dawn of history- down to the present time. They are known as dis- tinctly as any of the other families of men. Negroes are represented in Egyptian paintings. They formed the strength of the army of the King of Egypt. They came against the King of Rehoboam as well as the arm.ies of Sesostris and Xerxes, John P. Jefferis, who is not friendly to the* Negro, in his criticism nevertheless makes this statement : "Every rational mind must readily conclude that the African race has been in existence as a distinct people over four thousand two hundred years, and how long before that period is a matter of conjecture only there being no reliable data on which to predict a reliable opinion." Further Evidence. — Further evidence in favor of the antiquity of the Negro is found in Japan and East- ern Asia, In these large, magnificent temples, hoary with age, are found idols that are exact representations of wooll5^-headed Negroes; other inhabitants of the country have straight hair. But why accumulate evi- dence, when monuments, temples and pyramids rise up to declare the antiquity of the Negro race? The Word Negro. — The word Negro is a name given to a considerable branch of the human family possess- ing certain physical characteristics which distinguish, it in a very marked degree from the other branches or varieties of mankind. **It is not wise," says George Williams, "for intelligent Negroes in America to seek to drop the word 'Negro.' It is a good, strong and healthy word, and ought to live. It should be covered with glory; let Negroes do it." The Term Negro. — The term, Negro, is properly applied to the races inhabiting that part of Africa lying o H •4^ -^ S O O |s< h) CO •a M a a s ^ *<» *fl 22 PROGRESS OF A RACE. between latitude lo degrees north and 20 degrees south and to their descendants in the old and new world. It does not include the Egyptians, Berbers, Abyssinians, Hottentots, Nubians, etc., although in some writings it comprises these and other dark- skinned nations. One characteristic, however, the crisp hair, belongs only to the true Negro. Africa for the Negroes. — Centuries of effort and centuries of corresponding failure have fully demon- strated that the white man cannot colonize the largest part of the great continent of Africa. It seems that, in the providence of God, this great and glorious conti- nent is chiefly for the colored races, and especially for the Negro. Is it not possible that this great continent with its millions of Negroes occupying the most fertile portions, and in all more than one-half of the conti- nent, is to be enlightened, civilized and Christianized by the American Negro? Deportation. — Let it not be imderstood that the pre- ceding paragraph argues in favor of deportation of the American Negro to Africa. This is impossible, but that the American Negro has a part in the elevation of the black brother of the dark continent is as true as that the Caucasian of America has a part in the Chris- tianization of the white race in other parts of the world. The Negro is better adapted to the climate and can endure the hardships of mission work in Africa much better than the Caucasian. Not Well Considered. — Booker T. Washington says : "I recall that a few months ago, when, on the occasion of six hundred deluded colored people sailing from Savannah for Liberia, some of the newspapers and not a few of the magazines gravely announced to an expectant people that the race problem was in process HISTORY OF THE RACE. 23 of solving itself. These newspapers and magazine writers did not take into consideration the important fact that perhaps before breakfast that same morning six hundred colored babies were born. I have a friend down in Georgia whose unfailing solution of the race problem is, that the Negro should be cooped up in some place, surrounded by a high fence, and kept separate from the whites. That would not even reach the dig- nity of touching the question, since it would be utterly impossible to keep the blacks inside the fence to say nothing of the impossible task of keeping the whites outside of it. If the Negroes were fenced in Africa the white men would break in at the first cry that gold existed in the inhabited territory. Besides, the Negro has never yet been able to exile himself to any place the white man would not follow him and break in." Separation would Not Relieve. — "Talks for the Times" says: "If such a separation were even pos- sible, are we simple enough to believe that that would relieve us of the presence of the white man? He who is scouring the seas, dredging the oceans, tunneling the mountains, boring his way into the frozen regions of the North, parceling out the continent of Africa, and giving civilization and laws to its tribes — it is not likely, I say, that this restless, energetic white brother will respect the boundary line of a state or territory at home ; he has not done so in reference to the Indian ; he would never do so in reference to us. Were it possible for us to go off to-morrow to some territory by our- selves, within a week the Connecticut Yankee would be there peddling his wooden nutmegs. The patent medi- cine man would be there selling his nostrums. The Georgia Cracker and the Kentucky horse-trader would 24 PROGRESS OF A RACE. be there with their horses and mules. The Southern white man would especially be there, for he has been so accustomed to us from his childhood that he does not feel at home without us, although sometimes, in the heat of political excitement, he wishes we were in Africa or a warmer place. " Not Possible. — Judge Gunby says: "The favorite remedy for the race problem with some has come to be the deportation of the Negroes. I am prepared to say with the utmost confidence that this remedy does not meet with general approval, although it is fair to con- cede that it has many able advocates. The Negroes do not desire to leave and the great majority of the whites do not want them to go. The enforced removal of the Negroes would be unnatural and unjust; cruel, bitter cruel, would be the task of tearing Negroes from their genial Southern homes, their Southern friends, their churches, their graveyards, and the haunts they love so well. Sadder than the melancholy processions that moved to the shore from Goldsmith's 'Deserted Vil- lage,' sadder than the doomed band of Acadian farm- ers that looked for the last time on their burning homes in Grand Pre, would be the final movement of the Negroes from the South. It would be worse than slav- ery; for the Negroes in a colony of their own would degenerate and speedily lose the civilization they have derived from contact with the whites. Such a crime would never be forgiven. It would raise a protest from whites and blacks alike and from an indignant world. The very stones would rise up and cry against it. Deportation is not conceivable ; because, although a few might be transported to Africa or scattered elsewhere, yet reproduction will increase their number in spite of such trifling methods, and our only way to get rid of HISTORY OF THE RACE. 25 their presence in the country is to kill them — which would be difficult, for many of them already have guns." Points of Superiority.— A certain writer says that the Negro has less nervous sensibility than the white, and is not subject to nervous afflictions. He is com- paratively insensible to pain, bearing severe surgical operations well; he seldom has a fetid breath, but transpires much excrementious matter by means of glands, of the skin, whose odorous secretion is well known. His skin is soft, and his silky hair, though called wool, does not present the characteristics of wool, and differs but little from that of other races except in color and in its curly and twisted form. He flourishes under the fiercest heat and unhealthy dampness of the tropics where the white man soon dies. Physical Characteristics.— The physical characteris- tics of the black, or Negro, race are: A large and strong skeleton, long and thick skull, projecting jaws, skin from dark brown to black, woolly hair, thick lips, flat nose and wide nostrils. The typical color of the race is not coal black but the dark brown of a horse- chestnut. Observation shows that the darkest speci- mens are found on the borders where Negroes have been in contact with lighter races, while in the popu- lation of the Congo basin, which has been almost com- pletely free from mixture, the dark-brown type pre- vails. It should, however, be understood, that there is as great a difference among Negroes as among Caucasians. Distinguishing Traits. — The Africans, as a race, are passionately fond of music and have many ingeniously contrived musical instruments. While some of their inventions may have been borrowed from other people. 25 PROGRESS OF A RACE. it is a well established fact that they are the inventors of an ingenious musical instrument. They have a keen sense of the ridiculous and are of a cheerful disposi- tion. They are naturally kind hearted and hospitable to strangers and are generally ready to receive instruc- tion and to profit by it. They are quick to perceive the beauty of goodness and hence they generally appreciate the services of missionaries in their behalf, and, but for the curse of intoxicating drinks brought upon them by unscrupulous white traders, the dark continent would shine more brightly with the light of Him who is the light of the world. Fidelity of the Negro.— During the Civil war the fidelity of the negro was tested to a most remarkable degree ; and he stood the test. Nearly all able-bodied men of the South were in the Confederate army. Only helpless women and children, and old or disabled men were left with the slaves to care for the plantation houses. While the white-faced "Copperhead" of the North was aiding the South, the black-faced slave was caring for the helpless ones in Southern houses. Strange as it may seem, these same colored men knew that victory for the Union meant freedom for them- selves. General Sherman, in describing his first day's experience on his famous "March to the Sea," says: "The negroes were simply frantic with joy. When- ever they heard my name, they clustered about my horse, shouting and praying in their peculiar style, which had a natural eloquence that would move a stone. • I have witnessed hundreds, if not thousands, of such scenes. * * * ^ "We made our bivouac, and 1 walked up to a plan- tation house close by, where were assembled many negroes, among them an old, gray-haired man, of as HISTORY OF THE RACE, 27 fine a head as I ever saw. ■ I asked him if he under- stood about the war and its progress. He said he did ; that he had been looking for the 'angel of the Lord' ever since he was knee-high, and, though we profess to be fighting for the Union, he supposed that slavery was the cause, and that our success was to be his free- dom. I asked him if all the negro slaves compre. hended this fact, and he said they surely did." Every Union soldier escaping from Confederate prison-pen, knew that it was safe to make himself known to a colored man. No Union soldier ever asked in vain for help from his dusky brother. Drink Traffic— The drink traffic carried on by civil- ized nations in Africa is the curse of millions. The same ship that carries missionaries to its shores carries thousands of gallons of rum that does more to degrade the helpless and ignorant Negro than many mission- aries through a lifetime can succeed in winning to a better life. Let it be known that the Christian (?) nations, Great Britain and the United States, are lead- ers in this degrading and sotil destroying business. This can be permitted only where dollars and the greed of gain surpass in estimation the worth of true man- hood and of immortal souls. Ingenuity. — The African Negroes display consider- able ingenuity in the manufacture of weapons, in the working of iron, in the weaving of mats, cloth and baskets from dyed grasses, in the dressing of the skins of animals, in the structure of their huts and household utensils and in the various implements and objects of use in a barbarous state of society. In Other Continents. — In addition to Africa, Negroes are found in the United States, Brazil, West Indies, Peru, Arabia and the Cape Verd Islands. They are 28 PROGRESS OF A RACE. rare in Europe and the islands of the Pacific. Africa is, however, the native home of the Negro. Whenever he is found outside of this great continent it is because he has been carried away and subjected to slavery. Unknown to Hebrews. — Negroes were almost un- known tt) Hebrews. They were unknown to the Greeks until the seventh century B. C. About twenty- three hundred years B. C. the Egyptians became acquainted with the Negroes, who helped them on their monuments as early as i,6oo years B. C. Liberia. — Liberia is a Negro republic of western Africa, on the upper coast of Upper Guinea. It was founded by the American Colonization Company. The first expedition of eighty-six emigrants was sent out in February, 1820. It was organized as a home for the Negro of the United States. The suffering that slavery brought upon the Negro aroused his friends, and, fol- lowing the plan of Wilberforce and other Englishmen, Liberia was founded as a refuge for the colored men who would avail themselves of its blessings. The constitution of Liberia, like that of the United States, establishes an entire separation of the church from the state, but all citizens of the republic must belong to the Negro race. The constitution has recently been changed and this point has been modified. Its present constitution was adopted in 1847 and is similar to that of the Constitution of the United States. The article on slavery reads thus: "There shall be no slav- ery within the republic, nor shall any citizen of this republic, or any person residing therein, deal in slaves either within or without the republic." The first years witnessed the struggle of a noble band of colored people who were seeking a new home on the edge of a continent given over to idolatry. Imroigra- rflSTORY OF THE RACE. 29 tion went forward slowly, but the republic continued establishing and extending itself until it now numbers more than one million inhabitants. Already in 1853 Bishop Scott, of the M. E. Church, stated that the gov- ernment of Liberia was extremely well administered. In his visit of several months he saw no intoxicated colonists and did not hear a profane word, the Sab- bath was kept in a singularly strict manner and the church crowded with worshipers. Agriculture is carried on with increasing success. vSugar was formerly the principal article of produce and of manufacture, but through the efforts of Mr. Morris, coffee has become the principal article. Rice, arrowroot and cocoa are also cultivated ; trade is rap- idly extending. Although the circumstances that led to the founding of this republic passed away when the shackles were torn from the Negroes of the South, yet it had done a vast amount of good before the days of the great rebellion, and to-day stands as a beacon light penetrating the darkness and gloom of Africa. May we not hope that through the ages to come the light of this Christian republic will reach the dark, trackless, regions of African Paganism and bring millions to the brightness of its shining? Sierra Leone. — Sierre Leone is under the protecting hand of England, it has a population of half a million. Freetown, the capital, is a well built city, with a popu- lation of about seventy thousand, not more than 150 whites. There is no friction among the races. A man is a man for what he is, what he knows and what he has. The west coast of Africa is often said to be a death trap on account of the malarial regions along the coast. This, however, is not substantiated by the reports from Freetown. While it has little or none of 30 PRbGREbS OF A RACE. the modern hygienic and sanitary improvements and only six physicians, four colored and two white, the death rate in 1896 was lower than that of Atlanta with all her advantages of altitude, hospitals, water, sewers and other modern sanitary improvements, together with her several hundred physicians and three medical colleges. The reason given for this is that in Freetown the majority of the colored people are in a position to take care of themselves; while in Atlanta the death rate is greatly increased by poverty and ignorance. The Mayor of Freetown is a rich colored man. The streets of the city are lighted with oil lamps, there are no street cars, and only one railroad entering the city. The people are industrious and intelligent and hate ignorance. A man going there, if he wishes the respect of the people, must be a good mechanic, lawyer, doctor or preacher. An American common laborer finds no open door for the African can be secured much cheaper. Africa, like other parts of the civilized world, is calling for brains, morals and money ; without at least one of these Africa does not want you. Purpose and Preparation. — "Unless the Negro out of Africa goes to Africa seeking a home because he has none ; goes on his own volition, with as correct a knowl- edge of Africa as may be obtained from the writings of trustworthy African travelers and explorers and mis- sionaries, reinforced by race loyalty, and with greater confidence in himself and his race than in any alien self and alien race ; goes from a sense of duty imposed by his Christian enlightenment, and not unprovided with ability and previous experiences to organize and control labor, with as ample means as he would go from the Atlantic coast of the United States to the HISTORY OF THE RACE. 31 Pacific slope for the purpose of engaging in business, he is wholly and entirely unsuited for Africa, and would impede by his presence not only the progress of Liberia (if he went thither) but any part of Africa by his unprofitable presence, and ought to be denied the right to expatriate himself." Africa's Future. — "If my opinion about the future were asked," says Heli Chatelain, "I should not hesi- tate to declare my conviction that within one hundred years all Bantu-land will contain more than 500,000,000 inhabitants, will equal Europe in civilization, will be united in a great United States of Central Africa under a new and improved edition of our American constitu- tion, will both speak and write a common language, the mother-tongue of all Bantu dialects, as revived by scholars and enriched with the best developments of its daughters, and will produce masterpieces of litera- ture, science, and art, vying with all the best that Europe and America will then be able to bring forth. 4 m i)i Hi < a h O o < w y. c Q W « C5 s h C a: C h W OS w o Z X o < to « < OS H W < CHAPTER II. SLAVERY, Knowledge Worth Knowing. — Dr. Hamilton says; "The popular notions which have prevailed concerning- African slavery have shaped imaginations and con- trolled opinions concerning the origin and destiny of the African race. Men have asserted boldly and arro- gantly that the African people were designed in the very first cosmogony to be hewers of wood and drawers of water. Slavery was their natural relation. As the slaves in America within the recollection of the present generation have been Negroes, most persons have thought that all slaves have been Negroes. As Negroes have come from Africa, it has been com- monly believed that all Africans were Negroes. As the sons of Ham in the dispersion went into Africa to live, it has been supposed that all Negroes were the sons of Ham. And as Ham is said in the book of Genesis to have looked on the nakedness of his drunken father and so incurred his anger that he visited the sin of the father on the son of Ham, and in his anger cried out, 'Cursed be Canaan; a servant of servants shall be unto his brethren, ' it has been claimed scriptural war- rant is found for the enslavement of all Negroes. Of such knowledge and such argument it is pertinent to affirm, in the language of Mr. Josh Billings, 'that it would be better not to know so many things than to know so many things that are not so. ' " In Africa. — From time immemorial slavery has existed in Africa. The oldest records of the human race, the inscriptions of the Nile valley, shew us that 8 Progress 33 34 PROGRESS OF A RACE. Negro slaves from the Soudan were then, as to-day, one of the principal articles of Egyptian trade. Neither the institution of slavery nor the slave trade were introduced into Africa or forced upon the natives by Arabic, Moslems, or European Christians. At all times, so far as human knowledge goes, slavery has been a constituent element in the social order of Negro Africa. It is said of two or three African Negro tribes that they object to selling their own tribesmen, and oppose slave dealing in a general way. But these exceptions only confirm the rule that slavery is the universal practice of native Africa. There the trade in human beings is considered just as honest as trade in any other merchandise. All those who want to work for the extinction of slavery in Africa should know from the start, that for one Arab or European slave-holder, slave-raider, or slave-dealer, there are hundreds of African slave- holders, slave-dealers and slave-raiders. Therefore, in their effort to conquer that monster they will have to face thousands of interested native opponents. This will be made clearer by a consideration of — Sources of Slavery. — Chief among these is (i) the right of parents to sell their children. Every child born is the property of its maternal uncle ; in a few tribes of its father. The uncle or the father has the right to dispose of his property as he pleases. He may even kill this human property and no one can prose- cute him, claim damages, or demand his punishment. If he sells his children, separating child from mother, nobody seems to think he is doing wrong. The victim itself is expected not to protest against it more than a young girl of our land would protest against being sent to a boarding school for the first time. SLAVERY. 35 (2.) The Right of a Free Adult to Sell Himself.— Runaway slaves, or liberated slaves, rather than be kid- naped, prefer to sell themselves to masters of their own choice. In times of famine hundreds are com- pelled to change their liberty for the food that will keep body and soul together. In war, cowards would rather live as slaves than die as freemen. (3.) Insolvent Debtors. — Those who have lost all resources of material, animal and human property, sometimes give themselves for debt. (4 ) Sale of Criminals by Legal Action. — In Africa there are no prisons, hence punishment is always paid by death or the pay- ment of a fine. If the fine cannot be paid the individual is sold to pay for it. (5.) Kidnaping. — This is much more frequent than is gen- erally supposed. The kidnaped generally resent the injustice committed, and fre- quently, with tears in their eyes, enter- tain a secret, though forlorn, hope of re- gaining their liberty and returning to " their homes. (6.) Capture in War. — Captives are often committed to slavery, many wars are often even made that cap- tives may be taken and carried into slavery. AN EX-SLAVE. 36 PROGRESS OF A RACE. Slaves of Slaves. — It is not an unusual thing for slaves to own slaves, and in old Calabor plantation, slave-holding by slaves is so common that you often hear of slaves belonging to slaves of slaves. Any slave may by industry and thrift redeem himself, take his seat among the tribal headman, and aspire to the kingship. Early History of Slavery. — The history of Negro slavery carried on by Europeans, beginning in Portu- gal over a period of 400 years, and in- volving the exporta- tion by violence from their African homes of forty million of men, women and chil- dren, is one of ex- ceeding and unimag- inable bitterness. It is too late to crimi- nate those who were responsible for be- ginning the slave trade and for perpet- I uating the system of bondage that grew out of it. Many of them were conscien- tious, Christian men, who worked without a thought of the wrong they were doing. Some of them really believed they were benefiting the Negro by buying him out of a condition of barbarism into the enlight- ening and purifying influences of Christianity. Livingstone's Tomb.— On Livingstone's tomb-slab AN EX-SLAVE. SLAVERY. "j? Ill Westminster Abbey are engraved these, among the last words which he wrote: "All I can add, in my solitude is: May Heaven's rich blessing come down on everyone, Americans, English and Turk, who will help to heal this open sore of the world, the slave trade." For What Purpose. — Slaves are hunted by Moslems, Arabs, half-breeds, or Mohammedan Negroes, for the three following purposes: i. To supply labor for their fields and plantations in the Soudan, in Zanzibar and the adjoining coast belt ; 2, to supply Negresses for the harems of Turkey, especially Arabia, Egypt, Tripoli, and Morocco; 3, to obtain carriers for the trading cara- vans taking European goods to the interior and bring- ing down in exchange the tusks of ivory and the balls of rubber so much coveted by Europeans and Amer- icans. European Plantation Slavery. — Under the pretense of redeeming slaves from patriarchal native slavery these poor creatures are taken into European planta- tion slavery, which means that the slave has no more free time, no accumulation of property, no hope of redeeming one's self by thrift, no home life, no possi- bility of flight, but unremitting toil from morning until night in the broiling sun, under the lash of the driver, without pay, and often with insufficient food. His only prospect is that he is being worked slowly to death. In Asia. — Slavery existed in Persia, China and India. Parents sold their children to be slaves. Theie was slavery among the Hebrews. All Africans are not Negroes, many of them are entirely distinct from the Negro — the idea that a slave is always black is erroneous. It is not Noah, nor Ham, nor Canaan, nor Africa, but sin and slavery that has cursed the Negro. 38 PROGRESS OF A RACE. Portugal inaugurated the slave trade. Antonio Gonsalve brought home some gold dust and ten slaves in 1443 These were probably the first slaves taken from western Africa by Europeans. They were pre- sented to Pope Martin V., and he conferred on Portu- eal the right of possession of all countries discovered between Cape Bo- ^ jado and the Indies. Portugal also had the first of m^ny chart- ered companies to trade in African gold and slaves. Columbus began his intercourse with the natives of Africa by kidnapping and he gave the word for the opening of the slave trade. Slavery in the New World. — Afri- can slavery was in- troduced into the New World by the Spaniards. Their cruelty to the inoffensive Indians in the islands of the West Indies had greatly reduced their numbers. The poor Indian had been reduced to slavery, ar d in order to prevent extermination the Spaniards re- sorted to importing slaves from Africa. The first cargo of Negro slaves was landed at San Domingo on the Is- land of Hayti in the year 1565. These were at once put to cultivating the plantations, and it was soon found that, as Rev. Wood says, "These hearty sons of Africa AN EX-SLAVE. SLAVERY. 89 not only survived the oppressive cruelty of their heart- less taskmasters, but in time they rebelled against them, and under their invincible 'Black Prince,' Tous- saint, killed them in battle and drove them from the island." First Slaves, First Liberty. — Bancroft aptly says : "Hayti, the first spot in America that received African slaves, was the first spot to set the example of African liberty." Slavery in the United States. — Slaves were brought by the Spaniards to Florida soon after the founding of St. Augustine, in 1565, but the first slaves brought to the colonies were landed at Jamestown, Va., in 16 19, by a Dutch trading vessel. Twenty Negroes were exchanged for food and supplies. These had no per- sonal rights, were doomed to service and ignorance by law, and could not leave the plantation to which they belonged without a written pass from their master. They received no religious instruction, and were some- times given to white ministers as pay for their ser- vices. It was, however, nearly a half century from this time before the system of Negro slavery became well established in the English colonies. Slavery Contended for. — The slave trade was the great industry contended for and carried on. In 1 748 there were 97,000 slaves carried to America by all nations, and up to that time the total number was probably a million. During the eighteenth century six millions were carried to America, besides the horrible traffic which was kept up to the coasts of the Mediter- ranean, to Egypt and Asia, which has been carried on from time immemorial. It is estimated that the profits of the slave trade in the seventeenth and eighteenth 40 PROGRESS OF A RACE. centuries from the Dark Continent were equal to that on gold and all other products. The Slave Trade.— We cannot in a few paragraphs, relate all the horrors and suffering entailed on the African race by means of the slave trade. While it is true that the revenue of the kings of the country some- times depended on the sale of slaves, yet it remains as a blot on Christian England and America's record that they were the means of carrying out this cruel work. Some Americans, at least, went one step further, and. not content with selling slaves, sold their own sons and laughters. The Slave Dealer— ^lany chapters might be written upon the cruelties and inhuman treatment of the slave dealers, but as all who have engaged in this nefarious business have rendered their accounts to God, who is just, and have been justly dealt with, we will pen but a few items to show what the race has endured. Kidnapping— Probably the largest number of slaves were obtained by a system of kidnapping. In this case a village was often surrounded in the night and torches applied to the combustible huts; the able- bodied men and women were seized, bound, while children, the aged and infirm were cruelly miirdered in the light of their burning homes. In journeying to the seashore, over rugged mountain sides and through fields of cacti, whose sharp thorns would lacerate and tear their flesh, they endured more than can be expressed. On reaching the coast the best of them were selected and placed on board ships, while those who had not endured the march, or were maimed were often murdered in cold blood. It is said that King Loango, "rather than incur the expense of feeding slaves for whom he found no mar- SLAVERY. 41 ket, sent them to a side of a hill and cnielly butchered them there. Middle Passage.— The slave ships were frequently crovv^ded to such an extent that men were barely allowed room enouQ:h to lie down. Lord Palmerston says: "A Negro has not as much CAPTURING SLAVES. room m a aea. ship as a corpse in a coffin. " Bancroft says: "The horrors of the middle passage correspond to the infamy of the trade. ' ' Small vessels, of little more than two hundred tons burden, were prepared for the traffic, for these could most easily penetrate the bays and rivers of the coast; and quickly obtaining 42 PROGRESS OF A RACE. lading, could soonest hurry away from the deadly air of Western Africa. In such a bark, five hundred Negroes and more were stored, exciting wonder that men could have lived, within the tropics, cribbed in so few inches of room. The inequality in force between the crew and the cargo, led to the use of manacles ; the hands of stronger men were made fast together, and the right leg of one was chained to the left of another. The avarice of the trader was a partial guarantee of the security of life, as far as it depended upon him ; the Negroes, as they came from the higher level to the seaside, poorly fed on the sad pilgrimage, sleeping at night on the damp earth, without covering, and often reaching the coast at unfavorable seasons, imbibed the seeds of disease, which confinement on board ship quickened into feverish activity. There have been examples where one-half of them — it has been said, even two-thirds of them — perished on the passage." President Lincoln, who was always easily moved by appeals for mercy, when appealed to by a slave trader, promptly and sternly refused, although the appeal was very pathetic, and the man had served a long time in prison. The President said: "I could forgive the foulest murder for such an appeal, but the man who could go to Africa and rob her of her children and sell them into endless bondage, with no other motive than that of getting dollars and cents, is so much worse than the most depraved murderer that he can never receive a pardon at my hands. No! he may rot in jail before he shall have liberty by any act of mine. " Profit. — Dr. Roy says: "Before the annual meeting of the American Missionary Association, in 1859, Rev, Dr. George B. Cheever, from Harper's Encyclopedia of Commerce, made the following statements as to the SLAVERY. 43 slave trade: For it every year twelve vessels were fitted out by three cities each, Boston and Baltimore being of the number, and from other places enough to make forty slave ships, owned mostly by northern men. Each made two trips a year, at a total cost of three million dollars. The receipts being twenty million dol- lars, left for profit seventeen million dollars. One voyage of the fleet would bring in twenty-four thousand slaves, of whom four thousand were lost by death. The two trips a year would make the total importation forty thousand. These were mainly taken to Cuba, but fifteen thousand were for the United States the preceding year. A slave ship was landed after the war broke out, in a distant part of the South, and there the slaves were held till after the war. It has been esti- mated by Hon. John M. Langston and Col. Keating, of the Memphis Appeal, that up to 1825, forty million slaves had been imported to the West Indies and to the American continent. Slavery a Curse. — Some writers will insist that American slavery has been a blessing to the race. Slavery is dead, and there is no one that would revive it. Ancient slavery may have been a step forward in evolution, because it ended in emancipation, and ulti- mately in the fusion of the races. But American slav- ery was a long step backward. It was carried on by a desire of Europeans in a lan- guid climate to have the work done for them instead of doing it themselves. Fusion in the case of Negro slavery was fatally pre- cluded by color; there could be no intermingling except that which arose from the abuse of the Negro woman by her white master. While household slavery may frequently have been mild, the plantation slave 44 PROGRESS OF A RACE. was overworked and tortured, and, with impunity, sometimes murdered. If certain writers are correct in attempting to show that the slave was contented in his bonds, why those fetters, those cruel slave laws, those bloodhounds? If he was fully content to live in slavery, why the laws that forbade the holding of meetings, the restraint from moving about freely, the liability to arrest when found alone, and the subjection to flogging when found away from the plantation Think of the revolting sights when, at public auction, husband and wife, parent and child, were sold apart, a sight of human cattle on the way to the auction and the adver- tisements of human flesh, especially of girls nearly white. Negro quarters on the plantation were hovels, his clothes rags, his food coarse, his life foul; it has been asserted that his life was happier than his African home, but it remains to be proven that this is the case. Slavery Cannot Be Justified. — "Slavery cannot be justified," says Gov. Atkinson, "but may not God have intended that you, who are the descendants of those whom slavery has brought into the country, should pray and work for the redemption of your fatherland?" Slavery Degrading. — Judge Stroud, in his "Sketch of the Laws Relating to vSlavery, " declares: "This maxim of civil law, the genuine and degrading principle of slavery, inasmuch as it places the slave on a level with brute animals, prevails universally in the slave -holding states." "It is plain that the dominion of the master is as unlimited as that which is tolerated by the laws of any civilized country in relation to brute animals to quadrupeds, to use the words of the civil law." To the unprincipled observer, at thirty-five years' distance, the whole system, as a system, was "the sum of all villianies, " one universal harem, that, SLAVERY. 45 at the emancipation of the slave, had swept to the vortex of tj^ranny, degradation, fornication and diabol- ism of the most vicous character. "In the case of Harris vs. Clarissa and others, in the March term, 1834, the chief justice, in delivering his opinion to the court, said: 'In Maryland, the issue (i. e. , of female slaves) is considered not an accessory, but as a part of the use, like that of other female animals. Suppose a brood mare be hired for five years, the foals belong to him who has a part use of the dam. The slave in Maryland in this respect is placed on no higher or different ground. ' ' ' The Slave Trade in the United States. — In 1774, the Articles of the Continental Association agreed that no more slaves should be imported and that the African slave trade should be wholly discontinued. These agreements were signed by the representatives of the colonies, but it was left to the next generation to carry out the agreement fully. Abolishing African Slave Trade. — In his message to Congress at the commencement of the session in 1806, President Jefferson asked of that body the wisdom^ of abolishing African slave trade. The message was referred to a select committee, which reported a bill to prohibit the importation of slaves into the United States. This bill, of course, was fought by the South- ern representatives. A long and fiery debate ensued and the act was fin, illy passed, after several amend- ments, imposing a fine on persons engaged in the slave trade were added. A Baltimore journal of this period says: "Dealing in slaves has become a large business. Establish- ments have been made in several places in Maryland and Virginia at which they are sold like cattle. These 16 PROGRESS OF A RACE. places of deposit are strongly bolted and are supplied with iron thumb- screws and gags ornamented with cows' skins, ofttimes bloody." A Curious Advertisement in a religious paper of Richmond, in March, 1850, is found the following: "Who wants thirty-five thousand dollars in property. I am desirous to spend the balance of my life as a minister, if the Lord permits, and therefore offer for sale my farm, the Vineyard, adjoining to Williams- burg * * * and also about 40 servants, mostly young and likely, and rapidly increasing in number and value. " Effect on Slave Owners. — While the slave owner may have been hospitable, courteous, grave, the char- acter of a true gentleman cannot be found where reigns domestic despotism, amidst whips, manacles and bloodhounds. The minds of young men were tainted by familiarity with slaves. With slavery always goes lust. If, as the advocates of slavery con- tended, the Negro was not a man, what were all these half-breeds to be called. The tendency of slavery in that which is not elevating in man is clearly seen in tile inferiority of Southern to Northern life. Culture, invention, literature, scientific research, were not found South as long as slavery existed. It is only since slav- ery has been abolished that the South is beginning to rise in all these lines. Not Content in Slavery. — The argument against the Negro is that he has never rebelled or resisted slavery, that his docility and contentment in slavery suggested that this was this normal condition. But we need understand the true condition of the Negro, his help- lessness and lack of leadership, to see the falsity of such arguments. Negro insurrections, wherever the SLAVERY. 47 opportunity presented itself, were not wanting in the south land. We need but refer to what is called the Nat Turner insurrection to show that the Negro was struggling for freedom, and was not as docile as the white slaver would make him. . The influence of this bloody insurrection in which the lives of so many whites were taken spread through- out Virginia and the South. For years afterwards they lived in a state of dread for fear another Nat Turner might arise. Serious Apprehensions. — "Talks from the Times" says: "During the days of slavery there were con- tinuous and serious apprehensions on the part of mas- ters. The whole South was under patrol every night, and the Negro, though regarded then, as many seem to regard him now, as a harmless, spiritless being, a 'scrub race,' a 'race of timid rabbits,' was an object of suspicion and distrust, and not infrequently was consternation thrown into whole states by apprehen- sions of servile uprisings." Uncle Tom's Cabin. — Dr. Edwards saj's: "The key to 'Uncle Tom's Cabin' is one of the most abhorrent and appalling commentaries ever written on African slavery. It has made the cheek of many a slave-holder tingle. But the legislation at that time in Virginia was deemed a life and death question. Nothing short of it, for the time being, could allay the painful and distressing excitement that prevailed everywhere throughout the country. It almost makes one's blood run cold, even at this remote period of time, to recall the trepidation and alarm that pervaded the whole community. The stoutest hearts were made to quail. Negro Insurrection. — Rumors of Negro insurrec- tion filled the air. Sleep ceased to be refreshing, ^S PROGRESS OF A RACB. haunted as it was by hideous dreams of murder, blood and arson. Mothers and maidens, and even little children, for months, not to say years, following the 'Nat Turner Insurrection.' looked pale and ghastly as the shadows of evening gathered around them, from the horrifying apprehension tliat with bludgeon they might be brained, or with torch might be burned to a crisp before morning. I speak from experience. Nor would I go through the agony of those years again for all the gold that ever passed hands in the Negro traffic from Colonial times till President Lincoln emancipated them with a strolce of his pen. Pharaoh and his peo- ple, under the visit of the destroying angel, when the first-born was convulsively quivering in the death struggle in every household, did not more earnestly desire the quick departure of the Hebrews out of the land of Egypt than did the great majority of the slave holders in the Carolinas and Virginias desire the removal of the Negroes from among them immediately after the Southampton Insurrection, ' ' Restriction of Slavery, — The African trade having been abolished, the next question that agitated the mind of the American abolitionist was that of restrict- ing slavery; while the North would restrict it to its present limits, the South insisted that slavery should be permitted to be carried into the new territory and states as they entered the Union. The Congressional discussion of the slavery question aroused the anti- slavery sentiment of the North, and thereby hastened the day when it was possible to liberate the last slave. Slavery in the Colonies. — Slavery was early intro- duced into all of the thirteen original colonies. But climate and other considerations proved that it was not so profitable to the Northern colonies as to those in SLAVERY. 49 the South. After some years the Northern colonies liberated their slaves and adopted laws against slavery. While in the South, the large rice and cotton fields, where labor was in demand, the slave was held in cruel bondage, for no other reason than that of the profit that it might bring the owner. The Southern Colonists. — The Southern colonists differed widely from the Northern in habits and style of living. In place of thickly settled towns and vil- lages, they had large plantations, and were surrounded by a numerous household of servants. The Negro quarters formed a hamlet apart, with its gardens and poultry yards. An estate in those days was a little empire. The planter had among his slaves men of every trade, and they made most of the articles needed for common use upon the plantation. There were large sheds for cutting tobacco, and mills for grinding corn and wheat. The tobacco was put up and con- signed directly to England. The flour of the Mount Vernon estate was packed under the eye of Washington himself, and we are told that barrels of flour bearing his brand passed in the West Indies market without inspection. Maryland and Delaware. — While the North liber- ated the slave, the Quakers of Maryland and Delaware were rapidly emancipating theirs. Men felt that the best interests of white society demanded that the curse . of slavery should be abolished. ' ' The whole commerce between master and slave," says Mr. Jefferson, "is a perpetual exercising of the most boisterous passions, our children see this and learn to imitate it. If a parent could find no other motive for restraining the temper of passion against his slave it should always be a sufficient one that his child is present. The man 4 Progress. 50 PROGRESS OF A RACE. must be a prodigy that can retain his morals and man- ners undepraved by such circumstances, and what exe- cration should come upon the statesman who permits half the citizens thus to trample on the rights of others, transform them into despots, and these into enemies, destroy the morals of one, and the love of country of the other." It was often difficult to tell whether the slave or the master was injured the more, the ignorance of the slave hid from him the great evils of his condition, while the intelligence of the owner revealed the bane- ful effects of slavery upon all who came within its area. It made men sectional, licentious, profligate, cruel, and selfishness paled the holy fire of patriotism. Profitable in Maryland. — In Maryland the slave trade became a profitable enterprise on account of its rich soil and cultivation of tobacco. Labor was scarce, and the Negro slave labor could be made as cheap as his master's conscience and heart were small. Slavery gained a foothold and at once became the bone and sinew of the working force of the colony. ^While many attempted to persuade themselves that slavery was an institution indispensable to the success of the colony here, as elsewhere, it was impossible to escape the bad results of the trade which made men cruel and avaricious. Virginia. — There is no doubt that the colony of Virginia purchased the first Negroes, and thus opened the nefarious traffic in human flesh. It may, however, be stated, that the first twenty were forced upon the colony by the Dutch sailors who were famishing and insisted upon the exchange of Negroes for food. It is to be noted that even after the institution of SLAVERY. 51 slavery was founded, its growth was very slow in Vir- ginia; according to the census of 1624, there were but twenty-two in the entire colony. The African slave trader was some time in learning that this colony was a ready market for his helpless victims. Whatever compunction of conscience the colonists had in refer- ence to the sub-dealing in slaves, this was destroyed at the golden hopes of immense gains. Slavery existed in this colony from 16 19 until 1662, without any sanction of law, but in a later year slavery received the direct sanction of statutory law, and it was also made hereditary; with each returning year, this cruel inhuman institution flourished and mag- nified. While in some colonies efforts were made to put down slavery from 1619 to 1775, there is nothing in history to show that Virginia ever sought to prohibit in any manner the importation of slaves. That she enriched herself by the slave trade cannot be doubted. The slave had no personal rank ; if he dared lift up a hand against any white man he was punished with lashes, or if he resisted his master he could be killed. Virginia, the mother of Presidents, was also the mother of American slaver}''. In the absence of the slave trade which Great Britain had suffered, the de- mand for more Negroes in the cotton fields of the South was met by the conversion of Virginia, the old Dominion state, into a breeding state, a shameful, degrading end for the mother of Presidents. New York. — An urgent and extraordinary demand for labor, rather than the cruel desire to traffic in human beings, led the Dutch to engage in Negro slave trade. The majority of them were employd on farms, and led quiet and sober lives. At first the Negro slave 52 PROGRESS OF A RACE. was regarded as a cheap laborer, "but after a time he became a coveted chattel. It is stated that Queen Elizabeth discouraged slavery and at one time attempted to rebuke a slave dealer, but soon after was found encouraging the slave trade. The condition of the slaves in the Christian colony of New York was no better than in many other colonies, they had no family relations, for a long time lived together by common consent, had no schools, neglected in life, and were abandoned to burial in a common ditch after death. The Negro Plot.— In 1741, through a combination of circumstances, the Negroes of New York were accused of plotting against the whites, and in less than three months more than 150 Negroes were put into prison, some of them burned at the stake, others hanged, some transported, and the remainder pardoned. The hatred and mistrust of the Negro was the occasion of much of this supposed riot. Without evidence, and with the mere form of a trial, many Negroes were convicted and sentenced to death. The result of the supposed Negro plot in New York is a stain upon the fair name of that province. It is stated that the desperate valor of the Negro in the war with Great Britain gave her an opportunity to dispell injustice and wipe out with his blood the dark stains of 1841. Rhode Island.— The institution of slavery was never established by statute in this colony, but in a few years after the establishment of the government it became so fully rooted that it was not possible to destroy it without explicit and positive prohibition of law. Demand for Ignorance.— The education of the Negro in all colonies was considered to be a step against the best interests of their masters. The flourishing of the SLAVERY. 53 slave trade demanded that the slave be kept in ignorance. New Jersey. — It is not known when slavery was introduced into New Jersey, but early in its history the Dutch, Quakers and the English held slaves, but were more humane in their treatment of them than in the other colonies. Legislation on the subject was not undertaken until about the middle of the eighteenth century, and at no time did it reach the severity that exhibited itself in the other parts of the country. In this colony alone, of all the colonies north or south, was the American Negro given the right of trial by jury. In Virginia, Alaryland, Massachusetts and in all other colonies, the Negro went into the court con- victed, and went out convicted, he was executed on the flimsiest evidence imaginable, but be it said to the praise of New Jersey that justice was shown towards the NegTO in this colony as in no other. The Negro slave was given the privilege of being tried by jury and permitted to be sworn in the courts. South Carolina. — In South Carolina the inhumanities of the slave trade reached its height. The entire slave population of this province was regarded as a chattel. Rice fields of this state demanded labor and the increase of the slave was almost phenomenal. The laws were not surpassed in stringency by any other colony, and it was unlawful for any free person to inhabit or trade with Negroes. The cruelties of the code are without parallel. Goldwin Smith says: "In the upshot she became the typical slave state, the heart of slavery and the focus of all the ideas and all the ambitions connected with the system ; while Charleston, her social capital and seaport, became the paradise of planter society 54 PROGRESS OF A RACE. with its luxury and pride. Her slave code transcended even that of Virginia in cruelty and expressed still more vividly the terrors of a dominant race. Every one who found a slave abroad without a pass was to flog him on the spot. All Negro houses were to be searched once a fortnight for arms and for stolen goods. For the fourth larceny a slave was to suffer death, and the kind of death was left to the discretion of the judge. For running away a fourth time a slave was to undergo miitilation. For punishing a slave so that he died no one was to suffer any penalty. For the wilful murder of a slave the penalty was a fine of forty pounds. It need not be supposed that the most revolting articles of the code were often put in force, or that they repre- sent the general relations between master and slave. " North Carolina. — In this colony there was but little improvement on the condition of the slave in South Carolina. If any Negro showed the least independence with white men he could be murdered in cold blood. The free Negro population was small and were not allowed any communion with the slaves; here, as else- where, the slave was left in a state of ignorance in order to further the interests of his master. New Hampshire. — Early in the history of New Hampshire slavery was considered by the authorities as a wicked, hateful institution. The colony never passed any laws establishing slavery, but as early as 1 7 14 passed several laws regarding the conduct and service of the slaves. In New Hampshire there were slaves up to the beginning of the war of the Revolu- tion, but they were slaves in name only. Massachusetts. — In Massachusetts, as well as in some other colonies, slavery was first introduced into individual families and afterwards into communities SLAVERY. 55 where, without the sanction of the law, usage and cus- tom made it legal. Finally, men desiring to enjoy the field of unrequiting labor gave it the sanction of stat- utory law. Pennsylvania. — Since the habit of enslaving the Negro spread through the colonies north and south, Pennsylvania, even, tolerated slaves within her borders. It is said that William Penn himself once owned slaves. Efforts were made in early years to pass laws emanci- pating slaves, but the mother country would not per- mit such laws at that time. Slave -Breeding States. — After the establishing of our republic, Maryland, Virginia, Kentucky and Mis- souri were the border states of slavery. North of these the slave was free, and even in these states slavery was found to be an unprofitable business as far as labor was concerned. We may well then ask, "Why was not slavery abolished in these states?" For the simple reason that it was found that since the African slave trade was abolished the South needed an increasing number of slaves for the great plantations. Here was found a profitable busmess, and these states became breeding states for the propagation of the race, increas- ing the number so as to flood the markets of the South. One of the largest exports of these states was slaves. It was estimated that in 1836 the number sold from the single state of Virginia was 40,000, yielding a return of twenty-four million dollars. This business, horrible as it seems in our day, was licensed and protected by law, advertised in papers, and recognized as one of the branches of legitimate production of trade. Not Universally Countenanced. — It must not be supposed that this trade was countenanced by all in the South, even there, there were men who denounced in < o SLAVERY. 57 strong and vehement language the barbarous custom of separating man and wife, mother and child, scattering families never to meet again until at the great day they meet their inhuman masters as common accusers. The pathetic scenes that presented themselves to the better element in the South brought words of condem- nation against the remorseless traffic that presented scenes along the streets and highways where crowds of suffering victims whose "Miserable condition was sec- ond only to the wretched borders of Hell, ' ' were made the victims of man's greed and gain. Border States. — The states bordering on the slave states, while not permitting slavery within their bor- ders, yet passed what were called "Black Laws," which left the free Negro but little better off in Ohio, Indiana and Illinois than in the Southern states. Black or mulatto persons were not allowed to reside in the state without having a certificate of freedom. Later, amended laws in Ohio required that a bond be given not to become a charge upon the county in which they settled. They were not permitted to give evidence in any court of record or elsewhere in the state against a white person. Severe penalties were inflicted on all who harbored such as had not given bonds. Thus, being denied the right of citizenship, ruled out of courts, compelled to produce a certificate of freedom, and in many other ways annoyed by laws limiting the rights they were suffered to enjoy, the free Negroes of these states were little better than slaves. That they endured patiently these restrictions which public sentiment threw across their social and political pathway is a matter of record. Pensioning Old and Feeble Slaves.— This question has been discussed and urged upon our government a h < erf W as H O H w u Q <: ai H > > CQ H b, W ►J SLAVERY. 59 repeatedly, but no definite action has been taken. While race prejudice is rapidly disappearing, it may be safe to say that before a sentiment can be obtained that will enact laws favorable to pensioning old and feeble slaves by congress or by any state legislature, every ex-slave will have passed into that life where he receives the recompense of reward for all his deeds, and where he is beyond the reach of the inhumanities of the slave master and needs no pension. Added Items. — The emancipation of slaves in all the French colonies took place February 4, 1794. The complete emancipation of slaves in the English colonies occurred in 1838 to 1839, when more than 800,000 men, besides women and children, were lib- erated. Sweden emancipated her slaves in 1846, and this was soon followed (in 184S) by the Danish colonies pro- claiming the freedom of her slaves. Holland delivered her American colonies from slav- ery August 8, 1862. The African slave trade was closed in this country on the first day of January, 1862. „>/vfti'*' "* ■' NiA' '\M3^fr^^'^ J^4l■ Bi.!^^ V -.-■ Progress. 82 PROGRESS OF A RACE. was discussed and ably defended. It was finally decided that the society should admit colored members as well. The following lines by a colored member, Miss Sarah Forten, justified the hopes of her white sisters concern- ing the race : "We are thy sisters. God has truly said That of one blood the nations he has made. Oh, Christian woman, in a Christian land, Canst thou unblushing read this great command? Suffer the wrongs which wring our inmost heart, To draw one throb of pity on thy part. Our skins may differ, but from thee we claim A sister's privilege and a sister's name." Anti- Slavery Orators. — The arguments of anti- slavery orators were often met by rotten eggs and many of them were abused. Mr. Garrison was dragged through the streets of Boston with a halter about his neck. Colored schools were broken up. Public meet- ings were disturbed by pro-slavery mobs. All this violent opposition added fuel to the flame and made the anti-slavery agitators all the bolder. While the foreign slave trade had been suppressed slave popula- tion was increasing at a wonderful ratio. Garrison's voice was not uncertain in those days. In July, i860, he declared: "Our object is the abolition of slavery throughout the land. I am for meddling with slavery everywhere — attacking it by night and by day, in sea- son and out of season — in order to effect its overthrow. Down with this slave-holding government! Let this 'covenant with death and agreement with heir be annulled ! Let there be a free, independent Northern republic and the speedy abolition of slavery will inev- itably follow." HARRIET BEECHER STOWE, Author ni "Uncle Tom's Cabin." 83 84 PROGRESS OF A RACE. Literature. — An ti- slavery literature was scattered throughout the nation. Many pamphlets and books were written by eminent Negroes informing the pub- lic mind, stimulating the action and touching the heart of the civilized world of two continents. "Uncle Tom's Cabin," however, pleaded the cause of slavery more effectually than the millions of anti-slavery books and pamphlets, presenting the despairing cry of the en- slaved, the struggle of fettered manhood, and touched the sympathies of the youth as well as the aged with a pity for the slave and a determination to abolish so hideous an institution. Harriet Beecher Stowe. — Although Harriet Beecher Stowe was not permitted to take an active and direct part in freeing the slaves, yet her work, "Uncle Tom's Cabin, " did more in bringing about the final liberation of the slave than any other agency. This volume has been translated into many languages. Everywhere read it is destined to create a sentiment against the traffic in man. The Pro-Slavery Reaction. — The agitation of the anti-slavery question brought about a strong opposition to any effort made to free the slaves. Rewards of $10,000 and even $50,000 were offered for the heads of prominent abolitionists. Andrew Jackson in his mes- sage to Congress in 1835, suggested the propriety of a law that would prohibit, under severe penalties, the cir- culation in the Southern states through the mails of pub- lications intended to incite the slaves to insurrection. Attempts to Stifle Discussions. — The legislatures of the different states, as well as Congress, were next entreated to prohibit discussions of the slavery ques- tion. These efforts were generally defeated in the Nl^or'-h, but in the South were successful. ANTI-SLAVERY AGITATION. 85 Mob Riots. — In many places mob violence v^^as re- sorted to in breaking up meetings called for the discus- sion of anti-slavery questions. Philadelphia had a riot lasting three nights and the harmless and powerless blacks were mainly its victims. At Concord, N. H., the mob demolished an academy because colored boys were admitted as pupils. At Northfield, N. H., George Storrs attempted to deliver an anti-slavery lecture, but was dragged from his knees while at prayer. On trial he was acquitted, but soon after was again ar- rested and sentenced to three months' imprisonment. He appealed and that ended the matter. At Boston, William Lloyd Garrison was dragged through the streets with a rope around his body, but was finally rescued by the mayor who protected him from further violence. In the same city a women's anti-slavery society was dispersed by a mob while its president was at prayer. In the South there was but one mode of dealing with the abolitionists. "Let your emissaries cross the Potomac and I promise you that your fate will be no less than Haman's, " says a South- ern writer. Rifling the Mails. — Anti-slavery literature was not permitted to be sent through the mails in the South and a meeting in Charleston, S. C, unanimously resolved that all mail matter of this kind should be burned. The mails were searched and rifled for the purpose. Attempts were made to bring offenders to justice, but failure met them in every case. Congress Suppressing Agitation. — Not only in the state legislatures, but in Congress, measures were adopted to suppress the discussion of the slavery ques- tion. In 1837 Congress adopted by a vote of 117 to 68 the following resolution: "That all petitions, mem- 86 PROGRESS OF A RACE. orials, resolutions, propositions, or papers relating in any way to the subject of slavery or the abolition of slavery shall, without being- either first read or referred. HENRY WILSON, An anti-slavery agitator and Vice-President in 1872. While in Congress in 1862 he introduced a bill for the employment of Negroes as Soldiers. be laid on the table." Amazing as it may seem, this heroic treatment was not successful in arresting agi- tation and restoring tranquillity to the public mind, ANTI-SLAVERY AGITATION. 87 SO that each succeeding Congress was necessitated to do the work over again. John Brown. — One of the most prominent of the agitators of anti-slavery was John Brown of national fame. The story :>£ this man's life is too well known to be repeated here. After laboring for many years and succeeding in aiding the cause of anti-slavery in many ways, he attacked Harper's Ferry in 1859 and, with a number of associates was made a prisoner. It is vain to under-rate either the man or his work. With firmness of will and a purpose unconquerable, he labored for the cause so dear to him and to which he had given most of his years. After the fight at Har- per's Ferry he said: "I never intended plunder or treason or the destruction of property, or to excite the slaves to rebellion ; I labored only to free the slaves. ' ' South Carolina, Missouri and Kentucky each sent a rope to hang him, but Kentucky's, proving the strong- est, was selected and used. His last leUer, written before his death to Mrs. George L. Stearns, Boston, Mass., follows: "Charleston, Jefferson Co., 29th Nov., 1859. "Mrs. George L. Stearns, Boston, Mass. "My Dear Friend: No letter I have received since my imprisonment here has given me more satisfaction or comfort than yours of the 8th inst. I am quite cheerful and never more happy. Have only time to write you a word. May God forever reward you and all yours. "My love to ALL who love their neighbors. I have asked to be spared from having any mock or hypocrit- ical prayers made over me when I am publicly mur- 88 PROGRESS OF A RACE. dered ; and that my only religious attendants be poor little, dirty, ragged, bare-headed and bare-footed slave boys and girls led by some old gray-headed slave mother. Farewell. Farewell, "Your friend, "John Brown." John Brown gave slavery its death wound and his immortal name will be pronounced with blessings in ^U lands and bv all people till the end of time. JOHN BROWN. THE ABOLITIONIST. CHAPTER V. THE FUGITIVE SLAVE LAWS. UNDERGROUND RAILROAD SYSTEM— SLAVE POPULATION. Fugitive Slave Laws. — Very severe and stringent laws were passed to prevent anyone from aiding the slaves in attempting to escape to the North. These laws permitted owners to follow slaves and legally claim them in other states. Any one suspected of showing even an act of kindness to a fugitive slave was liable to be flogged, fined or imprisoned. The greater the agitation of the question the more severe were these laws. Calvin Fairbanks. — Many respected citizens were imprisoned and fined for aiding slaves. Calvin Fair- banks spent nearly eighteen years in a Kentucky peni- tentiary for the crime of aiding poor slaves in gaining freedom. It is said that during this time he received 35,000 stripes on his bare body. Early in life he had heard of the sufferings and miseries endured by slaves and had resolved then to do all in his power to right the wrongs suffered by the race. He was one of the first in the Underground Railway work along the Ohio. A number of times he was arrested in the act of giving assistance to slaves and committed to prison, where he suffered untold cruelties from the hands of his keeper. "I was flogged sometimes bowed over a chair or some other object, often receiving seventy lashes four times a day, and at one time received 107 blows at one time, particles of flesh being thrown upon the wall several feet away." All this was endured by a white man in order to free the Negro. 89 90 PROGRESS OF A RACE. Rev. John Rankin, of Ohio, was fined $i,ooo, besides serving a term in prison, W. L. Chaplin aided two young slaves of Georgia to escape. Caught in the act, he was imprisoned for five months and released on a bail of $25,000, His friends, knowing that he would be convicted and sent to the penitentiary for a number of years, and perhaps for life, resolved to pay his bail. All his property was sacrificed, and through the liberality of that princely man, Garrett Smith, the suin was raised. Thomas Garrett, a Quak er of Delaware, one of the most successful agents of the Underground Railway, assisted nearly 3,000 slaves to escape from bondage ; he was at last convicted and fined so heavily that he lost all his property When the auctioneer had knocked off his last piece of property to pay the fine he said : "I hope you will never be guilty of doing the like again." Garrett, although penniless at the age of sixty, replied: "Friend, I have not a dollar in the world, but if thee knows a fugitive slave who needs a breakfast send him to me." It is with pleasure we learn Mr. Garrett lived to see the day when the slaves obtained their freedom. Levi Coffin. — This man of high social position, a Quaker of Cincinnati, was frequently called the presi- dent of the Underground Railway. He succeeded in aiding about 25,000 slaves in gaining their freedom. Captain Jonathan Walker. — Mr. Walker took a con- tract to build a railroad in Florida and for this purpose employed a number of Negroes, By kind treatment he gained the confidence of these slaves who afterwards persuaded him to aid them in gaining their liberty. They attempted to escape in a boat to an island not far away. Captain Walker was taken violently sick, and THE FUGITIVE SLAVE LAWS. 91 the Negroes, not understanding how to manage the boat, were taken up by another vessel and taken to Key West. Captain Walker was tried in the United States Court and was sentenced to be branded on the right hand with the capital letters "S. S. " (slave stealer), and to pay as many fines as there were slaves ; to suffer THOMAS GARRETT. Prom " Underground Railroad," by permission of Author. as many terms imprisonment; and to pay the costs and stand committed until the fines were paid. The initials of the words "slave stealer" were branded upon his hand and he was imprisoned, but his friends succeeded in raising money to pay his fines and he was released in 1845. The following lines by Whittier gave quite another meaning to the brand "S. S.," 92 PROGRESS OF A RACE. making it a badge of honor, signifying the heroism and self-sacrifice in spirit of these forerunners of liberty. " Then lift that manly right hand, bold plowman of the wave, Its branded palm shall prophesy Salvation to the Slave; Hold up its fire-wrought language, that whoso reads may feel His heart swell strong within him, his sinews change to steel; Hold it up before our sunshine, up against our Northern air. Ho! men of Massachusetts, for the love of God, look there! Take it henceforth for 3'our standard, like the Bruce's heart of yore; In the dark strife closing round ye let that hand be seen before. ' ' Underground Railroad. — By this term we designate the many methods and systems by which fugitive slaves from the Southern States were aided in es- caping to the North or Canada. After slavery was abolished in the North slaves frequently ran away from their masters and attempted to reach the free states of the North, or better still, Canada, where they were beyond the reach of their former masters. These so-called railroads were most useful auxiliar- ies in giving aid to the Negro. Fugitive slave laws gave masters the right to pursue the slaves into an- other state and bring them back. The men interested in these railways were men who felt they should fear God rather than man, that the fugitive slave laws were unjust and that they should not be obeyed. They were composed of a chain of good men who stretched themselves across the land from the borders of the slave states all the way to Canada. Many fu- gitive slaves were thus permitted to escape. They were carried by night to a place of safety and then turned over to another conductor who very often THE FUGITIVE SLAVE LAWS. 93 would load up and convey the fugitives in a covered wagon to the next station. Thus they were carried on from one place to another. As soon as leaders rose among the slaves who refused to endure hard- ship, the fugitive then came north. George Williams says: "Had they remained, the direful scenes of St. Domingo would have been re-enacted, and the hot vengeful breath of massacre would have swept the South as a tornado and blanched the cheek of^ the civilized world." Different Branches. — It would be very difficult to name all the branches of the "Underground Railroad. " They extended all the way from New Jersey to Illi- nois. Probably those on which the greatest number was rescued extended through Pennsylvania and Ohio. Many local branches existed in different parts of the country. William Still. — One of the most active workers in freeing slaves was William Still. He was chairman and secretary of the eastern branch of the road. It is won- derful what work such men as Mr. Still did in those days when opposition was so great. A part of the work that he has done is recorded in ' ' Underground Railroad." In the preface of this work Mr. Still says: "In these records will be found interesting nar- ratives of the escapes of men, women and children from the present House of Bondage ; from cities and plantations; from rice swamps and cotton fields; from kitchens and mechanic shops; from border states and gulf states; from cruel masters and mild masters; some guided by the north star alone, penniless, brav- ing the perils of land and sea, eluding the keen scent of the bloodhound as well as the more dangerous pur- suit of the savage slave-hunter; some from secluded *>i H o B *■ d 3 re PI •-J o ra 3 ts & > » w fJ n 1 n o P '^ r^. •T) - r o* n '"^ H Tl c ►-4 -1 : 2. M 5 > '"' w •-*i z > e rt- D* O ' ^^^lS^ |i jm^ikscijm^^^ \ ^.m: ■!> -.1 ^\ \ \, iif- ^^^^?5fvc '■t: ^r^% / I ' / '. / f.;i' THE FUGITIVE SLAVE LAWS. 95 dens and caves of the earth, where for months and years they had been hidden away awaiting the chance to escape ; from mountains and swamps, where inde- scribable sufferings and other privations had patiently been endured. Occasionally fugitives came in boxes and chests, and not infrequently some were secreted in steamers and vessels, and in some instances jour- neyed hundreds of miles in skiffs. Men disguised in female attire and women dressed in the garb of men have under very trying circumstances triumphed in thus making their way to freedom. And here and there, when all -other modes of escape seemed cut off, some, whose fair complexions have rendered them indistinguishable from their Anglo-Saxon brethren, feeling that they could endure the yoke no longer, with assumed airs of importance, such as they had been accustomed to see their masters show when trav- eling, have taken the usual modes of conveyance and have even braved the most scrutinizing inspection of slave-holders, slave-catchers, and car conductors, who were ever on the alert to catch those who were con- sidered base and white enough to practice such decep- tion. ' ' Mr. Still says that the passengers on the Un- derground Railroad were generally above the average order of slaves. Agents. — As the branches of the railroad were nu- merous it would be impossible to name any consider- able number of the agents of the road. Some of these nobly periled their all for the freedom of the op- pressed. Seth Concklin lost his life while endeavoring to rescue from Alabama slavery the wife and children of Peter Still. Samuel D. Burris, whose faithful and heroic service in connection with the underground railway cost him imprisonment and inhuman treat- 96 PROGRESS OF A RACE. ment, at last lost his freedom by being sold from the auction block. WILLIAM STiLL. See sketch in Chapter XIV. THE FUGITIVE SLAVE LAWS. 97 Indeed, prudence often dictated that the recipients of favors should not know the names of their helpers and vice versa, they did not desire to know others. The slave and his friends could only meet in private to transact the business of the road. All others were outsiders. The right hand was not to know what the left hand was doingf. The safety of all concerned called for still tongues. For a long time no narratives were written. Probably the best and most authentic of these thrilling accounts of the struggle for liberty are found in "Underground Railroad." Methods Pursued. — Different methods were pursued to aid fugitive slaves; some availed themselves of steamboats, railroads, stage coaches, but more fre- quently a more private method was resorted to, so as to escape detection. A number of cases are reported where colored men v\^ere boxed up and shipped by express across the line. William Jones, from Baltimore, succeeded in having his friends box him up and ship him by express to Philadelphia ; for seventeen hours he was enclosed in the box, but friends at the Philadelphia underground station succeeded in getting the box safely, and after a time in sending the slave to Canada. Mr. Pratt, in his sketches of the underground railway, gives a number of interesting accounts of escapes, among v/hich are a mother and daughter who escaped in a box from Washington to Warsaw, New York. With the aid of a friend they secured a box, put in it straw, quilts, plenty of provisions and water, and their friend carried the box in a spring wagon to the North. This friend, in order to succeed in his efforts, passed himself off as a Yankee clock peddler, and as he drove a wagon and good team, no questions were asked. 7 Prcgress, 98 PROGRESS OF A RACE. When out of sight of- settlements he would open the box and give the inmates an opportunity to walk in the night for exercise. The master heard of theif whereabouts and sent slave-hunters to recapture them, A BOLD STROKE FOR FREEDOM, From "Underground Railroad," by permission of Autlior." but the sentiment against slavery was so strong that they were not permitted to take them back. Henry Box Brown. — The marvelous escape of Henr>^ Box Brown was published widely in papers when the anti- slavery agitation was being carried on. In point of interest his case is no more remarkable than any other ; indeed, he did not suffer near as much as many. He was a piece of property in the city of Richmond. He seemed to be a man of inventive mind, and knew that it was no small task to escape the vigilance of Virginia slave hunters, or the wrath of an enraged master, for attempting to escape to a land of liberty. THE FUGITIVE SLAVE LAWS. on The ordinary modes of travel, he concluded, might prove disastrous to his hopes, he therefore hit upon a new invention, which was to have himself boxed up and forwarded to Philadelphia by express. Size of box was 2 feet wide, 2 feet 8 inches deep and 3 feet long. His food consisted of a few small biscuits. He had a large gimlet which he intended to use for fresh air if necessary. Satisfied that this would be far better than to remain in slavery, he entered the box. It was Uiis\g^! *wfe /i^ V,l iv^'f ' RESURRECTION OF HENRY BOX BROWN. Fioin "Underground Raihoad," by permission of Author. safely nailed up and hooped with five hickory hoops, and addressed by his friend, James A. Smith, a shoe dealer, to Wm. Johnson, Arch street, Philadelphia, marked "This side up, with care." It was twenty-six hours from the time he left Richmond until he arrived in Philadelphia. The notice, "This side up," did not avail, for the box was often roughly handled. For a while the box was upside down and he was on his head for miles. The members of the vigilance com- 100 PROGRESS OF A RACE. mittee of Philadelphia had been informed that he would be started. One of the committee went to the depot at half past two o'clock in the morning to look after the box, but did not find it. The same afternoon he received a telegram from Richmond, "Your case of goods is shipped and will arrive to-morrow morning." Mr. McKim, who had been engineering this under- taking, found it necessary to change the program, for it would not be safe to have the express bring it directly to the anti-slavery office. He went to a friend who was extensively engaged in mercantile business who was ready to aid him. This friend, Mr. Davis, knew all the Adams Express drivers, and it was left to him to pay a trusty man $5 in gold to go next morn- ing and bring the box directly to the anti-slavery office. Those present to behold the resurrection were J. M. McKim, Professor C. D. Cleveland, Lewis Thompson, and Wm. Still. The box was taken into the office. When the door had been . safely locked, Mr. McKim rapped quietly on the lid of the box and called out "All right." Instantly came the answer from within, "All right, sir." Saw and hatchet soon removed the five hickory hoops and raised the lid of the box. Rising up in his box. Brown reached out his hand, saying, "How do you do, gentlemen." He was about as wet as if he had come up out of the Delaware. He first sang the psalm beginning with these words : "I waited patiently for the Lord, and he heard my prayer." At the home of Lucretia Mott he received a cordial reception, and was entertained for some time, when he went to Boston. The success of this undertakmg encouraged Smith, who had nailed him up in the box, to render similar service to two other young bondmen. But, unfortim- ately, in this attempt the undertaking proved a failure. THE FUGITIVE SLAVE LAWS. 101 The young men, after being duly expressed and some distance on the road, were, through the agency of the telegraph, betrayed, and the heroic young fugitives were taken from the box and dragged back to helpless bondage. Smith was arrested and imprisoned for seven years in a Richmond penitentiary. He lost all CHARITY STII.L, Who Twice Escaped from Slavery. his property, was refused witnesses on his trial, and for five long months, in hot weather, he was kept heavily chained in a cell 4x8 feet in dimensions. Mr. Smith had, by his efforts, aided many to gain their liberty. He received five stabs aimed at his heart by a bribed assassin. But all these things did not move him from his purpose. After his release he went North and was united in marriage at Philadelphia to a lady who had remained faithful to him through all his sufferings. Amanda Smith, in her autobiography, tells how her 102 PROGRESS OF A RACE. father assisted runaway slaves. "Our house, " she says^ "was one of the main stations of the underground railway. My father took the Baltimore Weekly Sun newspaper, that always had advertisements of runaway slaves. These would be directed by their friends to our house and we would assist them on their way to libert}^ Excitement ran very high, and we had to be very discreet in order not to attract suspicion. My father was watched closely, as he was suspected of aiding slaves. After working all day in the harvest field he would come home at night, sleep about two hours, then start at midnight and walk fifteen or twenty miles and carry a poor slave to a place of security, sometimes a mother and child, sometimes a man and wife, then get home just before day. Thus he many times bafifled suspicion, and never but once was there a poor slave taken from my father's hands, and if that man had told the truth he would have been saved. "One week the papers were full of notices of a slave who had run away. A heavy reward was offered, a number of men in our neighborhood deterimned to get the reward if possible. They suspected our home as a place of safety for the poor slave. We had concealed the poor fellow for about two weeks, as there was no possible chance for father or anyone else to get him away, so closely were we watched. One day four men came on horseback. As father saw them he called to mother that four men were coming. He met them and they demanded of him to know whether he had a nigger there. Father said, 'If I tell you I have not you won't believe me, if I tell you I have it will not satisfy you, so search for yourself. ' Mother had in the meantime concealed him between the cords and the straw tick. The men searched the house, looked under THE FUGITIVE SLAVE LAWS. 108 the bed, and satisfied themselves that he was not there ; thus we succeeded in saving him from slavery." William and Ellen Craft were slaves in the state of Georgia. The desire to become free became so strong that they commenced planning to escape. Ellen, being fair, would pass for a white man, and was to act the part of master, while William was to be the servant. She dressed in a fashionable suit of male attire, and was to pass as a young planter. But Ellen was beardless. After mature reflection her face was muffled up as though the young planter was suffering from a face or toothache. In order to prevent the method of register- ing at hotels, Ellen put her right arm in a sling, put on green spectacles, and pretended to be very hard of hearing and dependent upon the faithful servant. Ellen, disguised as a young planter, was to have nothing to do but to hold herself subject to her ail- ments and put on the air of superiority. The servant was always ready to explain in case of inquiry. They stopped at first-class hotels in Charleston, Richmond and Baltimore, and arrived safely in Philadelphia, where the rheumatism disappeared, her right arm was unslung, her toothache was gone, the beardless face was unmuffled, the deaf heard and spoke, the blind saw. The strain on Ellen's nerves, however, had tried her severely, and she was physically prostrated for some time. Her husband, William, was thoroughly colored, and was a man of marked ability and good manners, and full of pluck. They were sent to Boston, where they lived happily until the fugitive slave law was passed. Then slave hunters from Macon, Georgia, were soon on their track, but the sympathy of friends in Boston would not permit their being returned to Georgia. It was, however, considered best for them 104 PROGRESS OF A RACE. to seek a country where they would not be in daily fear of slave capturers, backed by the United States Government. They were therefore sent by their friends to Great Britain. In England the Crafts were highly respected. After the emancipation they returned to the United States with two children, and, after visiting Boston and neighboj-ing places, William purchased a plantation near Savannah, and is living there with his family. Emar-cipators Tried. — Those who aided slaves in their struggle for liberty were often tried and impris- oned. Many of them lost all of their property and suffered much from the hands of slave dealers. Seth Concklin's noble and daring spirit induced him to put forth the most strenuous efforts to redeem a family of slaves. He learned to know Peter Still and found that his wife and children were still in Alabama in bondage. After considering the hazardous under- taking, he decided to make an attempt to bring the wife and children of Peter Still to the North. He went South, laid his plans well, and succeeded in carrying the family for seven days and seven nights in his skiff, then traveled hundreds of miles on foot. They at last reached Vincennes, Indiana. By this time the adver- tisements of the runaway slaves had spread all over the country, and at Vincennes they were arrested and taken South to their former owner. Imagine the state of mind of these enslaved ones, who, after having endured so many hardships and pain, so near to freedom's territory, were caught and returned to slavery. Seth Concklin was brutally murdered on the way south. Thus we might give numerous cases where slaves were secreted for months and endured the greatest THE FUGITIVE SLAVE LAWS. 105 hardships and were willing rather to meet death than to remain in slavery. Several girls made their escape in male attire, some secreted themselves in woods, traveling at night. Others succeeded in having friends hide them in steamers, but the underground railroad, with all its stations and well-planned schemes, suc- ceeded often in defeating the plans of the slave hunt- ers. As soon as a slave ran away papers were filled with advertisements and rewards were offered for their return. In this way many were looking for slaves so as to secure the rewards, making the escape of some more difficult. One cannot read such books as "The Underground Railroad, by Wm. Still, ' ' or the story of Peter Still, the kidnapped and the ransomed, without sincere thankfulness that slavery is ended, and that a man is a man without respect to the color of his skin. Slave Population. — In 1800 the slave population was over 900,000; in 1830 it had reached about 2,000,000- in 1840 it was estimated to be about 2,500,000; and in 1850 it was about 3,000,000. In i860 the aggregate Negro population in the United States was about 4, 5 00, 000, of which about 4, 000, 000 were slaves. Nearly 3,000,000 of the slaves were in the rural districts of the South. Southern prosperity depended upon the prod- uct of slave labor, which amounted to about $140,000,- 000 per year. It can be readily seen that the Civil War, which commenced in 1861, was destined to shake the very foundation of Southern civilization. While both North and South attempted to keep the real cause of the war in the background the maxim, "No question is settled until it is settled right," asserted itself here, and no real progress was made in the war until the Northern leaders acknowledged slavery as the issue, and met the question direct by freeing all slaves. ABRAHAM LINCOLN. CHAPTER VI. THE NEGRO IN THE CIVIL WAR. The part enacted by Negro troops in the War of the Rebellion is the romance of North American history. Number Enrolled. — The records of the war depart- ment show that there were 178,595 colored men regu- larly enlisted as soldiers in the Union army during the rebellion v/ho by their good conduct established a commendable record and did efhcient service in camp, fortress and field. The first enlistment of Negroes was by Gen. Hunter in the Department of the South in June, 1862. It was made without the authority of the War Department and was due to an emergency. Gen. Hunter needed men. Ready for Enlistment. — At the sound of the tocsin at the North the Negro waiter, barber, cook, groom, porter, boot-black, and laborer, stood ready at the enlisting office ; although the recruiting officer refused to take his name he waited patiently for the prejudice to be removed, waited two long years before the door was opened, but even then he did not hesitate but walked in, and with what effect the world knows. Opposition to Enlistment. — From the beginning there was great opposition to enlisting the Negro in the army. The Northerners even went so far as to return runaway Negroes to their owners, while the South kept the Negro on the plantation. The Confed- erates, however, found it no easy task to watch the Negro and the Yankee too ; their attention could be given to but one at a time; as a slave expressed it, 107 108 PROGRESS OF A RACE. "When Marsa watch the Yankee, nigger go — when Marsa watch the nigger, Yankee come. ' ' Objections.— The "New York Times," of February 1 6, 1 863, in an editorial summed up the objections to en-' listing the Negroes as follows : ' ' First, that the Negroes will not fight. Second, it is said that the whites will not fight with them. Third, that the prejudice against them is so strong that our citizens will not enlist or will quit the service if compelled to fight by their side, and thus we shall lose two white soldiers for one black one that we gain. Fourth, it is said that we shall get no Negroes — or not enough to be of any service. In the free states very few will volunteer, and in the slave states we can get but few because the rebels will push them southward as fast as we advance upon them. Fifth, the use of the Negroes will exasperate the South. We presume it will — but so will any other scheme we may adopt which is warlike and efl:ective in its charac- ter and results. We are not ready with Mr. Vallandin- ham, to advocate immediate and unconditional peace ! The best thing we can do is to possess ourselves in patience while the experiment is being tried." The President and Secretary of War and a large majority of the generals in the army acted on the theory, "This is a white man's war, and the Negro has no lot or part in it." They seemed to be ignorant of the fact that slavery was the real cause of the war, and hence held to the principal that all runaway slaves must be returned to their owners by the Union army. General Hunter. — To General David Hunter, com- manding the army in the South, is given the honor of organizing the first southern colored regimert He could not get white recruits and was surroimded by & THE NEGRO IN THE CIVIL WAR. 109 multitude of able-bodied Negroes who were idle, but anxious to serve as soldiers. In advance of public opinion he organized a regiment and was called to account for it by the Secretary of "War. He replied that he had instructions to employ all loyal persons in defense of the Union and the suppression of the rebellion, and hence was not limited as to color. He informed the secretary that loyal slaves everywhere remained on their plantations to welcome them, aid them, supply the army with food and information, and since they were the only men who were loyal, he had organized them into a regiment and appointed officers to drill them. He closed with these words: "The experiment of arming the blacks, so far as I have made, has been a complete and even marvelous suc- cess. They are sober, docile, attentive and enthusias- tic; displaying great natural capacities for acquiring the duties of the soldier. They are eager, beyond all things, to take the field and be led into action ; and it is the unanimous opinion of the officers who have charge of them that in the peculiarities of this climate and country they will prove invaluable auxiliaries. ' ' Mr. Wyckliff created a scene in the house by de- nouncing General Hunter and declaring that the enlist- ments of Negroes was an insult to every white soldier in the army. Nevertheless Congress authorized the Pres- ident to enlist "persons of African descent," but pro- vided that they should be used as laborers in the camps and forts, and were not to be allowed to bear arms. After a Year. — Towards the close of 1S62 the war clouds were still growing thicker. The Union army had won few victories ; the Northern troops had to fight in a tropical climate, the forces of nature and an arro- gant, jubilant and victorious enemy, but in the face of 110 PROGRESS OF A RACE. all these discouraging features the President still held to his views of managing the war without bringing the subject of slavery to the front. In reply to a deputa- tion of gentlemen from Chicago, who urged a more vigorous policy of emancipation, the President denied the request and stated: "The subject is difficult and good men do not agree. For instance : The other day, four gentlemen of standing and intelligence from New York called as a delgation on business connected with the war; but before leaving two of them earnestly be- sought me to proclaim general emancipation, upon which the other two at once attacked them. You know also that the last session of Congress had a decided ma- jority of anti-slavery men, yet they could not unite upon this policy. And the same is true of the religious people. Why, the rebel soliders are praying with a great deal more earnestness, I fear, than our own troops, and expecting God to favor their side; for one of our soldiers, who had been taken prisoner, told Senator Wilson a few days since that he met nothing so discour- aging as the evident sincerity of the prayers of those he was among." He admitted that slavery was at the root of the rebellion, but was not willing to act, but just nine days from that time when he thought a proclamation not warranted and impracticable, he issued his first Emanci- nation Proclamation. Public Opinion Changes. — When the Union mep began to see the worth of the Negro to the Confederate army in throwing up breastworks that were often almost impregnable, they began to complain that the Negro with his pick and spade was a greater hindrance to their progress than the cannon ball of the enemy ; slowly but surely public opinion changed. Congress •J' "J B n -t a o a m o a o o ■-t o O o* fD O •-t n> a' P P. O W z H > r o > z -a > z o o o r o fa M O O > C 112 PROGRESS OF A RACE. prohibited the surrender of the Negroes to the rebels, the President issued his Emancipation Proclamation and the Negroes were rapidly enlisted. In the Union Ranks. — Charles Sumner says: "Those who have declaimed loudest against the employment of Negro troops have shown a lamentable amount of ignorance, and an equally lamentable lack of common sense. They know as little of the military history and martial qualities of the African race as they do of their own duties as commanders. All distinguished generals of modern times who have had opportunity to use Negro soldiers have uniformly applauded their subor- dination, bravery, and power of endurance. Washing- ton solicited the military services of Negroes in the Revolution, and rewarded them. Jackson did the same in the War of 1812. Under both these great captains the Negro troops fought so well that they received unstinted praise. " Confederate Measures. — The enlistment of Negroes in the Northern army changed the policy of the South, and public opinion, now so strongly endorsed in the North, affected the rebels, who soon passed a measure for arming 200,000 Negroes themselves. In the Navy. — In the navy a different course was pursued from the first. Negroes were readily accepted all along the coasts on board the war vessels, this being no departure from the regular and established practice in the service. OflBcial Authority. — General Rufus Saxon was the first officer to receive official authority to enlist Negroes as soldiers. On the 26th of August, 1863, the Secre- tary of War ordered him to proceed to the Department of the South and organize 5,000 troops of "African descent, ' ' which were to be designated for service in THE NEGRO IN THE CIVIL WAR. 113 garrisons not in danger of attack by the enemy, to relieve white regiments whose terms of enlistment had expired. But one of General Saxon's first acts after recruiting a regiment was to send it on a foraging expedition into the enemy's country. The result was entirely satisfactory. The colored men proved to be remarkably good foragers, and brought in more sup- plies than three times the number of white men could have secured. Recruiting Offices. — Recruiting stations were estab- lished throughout the South, and officers were sent out to enlist slaves. In these journeys through the country officers often met with strange experiences. Recruits were taken wherever found, and as their earthly pos- sessions usually consisted of but what they wore upon their backs, they required no time to settle their affairs. The laborer in the field would lay down his hoe, or leave his plow, and march away with the guard. On one occasion a large plantation was visited and the proprietor asked to call in his slaves ; he com- plied, and when they were asked if they wished to enlist replied that they did, and fell into the ranks with the guard. As they started away the old man turned and, with tears in his eyes, said: "Will you take thefn all? Here I am an old man ; I cannot work ; my crops are ungathered, my Negroes have all enlisted or run away, and what am I to do?" Several recruit- ing officers were tarred and feathered and others were shot. Several officers were dismissed from the army for refusing to command Negro troops ; others resigned in preference to doing so. Indignation. — Although the Confederates anticipated the Federal government in the employment of Negroes S3 military forces, they exhibited a good deal of indig- 8 Progress. 114 PROGRESS OF A RACE. nation when their example was followed, and the Records of the Confederate Congress show some sensa- tional measures of retaliation threatened against the government of the United States on this account. It was proposed, among other things, to raise the black flag against Negro soldiers and white officers who com- manded them, and in some cases this retaliation was enforced, as at Port Pillow, but finally the Confederate Congress formally recognized the usefulness of the Negro as a soldier as well as a laborer, and authorized President Davis to enlist an unlimited number of col- ored troops. Governor Yates. — This fact was commented upon by Governor Yates, of Illinois, in a message he sent to the legislature of that state, as a most extraordinary phe- nomenon in history. He said the leaders of the insur- rection had called upon the cause of the insurrection to save it, and had recognized the intelligence and manhood of the despised race by lifting it to a level with themselves. A wise providence, he said, was directing the destiny of the Confederates, so that they will terminate the very evil they are fighting to main- tain. Slavery was to be the corner stone of their new Confederacy, but, says Governor Yates, a man who has been a soldier will never be a slave. Discrimination. — In the matter of pay there was for a long time discrimination against the Negro troops. While the troops of the regular army were paid $13.00 per month, the Negroes received but $10.00, three of which was deducted on account of clothing. Some regiments refused to receive $io.oo per month and others were paid in full. The injustice done the Negro soldier in this discrimination was often a violation of a solemn and written pledge of the govern* ON PICKET DUTY. 115 116 PROGRESS OF A RACE. ment that declared that they should receive the same pay and allowances as the white men. In definite terms, Congress and the War Department was de- nounced as the enemy of the Negro in this discrimina- tion. All honor to the Fifty-fourth colored regiment of Massachusetts that refused to receive the $7.00 per month until the authorities were driven to givse equal pay to Negroes and whites. General Butler. — Nearly all the generals of the army opposed the enlistment of the Negro. General Phelps, stationed at Louisiana, made a bold fight for the Negro, and attempted to enlist them in and around New Orleans, but being so strongly opposed by General Butler, he was forced to resign and return to his home. The sentiment of the North seemed to admit the right of the South to hold slaves. That General Butler afterwards entirely changed his opinion is seen by his speech on the floor of Congress, when he said: "It became my painful duty, sir, to follow in the track of the charging column, and there, in a space not wider than the clerk's desk, and three hundred yards long, lay the dead bodies of three hundred and fifty-three of my colored comrades, slain in the defense of their country, who laid down their lives to uphold its flag and its honor as a willing sacrifice ; and as I rode along among them, guiding my horse this way and that way lest he should profane with his hoofs what seemed to me the sacred dead, and as I looked on their bronzed faces upturned in the shining sun as if in mute appeal against the wrongs of the country for which they had given their lives, and whose flag had only been to them a flag of stripes on which no star of glory had ever shone for them — feeling I had wronged them in the past, and believing what was the future of my country to them THE NEGRO IN THE CIVIL WAR. 117 . — among- my dead comrades there I swore myself a solemn oath : ' May my right hand forget its cunning, and my tongue cleave to the roof of my mouth, if I ever fail to defend the rights of those men who have given their blood for me and my country this day, and for their race forever;' and, God helping me, I will keep this oath. " President Lincoln, when urged by Dr. Patton, of Chicago, to press the Negro into service said: "If we were to arm them, I fear that within a few weeks, the arms would be in the hands of the rebels. ' ' / In Congress. — Tn Congress a bill was passed to raise and equip 150,000 soldiers of African descent. Colonel / T. Higginson now watched the acts of Congress and / ascended the St. John's river in Florida and captured f Jacksonville, which had been abandoned by white Union troops. The New York Tribune said: "Drunkenness, the bane of our army, does not exist among our black troops. " " Nor have I yet discovered the slightest ground of inferiority to white troops. ' ' Prejudice Broken Down. — The bravery and excel- lence of the Negro in the battlefield soon broke down prejudices against the Negro on the part of the white officers, and it was not long before 100,000 Negroes \ were found in the Union ranks. Colonel Shaw. — Colonel Shaw commanded the first colored regiment organized in the free states, the Fifty-fourth Massachusetts, and it was this regiment that played such an important part in the attempt to take Fort Wagner. After making a forced effort and march for a day and a night, through swamps and drenching rains, without food or rest, hungry and fatigued they reached General Strong's headquarters on 118 PROGRESS OF A RACE. that memorable morning, just as they were forming into line of battle. Colonel Shaw made a thrilling patriotic speech to his men, and, after a most desperate and gallant fight, succeeded in planting the regimental flag on the works. The Negro color bearer, John Wall, was killed. But. Wm. H. Carney seized it, and, after receiving several wounds, one of which mangled his arm, brought the flag to the standard with his own blood on it and shouted, "Boys, the old flag never touched the ground." Fort Wagner. — M. S. Littlefield, in writing of Fort Wagner says: "Sergeant W. H. Carney, Company Q writes he was with the first battalion, which was m the advance of the storming column. He received the regimental colors, pressed forward to the front rank, near the colonel, who was leading the men over the ditch. He says, as they ascended the wall of the fort, the ranks were full, but as soon as they reached the top 'they melted away' before the enemy's fire 'almost instantly. ' He received a severe wound in the thigh, but fell upon his knees. He planted the flag upon the parapet, lay down on the outer slope, that he might get as much shelter as possible ; there he remained for over an hour, till the second brigade came up. ' He kept the colors fl5^ing until the second conflict was ended. When our forces retired he followed, creeping upon one knee, still holding up the flag. It was thus that Sergeant Carney came from the field, having held the emblem of liberty over the walls of Fort W^agner during the sanguinary conflict of the two brigades, and having received two very severe wounds, one in the thigh and one in the head. Still he refused to give up his sacred trust until he found an officer of his regi- ment SERGEANT WM. H. CARNEY, 119 120 PROGRESS OF A RACE. ti^ 'When he entered the field hospital, where his wounded comrades were being brought in, they cheered him and the colors. Though nearly exhausted with the loss of blood, he said: *Boys, the old flag never touched the ground. ' Of him as a man and soldier I can speak in the highest terms of praise. ' ' Milliken Bend. — "Tauntingly it has been said that Negroes won't fight. Who say it, and who but a dastard and brute will dare to say it, when the battle of Milliken's Bend finds its place among the heroic deeds of this war? This battle has significance. It demonstrated the fact that the freed slaves will fight. ' ' General Grant says of Milliken Bend: "This was the first important engagement of the war in which colored troops were under fire. These men were very raw, perhaps all had been enlisted since the beginning of the siege, but they behaved well. " First Colored Regiment. — The first colored regiment raised in New Orleans under General Butler, after remaining in camp for about six months, were quite efficient in the use of arms. It was then ordered to report to General Dwight. Its commanding officer, Colonel Stafford, was disabled, and was not permitted to go with the regiment. Before the regiment left the officers assembled at the quarters of Colonel vStafford. The colored guared marched up to receive the regi- mental flags. Colonel Stafford made a speech full of patriotism and feeling, and concluded by saying: "Colored guard, protect, defend, die for it, but do not surrender these flags. ' ' The reply of the sergeant was, "Colonel, I will bring back these colors to you in honor, or report to God the reason why. ' ' Port Hudson. — At Port Hudson, "the deeds of hero- ism performed by these colored men were such as the THE NEGRO IN THE CIVIL WAR. 121 proudest white men might emulate. Their colors were torn to pieces by shot, and literally bespattered by blood and brains. The color-sergeant of the First Louisiana, on being mortally wounded, hugged the colors to his breast, when a struggle ensued between the two color-corporals on each side of him as to who should have the honor of bearing the sacred standard, and during this generous contention one was seriously wounded. One black lieutenant actually mounted the enemy's works three or four times, and in one charge the assaulting party came within fifty paces of them. Indeed, if only ordinarily supported by artillery and reserve, no one can convince us that they would not have opened a passage through the enemy's works. "Captain Callioux, of the First Louisiana, a man so black that he actually prided himself on his blackness, died the death of a hero, leading on his men in the thickest of the fight. One poor wounded fellow came along with his arm shattered by a shell, and jauntily swinging it with the other, as he said to a friend of mine : ' Massa, guess I can fight no more. ' I was with one of the captains, looking after the wounded going to the rear of the hospital, when we met one limping towards the front. On being asked where he was going, he said : ' I have been shot bad in the leg, cap- tain, and dey want me to go to the hospital, but I guess I can gib 'em some more yet. ' I could go on filling your columns with startling facts of this kind, but I hope I have told enough to prove "that we can hereafter rely upon black arms as well as white in crushing this infernal rebellion. I long ago told you there was an army of 250,000 men ready to leap forward in defense of freedom at the first call. You know where to find them and what they are worth. ' ' 122 PROGRESS OF A RACE. "Although repulsed in an attempt which, situated as things were, was all but impossible, these regiments, though badly cut up, are still on hand, and burning with a passion ten times hotter from their fierce baptism of blood. Who knows but that it is a black hand which shall first plant the standard of the republic upon the doomed ramparts of Port Hudson. " In the Mississippi Valley.— In many engagements of the Mississippi valley the colored soldiers won for them- selves lasting glory and golden opinions from the officers and men of white organizations. The Battle of Wilson's Wharf.— The following ac- count is given : "At first the fight raged fiercely on the left. The woods were riddled with bullets ; the dead and wounded of the rebels were taken away from this part of the field, but I am informed by one accustomed to judge, and who went over the fields today, that from the pools of blood and other evidences, the loss must have been severe. Finding that the left could not be broken, Fitz-Hugh Lee hurled his cavalry — dismounted of course — upon the right. Steadily they came on, through obstruction, through slashing, past abattis without wavering. Here one of the advantages of the colored troops was made apparent. They obeyed orders, and bided their time. When well tangled in the abattis the death warrant, "Fire," went forth. Southern chivalry quailed before Northern balls, though fired by Negro hands. Volley after volley was rained upon the superior by the inferior race, and the chivalry broke and tried to run." Petersburg. — This was a stronghold of the Confed- eracy. To dislodge them tons of powder were buried near their lines. It was to be exploded and in the con- sequent confusion in the Confederate ranks a charge Q Z o Q O O n X Pi U H P O u z u o Pi o>» §•§. ui ea 6-1 a o ^>' •a o ox: o M 5^ ■^& fi'3 K O 03 « i£ &{. tI3 {> ^ s +j O c1 d O^ "1 ij t-. 4-1 u f- ■*-» 4-» D '* /ii i> "^ *• a, q, ri J; W ,"9 <« ? ■ to 1> c an ,Q I- o -»> — ^ a 124 PROGRESS OF A RACE. was to be made and capture their forces. Four thou- sand four hundred Negro braves were on hand to do this work. The refusal to allow them to do so, many believe, lost the day to the Union army. Ah ! but the black braves that day proved that they were willing to fight, bleed and die for their kindred in chains so cruelly forged. Black men fell on the very parapet of the enemy's works, in a hand-to-hand fight with their white antagonists. The soil was saturated in the blood of the colored valiants. When Petersburg did fall into Federal hands, and Richmond followed later, Negro soldiers were among the first to enter the field and claim these cities in the name of the Federal gov- ernment. Close on the fall of these Confederate cities Lee surrendered at Appomatox under the shade of the old apple tree. Thus ended the war, leaving our brave black heroes covered with glory crowned with imper- ishable laurels. When, therefore, the last drum shall beat, the last bugle note shall sound, and the roll call of nations shall be heard, and the names of Phillips, Leonidas, Alexander, Hannibal, Caesar, Napoleon and Wellington are sounded on the lips of the worshipers of heroes, with equal praise shall be heard the name of Attucks, Peter Salem, Captain Cailloux, Colonel Shaw the talented, and Toussaint L 'Overture. A race with such indomitable courage, under such discourage- ments, must have under God a future inspiring and glorious. General Smith on Petersburg. — "The hardest fight- ing was done by the black troops. The forts they stormed were the worst of all. After the affair was over General Smith went to thank them, and tell them he was proud of their courage and dash. He said : 'They can- not be exceeded as soldiers, and that hereafter he THE NEGRO IN THE CIVIL WAR. 125 will enter them in a difficult place as readily as the best.' " "The charge on the advanced works was made in splendid style, and as the 'dusky warriors' stood shout- ing upon the parapet, General Smith decided that *they would do,' and sent word to storm the first redoubt. Steadily these troops moved on, led by officers whose unostentatious bravery is worthy of emulation. AVith a shout and rousing cheers they dashed at the redoubt. Grape and canister were hurled at them by the infuriated rebels. They grinned and pushed on, and with a yell that told the Southern chivalry their doom, rolled irresistibly over into the work. The guns were speedily turned upon those of our 'misguided brethren,' who forgot that discretion was the better part of valor. Another redoubt was carried in the same splendid style, and the Negroes have established a reputation that they will surely maintain. "Officers on General Hancock's staff, as they rode by the redoubt surrounded by a moat with water in it, over which these Negroes charged, admitted that its capture was a most gallant affair. The Negroes bear their wounds quite as pluckily as the white soldiers. ' ' Adjutant General L. Thomas pays the following tribute to the Negro soldiers: "On several occasions when on the Mississippi river, I contemplated writing to you respecting the colored troops, and to suggest that, as they have been fully tested as soldiers, their pay should be raised to that of white troops, and I desire now to give my testimony in their behalf. You are aware that I have been engaged in the organization of freedmen for over a year, and have necessarily been thrown in contact with their orders. ^ 126 PROGRESS OF A RACE. Strict Obedience. — "The Negro, in a state of slav- ery, is brought up by the master from early childhood to strict obedience and to obey implicitly the dictates of the wh'te man, and they are thus led to believe that they are an inferior race. Now, when organized into troops, they carry their habits of obedience with them, and their officers, being entirely white men, the Negroes promptly obey them. Important Addition.— "A regiment is thus rapidly brought into a state of discipline. They are a religious people — another high quality for making good soldiers. They are a musical people, and thus readily learn to march and accurately perform their maneuvers. They take pride in being elevated as soldiers, and keep them- selves, as their camp grounds, neat and clean. This I know from special inspection, two of my staff officers being constantly on inspecting duty. They have proved a most important addition to our forces, enabling the Generals in active operations to take a large force of white troops into the field ; and now brigades of blacks are placed with the whites. The forts erected at the important points on the river are nearly all garrisoned by blacks — artillery regiments raised for the purpose, say at Paducah and Columbus, Kentucky; Memphis, Tennessee ; Vicksburg and Natchez, Mississippi, and most of the works around New Orleans. Heavy Guns. — ' ' Experience proves that they manage the heavy guns very well. Their fighting qualities have also been fully tested a number of times, and I have yet to hear of the first case where they did not fully stand up to their work. I passed over the ground where the First Louisiana made the gallant charge at Port Hudson, by far the stronger part of the rebel works. The wonder is that so many have made their GENERAL EDWARD JOHNSON AND G. H. STEWART AS PRISONERS IN CHARGE OF A FORMER SLAVE. -127 128 PROGRESS OF A RACE. escape. At Milliken's Bend, where I had three incom- plete regiments — one without arms until the day prev- ious to the attack — greatly superior numbers of the rebels charged furiously up to the very breastwork. The Negroes met the enemy on the ramparts, and both sides freely used the bayonet, a most rare occurrence in warfare, as one or the other party gives way before coming in contact with the steel. The rebels were defeated with heavy loss. The bridge at Moscow, on the line of railroad from Memphis to Corinth, was defended by one small regiment of blacks. A cavalry attack of three times their number was made, the blacks defeating them in three charges made by the rebels." General S. 0. Armstrong, who for years was at the head of Hampton Institute, says: "Two and one-half years' service with Negro soldiers (half a year as captain and major in the One Hundred and Twentieth New York Volunteers) as lieutenant-colonel and colonel of the Ninth and Eighth regiments of the United States colored troops, convinced me of the excel- lent qualities and capacities of the freedmen. Their quick response to good treatment, and to discipline, was a constant surprise. Their tidiness, devotion to their duty and their leaders, their dash and dai-ing in battle, and ambition to improve, even studying their spelling books under fire, showed that slavery was a false, though doubtless for the time being an educative, condition, and that they deserve as good a chance as any people. A Cavalry Force. — "A cavalry force of three hun- dred and fifty attacked three hundred rebel cavalry near the Big Black with signal success, a number of prisoners being taken and marched to Vicksburg, THE NEGRO IN THE CIVIL WAR. 129 Forrest attacked Paducah with 7,500 men. The garri- son was between 500 and 600, nearly 400 being colored troops recently raised. What troops could have done better? So, too, they fought well at Fort Pillow till overpowered by greatly superior numbers. The above enumerated cases seem to be sufficient to de- monstrate the value of the colored troops. ' ' Few of Many Tributes. — These are but few of the many tributes that generals and white leaders have cheerfully given to the loyalty, valor and bravery of the colored troops during the war. George Williams truly says: "No officer, whose privilege it was to com- mand or observe the conduct of these troops, has ever hesitated to give a full and cheerful endorsement of their worth as men, their loyalty as Americans, and their eminent qualifications for the duties and dangers of military life. No history of the war has ever been written without mentioning the patience, endurance, fortitude, and heroism of the Negro soldiers who prayed, wept, fought, bled and died for the preserva- tion of the Union of the United States of America. " Items of Interest.— History records the fact that during the late rebellion the Negro soldiers partici- pated in more than four hundred engagements. There were between four and five hundred Negro soldiers who were engaged in the battle of New Orleans. About 6,000 Negroes were connected in different ways with the Confederate army. The first colored regiment to enter the services of the rebellion was the Fifty-fourth Massachusetts Vol- unteers. In Present Service. — At present time there are four regiments of colored men in the regular service, two 9 Progress 130 PROGRESS OF A RACE. of cavalry and two of infantry. They are commanded by white officers and have done very good service in Indian warfare. Their constitutions endm-e the heat of the Southern states much better than those of the white men, and they have been particularly valuable along- the Mexican border. In Military Academy.— James Smith, of Columbia, S. C, was the first colored student to enter the U. S. military academy at New York. Up to date there were ten colored cadets admitted, of whom three graduated. Colored Soldiers of Georgia. — The colored soldiers of the state are pleading for proper aid from the state they have enlisted to defend. They deserve help, if the following letter be true, which was written by one of the oldest colored soldiers in the state. "The colored soldiers of Georgia have maintained their military organizations for twenty-six years. At the re-organization of the state militia in 1888, there were forty-seven colored companies of infantry uni- formed and equipped by themselves at a cost of not less than $25,000. Besides this, they furnished their own armories, fuel and lights, the cost of which, added to the above, would make the amount spent by the colored soldiers themselves for their support and for an opportunity to assist in defending the state for a period of twenty-six years, more than $95,000. This money has come from the poor or average colored citi- zen, as the majority of colored soldiers come from that class of our people. Though these men are Georgians, they love their name, they love their honor, and they are willing to lay down their lives in the defense of her soil. All they ask at the hands of those in power is to treat them as citizens and as soldiers. Chapter vii. THE Nfe(3RO SOLDIER IN THE CUBAN INSURRECTION ANH SPANISH-AMERICAN WAR. Written expressly for this book by Prof. W. H. Crogman, A. M. ^he persistent efforts of Spain to retain under her cruel J corrupt, and inefficient government the fertile island of Cuba have agaiii, in tliese closing yeats of the nineteenth century, brought to light the splendid qual- ities of the Negro soldier. Of limited education, poorly armed, poorly clad, and poorly fed, he has shared the toils, the perils, the privations of his white compatriots, and has exhibited such fortitude and loyalty, such unswerving devotion to the cause of Cuban liberty as to win unstinted praise even from those cherishing strong prejudice against his race. Whatever may be the future of Cuba, impartial history will ascribe to the Negro no small part of the sacrifice made for her de- liverance. Both as a slave and as a freedman his sym- pathies were with the insurgents. In the first revolu- tion, beginning October lo, 1868, and lasting ten years, there were thousands of blacks under the insurgent standard. It is reasonable to believe, that in this first uprising they imbibed the martial spirit, and acquired that training and discipline which made them so effi- cient in the last struggle to throw off the Spanish yoke. It has been officially stated that of the thirty thousand Cubans recently under arms two-fifths were Negroes, commonly so called. 131 I 132 PROGRESS Ol' A RACE. Leadership. — Not only soldiers, however, but Negro leaders of conspicuous ability were brought to light by the recent Cuban insurrection. Prominent among these may be mentioned Flor Crombet, a dashing lead- er, a stubborn fighter, unflinching in his loyalty to Cuba as he was unrelenting in his hostility to Spain. ICqually brave, and more of a military genius, per- haps, was Quintin Bandera, a Negro of unmixed blood. Indeed, there is much of romance in the life of this man. Hon. Amos J. Cummings, one of the five con- gressmen invited by the New York Journal to visit Cuba, and report the state of things there, had this to say about Quintin Bandera, in his speech before Con- gress, Friday, April, 29, 1898: "Quintin Bandera means 'fifteen flags.' The appel- lation was given to Bandera because he had captured fifteen Spanish ensigns. He is a coal-black Negro, of remarkable military ability. He was a slave of Que- sada. With others of Maceo's staff, he was sent to prison at Ceuta, While in prison the daughter of a Spanish officer fell in love with him. Through her aid, he escaped in a boat to Gibraltar, where he became a British subject and married his preserver. She is of Spanish and Moorish blood, and is said to be a lady of education and refinement. She taught her husband to read and write, and takes great pride in his achieve- ments." Antonio Maceo. — Of all the leaders produced by the Cuban war the most colossal and imposing figure is Antonio Maceo. Says Mr. Cummings of him: "He was as swift on the march as either Sheridan or Stonewall Jackson, and equally as prudent and wary. He had flashes of military genius when a crisis arose. It was to his sudden inspiration that Martinez Campos NEGRO SOLDIER IN THE SPANISH-AMERICAN WAR. 183 owed his final defeat at Coliseo, giving the patriots the opportunity to overrun the richest of the western provinces and to carry the war to the very gates of Havana." <..v.^,S»-^j!i3».»iM ^fii..-,^< ■V'aa^ GEN. ANTONIO MACEO. Speaking of his attachment to the cause of Cuban liberty, the same author says : ' ' No one has ever questioned his patriotism. Money could not buy him ; promises could not deceive him. 134 PROGRESS OF A RACE. His devotion to Cuban freedom was like the devotion of a father to his family. All his energies, physical and intellectual, were given freely to his country." It is well known that of all the men arrayed against them the Spaniards dreaded Maceo most. Through emissaries they made repeated efforts to have him poisoned ; but without success. When finally the news reached them of his fall by Spanish bullets, their joy was indescribable and their hope of success corre- spondingly raised. The greatness of this man as a leader, however, ap- parent as it was in his life, became even more so in his death. His fall sent a shock throughout the civilized world. Men felt instinctively that the Cuban cause had lost its mightiest chieftain, its loftiest source of inspiration. It is doubtful, indeed, whether the death of any man within the century produced a sorrow more general and profound. So sincere was the regret that for weeks, nay, almost months, people would not be- lieve that the daring leader was gone. They said it was only a ruse he was practicing on the Spaniards, and at some moment when they least expected him he would strike like a thunderbolt. Alas! that moment was never to come. His death, however, won uni- versal sympathy for the Cuban cause. So far, then, as he was personally concerned, it was as well for him to die when he did as to die later. He had shown to the world what was in his heart and brain; he had written his name high upon the scroll of the world's heroes; he had done this, too, not for vain-glory, not for self aggrandizement, not for the purpose of crushing and humiliating his fellow-men; but for the purpose of rescuing a sulfering people from a hideous and op- pressive tyranny. NEGRO SOLDIER IN THE SPANISH- AMERICAN WAR. 135 The Negro Soldier in the Spanish-American War. — It is an historic fact that reflects no Httle credit on the Negro, that on the very verge of hostilities with Spain the first regiment ordered to the front was the Twenty- fourth United States regulars. This colored regiment, like all the regiments of its kind, had, in time of peace, maintained in the West a splendid record, not only for soldierly efficiency, but for manly and respectful con- duct. Wherever quartered in that section of country the Negro regiments were liked, and in more than one instance did the citizens petition for their retention when they were about to be moved, preferring their presence to that of white troops. It is safe to say, per- haps, that the best behaved men in times of peace are the best and most reliable men in times of war. Char- acter always tells. The ruffian and the rowdy are brave under favorable conditions, when the odds are on their side. It requires courageous men to face coolly all sorts of dangers and difficulties. The short war with Spain has shown Negroes to be just such men. From no service have the black soldier's shrunk. At no time did they show the white feather. With far less to inspire them they have shown themselves on every occasion not one whit inferior to their white comrades in arms. Nay, some are inclined to give them the palm for bravery displayed in the recent wai around Santiago and at other stubbornly-disputed points. A correspondent of the New York Sun — a paper quick, by the way, to recognize the merits of the black troops — describing the scenes on that fatal Friday at Santiago, said : "While the proportion of colored men wounded has been large, by their courage and supreme cheerfulness they have really carried off the palm for heroism." NEGRO SOLDIER IN THE SPANISH- AMERICAN WAR. 137 Here is what one of the wounded Rough Riders, Ken- neth Robinson, has to say about the black soldiers. Robinson is lying in one of the tents here suffering from a shot through his chest. A pair of underdraws and one sock, the costume in which he arrived from the front, is all that he has to his name at present. On the next cot to him lies an immense Negro, who has been simply riddled with bullets, but is still able to crack a smile and even to hum a time occasionally. Between him and the Calumet man there has sprung up a friendship. 'I'll tell you what it is,' said Robin- son this morning, 'Without any disregard to my own regiment I want to say that the whitest men in this fight have been the black ones. At all events they have been the best friends that the Rough Riders have had, and every one of us, from Colonel Roosevelt down, appreciates it. When our men were being mown down to right and left in that charge up the hill it was the black cavalry men who were the first to carry our wounded away, and during that awful day and night that I lay in the field hospital, waiting for a chance to get down here, it was two big colored men, badly wounded themselves, who kept my spirits up. Why, in camp every night before the fight the colored soldiers used to come over and serenade Colonels Wood and Roosevelt; and w^eren't they just tickled to death about it ' The last night before I was wounded a whole lot of them came over, and when Colonel Roose- velt made a little speech thanking them for their songs, one big sergeant got up and said: 'It's all right, col- onel, we'se all rough riders now.' " From another source we take the following : "I was standing near Captain Capron and Hamilton Fish," said the corporal to the Associated Press corre- 138 PROGRESS OF A RACE. spondent tonight, "and saw them shot down. They were with the Rough Riders and ran into an ambush, though they had been warned of the danger. Captain Capron and Fish were shot while leading a charge. If it had not been for the Negro cavalry, the Rough Riders would have been exterminated. I am not a Negro lover. My father fought with Mosby's rangers, and I was born in the South, but the Negroes saved that fight, and the day will come when General Shafter will give them credit for their bravery. ' ' A correspondent of the Atlanta Evening Journal, J::ty 30, 1898, has this to say: "I have been asked repeatedly since my return about what kind of soldiers the Negroes make. The Negroes make fine soldiers. Physically the colored troops are the best men in the army, especially the men in the Ninth and Tenth cavalry. Every man of them is a giant. The Negroes in the Twenty-fourth and Twenty-fifth infan- try, too, are all big fellows. These colored regiments fought as well, according to General Sumner, in whose command they were, as the white regiments. What I «aw of them in battle confirmed what General Sumner said. The Negroes seemed to be absolutely without fear, and certainly no troops advanced more promptly when the order was given than they." In the course of the war, however, there came to the colored troops a severer test than that of facing Mauser bullets. A yellow fever hospital was to be cleansed and yellow fever sufferers were to be nursed. An order went forth from General Miles that a regiment be detailed for such service. "In response to this order," said Mr. Robert B. Cramer in the Atlanta Constitution, Tuesday, August 16, 1898, "the Twenty- fourth infantry, made up entirely of colored men, left NEGRO SOLDIER IN THE SPANISH- AMERICAN WAR. 139 their trenches at night, and at dawn the next morning they had reported to Dr. LaGarde. An hour later they were put at work, and before sunset again the lines of their tents were straightened out, the debris of the burned buildings was cleared away, the waterworks were put in operation, and the entire camp became a place in which a sick man stood at least a fighting chance of getting well." "It was peculiarly appropriate," continues Mr. Cramer, "that the Twenty- fourth should be selected for that place, because it was one of unquestionable honor, and at that time there was nothing that could be done for the colored troops in paying tribute to their work as soldiers that ought not to have been done. In all the disputes that historians will indulge in as to who did and who did not do their duty at the siege of Santi- ago no one will ever question the service of the dark- skinned regulars, who from the time the Tenth fought with the Rough Riders in the first day's fight, until the Twenty-fifth infantry participated in the actual surrender, did their whole duty as soldiers. All that can be said in praise of any regiment that participated in the campaign can be said of those regiments which were made up of colored troops, and I am glad to quote General Wheeler as saying: 'The only thing necessary in handling a colored regiment is to have officers over them who are equally courageous. Give them the moral influence of good leadership and they are as fine soldiers as exist any- where in the world. Put them where you want them, point out what you want them to shoot at and they will keep on shooting until either their officers tell them to stop or they are stopped by the enemy.' " Such testimony from a hard-fighting ex-Confederate 140 PROGRESS OF A RACE. general ought to be sufficient to establish the merits of the Negro as a soldier; but it may be well, as there is evidence varied and abundant, and from high author- ity to hear from others. Mr. George Kennan of Sibe- rian prison fame, special correspondent for the Outlook, wrote in the issue of August 13: "I have not, as yet, the information necessary to do anything like justice to the regiments that particularly distinguished themselves in Friday's battle; but upon the basis of the information I already have, I do not hesitate to call especial attention to the splendid behavior of the colored troops. It is the testimony of all who saw them under fire, that they fought with the utmost courage, coolness, and determination, and Col- onel Roosevelt said to a squad of them in the trenches, in my presence, that he never expected to have, and could not ask to have better men beside him in a hard fight. If soldiers come up to Colonel Roosevelt's standard of courage, their friends have no reason to feel ashamed of them. His commendation is equiva- lent to a medal of honor for conspicuous gallantry, because, in the slang of the camp, he himself is 'a fighter from 'way back. ' I can testify, furthermore, from my own personal observation in the field hospital of the Fifth army corps Saturday and Sunday night that the colored regulars who were brought in there displayed extraordinary fortitude and self control. There were a great many of them, but I can not re- member to have heard a groan or a complaint from a single man. ' ' His Patriotism. — At the outbreak of the war with Spain, there were not wanting those who questioned the patriotism of the Negro. To all such skeptics we commend the following extract from the organ of the American Missionary Association : 141 ' ^'*^ PROGRESS Of A RACE. "Never can the students of Talladega college fofget the commencement of 1898, when so many brave men left their cherished plans to engage in the war with Spaiw.. 'Those laughter-loviftg; boys, earnest in study, h'iit hiW of fun and careless Sometimes, as boys will be —Aone hardly knew them when the war spirit rose and they stood in line with the new, steady light of resolu» tiovi shining in their dark eyes. In i860 young men of Aftglo- Saxon blood left that same building to fight Jagainst the Union. One of those young men, now .governor of the state, thirty-eight j'^ears later, tele- Jgfdphs to the same school asking Negroes to defend the same government, and they cheerfully respond. Is not this a revolution of the wheel of time? The governor's telegram came Wednesday, almost two weeks before commencement. All volunteers were prompt, having completed satisfactorily the work of the year with the exception of the closing exercisesv Thirty in all volunteered, three or four of whom ■Were not students, a third of this number being unable ^o pass the severe physical test. A farewell meeting was held in the chapel, and the young soldiers told in stirring words the motives that led them to offer their lives to their country; their resolve to fight for the freedom of bleeding Cuba, their love of the Stars and Stripes in spite of the wrongs they themselves had suffered, their strong desire to show that Negroes could not only live and work, but die, like men. Many earnest appeals were made for prayers, that they might never turn their backs to their enemies, nor yield to the temptations of camp life. At last a quiet little woman with an earnest face arose and told in trem- bling tones her determination to go as nurse, if she could find an opportunity. She was called to the plat- NEGRO SOLDIER IN THE SPANISH- AMERICAN WAR. 143 form and it was beautiful to see the reverence with which the tall, young fellows gathered about her. Talladega college had reason to be proud of her sons as they marched to the station with a flag and a band, and went off with a ringing cheer. Nor were her daughters wanting; their hearts were aching, but their faces dressed in smiles as they sent their brothers away as patriotically as those of fairer hue. The Talladega students have not been permitted to meet any Spaniards in battle, but their record in camp at Mobile has been true to their promises. They have shown to every one the advantage of education. Their officers prize them highly, and the rough, ignorant men who are their comrades, have felt their influence, so that the governor has publicly commended their behavior. ' * Commenting on the above, the writer says : "Probably no institution in the East sent as large a percentage of student soldiers to bear the flag of our common country to victory as did our missionary schools. Our students have not been taught that war is glory. It was conscience with them. They went as deliverers from oppression and saw their opportunity to prove their devotion and gratitude to the country for their own deliverance. They have made their record. ' ' Surely this is very refreshing, especially just now when a certain class of persons are endeavoring to deprecate Negro education, or at least to confine it to manual training, as best suited to the sphere in which he is to move, a proposition, we may add, as absurd as any that could be propounded by enlightened men living under a republican form of government. Von Moltke attributed his success at Sadowa to the 144 PROGRESS OF A RACE. influence of the Prussian schoolmaster, and Wellington thought that the battle of Waterloo was first won on the cricket field at Rugby. Evidently a machine is a good thing, but a thinking machine is better. What the Negro needs is thought power, and that kind of education which will develop this power in him will fit him not only for the best mechanic, but for the best soldier and most efficient citizen. In closing this chapter we would add that we have by no means exhausted the evidence in favor of the Negro soldier; but have presented enough to show that he has won universal admiration and respect, and is entitled to the generous consideration and gratitude of the whole country. Negro Officers. — At the beginning of the war there was but one Negro commissioned officer, Major Charles Young, a graduate of West Point. The major is a Kentuckian by birth, and though yet a young man has distinguished himself in several responsible posi- tions. After graduation he was assigned to the Tenth cavalry. He served also in the Ninth ; but was sub- sequently appointed by President Cleveland instructor in military science at Wilberforce University, Ohio. He is now Major of the Ninth battalion, Ohio National Volunteers, appointed to this position by Governor Bushnell. With the opening of the war and the enlistment of Negro troops there naturally arose among them a demand for Negro officers. The country, however was not prepared to grant this. Doubts were expressed, perhaps reasonably, as to the ability of the Negro to lead. The newspapers, especially the class of them that feel it their religious duty to oppose everything looking towards the promotion of a Negro, declared rrsai-^v.—- !'■" ^<1 'C4 ^^v«.,i.-I. ■«,«,- . ^„ „r<-<^.^ .J-v^^^x ■.„.„^j-t.^..«^.,.,..A^.^. ■ ,. , ■ 1>,.....v i...v-,...^ -^..^.a^^r^.^. ■Jfa.^o^..* .,^.^- -J^ MAJOR CHARLES YOUNG. 146 10 Progress. 146 PROGRESS OF A RACE. that he was fundamentally and eternally unfitted for leadership. There was, however, as there always is, a thoughtful minority who espoused the other side of the question. Prominent among these should be mentioned Gen. Thomas J. Morgan. "There was no better fighting done during the civil war," says this old-time friend of the colored people, "than was done by some of the Negro troops. With my experience, in command of 5,000 Negro soldiers, I would on the whole prefer, I think, the command of a corps of Negro troops to that of a corps of white troops. With the magnificent record of their fighting qualities on many a hard-contested field, it is not unreasonable to ask that a still further opportunity shall be extended to them in commissioning them as officers as well as enlisting them as soldiers. ' ' It is encouraging, however, to notice at this point, that, notwithstanding the opposition to the appoint- ment of Negro officers, the commissioned officers of this race now number considerably over one hundred. They rank from second-lieutenant up to colonel. This much inside of a brief period of three months. Governor Tanner, of Illinois, addressing a volunteer regiment of that state, said : "I propose, my fellow-citizens, to be the first man in this broad land — the first governor of the United States, to offer this full measure of citizenship to the African race, not only to enlist a regiment of volunteer soldiers, but to officer that regiment, from colonel down, with colored men. Then if upon the field of conflict, whether it be upon the soil of the United States, the island of Cuba, Porto Rico, or the Philippines, or upon the soil of that decrepit nation, you win victory, all the glory of it will be to your officers and vour race." CHAPTER VIII. MORAL AND SOCIAL ADVANCEMENT. Hon. Frederick Douglass once said in a great pub- lic meeting in New York: "The colored race will not crawl in the dirt forever. It is honorable to do white- washing, but there is no reason why my people should do that and nothing else. The day will come in which they will be found in all pursuits, achieving distinction and showing capabilities which they were never sup- posed to possess. The destiny of the colored race is in their own hands, they must bear and suifer, they must toil and be patient, they must carve their own fortunes, and they will do it. ' ' Statement Verified. — Thirty-five years have gone since the shackles of the slave were broken. Is the truth of Mr. Douglass' statement being verified? Look at the colored race of that time, grossly ignorant, desti- tute of clothing, without homes, without name, perse- cuted, forced to bear much on account of the prejudices against color. This despised race to-day after so few years has made progress such as history nowhere else records. Although much remains to be done, yet to- day we find the Negro recognized as a man, having the sympathy and respect of all, filling important and hon- orable positions throughout the land; greatly improved and exalted in his home life ; recognizing that he has a part to do in the elevation of his race, aiming at the highest success, and determined to stand among the best citizens and the most useful members of society. He is determined that there shall be no better schools than his own, no grander statesmen, no more success* 147 148 PROGRESS OF A RACE. ful business men, none better known in the professional life, no happier homes, no more cultivated women, none better, more moral, upright and righteous than his own. Look at that picture and then at this, and the fact that the Negro is rapidly rising will dawn at once ;ipon the most skeptical of minds. Hopeless Condition. — Prof. Bowen says : "When the famous edict of freedom went forth on January i, 1863, the Negro, instead of being born into a state of liberty and freedom, was damned into it. For well-nigh eight generations he had been worked like dumb, driven cattle and punished like a brute, crushed with the iron hoof of oppression and repression; whipped, torn, bleeding in body, mind and soul ; day after day, year after year, he had toiled, sweated, groaned and wept, but there had been no hope of reward to lighten his burdens. He had no wife, no children, no altar; no home, no hope, no purpose ; no motive, no aspiration, no thought, no life, but he had a God. He was a thing, a dog, a brute, an animal. His notions, even among his preachers, were crude ; he had seen her whom he had desired to call his wife torn from his side, insulted, degraded, banished ; he had looked upon his fondlings with an indescribable heartache as they were sold from under his eye ; he had been trained in theft, dishonesty and duplicity; he had drank deeply from the bitter waters of crime and lewdness. He was ignorant of the diities, and even privileges of Christianity, and of the responsibilities and possibilities of the family life. Thus he walked forth on that famous morn, out from the tomb of his living and torturing death, with abso- lutely nothing in his hands, his head, his heart, his pocket, and he went forth to try his fortunes in a new world. MORAL AND SOCIAL ADVANCEMENT. 149 Freedom Gave Him His Hands. — Freedom gave him his hands and his wife to start with, two great boons ; with the hand to chip out his place and to work with a royal will, and with a wife to build his altar and weave lus destiny, he is endowed as never before. Hence the Negro at the close of the war, was all that Ameri- can slavery would make any people, viz., bestialized and animalized; ignorant, poor, crude, rude, helpless, moneyless and thoughtless. American slavery was not a blessing ; it was a curse. The good that came to the Negro (and there was good even in so baneful contact) came in spite of slavery. "Endeavor, then, to com- bine the whole in one view — to take in the full idea of this mighty mass of evil, in all the suffering of mind and body which it inflicts, in all its brutalizing effects and demoralizing tendencies on the slave and on his master — the misery which it entails on man, and the guilt which incurs in the sight of God — and you will have some conception of the multiplied and horrifying evils of slavery. " Not Surpassed in History.— This view represents the status of the Negro at the close of the war. No other slavery in all history has ever succeeded to so great an extent as has this American slavery in degrad- ing the women of a race and in corrupting the fountain of every virtue; and were it not that the gospel is all conquering and all purifying, we would be hopeless. Degraded by Compulsion.— "The slave Negro, ' ' says Professor Bowen, "was taught by precept and authori- tative commandment, as well as trained by example and driven by the merciless lash, to commit adultery and fornication, and to live in the murky and unrestrained passions of the flesh that rush on through the open sluices of libertinism and shame down through the 150 PROGRESS OF A RACE. gates of hell. Who dare deny it, and will buttress that denial with fact? A thousand trustworthy witnesses will confirm it, who carry in their minds and souls the imprint of that lustful period, and who can speak that which they do know and testify to what they have seen and felt. " President Dewey, of William and Mary College, in Virginia, speaking of the slave trade, says: "It furnishes every inducement to the master to attend to his Negroes, to encourage breeding and to cause the greatest number of slaves to be raised. " "Virginia is, indeed, a Negro-raising state for other states. " "The noblest blood of Virginia, ' ' says Paxton in a letter to Jay, "nms in the blood of her slaves. " The slave had no marriage or family rights. Dr. Taylor, in his "Elements of the Civil Law," says: "Slaves were not entitled to the condition of matrimony, and therefore had no relief in cases of adultery, nor were they the proper objects of cognation or affinity, but of quasi cogfnation only." And the Louisiana reports quoted by Wheeler in his "Law of Slavery, ' ' page 199, declare : "It is clear that slaves have no legal capacity to assent to any contract. With the consent of their masters they may marry, but while in a state of slavery it can not produce any civil effects." "No slave," says Jay, "can commit bigamy, because the law knows no more of marriage of slaves than it does of the marriage of brutes. A slave may indeed be formally married, but, as far as legal rights and obligations are concerned, it is an idle ceremony." Slave Breeders. — The cruelties of the lash did not in any measure equal in degradation the action of the gain- greedy and conscienceless slave breeders, who sold wives into separation from their husbands and com- pelled them to accept new partners in order that the fniitfulness of the plantation might not suffer. MORAL AND SOCIAL ADVANCEMENT. 151 Well Known to Slave Holders.— Professor Bow- ers says, "The deplorable condition of the slaves was well known to the slave-holders and aboli- tionists. The legally closed school house and church, and the cupidity of master, as well as his inhu- manity and brutality, were bringing forth fruit of the blackest kind and in prodigious quantities. Human reason hesitates to accept, without convincing proof, the horrible tale of woe, and when this tale is well authenticated it sits dumb and speechless in its pres- ence. These are not the fancies of verdant youth, nor are they the ravings and discolorations of an unbal- anced brain, neither are they the highly colored tales of the Arabian Nights ; but they are the statements of honorable slaveholders, the careful compilations and observations of the white ministry in the South during slavery, and the unvarnished accounts of the actual sufferers themselves. Why Stated. — Let it be borne in mind that these facts are not written to feed the almost quenchless fires of prejudices. I would walk, face forward, in the presence of that harrowing and nameless shame and cover it with the garment of Christian charity ; but my only apology for uncovering this pit of seething, reek- ing and nauseating corruption is to show from whence we came, and to refute the statement that slavery was the halcyon days of purity and moral power for the Negro, and to show the absurdity of the claim that the slave-driver's whip and bloodhounds are superior moral teachers for a man to sympathetic, consecrated and humanity-loving teachers with a spelling book in one hand and the Bible in the other. And again these words are written to show the Negro himself the black heritage he has brought with him from slavery, and 152 PROGRESS OF A RACE. to impress with him the thought that heroic treatment, patiently and persistently administered, \viH ultimately develop in him those moral qualities that are necessary to a happy life. " Heathenism. — On the 5th of December, 1833, a com- mittee of the Synod of South Carolina and Georgia, to whom was referred the subject of the religious instruc- tion of the colored population, made a report, which has been published, and in which this language is used : "Who would credit it that in these years of revival and benevolent effort in this Christian republic there are over 2,000,000 of human beings in the condition of heathens, and in some respects in worse condition? From long continued and close observation, we believe that their religious and moral condition is such that they may justly be considered the heathen of this Christian country, and will bear comparison with the heathen of any country in the world. The Negroes are destitute of the Gospel, and ever will be under the present state of things. In the vast field extending from an entire state beyond the Potomac to the Sabine river, and from the Atlantic to the Ohio, there are, to the best of our knowledge, not twelve men exclusively devoted to the religious instruction of the Negroes. In the present state of the feeling in the south, a min- istry of their own color could neither be obtained or tolerated. But do not the Negroes have access to the Gospel through the stated ministry of tlie whites? We ansvver, No; the Negroes have no regular and eihcient ministry; as a matter of course, no churches; neither is there sufficient room in white churches for their accommodation. We know of but five churches in the slave-holding states built expressly for their use ; these are all in the State of Georgia. We may now inquire MORAL AND SOCIAL ADVANCEMENT. 153 if they enjoy the privileges of the Gospel in their own houses and on plantations? Again we return a nega- tive answer. They have no Bibles to read by their own firesides ; they have no family altars ; and when in affliction, sickness or death, they have no minister to address to them the consolations of the Gospel, nor to bury them with solemn and appropriate services. Humane Masters. — In every state there were masters who were kind-hearted and genuinely sympathetic, who treated their slaves with consideration, and some of them taught their slaves to read ; had them to marry according to the requirements of the church ; did not allow them to violate with impunity, nor did these masters themselves violate, the marriage vows of the slaves; took them to their churches and had them to share the benefits -of the pulpit ministrations, and thus acted towards them in the capacity of fathers and mothers towards their children. There was genuine affection between them, and these slaves were the fav- ored ones in the South, and the ex-slaves of to-day who had such masters, never cease to sing their praise. Few in Number. — But it must be borne in mind that such slave-masters were exceedingly few and far between, and what is still more remarkable, such nioral, intellectual and spiritual care of the slave by these few noble spirits was contrary to the letter and spirit of the law in every slave state. The law of certain states forbade the use of the Bible or any other book, and also religious meetings of the Negroes, unless a majority of whites were present. All prohibited the impartation of instruction, while Vir- ginia unequivocally forbade all evening meetings. ' ' In the House of Delegates of Viginia, in 1832, Mr. Berry said: 'We have, as far as possible, closed every avenue 154 PROGRESS OF A RACE, by which 'jght might enter their (the slaves') minds. If we could extinguish the capacity to see the light our work would be completed; they would then be on a level with the beasts of the field, and we should be safe ! I am not certain that we would not do it if we could find out the process, and that on the plea of necessity. ' " Defending Slavery. — Dr. Blyden, in his "Christian- ity, Islam and the Negro," says: "The highest men in the South, magistrates, legislators, professors of religion, preachers of the gospel, governors of states, gentlemen of property and understanding, all united in upholding a system which every Negro felt was wrong. Yet these were the men from whom he got his religion, and whom he was obliged to regard as guides. Saints, no doubt, there were among the bond- men, but they became so not in consequence, but in default, and often, we may say, in defiance, of instruc- tions. " The sacredness of the marriage relation, the punishments for fornication and adultery, ethical integ- rity, the glories and rewards for faithful service, and the duties, privileges, and opportunities of the Christian life, were never discussed before and unfolded to the slave. Where he was permitted to hold meetings he was trained in the most grotesque types of worship ; his emotions and wildest eccentricities were cultivated, and his motives for life were drawn from no higher source in the main than this temporary, enthusiastic and emotional worship. Financial Consideration. — He was trained in certain handicraft for financial consideration. The lash was his taskmaster, and from him he received no view of the dignity of labor. A man may learn mechanics by force, but not ethics. The last may make (?) a good blacksmith, but not a good conscience. There was no MORAL AND SOCIAL ADVANCEMENT. 155 thought amongf the slaveholders of improving the slave in any element for the slave's sake. A Struggling' Race. — President Wright says: "Ex- tremely interesting must such a task be when it is understood that the history of the American Negro is the history of a race struggling amid environments and against difficulties such as no similar nation in all history has had to meet. It is pretty generally agreed that the Negro in America introduces a problem with- out a parallel. His history is unique. Properly given in all its phases, the narrative would teem with inci- dents and achievements almost romantic. "The surrender of General Lee was the occasion of the total collapse of the social and industrial features of the old Georgia progress. Society among the white people for the time was thrown into almost chaotic con- dition, but it was for the moment only. They under- stood how to cover a rout, to gather the demolished fragments and reform. "But how was it with the Negro? Had he ever any conception of society, of voluntary order? Had one- tenth of one per cent of them ever looked into a book or saved a dollar? Ignorance Equaled by Poverty. — Their ignorance was equaled only by their poverty. Improvident and totally helpless, the freedman was well nigh friendless. Considered by many as property illegally taken from those among whom his lot was to be cast hereafter as a citizen, he was looked upon as an intruder in the body politic. Hindered, rather than helped, by those whom he knew best ; confused by his new surroundings, and with his intellectual and moral abilities subjects of misunderstanding and doubt on the part of his friends, the Negro of Georgia was sent forth in 1865 to develop 156 PROGRESS OF A RACE. . character, to get education and money, and to prove himself worthy the freedom which was thrust upon him. In short, he was to maintain himself as a freed- man and citizen in the midst of his old masters, who had enjoyed centuries of civilization. That it was a great task all will acknowledge ; that under its environ- ments it was a feat fraught with much doubt, few will deny. But while this condition was pitiable, it was not hopeless. Under slavery, he, though a simple child of the shovel and hoc, had developed a faith in God which Vv'as abiding, and had obtained a working knowledge of the English tongue. These were his sole stock in trade, but they were very valuable. To under- stand, then, the difficulties which the Negro has over- come and to estimate the progress which he has made in the past thirty years, his condition at emancipation must be borne steadily and faithfully in mind. Diiiicult to Oomprehend. — It is difficult to compre- hend the utter poverty and disheartening ignorance which enveloped the colored people at the beginning of the period under discussion. They began without any adequate amount of food, clothing or shelter ; a vast majority without the least conception of a school or a home. Their exertions to obtain food, clothing, and shelter, certainly greatly retarded their efforts for book learning. They did not know how to make contracts or agreements for wages. Consequently they worked the first year for a bare subsistence ; with a few exceptions their first possessions outside of food and clothing were bought during the second year, and con- sisted of oxen and mules and farming implements. They began to rent lands in the third year, and in the fourth to buy land. This was the rule; there were exceptions. To fully understand the educational devel- MORAL AND SOCIAL ADVANCEMENT. 157 opment of the first decade would require a thorough knowledge of the colored man's progress and achieve- ments as a free laborer; for the labor question and educational problem are, as Siamese twins, insepar- able." Moral Improvement. — "Talks for the Times" says: "To estimate fairly their improvement in this direc- tion it would be necessary to realize, if possible, the depth of degradation to which two hundred and fifty years of thralldom had sunk them, and to take into consideration at the same time the fact that the moral nature of man everywhere and among all people is by far the most difficult to train. This being so, what must be the task to repair it, after it has been bruised and maimed and twisted and gnarled and distorted?- A crooked lirnb, by proper appliances, may be straight- ened. A bone of the body may be broken and set, and become even stronger in the fractured parts; but man cannot sin and be strong. The violation of the moral law means, in every instance, the sapping of moral foundations, the weakening of the moral nature. "When, therefore, I consider by what processes, during two centuries, the moral groundwork of my people was undermined and shaken, it is no wonder that to-day many of them are found immoral. The greater won- der is that their moral perception has not been entirely swept away. Many people, however, and those, especially, who stigmatize us as a race peculiarly immoral, do not reason in this way. They do not seem to realize that slavery was a school ill adapted to the producing of pure and upright characters. Can you rob a man continually of his honest earnings and not teach him to steal? Can you ignore the sanctity of marriage and the family relations and not inculcate 158 PROGRESS OF A RACE. lewdness? Can you constantly govern a man with the lash and expect him always to speak the truth? If you can do these things, then, verily, are my people dishon- est, impure and untruthful. But our enemies demand of us perfection. They are unreasonable. They require among us in twenty short years a state of moral recti- tude which they themselves, with far more favorable opportunities, have not realized in one hundred times twenty. They are unphilosophical, for they do not perceive that diseases are more quickly contracted than cured. Negro Immoralities.— "Very amusing, too, it is to listen to the hue and cry sent up every little while against Negro immoralities; such a cry and howl as went up but recently from the swamps of the Missis- sippi, and are still reverberating through the country with a jarring sound. Very amusing, I say, it is to listen to these cries against Negro immoralities, when the same immoralities are continually cropping out among the white people, professedly our superiors. How many times within the last two decades, has this nation had to hang its head in shame because of the dishonesty of its public men! What about Credit Mobilier and the Tamany frauds? What about whis- ky rings? What about cipher dispatches? What about Star Route trials? What about the stuffing of ballot boxes? What about the defalcation and impeachment of high state officials? And so on, and so on, ad infinitum. In Proportion to Opportunities. — "We have not had a fair chance in this country ; but, in proportion to our opportunities we can show as many good, virtuous, law-abiding citizens as any other race on this continent. Wherever, in the South, Christian education has MORAL AND SOCIAL ADVANCEMENT. 159 reached the freedmen it has awakened in them a taste for the true and beautiful. This may be seen in the changed manner of living of many of them. The dirty shanty and clumsy log cabins in which, formerly, so many were accustomed to be huddled together, are retreating, step by step, before the steady advance of neat and cozy cottages. Christian homes, the strength of any nation, are being built up, decorated with the beauties and improvement of modern art. Negro Domination. — "Old civilizations die hard, and old prejudices die harder. They have nine lives, like a cat. For this reason, therefore, you may expect for many a year yet to find those who are still living in the dead past, and who feel it their duty to champion the old order of things, and to throw stumbling blocks in the path of progress. I entertain no ill will toward this class of persons. I have for them no word of cen- sure or reproach. I give them the credit of even being sincere ; but I assure them from every page of history and human experience they are mistaken. They are at war with the spirit of the age and the sermon on the mount. Nor are they even consistent. They advocate the theory of repression. They say the Negro must be kept down for fear of Negro domination. On the other hand, they hold that he is an inferior race, fundamentally inferior, created so by almighty God. Why, in the name of righteous heaven should it be necessary to keep down a race that is naturally inferior? Why should there be any fear of its ever becoming dominant? There is something crooked in this philos- ophy. To say the least, there is something in it exceedingly incongruous. Nevertheless it is this kind of philosophy that is sending armed ruffians into first- class cars to drag them from their seats, for which they 160 PROGRESS OF A RACE. have honestly paid their money, the best men and women of our race. It is this kind of philosophy that is shutting everywhere in our faces the doors of public accommodation. It is this false philosophy, I say, by which it is made to appear that every advancement of the Negro is a menace to the interests of the white man ; and it is this philosophy that will ever keep alive in the South race antagonism. Inconsistent, Incorrect and Narrow Views.— "The men who advocate this philosophy are not only incon- sistent, but incorrect, and exceedingly narrow in their views as to the nature of this government. They claim that it is not only a 'white man's' government, but an Anglo-Saxon government, thereby robbing of their merit and glory the noble-minded foreigners who helped fight for American independence, and the hundreds of thousands more who were not Anglo- Saxons, but who, during four years of a terrible civil war fought as bravely and as heroically as any Anglo- Saxon to save this nation from dissolution and ruin. Did not Lafayette, that gallant Frenchman, fight for American independence? Let the battle of Brandy wine tell. Did not Count Pulaski, the noble Pole, fight for American independence? Let the same battle of Brandywine tell. Did he not afterward even fall in an attempt to capture Savannah? Did not Kosciusko, another Pole, and even far more distinguished than the other, cast in his fortune with the cause of American independence? And what shall we say of the hundreds of thousands who were not Anglo-Saxons, but who poured out their life blood at Gettysburg and the Wil- derness and Chickamauga, and around the defenses of Richmond and Vicksburg? Indeed, it is my belief, that if all the blood that is not Anglo-Saxon could be MORAL AND SOCIAL ADVANCEMENT. 161 drawn off from the great stream supplying our national life, that which remained would be conspicuous for the insignificance of its quantity. ' ' Look Not for Greatness. — Senator Logan once said : If there is any one thing that will clog the wheels of your material progress it is the fact that some of you are trying to overreach yourselves. Do not become dazzled at the splendor and magnificence of those who had hundreds of years to make this country what it is today. No man is a success who has not a fixed object as a sign-post — an aim in life to attain unto. A man should get that kind and that amount of education that will best fit him for the performance and the attain- ment of his object in life. Too much Greek will do you no good; what does a man want with Greek around a table with a white apron on? I do not say that you should not study Greek if you intend to fill a chair in some institution of learning ; I do not say that you should not read medicine if you desire to become a physician, or law if you wish to follow that profession. But I tell you our white people are fas,t growing indo- lent and lazy. If you watch your chance and take timely advantage of the opportunities offered you, your race will be the wage workers, the skilled arti- sans, and eventually the land owners and the wealthy class of this country. I advise you to learn trades, learn to become mechanics. You have the ability and the capacity to reach the highest point, and even go further, in the march of progress than has yet been made by any people. Labor to Become Great. — It takes labor to become a great man, just as it takes centuries to become a great nation. Great men are not fashioned in heaven and thrown from the hand of the Almighty to become n Progress. 162 PROGRESS OF A RACE. potentates here on earth, nor are they born rich. I admit that there is, in some parts of this country, a prejudice against you on account of your color and former condition. In my opinion the best way to overcome this is to show your capability by doing everything that a white man does, and do it just as well or better than he does. If a white man scorns BROOKS SANDERS. Son of Pres. Sanders, of Biddle University, Charlotte, N, C. DAUGHTER OF BISHOP C. R. HARRIS, Salisbury, N. C. you, show him that you are too high bred, too noble hearted, to take notice of it ; and, the first opportunity you have, do him a favor, and I warrant that he will feel ashamed of himself and never again will he make an exhibition of his prejudice. The future is yours, and you have it in which to rise to the heights oi descend to the depths MORAL AND SOCIAL ADVANCEMENT. 163 In America.— I believe that the future of the Negro race is to be found in the segment of that race provi- dentially lodged on this soil. Say what we may about this or that, these United States have given us the most advanced, the most progressive Negro to be found on the face of the globe. And this is true for the reason that she is giving him' the largest all-round opportunities, the highest civil ideals, and the steadiest aims. The troubles we suflFer here in our day are only a part of the old, old conflict that has raged so long. "Must we be earned to the skies On flowery beds of ease, While others fought to win the prize And sailed through bloody seas?" No, we cannot be, and will not be, 'though we may wish to ever so much. "Through conflict to the skies," is as true for dark humanity as for any other variety of men. Had we then not better learn this lesson and cease our shameful grumbling, as if the Almighty had done us some special wrong? God has given us minds to think, hands to work and hearts to love. Let us subject these God-given powers to the regimen of a severe discipline, and, walking with hope to the future, work out a noble destiny for ourselves and our children. Change During Years of Bondage.— Said Rev. A. D. Mayo, at the Mohonk conference in 1890: "It has never been realized by the loyal North what is evident to every intelligent Southern man, what a prodigious change has been wrought in this people during its years of bondage, and how, without the schooling of this era, the subsequent elevation of the emancipated slave to a full American citizenship would have been an impossi- bility. In that condition he learned the three great elements of civilization more speedily than they were 164 PROGRESS OF A RACE, ever learned before. He learned to work, he acquired the language, and adopted the religion of the most progressive of peoples. Gifted with a marvelous apti- tude for such schooling, he was found in 1865 farther out of the woods of barbarism than any other people at the end of a thousand years, ' ' In Twenty Years. — The scholastic education of the Negro began in earnest only about twenty years ago, 1876 being the date of the complete inaugfuration of the public school system of the South. This is too short for us to expect great results. The educated generation are not yet fairly out of school, but there have already appeared some isolated cases which show signs of promise. In the class of 1888 at Harvard University were two Negroes, one of whom was selected by the faculty to represent his class on commencement day, as being the foremost scholar among his two hun- dred and fifty classmates; the other was elected by the class for the highest honor in their gift, by being made their orator on class day. The circumstance reflects honor, not merely on him, but on the democratic spirit of our oldest university, which recognized merit with- out regard to color. Boston University has also yielded first honors to a Negro. A Negro professor of theology at Straight University, at New Orleans, is a graduate of Vermont University, who afterwards took the prize for traveling scholarship from Yale Theo- logical Seminary, and spent a year in Germany upon it. Professor Bowen, of the Gammon Theological Seminary, delivered at the Atlanta Exposition opening an address which in classic finish will bear comparison with the best orations of Edward Everett. The prin- cipal of one of our auxiliaries, Mr. E. N. Smith, a perfect gentleman and an excellent teacher, is a full MORAL AND SOCIAL ADVANCEMENT. 1(35 blooded Negro, a graduate of Lincoln University and Newton Theological Institution, and pronounced by Dr. Hovey one of the best scholars that have been educated there. False Hopes. — The most obvious hindrance in the way of the education of the Negro has so often been presented and discussed — his origin, history and envir- onment — that it seems superfluous to treat it anew. His political status, sudden and unparalleled, compli- cated by antecedent condition, excites false hopes and encourages the notion of reaching per saltum, without the use of the agencies of time, labor, industry, discip- line, what the dominant race had attained after cen- turies of toil and trial and sacrifice. Education, prop- erty, habits of thrift and self-control, higher achieve- ments of civilization, are not extemporized nor created by magic or legislation. Behind the Caucasian lie centuries of the educating, uplifting influences of civilization, of the institution of family, society, the churches, the state, and the salutary effects of heredity. Behind the Negro are centuries of igno- rance, barbarism, slavery, superstition, idolatry, fetish- ism, and the transmissible consequences of heredity. Charitable Judgment. — Nothing valuable or perma- nent in human life has been secured without the sub- stratum of moral character, of religious motive, in the individual, the family, the community. In this matter the Negro should be judged charitably, for his aboriginal people were not far removed from the savage state, where they knew neither house nor home, and had not enjoyed any religious training. Their condition as slaves debarred them the advantage of regular, con- tinuous, systematic instruction. The Negro began his life of freedom and citizenship with natural weaknesses 160 PROGRESS OF A RACE. uncorrected, with loose notions of piety and morality, and with strong racial peculiarities and proclivities, and has not outgrown the feebleness of the moral sense which is common to all primitive races. Thrift. — Professor Greenwood says: "Twenty-five vcars ago the colored people of Missouri were unedu- cated, poverty-stricken, dependent, and helpless creat- ures. To-day they number 200,000. The value of their real and personal property is more than $30,000,000. "Thousands of them live in comfortable homes. "Of the 50,000 children of school age, seventy per cent, are now in attendance. They are as neatly and cleanly clad as the average white child, and many of them much better. Those who were the boys and girls in school a few years ago arc the leaders among their people now. The self-denial practiced by parents to educate their children is one of the strongest evidences of parental affection that the world has ever beheld. When the schoolhouse doors were opened for the admission of colored pupils, they rushed in to get an education, and the influx is unabated. I have seen old white-haired men and women studying the first reader and spelling book so as to be able to read the Bible, the newspapers, and to write letters to relatives and friends. Have you seen white people doing these things?" A Loyal American. — But let us look at these people from another standpoint, and see what progress they have made. * In Missouri there are 45,000 of them church communicants; more than 450 ministers of the gospel; 400 church edifices and 60 parsonages. Do these evidences of prosperity indicate the wretchedness of this race? The Negro must be treated as a man, neither cajoled nor despised. He is here to stay, and MORAL AND SOCIAL ADVANCEMENT. 167 it is our duty to help him make the most of himself as an industrious, intelligent, law-abiding and faithful citizen. Whether educated or uneducated, he is not a dangerous element in our civilization. A thousand- fold is he to be trusted when compared with those dan- gerous elements which have swept in upon us from European countries, and are now a standing menace to our social and political institutions. The Negro is thoroughly and loyally American. Thrift and Self-Respect. — The thrift and self-respect of the Negro has removed him from the dark and cheerless abode in which he lived, and has placed him in neat and well-kept homes. Negro Homes, The Contrast. — The Negro whose soul is free, like every other man, appreciates the sa- credness and beauty which must be inseparable from a happy home. On the other hand, the Negro, debased and brutified by a servitude of centuries, has no desire for home in any exalted sense. Legacy Bequeathed by Slavery. — Perhaps the least respected legacy left by slavery to the children of its victims is the disintegrating and nomadic tendency to a homeless and non-familied people. There are among the Negroes those whom no wretchedness can impel, no opportunity inspire to alter or make tolerable the places in which their families exist, and many an old Negro lives for years in a one or two room cabin, declin- ing to build another room "Kase he won't be g'wine to leave. ' ' Happy and Comfortable Homes. — The influences that are at work in transforming the women of the race, making a generation of virtuous, clean, industrious women, though they may not shine in society and speak but one language, though they may be ugly in features 168 PROGRESS OF A RACE. and unsophisticated m manner, though their names are never heard outside of the limits of their own state, these influences, I say, will improve the homes REV. W. W, LUCAS, A. M., B. D. Secretary of the Stewart Missionary Foundation for Africa, graduate of Clark University and Gammon's School of Theology of Atlanta, Ga., and Boston Uni- versity, of Boston, Massachusetts. of the race more speedily than any other aspiration, after the empty honors and applause of the multitude. Do Something. — Booker Washington says: "We expect too often to get things that God did not mean for us to have in certain ways. At one time an old MORAL AND SOCIAL ADVANCEMENT. 169 colored man was very anxious to get a turkey, and prayed and prayed for the Lord to send him a turkey. The turkey did not come, and finally the old man changed his prayer somewhat and said, *0 Lord, send dis nigger to a turkey,* and he got it that night. God means for us to get many things in about that same way, that is, by working for them rather than by depending on the power of mouth." There are multitudes who are willing to accept honors and advantages who are not ready to work for them. It is necessary for all who would succeed to put forth strenuous efforts in that direction. The days of chance are gone, it is only the man who does not wait for things to turn up, but turns up something, that suc- ceeds. Young man, do something; attempt something that will be a benefit to your race. Something en- nobling, something enduring; something to elevate manhood and win men to noble, virtuous, upright lives, and your life will not have been lived in vain. These thoughts must be impressed upon the humblest of the race. Success comes not by waiting for it. If the Afro-American race is to continue to rise, and is to hold a prominent place in this nation, there must be an effort. Empty wishes carry us nowhere. With- out an earnest effort on the part of those of the race who hold the key to circumstances the race may as well yield to the prejudice still existing, and hold for- ever an inferior position, but with a determination that surmounts the obstacles and with a corresponding effort to stand first in the industries of our nation, we may well expect that the past achievement in this line is nothing compared to the progress of the future. Cast Down Your Bucket. — "At one time a ship was lost at sea for many days, when it hove in sight of a 170 PROGRESS OF A RACE. friendly vessel. The signal of the distressed vessel was at once hoisted, which read: 'We want water; we die of thirst.' The answering signal read, 'Cast down your bucket where you are, ' but a second time the dis- tressed vessel signaled, 'We want water, water,' and a second time the other vessel answered 'cast down your bucket where you are. ' A third and fourth time the distressed vessel signaled, 'We want water, water; we die of thirst;' and as many times was answered, 'Cast down your bucket where you are. ' At last the com- mand was obeyed, the bucket was cast down where the vessel stood, and it came up full of fresh and sparkling water from the Amazon river. My friends, we are failing to cast down our buckets for the help that is right above us, and spend too much time in signaling for help that is far off. Let us cast down our buckets here in our own sunny South, cast them down in agri- culture, in truck gardening, dairying, poultry raising, hog raising, laundering, cooking, sewing, mechanical and professional life, and the help that we think is far off will come and we will soon grow independent and useful." In Our Stead. — In a speech before a National Council of Colored Men, Bishop Turner made the following excellent points: "I am willing to accord to the white man every meed of honor that ability, grit, backbone, sagacity, tact and invincibility can entitle him to. For this Anglo-Saxon, I grant, is a powerful race; but put him in our stead, enslave him for two hundred and fifty years, emancipate him and turn him loose upon the world, without education, without money, without horse or mule or a foot of land, when passion engen- dered by war was most intense, to eke out a subsistence from nothing beyond the charity of an indignant people MORAL AND SOCIAL ADVANCEMENT. 171 on the one hand, and a cold shouldering and proscriptive people on the other, and I do not believe he would have equaled us in respect, obedience, fidelity, and accomplished the results and maintained the pacific equilibrium we have. For our nation freed the black man as a war measure, I grant, but that freedom entailed and left upon us a mendicancy that the unborn will ask the reason why. Even the usufiiict claim, guaranteed to the serfs of Russia — a nation at that time regarded as semi-civilized — was denied the freed- men by this so-called enlightened and Christian nation. The Mule and Forty Acres.— The mule and forty acres of land, which has been so often ridiculed for being expected by the black man, was a just and right- eous expectation, and had this nation been one-fiftieth part as loyal to the black man as he has been to it, such a bestowment would have been made, and the cost would have been a mere bagatelle, compared with the infinite resources of this republic, which has given countless millions to foreigners to come into the country' and destroy respect for the Sabbath, flood the land with every vice known to the ends of the earth, and form themselves into anarchal bands for the overthrow of its institutions and venerated customs. Freedom. — Nevertheless, freedom has been so long held before us, as man's normal birth-right, and the bas-relief of every possibility belonging to the achieve- ments of manhood, that we received it as Heaven's greatest boon, and nursed ourselves into satisfaction, believing that we had the stamina, not only to wring existence out of our poverty, but also wealth, learning, honor, fame and immortality. Rape. — But, through some satanic legerdemain. 172 PROGRESS OF A RACE. within the last years, the most fearful crimes have been charged upon the members of our race knoAvn to the catalogue of villainy, and death and destruction liave stalked abroad with an insatiable carnivoracity that not only beggars description, but jeopardizes the life of every Negro in the land, as anyone could raise an alarm by crying rape, and some colored man must die, whether he is the right one or not, or whether it was the product of revenge, or the mere cracking of a joke. An Awful Charge. — The civilized world has been informed through Christian Advocates and through the public daily papers that Negroes have raped white women in such numbers that the charge is undoubtedly the most revolting and blood-curdling ever presented against the people since time began. Without affirm- ing or denying this monstrous imputation, we owe it to ourselves and posterity to inquire into this subject and give it the most patient, thorough and impartial investigation that ever befell the lot of man. No Attribute to Side with Us. — If the charges are true, then God has no attribute that will side with us. Na- ture has no member, no potential factor, that will defend us ; and while we may not all be guilty, nor one in ten thousand, it nevertheless shows, if true, that there is a libidinous taint, a wanton and lecherous corruption, that is prophetic of a dreadful doom, as there must be a cardinal blood poison in the precincts of our race that staggers the most acute imagination in determining its woeful results. Counter Charge. — Nor can we excuse it, palliate it, or manifest indifference upon the postulation that it is a righteous-retribution upon the white man for the way he treated our women for hundreds of years. For if MORAL AND SOCIAL ADVANCEMENT. 173 the counter-charge is true, we certainly did not visit swift vengeance upon the white man, as he is doing upon us by his lawless mobs. One Recourse Left. — There is but one recourse left us that will command the respect of the civilized world and the approval of God, and that is to investigate the facts in the premises, and if guilty, acknowledge it, and let us organize against the wretches in our own ranks. Let us call upon the colored ministry to sound it from the pulpit, our newspapers to brand it with infamy daily, weekly, monthly and yearly. Let us put a thou- sand lecturers in the field, to canvass every section of the land, and denounce the heinous crime. Heathen Africa. — Among the heathen Africans, whatever else may be said about them, the world will have to admit that they are the purest people, outside of polygamy, in their connubial and virgin morals, upon the face of the globe. White women, to my personal knowledge, hundreds of miles intcriorward in Africa, can remain in their midst and teach school for years without being insulted, which proves to a demonstra- tion that where our natures have not been distorted and abnormalized we are the most honorable cus- todians of female virtue now under Heaven. I have been told by white ladies in Africa, from Louisiana, South Carolina, New York, Nebraska, England, and Ireland, that no white lady could be improperly approached in Africa in a lifetime unless she made herself imusually forward. Not the Nature of the Black Man.— It is not the nature of the black man to outrage white women, unless it is one of our American retrogressive abnormalities, which has possibly grown out of the degradation en- tailed upon us by the singular prejudice and degrading 174 PROGRESS OF A RACE. conditions tinder which we exist. The whole range of West India islands show by their records that only one rape has been charged upon a black man since 1832, and that occurred twenty years ago, while eleven rapes were charged upon white men, nine of which were per- petrated upon black women and two upon white women. Like Begets Like. — It may, however, be due to the fact that there the laws and institutions recognize the black man as a full-fledged citizen and a gentleman, and his pride of character and sense of dignity are not degraded, and self-respect imparts a higher prompting and gentlemanly bearing to his manhood, and makes him a better citizen and inspires him with more gal- lantry and nobler principles. For like begets like. A Degraded Condition.— While, in this country, we are degraded by the public press, degraded by the courts of the country from the United States Supreme Court down, degraded on the railroads after purchasing first-class tickets, degraded at the hotels and barber shops, degraded in many states at the ballot-box, degraded in some of the large cities by being com- pelled to rent houses in alleys and the most disreputa- ble streets. Thus we are degraded in so many respects that all the starch of respectability is taken out of the manhood of millions of our people, and as degradation begets degradation, it is very possible that in many instances we are guilty of doing a series of infamous things that we would not be guilty of if our environments were different. The World's Fair.— Think of it ! The great World's Fair, or exposition, in Chicago, out of more than ten thousand employes, gave no recognition to the colored race beyond taking charge of the toilet rooms. MORAL AND SOCIAL ADVANCEMENT. 175 Half Free and Half Slave.— I would not have you understand that I am denying, condoning or excusing the crime of rape, as is being" charged to a greater or less extent upon the members of our race ; nor must we jump at a hasty or rash conclusion ; but I fear much of it, if true, is due to our natural and immethodical environment and ignoble status, nor do I, for one, believe that we will ever stand out in the symmetrical majesty of higher manhood, half free and half slave. The Great Desideratum.— The one great desider- atum of the American Negro is manhood impetus. We may educate and acquire general intelligence, but our sons and daughters will come out of the college with all their years of training and thrift to the plane of the scullion, as long as they are restricted, limited and circumbounded by colorphobia. For abstract edu- cation elevates no man, nor will it elevate a race. What we call the heathen African will strut around in his native land, three-fourths naked, and you can see by the way he stands, talks, and acts that he possesses more manhood than fifty of some of our people in this country, and any ten of our most distinguished colored men here. A Dwarfed People. — Until we are free from menace by lynchers, hotels, railroads, stores, factories, restaur- ants, barber shops, machine shops, court houses and other places where merit and worth are respected, we are destined to be a dwarfed people. Our sons and daughters will grow up with it in their very flesh and bones. Gratitude. — As one, I feel grateful for many things that have been done for us within the last thirty years. I am thankful for Mr. Lincoln's manumitting proc- lamatiou^ for its ratification by Congress, for the th'C 176 PROGRESS OF A RACE, teenth, fourteenth and fifteenth amendments to the Constitution, which were placed there by the American people for the benefit of our race, even if the United States Supreme Court has destroyed the fourteenth amendment by its revolting- decision. Millions for Education.— I am thankful to our gen- erous-hearted friends of the North who have given voluntarily millions upon millions to aid in our educa- tion. I am thankful to the South for the school laws they have enacted, and for the generous manner in which they have taxed themselves in building and sus- taining schools for our enlightenment and intellectual and moral elevation. FuU-Fledged Men. — But, if this country is to be our home, the Negro must be a self-controlling, automatic factor of the body politic or collective life of the nation. In other words, we must be full-fledged men. Otherwise we will not be worth existence itself. God Hates Cov/ardice. — To passively remain here and occupy our present ignoble status, with the possi- bility of being shot, hung and burnt, not only when we perpetrate deeds of violence ourselves, but when- ever some bad white man wishes to black his face and outrage a female, as I am told is often done, is a matter of serious reflection. To do so would be to declare our- selves unfit to be free men or to assume the responsi- bilities which involve fatherhood and existence. For God hates the submission of cowardice. Physical Resistance. — But, on the other hand, to talk about physical resistance is literal madness. Nobody but an idiot would give it a moment's thought. The idea of eight or ten millions of ex-slaves contending with sixty millions people of the most powerful race under Heaven ! Think of two hundred and sixty-five MORAL AND SOCIAL ADVANCEMENT, 177 millions of dollars battling with one hundred billions of dollars. Why, we would not be a drop in the bucket. It is folly to indulge in such a thought for a moment. Debt of Our Nation. — This nation justly, righteously, divinely, owes us for work and service rendered billions of dollars, and if we cannot be treated as American people, we should ask for five hundred million dollars at least, to begin an immigration somewhere, if we can not for service rendered receive manhood recognition here at home. Freedom and perpetual degradation are not in the economy of human events. " Bishop Gaines on Lynching. — "The better class of colored people all over the South are unanimous in the condemnation of the wretches who are guilty of this unmentionable crime. They recognize the fact that the whole race is suffering" in the eyes of the world through the conduct of the vile scoundrels who perpe- trate these crimes. In many places the white people regard a Negro with detestation and suspicion, believ- ing him to be capable of any criminal act where he is left unrestrained. From experience and observation I know this to be true. Not in Sympathy with Crime. — I for one am not willing to be thought in sympathy with crime or crim- inals, and especially those cf the character I am now considering. If the colored people, as a race, expect to gain the confidence and respect of their white neigh- bors and to elevate themselves in the scale of civilized life, they must emphasize in no uncertain way their detestation of that most brutal of the race, who com- mit the horrible offense of rape, arson and the like. There must be no maudlin sympathy for such charac- ters who disgrace their own race and bring the Negro into shame and contempt. 12 Progress. 178 PROGRESS OF A RACE. Innocent Men Victims.— While I say these things I would not be understood as favoring lynch laws. Could the real criminal suffer it would not be so bad, but when innocent men are frequently the victims of excited and infuriated mobs, who take the law into their own hands, the necessity of legal conviction is apparent. Lynch law, too, no matter how justly administered, is bad in its tendency, working a disre- gard for all laws and educating the people in the law- lessness it is intended to prevent. Justice. — All our people ask is that justice be done — that before the law the same evidence be required to convict a Negro that is required to convict a white man, and that the same punishment be meted out to the one as to the other. Wherever the proof is con- clusive let the guilty suffer, though the heavens fall. Lynching is not a race question but a national ques- tion, as is proven by the fact that of one hundred and forty-one persons lynched in 1896, fifty-four were white men." Temperance, Soberness Increasing.— "Remember- ing the circumstances, " says Rev. J. C. Price, "in which the Negro was placed by the dreadful institution of slavery, it is not to be wondered at that he now culti- vates a taste, even a love, for alcohol. Yet it is re- markable to note the progress towards sobriety that the race has made in the latter years of its emancipation. A colored total abstainer is not a rare person in any com- munity nowadays. The various temperance societies, and nearly all the other secret organizations supported by the Afro-American race, uniformly require those who seek admission to pledge themselves to be sober men and women, and in most cases to be total abstain- ers. The drift is more and more in this direction, and MORAL AND SOCIAL ADVANCEMENT 179 hence soberness in the race is constantly on the increase. Total Abstinence.— It is remarkable, too, to observe the steadfastness and persistency with which the col- ored teachers, as a rule, hold to the idea that the race is to be uplifted morally, as well as materially and religiously improved, through total abstinence as a chief instrument. It is the rare exception, not the rule, to find a colored teacher who does not hold to this doctrine. The result is that many boys and girls in the school-room all over the South and other sections as well are being trained to habits of temperance, and will in all probability develop into consistent temper- ance men and women. And it must not be forgotten that the true and most influential leaders of the race, the ministers, are molding and shaping the opinions of both old and young in favor of soberness and total abstinence. Leaders Temperate. — I have watched closely the men who are recognized as the race leaders in various states and localities. It is acknowledged that they are generally shrewd, calculating, and hard to circumvent when they attempt political maneuvers. It is my obser- vation that these leaders are strictly reliable and trustworthy when confided in, and — however surpris- ing the statement may be to some — that they are gen- erally sober, upright and honest. I confess that in some localities this rule does not apply, but on the whole a more sober class of leaders does not exist in any race than in the Afro- American. Cross -Roads Grocery.— One of the evils against which our people have to contend is the cross-roads grocery store, to be found all over the Southland — the baie of this section. Here, with no city or town 180 PROGRESS OF A RACE. ordinance to make drunkenness an offense, and to threaten certain punishment, they congregate and drink their fill, carouse, engage in free fights, and do other hurtful and equally unlawful things, while no one dares molest or make afraid, and the grocery keeper, finding his trade benefited, encourages the debauchery. This evil, instead of becoming less, increases. The business of many prosperous towns and villages is being injured seriously by the competi- tion at the cross-roads, and the resulting vice, violence and impoverishment. Crime Traceable to Liquor Habit. — The records of the courts show that crime among our people is trace- able in a large majority of cases to a too free exercise of the liquor habit. Of the men belonging to the race who were hanged, I think it entirely reasonable to say that at least four-fifths committed their offenses while under the influence of liquor. But speaking of the race broadly, and duly allowing for all the unusual cir- cumstances that ought to be taken into consideration, I think it cannot fairly be charged with anything like gross intemperance. Delirium Tremens. — It is something out of the usual order to come upon a case of delirium tremens among the Negroes. Comparatively few of them drink any- thing of consequence during the week, but excessive imbibation is mostly indulged in on Saturdays. Not a Race of Drunkards. — Therefore this is not a race of drunkards, and there is abundant reason for believing that with proper education and training it may be made a race of sober people and abstainers. Reliable Allies, — In order to strengthen the cause of temperance in the South, nothing is more important than to treat the Neg-/o fairly, and to keep faith with MORAL AND SOCIAL ADVANCEMENT. 181 him, to permit no pledge to be broken. Once won, the colored man is the most faithful and reliable of all allies. It is, of course, needless to add that the supply of temperance literature should be kept up and increased." Educational Institutions.— Especially valuable is the work of arousing total abstinence enthusiasm among the students in the various educational insti- tutions — young men, and women too, upon whom the future of the race and its influence for good or evil so largely depends. I am indeed hopeful for the future of the Afro-American race, and particularly hopeful that it will become a positive and influential contributor to the triumph of the temperance reform. The Shame of a Christian Nation. — It is estimated that Christendom has introduced 70,000 gallons of rum into Africa to every missionary. In the great Congo Free State there are one hundred drunkards to one convert. Under the maddening influence of intoxicat- ing drink sent from New England tw^o hundred Congo- ans slaughtered each other. One gallon of rum caused a fight in w^hich fifty were slain. A Sad End. — A generation since there lived in a western city a wealthy Englishman w^ho was w^hat is called a high liver. He drank his toddy in the morn- ing, washed down his lunch with champagne, and finished a bottle of port for dinner, though he com- plained that the heavy wines here did not agree with him, owing to the climate. He died of gout at fifty years, leaving four sons. One of them became an epileptic, two died from drinking. Called good fellows, generous, witty, honorable young men, but before muddle age miserable sots. The oldest of the brothers was a man of fixed habits, occupying a leading place 182 PROGRESS OF A RACE. in the community from his keen intelligence, integrity and irreproachable morals. He watched over his brothers, laid them in their graves, and never ceased to denounce the vice which had ruined them; and when he was long past middle age financial trouble threw him into a low, nervous condition, for which wine was prescribed. He drank but one bottle. Shortly after his affairs were righted and his health and spirits returned, but it was observed that once or twice a year he mysteriously disappeared for a month or six weeks. Nor wife, nor children, nor even his partner, knew where he went ; but at last, when he was old and gray- headed, his wife was telegraphed from a neighboring obscure village where she found him dying of ma?iia a potu. He had been in the habit of hiding there when the desire for liquor became maddening, and when there he drank like a brute. " Temperance Resolutions Adopted by the A. M. E. Church. — The African Methodist Episcopal Church, at its General Conference, held in Indianapolis, Indi- ana, adopted the following resolutions : ''Resolved: i. That we discourage the manufacture, sale and use of all alcoholic and malt liquors. "2. That we discourage the use of tobacco by our ministers and people. "3. That we discourage the use of opium and snuff. "4. That we endorse the great prohibition move- ment in this country, also work done by the Woman's Christian Temperance Union, and will iise all honora- ble means to suppress the evils growing out of intem- perance. "5. That it shall be a crime for any minister or member of the A. M. E. Church to fight against tem- perance, and if convicted of this crime he shall lose his place in the conference and the church. ' ' MORAL AND SOCIAL ADVANCEMENT. 183 The bishops at this same conference said in their address; "We should allow no minister, or member who votes, writes, lectures or preaches to uphold the rum trade to retain his membership, either in the con- ference or in the church. And those who are addicted to strong drink, either ministers or laymen, should have no place among us. Visit our station houses, bride- wells, jails, almshouses, and penitentiaries, and you will there witness the efEects of this horror of horrors. Rum has dug the grave of the American Indian so deep that it will never be resurrected. If we would escape the same fate as a church and race, we must be temperate. "Some of the loftiest intellects have been blasted and blighted by this terrible curse. The use of wine at weddings should never be encouraged by our minis- ters; it is often the beginning of a blasted life." Woman in Temperance. — Mrs. McCurdy, corre- sponding secretary of the Georgia W. C. T. U. for col- ored women, says: ''The call for 'God and home in every land,' is growing to be more popular than in former years. Ministers all over the Southland are taking hold of the temperance question and are agitat- ing it as never before. They see that "Mental suasion for the thinker Moral suasion for the drinker Legal suasion for the drunkard maker Prison suasion for the statute breaker " are not virtues and therefore will not bring about the desired end. We are growing in numbers and are believing that among the Christian races temperance is a cardinal virtue, upon which physical strength, moral worth, social happiness and political tranquillity depend." 184 PROGRESS OF A RACE. Evils of Alcohol as a Beverage. —The shackles of strong drink are more galling than were the shackles of slavery. In saying this we do not discount the horrors of the slave-pen and the auction-block. The slave-master could not put shackles on the ma7i, the immortal. President Lincoln, with the aid of General Grant and his mighty host, could proclaim liberty to the captive; but in the war against King Alcohol, each man must be his own emancipator. The horrors of intemperance are known to the most thoughtless. Every intelligent person knows the awful effects of alcohol on the intellectual, moral, and religious nature of man. But, strange as it may seem, "the multitude" believe that alcohol has the power to give life, vitality, energy, force to the body ; that it is needful in heat or cold. But, listen! The fol- lowing statements are made by the president of one of the largest life insurance companies in America: "A group of total abstainers, aged 20, will, on the average, live 44.2 years apiece; a group of moderate drinkers, aged 20, will, on the average, live 15.6 years apiece. A group of total abstainers, aged 30, will, on the aver- age, live 36.5 years apiece; a group of moderate drink- ers, aged 30, will, on the average, live 13 years apiece. A group of total abstainers, aged 40, will, on the aver- age, live 28. 8 years apiece ; a group of moderate drink- ers, aged 40, will, on the average, live 11. 6 years apiece." It will be seen by the above testimony that total ab- stainers between the ages of 20 and 40 have 23 years' advantage over the users of alcoholic beverages in the expectancy of life. This, of course, has reference to the average man of his class. Smoking a Crime, — Tobacco was early introduced into Europe. Its use, however, was condemned, and MORAL AND SOCIAL ADVANCEMENT. 185 the Sultan of Turkey declared smoking a crime, and death of the most cruel kind was fixed as the punish* ment. In Russia, the "noses of the smokers were cut off in the earlier part of the seventeenth century.'* Its use yas described by King James I of England, as "a custom loathsome to the eye, hateful to the nose, harmful to the brain, dangerous to the lungs, and in the black, jtinking fume thereof nearest resembling the horrible Stygian smoke of the pit that is bottom- less." Tobacco a Poison.— Dr. J. H. Kellogg, M. D., in Health Science Leaflet, No. 216, says: "Chemists, botanists and physicians unite in pronouncing tobacco one of the most deadly poisons known. No other poison, with the exception of Prussic acid, will cause death so quickly, only three or four minutes being required for a fatal dose to produce its full effect. Nicotine. — "The active principle of tobacco, that is, that to which its narcotic and poisonous properties are due, is nicotine, a heavy, oily substance which may be separated from the dry leaf of the plant by distillation or infusion. The proportion of nicotine varies from two to eight per cent. A pound of tobacco contains on an average 380 grains of this deadly poison, of which one-tenth of a grain will kill a dog in ten minutes. Killed in Thirty Seconds.— "A case is on record in which a man was killed in thirty seconds by this poison. Hottentots use the oil of tobacco to kill snakes, a single drop causing death as quickly as a lightning stroke. It is largely used by gardeners and keepers of green- houses to destroy grubs and noxious insects (its proper usefulness)." Habit of Smoking. — The habit of smoking was dis- covered on the island of Cuba. Two sailors who were 186 PROGRESS OF A RACE. sent by Columbus to explore the island report that: "Among many other strange and curious discoveries, the natives carried with them lighted fire brands, and puffed smoke from their mouths and noses, which they supposed to be the way savages had for perfuming themselves. They afterwards declared that they 'saw ROBERT H. BONNER, ORISHANTKEH FREDREMAS. New Haven, Conn. Grad. Theol. Dept., Ceylon, West Africa. CHAS. H. BOYER, HENRY H. PROCTOR. Maryland Academical Dept. Graduate Theological Dept., Yale University. the naked savages twist large leaves together and smoke like devils. ' ' ' Filthy and Pernicious. — The use of tobacco is both filthy and pernicious. "Keep thyself pure," was Paul's injunction to Timothy; and again he says, "Let MORAL AND SOCIAL ADVANCEMENT. 181 US cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit," "If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy ; for the temple of God is holy, which temple we are. ' ' Leaders Needed. — Since the death of Dr. J. C. Price, of Livingstone College, Rev. J. H. Hector, of York, Pa., is the most popular temperance lecturer of the race. The race sadly needs a great leader in the tem- perance work, a leader who will inspire the hosts to active and progressive measures. Moral Status. — President Wright says: "One who does not know the character of the moral lives of the colored people at the emancipation is incapable of ren- dering an opinion as to the Negro's moral status now. It is extremely difficult to measure the distance of the advancement or to estimate the weight and quality of the good that has been done. No people have made further advancement in moral and Christian character. The schools have given them eyes to see. Eyes to see themselves as others saw them, and year after year vice and ignorance have become odious. In 1865 there was scarcely any Negro homes in all Georgia. In 1870 they could be easily counted. Who but the census taker would undertake such a task to-day? There is taxable property of some sixteen millions of dollars, and thousands of comfortable homes in the city and rural districts. None have become very rich but many have made a good start in life. There are over five hundred good business establishments whose affairs are conducted wholly by colored men. Business World. — The Negro is taking a reliable, useful, and honorable place in the business and indus- trial world. He is becoming an intelligent producer and developer of the resources of this great state. 188 PROGRESS OF A RACE. Under the benign influence of private and public schools he is becoming patriotic; he is purchasing land and fixing himself to the soil. Discourtesies and Insults. — He is becoming more sensitive with regard to discourtesies and insults. His restiveness is the natural result of his increased intelli- gence and love for his country in common with others. He may even grow defiant in the face of these out- rages, if continued. The intelligence and means among the colored people inspire confidence and respect on the part of the whites. There is practically no trouble or possibility of trouble between the intelli- gent .and upright colored people and the same class of white people. This is what Christian and industrial education has done. The Negro, or Southern prob- lem, finds its key in the education of the race. The Negro should not only be given every opportunity the state can afford for elementary education, but should be urged to avail himself of these opportunities. Criminals. — There are in Georgia more than five thousand Negi'o criminals ; about twice the number of colored teachers. Very few of these criminals can read or write. Here is found the connection between crime and ignorance. Education is not a panacea for crime, but, in proportion to the intelligence of the colored people of a given community, the number of actual and alleged crimes among that class of citizens has decreased. Professions. — There are in Georgia some twenty- five physicians, two pharmacists, seven lawyers, and half a dozen newspaper editors. Some of these, how- ever, have not been broadly educated. What Georgia needs most is men who can clearly and wisely state the needs of the colored people. MORAL AND SOCIAL ADVANCEMENT. Trade Education. — While the work in the schools has included industrial training, yet very little legiti- mate and genuine trade teaching has been done until within the last few years. The entire number of per- sons who have learned, in all these schools, enough of a trade to make them as safe in following it as it would in attempting to teach school, is very small. This is the natural result of the beginnings. There is, how- ever, an awakening on these lines, and a demand for abler and better teachers and advantages in industrial work. The colored people are at a point in their natural and material development when everybody recognizes the pressing need of more attention to the teaching of trades. The march of the Negro race towards the better day will not be only along the class of classic learning, but its pathway of victory must be as well through the physical sciences and along the avenues of industrial and business enterprises. The demands of the times are for genuine industrial teach- ing, which sends a young man into the world with an industrial bent that fits him for his life work; that gives him a trade by which he may support himself and benefit the world. Patents. — The colored patentees of the Union are credited with more than sixty useful inventions. This clearly shows that the Negro has genius and skill, and the means and opportunities now presented aid in the development and training of their genius. Perhaps no other school can come nearer to filling the demands than the industrial school well equipped and with a liberal curriculum. Debt of Gratitude, — The colored people of the South are tinder an everlasting debt of gratitude to the phil- anthropists of the country, north and south, who have 190 PROGRESS OF A RACE. done so rrmch to raise them from their low estate. While it is difficult to estimate the amount of money spent by the states and different benevolent institu- tions for the education of the colored people, the fact remains that a great and grand work has been done, and is being done, for their education. Our Country. — There are many and almost ancient ties that bind the Negro to the United Stats. There are numerous reasons why he should feel as much at home on the American soil as any man of any other nation that treads our shores. Among America's earliest explorers and discoverers, some of the boldest and bravest, and most successful of our citizens, as early as 1529, were woolly-haired Negroes. From then until now, whether he is happy and prosperous in his Southland, or fighting the battles of the nation, the Ne- gro, by sweat and blood, identified himself with every phase and fiber of the American history and life. The pathway of the race has not been strewn with flowers, but it has steadily led towards the light. And to-day the Negro stands upon higher ground, where the light of liberty shines upon him more steadily. Standing here, new duties, new responsibilities, await him. In this. broader day the demand is for more men of thought and action. Does Not Crave Domination, but Equality.— The Negro craves not domination. He simply asks for equalization of rights and privileges, such as belong to American citizens under the fundamental law of the land. As an American citizen he cannot ask less nor be contented with less. ' ' Prejudice. — "Talks for the Times" says: "There are but very few white people in this country who are capable of passing fair judgment upon us as a race, for MORAL AND SOCIAL ADVANCEMENT. 191 the large majority of them do not associate with us. The Jews have no extensive communion with the Samaritans. Now, it is a law in optics that the size of the visual angle varies with the distance of the body, and an object looks smaller as we recede from it. On this principle it is easy to account for the absurd and strange opinions of many of our white friends con- cerning us. They stand off at so magnificent a dis- tance from the Negro that they either lose sight of him altogether, or what they do se'e of him seems insignifi- cant and contemptible. Corruption of Public Men.— I am proud, too, to know% that in this transition period of ours we have among us a few public men of unimpeachable charac- ter. When Oscar Dunn was lieutenant-governor of Louisiana a certain white man, interested in a bill before the legislature, endeavored by the use of money, to secure Mr. Dunn's influence in favor of that bill. The reply of that noble Negro was as withering as it was laconic: 'Sir,' said he, 'my conscience is not for sale.' In that memorable presidential election when Messrs. Hayes and Tilden were candidates, a colored man in one of those Southern states, at that time a member of the electoral college, was approached by a white man and offered fifty thousand dollars for his vote for Mr. Tilden, being informed, at the same time, that it was a 'graveyard secret,' and that if he ever exposed the offerer of that sum death would be the penalty. I am proud to say that brave and faithful man rejected with scorn the proffered bribe. Would Anglo-Saxon morality have stood a better test against gilded corruption?" Toward tlie Light. — Professor Bowen says: "Before the war the Negro was a dumb driven and a dumb 102 PROGRESS OF A RACE. used cattle for work and for breeding. Shame, the virtue that Eve brought out of the Garden with her, that belongs alike to heathen and to Christian, was mocked, insulted and trampled under the merciless hoofs. The women were the tools for lechery. The whole head of the race was sick and the heart was faint ; bruises and putrefying sores covered the body of the race. To-day, in education, in morals, in spiritual power, the Negro is far superior. He marries accord- ing to law, rears his fanfily in a home of culture and morality, and reaches up with divine aspirations to the ideal perfections of human nature. The women are women. And while it is true that, as a mass, the race has not yet attained unto all perfection, yet they press with vigor toward the mark and are far removed from that dark age. They are purer, their preachers have improved and are still improving in all the elements of moral power. Progress Since Freedom. — Says E. A. Johnson, in his history of the Negro race : * ' Through a century and a half we have traced our ancestors' history. We have seen how they performed the hard tasks assigned them by their masters ; followed the hjpe and the plow with a laugh and a song ; making magnificent estates, building mansions, furnishing them with the splendor of the times ; so eager in patriotism as to be the first to shed their blood on the altar of their country's liberty. All this they did with no other hope of reward than a slave's cabin and a life of bondage for themselves and children. Scarcely have they ever sought revenge in riot and bloodshed. Stolen from a home of savage freedom, they found themselves in straitened circumstances as slaves in America, but the greatness of the Negro's nature crops out plainly MORAL AND SOCIAL ADVANCEMENT. 193 in the wonderful way in which he adapted himself to his new conditions. The fact that he went to work willingly, worked so long- and faithfully, and rebelled so little, marks him as far superior to the Indian, who never accepts the conditions of labor, either for himself or another ; and universally enjoys the rank of a savage rather than that of a civilized being. A plant placed in the window of a dark chamber gradually bends its foliage towards the sunlight ; so the Negro, surrounded by the darkness of slavery, bent his life toward the light of his master's God. He found Him. In Him he trusted, to Him he prayed, from Him he hoped for deliverance ; no people were ever more devout accord- ing to their knowledge of the word, no people ever suffered persecution more bravely, no people ever got more out of the few talents assigned them; and for this humble devotion, this implicit trust and faithful- ness, God has now rewarded them. The race comes out of slavery with more than it had before it went in. But there was no need of any slavery at all. James- town, New England, and other colonies might have held the Negro long enough to serve out his passage from Africa, and then given him his freedom, as they did their white slaves imported from England. The mistake was made then; the mistake became a law which the people were educated to believe was just. Many did not believe it, and some slave holders soiight to make the condition of their slaves comfortable. The affection arising between the slave and his master often governed the treatment. The Negro, being largely endowed by nature with affection, affability and a for- giving spirit, generally won for himself good treat- ment. Then, too, the master had some soul, and where that ingredient of his make-up was deficient, a 13 Progress. 194 PROGRESS OF A RACE. selfish interest to the slave as his property somewhat modified the venom that might have more often visited itself upon the unfortunate slave in lashes and stripes. Many Affections and Friendships formed between master and slave exist to the present day. Some slaves are still at the old homestead, conditions entirely reversed, voting differently at the polls, but friends at home ; and in death the family of one follows that of the other to the grave. When the War Ended the whole South was in an unsettled condition, property destroyed, thousands of her sons dead on the battlefield, no credit, conquered. But if the condition of the whites was bad, that of the blacks was worse. They were without homes, money, or learning. They were now to feed, clothe and pro- tect themselves in a government whose treasury they had enriched with two and a half centuries of unre- quited labor, and a country whose laws they must obey but could not read. It Was Natural that they should make mistakes. But they made less mistakes than the bummers who came south for plunder during reconstruction times, and with the false promise of "forty acres and a mule, " led the unlettered race into a season of idleness and vain hopes. But this condition- did not last. The Negro inherited the ability to work from the institu- tion of slavery. He soon set about to utilize this ability. I ask, what race could have done more. And this the Negro has done, though virtually ostracised from the avenues of trade and speculation. His admis- sion to a trades union is the exception rather than the rule in America. A colored boy taking a place as a porter in a store at the same time with a white boy, may find the white boy soon promoted to a clerkship, MORAL AND SOCIAL ADVANCEMENT. 195 then to a partnership in the firm, if he is smart ; but the colored boy remains, year after year, where he first commenced, no matter how worthy, no matter how competent. His lot is that of a menial; custom assigns him there, and in looking for clerks and part- ners he is not thought of by the white business man ; and thus, by the rigid laws of custom, he has continu- ally lost golden opportunities to forge his fortune ; yet he has prospered in spite of this, and it bespeaks for him a superior manhood." Best Specimens of Physical Manhood. — Under the influence of civilized customs and habits, they have improved in form and feature, until they have become strong, well proportioned, and can furnish some of the finest specimens of physical manhood in the world. They have improved equally in mental and moral traits. From naked barbarians they have become civ- ilized Christians. From groveling and stupid savages they have become intelligent and industrious work- men, skilled in many of the arts and all of the handi- crafts of civilized life. By this vast progress in so short a period, the Negroes have demonstrated a capacity, an aptitude for improvement, which should make us hesitate [to predict that they cannot finally ascend, under favorable conditions, to the highest heights of human development. In that event the argument based on the inferiority and the color of the Negro must vanish. Not in Color. — Dr. Haygood truly says: "The Negro cannot rise simply because he is black; the white man cannot stay up simply because he is white, A man rises, not by the color of his skin, but by intelligence, industry and integrity. The foremost man in these excellencies and virtues must, in the long run, be also the brightest man. " 190 PROGRESS OF A RACE. Remarkable Advancement.— It should be remem- bered that less than thirty years ago the Negro started with less than nothing, having, as a slave, acquired habits of thriftlessness and wastefulness, unfitting him for the accumulation of property. In one generation he has managed to accumulate and pile up an aggre- gate of wealth that is simply enormous. Still in Idleness. — It is true that a considerable per- centage of the race still retain their habits of idleness which characterized them as slaves. It is true that a large percentage exhibit talents for accumulation, but are content to earn from day to day the wages of the day before, trusting to providence for the future. But there is a rapidly increasing number of those who exhibit decided financial ability. Honored Mention. — Starting in the most humble way, with limited intelligence and exceedingly circum- scribed knowledge in a manner in which economy is to be practiced, they have gone on from year to year accumulating a little until the savings, as represented by their property, have built churches, erected schools, paid teachers and preachers and greatly improved the home and home life. These results, coming through the humble earnings of day labor deserve honorable mention. Just Judgment. — It is frequently the case that in contemplating the race as a mass it is judged by its worst representatives. This is unkind and unjust. The colored people of the South cannot justly be judged by the criminals among them, who have become con- spicuous for their evil deeds. They should rather be judged by the honest, hard-working men and women, who, beginning with nothing, in the course of one gen- eration accumulated an amount of property that even in our magnificent wealth forms no inconspicuous portion. i: Virj'W n Coshb urn 3 <■ l.inicvn. j.b.Thor)3C).j\ 1. Prominent Leader rnd Kindergartner in Chicago. 2. President of Woman s Conference in Chicago 3. Leading Club Woman and High School Teacher. Kansas City. 4. A Prominent Leader in Worcester. Mass. 6 Stenographer of Garnet Transfer Co . Louisville. Ky. CHAPTER IX. CLUB MOVEMENT AMONG NEGRO WOMEN. Written expressly for this work by Fannie Barrier Williams. The Negro Woman in the United States has had a difficult task in her efforts to earn for herself a char- acter in the social life of this country. By a sort of national common consent, she has had no place in the Republic of free and independent womanhood of America Slavery left her in social darkness, and -. freedom has been slow in leading her into the day- light of the virtues, the refinements and the blessed influences that center in and radiate from the life of American free women. With individual exceptions, the colored woman, as the mother of a distinctive race in America, has been unknown. She has excited ' neither pity nor hope. The domestic routine of her household or cabin duties seemed to be her fixed status. She has been looked upon as a being without romance, incapable of exciting any of the sweet senti- ments of femininity, any of the poetry of heart, or any of those delightful votaries that have glorified -with song and chivalry the. relationships of men and women. Slavery in America was debasing, but the debase- ment of the Negro woman was deeper than that of the Negro man. Slavery made her the only woman in all America for whom virtue was not an ornament and a necessity. What a terrible inheritance is this for the women of a race declared to be emancipated and equal sharers in the glories and responsibilities of the Republic! - 197 19S PROGRESS OF A RACE. bid the Great Work of "reconstruction" after the war of i860 begin here at the root of all the Negro's ills? No, "reconstruction" was mainly political and not social. It was the work of practical statesmen, in which the sociologist had no part. Through all the clamor and confusion of those stirring times, the woman, scorned, subjective and silent, was covered with a hateful obscurity. She was simply unknown and unconsidered. It is true that the Negro race as a whole was not obscure. The enthusiasm and ex- altation born of the triumphs of freedom and national unity, swept the Negro into a prominence that was simply phenomenal. The Negro unmanacled had been the dream of one half of the country during many years of strife, and when that dream became a fact, the Nation seemed to be fairly dazed by the very magnitude of its achievements. In those great days of national exaltation over the riddance of slavery and the saving of the Union, the terms freedom, equality and citizenship were clothed with a potency that seemed capable of working miracles. Making the colored people free and equal seemed equivalent to making them equal to every task that befits men of inherited enlightenment. While the Nation was being swept along by this kind of idealism, it was easy for colored men to be elected as governors of states, as state legislators, as congressmen, as United State senators, and to secure important appointments in the diplomatic and civil service of the government. Nothing so delighted the people of this great Nation as to witness this wonderful transformation scene "From the plantation to the halls of Congress." The Nation was so proud of itself that thousands of colored men worthily and unworthily occupied the front of CLUB MOVEMENT AMONG NEGRO WOMEN. 199 the stage. These prominent Negroes filled the public eye. Of course such common-place things as home- making, family establishment, industrial and social in- dependence and the many social economies and refine- ments that make for race-character were not thought of. It seemed to be taken for granted that a people who could produce statesmen so quickly must have all those minor virtues and equipments that in other pro- gressive races are the basis of human greatness. The Negro as a Social Factor. — It took the people of this country a long time to learn and understand that the Negro as a social factor, as a home-maker, as an equal participator in all the civil rights and privi- leges and responsibilities, as a contributor to the vir- tues and vices of the Nation, was more important than the Negro as a mere voter and office seeker. It took the colored people a long time to realize that to be a citizen of the United States was serious business, and that a seat in Congress was an insecure prominence unless supported by good women, noble mothers, family integrity and pure homes. It was not until the Negro race began to have some consciousness of these primary things, that the women of the race be- came objects of interest and study. It must not be understood that during all of this period of the colored man's political ascendency and the colored woman's social obscurity that she was altogether unprogressive. In spite of some of the unspeakable demoralizations of slavery, the woman- hood of the race was marked by many of the virtues, mental and social, that are characteristic of the women of all races who are capable of a high state of development. 200 PROGRESS OK A RACE. Not a Cheap Set of Women. — One of the curious, but creditable things for which the Negro race has been given but slight praise is that emancipation found thousands of colored women, both North and South, who could read and write, and who were guided and governed by womanly instincts and womanly principles. They were not a cheap set of women in the sense that their souls were dulled and uncultured. The fact is that the Negro woman in America has always been one of the most persistent of students. Though the laws and customs in the southern half of the country made it a crime to teach the Negro to read and write, and though race hatred and mob violence rendered it perilous for any colored person to seek an education, yet in the northern half thousands of colored women were educated. There were thousands of colored women in the South who could not read and write, but they had an enlightenment of heart and mind that meant some- times more than a knowledge of the three "R's. " The noble mother of Frederick Douglass was an in- teresting type of thousands of women who came out of slavery pure, strong and capable of the best things of which the best of women are capable. In the Northern States before the war hundreds of colored women secured their education in secret schools. The colored people living in the free states cried out for learning, and the colored young women were the ones most benefited. Such persecuted schools as the famous Canterbury Seminar}', taught by Prudence Crandall in Canterbury, Connecticut, trained many of the young women who afterwards became pioneers in the larger and freer work of education of colored youth. Nearly every woman thus educated CLUB MOVEMENT AMONG NEGRO WOMEN. 201 dedicated herself to the work of teaching. To these women the colored race is almost wholly indebted for the general intelligence that was found among the colored people of the North and that enabled them to be leaders in the early da3^s of freedom. The colored women who laid the foundation of Negro intelligence in the Northern states form an interesting group. Among those deserving of more than a mere mention are Mrs. Fannie Jackson Coppin of Phila- delphia, Blanche V. H. Brooks, Frances Ellen Watkins Harper, Mrs. D. I. Hayden, Mrs. S. W. Early of Ten- nessee, Mrs. Mary A. Shadd, Maria Becraft, Mrs. Charlotte F. Grimke, Mrs. Henry H. Garnett and Miss Fannie Richards of Detroit, Michigan. The work of no group of women in America is more easily trace- able in the character and lives of good men and women than is that of these early colored educators. By common consent Mrs. Fannie Jackson Coppin ranks first in mental equipment, in natural gifts and achieve- ments among colored teachers. She was among the first colored women of this country to receive a college education, having graduated from Oberlin. She was also the first colored woman who was permitted to teach in the training school of Oberlin. From Ober- lin she went to Philadelphia, where for more than thirty years she was principal of the Institution for Colored Youth, and was the most thoroughly controlling influ- ence in moulding the lives and character of the colored people of that great city. Mrs. Coppin would be regarded as eminent in any race where superior worth and dominent influence for good are recognized and properly rewarded. Mrs. Frances Ellen Watkins Harper's life and influ- 202 PROGRESS OF A RACE, ence are a part of the permanent good for which the Negro stands in this country. As teacher, lecturer and writer of story and verse, she was in her earlier life more than a promise of the Dunbars, the Campbells and Chestnuts of a later generation. Along with these women was Charlotte Forten Grimke, representing two family names well known in American history. Unlike Mrs. Coppin and Mrs. Harper, Mrs. Grimke was not a public woman in its strictest sense; hers was a gentle and tmobtrusive spirit. She was one of the early teachers in the great missionary work of fitting a new race for high tasks. Her fine poetic and artistic taste, her exceptional gift as a writer brought her into a congenial fellowship with some of the most eminent literary men and women of our times, A more refined and unaffected character, a more thoroughly cultured woman can scarcely be found among those who helped to give character and grace to womanhood of the colored race in America. The Howards, the Reasons, the Ray Sisters of New York and of a later generation can be safely classed among those who have helped to make the history, which m.arks the intellectual growth of the Negro race during the past twenty-five years. White Women. — It is but justice also to acknowl- edge that hundreds of educated, refined and thor- oughly white-souled white women cheerfully left home and all the delights of life in the North and went South to ostracism and contempt with hearts and hands full of humane helpfulness. They penetrated and illumined regions of darkness untouched and unfelt by the amendments and statutes of liberty, in CLUB MOVEMENT AMONG NEGRO WOMEN. 203 order to share in the work of redemption in which colored women were distinguishing themselves. The progress of colored women as teachers and leaders in education may be fairly judged from the fact that about twenty-five thousand colored women are now engaged as teachers in the colored schools and colleges of the country. A large number of this genera- tion of teachers have been trained in some of the best universities of the country and they teach every- thing required from the kindergarten to the university. The Capacity of the Negro. — The progress of colored women as teachers and students, ought to be a conclusive answer to those who question the capacity of the Negro race for the highest development. It ought not to be surprising that the women who have so diligently prepared themselves by education and service should now be able to take hold of the great social problems which require for their solution the intelligence, courage, race pride and the force of initiative such as have characterized the work of colored women as the educators of a race. Organization. — The organization of the colored women of the country into clubs, leagues and associa- tions for the moral uplift of their race is a dis- tinctive forward movement, and it is wonderfully significant of the long distance traveled in thirty years. The Negro woman's club of to-day represents the new Negro with new powers of self-help, with new capacities, and with an intelligent insight into her own condition. It represents new interests, new anxieties and new hopes. It means becter schools, better homes and better family alignments, better opportunities for young colored men and women to earn a living, and purer social relationships. 204 PROGRESS OF A RACE. These are some of the things that have been made im- portant and interesting to all of the people by the women's clubs. The Call for Club Work.— The causes for this new movement among colored women are not difficult to find. As before stated, the gradual decadence of the Negro as a political power in the South, has tended to force the race back upon itself, and to give to it the services of men whose superior intelligence found no outlet in politics. The studies and efforts of such men as DuBois, Washington and other Negro philoso- phers made the subjects in which women are chiefly concerned of commanding interest. Heretofore it seemed to be taken for granted that the schoolhouse would take care of itself, that the morals of the people, and home sanctities would grow out of the influence of the church alone, but women have dis- covered that all the agencies of civilization need to be safe-guarded and supplemented by the organized intelligence of the people. Women Deserve the Praise. — While the colored men of the last decade have done much to give the race a consciousness of its own shortcomings, the colored women's club as a reformatory movement is wholly the creation of women. To them must be accredited the moral sense and the mental insight that enabled them to discover their own social disorders and imper- fections and to suggest their remedies. In other words, they did not need to be told what was to be done or what to do. It was not the preacher who created in them an anxiety for a better home environment for themselves and their children. The conscience-call for kindergartens, day nurseries, reading rooms, etc. , was not man-made. The white women's clubs, as large, CLUB MOVEMENT AMONG NEGRO WOMEN. 205 numerous and generous as they sometimes are, sent no missionaries among their darker sisters to show them the way out of social darkness and despair. On the contrary the colored women began their club work in the same independent spirit with which they have taught themselves, and then began to teach others, even in the dark days before they became free. Without demonstration, or flourish of trumpets, the colored women began a more or less ^stematic study of social conditions. First Clubs Organized. — Many clubs were organized for this purpose as early as in 1890. Between 1890 and 1895 many clubs were organized in the principal cities of the country, where the Negro population was large enough. Among the best known clubs of this period were the Ellen Watkins Harper Club of Jeffer- son City, Missouri, The Loyal Union of Brooklyn, The Ida B. Wells Club of Chicago, The Phyllis Wheatley Club of New Orleans, The Sojourner Truth of Provi- dence, Rhode Island, The Woman's Era Club of Boston, and The Woman's League of Washington, D. C. An examination of the constitution and by-laws of these first organizations among colored women, shows a degree of earnestness and freedom from affectation and pretense that is very refreshing, and speaks much for the strong character of the workers. Temperance, mothers' meetings, sewing schools, rescue agencies, night schools, home sanitation and lectures on all sub- jects of social interest were some of the many things attempted and carried on by 'these clubs. These clubs made themselves felt for good in their respective com- munities. In some places these groups of women con- stituted the only organized force among the colored people for any purpose, and they are recognized as 206 PROGRESS OF A RACE. such in every instance where the organized voice of the colored people is needed. The Best Women Interested. — The clubs during this period were in no way aflfiliated. They were purely a creation for local needs and had no other pur- pose than the betterment of their own communities. As a general rule those who, in the proper sense, may be called the best women in the communities where these clubs were organized, became interested and joined in the work of helpfulness. It is perhaps the first instance of the women of culture, social standing and independence availing themselves of the oppor- tunity to make use of their superior training. The charge that the colored women of education and refinement had no sympathetic interest in their own race met a complete refutation in the zealous and unselfish service rendered the club movement by these very women. Clubs Deserving Special Mention. — Among the earlier clubs, special mention should be made of The Phyllis Wheatley Club of New Orleans, Louisiana, The Woman's League of Washington, D. C. , and The Woman's Era Club of Boston, Massachusetts. They have furnished the models for all the successful clubs that have followed them. The Phyllis Wheatley Club is one of the best equipped clubs in the South, both as to the quality of its membership and the work accomplished. It has fostered and developed more interests that have affected helpfully the social life of the people, than any other club in the South. Among other suc- cessful undertakings, it has founded and sustained a training class for colored nurses, and largely assisted in the support of a colored orphans' home. CLUB MOVEMENT AMONG NEGRO WOMEN. 207 Its president, Mrs. Sylvanie Williams, is a fine ex- ample of the resourcefulness and noble influence that a cultivated woman can and will give to the uplift of her race. The Woman's League, Washington, D. C— The Woman's League of Washington, D. C, has per- haps the largest membership of any club in the coun- try. It has the advantage of being largely composed of the teachers of the district, and there is no lack of the right sort of intelligence and interest to make it one of the best agencies of social improvement to be found at the capital. Mrs. Helen Cook has been the president since its organization, and she has been assisted by such well- known women as Mrs. Anna J. Cooper, Mrs. J. H. Smythe, Miss Ella D. Barrier, the efficient secretary, Mrs. Ida Bailey, Mrs. John R. Frances, Mrs. C. F. Grimke, Miss Victoria Thompkins, and many other ladies equally well known. The club has been in existence about twelve years, and during that time it has regularly conducted and carried on kindergartens, sewing schools, day nurseries, night schools, and penny saving banks right among the people who need this kind of service, as well as the example and sympathy of superior women. As a woman of culture, refinement and financial independence, Mrs. John F. Cook has been, and is, a noted example and inspiration to women of her own social standing, in the serious work of social reform. The Woman's Era Club of Boston, Massachusetts.— The Woman's Era Club of Boston, Massachusetts, is probably the best known club in the country. It was organized in February, 1893, and has about 200 mem- bers. It has a larger membership than any other club 208 PROGRESS OF A RACE. in the country, except perhaps the League of Washing- ton. The personelle of its members represents a larger number of educated and refined women than prob- ably any other club that could be mentioned. The president, Mrs. Josephine St. Pierre Rufifin, is of an unusually strong and interesting personality. She is also one of the best known club women in New England and is an influencial member of many of the leading clubs in Massachusetts. Mrs. Ruffin's mental training, leisure and aggressive nature amply qualify her for leadership. She has probably had more news- paper notice for her bold stand for the equal rights of women than any other colored woman in the country. The Era Club is the most influential organization of colored people in New England. It embraces in its purposes and plans many of the best features of club work. The most distinctive work of the new club was the publication for several years of a monthly journal called The Neiu Era. This paper is the first publica- tion ever successfully managed and published solely by colored women. Among its contributors were some of the brightest colored women of America. It had a wide circulation and did much to arouse the col- ored women of the country to the necessity of united effort. The Development of the Club Movement,— The next step in the development of the club movement among colored women was the formation of a National Associa- tion of colored women's clubs. The Woman's League of Washington and the Woman's Era Club of Boston began the agitation for the affiliation of the clubs some time before its actual accomplishment, for which great credit is due them. 1. Honorary President of National Association. 2. Physical Culture Teacher in Washington. 3. President of St. Louis Woman s Club, and Kindergartner. 4. Prominent Club Woman and Educator. 5 President of a Pnctical New Orleans Woman's Club 1. TYincipal of Normal Driit., Morida Baptist Colle!,'e. JacksonviUe. 2. Leader of Her Race, Jacksonville. I'la. 3. Graduate Nurse, Provident Hospital. Chicago. 4. Public .Stenographer, Chicago. i> A Successful Business Woman, St. Louis. CLUB MOVEMENT AMONG NEGRO WOMEN. 209 In the spring of 1895, the colored women of the country became justly excited over a scurrilous article appearing in a Missouri paper in which the colored women of the country were written down in the most libelous manner. The widespread feeling aroused by this cowardly attack resulted in the call for a National Conference issued by the Woman's Era Club of Boston, and was composed of delegates from all regularly organized colored women's clubs in the country. The Conference was held in Berkeley Hall, Boston, Massachusetts, from the 29th to the 31st of July inclusive. About one hundred women repre- senting twenty- five clubs from ten different states com- posed the Conference, Among them were such women as Mrs. J. St. P. Rufifin, Miss Maria Baldwin, Mrs. Ridley, Mrs. Dick- erson. Miss Imogen Howard, Mrs, Helen Cook of Washington, Mrs, Anna G. Cooper and Miss Ella D. Barrier who responded to the call. The Conference attracted wide attention because it was the first of the kind ever held in this country; and because it was highly representative of the best intelligence of the women of the colored race. The important work of the Conference was the organization of the National Association of colored women. The women quickly found that their power for good would be greatly increased by uniting their forces The first oflficers of the new Association, elected without contest or confusion, were as follows: President, Mrs. Booker T. Washington, Tuskegee, Alabama; Secretary, Mrs. U. A. Ridley, Brooklyn, Massachusetts; Treasurer, Mrs. Libbie C. Anthony, Jefferson City, Missouri ; Chairman Executive Commit- tee, Mrs. Victoria E. Matthews. 14 Progresa 210 PROGRESS OF A RACE. The organization of the National Association in- spired new life in club work throughout the country. It gave an importance to the club work of colored women, and brought into public discussion social ques- tions concerning the development of the race which had heretofore been neglected. Growth of the Association.— The power of the Association has grown from a few scattered and un- affiliated clubs throughout the country to an associa- tion of 400 clubs with a membership of from 50 to 200 each. It is estimated that from 150,000 to 200,000 women are being influenced for good more or less through the activity of these clubs, and hundreds of poor Negro homes have felt the cleansing and refining touch of the home department of these various clubs. The National Association of colored clubs has held four large National Conventions as follows: — Washing- ton, D. C, in 1896; Nashville, Tennessee, in 1897; Chicago, Illinois, in 1899, and Buffalo in 1901. The following women have served as presidents of the National Association : Mrs. Booker T. Washington, Mrs. Mary Church Terrell for three terms and Mrs. Silome Yates. Olub List of the National Association of Colored Women. ALABAMA. Eufala Woman's Club. Greensboro Woman's Mutual Benefit Club. Montgomery Sojourner Truth Club. Mt. Meigs Woman's Club. Tuskegee Woman's Club. Tuskegee-Notasulga Woman's Club. Birmingham Sojourner Truth Club. CLUB MOVEMENT AMONG NEGRO WOMEN, 211 Ladies' Auxiliary, Montgomery. Ten Times One, Montgomery. ARKANSAS. Little Rock Branch of National Association. Woman's Club, Little Rock. CALIFORNIA. Los Angeles Woman's Club. NORTH CAROLINA. Biddle University Club SOUTH CAROLINA. Charleston Woman's League. Charleston W. C. T. U. COLORADO. The Woman's League, Denver. CONNECTICUT. Rose of New England League, Norwich. FLORIDA. Jacksonville Woman's Christian Industrial and Protec- tive Union. The Phyllis Wheatley Chautauqua Circle, Jacksonville. The Afro-American Woman's League, Jacksonville. GEORGIA. Atlanta's Woman's Club. Harriet Beecher Stowe, Macon. Columbus, Douglass Reading Circle. Augusta, Woman's Protective Club. Woman's Club of Athens. INDIANA. The Booker T. Washington Club, Logansport. 212 PROGRESS OF A RACE. ILLINOIS. Chicago Ida B. Wells Club. Chicago Phyllis Wheatley Club. Chicago Woman's Civic League. Chicago Woman's Conference. Chicago Wayman Circle. Chicago Progressive Circle of King's Daughters. Chicago Hyde Park Woman's Club. Chicago North Side Woman's Club. Peoria Woman's Club. KANSAS. Sierra Leone Club. Woman's Club, Paola. KENTUCKY, Louisville Woman's Improvement Club. Echstein Daisy Club, Cane Springs. LOUISIANA. Phyllis Wheatley Club, New Orleans. MASSACHUSETTS. Woman's Era Club, Boston. Lend-a-Hand Club, Boston. Female Benevolent Firm, Boston. E. M. Thomas League. Cavalry Circle, Boston. Woman's Loyal Union, New Bedford. Woman's Protective League, Salem. Golden Rule Club, Cambridge. B. T. Tanner Club, Chelsea. St. Pierre Ruffin Club, New Bedford. MINNESOTA. Ada Sweet Pioneer Club, Minneapolis. CLUB MOVEMENT AMONG NEGRO WOMEN, 213 Twin City Woman's Era Club, Minneapolis and St. Paul. Woman's Loyal Union and John Brown Industrial Club. MISSOURI. Jefferson City Woman's Club. F. E. W. Harper League, St. Louis. F. E. W. H. League, St. Joseph. St. Louis Suffrage Club. St. Louis Phyllis Wheatley Club. St. Louis Woman's Club. St. Louis Married Ladies' Thimble Club, Kansas City Club. Self-Improvement Club, St. Louis. MICHIGAN. The Detroit Willing Workers, Detroit Phyllis Wheatley Club. The Booker T. Washington Club, Lima. Grand Rapids Married Ladies' 19th Century Club. The Sojourner Truth Improvement Club, Battle Creek. The Woman's Federation Club, Ann Arbor, NEW YORK. New York and Brooklyn, Woman's Loyal Union Buffalo Woman's Club. Ha'rlem Woman's Sympathetic Union. Rochester Woman's Club. N. Y. and Brooklyn W. A. A. U. NEBRASKA, Omaha Woman's Club. Woman's Improvement Club. PENNSYLVANIA. Pittsburgh and Allegheny F. E. W. H. League. 214 PROGRESS OF A RACE. Woman's Loyal Union, Pittsburg. Washington Young Woman's Twentieth Century Club. OHIO. Toledo Woman's Club. A. M. E., Columbus. rhodp: island. Newport Woman's League. Providence Working Woman's League. Lucy Thurman W. C. T. U., St. Paul. The Dunbar Reading Circle, Cleveland. TENNESSEE. Knoxville, Woman's Mutual Improvement Club. Memphis, Coterie Migratory Assembly. Memphis, Hook's School Association. Phyllis Wheatley, Nashville. Jackson Woman's Club. Jackson W. C. T. U. TEXAS. Fort Worth Phyllis Wheatley Club. VIRGINIA. Woman's League of Roanoke. Richmond Woman's League, Cappahoosic Gloucester A and L School. Urbana Club. Lynchburg Woman's League. Lexington Woman's Club. DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA. Washington, D. C. , Ladies' Auxiliary Committee. Washington, D. C, Lucy Thurman W. C. T. U. Woman's Protective Union, Washington, D. C. WEST VIRGINIA. Wheeling Woman's Fortnightly Club. CLUB MOVEMENT AMONG NEGRO WOMEN. 215 The Influence of the National Conventions.— The four national gatherings of the representatives of colored women's clubs have excited more public inter- est and newspaper comments and discussions of the social status of the colored race in this country than any conventions held by the colored people since the close of the war. The intelligent reports of committees on reformatory work attempted and accomplished have helped to bring into public notice the real needs of enlightenment among the masses of the race and have developed altogether new agencies for carrying out these reforms. To the people who have known the Negro only as a menial it has been a delightful surprise to witness so many women accomplished and graceful in all the manners, capabilities and charms of personality that characterize the best women of the more favored races. The public has not yet ceased to wonder at these bien- nial exhibitions of the progress made by colored women throughout the country, and the opportunities offered to a large number of superior women who have not yet attached themselves to the work of the National Association. The only danger to the future usefulness of the National Association are the weaknesses that are common to most women's organizations, and the tendency to imitate men in their political organ- izations where strife for place and honor too often obscure the noble purposes and urgent needs of the work in hand, and also the purely womanly pecu- liarities of emphasizing the petty things that make for envy, jealousy and personal vanities. Unless the association can be sufficiently animated and inspired by the largeness of its opportunity and the dignity of its calling to save itself from the tendencies above 216 PROGRESS OF A RACE, enumerated, it will be in danger of losing the co-opera- tion of the women who are capable of everything except bickerings and small personalities. It must not be lost sight of that this great Asso- ciation has helped to nationalize those vital interests that touch the whole social fabric of the colored race. Whether the National Association shall live or not, to carry out its pledges to itself and to the people, the interest that it has awakened in the great problems which concern the social uplift of the race must re- main a part of the anxieties and responsibilities of the men and women who are striving in church and school and other agencies of reform to give a standard of character to the Negro race. The Attitude of White Women's Clubs.— The attitude of the white women's clubs toward the col- ored woman, as a clubwoman, has furnished one of the most interesting and stirring features in the history of the club movement. While many colored women in the Northern states have been welcomed as mem- bers to white women's clubs as individuals, the ques- tion of their admission in some instances has given rise to some of the fiercest controversies over the colored question that have been witnessed in this country for many years. Two Incidents Noted.— There have been two inci- dents in this connection that are illustrative of the extent of the interest aroused. First. — The admission of a colored woman into the Chicago Woman's Club. Second. — The refusal of the National Federation of Women's Clubs at its biennial meeting in Milwaukee in 1900, to receive the credentials of Mrs. Josephine St. P Ruffin representing the Woman's Era Club of Boston, CLUB MOVEMENT AMONG NEGRO WOMEN. 217 The first incident gave rise to a color controversy that lasted fourteen months. In the fall of 1894 Mrs. Ellen Henrpten, late president of the National Fed- eration, Mrs. Celia Parker Wooley, author and lecturer, and Mrs. Grace Bagley, a prominent club woman of Chicago, presented the name of Mrs. Fannie Barrier Williams of Chicago, with their endorsement, for mem- bership in the Chicago Woman's Club. The name was presented in the same way that other women's names are presented and with no thought of exciting opposition or discussion. The Chicago Woman's Club has a membership of about 800 women. In its personality it fairly repre- sents the wealth and culture of the women of Chicago. Every applicant for membership is rigidly scrutinized and investigated to determine her mental and moral fitness for this exclusive fellowship. The club motto is Humam Nihil Alicnum Puto ("Nothing Human is Foreign to Me"). The loyalty of the members of the Chicago Woman's Club to this motto had never been questioned before. When, however, this great club came to know the color of this new applicant, there was a startling cry that seemed to have no bounds. Scarcely has a question of such small significance in itself assimied such a national range of interest and controversy. There was scarcely a publication of any kind in the country that did not enter into a discussion of the rights and wrongs, the justice and the injustice, and the dangers real and imaginary over the simple question of admission to the club of a person wlio admittedly came within the meaning of the club's motto. The Women's Clubs everywhere took up the matter and discussed the question, had lectures upon it, wrote essays on it, and some of them went so far, 218 ■ PROGRESS OF A RACE. by way of testing their own feelings, as to vote upon the question of admitting the Chicago colored appli- cant as an honorary member. The whole anti-slavery question was fought over again in the same spirit and with the same arguments. This simple question wa$ the old bugbear of social equality. After fourteen months' agitation and heart-aches and hysteria, the common sense of the members tri- umphed over their prejudices. The colored applicant stood the test of the club's law of eligibility, which was declared to be "Character, intelligence and the reciprocal advantages to the club and the individual, without regard to race, color, religion or politics." The most gratifying thing about this long-drawn-out and exciting contest is that fully nine-tenths of the most influential publications in the United States, without regard to politics, were in favor of the colored applicant, and insisted upon high grounds in settling all similar controversies. Certain it is that no more interesting contribution to the literature of the color question in this country can be found than that growing out of this discussion. It is also gratifying to note that none of the fears insisted upon by those opposed to the admission of the colored applicant have been realized, but on the contrary the club has steadily grown in interest, mem- bership and influence. The Rufl&n Incident.— The "Ruffln incident," as it has been aptly called, furnishes the second national controversy over the color question growing out of the attitude of the white women's club toward the colored woman as a club member. The meaning of the "Ruffin incident" is the refusal of the National Federation of Women's Clubs at their biennial meet- CLUB MOVEMENT AMONG NEGRO WOMEN, 219 ing at Milwaukee, Wisconsin, to admit to its mem- bership any club composed exclusively of colored women. This as an issue was brought out by Mrs. Ruffin's loyalty to the Woman's Era Club, of which she was president and from which she was sent with proper credentials as a delegate. There is such a widespread misapprehension of the facts, and so little has been published that can be relied upon as authentic, that the following carefully prepared official statement of the entire controversy has been secured from the Woman's Era Club to be used in this chapter. We think it will be of historical value in the future discussion of this question. Official Statement from the Woman's Era Club of Boston, Massachusetts. —The following is a con- densed statement of the Woman's Era Club (colored) of Boston, concerning the "Ruffin incident," referred to above: The Milwaukee episode has made the Era Club of Boston a target of criticism, friendly and unfriendly, of 2,500 women's clubs, and through them of 150,000 women. For this reason the club feels itself justified in making this general statement: "It is urged by critics: "'First. — The Massachusetts and the Woman's Era Club are to be condemned for attempting to force the color question upon the Biennial, when least prepared for it. '■'Second. — That the action of the President of the Federation, Mrs. Lowe, in admitting the Woman's Era Club was not ratified by the Board, therefore the Board's action in excluding Mrs. Ruflfin was per- fectly legal. "■Third. — That Mrs. Ruffin should have accepted a compromise — should have been willing to forego the 220 PROGRESS OF A RACE. privilege of representing the club of which she was president — and enter the convention as a delegate from Massachusetts, which privilege was ofifered her. ''Fourth. — That colored women should confine them- selves to their clubs and the large field of work open to them there. We think it best to answer these points by a brief statement of the career of our club and the events immediately leading to its entrance into the general federation. ***** jj^ allying itself with the general movement for women, the club has sought to elevate itself by taking advantage of every oppor- tunity possible to help or to be helped. It sought to spread the club movement among colored women, and to that end, called together in Boston the first convention of colored women ever held in America, the convention which ultimately resulted in the National Federation of Colored Women's Clubs. * * "We becam.e a member of the Massachusetts State Federation, and no club in that body had a deeper pride in it and the women it represents than we. Our association with Massachusetts club women had been such that the possibility of color discrimination had been lost sight of. Our delegates had been received at meetings, receptions, and conventions with that courtesy invariably extended by" ladies toward all with whom they come in contact; nothing less was ex- pected; certainly nothing less was received. "With this explanation it can be readily understood that when invited to join the General Federation, the Woman's Era Club accepted the honor in all sincerity, as free from any thought of forcing an issue, as was doubtless the true-hearted Mrs. Anna D. West, state CLUB MOVEMENT AMONG NEGRO WOMEN. 221 chairman of correspondence for Massachusetts, who gave us the invitation. "The club went through the prescribed form in making its application for membership in the General Federation. ***** ^ reply was immediatly received from Mrs. Lowe, in which she said : — Atlanta, Ga., April 30, 1900. " 'Dear Madam President: — I hope you have by this time received your certificate of membership in the General Federation. It is v/ith great pride that I write to extend to your club my congratulations, and at the same time to assure them of my desire to be helpful to them in any way possible. ***** Extend to your club greetings from me, and tell them to call upon me for all that they need and to send me all they can spare for encouraging and strengthening the union of our work. Believe me, Fraternally yours, Rebecca D. Lowe.' "The dues were forwarded, a receipt and certificate of membership were received and a ratification of the action of the president, Mrs. Lowe, was received by Mrs. West, dated May 14, 1900, as follows: " *It gives me great pleasure to inform you that the application of the Woman's Era Club for membership in the General Federation has been accepted by the Executive Committee. Congratulating you on the success of your work, I am Sincerely yours, Minnie M. Kendrick. Corresponding Secretary, General Federation,' "Acting upon this situation, the Woman's Era Club sent Mrs. Ruffin as its delegate to the biennial conven- tion held at Milwaukee, Wisconsin. She was also elected a delegate by the Massachusetts State Federa- 222 PROGRESS OF A RACE. tion, and also an alternate from the N. E. W. Press Association. "Upon arriving at Milwaukee, Mrs. Ruffin was forced into a humiliating position for which she was wholly unprepared. The Massachusetts delegation was im- mediately notified that the Board had met and would not receive an application for membership of the Woman's Era Club. Mrs. Ruffin was informed that she could not enter the convention representing a 'colored club' but would be received as a delegate from a 'white club,' and to enforce this ruling an attempt was made to snatch from her breast the badge which had been handed her on the passing of her credentials. "Mrs. Ruffin refused to enter the convention under the conditions offered her, that is, as a delegate from the Massachusetts State Federation, for which she was also a delegate. * * * * "The General Federation of Women's Clubs has no color line in its constitution; there is nothing in its constitution, in its oft-published statement of ideas and aims, in its supposed advanced position upon humanitarian questions to lead any club, with like aims and views, to imagine itself ineligible for mem- bership. "The Woman's Era Club having been regularly admitted, no legal or moral ground can possibly be found upon which it could be ruthlessly thrown out at the pleasure of a few individuals. "Asa member of the Massachusetts State Federation, the Woman's Era Club is still a member of the Gen- eral Federation. "The question before the Board and before the country is not whether colored clubs shall be admitted to the General Federation, but whether that unwar- CLUB MOVEMENT AMONG NEGRO WOMEN, 223 rantable action shall be sustained. Shall women, ask- ing for suffrage and a large participation in public life, endorse a ruling which, as a specimen of bossism, could not be overmatched by the lowest political gathering in the country ? ****** "The Woman's Era Club believes it voices the senti- ments of the colored women of the country when it says it is perfectly willing to abide the decision of the majority as to whether or not there shall be color discrimination in the General Federation. We, as members of the club, will, however, regret to see the standard lowered, the higher ideals repudiated, the power of the club work diminished, by any declaration that it is the cause of white women for which it stands, and not the cause of womankind. "Whatever may be the result of the deliberations of the General Federation upon the question of the color line, the decision should be explicit and final, so that in the future there may be no possibility of the trampling upon the feelings and aspirations of those they consider beneath them. "The wearers of the despised 'color,' many millions strong, cannot annihilate or eliminate themselves; they are forced, in the passing of the years, to touch the larger life of the Nation at many points; but should this touch be deemed undesirable by those with the greater power, it is only human that the weaker side should be allowed to protect itself." * * * * * * The whole country was aroused over this Milwaukee incident. As in the case cited, the newspapers of the country made much of the case and were generally on the side of the strong and womanly stand taken by 224 PROGRESS OF A RACE. Mrs. Ruffm. The individual clubs composing the Federation have been preparing themselves to meet the issue to at the next biennial meeting. The women composing the delegates to the Federation went home to their respective clubs with hearts burdened with this vexatious color-line question. In reporting to their clubs, there were embodied recommendations as to what should be the attitude of their clubs in the next biennial. As a result many of the clubs have already committed themselves as a protest against a fixed policy of narrowness and exclusion. Protest of White Clubs.— Among the first clubs to take a decided stand against sueh injustice was the Catholic Woman's League of Chicago, which was the first to register a decided protest against the treatment of the Woman's Era Club. It is notable that the Catholic women's clubs throughout the country are uncompromising in their stand for an equality of opportunity. The Chicago Women's Club again fought out this question against fierce opposition from some of its members, but under the leadership of its best women, including many cultured women of Southern birth and with the assistance of their one colored member, they once more triumphed over their prejudices. ■ These discussions in many clubs are creating much bitterness, and there are heard on every side threats of the withdrawal of Southern clubs, and some North- ern clubs that sympathize with the Southern woman. It is also curious to observe how slight has been the advance in thought and argument over the same arguments of ante-bellum days. The women are still haunted by the old phantoms "Do you want your daughter to marry a Negro?" "Do you want social 1. Recording Secretary National Association, Nashville, Tenn. 2. Vice President of National Association. Washington, D. C. 3. President of W/man's Club. Athens, Ga, 4. Editor of "Woman's Era," and a recognized leader 5 National Organizer of Woman's Club, Chicago. xJ.vSikjlielatej^.- 1^ Mro-.lkydeeCdDrpDeii ^ -=-°.»-s. 1. Teacher; also Secretary of Woman s Club in Washington. D C. 2. Charming Creole Teacher in New Orleans. 3. Director of Music in Washington Public Schools. 4. President of National Association; also Teacher in Kansas City. 5. Kindergarten 'Peacher in St. Louis. CLUB MOVEMENT AMONG NEGRO WOMEN, 225 equality?" "White supremacy?" These are all used in the same manner and with the same assurances of effectiveness as they were fifty years ago against the abolitionists. It is the same old fight of light against darkness and progress against caste. Prejudice resists all that tends to soften the heart and enlighten the mind. It defies logic. It has no part with charity ; humanity is not its shibboleth. It ever gropes in the dark and takes no pride in the onward sweep of the great forces of love and sympathy that inevitably blend into the controlling sentiment of the brotherhood of man. The colored women of the country have borne the burden of more misery than has ever been imposed upon womankind by a Christian nation. She knows herself and asks for the assistance and encouragement of those who are more or less responsible for this bur- den. Yet there are thousands of free strong women in this country who would refuse her appeal. Friends of the Colored Woman.— There is, how- ever, a brighter side to this question. The women who are committed to a more liberal view on the ad- mission of colored clubs to the National Federation are equall}'' tenacious of their position. They insist the great Federation shall not commit itself to any policy of exclusion, by which the deserving woman of any race or color shall be kept from its benefits and inspirations. There are thousands of such women, and they prefer that the Federation should go to pieces and cease to be rather than to make vital in their work the prejudices and principles of fifty years ago. They believe in Ter- rence's motto as above quoted. They believe that the white women of the country should not be unwilling to aid in every way colored women who are struggling 16 Progress 226 PROGRESS OF A RACE. to work out their own salvation. They are not dis- turbed by the cry of social equality. They stand for progress and for the broadest sympathy and for woman- kind. This seems to be the sentiment of the majority of the noble women in the country, and they have no doubt of saving the Federation from committing itself to the meaner policy of exclusion. The Attitude of Colored Women in the Contro- versy. — The colored women have kept themselves serene while this color-line controversy has been rag- ing around them. They have taken a keen and intelli- gent interest in all that has been said for and against them, but through it all they have lost neither their patience nor their hope in the ultimate triumph of right principles. The Federation has never been troubled by many applicants from colored clubs. Some influential col- ored women even go so far as to believe that little is to be gained as to clubs, by exposing themselves to the humiliation of being rejected. Then again there is the serious danger of being misrepresented by some ambitious or self-seeking women who would bring dis- credit to the claims of colored women's clubs. The case of the Woman's Era Club is rather the exception. It sought membership in the Federation because that was the logical and proper thing for it to do. In the first place it is a New England club, composed in in the main of superior women, who personally, and through their club had affiliated with the best white clubs of New England. Its president, Mrs. Ruffin, is an honored member of many of the clubs composing the Federation. It was solely a question of loyalty to the larger interests of the federated club work in the country that induced the Era Club to lend its forces to CLUB MOVEMENT AMONCt NEGRO WOMEN, 227 strengthening and supporting the more inclusive work of the Federation. Then again by its very aims, pur- poses and doctrines as declared, the Federation extends an invitation to all qualified organizations of woman- kind, without hint as to color, race or previous condition. It is really surprising that more of the colored clubs have not sought the inspiration, instruction and help that are so freely offered by the Federation to all clubs. The fact that so few clubs have applied for admission shows how groundless are their fears that the Federa- tion is in danger of being "Africanized." As before stated, there are many clubs in Northern communities in which may be found colored members. Many prominent white clubs have extended cordial invitations to prominent colored women to address them on all questions of peculiar interest to women. In fact, as between individual clubs, there has been an increase of cordiality and reciprocal advantages in this interchange of service. Many colored women have been trained and schooled for leadership among their own women by the expe- riences gained in well organized white associations. How the Color-line Controversy Has Helped Col- ored Women. — It can be said that colored women have gained more than they have lost by this wide- spread controversy as to their fitness for membership in white clubs. Through the justice of the press the best things among colored women and the best women have been brought into public notice to an extent that never could have been gained by other means. Thousands of people have learned things that they never knew before, and have been converted to a re- spectful consideration of the claims of colored women as to their standing in a community. 225 PROGRESS OF A RACE. The public is beginning to learn and to discriminate that colored women are not all alike ; that there are so- cial differences, mental differences and character differ- ences. The public has learned how these dark-skinned women have literally redeemed themselves by the thousands. For the first time they have learned of their versatility, their culture, their charms and their virtues. They have learned of many clever writers, many fluent speakers, many doctors, dentists, some lawyers, some linguists, some artists, some business women and thousands of teachers. All these things have certainly added to the force of public sentiment that is growing stronger day by day in favor of equal justice to the colored race. The agitation has also had the indirect effect of strengthening and improving the work of colored women themselves. Colored women have begun to learn that if they would give their clubs prestige and influence with the great association of white women, they must bring to the front and encourage their best women; that their representatives must be represent- ative of the best they have. It should also be noted that there has been a closei affiliation of white and colored clubs in the same com- munities. White women of influence have offered their services to colored women, and colored women of influence have found their way to the lecture plat- form, through which they have been able to reach the hearts of the people. Recognition of the Clubs. — These women's clubs are coming more and more to be recognized as the center of the ethical activities and best influence of the community in which they live and work. The churches, schools and other institutions have CLUB MOVEMENT AMONG NEGRO WOMEN. 229 all learned to appeal to these clubs and to seek their co-operation in everything important. In other words, colored women's clubs have established for them- selves a character. They have gained the prestigethat comes from things done, and done for the benefit of the people. They are always accessible to the young and old, to those who need them, and to those who need them not. Their methods are democratic and open, and their aims and purposes are always changeable to meet the requirements of their communities. In some localities the crying need is instruction to mothers and sanitary decency; in others it is day nurseries and kindergartens; in others it is night schools for oki and young, or employment agencies; protection for the young women of poor homes and no homes. In still others it is the fostering of a taste for art, for culture, for music. In other words, the colored women have, through their clubs, established for themselves a Woman's Tribune, where every question, every interest, every hope and every despair, and every need can be brought and are brought, and thus made the concern and anxiety of all. Some Frank Admissions. — It is not claimed in all that has been said in behalf of colored women's clubs, either as a local or national organization, that it is entirely free from an admixture of some of the mean- nesses of our poor human nature. It is due to candor to admit that unworthy ambitions, jealousies, envies, spitefulness, piques, tale-bearing, suspicions, affecta- tions and many of the other little sins peculiar to human nature generally, and to femininity in partic- ular, have played their part in retarding the progress of the club m.ovement. The important thing, however, to be noted is that 230 PROGRESS OF A RACE. in spite of hindrances, the women have advanced their work ; have sustained the integrity of the National Association, and can to-day claim to have the most spirited, thorough and well organized National Asso- ciation among the colored people. Club Work Cannot be Exaggerated. — Is it possible to exaggerate the importance of this work of the col- ored women in the country? Scarcely so, when it is understood how great is the variety of regenerating agencies needed to bring the colored people up to the standard of qualified citizenship in this country. Things to be Overcome. — In America the Negro has no history, no traditions, no race ideals, no inher- ited resources, either mental, social or ethical, and no established race character. The race is coming into its own power of self respect, self help and self pride by the forces of the initiative, submission and assimila- tion. The term Negro excites only the emotion of pity or contempt or anxiety or, at best, hope. The term colored woman has been more of a reproach in this country than anything else. These are the conditions under which colored women have begun their work of social reform. Courage, patience, love and the best qualities of the human heart are all needed for those who would assume this work hopefully and successfully. Can they succeed in bringing to their race a better social status? Can they alone make for themselves a name that shall be respected; and remove from them the reproach of bonded conditions? Is the final work of making the Negro race worthy of its place in this country to be left to women? Scarcely so. The chief value of woman's work to-day as purposed and carried out in their club work is that of helpings to CLUB MOVEMENT AMONG NEGRO WOMEN. 231 educate the Negro race as to its fundamental needs. The club has helped to turn the searchlight of Negro intelligence upon the darkness of Negro ignorance, of the things that make a race strong and respected. The colored race is learning for the first time the social value of the many smaller activities that women everywhere are carrying on with more or less intelligence. The Negro race is learning that these things which the women are doing come first in the lessons of citizenship; that there will never be an unchallenged vote, or a respected political power, or an unquestioned claim to positions of influence and importance, until the present social stigma is removed from the home and the women of the race. Women have suffered so much and have been so much humiliated by our Christian civilization that their zeal for vindication of themselves and their race is without bounds or possible abatement. Like old Zarca in George Eliot's "Spanish Gypsy," they are ambitious "To make their name, now but a badge of scorn, A glorious banner floating in their midst, Stirring the air they breathe with impulses Of generous pride, exalting fellowship, Until it soars to magnanimity." No race can long remain mean and cheap with aspirations such as these. Let the women be not dis- couraged. They are helping to make history for a race that has no history. They are furnishing material for the first chapter which shall some day recite the discouragements endured, the oppositions conquered, and the triumph of their faith in themselves. BOOKER T. WASHINGTON. CHAPTER X. NATIONAL NEGRO BUSINESS LEAGUE. Written by Booker T. Washington expressly for this work. Origin of League. — The National Negro Business League was organized in Boston, in August of the year 1900, and the first annual meeting was held at that time and place. The various sessions occupied three days. The second annual meeting of the League was held in Chicago, in August of 1901. The third annual meeting is to be held in Richmond, Vir- ginia, in 1902. During the last twenty years my work in connection with the Tuskegee Normal and Industrial Institute, in Alabama, has obliged me to travel about a great deal over a large portion of the United States, both North and South. In the course of this going about I have been constantly surprised — especially during the last few years — to see how many colored men and women there are, often in small towns and remote country districts, who are engaged in various lines of business. Prof. W. E. B. DuBois, as a result of care- ful studies recently made for a work published by At- lanta University, estimates the capital mvested in Negro business enterprises in the United States at nearly nine millions of dollars. The fact that 79 per cent of this is invested in enterprises of less than $2,500 capi- tal, shows how widely the business interests of the race are distributed, and how many Negro men and women there are who are engaged in them. Prof. DuBois very well saj'-s: "Small as this total may seem in com- parison with the vast business investment of the 234 PROGRESS OF A RACE, country, when we remember that the freedmen started with nothing, it is creditable." It is true that these business enterprises are some- times very humble, and the capital invested small, but enough is being done to thoroughly indicate the oppor- tunities of the race in this direction. My observations of these facts led me to be- lieve, in the year 1900, that a time had come when the successful colored men and women en- gaged in business in the country could be profitably brought together. After consultation with a con- siderable number of representative persons in vari- ous parts of the country, it was determined to call a meeting in the city of Boston, that summer, to organize a National Negro Business League. Boston was selected as the place for the first meeting, partly on account of the generally cooler climate in New England in the summer, but quite as much on account of the historic associations connected with the city by the members of the colored race. It was believed that many of the delegates who would attend the meeting — especially men from the far South who had never been North before — would be glad to have this opportunity to visit the city of Wendell Phillips, William Lloyd Garrison, Shaw, George L. Stearns and a host of others who labored for the abolition of slavery. This proved to be the case. One of the inspiring features of the meeting was an address made to the delegates by William Lloyd Garrison, the son of the famous aboli- tionist. Another interesting and dramatic incident was the pilgrimage which the delegates made to the spot on State street — marked by a star in the pave- ment — where Crispus Attucks, one of the first martyrs of his race, fell. NATIONAL NEGRO BUSINESS LEAGUE. 235 I quote one paragraph from Mr. Garrison's address: "The particular word 1 wish to leave with you is this: — Aim to be your own employers as soon as possible. If you are farmers, do not rest until you control the land on which you live. He who is compelled to till another's land is in a degree dependent and a bond- man. If you are mechanics, seek first to own a home without mortgage, foregoing many things until you are free of debt. Independence and debt cannot long keep company. In the South, as in the North, posses- sion of honestly earned property will surely bring respect and increase personal security." In addition to the consideration to which I referred — which may perhaps be called one of sentiment — it was felt that the delegates to the convention could not but be benefited from the opportunities which they would have to observe the methods of business of those with whom they would come in contact. Yankee shrewdness and ability are proverbial, and they are nowhere shown to better advantage than in Boston. Object of First Meeting. — This meeting was called with two objects in view: first, to bring together the men and women engaged in business, in order that they might get acquainted, and get information and inspiration from each other; and second, to form plans for a permanent organization which should hold annual meetings in different parts of the country and encour- age the formation of local leagues in various parts of the United States, which should co-operate with the national organization. Both of these objects, I think, have been admirably accomplished. The second an- nual meeting, held in Chicago, was even more largely attended than the first, and with — if possible — in- creased interest. Local leagues have been formed in 236 PROGRESS OF A RACE. many states which are doing excellent work to stimu- late a healthy and intelligent interest in business in their respective localities. Although it is desirable to have such local societies as these, membership in them is not necessary in order to be a member of the national league. Every individual engaged in business is entitled , to membership; and it is important, and especially to be desired, that every line of business in which any Negro man or woman is engaged should be represented, because only by a complete represen- tation will it be possible for the League to show the world what progress the race has made in business since freedom was conferred upon it. The fact has been repeatedly stated since the League was first proposed, and the proceedings of the League have clearly shown the correctness of the statement, that the organization is not in opposition to any other in existence, but is expected to do a distinct work that no other can do as well. The meeting in Boston was held on August 23-25. Day and evening sessions were held the first two days. The delegates assembled in the large hall of the Parker Memorial Building, which was beautifully and appropriately decorated for the occasion. The use of the hall was donated by one of the philanthropists of Boston, and the decorations were put vip by a business man of our own race, Mr. B. F. Washington. On August 25th, which was Saturday, the delegates were given an excursion on a steamer down Boston Harbor by the city government. This was one of the pleasantest features of the week, and the courtesy was thoroughly appreciated by the visitors. Not only in this excursion, but in many other ways, were the dele- gates made welcome. Hon. Thomas N. Hart, the NATIONAL NEGRO BUSINESS LEAGUE. 237 mayor of Boston, himself an eminently successful business man, was present at one of the sessions and made an address which gave the delegates inspiration and encouragement. The people of Boston were unremitting in ^•heir efforts to help the visitors in their city to get all the pleasure and profit possible out of their stay. The arrangements for the meeting in Boston were made by a local committee composed of Dr. S. B. Courtney; P. J. Smith; Louis F. Baldwin, real estate; J. R. Hamm, newsdealer and stationer; Rev. W. H. Thomas; Virgil Richardson, gents' furnishings; Cap- t in Charles L. Mitchell; William L. Reed, tobacco- ist; J. H. Louis, tailor; Gilbert C. Harris, manufac- -urer of and dealer in hair goods. On the morning of August 23d, Dr. S. E. Courtney, the chairman of the local committee, called the gather- ing to order and read the call for the meeting. Prayer was offered by Rev. Dr. Montague, of Boston. Mr. Louis F. Baldwin, a real estate dealer of Cambridge, was made temporary chairman, and Mr. E. E. Cooper, the publisher of The Colored American, of Washing- ton, was made temporary secretary. These tempor- ary positions were subsequently made permanent, and the success of this first meeting was in no small measure due to the able and interested manner in which these two gentlemen performed their duties. An address of welcome was made by Hon. John J. Smith of Boston. There were appointed to serve as a com- mittee of resolutions, Mr. W. R. Pettiford, a banker, of Birmingham, Alabama; Mr. C. K. Johnson, a real estate dealer, of Virginia; Mr. Daniel W. Lucas, a bar- ber, of Kansas City, Missouri, and Mr. M. M. Lewey, an editor and publisher, of Pensacola, Florida. The 238 PROGRESS OF A RACE. permanent organization, effected later, consisted of myself as president; vice-presidents, Giles B. Jackson, Richmond, Mrs. A. M. Smith, Chicago; Treasurer, Gil' bert C. Harris, Boston ; Secretary, Edward E. Cooper, Washington; Compiler, Edward A. Johnson, Raleigh, North Carolina; Executive Committee, T. Thomas Fortune, New York ; T. W. Jones, Chicago ; Isaiah T. Montgomery, Mound Bayou, Mississippi; Booker T. Washington, Tuskegee, Alabama; George C. Jones, Little Rock, Arkansas; W. R. Pettiford, Birmingham, Alabama; Gilbert C. Harris and Louis F. Baldwin, Boston. I give these names because they show the widely representative character of the League from the very first, both as regards the territory from which the delegates came, and also the industries represented. This same representative character was fully sustained at the next year's meeting at Chicago. Wide Scope of League. — I do not think that I can give an idea of the wide scope of the League and its value, in any better way than by reviewing briefly the first meeting, although it will be impossible for me even to mention the names of all the men who spoke. I give the names of a few, with their topics, and quote a paragraph here and there to show how practical the addresses were. As a general thing the papers and addresses were short, compact, and right to the point. Some of them may have been lacking in some of the graces of rhetoric, but they told what the speakers had accomplished, in simple words that all could under- stand. Particular effort was made that the speakers should understand that formal, set addresses were not required. What was wanted was for a person who had succeeded in some business to tell how he went to work NATIONAL NEGRO BUSINESS LEAGUE. 239 to achieve his success — to tell what obstacles he had met and how he had overcome them, that others hear- ing him, or reading what he had said, might get information and encouragement which would help them to go and do the same thing. Mr. Andrew F. Hillyer, of Washington, D. C. , spoke of "The Colored American in Business," giving very valuable figures derived from government records at Washington. "The census of 1890," he said, "showed 20,020 Negroes in business. There are more colored barbers than men engaged in any other business. The next most influential and successful class is that made up of the caterers. The late James Wormley of Washington, who for many years kept the famous Wormley House, died leaving an estate valued at $100, - 000. The most remarkable classes of business except the barbers and caterers are those which comprise the gro- cers and small shopkeepers. The butchers form another successful class. Almost every considerable Southern city, and, indeed, many in the North having a large colored population, has one or more drug stores kept by colored pharmacists. Another successful class is made up of the undertakers, and the capital invested here averages much higher than in any other class of business. The most important bank is the True Re- formers' Bank, of Richmond, Virginia, chartered under the laws of the state, owning its own large building, and with a paid-up capital of $125,000 and a surplus of $2 5, 000. This bank has 40, 000 depositors. The bank in Washington has a capital of $50,000. Another suc- cessful bank is located at Birmingham, Alabama. There are three book and tract publishing houses, one of them with a plant valued at $45,000. There are over 200 newspapers and> three magazines. One of these 240 PROCRKSS OK A RACK. newspapers has 5,000 subscribers, and a plant costing $10,000. A firm of truck gardeners, near Charleston, South Carolina, has been in business over thirty years, has over 500 acres under cultivation, and ships several carloads of garden truck every week to Northern markets. The railroad considers the trade of this firm of enough account to run an independent siding to their land, A dealer and shipper of fish in Charles- ton has $30,000 invested in the business, in nets, boats, ice-houses and other buildings. A photographer in St. Paul does a business of $30,000 a year. A race- horse breeder in Knoxville, Tennessee, has $50,000 invested in blooded horses. A pawnbroker in Augusta, Georgia, has $5,000 capital." Mr. Giles B. Jackson, a real estate dealer of Rich- mond, Virginia, spoke on "The Negro as a Real Estate Dealer." Mr. Jackson quoted figures from the report of the auditor of the state of Virginia for the year previous, to show that at that time the Negroes of Virginia owned one twenty-sixth of all the land in the state, that he owned one sixteenth of all the land east of the Blue Ridge, that he owned one tenth of all the land in twenty-five of the hundred counties of the state, that he owned one seventh of the land in Middlesex county, one sixth of the land in Hanover county, and that in one county — Charles City — he owned one third of all the land. He told how, in the year 1893, when the city of Richmond needed to borrow money to pay school expenses, $100,000 was loaned to the city by the True Reformers' Bank, one of the colored banks of Richmond. Mr. J. E. Shepard, of Enfield, North Carolina, also spoke upon "The Negro in Real Estate." Mr. M. M. Lewey, of Pensacola, Florida, spoke of 2 Z < o o o w -J 1. President Farmer s Club and Mercantile Union, Hogansville. Ga. 2. Recorder of Deeds. Washington. 3. Dry Goods Merchant. Montgomery. Ala. 4. Inventor of Food Heating Apparatus. Philadelphia. 5. Restaurant Keeper. Richmond. Va. HORACE KING & SONS, BRIDGE BUILDERS AND CONlRAC'rORS, ATLAN lA. GA. PROGRESS IN INDUSTRIES. 257 assist in controlling large business enterprises, and this alone will be worth more than any other remedy in suppressing and eradicating prejudice on account of color and blotting out the iniquitous legislation against the race in the South, wiping every unjust law from the statutes. A Progressive Age. — We live in a progressive age ; here we are in the evening of the nineteenth century with all the modern inventions and discoveries of the telegraph, telephone and electricity. There is no rea- son why the race should remain any longer in the dark. In unity there is strength, and when the colored people stand shoulder to shoulder, advancing the standard of the race in all industries, then will the colored man's prospects in business be as bright as those of the Anglo-Saxon. Race Pride. — In order that progress in these lines shall be made it is necessary that the colored men everywhere encourage one another, and when a colored man progresses in business not to envy his prosperity, but rather to be proud of him and his success, throw- ing away envy, jealousy and race hatred. Race pride must be cultivated. As the different nationalities, Irish, Jews, Germans and other people are recognized and respected only as they are united and held together, so it is essential that the Negroes should stand united in helping one another by their speech, by pen, by vote, and by money. Consumers. — The Negro race is a race of consumers, and it is essential that it be a race of producers. When it reaches this point, that the colored man is able to manufacture as well as consume, he will have the respect of all. The industrial schools of the South are 17 Progres*. 258 PROGRESS OF A RACE. doing more in this respect, in bringing up the masses to a realization of their privileges, than any other agency. Brains and Labor. — If the Negro is to succeed it is essential that in the first place he dignify labor, and in the second place that he put brains into labor. Thrift and Industry.— Rev. J. E. Edwards, D. D., a white man of learning and exalted character, says: "Hand in hand with the progress of education among the Negro population of Petersburg, Virginia, there has been a corresponding progress in industry, thrift, morals and manners of the race. Their ability to live at less expense than the poor whites has enabled the more provident of them to lay by a larger surplus from their earnings, and, as a result, they are buying lots, and in some instances putting up comfortable and taste- fully constructed residences. The marriage relation is recognized by them as of more binding obligation than formerly, both in its civil and moral respects. The family idea is a healthful growth. Self-respect and self reliance are on the advance. Improving in Morals. — They are property owners, shop keepers, manufacturers, contractors, master build- ers, mechanics and laborers, competing fairly and with out let or hindrance with the whites. They are con- stantly improving in morals, in thrift and industry, and are rapidly advancing in civilization, refinement and learning. Peaceable Community. — The present population of Petersburg may be put down in round numbers at 22,000 — say 10,000 whites and 12,000 colored — giving the Negroes 2,000 majority in the whole population. At the ballot-box the Negroes can poll a larger number than the whites. But with this predominance of the PROGRESS IN INDUSTRIES. 250 Negro population we have the most gratif3nng spectacle presented of one of the most orderly, quiet and peaceable communities anywhere to be found in all these broad lands. There is, comparatively, but little litigation in the civil courts of the corporation ; and the police record will compare favorably with that of any city of the same population in the whole country. The Mayor's court is often held without a case, even of misdemeanor. Felonies are infrequent, and of those that do occur, which are sent up to higher tribunals, the parties are quite as often white as colored. Disturbances of the peace are not more common among the Negroes than among the whites. Life, limb and property are as ■secure and as well protected in Petersburg by day and night as in any city of 22,000' population in the United States of America. No Idle Boasting. — The appeal from any question of these facts is to our records — police, civil and crim- inal; and when it is remembered that there are 12,000 Negroes and only 10,000 whites in the city, the record is as creditable as it is really wonderful. It is very much questioned whether a parallel can be found in all this country. Testimonials of Hampton Students. — The following items taken from "Twenty-two years' work at Hamp- ton," being the testimony of graduates of that school, are worthy of consideration. If any one is unable to judge whether the Negro is rising or not, the reliable testimony of these graduates ought to decide the ques- tion: James A. Fields, Hampton, Virginia. — "All things considered, the condition of the colored people is good. They are rapidly improving in religion, intelligence, and morals. My property consists mostly of land and 260 PROGRESS OF A RACE. house, in value six thousand dollars. I have only one child, the finest boy in Christendom." David D. Weaver, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.—"! employ more help and do more work than any other colored shoemaker in Philadelphia, and have had the lead for five years. I am doing as much for my people as I could in the school room. The colored people are progressing- ; they work. The money is made and the money is spent. /Fhe greatest barrier is that they do not look beyond to-day. They expect every day to take care of itself. With such short calculations they are often found wanting. There are many exceptions to this rule. There are men here who are doing good business and making great headway in the world." Lewis Peyton, Wabash, Indiana.— " The intellectual religious, moral, indiistrious and economical status of the people varies much in different sections of the country. Where they are settled down and have their homes and regular pursuits, they are prosperous, and every way in a prospering condition. ' ' George F. Calloway, Halifax County, Virginia.— "In this section of the state our people show a decided improvement. As a rule, they are farmers. Some own their homes, and a few own large tracts of land varying from forty to twelve hundred acres." William P. Henry, Berlin, Maryland.— In this com- munity, which I believe was one of the worst places below Mason's and Dixon's line for prejudice and Negro persecution, the Negro people are grasping every effort that will lift them higher in the intel- lectual, moral and social scale. They are generally sober and industrious, and they adhere strictly to economy, through which the rude hut and log cabin PROGRESS IN INDUSTRIES. 261 are rapidly being transformed into neat cottages, with their domestic improvements." L. L. Ivy, Danville, Virginia. — ' ' The colored people in this vicinity are improving slowly but surely, get- ting little homes, and making great sacrifices to do as other people." «i;Smsasteg^^S^yiAaas^yi^gy^#E#s NEGRO FARMER S ONE-ROOM LOG CABIN. William B. Weaver, Sassafras, Virginia. — "The col- ored people in this neighborhood are industrious and temperate. Some accumulate property and have good homes, and are interested in the work of education." R. H. Matthews, Pensacola, Florida.— "On account of the large number of dram-shops and the tendency of our people to patronize them, their condition is not what we might desire. They are badly divided and will seldom unite for any public good; this is on account of the narrow and ignorant spirit engendered in our churches by ignorant ministers. Not ivithstand- 202 PROGRESS OF A RACE. ing, there is gradual progress. Hard work, honesty and frugality are the means by which we are to rise. I own property in Columbus, Georgia, and in Pensa- cola worth three thousand dollars. ' ' Robert H. Hamilton, one of the Hampton Student Singers, now Assisting in the Normal at Tuskegee.— "To the thoughtful Negro there is a great deal in the condition of his people to make him sigh. Such a dense mass of humanity steeped in ignorance! Who can foresee the danger and bloodshed that may yet overtake this sunny land? While these men and women have the minds of children, they have the passions of age. However, as dark as things may be, they are not so bad as they were. It is fair to say the Negro of the South is rising. ' ' Mrs. William Day, Greensboro, North Carolina.— ' ' The general condition of our people in Greensboro is good. There are few renters now among good me- chanics. We have good schools and churches; one colored doctor. Our people have certainly improved themselves and are second to no other town in this respect. ' ' Mrs. F. Calloway, Lynchburg, Virginia.— "When I first came to this place there were not many people owning property. They were renting from their mas- ters or from some other white man, paying as much for a cabin a year as it would take to buy an acre of land. Some of the houses, actually, were not good enough for horses to stay in. Today for two or three miles around you will find colored people owning from two to twenty acres of land, horses, cows, farm- ing implements, and raising their own bread. When we were married we did not own anything; now we PROGRESS IN INDUSTRIES. 263, have two and one-half acres of land and a comfortable little house to live in. ' ' Mrs. George E. Rumsey, Thomas Run, Maryland. — "The majority of the colored people at Thomas Run are property-holders, and are improving their lands considerably. My husband has a farm, and owns thirty- three acres of land. ' ' C. R. Creekmur, Deep Creek, Virginia. — "I own a house and lot with four and one-half acres of land, farming- utensils, etc. The people are poor and igno- rant. There are, however, signs of improvement. Several have purchased homes and they are working nicely in that direction. ' ' Mrs. Mary Owen, Warrentown, North Carolina.— "Large numbers of Negroes here own homes. Some have nice large houses, others have small but neat ones. They are, as a rule, making rapid progress." Mrs. Briscoe, Mecklenburg, North Carolina. — "The general condition of the Negro people is improving. There are many who do not take as much interest in bettering their condition as they should, but there are many who have made marked progress in business and intellectual matters. ' ' E. D. Stewart, Farmville, Virginia. — "The condition of the colored peope is hopeful. They are accumulat- ing property and educating their children. ' ' J. B. Tynes, Smithville, Virginia. — "The colored people in the main are financially embarrassed, but here and there are signs of improvement." Mrs. Martin, Carlisle, Ohio. — "We own property valued at about three thousand dollars. I do not find the majority of the colored people so far advanced as I expected, considering the advantages they have had compared with the colored people of the South." 284 PROGRESS OF A RACE. Frances L. Butt, Germantown, Pennsylvania. — "The colored people are improving financially, but the young girls are not doing well. Their standard is low." 0. E. Vanharler. — "The people are slowly climbing the ladder of prosperity." Julia E. Coles, Halifax County, Virginia. — "In some places the people are very well situated, owning a small tract of land with a good house on it. In they are in a worse condition than in any other place. The people are very poor, living in houses no better than sheds, and with the poorest kind of food. This is true of the whites as well as the colored." J. W. Brown, Winchester, Virginia. — "The Negroes in this section are inaustrious and independent, and, although some spend the greater part of their hard earnings foolishly, they have money enough to secure for themselves comfortable homes, which the majority have. The homes differ with the ambition of the owner. Their cost ranges from one hundred dollars up into the thousands. Some own farms of from fifty to two hundred acres. The richest colored man in the county is said to be worth more than fifty thou- sand dollars. I do not think you will find a dozen beg- gars in our town, and the Negro population is over two thousand. ' ' Hope and Progress. — The best hope of the South is in the manufacture of her raw material. The best hope of the Negro is in his application to the various callings of industry. The future commercial greatness of the South depends upon the measure in which she manufactures her iron, wood, and cotton into articles of merchandise, and the happiness and well being of the Negro depend upon the part that he elects to play PROGRESS IN INDUSTRIES. 265 in this drama of industrial progress. Will he, by careful training, fit himself as an artisan and thus con- tribute to his country's progress and to his own uplift- ing, or will he scorn the homely callings of industry and devote himself to college lore and starvation? The South will one day be the nation's workshop. Whence will come her workmen? In the solution of this problem is wrapped up the hope and progress of the Negro. Dignity and Nobility of Manual Labor. — When the colored citizen can demonstrate his usefulness as a member of society, his rise to a higher plane of liberty and independence is assured. Industrial training will help students to appreciate the dignity and nobility of manual labor; will make them self-reliant, competent to lay out work for others, to oversee the erection of a dwelling house, a school house, a meeting house ; will make them industrial leaders, and, in a modest way, capitalists, enabling them to own a house, a farm, working with the hands in the intervals of preaching or teaching ; and all this not for themselves alone — they should never lose sight of the idea of service, that he who would be first must become the servant of all. In the Business World. — If the Negro is to maintain his place in the business world ^as an industrial and commercial factor, it behooves him to put on his think- ing cap ; no force without will help him. He must rise, if he rises at all, through his own efforts. He is not wanted in many of the avenues of opportunity and will be shut out if he does not get to thinking for himself. The politician has no use for him excepting before elec- tion. If he would maintain his place, he must, of necessity, think for himself. Half Free. — Booker T. Washington, that wise leader PROGRESS IN INDUSTRIES. 267 of the colored race, never spoke more truly and pithily than when he said: "The black man who cannot let love and sympathy go out to the white man is but half free. The white man who would close the shop or factory against a black man seeking an opportunity to earn an honest living, is but half free. ' ' Negro Labor. — Although the Negro is prcvctically barred from the great trade alliances of the land, and denied a place in the industrial army which he would so naturally and capably fill, the race is slowly edging into labor equalities and must, ere long, be counted a factor. The latest movement serving to bring Negro labor to a permanent stage of discussion is the intro- duction of black labor into the cotton mills of the South. Charleston Cotton Mills have recently introduced Negro labor with excellent results. The Negro hands are proving entirely satisfactory. It seems that colored operators were employed successfully in several mills before the war, but since then the Negro was denied an entrance. This will open a new field for the Negro. Besides this, all over the South colored men are being employed in mechanical pursuits, as carpenters, masons, wheelrights, engineers, while colored women are em- ployed as cooks, dressmakers, etc. This predicts a brighter day for the colored race, and if the race is true to its calling and exhibits true merit by rising and showing proficiency in all these lines, the day is not far distant when Negro labor in the South or in. any other section of our country will be in as great demand as the labor of any other race. Fears Aroused. — The danger that is feared by some who have given any thought to the Charleston experi- ment is that the colored operators will succeed so well there that they will gradually supplant the white opera- 268 PROGRESS OF A RACE. tives in Southern mills, and that their success in Charles- ton will result in the establishment of many Negro cotton mills in the South by New England capitalists. We believe that the Charleston "experiment" will succeed — we are told that it is succeeding; but we do not believe that its most substantial success will greatly interfere with the labor problem in the Southern mills. It probably would result in the establishment of many cotton mills in the black belt of the South, but it would not, for years, if ever, result in the displacement of white labor. They will work the kind of hands they can hire at the lowest wages and get good results. The agitation of the Negro-in-the-cotton-mill question began among the Southern mill managers. No Northern owned atid con- ducted mill has been mentioned in connection with Negro help. Capable. — There is little reason to doubt that Negroes will prove capable of performing the work required of them in the cotton mills. With white superiors to direct they can easily perform the duties of mill hands in the manufacture of the coarser goods of cotton cloth. Negro slaves, it is alleged, were successfully employed in the cotton mills. Prospect. — What a field is presented for speculation as to the possibilities in this contrast! What if the success of the experiment should give such an impetus to the cotton mill industry in this city that soon not only the spindles of the old mill would be humming night and day under the inspiration of a happy, con- tented and economic labor, d Q H a ;^ C/3 u > c/} <; ti Q c/2 O o u c/i > w o w Q Q < o o o o X 'O in J < h (/; Q PROGRESS IN INDUSTRIES. 273 Higher Education. — After a moral and industrial f raining- those who have the talent, the means, and the leisure, may pursue their studies into the province of higher education, language, literature, the arts and the sciences. All hold out brilliant inducements for such as strive to find "room at the top. " What the South Especially Needs is Negro farmers who study the best methods of tilling the soil, and are alert to find the most improved method and best imple- ments the market can supply. No profession is higher or more honorable than that of farming. A farmer supports the people. Go to the Farm. — As Horace Greeley advised young men to go west, so we would advise young people in cities and towns who cannot find anything to do, often compelled to beg or to steal in order to live, we would advise such to go to the farm, for there they can make an independent living for themselves. Buy a Farm. — By saving a little money a small farm at least, can be bought, and by cultivating it carefully more can be added from time to time. The European emigrants come to this country' and settle on homestead lands and soon become inde- pendent. Why should not the Negro do the same if he is willing to lay aside extravagance and expensive habits and devote himself to industry, economy and frugality. There is no reason why the average Xegro should not have a home of his own. Young men, aim to have a home of your own. Sound Advice. — A typical Louisa county, Va., Negro tobacco raiser was asked very lately how he managed to beat all his neighbors making tobacco, as was 6%-!- denced by his having always led them in prices on the Tnarket Here is the secret in his vernacular: 18 Progress 274 PROGRESS OF A RACE. "What I does make, I makes de bes' de Ian' will fotch. I keeps puttin' back de manure on de same Ian'. I makes dat manure myself, en I don't spread out none like some folks does, who airr't never satisfied 'ceptin' dey allers plants more'n dey can ten' to. No matter how terbarker is sellin' I gits to de top price — it's alius $io to $12 roun'. Noc, sah, I ain't neber studyin' 'bout spreadin' out like some folks, 'case I dim seen um try dat, an' my four acres beats der'n all de time. Dey plant more'n double as much agin as me — an' more, too. In course I know how to make fine sun-cured terbaker, and I ain't trustin' dat to nobody else, nuther. "Nor, sah, I ain't nuver grtmible 'bout de price yit — do I see plenty uv dem what duz, an' I ain't never spec' to crap more'n dem four acres — sometimes a little less dan dat. I ain't nuver hear nobody complain 'bout my terbaker yit — alius 'pear to suit dem what buys it, an' dey want more. Yas, I got 150 akers size dese four, but dese four is dat rich as when I fust started, and richer, too. ' ' We wish we could emphasize this good advice still more strongly. What the market wants is qnality^ not quantity. This applies to everything that the farm pro- duces. The way to get the prices that are paying ones is to follow the old "darky's cdvice, to make the best the land will make, by heavy and appropriate fertiliza- tion, on only such an area of land as can be properly prepared and carefully and constantly attended to, and then to give the greatest attention to the crop, so as to make a type that the market calls for. You must please the market, and the market will then please you. Advancement. — Professor Glenn, state school com- missioner of Georgia, in an able address before the State Teachers' Association, at Macon, recently said, in < o < y. < H < W EC Oi « H z o 276 PROGRESS OF A RACE. Speaking of the advancement of the colored people in America, that in improvement along all lines, in the same length of time, they stood without a peer, either in or out of history. He spoke of how they had reduced their illiteracy more than forty per cent in thirty-two years, etc. He told how Georgia's colored citizens alone had made returns for $16,000,000 worth of prop- erty, and, said he: "If they are as sharp about giving in property as the white man, and they may be, instead of owning J^ 16, 000, 000, they really own in this state alone about $32,000,000 worth of property." What is true of Georgia is true of the colored people in all parts of the United States. Worth of Property. — The colored people in the United States own today more than $325,000,000 worth of property. They have about 27,000 school teachers, more than 1,000 lawyers, and nearly 2,000 physicians that have graduated from some of the best schools in this and other countries. They have 3,068,822 mem- bers of the church, scattered among the various denomi- nations, including the Catholic church. These are led by thousands of able and well-educated ministers, including about twenty or twenty-five bishops. About 5,000,000 of the people can read. These, I think, are worthy achievements for the colored people during one generation, when we remember that they started empty- handed, empty-headed and with empty pockets. Looking Upward. — Of course we have had our trials, tribulations and hindrances, and our many drawbacks. These have come from all directions — from within as well as from without — but by God's help, and with the steady efforts of a few we find ourselves today far up the hill toward the city of success. A Changed Man. — The time was when, if you should PROGRESS IN INDUSTRIES. 277 meet a colored man on the streets, you could soon place him, so far as his business and intellectual capacity was concerned, without asking a single ques- tion. Rut that is by no means the case to-day. When you pass down the street to-day and meet a colored man, he may be a wealthy merchant, a retired business man with his thousands of dollars; he may be a prosperous farmer owning his plantation, horses, mules and cattle ; he may be a banker, a bishop, an educated minister of the gospel, with all the degrees that belong to that high calling; he may be principal of a city school, pro- fessor of Greek, Latin, Hebrew, German, French, mathematics, or science, in some college, or he may be president of some great university or president of a young republic in some part of the world ; he may be a lawyer, dentist, physician, pharmacist, or a telegraph operator; he may be a man such as I have named here — a man that is both an honor and a help to his city, countiy and state. At Progressive Door. — This is the colored man that is standing at the progressive door of American civiliza- tion today and asks for a man's chance — for an Amer- ican citizen's chance in the race of life — this is the colored man that asks for, and should have, a first-class railroad ride for a first-class railroad ticket. I hope Christian civilization, right and justice will soon per- meate the hearts of all the American people to the extent that they may see the ten millions of colored American citizens as they really are today and not as they were a generation ago. Atlanta's Colored Representatives. — Dr. Butler says; "Atlanta has two oil dealers, one laundr}', several good coal and wood yards, seven or eight tailoring establishments, one creamery, one real estate ' 278 PROGRESS OF A RAC^. dealer, one insurance agent, four undertakers, one hotel, and restaurants and ice-cream saloons in- numerable. We have a large number of grocery stores, well stocked and well patronized. It is impos- sible for me to call to mind all of our contractors, blacksmiths, carpenters, brick - masons, and stone - masons. We have several owners of hack lines. We have a large number of railway mail clerks and letter- carriers. We have one clerk in a white jewelry store. He is well thought of by everybody and draws a large trade to that firm from his people. This is a good example for others to follow. We have one first-class artist who has been working for one white firm for more than fifteen years. We have one sewing-machine representative, one plumber who has passed the re- quired examination and received his license ; we have two cleaning and dyeing establishments ; we have five public schools, with forty teachers; we have six col- leges and seminaries, in which are many colored pro- fessors; we have four well-stocked and well-equipped drug stores, several pharmacists, seven physicians and two dentists. Besides, there are many dressmakers, milliners, slaters, tinners, and hundreds of other good professional businesses that I have not the time to mention. These are the accomplishment of a colored population of about forty thousand. I came near for- getting our three lawyers, who are doing a good prac- tice. We also have a Young Men's Christian Associa- tion in the city and one in each of our colleges; we have eight organizations of the Woman's Christian Temperance Union, all doing much good work. We also have the Atlanta Woman's Club, of colored women, one of the best and most active of its kind in the country. We have the United Friendly Society, an < < Z U 280 PROGRESS OF A RACE. organization that is doing much good work among our people, and our women have an industrial club which is turning in an excellent profit to its members. This is only a bird's-eye view of what our people are doing. In conclusion, I would say, that Atlanta is the home of the following newspapers: The Southern Age, The Voice of Mission, The Gospel Trumpet, The Southern Christian Recorder, The Social Gleaner, and The Paris Visitor. I refer to these things to show our friends that we are up and doing for ourselves, our children, and our country. 'Forest Home' is the name of D. T. Howard's country home, eight miles from Atlanta, on the Peach- tree road. It is indeed a beautiful place, with groves, lakes, and fruit trees of all kinds. There are five springs on the property, and one of them is very val- uable. The lakes have been stocked with fish. He has ordered 5,000 more fish from Washington, D. C, to place in his lakes. He also has a number of fine Jersey cattle and many fine fowls out there. D. T. Howard has quite an interesting family, and all of them take a special interest in their country home. This is what I have often advised my people to do — get homes in the country and raise country produce and furnish this and other markets. The money we spend for a small 25x100 foot lot here in the city, or any city, for that mat- ter, would buy from ten to fifty acres of good land in the country. Talking about gold and silver, there is plenty of it out in the country, under the soil — all we have to do is to dig for it. It is there for the truck farmer ; it is there for the florist ; and it is there for the scientific farmer; and our people can do all of these things if they will only apply themselves. ' ' Items of Interest. — The city government of Phila- PROGRESS IN INDUSTRIES. 281 delphia employs nearly i,ooo colored men. In the bureau of health is David Brown, the oldest employe in the service of the city. He was appointed in 1837, and has held the position ever since. These men receive salaries ranging from $800 to $1,000 and more. There are sixty-one in the police department, one in the fire department, and several clerks, among whom is James F. Needham, a clerk in the tax office. He has held the position twenty-five years at a salary of $1,500. The inspector of gas meters is a colored man. C. J. Perry, the colored councilman, is a clerk in the sheriff's office. He is also editor of the Philadelphia Tribune. This is another proof of how the colored people are laboring for the welfare of their country and for the honor of themselves, by faithfully discharging every duty placed upon them. The largest silkworm grower in the South is a col- ored man, S. R. Lowry, near Huntsville, Ala. He took a premium at the New Orleans exposition over several foreign competitors from China, France, Japan and Italy. Mr. Lowry is of the opinion that the cul- ture of silk in the South will supersede that of cotton. Wiley Jones, of Pine Bluff, Arkansas. , is one of the wealthiest colored men in his state, and is said to be the largest blooded-stock breeder of his race. Besides his herds of Durham and Holstein cattle, he has a stable of trotting horses valued at $50,000. Granville T. Woods, the electrician, mechanical engineer, manufacturer of telephone, telegraph and electrical instruments, was once a day laborer in Spring- field, 111. There are more than fifty Negro establishments in Atlanta, Ga., representing $100,000 invested in busi- ness, giving employment to not less than one hun- aS2 PROGRESS OF A RACE. dred persons of the race, and affording them an oppor- tunity to acquire a thorough knowledge of business. Mr. John W. Wilson is the leading colored clothier of Baltimore, Maryland. He has a good trade, and keeps on hand a full supply of the latest goods. Mr. Madison Short is one of the most prominent farmers of Surry county, Virginia. He owns a beauti- ful farm and has some of the finest horses in the state. There are over 2,000 colored people employed in the executive departments of the government at Washing- ton. The increase of colored population in the last decade is gi-eater in Arkansas than that of any other state. Thirty-five Afro-Americans are employed on the police force in Pittsburg, Pa. Mrs. Alpha V. Miner, of Kansas City, Missouri, has the reputation of being one of the most successful busi- ness women of her race in the west. She is quoted at $10,000 and free from debt. She commenced business several 5^ears ago as a dressmaker. She now has a dozen or more employes. Gilchrist Stewart, the great colored creamery man, and dairy scientist of Wisconsin, has just been chosen dairy editor of the Dakota Field and Farm, and elected one of the editorial contributors for the coming year of the Wisconsin "AgTiculturist, " one of the lead- ing agricultural papers in the country. Mr. Stewart is a graduate of Tuskegee and of the Wisconsin Dairy school. He is rapidly achieving fame and prominence in the agricultural and dairy worlds. He is yet a very young man and the son of T. McCants Stewart of New York. H. D. Smith is the wealthiest colored man of Greens- ville county, Virginia. He owns a valuable fann. PROGRESS IN INDUSTRIES. 283 At one time he represented his people in the state leg- islature. Mr. D. Rowen, a merchant of Texas, after having- passed through varied scenes and hardships, finds him- self a prosperous merchant of Dallas. He paid taxes on real estate in 1896 valued at $41,000. Mr. Rowen has shown what can be done by a poor boy who is detennined to let the world know that he is living in it. A colored planter now owns one of Jefferson Davis' old plantations in Mississippi. John T. Schell, one of Atlanta's progressive and assiduous business men, has met with success by facing adversity. Through poverty he has pushed his way, working ^wherever he was able to find employment. Upon reaching Atlanta he could find no work, but at last succeeded in obtaining employment that hardly paid his expenses, but, continuing this work, he was soon offered a better position. At last he succeeded in gathering enough cash to open a small grocery store, with shoe shop attached. From this time forth success seemed to attend him, until he is to-day one of the wealthiest citizens of that city. A cultured and amiable wife presides over his comfortable and beauti- ful home, in which four happy children mingle their glad voices. Besides a vast amount of real estate, he owns a well-stocked dry-goods establishment. His residence is, beyond doubt, the largest and handsomest and most complete residence of any colored man in the state. Such houses as these are the monuments the thoughtful men and women of the race are erecting for their children. They are accumulating property and improving themselves along all lines. W. H. Councill was born in Fayetteville, N. C, in 1848. When nine years old he was carried by slave- 284 PROGRESS OF A RACE. traders to Alabama, where he worked in the cotton fields until set free as a result of the Civil war. He attended one of the first schools opened by Northern teachers at Stevenson, Ala., in 1865. PROF. W. H. COUNCILL, PH. D. He was founder, and editor of the Hmitsville Herald from 1877 to 1884. He is now president of the Agri- cultural and Mechanical College, Normal, Ala., which he organized a quarter of a century ago. He is an active church-worker and a temperance advocate. PROGRESS IN INDUSTRIES. 285 At his Normal school he is educating native Africans as missionaries to the "Dark Continent." C. H. Jackson is a very successful grocery and dry goods merchant in Nashville, Tennessee. Hon. Henry A. Rucker has been appointed collector of internal revenue for the state of Georgia. Mr. Rucker w-js V J:^^.<-.-,:-T;0'.-:<^-:-r^-^.y>>;ii<'.'i:\^^^^^^ V^^'W«//y< HON. H. A. RUCKER, ATLANTA, GEORGIA. is comparatively a young man, and his appointment gives the greatest satisfaction to his friends. He is one of the ablest men in the state and has the full con- fidence of all who know him. He has had considerable 286 PROGRESS OF A RACE. experience as a revenue official and will make a most efficient collector. Henry Allan Rucker was born in Washington, Wilkes county, Georgia, November 14, 1852. Three months after his birth his parents moved to Kensington, Georgia, residing there for five or six years, and from there to Atlanta, Savannah, Macon, and back to Atlanta in 1866, where he has ever since lived. Soon after returning to Atlanta he entered a school which was opened in the A. M. E, Church on Jenkins street by Northern teachers. This school was afterwards moved to a car box near what was then the famous Walton springs, and again into the building on Houston street, which, ever since its establishment, has been known as Storrs' school. On account of the inability of his parents to maintain him in a day school, he had to seek employment and attend school by night, and finally was compelled to lay aside his books, which he had no opportunity of taking up again, until, by steady appli- cation to whatever he could get to do, and by strict frugality, he was again able to take them up in Atlanta University in 1876. By teaching country schools dur- ing the summer months and by economizing, he kept himself in this school until 1880, leaving off after finish- ing his sophomore year to take up the study of homeop- athy, which he pursued for one year. During this year he also entered national politics and made a successful race as a Blaine delegate to the national convention' which met in Chicago, Illinois, in 1881. He was given an appointment as storekeeper and ganger in the Internal Revenue Service in Georgia. In 1883 he was promoted to a clerkship in the office of the collector, where he remained imtil shortly after the inauguration of Prise- dent Cleveland, when a new collector was appointed. PROGRESS IN INDUSTRIES. 287 This Democratic collector, on assuming charge of the office, asked ]\Ir. Rucker, "How long have you been in the service?" On being told about four j^ears, he simply said, "You have been in long enough." Four years later, on the inauguration of President Harrison, Mr. Rucker appeared before Secretary Windom, and, in his speech urging a change in the Collector's office of Georgia, repeated this little circumstance and wound up by saying, "Now, Mr. Secretary, this Democratic collector has been in a little over four years, and I, with other Republicans of Georgia, believe he has been in long enough to be removed without delay. ' ' At this the Secretary smiled and said: "While this is not poetic language, it is politic, and I'll see that the change is made." In 1880, Mr. Rucker met Major McKinley at Salt Springs, Georgia, where, while shak- ing hands with the major after his Chautauqua address, he said, ' ' Major, I hope I may have the pleasure of shak- ing your hand when you are president of the United States." In 1890, in September, large mass meetings of a non-partisan character were being held in Atlanta to nominate a reform city ticket, as municipal officers were getting in a confused condition and taxation was exorbitant and the city's credit was suffering. These mass meetings resulted in a city convention, where Mr. Rucker made the platform the reduction of taxa- tion from one and one-half per cent to one and one- third per cent, and since that time this measure of reduced taxation has become a law and the burdens of the people relieved and the city's credit raised. Dur- ing the ."iame year Mr, Rucker was called back to an important position in the Internal Revenue Service, discharging his duties honorably until he was again released in consequence of the fortimes of politics b>' 288 PROGRESS OF A RACE. another Democratic collector. In 1895, Mr. Rucker again met Major McKinley in Atlanta. The Major was holding a reception at the time, and as one man after another was introduced to the Major, one of them holding his hand, inquired, "Are you Governor McKin- ley of Ohio?" and on being modestly informed that he was said, "Well, Governor, you want to be president, and I want to tell you that Georgia is against you. ' ' Mr. Rucker, who was standing on the right of the Gov- ernor, spoke up at once and said, "Governor, pay no attention to that fellow, you shall have Georgia." He was himself elected one of the delegates to the St. Louis convention, and introduced a resolution condemn- ing lynching and mob violence, which became a plank in the Republican platform upon which President McKinley was elected. After the inauguration of President McKinley, Mr. Rucker was appointed Col- lector of Internal Revenue for the District of Georgia, and on the eve of the 5 th day of August, 1897, had the pleasure of succeeding the man who, four years before, had relieved him from clerkship in the same office. In 1889, Mr. Rucker was joined in marriage to Miss Annie, the younger daughter of Hon. Jefferson Long, the only colored man to represent a Georgia district in the United States Congress. To them four children have been born, Mr. Rucker is sober, honest and intelligent, enjoying the respect and confidence of the best people among whom he lives, as well as that of many of the leading men of the country. When asked to what he attributed his success, he emphatically says : "To the faithful, patient training and earnest prayers of a devout Christian mother. ' ' The following is taken from the Atlanta Constitution, and may suggest to some young men the advantage to 5 o z < . < ^ J D < W h U o 03 O X o eh: o i« u u o ^ u Q Z < o Z t3 J >■ o w Q > W Oh H z 1:3 O > PROGRESS lU INDUSTRIES. 289 be gfained in not hurrying from the country to the city What these men have done can be done again by othersi, if industry, economy and good management are not wanting. Bartow F. Powell was born a Negro in Bainbridge, Georgia, under all the weight which must ever depress a black race living in the midst of a dominant and all- conquering white. Worse than that, there was added to the natural disqualification of skin the stigma of recent slavery, with the jealousy, as yet unabated, of those who have been deprived of their ownership. A more unpropitious beginning is beyond conception, and, before the record which this man has achieved, is there a man in Georgia who will idly fold his hands and say that there is no room for him in the band wagon of progress? **Born in Bainbridge thirty-two years ago, Bartow F. Powell ran the gauntlet through which all the boys of his race have to go, but he had one quality not com- mon to all — and that was that a dime once reaching- his pocket stayed there. This qualification and the thorough- ness of his service secured for him constant employ- ment. Drifting from stores about town into the gov- ernment service in the dredge boats clearing out the Flint river, his resources increased, and with the inter- est savings on money already acquired, he found him- self at the age of twenty the owner of $2,000, $100 for each year of his life. That, as stated, was twelve years ago, and the event was celebrated by a trip to Albany, where a white landowner was committing the usual mistake of parting with five hundred acres of Baker county pine land. The white man got the $2,000, which has most likely taken wings long ago, whilst the Negro got the five hundred acres, which are to-day worth three times the moaeyi 19 Pi ogress BARTOW K. POWELL. 960 PROGRESS IN INDUSTRIES. 291 " \ hired ten men,' describing his first year's work, 'for the year round, paying them $8 a mont'i and board, and put eight mules to work. It was during Christmas week that I bought the land, so I started in with my force on the first day of January, because they say whatever you do that day you will do the year round. It proved to be so in my case, for it was not imtil the Christmas week of the next year that I saw a day off. We started clearing and tearing up in Janu- ary, and reached planting by March, which took up two months. "We then cultivated the crop regularly till August ist, after which, gathering and ginning and marketing took up our time. " 'When 1 had sold my cotton, corn and sugar cane I had $2,500. Besides that I had raised hogs and made provender, potatoes and peas sufficient to offset the run- ning expenses of the farm. I found that the best way to succeed is to hire men by the month, paying them regular wages, and planning ahead for the work that they must do the year round. You can command their work better. " 'Well, I just kept on the next three years, not doing so well the second year. The fifth year I bought a second farm of three hundred acres in the oaky woods, for which I paid $3,000 cash, and the next year 1 added a five hundred and sixty acre place in the ninth district of Baker for $2,500 cash. I ran along two years more this way, when I had some more money to spare, when I took in another oaky woods farm of four hundred and forty acres for $3,200 cash. My land, for which I gave 5510 an acre, has paid me fully twenty per cent, in cotton returns, not to speak of my gains from other sources. While I have been saving all this money and buying land, I have freely stocked all my places out of 292 PROGRESS OF A RACE. the proceeds which I do not count I have now 2,100 acres of land, a town house and lot, forty-four head of horses and mules, one hundred Jersey and scrub cows, one hundred and fifty head of improved hogs, besides wagons, buggies, plows and all kinds of machines used on a big farm. I now run a public gin on my home place, as well as a grist mill. '* 'If I were to sell my land I could not make as good use of the money as I can of my land. You see you arc always getting principal as well as interest back from your land, and after you get it all back the land still remains more valuble than it was at first. In money you can only get the interest, and principal is al . 'ays likely to disappear. Ever}^ other kind of prop- erty wears away, but constant use improves land. There is no such thing as wearing out land — it must be kept at work, but rested by different crops. It is like resting from walking by running a little, but never sit down, becaiise if you do you are sure to be left behind.' " Mr. Powell generally sells his cotton at the beginning of the market season. Concerning tlie raising- of cot- ton, Mr. Powell says: "There's money in cotton all the time, said Powell, only don't be paying this money for other things you can raise at home. Five cents pays well and seven cents is bushels. I can always make the difference good by living at home. ' ' Powell is not the only man of his race who has made what is called "big" money. As he is a mulatto, inher- iting, as will be seen from his picture, the phrenologi- cal cast of the Caucasian, it may be argued that his success springs from that strain. Mr. Billingslea is as black and full-blooded a Negro PROGRESS IN INDUSTRIES. 293 as ever disported himself in the jungles of Africa, with a greasy coal face, great lips, which, when parted, dis- play almost wealth enough of ivoiT for an elephant. He has come right out of slavery itself, and is now the owner of two thousand acres of land, from which he markets four hundred bales of cotton annually. Besides his success on the farm, he has developed the country supply store idea, and thus rakes in thousands of dol- lars a year. Deal Jackson is another typical "before the war" Negro, who owns six hundred acres of land worth $10,000, and who has money to loan at all times. Joe Jeffis, still another fiiU-blooded African, living on the east side of the river, owns 1,500 acres of superb land, out of which he makes equally good returns with those already mentioned. No white man should be afraid to do as well as these men have done, and here is their greatest possibility; the ownership of property makes good citizens of- the NegToes. The influence of these men is great with members of their race. And they, in turn, help to presence the good rela- tionship between the races, which has removed all the rancor of former times. We always work together and for the common good. You can go to these men at any time and make suggestions as to proper lines upon which to work, and they have the good sense to comply, so that racial troubles never occur. Whenever you hear of such trouble it is between a no-account white man and a mean Negro, and we are then just as certain lo get rid of the one as the other. These men com- mand the highest credit in our banks and commercial houses. Altop-ether these incidents furnish one of the best 294 PROGRESS OF A RACE. lessons as to the possibilities of the South, and now we are talking, not in the interest of Northern immigrants, but of our own Southern boys. Go to the commercial college in our big cities ; go to the stenographic schools ; go to the dry goods and other business houses, and see the hundreds and thousands of bright young men stunting their youth in the fever of exertion for callings which will not bring them a livelihood in their maturi- ty, but out of which they will be crowded by a fresh influx of boys. While these young men have turned their backs upon the old homes, their patrimony is being taken possession of by strangers, who are making the waste spots bloom in luxuriance. In the days to come, when these young men will have grown older, they will seek a season's vacation, called up by a bub- bling of the old home feeling, and going there the very face of nature will have changed, but the greatest change, the one most cutting and heart-rending, will be to see the face of the stranger peering out of the old window, and the hand of the stranger holding, not ajar, but firmly closed, the gate which once led to home, with its smiles and tears which are now recalled through the vista of time and adversity. Look upon these broad and smiling acres, young men of the South. There is more wealth concealed beneath their carpeted green than all the eldorados ever afforded; there is more joy and comfort cluster- ing around that old house; there is more of heart in the handclasp, the more of Heaven in the prospect than ever city, with its promises fulfilled, has been able to give you. Go to the coimtry, young man, go ! Cotton States, Industrial Exposition, 1895.— The Negro building of this exposition was erected by Negro PROGRESS IN INDUSTRIES. 295 hands and supervised by Negi'o skill and brain. Much of the success which was realized is diie to the chief commissioner, Professor Crogman, who traveled throughout the Southern states in the interest of the Negro building. Those who are able to judge assure us that this exhibit was by far the best yet made by the Negro race. The educational, business and industrial development of the race during thirty years of emanci- pation was shown here in practical form. It was in all respects a success. The commissioner of education says of the exhibit: "The very creditable exhibit made at the Atlanta expo- sitition in 1895 by the more progressive element among the Negroes aroused new interest in all parts of the country in their educational advancement." There arose a very general demand for information on the subject, and this resulted in a special effort on the part of the Educational Bureau to furnish more extended information and statistics than ever before given. Thus the Atlanta Negro exhibit was an occasion for bet- ter information on the subject. The commissioners who labored so faithfully to make that exhibit a success, it is safe to say, had hardly hoped to make their influence and work felt throughout the nation, and yet this was the case. The Negro Exhibit at Nashville, 1897.— The one hundredth anniversary of Tennessee as a state was cele- brated by the Centennial exposition at Nashville, from the first day of May until the last day of October, 1897. This occasioned for the Negro in particular an oppor- tunity to demonstrate to the world his capabilities in everything that appertains to development of the mental, moral and physical powers. To the Negro this opportunity meant a reward of patient industry and 296 PROGRESS OF A RACE. honesty. The Centennial exposition in general was a great credit to the state. The Negro building in par- ticular attracted the attention of visitors. The people „o£ Tennessee generously erected, at a cost of twelve thbusand dollars, a handsome and imposing building, known as the ' ' Negro building. ' ' It was three hundred feet long by one hundred feet wide, and the architec- tural plans were not surpassed by any other building on the grounds. All the lines of progress were here noted, but, as it is along educational lines that the Negro race has made its greatest progress, the exhibit of schools devoted to Negro education necessarily occupied much space. Although the time since emanci- pation has been only a little more than that devoted to the eduation of a single generation, the race has made considerable progress in the arts, sciences, trades and professions, commerce, agriculture, and all other call- ings of the world, as a people, making creditable show- ings in these lines. The display of talent in art by the Negro surprised and delighted the visitors to the Atlanta exposition. At Nashville, this department sur- passed every other exhibit of the work of Negro artists yet given. Miss E. Lewis, a talented youing lady of Tennessee, who is now studying in Europe, forwarded some of her best paintings to the exposition. Mr. Tanner, whose work recently received favorable atten- tion at Paris, also sent some of his pictures. Portraits of famous men and women adorned the walls. On the whole, the Negro building at the Tennessee exposition was a decided success, and the works therein contained have proved that the Negroes, as a race, have made more progress in civilization since their emancipation than any other race similarly situated has in the same length of time. CHAPTER XII. FINANCIAL GROWTH. Property Owners. — It is said that the colored popu- lation of Georgia pay taxes on about $40,000,000 worth of property ; the amount of mortgage on lands is not stated, but even if it should be one-half the value of the real estate the result would be the possession by these people of $20,000,000 worth of land, accumulated since the war. It is probable from the estimates that the Negro of the South owns, free of incumbrances, from $2 5 0,000, 000 to $300,000,000 worth of real estate. Is not this result really unprecedented in the history of our civilization? The Negro of the South pays taxes on over $300,000,- 000 worth of real and personal property, indicating that the true value of the race holdings in 1890 was not less than $650,000,000. Practically, every dollar of this has been accumulated in the last thirty years, about the period of a single generation of our colored race ; and it shows, as nothing else can show, that the spirit of thrift and enterprise is being acquired by the Negro, from his white neighbors. The race has in its possession, certainly, a sound and strong basis of means for displaying its progress, objectively, to the high credit of the colored people and greatly to their benefit. Wealthy Men; Examples.— Among the property owners of Jackson ward, Richmond, Va., the following are the most prominent: Mrs. Bettie T. Lewis, $150,- 000; Mrs. Fannie C. Thompson, $15,000; W. I. John- son, $13,000; A Hayes, $12,000; William Lyons, 297 298 PROGRESS OF A RACE. $10,000; John Oliver, $10,000; Dr. S. H. Dismond, $8,000; J. B. Harris, $7,000; William Tennant, $7,000; W. H. White, $7,000; Rev. W. W. Browne, $6,000; Rev. J. E.Jones, $5,000; B. F. Turner, $5,000; Dr. R. E. Jones, $5,000; S. W. Robinson, $5,000. Many other colored men of wealth in Richmond deserve to be mentioned in this connection, but time and space forbid. The above are only examples of what can be done by the industrious, economical col- ored men in every city. Much Property is owned by the colored people of the North and West. Some of their estates run high into the hundred thousands. Many of them, though shut out almost entirely from the trades and business avenues, have accumulated handsome homes, and live in elegance and refinement. Rev. A. G. Davis, of Raleigh, North Carolina, in an address at the North Carolina Colored Agricultural Fair, in reference to the Negro's progress, says that among other things: "Scan, if you will, the long line of eight million Negroes as they march slowly but surely up the road of progress, and you will find in their ranks such men as Granville T. Woods, of Ohio, the electrician, mechanical engineer, manufacturer of telephones, telegraph and electrical instruments; William Still, of Philadelphia, the coal dealer; Henry Tanner, the artist; John W. Tarry, foreman of the iron and fitting department of the Chicago West Division Street Car Company; J. D. Baltimore, engi- neer, machinist and inventor, of Washington, D. C. ; Wiley Jones, of Pine Bluff, Arkansas, the owner of the street railroad and park; Richard M. Hancock, fore- man of the pattern shops of the Eagle Works and Manu- facturing Company, and draughtsman; John Black, FINANCIAL GROWTH. 299 the inventor, whose inventions are worth tens of thou, sands ; W. C. Atwood, the lumber merchant and capi- talist." To this we might add the following list of names of a few wealthy colored people in the United States, as given by Prof. E. A. Johnson, of Raleigh : Amanda Eubanks, of Georgia $400,000 Mrs. M. Carpenter, San Francisco 300,000 John McKee. Philadelphia 300,000 W. Q. Atwood, Baltimore 300,000 Fred Douglass Estate, Washington, D. C 300,000 William Still, Philadelphia 200,000 Robert Purvis, Washington, D. C 150,000 Mr. Smith, New York 150,000 Ex. Gov. P. S. B. Pinchback, Louisiana 150,000 John Thomas, Baltimore 150 000 Mr. D. C. White, New York 130,000 The Morrisettes of South Carolina 130,000 Mrs. Mars, New York 100,000 Mr, W. C. Coleman, North Carolina 100,000 Bowers Estate, Philadelphia 80,000 Mr. Avery Smith, Florida 80,000 Mr. J. H. Lewis, of Boston, fonnerly of North Carolina. . 70,000 Bishop Beebe, North Carolina 50,000 Several in Alabama 50,000 Fifty in North Carolina 10,000 Fifty in Georgia 10,000 One hundred in Louisiana 10,000 Twelve in Mississippi 10,000 Sixty in Texas 10,000 Fifty in Virginia lo.ooo Wealthy Colored New York Men. — There are many wealthy colored men who live in New York City. Several who were formerly slaves count their money by the hundred thousand. Fotir or five physicians in this great metropolis have a practice of many thousand dollars a year. Mortgaged Property. — One of the notable showings. of the last census is the low percentage of mortgaged 300 PROGRESS OF A RACE. property in the South. In Georgia this percentage is 3.18; in Tennessee, 3.87; in Florida, 3.63; in Ala- bama, 3.98, and in Louisana, 3.94. The census of 1890 also gives another evidence, that is more direct, of the improved condition of the Negroes in the South. In 1890 there were 12,690,152 homes and farms in the United States, and of this number 1,186,174 are occu- pied by pure blacks and 224,595 by Mulattoes. Of the Negroes, 207,616 own their own homes or farms, and 978,558 rent them. Of the Mulattoes, 56,662 own and 167,923 rent. The percentage of mortgaged prop- erty owned by Negroes is only 10.71, while the percentage of mortgaged property for the whole country is 38.97. Of the property held by Negroes, 88.58 per cent is owned without encumbrance. In tlm North Atlantic states there are 5,808 homes and farm"^ owned by Negroes free from mortgage, and 3,921 that are mortgaged; in the North Central states there are 20,060 homes and farms owned by Negroes free from incumbrance, and 9,691 that are mortgaged; in the South Central states there are 100,591 homes and farms owned by Negroes free from incumbrances, and 7,608 that are mortgaged; in the Western states there are 1,204 farms and homes owned free by Negroes, and 289 that are mortgaged. In the whole country there are 234,747 homes and farms owned by Negroes free from all incumbrance, and 29,541 mortgaged. In the South the percentage of home owners is larger than in the North, and the proportion of these owners on farms of their own is larger than that of those who have homes in cities and villages. With the white race the condition is just the opposite, the large per- centage of owners having homes in cities and village* rather than farms. FINANCIAL GROWTH, 301 Twenty-five Years' Accumulations. — Alabama, $9,200,125; Arkansas, $8,010,315; Florida, $7,900,400; Georgia, $10,415,330; Kentucky, $5,900,010; Louis- iana, $18,100,528; Mississippi, $13,400,213; Missouri, $6,600,343; North Carolina, $11,010,652; South Caro- lina, $12,500,000; Texas, 3518,010,545; Tennessee, $10,400,211; Virginia, $4,900,000. The Colored Churches in the United States own $16,310,441; the total amount of property owned by the colored people in all the states is rated at over $263,000,000. Jacob McKinley. — Jacob McKinley, of Atlanta, Ga., was a man of worth and character. He was a man of perhaps more than thirty years when Sherman cap- tured Atlanta and marched to the sea. With many others of his race he came to Atlanta at tha.': time, having neither education nor money; but he did have an enviable reputation as a Christian and an honest man, and also had a good trade as a stone mason. With this capital he set to work to help rear Atlanta from the heap of ashes in which he found her to the great and prosperous city of more than a hundred thousand inhabitants of today. In this work he made both friends and money, and when he passed from labor to reward in 1896 his friends were found among both races and all classes of men. At his death his estate vas valued at $40,000, all of which he left to his wife and children, except a lot on which he had erected a Baptist church, known as " McKinley 's Chapel." This he gave to his race and left it as a monument to his name. Robert Thomas Taylor was born a slave in Georgia, 302 PROGRESS OF A RACE. He has shown what determined will and energy might reveal to many others. Soon after he was freed, he, with his wife and five children, moved to Texas, and in a few years, through industry and economy, was the owner of loo acres of land. Mr. and Mrs. Taylor are honored more for what they have made of their sons than for what they are themselves. One of them, after taking a course in a college, is principal of a school in Texas ; a second is pastor of a Baptist church in Corsicanna, Texas, one of the largest Baptist churches in the state. The third has completed a course in the Meharry Medical College, and is now a practicing physician in a city in Texas. The fourth, who has completed a course in Shaw University, Raleigh, North Carolina, is teaching in Texas. Mr. Taylor may well be proud of the success of his sons. He has, since freedom, learned to write and transact his own business. He has accumulated property to the amount of about $6,000, besides having paid out about $4, 000 for the education of his sons. Lewis Bates is probably the wealthiest colored man in Chicago, being rated at nearly $500,000. He is entirely uneducated, dresses poorly, and lives like a poor man. He was bom a slave nearly seventy years ago. In 1 86 1 he reached Chicago by the "Under^ ground Railroad," and began working in a foundry. He soon became an expressman, and at once began in vesting his savings in real estate. In this he has shown excellent judgment, and nearly all his investments are gilt-edged. Though he spends little money on him- self, he is open hearted and kind. He has no family, and his only heirs are a few very distant relatives. Encouraged. — Dr. Butler says: "Our people should feel greatly encouraged when they learn that in 1894 FINANCIAL GROWTH. 303 their aggregate wealth, including church property, was estimated at more than $325,000,000. At that time there were many thousand men and women of the race with fortunes ranging from $5,000 to $1,000,000. Besides, they have many lawyers, preachers, teachers, bishops, business men and women, and more than one thousand physcians. They also have authors of poetry and music, and over three hundred newspapers and magazines. All this has been accomplished in one generation. While it is a wonderful stretch, yet, if we had started right, we might have been much fur- ther on the road of success. Therefore, I say, every member of the race, old and young, great and small, poor and rich, learned and unlearned, let us start out with the year of 1898 to do all in our power to better our condition — morally, mentally, spiritually, and financially. Let us acquire intellect, morals and wealth, and in the meantime, let us not fail to lay up for ourselves treasures in the kingdom of God. ' ' The Negro in Politics. — While the emancipation brought many blessings to the colored people of the United States, it also brought with it many disappoint- ments. When the chains of slavery were broken many colored people pictured to themselves a life of ease and pleasure, as they had seen their masters living, but instead they met stem responsibilities which com- pelled them to provide for themselves. It became necessary for the race to learn, through the struggles and persecutions, through want and poverty, how to provide for themselves and become independent citi- zens. Greed for Office, — Of course, there were a number who expected to be promoted to offices at once. While there were some of the colored race who held public 304 PROGRESS OF A RACE. positions and acquitted themselves nobly, yet, this greed for office has been detrimental to the advance- ment of the Negro in general. It is the general opinion that the Negro, in many cases, has had too much to do with politics. The greed for office has often occasioned distrust and dread in the minds of the whites, and thus the whole cause has been hindered. Politics Should Follow. — Carl Schurz very aptly says: "The wiser heads among the colored people themselves can hardly fail to see that their political preferment must not precede but follow their advance- ment in the other walks of life. A goodly number of Negroes achieving distinction as lawyers, or as phy- sicians, or as ministers, or as educators, or as business men, will, by the impression produced upon public opin- ion, effect far more for the political advancement of their race than ever so many Negro politicians getting themselves elected to Congress or appointed to other offices, and infinitely more than the horde of colored place hunters who besiege party committees for "influ- ence" or appointing officers for favors in the name of the colored vote, and who thus intensify the repulsive- ness of one of the most baneful features of our political life. In this respect nothing more helpful can happen to the colored people than that all the government employments be put under civil service rules, so that every colored citizen who gets an appointment be known to have obtained it on account of his'own indi- vidual merit, in free competition on an equal footing with other citizens, white or black, and that he is, therefore, fairly and honorably entitled to it. Places so won will indeed be marks of real proficiency and distinction, and raise the colored people in that public esteem which above all things they need." z o o c/5 73 O X Q Z z o o > w Q z o 73 D O CQ CHAPTER XIII. MORTALITY. The Colored Race in Nashville.— Prof. Harris, of Fisk University, recently completed a canvass of the colored people living in a certain district of Nashville. He gives us the following striking and important facts; Birth Rate. — I visited 145 families containing 649 people, or an average of something over four to a family. In other words, each family contains on an average between two and three children. This falls far below what former literature on the rapid increase of the Negro might lead us to expect. If one may generalize from so limited a canvass, the Negro is not the "prolific animal" that he has been termed. His birth rate is considerably less than it ought to be. Mortality. — This fact in connection with the exces- sive mortality among them is, to all thoughtful colored men, an occasion of some alarm. The Negro popula- tion of Nashville is probably only half as great as the white ; yet they sometimes have not only relatively but absolutely, a greater number of deaths. The excess of deaths among the colored people is due largely and perhaps altogether, to constitutional diseases. During a short period of time some years ago the colored death rate was far ahead of the birth rate ; I estimated that if emigration and immigration were shut off, and the vital statistics were to continue right along as they did that period of time, in less than one hundred years there would not be a colored man, woman or child living in the city of Nashville. Homes. — Of the homes I canvassed in the territory ao5 "Hi Progress 306 PROGRESS OF A RACE. described, 77 are rented, 61 are owned by their occu- pants, and 7 are being bought in monthly payments, averaging $8.00 per month; that is, nearly 47 per cent, either own or are buying their homes. This is a very good showing, when we remember that thirty years ago they hardly owned even the clothes on their backs. Of the 77 who rent, 12 pay above $6.00 per month, 18 pay $6.00; 20 pay $5.00, and 27 pay less than $5,00 The highest monthly payment made by those who are buying is $12.00; the lowest $5.00. Deaths. — Within the last five years there have been 92 deaths in this community, 19 of which were due to consumption, and 8 to pneumonia. The other 65 deaths were due to 34 different causes. It would, seem as if pulmonary consumption is the "destroying angel" among us, and yet I am told that before the war this dread disease was virtually unknown among the slaves. During the year 1896, the people suffered from 43 dif- ferent diseases, seven dying from consumption. Thir- teen suffer from scrofula, occasioning the loss of an eye in the case of six and rendering four others quite deaf. CMldren in Public Schools. — Eighty-seven per cent, of the children of scholastic age are in the public schools. Many, perhaps most, of the 13 per cent, who are out, have applied for admission to the schools, but have been tiirned away because of lack of room. Use of Educational Advantages. — The colored people are making splendid use of their educational advan tages, and however unfavorably their vital and social statistics may compare with those of another race, *n. educational progress they have equaled any, and su» • passed most other people. Occupation and Earnings. — Among the colored people of this community there are represented 51 MORTALITY. 307 different occupations: For the year 1896 the total weekly income of the families investigated, including all that was earned by every member of the family, was $1,321.65, or a weekly average of only $9.11 per family. When we remember that more than one-half of these families pay rent, and that some support a large number of children, it is a true saying that "one- half of the world does not know how the other half lives, " But of 133 families visited, ;^^ earned less than $6 a week, 49 earned $6 or more, but not $10; 43 earned $10 or more, but not $20; 8 earned $20 or more, but not $30, and 2 earned $30 or more, but not $40. It is worthy of a remark that among the 649 people can- vassed, in spite of their poverty, I found only four pro- fessional beggars. Enforced Idleness. — During the last year 61 col- ored people, 2 1 years old and above, who are habitually employed, underwent a period of enforced idleness aggregating 749 weeks, or an average of three months per capita. When we remember how scanty is the average income earned by the whole family, being only $9 per week, three months of enforced idleness must have intensified greatly their already hard battle for life. Constitutional Diseases. — The slow rate of increase among the colored people is due to two causes, consti- tutional diseases and the crimes of mothers. More white people die from contagious diseases than colored. More white people die from local diseases than colored ; while more colored people die from con- stitutional diseases than white. In other words, the excess of colored deaths over white is due to constitu- tional diseases. Crimes of Mothers. — I also found by personal in- 308 PROGRESS OF A RACE. vestigation that year that a large number of colorea washerwomen, finding it hard to get the husks to feed and the rags to clothe their already large family of little ones, living in one room like stock, rather than to add to their burdens, resort to crime. This is also a fruitful reason of the slow rate of increase in the colored population. This state of affairs is not confined to Nashville. It is true of nearly all our large Southern cities; and whether we like it or not, the hard fact remains that the enormous death rate among us, together with our small birth rate, is one of the signs of the times that, unless our home life be radically changed, the Negro problem in America may be ultimately solved by the extinction of the Negro. Lack of Stamina. — Anglo-Saxons are exterminating the inferior races more rapidly and more surely than shot and shell and bayonet. Before the advancing march of the Anglo-Saxon, the New Zealanders, the Tasmanians, the Pacific Islanders, the Negroes of South Africa, and the aborigines of Australia have all gone down to the grave; and, be it remembered, brethren, that these races have all perished, not because of destructive wars and pestilence, but because they were unable to live in the environment of a nine- teenth century civilization. Their destruction was not due to a persecution which came to them from without, but to a lack of stamina within. Their extermination was due to the inexorable working out of a law as natural as the law of gravitation. And be it remem- bered, that these races perished in spite of the human- itarian and philanthropic efforts that were put forth to save them. They perished because they had not power of resistance within. Keep Up, or Get Out of the Way.— If the fate of MORTALITY. 309 these races teaches me anything, it teaches me that in the onward march of the nations the colored race in America has got to keep up with the procession, or else, like them, it has got to get out of the way. Now, this may seem hard to you, but hard as it is, it is a hard fact, and we might as well face it. The social, intel- lectual, and scientific world is moving as fast in its orbit as the earth beneath our feet ; and those of us who cannot keep up with it are bound to be crushed to pieces by it. Our white friends could not retard the world's progress to accommodate us, even if they would : and, men, I believe, that we are too manly to ask them to do so, even if they could. Social Regeneration. — We are apt to look to business and to politics to bring about our social regeneration, to give us civil standing and political recognition ; we are apt to look solely to business and to politics to do away with the old order of things among us, and bring in the new. We are looking to business and to politics to give us a new home life, to give us new social status — to give us a new earth — and we neglect Christian work because we forget in 'a measure that before we can have the new earth we must have the new heaven. First, we must have the new heaven ; then we can have the new earth. First, new ambitions, new purposes, new motives, new ideals ; then the new home life, the new social status, the new civil and business standing, and the new political conditions. First, the new heaven, then the new earth. ' ' Mortality. — In 1896 a convention on the mortality among the Negroes in cities was held at Atlanta Uni- versity, and widespread interest was exhibited. From the proceedings of this convention we cull the following items from papers read by eminent men through the nation : 310 PROGRESS OF A RACE. A Problem. — The rapid growth of our great cities within recent years is one of the phases of modern life which brings with it problems whose solution calls for the best efforts of the leading men in the city commun- ities, whether white or black. Special courses for the study of these problems have been established in the Northern colleges, and it is felt that the time has come when Atlanta University must take up the study of these problems of city life which its graduates are called upon to meet and solve. It is none too soon to begin this work, for each year a larger proportion of the colored race are concentrated in the cities. In Cities. — In i860 only 4.2 per cent, of the colored population of the United States were living in the cities. By 1880 the number had increased to 8.4 per cent, of the whole colored population, while by 1890 it had increased to 12 per cent. This process of concen- tration in the cities has been relatively much more rapid among the colored people than among the whites, the figures for whites during the same period being 10.9 per cent, in i860, and 15.7 percent, in 1890, or an increase of 4. 8 per cent. , against 7. 8 per cent, colored. How rapid this increase in the city population really is may be illustrated by the growth of the colored popu- lation of Atlanta, where the increase has been at a rate three times as great as for the country at large. For decade 1870-1880, the increase was 64 per cent. ; for 1 880- 1 890, 72 per cent. ; while the average increase of colored population for the whole country during the same period was only 20 per cent, in each decade. Five Cities. — From the United States census for 1890, we have the mortality for the white and colored popu- lation of five of our largest cities — Washington, Balti- more, New Orleans, Louisville and St. Louis — as MORTALITY. 811 given in a paper published by the trustees of the Slater Ftuid: r-Rates per i,ooo-n White. Colored- Washington 19 36 Baltimore , 22 36 New Orleans 22 37 Louisville 18 33 St. Louis 17 35 The excess 'of colored over white is 100, 6^.6, 68, 77 and 106 per cent. Twenty- one Families in Washington. — Dr. Evans has furnished the information in regard to one group of twenty-one families, and although it is impossible for us to make from this one group any generalization in regard to the colored population of the city of Wash- ington, a community of 86,000 persons, the information is very interesting as representing the generally well- to-do character of the twenty-one families represented. The neighborhood in which they live is reported as being fair or good, and this is confirmed by the follow- ing figures deduced from this report, thus : Thirteen of the twenty-one families own their own houses. The houses for the most part are supplied with modern conveniences, nineteen having city water, nine sewer connections, etc. The average number of rooms occupied by the family is between five and six, the smallest number being four, while over half have six or eight. The average number of persons occupying the same sleeping room is two, although in four instances there are four to a room, and in one instance five. There are only four cases of sickness reported, while twelve families report no sickness at all. Income. — Only ten families report as to income, but 312 PROGRESS OF A RACE. the average for the ten is high, being $664 a year, and in seven families out of the ten the husband entirely supports the family by his sole labor. It is interesting to note the occupation of these seven men. The largest income is earned by a carpenter, who reports his earnings as $780; next comes a barber, earning $720 a year; a teacher, earning $650; a janitor, $560; a laborer, $480; a steward, $390; and laborer, $250. Largest Income. — The largest income of one family is that of a family of nine, the father and mother both dead, and the eldest brother and two sisters supporting the family. The brother is an expressman, earning $500 a year; the two sisters are teachers, earning $450 each, making a total of $1,400 a year. This family owns its own house, having eight rooms, with city water, sewer connections and other conveniences. Five of the families report savings averaging $123.52 per family. Negligence a Cause of Mortality.— The average laborer is exceedingly neglectful. He will drive or walk all day in the rain or snow, come home and go to bed with his wet clothes on, with the belief firmly fixed in his mind that unless he lets these clothes dry on him he will contract a cold, and no argument we might use will convince him otherwise. Again, since the colored people here compose the majority of the laboring classes, it stands to reason that they are more exposed than the whites, and are therefore more susceptible to those diseases that may be caused by exposure. The colored man sweeps the streets and fills his lungs with the dust and dried bacteria expectorated on the streets a few hours since from the lungs of some consumptive ; he drives the garbage carts, he digs the sewers, drives the hacks and drays, and, in fact, does the most of MORTALITY, 313 work involving exposure, which naturally makes him more liable to contract such diseases as pleurisy, bronchitis, pneumonia and consumption. Charitable Institutions. — The city has neglected, and is still neglecting, the colored people, and especially that class of them which is dependent upon its charity in times of sickness. It has millions to build prisons with, but not a dollar with which to build charitable institutions. It allows money grabbers to build small huts and crowd into them five times the number of people that should be allowed ; it has no law by which the owner of this property can be made to keep it clean. The houses are never painted, the wells are filled with the filth of the neighborhood, and the fences are never whitewashed, and the city is powerless to interfere. Family after family move into these places, and often only one or two are left to tell the story. My friends, it is one thing to stand here in this clean, well-lighted hall and read papers on this subject, but it is altogether different to go down into those dark, poor and humble homes and see death going through destroying the old and young because of the negligence on the part of those in authority. Physicians. — Some of the white physicians neglect the colored people. I wish it to be understood, how- ever, that I mean some, not all, for there are some honorable exceptions to the statement just made. I say they'neglect our people, and we cannot blame them. Doctors can no more afford to work for nothing than a teacher or any other person who is working for an honest living. Hence, he refuses to go to these people ; first, because they are not able to pay, and secondly, because the city has appointed physicians whose duty it is to attend the poor in their various wards. These 314 PROGRESS OF A RACE. physicians are paid from $500 to $800 a year to do that work, and then they neglect it, especially such cases as diphtheria. Dispensaries. — While this city has furnished physi- cians, it has furnished no medicine. It has no free dispensaries, as it should, nor does it pay the physicians money enough to furnish medicines applicable in every case, and at the same time care for himself and family. Hence, when he is called to see a patient, it matters not what the disease may be, it is either compound cathartic pills, calomel, epsom salts, blue mass, or castor oil. Any case these remedies don't reach is left to get well if it can, or die if it must. I ask, then, in all candor: Is it any wonder that we die so fast when we get such attention, doctors, such excellent nursing, such fresh medicines, applicable in every case of our diseases? Hospitals. — Here in Atlanta, a city of push, pluck and Christian "progress, there is not a decent hospital where colored people can be cared for. At the Grady hospital, which takes about $20,000 of the city's money annually to run it, is a small wooden annex down by the kitchen, in which may be crowded fifty or sixty beds, and that is all the hospital advantages 40,000 colored citizens have. But, on the other hand, our white friends, with a population of about 70,000, have all the wards and private rooms in the entire brick build- ing at this hospital, together with a very fine hospital here, known as St. Joseph's Infirmary. Hence, my friends, you can see that one of our greatest needs is a first-class, up-to-date hospital, where the colored people can not only get proper treatment, but can also have all necessary operations performed. Intemperance a Cause of Mortality. — To ascertain the truth of this subject concerning the relation of in- MORTALITY. 315 temperance to mortality, it is necessary not only to enumerate the deaths due to acute alcoholism, such as delirium tremens and the various sudden congestions and paralyses consequent upon the taking of excessive quantities of strong drink, together with the great majority of homicides, suicides and accidental deaths, which may be traced directly to the use of alcoholics ; but it is necessary, also, to inquire into the real cause of the deaths ascribed to the ordinary acute and chronic diseases, the contagious and the infectious diseases — indeed, the whole category of classified diseases. Contagious and Infectious Diseases. — With refer- ence to death from contagious and infectious diseases, it is the unanimous testimony of the leading authorities that during the scourges of cholera, yellow fever and smallpox, it is the drinker who falls victim, the mod- erate drinker being no exception to the rule, while the total abstainer is less liable to contract the disease, and if affected, is far more likely to survive. The fact holds good in such diseases as scarlet and typhoid fevers, when there are unknown antidotes to the specific poison, and the quality of the tissues is relied upon to resist or survive the disease. Heredity. — Alcohol, as a remote cause of death, is none the less effective in cases in which the \nctim is not himself addicted to the use of strong drinks, but inherits from drinking parents a weak constitution, which renders him an easy prey, an inviting field for disease. To inherited weakness is due a large per cent of the alarming rate of infant mortality resulting from cholera infantum, measles, scarlet fever, diphtheria, etc. Says our own Dr. Orme: "If it were possible to separate deaths due to alcohol from the classified diseases to which they are ascribed, the facts would be astounding. ' * 316 PROGRESS OF A RACE. Principal Factors. — That intemperance is one of the principal factors in the terrible death-rate among the Negro population in the cities, there can be no ques- tion. It is in the cities that intemperance prevails. I believe that no one at all informed would hesitate to assert that ninety-nine per cent of the city population are addicted to some extent to the use of strong drinks. No one will deny that the Negro is no exception to this rule. It is well known that that class of the Negro pop- ulation which furnishes the excessive death rate is that class addicted to the use of whisky and beer in their vilest forms. It is this ignorant, drunken class of Negroes which furnish 90 per cent, of the criminals which crowd our jails and penitentiaries, and who, poorly clad and fed, exposed to the great extremes of heat and cold, working rain or shine at most laborious tasks, while serving terms in the chain-gangs, contract diseases and die by hundreds annually. Those who live to be released flock to the cities to furnish their remaining weeks or months, and add their quota to the death-rate. If this were the end alone of men and women, old and hardened criminals, it would not be so serious, but this is the end of hundreds of boys and girls arrested for misdemeanors. Poverty a Cause of Mortality.— Slavery left the colored man the rich inheritance of a log cabin and a patch of turnip greens. This log cabin is a piece of architecture that will soon be entirely relegated to the barbarous past. Peace be to its ashes ! It has disappeared in the towns and cities, and is found only in the poverty- stricken rural districts. Can not you recall the picture of that poor family who worked hard all day in the field while their little ones, almost nude, played around the door until the sun dropped behind that hill studded MORTALITY. 317 with beautiful trees? See the mother return and pre pare her evening meal ; the fire is lighted, the children hungry and crying; behold the repast — fried bacon, poorly-cooked bread and black molasses. A pine torch illuminates the room that serves as a kitchen, dining-room, bed and bath-room. After supper the little ones are ofiE to bed without being properly bathed and dressed, and after the usual chair-nap, the father and mother retire. There they are in a row, and only one small window and door to let in nature's life-giving air that keeps them from suffocating. Mortality Among the Children of the Poor. — We find great mortality among the children of the poor. Even." before they can make their wants known, the mother is compelled to leave them daily, and a sur- prising number are burned to death. The older chil« dren are taught to go out and pick up trash to burn, rags, bones, and iron to sell, thereby inviting disease and death. It is a strange fact, yet true, that all work that is obnoxious, dangerous and laborious is given the poor Negro at pay that would kill some people even to think of having it to do for a living. These people, in buying food etc., always seek quantity and not quality; hence the butcher, fisherman, fruiterer, dairyman and merchants are careful to anticipate their wants. Ignorance. — Among the many causes which produce death in our large cities, it is by no means an easy matter to distingtiish beween ignorance, poverty and negligence. However, it is safe to assert that no few of the deaths which occur in our large cities are the result of ignorance, either directly or indirectly. It will be seen from the outset that city life requires a more accurate observance of the laws of health than country or village life. With this fact in mind, all 318 PROGRESS OF A RACE. cities have established their boards of health to look after and remove any and all causes which in their minds produce sickness or death. These boards are usually composed of the best informed physicians who, from time to time, make and publish rules which are to be observed and obeyed by all citizens. These rules the ignorant classes do not obey, not because they are will- fully disobedient, but because they are ignorant. They cannot read, they have no interest in public affairs; they know but little about the causes which bring sick- ness and disease among them, and hence are the easy prey of epidemics and contagions. Improper Ventilation. — Many suffer on account of improper ventilation, not knowing that impure air is the parent of every lung trouble known to the human family. Pure air is one of the freest and best gifts bestowed upon man by our beneficent Father; but alas ! how many thousands in our large cities die every year from failing to use this gift! Man and woman, through ignorance, shut the doors and windows of their houses, thus barring out God's life-giving atmos- phere, and inviting consumption and death. Pure air gives life, foul air gives death. General Condition. — "Birds of a feather flock together. ' ' In Augusta, as in most cities of America, there are parts of the city occupied exclusively by Negroes, except a few whites, usually German or Irish, keepers of small stores, who live among the Negroes for the sake of their trade. Although some do not believe it, yet it is true that there are grades of society among Negroes, as among other races, and the lines of distinction are drawn for as wise and as silly reasons as are those among the more favored people. As in other things, this grading is seen in the choosing of a locality MORTALITY. 319 for a home. The poorest, most untidy and the most ignorant seek each other. They always find homes in the same neighborhood, if not in adjoining houses. As each city has its Negro settlements, and as the great rank and file of the race belong to the grade or class called the poorest and most ignorant, the largest set- tlements are of this kind. Wages. — These people have small wages, many with nothing to do a great part of the year, and the majority have no steady employment. For food, rent, fuel and clothing they are dependent upon the odd jobs that pay not more than fifty cents per day for two or three days in a week. To eke out a living on such an income requires, they know, the strictest economy, but how to economize they know not, yet, thinking they know, in their way they set about it. The first step is to cut down the expense of living by taking no more house room than barely enough in which to turn around. A small family, parents and two or three children, take one room. Contents of a Room. — In this room, 15x15, some- times smaller space, are placed a bedstead, a three- quarters bed, sometimes two (but in these days of cheap fiirniture and installment sales, a folding lounge very often takes the place of the second bed- stead), one or two tables, a trunk, bureau, not less than four chairs, tubs, boards, etc., for laundering, cooking- utensils, and a lot of odds and ends. These, with the family, give breathing space scarcely sufficient for one, yet by some means it is hoped to get enough for the whole family. It is not long before hypostatic pneu- monia or tuberculosis visits them, and finding the atmosphere congenial abides with the family. Infants. — The high rate of mortality among infanta 320 PROGRESS OF A RACE. is a subject well worthy the consideration of all thought- ful men and women, and naturally leads one to enquire as to causes and possible remedies. Prominent among the causes of this high rate must be mentioned bad heredity and injudicious and harmful management of these little ones by their parents. As a result of these two causes, many children are ill-prepared to meet and battle with the acute diseases almost inevitably before them; they are more apt to contract disease than a healthier child ; they are more apt to die from it, when once contracted, as their resisting power is weakened by their heredity and their management since birth. Sociological Condition. — For a number of years I have thought that the greatest danger to the real prog- ress of the colored people lies in this sociological con- dition in the large cities. It is difficult, however, to get the facts. There is very little attention given in the South to the vital statistics of Negroes. In fact, the census is neither full nor altogether reliable. The facts, if gotten at all, must be searched out by conscien- tious persons specially interested in this kind of work. Nevertheless, any one who will give the least observa- tion to this matter will see that the cities are the hotbeds of crime, misery and death among the colored people. Here the people are huddled together, with often two or three families in one room. Without employment for more than half the time, they are consequently insufficiently fed and poorly clothed. When sick they are unable either to employ a physician or to buy medicine. At least 25 per cent, of them die without medical aid. Savannah. — In the city of Savannah, during the year 1894, 251 colored persons died without medical atten- tion. This is 33^ per cent, of the total number of < < H < U Q W D h z p Q Z < a < h w Q •z D 73 W > rfi MORTALITY. 321 deaths among these people for that year. About 60 per cent, of this number of deaths were children under the age of ten. Twenty-four thousand of the 52,000 population of Savannah are Negroes. Hence, it will be seen that whatever affects these people affects at least nearly half the population of our chief seaport. What is true of Savannah I judge to be approximately true of all the cities of Georgia and most of the cities of the South. Crime. — The city colored people drift into crime be- cause they are idle and htmgry far oftener than because they are purposely vicious. All cities furnish far too large a proportion of crime, ignorance and misery of the colored people. Any movement, therefore, that will bring to light the facts, lay bare the causes, and sug- gest the remedies in relation to this crime, misery and death which affects our people in the cities will merit universal applause. REV. WM. H. FURNESS, One of the foremost Abolitionists of Pennsylvania. "Death is the worst that can befall us, if so be that we are faithful to the right," 21 Progress. CHAPTER XIV. EDUCATIONAL IMPROVEMENT. Educational Institutions — Industrial Schools — The Press. "Next in importance to freedom and justice, is popu- lar education, without which neither justice nor free- dom can be permanently maintained." -Garfield. Bishop Atticus Haygood says: "The most unique and altogether wonderful chapter in the history of education is that which tells the story of the Negroes of the South since 1865." Education. — The great end of education is to prepare one for usefulness in life, and the education that does not accomplish this is worse than useless. This age calls for practical men and women. The man who will continue to sit at his desk, the young woman who will go butterfly chasing and then look for the fulfill- ment of dreams and visions, will awake and find that the procession of progress has passed without a dis- covering of the true essentials of practical living. It is vain to seek knowledge simply for the sake of being smart, but this practical age needs practical men. Casting a boy adrift with a mind stored with classic lore, but not able to find an honorable means of sup- port, is, as Julia Hook says: "nothing less than a crime, he is a miserable failure as a breadwinner." Idleness and uselesness naturally follow, crime and poverty come next in the train, crowding our peniten- tiaries and swarming our houses of prostitution. Ignorance of industries and idleness are what cause our people to lose their patriotism. The perpetuity of 329 324 PROGRESS OF A RACE. our national life depends upon our knowledge and the usefulness of industrial pursuits. We have more need of carpenters than of athletes, of educated farmers than of professionals. Industry is the bright ray of hope. The industrial schools of the South are bringing us out of ignorance and vice, and are making us 'a blessing to society and posterity. Not in Question. — The intellectual development of the race is no more in question. The revelations of history are indeed a reflective commentary upon the so-called intelligence of those who went so far as to affirm the impossibility of the intellectual improve- ment of the Negro. Today there may be found many brilliant scholars in all the institutions of learning. Ignorance of the historical and present day "facts is inexplicable, unless it be that American prejudice has decreed what should be known and what left unknown. These adverse views must be treated with the defer- ence that extreme antiquity, without the adjunct of intelligence, deserves. The truth remains, seen or unseen, that the Negro has a right and title to the citizenship of the republic of thought. No Higher Duty. — Gov. Atkinson says: "There is no higher duty resting upon the governors of the Southern states than to advance the education of the people of the state without regard to color. If any doubt that the colored man can be educated exists, it will all be dispelled by attending the commencements of the colleges for the colored. ' ' Education Improves. — Every one competent to speak and honest enough to be candid knows that education benefits and improves the Negro. It improves his morals, his character, and his usefulness. It makes him a better man and a better citizen, a better neigh- EDUCATIONAL IMPROVEMENT. 325 bor and a better workman, no matter what you put him at. The slave-owners learned that it paid to take good care of their slaves and the people of the South will learn that it pays to educate their Negro employes. Above all things, education of the Negro diminishes if it does not totally banish all danger of race conflict and trouble. Knowledge Not a Substitute for Virtue. — Hear what Dr. Hay good says: "No theory of imiversal edu- cation entertained by a rational people proposes knowl- edge as a substitute for virtue, or virtue a siibstitute for knowledge. Both are necessary. Without virtue knowl- edge is unreliable and dangerous; without knowledge virtue is blind and impotent." **I must say a word in defense, " says the same authority, "of the Negroes, par- ticularly those living in the Southern states. Considering the antecedents of the race in Africa, in those states be- fore the emancipation, and their condition today, the real surprise is that there is so much virtue and purity among them. Above all things, let the white people set them better examples. Since progress has already been made in this direction, we are permitted to hope that education will continue its beneficent work in this moral reformation of the people. Education will cer- tainly afford a better knowledge of the duties of the home, a keener appreciation of the obligation of the mar- riage state, a more consistent regard for the rights and the property of others, and a clearer conception of what virtue in womanhood signifies, and, therefore, a more determined purpose and means of defending that honor from the assaults of any man, even at the very risk of their lives. ' ' Color Blind. — President Ware, of the Atlanta Univer- sity, was one of the early workers in the educational 326 PROGRESS OF A RACE. field among the Negroes. On one occasion, being ser- iously asked by a Southern white man how, with all his culture and qualifications, he could content himself to live and labor among the blacks, he tersely replied: ' ' Oh, I can easily explain that. I 'm simply color-blind. ' ' Appreciating Advantages. — ' ' Talks for the Times' ' says: "Last year, in the four institutions of higher learning, established in Atlanta by Northern benevo- lence, there were, in round numbers, twelve himdred students. Of these, Atlanta University enrolled 310; Clark University, 222; the Baptist Seminary for Males, aboiit 140, and the Baptist Seminary for Females, 500. But Atlanta is only one of the great centers of educa- tion in the South. There is Nashville, literally girc^led by institutions; there is New Orleans — in fact, you will find today, in every Southern state, one or rnore institutions for the higher training of Negro youth ; and the very fact that all these institutions are more or less crowded yearly, and the very fact that frequent appeal goes out from them to Christian philanthropy for more buildings, for increased accommodations, are proof con- clusive, I think, that the Negro not only appreciates the advantages held out to him, but is also exerting himself to enjoy them. " Civilization Progressing. — Dr. Ruffner, for many years superintendent of public instruction for the stat^ of Virginia, in one of his reports a few years ago, bore this testimony to the credit of the Negro: "He wants to do right and is the most amiable of races. The Negro craves education, and I believe his desire has increased; it certainly has not diminished. He makes fully as great sacrifices to send his children to school as the laboring classes of the whites. The civilization of the race is progressing, and even faster than his thoug'ht' ful friends anticipated. * ' EDUCATIONAL IMPROVEMENT. 327 Trained Minds. — At the 250th anniversary of Har- vard College, a profound student of public affairs, James Russell Lowell, in a famous address, said: "What we need more than anj'thing- else is to increase the number of thoroughly trained minds, for these, wherever they go, are sure to carry with them, con- scioiisly or not, the seeds of sounder thinking and of higher ideals. The only way in which our civilization can be maintained, even at the level it has reached — the only way in which that level can be made more general and be raised higher — is by bringing the influence of the more cultivated to bear with greater energy and direct- ness on the less cultivated, and by opening more inlets which make for refinement of mind and body." This is the testimony that runs along the history of educa- tiott. Gku- New England fathers cherished sound learn- ing for Christianity's sake. Wisdom. — But if this is wisdom, and continues to be an ever-present necessity for people who have cherished higher education for centuries, not less is it wisdom and necessity for a race undeveloped, where the need of this affiliation of learning and religion is absolute. No people can rise who are shut in to limited and partial privileges. Higher Institutions. — Indeed, except for higher insti- tutions, the public school system of the South for the colored people could not be carried on with any degree of worthiness. But the public schools did not exhaust our reasons for our higher institutions. Oiir reasons are in our pulpits. They are in necessary professions. They are found among the bankers and builders and editors and printers. They are rapidly raising the rank of their race. This is very practical ; for, when we con- sider the question of practicability in the salvation and elevation of a people, we realize that our fathers were 328 PROGRESS OK A RACE. right to conclude that the idea of education is short- sighted and bad which considers knowledge to be prac- tical only as it can be made at once to grind com. or can be measured by merely materialistic values. Practicability. — Accepting the fact of the decrees which decide the capacities of men and their limitations, so that the rank and file must be prepared for and engage in manual labor of some kind, it remains true that those who can impregnate the minds of people about them, who can quicken their thoughts, who can rouse lower intellects and energize them, who can change their low views to higher ones and give larger and truer ideas of life and the world, here and hereafter, and make their lives more vital with thought for daily wants and uses, will be found to have a very practical ediication. Thinkers. — Moreover, by forces not material are the material forces penetrated and stirred. When we see how the thoughts of men are harnessed into service in the places of industry then we understand that there is no arithmetic with figures enough to compute the mere money- value of the thoughts which are the secrets of materialistic accomplishment. In education we cannot forget that the world's advance in wealth, as in every- thing else, comes from those who know how to think, and that those who develop the thinkers develop the workers. The greater the intellectual wealth of a people, the greater will be the aggregate of materialistic wealth, and the developed material prosperity will come more rapidly and surely with better developed men. Needs of Today. — Low-grade men are content with low-grade things. Along all the lines of materialistic development the great need of the Negro people today EDUCATIONAL IMPROVEMENT. 829 is men of trained thought, thinking men, men of larger vision, and more comprehensive minds, who can and will uplift and establish the material as well as the intel- lectual and spiritual standard of the race. Therefore we are confident that the shortest path in the develop- ment of the colored people is in the more perfect devel- opment of their intelligence, in the more complete com- mand of their mental powers. With this there comes a better industry in their habits, for ignorance and indo- lence are twins. We know also that all experience stands back of this knowledge — that a low mental life tends to a low moral life, and that both of these con- ditions are a natural prey for oppressors and for all who do not wish to do justly. Equal Opportunities. — The African has a right to an equal opportunity with every other man to show what his competence is. This seed will not sprout, you say. Of course it will not sprout if you leave it in the drawer. Put it in the same soil with that other seed ; let the same sun shine upon it; let the same rain fall upon it, and then see whether it will sprout or not. What we demand for the colored man is that all doors shall be opened to him, all opportunities freely offered to him, the right and the liberty of industry given to him. We protest against a system which puts the wall of reserva- tion about the Negro, which denies him the fundamental rights of a free man, the right of locomotion, the right to buy in the cheapest market and sell in the highest market, the right to dispose of his goods wherever he can. We protest against a system which builds a wall around any portion of our American people and con- fines them as paupers and classes them with other paup- ers. If we were to take a dozen young men and women under twenty-one years of age out of Boston and shut EDUCATIONAL IMPROVEMENT. 331 them up in some great wilderness and were to say to them, "You shall not own the products of your industry, you shall not sell them in the markets of the world, you shall not have free access to the telegraph and the press, you shall not know what is going on in the world ; but we will put a mission chapel and a mission school here and there, and if you do not work we will feed you. ' ' How long would it take for them to become tramps and paupers. We claim for the African absolute and equal opportimities with the white man — the same door as widely open, the same avenues as free, the same wages for the same labor, the same chance to prove his man- hood in industrial relations. Equal Political Rights. — This does not mean uni- versal suffrage, but it does mean the same conditions of suffrage *to the man of one color as to the man of another color. The question whether there shall be a property qualification or not is a very fair question, but if there be such a qualification it must be, under any just and equitable system of government, the same for one race as for another. The law which says to a thrifty Negro, "You shall not vote," and to a thriftless white man, "You shall vote," is unjust and inec^uitable. The law which provides one kind of educational quali- fications for one because his skin is tanned, and another for the man whose skin is not tanned, is imfair and unjust. We stand for equal rights in this republic of republics. Equal Facilities and Stimulus. — The Negro race must have the same educational and religious facilities and the same stimulus to intellectual and moral growth, and any scheme of education which purposes to furnish the Negro race only with manual and indiistrial educa- tion is a sly contrivance for piitting him in serfdom ; it 332 PROGRESS OF A RACE. tacitly says that the Negro is the inferior of the white race, and therefore we will educate him so as to serve ns. The race must have an education which in its final outcome shall be complete, and which shall open oppor- ttmities for the highest culture of which any individual of that race is capable. Duty of the Government. — Judge Gunby says : "The failure of the Federal government to educate the slaves they made freemen is a shame and a disgrace, a scarlet letter on the garb of our history, a stigma which, like the damned spot that soiled the little hand of Lady Mac- beth, will never wash out until the wrong has been re- paired. ' ' Slavery at the Bottom. — President Price says that slavery, as a system, degraded the Negro to the level of the brute, because it denied him the untrammeled exer- cise of all the instincts of a higher and better manhood. It recognized no moral sensibility in man or woman, regarded no sacred and inviolable relation between hus- band and wife, simdered at will or caprice the tenderest ties that the human heart is capable of forming or the human mind is able to conceive. Such a system had the support of the highest tribunal of men, and even the representatives of the church of God came to its rescue and defense, with all the weight of its divine authority and power. From the maternal knee, the table, the family altar, the forum, and the pulpit was the lesson taught that the person of sable hue and curly hair was a doomed, and therefore an inferior race — ^not entitled to a place in the brotherhood of men. This impression, made on childhood's plastic nature, grew with his growth, and strengthened with the power of increasing years. Power of Law. — To deepen the blot, and intensify EDUCATIONAL IMPROVEMENT. 333 the damning heresy, the law of the land wrote him down a chattel, that is, cattle, and forbade the trainyig of the mind and the culture of the heart, by making learning, on his part, and teaching on the part of others, a crime. It is not surprising, then, that men. brought up in the face of such a system for two hun- dred and fifty years should be skeptical as to the real manhood of the Negro, and hesitate to give him a place m the one-blood family. Prejudice. — The feeling against the Negro which helps to make our race problem is called prejudice, and it" is not without some grounds. For two hundred and fifty years the white man of the South saw only the animal, or mechanical, side of the Negro. Wher- ever he looked, there was degradation, ignorance, superstition, darkness, and nothing more, as he thought. The man was overshadowed and concealed by the debasing appetites and destructive and avarkious pas- sion of the animal; therefore, the race problem of today is not an anomaly, it is the natural and logical product of an environment of centuries. Key to Problem. — Now, if ignorance, poverty and moral degradation are the grounds of the objection against the Negro, it is not difficult to discover that the knotty elements of the race problem are the intellectual, moral, and material conditions of the Negi'o race. It is reasonable, therefore, to suppose that if wx can find the means that will change these conditions, we have found a key to the problem, and gone a great distance towards its satisfactory solution. Of course, none of us would dare argue that intelligence, or even education, is a panacea for all the ills of mankind ; for, even when educated, a Nero, a Robespierre, a Benedict Arnold, an absconding state treasurer, or a New York sneak- thief, would not necessarily be impossibilities. 334 PROGRESS OF A RACE. Not by Magic Spell. — I do not argue that increased in];elligence or multiplied facilities for education will, by some magic spell, transform the Negro into the symmetry, grace and beauty of a Grecian embodiment of excellence. It is certainly not my humble task to attempt to prove that ^education will, in a day, or a decade, or a century, rid the black men of all the phys- ical peculiarities and deformities, moral perversions and intellectual distortions which are the debasing and logical heritage of more than two and a half cen- turies of enslavement. Education the Best Means. — It is, nevertheless, reasonable to presume that, admitting the ordinary human capabilities of the race, which no sane and fair- minded man will deny, it can be readily and justly predicted that if the same forces applied to other races are applied to the Negro, and these forces are governed by the same eternal and incontrovertible principles, they will produce corresponding results and make the Negro as acceptable to the brotherhood of men as any other race laying claims to the instinct of our common humanity. I believe that education, in the full sense of the term, is the most efficient and comprehensive means to this end, because in its results an answer is to be found to all the leading objections against the Negro which enter into the make-up of the so-called race problem. Good Government Implies Intelligence.— Dr. A. G. Haygood, of Georgia, in his "Pleas for Progress," says: "Good government implies intelligence, and universal suffrage demands universal education. ' ' It cannot now be said, as it was fifty years ago, that a Negro cannot be educated. The history of education among the colored people for a quarter of a century does not con- EDUCATIONAL IMPROVEMENT, 335 firm the statement. The noble men and women who went into the South as missionaries, and felt their way through" the smoke of battle and stepped over crimson battle-fields and among the wounded and the dying to bring intelligence to the Negroes, were taunted as going on a fool's errand. But the tens of thousands of young men and \romen in the schools of high grade established by Northern service and philanthropy — a million Negro children in the public schools in the South — are an imperishable monument to the wisdom of their action. I again quote from Dr. Haygood, who is an authority on this subject: "All told, fully fifty millions of dollars have gone into the work of their (Negroes') education since 1865." Of this fifty mil- lions, more than half has been Southern money. The Negroes have made more progress in elementary and other education during the twenty-three years than any other illiterate people in the world, and they have justi- fied the philanthropy and public policy that made the expenditure. Whites Must Also Be Educated. — President Price aptly says that it must be remembered, however, that more is to be done than the education of the blacks, as a solution of the race problem; for much of the stubbornness of the question is involved in the ignorant, lawless and vicious whites of the South, who need education worse that many of the blacks. To educate one race and neglect the other is to leave the problem half solved, for there is a class in the South to some extent more degraded and hopeless in their mental and moral condition than the Negro. This is the class to which many of the actual outrages are more attrib- utable than to any other class. Educate these as well as the blacks, and our problem is shorn of its strength. 336 PROGRESS OF A RACE, When we call to mind the fact that 70 per cent, of the colored vote in the South is illiterate, and 30 per cent, of the white vote is in the same condition, it is not difficult for one to discern that education of the blacks and whites as well is not only necessary for the solution of the race problem, and for good government, but for the progress and prosperity of that section where such illiteracy obtains. For the safety of the republic, the perpetuity of its glory and the stabilit)' of its institutions are commensurate, and only com- mensurate, with the intelligence and morality of its citi- zens, whether they be white men or black men. It is sometimes harder to educate out of prejudice than out of ignorance. Wealth-Producer. — The Negro is a wealth-producer now. Whether he reaps all the benefits of his labor or not, it is clear that he is the prime element in the gi'ow- ing and boasted prosperity of the South, The late Henry W, Grady said, just before his death, that the Negroes in his state (Georgia) paid taxes on twenty million dollars' worth of property, and that the Negroes in the South contribute a billion dollars' worth of prod- ucts every year to the material prosperity of that section. The Atlanta Constitution, speaking of the Negroes in Texas, said recently that they own a million acres of land and pay taxes on twenty million dollars worth of property, have 2,000 churches, 2,ooobenevo- lent associations, 10 high schools, 3,000 teachers, 2;^ doctors, 15 lawyers, 100 merchants, 500 mechanics, 15 newspapers, hundreds of farmers and stockmen, and several inventors. Now, these two states are but sam- ples of the wealth-producing results of twenty-five years' labor. If this has been their progi'ess when it is admitted they have been iinder the hampering and > - PI w J. >0- • re 3^ .E «u O re a! S '•! a CO Q 2 < O o o < < K U CQ w Q < < H Q 1— I < EDUCATIONAL IMPROVEMENT, 337 retarding influences of ignorance, not to speak of other disadvantages, it is fair to assume that under the stim- ulus of intelligence they ^vill do a hundredfold more, and year by year and decade by decade change their poverty-stricken state, and thus remove another element in the problem, and thereby hasten its solution. Race Pride. — There seems to be quite as strong an affinity for their own race developed among the colored people, as a resiilt of the improvement in their condi- tion, as among the whites. This improvement of both implies purity of race blood, combined with the recogni- tion of legal and political equality. This is manifest, not in the relations alone, but in almost everything. Probably it would be found quite as difficult to bring the colored people to consent to the substitution of mixed for separate churches and schools in the South as to reconcile the other race to the change. The Question. — The "race problem" in our country includes not merely the question, What shall the white man do with the Negro? There is another, still more serious: What shall the Negro do with the white man? The colored people number nearly, if not quite, ten millions — one-sixth of our population. They are pos- sessed with a certain form, of independence, which is beyond the reach of adverse laws and unkindly sur- roundings, and which cannot be taken from them without their consent to it — the independence which comes of subjection to fewer wants than press upon the white people who are about them, and who compose the balance of the nation. If they get but little, they have the advantage of being able to go without. Their mental, spiritual and physical wants are few, because of their lack of development. If they are ignorant, 22 Progress. -, EDUCATIONAL IMPROVEMENT. 330 they are accustomed to the consequences of ignorance , and if they are deprived of their rights, they have the advantage of having been slaves from the beginning. But, on the other hand, it does not go so easy witk the white race, who compose the larger factor of the American people. If the wants of the Negro are few, on the contrary, those of the white man are many ; and, as in the struggle for life the opportunity to labor and to produce is the opportunity to live — for only by pro- ducing something to sell can any one buy and thus pro- cure the means of satisfying wants — it follows that if the man with few wants can get the work, he has the advantage of the man with many wants, who must suffer in being deprived of his purchasing power. Power of Education. — "The same light Hghteth every man that cometh into the world. ' ' Says Henr}^ W. Blair: "Education is the solution of the Southern prob- lem ; education is the solution of the Northera problem ; education is the solution of the problem of all human advancement. Right education of the physical, mental and spiritual powers of each individual will perfect society, and nothing else will do it. "Five hundred thousand teachers, who constitute the great profession in our country, are solving the difficulties which en^4ron the nation. "True, there be other agencies — the church, the press, and the influences of the daily contact of life. "But the work of the teacher is fundamental, and is necessary, in order that intelligence may criticise creed and prevent religion from degenerating into supersti- tion ; in order that the press may perform its work at all, and that daily contact with others may not simply reproduce in coming generations the imperfect envi- ronment of the present. 340 PROGRESS OF A RACE. "The public school system is the only hope, iu the sense that it is the great creative and saving institiition of the republic. The general diffusion of knowledge, intelligence and virtue made us a republic. ' ' The Public School System. — The public school sys tem is the army which wages everlasting war upon ignorance and all whose victories are peace. Taxation by the public must be for the general good, and of necessity results in the public school, without which at least one-half of the property of the country would escape its just contribution to the education of the people, and not less than one-half the children would grow up in ignorance, by reason of the poverty of those who, while they have produced life, may not have made monej'. The Outlay of Money and means for the education of the Negro during the last twenty-five years has ex ceeded that of all the centuries of his enslavement. It is estimated that the Southern states have expended for his education $55,000,000, and the Northern states $20,- 000,000, making a total from the states of $75,000,000. Number of Institutions. — Among the public and pri- vate institutions set apart for this purpose, there were, in 1 89 1, 52 normal and industrial schools maintained by the states and by various religious denominations, having 10,000 students; 25 denominational and non- denominational universities and colleges, having 8,000 students; 47 institutions for secondary instructions, having 12,000 students; 25 schools in theology, having 700 students; 5 schools of law, with 100 students; 5 schools of medicine, 'with 240 students; all, with two exceptions, located in the states formerly known as slave states. Besides these, there are in the South 16 schools receiving both state and federal aid, and offer- EDUCATIONAL IMPROVEMENT. 341 ing to the colored. youth industrial and agricultural training, having about 2,500 students. Twenty-five Years. — Said the Honorable William B. Webb, District Commissioner, having in charge the schools of the District of Columbia, in presenting the certificates of gi'aduation to the graduating class: ' ' Twesity-fi ve years ago colored men were not allowed upon the streets of the city of Washington after sun- down without passes. Twenty-five years ago I, myself, as Superintendent of Metropolitan Police, issued passes permitting colored persons to be found on the streets after sundown in the city of Washington. Tonight I am permitted, and I assure you it is no small pleasure to me, to give young colored people, not unlikely the sons and daughters of those to whom I issued passes twenty-five years ago, certificates showing that you have completed a course of instructions, including that of the high school, provided for the young people of the District of Columbia, white and colored alike. ' ' Profitable Work.— Prof. W. B. Powell says: "The colored people should be educated as other people are educated, but the beginnings of such education should be wisely determined. They must be made industrious. I have said they are not idle, but to be made industrious they must be taught to work profitably. They must be made provident ; to do this they must be trained in the arts and processes of economy. They must be taught the meaning and value of thrift ; to accomplish this they must learn to work intelligently, to plan economically, and patiently to wait. They must learn the value of the investment of labor, and patience and faith, and waiting. Practical Training. — These valuable qualifications come not through books or letters alone ; they come by 342 PROGRESS OF A RACE. doing. So while I would say, teach the colored youth in and of books, I say, emphatically, train him also in the arts and processes of agriculture and gardening, and train him in these while he is learning to read ; thus will he learn to do both better. Train him in the proc- ess of the most useful mechanical arts, and let him get this training contemporaneous with the acquirement of his primary scholastic education ; train him in the arts and processes of barter and sale, and let this be done while he is taking his first steps in reading and arith- metic; thus, becoming a man of affairs, his scholastic training will be intelligible to him. A supervisor (a colored man, graduate of the Ver- mont State Normal School), having in charge a hundred schools, when asked what he would do to educate the colored race if he were given authority to act and the disposition of the money now expended on their education, replied, that he would foster the lower graded schools, but instead of the colleges and high schools he would establish agricultural and trade schools, and perhaps more normal schools. Academic Instruction. — Academic instruction alone never reached such results; it never can. I am not discussing the question of manual training ; I am talk- ing about the education of a people who know how to do a very little in harmony with the governing civiliza- tion on this continent. Our civilization represents, in the process of its growth, all the qualifications for which I plead. They cannot be omitted in the growth of any people. They cannot be transmitted from one people to another by any process of philanthropic endeavor or legal enactment. The people who would have the growth must themselves do the growing. The Great Danger of academic •ducation for the EDUCATIONAL IMPROVEMENT. 343 colored yotith as now given by the schools in their developed condition, successful and brilliant as it is, is that it leads them away from the bread-winning pur- suits of life, which must necessarily be the lot of the great mass of them as it is of us all. This must be so while their manual pursuits are so rude and uninterest- ing. Unless the colored youth are made to know and feel that successes in manual labor are respectable and honorable, as honorable as purely scholastic successes, and unless they are made acquainted with, and given skill in, modem industrial arts and appliances, their education will be to them a source of restlessness and discontent, and may be to the community a source of danger. This is not true because of their color. The New England Farmer Boy did not learn to despise his home work by attending school three or four months in the winter. He was learning, under the skillful management of the father, more and more rapidly, at home than he learned at school. What he learned at school was only an additional acquisition that helped him in his home work. His chief learning was ' at home. The daughter of the colonial days made her chief acquisitions at home under the skillful manage- ment of the mother, where she learned to spin and weave and darn and patch. Her school life added accomplishments to these useful arts, and made her more intelligent and useful. Only Means of Growth.— The school is to the colored youth of whom I speak his only place of learn- ing. He learns nothing at home; nobody is competent to teach him advantageously ; he learns nothing from his neighbors; nobody with whom he associates does anything better than he finds it done in his own home. He comes to look on the school, therefore, as the only 344 PROGRESS OF A RACE. means of growth, as the only means of bettering his condition; he comes to look on school and scholastic acquisition as the only means by which he can become PROF. J. I.. MURRAY. Principal Normal School, Albany, Georgia. (Graduate of Fisk University.) respectable and grow to be like the white man. Will he not learn to despise labor? This is a new view of life, its possibilities and opportunities, that means defeat to the race that holds it, that is fraught with danger to the commvmity. This may all be avoided by EDUCATIONAL IMPROVEMENT. 345 training; the hand and the mind simultaneously and proportionally. If the colored man has not been so trained, it is not his fault; it is the fault of those who gave him the schools, the fault of those who builded for him. He knew not how to build for himself. Useful and Independent. — The colored youth can be educated to usefulness, respectability and honor. The education that the colored man receives, however, should be so directed as to m.ake him useful and inde- pendent at the earliest possible moment. The philan- thropist will give alms to the unfortunate, will feed the man temporarily out of employment, but he will not give employment to the unskilled man when one who is skilled can be found. Not many years ago it was found that skilled persons from foreign lands were occupying the most lucrative positions in the factories of America. Aroused by this fact and further awak- ened by the Centennial Exposition of 1876, the public schools of the nation began in earnest the training of hand and eye. Pol}'technic schools sprang up in all parts of the land. These things were done for the benefit of America's bread-winners. America's Prosperity is due less to her agricultural interests than to her making powers. She has made herself wealthy, respected, and powerful, by transform- ing raw material into valuable and useful things. There is more of this to be done in the future than there has been in the past, and skilled hands will do it. The colored man should be made to appreciate this fact. If the colored man is not trained in the useful arts of life, in those arts that have made the best citizenship of America, in those arts that have given the greatest wealth to America, in those arts that have given the greatest dignity to America, in those arts that have 346 PROGRESS OF A RACE. brought the greatest renown to America, in those arts that have made it possible for the people to preserve a imited interest and a common pride, under one govern- ment, the skilled white laborer will occupy the paying ]:)ositions, leaving the unskilled colored laborer the poor- ly paid places of helpers and assistants. I wish only to see things as they are. ' ' In One Generation. — It is only thirty years since all the learning of his race was embodied in its folklore, when the written literature of the white man among whom he lived was sealed to him by the compulsory ignorance in which he was kept. The Negro in the old days must spend his time thinking and talking, where the white man by his side spent it in learning througli the medium of books; and thoughts and beliefs must be perpetuated by him in stories, songs, rhythmic utter- ances and rites and ceremonies which could by the whites be committed to paper, to survive or be forgot- ten as the case might be. In consequence of this short distance in time that lies between the Afro-American and the unwritten learning that belongs to the child- hood of his past, he may look back with ease and gather up for himself and his future history the small begin- nings of learning which preceded literary attainment. School Population. — The report of the Commissioner of Education for 1895 gives the following reliable infor- mation and statistics for the colored schools for that year. In the sixteen slave states and the District of Columbia, the estimated number of persons five to eighteen years of age, the school population, was 8,297,- 160. Of this number 5,573,440 were white children and 2,723,720, or 32.9 per cent, colored. The total enrollment in the white schools was 3,845,414, and in the colored schools 1,441,282. The per cent, of white EDUCATIONAL IMPROVEMENT. 347 school population enrolled was 69, and the per cent, of the colored school population enrolled was 52.92. The whites had an average daily attendance of 2,510,907, or 65.30 percent, of their enrollment, while the average at- tendance of the blacks was 956,312, or 58. 41, per cent, of their enrollment. There were 89,276 white teachers and 27,081 colored teachers in the public schools of the South in 1895. Money Expended. — An accurate statement of the amounts of money expended by each of the Southern states for the education of the colored children cannot be given, for the reason that in only two or three of these states are separate accounts kept of the moneys expended for colored schools. Since 1876 the Southern states have expended about $383,000,000 for public schools, and it is fair to estimate that between $75,- 000,000 and $80,000,000 of this sum must have been expended for the education of colored children. Illiteracy of the Colored Population. — What have the Negroes themselves accomplished to justify the generosity of the white people of the South and the benevolence of the people of the North? It may be said that in i860 the colored race was totally illiterate. In 1870 more than 85 per cent, of the colored population of the South, ten years of age and over, could not read and write. In 1880 the per cent, of illiterates had been reduced to 75, and in 1890 the illiterates comprised about 60 per cent, of the colored population ten years of age and over. In several of the Southern states the percentage is even below 50 per cent. In the states where the colored population is greatest in proportion to the total population, or where such colored popula- tion is massed, as in the black belt" of South Caro- lina, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana, there the per cent, of illiteracy is highest. K > O ^. •< ►J < > g 2 P EDUCATIONAL IMPROVEMENT. 349 Illiteracy Disappearing.— In thirty years 4c per cent, of the illiteracy of the colored race had disappeared. In edtication and in industrial progress this race had accomplisheci more than it could have achieved in centuries in a different environment, without the aid of the whites. The Negro has needed the example as well as the aid of the white man. In sections where the colored population is massed, and removed from contact with the whites, the progress of the Negro has been retarded. He is an imitative being, and has a constant desire to attempt whatever he sees the white man do. He believes in educating his children, becaiise he can see that an increase of knowledge will enable them to better their condition. Secondary and Higher Education.— There are in the United States 162 institutions for the secondary and higher education of the colored race. Six of these schools are not located within the boundaries of the former slave states. Of the 162 institutions, 32 are of the grade of colleges, 73 are classed as normal schools, and the remaining 57 are of secondary or high school grade. While all these schools teach pupils in the ele- mentary studies, they also carry instructions bej'ond the common school branches. State aid is extended to 35 of the 162 institutions, and 18 of these are wholly supported by the states in which they are established. The remaining schools are supported wholly or in part by benevolent societies and from tuition fees. In these schools were employed 1,549 teachers, 711 males and 838 females. The total number of students was 37,102; of these 23,420 were in elementary grades, 11,724 in secondary grades, and 1,958 were pursuing collegiate studies. Of the 13,682 students in secondary and higher grades, there were 990 in classical courses, 350 PROGRESS OF A RACE. Sir in scientific courses, 295 in business courses, and 9,331 in English courses. Teachers. — There were 4,514 colored students study- ing to become teachers, 1,902 males and 2,612 females. Many of these students were included among those pursuing the English and other courses. High Schools. — The number of students graduating from high school courses was 649, the number of males being 282 and the number of females 367. There were 844 graduates from normal courses, 357 males and 487 females. The number of college graduates was 186, the number of males being 151 and the number of females 35. Professions. — There were 1,166 colored students studying learned professions, 1,028 males and 138 females. Of the professional students 585 were study- ing theology, 310 medicine, 55 law, 45 pharmacy, 25 dentistry, and 8 engineering. The 138 female students were receiving professional training for nurses. There were 42 graduates in theology, 6 7 in medicine, 21 in law, 2 in dentistry, 16 in pharmacy, and 25 in nurse train- ing. Industrial Training. — The importance of industrial training is almost universally recognized by teachers of the colored race, and the Negroes themselves are be- ginning to see its value. There are about 13,000 pupils receiving industrial training in the schools. " Industrial Schools. — "Talks for the Times" says: "The wisdom and foresight in the establishment of these industrial departments are apparent. We cannot all be teachers and preachers and lawyers and doctors. This has never been the condition of any people, and the colored people are no exception. Somebody must push the saw and drive the plane. Somebody must plow. EDUCATIONAL IMPROVEMENT. 351 There must be somewhere among us a strong, Intelli- gent, virtuous middle class, the salt of society in all ages. Moreover, the demand for skilled labor becomes more and more imperative, and, unless the ranks of the colored mechanics and artisans can be recruited from these schools, or some other schools, if you please, with workmen of higher intelligence, the South will be flooded with foreigners to meet the demand. This, of course, would be bad for the Negro, but perhaps worse for the South and the nation ; for, with Europe in her present condition, an influx of foreigners may be accom- panied by an influx of dangerous isms — Fenianism and vSocialism and Communism and Nihilism, and all those isms, whose arguments in the settlement of social ques- tions are dynamite and assassination. Surely, then, it is as politic as it is provident in the leaders of our educa- tional work in the South to guard against this train of evils by educating and training for the management of our ever-increasing industries a people bom to the soil, a people whose characteristics, tested during two cen- turies and a half, have been found to be love, affection, gentleness, fidelity, forgiveness, and whose only crime has been the color of their skin. This, then, in brief, is what the Christian church has done and is doing for us." Industrial Education. — Industrial education is gain- ing many friends all through the Southland, and while there are multitudes who speak in praise of the indus- trial schools of the South there are others who object to the methods pursued. "Industrial training," says President Mitchell, of the Leland University, New Orleans, "is good and usefiil to some persons if they can afford time to take it, biit in its application to the Negro several facts should be clearly 352 PROGRESS OF A RACE. understood. It is a mistake to suppose that industrial education can be applied to the beginning of school life ; it is not possible or desirable to train large bodies of youth to superior industrial skill without a basis of sound elementary education. You cannot polish a brick- bat, and you cannot make a good workman of a planta- tion Negro or a white ignoramus until j'ou first wake up his mind, and give him the mental discipline and knowledge that come from a good school. Industrial training is expensive of time and money, as compared with its results as a civilizer. When you have trained one student you have simply fitted one man to any ordi- nary living. When you have given a college education to a man with brains it is sending forth an instrument that will fit hundreds and thousands. Again, industrial training is liable to divert attention from the real aim and end of education, which is manhood. Lastly,the industri- al schools of the South seem to show that even their students are not proficient. Of i8 colored schools in which industrial instniction is given, such as carpentrj^', I inning, painting, plastering, shoemaking, tailoring, blacksmithing, farming, gardening, etc., having 1243 graduates, there are found to be only 12 farmers, 2 mechanics, 1 cai^penter. The employments of the graduates were : Teachers; 693; ministers, 117; physicians, 163; lawyers, 116; editors, 5; merchants, 15; U. S. government service, 36, etc. We take the following extracts from an address delivered by Booker T. Washington, principal of the Tuskegee Normal and Industrial Institute : Advantages. — Industrial training, combined with the mental and religious training, has several emphatic advantages. Few of the young men and women who EDUCATIONAL IMPROVEMENT, 353 came to us were able to remain in school during the nine months and pay in cash the $8 per month charged for board. Through our industries we give them the chance of working out a part of their board, and the remainder they pay in cash. Respect for Labor. — Industrial training gives to stu- dents the respect and love for labor, helps them to get rid of the idea so long prevalent in the South that labor with the hands is rather degrading, and this feeling is not altogether original with the black men of the South. The fact that a man goes into the world with the con- sciousness that he has within him the power to make a wagon or a house gives him a certain moral backbone and independence in the world. At the head of each industrial department there is a competent instructor, so that the student is not only learning the practical work but is taught as well the underlying principles. When the student is through with brick masonry he not only understands the trade in a practical way, but also mechanical and architectural training to such an extent that he can become a leader in this industry. Leaders. — In everything done, in literature, religion and industrial training, the question kept constantly before us all is that the institution exists for the pur- pose of training a certain number of picked leaders who will go out and reach the masses, and show them how to lift themselves up. It must be remembered that 85 per cent, of the colored people in the South live in the country districts, where they are difficult to reach except by special effort. Importance. — The question is often asked me, why is it important to emphasize industrial education in the South, especially among the colored people? Let me try to give the answer. For three hundred years the 23 Progress. ^'■" 354 PROGRESS or a race. influence of slavery had the effect to educate the white man and black man away from loving labor. The white man's aim was to have the Negro perform the labor, and the Negro's aim was to escape as much of it as possible. Then all the conditions that surroimded slavery made intelligent labor impossible. Under such circumstances no class in the South was trained to dig- nify labor, to look upon it as something ennobling, but the reverse. In addition, slavery left 4,000,000 slaves and twice as many whites practically empty handed so far as material and industrial possessions were con- cerned. Not Limited Mental Development.— Confining the discussion now to the nearly 8,000,000 of Negroes in the South, let any one come into the South and go into the country districts especially, where 85 per cent of our people live, and a few cardinal needs will at once become evndent — ownership of land, proper food, shel- ter, clothing, habits of thrift, economy, and something provident for a rainy day. Since these are emphatic needs, is it not common sense as well as logic to direct a large proportion of our educational force along lines that soonest cure these very needs? Too often whei- the object of industrial education for the black man ii mentioned, some get the idea that industrial education is a synonym for a limited mental development. This is not true. This important question should not be befogged by any such argument. It requires as mucli brain power to build a Corliss engine as to write a Greek grammar. I would say to the Negro boy what I would say to any boy — get all the mental development possi- ble ; but I would also say to a large proportion of the black boys and girls, and would emphasize it for the next rifty years or longer, that, either at the same time EDUCATIONAL IMPROVEMENT. 355 that the literary training is being got, or after it is got, they should devote themselves to the mastery of some industry. Look at Facts. — Praise is good for a race as for an individual, but flattery is not good for either. To tell us as a race that our condition is now the same as that of any other race, and that our training at present should not differ from that of other races, is to tell us something that makes the average black man feel good, but it is not telling him that which is true, nor that which 'on the long run will benefit him most. It is far better for us as a race to look facts honestly in the face — to recognize that three hundred years of slave labor and ignorance have left our condition far from being the same — and apply the remedy accordingly. In our education of the black man so far, we have failed in a large degree to educate along the very line in which most of the colored people especially need help. At least 85 per cent, of our people in the South depend on agricul- ture in some form for their living, and yet, aside from what has been done at the Hampton Institute in Virginia, the Tuskegcc Institute in Alabama, and two or three other institutions, almost no attention has been given to providing first-class training in agriculture, dairying, horticulture, poultry raising, and stock raising. We have gpiven colored men the highest training in theology, medicine, law, oratory, the classics, etc., and this is right. The colored boy has been taken from the farm and taught astronomy ; how to locate Jupiter and Mars, how to measure Venus — taught about ever>"thing except that which he depends upon for daily bread. The gfreat problem now is, how to get the masses to the point where they can be sure of a comfortable living and be prepared to save a little something each year. EDUCATIONAL IMPROVEMENT. 357 This can be accomplished only by putting among the masses as fast as possible strong, well-trained leaders fa the industrial walks of life. Ennobling Labor. — Objection is sometimes waged against pushing industrial education for the Negro, on the ground that the Negro has had a training in work for three hundred years, and does not need help along that line. Right here the mistake is made. Industrial education, so far from teaching an individual how to work, teaches him how not to work — teaches him how to make the forces of nature work for him, to lift labor up out of toil and drudgery into the atmosphere where labor is ennobled, beautified and glorified. Industrial education is meant to take the boy who has been follow- ihg an old mule behind a plow, making com at the rate of ten bushels an acre, and set him upon a machine, under an umbrella, behind two fine horses, so that he can make four times as much com as by the old process, and with less labor. Without industrial education, when the black woman washes a shirt, she washes it wath both hands, both feet and her whole body. An individual with industrial education will use a machine that washes ten times as many shirts in a given time, with almost no expenditure of physical force — steam, electricity, or water power doing the work. It is safe to say that 90 per cent, of the colored people, as is per- hap's true of most races, depend for their living on the common occupations of life. Since this is true, it seems to me that it is part of wisdom to give mtich attention to fitting these masses to do an ordinary task in au extraordinary way. High Forms of Labor. — For want of the highest intel- ligence and skill, the Negroes' labor is confined to what is termed the lower forms of labor. We must not only 358 PROGRESS OV A RACE. teach the Negro to improve the methods of perfonning what is now classed as the lower forms of labor, but the Negro must be put in a position, by the use of intelli- gence and skill, to take his part in the higher fonns of labor, up in the regions where the profit appears. When it comes to the production of cotton, for example, the Negro is the main factor; when it comes to the working of this cotton up into the finer fabrics, where the profit appears, the Negro disappears as a factor. This defect can be remedied only by teaching the Negro that a man with the highest education can make his life useful by giving the race the benefit of his training along the lines of agriculture, dairying, horti- culture, laundering, and manufacture in its various fonns. If the educated men of the race do not come to the rescue of the masses along these industrial lines, the Negro, instead of being the soul and the center of im- portant industries, will be relegated to the ragged edge. Slowly the colored mechanics, who received their train- ing in slavery, are dying, and their places are being filled with white men of skill and intelligence. At present, the colored man in the Gulf states has a monopoly of the skilled labor, but he will not hold it many years unless he has men of his own race who can not only perform the mechanical work, but can draw the plans and make estimates on large and compli- cated jobs. Value of Culture. — In thus pleading the importance of industrial training for our people, I have often been criticised and misunderstood, because I seem to over- look the ethical, religious side, or seem to underesti- mate the value of culture. I do not overlook the value of these elements, for they are as valuable for the Negro as for any race ; but it is a pretty hard thing EDUCATIONAL IMPROVEMENT. 359 to give a man much culture when he has no house to hve in, and it is equally hard to make a good Christian of a hungry man. I claim for the Negro all the rights and privileges enjoyed by any other race, but also maintain that we must have a foundation on which to rest our claims. Nothing will so soon cause prejudice against the Negro to disappear as industrial or com- mercial development, ownership of property; the production of that which others must buy, soon results in an individual's securing all his rights; and the same is equally true of a race. Here at the Tuskegee Institute, with its 25 indus- tries, 800 students, 78 instructors, we are doing all we can to send out a constant stream of young men who go as leaders to put in force the very ideas that I have tried to mention. Had we the means we could make our work 50 per cent, more potent. Any American who wants to do the most toward producing good citi- zenship should see that such a movement as is now on foot at Tuskegee does not suffer, as it is now suffering, for want of money. Friction. — Whatever friction exists between the black man and white man in the South will disappear in proportion as the black man, by reason of his intel- ligence and skill, can create something that the white man wants or respects; can make something, instead of all the dependence being on the other side. Despite all her faults, when it comes to business pure and simple, the South presents the opportunity to the Negro for business that no other section of the country does. The Negro can sooner conquer Southern prej- udice in the civilized world than learn to compete with the North in the business world. In field, in 360 PROGRESS OF A RACE. factory, in the markets, the South presents a better opportunity for the Negro to earn a living than is found in the North. A young man educated in head, hand and heart, goes oiit and starts a brickyard, a blacksmith shop, a wagon shop, or an industry by which that black boy produces something in the com- munity that makes the white man dependent on the black man for something — produces something that in- terlocks, knits the commercial relations of the races together, to the extent that a black man gets a mort- gage on a white man's house that he can foreclose at will; well, the white man won't drive the Negro away from the polls when he sees him going up to vote. There are reports to the effect that in some sections the black man has difficulty in voting and having counted the little white ballots which he has the privi- lege of depositing about twice in two years, but there is a little green ballot that he can vote through the teller's window three hundred and thirteen days in every year, and no one will throw it out or refuse to count it. The man that has the property, the intelligence, the character, is the one that is going to have the largest share in controlling the government, whether he is white or black, or whether in the North or South. Privileges of the Law. — It is important that all the privileges of the law be ours. It is vastly more impor- tant that we be prepared for the exercise of these privileges. Says the great Teacher: "I will draw all men unto me. " How? Not by force, not by law, not by superficial glitter. Following in the tracks of the lowly Nazarene, we shall continue to work and wait, till by the exercise of the higher virtues, by the prod- ucts of our brains and hands, we make ourselves so valuable, so attractive to the American nation, that EDUCATIONAL IMPROVEMENT. 361 instead of repelling we shall draw men to us because of our intrinsic worth. It will be needless to pass a law to compel men to come into contact with a Negro who is educated and has $200,000 to lend. In some respects it is already acknowledged that as a race we are more powerful, have a greater power of attraction, than the Anglo-Saxon race. It takes 100 per cent, of Anglo- Saxon blood to make a white American. The minute that it is proved that a man possesses one one-hundredth part of Negro blood in his veins it makes him a black man ; he falls to our side ; we claim him. The 99 per cent, of white blood counts for nothing when weighed beside i per cent of Negro blood. Mistakes. — None of us will deny that immediately after freedom we made serious mistakes. We began at the top. We made these mistakes, not because we were black people, but because we were ignorant and inex- perienced people. We have spent time and money attempting to go to congress and state legislatures that could have better been spent in becoming the leading real estate dealers or carpenters in our own country. We have spent time and money in making political stump speeches and in attending political conventions that could better have been spent in starting a dairy farm or truck garden, and thus have laid a material foundation, on which we could have stood and demanded our rights. When a man eats another person's food, wears another's clothes, and lives in another's house, it is pretty hard to tell how he is going to vote or whether he votes at all. Men may make laws to hinder and fetter the ballot, but men cannot make laws that will always bind or retard the growth of manhood: 362 PROGRESS OF A RACE. "Fleecy locks and black complexion Cannot forfeit Nature's claim; Skins may differ, but affection Dwells in white and black the same." Progress. — We went into slavery Pagans, we came out Christians. We went into slavery a piece of prop- erty, we came out American citizens. We went intij slavery without a language, we came out speaking the proud Anglo-Saxon tongue. We went into slavery with the slave chains clanking about our waists, we came out with the American ballot in our hands. Prog- ress is the law of nature ; under God it shall be our eternal guiding star. ' ' A New Nation. — A new nation, says President Mitchell, has now come upon the stage. Eight miUioni^ of people have been thrust into the center of our civi- lization. They have been endowed with citizenship, with all its responsibilities, with all its possibilities for good or evil. They constitute about one-eighth part of our body politic. Among them is over one-third of the Baptist denomination of this country. Shall they be educated? Can we afford to leave one stone unturned, one agency unemployed, which might lead this mighty force out of the slough of ignorance and poverty and vice and into the plane of Christian manhood and use- ful citizenship? There can be but one answer to this question. If we have any regard for our brethren in Christ Jesus; if we have any loyalty to our great Baptist brotherhood, we can not withhold any possible fiicility for that self-improvement of 'which, through no fault of their own, they have for centuries been depriv- ed. It goes without saying that education is what they need — education, moral, intellectual, physical. EDUCATIONAL IMPROVEMENT. 363 Primary, Industrial and Higher Education.— Mr. Fortune says: "I do not hesitate to say that if the vast sums of money already expended, and now being spent, in the equipment and maintenance of col- leges and universities for the so-called higher education of colored youths, had been expended in establishmg and maintaining primary schools and schools of applied science, the race would have profited vastly more than it has, both mentally and materially, while the result would have operated more advantageously to the states, and satisfactorily to the munificent benefactors. I do not inveigh, against higher education. I simply main- tain that the sort of education that the colored people of the vSoutli stand most in need of is elementary and industrial. " Normal Schools for colored teachers must be estab- lished and maintained, until all schools can be provided with colored teachers who are thoroughly trained, and who will live in the communities for whom they teach, and who will in every way be united in interest with the pupils and patrons whom they serve. Aside from these peculiarities, the school education of the Negra in the South seems to me to present no new or difficult educational problem. In like manner I see no reason why he may not be allowed or required to construct for himself, apart from the white race, his family, church and civil society; but it is well to be remembered that he can do these well only after he has had guaranteed to him his privileges as component part of the state. The property of the state — of the white man and the black man alike — must be pledged to the equal educa- tion of the children of both; and I myself should no! in the least object if this principle should be interprets "^^ to have a national application. 364 PROGRESS OF A RACE. The State Superintendent of Mississippi reports there is not a white teacher in the colored schools of the state, and this is substantially true of every state in the South. The entire public school system for the Negro is carried on by Negro teachers In Mississippi there are over 600 colored teachers who hold first grade certificates; these teachers are examined by a white board, and have just the same questions that the white teachers have. Virginia reports 700, North Carolina 761, Arkansas 500; Texas, with a different method of classification, reports 1,900. Of 19 colored teachers in an institute, 18 were found to be college graduates, while in an adjoining county, in a white institiite, with 37 in attendance, there were only about one-fourth of them college graduates. Color-Intellect. — If color has anything to do with intellect, it should appear when the two colors or races are brought into contact and competition. After a care- ful inquiry the almost universal opinion is that there is no difference of mental ability between the races .where the same privileges have been enjoyed. If they have come from ignorant districts and dark surroundings, their intellect is inferior to those who come from culti- vated homes, although it is frequently found the greatest ignorance of the former counterbalances this ability. One-Room Cabins. — The Southern Negroes are not all living in one-room cabins, of which we have heard much recently. There are beautiful and pleasant homes owned by Negroes in New Orleans. There are plenty of ex-slaves in Louisiana that are richer now than their former masters. There are over 300,000 homes and farms owned by Negroes in the South. Six years ago Southern Negroes were paying taxes on EDUCATIONAL IMPROVEMENT. 365 nearly $300,000,000. The white Baptists of the South had church property worth $18,000,000, the accumula- tion of 200 years. The Negro Baptists at the same time (only twenty-six years out of slavery) had acquired church property of over $9,000,000. President Gates says: "My observation leads me to believe that the proportion of truly successful men, tried by the highest standards of success, among the colored men who study in our Northern colleges is quite as great as is the proportion of successful men among the whites who have the same, or equally good, opportunities for an education. ' ' Industrial Training. — Since industrial training has become so prominent in some of the schools of the South, it seems that other educational circles are not in sympathy with the idea of making industrial schools the prominent school of the South. A crisis in the prog- ress of Negro education has been reached. A new generation of educated youth, wiser than their parents, wiser than their ministers, approaching manhood and womanhood, are ready to take control of affairs and of public sentiment. They already know the difference between learning and ignorance, between religion and superstition. They have no knowledge of slavery. The fact that less than one thousand of the whole South are in collegiate study is to be accounted for not by want of capacity for higher studies, but for want of motive. Education costs them a great deal. Nearly every one earns every dollar which he pays for his learning. With most it has been a great struggle to reach the point of normal graduation, and then the best salary for teaching at present available is open to them. Every influence urges them to stop here and reap the fruits of their hard-earned attainment. Some have brothers and 366 PROGRESS OF A RACE. sisters to educate, and some must stay at home to earn the money. Others have mothers and fathers who are struggling with poverty and debt. All this tends to REV. D. J. SANDERS, D.D. President of Biddle University, Charlotte, N. C. keep them from finishing a course in a higher institu- tion. EDUCATIONAL I.M PRO VKMK.XT, 367 Economic Condition.— Dr. J. M. Curry, Secretary of Trustees of Slater Fund, says: "The economic condi- tion is a serious drawback to mental and moral progress. Want of thrift, frugality, foresight, skill, right notions, of consumption of property, right to acquire and hold property, has made the race the victim and prey of usurers and extortioners. The Negro rarely accumu- lates, for he does not keep his savings, nor put them into pennanent and secure investments. While it is true that a limited number of colored people are becom- ing wealth}^, it is equally true that the masses have made but little advancement in acquiring property during their thirty years of freedom. On the great plantations the majority live in one-room cabins, taber- nacling in them as tenants at will. The poverty, wretch- edness, hopelessness of the present life are sometimes in pitiable contrast to the freedom from care and anxiety, the cheerfulness and frolicsomeness of ante- bellum days." Mr. Bryce, the most philosophical and painstaking of all foreign students of our institutions, in the last edi- tion of his great work, says: "There is no ground for despondency to any one who remembers how hopeless the extinction of slavery' seemed fifty or even forty years ago, and who marks the progress the Negroes have made since their sudden liberation. Still less is there reason for impatience, for questions like this have in some countries of the old world required ages for their solution. The problem which confronts the South is one of the great secular problems of the world, pre- sented here imder a form of peculiar dif^culty. And as the present differences between the African and the European are the products of thousands of years, during which one race was advancing in the temperate, and 368 PROGRESS OF A RACE. the other remaining stationary in the torrid, zone, so centuries may pass before theii relation as neighbors and fellow-citizens have been duly adjusted. It would be unjust and illogical to push too far the comparison and deduce inferences unfair to the Negro, but it is an interesting coincidence that Japan began her entrance into the family of civilized nations almost contempo- raneously with emancipation in the United States. ' ' A Colored Teacher says: "I can do my people more good than I am doing now, if you will let me devote two afternoons of the week teaching them to sew. They come to school untidy ; their garments are torn ; their sleeves are out at the elbow ; they represent the condition of their homes largely. Now, if you will let me teach these young girls to sew, I can teach them to be ashamed to come to school with torn clothes, and I believe that by doing this I will influence the lives of these people at their homes, and thereby do much more than I am now doing. ' ' *' Well, this is the key to it. The young woman who teaches the country school should be something more to the community than a teacher of letters to the children. She should be a person who would teach the entire com- munity, either directly or indirectly, in many of the simpler home arts, those arts that are taught in all cultivated homes, white or colored. A school thus presided over would do much more good than is now done by the ordinary school of letters, and would accomplish, I believe, at the same time better scholastic results ; for who does not know that, other things being equal, the best scholastic results are reached by men of affairs. Many-Sided. — T. Thomas Fortune says: "There are BO many sides to a race problem nearly 300 years old, EDUCATIONAL IMPROVEMENT. 369 only thirty-two years of which has been worked out under conditions of freedom, that a reasonable amount of conservatism should govern all those who undertake to discuss any phase of it. The Afro- American prob- lem is such a one. Slavery was a hard school in many respects ; freedom is a harder one. Effects of Slavery. — Slavery destroys entirely the self-dependence and reliance of the slave ; and when he has had 255 years of slave education and only thirty-two of freedom education to offset it, it is not ease to detennine just what is best for him, to prepare him for the responsibilities of manhood and citizenship. Poor and Ignorant. — When slavery was abolished the 4, coo, 000 people who came out of the house of bondage possessed, in the main, no book education whatever. They were equally destitute of moral and spiritual education. They possessed no self-reliance. They were poor in head and heart and purse. They were compelled to begin at the bottom and build from the ground up in all the essentials that make for char- acter and worth. They had no leaders, no teachers, to guide them out of the shadows into the sunlight of freedom. If they had been left to their own devices, they would have gone to pieces; they would have justified the doleful predictions of those who insisted that they were destitute of the common attributes of human kind. Not Left Alone. — But they "were not left to their own devices. The friends who had fought their battles when they were slaves remained constant to them when they were turned loose upon the land with freedom as their whole stock in trade. As the flower of the Northern manhood had poured out its life's blood on the battlefield to save the Union and crush the slave 24 Progress. 370 PROGRESS OF A RACE. power through four years of war, making desolate thousands upon thousands of homes, so, in the wake of the vanishing Northern army, there followed an army of Northern women, and a few men, imbued with the finest missionary spirit that ever actuated human beings, who planted schools and seminaries and colleges on the ruins of the war, and began the completion of the work where their brothers and fathers and husbands had left it off at Appomattox Court House, when ' The war drums throbbed no longer, and the battle flags were turl'd, In the Parliament of man, The Federation of the world. ' Tribute to Northern Women. — Without the work of these Northern women in the schoolhouses and the churches and the homes of the freed men, the sacrifices of their male relatives in the war would have been in vain. The brave soldier laid the foundation when he achieved the freedom of the blacks ; his sister built upon the foundation a superstructure of mental and moral training which will abide and influence the desti- nies of the republic as long as the Afro- American shall remain an indivisible factor of our national life. The public school systems of the Southern states owe their origin to the devoted efforts and sacrifices of the Northern men and women who flocked into the South when the war closed, and who remained there as long as their services were needed. Imperishable Monuments. — All the colleges and seminaries scattered all over the South, devoted to the higher education of the manumitted slave, were founded and fostered by the same devoted spirits. They will stand through the ages as imperishable monuments, living witnesses that selfishness is not always the con- trolling influence in the conduct of mankind. The vast EDUCATIONAL IMPROVEMENT. 371 volume of energy and wealth lavished by the North upon the education of the freedmen of the South was a service to humanity and to the republic which can yield no return to the benefactors save the satisfaction of having done their duty. ' ' Opinions. — Dr. Curry truly says: "Whatever may be our speculative opinions as to the progress and development of which the Negro may be ultimately capable, there can hardly be a well-grounded opposition to the opinion that the hope for the race in the South is to be found not so much in the high courses of university instruction or in schools of technology as in handicraft instructions. Conclusions. — i. It follows that in addition to thorough and intelligent training in the discipline of character and virtue, there should be given rigid and continuous attention to domestic and social life, to the refinement and comforts and economies of home. 2. Taught in the economies of wise consumption, the race should be trained to acquire habits of thrift, of saving earnings, of avoiding waste, of accumulating property, of having a stake in good government, in pro- gressive civilization. 3. Besides the rudiments of a good and useful educa- tion there is imperative need of manual training, of the proper cultivation of those faculties or mental qualities of observation, of aiming at and reaching a successful end, and of such facility and skill in tools, in practical industries, as will insure remunerative employment and give the power which comes from intelligent work. 4. Clearer and juster ideas of education, moral and intellectual, obtained in cleaner home life and through respected and capable teachers in schools and churches. The ultimate and only sure reliance for the education 372 PROGRESS OP A RACE. of the race is to be found in the public schools, organ- ized, controlled and liberally supported by the state. 5. Between the races occupying the same territory, possessing under the law equal civil rights and privi- leges, speculative and unattainable standards should be avoided, and questions should be met as they arise, not by Utopian and partial solutions, but by the impartial application of the tests of justice, right, honor, humanity, and Christianity. ' ' Evolution, not Revolution. — The emergence of a nation from barbarism to a general diffusion of intelli- gence and property, to health in the social and civil relations; the development of an inferior race into a high degree of enlightenment , the overthrow of customs and institutions which, however indefensible, have their seat in tradition and a course of long observance ; the working out satisfactorily of political, sociological and ethical problems, are all necessarily slow, requiring patient and intelligent study of the teachings of history and the careful application of something more than mere empirical methods. Civilisation, freedom, a pure religion, are not the speedy outcome of revolutions and cataclysms any more than has been the structure of the earth. They are the slow evolution of orderly and creative causes, the result of law and pre-ordained principles. Five Great Institutions. — Now, there are, as we well know, five great institutions that are so distinctively educational that they must be taken into consideration in eveiy attempt to educate the Negi'o. They are the family, the church, the state, civil society, and the school. The Negro needs the influence of the respon- sibilities and the privileges of all these five institutions. He must be taught the sacred character and educational EDUCATIONAL IMPROVEMENT. 373 value of the family, and his ideals of this institution must be elevated and refined. No community — North South, East or West — having the Negro to educate, can afford to neglect this important matter, or so to treat him in any way that he shall fail of its high civiliz- ing influence. So of the church. Its theory of life, its view of the world and of the destiny of man, its method and practices, must all be made plain to him, and he must be taught to organize the chiirch and must be allowed to cany it on in accordance with its sacred character. In like manner he must be taught to con- struct and carry on a civil society whose public opinion shall stand for purity, honesty and morality. Again, he must be allowed to take his rightful part in the responsibilities and the privileges of the state; for the institution of the state is little less educational than is the school itself. The state cannot afford to practice injustice upon even its poorest subject, lest it thus give him the ideal and the exciise for the practice of injustice himself. In all these respects the Negi'o is susceptibl" to the same general action and reaction of institutiou- as is the white man, and those who have his education in charge will succeed well or ill in proportion as they regard in these respects his human characteristics. Prof. Spence. — The following is taken from an address delivered at an annual meeting of the Ameri- can Missionary Association, by Prof. A. K. Spence, Dean of Fisk University, after an experience of twenty- five years in Negro Education. Need and Fitness. — I am asked how the work of colored education looks to me after being engaged in it a quarter of a centuiy. Just twenty-five years ago, after teacliing twelve years in the University of Michi- gan, I went to Nashville, Tennessee, to help build up 374 PROGRESS OF A RACE. Fisk University, the first established Negro college In the world, as far as is known. The venture seemed to many great, to most, perhaps, even rash. What need had a people jtist out of bondage of a college — what fitness for it? One little girl in the school could read eight or ten lines of easy Latin in a day. Nearly all the pupils were in primary grades of English studies. These studies still went on with the mass, while the few were carried toward college, and, in time, through it. No Mistake. — Was that early effort a mistake? Cer- tainly it was one of intense interest to those who made it. Like early navigators we were out on new seas of discovery. Would we come to the charmed circle beyond which the Negro mind could not go? We would try, and when we came to that fatal place we would stop, not sooner. There may be some question of relative speed in advancement, but we never came to that stopping place. For twenty 3^ears now college classei" have been graduated with a fairly high standard of scholarship, making in all a total of nearly one hun- dred and fifty, not to mention an equal number of graduates from the normal course, and several in the- ology and music. Three hundred graduates as the result of thirty years of labor, beginning at the zero point in 1865, seems to me a large result. Besides this, great numbers have been educated in the institution who do not complete a course, but have been fitted to do much good among their people. Question Settled. — By this experiment certainly one thing has been settled — the ability of a goodly num- ber of those of the colored race to receive what is called a liberal education. A person who denies that shows a lack of intelligence on the subject. EDUCATIONAL IMPROVEMENT. 375 But the possibility granted, the iitihty of this educa- tion is doubted both as to the individual and as to the race. First, then, as to the individual, aside from the mere mercantile advantage derived from education, does not the hunger of the Negro mind for knowledge prove its right to know, its capacity show that it should be filled, its longing that it should be satisfied ? And as to the race at large, does it not need within it men and women of education? How would it be with us of the white race if we had none such with us — no educated ministers, doctors, lawyers, teachers, profes- sors, writers, thinkers? All the preaching to eight mil- lions of people in the United States is done by colored preachers, with the merest exceptions here and there. Do these Negroes not need preparation for their vastly responsible calling? The entire work of instruction in the colored public schools of the South is done by colored teachers. These teachers cannot be prepared in the white schools and colleges of the South. Where, then, shall they be prepared, if not in special higher institutions of learning open to them? What is to become of the mil- lions of colored people in the United States. Leaders. — Who are to be their leaders? Doubtless persons of their own race. Do they need less prepara- tion for their calling than do members of the white race for theirs? Is not their task even more difficult? Have they not questions of greater intricacy to solve? Did not Moses when leading ex-slaves out of Egypt need special wisdom? Are not the colored people of today "perishing for lack of knowledge"? Education Required. — But the objector will say, Why have these long courses, these colleges for colored peo- ple? Would not shorter courses be as well or even better? 376 PROGRESS OF A RACE. The following is my belief on this point, after twenty- five years of thought and experience : If the Negro is equal to the white man in heredity and environment, he needs an eqtial chance in education ; if he is superior, he can get on with less; if he is inferior, he needs more. The education required is not simply that of books, but of life in Christian homes, such as are supplied in nearly all our missionary schools for that people, and of religion through the Christian church and its influences. Changed Condition. — In the city of Nashville we have now many most encouraging examples of the new colored South, not only in schools, but in neat and commodious houses, with the appointments of modem civilization in which refined manners prevail; libraries and instru- ments of music are found, and children are growing up like those in the better white families. There are already among the graduates of our colored institutions of learn- ing and others educated in them, able doctors, lawyers, m.inisters, teachers and men of business, who fonii a society but little known among many, who speak as by authority and say that the case of the Negro is hopeless. There was a club formed recently of men of that race who gather to discuss sociological questions as to health, thrift and general welfare pertaining to their people. It is in these things that the men who think are the men who do. Colleges and schools and churches are the nerve centers of the race. Meharry Medical College. — There is in Nashville a very successful colored medical college, the Meharry Medical, a department of the Central Tennessee Col- lege. A number of Fisk graduates have gone there for their medical education. The dean has informed me that they stand especially well because of their "college training." Many Fisk graduates choose the medical EDUCATIONAL IMPROviiMENT. 377 profession, to which there is a great call in the needs of the colored people. Several of them have attended Northern medical colleges. One of these stood first in scholarship in a class of one hundred in the medical department of Harvard University. A few are succeed- ing in law, but with greater difficulty. A dozen or more are ministers of the gospel, mostly in Congregational churches. The girl whom I found in 1870 reading daily a few lines of easy Latin, is now, after many years of teaching and having the care of a family, "Field Mis- sionary" for a large part of Tennessee under a board of Baptist women. Homes. — I wish I could take you to many homes in Nashville and elsewhere occupied by our graduates and former students. Say what you will as to the new white South, there certainly is a new colored South, one very interesting and hopeful, and much needing both our sympathy and aid. Slave Pen, Fort, College. — Where Fisk now stands in its beauty, a beacon of hope to a race, stood once a frowning fort, and before that a slave pen. When the Union troops took possession of Nashville, they gfirt it about with a series of fortifications filled with men and bristling with cannons, that swept the whole field of vision. Vast forces were concentrated in these forts. Areas outside were taken and retaken by the enemy, but these, never. Rejecting any idea of hostility, ex- cept to ignorance and sin, let us in our turn, at all hazards, hold these school fortifications; hold these forts with men and women, and sympathy and prayer. Let this work of Christian patriotism go on. If we do not, God will require it at our hands or those of our children. Life Work. — I entered this work young. I come back to report upon it, old. If I had many lives, I would 378 EDUCATIONAL IMPROVEMENT. 379 give them over again to this cause. It is yet in its infancy, as human history goes. Already from the altars of our schools and churches many have lit their torches and carried them into the darkness, which now twinkles with its stars. The full day is not yet. We will not see it. But it will come. Let us be patient and full of courage. In one of the quaint songs of my people, for myself I can say, 'I ain't got weary yet. * " Early Schools. — As soon as any part of the seceding states was occupied by the Union army, efforts were at once begun to give the Negro some schooling. Sep- tember, 1861, under the gvms of Fortress Monroe, a school for the "Contrabands of War" was opened. In 1862 they were extended south to the Carolinas. The Proclamation of Emancipation in 1863 gave free- dom to all slaves reached by the armies, increased the refugees, and awakened an enthusiasm for meeting the physical, moral and intellectual needs of those suddenly thrown upon charity. The first public school for Louisiana was opened in October, 1863. General Eaton. — As early as i86i schools were open- ed at Hampton, Virginia, near the spot where the first slaves were landed in 161 9. In 1863 there had collected in one place in Mississippi so many colored people eager to be taught that General Grant called to the charge of this work General John Eaton, who afterward was made United States Commissioner of Education. General Eaton served the freedmen from 1863 to 1865. He had under him at one time as many as 770,000 people. The work which General Eaton did for the colored people was truly wonderful. One of the most creditable and noteworthy features of his work was the fact that the colored people paid out of their own earnings for their education under him nearly a quarter of a million dollars. 380 PROGRESS OF A RACE. The Freedmen's Bureau. — By act of Congress, March 3,1865, the Freedmen's Bureau was created. Its work extended far beyond education, embracing abandoned lands, and supplying the Negroes with food and cloth- ing. General Howard was appointed Commissioner, with assistants. The Bureau founded many schools in localities which had been in the line of the Union armies, and these with the others established by its agency, were placed under some systematic supervision. In some states schools were can'ied on entirely by aid of the funds of the Bureau, but it had the co-operation and assistance of several religious and benevolent societies. A full history of the Freedmen's Bureau would furnish an interesting chapter in Negro education. But it seems that no complete report can be given on account of the disordered state of the records. Assisting Agencies. — The Freedmen's Bureau was authorized to act in co-operation with religious and benevolent societies in the education of the Negro. A number of these organizations had done good service before the establishment of the Bureau, and continued their work afterwards. The teachers earliest in the field were from the American Missionary Association, Western Freedmen's Aid Commission, American Baptist Home Missionaiy Society, and the Society of Friends. After the surrender of Vicksburg others were sent by the United Presbyterians, Reformed Presby- terians, United Brethren of Christ, Northwestern Freedmen's Aid Commission, and the National Freed- men's Aid Association. The first colored school in Vicksburg was started by the United Brethren in the basement of a Methodist church. American Missionary Association. — The American Missionar}'' Association was the chief body apart from EDUCATIONAL IMPROVEMENT. 381 the government in the great enterprise of meeting the needs of the Negroes. It did not relinquish its philan- thropic work because amiy officers and the Federal government were working along the same line. Up to 1866 its receipts were swollen by "the aid of the Free Will Baptists, the Wesleyans, the Congregationalists, and Friends in Great Britain." From Great Britain it is estimated that "a million dollars in money and cloth- ing were contributed through various channels for the Freedmen. " The third decade of the association, 1867- 1876, was a marked era in its financial history. The Freedmen's Bureau turned over a large sum, which could be expended only in buildings. A Congressional report says that between December, 1866, and May, 1870, the association received $243,753.22. Since the association took on a more distinctive and separate denominational character, because of the withdrawal of other denominations into associations of their o^vn, it, along with its church work, has prosecuted, with una- bated energy and marked success, its educational work among the Negroes. Control and Support. — It has now imder its control or support 7S schools, consisting of: Chartered institu- tions, 6; ncnnal schools, 29; common schools, 43. In these schools are 389 instructors and 12,609 pupils. The pupils are classified as follows: Theological, 47; collegiate, 57; college preparatory, 192; normal, 1,091; grammar, .2,378; intermediate, 3,692; primary, 5,152. Two-fold Work. — The work of the association is among all kinds of people, from Florida to Alaska, education and evangelization going hand in hand. Its educational work stretches all the way from ele- mentar}^ teaching in small schools through the various grades to large institutions for higher education. It 382 PROGRESS OF- A RACE. always emphasizes self-help and self-education. It everywhere provides for the industrial training of both boys and girls. Teachers. — A great share of its work consists in sup- plying hundreds of teachers every year for tens of thousands of pupils all through the needy rural com- munities of the South. It also has in training ministers who are rapidly developing churches and church mis- sions. During the last year forty new churches have been organized with over a thousand members. At the present time great demands come to it for mission work among the country districts of the South. Both our pastors and its teachers in the mountain fields report growth and a still more rapid increase of oppor- tunities for service. Indian schools and missions are being carried on with severe self-denial on account of the lessened resources. The woman's work continues its activities in co-operation with forty-two state organ- izations whose increased contributions last year amount- ed to over $29,000, Freedmen's Aid and Southern Society.— In 1866 was organized the Freedmen's Aid and Southern Society of the Methodist Episcopal Church. Under that compact, powerful, well-disciplined, enthusiastic organ- ization more than $6,000,000 have been expended in the education of the Negroes. Dr, Hartzell, said before the World's Congress in Chicago, that Wilberforce University, at Xenia, Ohio, was established in 1857 as a college for colored people, and "continues to be the chief educational center of African Methodism in the United States, " He reports, as under various branches of Methodism, 65 institutions of learning, for colored people; 388 teachers; 10,100 students; $1,905,150 of property, and $652,500 of endowment. EDUCATIONAL IMPROVEMENT. 383 Baptist Home Missionary Society. — This society supports Spelman Seminary, Shaw University, Atlanta Baptist Seminary, and other schools, and has done a good work among the Negroes. Peabody Fund. — On February 6, 1867, George Pea- Dody gave to certain gentlemen $2,000,000 in trust, to be used "for the promotion of intellectual, moral or industrial education among the young of the more destitute portions of the Southwestern states of our Union. " The fund now acts exclusively with state systems, and continues support to Negroes more efficiently through such agencies. To realize what it has accomplished is difficult — impossible unless we esti- mate sufficiently the obstacles and compare the facilities of today with the ignorance and bondage of a generation ago when some statutes made it an indictable offense to teach a slave or free person of color. The results have truly been remarkable. John F. Slater Fund. — In his letter establishing this trust is the following clause: "The general object which I desire to have exclusively pursued is the uplifting of the lately emancipated population of the Southern states and their posterity, by conferring on them the blessings of Christian education." This fund has been the potential agency in enlightening public opinion and in working out the problem of the education of the Negro. In view of the apprehensions felt by all thoughtful persons, when the duties and privileges of citizenship were suddenly thrust upon millions of lately emancipated slaves, Mr. Slater conceived the purpose of giving a large sum of money to their proper education. After deliberate reflection and much conference, he selected a board of trust, and placed in their hands $1,000,000. This imique gift, originating wholly with himself, and 384 PROGRESS OF A RACE. elaborated in his own mind in most of its details, was for "the uplifting of the lately emancipated population of the Southern states and their posterity, by conferring on them the blessings of Christian education. " " Not only for their own sake, but also for the sake of our common country," he sought to provide "the means of such education as shall tend to make them good men and good citizens. ' ' Reflex Influence. — The reflex influence of Mr. Slater's beneficence, we are persuaded, has been great. We cannot estimate the good we do when we do good. The effect of this splendid beneficence in stimu- lating philanthropic entei'prise, passing as it has into the currency of popular thought as a quickening inspir- ation, its impetus to the noble army of workers for the uplifting of the race, has been enormous. Its inspira- tion and influence upon this greatest decade of giving in all the history of the world has been immense, we are confident. Other millions have gotten into the wake of this one; and we believe that othei men to whom God has given wealth, and into whose hearts the passion of the cross has been poured, are to be moved by it to the breaking of their costly boxes of alabaster in the presence of the world's Christ. Such men are, and are to be, the saving and enduring forces of the world. The following article, taken from the Independent of August 19, 1897, is commended to the reader. Its author's ability is well known. His opinions deserve consideration : EDUCATIONAL IMPROVEMENT. 385 THE PRIME NEED OF THE NEGRO RACE. BY ALEX. CRUMMELL, D. D. Late Rector of St. Luke's Protestant Episcopal Church, Washington, D. C, Incidents for Problems. — Unfortunately, men often misconceive some of the larger irwidents of life for its problems, and thus, unconsciously, they hinder the prog- ress of the race. Just such a mistake, if I err not, has arisen v^ith regard to the solution of the "Negro Problem" in the South. It may be seen in the divergence of two classes of minds: the one maintains that industrialism is the solution of the Negro problem ; and another class, while recognizing the need of industrial skill, maintains that culture is the true solution. Civilization. — The thing of magnitude in the South, all must admit, is the civilization of a new race. The question is, then, how is this civilization to be produced? Is industrialism the prime consideration? Is the Negro to be built up from the material side of his nature? Industrialism. — But industrialism is no new thing in Negro life in this countiy. It is simply a change in the old phase of Southern Society. It is, in fact, but an incident; doubtless a large, and in some respects, a vital one. It would be the greatest folly to ignore its vast importance. Yet it is not to be forgotten that the Negro has been in this "school of labor" imder slavery in America, fully two hundred and fifty years; and every one knows that it has never produced his civiliza- tion. That it was crude, previous to emancipation ; that it is to be enlightened labor now, in a state of freedom, is manifestly but an alteration in the form of an old and settled order of life. 25 Progress. > a < u 3 o o w X h /^ O <; o QO C/3 c/: u Q G EDUCATIONAL IMPROVEMENT. 387 New Problem. — When the Negro passed from under the yoke he left a state of semi-barbarism behind him, put his feet for the first time \yithin the domain of civiHzation, and immediately there sprang up before him a new problem of life. But that problem is not industrialism. That is simply the modification of an old condition ; for it is but the introduction of intelli- gence into the crudeness of the old slave-labor system. A Question. — The other question, then, presents itself — is not the Negro's elevation to come from the quickening and enlightenment of his higher nature? Is it to come from below or from above? Higher Culture. — It seems manifest that the major factor in this work for the Negro is his higher culture. There is not dispute as to the need of industrialism. This is a universal condition of life everj^where. But there is not need of an undue and overshadowing exag- geration of it in the case of the Negro. A Result, not a Cause. — And, first of all, industrial- ism itself is a result in man's civilization, not a cause. It may exist in a people and with much excellence for ages, and still that people may "lie in dull obstruction," semi-barbarous and degraded. We see in all history large populations moving in all the planes of industrial life, both low and high, and yet paralyzed in all the high springs of action, and for the simple reason that the hand of man gets its cunning from the brain. And without the enlightened brain what is the hand of man more than the claw of a bird or the foot of a squirrel ? In fine, without the enlightened brain, where is civili- zation. A New Factor. — The Negro race, then, needs a new factor for its life and being, and this new factor must come from a more vitalizing source than any material 3S8 PROGRESS OF A RACE. condition. The end of industrialism is thrift, prosperity or gain. But civilization has a loftier object in view. It is to make men grander ; it is to exalt them in the scale of being; and its main energy to this end is the "higher culture." Greatness Comes from Altitudes. — Observe, then, just here, that "every good gift and every perfect gift comes from above. ' ' I have no hesitation in using this text (albeit thus abbreviated) as an aphorism. And what I wish to say in its interpretation is this, viz. , that all the greatness of men comes from altitudes. All the improvement, the progress, the culture, the civili- zation of men come from somewhere above. They never come from below ! Culture of Human Society.— Just as the rains and dews come down from the skies and fall upon the hills and plains and spread through, the fields of earth with fertil- izing power, so, too, with the culture of human society. Some exalted man, some great people, some marvelous migration, some extraordinary and quickening culti- vation, or some divine revelation, "from above" must come to any people ere the processes of true and permanent elevation can begin among them. And this whole process I call civilization. A Heritage. — If a more precise and definite meaning to this word is demanded, I reply that I use it as indicative of letters, literature, science and philosophy. In other words, that this Negro race is to be lifted up to the acquisition of the higher culture of the age. This culture is to be made a part of its heritage ; not at some distant day, but now and all along the development of the race. And no temporary fad of doubting or pur- blind philanthropy is to be allowed to make "industrial training" a substitute for it. EDUCATIONAL IMPROVEMENT. 389 Leaders. — For, first of all, it is only a dead people who can be put into a single groove of life. And, next, every live people must have its own leaders as molders of its thought and determiners of its destiny : men, too, indigenous to the soil in race and blood. Thought Makes the World.— It is thought that makes the world — high, noble, prophetic, exalted and exalting thought. It is this that makes races and nations, industries and trades, farming and commerce ; and not the reverse of this, i. e. , that these make thought and civilization. And without thought, yea, scientific thought, peoples will remain everlastingly children and underlings, the mere tools and puppets of the strong. From the Schools. — And such thought, in these days, comes from the schools. The leaders of races must have wisdom, science, culture and philosophy. One such man has often determined the character and destiny of his race for centuries. Opened to the Negro Mind. — This does not mean that noodles and numbskulls shall be sent to college ; nor that every Negro shall be made a scholar; nor that there shall be a waste of time and money upon inca- pacity. No one can make a thimble hold the contents of a bucket ! But what it does mean is this, that the whole world of scholarship shall be opened to the Negro mind ; and that it is not to be fastened, temporarily or permanently to the truck-patch or to the hoe, to the anvil or to the plane ; that the Negro shall be allowed to do his own thinking in any and every sphere, and not to have that thinking relegated to others. It means that when genius arises in this race and elects, with flaming torch, to push its way into the grand arcanum of philosophy or science or imagination, no bar shall Jiifclir'™^ I 111 •mm- i:ilil I I lift'''! riiiir fiiiiP % H H H o H ►4 < 390 EDUCATIONAL IMPROVEMENT. 391 be raised against its entrance ; albeit it be incai*nated in a form deeply tinged with "The shadowed livery of the burnished sun." Conclusions. — I submit : 1. That civilization is the foremost, deepest need of the Negro race. 2. That the "higher culture" is its grandest source. 3. That the gift to the Negro of the scientific mind, l)y Fisk and Clark and Lincoln, and Oberlin and Howard and Yale, and Harvard and other colleges, is of the most incalculable value to the black race. United Action. — There is probably no dissent from the above opinion of Dr. Crummell. Even the leaders in industrial education have repeatedly declared them- selves in favor of the broadest culture possible. While there may be differences of opinion in the practical working, yet all are laboring diligently for the one great end — the elevation of the race. Educational Institutions.— It is impossible in tlic brief space allotted to us to make special mention of many of the excellent schools for the colored race. Some tliat are not mentioned we would have been glad to mention, but were unable to secure the need- ed information. This chapter is prepared at a time when the scnools are closed. No doubt when the forms are closed much of the desired informa- tion will be at hand, too late to use. We have done the best with the facts at hand. In the last chapter will be found statistics of all schools of the colored race. Hampton Normal and Agricultural Institute. — This institution was opened in April, 1868. In 1870 it was chartered by special act of the General Assembly of Virginia. It is not owned or controlled bv state or «? 392 PROGRESS OF A RACE. government, but by a board of seventeen trustees, representing different sections of the country, and six religious denominations, no one of which has a majority. Object. — The object of its founders was to train selected Negro youth so that they could go out and teach and lead their people, first, by example, and by getting land and homes, to give them not a dollar they could earn for this, to teach respect for labor, to replace stupid drudgery with skilled hands, and to these ends to build up an industrial system for the sake not only of self- support and intelligent labor, but also for the sake of character. From the first it has been true to the idea of education by self-support. Nothing is asked for the student that he can provide by his own labor. Annual Cost. — The school is maintained at an annual cost of about $175,000; deducting the labor payments of Negro students, say $55,000, $120,000. This is pro- vided for in part by one-third of the amount allowed the state of Virginia under the Land Grant Act and the Morrill Act in aid of agricultural schools, by an appro- priation from Congress to pay the board, etc., of 120 Indians, with aid from the Slater and Peabody funds. The large balance is met by contributions from friends of the Negro and Indian races. Valuation of Property. — The cost or the valuation of property owned by the institution is about $600,000. There are about fifty buildings. The home farm con- sists of 150 acres, the grass and dairy farm, four miles distant, 600 acres. Both are cultivated by students, and the products used or sold. Enrollment. — The enrollment for the years 1896 and 1897 is as follows: Negro young men, 305; Negro young women, 187; making a total of 492. Indian EDUCATIONAL IMPROVEMENT. 393 young men, 87; Indian young women, 51; total, 138. Besides these there are 320 children in the Whittier School, or primary department, making a total of 950 students, representing twenty states and territories. Teachers and Oflacers.— There are 80 teachers, officers, assistants and managers abotit half of wbon arc in the industrial department. Girls' Industries.— Housework, laundering, sewing, tailoring, dressmaking, cooking, and training in the use of carpenter's tools. Boys' Industries.— Farming, carpentering, house painting, wheelwrighting, tailoring, harness making, printing, engineering, machine knitting, floriculture, and the machinists' trade. Graduates. — Nine-tenths of the 909 Negro graduates, besides many undergraduates, have done good work in teaching, and about three-fourths have made it their life work. They are also earnest workers in the Sun- day school, and in behalf of temperance. The thirty-thousand free Negi'o schools of the South need nothing so much as well-trained teachers. Vir- ginia's twenty-five hundred colored schools are not nearly supplied. No harvest field in the land, or in the world, is more urgent than this. Trade Schools. — The need of a trade school to equip young men who could not only do good work themselves but also reach others has long been felt, and in the fall of 1896 a large and thoroughly equipped building was opened, followed by a very successful term, and another building of similar size is now going up in which the young men receive a like training in domestic science. Field Missionary. — One of the colored graduates is employed as field missionary, whose work is to visit graduates and ex-students, their homes, schools, farms, 394 PROGRESS OF A RACE. shops, and also to keep the school informed as to what they are doing, to assure them of continued interest in their welfare and usefulness, and to encourage and help them to be in their communities ministers of Christ, cultivating industrious habits and intelligent labor. He visits schools for the purpose of selecting good student material for Hampton. Negro Education. — The North and South are work- ing together for the Negro for whose education no less tlian $4,000,000 annually in taxation and donations arc raised. Agriculture. — The need of developing and improving agricultural work in the school, always a prominent feature, has taken new impetus and a thoroughly organ- ized system for teaching aguiculture scientifically and practically has been introduced. Seventy-five per cent, of the Southern Negroes are still renters of land held under a mortgage system in a very real sort of slavery'. Outgrowth of Hampton. — Tuskegee, Calhoun, Mt. Meigs, Gloucester, Kittrell, Laurenceville, and other outgrowths of Hampton are showing what can be done toward helping the people to get land for their own and making them self-respecting citizens. "The Southern Workman." — This is the paper pub- lished by the school and is a great help in bringing to the country a knowledge of the true condition of the Negro. It probably gives fuller and juster information regarding the condition and wants of the Southern col- ored people than any other periodical. A Record of Its Work. — If any one should doubt as to the advisability of educating the Negro we would recommend the reading of the volume, "Twenty- two Years' Work of Hampton Normal and Agricultural Institute. ' ' This certainly must satisfy everj^ one that EDUCATIONAL IMPROVEMENT. 395 the colored people are improving both in morals and intelligence; that they are becoming less dependent upon the charities of the white race, and that they now see that it is no disgrace to work. A Remarkable Record. — This volume gives a remark- able record of more than nine hundred graduates of Hampton. A large number of them are engaged in teaching, others are in the ministry, a niuriber are merchants, and not a few are cultivating fanns. Most of them have homes of their own and property worth from five hundred to five thousand dollars. Not the least benefit that Hampton is to the race is the influ- ence that these graduates exert in the communities in which they live, Fisk University is now in the thirty-second year of its existence. From its incipiency until today it has been under the auspices and fostering care of the American Missionary Association. The school was formally opened January 9, 1866, in the old army hospital west of the Chattanooga depot. In the year 187 1 the univer- sity sent out a concert troupe, known as the Jubilee Singers. For seven years they sang with great accept- ance both in this country and in Europe, and realized the sum of $150,000, with which the present site of the university was bought and Jiibilee Hall was erected. There now stand upon the university grounds five beautiful brick buildings, the Memorial Chapel, built of stone, and one frame building. The present plant of the university could not be replaced with $350,000. The campus comprises thirty-five acres of land, and the site is universally conceded to be one of the most beautiful about Nashville. From the beginning the university has stood for the higher education of the colored race; and, although it embraces departments 396 PROGRESS OF A RACE. of domestic science and industrial training, the empha- sis is laid upon its classical coiirse of study. Since 1875 there have been graduated 163 from college and 150 from the normal department, making a total of 313, or an average of ten alumni for each of the thirty years of the university's existence. This is a good showing of the work done by the school, when we remember that it started thirty-two years ago with freedmen who had not more than the barest elements of primary educa- tion. In addition to the college and normal alumni, there have been graduated five from the theological department, which is only four years old, and six from the department of music. Work of the Alumni. — The excellence of the work done in Fisk University has elicited again and again the warmest praise of the friends of higher education. Nearly all the alumni are holding positions of honor and trust. Eight of the teachers at Tuskegee are grad- uates from Fisk University. For a number of years the presidents and -^most of the faculty of Alcorn Industrial College, at Rodney, Mississippi, have been alumni from Fisk. The same thing is true of the State Normal School at Hempstead, Texas. An alumnus of Fisk, who was recently professor of Greek and Latin at Wil- berforce University, then had a fellowship in the Uni- versity of Pennsylvania, is now professor of economics in Atlanta University. Another alumnus is instructor in Greek in Howard University, in Washington; and still another is instructor in Hebrew and Old Testament literature in his Alma Mater. Eight of the alumni have done missionary work in Africa. The young woman who is in charge of the musical department in Booker T. Washington's School at Tuskegee is a graduate in music from Fisk. The reputation of the school for Si o 4 r^ "--> V fJ z t^ \ o N ^v. ■£ "r^i y^ 3 ' '"^J '"- at "•'D •T3 S ^^ >ji V ■m -^ ', T3 •v-^ ■,je a * . '^^ u -r^-:- ^ 3 U \, ^--> f^V OJ ^^15*^ ^S=f «1 T3 . ^ 1 .; c as Si'^^ [/3 0/ a o u 3 4^ 4 X w o z — rt ^'? ^ '-Nci 75 it4 a C 3 -2^5 4 ■1- 3 J o u ? Ui 5 ^ > 01 c ■1 ^ - H O ^ 1 "S c o o ■ 4l C8 <.l tu) .1 s o >> 1/ 71 bH ^ 5 j <*^ ^M» '. -i. o '^ J 5 397 398 PROGRESS OF A RACE. broad and thorough scholarship has gone throughout the South, and the president, E. M. Cravath, D. D., often receives appHcations for teachers from school superin- tendents and principals in different sections of the South. The character of the work done in Fisk Uni- versity has gained for it the confidence of the people in the North as well as in the South; and, as a conse- quence, from twenty-three to twenty-five states are annually represented among the students. Berea College.— The founder of Berea College, Rev. J. G. Fee, was convinced of the evil of slavery while taking a course at Lane Seminary, Ohio. On account of his anti-slavery views his father disinherited him. Before he became an abolitionist his father had given him a farm in Indiana, which he sold for $2,400 and spent the whole of it in buying and liberating a female slave, raised and married on the plantation, to prevent her being sold away. Mr. Fee early began his work of teaching and preaching, but was frequently interrupted by disturbances from slave holders. In 1858 the first charter for Berea was drawn up. It opposed sectarian- ism, slave holding, and every other wrong institution or practice. On account of the persecution of all men holding anti-slavery views, Mr. Fee and his associates were compelled to flee from the state. Some of them endured much from the hands of the mob. John G. Hanson, one of the trustees of the college, and for a short time a teacher, was almost miraculously protected from a mob. Several efforts were made to return to Kentucky, but nothing could be done until the close of the war. In 1865 the school was opened, and a charter for the college was obtained. Three colored youths asked admission, and but one decision was pos- sible to men like Mr. Fee and his associates. The EDUCATIONAL IMPROVEMENT. HOH morning that these three harmless youths walked in, half the school walked out. But these brave teach- ers kept on with their work. The vacancies made by the white deserters were soon filled with colored stu- dents, and eventually all who left returned and became fast friends of Berea. At no time have the colored pupils exceeded two-thirds of the school. The evils which were predicted have never appeared. There is no school in the state more easily governed than this. The ques- tion whether the colored pupils are not necessarily a drag upon the school would never be asked by one who had any fair criterion by which to judge. A certain amalgamation which was to follow is all in the future. The school regulations make no distinctions whatever on account of color. They recite in the same classes, eat at the same table, room in the same buildings, attend the same meetings, and meet in all general .social gatherings. In 1869 E. H. Fairchild was called to the presidency of Berea College. Besides the build- ings, which are estimated at $82,000, the college owns three acres of land, not including the ground about the buildings, worth about $15,000, It has an endowment of about $100,000 besides the land. In 1892 Professor W. G. Frost, of Oberlin, was called to the presidency. The following paper, signed by such men as George Cable, Herrick Johnson, Frederick Douglas, Josiah Strong, Cassius Clay, M. D. Mayo and others, will suggest Berea's work and influence. "The peculiar work and opportunity of Berea Col- lege place it quite apart from all other institutions, and give it a special claim upon the attention of every Christian and patriot. Situated near the center of pop- ulation, and furnishing an education of the best type — industrial, normal, collegiate — to multitudes who would H n B DINING HALL AND DORMITORY. president's residence. THE NEW dormitory THE NEW BUILDINGS SPELMAN SEMINARY, ATLANTA, GA. 400 EDUCATIONAL IMPROVEMENT. 401 otherwise fail of such advantages, it exerts a potent in- fluence in favor of progressive and Christian ideas. But beyond this, having been founded by anti-slavery Ken- tuckians before the war, and having shown a courage that compels respect, Berea is in a position to do an un- paralleled service in opposing the spirit of caste and ef- facing sectional lines. Berea is distinctively Christian, but controlled by no sect, and there is no denominational school which has before it this providential opening. Until larger endowments can be secured, about $12,000 must be procured each year from friends of the cause. We not only seek the large benefactions of the rich, but earnestly invite every one who approves of this work to contribute, according to his ability, any sum from $5 to 5,000." SPELMAN SEMINARY. Work of a Generation. — The contrast between a slave pen of a generation ago, with its chain-gang, its aiiction block, its profanity, vulgarity and other acces- sories, and a modern school for Negro girls, like Spel- man Seminary, with its beautiful buildings, its attrac- tive rooms, its chapel and Bible, its corps of Christian workers, the smiling faces of hundreds of pupils bud- ding into strong and useful womanhood, is wonderfully suggestive of the new era that has dawned for the Negroes of the South. Surely, we have reason to thank God and take courage. Beginning. — The evolution of Spelman Seminary is one of the marvels of the age. Beginning in a damp, dark, desolate basement of a colored Baptist church, without any of the accessories needed for successful work, with two teachers and less than a dozen pupils, it has, within the last fourteen years, grown to be the largest, best equipped school for colored girls in the < < H 'A < < g s u CO < (/, to C H EDUCATIONAL IMPROVEMENT. 403 world. It has a most choice location, with a magnifi- cent outlook over the surrounding country ; has build- ings specially suited for its need ; has a large and able faculty of devoted teachers ; an attendance of pupils numbered by the hundreds ; a constituency of friends and patrons rapidly extending in numbers and interest ; and has made for itself a large place in the educational forces of the South, and established a reputation of the very highest order. Opening. — Spelman Seminary was opened on the nth of April, 1881, in the basement of Friendship Baptist church. Two ladies, Miss S. B. Packard and H. E. Giles, journeyed south that they might have a better knowledge of the condition of the freedmen. This visit opened their eyes to the appalling need of help for the colored women and girls. They came north and, after many discouraging efforts, they suc- ceeded in raising funds to start the school. Arriving at Atlanta, they at once called on Pastor Quarles, the leading colored Baptist minister of the state. When he learned their mission, he said: "While I was pray- ing, the Lord answered. ' ' For fifteen years I have been pleading with God to send teachers to the Baptist women of Georgia, and now you .have come. ' ' Rev. Frank Quarles. — The enthusiasm of this man to establish the work among the colored women was great and he was anxious lest the teachers should become discouraged. He went North to enlist the sympathies of the people and to get further support for the school. His last words to the school were: "I am going North for you. I may never return. Remember, if I die, I die for you and in a good cause." To his people he said: "Take care of those ladies who have come to us as angels of mercy. Don't let them suffer." The 404 PROGRESS OF A RACE. northern climate was too severe for his Southern consti- tution, and he died in New York at the home of his son. The Second Year. — During the second year 175 were enrolled, one-third of them were of ages ranging from twenty-five to fifty years, and had known and felt the evils of slavery. Touching were the incidents showing the eagerness and perseverance of these women. Often were they laughed at and even persecuted, be- cause they showed a determination to get a little light. Some walked seven and eight miles to and from school, hardly missing a day, even in the severest weather. The Coal Bin. — In January, 1882, the school was so large two of the recitations were already heard in the main room; a third teacher, Miss Champney, took as her recitation room the coal bin, in which there was one small window. Rockefeller Hall. — Miss Packard and Miss Giles went North in 1882 to secure fimds for the school. When some thou-sands had been raised, Mr. John D. Rockefeller came to their relief and gave a large sum, and the school was named Spelman Seminary in honor of Mr. Spelman, the father of Mrs. Rockefeller. Rockefeller Hall was dedicated in 1886. It contains recitation rooms, dormi- tories, and a beautiful chapel, on whose walls is inscribed the motto: "Our whole school for Christ." Giles Hall. — In 1892 Mr. Rockefeller again presented the institution with a building 170 feet long and four stories high, and requested that it should be called Giles Hall. On the first floor are a large school room and ten class rooms for the use of the primary department ; on the second floor are similar rooms for the interme- diate department ; the third floor contains a laboratory and science lecture room, commodious recitation rooms EDUCATIONAL IMPROVEMENT. 405 for the normal and training and missionary training classes, and dormitories for the students of these depart- ments. The building was dedicated in December, 1893. Buildings. — Spelman Seminaiy now has six brick buildings, four frame dormitories, and a frame hospital for the sick, and about fourteen acres of land. The property is now estimated at about $150,000. Enrollment. — The aggregate enrollment for fifteen years has been about 6,500. Fifty-one certificates have been given in the nurse training department. Ninety- two have gone out from the academic depart- ment, a majority of whom are teachers. Two are on the Congo as missionaries ; one, a Congo girl, was sent to be educated, and returned in 1895 as an appointed missionaiy from the Woman's Baptist Missionary Society of Boston. Success. — The success which has attended this work has proved how valuable and important normal train- ing is. There are hundreds whose circumstances would not allow them to remain longer in school who have gone out to do efficient services and become centers of influences for good in the communities where they live. Teachers. — The number of teachers has greatly in- creased, until at present there are 38. The Women's American Baptist Missionary^ Society provided for a number of these; the Slater Fund for others, while some of them labor unselfishly and faithfully with only a meager salary. Influence. — Spelman Seminary is a power for good. It is to the colored women of the South all that Vassar is to the white women of the North. It is an enterprise of quick gT'Avth and phenomenal proportion. Prof. Wm. E. Holmes.— The Negro Baptists of the 40G PROGRESS OF A RACE. South show their appreciation of the school by the hundreds who have already enlisted as members. The intelligent interest and co-operation of Prof. Holmes, formerly of the Baptist Seminary, from the very com- mencement have been of inestimable value, a means of elevating the race. The colored people more and more appreciate the worth and work of this noble sem- inary. They feel they have now a training home for their daughters where correct discipline is administered by consecrated Christian women, who give their lives, while many give their money, to prepare toilers for service as a means in the elevation of the race. Spel- man is invaluable and indispensable. Nora A. Gordon. — Nora A. Gordon was born in Columbia, Georgia, in 1866. Her parents were formerly slaves, belonging to the well- known General Gor- don, from whom they received their name. vShe attended the pub- 1 i c schools of La Grange, Georgia, where she resided. In the fall of 1882 she entered S p e 1 m a n Seminary. She was ignorant and super- stitious,'and had many mistaken ideas about religion. She soon became a Christian, aad joined the Baptist Church of Atlanta. She then NORA A. GORDON, Missionary in Africa. EDUCATIONAL IMPROVEMENT. 407 began organizing temperance societies, Sunday scboolft, and caused family altars to be erected in the homes of her pupils. She was a diligent student, completing the course in Spelman in 1888, and at once accepted the position as teacher in one of the Atlanta public schools, but in 1889 an urgent call came for her to go to Africa. She said: "Christ's preciousness to me makes me feel that I wish my feet had wings, that I might hasten to take the Bread of Life to the poor heathen. I have counted the cost of missionar\^ service, and my love for Christ makes me willing to bear the many peculiar trials through which I am confident I must pass. " At the farew^ell services in Atlanta she said: "This has been a peculiar day to me, the happiest of my life, as I am so soon to realize a long cherished hope. I feel that perfect peace which passeth understanding. " vSome friends have asked me why I go, "What may my reason be ; Yon have my answer in these words, 'God's love constraineth me.' " Miss Gordon labored in Africa until 1893, when broken-down health compelled her to return to Amer- ica, but in 1895, her health being restored, she was married to Rev. S. C. Gordon, of Stanley Pool, and again returned to the Congo. Bishop HapgOOd says: "No money apportioned i)y me from 1882 till 1891 was ever better used than that I gave to Spelman. Whatever concerns bodily, mental or spiritual health is considered and provided for at Spelman. The houses and premises are clean; the discipline and instruction are of the very best ; the atmosphere is religious. ' ' Clara Howard. — Clara Howard was born in Green- ville, Georgia. At nine years of age she entered a little EDUCATIONAL IMPROVEMENT. 409 private school and afterwards Atlanta University.wlierc she remained nearly three years. Afterwards she en- tered Spelman Seminary, and graduated in 1887, and was at once appointed teacher in the Atlanta public schools. She was appointed missionary to the Congo, in 1890, where she remained until 1894, when she was compelled by ill health to leave her work, and returned to Spel- man. She hopes again to take up her chosen work after regaining health. Atlanta Baptist Seminary,— The work of this semi- nary was begun in 187 1, and carried on for some years at Augiista, Georgia, but in 1879 it was removed to the capital of the state and buildings erected at a cost of $12,500. The special aim of the school is the education of preachers and such teachers as can be classed witli them profitably. A strong sentiment in favor of edu- cation of young women was soon developed after the removal of the school to Atlanta. The Spelman Girls' School and Atlanta Baptist Seminary are located on almost the same grounds. The site contains about eight acres. The colored people of the state have taken a deep interest in the work, and have succeeded in rais- ing money for the purpose. The future work of the school is great, the developing of thought among the 100,000 colored Baptists in the Empire State of the South. In 1888 a new site of eighteen acres was pur- chased in West Atlanta. The new buildings cost $30,- 000. The value of the property at present is $40,000, Clark University, like most schools of its kind, had an humble beginning. Starting as an ordinary grade school, in the city of Atlanta, in the year 1869, it has come, through various changes of fortune, to be what it is today — the largest and best located of the schools of the Freedmen's Aid Society of the Methodist Epis- fe>.».^) -410 EDUCATIONAL IMPROVEMENT. 411 copal Church. Confined for many years to narrow- quarters in the city, it was moved to its present spacious site in the year iS8o, when its first new building-, Chris- man Hall, was erected. Its charter was secured in 1877, and the first meeting of the trustees took place on the fifteenth day of Feb- ruary of that year. The land, 450 acres, was sectired through the untir- ing efforts and far sightedness of Bishop Gilbert Haven, and Its first building owes its existence chiefly to the generosity and benevolence of Mrs. Eliza Chrisman, of Topeka, Kansas. From 1880 to 1884, Bishop Henry W. Warren made his home at the institution, and rendered to it the most substantial aid it has had since its foundation. It was in this period that the industrial department, imder the patronage of Bishop Warren, came into being — depart- ments that had steady and rapid growth, and continued in operation until tw^o years ago, when, because of the great financial stringency, they were closed — yet with the hope of opening again. In these departments were taught carpentry, blacksmithing, carriage making, carriage painting, harness making, and printing. Sim- ultaneously wdth the establishment of the shops, was also established the "Model Home," for the instruction of girls in all domestic arts and duties. This home accommodates twenty pupils. No department of the institution has been richer in good results. In the year 1883, the Gammon School of Theology was founded in connection with Clark University, by Rev. Elijah H. Gammon, of Batavia, Illinois. This school remained a department of the university until the year 1888, when it became a separate institution under the corporate name of Gammon Theological Seminary. 412 PROGRESS OF A RACE, The property of the university, situated just outside the city limits, is at present valued at $400,000. Its value will be enhanced, probably, twice that sum, as the city pushes out around and about it. With proper management, the school has unlimited possibilities for good. Knowles Building. Boys' Hall. Stone Hall. Girls' Hall. Model Home. ATLANTA UNIVKRSITY. Atlanta University, originally under the auspices of the American Missionary Association, but now inde- pendent and unsectarian, was organized in the year 1869. Its organization was largely due to the energy and foresight of Rev. Edmund Asa Ware, who became its first president, and continued in that position twenty years, or up to the time of his death. The school had phe- nomenal growth during those twenty years, and became, perhaps, the best known institution of its kind in the South. It offers its advantages to both sexes, without regard to race, color or nationality. The property of the school is valued at about $200,- 000, and is situated on a commanding elevation in the city, easily accessible by the street cars, which, indeed, run through its grounds. Like most schools of its kind in the South, it has some EDUCATIONAL IMPROVEMENT. 413 industrial features, but unlike the other schools, it has now no grade work, that work having been discontinued three years ago. The efforts of the institution are now directed solely toward building up a college proper. The standard is being gradually raised, and it is the laudable ambition of the authorities to have here, in the Central South, a university worthy of the name, that shall supply the educational needs of the people. Work of the Graduates of Atlanta University.— As an encouragement to prospective students to attend Atlanta University, and to friends of Southern educa- tion to support its work, the following somewhat detailed statement is presented showing the marked success the graduates have had in securing not only remunerative positions for their own self-support, but also opportunities for the widest usefulness in the work of uplifting their race. The statements are taken from a recently printed leaflet concerning the work of its graduates. Of the 104 graduates, twelve have died. Of the ninety-two now living, eleven are ministers, four are physicians, two are lawyers, one is a dentist, forty-nine are teachers, one is a medical student, ten are in the service of the United States, five are in other kinds of business, two are married women not otherwise designated, and the occupation of one is unknown. Ministers. — Three of the ministers are pastors of Congregational churches in the cities of Chattanooga, Tennessee; Selma, Alabama, and Savannah, Georgia; one is pastor of a Baptist church in Charleston, South Carolina; three of the Methodist churches in Griffin, Georgia; San Francisco, California, and Portsmouth, -414 PROGRESS OF A RACE. Virginia; one is chaplain of the Tuskegee Normal and Industrial Institute and dean of its Bible School; another is secretary of the International Sunday School Convention; another is the general secretary of the Baptist Negro churches in Georgia; another is missionary of the American Baptist Publication Society. One of the above has been presiding elder of the African Methodist Episcopal churches in Sierra Leone, Africa. All the churches named are centers of great power and wide influence. Some of these ministers have made addresses in national and international assemblages, one is a fellow of the Royal Geographical Society, and one has had the unique honor of being a member of the board of education in a large Southern city for eleven successive years. Teachers. — Many of the teachers hold high positions. Ten are principals of public schools and three of high schools. Others are designated as follows: professor of Latin and .Greek in Clark University, Atlanta, Georgia; teacher of music in Savannah, Georgia; pres- ident of the State Industrial College of Georgia; principal of Howard Normal School, Cuthbert, Georgia; professor of Greek in Morris Brown College, Atlanta, Georgia; vice-principal of State Normal and Indus- trial College, Prairie View, Texas; vice-president of Territorial Normal, Langston, Oklahoma; principal of Knox Institute, Athens, Georgia; superintendent of the Industrial Department in Biddle University, Charlotte, North Carolina; professor of Modern Lan- guages, History and Pedagogy, and vice-president in Lincoln Institute, Jefferson City, Missouri; president of the Florida Baptist College, Jacksonville, Florida; southern secretary of Atlanta University ; professor of EDUCATIONAL IMPROVEMENT. 415 Pedagogy in Atlanta University; professor of Natural Science in the State Normal School, Frankfort, Ken- tucky; principal of the Georgia Normal and Industrial Institute, Greensboro, Georgia; principal of Walker Institute, Augusta, Georgia; professor of Latin and Greek in Bennett College, Greensboro, North Caro- lina; superintendent of Mechanical Department of Knox Institute, Athens, Georgia; teacher of Science in the J. K. Brick Normal and Agricultural School, Enfield, North Carolina; assistant superintendent of the Mechanical Department in Tougaloo University, Tougaloo, Mississippi. Other Professions. — The four physicians are located in Denver, Colorado; St. Joseph, Missouri; Savannah, Georgia, and Atlanta, Georgia. All of them were among the very first in their classes in the medical schools that they attended. The two lawyers are practicing severally in Boston, Massachusetts, and Augusta, Georgia, and are suc- cessful in their profession. One is a Master in Chan- cery by appointment of the governor of his state. The one dentist lives in Atlanta and has an extensive practice. One of these graduates was a lieutenant in the army during the Spanish War and is now a captaia of U. S. Volunteers, serving at Manila. Another was pay- master with the rank of major. Civil and Political Service.— Several of che grad- uates who are clerks in the United States service in Washington have taken a full course in law or medi- cine. And when it is considered that this has required several hours of hard work in the evening after a full day at the office, for months and years, one can under- 416 PROGRESS OF A RACE. Stand that they have grit and perseverance. Then three at least have been mail agents on railroads under four successive administrations and have suc- cessfully passed the severe examination required and conquered the violent opposition that has risen against them from various sources. The peculiar conditions existing in the South have prevented these graduates from becoming prominent in political affairs. Yet one of them has been a member of three successive National Republican conventions and another has represented his county in the Georgia legislature, while a third has served two terms in the Texas legislature, being elected by the aid of the votes of Southern white men in a predominantly white com- munity. Normal Trained Teachers. — Most of these teachers are located in Georgia, but some are in North Carolina, Missouri, Tennessee, Arkansas, Texas, Alabama, Mis- sissippi, Louisiana and Florida. Of the forty-four teachers in the colored public schools of Atlanta, thirty received their education in Atlanta University. One of these has been in continuous service, until two years ago,ever since colored teachers began to be employed, in 1874, and others nearly as long. Two have been in the same school in Savannah since 1876. While most are teaching in public schools, several are in private insti- tutions. One is the founder and principal of the Haines Normal and Industrial Institute in Augusta, Georgia, a large and important school, in which two others are assistants; another is the founder and princi- pal of the Shepard School in Macon ; three are teachers in the Morris Brown College in Atlanta, an institu- tion of high grade under the auspices of the African EDUCATIONAL IMPROVEMENT. 417 Methodist Episcopal church ; another is the founder and manager of an orphans' home and school in Covington; another is principal of an American Missionary Associa- tion school in Marshallville; two are teachers in the Tuskegee Normal and Industrial Institute, besides two of our college graduates, while two are wives of prominent teachers there and participate in the work ; and another is teacher of elocution in Atlanta Uni- versity. Almost every one of these graduates is a Christian and is doing Christian work in church, Sunday-school and home, and is exerting a strong influence for good in the community in which he lives. They are leaders in temperance organizations, sociological clubs and teachers' associations, and are found in the front ranks of every social reform movement. In a large measure they are moulders of public sentiment and are helping in a quiet way to solve some of the perplexing prob- lems of these troublous times. Although they are reformers in the best sense of the word, they are an eminently conservative social element. The Atlanta Conference. — Atlanta University rec- ognizes that it is its duty as a seat of learning to throw as much light as possible upon the intricate social problems affecting the American Negro, both for the enlightenment of its own graduates and for the information of the general public. It has, therefore, during the last five years sought to unite its graduates, the graduates of similar institutions, and educated Negroes in general throughout the country in an effort to study carefully and thoroughly certain definite aspects of Negro problems. Six conferences have been held, and the proceedings 27 Progress. 418 PROGRESS OF A RACE. of each have been published by the Atlanta University Press, upon: "Mortality among Negroes in Cities," "Social and Physical Condition of Negroes in Cities," "Some Efforts of American Negroes for Their Own Social Betterment," "The Negro in Business," "The College-bred Negro," and the sixth on "Public Education. " Tuskegee Normal and Industrial Institute. — In i88r the Alabama legislature passed a bill appropriating $2,000 yearly for the support of a school at Tuskegee for the education of Negro youth. General Armstrong was asked to suggest a suitable man to establish and direct the work, and he recommended Booker T. Wash- ington. The district in which the school is located is one in which the black people outnumber the whites three to one. Here, on the fourth of Jime, 1881, he opened the Tuskegee Normal and Industrial Institute in a small church and shanty. Since that time the insti- tution has grown until it has now So instructors, about 40 buildings, and over Soo students, all over fourteen years of age, the average age being eighteen and one- half years. Students come from twenty- four states. From the first industrial training has been a prominent feature of this school. This is kept uppermost, to train men and women in head, heart and hand ; to meet con- ditions that exist right about them rather than conditions tliat existed centuries ago, or that exist a thousand miles away. The institution is Christian, but not denominational. Professor Washington says it is not tlie type of Christianity that prevails in some places among the colored race, where, as an example, is told the stoiy of the colored man who went to his weekly class meeting and said to his class leader, "I's had a ha'd time since our las' nieetin'; I's been sometimes EDUCATIONAL IMPROVEMENT. 410 up and sometimes down. 'vSpects I's broken cb'iy one ob de ten comman'ments since our las' meetin', but I tanks God I's not los my 'ligionyct." ■ In connection with literature and Christian training,'- the students are trained in industrial pursuits. Over twenty-four hundred acres of land are owned by the institute, 650 of which are cultivated. The students receive instruction in various branches of agriculture, horticulture, dair\- products, brick masonry, wheel- wrighting-, blacksmithingf, tinning, carpentering, paint- ing, shoemaking, tailoring, dressmaking, and various branches of industrial training, besides preparing men and women as teachers, preachers, physicians, lawyers, clerks, merchants, machinists, etc. This system enables them to make practical application of the theories which they leam in the class room. The principles of physics are immediately applied in the machine shop, those of chemistry in farming and cooking, those of mathematics in carpentering, etc. There are no idlers in Tuskegec. They erect their own buildings, even manufacturing every brick ; they also do the carpenter and other work. Thus the institute secures buildings for permanent use with a minimum of expense, and the students have the industrial training. This also helps the young men and women to get rid of any old idea they may have had that labor is disgraceful ; that it is beneath one to use his hands if he has any education. The Tuskegee property is now valued at $300,000, on which there is no mortgage. One great difficulty in endeavoring to better the condition of the Southern Negro is the "mort- gage system," which makes them virtually the property of well-to-do planters, taking away all their independ- ence, ambition and self-respect. They live in little cabins, and try to pay sometimes 40 per cent, interest 420 PROGRESS OF A RACE. on their property and on their crops, which are often mortgaged before they are raised. The result in pov- erty and lack of hope for better things can be imagined. Tuskegee Institute is seeking to find and apply a rem- edy for this state of things. This work they do not consider hopeless or even discouraging. The Negroes acknowledge their ignorance and low condition, but they think that there is no help for it. What they need is intelligent and unselfish leadership in their religious, industrial and intellectual life, and this is what the Tuskegee institution is endeavoring to give them. The trouble is that these people do not know how to utilize the results of their labor. What they earn gets away from them in paying mortgages, and in buying lace, snuff, and cheap jewelry. They have not yet learned the distinctions between cheap and showy imitations of wealth and education, and the culture and refinement which only comes by slow and labored progress. A one-roomed cabin will sometimes have clocks bought on the installment plan for $12, when, in nine cases out of ten, not one in the family can tell when the hands point to six o'clock and when to twelve; or a family will mortgage a year's crop to pay for a funeral or a wedding. Tuskegee has already succeeded in reforming many districts. At the time of their emancipation practically all of the Negroes lived in one-room cabins ; ten years ago nine-tenths of them lived in the same way ; whereas today one-third of them have at least doubled their accommodations, and many of them own their farms and homes. The students who come to Tuskegee from wretched, single-roomed hovels, go back to transform them into homes where peace and purity can thrive. Already the graduates of the^ institution are in great EDUCATIONAL IMPROVEMENT. 421 demand all over the South, and other schools are apply- ing the Tuskegee principles and methods of education. The chief requisites for admission to the institute are a good moral character, attested by recommendations from reliable persons, a good physique and a fair ability to read, write and cipher. No student who cannot read and write will be admitted to the institute. No student is admitted to any department on any terms under four- teen years of age ; this rule is rigidly enforced. Ten years ago a young man bom in slavery found his way to the Tuskegee school. By small cash payments and work on the farm he finished the course with a good English education and a practical and theoretical knowledge of farming. Returning to his country home, where five-sixths of the citizens were black, he found them still mortgaging their crops, living on rented land from hand to mouth, and deeply in debt. School had never lasted longer than three months, and was taught in a wreck of a cabin by an inferior teacher. Finding this condition of things, the young man took the three months' public school as a starting point. Soon he organized the older people into a club that came together every week. In these meetings the young- man taught them the value of owning a home, the evils of mortgaging, and the importance of educating their children. He taught them how to save money, how to sacrifice — to live on bread and potatoes until they got out of debt, begin buying a home and stop mortgaging. Through the lessons and influence of these meetings during the first year of this young man's work, these people built by their contributions and labor a good frame school house, which replaced the wreck of a log cabin. The next year this work was continued, and those people, by their own gifts, furnished funds for 422 PROGRESS OF A RACE. adding two months to the original school term. Month by month has been added to the school term, till it now lasts seven months every year. Already fourteen fam- ilies within a radius of ten miles have bought and are buying homes, a large proportion have ceased mortgag- ing their crops, and are raising their own food supplies. In the midst of all is the yoiing man educated at Tusk- cgee in a model cottage and a model farm that serve as a center of light for the whole community. A few years ago a young woman was educated and converted at Tuskegee. After her graduation she went to one of the plantations where they only had school for three months in the year in a broken-down log cabin. She took charge of the school, and went among the mothers and fathers of the pupils and found out wliat tlieir resources were. She^ taught them how to save money. The first year many men decided not to mort- gage tlieir crops, but to provide suitable homes and a good schoolhouse. They added to the school term imtil now they have a season of eight months. The com- mimity is transformed, and the very faces of the peo- ple show the revolution that has been wrought in their lives by that one Christian leader. Every improve- ment has come through this young woman in their midst showing them how to direct their efforts, how to take the money that had hitherto gone for mortgag- ing, snuff and tobacco, and to use it for their own uplifting. The Georgia State Industrial College was estab- lished in 1891, beginning its first regular session in October of that year. In the summer of 1891 a pre- liminary session was held in Athens, Georgia, while a permanent location was being selected for its establish- . ment. EDUCATIONAL IMPROVEMENT. 423 Prof. R. R. Wright, A. M., who was a member of the chiss of 1876 of the Atlanta University, and who luvd been for eleven years principal of the Ware High School of Angnsta, was chosen as its first President. RICHARD R. WRIGHT, A. M. President of Georgia State Industrial College See sketch, page 393. During the session at Athens, President Wright was assisted by Prof. L. B. Palmer and Mrs. Addrienne McNeal Plerndon, both graduates of the Atlanta Uni- versity. 424 PROGRESS of A RACE. The Georgia State College was established in pursu- ance of an act of the state legislature in 1890, when the act of 1874 appropriating to the Atlanta University a sum of $8,000 per annum was repealed, and an enact- ment made providing for the establishment of a state school for colored youth. This institution is a branch of the vState University now at Athens, so is under the general supervision of the Chancellor of the University of Georgia and its Board of Trustees. The Georgia State College is the only one of its kind in the state for the education of colored youth. A more beautiful as well as healthful situation for a col- lege could not be found in the state. The main buildings are Boggs Hall, the principal recitation building; Parson Hall, constituting the dormitory and dining hall ; and a shop for training in architectural and mechanical drawing, wood and iron working,, masonry and decorating. In 1892 three neat cottages were erected as homes for the President and the professors. A magnificent chapel and model school building has just been completed, which stands as a monument to the industrial feature of the College. This building was erected entirely by the students, working under the direction of the principal of the Manual Train- ing department. This department was awarded a medal at the International Exposition held in Atlanta in 1895. There is a Nonnal Course of three years besides a regular College department. Industrial Training, which is one of the prominent features, extends throughout the entire course. The last year of this department, however, is elective. There have been eleven grad- uates from the Normal Course. There is also a Teachers' Training department for the benefit of those who contemplate entering that profession. EDUCATIONAL IMPROVEMENT. 425 Since its first session it has been necessary for the College to almost double the number of instructors, which evidences the steady growth of the institution. Its energetic and persevering President and his assist- ants have labored untiringly to make of this institution a first-class college for the industrial as well as intellect- ual training of the colored youth in the state. The enrollment has increased from forty-two for the first year to more than two hundred. At present there are no scholarships belonging to this institution, though needy students aid themselves by work. In connection with the College there is a farm containing fifty-four acres on which most of the necessary vege- tables are cultivated by student labor under the super- vision of an experienced agriculturist. As the result of the generosity of Miss Jennie E. Bill, of Norwich, Connecticut, and other friends, there is for the students an excellent library to which collections are being added from time to time. There are two literary societies, besides a Young Men's Chris- tian Association under whose direction are conducted the prayer meetings and other devotional exercises. The present faculty is composed of some of the best talent afforded by the race. Central Tennessee College. — Central Tennessee Col- lege was chartered in 1866 by the legislature of Tennessee. It is supported by the Methodist Epis- copal Church. A large number of the students have engaged in teaching. Many of these teachers have charge of Sunday schools as well as day schools, thus aiding in the religious instruction of the communities where they labor. Many of them are professed Chris- tians. Some are successful preachers, while over three hundred have graduated in the medical depart- 420 PROGRESS OF A RACE. ment and are now practicing successfully. There are more than five million colored people in the South who are asking for more competent teachers, doctors, dentists, pharmacists and preachers, who can teach the people, better educated farmers and mechanics and more enlightened wives and mothers to lift the home life of the entire people. The aim of this school is to aid in this great work. With a history of nearly a third of a century, the different departments of the College, now fully organized, have accomplished a great work. This gives hope for the future. The College buildings consist of seven brick edifices. The "Tennesseeans" v/ere a popular troupe who established a national reputation and delighted thou- sands of intelligent audiences with their popular plan- tation melodies. With the proceeds obtained by these gifted singers an elegant and commodious four-story brick structure was added to Central Tennessee College. Meharry Medical College.— Tlie Meharry ^Icdical Department of Central Tennessee College was organ- ized in 1876, for the purpose of furnishing to the col- ored people of the South an opportunity of obtaining a medical education. At that time there was no med- ical school in the Southern states that would admit colored students, and in the North the doors of many of the medical colleges were closed against them. It takes its name from the generous and philanthropic family who so liberally contributed towards its estab- lishment and support. In 1879, through the munifi- cence of the Rev. Samuel Meharry, Shawnee Mound, Ind., and his brothers, Rev. Alexander Meharry, D. D., and Hugh Meharry, Esq., aided by Rev. R. S, Rust, D. D., corresponding secretary of the Freedmen's MEHAKRY MKDICAL POLLEGE, Nashville, Tennessee. 427 428 PROGRESS OF A RACE. Aid Society of the Methodist Episcopal Church, a lot was purchased, and the beautiful and commodious brick building, now known as the Meharry Medical College, was erected. This school has conferred the degree of M. D. on 308 students, nearly all of whom are now engaged in the successful practice of their profession. They have been kindly received by the white physicians, whose uniform testimony is that the colored physicians sent out by this school give evidence of very thorough prep- aration for their work. More than one-half of the educated colored physicians in the Southern states are gradiiates of this institution. The success of this department is largely due to the untiring zeal and energy of Dr. Hubbard, who has for so many years stood at the head of this department. Dr. Hubbard is probably better informed on the work done by colored physicians of the South than any other man. Meharry Medical college stands today as the most prominent of all the medical schools for colored people. Ninety-six per cent of her graduates are practicing medicine. Leland University, New Orleans, La. — Leland Uni- versity was foimded, as its name implies, for high- er education, a just provision for which is the essential factor in all education, as its source and mainspring. It was founded in New Orleans, a great center of the region of the greatest illiteracy and therefore of greatest need. It was by its founder and its charter opened to all classes of citizens, without distinction of sex or color, and therefore became avail- able, as it was intended to be, to the descendants of the class which was at that time most needy, because of having been shut out from the privilege of educa- tion. EDUCATIONAL IMPROVEMENT. 429 At first it was found that this class were unprepared for higher education, not having received the lower, and to accommodate them a temporary provision of primary instruction was made in the university. After thirty years of opportunity and, in view of the progress which the people have made, in both primary and sec- ondary education, a similar necessity no longer exists. During the first year of the work of the present faculty (session of 1887-88) there were 185 students enrolled, of whom 109 were primary scholars, 76 of the grammar school grade, and only 14 in the normal department, with no college students. For three years about 90 per cent, of our students were below the normal grade, and of these over a hundred were primary, crowding our rooms and our classes with a heterogeneous mass of beginners in the very rudiments of knowledge. By authority of the Board in 1890 was commenced the work of establishing auxiliary schools in the state for primary work. Howe Institute, Alexandria High School and Leland Academy at Donaldsonville, were among the first inaugurated, the object being to bring preparatory work nearer to the people and thus make it available to a larger number. At the same time the terms of ad- mission were, by order of the trustees, raised in the uni- versity to prevent competition with country schools, and to improve the work in the higher classes. The plant- ing of these schools has stimulated others, until now ten such institutions exist, where an eight months' course of study like our preparatory department has been given this year to 1,276 pupils, more than ten times as many as could have come to New Orleans if they had desired to do so. Three of these schools are directly auxiliary to Leland, The names of their teachers and pupils appear in its catalogue, and their O «5 Z o 1-4 D < u 3 H O w 430 EDUCATIONAI, IMPROVEMENT. 431 interests are under the fostering care of its faculty and the thoughtful benevolence of its trustees. Rev. Edv/ard Gushing Mitchell, D. D.— Since 1887 Dr. Mitchell, a distinguished divine, teacher and author, has been President of Leland University. Through his untiring zeal he has succeeded in raising the standard of the institution and in enlarging and extending its work. The Universit}^ owes its existence to the late Holbrook Chamberlain, Esq., of Brooklyn, N. Y., who erected the buildings, assisted in its man- agement, and at his death left to it the bulk of his property, about $100,000, as an endowment fund, the interest of which goes to the payment of teachers. Southland College and Normal and Industrial In- stitute. — This school was organized by the Indiana Yearly Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends in 1864; the College department was organized in 1872. The first class was graduated in 1876. The leading object of the school is to qualify teachers, and about five hundred have already gone out into the free schoo;s ■ of Arkansas and adjoining states, while some have been employed in schools of higher grade. The primary object of the school is the preparation of teachers, but other lines of work have been taken up. An Industrial department has been added where is given a practical knowledge of the use of tools in such lines of work as will make students self-sustaining and will fit them for the duties of useful citizenship. The school is at present in charge of Prof. Wm. Russell and wife. During the past few years the amount of land owned by the College has been more than doubled. A printing press has been put in, a kindergarten department established, and other valua- ble improvements made. The expenses for tuition, 432 PROGRESS OF A RACE. board and washing range from eight to ten dollars per month, and many of the students pay nearly all by work. The funds to carry on the institution are obtained from the income of an endowment fund of $35,000, from annual appropriations of the Indiana Religious Meetings and from voluntary donations of friends of the school. Of course, the products of the farm and the tuition fees paid, help to increase the income. The school is located at the foot of Crowley's Ridge, nine miles northwest of Helena, Arkansas, in a remarkably healthy climate. A high moral tone and deep relig- ious convictions are characteristics of the students who remain long enough in the school. Southland College has been a factor of peaice, true to the teachers who founded it. Leading citizens of Helena attribute much to the Institution in promoting peace and harmony in the county in which it is located. No mob violences have occurred here, and county offices are frequently filled by colored men of the different political parties. Morris Brown College. — Morris Brown College, the principal school of the African Methodist Episcopal Church, was founded in 1881. The site overlooking the city of Atlanta was purchased at a cost of $3,500. During the first year 107 students were enrolled ; about $25,000 has been spent in erecting two large buildings. The present corps of teachers numbers 16 ; the number of students 430. The course of instruction embraces English, Academic, Normal and Industrial depart- ments. All the members of the faculty are Negroes. Every dollar of the funds which are used in supporting this college comes from Negroes. We run no risk in saying that the work of these Negro minds and hearts suffers nothing in comparison with the best of any race. < < < ►J H < w ►J o u o PS C 28 ProKreas, 434 PROGRESS OF A RACE. A number have graduated from the lower classes. It will have its first classical graduates in '98. This institution bids fair to become the leading institution entirely manned by Negroes. All that it needs is to be properly encouraged and fostered. It has the advantage of Wilburforce in that it is situated in the very heart of the South, where so many of the colored race are anxious to obtain an education. It needs funds to complete the central building, as well as to carry on the work in general. This institu- tion is indeed an honor to the race. Theory sometimes tails of conviction, but the most obdurate mind will be convinced of such a practical proof of the Negroes' ability. Prof. James Henderson is president since 1888. Livingstone College. — Livingstone College is the principal college of the A. M. E. Zion Church. It was organized in 1882, in Salisbuiy, N. C. Its existence is largely due to the energy of that prince of orators, Rev. J. C. Price, who afterwards became its president. He collected funds both in this country and in Europe. The valuation of the buildings and grounds, now about 50 acres, is estimated at $100,000. Although young in years its graduates have already passed the hundred mark. President Price, its efficient and popular president, devoted his life to the work of this institution. There have been enrolled more than three hundred students. The death of President Price, in 1893, was a blow to Livingstone. The work is being carried on by his successor, Dr. H. Goler. A humble colored man recently loaned the Baptists of Virginia $13,000, with which to build a seminary at Lynchburg. EDUCATIONAL IMPROVEMENT. 435 Knoxville College is located at Knoxville, Tennes- see, and is under the control of the Board of Missions to the Freedmen of the United Presbyterian Church of North America, which supports it in part by volun- tary contributions. By arrangement with the Univer- sity of Tennessee, the college is also the Industrial Department of the university, for colored students. For this purpose the university has added largely to the equipment of the Agricultural Department and the Mechanical Department, provides for the salaries of the professors of these departments, and sets aside $600 annually to pay for the labor of students in these departments. Thus they are enabled to earn part of their expense ; besides each has the opportunity of learning a trade. The faculty of the college, including matrons and instructors in the Industrial Department, numbers twenty-five. In 1899 Rev. R. W. McGranahan, D. D., became its president. Knoxville College stands for the most thorough intellectual and industrial training. It is in hearty sympathy with all efforts to teach the trades to the colored people, and is maintaining a thorough Indus- trial Department for that purpose. The courses of study offered are classical, scientific, theological, normal and common school. The Industrial Depart- ment offers training in agriculture, carpentering, electrical work, printing, cooking, sewing and house- work. The Agricultural Department is not confined to the eighty-five acres of land owned by the college, but a considerable tract adjoining is rented, and gives employment to many students. Its property, consisting of nine buildings and eighty-five acres of land, is valued at $1 10,000. \4 < 'J ■= o .5? J o '-' o , as r-i t/5 < < < 436 EDUCATIONAL IMPROVEMENT. 437 Arkansas Baptist College, Little Rock, Ark., has made rapid strides during the first twelve years of its existence. The attendance has increased from year to year till the last matriculation register shows nearly two hundred names who attended some of its departs ments during the past year. Consequently, it no\M wields a wide-spread influence over the entire state and adjacent states. During the summer vacation (1899) the president has had applications from Geor- gia, North Carolina, Mississippi, Louisiana, Texas, Missouri, Alabama, Indian Territory, and Oklahoma. Besides the increased attendance and the conse- quent growth of influence ever strengthening and ever widening, its property values have enhanced and its improvements have moved steadily on in spite of the hard times. The great brick structure has been nicely finished on the inside, with a chapel large enough to accommodate five hundred, with an elegant suite of office rooms, and ample recitation rooms. The property is located in the southwest part of the city, between two of the most popular street railway lines, fine electric cars passing every twelve minutes. The printing department also has a handsome building 25x60, in which there is placed a large Prouty power press, operated either by hand or mechanical power, a small job press and six racks or stands fitted with a great variety of news and job type. From this department the students issue the Baptist Vanguard, most of the denominational minutes, college catalogues and smaller jobs for local patrons. A small beginning has also been made in the line of carpentry and shoe mending, fashionable and plain sewing, cooking and laundry work. 438 PROGRESS OF A RACE. Howard University. — Howard University was estab- lished by the government primarily through the instrumentality of General O. Howard, the distin- guished soldier' whose name it bears. It has always welcomed all nationalities alike. The work of this university is now well known to the country. It is confessedly the leader in the education of the Negro race. Every year the trustees seek to enlarge its scope and fit it for greater usefulness. With its departments of theology, medicine, dentistry, phar- macy, law, industry, music, and nurse training, it is accomplishing much in elevating the Negro. Samuel Huston College. — The Samuel Huston College was opened Nov. i, 1900. It is under the auspices of the Freedmen's Aid and Southern Educa- tional Society of the Methodist Episcopal church. Mr. Samuel Huston of Iowa gave $9,000 to begin this SAMUEL HUSTON COLLEGE, AUSTIN, TEXAS. school. The West Texas Conference and the Freed- men's Aid Society appropriated enough more to bring the estimated value to about $30,000. The school EDUCATIONAL IMPROVEMENT 489 bids fair to be one of the best in the South. Though but a year old, its enrollment is about 250. Public School Expenses in the South.— The fol- lowing is from the pen of Robert Lloyd Smith concern- ing the Sixth Negro Conference held at Atlanta University, Atlanta, Georgia. There is room to question the accuracy of the statements about the indirect taxes. Of necessity the amount given in that item must be, in part, at least, estimated. But after making due allowance for any possible exaggeration, the showing is still decidedly encouraging. "Papers were read upon different phases of the Negro common school as it related to town and country, school equipment and qualification, but the interest centered in the charts, which were statistical and prepared under the direction of Professor Dubois. "These charts showed the school population of Negro children, the enrollment, the average attendance, the sources of the school fund, the amounts contrib- uted by either race, the number of school buildings, their condition and cost, qualification of teachers of both races, cost of Negro common schools from 1870 to 1898, and the relative contributions and expenses of the public cchools for Negroes in a group of states. "There are now 2,912,910 Negro children of school age in the South — almost as many as the whole Negro population at the breaking out of the war. The total enrollment is 1,511,618, a fraction more than half of the children of school age; the average daily attend- ance is 969,011, which indicates that for every Negro child in school in the South there are two who are somewhere else. The number of colored teachers is 28,560, a standing army of unselfish workers, as subsequent statistics will show. The states having the greatest number of teachers are Georgia, Missis- sippi, Texas and Alabama, each of which has more than three thousand in her common schools. "The Negroes in Texas have deeded to them in trust 44U PROGRESS OF A RACE. for school purposes $608,212, which is more than the worth of all the white and Negro school buildings in either Georgia, Florida or vSouth Carolina. "Some of the statistics gathered by this conference and displayed at the sessions were strikingly surpris- ing, because they were at complete variance with popular belief upon these subjects. "For example, the statement has been made so often and not disputed that the South (meaning the white people of the South, of course)has spent over $100,000,- 000 upon the education of the Negro since 1870, that one might be disposed to question the reliability of the fol- lowing figures if they had been prepared by an authority less eminent. "Total cost of Negro common schools in 16 Southern states from 1870 to 1898 $101,860,661 Contributed by Negro direct taxation 29,539,561 By indirect taxation \ j?;^^™ 40.ooo.ooo •' I To 75,000,000 "This is a magnificent showing for a race which has had only thirty-five years of partial opportunity, and the North can relieve itself hereafter from any qualms it may have experienced from daring to differ from the white South in the matter of Negro education. A cool hundred million given directly for the education of the blacks would almost establish the right to dictate the whole educational policy, but the state- ment is not founded on facts. If this chart was a surprise, what could be said of these figures taken from the official reports of Georgia, South Carolina, Louisiana, Mississippi and Florida? "Negro direct taxes in the above group for the year 1900 for educational purposes $339,585 Negro indirect taxes in the same states 925,204 Total contributed to school fund by Negroes $1,264,789 Total expense of all the Negro common schools in these states 1,243,925 Excess contributed by Negroes in those states, as a whole, to run white schools $20,864 "This does not seem possible, but it is one of the strange revolutions that happen occasionally. EDUCATIONAL IMPROVEMENT. 441 "I append hereto an interesting item from the report of the superintendent of education of Florida. It is another unexpected surprise. FLORIDA. "In nine 'black-belt' counties- Negro pro-rata of state fund f 13.554 Negro pro-rata of railroad tax 3.630 Negro pro-rata of other taxes 3,000 Direct taxes paid by Negroes 3.800 Total contributed by Negroes $33,984 Actual cost of Negro schools 19.454 Contributed by Negroes for education of whites 4.527 "The work, then, of this conference may be briefly summed up as follows: The school facilities for both races as regards equipment, teachers and funds are altogether inadequate to the pressing needs of the people. This the average attendance shows. This would seem to indicate the fitness of legislation in the direction of compulsory education, but a law com- pelling a man to send his child to a school already overcrowded to be taught by a teacher whose average salary is $19.81 per month for an average attendance of sixty-five, would seem farcical. Is it not a little short of marvelous that in the period from 1870-98 more than $29,000,000 have been paid toward their own education in the common schools by the Negroes themselves by direct taxes and a total not less than $40,000,000. By indirect taxation in Georgia, South Carolina and Louisiana, they receive from the com- mon school fund a sum smaller than they contribute by taxation. The figures are: Georgia, taxes direct and indirect, $292,168; expense of Negro common schools, $288,128; Louisiana Negro contribution to public school fund, $350,080 , expense of Negro common schools, $227,023. In South Carolina they put into the treasury for public education directly and indirectly $233,301 ; they get back $203,033. "A people that make such a showing with the limited opportunities about them deserve the continued sup- port of those who admire pluck, perseverance and progress. It is a record of which any race may well be proud. ' ' 442 PROGRESS OF A RACE. Selma University. — A convention of colored Baptists at Tuscaloosa in 1873, decided to establish a school for preachers and asked the white brethren for money and advice. Receiving no encouragement they went to work among themselves and succeeded in opening the school at Selma in 1878. In that year property was bought at a cost of $3,000, and paid for wholly by the colored people. Improvements have since been going on so that the property today is worth about $20,000, In 1881 Rev. W. H. McAlpine, who was a slave until 1865, and who had done more for the school than any other man, was chosen President. The pros- pects for the great work are flattering. Shaw University, Raleigh. — This school was estab- lished by Rev. H. M. Tupper, of Massachusetts, in 1865, under the auspices of the American Baptist Home Missionary Society. The work of construction was slow in the beginning but by liberal contributions from Mr. Shaw, J. Estey «& Co., George M. Moore and other New England men, enough was raised to erect the Shaw building. In 1875 the school was in- corporated as Shaw University. The medical depart- ment was begun in the summer of 1881, a fine building having been furnished by the Leonard family of Hampden, Massachusetts. President Tupper opened his first Sunday school in Raleigh in 1865 under an oak tree; in 1892 he presided over an institution having five large brick buildings and in all parts unequaled by any other educational institution in the state. To him is largely due the success of the project, for he, by persistent effort even to the manufacture of brick on the farm and the construction of the building, devoted his whole strength to the work. The school has six departments and is doing a great work in pre- EDUCATIONAL IMPROVEMENT. 443 paring teachers and ministers for the South as well as for Africa. Roger Williams University. — The beginning of the work of the Baptist Home Missionary Society in Nash- ville dates back to the close of the war. Rev. H. L. Wayland was the first missionary teacher in that place. Rev. D. W. Phillips succeeded him, and in 1875 a large building was erected at a cost of nearly fifty thousand dollars. The school, from the beginning, has maintained a high reputation for thorough work. The institution was incorporated in 1883. With a number of buildings and a small endowment Roger Williams University is doing a great work at Nashville, although from the beginning it has had powerful com- petitors. The number of students is gradually increas- ing. The graduates are widely scattered throughout the South occupying positions of influence and useful- ness. Tougaloo University, Tougaloo, Mississippi.— This is emphatically the "Black Belt" plantation school of the American Missionary Society, located in the midst of America's "Darkest Africa," touching by far the most numerous and important class on which the future of the Negro rests, the plantation Negro. The school was established in 1869. Five hundred acres were purchased and with them a fine mansion. The work of chief importance is that of the normal department, for the future of the race depends largely upon the teachers trained for the common schools. Stieby Hall, erected in 1882, is the boys' dormitory, accommodating from seventy to eighty boys. The Theological depart- ment was established about seven years ago and is doing a great work in that direction. Senator Beard isays it would quite repay those who would study the 444 PROGRESS OF A RACE. problem of saving- Negro children of the rural districts of the "Black Belt," to go far out of their way to visit Tougaloo. Tougaloo is a great school where efficiency and economy are found pulling quietly in the same harness as in few institutions. Biddle University, Charlotte, North Carolina, was opened at the close of the war between the states. The first teachers were Rev. S. C. Alexander and Rev. W. G. Miller. The liberality of Mrs. Mary D. Biddle, of Philadelphia, gave to the institution its first generous contribution. Her husband had yielded his life in the cause of the Union, and Mrs. Biddle requested the privilege of perpetuating his memory in connection with the school. Generous gifts from friends in the North have not been wanting, and the school is on a good financial basis. The property is vested in a board of trustees, and a clause in the charter makes it the perpetual heritage of the colored people in connection with the Presby- terian Church. There are thirteen buildings. The main building, devoted to recitation rooms, library, chapel, etc., was built at a cost of $40,000. The grounds include sixty acres situated one mile west of Charlotte. The total valuation of grounds and build- ings is $125,000, There are four departments, the School of Theology, School of Arts and Sciences, Normal and Preparatory School, and School of Indus- try, in which are taught the various trades. Self Support. — The students are being educated to rely upon themselves and become self-supporting. The total earnings of the students for the year ending October, 1895, amounted to $11,291, Graduates.^The graduates are distributed as fol- lows: Theology, 73; School of Art and Sciences, 118; 13 o si i: u X o -£, U H H O a: < o o z Q B aa z < > H P4 > Z U iJ Q Q 3 446 PROGRESS OF A RACE. Normal and Preparatory School, 183; 62 are active ministers of the colored Presbyterian Church; 6 are serving at Biddle as professors; i is a foreign mis- sionary in Africa and professor of Latin and Greek in Liberia College; i is a bishop in the A. M. E. Zion Church. A number are lawyers and physicians, and many are teachers in normal, high and public schools. Since 1891 Rev. D. J. Sanders, D. D., is president. The faculty and not a few of the students are aware of the important part played by the spiritual tone of the university life. Earnest efforts are made to induce new students to enter upon a spiritual life. The col- lege classes contain very few unconverted persons, and the close of each year sees seven-eighths of the entire body of students professed followers of Jesus Christ. Tuskegee Conference. — One of the helpful features in industrial training in the South is the annual Negro Conference, held at Tuskegee, Alabama. In this con- ference are found men of all classes, ministers and teachers, as well as farmers and laborers, and these, too, have had an education. The reports from differ- ent parts of the South are encouraging. We append extracts from a few of them. Willis Ligon said: "The first crop I made I was har- nessed like a mule to a plow, and my little boy held the handles. Many colored men are getting cotton- gins, grist mills and saw mills, as well as land. I am going to start a new town at my settlement and call it Nazarene. ' ' Mr. Ligon has never missed a conference. He owns several large farms and is a stockholder in both the banks of Tuskegee. Father Mitchell, a gray-haired farmer, said: "I tank God I is living yet. My people has been eating too much. Don't laugh, now. Mr. President, you EDUCATIONAL IMPROVEMENT. 447 preached a mighty good text last night. I liked yer prayer 'bout gettin' all de obstacles out ob de way first. I am a hard-working man, I've got sons and daughters. De Nigger race can make the best people in de world. Jest allow me to call you Niggers, case you'se all black. We can get land if any people can. We knows how to work and make a happy home and a good school. I has learned more in de last five years since dese conferences started, dan I ever knowed before in all my sixty years. We wants good leaders as will take de difficulties out of our way. * * * De people don't count as much on religion as dey ought. Religion is a mighty nice thing if you use it right. It takes a pious man to live religion. De longer de worl' stands de wiser it grows. Some of our people is getting too wise. Many likes to dance too much. De jail-house is full and we is running excursions. If you see a man crooked, straighten him by the grace of de Lord. We hollers and shouts too much, and jumps like we was crazy. It is a sad thing to preach de Gos- pel, de saddest thing dis side ob de grave. Our churches is plumbfull of hypocrites. If a man preaches de pure Gospel dey don't want to hear it. If we had de truth, white folks could live and Niggers could live. Dey tinks more of a bad person than dey does ob a good one. You let a man preach de true Gospel and he won't git many nickels in his pocket; but if he hol- lers and jumps he gits all the nickels he can hold and chickens besides. I has been in de cause forty-five years, and I knows what preachin' is, and I tell you, if our young race don' do better in ten years we're gone. Now, Mr. President, I fotch you a hog yester- day to help feed this conference, I hoped to see eight or nine in de pen, but mine is de only one. I'll bring 448 PROGRESS OF A RACE. you a hog or a cow next year. Father Washington, I'se a-gwine to stick to you as long as I live." One report for a county in Alabama said: "We have one hundred families owning 4,000 acres of land, and not more than ten live in one-roomed houses." Another reported fifteen persons owning nearly 2,000 acres and living in good houses. Many similar reports were given from other states. It is not always an easy matter for colored people to purchase land. Many land owners do not like to sell in small tracts; others will not sell to Negroes. The mortgage system has no friends in this conference, not one word being raised in its favor. The tide is turning. Many are still, how- ever, sadly in its clutches but struggling hard to free themselves from its power. In one community the wives have an organization by which to reduce home expenses; instead of buying on credit at greatly in- creased prices, they bring together their butter, eggs, chickens and the like, till enough is collected to pur- chase one hundred pounds of meat for cash at half the price they formerly paid. This meat they divide among themselves and save money ; 1, 300 pounds have thus been bought. The one-roomed cabin was thor- oughly discussed and the reports show that its days are numbered. Houses with two, three, four or five rooms are to be seen where formerly the cabin was thought to be sufficient. Tenants are demanding bet- ter houses, and land owners are forced to give them or lose good farm hands. Mr. R. L. Smith, of Oakland, Texas, a young man with only one arm, a school teacher, practical farmer, and a member of the state legislature, said: "About five years ago I began to look into the condition of my people. I found them making good crops, from one C/5 ■Si O z 2 a, ■j: > O X > H a; > z 13 72 z < Q < '■J Z < U a BOYD BUILDING, NASHVILLE. TLNN EDUCATIONAL IMPROVEMENT. 449 and a half to two bales of cotton per acre, but their homes were small and the influences surrounding them bad. In 1892 I started a society called the 'Village Improvement Society. ' We have fifty-six members in a village of two hundred people. In five years fifteen families have spent $10,000 in improvements. The surrounding country has been helped by our work. Our smallest house now has four rooms in it and some have eight rooms. Last year we extended the order and called it 'The Farmers' Improvement Society,' with about seven hundred members. We have five purposes : to get out of debt, and keep out, to adopt improved methods of farming, to co-operate in buying and selling, to get homes and to improve them. * * * One result of our efforts- has been a marked change in the treatment we have received from the white people. Texas is more liberal than most of the Southern states. I was more or less guided in my work by what I had heard or read of the Tuskegee conferences." Mr. Smith showed many pictures of homes and families in Oakland. He said he had car- ried on this work in connection with his school and fann, and that the legislature of Texas was so much interested in his coming to Tuskegee that it gave him a leave of absence and promised to defer action on a bill in which he was interested until his return home. A young teacher and farmer from Choctaw county said: "When we heard what Tuskegee was doing I said to our people, 'We can do it, too. ' So we (Organ- ized a conference in our county. We are under the mortgage system. Our labor is unskilled. Last year of twenty-five families with mortgages on their crops only twelve were able to pay them. Forty-four fam- ilies lived on rented lands in one 'beat,' six of them in 29 Progress. 450 PROGRESS OF A RACE. houses with only one room ; some raised nothing but cotton. Twenty-four families have recently bought land, ten are building better homes, nine report that they lived for the year without a mortgage. The average length of our school term is three months. We have no school houses but use the churches, which are not fit for service in winter. Sixty per cent, of the teachers hold third-grade certificates, 30 per cent, second grade, and 4 per cent, first grade. Morals are better than they used to be ; women are treated better on the whole ; less whisky is used, and, as we have no railroads in our county, we are not troubled with excursions. We propose to organize conferences throughout the whole county and gi'adually bring the people up. Our people get money enough but don't use it right." Roscoe C. Bruce. — Roscoe C. Bruce, the son of Ex- Senator Bruce from Mississippi, who went from the colored high schools of Washington to Phillips Exeter Academy, New Hampshire, was honored in 1897 by an election as assistant editor for the magazine pub- lished by the students of that institution. The color line was not drawn here. Young Bruce is a remarka- bly bright and handsome fellow and has made many friends at Phillips Exeter. He has distinguished him- self for scholarship and oratory. He will graduate in 1898 and will probably enter Harvard University. The catalogue of Harvard University now contains the names of six colored men, three of them in the senior class. In the "Life and Letters of Roscoe Conkling, " the circumstances under which young Bruce was named are given, and there appears a letter from Senator Bruce in which he asks permission to christen his son in honor of Mr. Conkling, because when he first EDUCATIONAL IMPROVEMENT. 451 entered the senate chamber to take the oath of office Mr. Conkling was the first man to offer him welcome. "The effect upon some members of the senate," wrote Mr. Bruce, " was so marked that when I was called to be sworn in, my colleague, Mr. Alcorn, a man who owed his seat in the senate largely to my efforts, took refuge behind a newspaper to avoid extending the courtesy usual upon such occasions. It was at this point that the grasp of your hand — the first token of friendship that I had received — and your warm wel- come, made me feel and know that in that august body I had a friend. No one who has not undergone a similar ordeal can understand and appreciate my feel- ings on that occasion." Alabama appropriates $2,000 annually for the sup- port of a Normal School for the training of colored teachers. Nearly all the Southern States make annual contributions for the education of their colored citizens. Freedman's Savings Bank.— Still another agency in the education of the colored people was the Freed- man's Savings Bank. While it existed it was one of the most powerful agencies in the education of the colored people. The Freedman's Savings Bank was organized March 3, 1 866. It had thirty- three branches, four of which were located in Georgia, at Atlanta, Macon, Augusta and Savannah. During the nine years of its existence the total deposits amounted to $56,000,000 for the entire South. When it failed it owed the colored people of Georgia $57,149-38. While its loss entailed great misery on many, it taught the colored people that they could save, and thus laid the basis of the material prosperity which has attended tJie efforts of the colored people of 452 PROGRESS OF A RACE. Georgia. The colored people of Georgia pay taxes now on about $16,000,000 worth of real and personal property, and have, perhaps, not less than $2,000,000 on deposit in the banks of the state and in bonds. Such were some of the various agencies which were at work during that early formative stage of Negro education. And such and so great was the work of preparing the colored people for the public school sys- tem which was inaugurated in 1871. The Colored Press. — Considering the time since the Negro was freed there has been a remarkable advance- ment in providing literature for the colored people. There have been not a few authors of note of the race, but in the colored press we find a repetition of the press in general. There are in the United States be- tween three hundred and three hundred and fifty colored newspapers, the number varying with the campaigns, etc. There are at least twenty colored papers of large circulation and influence and standing ; among these may be mentioned : The Christian Record, The Star of Zion, The American Baptist, The Christian Index and The Afro-American Presbyterian. The best secular papers are The New York Age^ The Indianapolis Freeman, The Colored American, of Washington, D. C., The Richmond Plajiet, and The Philadelphia Tribune. Character. — Of many of the papers for colored peo- ple it might be said, as of many other papers, that it would be better that they had no existence. The hope of the race lies in education. The colored man must read, and, as has been said before, it would be better for him not to read at all than to read the trashy liter- ature of today. While the colored press in a general way is doing much for the elevation of the Negro, yet the number of papers published and the large circula- EDUCATIONAL IMPROVEMENT. 453 tion of some of them is not a criterion of good work done. The press, pulpit and the platform have been great liberators of the nations, but, in order that this should be the case with the Afro- American press, like that of any race, there must be an ennobling and ele- vated tone. Without this the daily and weekly paper becomes a curse instead of a blessing. Records of riots, mobs, murders, and every-day misdoings do not elevate the morals of the reading public. Too often it is forgotten that the editorial chair requires more culture than is gotten by reading the newspapers, and to the detriment of the race there are those who are editing some of these race journals that ought to be relegated to the rear. Able Editors. — The editor who is sending out week by week into the families of his patrons, a paper that is to benefit its readers, ought to be able to grapple with the problems of the day, the problems upon which depend the elevation and the continued advancement of the race. With Dr. Crummell we believe that it would be better that many of these race journals were not to exist, because of the incompetency in the editorial management. Ministers, physicians, lawyers and leaders in general, can do much toward suppressing objectionable literature of today by advo- cating the patronizing only of such papers as are ennobling and are building up the race. Select your paper, not for its value in dollars and cents, but rather for the contents of its columns. Religious Papers. — Every family should have at least one religious paper. Even in religious papers some might be greatly improved, but when it comes to the secular paper it were much better not to take a paper at all than to allow the trashy and objectionable 454 PROGRESS OF A RACE. newspaper, that has no definite aim, to enter the home. Here is a field that ought not to be overlooked. The colored youth of today will read. Good Literature. — Let parents and leaders in society everywhere see to it that the literature placed in the hands of the youth of the race is ennobling, elevating and instructive, and a great forward movement will have been made in advancing the interests of the race in general. Banish the low, trashy and sensational literature from your homes. Avoid it as you would a pestilence, and your sons and daughters will in the future rise up and in improved manhood and woman- hood pronounce blessings upon your heads. The First Daily Newspaper published by the colored people was the Cairo Gazette, owned, edited and pub- lished by Hon. W. S. Scott, of Cairo, Illinois. The first issue came from the press April 23, 1882. First Newspaper in the South. — The first race news- paper published in the South for the colored men was the Colored American. It was published in Augusta, Georgia, and was edited by J. T. Shuften in 1865. We find the following description of this paper in the Afro- American Press: "It is designed to be a vehicle for the diffusion of religious, political and general intel- ligence. It will be devoted to the promotion of harmony and good will between the whites and colored people of the South, and uniting in its advocacy of industry and education among all classes; but particularly the class most in need of our agency.- It will steadfastly oppose all forms of vice that prey upon society, and give that counsel that tends to virtue, peace and pros- perity and happiness, ' ' CHAPTER XV. RELIGION AND THE NEGRO. A Religious Nature. — Whatever else the Negro may or may not possess, it is generally conceded that he has an intensely religious nature. His religion, it is true, does not always manifest itself according to the precise rules and requirements of cultured and refined society. He is sometimes boisterous, very demonstrative, and altogether emotional. By the superficial observer, these characteristics are regarded as extremely ludi- crous, if not disgusting, and are usually catalogued, with great self-complacency, among the "idiosyncrasies of the Negro. ' ' The thoughtful mind, however, recog- nizes beneath all these crudities a buoyant spirituality — a spirituality which even the malign influences of slavery could not suppress. It was Burke who said, "Religion, to have any force upon men's under- standings, — indeed, to exist at all, — must be sup- posed paramount to law, and independent for its subsistence upon any human institution. " This glori- ous truth, arrived at through reasoning and reflec- tion by England's great political philosopher, seems to have been grasped intuitively by the ignorant Negro in the days of his bondage. Above the law that fixed his hard condition and held him therein, above the sophistry of ecclesiasticism that perverted truth to justify unrighteous legislation, his faith rose sublimely and took hold upon the unseen "Power that maketh for righteousness. ' ' Sustained by Faith. — It was this faith that sustained 455 ""S ■I'r' Itm-ft^^ ■^itrfii'irtiii h w oa N W u a o Oh a> ^ a H 4J C D -^ 0) ^ §-§ g Pi o X! 3 Q J^ Z JS < W H ■ w is Pi > n -s; w CU 2 2 RELIGION AND THE NEGRO. 407 him in his darkest hours, that caused melody to well up in his soul, and gush forth in his voice. It was this faith that enabled him to endure patiently, with- out cherishing" feelings of vengeance against those whom he might justly have regarded as oppressors. Finally, it was this faith that formed the substratum of his preliminary training, however inadequate, for the larger life that was to be realized under freedom. "By that mysterious influence," says Dr. Blyden, "which is imparted to man independently of outward circumstances, to not a few of them the preaching of the Gospel, defective as was its practical exemplifica- tion, opened a new world of truth and goodness. There streamed into the darkness of their surroundings a light from the Cross of Christ, and they saw that, through suffering and affliction, there is a path to per- fect rest above this world ; and in the hours of the most degrading and exhausting toil, they sang of the eternal and the unseen; so that while the scrupulous among their masters often, with Jefferson, "trembled for their country, ' ' the slaves who had gained a new language and new faculties were enjoying themselves in raptur- ous music — often laboring and suffering all day, and singing all night sacred songs which, in rude but impressive language, set forth their sad fortunes and their hopes for the future. Cheerful Music. — No traveler in the South, who passed by the plantations thronged with dusky laborers, and listened to their cheerful music, could ever dream that they beheld in that suffering but joyous race the destroyers of the Southern whites. The captive Jews could not sing by the waters of Babylon, but the Negroes, in the dark dungeons of American slavery, made themselves harps and swept them to some of the most thrilling melodies." 458 PROGRESS OF A RACE. Noticeable Fact. — It is a noticeable fact, and indic- ative of the susceptibility of the Negro's nature to religious influences, that, with such limited insight into divine truth, there should have sprung up all over the South among them so many effective preachers and exhorters — some of them men of extraordinary natural endowments. Stevens, in his history of the Methodist Episcopal Church, has the following inter- esting statement: "Harry Hosier, better known as 'Black Harry,' was the traveling servant of Bishop Asbury, and had a popularity as a preacher which excelled that of the bishop himself. Dr. Rush, whose predilections for Methodist preaching are well known, did not disdain to hear him, and making allowance for his illiteracy (for he could not read), pronounced him the greatest orator in America." Genuineness. — As to the genuineness of the Negro's religion, the late Bishop Haygood has said: "I know that the religious life of the colored people in the days of slavery was not what it ought to have been, yet among them were the holiest of men and women. " Strangest Characteristic. — The same author has elsewhere expressed an opinion which those endeavor- ing to educate the race might do well to consider. He says: "As to my opinion — with as good opportunity as most men to know what the religious life of the col- ored people really is — I say unhesitatingly that his religion is his strongest and best characteristic. All there is of hope for him in this country will rise or fall with the healthy development or the decay of his religion." Progress Phenomenal. — Under freedom the religious progress of the race has been phenomenal. It would RELIGION AND THE NEGRO. 459 be difficult to find its parallel in the whole history of missions. Over a million of these people are today within the communion of the Baptist churches. Con- siderably over a million more are within the Methodist fold, while they are to be found also in the Congrega- tional, Presbyterian, and other evangelical denomina- tions. As before the war, even so now, a goodly number of them are adherents of the Romish Church. They are intensely loyal to their denomination, and possess in a larger degree than many other people what is commonly called "church pride." Organizations. — The most remarkable, however, and at once the most promising feature in their religious development, is the organizations, which, independently of outside patronage, they have created and sustained. The African Methodist Episcopal Church, The Zion African Methodist Episcopal Church, and the Colored Methodist Episcopal Church, in America, are large and influential, bodies, containing eight hundred thousand members or more. These bodies, officered and managed throughout by colored men, are ocular demonstrations of the capability of the race, and are inspiring in the people self-respect and self-reliance. Many of their general officers are men of great power and personal magnetism, while some have a national reputation. Liberality. — In the August (1897) number of "The Gospel in All Lands," appears the following with reference to the religious growth of the colored people since emancipation: "They have shown a remarkable degree of liber- ality in contributing toward religious purposes. Not- withstanding their poverty and the discouraging circumstances surrounding them, they have, in addition 460 PROGRESS OF A RACE. to the ordinary expenses of maintaining religious worship, including pastors' salaries, contributed prob- ably not less than ten million dollars for the erection of meeting houses. Some of these buildings are large, comparatively costly, convenient and attractive. Noble Achievements. — "They have done remarka- bly well; considering all the circumstances, in the mat- ter of educational, missionary, charitable, and philan- thropic work ; many of their religious institutions of learning being managed by Negro boards of trustees, taught by Negro teachers, and supported largely or entirely by themselves. They are also represented on the boards and in the faculties of the schools main- tained for them by Northern benevolence. The aggregate amount which they pay annually toward the education of their children in Christian institu- tions is a very considerable sum. They have their local, state, and national educational and missionary organizations, and are year by year making progress in the art of organization and administration. While they have very much yet to learn in the matter of sys- tematizing their beneficence, of keeping and rendering accurate accounts of money received and disbursed, they are apt learners, and are making good progress. They edit and publish numerous religious periodicals, some of them evincing vigor, independence, and no little ability. " The Future. — With such a showing, made under the most discouraging circumstances, what may not be expected of the race under improved and constantly improving conditions? Churches Important, — There are at present between nine and ten millions of Negroes in this country. This includes all who have any computable fraction of < < H ?: <. U X O a X H K u 462 PROGRESS OF A RACE. Ne^o blood in their veins. All of these, with the exception of about five hundred thoiisand, are in the Southern states where the emancipation proclamation reached them and made them forever free from invol- untary bondagfe. The Negro churches of the South are, therefore, a large and important factor in the Christianity of that section. In point of church mem- bership the Negro is quite as devoted as are his white brethren. The proportion of colored people who are connected with the churches in the United States is larger than that which obtains among the white people. Denominations. — As to denomination, the Negro is predominantly Baptist. More than one-half of all Negro communicants are of this faith ; next come the Methodists and other branches of the church. The increase in the number of colored communicants since the emancipation proclamation has been marvelous. There were at the outbreak of the war about 275,000 Methodists of color, while at the present there are over a million. Colored Baptists in i860 did not exceed 250,000, while today they number 1,500,000, Helping Himself. — The Negro, considering the little wealth he had at command when slavery ceased, has achieved wonders in the accumulation of church prop- erty. The value of the churches he owns is $26,626,- 000, the number of edifices being 23,770, Making due allowance for the generous help which the whites have given, it still appears that the Negro has not been unwilling to make large sacrifices for the sake of religion, and that his industry, thrift and business capacity have been made to contribute to his successful endeavors to provide himself with suitable accommo- dations for public worship. RELIGION AND THE NEGRO. 463 Sums Spent. — In education and evang-elization among the Negroes, the various religious bodies have been specially active. Among these bodies the Congrega- tionalists claim to have spent $11,000,000 for the Negro, and spend now nearly $400,000 a year. The Methodists have spent since emancipation $6,000,000, and are now spending annually through the Freed- man's Aid and Southern Education Society $350,000; the Presbyterian Board of Missions for Freedmen in twenty years have spent $2,400,000, and in addition to this contribution founded Lincoln Universit}'-, Penn- sylvania, in 1859. The Baptists since 1865, $3,000,000; the Southern Presbyterian Church, $55,000, between 1878 and 1894; the Christian Church, $100,000. This vast outlay has produced a result known and read of all men. No man has attempted to deny the statement that the Negro has improved intellectually. Not even the bitterest of his enemies have denied this statement, and it may be said modestly that there are men and women among the Negroes who can compare favor- ably with some of the best of the other race. Christian Ministry. — Professor Bowen says: "A vital question in this consideration is, has the character of the Negro Christian Ministry improved? The bald statement of truth is that the distance between the ministry of today and that of slavery days, or the days immediately following freedom, cannot be measured in words. Then, we had no regularly constituted Negro ministry. A few of our fathers in whose heart the 'woe is me if I preach not' burned with an un- quenchable fire, were permitted to speak occasionally to the slaves, and that under the freezing gaze of an overseer's eye, and to this day it is a miracle unsolvea how God preserved a knowledge of the truth througii 464 PROGRESS OF A RACE. the broken vessels of thought amid the dervish wor- ship of the ignorant slaves. Educated and Consecrated. — Since that day there has been a constant stream of educated and consecrated ministers flowing into the ranks of the Negro popu- lation. These have been trained in the great universi- ties of the North. Besides these, there have gone forth from the institutions established in the South for colored people large numbers of genuinely consecrated ministers of every denomination. Whether it be accepted or reflected, the fact is that there are in Negro pulpits all over the land and in the South some Negro preachers who, in intellectual ability, in moral power and purity, and in spiritual insight and breadth q^ wis- dom, are the equal of some of the best of the Anglo- Saxon race." CHURCHES. Regular Baptists (Colored). — The colored Baptists of the South constitute the most numerous of regular Baptists. Not all colored Baptists are embraced in this division ; only those who have separate churches, associations, and state conventions. There are many - colored Baptists in Northern states, who are mostly counted as members of churches belonging to white associations. None of them are included in the fol- lowing estimates and figures. The first convention of colored Baptists was organ- ized in North Carolina in 1866, the second in Alabama, and the third in Virginia in 1867, the fourth in Arkansas in 1868, and the fifth in Kentucky in 1869. There are colored conventions in fifteen states and the District of Columbia. In addition to these organizations the colored Bap- tistn c>f the United States have others more general in ' , < Z THANKFUL BAPTIST CHURCH, AUGUSTA. GEORGIA. 4fi5 80 Prosress. 466 PROGRESS OF A RACE. character: The American National Convention, the purpose of which is "to consider the moral, intellectual and religious growth of the denomination," to delib- erate upon questions of general concern, and to devise methods of bringing the churches and members of the race together; the Consolidated American Missionary Convention, the General Association of the Western States and Territories, the Foreign Mission Conven- tion of the United States, and the New England Missionary Convention. All except the first are mis- sionary in their purpose. The Regular Baptists (colored) are represented in fifteen states, all in the South, or on the border, and the District of Columbia. In Virginia and Georgia they are very numerous, having in the latter 200,516, and in the former 199,871 communicants. In Alabama they have 142,437; in North Carolina, 134,445; in Mississippi, 136,647; in South Carolina, 125,572, and in Texas, 111,138 members. The aggregate is 1,348,- 989 members, who are embraced in 12,533 organizations, with 11,987 church edifices, and church property valued at $9,038,549. There are 414 associations, of which 66 are in Alabama, 6^ in Georgia, 49 in Missis- sippi, and 39 in North Carolina. African Methodist Episcopal. — This branch of American Methodism was organized in Philadelphia in 1 81 6 by a number of colored members of Methodist Episcopal Church. They withdrew from the parent body in order that they might have larger privileges and more freedom of action among themselves than they believed they could secured in continued associa- tion with their white brethren. The Rev. Richard Allen was elected the first bishop of the new church by the same convention that organized it. In the RELIGION AND THE NEGRO. 467 year 1787 Mr. Allen had been made the leader of a class of forty persons of his own color. A few years later he purchased a lot at the comer of Sixth and Lombard streets, Philadelphia, where the first church erected in this country for colored Methodists was occu- pied in 1794. This site is now covered by an edifice dedicated in 1890, valued at $50,000. In doctrine, government and usage, the church does not essentially differ from the body from which it sprang. It has an itinerant and a local or non-itinerant ministry, and its territory is divided into annual con- ferences. It has a general conference, meeting once every four years; bishops or itinerant general super- intendents, elected for life, who visit the annual conferences in the episcopal districts to which they are assigned, and presiding elders, who exercise sub- episcopal oversight in the districts into which the annual conferences arc divided, and it has the proba- tionary system for new members, with exhorters, class leaders, stewards, stewardesses, etc. There are in the United States, 2,481 organizations; 4,124 edifices, with church property valued at $6,468,- 280, and 452,725 communicants or members. The church is widely distributed, having congrega- tions in foity-one states and territories. The states in which it is not represented are the two Dakotas, Idaho, IVIaine, Nevada, New Hampshire and Vermont, the territories being Alaska, Oklahoma, and Arizona. Its members are most numerous in South Carolina, where there are 88,172. Georgia comes second with 73,248; Alabama third, with 30,781; Arkansas fourth, with 27,956; Mississippi fifth, with 25,439; Tennessee has 23,718; Texas 23,392, and Florida 22,463. In no other state does the number reach 17,000. The eight 468 PROGRESS OF A RACE, Southern states above given report 315,169 members, or considerably more than two-thirds of the entire membership of the church. African Union Methodist Protestant. — This body, which has a few congregations divided among eight states, came into existence at about the same time the African Methodist Episcopal Church was organized (18 1 6), differing from the latter chiefly in objections to the itineracy, to a paid ministry, and to the episco- pacy. It has two annual conferences, with 40 organi- zations, 27 church edifices, church property valued at $55,440, and 3,415 communicants. African Methodist Episcopal Zion. — A congregation of colored people, organized in New York city, in 1796, was the nucleus of the African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church. This congregation originated in a desire of colored members of the Methodist Episcopal Church to hold separate meetings, in which they "might have an opportunity to exercise their spiritual gifts among themselves, and thereby be more useful to one another." They built a church, which was dedicated in 1800, the full name of the denomination subsequently organized being given to it. The church entered into an agreement in 1 801, by which it was to receive certain pastoral supervision from the Meth- odist Episcopal Church. It had preachers of its own who supplied its pulpits in part. In 1820 this arrange- ment terminated, and in the same year a union of colored churches in New York, New Haven, Long Island, and Philadelphia was formed and rules of gov- ernment adopted. Thus was the African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church formally organized. The first annual conference was held in 182 1. It was attended by nineteen preachers, representing six RELIGION AND THE NEGRO. 469 churches and 1,426 members. Next year, James Vanck was chosen superintendent of the denomina- tion, which was extended over the states of the North, chiefly, until the close of the civil war, when it entered the South to organize many churches. In its policy, lay representation has long been a prominent feature. Laymen are in its annual confer- ences as well as in its general conferences, and there is no bar to the ordination of women. Until 1880 its superintendents, or bishops, were elected for a term of four years. In that year the term of the office was made for life or during a good behavior. Its system is almost identical with that of the Methodist Episcopal Church, except the presence of laymen in the annual conference, the election of presiding elders on the nom- ination of the presiding bishop, instead of their appointment by the bishop alone, and other small divergences. Its general conference meets quadrennially. Its territory is divided into seven Episcopal districts, to each of which a bishop is assigned by the general con- ference. The church is represented in twenty-eight states and the District of Columbia. It is strongest in North Carolina, where it has 111,949 communicants. Ala- bama comes next with 79,231 communicants; South Carolina third, with 45,880, and Florida fourth, with 14,791. There are in all 1,704 organizations; 1,587 church edifices; church property valued at $2,714,128, and 349,788 communicants. Colored Methodist Episcopal. — The Colored Meth- odist Episcopal Church was organized in 1870, of colored members and ministers of the M. E. Church, South. Before the war this church did a large evan- FIRST CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH, ATLANTA, GEORGIA. 470 RELIGION AND THE NEGRO. 471 gelistic work among the Negroes. Many of the Negro slaves received the gospel from the same preachers and in the same churches as their masters, the galleries or a portion of the house being assigned to them. For those who were not privileged to attend organized churches, special missions were begun as early as 1829. In 1845 there were 124,000 members of the slave pop- ulation, and in i860 207,000 members. In 1866, after the opening of the South to Northern churches had given the Negro members opportunity to join the A. M. E. Church, the A. M. E. Zion and other Methodist bodies, it was found that there were only 78,000 mem- bers left. The General Conference of 1866 authorized these colored members to be organized into separate conferences, and in 1870 two bishops were appointed to organize the colored conferences into a separate and independent church. This church has the same articles of religion, the same form of government, and the same discipline as its parent body. Its bishops are elected for life. Bishop Holsey declares that the great aim of the church is to evangelize the Negro, and to educate and elevate him. There are 23 annual conferences, 129,383 members. There are 1,750 organizations, with 1,653 church edifices. Valuation of property, $1,713,366. This church is strongest in Georgia, where it has more than 2 2, coo members, Mississippi comes next with 20,000, Tennessee third, with 18,968, and Alabama fourth, with 18,940. Congregational Methodists (Colored). — This body consists of congregations of colored members organ- ized into conferences by presidents of the Congrega- tional Methodist Church, to which it corresponds in all particulars of doctrine, polity and usage. The only 472 PROGRESS OF A RACE. difference in the churches of the two bodies is that rhey are composed of white and colored persons, respectively. There are in all nine organizations and 319 communicants. Cumberland Presbyterian (Colored). — This body was organized in May, 1S69, at Murfreesboro, Ten- nessee, under the direction of the General Assembly of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church. It was con- stituted of colored ministers and members who had been connected with that church. Its first synod, the Tennessee, was organized in 1871, and its general assembly in 1874. It has the same doctrinal symbol as the parent body, and the same system of govern- ment and discipline, differing only in race. It has twenty-three presbyteries, and is represented in nine states and one territory. It has 224 organizations, 183 church edifices, 12,956 communicants and church property valued at $195,826. It has 81 organizations, 72 church edifices, with an approximate seating capacity of 24,125; 7 halls with a seating capacity of 825 ; its church property is valued at $88,660, with 2,202 communicants or members. Sunday School Union of the A. M. E. Church.— Of all the public institutions owned and controlled by Afro-Americans, the Sunday School Union of the African Methodist Episcopal Church deserves special mention. From a purely business standpoint, it has been a decided success. Organized August 11, 1882, it has just completed the first fifteen years of its existence. What as to results? It is the first colored religious denomination to adopt "Children's Day" as an anniversary of annual observance, and to apply the collections received there- from to the extension of Sunday school work. It is RELIGION AND THE NEGRO. 473 the first colored religious organization in the world to purchase and possess real estate paid for by moneys raised ex- clusively by Sunday school children. It ^ is the first colored ^religious denomina- tion to issue a series o f graded Sunday school helps, such as quarterlies, and les- son papers. It is the first colored religious denomination to print and publish with the aid of its own machinery and material Sunday school literature and requisites. From the returns of Children's Day, it has received $56,- 969- 5 7> while the receipts to business aggregate $158,658. It has donated to needy Sunday schools, in the way of books and periodi- cals, $5,057.98. It owns a solid stone front, brick building, situated on the public square, in Nashville, Tennessee, which 474 PROGRESS OF A RACE. is of inestimable value to .the A. M. E. Church, and would not be parted with for any sum less than $35,000. It is five stories high, including the basement. Its periodicals have a circulation in almost every state and territory in the West Indies and West and South Africa. Its property and business is easily worth $40,000, and is free and unencumbered, except a current debt of $1,500, which is partially offset by a cash balance. It has never assumed the attitude of a public beggar, nor asked a white person for a single penny. Its support from all sources has come absolutely and exclusively from colored people. Its founder, Charles Spencer Smith, has been its secretary and treasurer from its organization to the present. Items. — Hon. Frederick Douglass, in his early life, was a local preacher in the A. M. E. Zion Church. The first A. M. E. Zion church established south of the Mason and Dixon line, was St. Peter's at New- berne, North Carolina, in 1862. The American Baptist Home Missionary Society has expended in Georgia for educational work among the 200,000 Negroes there, more than $500,000. Two of the most important schools — Spelman Seminar)' and the Baptist College — are located at Atlanta. The colored Baptists of the United States report a membership of 1,348,000, with 11,000 ordained minis- ters; 13,000 church buildings, valued at $10,000,000, and 9,000 Sunday schools, with more than 500,000 scholars. Rev. Lott Carey was born in Virginia in 1780, and died November 10, 1828, in Liberia. He was the first colored American missionary to Africa. RELIGION AND THE NEGRO. 475 Fully nine-tenths of the colored church members are Methodists and Baptists, and between these two they are pretty equally divided. The oldest colored church in the South is Evans' Chapel, Fayetteville, North Carolina (A. M. E. Zion). Remember, Christian Negroes black as Cain may be refined and join the angelic train. — Phillis Wheatley. Negroes are more religious than white folks. They are more emotional. Emotion is not a virtue, for some emotionalists are sadly wanting in all the virtues. The amount of knowledge a man has does not secure his usefulness if he has so taken it in that he is lop-sided. — Blyden. If a man wants to know his own strength, he need not measure himself. He needs only to size up the fellows who are pulling against him to find out how strong he is. — Bishop Grant. Rev. E. C. Morris, D. D., born May 7, 1855. was a native of Murray county, Georgia. He and his parents were slaves until liberated by the Emancipa- tion Proclamation of "Father Abraham." His early educational advantages were limited to the common school, but as he was a careful student and a close observer, his knowledge of men and cur- rent events made him a practical business man and a wise adviser. In 1879 he took the pastorate of the Centennial Bap- tist church of Helena, Arkansas, which position he has held continuously to the present time. His ability is also recognized as an organizer in educational, mis- sionary and literary interests. He established, and for two years edited the first religious paper published by his race in the state of Arkansas. In 1884, he organ- ised th« Arkansas Baptist College, and for sixteen 476 PROGRESS OF A RACE. years has been chairman of its board of tnistees. For nineteen years he has been president of the Baptist state convention. Since 1894 he has been president of KEV. E. C. MORRIS, D. D. the National Baptist convention, the largest delibera- tive body of negroes in the world. It was his active brain that conceived the idea of the National Baptist RELIGION AND THE NEGRO. 477 Young People's Union Board. In addition to his other duties, that of editor-in-chief of the "Conven- tion Teacher" was undertaken by his energetic hand. \ REV. M. W, D. NOKMAN, D. D. Rev. M. W. D. Norman, D. D.— Rev. Moses W. D. Norman of North Carolina was educated at Plymouth Normal School and Shaw University. In the fall of 1893 he was appointed Professor of Theology in Shaw 478 PROGRESS OF A RACE. University. This position he resigned in 1896 to accept the presidency of Roanoke Institute. MRS. MARY RICE PHELPS, AUGUSTA, GA. See sketch page 608. Provident Hospital. — This institution, located at Chicago, was founded in 1891, and incorporated through the united efforts of a few earnest men. With the exception of Freedman's Hospital at Washington, it is the only institution engaged in special work in behalf of the colored people. It is unique in its RELIGION AND THE NEGRO. 479 character, and those for whom its benefits are more specially intended are grateful for and appreciative of its advantages. Training School for Nurses. — In it is established a school in which young colored women are fitted for nurses, and thus a new field for their independence has been developed. A course of two years has been laid out, and already three classes have graduated. In addition to the regular hospital duties, visiting nurses are sent out among the poor and sick colored people, with most gratifying results. Receipts. — The fifth annual report of the board of trustees gives as the total receipts nearly $30,000, of which more than $11,000 were voluntarily contributed by patients themselves, and the remainder by friends of the institution. Patients. — The number of colored patients in the hospital for the first five years was 655, Gratitude. — Words cannot express the gratitude of the colored people in the establishment of this home which has brought new and liberal facilities to the needy of the colored race. Rev. Thos. H. B. Walker was born in Tallahassee, Florida, in 1873. Like most colored boys of the South, he began life at the very bottom; but by his intelligence and perseverance, he has placed himself among the leaders of his race in the "black belt" of the South. Without money or special friends he worked his way through Cookman Institute, Jackson- ville, Florida. He was pastor of a church at the age of nineteen. In 1897 he was elected editor of The Sabbath School Banner. The same year he organized the St. Joseph Aid Society, whose membership is now found in all parts of the South. 480 PROGRESS OF A RACE. REV. THOS. H. R WALKER. Hale Infirmary. — In Montgomery, Alabama, in the eastern part of the city, near Hall street, is a large eighteen-room building with this inscription on the corner-stone: "Infirmary, given by James Hale, for the benefit of his race, and erected by his wife, as a memorial to their deceased daughter and son, Sarah and James." It was the desire of James Hale to do something to help the poor and aged of his people, but before he was able to carry out his plans, he was called away to '*that home over there," in the heavenly city of rest. He told his wife, however, to carry out his wishes; RELIGION AND THE NEGRO. 481 and, faithful to her promise to her dying husband, this g"Ood woman did not cease work until the desires of her husband were fulfilled. And indeed, although the in- firmary is in full operation today, she has not stopped work, but is going about among the poor, the aged and the homeless, doing all she can to lighten their burdens of life. Those who are sick, those who are alone, those who have no homes, and those who have fallen among thieves, she is lifting them up, building up their wounds and taking them to her inn, the Hale Infirmary. " The property as it stands today is worth ^7,000, and, knowing the needs of my people as I do, I can say for a truth, James Hale could not have left his money to a better cause. Our people liave been buying church property and building churches and preparing to live in heaven, for more than a generation. To this I have no objection, but I think the time is near at hand when we should begin to mix a little business with our religion, and while building our churches, let us also build homes for our- selves, homes for the orphans, the poor and the aged of our race, and also infirmaries and hospitals where the lame, sick and the injured can be cared for." Mrs. Watts' Orphanage.— At Covington, Georgia, is located an institution which is doing much good for the state and for our people. There, in that quiet little city, is an orphanage and industrial school under the management of Mrs. D. Pace Watts. That good woman is toiling on with her work, spending her earn- ings and her life, all for the good she may do for the poor and parentless of her race, and is building up the kingdom of God among them, and, in her way, as best she can, is teaching them how to make honest and honorable citizens. SI Progress. 482 PROGRESS OF A RACE. How sweet must be the lives of those who pass be- yond the whirlpool of society and lose themselves in the midst of spiritual work among- the poor, the friend- less, the motherless and the fatherless of the communi- ties in which they live. There they work and pray to make the world better, often without pay, without thanks, and without encouragement, but they labor on with the belief that some day, and somewhere, they will be rewarded. Such has been the life work of Mrs. Diana Pace Watts. She has toiled with her work at Covington almost single-handed, and has overcome many obsta- cles. The extent of her work cannot be told in such a short article ; suffice it to say, however, she is doing much good for her race and the state, and deserves the co-operation and support of all who are interested in Christian work among the lowly. To Rescue Colored People. — The Rev. George W. Dickey, pastor of the Burning Bush Mission, Chicago, Illinois, recently purchased the three-story brick build- ing at 2838 Dearborn street, for the purpose of con- verting it into a home for homeless and unfortunate women. It will be called a Rescue and Industrial institute. The plan has been under consideration for some time, and recently a few wealthy Baptists took hold of the matter, with the Rev. Mr, Dickey, and the result is that the home will be opened as soon as the alterations can be made in the two upper floors. The property cost $10,500, and is a three-story brick building, 25x98 feet, on a lot no feet deep. There will be sleeping apartments on the top floor, and on the second floor the women will be taught sewing, housekeeping, cooking, stenography, and typewriting, and whatever else will enable them to be self-support- CHARITABLE INSTITUTIONS. 483 ing. The plan of Rev. Dickey is one of several to give practical aid to the unemployed among the col- ored people. The Rev. Dickey, in speaking of his work, says: "We need to do something for our young women. AMANDA SMITH. They come to Chicago in large numbers from the South every year, and drift about in this great city without any guidance or friends. In a short while they go to the dogs. It is the one reason why one can go into 484 PROGRESS OF A RACE. the various stations of the city and see such a larg« percentage of colored criminals. I think it is about time for the Christian people to bestir themselves and do something practical in the way of giving protection and kindly assistance to unemployed colored men and women. Our home is established for this purpose. And, while we are colored people, I can assure you that we will not close our doors against the needy of any race or color. ' ' Amanda Smith Industrial Orphan Home for Col- ored Children. — Amanda Smith, who has labored much for the elevation of her people, was greatly im- pressed with the need of an orphan home for colored children, and in 1895 secured possession of a property in North Harvey, Chicago, Illinois, worth $6,000. Through the sale of her book, evangelistic work and donations, she has ali^eady secured considerable toward the payment for the building. She is putting all her time and strength into collecting funds so that the Home may be free of debt. While she is spend- ing her time in the evangelistic held, and in collecting for the orphanage, her permanent address is 2940 Soutli Park avenue, Chicago, Illinois. There is no doubt that this institution will be a great blessing to the colored people of Chicago and tlie North vrhiMi it is «s:-^ T,(*4^.' ^ ^ %* ■>■ - '-'->!l >- f%-' HON. S. J. JENKINS, AUSTIN, TEXAS. S. J. Jenkins is a prominent lawyer of Austin, Texas, He has been prominent in politics, and is at present President of the Deaf, Dumb and Blind Asylum at Austin. Daniel M. Mason is one of the prominent lawyers of Dallas, Texas. Mr. Mason entered Howard Univer- sity in 1886, graduating in 1890. He then entered PERSONAGES OF THE AFRO-AMERICAN RACE. 581 the law department of this institution, and graduated with honors two years later. Since then he has prac- ticed law in Dallas, Texas, and as a young man of his profession is meeting with success. THE CCI ORED MAN IN MEDICINE. Voodoos. — When ^he civil war was over, and the emoke of battle had cleared away, the field in the South was occupied by the red-eyed "voodoo," who styled himself a "doctor." There were, at that time, possibly two or three exceptions to this rule, but only two or three. Should you ask these voodoos, better known among the illiterate as " root- workers, " what might be their business, the answer would quickly be given something like this: "My trade, dat am a doctor. " "Is that so?" "Yes, sar, I is a root doctor from 'way back; and when I gets done standing at de forks ob de road at midnight, puUin' up roots twixt de hollowing ob de owels, and gittin' a little fresh dirt from de grave yard, honey, der am suffin 'agwinter drop. " This being, with his weird stories, went forth among a people who were rocked, as it were, in the cradle of superstition, and early became monarch of all he sur- veyed. He was known and feared throughout the .country. He claimed to be able to cure anything from consumption to an unruly wife or husband, and fur- nishing charms to make love matches, and to keep the wife or husband at home, was one of his specialties. Every patient they called on they diagnosed the trouble thus : He or she was tricked ; if pneumonia, they were tricked; if a fever, they were tricked; or if a case of consumption, they were tricked. Their stock of medicine, if such we must call it, 582 PROGRESS OF A RACE. generally consisted of such things as these : small bags of graveyard soil, rabbits' feet, rusty nails, needles, pins, goose grease, snake skins, and many other such things. I say, a little more than a generation ago, this was the class of so-called "colored doctors" that predomi- nated in the South, and which for many years was a great stumbling block to the educated physicians of our race, because it seemed to be understood that all "colored doctors" were and must be "root doctors." But thank Him who holds the destinies of races in His hands that in the flight of years, and in this electric age of progress, this "voodoo doctor" has almost— not entirely, but almost— passed away, while his territory is being occupied by colored physicians whose qualifications in education, character and honor are equal to similar qualifications in the physicians of any other race. The Contrast.— Thirty years ago, there were few, if any, Negro physicians to be found, says Dr. L. T. Burbridge, while today there is scarcely a Southern town and a large proportion of the Northern towns and cities that cannot boast of one or more colored physicians, regular graduates of authorized medical colleges. While this is true, we are compelled to admit that there is a field for many more. It is esti- mated that there is one white physician to every 300 of his people, while there is only one colored doctor to every 9,000 of his people. This furnishes an idea of our need, for we feel assured that when the colored physician become more numerous, so as not to be a rare object, then he will be more respected by all classes of people. Then, too, we feel proud to state that the practice of the colored doctor is by no means PERSONAGES OF THE AFRO- AMERICAN RACE. 583 confined solely to his own race. The Negro physician enjoys in many instances a small but gfrowing white pat- ronage. This, in itself, is a confession of a recognition of skill and ability, wrung, as it were, from the lips of the oppressor. Patronage. — The colored physician does net ask patronage on the score of color, and on the other hand he does not want to be denied work on that account. He does not ask that allowances be made for his defi- ciencies because he is a Negro, and on the other hand, he does not want to be denied the privileges that skill and ability should demand for any medical man, whether white or black. A recognition of skill and competency is all that he asks, regardless of color. In other words, he wants to be treated as a man — one who has fully prepared himself to do the work as thoroughly and skillfully as any other man, of what- ever nationality. The Negro physician realizes the fact that this is his only hope for successfully overcom- ing the many discouraging features of his work, and with this fact in view, he has ever bent diligently to the accomplishment of the task set before him. Advantages. — The advantages offered to the colored man for a medical education are good. Meharry, New Orleans and Shaw Medical Colleges, in the South, are doing good work, and in the North but few, if any, doors are closed against the colored aspirant; while England, France and Germany all extend to him a wel- coming hand. And, if yet we have not a Treve, we have a Newman, if we have not a Koch, we have a Stewart, and if we have not a Sims, we have a Boyd. These are among the pioneers of the Negro medical profession, and where they leave off their posterity will take up and carry on the work so well begun. B84 PROGRESS OF A RACE. Influence. — While the farmer, the mechanic, the teacher, the newspaper man, and the lawyers of our race are laboring in their spheres, the physicians of the race are spending their talents, their little means, and their life for the elevation of their people, physi- cally, morally and spiritually, and too often without remuneration. These men are doing much good for their people and the communities in which they live. Physicians of Today. — The colored physicians in the South today are men and women fully equipped in education, morals and integrity for the high calling they have elected, as their noble work will show. In the United States today there are about one thou- sand colored physicians, men and women, and more than seven hundred of them are located in the Southern states. While they represent the homeopathic and eclectic schools, yet the regulars are largely in the majority. Women, — The colored women have gone into the profession very rapidly. They are scattered through- out the South, and are doing a good practice. While most of the medical schools are open to them, they come largely from Ann Arbor, Howard, Meharry and the school in Kentucky, and also the Woman' s Med- ical College of Philadelphia. Dr. Alice McCain, of Savannah, Georgia, is the only lady physician in that state. Her husband is a fine physician also. She is a graduate of the Woman's Medical College of Philadel- phia, and he of the University of Vermont. There is one thing commendable about our female physicians, as well as our male physicians, and that is they come from good schools, and are fully prepared for their work. They, too, should be encouraged as they go forth to their labors. PERSONAGES OF THE AFRO-AMERICAN RACE. 585 Reception by White Profession.— The white phy- sicians of the South, especially the better class of them, give the colored members of the profession a hearty welcome into the field. They always have a kind word for them; they encourage the people to employ their own physicians; they lend them their instruments, and come in consultation whenever called. This is not local, but is reported to us from all parts of the South. Their Wealth. — The colored physicians in the South, most of them, are in better circumstances than their brethren in the North and East. Most of them have beautiful homes, fine horses, city and town lots ; while some have plantations and others large bank accounts. One of the wealthiest colored physicians with whom we are acquainted is Dr. H. T. Noel, of Tennessee, whose wealth is estimated to be about $85,000. The American Medical Association of Colored Phy- sicians and Surgeons was organized in November, 1895, at Atlanta, Georgia. Its necessity grew out of the fact that colored physicians of the South are not admitted to the old organization. The second bi-ennial meeting will be held in Nashville, Tennessee, October 15 and 16, 1897. A large attendance is expected. Dr. R. F. Boyd, of Nashville, Tennessee, is presi- dent; Dr. D. L. Martin is secretary. The programme of the coming session includes many of the most prominent colored physicians of the country. The Southern Empire State Medical Association of Georgia held its fourth annual meeting in Macon, July I and 2, 1897. ■ This association is composed of the colored physicians and surgeons of the state. It is in a flourishing condition. It was organized by Dr. H. R. Butler, A. M., M. D., who was elected the first president and served one year. 586 PROGRESS OF A RACE. The colored physicians are organized in six states: North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Tennessee, Florida, and Texas. Dr. Robert Fulton Boyd was born in Giles county, ^ \7^7^ '^^W^ ^^?^^^JMp*^5^^?-W^^=^^^^^^T - DR. R. F. BOYD, Professor in Meharry Medical College, Nashville, Tenn. Tennessee, where he spent his early boyhood days. At the age of eight years, he was taken to Nashville PERSONAGES OF THE AFRO-AMERICAN RACE. 587 to live with Dr. Paul Eve, a noted surgeon of his day. It was here that he first conceived the idea of making a physician of himself. He attended night school at the old Fisk School, and learned to spell and to lead from McGuffey's First Reader; from 1868 to 1870 he worked on a farm, then returned to Nashville to learn the brick trade. He had not yet learned to write, and was anxious for an education, and in 1872 hired himself to Gen. James Hickman to work half a day and go to school the other half. He earned enough for clothing by teaching old colored people their letters, so that they might read the Bible. In 1875 he began teaching school and rapidly rose in that profession. He became principal of the Pulaski schools, and was employed by the State Superintendent to hold state institutes for colored teachers in middle Tennessee. In 1880 he entered Meharry Medical College, and graduated in 1882. In the same year he was appointed adjunct pro- fessor of chemistry in Meharry Medical College, and at the same time entered the college department of Central Tennessee College, graduating in 18S6. He then entered the dental department of Meharry Medi- cal College, and graduated in 1887. He paid his ex- penses all this time by teaching in the various depart- ments of the Central Tennessee College. In 1887 he entered the practice of his profession in Nashville, where he has since done a work second in importance and magnitude to no other physician. Mr. Boyd is a hard worker, and uses all his powers to elevate and educate his race. He is a typical ex- ample of what young men can do in spite of the greatest opposition. He has built for himself a practice that is an honor to any man. His office, in- struments, horses and buggies compare favorably with 588 PROGRESS OF A RACE. those of any other physician. He has instituted a society for the study of sociology and ethics among colored people. In this respect alone he has done much for the betterment of the colored people in Nash- ville. In 1890 he took a post-graduate course, and in 1892 he took a second post-graduate course in a Chicago medical college. He is at present a member of the faculty of Meharry Medical College, being professor of gynecology and clinical medicine. He owns the valuable property, 417 and 419 Cedar street, Nashville, worth $20,000. It is a building used for offices, and contains forty rooms. He was once nominated candi- date for mayor of Nashville, and the legislature of Tennessee. Connected with his office is an infirmary for the care of the sick and surgical cases. Trained nurses are always on hand. He gives two hours three times a week to the sick and indigent poor during the college year. Many now attend his free clinic and are helped. Dr. Boyd is a polite and affable gentleman, respected both by whites and blacks, and an honor to the race which he so ably represents. He is president of the American Medical Association of Colored Phy- sicians and Surgeons, and in every respect leads his race in everything that is elevating and ennobling. His friends are urging him for surgeon-in-chief of the Freedman's Hospital at Washington, D. C. He is well endorsed, and has numerous letters of recom- mendation and petitions to President McKinley to appoint him. While the people of Nashville are glad to see Dr. Boyd honored and have his ambitions and aspirations gratified, they do not want him to leave them. Daniel H. Williams, Chicago, 111. , son of Daniel and Sarah (Price) Williams, grandson of Daniel Williams, PERSONAGES OF THE AFRO-AMERICAN RACE. 589 was born January 18, 1858, at Hollidaysburg, Pa. He attended the Janesv-ille, Wis., high school, and was graduated from the Janesville Classical Academy in 1878. Commenced the study of medicine at Janesville in 1880, under Surgeon-General Henry Palmer; attended three courses of lectures at Chicago Medical College, from which he was graduated March 28, 1883, his education having been obtained through his own exer- tions, his parents being unable to render financial assistance. In May, 1883, he located permanently in the practice of medicine in Chicago. Dr. Williams is a member of the American Medical Association, Illinois State Medical Society, Chicago Medical Society, and Ninth International Medical Con- gress. He was surgeon to South Side Dispensary, Chicago, i884-'92; Surgeon to Provident Hospital, i89o-'93; physician to Protestant Orphan Asylum, j8S4-'93; member of Illinois State Board of Health, 1889; reappointed, 1891. He is also a member of the IlamJlton Club, of Chicago. Was appointed surgeon in charge of the Freedmen's Hospital, Washington, D. C, February 15, 1894. Dr. Williams stands at the head of the list of the great surgeons of our country. He came into promi- nence when a very young man a few years ago by per- forming one of the most difficult of surgical operations on the heart and pericardium, which properly consisted in operating upon and saving the life of a man who had been stabbed in the heart. Since his advent to Freedmen's Hospital he has continued to perform very difficult operations, and has directed more attention to Freedmen's and the work being done there than many institutions of the kind in the country. He recently performed an operation which is regarded by the med- 590 PROGRESS OF A RACE. ical profession as not only one of the rarest, but also one of the most hazardous — the Caesarian section. The race has reason to be proud of him for the great service he is rendering it. J. W. E. BOWEN, D. D., PH. D. Professor of Historical Theology in Gammon Theological Seminary. J. W. E. Bowen, D. D., Ph. D. — Doctor Bowen was born in New Orleans in 1855. His father, Edward PERSONAGES OF THE AFRO-AMERICAN RACE. 591 Bowen, was a free man, his mother a slave. At the age of five the boy and his mother were bought out of slav- ery by the father. At the age of seventeen young Bowen entered the New Orleans University, a school established by the Methodist Episcopal church at the close of the Rebellion. Soon after his graduation from the university. Doctor Bowen became professor of Latin and Greek in the Central Tennessee College at Nashville, Tennessee. In 1882, having resigned his professorship, he en- tered Boston University, where he studied for four years. In 1887 this University conferred upon him the degree of Ph.D. In 1892 he received the degree of D. D. from Gammon Theological Seminary. After graduating from Boston University he entered the New England conference of the Methodist Epis- copal church. His pastorates included leading churches in Boston, Newark, Baltimore, and Washington, and covered a period of eleven years. While pastor of the church in Washington, he pursued the study of the Semitic lan- guages. Doctor Bowen 's next promotion was his election as professor of Historical Theology in Gammon Theo- logical Seminary at Atlanta, Georgia, which position he holds at this writing. At the general conference of his church, held at Chicago in May, 1900, he came within a few votes ot being elected one of the bishops of that great church. Amid all the cares of the pastorate and teacher he found time to do much writing. Some of his works are: "Plain Talks to the Colored People of America," 592 PROGRESS OF A RACE. "Appeal to the King," "The Comparative Status of the Negro at the Close of the War and To-day," "The Struggle for Supremacy between Church and State in the Middle Ages," "The American and the African Negro," "University Addresses," and "Dis- cussions in Philosophy and Theology." David Lee Johnstone enrolled as a student at the State Normal School at Tuskegee, September 14, 1885, completing the course in 1S89. His vacations were spent at Pratt City, Alabama, working there as a miner to earn money enough to return to school in the fall and to support an invalid father. After completing his course he returned to Pratt City, and found employment as a teacher in the public schools, which position he held for four years. Having a desire to complete a course in pharmacy and not being able to accumulate a sufficient amount at teach- ing, he resigned and accepted a contract in the mines at Milldale, Alabama. This employment, although very hard, was more lucrative, and the ist of Septem- ber, 1894, he entered the pharmaceutical department of Meharry Medical College, Nashville. During vacation he continued working in the mines. At graduation he was elected by the members of his class to represent them in the commencement exercises. He soon found employment with the Peoples' Drug Company, of Birmingham, Alabama. In April, 1896, he opened the Union Drug Store, at Birmingham, Alabama, and continued in it until December of that year, when it was swept out by fire. His purpose, however, was not to be defeated by losses, and in April, 1897, he again opened the doors of the Union Drug Company, and is doing a prosperous bus- iness. PERSONAGES OF THE AFRO-AMERICAN RACE. 593 Dr. W. A. Hadley was bom of slave parents in 1850. He attended Fisk University, and was one of the first normal teachers sent out from that institution. In 1878 he entered Meharry Medical College, from which he graduated in 1880. After practicing medicine four years, he returned to teaching, and is at present prin- cipal of one of the Nashville schools. His hoiise is modern in every respect, and is a perfect, ideal home. One remarkable feature in Dr. Hadley's home is a col- lection of pictures, all of which were painted by his daughter, who is the principal of music in the Tuskegee Normal School, and enjoys the distinction of being the first graduate in music from Fisk University. Dr. Hadley's real estate and other property are valued at $14,000. B. E. Scruggs, M. D., was born of Christian parents i n Huntsville, A 1 a- bama. He received his education at Central Alabama College and Central Tennessee Col- lege, at Nashville. He graduated from Me- harry Medical College in 1897, and in July ot the same year he passed the state medical exam- ination, standing high- est of any of those who were examined at that time. He has had a successful practice ever since. In 1892 he was B. E. SCRUGGS, M. D., Huntsville, Alabama. elected alderman of the city of Huntsville, and re- 88 Progreaa, 594 PROGRESS OF A RACE. elected in 1897 by the largest vote of any aspirant. He is the first Afro- American of Alabama to graduate from a school of medicine. Dr. Scruggs was married to Miss Sophia J. Davidson in 1881. He owns some property, and is in good circumstances. Dr. Ferdinand A. Stewart was bom in Mobile, Ala- bama, in 1862. He completed the classical course in Fisk University in 1885, and three years later grad- uated in the medical department of Harvard University with the first honors of his class of over one hundred, all of whom were white excepting himself. Since 1888 he has been practicing medicine in Nashville, and has succeeded admirably, both professionally and financially. He has no other ambition than to serve his people in his professional capacity. Dr. Henry Fitzbutler, of Louisville, was born Decem- ber 22, 1842. He graduated in the Michigan University in 1872. He was granted a charter by the legislature of Kentucky in 1888 to practice medicine, having graduated at the Louisville National Medical College. He was the first regular physician of the Negro race to enter upon the practice of medicine in the state of Kentucky, T. T. Wendell— The subject of this sketch, Mr. T. T. Wendell, was born July 24, 187 1, at Nashville, Ten- nessee. At an early age he evinced great aptitude for study, and very often led his classes in the public schools of his native city. After completing the pre- scribed course in the city schools, and possessing a strong desire to become proficient in medicine, he entered Meharry College, where he pursued his studies with diligence and vigor, graduating from the phar- maceutical department in the class of 1894, with marked distinction, being the valedictorian of the largest class ^aduating from that famous institution. PERSONAGES OF THE AFRO-AMERICAN RACE. 595 Mr. Wendell, now realizing that it was time for him to repay his widowed mother for the care and many sacrifices she made for his advancement, secured a position at Henderson, Kentucky, as manager of The Citizens' Drug Company, which position he held until a more remunerative one was offered by Dr. W. H. Ballard at Lexington. He is now filling this position to the satisfaction of his employer and his many friends, who are numerous, which is testified to by the fact that although in the Leader (a daily paper) contest for the most popular clerk in the city, he was opposed by ten others, all white, yet when the votes were counted Mr. Wendell had over five hundred votes more than his next highest competitor. F. B. Coffin, Ph. G., Pharmacist and Poet.— F. B. Coffin was born in 1869, in Holly Springs, Mississippi. His father being poor and having a large family, Frank had very meagre educational advantages. At the age of ten, he lost his best earthly friend, his mother. His older brothers and sisters scattered over the South as teachers, and morally and intellectually he was left to his own guidance. He was raised in the sturdy mold of tireless industry. Against his will, but to please his father, he stayed on the farm until seventeen years of age, receiving three months' schooling annually. He read all kinds of literature that came to his hand, good and bad, but through the influence of his brothers, he cast away the trashy novel and more than ever desired an education. His elder brothers having left home, he was his father's only stay, and the remark was often made, "What would I do without Frank." Through correspondece with his brothers, the desire to attend school was constantly increasing, and in 1886, by the aid and consent of his father and brothers, he 596 PROGRESS OF A RACE. entered Fisk University, where both his brothers had graduated. He spent his vacations on the farm, and in 1889, with his father's consent, he remained in Nashville, where he was able to earn more money. At the beginning of his senior year, he was called home by the sickness of his father. This was a severe trial to him, as he was thus cut off from his classmates, and not permitted ^o graduate with them. In writing to one of his classmates, he says: "If misfortune pre- vents my graduating with you you will hear from me somewhere, for Fisk has kindled a fire of determina- tion and it cannot be extinguished." After his father's death, he taught school for a time, but was disgusted with it through the fact that in gaining and holding a position merit was drowned by political wire- pulling. In 1 89 1 he entered Meharry Medical College and graduated in 1893. He is now conducting a drug store at Little Rock, Arkansas, and is thoroughly awake to the necessity of competing if he would excel. He takes as his motto, "No step backward," and is working with all the energy of his soul to range among the successful ones of our closing century. Mr. Coffin has just published a volume of poems of about two hundred pages, forty of which relate to the crime of lynching. He is preparing another book of poems, which he hopes to publish in the near futtire. He is a lover of children, and is actively engaged in Christian work. He stands fearlessly for right, without regard to what the effect may be upon his business. Dr. Sarah Helen Fitzbutler graduated in medicine and surgery in the Louisville National Medical College with the class of 1892. Doctor Butler is the first woman to receive the regular degree to practice medi- cine in Kentucky. PERSONAGES OF THE AFRO-AMERICAN RACE. 597 The Louisville National Medical College is doing much, by its thorough work, to disarm the public mind of race prejudice. The race may justly feel proud of what its representatives are achieving. Its attain- ments are worthy of schools that boast of much higher standing. J. B. Banks, M. D., taught school for a short time. DR. J. B. BANKS, NATCHEZ, MI.?STSSTPPI. then entered Leland University, New Orleans, in 1877, working evenings and mornings for his board and 598 PROGRESS OF A RACE. lod^ng. The yellow fever compelled him to leave. He then went to the country where he obtained a private school of ten or fifteen pupils. After paying his board of $5 a month, he had one dollar left for his work. He afterward succeeded in finding better pay- ing employment and managed, besides supporting his aged grandparents through the next winter, to save $30. He then taught for a number of years, and entered Meharry Medical College in 1885. After graduating he at once returned to Mississippi, and passed his examination before the State Medical Board. He, with seven white applicants, was success- ful, while the same number of whites were unsuccess- ful. He at once began practicing medicine, and in 1889 moved to Natchez, Mississippi, where he has a fair practice. In 1890 he was appointed a member of the Board of Surgeons of the United States at Natchez. Doctor Banks enjoys the esteem of his own race and of the white citizens of Natchez and the surrounding- country. He owns a comfortable home, valued at $3,000; is married and has two children. He is a prominent member and officer of the African M. E. Church of Natchez. Thomas A. Curtis was born in Alabama. His parents were slaves, but by earnest effort his father educated himself and became state senator from Ala- bama. The son, after graduating from the State Normal School, taught for some years in Texas, and then entered Meharry Dental School, from which he graduated in 1889. His success as the first colored dentist of Alabama is assured. During the first year he earned more than $2,000. With such an energetic spirit as he possesses it is needless to say that he has each year improved in proficiency in his profession and in the increase of his practice. PERSONAGES OF THE AFRO-AMERICAN RACE. 599 Prof. Geo. W. Carver is director of the agricultural department of the famous industrial school at Tuske- gee, Alabama. He is a graduate of the State Agricul- tural College at Ames, Iowa, from which he received his Master's degree. PROF. GEO. W. CARVER, M. AG. From childhood he seems to have had a passion for music, painting, flowers, stones, minerals, and like objects of beauty and interest. The study of the char- 600 PROGRESS OF A RACE. acter and productive ability of soils seem to have been in him an instinct. As a boy he was known as the "Plant Doctor." His painting, the "Yucca and Cactus," was exhibited at the World's Fair in Chicago. It is, perhaps, safe to say that he has the largest private collection of botanical and geological speci- mens in the state of Alabama. But in order to reach his present position of ability and usefulness he had a long and weary road to travel. He was born a slave in Missouri during the period of the Civil war. Prof. Carver expresses the deepest gratitude to Mr. and Mrs. Carver to whom his mother belonged until set free by the war. For some years his foster-parents (Mr. and Mrs. Carver) cared for him, and during this time he acquired the rudiments of an education. When ten years of age he began his wanderings through Kansas, Missouri, and Iowa, in his struggles for intellectual and bodily food. He had to meet not only the difficulties of an ordinary poor boy in his efforts to gain a position in the world, but he must overcome natural race-prejudice among his white as- sociates. But he has won an exalted position worthy the best minds. While working his way at school Carver exhibited a remarkably versatile mind. At one time he was a suc- cessful laundryman, at another a skilled cook, and again an ingenious milliner. He also knit his own mittens and stockings. He shows, with commendable pride, three hundred samples of knitting, crocheting, and embroidering. PERSONAGES OF THE AFRO-AxMERICAN RACE. 601 AUTHORS AND LITERARY WORKERS. Paul Laurence Dunbar. — The first poet of his race m the English language was Paul Laurence Dunbar, PAUL LAURENCE DUNBAR, The Famous Colored Poet whose parents were full blood Negroes. His father escaped from slavery in Kentucky to freedom in Can- ada, and at a time when there was no hope of freedom 602 progres^s of a race. otherwise. His mother was liberated by the Emanci- pation Proclamation, and came North to Ohio. Paul was born at Dayton, Ohio, and grew up with such opportunities for mental training as befalls the chil- dren of the poor. His father was a plasterer, and after learning to read, he loved chiefly to read history. His mother had a passion for literature, with a special delight for poetry. After his father died, mother and son struggled on in still deeper poverty. His writings attracted many, and it was not long before his friends recognized that in him was found the first instance of an American Negro who had evinced an innate distinction in litera- ture, although many of his race had proven themselves proficient in music, oratory, and some of the other arts. It is said that Paul Dunbar was the only man of pure African blood and of American civilization to feel the Negro life aesthetically and to express it lyrical- ly. While all of his poems are beautiful in sentiment, yet those pieces where he studied the modes and traits of his race we find the most charming. His refined and delicate art is shown most clearly where he describes the range between appetite and emotion. He reveals in these an ironical perception of the Negro's limita- tion with a tenderness that is quite new. If Mr. Dunbar does nothing more than he has done, he may rightfully be said to have made the strongest claim for the Negro in English literature that the Negro has ever made. Although we may not agree in all he says, we can hardly refuse to enjoy it. Well may it be said of many of his productions that they are works of art. Let us notice a few of the many beautiful and practical sentiments expressed. The following is from "Accountability": PERSONAGES OF THE AFRO-AMERICAT? RACE. 603 "But we all fits into places dat no othah ones could fill, And we does the things we has to, big er little, poor er ill. John cain't take the place o' Henry, Su an' Sally ain't alike; Bass aint nuthin' like a sucker, shad ain't nuthin' like a pike. When you come to think about it, how it's all planned out, it's splendid. Nuthin's done ere evah has been 'dout hit's somefin' dat's intended ; Don't keer what you does, you has to, an' hit sholy beats de dickens. Viney, go put on de kettle, I got one o' mastah's chickens." Then again, notice the sentiment expressed in the following stanza on the grand old man, Frederick Douglass, in all respects the representative of his race: "Through good and ill report, he cleaved his way right, with his face set towards the heights, Nor feared to face the foeman's dread array — The lash of scorn, the sting of petty spites. He dared the lightning in the lightning's track, And answered thunder with his thunder back." What poet has more graphically and in fewer words expressed the realities of life than Mr. Dunbar in the following stanza: "A crust of bread and a corner to sleep in, A minute to smile, and an hour to weep in ; A pint of joy to a peck of trouble, And never a laugh but the moans come double ; And that is life!" "Rising of the Storm" is beautifully expressed, while "An Ante-bellum Sermon" gives us an insight into the real life of the Negro of those days. The "Banjo Song" carries back many a gray-haired f reed- man to the time when the banjo, taken from the wall, brought cheer and comfort to the weary slave. Who has more really pictured the lawyer's ways 604 TROGRESS OF A RACE. than he when he describes the effort of the contending- sides to paint either in blackest crime the condition of the persons on one hand, and to gild with virtuous graces the fair name as seen from the other side? Pertinently does he ask : "How an angel an' a devil Can persess the self-same soul!" Our sympathies are aroused in "Deacon Jones' Grievance, ' ' when he so pathetically pleads with the parson to modify the "hifaluting style" of modern song in the churches, and the objection to being made an object of ridicule, v/hen a solo was being sung and he struck in to help the poor fellow out, and the whole church scowled at him. "The Spelling Bee" brings to mind the days of yore so vividly that we wish we were there. "Keep Pluggin' Away," although :i quaint motto, carries with it many a noble and worthy truth. All the gallant sons of Ham that have fought for freedom are anew fired with the spirit of patriotism and loyalty to Uncle Sam in reading "The Colored Soldiers," in which the bravery of the Negro at Fort Wagner and Fort Pillov/ are so graphically set forth. Well does it close with this stanza: "So all honor and all glory to these noble sons of Ham, The gallant colored soldiers who fought for Uncle Sam." A sigh escapes many a longing heart as we read the "or Tunes," as the new-fashioned anthems prevent the 'joining of the uncultured and untrained voices. Every Negro rejoices in freedom, and yet what ex-slave who was blessed with a humane and kind master does not sigh when he reads "The Deserted Plantation," which brings to the mind the days of long ago? PERSONAGES OF THE AFRO-AMERICAN RACE. 605 We have space for but one more selection from this gifted author of the colored race : MORTALITY. "Ashes to ashes! dust to dust! What of his loving? What of his lust? What of his passion? What of his pain? What of his poverty? What his pride? Earth, the ^-eat mother, has called him again; Deeply he sleeps, the world's verdict defied. Shall he be tried agam? Shall he go free? Who shall the court convene? Where shall it be? No answer on the land, none from the sea! Only we know that as he died, we must — You \\'ith your theory, you with your trust — Ashes to ashes, dust to dust!" A London correspondent says: "Paul Dunbar, the American Negro Poet, has captured London. He has been received with marked attention by good society, and he is in big demand in the most fashionable draw- ing-rooms. No color line is drawn in England, and the talented American is much souofht after. He reads his verses at receptions, garden parties and other entertainments, and he has received the most favora- ble criticism.s from the press. Mr. Dunbar came to London well recommended by W. D, Howells and other American literary lights well known to the British public. His humble origin and the story of his self-culture, struggles and final triumph have won him_ a peculiar regard here, where the Negro slave and the prejudices against him and his descendants have never existed. Mr. Dunbar expects to spend several months in London, and he will have no lack of occu- pation, judging by his early successes. His mission promises to be all that he hopes it to be." Frances E. W. Harper. — We have already noticed 600 PROGRESS OF A RACE, Mrs. Harper as one of the forerunners of liberty. It is, however, due Mrs, Harper that we also mention her as an author, for, since the emancipation she has written a number of works besides spending much of the time in the lecture field. Some of her writings are the following : ' ' Moses, a story of the Nile ; " " Sketches of Southern Life, ' ' in which she portrays the life of the Negro; "Shalmanezer. " Her book of poems con- tains some excellent and practical thoughts. "The Dying Bondman" is so touching that we reproduce it here: THE DYING BONDMAN, Life was trembling, faintly trembling. On the bondman's latest breath, And he felt the chilling pressure Of the cold, hard hand of Death, He had been an Afric chieftain, Worn his manhood as a crown ; But upon the field of battle Had been fiercely stricken down. He had longed to gain his freedom, Waited, watched and hoped in vain, Till his life was slowly ebbing — Almost broken was his chain. By his bedside stood the master, Gazing on the dying one. Knowing by the dull-grey shadows That life's sands were almost run. "Master," said the dying bondman, "Home and friends I soon shall see; But before I reach my country, Master, write that I am free, "For the spirits of my fathers Would shrink back from me in pride, P I tcld them at our greeting i a 8lj»ve had lived and died. PERSONAGES OF THE AFRO- AMERICAN RACE. 607 "Give to me the precious token, That my kindred dead may see — Master ! write it, write it quickly 1 Master! write that I am free!" At his earnest plea the master Wrote for him the glad release, O'er his wan and wasted features Flitted one sweet smile of peace. Eagerly he grasped the writing; "I am free at last!" he said. Backward fell upon the pillow, He was free among the dead. Among other interesting poems are found, "Saving the Boys;" "Nothing and Something;" "My Mother's Kiss;" "Home, Sweet Home." Probably the volume which has received the most favorable reception is her "lola Leroy, " presenting a vivid view of scenes at the South before, during and after the war. It is written in a vigorous and graphic manner, and is effec- tive in appealing to the finer sensibilities of the Amer- ican public and, at the same time, addresses itself to those logical sequences of mind that follow out of that fundamental principle of Christianity, the fatherhood of God and the brotherhood of man Mrs. Harper introduces into her work many thrilling war scenes and succeeds in making her romance one of the most interesting. It pleads the cause of the race whose destinies were never more closely involved with those of the nation than at the present time. Mrs. Harper is one of the ablest writers among the women of the colored race. Phillis Wheatley. — This girl was brought on a slave ship from Africa to Boston in 1761, and bought by Mrs. John Wheatley, an intelligent and cultured lady. When bought her clothing consisted of a piece of dirty 608 PROGRESS OF A RACE. carpet around her loins. Mrs. Wheatley was impress- ed by her intelligent countenance, and selected her from a large number of slaves. Through kind treat- ment and encouragement she learned easily, and devel- oped a talent for poetry. She wrote a book of poems of about forty pieces, and the literary merit of these poems disposed some to question their origin. At one time she addressed a poem to George Washington, and received a kind and courteous reply. Mrs. Mary E. Phelps. — In Union county, South Car- olina, on the first day of May, 1867, was born to Adeline and Hilliard Rice the subject of this sketch. Many names of the rising young women of her race have, doubtless, received more public eulogy, but few names deserve a more worthy mention than that of Mrs. Mary R. Phelps. There were many qualities noticeable about her when quite young, all significant of her future usefulness. But the one especially inter- esting to her parents and friends was the voluntary devotion to books and other reading matter. Her perusing picture books, papers, etc., awakened an interest in her to enquire about the words which often accompanied such pictures. In this way she learned to read simple readings by the time she was four years old. At the age of five years she entered the public schools of Union county, the annual terms of which were of but two or three months' duration. So remark- able was her progress as a student and scholar under ad- verse circumstances, that at the age of thirteen she ac- cepted, with consent of her parents, the charge of a large school in a rural district of Spartanburg county, South Carolina, was examined, received a certificate of qualifi- cation, and taught the term with such remarkable credit as to win the approval of both her patrons and trustees. PERSONAGES OF THE AFRO-AMERICAN RACE. G09 Her parents, being thus encouraged, determined with renewed efforts to have her educated, notwithstanding their limited advantages. They sent her to Benedict Institute (now Benedict College), Columbia, South Carolina, and afterward to Scotia Seminary, at Con- cord, North Carolina, from which institution she grad- uated. Since completing her course in school, she has contributed to various journals, etc., and has been offered a liberal salary for her services. But, in con- sideration of the need of well-prepared educators among the race, that it may become what it can be, she chose to use her talent in assisting that grand purpose. Aside from her accomplishment in the literary line, Mrs. Phelps has acquired a practical knowledge in the arts of music, painting, dressmaking, etc. , to any of which she can creditably apply herself. Her career as a teacher has been one of usefulness and success. She spent each vacation of her school life in teaching, which experience greatly increased her devo- tion to that work. Hence, when she was no longer a school girl she entered into the teachers' field as a pro- fession. She was principal of a public school at Glenn Springs, South Carolina, for three years. In 1890 she resigned that school to accept a position in the graded school at Rome, Georgia, where she taught for some time. She then taught in Milledgeville, after which she was married to Mr. J. L. Phelps in 1891. The demand for well trained teachers was so great that in 1893 she again consented to act as assistant principal in Cleve- land Academy, Helena, South Carolina, and more recently has held a position in Haines Institute, Augusta, Georgia. Mrs. Phelps is an earnest Sabbath school worker, and her labors for God and the church have been greatly blessed. 39 Progress. 610 PROGRESS OF A RACE. Mrs. Fanny Barrier Williams came into prominence during the World's Columbian Exposition. Her ad- dress at the Woman's Congress on the "Intellectual Progress of the Colored Woman" created a profound impression. Since the close of the Exposition, Mrs. Williams has received invitations from all parts of the country to deliver addresses. She was born in Brock- port, New York, and received a collegiate education. Her complexion is a clear, light brown, and her voice is singularly soft and sympathetic in tone. She is a woman of more than usual intelligence, and as a lecturer is in great demand. Her most popular lectures are : "What Will You Do with Our Women;" "Christianity and the American Negro;" "Prudence Crandall, or, a Modern Canterbury Tale ; " " Opportunities of Western Women;" "The Opportunities and Responsibilities of American Colored Women." Mrs. M. A. McCurdy was born in Carthage, Indiana, in 1852. She acquired the rudiments of an education in the- mixed schools of that place, but, being deprived of attending any other school by the death of her father, she labored diligently, and before she was nine- teen years of age had prepared herself for teaching, and secured a school near her home. After teaching for some time, she was married to J. A. Mason, and for more than eight years filled with profit and precision the worthy position of wife and mother. The hand of death removed from her four precious jewels and her husband, leaving her alone to battle life's conflicts. She then entered the temperance work, and became a noted worker in Richmond, Indiana. For a time she edited a temperance paper in that city. A desire to go South and labor among her people seemed to im- press itself more and more upon her mind until 1886, PERSONAGES OF THE AFRO-AMERICAK RACE. 611 when she was led to Atlanta, where sne became editor of the Southern Recorder. Here, besides her work in temperance and as editor, she built up a fine mission during her four years' stay, St. James' M. E. Church, of that city. In 1890 she was married to Rev. C. McCurdy, of Rome, Georgia. Her labors in Rome since that time have been varied and greatly appre- ciated by the people. She is engaged in industrial work among the women of her race ; is corresponding secretary for the W. C. T. U. for the state of Georgia ; president of the missionary work in the Presbyterian Church, and editor of The Woman's World, a paper devoted to the intellectual, moral and spiritual prog- ress of the people. In all these departments of work she has made herself known and felt not only in the city of Rome, but throughout the state. Her work will outlive empires and the stars. Mrs. Ida B. Wells Barnett.— The subject of this sketch became noted for her crusades against the lynching evil. Shocked by the awful barbarity of that species of outlawry, brought home to her by the lynching of three highly respectable colored men of Memphis, because of a neighborhood quarrel, Miss Wells started out to call the attention of the American people to the dangerous growth of this evil. Denied a hearing in America she went to England and there from pulpit, platform and in the public press her appeal was effectively made. In 1895 she married Ferdinand L. Barnett, Jr., of the Chicago bar. Edward E. Cooper. — Among the strange happenmgs in Washington is to see many new men, unknown quantities in the politics and history of our people, pushing themselves to the front, clamorously calling upon the President to give them an office for their 612 PROGRESS OF A RACE, great services to the party m power. On the other hand, you see the real leaders, men of thought and action, quietly and modestly moving on in the even tenor of their way, working out their own destinies and the des- tinies of the people, asking no political favors. To one of these latter men we wish to refer, a quiet, modest, resolute man, who,by his indefatigable will and tenacity of purpose, is m-aking a name which will be honored when many of our so-called great men will be forgotten, E. E. Cooper, editor and man- ager of the Colored Am- erican. Mr. Cooper was born in Tennessee about thirty-five years ago. He early went to India- napolis, where he was educated. After gradu- ation he entered upon his journalistic career, which has been a unique one. He established in India- napolis the first colored illustrated paper pub- lished in the United States, The Freeman, a new order in colored journalism.. Everybody knows of its phe- nomenal success. After seeing The Freeman estab- lished on a firm financial basis, Mr. Cooper sold his interest and turned his travels toward the National Capitol., where he founded the Colored American, a paper v/hich has lifted colored journalism in the Capi- tol to a plane it never reached before. Here his best E. E. COOPER, Editor "Colored American," Washington, D. C. PERSONAGES OF THE AFRO-AMEKICAN RACE. 613 work is being done; bravely does he champion the Negro's cause. His influence is widespread, it is national. His acquaintanceship with political leaders has given him an influence not possessed by any other young man of his race. His success with the American has been gratifying, some weeks during the last cam- paign it having reached a circulation of 100,000 copies. Henry 0. Tanner. — Henry O. Tanner, son of Bishop Benjamin Tucker Tanner, of the African Methodist Episcopal Church, was born and reared in the city of Philadelphia. As a boy he enjoyed the privileges of the city schools. Early in life the natural bent of his genius began to manifest itself. Consequently, he entered the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, and became a pupil of Professor Eakins. Under this efficient and faithful instructor, Mr. Tanner secured that foundation upon which he has since so magnifi- cently built. Like many others, however, Mr. Tanner has had to struggle with the gaunt wolf, poverty. Shortly after leaving the academy he, among other ventures, started a photograph gallery in Atlanta, Georgia. This was not a success. He then spent a year at Clark Univer- sity, where he taught freehand drawing and gave instruction in painting to private classes, colored and white, at the institution and in the city. One summer vacation he spent at Highlands, North Carolina, a health resort, where he also instructed classes of white people, some of them Southern. For a long time it was the topmost desire of Mr. Tanner's heart to go to Paris, and study under the great masters of art in that brilliant metropolis. It was by the severest economy, together with assistance 614 PROGRESS OF A RACE. from friends, that he was enabled to gratify his desire. Nor was he altogether relieved from embarrassment after reaching Paris, for, within a short time after his arrival, he fell sick, and lay in the hospital for two months with typhoid fever. On his recovery he again resumed with a hopeful heart, but under discouraging circumstances, the pursuit of his studies. For two years he was a pupil of Benjamin Constant. "Becom- ing stranded again, " as he quaintly states it, he return- ed to America for about eighteen months. Within this time he sold several pictures. Of these "The Banjo Lesson, ' ' his first picture exhibited at the Salon, was sold to. Mr. Robert C. Ogden, a tried friend and patron of Mr. Tanner, and to whom, as Mr. Tanner acknowledges, he "is much indebted for whatever of success he has had." Another picture, entitled, "Thankful Poor," he sold to Mr. John T. Morris. Here, too, it may be said that at the Columbian Expo- sition were exhibited one hundred pictures from American art students, at home and abroad. Of this hundred was one of Mr. Tanner's, "The First Lesson on the Bagpipe," painted from a scene in Brittany. At the close of the exposition a committee of art critics was appointed to select from the hundred the forty best, and catalogue them, inserting cuts of each. Mr. Tanner's picture was one of the forty. This picture was afterwards exhibited at the "Cotton States and International Exposition," Atlanta, Georgia, and at- tracted the attention of many. With moneys realized from his sales while in America he returned to Paris in 1894, and resumed his studies under Jean Paul Laurens and Benjamin Constant. His first picture to receive any official recognition was the one entitled, "Daniel in the Lion's Den"— mention PERSONAGES OF THE AFRO-AMERICAN RACE 615 honorable, 1896. Then came the picture of the year, "Lazarus Rising from the Dead," which received "third medal," and was purchased by the French gov- ernment. These, now, are the achievements of a young man. What may the race expect of him? But, outside his art, much might be said of the man. He belongs to that class whom to know is to admire and to love. Genial, simple in manner, generous, with an intense desire to serve and uplift his race, he moves among his fellows with the appearance of a man who has found his life-work and is in love with it. To such men the people must look for loftiest inspiration and safest guidance. Mr. Tanner is spending his summer vacation (1897) with his parents at Kansas City, Kansas. He likes Paris because of the companionship of artists, and he will probably spend the rest of his life-time there ; still, he glories in the fact that he is an American citizen, and he will retain that title as long as he lives. Dur- ing his stay at home he has been painting portraits of his parents. When he returns to Paris he will begin work on another Biblical painting, "The Annuncia- tion," which he hopes will surpass his "Raising of Lazarus, ' ' which made him famous as an artist. Clark Hampton. — Young Clark Hamptoa, whose painting of "Napoleon at Waterloo" is receiving such widespread attention, is really a genius. He is only eighteen years old, and the sole support of a widowed mother. In his modest studio is to be found a charm- ing original sketch, "Waiting in the Wild wood. " The boy is ambitious, and, although finding it difficult to support his mother and to continue his work, he is determined to press forward. "If I live, the race shall yet be proud of me, ' ' says this youth. 616 PROGRESS OF A RACE Edmonia Lewis probably surpasses every other pef. son of her race as a sculptor. She is of lowly birth, and was left an orphan when quite young, but her determination has enabled her to overcome difficulties. When visiting Boston the first time, she saw a statue of Benjamin Franklin. She was so touched by the sight that the latent talent within her broke forth in, "I, too, can make a stone man!" She was introduced by William Lloyd Garrison to one of Boston's famous sculptors, and as she triumphed in her work she has won a position as an artist on two continents. Some of the masterpieces of her hands are: "Hagar in the Wilderness," "Hiawatha's Wooing," busts of Long- fellow, John Brown and Wendell Phillips. Her studio in Rome has become an object of interest to travelers from all countries. MISCELLANEOUS. We have mentioned in these pages a number of col- ored men representing the different classes. There are many others as able as these who may imagine that we have neglected to mention them. This is not a biography, but our object in mentioning a number of these different classes is to show the progress made since freedom. Many colored women might be named. It should be remembered that they have had fewer privileges of education before the war and since than the men of their race, yet there are a number of them who have shown themselves capable and useful. Hon. H. C. Smith, who has represented one of the districts of Ohio in the legislature for a number of years, and is editor and proprietor of the Cleveland Gazette, is one of the young men of whom the race may feel proud. It is but fitting to say that his election to the Ohio legislature in 1893 has made him even more PERSONAGES OF THE AFRO-AMERICAN RACK. 617 popular than before among the people. He has made a record that has amply vindicated the choice and judgment of his constituents. John Mitchell, Jr., who was born of slave parents, has for a number of years been editor of the Richmond Planet, a weekly paper. Amanda Smith, born in slavery, has, through pov- erty and adversity, pushed her way upward until she is one of the most spiritual and eloquent exhorters and lecturers of her race in the world. She is a member of the ]\Iethodist Episcopal Church, and has traveled extensively in America, Europe and Africa. She has written her biography, which has a wide sale. She is now engaged in raising funds for a home for colored orphan children in Chicago. Her visits to the churches throughout the North and West are an inspiration and a blessing, and she has succeeded in a remarkable manner in the work for which she has so long been laboring. Mrs. Charlotte Fortune Grimke is a native of Penn- sylvania. She was educated in Massachusetts, and proved to be a student of more than ordinary ability and application. Mrs. Grimke has been a contributor to the columns of the Atlantic Monthly and other repre- sentative magazines of the East. Rev. W. A. Lewis, of West Tennessee, was com- pelled to work at home by his stepfather, who thought it a crime for a stepson to attend school. He worked hard on the farm in the day, and walked a mile at night to take lessons of a white lady, paying a dollar a month for instruction. He picked berries and sold melons at odd times to pay his tuition. Such qualities might worthily be emulated today. John William McKinney is a successful lawyer in 618 PROGRESS OF A RACE. Sherman, Texas. He was admitted to the bar in 1891, and was elected delegate from the state at large by the Union Republican convention in 1892, In 1894 he was nominated by the Republicans for Congress. Richard T. Greener, one of the most cultured Afro- Americans, was for many years dean of the lavv'' depart- ment of Howard University. W-*' REV. CYRUS MVERS. Rev. Cyrus Myers, of Simpson county, Mississippi, who has become prominent in his efforts to have Con- jj::ress pass a bill pensioning ex-slaves, is a remarkable Negro of the old slave class. Rev. Myers brought with him over 6,000 signatures of Mississippi ex-slaves. He is seventy-nine years old, and was a slave forty- seven years. He is black, tall, eloquent and full of reminiscences. He was a novelty at Washington in that he is not an office-seeker, but is -forking for his race. Charles L. Remond was the first Negro to take the PERSONAGES OF THE AFRO-AMERICAN RACE. 619 platform as a regular lecturer in the anti-slavery cause, and was the ablest representative that the race had till the appearance of Frederick Douglass in 1842. W. E. King is one of the rising young men of Dallas, Texas. Improving the opportunities given him in his youth, he has succeeded in making himself useful. He is at present editor of the Weekly Express, and is yield- ing an influence for true worth and progress with his race. Among the young men of the state who are devoting their lives to the welfare of the race Mr. King stands prominent. B.K.Bruce. On the 23d day of May, 1881, Presi- dent Garfield appointed ex-Senator B. K. Bruce, of Mississippi, Registrar of the United States Treasury. This was the first colored man whose signature made money of worthless paper. Professor M. A. Hopkins, of Franklintown, North Carolina, a colored teacher of marked ability, was ap- pointed by President Cleveland, first term, as Minister to Liberia. Miss L. Vina Givens, of Dallas, Texas, has, by her natural ability, become prominent in the musical world of Texas. Through adverse circumstances she has risen, and is today one of the sweetest singers of Dallas. COLORED AUTHORS AND NAMES OF PUBLICATIONS. Albert, A. E. P., D. D.— The Negro Evangelist. Plantation Melodies. Universal Reign of Jesus. Alexander, William T. — History of the Colored Race in America. Alexander, Rev. W. G. — Living Words. The Negro in Commerce and Finance. The Efficient Sunday School. 620 PROGRESS OF A RACE. Anderson, Rev. J. Harvey — Directory of the A. M. E. Zion Church. Arnett, Bishop. — Negro Literature. The Centennial Budget. Bannecker, Benjamin. — Science. Bates, R, C. — Architecture and Building. Benjamin, R. C. O., D. D. — Africa, the Hope of the Negro. Future of the American Negro. History of the British West Indies. Life of Toussiant L'Ouverture. Origin of the Negro Race. The Southland. The Boy Doctor. Don't. Blackwell, G. L. — The Model Homestead. Blyden, E. W., LL.D. — Christianity, Islam and the Negro Race. From West Africa to Palestine. Liberia's Offering. Booth, Rev. C. O. — Plain Theology for Plain Peopie Bowen, J. W. E., D. D.— Plain Talks. Africa and the American Negro. Brawley, Rev. E. M.— The Negro Baptist Pulpit. Brown, Rev. R. T. — Doctrines of Christ and the Church. Pastor's Annual and Financial Report. Brown, William Wells.— The Black Man. The Negro in the Rebellion. The Rising Sun. Carter, Rev. E. R.— Our Pulpit Illustrated. The Black Side. The Holy Land. Clark, P. H.— Black Brigade, PERSONAGES OF THE AFRO-AMERICAN RACE. 621 Coleman, Mrs. L. N. C. — Poor Ben. Cooper, Mrs. A. J. — A Voice from the South. Crogman, W.H., A. M.— Talks for the Times. Crummell, Rev. Alex., D. D. — Africa and America. The Future of Africa. Davis, D. W. — Poems. Douglass, Frederick. — Life and Times of Frederick Douglass. My Bondage and My Freedom, Narrative of My Experience in vSlavery. DuBois, W. E. Burghardt, Ph. D.— The Suppression of the African Slave Trade to the United States of America, 1838-1870. Dunbar, Paul L. — Oak and Ivy. Poems. Negro Love Song. Dyson, J. F., B, D. — Are Wc Africans or Americans? Origin of Color. Political X Roads— Which Way? Richard Allen's Place in History. Earl, Victoria. — Aunt Linda. Early, Sarah. — Life and Labors of Rev. J. W. Early. Embry, J. C, D. D. — Digest of Christian Theology. Our Father's House. Fortune, T. T.— Black and White. Gordon, J. E. — Political Works. Gregory, J. M. — Hon. Frederick Douglass. Green, Dr. A. R. — History of Independent Method- ism. Hagood, Rev. L. M., M. D, — The Colored Man in the M. E. Church. Harper, Mrs, F. E. W. — lola Leroy; or, Shadows Uplifted. Forest Leaves. 622 PROGRESS OF A RACE. Sketches of Southern Life. Moses : A Story of the Nile, Miscellaneous Poems. Shalmanezer. Hood, Bishop J. W., D. D. — Book of Sermons. History of the A. M. E. Z. Church. Johnson, Mrs. A. E. — Clarence and Corinne. The Hazely Family. Johnson, E. A. — School History of the Negfro Race in America. Jones, S. T., D. D. — Book of Sermons. Langston, Hon. John M. — Freedom and Citizenship. From the Virginia Plantation to the National Capitol. Lectures and Addresses. Majors, M. A. — Noted Negro Women. Matthews, Mrs W. E. — Aunt Linda. Moore, Bishop J. J. — History of the A. M. E. Church Mossell, Mrs. N. F. — The Work of Afro- American Women. Payne, Bishop Daniel. — Domestic Education. •History of the A. M. E. Church. Recollections of Seventy Years. Official Sermons of the A, M. E. Church. The Semi-Centenary of the A. M. E. Church. Pegues, Rev. A. W., Ph. D. — Our Baptist Ministers and Schools. Pendleton, Lewis. — The Sons of Ham. Penn, I. Garland. — The Afro- American Press and Its Editors. Ransom, R. C. — School Days at Wilberforce. Rowe, Rev. George C. — Patriotic Poems. The Aim of Life. Thoughts in Verse. PERSONAGES OF THE AFRO-AMERICAN RACK. 623 Rush, Bishop. — Rise and Progress of Zion Church. Scarborough, W. S.. A. M., Ph. D., LL. D.— First Lessons in Greek. Latin Moods and Tenses. Questions on Latin Grammar. Scruggs, L. A. — Afro-American Women of Distinc- tion. Grammar Land. Simmons, William, D. D. — Men of Mark. Smith, Rev. C. S. — Glimpses of Africa. Smith, Rev. S. E. — Anti-Separate Coach History of Kentucky. Smith, W. H.— Earnest Pleas. Smith, Amanda. — A Story of My Life. Stevenson, Rev. J. W., M. D. — Church Financiering. Stewart, T. McCants. — Liberia. Still, William. — The Underground Railroad. The Kidnapped and Ransomed. Straker, D. A.— The New South Investigated. Tanner, Benjamin Tucker. — Apology for American Methodism. Is the Negro Cursed? Outline of History. The Negro's Origin. The Negro (African and American). Theological Lectures. Taylor, M. W.— Plantation Melodies, Trotter, J. M. — Music and Some Highly Musical People. Troy, Rev. William. — Hairbreadth Escapes from Slav- ery to Freedom. Turner, Bishop — African Letters. Methodist Polity. Negro in All Ages. (524 PROGRESS OF A RACE. Wayman, Bishop A. W. — Cyclopedia of the A. M. E. Church. Wheatley, Phillis. — Memoirs of Poems. Wheeler, B. F., A. M. — Sacred Heart Whitman, A. A. — Not a Man, and Yet a Man. The Rape of Florida. Poems. Wells, Ida B.— A Red Record. Williams, Prof. D. B. — Science and Art of Elocution. Freedom and Progress. Williams, George W., LL. D. — A History of the Negro Troops in the Rebellion. History of the Negro Race in America. Wilson, J. T. — Black Phalanx (History of Negro Soldiers). Emancipation. Twenty- two Years of Freedom. Voice of a New Race. Wright, Prof. R. R.— A Brief Historical Sketch of Negro Education in Georgia. Rev. Charles T. Walker, D. D., pastor of the Mount Olivet Baptist church. New York City, was born a slave in Richmond county, Georgia, January II, 1859. He was the youngest of eleven children. His father was buried the day before his son's birth. When about eight years old his mother also passed away, leaving him to battle for himself. In 1873, while working in a cotton field, he sud- denly decided to be at peace with God. He went into the woods where for three days he wrestled, without food or drink, when the struggle ended and he was happily converted. After spending several years in public school, he felt PERSONAGES OF THE AFRO- AMERICAN RACE. U25 that he was called to the ministry. Accordingly he entered the Theological Institute, at Augusta, Georgia. For five j^ears he studied, showing much energy and ability. REV. CHARLES T. WALKER, D. D. Pastor Mount Olivet Baptist Church. New York City. Xi.C was licensed to preach in 1876, and ordained to the ministry when but eighteen years old. He was immediately elected pastor of his mother-church, which had been organized in 1848. The house had been built by slaves after they had worked all day for their masters. 40 Progress. 626 PROGRESS OF A RACE. After successful pastorates at Waynesboro, La Grange, and Augusta, Georgia, his friends at Augusta sent him to Europe and the Holy Land. On his re- turn he wrote a book on "A Colored Man Abroad." He has given much time to evangelistic work, and counts 10,000 conversions under his preaching. He has been called the "Black Spurgeon," and is some- times known as the "Colored John the Baptist." In addition to his pastoral and evangelistic work, he has done much to encourage education among his own people. He was one of the founders of the Walker Baptist Institute at Augusta, Georgia. He is still its financial secretary. He is trustee of the Atlanta Baptist College, vice- president of the National Baptist Convention of the United States, and one of the vice-presidents of the International and Interdenominational Sunday School Convention of America and Canada. While doing heavy pastoral work in New York, he was instrumental in organizing a colored Y, M. C. A. of 500 members. They are now engaged in raising money for permanent quarters of their own. Doctor Walker is still a student, and is at present engaged in the study of the Hebrew and the Spanish languages. As a speaker he is eloquent and convincing. His "Appeal to Caesar," in which he replies to Rev. Henry Frank upon his criticism of the negro race, and his review of the Montgomery conference, are perhaps his most noted efforts. During the Spanish-American war. Dr. Walker was chaplain of the 9th Immune regiment, and served in Santiago and San Luis, Cuba. PERSONAGES OF THE AFRO-AMERICAN RACE. 627 Henry Plummer Cheatham. — The most successful Negro in American politics, with the probable excep- tion of the lamented B. K. Bruce, and the youngest of all the colored statesmen who have gained a national reputation, is the present Recorder of Deeds for the District of Columbia, Henry Plummer Cheatham. Mr. Cheatham's rise in public life has been some- what phenomenal. Party confidences were thrust upon him at twenty- five. At the age of forty, he enjoys political honors that would afford a man of sixty much satisfaction. Tact and honesty of purpose, the true basis for per- manent success and distinction, have marked Mr. Cheatham's public career. He was born in Henderson, North Carolina, about forty years ago, and was edu- cated in the public schools of his county and at Shaw University in Raleigh. After graduating from the latter institution, ]\Ir. Cheatham returned to his native county with the intention of dedicating his life to the interests of his struggling people. Because of his fitness and integ- rity, Providence decreed that these same people should honor him. Shortly after his graduation, he was taken from the principalship of one of the state nor- mal schools and elected Register of Deeds of his county. He was elected to the same position a second time. Among those who supported him for this office and stood his security was the most aristocratic family in the state, whose name Mr. Cheatham bears. After two years of official service in his own county, he was elected to the fifty-first Congress, and in 1889, when Mr. Harrison took his seat as President, Mr. Cheatham was sworn in as member of Congress. Though the youngest member of the body, he 628 PROGRESS OF A RACE. wielded large influence and showed marked legislative and executive ability. He was returned to the fifty- second Congress, where he gained a national reputa- tion. Mr. Cheatham was again elected to the fifty- third Congress, but on a contest was counted out. Though a private citizen his individuality stood out. In a quiet, unassuming way, he was an influential member of the Republican party; he was a constant defender of his race, and at all times counseled peace and conservatism. In 1897, President McKinley appointed him Re- corder of Deeds for the District of Columbia, a posi- tion of honor and trust. So satisfactory was his administration that the business men of Washington were unanimous in requesting that he be reappointed. Mr. Cheatham is a scholar, and holds the degrees of A. M. and LL. D. His legal career would doubt- less have been brilliant, had he not been called into public service so early in life, David Augustus Straker. — The subject of this sketch was at one time professor of common law, and dean of the law department of Allen University, at Columbia, South Carolina, and later Circuit Court Commissioner for "Wayne county, Michigan. At this writing he is editor and manager of the Detroit Advocate. He was born in 1842 on the island of Barbados, one of the West Indies. As Britain's flag floats over no slave, he, of course, was born a free man. After receiving a thorough education in the public schools of the island, he was, at the age of seventeen, appointed teacher in St. Mary's school in Bridgetown, the chief city of the island. While engaged in his line of work as teacher, he continued his studies in DAVID AUGUSTUS STRAKER. REV. LEIGH B. MAXWELL. Rev. Leigh B. Maxwell was born in Darien, Georgia, in iS6i, and died in Los Angeles, California, where he had gone for his health, in 1902, leaving a wife and four children. He was graduated from Atlanta Uni- versity in 1885, and later from Hartford Theological Seminary. For ten years he was pastor of the Congregational Church in Savannah, Georgia, and during the rest of his life was a secretary of the International Sunday School Convention. In these positions he was eminently successful, and through his public addresses at large gatherings in both the North and South and in England he became known and honored as one of the leading and most mfluential men of his race. PERSONAGES OF THE AFRO- AMERICAN RACE. 629 the higher branches of learning, such as the French, Latin, and Greek languages, and science and phi- losophy. In 1867 Prof. Straker, with two others, was per- suaded through the appeals of Bishop S. S. Smith of the Protestant Episcopal Church of the diocese of Kentucky, to come to the United States to assist in the education and elevation of the newly emancipated race. His first work in his new field of labor was teaching a school in Louisville, Kentucky, under the auspices of the Protestant Episcopal Church and the Freed- man's Bureau, In the meantime, while teaching, he made due prep- aration for entering the ministry of the Protestant Episcopal Church, but finding the prejudice against the Negro so strong, even in the church, he decided not to receive orders offered him by his Bishop. Having been free-born in a country where prejudice against color is but slightly felt, the feeling against the Negro in the United States was extremely offen- sive to Mr. Straker, as it naturally would be to any intelligent, refined, sensitive colored man. Under these conditions he decided to return to his first-love, the profession of the law. While yet in his home on the island of Barbados, he had commenced the study of law. Fortunately at this time he learned through Hon. James M. Langston, then of Oberlin, Ohio, about the opening of the Howard University in Washington, D. C. , in which a law school had been organized, which was open to all citizens without regard to color, race, or previous condition of serv- itude. In 1869 Mr. Straker entered the Howard law school and graduated with honor two years later. 630 PROGRESS OF A RACE. During the year of his graduation, he married Miss Annie M. Cary, of Detroit, Michigan. Soon after these events, he was appointed clerk in the Treasury department at Washington, D. C. In 1875 he was appointed by Secretary Bristow inspector of customs at the port of Charleston, South Carolina. But the profession of the law still beckoned him on- ward, Resigning his office as inspector of customs, he commenced the practice of law at Orangeburg, South Carolina. In 1876 he was elected to the legisla- ture of South Carolina, But this being the era of Ku Klux Klans, Rifle Clubs, and Red Shirt organizations, Mr. Straker, with other colored men and Republicans, was ejected from office. Though elected to the state legislature in 1878 and again in 1880, he was not per- mitted to take his seat. In 1882 he was called to the chair of professor of common law in the department of law, and dean of the law department in Allen University, Columbia, South Carolina. But on the decline of the univer- sity Mr. Straker again returned to the practice of the law. His clientage being confined to his own race, whose poverty did not enable one of their own number to earn a competent living by their support, he returned to Detroit, Michigan. His law practice in Detroit was eminently successful. Here, by reason of a similarity of his accent to an Irishman, he is called the "black Irish lawyer," In 1892 Mr, Straker was elected to the office of Circuit Court Commissioner of Wayne county, Michigan. Again in 1891 he was elected to the same office, Mr, Straker is also a writer of merit. During the last twenty years he has written for well-nigh all of PERSONAGES OF THE AFRO-AMERICAN RACE, (581 our most prominent colored journals, as well as for many of our journals controlled by whites. He has also written and published "The New South Investigated," and "Reflectionson the Life and Times of Toussaint L'Ouverture;" also a pamphlet on 'Lar- ceny of Dogs," On the subject of law, he has writ-- ten and compiled a "Circuit Court Commissioners' Guide to Law and Practice," and a digest of the law of evidence known as "Straker's Compendium of Evidence." These works are highly commended by those who are competent to judge in such matters. At this writing Mr. Straker is editor and manager of the Detroit Advocate, a weekly journal published by some of the colored people of Detroit, Michigan, Hon. Judson W. Lyons, at the time of this writing, is the Register of the Treasury of the United States. He is now about forty years of age, and a native of Georgia. Following his com- mon school educa- tion, he attended the Augusta Institute, now the Baptist Col- lege of Atlanta, Georgia, He re- mained at the insti- tute for about eight years, or until 1879. hon. judson w. lyons. While attending this school, he taught in the public schools of Georgia and South Carolina during his sum- mer vacations. 632 PROGRESS OF A RACE. He was a delegate from Georgia to the National Republican convention of 1880, held at Chicago, Illinois. This was the historic convention that nomi- nated J. A. Garfield for President. He was also a delegate to the National Republican conventions of 1892, 1896, and 1900. At the St. Louis convention of 1896, he was appointed a member of the National committee for Georgia and also in 1900. He was the only colored man on this committee. Soon after leaving the school he was appointed deputy in the internal revenue department of the general government, but after a few months' service he resigned in order to take up the study of law in the Howard University at Washington, D. C. He grad- uated in 1884, and was admitted to the Augusta bar in November of the same year. He practiced law in Augusta for about fourteen 5''ears, or until his appoint- ment as Register of the Treasury of the United States. He has been highly honored by different educa- tional institutions; one conferred upon him the honor- ary degree of A. M., another of LL.D., and still another of Ph. D. The Champion Heavy Weight Fighter of the World. From abject poverty to luxurious wealth, from a rough ung-ainly colored man to the gentlemanly heavyweight champion boxer of the world, receiving homage from al- most the entire sporting world, regardless of race or color, all in the short space of eight or ten years, is the marvel- ous record of Jack Johnson, There was nothing in his boyhood days to give promise to his future eventful career as an athlete or pugilist He was quiet, reserved, and among his playmates when a boy he was considered a coward. He was not industrious either. In fact, work was a stranger to him. As his family w^as very poor young Jack was obliged to partly earn his daily bread, but this he did only when driven to it by hunger. 633 634 PROGRESS OF A RACE. His Birth and Education. — In Galveston, Texas, on March 31st, 1878, the first black heavyweight cham- pion of the world was born. He was next to the young- est of six children. Jack cared little for the companion- ship of other boys, but preferred to ramble by himself. His education was meager, chiefly because he had no particular inclination for book learning. His parents tried hard to make him attend school, but he preferred to play " hooky," and generally either went fishing or watched the Negroes loading the steamers at the wharf. His First Work. — The first real work Jack did was to learn to ride a bicycle. He was 12 years old then, but still admits that this pastime required too much hard work, and was one of the hardest jobs he ever tackled. A year later he obtained employment with a milk dealer to watch the wagons while deliveries were being made. For this he received $1.25 per week. The job soon became monotonous, so he quit it and loafed for another six months or more. Next he secured a job with a livery stable, but suddenly a desire to become a cook took hold of him, and immediately he appealed to his mother, who was a fine cook, to teach him a few things about this art. She agreed to train him' on the promise that he would make good use of his lessons. He promised and when he had finished his course he was employed by a large bakery to make biscuits. His employers considered him an expert, and when he became tired of that job they oflFered to increase his salary, but Jack quit and loafed for another period. His First Fight at 22. — Jack secured a new job at the docks where he was earning fair wages, but his early reputation of being a coward preceded him, and he was taunted by his fellow workers until it became un- JACK JOHNSON. 636 bearable. One night after a large steamer had been loaded and the Negroes were removing the gangplank a big burly Negro who was considered the bully of the docks took Jack's coat and hat, and when Jack demanded that tlie garments be returned the bully refused and struck Jack a severe blow. This was too much for him, and to the amazement of all those present he went straight after his antagonist and gave him a most terrible beating. Becomes Famous in a Night. — From coward to the bully fighter of Galveston was Jack's rise to fame in a night. His great accomplishment spread through the town with rapidity, and finally reached the ears of some wealthy sportsmen, who were anxious to match him with a fighter of reputation. While Jack knew nothing of the scientific part of the game he was able 'to endure an extraordinary amount of punishment, and besides he could hit pretty hard himself. His First Battle With a Pugilist. — At about this time Joe Choynski, the Chicago fighter, happened to come to Galveston, and his fame as a pugilist of ability had preceded him. The local sports became very eager to have their favorite. Jack Johnson, fight him, and after considerable coaxing Jack finally consented. People who knew him were amazed that he had sufficient nerve to go into the ring with Choynski, as they knew all odds were against him. Well, he simply was a toy in the hands of this Chicagoan, who knocked him out with little difficulty, but this only fired Johnson's ambition. Choynski hit him so hard that most of those present thought he was dead, but he decided that if he could stand such a punch as Choynski gave him, he would be pretty sure of whipping a good many claimants for pugilistic honors. There were many who accepted his / 636 PROGRESS OF A RACE. challenge and we, therefore, give his record from that time forward as follows : FIGHTING RECORD OF JACK JOHNSON. 1899. May 6— Lost to Klondike, Chicago, 5 rounds. 1901. Won from Jack Lee, 15 rounds; won from Jack Mc- Cormick, 7 rounds; knocked out Charley Brooks, 2 rounds ; knocked out Horace Miles, 3 rounds ; knocked out George Lawlor, 10 rounds; knocked out by Joe Choynski, 3 rounds; fought draw with Klondike, 20 rounds. 1902. Won from Bob White, 15 rounds; won from Jim Scanlon, 7 rounds ; won from Pete Everett, 20 rounds ; won from Frank Childs, 20 rounds ; won from George Gardner, 20 rounds ; won on a foul from Fred Russell, 8 rounds ; knocked out Dan Murphy, 10 rounds ; knocked out Ed Johnson, 4 rounds ; knocked out Joe Kennedy, 4 rounds ; knocked out Jack Jeffries, 5 rounds ; knocked out Klondike, 13 rounds; fought draw with Frank Childs, 6 rounds ; fought draw with Billy Stift, ID rounds ; fought draw with Hank Griffin, 20 rounds ; fought draw with Hank Griffin, 15 rounds. 1903. Feb. 3 — Won from Denver Ed Martin, Los Angeles, 20 rounds. Feb. 27 — Won from Sam McVey, Los Angeles, 20 rounds. JACK JOHNSON. 637 April l6 — Won from Sandy Ferguson, Boston, lo rounds. May II — Knocked out Joe Butler, Philadelphia, 3 rounds. July 31 — Met Sandy Ferguson in no decision bout, Philadelphia, 6 rounds. Oct. 2y — Won from Sam McVey, Los Angeles, 20 rounds. Dec. II — Won from Sandy Ferguson, Colma, Cal., 20 rounds. 1904. Feb. 16 — Met Black Bill in no decision bout, Phila- delphia, 6 rounds. April 22 — Knocked out Sam McVey, San Francisco, 20 rounds. June 2 — Won from Frank Childs, Chicago, 6 rounds. Oct. 18 — Knocked out Denver Ed Martin, Los Ange- les, 2 rounds. 1905. March 28 — Lost to Marvin Hart, San Francisco, 20 rounds. April 25 — Knocked out Jim Jelifords, Philadelphia, 4 rounds. May 3 — Won from Black Bill, Philadelphia, 4 rounds. May 9 — Knocked out Walter Johnson, Philadelphia, 3 rounds. May 9 — Met Joe Jeannette in no decision bout, Phil- adelphia, 6 rounds. June 26 — Met Jack Munroe in no decision bout, Phil- adelphia, 6 rounds. July 13 — Knocked out Morris Harris, Philadelphia, 3 rounds. 638 PROGRESS OF A RACE. July 13 — Met Black Bill in no decision bout at Phil- adelphia, 6 rounds. July 18 — Won on foul from Sandy Ferguson, Chelsea, Mass., 7 rounds. July 24 — Met Joe Grim in no decision bout, Philadel- phia, 6 rounds. Nov. 25 — Lost on foul to Joe Jeannette, Philadelphia, 2 rounds, Dec. I — Won from " Young Peter " Jackson, Balti- more, 12 rounds. Dec. 2 — Met Joe Jeannette in no decision bout, Phil- adelphia, 6 rounds. 1906. Jan. 16— Met Joe Jeannette in no decision bout. New York, 3 rounds. March 15 — Won from Joe Jeannette, Baltimore, 15 rounds. April 19 — Knocked out Black Bill, Wilkesbarre, Pa., 7 rounds. April 26— Won from Sam Langford, Chelsea, Mass., 15 rounds. June 18 — Won fromi Charles Haghey, Gloucester, Mass., I round. Sept. 20 — Met Joe Jeannette in no decision bout, Phil- adelphia, 6 rounds. Nov. 8 — Won from Jim Jefifords, Lancaster, Pa., 6 rounds. Nov. 26 — Draw with Joe Jeannette, Portland, Me., 10 rounds. 1907. Fet). 19— Knocked out Peter Felix, Sydney, Australia, I round. JACK JOHNSON. 639 March 4 — Knocked out W. Lang, Melbourne, Aus- tralia, 9 rounds. July 17 — Knocked out Bob Fitzsimmons, Philadelphia, 2 rounds. Aug. 28 — Knocked out " Kid " Cutler, Reading, Pa., I round. Sept. 12 — Draw with "Sailor" Burke, Bridgeport, Conn., 6 rounds. Nov. 2 — Knocked out Jim Flynn, San Francisco, 11 rounds. 1908. July 31 — Knocked out Ben Taylor, Plymouth, Eng- land, 8 rounds. Dec. 26 — Won from Tommy Burns, Sydney, Aus- tralia, police stopping fight, 14 rounds. 1909. March 10 — Won from Victor MacLaghlen, Van- couver, B. C, 6 rounds. May 19 — Met " Philadelphia " Jack O'Brien in no decision bout, Philadelphia, 6 rounds. June 30 — Met Tony Ross in no decision bout, Pitts- burg, 6 rounds. Sept. 9 — Met Al Kaufmann in no decision bout, San Francisco, 10 rounds. Oct. r6 — Knocked out Stanley Ketchel, Colma, Cal., 12 rounds. His Greatest Battle. — After this very successful fighting career, and especially after winning the title from Burns at Sidney, Australia, his one great ambition was to meet James J. Jeffries, champion white fighter of the world, consequently he challenged him. Jefifries was slow to accept, but after one year of meditation he signed 640 PROGRESS OF A RACE. an agreement to fight the black man for a purse of $101,000. This fight took place on July 4th, 1910, and Jack Johnson easily carried off the victory. His profits from this fight made him independent for life, and were as follows: Share of purse $ 75,750.00 Sale of picture rights 50,000.00 Bonus 10,000.00 Total $135,750.00 Since the above date Johnson has made a great deal of money out of his theatrical engagements and numer- ous other fights. Color Against Johnson? — While he personally often thought that his color was against him, it may be that this great fight with Jeffries never would have taken place had Johnson been a white man. After gain- ing the title from Tommy Burns in Australia he became tlie champion and his prominence in the world, at least in the ranks of pugilism, became even greater than if he had been a white man. In the first place he was the first colored man that ever held the championship of the world, and yet if he had been a white man it is not likely that Jeffries would ever have attempted to contest the title with him. Jack Johnson's career has given the Negro race promi- nence in the entire world of pugilism as nothing else ever has. It is to be hoped that his future career will be as honorable and successful as his victorious past. CHAPTER XVII. PLANTATION MELODIES. INCIDENTS, EXPERIENCES AND PLEASANTRIES. Hampton and Its Students. — For many years the Hampton school has been making an effort to preserve and collect the spiritual songs of the Negroes in Amer- ica, and to give to its students so great a love for these beautiful utterances of the emotions of an enslaved and deeply religious race that they would strive as they went out to gather up and preserve a form of emotional expression only too likely to pass away in the transition period through which the colored people are now pass- ing. So impossible is it to reproduce this music imder changed conditions that there is danger lest even where both words and music are preserved, the spirit which gives it its peculiar chami may be lost forever. The educated Negro cannot sing the old songs as his father sang them. He may yet evolve a higher and nobler music of his own, but the old spirituals, squeezed as it were out of the human heart by the pressure of slav- ery, are a part of his history that he cannot afford to lose — a breaking forth from bondage of that thing which could never be enslaved, the genius of a race. Hampton and its students have done more to pre- serve Negro melodies than any other agency. The following are a few of the many songs that might be given. Most of them are taken from the Hampton collection. 641 642 PROGRESS OF A RACE. THE ANGELS DONE CHANGED MY NAME. " I went to the hillside, I went to pray; I know the angels done changed my name — Done changed my name for the coming day ; , I knew the angels done changed my name. " I looked at my hands, my hands was new, I knew the- angels done changed my name; I looked at my feet, and my feet was, too — Thank God the angels done changed my name." While the Negro brought out from bondage no liter- ature and no theology, yet he did bring with him the plantation songs which show in Christian song that the doctrines of Christianity were held by these people in the days of slavery. We cannot expect to find the same modes of expression now that prevailed among them while in slavery, but that they held to the funda- mental truths of religion must be recognized by all who study these songs. That they believed in Christ as a Savior from sin and in the Atonement is beautifully illustrated in the refrain — " I've been redeemed! I've been redeemed! Been washed in de blood ob de lamb." The Divinity of Christ is shown in — " Jus* Stan' right still and steady yo'self : I know that my Redeemer lives. Oh, jus' let me tell yo' about God hisself : I know that my Redeemer lives." At Tougaloo, Mississippi, they sing a hymn which especially emphasizes the personality of Satan, which, it seems, they never doubted — " Ole Satan he wears de hypocrite shoe; If yo' don' min' he slip it on yo'." Frederick Douglass says that — " Run to Jesus, shim the danger, I don't expect to stay much longer here." PLANTATION MELODIES, ETC. 643 ^ting- on the plantation where he was a slave, first sugf- 'gested to him the thought of escaping from slavery, or, as he put it, '* Praying with his feet." While their lives were full of misery on account of the oppressions of their masters, their songs do not show «siywhere a revengeful spirit. They looked for- waJ^T?vith confidence, expecting to be relieved in the Ia2i4. of the redeemed. " Shine, shine, 511 meet you in that morning. Oh, my ss 1/1 ■ - O m (U U t/1 53,977 191.532 297.333 1,181,294 66,890 154.495 4,734,873 2,458,502 302,680 2,218,667 1,416.319 1,862,309 Total Negro. 8.840,789 827,307 168 1,848 366,856 11,045 8,570 15,226 30,697 86,702 230,730 1,034,813 233 293 85,078 57,505 36,853 12,693 52,003 284,706 'The number of Chinese, Japanese, and Indians is included in the totals of the first column, but not in the second or third columns. STATISTICS OF THE RACE. 675 POPULATION OF EACH STATE AND TERRITORY-Continued. States and Territories. Louisiana Maine Maryland Massachusetts.. Michigan Minnesota Mississippi Missouri Montana Nebraska Nevada , New Hampshire New Jersey New Mexico New York North Carolina. , North Dakota. ., Ohio Oklahoma Oregon , Pennsylvania. . . Rhode Island South Carolina. South Dakota. . . Tennessee , Texas Utah Vermont , Virginia Washington West Virginia. . Wisconsin Wyoming. , . . . . Total Population. 1,381,645 694,469 1,188,044 2,805,346 2,420,982 1.75 1.394 1,551,270 3,106^665 242,329 1,066,300 42,335 411,588 1,883,669 195.310 7,268,894 1,893,810 319.546 4.157,545 398,331 413.536 6,302,115 428,556 1,340,316 410,570 2,020,616 3,048,710 276,749 343.641 1,854,184 518,103 958,800 2,069,042 92.531 Total White. 729,612 692,226 952,424 2,769,764 2.398,563 1.737.036 641,200 2,944,843 226,283 1,056,526 35.405 410,791 1,812,3:7 180,207 7,156,881 1,363,603 311,712 4,060,204 367.524 394,582 6,141,664 419,050 557,807 380,714 1,540,186 2,426,669 272,465 342,771 1,192,855 496,304 915.233 2,057,911 89,051 Total Negro. 650,804 I.319 235,064 31.974 15,816 4,959 907.630 161,234 1.523 6,269 134 662 69,844 1,610 99.232 624,469 286 96,90 1 18.831 1,105 156,845 9,092 782,321 465 480,243 620,722 672 836 660,722 2,5S4 43.499 2,542 940 876 PROGRESS OF A R.\CE. PERCENTAGE OF WHITE AND COLORED OF TOTAL POPULATION, BY STATES AND TERRITORIES, ARRANGED GEOGRAPHICALLY: 1890 AND 1900. STATES AND TERRITORIES. 1900 1890 White. Negro.* White. Negro.' The United States (') 87.8 11.6 875 11.9 North Atlantic division 98.1 1.8 98.4 1.6 Maine 99 7 99 8 99.7 98.7 97.8 98.2 98.5 96.2 97.5 64.2 0.2 0.2 0.2 1.2 2.1 1.7 14 3.7 2 5 35.7 99.7 99.8 99 7 98.9 978 98.3 98.7 96.7 97.9 63.1 0.2 New Hampshire Vermont 0.2 0.3 Massachusetts Rhode Island Connecticut 1.0 2.1 1.6 New York 1.2 New Jersey 3.3 Pennsylvania 2.0 South Atlantic division 36.8 Delaware 83.4 80.2 68.7 64.3 95 5 66.7 41.6 53.3 56.3 97.9 16.6 19.8 31.1 35.6 4.5 33.0 68.4 46.7 43 6 1.9 83.1 16 9 Maryland 79.3 20 7 District of Columbia.... Virginia 67.1 61 6 95.7 65.2 40. 1 53 2 57.5 97.8 32.8 38.4 West Virginia 4.3 North Carolina 34 7 South Carolina 69 9 Georgia 46 8 Florida 42.5 North Central division 1.9 Ohio 97.7 97.7 98.2 99.1 99.5 99.2 99.4 94.8 97.7 94.8 99.1 96.3 69.7 2.3 2.3 1.8 • 0.7 0.1 0.3 0.6 5.2 0.1 0,1 0.6 3.5 29.8 97.6 97.9 98.5 99.0 99.3 98.9 99.4 94.4 95.5 94 1 98.6 96 4 2.4 Indiana 2.1 Illinois Michigan. 1.5 0.7 Wisconsin 0.1 Minnesota 0.3 Iowa .... 6 Nlissouri 5 6 North Dakota 0.2 South Dakota 2 Nebraska 0.8 Kansas 3 5 South Central division 68.1 31.3 Kentucky 'Iciinessee Alabama 86.7 76.2 54.7 41.3 52.8 79.6 77.2 13.3 23.8 45.2 68.5 47.1 20.4 9.4 85 6 75.6 55.1 40 2 4€.9 78.1 61.2 14.4 24.4 44 8 Mississipri 57.6 Louisiana Texas Indian Territory 60.0 21.8 10.3 ' Includes all persons of Negro descent. {■) Ihe word colored in the United States census tables and in the statement following includes Negroes. Chinese. Japanese, and Indians. The last three are omitted from the table above. STATISTICS OF THE RACE. 677 PERCENTAGE OF WHITE AND COLORED— Continued. STATES AND TERRITORIES. 1900 1890 White. Negro. White. Negro. South Central division- Continued Oklahoma 92.3 72.0 94.7 4.7 28.0 0.7 79.4 72.6 92.6 3.8 Arkansas 27.4 Western division 0.9 •Montana 93.0 96.2 98.0 92.3 75.6 98.5 83 6 95.5 95.8 95.4 94.5 48.0 43.4 0.6 • 1.0 1.6 0.8 1.5 0.2 0.3 0.2 5 0.3 0.7 89.3 94.8 97.9 89.2 63.2 97.7 826 92.7 954 95.1 91.6 13.4 67.4 1.0 Wyoming 1.6 Colorado 1.5 New Mexico 1.2 Arizona Utah 1.5 3 Nevada Idaho Washington Oregon 0,5 0.2 0.4 0.4 California 0.9 Alaska 0.1 Hawaii 0.2 Of the entire population returned in 1900, the white element constitutes 87.8 per cent, and the colored (2) element 12.2 per cent., the Negro element by itself constituting 11. 6 per cent. Ten years ago the Negro element represented a slightly larger proportion of the population, or 11.9 per cent. In the two divisions comprising the Southern states and territories, con- sidered as a whole, persons of Negro descent now constitute a somewhat less proportion of the total population than in 1890, but in certain of these states and territories in which this element has increased during the decade at a more rapid rate than the whites, they constitute a slightly larger percentage of the population in 1900 than the}' did in 1890, namely, West Virginia and Florida, in the South Atlantic division, and Alabama, Mississippi, Oklahoma, and Arkansas in the South Central division. 678 PROGRESS OF A RACE. In South Carolina and Mississippi the Negro element predominates, there being in 1900 in South Carolina 782,321 persons of Negro descent and 557,807 white persons, and in Mississippi 907,630 of the former and 641,200 of the latter element. Of the entire popula- tion of South Carolina, the Negro element constitutes 58.4 per cent, in 1900 as against 59.9 per cent, in 1890, while of that of Mississippi the same element consti- tutes 58,5 per cent, as against 57.6 per cent, in 1890. Ten years ago the Negroes were in the majority in Louisiana, when they represented practically half of the population, but at the present census they number 650,804 and constitute only 47.1 per cent, of the population of that state. There are now 729,612 white persons in Louisiana and they constitute 52.8 per cent, of the whole population as against 49.9 per cent, in 1890. POPULATION OF THE UNITED STATES VOTING AGES—MALES, 21 YEARS AND OVER. States and Tereitories. The United States. Alabama Alaska ......,., Arizona Arkansas , California Colorado Connecticut Delaware District of Columbia , Florida Aggregate. Total White. Total Negro.' 2 1, 329,8 1 Q 19,036,143 2,065,989 413,862 232,294 181,471 37,956 25,953 141 44.081 34,911 1,084 313.836 226,597 87,157 544,087 489,545 3,711 185,708 181,616 3,215 280,340 275,126 4,576 54.018 45.592 8.374 83,823 60,318 23,072 139,601 77,962 61.417 * Inclades all persons of Negro descent. STATISTICS OF THE RACE. 679 VOTING POPULATION-Continaed. States and Territories. Georgia Hawaii Idaho Illinois Indiana Indian Territory Iowa Kansas Kentucky Louisiana Maine Maryland Massachusetts.. Michigan Minnesota Mississippi Missouri Montana Nebraska Nevada New Hampshire New Jersey New Mexico New York North Carolina . North Dakota . . Ohio Oklahoma Oregon Pennsylvania. . . Rhode Island. .. South Carolina . South Dakota . . Tennessee Texas Utah Aggregate. 500,752 79,607 53.9.32 [,401,456 720,206 97.361 635.298 413.786 543.996 325.943 217.663 321,903 843.465 719.478 506,794 349.177 856,684 101,931 301,091 17,710 130,987 555,608 55.067 J. 1 84,965 417.578 95.217 [,212,223 109,191 144.446 1,817,239 127,144 283,325 112,681 487,380 737.768 67,172 Total White. 277.496 19.576 50,328 1,370,209 701,761 77.865 630,665 398.552 469,206 177,878 216,856 260,979 830,049 712,245 502,384 150,530 809,797 94.873 297,817 14,652 130,648 532,750 50,804 2,145.057 289,263 93.237 1,180,599 101,543 131,261 1,763,482 124,001 130,375 107.353 375.046 599,961 65,205 Total Negro. 223,073 93 130 29,762 18,186 9.146 4.441 14,695 74,728 147.348 445 60,406 10,456 5.193 2,168 197.936 46,418 711 2,298 70 230 21,474 775 31.425 127,114 115 31.235 4.827 560 51,668 2,765 152,860 184 112,236 136,875 358 680 PROGRESS OF A RACE. VOTING POPULATION-Continned, States and Tebbitoeies. Vermont Virginia Washington . . West Virginia Wisconsin. . . . Wyoming . . . . Aggregate. 108,356 447.815 195.572 247,970 570,715 37.898 Total White. 108,027 301.379 183,999 233.129 567.213 36,262 Total Negro. 289 146,122 1.230 M.786 1,006 481 POPULATION OF THE UNITED STATES FOR THE CENSUS YEARS. Aggregate Census Year. White. Negro. Population. 1790 3,172,002 757.202 3.929.214 1800 4,306,446 1,002,037 5,308,483 1810 5.862.166 1,377,808 7,239,881 1820 7.862,073 1,771.656 9.633.822 1830 10,537,378 2,328,642 12,866.020 1840 14,195,805 2,873,648 17,069,453 1850 19,553,068 3,638,808 23,191,876 j86o 26,922,537 4.441.836 31,443.321 • 870 33.589.377 4.880,009 38.558,371 1880 43,402,970 6,580,793 50,155.783 1890 54,983,890 7,470,040 62,622,250 1900 66,990,802 8,840,788 76,303,387 CONJUGAL CONDITION OF PERSONS OF NEGRO DESCENT IN THE UNITED STATES. ■ (Census of 1890.) Single 4.669,5 13 Married 2,363.23 1 Widowed 41 1.888 Divorced 1 5,907 Unknown 9.501 Total 7,470,040 CONJUGAL CONDITION OF PERSONS OF NEGRO DESCENT TWENTY YEARS OF AGE AND OVER. Males. Females. Total. Single 424,552 271,224 695,776 Married 1,171,671 1,122,619 2,294,290 Widowed 91.633 317.893 409,526 Divorced 5,199 10,391 15,590 Unknown 4,408 4,563 8,971 STATISTICS OF THL RACE. 681 ILLITERATE POPULATION OF NEGRO DESCENT TEN YEARS OF AGE AND OVER IN 1890.* Males 1,438,923 Females 1,603,745 Total 3,042,668 Total Negro population of the United States ten years of age ar.d over. 5,328,972 SKETCH OF THE NEGRO IN THE UNITED STATES. Occupations. — In 1890 out of a total population of 62,- 000,000, 34 per cent, were engaged in gainful occupa- tions; of the Negroes, numbering 7,500,000, 3,000,000, or 41 percent., were engaged in gainful occupations. The proportion was much greater than with the total population. According to the statistics of 1890, the male Negroes were slightly more occupied than were the native whites, while among the female Negroes, the proportion of wage earners was much greater. Out of every 100 native whites, all pursuing gainful occu- pations, 85 were males and 15 were females; out of every 100 Negroes, 69 were males and 31 females. A larger proportion of women pursued gainful occupa- tions among the Negroes than among the whites. Of the male Negro wage earners, more than three-fifths were farmers, and a little less than one-fourth were servants; of the females, less than one-half were farmers, and more than one-half were servants. This large proportion of female Negro farmers was doubt- less made up principally of women and female children employed in the cotton fields. Ownership of Farms and Homes. — The statistics of farm and home ownership and mortgaged indebtedness throw some light upon the pecuniary condition of the Negro. The total number of farms and homes in the country in 1890 was a little more than twelve millions, ♦Census report for 1900 not complete at time of revision, January, 1902. 682 PROGRESS OF A RACE. of which the Neg^roes occupied nearly one and a half millions. The proportion of Negroes of the total pop- ulation at that time was about 1 2 per cent. , showing a deficiency in the proportion occupying farms and homes. The number of farms in the country was 4)767,179; of these 549,642 were occupied by Negroes. The number of homes in the country was 7,922,973, of which 861,137 were occupied by Negroes. Tenants. — Of the farms occupied by Negroes, 120,. 738 were owned by the occupants; more than three- fourths of the farms occupied by Negroes were rented. In other words, more than three-fourths of the Negro farmers were tenants, while less than one-fourth of the white farmers were tenants. Of farms owned by Negroes, more were without indebtedness than those owned by whites ; of houses owned by Negroes, 126,264 were free from incumbrance, showing a greater pro- portion of homes without indebtedness than among the whites. Summary. — In summing up the principal points, it is seen that in the matter of occupation the Negro is engaged in agriculture or personal service; he has made little progress in a generation in manufacture, transportation or trade. This could certainly not be expected of the first generation out of slavery. The Negro has, during this generation, however, made good prospects toward acquiring property, especially in farms and homes, and in just so far as they have acquired possession of real estate it is safe to say they have become more valuable citizens. The outlook for them is very favorable as agriculturists, but it will require considerable time for them to become an im- portant factor in manufacture, transportation or com. merce. STATISTICS OF THE RACE. 683 Distribution of the Negro Race. — Negroes are dis- tributed very unequally all over the country; while they are found in every state and territory, and in almost every county in the land, the vast body of them are found in the Southern states, in those states lying south of the Mason and Dixon line and the Ohio River, to the north boundary of Missouri, and westward as far as Texas. They are most plentiful in Maryland, Virginia, South Carolina and Mississippi, and secondary in North Carolina, Tennessee, Georgia, Alabama and Loiiisiana. In the Northern and Western states they are very sparsely distributed, with scarcely an excep- tion, being less than four of them to a square mile, while in many places there is less than one to a square mile. The Negroes in Cities. — The tendency, as a popula- tion of a country increases, is that the increase constantly raises the proportion of the population in the cities. The proportion of the Negroes in the cities has, however, been less than that of the whites, but they have gained upon the whites in this regard. NEGROES IN THE SLAVE STATES. Delaware. — In Delaware, the proportion of Negroes in 1790 was about 22 per cent. This proportion in- creased greatly until 1840; since then it has dimin- ished, and in 1900 was about 16.6 per cent. In Maryland over one-third of the population were Negroes in 1790, and in 18 10 it had increased to 38 per cent. ; in 1900 it was less than 20 per cent. District of Columbia. — Here the proportion of Negroes in 1800 was about 29 per cent, in i860 the proportion was 19 per cent. During the war many Negroes took refuge within the capital, since which time it is about 31 per cent, of the total population. 684 PROGRESS OF A RACE. In Kentucky one-sixth of the population were Negroes in 1790; in 1830 it was about one-fourth; at present it is 13^ per cent., less than one-sixth. In Tennessee one-tenth of the population were Negroes in 1790; in 1880 it was a little more than one- fourth, since which time it has diminished a trifle. Missouri had about one-sixth of its inhabitants Negroes when the first record was given. It has diminished rapidly, and in 1900 it was less than one- nineteenth of the population. Virginia.— In 1790 the Negroes constituted not less than two-fifths of the inhabitants. The proportion increased until 1810, and in 1900 it was little less than one-fourth. All of the above are border states, and show a sim- ilar history, excepting Tennessee and the District of Columbia; the remaining show a different history. North Carolina started in 1790 with 27 per cent., and has increased slowly until it reached ;^2 per cent. South Carolina started with 44 per cent, and in 18S0 more than three-fifths of the population were Negroes; since then there has been a trifling decrease in per cent. Georgia started with 36 per cent., and continued to increase until 1880, since when there has been a slight reduction in per pent, Florida began with 47 per cent, of the population Negroes, but it now stands at 43.6 per cent. Alabama commenced with one-third of her people Negroes, and increased until 1870; since then there has been a decrease in per cent. Mississippi began with 41 per cent, of her people Negroes, and has increased up to 1900 to 581^ per cent. Louisiana began with 55 per cent., but on the whole STATISTICS OF THE RACE. 685 diminished, and in 1900 more than one-half of the people were Negroes. Texas began in 1850, when 28 per cent, of her people were Negroes, and increased to 31 per cent., and then decreased rapidly, largely due to immigration to the central part of the state. Arkansas began when a little less than one-eighth of its people were Negroes. In 1900 the Negroes formed more than one-fourth of the total population. Conclusions. — This indicates in a general way the southward migration of the race to the cotton states, and an increase until in the recent past. Conjugal Condition. — Comparing the conjugal con- dition of the Negroes with those of the whites there are two points of difference: First, the Negroes marry younger than the whites, and second, the proportion of widows at most ages is greater than among the whites. The first is in accord with a shorter life period of the race, and the second is a result of a greater death rate in the race. Statistics of divorce show more frequent divorces among the Negroes than among the whites. Mortality. — The rate of mortality among the Negro population is considerably greater than among the whites; it is, however, difficult to obtain an accurate record of the relative death rates of the two races. In some of the larger cities the death rate is very nearly if not quite double that of the native white. The rural districts seem to show that the disproportion among the death rates is not so great as it is in the larger cities. Criminality. — The proportion of criminals among the Negroes is much greater than among the whites. The last census shows that the proportion of Negroes 686 PROGRESS OF A RACE. was only tour times as great as the whites. It should, however, be kept in mind that the statistics include among its criminal class the commitments of Negroes for petty offenses, which with that race is a greater offense in proportion than among the whites. Paupers. — No investigations have been made among these persons receiving out door relief either perma- nently or temporarily. The census reports are of those who receive aid from alms houses. As these are not found in large numbers in the South the Negro paupers, compared with the whites, cannot be accur- ately stated. Illiteracy and Education.— There has been a remark- able increase of the race in the elements of education. During the prevalence of slavery this race was kept in ignorance; indeed, generally throughout the South, it was held as a crime to teach the Negro to read and write, and naturally, when they became freedmen, only a trifling proportion of them were acquainted with the elements of education. Five years after they became free, the census shows that only two-tenths of all Negroes over ten years could write. Ten years later the proportion had increased to three-tenths, and in 1900, only a generation after they were emanci- pated, more than forty-seven out of every one hundred Negroes 21 or more years of age were able to read and write. These figures show a rapidly increasing progress in elementary education. In i860 the number of Negroes who were enrolled in the schools of the South was trifling. Since the abolition of slavery the number has increased with great rapidity. Summary. — The following conclusions may be stated from the preceding investigations. The Negroes, without increasing rapidly in this country, are dimin. STATISTICS OF THE RACE. 687 ishing in numbers relative to the whites. They are moving southward from the border states into those of the South Atlantic and Gulf states. They prefer the country rather than the city life. The proportion of criminals is much greater than among the whites, and the paupers at least as great, and the indications are the number of attendants at school is far behind the number of whites, but is rapidly gaining upon the race. To raise a people from slavery to civilization is a matter, not of years, but of many generations. Their industry, morality and education is a source of highest gratification to all friends of the race excepting those who expected a miraculous conversion. Colored Physicians. — It is difficult to give the exact number of colored physicians in our country. Of course, in the term "colored physicians" we include only those who have received diplomas from reputable medical schools. The first attempt ever made to compile a list of these was made by Dr. Hubbard, Dean of Meharry Medical College, through whose kindness we are enabled to give the following table. This table was first compiled at the close of 1895, and there is probably no one who would be able to give more accurate statistics concerning colored physicians than Dr. Hubbard. We have added- one column, bringing the list up to 1897, and have made it as com- plete as possible. The numbers in the last column are given by officers of the different institutions, and include all the graduates in medicine, dentistry and pharmacy, while the remaining table gives only the graduates in medicine who practice in the Southern states : 688 PROGRESS OF A RACE. a cd Xi < 5 3 1 tS tn OS M < 17 '2 u C 7 1 2 3 3 V -^ 19 9 7 o a 16 9 C8 a 2 ]o3 '3 8 2 13 '2 25 'a a 01 a 8 i g 00 m g 17 2 19 ffl g u CO C^ z 2 2 19 23 1 3 tn 5 11 9 i 26 a; a a 51 1 '2 1 55 ce H 12 9 •• '2 23 CO 1 > '2 2 00 c5 Q CO 210 54 51 19 24 27 385 I a Meliarry Medical College 379 Howard' University ... Ijeonard Medical School 600 102 New Orleans University 27 Louisville National 20 8 53 49 Other C'oilege.s 4 13 3 22 1 11 4 Total The following institutions have been established for the education of colored physicians: The Medical Department of Howard University. Washington, D. C, was established in 1868, and has, we are informed by the secretary, graduated about 500 colored and 200 white students. This includes the medical, dental and pharmaceutical departments, Meharry Medical College is the medical department of Central Tennessee College, Nashville. It was opened in 1876, and has had 308 graduates in medi- cine, 40 in pharmacy, and 31 in dentistry. The med- ical department has been in operation 21 years, the dental department 11, and the pharmaceutical 8. Over one-half of the colored physicians of the South are graduates of Meharry Medical College. Ninety- two per cent, of the graduates of this medical college are practicing medicine. Meharry is under the care of the Freedman's Aid and vSouthern Educational Society of the M. E. Church. Leonard Medical College, of Shaw University, Raleigh, North Carolina, has had 80 graduates in medicine, and 22 in pharmacy. Leonard Medical Col. STATISTICS OF THE RACE. 689 lege is supported by the Baptist Home Missionary Society. The Louisville National Medical College was opened in 1888, and ih 1897 had 49 graduates. The Medical Department of New Orleans Univer- sity was organized in 1889. Twenty- seven Negroes have received diplomas from this department. It is under the care of the same society as Meharry Medical College. The Medical Department of Knoxville College was opened in November, 1895. There are about one thousand colored physicians in the United States, of which number Nashville has twenty-three. The first female student in the world who received a diploma in law was Miss C. B. Ray, a colored lady of New York city. vShe graduated at Howard Univer- sity, Washington, D. C. Doctor Hubbard bears testimony to the fact that the colored physicians are kindly received by all the best Southern white physicians. The white physicians find the colored practice is not desirable, and since such institutions as Meharry are able to come up to the standard, they are welcomed by the profession. The colored physicians undergo the same examinations as the whites. Three counties in Tennessee — Fayette, Haywood and Shelby — have more colored persons than white. The colored scholastic population of Tennessee is 176,614, while the daily attendance will average According to the latest census report, there are 3,115 deaf and dumb and 7,060 blind Afro-Americans in this country. 44 Progress 690 PROGRESS OF A RACE. The Bureau of Education furnishes the following suggestive table : SIXTEEN FORMER SLAVE STATES AND THE DIS- TRICT OF COLUMBIA. Year. 1876-77. 1877-78. 1878-79. 1879-80. 1880-81. 1881-82. 1882-83. 1883-84. 1884-85. 1885-86. 1886-87. 1887-88. 1888-89. 1889-90. 1890-91. 1891-92. 1892-93. 1893-94. Total amount expended in 18 years Com. School. Enrollment. Expenditures. White. Colored. (Both Races.) 1,827,139 571,506 $11,231,073 2,034,946 675,150 12,093,091 2,013,684 685,942 12,174,141 2,215,674 784,709 12,678,685 2,234,877 802,374 13,656,814 2,249,263 802,982 15,241,740 2,370,110 817,240 16,363,471 2,546,448 1,002,313 17,884,558 2,676,911 1,030,463 19.253.874 2,773.145 1,048,659 20,208,113 2,975,773 1,118,556 20,821,969 3,110,606 1,140,405 21,810,158 3.197,830 1,213,092 23,171,878 3,402,420 1,296,959 24,880,107 3,570,624 1,329,549 26,690,310 3,607,549 1.354,316 27,691,488 3,697,899 1,367.515 28,535.738 3,835,593 1,424,995 29,170,351 1 18 years. .$353,557,559 CRIME, PAUPERISM, AND BENEVOLENCE. The following is taken from the census report of 1890.* It is interesting to compare the numbers of the different races : Prison- ers. Juvenile Offend- ers. Paupers. Inmates of Benevo- lent Insti- tations. Insane Paupers. Total. White Negroes Indians Chinese Japanese 57.310 24,277 322 407 13 12,903 1,930 12 I 66,578 6,418 36 13 106,836 4,102 923 41 8 55.053 3.601 28 184 298,680 40,328 1,321 646 21 • • • Total 82,329 14.846 73.045 111,910 58,866 340,996 ♦Census report for 1900 not complete at time of revision, January, 1902, STATISTICS OF THE RACE. 691 COMMON SCHOOL STATISTICS CLASSIFIED BY RACE— 1894-95. Enrolled in the Public Schools of sixteen Southern States and District of Columbia. Alabama Arkansas Delaware Dist.of Columbia. Florida Georgia Kentucky Louisiana Maryland Mississippi Missouri North Carolina. .. South Carolina. .. Tennessee Texas Virginia West Virginia Total. White. 190,305 216,863 28,316 26,903 59.503 262,530 394,508 92,613 161,252 162,830 612,378 242,572 103,729 381,632 463.888 235.533 210,059 3.845.414 Colored. 115,709 82,429 4,857 14,654 37.272 174,152 73,463 63.313 43,492 187.785 32,199 128,318 119,292 101,524 134,720 120,453 7.649 1,441,282 No. of Teachers. White. Colored 4.412 5,124 734 660 2,151 5,827 8.578 2,506 3.797 4,591 13,750 5.285 2,6g6 6,928 9,960 6,211 6,066 89,276 2,196 1,796 106 331 772 3,206 1,373 915 716 3,264 737 3,075 1,869 1,909 2,502 2,081 233 27,081 There are 1,441,282 Afro- American children in the public schools of the sixteen Southern states. This is an encouraging showing. A generation ago it was a penitentiary offense in all the South to educate an Afro-American. SCHOOLS FOR THE EDUCATION OF THE COLORED RACE. The following are the latest statistics of schools for the education of the colored race taken from the report of the Commissioner of Education for the year 1895. Since many of them are controlled by churches we give them under the heads of the different churches supporting and controlling them. We give the institution, its location, and the number of students in each. 692 PROGRESS OF A RACE. BAPTISTS. Students. Selma University, Selma, Alabama <. 218 Arkansas Baptist College, Little Rock, Ark 390 Arkadelphia Academy, Arkadelphia, Ark .' 106 Wayland Seminary, Washington, D. C 161 Florida Institute, Live Oak, Fla 165 Jerual Academy, Athens, Ga 250 Atlanta Baptist Seminary, Atlanta, Ga I4' Spelman Ladies' Seminary, Atlanta, Ga 630 Walker Baptist Institute, Augusta, Ga iQf) La Grange Academy, La Grange, (ra 425 Leland University, New Orleans, La 1 57 Jackson College, Jackson, Miss 1 50 Shaw University, Raleigh, N. C 362 Shiloti University, Warrenton, N. C 60 Water's Normal Institute, Winston, N. C 215 Benedict College, Columbia, S. C 135 Roger Williams University, Nashville, Tenn 234 Ilearne Academy and Normal and Industrial School, Mearne, Tex 76 Bishop College, Marshall, Tex 360 Richmond Theological Seminary, Richmond, Va 185 Curry College, Longfield, Va 95 Hartshorn Memorial College, Richmond, Va 1 1 1 Storer's College, Harpers Ferry, W. Va 143 Total number of students in Baptist Schools 4556 METHODIST EPISCOPAL. Central Alabama Academy, Huntsville, Ala 130 Philander Smith College, Little Rock, Ark 312 Shorter University, Arkadelphia, Ark 82 Cookman Institute. Jacksonville, Fla 26

2> Hale 5,664 34 Henry 22,543 35 Jackson 26,860 Negro. 11,173 4.179 22,371 6,213 1. 78 1 26,097 13,246 10,626 17.415 3,016 3,264 10,277 15,829 1,884 871 4,233 9,546 7,793 5,288 2,434 5,601 21 4,869 45,372 972 6,051 3.515 4,366 1,701 2,158 2,218 20,875 25,347 13,604 3,642 Counties. White. Negro. 36 Jefferson ....83,489 56.917 Z7 Lamar 13,015 3.o6g 38 Lauderdale ..19,169 7,390 39 Lawrence ...12,967 7,156 40 Lee 12,759 1,967 41 Limestone ..12,558 9,828 42 Lowndes . . . 4,762 30,889 43 Macon 4,252 19,875 44 Madison ....23,827 29,473 45 Marengo 8,841 29,473 46 Marion 13,716 778 47 Marshall ....21,789 1,500 48 Mobile 34,306 28,409 49 Monroe 10,529 13,116 50 Montgomery 19,825 52,207 51 Morgan 21,439 7,378 52 Perry 6,821 24,962 53 Pickens 10,481 13,921 54 Pike 10,697 12,474 55 Randolph ...16,469 5,178 56 Russell 5,930 21,152 57 St. Clair ....16,003 3,442 58 Shelby 16,680 7,014 59 Sumter 5,672 27,038 60 Talladega ...17,547 18,223 61 Tallapoosa ..18,987 10,688 62 Tuscaloosa . .21,509 14,638 63 Walker 21,046 4,116 64 Washington . 6,106 5,028 65 Wilcox 6,979 28,652 66 Winston .... 9,547 7 ARKANSAS. 1 Arkansas . . . 8,915 4.058 2 Ashley 9,135 10,599 3 Ba.xter 9,293 5 4 Benton 31.499 II2 700 PROGRESS OF A RACE. Counties. White. Negro. 5 Boone 16,254 142 6 Bradley 6,311 3,340 7 Calhoun .... 5.254 3.285 8 Carroll 19.682 166 9 Chicot 1,876 12,650 ID Clark 14,022 7,267 11 Clay 15.877 9 12 Ciebourne . . 9,617 11 13 Cleveland .. 8,106 3.514 14 Columbia ...12,610 9,467 15 Conway 11,150 7.627 16 Craighead ..18,302 1,203 17 Crawford ...19,045 2,224 18 Crittenden ... 2,239 12,290 19 Cross 6,188 4,873 20 Dallas 6,935 4.583 21 Desha 2,104 9.405 22 Drew 9,162 10,289 23 Foulkner ....16,338 4,440 24 Franklin 16,808 587 25 Fulton 12,838 79 26 Garland 15,096 3,674 27 Grant 6,825 846 28 Greene 16,898 81 29 Hemstead ...12,111 11,990 30 Hot Springs. 1 1,263 1.485 31 Howard 10,978 3,098 32 Indep'dence .21,074 1,483 33 Izard 13.221 285 34 Jackson 13.090 5.290 35 Jeflferson 11,146 29,812 36 Johnson ....16,828 6ig 37 Lafayette .... 4,108 6,486 38 Lawrence ...i5,439 1.051 39 Lee 4,303 15.105 40 Lincoln 4,938 8,451 41 Little Rock . 7.982 5,749 42 Logan 19.784 779 43 Lonoke 13.250 9,294 Counties. White. Nesro. 44 Madison 19,820 44 45 Marion 1 1.339 38 46 Miller 9.935 7.6i9 47 Mississippi . . 8,061 8,321 48 Monroe 5.822 io,995 49 Montgomery. 9,125 319 50 Nevada 10.776 5,833 51 Newton 12,531 7 52 Ouachita 9.257 11.634 53 Perry 6,484 810 54 Phillips 5.677 20.577 55 Pike 9.705 596 56 Poinsett 5.994 1.031 57 Polk 18,175 177 58 Pope 19.850 1,865 59 Prairie 7,684 4.i9i 60 Pulaski 34.040 29,116 61 Randolph . . . 16,550 606 02 St. Francis.. 6,152 11,005 63 Saline 11,202 1,920 64 Scott 13.079 102 65 Searcy 11, 972 16 66 Sebastian S^Ayd 4.407 67 Sevier 14,292 2,041 68 Sharp 12,987 212 69 Stone 8,021 79 70 Union 12,775 9.720 71 Van Buren. .10,894 326 72 Washington .33.367 888 73 White 22,208 2,656 74 WoodrufY . . . 6,357 9.947 75 Yell 20,080 1,670 DELAWARE. 1 Kent 25,017 7.738 2 New Castle .93-456 16,197 3 Sussex 35.504 6,762 DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA I Dist. of Col. 191,532 86,702 STATISTICS OF THE RACE. 701 FLORIDA. Counties. White. 1 Alacluia i3,^79 2 Baker 3.325 3 Bradford . . . 7.568 4 Brevard .... 4.003 5 Calhoun 3.092 6 Citrus 2.754 7 Clay 3.803 8 Columbia . . . "J.y^i 9 Dade 3.548 ID De Soto .... 7,374 11 Duval 17,276 12 Escambia . . . 16,384 13 Franklin .... 2,648 14 Gadsden 5,438 15 Hamilton . . . 6.505 16 Hernando . . . 1,823 17 Hillsboro . . .27,528 18 Holmes 6,481 19 Jackson 11.087 20 Jefferson 3.575 21 Lafayette . . . 4.224 22 Lake 4,829 23 Lee 2,737 24 Leon 3,886 25 Levy 5,327 26 Liberty 1.459 27 Madison .... 6,542 28 Manatee .... 4,105 29 Marion 9,3S6 30 Monroe 12,192 31 Nassau 4.559 32 Orange 7.347 33 Osceola .... 3.013 34 Pasco 4.375 35 Polk 9.523 36 Putnam 6,017 37 St. John 5.540 38 Santa Rosa . 7,827 Counties. White. N'egrro. Negro. .39 Sumter 3.907 2,280 18,965 40 Suwanee 7,977 6,577 1,191 41 Taylor 3.361 438 2,727 42 Volusia 6,538 3.464 1,074 43 Wakulla 2,359 2,790 2,040 44 Walton 7.307 2,039 2,637 45 Washington . 7.468 2.886 1.832 GEORGIA. 9.3^1 I Appling 8.823 3,513 1,293 2 Baker 1.934 4.770 672 3 Baldwin .... 6,511 11,256 22,417 4 Banks 8.448 2,097 11,925 5 Bartow 14.635 6,187 2,242 6 Berrien 13.494 5.937 9,856 7 Bibb 23,078 27,384 5,376 8 Brooks 7.702 10,904 1,815 9 Bryan 2.969 3,153 8,449 10 Bullock 12,213 5.164 1.281 II Burke 5.459 24,645 12,276 12 Butts 5,998 6,807 12,620 13 Calhoun .... 2.399 6,825 763 14 Camden .... 2,423 5,242 2.631 15 Campbell ... 6,350 3,168 188 16 Carroll 21,539 5.036 15.999 17 Catoosa 534 482 3.282 18 Charlton .... 2,849 743 1,497 19 Chatham ...26,314 41.257 8,904 20 Chattah'chee .1,852 3,938 458 21 Chattooga ...10,714 2.238 15.047 22 Cherokee ....13.958 1,285 5,788 23 Clarke 8,230 9,476 5.092 24 Clay 2,865 5703 4.027 25 Clayton 5.519 4,026 431 26 Clinch 5,142 3,590 1.679 27 Cobb 17.334 7.328 2,943 28 Cofifee 9,528 6,61 1 5,621 29 Colquitt ....10,034 3.602 3,621 30 Columbia . . . 2,900 7,753 2,466 31 Coweta 10.759 14,220 702 PROGRESS OF A RACE. Counties White. Neero. 32 Crawford . . . 4,550 5,818 33 Dade ... 4-140 438 34 Dawson 5,271 171 35 Decatur 13,676 15,778 36 DeKalb 14,068 7,044 yj Dodge 8,270 5,705 38 Dooly 11,883 14,684 39 Dougherty . 2,451 11,228 40 Douglas .... 6,590 2,155 41 Early 5,863 8,905 42 Echols 2,218 991 43 Effingham . . 4,630 3,704 44 Elbert 9,936 9,792 45 Emanuel ...12,873 8,406 46 Fannin 10,918 296 47 Fayette 6,553 3-56i 48 Floyd 21,633 11,476 49 Forsyth 10,467 1,083 50 Franklin ....13,496 4,204 51 Fulton 72,591 45,717 52 Gilmer 10,121 "jy 53 Glascock . .. 3,001 1,515 54 Glynn 5,202 9.104 55 Gordon 12,488 1,631 56 Greene 5,325 11,217 57 Gwinnett ....21,442 4,043 58 Habersham ..11,812 1,792 59 Hall 17,480 3,272 60 Hancock .... 4,649 13,628 61 Haralson ...10,280 1,639 62 Harris 5,823 12,186 63 Hart 10,467 4,025 64 Heard 7,163 4,011 65 Henry 9,213 9,389 66 Houston .... 5,635 17,006 67 Irwin 8,960 4,680 68 Jackson 16,433 7,606 69 Jasper 5,388 9,645 70 Jefferson ...6,534 ii,578 Counties. White. Neero. 71 Johnson 6,878 4,531 12 Jones 3,878 5,447 73 Laurens 14,569 ii,338 74 Lee 1,507 8,837 75 Liberty .... 4,479 8,614 76 Lincoln 1,883 4,273 ■j-j Lowndes ... 9-347 6,143 78 Lumpkin ... 6,951 482 79 McDuffie . . . 3,661 10,688 80 Mcintosh ... 1,456 5,079 81 Macon 4,202 9,791 82 Madison 9,339 3,885 9^1 Marion 4,231 5,849 84 Meriwether . 9,522 13,817 85 Miller 3,611 2,708 86 Milton 6,000 763 87 Mitchell 6,778 7,989 88 Monroe 6,817 13,865 89 Montgomery 9,653 6,706 90 Morgan 5,207 10,606 91 Murray 8,102 521 92 Muscogee ..14,229 15,577 93 Newton .... 8,589 8,144 94 Oconee 4,189 4,413 95 Oglethorpe . 5,638 12,243 96 Paulding ...11,624 1,345 97 Pickens 8,226 415 98 Pierce 5,917 2,184 99 Pike 9,158 9,599 100 Polk . — ...12,937 4,916 loi Pulaski 7,460 11,029 102 Putnam .... 3,379 10,057 103 Quitman .... 1,258 3,447 104 Rabun 6,104 181 105 Randolph .. 5,550 11,297 106 Richmond ...27,439 26,255 107 Rockdale . ... 4,419 3,090 108 Schley 1,916 3,583 109 Screven 8,306 10,946 STATISTICS OF THE RACE, 703 Counties. White. Negro. no Spalding . . . 8,465 9.154 Ill Stewart . . . . 4.019 11,837 112 Sumter . . . • 7.399 18,813 113 Talbot .... .. 3,658 8,439 114 Taliaferro . • 2.391 5,521 115 Tattnall . . . .13.306 6.I13 116 Taylor .... . 4,820 5,026 117 Telfair .... ■ 5.957 4,126 118 Terrell ... • 5.674 13,349 119 Thomas . . . . 13.626 17,450 120 Towns .... • 4,677 71 121 Troup .... . 8,668 15.332 122 Twiggs . . . . 2,911 5.805 123 Union • 8,353 128 124 Upson .... . 6,189 7.481 125 Walker • 13,197 2,464 126 Walton .12,601 8,341 127 Ware . 8,652 5,109 128 Warren . . . . 3.842 7.621 129 Washington 10,805 17,422 130 Wayne .... . 7,222 2,227 131 Webster . . . . 2,504 4,114 132 White • 5,312 600 133 Whitfield . . .12,683 1,821 134 Wilcox .... . 6,893 4.204 135 Wilkes .... . 6,423 14,442 136 Wilkinson . • 5.409 6,031 137 Worth .10,252 8.412 KENTUCKY. 1 Adair ■13.294 1.594 2 Allen • 13.559 1,098 3 Anderson . . • 9,057 1.054 4 Ballard .... • 9^259 1,502 5 Barren .19,410 3.788 6 Bath .13,042 1,692 7 Bell •13.947 1,754 8 Boone . 10,360 810 9 Bourbon . . .11,276 6.792 10 Boyd .18,051 771 Counties. White. Negro. 11 Boyle 9.036 4,781 12 Bracken . .. .11,565 572 13 Breathitt ....14,023 299 14 Breckinridge 18,438 2,096 15 Bullitt 85,108 1,094 16 Butler 15,171 725 17 Caldwell 11.735 2,775 18 Calloway ...16,375 1,258 19 Campbell ...53-643 SSo 20 Carlisle 9,557 638 21 Carroll 9,021 804 22 Carter 20,085 I43 23 Casey 14-740 504 24 Christian ....21,365 16,697 25 Clark 11,517 5.177 26 Clay 14,800 564 27 Clinton 7,691 175 28 Crittenden ..14,315 876 29 Cumberland . 8,040 922 30 Daviess ....33,131 5,554 31 Edmonson . . 9,628 452 32 Elliott 10,385 2 33 Estill 11,446 223 34 Fayette 27,660 15.409 35 Fleming ... .15,489 i-SSS 36 Floyd 15,416 136 37 Franklin ....16,501 4,348 38 Fulton 8,706 2,838 39 Gallatin 4,598 565 40 Garrard 9,096 2,946 41 Grant 12,812 427 42 Graves 29,857 2,345 43 Grayson ....19,450 428 44 Green 10,516 1,739 45 Greenup ....15,160 272 46 Hancock .... 8,270 644 47 Hardin 20,866 2,071 48 Harlan 9,6i2 2i6 49 Harrison ...16,148 2,421 704 PROGRESS OF A RACE. Counties. White. Negro. 50 Hart 16,190 2,220 51 Henderson . .24,101 8,804 52 Henry 12,690 1,930 53 Hickman 9,622 2,123 54 Hopkins 25,877 5,118 55 Jackson 10,542 19 56 Jefferson . . . 188,630 43,916 57 Jessamine . . . 8,576 3,349 58 Johnson . .. .13,729 i 59 Kenton 60,292 3,582 60 Knox 16,618 754 61 Knott 8,535 169 62 Larue 9,982 782 63 Lawrence . . . 19,427 185 64 Lee 7,717 271 65 Leslie 6,638 75 66 Lewis 17,703 175 67 Lincoln 13.547 3.512 68 Letcher 9,126 46 69 Livingston . . 10,576 778 70 Logan 19,256 6,738 71 Lyon 7.387 1,932 T2 McCracken .21,479 7-283 7i McLean ....11,574 774 74 Madison .... 18,917 6,690 75 Magoffin .. .11,785 136 76 Marion 13.479 2,811 77 Marshall . . . 13.344 348 78 Martin 5.765 15 79 Mason 16,678 3,768 80 Meade 9,643 890 81 Menifee 6,T]7 41 82 Mercer 11.958 2.868 83 Metcalfe 8,989 999 84 Monroe 12,371 684 8s Montgomery 9,349 2,483 86 Morgan 12,739 53 87 Muhlenberg .18,584 2,157 88 Nelson 13.145 3,442 Counties. White. Negro 89 Nicholas 10,623 1,332 90 Ohio 23,894 1,393 91 Oldham 5.458 1.620 92 Owen 16,083 1,470 93 Owsley 6,801 Ti 94 Pendleton . . . 14.459 588 95 Perry 8,115 161 96 Pike 22,496 190 97 Powell 6,068 375 98 Pulaski 29.957 1,336 99 Robertson ... 4,772 128 00 Rockcastle .. 12,259 157 01 Rowan 8,223 54 02 Russell 9,401 274 03 Scott 13,014 5,062 04 Shelby 13.642 4,698 05 Simpson 9,074 2,550 06 Spencer 6,155 1,250 07 Taylor 5,432 . 1,643 08 Todd 11,202 6,i6q 09 Trigg 10,576 3,497 10 Trimble 7071 201 11 Union 18,213 3,113 12 Warren 22,978 6,992 13 Washingtoi.. 12,283 1,899 14 Wayne 14,281 608 15 Webster ....17.708 2,389 16 Woodford ... 8,415 4.7'9 17 Whitley 24,246 769 18 Wolfe 8,667 97 LOUISIANA. 1 Acadia 18,662 4,820 2 Ascension . . . 2,048 12,081 3 Assumption .12,189 9,438 4 Avoyelles ...17,762 11,891 5 Bienville 9,348 8,230 6 Bossier 5,262 18,890 7 Caddo 13,826 30,662 8 Calcasieu ....24,267 5,966 STATISTICS OF THE RACE. 705 Counties. White. Negro. 9 Caldwell . . . . 3,841 3,076 10 Cameron . .. ■ 3,375 577 II Catahoula . • 9,518 6,793 i^ Claiborne . . . 9,202 13,828 13 Concordia . . • 1,714 11,845 14 De Soto . . . . 8,150 16,903 15 East Baton Rouge . . . . 10,562 20,578 16 East Carroll • 959 10,412 17 East Feliciana 5,570 14,871 18 Franklin . . . . 3,870 5,020 19 Grant • 9,237 3,665 20 Iberia • 14.729 14,282 21 Iberville . . . . 9,842 7,159 22 Jackson • 5,915 3,204 23 Jefferson . . . • 8,979 6,279 24 Lafayette . . 13,309 9,516 '25 Lafourche . . .20,626 9.516 26 Lincoln . 9,139 6,759 27 Livingston . • 9,139 1,144 28 Madison . .. . 899 11,422 29 Morehouse • 3,911 12,722 30 Natchitoches 13,662 19.544 31 Orleans 208,946 77,714 32 Ouachita . .. • 7,847 13,098 33 Plaquemines • 5,762 7,276 34 Ponite Cou- pee . 6,601 19,174 35 Rapides .18,320 21,210 36 Red River . • 4,077 7,471 Zl Richland . . 3,222 7.892 38 Sabine .12,418 3,002 39 St. Bernard . 2,832 2,197 40 St. Charles . . 2,970 6,102 41 St. Helena . . 3.896 4,583 42 St. James . . . 8,839 11,356 43 St. John the Baptist ... 5,145 ' 7,184 44 St, Landry . 25,170 26,658 48 Progress Counties. White. Negro. 45 St. Martin ...10,051 8,883 46 St. Mary . . . 13,789 20,264 47 St. Tammany 8,415 4,889 48 Tangipahoa .12,248 5,375 49 Tensas 1,291 17,839 50 Terrebonne .14,142 10,312 51 Union ii,553 6,967 52 Vermilion . . . 16,957 3,747 53 Vernon 9,048 1,279 54 Washington . 6,846 2,776 55 Webster 6,863 5,262 56 West Baton Rouge .... 2,351 7,934 57 West Carroll. 1,556 2,128 58 West Feliciana2,2i3 13,781 59 Winn 7,967 1,319 MARYLAND. 1 Allegany 52,019 1,669 2 Anne Arundel24,236 15,367 3 Baltimore ..79,123 11,618 4 Bait. City . .429,218 79,258 5 Calvert 5,080 5,143 6 Caroline ....12,009 4,237 7 Carroll 11,1X1 2,143 8 Cecil 20,850 3,805 9 Charles 8,014 9,648 10 Dorchester ..18,476 9,584 11 Frederick ...45,905 6,012 12 Garrett I7,575 126 13 Harford 22,411 5,854 14 Howard 12,309 4,405 15 Kent 11,343 7,442 16 Montgomery 20,393 10,054 17 Prince George ...17,910 11,985 18 Queen Anne. 11,991 6,372 19 St. Mary 8,928 8,256 20 Somerset ...16,387 9,533 21 Talbot 12,87s 7,466 706 PROGRESS OF A RACE. Counties. White. Negro. 22 Washington .42,642 2,488 23 Wicomico ..17,023 5,828 24 Worcester ...13,992 6,811 MISSISSIPPI. 1 Adams 6,439 23,668 2 Alcorn 7,407 3,825 3 Amite 8,400 12,308 4 Attala 13,87s 12,350 5 Benton 5,3io 5,200 6 Bolivar 4,i97 3i,i97 7 Calhoun 12,415 4,^97 8 Carroll 9,i97 12,919 9 Chickasaw ..8,148 ii,744 10 Choctaw 9,451 3,585 11 Claiborne ... 4.565 16,213 12 Clarke 9,245 8,493 13 Clay 5-927 13,633 14 Coahoma .... 3,081 24,183 15 Copiah 16,355 18,036 16 Covington . . 8,471 4,605 17 De Soto .... 6,233 18,513 18 Franklin .... 6,883 6,799 19 Greene 4-941 1,778 20 Grenada 3,828 10,281 21 Hancock .... 8,356 3,469 22 Harrison ....14,632 6,367 23 Hinds 13-037 39-531 24 Holmes 8,120 28,707 25 Issaquena . . . 622 9,771 26 Itawamba ...12,202 1.342 27 Jackson 10,697 5.815 28 Jasper 7,729 7-474 29 Jefferson 4,020 17,270 30 Jones 13,156 4-690 31 Kemper 8,669 11,645 32 Lafayette ...12,378 9-730 33 Lauderdale .19,190 18,958 34 Lawrence . . . 7-535 7-568 Counties. White. Negro. 35 Leake io,747 6,231 36 Lee 13,297 8,658 Zy Leflore 2,796 21,031 38 Lincoln 12,341 9-209 39 Lowndes 7,121 21,972 40 Madison 6,574 25,918 41 Marion 9.178 4,323 42 Marshall .... 8,966 18,708 43 Monroe .... 12,555 18,656 44 Montgomery 7,963 8,573 45 Neshoba .... 9,874 2,279 46 Newton 11,659 7,6i4 47 Noxubee . • . 4-699 26,146 48 Oktibbeha . . 6,363 13,819 49 Panola 9,661 19,366 50 Pearl River . 4,904 i,79i 51 Perry 9,808 4-822 52 Pike 13,829 13-713 53 Pontotoc ....13,447 4,827 54 Prentiss 12,657 3,i3i 55 Quitman 1,258 4,177 56 Rankin 8,679 12,269 57 Scott 8,107 6,065 58 Sharkey i,449 10,723 59 Simpson .... 7-846 4-954 60 Smith 10,695 2,360 61 Sunflower . . 4.006 12,070 62 Tallahatchie 6,308 13,281 65 Tate 8,439 12,179 64 Tippah 10,080 2,903 65 Tishomingo . 9-073 1.051 66 Tunica 1-559 I4.9i4 6-] Union 12,380 4.142 68 Warren 10,346 30,554 69 Washington 5,002 44-143 70 Wayne 7,481 5.058 71 Webster 9-694 3.926 -^2 Wilkinson . . . 4.-384 17.069 STATISTICS OF THE RACE. 707 Counties. White. Negro. 73 Winston 8,192 5,901 74 'Yalobusha .. 9,284 10,458 75 Yazoo II ,743 32,002 MISSOURI. 1 Adair 21,412 316 2 Andrew . . . .17,112 220 3 Atchison 18,470 31 4 Audrain I9,534 1.627 5 Barry 25,523 9 6 Barton 18,205 48 7 Bates 29,834 307 8 Benton 16,366 190 9 BolHnger ...14,636 14 10 Boone 24,028 4,564 11 Buchanan ..115,322 6,509 12 Butler 15,241 1,524 13 Caldwell 16,226 430 14 Callaway ....21,880 4,104 15 Camden 13,028 95 16 Cape Girard- eau 22,327 1,987 17 Carroll 25,123 1.332 18 Carter 6,702 4 19 Cass 23,044 592 20 Cedar 16,878 45 21 Chariton ....22,980 3,246 22 Christian 16,822 117 23 Clark 15,233 142 24 Clay 17,784 1,115 25 Clinton 16,290 1,170 26 Cole 18,317 2,259 27 Cooper 18,999 3,505 28 Crawford ...12,911 46 29 Dade 17,831 294 30 Dallas 13,892 II 31 Daviess 20,994 329 32 DeKalb 14,291 127 33 Dent 12,958 28 34 Douglas 16,775 27 Counties. White. Negro. 35 Dunklin 21,500 205 S6 Franklin 28,756 1,825 37 Gasconade ..12,230 68 38 Gentry 20,558 16 39 Greene 49,4i8 3,298 40 Grundy 17,600 232 41 Harrison ....24,347 45 42 Henry 26,962 1,092 43 Hickory .... 9,984 i 44 Holt 16,945 137 45 Howard ....14,155 4,182 46 Howell 21,612 222 47 Iron 8,458 248 48 Jackson ...176,053 19,044 49 Jasper 82,576 1,428 50 Jefferson ...23,593 1,119 51 Johnson ....26,128 ,1,710 52 Knox 13,105 175 53 Laclede 16,159 364 54 Lafayette .,.28,002 2,677 55 Lawrence ...31,379 285 56 Lewis 15,680 1,043 57 Lincoln 16,621 1,731 58 Linn 24,727 786 59 Livingston .21,507 795 60 McDonald ..13,560 2 61 Macon 31,438 i,57o' 62 Madison .... 9,732 242 63 Maries 9,615 i 64 Marion 22,974 3,350 65 Mercer 14,448 58 66 Miller 14-995 190 67 Mississippi . . 9,572 2,265 68 Moniteau ...15,223 706 69 Monroe 18,108 1,608 70 Montgomery 15,260 1,411 71 Morgan ii,737 438 72 New Madrid 9,253 2,027 73 Newton ....26,280 699 708 PROGRESS OF A RACE. Counties. White. Negro. 74 Nodaway ...32,809 129 75 Oregon 13,899 7 76 Osage 13,822 274 y-j Ozark 12,119 26 78 Pemiscot ...11,253 862 79 Perry 14,694 440 80 Pettis 29,541 2,897 81 Phelps 14,009 184 82 Pike 21,503 4,239 83 Platte 15,098 1,095 84 Polk 23,070 185 85 Pulaski 10,357 yj 86 Putnam 16,670 16 87 Ralls 11,360 927 88 Randolph ...21,600 2,842 89 Ray 23,197 1,608 90 Reynolds .. . 8,i6l o 91 Ripley 13.185 i 92 St. Charles. .22,432 2,139 93 St. Clair 17,645 260 94 St. Genevieve 9,885 474 95 St. Francois.. 23,440 611 96 St. Louis ...46,511 32,516 97 St. Louis City 539,385 35,516 98 Saline 28,939 476i 99 Schuyler .... 10,840 o 100 Scotland 13,056 80 loi Scott 12,587 305 102 Shannon ...11,241 4 103 Shelby 15,488 679 104 Stoddard . ...24,622 47 105 Stone 9,888 4 106 Sullivan ....20,168 no 107 Taney 10,105 2 108 Texas 22,187 3 109 Vernon 31,378 241 1 10 Warren 9,297 614 in Washington 13,622 641 Counties. 112 Wayne n3 Webster 114 Worth . ns Wright NORTH CAROLI 1 Alamance 2 Alexander 3 Alleghany 4 Anson . . . 5 Ashe .... 6 Beaufort . 7 Bertie . . . 8 Balden ... 9 Brunswick 10 Buncombe n Burke . . . 12 Cabarrus . 13 Caldwell . 14 Camden . . 15 Carteret . 16 Caswell .. 17 Catawba . 18 Chatham . 19 Cherokee 20 Chowan . 21 Clay 22 Cleveland 23 Columbus 24 Craven . . , 25 Cumberland 26 Currituck 27 Dare .... 28 Davidson 29 Davie . . . 30 Duplin . , 31 Durham 32 Edgecombe 33 Forsyth . 34 Franklin White. • 15.194 . 16,524 . 9,824 . 16,204 . 18,939 .10,104 • 7,293 .10,196 .18,897 .15,066 ..8,717 • 9,452 . 7,613 .36,167 • 15,023 • 16,355 •13,751 . 3,263 . 9,684 . 6,829 .19.148 • 15.573 .11.391 . 4,406 . 4,398 • 20,258 • 14,541 • 9,613 .16,677 ■ 4.752 . 4,183 . 20,229 . 9,476 .13,877 . 16,483 . 10,004 .24,718 . 12,678 Negro 115 n6 8 428 NA. 6,723 856 466 11,674 684 11,336 n,82i 8,223 5,044 8,120 2,676 6,101 1,931 2,191 2,127 8,199 2,985 8,339 432 5,850 134 4,821 6,476 14,543 10,571 1,777 574 3,174 2,635 8,528 9,749 16,584 10,541 12,438 STATISTICS OF THE RACE. 709 Counties. White. Negro. 35 Gaston 20,661 7,242 36 Gates . .. 5.609 4,804 ■>,y Graham 4,190 26 38 Granville ...11,376 11,887 39 Greene 6,260 5,778 40 Guilford 27,969 11,103 41 Halifax 11,060 i9,733 42 Harnett 10,930 5,058 43 Haywood ...15,609 613 44 Henderson ..12,345 I.5S9 45 Hertford .... 5,995 8,391 46 Hyde 5,264 4,014 47 Iredell 21,732 7,332 48 Jackson 10,922 591 49 Johnston ...24,079 8,171 50 Jones 4,466 3,760 51 Lenoir 10,592 8,045 52 Lincoln I2,S37 2,961 53 McDowell ..10,673 1,893 54 Macon ii,43i 673 55 Madison 20,086 551 56 Martin 8,056 7,327 57 Mecklenburg. 31, 393 23,873 58 Mitchell ....14,685 536 59 Montgomery 10,515 3,682 60 Moore i5,773 7,849 61 Nash 14,856 10,619 62 NewHanover 12,663 13,109 63 Northampton 9,031 12,112 64 Onslow .... 4,330 3,610 65 Orange 9,429 5,261 66 Pamlico .... 5.408 2,637 67 Pasquotank . 6,630 7,027 68 Pender 6,472 6,909 69 Perquimans .. 5,088 5,003 70 Person 9,654 7,023 71 Pitt 15,397 15,492 72 Polk 5,797 1,207 73 Randolph ...24,560 3,672 Counties. White. Negro. 74 Richmond ... 8,092 7,763 75 Robeson 19,577 16,917 "}(> Rockingham 21,544 11,617 •jy Rowan 22,948 8,115 78 Rutherford ..20,649 4,441 79 Sampson ...17,250 9,130 80 Scotland .... 5,709 6,710 81 Stanly 13,421 1,799 82 Stokes 16,875 2,991 83 Surry 22,609 2,904 84 Swain 7,352 174 85 Transylvania 6,005 615 86 Tyrrell 3.518 1,462 87 Union I9,i57 7.999 88 Vance 6,929 9,755 89 Wake 30,267 24,358 90 Warren 6,082 13,069 91 Washington . 5,242 5,366 92 Watauga ....13,026 391 93 Wayne 18,034 13,419 94 Wilkes 24,435 2,437 95 Wilson 13,691 9.905 96 Yadkin 12,895 1,187 97 Yancey 11,181 283 SOUTH CAROLINA. 1 Abbeville ...11,340 22,069 2 Aiken I7,378 21,640 3 Anderson ...32,232 23,496 4 Bamberg 5,658 11,638 5 Barnwell ....10,088 25,416 6 Beaufort .... 3,349 32,137 7 Berkeley . . . 6,481 23,973 8 Charleston . .27,647 60,312 9 Cherokee ...13,962 7,396 10 Chester 9.244 19,372 11 Chesterfield .12,256 8,145 12 Clarendon . . 8,033 20,151 13 Colleton ....11,187 22,265 14 Darlington ..13,083 19,304 710 PROGRESS OF A RACE. Counties. White. Negro. 15 Dorchester . 6,202 10,089 16 Edgefield ... 7,i47 18,131 17 Fairfield 7.052 22,375 18 Florence 11,819 16,654 19 Georgetown 5-336 19,507 20 Greenville ...33,999 19,488 21 Greenwood .. 9,437 18,906 22 Hampton . . . 8,236 15,502 23 Horry 17,042 6,320 24 Kershaw ....10,002 14,693 25 Lancaster ...12,201 12,110 26 Laurens ....15,205 22,177 27 Lexington ..16,961 10,303 28 Marion 16,992 18,160 29 Marlboro ...11,226 16,413 30 Newberry ...10,261 19,831 31 Oconee . 17.530 6,104 32 Orangeburg .18,220 41.412 33 Pickens 14,574 4.801 34 Richland 17,513 28,070 35 Saluda 8,819 10,147 36 Spartanburg .44,391 21,167 37 Sumter 12,881 38,353 38 Union 10,943 14,558 39 Williamsb'g .11,818 19,867 40 York 19,784 21,839 TENNESSEE. 1 Anderson ...16,516 1,118 2 Bedford 7,577 6,268 3 Benton 11,348 540 4 Bledsoe 6,151 475 5 Blount 17,591 1,607 6 Bradley 13,672 2,085 7 Campbell ...16,701 616 8 Cannon 11,266 1,827 9 Carroll 18,669 5,581 10 Carter 16,026 661 11 Cheatham .. 8,450 1,662 12 Chester 7,870 2,026 Counties. White. Negro. 13 Claiborne ..19,967 729 14 Clay 8,053 368 15 Cocke 17,892 1,261 16 Coffee 13,772 1,802 17 Crockett 11,821 4,046 18 Cumberland 7,739 574 19 Davidson ...78,888 43,902 20 Decatur 9,219 1,220 21 DeKalb I5,349 1,108 22 Dickson IS, 716 2,919 23 Dyer 18,034 5-742 24 Fayette 8,019 21,682 25 Fentress .... 6,081 25 26 Franklin 16,953 3,439 27 Gibson 29,095 10,313 28 Giles 21,629 11,406 29 Grainger ....14,862 650 30 Greene 29,027 1,569 31 Grundy 7,487 315 32 Hamblen ...10,916 1,791 33 Hamilton ...42,'l84 I9,490 34 Hancock 12,874 273 35 Hardeman ..12,771 10,205 36 Hardin 16,568 2,678 37 Hawkins ....22,113 2,154 38 Haywood ... 8,109 19,080 39 Henderson .15,480 2,637 40 Henry 15,480 5,999 41 Hickman 13,756 1,056 42 Houston .... 5,420 1,575 43 Humphreys .. 9,883 470 44 Jackson 4,901 506 45 Jefferson ....16,416 2,174 46 James 4,901 506 47 Johnson . . . .10,221 368 48 Knox 62,525 11,777 49 Lake 5,384 1,984 50 Lauderdale ..11,802 10,169 51 Lawrence ...14,435 967 STATISTICS OF THE RACE. 711 Counties. White. Negro. 52 Lewis 4,063 392 53 Lincoln 20,220 6,084 54 London 9,471 1,360 55 McMinn 17,165 1,997 56 McNairy 15,118 2,442 57 Macon 12,007 874 58 Madison 19,572 16,754 59 Marion 15,176 2,105 60 Marshall ....14,503 4,260 61 Maury 24,539 19,164 62 Meigs 6,828 663 63 Monroe 17,355 1,222 64 Montgomery 19,852 16,158 65 Moore 5,237 469 66 Morgan 8,987 600 67 Obion 23,444 4,840 68 Overton 13,072 2Tz 69 Perry 8,135 665 70 Pickett 5,355 11 71 Polk 11,054 303 72 Putnam 16,122 768 Ti Rhea 12,440 1,878 74 Roane 20,111 2,625 75 Robertson ..18,207 6,822 76 Rutherford ..20,572 12,965 n Scott 10,742 335 78 Sequatchie ... 2,289 Zl 79 Sevier 21,456 565 80 Shelby 68,754 84,773 81 Smith 16,018 3,008 82 Stewart 12,932 2,352 83 Sullivan 23,370 1,565 84 Sumner I9,394 6,677 85 Tipton 15,307 13,965 86 Trousdale . . . 3,971 2,033 87 Unicoi 5,721 130 88 Union 12,815 79 89 Van Buren .. 3,071 55 90 Warren 14,336 2,074 Counties. White. Negro. 91 Washington .20,456 2,147 92 Wayne 11,792 1,144 93 Weakley 28,318 4,228 94 White 13,133 1,024 95 Williamson .16,765 9,664 96 Wilson 19,820 7,256 TEXAS. 1 Anderson ...16,399 11,615 2 Andrews .... 87 o 3 Angelina ...11,324 2,156 4 Aransas 1,527 189 5 Archer 2,496 2 6 Armstrong . . 1,203 2 7 Atascosa .... 6,856 2^^ 8 Austin 14,483 6,193 9 Bailey 4 o 10 Bandera 5,233 89 11 Bastrop 16,473 10,369 12 Baylor 3,035 17 13 Bee 7,244 476 14 Bell 41,712 3,812 15 Bexar 60,861 8,530 16 Blanco 4,479 224 17 Borden 774 2 18 Bosque 16,545 845 19 Bowie 16,477 10,199 20 Brazoria .... 6,642 8,219 21 Brazos 10,008 8,845 22 Brewster .... 2,275 80 23 Briscoe 1,253 o 24 Brown 15,818 206 25 Burleson — 10,044 8,323 26 Burnet 10,264 264 27 Caldwell ....16,075 5,687 28 Calhoun 2,124 271 29 Callahan 8,743 25 30 Cameron — 15,918 177 31 Camp 4,892 4,354 32 Carson 467 2 712 PROGRESS OF A RACE. Counties. White. Negro. 33 Cass 15,933 8,908 34 Castro 400 o 35 Chambers . . . 2,217 828 36 Cherokee ...16,953 8,196 Z7 Childress . .. 2,135 i 38 Clay 9,176 44 39 Cochran .... 25 o 40 Coke 3,428 2 41 Coleman .... 9,986 90 42 Collin 47,629 2,456 43 Collingsworth 1,239 2 44 Colorado ...12,569 9,633 45 Comal 6,748 259 46 Comanche ...23,009 47 Concho 1,423 14 48 Cooke 25,609 1,875 49 Coryell 20,738 S70 50 Cottle 1,002 o 51 Crane 51 52 Crockett 1,583 8 53 Crosby 785 3 54 Dallam 146 o 55 Dallas 69,052 13,646 56 Dawson 37 o 57 Deaf Smith.. 841 i 58 Delta 1,591 967 59 Denton 26,251 2,067 60 De Witt 16,368 4,940 61 Dickens 1,151 62 Dimmit 1,065 41 63 Donley 2,704 49 64 Duval 8,471 II 65 Eastland 18,009 5i 66 Ector 378 3 67 Edwards 3,097 11 68 Ellis 45,216 8,441 69 El Paso 23,860 620 70 Erath 29,375 579 71 Falls 21,353 11,985 Counties. White. Negra 72 Fannin 45,328 5.46S yz Fayette 26,248 10,394 74 Fisher 3,705 3 75 Floyd 2,012 8 76 Foard 1,568 o "^y Fort Bend . . 5,724 10,814 78 Franklin 7,745 829 79 Freestone ...10,608 8,302 80 Frio 4,037 163 81 Gaines 55 82 Galveston ...35,250 8,798 83 Garza 183 2 84 Gillespie 8,123 105 85 Glasscock ... 285 I 86 Goliad 6,504 1,800 87 Gonzales ....20,217 8,642 88 Gray 467 I3 89 Grayson 55,909 7,742 90 Gregg 6,440 6,898 91 Grimes 11, 779 14,327 92 Guadalupe ..16,295 5,187 93 Hale 1,676 3 94 Hall 1,669 95 Hamilton . . . 13,507 7 96 Hansford .... 166 i 97 Hardeman ... 3,614 18 98 Hardin ... .4,101 948 99 Harris 43,846 19,894 100 Harrison . ...10,174 21,697 loi Hartley 376 i 102 Haskell ....... 2,632 5 103 Hays .12,009 2,134 104 Hamphill . ... 812 2 105 Henderson ...15,623 4,347 106 Hidalgo 6,727 110 107 Hill 38,378 2,978 108 Hockley 44 o 109 Hood 8,905 241 no Hopkins 24,142 3,808 STATISTICS OF THE RACE. 718 Counties. White. 11 Houston . ..15,108 12 Howard 2,437 13 Hunt 42,945 14 Hutchinson 305 15 Iron 843 16 Jack 10,108 17 Jackson .... 3,904 18 Jasper 5,142 19 Jeff Davis.. . 1,117 20 Jefferson . . . 10,290 21 Johnson ....32,670 22 Jones 7.049 23 Karnes 8,048 24 Kaufman ...27,281 25 Kendall .... 3,868 26 Kent 899 2y Kerr 4,832 28 Kimble 2,497 29 King 496 30 Kinney .... 2,096 31 Knox 4.322 32 Lamar 37.6o5 2,1 Lamb 31 34 Lampasas .. 8,253 35 La Salle. . . . 2,240 36 Lavaca 23,184 Zy Lee 10,250 38 Leon 11,135 39 Liberty .... 5,736 40 Limestone .26,218 41 Lipscomb . . 790 42 Live Oak.. . . 2,195 43 Llnao 7,262 44 Loving 33 45 Lubbock . . . 293 46 Lynn 17 47 McCulloch . 3,929 48 McLennan .45-345 49 McMullen .. 991 Negro. Counties. White. Negro. 10,342 1 [50 Madison . . 7,974 2,468 86 ] [51 Marion . . . 3,606 7,147 4,340 ] [52 Martin .... 330 2 ] [53 Mason 5,519 54 4 ] 54 Matagorda 2,306 3,751 115 1 t55 Maverick . 3,871 195 2,189 ] [56 Madina . .. 7,427 356 2,996 1 57 Menard . . . 1,971 20 42 [58 Midland .. 1,680 56 3.945 1 [59 Milam 29,193 10,473 1,145 ] [60 Mills 7,838 13 4 1 [61 Mitchell ... 2,712 140 (^17, 1 [62 Montague . 24,774 26 6,092 [63 M'ntg'mery 10,448 6,619 235 [64 Moore 209 [65 Morris .... 4,878 3,342 148 [66 Motley — 1,257 6 [67 Nacogd'hes 17,986 6,677 [68 Navarro ... 34,294 9,072 349 [69 Nevifton .. . 4,797 2,485 [70 Nolan 2,591 20 11,007 [71 Nueces . . . 9,844 577 [72 Ochiltree . 267 370 \TZ Oldham ... 448 I 63 [74 Orange . .. 4,887 1,068 4,890 [75 Palo Pinto. 11,993 292 4,343 [76 Panola 12,200 9,204 6,937 ["jy Parker — 24,956 865 2,366 [78 Parmer . . . 34 6,354 [79 Pecos 2,350 22 [80 Polk 9,310 4,849 IZ [81 Potter 1,802 15 39 [82 Presidio . .. 3,614 53 [83 Rains 5,588 539 [84 Randall . .. 961 I 185 Red River. 21,468 8,422 31 186 Reeves .... 1,825 12 14,405 187 Refugio ... . 1,180 461 33 188 Roberts ... 611 9 714 PROGRESS OF A RACE. Counties White. Negro. 189 Robertson . 14,707 16,747 190 Rockwell ... 8,129 402 191 Runnels .... 5,346 33 192 Rusk 15,055 11,039 193 Sabine 4.642 i,752 194 San Aug'tine 5,513 2,921 195 San Jacinto. 4,720 5,531 196 San Patricio 2,336 36 197 San Saba... 7,496 61 198 Schleicher .. 502 13 199 Scurry 4,157 200 Shackelford 2,326 134 201 Shelby 16,335 4.ii7 202 Sherman . . . loi 3 203 Smith 21,318 16,043 204 Somervell . . 3,492 6 205 Starr 11,328 141 206 Stephens ... 6,461 5 207 Sterling .... 1,125 2 208 Stonewall . . 2,183 209 Sutton 1,722 5 210 Swisher .... 1,227 o 211 Tarrant . .. .46,597 5756 212 Taylor 10,315 178 213 Terry 48 214 Throckm't'n. 1,748 2 215 Titus 10,144 2.148 216 Tom Green. 5,896 898 217 Travis 34,065 13,299 218 Trinity 8,163 ^..^dz 219 Tyler 9,510 2,389 220 Upshur ....11,309 4,957 221 Upton 48 o 222 Uvalde 4,518 129 223 Valverde . . . 5,106 156 224 Van Zandt. .24,115 1,365 225 Victoria .... 9,888 3,787 226 Walker 7,492 8,319 227 Waller 6,375 7.871 Counties. White. Negro 228 Ward 1,448 3 229 Washington 16,888 16,039 230 Webb 21,641 205 231 Wharton . . . 8,223 8,717 232 Wheeler . . . 622 14 22,1 Wichita .... 5,595 204 234 Wilbarger . . 5,713 43 235 Williamson. 33,736 4,332 236 Wilson 12,847 1,114 237 Winkler .... 60 238 Wise 26,947 167 239 Wood 17,036 4,012 240 Yoakum ... 26 241 Young 6,533 7 242 Zapata 4,760 243 Zavalla 795 i VIRGINIA. 1 Accomac ....20,743 11.825 2 Albemarle ...18,050 10,337 3 Alexandria . . 3,963 2,467 4 Alleghany ...13,715 4.013 5 Amelia 3,052 5,985 6 Amherst .... 10,807 7,057 7 Appomattox. 5,731 3,931 8 Augusta . . . .26,670 5,700 9 Bath 4,589 1,006 10 Bedford 20,617 9-739 11 Bland 5,285 212 •12 Botetourt . . . 13,284 3,977 13 Brunswick . . 7,375 10,842 14 Buchanan . . . 9,687 5 15 Buckingham. 7,415 7,851 16 Campbell ...13,641 9,615 17 Caroline .... 7,667 9,042 18 Carroll 19,964 339 19 Charles City. 1,344 3,696 20 Charlotte . . . 6,798 8,545 21 Chesterfield .11,105 7,699 22 Clarke 5>69S 2,231 STATISTICS OF THE RACE. 715 Counties. White. Negro. 23 Craig 11,032 261 24 Culpeper .... 8,069 6,053 25 Cumberland . 2,791 6,205 26 Dickenson . . 7.747 27 Dinwiddie ... 5-874 9-500 28 Eliz'b'th City. 10,757 8,580 29 Essex 3,576 6,125 30 Fairfax 13-576 5,003 31 Fauquier 15,074 8,298 32 Floyd 14.313 1,075 33 Fluvanna .... 5,039 4,011 34 Franklin 20,005 5,947 35 Frederick ...12,486 753 36 Giles 9.994 799 37 Gloucester . . 6,222 6,608 38 Goochland .. 3,961 5,558 39 Grayson 15.894 959 40 Greene 4.783 i.43i 41 Greenesville . 3,402 6,356 42 Halifax 11,922 19,275 43 Hanover .... 9,696 7,898 44 Henrico 17.246 12,816 45 Henry 10,881 8,383 46 Highland . . . 5,269 378 47 Isle of Wight 6,833 6,268 48 James City.. 1,346 2,342 49 King & Qu'n 4,006 5,259 50 King George. 3,696 3.322 51 King Will'm. 3,276 4,962 52 Lancaster . . . 4,058 4,891 53 Lee 19,116 740 54 Loudoun ....16,077 5,868 55 Louisa 7-896 8,621 56 Lunenburg ... 5,133 6,572 57 Madison .... 6,695 3.521 58 Mathews .... 5,844 2,395 59 Mecklenburg.10,353 16,198 60 Middlesex ... 2,684 4,536 61 Montgomery 12,927 2,925 Counties. White. Negro. 62 Nansemond ..10,115 12,962 63 Nelson 10,403 5,672 64 New Kent... 1,660 3,204 65 Norfolk 19,113 31,600 66 Northampton 6,141 7,627 67 North'mb'rl'd 6,880 4,166 68 Nottoway . . . 4,966 7,400 69 Orange 7,050 5,519 70 Page 12,354 i-440 71 Patrick 13,780 1,624 72 Pittsylvania .25,605 21,289 73 Powhatan . . . 2,343 4,481 74 Prince Edw'd 5,276 9,769 75 Prince G'rge. 2,886 4.858 76 Princess An'e 1,505 5,687 77 Prince Will'm 8,240 2,871 78 Pulaski .....13,372 3,237 79 Rappahann'k 6,121 2,722 80 Richmond ... 4,159 2,942 81 Roanoke ....11,991 3,845 82 Rockbridge .17,715 4,084 83 Rockingham 30,893 2,632 84 Russell 17,267 764 85 Scott 22,067 627 86 Shenandoah .19,604 649 87 Smyth 15.900 1,170 88 Southampton. 9,165 13,683 89 Spottsylvania. 5,355 3,886 90 Stafford 6,489 1,608 91 Surry 3,286 5.183 92 Sussex 4,121 7,961 93 Tazwell 19,802 3,582 94 Warren 7.372 1,463 95 Warwick .... 1,159 3.729 96 Washington.. 26,433 2,555 97 Westmorel'nd 4,381 4,861 98 Wise 17,688 1,965 99 Wythe 17,653 2,783 100 York 3,396 4.081 716 PROGRESS OF A RACE. WEST VIRGINIA. Counties. White. Neero. 1 Barbour 12,390 808 2 Berkeley 17,704 1,765 3 Boone 8,059 I35 4 Braxton 18,717 187 5 Brooke 7,079 139 6 Cabell 27,813 1,537 7 Calhoun 10,174 83 8 Clay 8,230 18 9 Doddridge ..13,663 25 10 Fayette 26,130 5,857 11 Gilmer 11,726 36 12 Grant ....... 7,023 252 13 Greenbrier ..18,854 i>829 14 Hampshire ..11,344 461 15 Hancock .... 6,646 46 16 Hardy 7,992 457 17 Harrison — 26,434 1.252 18 Jackson 22,872 115 19 Jefferson ....11,994 3.941 20 Kanawha 50,711 3,983 21 Lewis 16,792 178 22 Lincoln iS,37i 63 23 Logan 6,894 61 24 McDowell ..12,778 5,969 25 Marion 31,942 482 26 Marshall ....25,941 499 27 Mason 22,604 537 Counties. White. 28 Mercer 20,119 29 Mineral 22,218 30 Mingo 11,050 31 Monongalia .18,747 32 Monroe 12,300 33 Morgan 7,074 34 Nicholas 11,364 35 Ohio 46,765 36 Pendleton ... 9,044 37 Pleasants . . . 9,335 38 Pocahontas . 7,947 39 Preston 22,565 40 Putnam 16,951 41 Raleigh 12,076 42 Randolph . . .17,149 43 Ritchie 18,875 44 Roane 19,820 45 Summers .. .15,749 46 Taylor 14,553 47 Tucker 13,077 48 Tyler 18.153 49 Upshur 14,473 50 Wayne 23,298 51 Webster 8,850 52 Wetzel 22,440 53 Wirt 10,220 54 Wood 35-528 55 Wyoming . . . 8,286 Neero. 2,907 665 319 299 830 220 19 1,251 123 6 625 162 378 360 S19 26 33 '."5 423 463 94 221 321 12 439 64 92a 94 POPULATION FOR CITIES HAVING 50,000 INHAB- ITANTS OR MORE— 190a Note. — The United States census tables place under the heading, "Colored," all "persons of Negro descent, Chinese, Japanese, and Indians." The first column following gives the number of all persons of every race, color, and nationality living in the cities named ; the second column, all white people of every nationality; the third column, persons of Negro descent only. This will account for the fact that the sum of the numbers in the second and third columns does not equal the number in the first column. ^ The difference in each case shows the number of Chinese, Japanese, and Indians; , STATISTICS OF THE RACE. 717 Cities. Total. 1 Albany, N. Y 94,151 2 Allegheny, Penn 129,896 3 Atlanta, Ga 89,872 4 Baltimore, Md 508,957 5 Boston, Mass 560, 892 6 Bridgeport, Conn 70,996 7 Brooklyn, N. Y 1,166,582 8 Buffalo, N. Y 352.387 9 Cambridge, Mass 91,886 10 Camden, N. J 75>935 11 Charleston, S. C 55,807 12 Chicago, 111 1,698,575 13 Cincinnati, Ohio 325,902 14 Cleveland, Ohio 381,768 15 Columbus, Ohio 125,560 16 Dayton, Ohio 85,333 17 Denver, Colo 133.859 lO Detroit, Mich 285,704 19 Des Moines, Iowa 62, 139 20 Duluth, Minn 52,969 21 Erie, Penn 52,733 22 Elizabeth, N. J 52, X30 23 Evansville, Ind 59,007 24 Fall River, Mass 104, S63 25 Grand Rapids, Mich 87,565 26 Harrisburg, Penn 50,167 27 Hoboken, N. J 59.364 28 Hartford, Conn 79. 850 29 Indianapolis, Ind 169,164 30 Jersey City, N. J 206,433 31 Kansas City. Kan 51,418 32 Kansas City, Mo 163,752 33 Lawrence, Mass 62,559 34 Los Angeles, Cal 102,479 35 Louisville, Ky 204,731 36 Lowell, Mass 94,969 37 Lynn, Mass 68,513 38 Manchester, N. H 56,987 39 Memphis, Tenn 102,320 40 Milwaukee, Wis 285,315 White. Negro. 92,962 1,178 126,552 3.315 53.907 35.912 429,218 79.258 548,083 11,591 69.775 1,149 1,146,909 18,367 350.586 1,698 87,879 3,888 70,280 5.576 24,238 31.522 1,667,140 30,150 311,404 14,482 375.664 5.988 117.335 8,201 81,923 3.387 129,609 3.923 281,575 4.III 60,460 1.675 52,547 357 52.483 244 50,963 1. 139 51,486 7,518 104.453 324 86,952 604 46.044 4,107 59.200 lOI 77.837 1.887 153.201 15.931 202,510 3,704 44.903 6.507 146,090 17.567 62,314 87 98,082 2,131 165.590 39,139 94.774 136 67,664 784 56,926 28 52,380 49,910 884,432 862 718 PROGRESS OF A RACE. Cities. Total. White. Neero. 41 Minneapolis, Minn 202,718 201,213 1,548 42 Nashville, Tenn 80, 865 50, 795 30,044 43 Newark, N. J 246070 239,108 6,744 44 New Bedford, Mass 62,443 60,633 «.685 45 New Haven, Conn 108,027 105,034 2,887 46 New Orleans, La 287,104 208,946 77.714 47 New York,* N. Y ,3,437,202 3,369,898 60,666 48 Oakland, Cal 66,960 64,788 1,026 49 Omaha, Neb 102,555 99.009 3.443 50 Paterson, N. J 105,171 103,859 1,182 51 Peoria. Ill 56,100 54.684 1.402 52 Philadelphia. Penn i>29j,697 1,229,673 62,613 53 Pittsburg, Penn 321,616 304,421 17.040 54 Portland, Me 50,145 49.822 291 55 Portland, Ore 90,426 80,614 775 56 Providence, R. 1 175.597 171. 5o8 4,817 57 Reading, Penn 79.961 78,414 534 58 Richmond, Va 85,050 52,798 38,230 59 Rochester, N. Y 162.608 161,994 601 60 St. Joseph, Mo 102,979 96.712 6,260 61 St. Louis, Mo 575.238 545.385 35.516 62 St. Paul, Minn 163,065 160,764 8,263 63 San Antonio, Tex 53.342 45,7M 7,53* 64 San Francisco, Cal 342,782 325.379 '.^54 65 Salt Lake City, Utah 53.532 53.017 278 66 Savannah, Ga 54.244 26.109 28,090 67 Scranton, Penn 102.026 101,487 521 68 Seattle, Wash 80,865 76,815 406 69 Somerville, Mass 61,643 61.435 140 70- Springfield, Mass 62.057 60,986 1,021 71 Syracuse, N. Y 108,374 107,309 1,034 72 Toledo, Ohio 131,822 129,478 1,710 73 Trenton, N. J 73. 307 71. ^49 2,096 74 Troy, N. Y 60,651 60,227 400 75 Utica, N. Y 57.383 56.137 244 76 Washington, D. C 278,718 191.532 86,702 77 Wilkesbarre, Penn 51.721 51.036 680 78 Wilmington, Del 76,508 66,738 9,736 79 Worcester, Mass 118,421 117,206 1,104 ♦This includes Greater New York, composed of the boroughs of (a) Bronx, (b) Brooklyn, (c) Manhattan, and (d) Queen and Richmond. COLORED MEMBERS OF CONGRESS. SENATORS. kjimgthof Name. Elected. Service. State. Bruce, B. K 1875-81 6 years Mississippi Revells, Hiram Feb. 23, 1870, to Mch. 3, 1871 Mississippi Name. Cain, Rich. H. Cheatham, H. P.. De Large, Robt. C Elliott, Robt. B.. Haalson, Jerry.. . Hyman, John .... Langston, John M. Long, Jeff Lynch, John R. . . Miller, Thos. H.. Murray, Geo. W. Nash, Chas. E.,.. O'Hara, Jas. E . . . Rainey, Jos. H... Ransier, A J Rapier, Jas. T.. .. Smalls, Robt Turner, Benj. S. . Wall,JosiahT... White, Geo. H... REPRESENTATIVES. Cong. Elected. .43d and 45th .52d and 53d .42d .42d .44th " .44th " 51st .41st .43d,44th and 47th " .51st " .53d and 54th 44th •• .48th and 49th .44th et seq " .43d .43d " .44th, 45th and 47th" .42d .42d, 43d and 44th " .55th Length of Service. 4 years 4 " 2 " 2 " 2 " 2 " 2 " 2 " 6 " 2 " 4 " 2 " 4 •• 10 " 2 •• 2 " 6 " 2 " 6 4 « State. S. Carolina N. Carolina S. Carolina S. Carolina Alabama N. Carolina Virginia Georgia Mississippi S. Carolina S. Carolina Louisiana N. Carolina S. Carolina S. Carolina Alabama S. Carolina Alabama Florida N. Carolina NUMBER OF NEGROES APPOINTED AND EMPLOYED UNDER THE McKINLEY ADMINISTRATION. In 1901 the Hon. Judson W. Lyons and a few other colored men undertook to obtain exact information on appointments, and their inquiry was so thorough that the results are approximately accurate. They show that President McKinley has appointed Negroes to the following offices that are confirmed by the senate and others of prominence, not including fourth-class postofifices: Collectors of customs 9 Naval officers 2 Ministers plenipotentiary 3 Secretary of legation i Commissioner Paris exposition I Registrar and receiver of public lands 5 720 PROGRESS OF A RACE, Consuls 8 Registrar of the treasury i Stamp agent i Presidential postmasters 17 Collectors of internal revenue 5 Paymasters in the army 2 Army chaplains 3 Army surgeons 5 Pension examiner i Surveyor-general i Recorders of deeds 2 The officials of highest rank and salary, of Negro birth, are W. F. Powell, minister to Haiti ($5,000); O. L. W. Smith, minister to Liberia ($4,000); J. W. Lyons, registrar of the treasury ($4,000); H. P. Cheatham, recorder of deeds ($4,000). The name of J. W. Lyons appears upon every piece of paper money issued by the government. The following table shows the number of Negroes employed under the McKinley administration and the salaries drawn by them in the various executive departments: Number. Salaries. State department 12 $ 27,000 War department (estimated) 5,000 1,250,000 Navy department 40 20,000 Treasury department (estimated) 500 250,000 Interior department 28 19,400 Postoffice department 50 31.530 Agricultural department 12 25,000 General land office 33 39.344 Pension office 99 87,740 Indian office 6 3.700 Patent office 37 31,120 Geological survey 15 7.240 Census office 844 1 18,720 Government printing office 213 167,737 Recorder of deeds 22 14,060 District of Columbia offices 75 41,200 It is impossible to ascertain how many postal railway mail clerks, letter carriers, deputy collectors, storekeepers, gangers and other employes of the various branches of the government throughout the country are of Negro birth. It is also impossible to ascertain the exact number employed under the war department in various capacities, but they are estimated at 5,000. This does not include twenty-four captains, twenty-four first lieutenants, twenty-four second lieutentants and 4,871 privates in the army in the Philip- pines or several hundred Negroes who have enlisted in the navy and are serving on ships of war. INDEX. PAGE. Academic instruction 342 Accumulation of wealth. . , 301 Adams, J. N 242 Admissions, some frank, concerning women's clubs 229 Advancement 274 Africa, Negro for, 22; its future 31 African Methodist Episco- pal Church, 459; cut of, at Atlanta, Ga 461, 466 African Methodist Episco- pal Schools, list of 693 African Union Methodist Protestant Church 468 African Methodist Episco- pal Zion Schools, list of.. 693 Afro-American Presbyte- rian 452 Alcohol, evils of, as a bev- erage 184, 315 Alexander, Rev. W. G., sketch of, 545; cut of . . . . 546 Allen, D. B 248 Allen University, cut of . . . 256 American Baptist 452 American Baptist Home Missionary Society, 380, 383, 442, 443 474 American Missionary Asso- ciation 380 Anglo-Saxons 308 Anti-Slavery, agitation, 73; societies, 76; party, 77; women, 81; orators. . .82, 85 Anthony, Mrs. Libbie C. . . 209 Area of the World 673 Arkansas Baptist College, cut of 436 Armstrong, Gen. S. C, quo- tations from 128, 515 Arnett, Bishop B. W., sketch of 540 Association, the National. . 210 PAGE. Atkmson, Gov., quotations from 324 Atlanta Baptist Seminary. . 409 Atlanta Conference 417 Atlanta Constitution 336 Atlanta Exposition 295 Atlanta University, 233; cut of, 412; graduates of.... 413 Attucks, Crispus, cut, 60; first martyr for Ameri- can Liberty 62-3, 234 Atwood, W. C 299 Authors, colored, list of, 679-624; their literary work 601 Bailey, Mrs. Ida 207 Balay, Rev. W. D., sketch of 547 Baldwin, Louis F 237, 238 Baldwin, Miss Maria.... .. 200 Baltimore, J. D 298 Bandera, Quintin.... .... . 132 Banks, Charles 250, 251 Banks, Dr. T. B., cut of, 597: sketch of 597 Banneker, Benjamin 14 Baptist Church, regular, colored, 464; at Augusta, Ga., cut of 465 Baptist College of Arkan- sas, 437; cut of 436 Baptist Missionary Society, 383 Baptist Schools, list of 092 Baptist Seminary, Atlanta, cut of class, 330; cut of building 408, 409 Barnett, Mrs. Ida Wells, sketch of 611 Barrier, Miss Ella D. . .207, 209 Bartlet, Harris 251 Bates, Lewis 302 Becraft, Maria 201 Berea ToUege 398-399 Biddle, Mrs. Mary D 444 46 Progress. 721 722 INDEX. PAGE. Biddle University, 444, cut of 445 Big Bethel Church, cut of, 461 Billingslea 292 Birney, James G ']^ "Black Harry" 458 Black, John 298-299 Black laws in border states 57 Blair, Henry W., quotations from 339 Blood, of one 13 Bloodhounds, encounter with, cut 123 Blyden, Dr., quotation from 14 Blyden, Rev. E. W., sketch of 536 Booker, Rev. J. A., sketch of 548 Booz, E. P 249 Border states, black laws in 57 Boston, Massacre, 61; meeting at 237 Bowen, Dr. J. W. E., quo- tations from, 148, 151, 19 1, 463; cut of, 590; sketch of 590 Boyd, Dr. R. F., cut of, 586; sketch of 586 Boyd.R. H 251 Bradley, I. F., sketch of 578 Briscoe, Mrs 263 Brooks, Blanche V. H 201 Brown, Dr. A. M 243 Brown, David 281 Brown, Henry Box, his escape 98-101 Brown, John T], 87 Brown, J. W 264 Brown, T, A 250 Bruce, B. K., sketch of 619 Bruce, Roscoe C 450 Bryce, Prof., quotation from 367 Bulkley,Prof. W. L., sketch of 529 Burwell, Dr. L. L 243 Business education 270 Business world 187 Butler, D r ., quotations from 302-303 Butler, Gen., quotations from 116 PAGE. Butler, Dr. H.R., quotations from 277-278 Butt, F. L 264 Callioux, Capt 121 Calloway, G. F 260 Calloway, Mrs, F 262 Canterbury Seminary 200 Carleton, Will M 649 Carnes, Rev. J. R., sketch of 550 Carney, Sergt. Wm. H., at Fort Wagner 1 18-120 Carroll, Dr., quotation from 667 Carter, Rev. E. R., sketch of, 548; cut of 549 Carver, Prof. Geo. W., sketch of, 599; cut of . . . , 599 Casneau, Mrs. A. A 243 Catholic Women's League, 224 Caucasians 17 Central Tennessee College, 425 Chaplain, W. L 90 Charitable institutions 313 Chicago, meeting at 249 Chicago Woman's Club. . . 217 Christian Index 452 Christian Record. 452 Christian schools, list of . . . 693 Churches, colored 301 Church organizations, col- ored 459 Cities, Negroes living in 310-31 1 Clark, Rev. G. v., sketch of, 553 Clark University, 409; cut of, 410; Girls' Industrial School, cut of 322 Clay, Cassius M 'J^ Clubs, colored women's, rec- ognition of, 228; names of, Ellen Watkins Har- per, 205; Loyal Union, 205; Ida B. Wells, 205; Phyllis Wheatley, 205,206; Sojourner Truth, 205; Wo- man's Era, 205, 206; Wo- man's League 205-206 Club, list of Negro women of National Association.. 210 Club movement, among Negro women, 197, 203; INDEX. 723 PAGE work, 204, 230; first or- ganization, 205; develop- ment of 208 Coffin, F. B., sketch of 595 Coffin, Levi go Coles, Tulia E 264 Color line 227 Color, theory of, 16; grada- tions of 17 Colored American 237, 452 Colored Christian ministry, 463 Colored M. E. Church, 459, 469 Colored press discussed, ..452-454 Colored woman, her friends, 225; attitude of 226 Conference, Women's 209 "Conflict in a barn," cut. . . 94 Congregationalists 38 1 Congregational Church, At- lanta, Ga., cut of 470 Congregational Methodist, colored 471 Congregational Schools, list of 694 Conklin, Seth 104 Contents 7 Cook, Miss Helen 207-209 Cooper, Mrs. Anna G.. .207-209 Cooper, E. E.,237, 238, 250; sketch of, 61 1 ; cut of . . . . 612 Coppin, Mrs. Fannie Jack- son 201 Cotton mills 268 Cotton picking, cut of 269 Cotton States Exposition, 294-205 Councill, W. H 283-284 Craft, William and Ellen, 103 Crandall, Prudence 200,607 Crawford, A. F 249 Creekmur, C. R 263 Crime, 180, 321; of mothers, 307 Criminals 188 Criminality 685 Crisman, Mrs. Eliza 411 Crogman, W. H., cut, fron- tispiece 505 Cross-roads grocery 179 Crummell, Rev. Alexan- PAGE der. Quotations from, 385; sketch of 534 Cumberland Presbyterian, colored 472 Cunningham, D. J 249 Curtis, T. A., sketch of 598 Curse, theory of, 14; basis for argument 15 Cush 16 "Danville Chariot," poem, 643 Davis, S. L 251 Davis, Pres. A. G., quota- tion from 298 Davis, Rev. Jas. A., sketch _of 547 Day, Mrs. Wm 262 Day, Rev. Wm. H., sketch ^of- 553 Deaths 306 Dennison, F. A., sketch of . 573 Denominations, Negro re- ligious, 462; amounts spent by each 463 Deportation of Negroes. . . 22 Dickerson, Mrs 209 Dickey. Rev. G. W 482 Diseases 315 Dispensaries 314 Distribution of the Negro race 683-685 Douglass, Frederick, 14; quotations from, 147, 200, 474, 652, 653; sketch of, 492; cut of 493 Dnnk traffic 27 DuBois, Prof. W. E. B., 204, 233; sketch of 528 Dumas, Alexander 14 Dunbar, Paul Laurence, sketch of, 601; cut of, 601; poems from 651,654 Duncan, Bishop, quotation from 671 Dungee, Dr. A. C 242 "Dying Bondman, The," poem 606 724 INDEX PAGE. Early, Mrs. S. W 201 Early School 379 Eaton, Gen. John 379 Economic conditions 367 Education, its object, 323; improvements in, 324; power of, 339; secondary and higher, 349; past and present 655 Educators 164 Educational improvements, ^23; tables 690-691 Educational institutions, number of 340 Edwards, Dr., quotation from 47 Edwards, Rev. J. E., quota- tion from 258 Elbert, Dr. E. E 243 Emancipation of slaves.. . 59 Emery, W.0 246 Episcopal schools, list of. . 693 "Equal to the emergency," cut 651 Era Club 207,208, 209 "Ethiopia," poem 499 Ethiopians 16 Eustis, quotation from. . . . 69 Evans, Dr 3" Ewing, T. G., sketch of. . . 574 Exposition, cotton states (1895) 294-295; at Nash- ville (1897) 295 Fairbanks, Calvin 89 Fairchild, E. H 399 Farms and homes 255,681 Fee, Rev. J.G 398 Fidelity of the Negro 36 Fields, James A 259 Financial growth of the Negro 297 First colored regiment 120 Fisk University, 377; cut of, 378; alumni, 396; jubi- lee singers, cut of 397 Fitibutler, Dr. Sarah H., sketch of.. 596 PAGE, Fitzbutler, Dr. Henry, sketch of 594 Fitzgerald, R. W 241 Five great institutions.... 372 Forerunners of liberty 485 Fortune, T. Thos., 238, 248, 250, 251; quotations from, 363 368 Fort Wagner 118 Fowlkes, J. P 249 Frames, Mrs. John R 207 Freedmen's aid of M. E. Church 382, 409 Freedmen's Bureau 380-381 Freedmen's Savings Bank, 451 Free-Will Baptist 381 Friends' schools, list of. .. . 694 Frost, Prof. W. G 399 Fugitive slave law 89 Furness, Rev. Wm. H., cut of 321 Gaines, Bishop, on lynch- ing 177 Gammon, Rev. Elijah H.. 41:1 Gammon Theological Sem- inary, cut of 386, 411 Garnett, Mrs. Henry H.... 201 Garrett, Thomas 9O-91 Garrison, Wm. Lloyd, 74, 75,82,85,234,235, 485... 488 Gates, Pres., quotation from, 365 Gilbert, Prof. John Wesley, 519 Girls' Industrial School.... 322 Givens, Miss L. V., sketch of 619 Glenn, Prof., quotations from 274, 276 Gorden, Nora A 406 Grady, Henry W., quota- tion from 336 Graham, W. F 251 Grandchildren of slaves, cut 56 Grant, Gen. U. S in Grant, J. W., sketch of .... 575 Graves, J. K 249 Greeley, Horace 273 Greener, R. T., sketch of. . 618 INDEX. 725 _ , , PAGE. Greenwood, Prof. J. M., quotation from 166 Gnmke, Mrs. C. F., 201,202, 207; sketch of 617 Grimke, Rev. F. J., sketch ^of 543 Gunby, Judge, quotations from 24, 332 Hadley, Dr. W. A., sketch of 593 "Hail! Hail! Hail!" poem.. 648 Hale Infirmary. 480 Hall, Walter P 251 Ham 15, 16 Hamilton R. H 262 Hamm, J. R 237 Hancock, R. M 298 Hampton, Clark, sketch of, 615 Hampton Institute, 355,391, 394, 514, 633; cut of..... 390 Hampton Students, testi- monials from 259-264 Hapgood, Bishop 407 Harper, Mrs. Frances E. L. W., 201 ; cut of, 21 ; poems from, 500-504 ; quotations from 606-607 Harris, Prof., quotation from 659 Harris, G. C, 237. 238, 243, 250 Harris, Bishop C. R., sketch of 544 Hart, Thomas N 236 Hartzell, Dr 382 Haven, Bishop Gilbert 411 Hayden, Mrs. D. 1 201 Haygood, Dr. A. G., quota- tions from, 195, 323, 325, 334 • 661 Heathen Africa 173 Heathenism 152 Hebrew 15 Hemming, Miss Anita, sketch of 650 Henry,W.P 260 Heredity and Alcohol 315 Herodotus 16 Heroism of the Negro 69 Hillyer, A, F 239 ,, . ^ . PAGE. Holmes, Prof. W. E., 405; cut of, 518; sketch 0^518-519 Holsley, Bishop L. H., cut of, 532; sketch of 532 Hood, Bishop J. W., sketch „°^ 543 Homes 305 Hope of the South 264 Hopkins, Prof. M. A., sketch of 619 Hopkins, Rev. Dr., quota- tion from 71 Hospitals 314 Howard, Mrs. Imogene... 209 Howard, D. T., his home and family 280 Howard, Clara 407 Hudson, R. B 242 Humane Masters 153 Hunter, Gen. David and the Negro Soldiers . . . 108-100 HuntsvilU Herald 284 Ignorance, Evil Effects of. 317 Illiteracy of Colorsd Peo- ple, 347; Disappearance of 349 Income of Negroes.. ..31 1-312 Industries, progress of ... . 255 Industrial College, Georgia, 422 Industrial Education 351 Industrial Schools of the South, 350,351; for girls, 322 Industrial Training, 350, 351; importance of.. 353, 365 Indianapolis Freemen 452 Ingenuity of Negro 27 Infants, mortality of among 319-320 Insurrection, Negro 47 Intemperance a cause of mortality 314-31S Introduction 4 Ivy, L. S 26r Jackson, C. H 285 Jackson, Deal 293 Jackson, G. B 238, 240, 250 Japheth 1$ 726 INDEX. T « • » T, . PAGE. Jefiferis, J. P., quotation from 20 Jeffrey, Maj 66 Jeffis, Joe 293 Jenkins, S. J., sketch of 580 Johnson, A. M 251 Johnson, C. K 237 Johnstone, David L., sketch of 592 Johnson, Jack 633 Johnson, E. A., quotation from 192,230 Johnson, Gen. Edw., cut of, 127 Johnson, Prof., quotation from 18 Johnson, Rev. Wm., quota- tion from 445-446 Tones, Geo. C 238 Jones, Geo. E 249-250 tones, T.W 238, 250 {ones, Wm 97 Jones, Wiley, 281, 298 Josephus 16 Jubilee Singers, cut of 397 Kealing, Prof. H. S., quota- tion From 663 Kendrick, Minnie M 221 Kennedy, Rev. Paul H., sketch of 552 Kidnapping 4° King, W. E., sketch of 619 Knoxville College 435 Labor 353.357 Laney, Mrs. Lucy,sketch of 525 Langston, John M., 568; cut of, 577; sketch of 577 Laurens, Col., letter to Gen. Washington 7^ Lawyers, colored, 555; list of 567. 570 League, National Negro Business, 233; scope of, 238; origin of, 233; second annual meeting of 249 "Left to their fate," a cut . . 58 Leftwick, J C 246 Leland University, cut of, 348..... 428 PAf»P Levvey, M. M 237, 240, 250 Lewis, Edmonia 616 Lewis, J. H 237, 247 Lewis, Rev. W., sketch of, 617 Liberia 28 Lincoln, President A., quo- tation from, 42; cut of, 106, 117 List of colored authors, 619-624 List, Club of National Asso- ciation of Club Women. . 210 List of publications (Negro) 619-624 List of wealthy Negroes. . . 299 Livingstone, Dr., quotation from, 18; his tomb 36-37 Livingstone College 434 Logan, Gen. John A., quota- tion from 161 Love, Dr. A. J 242 Lovejoy, E. P 77 Lovelace, Henry 242 Lowe, Mrs. Rebecca D., 219, 221 Lowell, James Russell, quo- tation from 327 Lowry, S. R., silk-worm grower 281 Lucas, D. W 237 Lucas, Rev. W. W., cut of, 168 Luckie, Prof. C. W,, sketch of 528 Lundy, Benj., quotation from 74 Lynching, Bishop Gaines on 177 McCurdy, M r s. M. A., sketch of 610 McElwee, Hon. Samuel, sketch of 564 McKinley, Jacob 301 McKinley, Pres. Wm.. .2«;o,288 McKinney, J.W., sketch of, 617 Maceo, Gen. Antonio 132 Mail rifling 85 Manual labor, dignity of... 265 Martin Luther Graves Hall, cut of 338 Martin, Mrs 263 Mason, D. M., sketch of . . . 580 tNDEX. 727 PAGE. Mason, Rev. M. C. D., sketch of 551 Matthews, R. H 261 Matthews, Mrs. Victoria E., 209 Mayo, Rev. A. D , quota- tion from 163 Medical Association, The American, 585; The Southern Empire State. . 585 Medical colleges 583, 584 Medical women 584 Meharry Medical College, . 376,426; cut of 427 Melodies, plantation 633-642 Menefee, Alfred, sketch of, 575 Methodist Episcopal Schools, list of 692 Middle passage 41 Military Academy, Negroes . in .V 130 Millikens Bend 120 Miller> Mrs. Dora A 251 Miners Mrs. A. V 282 Milwaukee, biennial meet- ing at 216,221 Ministers 53^ Mitchell, Rev. E.C., quota- tions from 351,362 Mitchell, John 617 Mitchell, Charles L 237 Mobs riots 85 Montague, Rev. Dr 237 Montgomery, I. T 238, 246 Moral Improvements 157 Morris Brown College, 432; cut of 433 Morris, Rev. C. E 475 Morris, E. H., sketch of . . . 572 Morris, W. R., sketch of.. . 576 Mortality, among Negroes, 305, 3og; causes of, 312, 314-315; by poverty, 316; among ch i 1 d r en, 317; among infants, 319-320; rate of, 685; of five cities, 310-3" Mortgaged property. . .299-300 Mule and forty acres 171 Murphv, W. O 251 Murray, Prof. J. L., cut of 344 PAGE. Myers, Rev. Cyrus, sketch of, 618; cut of 618 "My Lord Delivered Daniel," poem 647 Napier, Hon.. J. C„ 250,251; cut of, 566; sketch of 567 Napoleon, story concern- ing 660-661 Nashville Exposition 295 National Association of Colored Women 209 National Convent ion, influence of 215 National Federation of Women's Clubs 216-219 National Freedmen's Aid Association 380 National Negro Business League, 233; organization of, 234; first meeting of, 235 Negro, meaning of term, 20; Africa for, 22; points of superiority, 25; phys- ical characteristics of, 25; traits of, 25; fidelity of, 26; ingenuity of, 27; in other conditions, 27; insurrection, 47; plot, 52; in the Revolutionary War, 65-72; soldiers of the Revolution, 71; soldiers in the Civil War, 107-129; number enrolled, 107; opposition to enroll- ment, 107; public opinion changes, no; soldiers in Spanish-American War, 131-146; his patriotism, 140; his loyalty, 166; his moral and social advan- tages, i47-i96;hisimmor- alities, 158; domination, 159; homes, 167; his recti- tude, 191; his progress, 193; his physical man- hood, 195; just judgment concerning, 196; as a social 728 INDEX. PAGE. factor, iqq; his capacity, 203; business league of, 233; a consumer, 257; a laborer, 267; he should own a farm, 273; as a property-holder, 276; finance of the, 297; in politics, 303; mortality of, 305; birth-rate of, 305; death-rate of, 306; in pub- lic schools, 306; occu- pations of, 306; earnings of, 307; diseases of, 307; crimes of mothers, 307; social regeneration of, 309; mortality among, 309; incomes of, 312; grade of society among, 318; wages of, 319; living rooms of, 319; social con- ditions among, 320; should have equal oppor- tunities, 329; prejudices against, 333; a wealth pro- ducer, 336; illiteracy of, 349, 680; students, 350; teachers, 350; high schools, 350; professors, 350; progress, 362; his religious nature, 455; criminalitv of, 685; pau- perism or, 686; education of, 686; physicians, 689; newspaper, first in the South, 454. "Negro farmer's cabin," cut of 261 Negro Woman's Club ) movement 197 Neii) Era, The 208 New nation, A 362 Newspaper, first in the South 454 New York Age 249, 452 Nicotine 185 Noah 15, 19 "NobodyKnows the Trouble I've Seen," poem 648 Non-sectarian schools, list of 69S PAGE. Normal schools 363 Norman, Rev. M. W. D., cut of, 477; sketch of 477 Northern Freedman's Aid Society 380 Northern women, tribute to 370 North Star 485 Oberlin College 201 Occupations 306-307 "Oh, Yes," poem 646 One-room cabin 304 "On Picket Duty," cut 115 Opportunities, equal 329 Orphanages 484 Overton, Anthony 251 Owen, Mrs. Mary 263 Palmer, R. T 247 Palmerston, Lord, quota- tion from 41 Pardee, Rev. Z. T., sketch of 549-550 Parker, Theodore. 77 Parker model home, cut of, 271 Patents 189 Patterson, F. D 25 1 Payne, Bishop Daniel, sketch of 550 Peabody fund 383 Petersburg, 258; siege of, 122-124 Pettiford, W. R 237, 238, 245 Peyton, Lewis 260 Phelps, Mrs. Mary R,, cut of, 478; sketch of 608 Philadelphia Times 452 Phillips, Wendell, 78; cut of 78 Physicians, Negro, 313, 581, 687-689 "Picking cotton," cut 269 Pinckney, C. C, quotations from 69 Pitts, Mrs. Emma L 251 Plantation melodies 641-654 Piatt, Miss Ida, sketch of, 573; cut of 574 INDEX. 729 PAGE. Population of cities having 50,000 or more inhabit- ants 6q9 Population of each state and territory 674 Population of the United States, 673; for each cen- sus year 680 Population of the world . . . 673 Population, white and col- ored, by counties, in Southern states 701 Poverty a cause of mortal- ity 316 Port Hudson 120, 121 Powell, Barto F., 289; cut of 290 Powell, W. B., quotation from 341 Presbyterian schools, list of, 694 Present status of the Negro, 658 Prejudice 190 Price, Rev. J. C, on tem- perance 178 Price, Pres. J. C, quota- tions from, 332, 335; sketch of 522 Proctor, H. H., and his asso- ciates, cut of, 186; sketch of,54i;cut of 541 Professions 188 Progress in industries 255 Property and property owners 297 Provident Hospital 478 Publications (colored), names of 619-624 Public schools, colored children in, 306; system, 340; money expended for, 347; expense of, in the South 439 Pullen, J. W 241 Quakers, opposed to slav- ery 74 Quarles, Rev. Frank 403 Race, not inferior, 14; pride, 257; problem, 337; distri- PAGE. bution,683-685; statistics, 673; history of 13 Ramsey, Mrs. Geo. E 263 Rankin, Rev. John 90 Rape 171-172 Reconstruction 198 Reed, Wm. L 237 Religion and the Negro, 455, 656 Remond, C. L., sketch of.. 618 Reports of Negro schools. . 364 Residence of Albert Nash, cut of, 275; of John Schell, cut of 279 Richards, Miss Fannie 201 Richardson, Virgil 237 Richmond Planet 452 Ridley, Mrs. U. A 209 Roanoke Institute, cut of. . 456 Robinson, Mrs. D. R 250 Rockefeller, J. D 404 Roger Williams University 443 Roman Catholic Schools, list of 694 Roscoe Conkling 450 Rowen, D 283 Rucker, Henry A 285 Ruffin, Mrs. Josephine St. Pierre 208, 209, 216,219 Rufifin incident, the 218 Ruffner, Dr., quotation from 326 Rust University, cut of... 636 Samuel Huston College. . . 438 Sanders, Rev. D. J., cut of, 366 Savannah, deaths in.. 320-321 Sawmill, Tuskegee Insti- tute, cut of 266 Saxton, Gen. Rufus, re- cruited first Negro regi- ment H2-113 Scarborough, Prof. W. S., cut of, 511; sketch of 511 Schell, John T., residence, cut of 279-283 Schools, for the Negro, 691 ; tables of, 692 ; Bap- tist, 6g2 ; Methodist Epis- copal, 692 ; United Pres- byterian, 693; Episcopal, 730 INDEX. PAGE. 693 ; African Methodist Episcopal, 693 ; Chris- tian, 693; African Meth- odist Episcopal ZioD, 693 ; Presbyteriaa, 694 ; Friends, 6g<>^j Roman Catholic, 6^4.; Congrega- tional, fe^« ; non-sectar- ian . , 695-696 School population 346 Sdlanrz, Carl, quotations from 304 Scott, Emmet J 250 Scottron, S. R 251 Scriptural reminiscences, 641 ; cut 641 Scruggs, D. B. E., sketch of, 593; cut of 593 Selma University 442 Separation discussed 23 Settle, J. T. .quotation from, 488; cut of, 560; sketch of 561 Shadd, Mrs. Mary A 201 Shaw, Col., commander of first Negro regiment ..11 7-1 1 8 Shaw University 383, 442 Shem 15 Shepard, J. E 240 Sherman, Gen. W. T., quo- tation from 26 Short, Madison 282 Sierra Leone 29 Silkworm 281 Sill, William 93, 96 Skilled mechanics 272 Slater, John F 383-384 Slater fund 367, 383 Slave-breeding states 55 Slave-breeders 150 Slave-pen 377 Slave population 105 Slave-trade, cut, 32, 40; in the United States, 45; abolished 45 Slave-traders, cut 58 Slavery, 33 ; in Africa, 33 ; sources of, 34-35 ; history of, 35; in Asia, 37; in Europe, 37; in the New PAGE. World, 38; among the Portuguese, 38; Colum- bus and slavery, 38 ; in the United States, 39; a curse, 43 ; degrading, 44 ; its victims not content, 46; its restrictions, 48; in 'the colonies, 48; in Southern colonies, 49; in Maryland and Delaware, 49 ; in Virginia, 50; in New York, 51; never in Rhode Island, 52; in New Jersey, 53 ; in South Carolina, 53; in North Carolina, 54; in New Hampshire, 54; in Massachusetts, 54 ; in Pennsylvania, 55; not universally counte- nanced, 55; defended, 154; effects of 369 Smith, Amanda, quotation from, I0I-I02 ; cut of, 483 ; Industrial OrphanHome, 484; sketch of 617 Smith, Mrs. A. M 238, 247 Smith, B. S., sketch of 57Q Smith, Gen., on Peters- burg 124-125 Smith, Goldwin, quotation from 53 Smith, H. D 282 Smith, P. J 237, 250 Smith, Robert Lloyd 439 Smith, H. C, sketch of. .. 616 Smithe, Mrs. J, H 207 Smiley, J. H 251 Smiley, C. H 248 Smoking 185 Social regeneration of the Negro 309 Society of Friends 380 Sociological conditions. .. . 320 Southern clubs 224 Southland College 431 Spanish-American War, Negro soldiers in. . . .135-144 Spelman Seminary, trained INDE^. 731 PAGE. nurses, cut of, 356, 383; building, cut of 400, 401 Spence, Prof. A. K., quota- tion from 373 Statistics of the race. . .673, etc. Star of Zion 452 Stearns, Geo. L 234 Stedman, F. G 249 Sterrs, Dr. W. E 251 Stewart, E. D 263 Stewart, Gilchrist 282 Stewart, Dr. F. A., sketch of 594 Still, Charity loi Still, William 298, 497 "Stitch in Time. A," cut. . 650 Stowe, Mrs. H. B 83-84 Stroke for Freedom, A," cut gS Strong, Dr. Josiah, quota- tion from 660 Sumner, Charles, cut of, 81 ; quotation from 112 Sunday School Union of the A. M. E. Church, 472 ; cut of building 473 "Swing Low, Sweet Char- iot," poem 643 ■ 'Talks for the Times, quo- tation from, 23, 47, 157. 190.326, 350.658 664 Tanner, Bishop B. T,, cut of. 538 ; sketch of 540 Tanner, Gov., quotation from 146 Tanner, Henry O . 298 ; sketch of 613 Tarry, John W 298 Taylor, R. T 301-302 Taylor, W. L 250 Temperance resolutions of A. M. F. C 182 Temperance increasing... 178 "The Tennesseeans" 426 Terrill, Mrs. Mary Church, 210 Thomas, Gen. L., quota- tion from 125 Thomas, J. W. E., sketch °^' of 572 Thomas, T. H 249 Thomas, Rev. W. H 237 Thompkins, Miss Victoria, 207 Thurston, T. W 251 Tobacco 185 Total abstinence 179 Tougaloo University 443- Trade education 189 Training school for nurses, 480 Trained nurses — Spelman Seminary, cut..., 356 Tower, John S 251 Truth, Sojourner 488 Tupper, Rev. H. M 442 Turner, Bishop Henry M., cut of, 537; sketch of, 536-539; quotation from, 170 Tuskegee Normal, 233, 355, 318 418 Tuskegee Conference 446 Tuskegee sawmill, cut of. . 266 Tynes, J. B 263 "Uncle Tom's Cabin". .47. 84 "Underground Railroad," 89, 92 ; its branches, 93 ; discussed loi, 302, 490 Union University, cut of lecture hall 430 United Presbyterian School, list of 693 "View de Land," a poem. 645 Voodoos 581 Wagner, Fort 118 Walker, Rev. Chas. T., sketcla of, 624; cut of... . 625 Walker, Capt. Jonathan ... 90 Walker, Rev. Thos. H. B. . 479 Walker, T. W 246 Ware, Pres. , quotation from 325 Warren, Bishop W. H 411 Watts (Mrs.) Orphanage. . . 481 Washington, Booker T., quotation from, 22, 168, 204, 236, 265, 267, 352, 668 ; 732 INDEX. PAGE. cut of, 232, 250 ; autobio- graphical sketch of, 518; concerning National Bus- iness League 233-238 Washington, Mrs. B. T. 209-210 Washington, Mrs, Margaret Murray, cut of, 21 ; sketch of 527 Washington, Gen. George, letter to Col. L 71 Washington, Louis, sketch of 572 Wealthy Negroes, list of, 297-298; in New "Vork. . . 299 Wealth producer, A 336 " We are Rising," a poem. . 12 Weaver, D. D 260 Weaver, Wm. B 261 Webb, W. B., quotation from 341 Wendell, T. T., sketch of. . 594 Wesleyans 381 West, Rev. W. B., sketch of, 550; cut of 551 V^T'estern Freedman's Aid Commission 380 Wheatley, Phyllis, sketch of 607 Wheeler, L. G., 251: cut of, 571; sketch of 571 White women, acknowl- edgment to 202 White Women's Club, atti- tude of 216 Whitman, Rev, A, A,, quo- tati(>Ti from 270 Wilberforce University... 388 Williams, Dr. D. H., sketch of 588 Williams, Fannie Barrier, 197-217; sketch of 610 PAGE. Williams, Rev. Emperor, sketch of 554 Williams, Geo,, quotation from 665 Williams, J. A 247 Williams, Mrs. Sylvanie. . . 207 Williams, S. L. , 250; sketch of, 573; cut of 573 Wilson, J. A 250 Wilson, John W 282 Wilson, Henry, cut of 86 Wilson's Wharf, battle of. . 123 Wise sayings 649-650 Woman's Era Club, 207, 209 ; official statement of 2x9-226 Woman's League, the. .207-208 Woman in Temperance 183 Wood, Rev. Norman, quo- tation from 16 Wood, Rev. G. T 281, 298 World's Fair, the 174 Wormley, James 239 Worth of property 276 Wright, Pres. R. R,, cut of, 423; sketch of 515 Wright, quotation from. . . 187 Wright, President, quota- tion from 155 Wycoff, Ellen F 652 Y. M. C. A 485 Yates, Gov. Richard 114 Yates, Mrs. Silome 210 Young, Maj. Chas 145 Zion African M. E. Church 450 468 EB 17 1913 %V -1