Individuals, here and there, have won this public confidence to a
surprising degree and are demonstrating day by day the ability of men
and women to do business according to approved business methods. The
hostility of the whites is but another manifestation of the general
feeling of race prejudice; but the hostility of the masses of their
own race can only be attributed to envy and ignorance. For every
colored man, woman and child should rejoice in the success or upward
step of any colored person, because it is an inspiration and a hope to
thousands of others to follow his example. Only the strongest and most
progressive few of any race can be successful pioneers. The masses of
all races are LED to attempt only what they see persons of their own
kind doing. Every community of colored people needs, as a powerful
uplifting force, a few captains of industry who will lead his people
along the pathway of home-getting and the undertaking of business
enterprises. For business will develop their sense of independence and
personal responsibility and give strength and symmetry to character.
No better service can be performed for the race at this time than to
turn the light upon those successful business men and women of the
colored race in every community, so that our youth may see them, know
them, and take inspiration and courage from their example.

The real leaders of the race are those who lead in doing. It has been
said that ninety per cent of all business enterprises among the highly
favored white race finally fail in the lifetime of their promoters.
The conditions of success in business for the white race are so
exacting, uncertain, changeable and inscrutable that only ten per cent
retire from the contest victorious. When we recall the fact that the
colored people have come so recently from savagery, through the
barbarism and debasing effects of American slavery, into the light of
the present-day civilization, we should expect them to be slow in
getting a footing in the shifting and ever-changing sands of the
business world, while in slavery they were deprived of every
opportunity to learn anything about the art of business or even to
drink in its spirit. It was one of the essential conditions of the
slave system that they should be taught to distrust each other; and
they learned this lesson well. We must expect that it will take some
time to unlearn it. Along with this blighting feeling of distrust the
seeds of envy and jealousy were carefully sown. These seeds must have
fallen in good soil, for they sprang up and increased wonderfully, and
now constitute the thorns and weeds in the pathway of the colored
man's success in business.

In view of their economic, educational and political history, we
should naturally expect the colored race to make in the first
generation of their freedom more progress in education and general
culture, more progress in the building of churches and in the
acquisition of homes and lands than in the exacting arena of business.
At any rate such has been the fact. The entire race is passing through
a hard and severe economic struggle. The whole nation is in the throes
of a great social distress, on account of the presence of this colored
race with physical aspects so different from the main body of the
people. The colored people are being put to a severe test. They are
being tried as it were by fire. They are face to face and in
competition with the most efficient, the most exacting people the
world has ever seen. The dross is being driven off. The race is being
purified and strengthened for the contests which are to follow. The
colored man or woman who would succeed in business must meet not only
the competition of his white neighbor with his superior capital and
training, but also the blight of distrust and the jealousy and envy of
many of his own race. His course is by no means plain sailing. He has
foes within his race as well as foes without; enemies in front and
enemies in the rear. And yet, in spite of all these adverse conditions
a very creditable beginning has already been made in the business
world--a beginning that promises well for the future. The business
movement among the colored people has not as yet attained great
volume, but its foundations have been laid broad and deep. The number
of persons engaged in business is quite large, and the classes already
invaded by individuals of the colored race cover almost every class of
business in which persons of the white race are engaged.

THE CAPITAL OWNED BY NEGROES.

The colored people are rapidly acquiring property. This is a matter of
common, every-day observation. The value of property owned by them is
no less than five hundred millions of dollars. In Georgia alone, where
separate records are kept, their assessed valuation exceeds fifteen
millions, one million of which was added in the past year. The
assessed valuation is only about forty per cent of the actual value.
From all over the country equally encouraging reports are sent out of
the steady progress of this people in the acquisition of landed
property. Although tens of thousands are shiftless, thousands are
saving money. It is being stored up slowly but surely for future use.
Much of it is already invested in business. A larger part of this
property and money will be turned into business channels as fast as
the race, by its patronage and support, evidences its desire to
advance this business movement.

THE EXTENT OF THE BUSINESS MOVEMENT AMONG THE NEGROES.

In order to obtain reliable data for a study of the progress of the
colored people in the skilled trades, in business, in getting homes
and in building churches and other institutions, the United States
Commission to the Paris Exposition of 1900 sent out the writer in
February of that year as an expert agent to visit the chief industrial
centers of the South and secure the data for the purpose of making the
facts collected, a feature of the Negro exhibit. In every city or town
visited the colored people took great pride in showing their
successful business establishments; and they all had some to show. In
every place a beginning had been made. The writer personally visited,
inspected and collected data from one hundred and forty-three business
establishments of considerable importance owned and conducted by
colored men and women. They range from a grocery store, with stock and
fixtures of the value of five hundred dollars, to a bank, which, on
the day of my visit, had a cash balance in its vault of $82,000. Only
the best business places were visited. There were hundreds of small
shops in the cities and towns visited, all of which evidenced the
breadth of the business movement of the people.

THE ATLANTA UNIVERSITY CONFERENCE.

The results of this hurried trip corroborates in a remarkable degree
the report of the Atlanta University Conference. "The Report of the
Negro in Business" was made in 1899. In that year the conference made
an investigation of this subject under the direction of Prof. W. E. B.
DuBois, professor of sociology in that university. This report is a
most valuable contribution to the study of the race problem. Prof.
DuBois has shown commendable zeal in studying the race problem, while
so many others are content to discuss it. The data for his study were
collected principally by the alumni of Atlanta University and are thus
entitled to a high degree of credibility.

Reports were received from one thousand nine hundred and six colored
men and women in business, showing the kind of business, time in
business, and the amount of capital invested. Almost every kind of
business carried on by white people was represented, thus evidencing a
desire and a reaching out on the part of the Negro that will produce
great results in years to come. Only establishments of considerable
importance were solicited and reported.

Time in business: Four-fifths had been established five years or more;
one-fifth more than twenty years. Sixty-seven more than thirty years.
This shows a remarkable longevity in business that is highly
gratifying.

Capital invested: Complete returns were not received from all; only
1,736 establishments reported capital. Their aggregate capital was
$5,631,137. Prof. DuBois estimated that the total amount invested by
American Negroes in business managed by themselves in 1899 was
$8,784,000. Compared with the immense sum of money invested in
business in the United States, this seems meager enough; but when we
consider the poverty of the colored people at the beginning of their
freedom, the saving and investment of nearly $9,000,000 in business
enterprises conducted by themselves in one generation is a most
creditable showing.

By far the larger part of the capital of the colored people is as yet
invested in enterprises conducted by white persons. In the city of
Washington, where the idea of the advantage to the race in having a
number of successful business enterprises has been very much agitated,
only about one-fifth of its wealthy colored people have any
investments in enterprises conducted by colored men, as shown in the
report of the Hampton Conference for 1898. A like proportion will
doubtless be found in other cities.

THE CENSUS OF 1890 ON NEGRO BUSINESS.

According to the census of 1890 (the returns from the census of 1900
on this subject not being available at this writing), taken
twenty-five years after the war, the colored people had
representatives engaged in every business listed in the census
schedules. It is true that the number of persons engaged and the
capital engaged in some branches of business were not imposing, yet an
effort had been made--a start, a beginning had been made in every
branch of business carried on in this country. The census of 1890 does
not in all cases make a distinction between "proprietor" and
occupation. Hence, it is not always easy to pick out the
"proprietors." The tables have been gone over very carefully. Only
those occupations have been selected about which there can be no doubt
that the persons listed are "proprietors." The total number of persons
of Negro descent engaged in business in 1890 was 20,020.

It is obvious to any one who has paid even a little attention to it
that there has been a considerable increase since 1890, in the number
of such business ventures and in the capital employed.

THE NATIONAL NEGRO BUSINESS LEAGUE.

As an evidence that the race is rapidly advancing along business
lines, a conference or convention of colored business men was called
by Mr. Booker T. Washington to meet in Boston August 23-24, 1900, for
the purpose of making a showing of the progress of the race in
business and to give encouragement and impetus to the business
movement. The success of this convention was a pleasant surprise to
many persons. Over two hundred delegates reported in person, and
nearly two hundred additional reported by letter. The tone of the
reports they brought from their several localities was uniformly
hopeful. Most of the delegates present lived outside of New England,
some coming from as far south as Florida and Texas, and as far west as
Nebraska. A permanent organization was formed, called The National
Negro Business League, the purpose of which is to keep its members in
touch with one another. Their "Proceedings" were published by Mr. J.
R. Hamm of No. 46 Howard street, Boston, in a handsome volume of two
hundred and eighty pages, and constitutes one of the most valuable
contributions to the study of the progress of the colored people.

This business league held its second annual convention in Chicago in
August, 1901. This meeting also was a great success in every way, and
received, if possible, more attention and space from the public press
than the previous meeting in Boston.

A recent study of the colored business enterprises of Washington,
published by the writer, shows that there are in the National capital
1,302 colored "proprietors" in all kinds of business and professions.
Their capital exceeds seven hundred thousand dollars, and they
transact more than two million dollars worth of business annually,
affording employment to 3,030 persons.

Among the more conspicuous examples of successful enterprises
conducted by colored men in the United States may be mentioned the
following: Thirteen building and loan associations, seven banks, about
one hundred life insurance and benefit companies, several mining
companies, one street railway company, one iron foundry, one cotton
mill, one silk mill, three book and tract publication houses, one of
them having a plant valued at $45,000; over two hundred newspapers and
three magazines. One of these newspapers has 5,000 subscribers and a
plant costing $10,000. One firm of truck gardeners, near Charleston,
South Carolina, over 500 acres under cultivation, has been in the
business over 30 years and ships several carloads of garden truck to
Northern markets every week. The railroad company considers its trade
of such importance that it has built a siding to their farm and the
cars are loaded directly from their warehouses. This is probably the
most extensive individual or partnership business carried on by
colored men anywhere in the United States. Noisette Bros. is the name
of the firm. Near Kansas City, Kansas, there is a colored man, Mr. J.
K. Graves, who owns and cultivates over 400 acres of land. He has been
engaged principally in raising potatoes. His crop last year was over
75,000 bushels, which, with the other things raised and sold, was
worth about $25,000. Within a radius of thirty-five miles of his farm,
he says that there are 312 Negro farmers, horticulturists, gardeners,
truckers, potato growers and dealers, most of whom are up to date and
have all modern appliances necessary to carry on their business.

Mr. C. C. Leslie, a dealer in fish in Charleston, South Carolina, has
$30,000 invested in the business, in nets, boats, ice-houses, real
estate, etc., and ships to Northern markets from three to five
carloads of fish per week during the busy season.

In Charleston the most prosperous butchers are colored men. In
Columbus, Mississippi, there is a colored butcher who owns his
abattoir and supplies the best trade of his town with meat. Some of
the most prosperous fish, produce and poultry dealers in the markets
of Washington are colored men. One firm has been in business
continuously over thirty years, the sons succeeding the father in the
business. Several have maintained their stands over twenty years.

A pawnbroker in Augusta, Georgia, has $5,000 capital. The largest and
best equipped drug store in Anniston, Alabama, is owned by a colored
physician. He has a considerable wholesale trade in patent medicines
and druggists' sundries.

One of the best equipped ready-made clothing stores in Columbia, South
Carolina, is owned by a colored man. He carries a stock of ten
thousand dollars.

A stock breeder in Knoxville, Tennessee, is worth $100,000, and has
$50,000 invested in blooded horses.

A photographer in St. Paul, Minnesota, does a business of $20,000 a
year. Another in New Bedford, Massachusetts, began as an errand boy,
learned the photographic art thoroughly, saved his money, bought out
the white proprietor, and now conducts the leading studio in that old
and aristocratic city.

The caterers of Philadelphia and Baltimore have long been noted for
their success in business, although they have lost some ground from
white competition during the last few years. There are yet several
with capital above $5,000.

The caterer at the great naval banquet at Newport in honor of Admiral
Sampson and our navy upon its return from the victories in the war
with Spain, where the very unusual task was accomplished of serving
one thousand men in a very satisfactory manner, was a colored man.

The foregoing are only a few of the many examples of success that
individuals of the colored people have achieved in business. They are
cited by way of "a bill of specifications." They show conclusively
that, in spite of many adverse conditions, it is possible for a
colored person, by perseverance and honesty, to succeed in
business.

THIRD PAPER.

THE NEGRO AS A BUSINESS MAN.

BY REV. J. H. MORGAN.

[Illustration: Rev. J. H. Morgan.]

                      REV. J. H. MORGAN.

     Rev. J. H. Morgan was born in Philadelphia, Pa., November
     15, 1843. His father was Rev. John R. V. Morgan. His
     mother's maiden name was Mary Ann Harmon. At his mother's
     death, which occurred when he was fourteen years old, he was
     adopted into the family of James T. Robinson of
     Philadelphia. Becoming dissatisfied at some fancied slight,
     he left without authority, determined to provide for
     himself, and be his own man. He soon found that the job was
     not so easily done, as thought about, nevertheless he was
     determined to win out, so he kept at it, and being of a
     jovial disposition he soon made friends, and had the happy
     faculty of keeping them. He started in the business of
     selling home-made pies and cakes along the wharves. After a
     short time he gave up this business for that of cabin boy on
     a passenger boat plying between Philadelphia and Bristol,
     Pa., making Bristol his home. At the breaking out of the
     Civil War he was very anxious to enlist as a soldier, but
     they informed him at Trenton, that it was a white man's war
     and they were not taking colored men, as their ankles set so
     near the middle of their feet, that when they said forward
     march, they would be as likely to go backward as forward, so
     he hired as a cook in an officers' mess and went to the
     front with Company C First Regiment N. J. V. six months'
     men. He was not down there long before he lost all his
     desire to become a soldier, when the opportunity came for
     him to enlist. While in Alexandria, Va., he started in to
     learn the barber trade, and on his return home worked as a
     journeyman at his trade until he set up in business for
     himself.

     In 1876 he organized a mission at Poughkeepsie, N. Y., and
     being young and enthusiastic, he requested at the next
     conference to be sent to the mission to build it up. Bishop
     Payne demurred, but after his persistence in the matter, he
     consented, saying, "Well I will let you make your own
     appointment this time, but will be expecting to hear from
     you before the year is out, asking for a change." So after
     ordaining him an Elder in Sullivan Street Church, May 12,
     1878, he was stationed at Poughkeepsie. There he had some
     misunderstanding with the people, which caused them to
     promise to "cut his bread and butter short," which promise
     he says was the only one that they made, that they
     faithfully carried out. One day they fed his family on wind
     pudding, air sauce and balloon trimmings, and right here
     Bishop D. A. Payne became a prophet, because he heard from
     him, and his time was short, as in a few days after he
     received an appointment to Albany, N. Y., and was returned
     the following year on account of effective service done. At
     the following conference he was elected as delegate to the
     General Conference at St. Louis with Rev. W. F. Dickerson,
     John F. Thomas and C. T. Shaffer. On his return from the
     conference he was transferred to N. J. Conference and
     stationed at Princeton, N. J., and with the exception of
     four years spent in the N. E. Conference, one in the N. Y.
     Conference, he has remained in the N. J. Conference. Rev.
     Morgan is the recognized historian of the conference, and
     was its secretary for a number of years, and was the
     Vice-President of the first Board of Church Extension. The
     Reverend is known in his conference under the cognomen of
     "The Only Morgan"--his description of things and events
     gaining for him this title. He was made Presiding Elder by
     Bishop H. M. Turner, and he thus describes his return from
     the Presiding Eldership to one of the weakest appointments
     in another conference: "Milton, or some one, says that the
     devil was nine days falling from heaven to hell; I made the
     trip in less than twenty minutes." Bishop H. M. Turner's
     second wife and the subject of this sketch were converted in
     and became members of the same church at Bristol, Pa. He was
     considered an exceptionally good superintendent of the
     Sabbath school before he was a member of the church. It was
     during the time that he was a local preacher at this church
     that he learned the lesson of his life. "I had a fair
     smattering of an education and, being in business, I was
     always consulted in the affairs of the church."

It becomes more and more evident every day of our existence, as
individuals, and as a race, that a grave mistake has been made by
those who have heretofore, or may be now, making claim to leadership
of making higher education the main and only route to the full
development of the race. The higher education is in the order of
specials. It is true that we need the artistic structure, but we need
first a foundation upon which to rest it. We seem to have started with
the idea that the structure has already been laid, which is true as
concerns the other man. But we have not laid one foot ourselves, but
are endeavoring to build upon another's, and as often as we build and
finish the structure, the other man, by virtue of owning the
foundation and that upon which it rests, claims and takes all (under
the fixed rule that the people who own the land will rule it), and the
last state is worse than the first, unless this happens at a time of
life when the experience will become a lesson, well learned, and time
allotted for a new start along the proper lines. It is, therefore,
very evident that the essential thing in the line of individual and
race development, is business. Business, we discover, when properly
defined, leads in its various ramifications to all roads to success.

Business defined.--"The state of being anxious; anxiety; care. The act
of engaging industriously in certain occupations. The act of forming
mercantile or financial bargains, more generally an abundance of such
acts done by separate individuals."

Crabb thus distinguishes between business, occupation, employment,
engagement, and avocation: "Business occupies all of a person's
thoughts, as well as his time and powers; occupation and employment
occupy only his time and strength; the first is most regular--it is
the object of his choice; the second is causal--it depends on the will
of another. Engagement is a partial employment; avocation a particular
engagement; an engagement prevents us from doing anything else; an
avocation calls off or prevents us from doing what we wish. A person
who is busy has much to attend to, and attends to it closely; a person
who is occupied has a full share of business without any pressure; he
is opposed to one who is idle; a person who is employed has the
present moment filled up; he is not in a state of inaction; the
person who is engaged is not at liberty to be otherwise employed--his
time is not his own--he is opposed to one at leisure."

Business, trade, profession, and art are thus discriminated: "The
words are synonymous in the sense of a calling, for the purpose of a
livelihood; business is general; business, trade and profession are
particular; all trade is business, but all business is not trade.
Buying and selling of merchandise is inseparable from trade; but the
exercise of one's knowledge and experience, for the purpose of gain,
constitutes a business; when particular skill is required, it is a
profession; and when there is a particular exercise of art, it is an
art; every shopkeeper and retail dealer carries on a trade; brokers,
manufacturers, bankers, and others, carry on a business; clergymen,
medical or military men follow a profession; musicians and painters
follow an art."

The distinction between business, office, and duty: "Business is what
one prescribes to one's self; office is prescribed by another; duty is
prescribed or enjoined by a fixed rule of propriety; mercantile
concerns are the business which a man takes upon himself; the
management of parish concerns is an office imposed upon him, often
much against his inclination; the maintenance of his family is a duty
which his conscience enjoins upon him to perform. Business and duty
are public or private; office is mostly of a public nature; a minister
of state, by virtue of office, has always public business to perform;
but men in general have only private business to transact; a minister
of religion has always public duties to perform in his ministerial
capacity; every other man has personal or relative duties which he is
called upon to discharge according to his station."--Crabb: Eng.
Synon.

There has been a vast number of theories advanced as regards the
solving of the Negro problem. But the idea of business seems to have
only a minor place, which, to our mind, should be one of the leading
factors. It seems that the race has been educated away from itself. It
is not an uncommon thing to see young men who have splendid
educational abilities, versed in the languages, with check aprons on,
scrubbing marble steps, and doing other menial labor. Their plea is,
when questioned along this line, "I cannot get anything else to do."
To what advantage then, has the hard earned money of their parents and
friends been expended to educate them? Their fathers did as well as,
if not better, than they without it, and cannot this man, with the
advantage of education, "turn up something"? There is something
radically wrong with the plan of education. The old man could plod
over the farm in his antiquated way, and earn money enough to keep
things going, and educate his son, but when that son's education has
been completed, he has not the ability, or business tact, with modern
improvements, to build upon the foundation laid by his less cultured
father. Let this cultured boy get down to business. For him, here is
the route laid down.

Secretary of Agriculture, Hon. Mr. Wilson, in discussing the
productive possibilities of the South and the problem of Negro labor,
makes the following observations: "The pressing question is, what is
the laborer down South who has been growing cotton, and is not getting
enough for his product, to do in the future to enable him to live
comfortably, not to speak of the improvement of his condition,
education, and all that?"

The cotton crop leaves very little that is valuable for domestic
animals after the picking is done, thus differing from the corn crop
of the Northwestern states. There is a by-product, the cotton seed,
that is exceedingly valuable, and much good work is being done by
scientists at experiment stations to show how valuable cotton seed is
for feeding purposes.

The nitrogen element in cotton-seed is greater than that of any of the
grains; it is richer in nitrogenous matter than peas or beans; richer
than gluten, meat or oil cake. The Northern feeder and the European
feeder have been using this by-product of the cottonfields with great
advantage, while the loss of its fertilizing qualities to the South
has been very great.

The South has more marked advantages over the North with regard to
production. It has heat and moisture, the two great factors of
production, and if the cotton grower is to diversify his crops, he
must use those natural advantages. The dairy cow and mutton sheep
would succeed admirably in the South, but something for them to eat
must be provided first. The winters in the South are mild, grasses,
grains, legumen can be sown in the fall and grow abundantly in the
winter, upon which the dairy cow and mutton sheep may thrive and
prosper. From one-fifth to one-fourth of all the fat of the milk on
the farms of the United States is lost because people do not
thoroughly understand when to churn cream. The churning process is an
art, having much science underlying it. But the cotton grower of the
South only needs to learn the way, while the man who teaches him can
understand the science. Much yet remains to be discovered in the art
of breeding animals, but enough is known to indicate to the instructor
of the colored cotton grower of the South, who is to be diverted into
work of this kind, to enable him to breed his herd intelligently. The
South can prepare the spring lamb much earlier than the North can. The
Southern land owner understands horse raising. There is always a
greater demand for saddle horses than is supplied. The world wants
carriage and draft horses, and good roadsters. Early spring
chickens--the broilers--can be produced down there because of the
milder winters, and milder springs than we have, and the Northern
market can be supplied. Should the market be over supplied we can send
this product abroad in the refrigerating compartments of steamships.

The colored man is learning the trades at Tuskegee; he is mining coal,
and working the manufacture of iron at Birmingham. We quote this
gentleman, who is without doubt authority on this special line, and
therefore worthy of serious and careful consideration, to support the
point we make, that this problem must be worked out along lines,
especially along business lines.

BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES.

Hawaii, Porto Rico, and the Philippines are absolutely ours. The
Philippines are said to be as large as the New England States,
including New York and New Jersey; Hawaii about the size of New
England; Porto Rico the size of Connecticut. Hawaii, with a population
of 109,000; Porto Rico, 900,000; Philippines, 8,000,000, and very few
whites; a climate in which the Anglo Saxon, it is said, cannot stay
for any great length of time. And it is rich in all those thing which
are desirable by the white man. These acquisitions must be developed
by American genius and capital, and as the white American cannot stay
there the year round to develop the same, what better agent to do this
work than the Afro-American who has been schooled in American ideas
and customs and usages. Is not this an opportunity given by Providence
to commence business building? The race should cease pleading to be
"The Wards of the Nation;" cease waiting for something to turn up, or
have somebody to do something for them, but should unite their forces
and turn up something for themselves. The people who own the country,
if intelligent and thrifty, will rule and run it. What Coleman has
done in North Carolina in a business way, could be done in a majority
of the states to a greater or less extent. Small factories could be
arranged for, where our people could be employed in producing the
commodities of life. Some time ago it was said that a large tract of
land had been arranged for, backed by a number of Tammany Hall
capitalists; factories were to be built to give employment to the
settlers, deeds for lots were to be given at a nominal cost. The
project was opposed by some of our so-called leaders, because it was
backed by Tammany; but it is the very thing needed, no matter who
backs it up; it is the business men who run the country; it is they
who put the millions to work and keep the mighty dollar in
circulation; we must enter the business world and by pluck, tact and
thrift, live while we are living, and die when we cannot do otherwise.
The man who thanks Almighty God when the news of disaster comes from
land or sea that no loss comes to him is not so wise in the sight of
God, or man, as he who can thank God that the interest on accrued
stock had advanced an hundred fold before the crash came.

TOPIC XXVI.

THE NEGRO AS A FARMER

BY PROF. GEORGE W. CARVER.

[Illustration: Prof. Geo. W. Carver, M. Ag.]

                 PROF. GEORGE W. CARVER, M. AG.

     A few years ago there was graduated at the Iowa Agricultural
     College a young colored man of unusual promise. His name was
     G. W. Carver, and his specialty the care and production of
     plants. Not long after graduation he was engaged by Booker
     T. Washington as a teacher and assistant in his famous
     industrial school, and to-day the young man is Mr.
     Washington's most trusted adviser, while his reputation has
     gone abroad as a scientist and an original investigator of
     no mean order.

     Born during the period of the Civil War, he was separated
     from his parents when but six weeks old, they having been
     sold to some distant slaveholders. The infant was puny and
     ailing, and his master regarded him as worthless. A family
     named Carver took the babe and his brother, a little older.
     It was with them the child had a home for nine years. About
     that time the little black boy developed a remarkable love
     for plants, and so much knowledge of their structure and
     life, that he was given the name of "the plant doctor." Mr.
     and Mrs. Carver were proud of the boy's talents and made
     much of him, and it was their evident satisfaction in him
     that aroused the jealousy of their own children, who at last
     drove the two colored boys away from home. Northward they
     turned their faces, to the land where white and black have
     equal chances in life, as they fondly believed. The little
     "plant doctor," who had picked up the elements of an
     education, wanted, above all else, to enter some good
     school. The boys were driven from pillar to post, but, being
     devotedly attached to each other they held together, until
     in Kansas they thought best to separate.

     During these years, young Carver had tried many kinds of
     work. At length he found himself at Winterset, Iowa. It was
     there the wife of a physician encouraged him to go to
     Indianola where she thought he could enter college and earn
     his way by doing laundry work. He went there, but didn't get
     the work, and it was while there that a young lady, a well
     known Iowa artist, became interested in him. Under the
     pretext of securing his help in correcting some drawings,
     she went to the mean quarters he occupied and found him
     starving to death. There was no work for him, no money. For
     weeks, he had subsisted upon corn bread and tallow. She then
     arranged for him to go to the Iowa Agricultural College,
     where she had influential friends and where she believed he
     would have a chance.

     But, even at the Agricultural College of Iowa the color line
     was sharply drawn by the students. Persecution and
     ill-treatment were resorted to. But young Carver said, "I
     will bear it. I must get an education. Here I can get work
     and I will suffer anything rather than give up the one
     chance of my life to obtain a schooling." His old and
     intimate knowledge of plants stood him in hand, and he was
     given charge of the greenhouses. True, he was shunned by
     many, his place at table was with the servants, but he had
     warm friends and he was, by force of character, winning the
     good will of all. One day an Indianola lady, who had come to
     know him before he left that place, went to visit him at his
     college. Dressed in her best, she accompanied him, though
     against his protestation, to dinner, taking a seat at the
     servants' table.

     The next time this lady visited the college the colored
     student sat at the table with the faculty. In the military
     drill he had taken the highest honors. When he was graduated
     it was with distinction. He wrote the class poem. He had
     succeeded in winning and holding friends.

     Some time ago he spent several weeks in Washington, D. C.,
     and there the most kindly attention was extended to him by
     Secretary Wilson, who never fails to recognize merit
     wherever he may find it.

     The name of G. W. Carver is now enrolled on the fellowship
     list of more than one scientific Institution.

The above subject is by no means an easy one to discuss, as reliable
data are fragmentary and widely scattered; yet I am sure that I have
been able to collect some interesting and valuable facts and figures
bearing upon this important question. There is no doubt that the Negro
as a tenant farmer is a failure; this we are forced to admit, but we
do so with a justly proud feeling that it is not an inherent race
characteristic, but the result of conditions over which we had little
or no control. Failure is inevitably and indelibly stamped in the
foreheads of any class of average tenant farmers, regardless of race
or color.

In American agriculture the Negro has always held, and is yet holding,
an important place; in fact, far more, as a rule, than has been
accredited to him. Lest our judgment be too harsh in this particular,
I have thought it wise to briefly scan the beginning and development
of agriculture in the United States. In 1492 the first settlers found
the Indians carrying on agriculture in a crude and limited way, by the
women; their farm machinery consisting of their fingers, a pointed
stick for planting, and the bones of animals and the shell of the clam
for a hoe; with nothing more than a squatter's right as a voucher for
the ownership of their farms. Prof. McMaster's History of the People
of the United States, George K. Holmes, assistant statistician of the
United States Department of Agriculture, in his "Progress of
Agriculture in the United States," and other high authorities, tell us
that the white man came, poor in the materials of wealth, a stranger
in a strange land with a strange climate. His tools were but little,
if any, improvement on those of the Indians, and agriculture as we
know it to-day was an idealistic dream. The plow was an exceedingly
crude thing and but little used, the hoe forming the principal
implement of industry. After a piece of land had been continuously
"cropped" until worn out, it was abandoned, or the cows turned upon it
for a while. It is further said that the poor whites, who had formerly
been indentured servants, were the most lazy, the most idle, the most
shiftless and the most worthless of men. Their huts were scarcely
better than Negro cabins, the chimneys were of logs, the chinks being
filled with clay. The walls had no plaster, the windows had no glass,
and the furniture was such as they themselves made.

The grain was threshed by driving horses over it in the open field.
When they ground it they used a rude pestle and mortar, or placed it
in the hollow of one stone and beat it with another. Beef or pork,
generally salted, salt fish, dried apples, bread made of rye or Indian
meal, milk, and a very limited variety of vegetables, constituted the
food throughout the year. When night came on his light was derived
from a few candles of home manufacture. The farmer and his family wore
homespun. If linen was wanted, the flax was sown and weeded, pulled
and retted, then broken and swingled, for all of which processes
nearly a year was required before the flax was ready for the spinners,
bleaching on the grass, and making and wearing. If woolens were
wanted, sheep were sheared and the wool was dyed and spun and woven at
home.

It was almost invariably true of all the settlers that the use and
value of manures was little regarded. The barn was sometimes removed
to get it out of the way of heaps of manure, because the owner would
not go to the expense of removing the accumulations and putting them
upon his fields. Such were the dreary conditions of the farmer's life
in colonial days, living all the time very closely upon the margin of
subsistence. Those conditions continued for some time after the
Republic had been established, and were not measurably ameliorated
until the present century had well advanced, until an improved
intelligence--the dissemination of information, and the work of the
inventor, had begun to take effect.

From the above we see how strikingly similar were the life, methods of
agriculture, and the results obtained from the sturdy New Englander,
who represented the best blood, bone and sinew of the old world, with
its almost prehistoric civilization, to that of the American Negro,
whose intellectual star is just beginning to rise above the horizon.
Over two centuries and a half ago the Negro found his way as a slave
to America, in a little Dutch trading vessel, cheap labor being the
chief motive which prompted such a gigantic scheme. The experiment
flourished and grew, and at about the close of the eighteenth century
six million slaves had been brought to this country. The major part of
all the cotton, corn, cane, potatoes, tobacco, and other agricultural
products, were planted, cultivated, harvested and prepared for, and,
not infrequently, marketed by, the slaves. In fact, they were the
agricultural backbone of the South. Since cotton forms the largest,
and has been the most important agricultural product in the South, I
think a hundred and nine years of its production will prove
interesting and valuable: In 1791, 8,889 bales were produced, and the
second cotton mill built at Providence, Rhode Island! the first one
being built at Beverly, Massachusetts, in 1787. From this time on the
acreage planted, the output and the number of cotton mills and
spindles increased. The estimated area planted in cotton alone in
1852, 6,300,000 acres, and the census report of 1860 showed 1,262
cotton mills and 5,235,727 spindles in the United States, with an
output of 4,861,292 bales. Despite the depressing effect of the four
years of civil strife, it took only five years to almost completely
regain the highest point reached in previous years. In 1889 and 1890
we find in the United States 19,569,000 acres planted, giving an
output of 7,311,322 bales, with 905 cotton mills operating 14,088,103
spindles. In 1898-99 the acreage increases to nearly 25,000,000, with
an output of 11,189,205 bales, representing a money value of
$305,467,041. Such is the history, production and growth of the cotton
industry in the United States, and were we to trace the other staple
products we would find them none the less interesting, since they were
produced largely by Negroes as slaves before the war, and as freedmen
after the war. This applies especially to Southern products.

Whatever of truth there is in Mr. Van de Graff's grave apprehensions
for the Negro, he with us must admit that the ills of the black tenant
farmer are simply the ills of the Southern farmer in a more or less
aggravated form. It is also true that the curse of such a system falls
the heaviest on the smallest and most ignorant tenant farmer, who is
the least capable of self-defense. For years we have been content to
let the preachers preach, the lawyers argue, the philosophers predict,
the teachers and the doctors practice with scarcely a question as to
our priority of right. We have, in the face of the many oppositions
which come to every race similarly situated, labored with endurance,
patience and forbearance, until the birth of the twentieth century
dawns upon us, steadily marching on, with something over $263,000,000
worth of unencumbered property to our credit. Now as to the number
owning farms and following agricultural pursuits as a livelihood, we
are pleased to submit some figures from the last census report, from
Crogman, in his "Progress of a Race," and from other authorities.
Beginning with the little District of Columbia, with an aggregate
area of 8,489 acres and 269 farms, there are seventeen Negro farmers,
five of which own their land in whole or in part. Their farms contain
29 acres, of which 25 are improved. The total value of the land is
$23,300, and the appurtenant buildings are worth $390; live stock to
the value of $489; and farm incomes for 1899 amounting to $4,244. Ten
farms, aggregating 258 acres, are operated by Negroes as cash tenants.
The reported values are, land, $114,600; buildings, $9,200; implements
and machinery, $1,200; and live stock, $1,383. The total incomes for
these farms in 1899 were $10,300. Two farms, together consisting of 21
acres, valued at $149,630, are operated by Negroes as salaried
managers. Of the 17 farms operated by Negroes, only 1 contains less
than three acres; 7 contain from 3 to 9 acres; 5 from 10 to 19 acres;
2 from 20 to 49 acres; and 2 from 50 to 99 acres, giving an average
size for all of 18.1 acres.

In the state of Delaware the farms constitute 85 per cent of the total
land surface of the state, which is divided up into 9,687 farms, of
which 8,869, or 91.6 per cent, are operated by whites, and 818, or 8.4
per cent, by Negroes. Of the latter class 297 are operated by owners,
and 35 by part owners. The value of their farms, including implements,
machinery and live stock, together with the value of implements,
machinery and live stock on the farms which other Negroes operate as
tenants, is $495,187.

In Arizona we find that three Negro farmers operate their farms as
salaried managers. Twelve own farms containing 1,511 acres, with farm
property valued at $60,422; one leases a 39-acre farm for cash, and
has implements and live stock worth $130. The total investment by
Negroes in agriculture, exclusive of farms owned by them and leased to
others, is, therefore, $60,552, which is a rather encouraging showing
for Arizona.

Messrs. Walker and Fitch, graduates of Hampton Institute, in 1896,
made a careful canvass of one congressional district in Virginia, and
found as follows: Out of a total acreage of 1,944,359 acres, one
fifteenth, or 125,597 acres, is owned by the Colored people, roughly
estimated at $1,000,000. These figures mean farm owning chiefly, as
$79,611 represent the total city property. They also report that in
Gloucester county, 25 years from the above date, the Colored people
owned less than 100 acres of land. To-day they own 13,000 acres of
land free from any encumbrance. Mr. Fitch further adds that he has
traveled quite thoroughly through more than ten counties of Virginia,
with horse and buggy, during the present year (1896), and that in no
county through which he traveled did the Colored people own less than
5,000 acres of land. He found also that much of the improved farming
was being done by Colored men, and that the strong public sentiment
against moving to cities was having the desired effect.

Again, the statistician reports, in 1890, 12,690,152 homes and farms
in the United States, and of this number the Negroes own 234,747 free
from all encumbrance, and 29,541 mortgaged; giving the percentage of
mortgaged property owned by Negroes as 10.71, while the whole
percentage of mortgaged property for the whole country is 38.97. It is
further stated that of all the property held by Negroes, 88.58 per
cent is owned without encumbrance. Since so much has been accomplished
in the Negro's pioneer days of freedom, may we not predict with a
considerable degree of assurance that the next decade and a half will
far exceed our most sanguine hope? The virgin fertility of our soils,
and the vast amount of cheap and unskilled labor, have been a curse
rather than a blessing to agriculture. This exhaustive system of
cultivation, the destruction of forests, the rapid and almost constant
decomposition of organic matter, together with the great multiplicity
of insect and fungus diseases that appear every year, make the
Southern agricultural problem one requiring more brains than that of
the North, East or West. The advance of civilization has brought, and
is constantly bringing, about a more healthy form of competition. The
markets are becoming more fastidious, and he who puts such a product
upon the market as it demands, controls that market, regardless of
color. It is simply a survival of the fittest.

We are also aware that the demands upon agriculture were never so
exacting as they are now. All other trades and professions are holding
out their inducements to the young men and women who are ready and
willing to grapple with life's responsibilities. One says, "Come and I
will make you a Gould." Another, a Rockefeller; still another, an
Astor--with all the luxuries their names suggest. Too many of our own
farmers illy prepare their land, cultivate, harvest and market the
scanty and inferior crop, selling the same for less than it cost to
produce it. I need not tell you that the above conditions imperatively
suggest the proverbial mule, implements more or less primitive, with
frequently a vast territory of barren and furrowed hillsides and
wasted valleys. Instead of the veritable Klondyke, of which their
dreams are made sweet, another mortgage has been added as an
unpleasant reminder of the year's hard labor. With this inevitable
doom staring them in the face, is it any wonder that so many of the
youth of our land flock to the cities with the hope of seeking some
occupation other than farming? The above conditions, together with the
seemingly higher civilization of the city folk, I claim, are largely
responsible for this. But be this as it may, in the light of what has
been accomplished, I see for us a very bright star of hope in the
education of two-thirds of the brightest and best of our youth in
scientific agriculture.

The many excellent schools, colleges, nature study leaflets, farmers'
bulletins and reading courses, conferences, convocations, congresses,
fairs, and the like, are all powerful educational factors designed to
lead the race into higher agricultural activities. The agricultural
schools, and higher institutions of that character, are wisely laying
much stress upon stock raising, dairying, horticulture, landscape
gardening, poultry raising, and every manipulation incident to the
successful operation of this great industry. These subjects have been
taught almost wholly to young men, but recent experience has taught,
not only in this, but in other countries, that many of these studies
seem especially suited to women; and many are taking the advantages
offered by schools in the matter of learning the technique of poultry
raising, dairying, horticulture, landscape gardening, and the related
sciences, along with their academy or college work, and as a reward
are finding pleasant, profitable and healthful employment. Nature
study, with the first principles of agriculture, is compulsory in many
of the primary schools, and ere another decade is indelibly placed
upon the historical records of the greatest events of the greatest
century, it will find us wonderfully in advance in this particular.

Every year we see a perceptible increase in the funds for public
education, and magnificent schools and colleges, with better paid
professors, springing up here and there, stand out as beacon lights to
this new and wonderful epoch. The wisdom of spending these
ever-increasing millions upon the youth of our land becomes from year
to year a matter of less concern as we seek to give our boys and girls
a broader education than that of a pure scientist. It is very
encouraging to note the course taken by our young men and women who
have gone out from those institutions--the way they have acquired
land, built homes, and are devoting their entire time and talent in
that direction. I have no fears but what we, in the course of time,
will do our part both nobly and well in the matter of feeding a hungry
world.

SECOND PAPER.

THE NEGRO AS A FARMER.

BY H. A. HUNT.

[Illustration: Prof. H. A. Hunt]

                       PROF. HENRY A. HUNT.

     Henry A. Hunt was born in Hancock County, Ga., in 1866. He
     attended the public schools of Sparta, the county seat,
     until 1882, when he entered Atlanta University and was
     graduated from the college course in 1890. He also completed
     the course of instruction given in the Industrial Department
     of that university. He kept up his expenses, in a measure,
     by working as a carpenter during his vacations and during
     his spare hours while in school. He was considered a most
     promising young man and a thorough scholar by his professors
     and schoolmates. He became a professing Christian while
     pursuing his college course. In all of the athletic sports
     of the university he took an active part and served as
     captain of the base ball team for several years. He
     graduated with the highest honors of his class. Through a
     most flattering recommendation from the Superintendent of
     the Public Schools of Atlanta, Ga., he was called, in 1891,
     to the principalship of the Charlotte Graded School, which
     position he filled acceptably, until he resigned, during the
     same year, to accept the superintendency of the Industrial
     Department of Biddle University, Charlotte. N. C. In 1896 he
     was given, in addition to his industrial work, the
     superintendency of the Boarding Department of Biddle
     University. These two positions he is now filling in a most
     acceptable manner. Mr. Hunt's work and close touch with the
     young men of the university have been most gratifying. He
     encourages and takes part with them in all of their sports,
     being the leading spirit in their athletic association. He
     is a noble example of the manly man and his influence over
     the students for straightforward and manly endeavor has been
     truly helpful. The respect and esteem in which he is held by
     the graduates and undergraduates are most noteworthy. In
     August, 1900, Mr. Hunt called together the farmers of
     Mecklenburg and surrounding counties for the purpose of
     holding a farmers' conference. A permanent organization was
     effected, of which he was made president. The influence of
     these annual conferences is far-reaching and will no doubt
     result in great good to the farming class of western North
     Carolina. He was for several years the president of the
     Queen City Real Estate Company of Charlotte, N. C., an
     organization designed to help those wishing to obtain homes.
     He was forced to relinquish this work because of other
     duties. Mr. Hunt is a strong and courageous young man, he is
     firm in his convictions and believes the royal road to
     success is attained through the faithful performance of each
     day's duties. His sympathies are near to the interests of
     the working classes. As a college-bred man he urges his
     people to become skilled artisans and to build up reliable
     business enterprises and thus become independent. His
     kindness of heart and plain honest dealing with his
     fellow-man, along with his intellectual attainment, have won
     for him a host of friends and made him a popular man with
     all the people.

     While attending Atlanta University, Mr. Hunt met the
     girl--Miss Florence S. Johnson, of Raleigh, N. C.--who in
     the year 1893 became his wife and to whom much of whatever
     success he has attained is attributable. To them there have
     been three bright and beautiful children born--two girls and
     a boy.

In a chapter on this subject it may not be out of place to give some
little attention to the early history of the Negro as a farmer in
America.

Without stopping to discuss the motives of the sea captain who brought
over the first load of Negroes to America, or why the Northern
colonists discontinued, at a comparatively early date, the use of
slave labor, let us note a few things about the Negro in the South.

The fact that they could easily endure the summer sun of the cotton
belt; that they learned quickly the simple methods of farming used in
the cultivation of cotton, rice, sugar-cane, and tobacco; that they
required but little in the way of food, clothing, housing and medical
attention, and the further fact that they possessed a peculiarly happy
and light-hearted disposition, all tended to make them especially
valuable to the Southern planters.

It seems that slave labor was looked upon, at a comparatively early
date, as being not only desirable, but absolutely necessary to the
growth and development of the Southern colonies.

For several years after the settlement of Georgia no slaves were
allowed to be used in that colony, but, finding that the colony seemed
to be doomed to failure, the "trustees" permitted the introduction of
slaves and the colony began immediately to prosper.

The following lines attributed to George Whitefield--the famous
minister--in referring to his plantations in Georgia and South
Carolina, give a fair idea of the feelings of the Southern colonists
on the subject of slave labor at that time. He speaks thus about his
Georgia plantation: "Upward of five thousand pounds have been expended
in the undertaking, and yet very little proficiency made in the
cultivation of my tract of land, and that entirely owing to the
necessity I lay under of making use of white hands. Had a Negro
been allowed I should now have had a sufficiency to support a great
many orphans, without expending above half the sum which has been laid
out." How different are his expressions concerning his South Carolina
plantation, where slavery existed: "Blessed be God! This plantation
has succeeded; and, though at present I have only eight working hands,
yet, in all probability, there will be more raised in one year, and
without a quarter of the expense, than had been produced at Bethesda
for several years past. This confirms me in the opinion I have
entertained for a long time that Georgia never can or will be a
flourishing province without Negroes are allowed."

With the invention of the cotton gin slave labor became still more
valuable, the South more prosperous, and the planters verily believed
that cotton was king and South Carolina the hub of the universe.

But, while it is true that the Negro became an indispensable factor in
the material prosperity of the South by his work on the plantations,
yet he did not at that time occupy a position that could be dignified
with the name of farmer. During the days of slavery the Negro occupied
a position more closely akin to that of a farm animal than that of a
farmer. Of course there were exceptions but we are speaking now of the
masses.

The Negro having been looked upon by his master and schooled to look
upon himself and his fellow bondmen as possessing none of the
intelligence and virtues essential to success in life, there is little
wonder that a comparatively small number of freedmen took advantage of
the opportunities offered immediately after the close of the Civil War
to become land owners. Indeed, when we take into account the fact that
there was a sort of caste feeling among the slaves, with the "field
hands" as the "mud sill," and all glad of any opportunity offered to
rise above the despised position, the great wonder is that so many
were willing to continue an occupation considered so degrading. The
fact is, that it was to a very great extent simply a matter of
accepting cheerfully the inevitable that held so many of the freedmen
to the farms and to farm life.

Among the positive forces that operated in taking the Negro from the
farm there was, perhaps, none stronger than the desire to have his
children educated--the opportunity for which being very poor in the
country districts--many of the very best and most thrifty among them
left the farms for the towns and cities.

But whether on the farm or in the city, only a few years of freedom
and its attendant responsibilities were necessary to enable the more
intelligent ones of the ex-slaves to see the importance of not only
knowing something, but owning something as well, if they were to
entertain any hopes or aspirations above those of the "field hand,"
and it was from this class of Negro farm hands that the real Negro
farmer came into existence. While there were many who showed decided
intelligence, sound judgment and shrewd business sense by the manner
in which they managed their affairs, still the great masses had
arisen, if at all, only from the position of the master's farm animal
in slavery to that of his less cared for farm hand in freedom.

The condition just described represents the state of affairs during
the first few years after the war, as indeed it does present
conditions, except that the number of those who may be called farmers
is constantly increasing and the number of mere farm hands is growing
proportionately smaller. We should keep constantly in mind the
distinction between the man who tills his own land and the one who
works the land of another, the former is the farmer, the latter the
farm hand.

The distinction just noted would seem to be entirely justifiable as
ownership of the land is the first requisite for the proper interest
in, and love for the work being done, to entitle a man to the name of
farmer.

In order to properly appreciate the opportunities and advantages of
farm life to himself and his children, there must be that love for the
farm itself, its rocks, its woods, its hills, its shady rills and its
meadows that can come in no other way than through the proud sense of
ownership. There must be the feeling of kinship for the very soil
itself; the birds, the bees, the flowers must all be held dear to the
heart of him who would know nature's choicest secrets and reap rich
harvests from her beautiful storehouse.

In no field are the prospects brighter for the negro than in that of
agriculture. There are thousands of acres of land in the South and
Southwest that may be purchased upon terms so favorable that the land
being purchased, may, by proper management, be made to yield
sufficient income to meet the payments.

In the combination of a mild climate, cheap land, with easy payments,
ready markets and previous training of the Negro, God seems to be
offering special inducements for him to come out from the condition of
a landless tenant--that may grow into a serfdom worse than slavery--to
that of worthy, independent and self-respecting land owners.

There is no field in which he meets so little of the unreasoning and
unreasonable prejudice as in farming.

The products of the farm are the necessaries of life and people do not
stop to question too closely as to whence they come or by whom
produced.

Owing to the growth of manufacturing in the South, especially of
cotton goods and the consequent removal of large numbers of the poor
whites into the cities and towns, just now would seem to be the high
tide of the Negroes' opportunity to become an independent class of
citizens; and we should be careful to seize it at its flood, or all
the rest of our life's voyage may be bound in shallows and miseries
more distressing than those already passed.

The opportunity for buying land, becoming independent and even
wealthy, are, indeed, grand, but the fact must ever be kept in mind
that the present favorable conditions will not obtain indefinitely.
Let the tide of European immigration once turn southward and
competition immediately becomes sharper, and the further progress of
the Negro decidedly more difficult.

If the Negro would put himself in position to successfully withstand
this competition that will inevitably come, let him begin now by
purchasing his stronghold--the farm--and fortify himself, or he may
awake, when it is too late, to find himself without a home or the
means with which to secure it.

Let us note just here one of the most solemn obligations resting upon
those who stand as leaders of the Negroes, viz.: The duty of
impressing upon the masses the absolute necessity for purchasing land
and the great need, yes, the absolute necessity of doing so _now_.

It is not the purpose of the writer to create the impression that the
leaders of our people are neglecting their duty, or that the masses
are letting their opportunities for material betterment pass
unimproved, but rather to arouse both leaders and followers to the
necessity for greater activity in their work. Indeed when all things,
favorable and unfavorable, are taken into account, there is much to be
thankful for and hopeful over in the present condition of the Negro
farmers.

In almost every community in the South there are to be found Negro
farmers who are not only making a decent living, but buying land and
improving it, building comfortable dwellings, improving the grades of
their farm animals, giving liberal support to their schools and
churches and bringing up their children in a manner that is
altogether creditable and calculated to make of them good citizens.

It is encouraging to note the increased interest on the part of many
young men on the subject of farming, as evidenced by the increasing
popularity of the agricultural and mechanical colleges, and the lively
interest taken by them in the farmers' conferences held in various
parts of the South. The number of Negro farmers who read agricultural
journals and make intelligent use of the bulletins issued by the
agricultural departments of the various states and the United States,
is constantly increasing.

Lest there be some doubt as to the truthfulness of the favorable
conditions just mentioned, let the figures speak. Since last year the
Negroes of the single state of Georgia have purchased 66,000 acres of
land and added $380,000 to the value of farm lands. (Prof. W. E. B.
DuBois in The Independent, Nov. 21, 1901.)

Indeed it seems that if in one particular line of work more than any
other the Negro has won for himself a place in the history of this
country's progress that work has been upon the farm. If one section of
the country has profited more than another by his toil, that section
is the South, whose forests he has felled, whose roads he has built,
whose soil he has tilled, whose wealth he has created, and whose
prosperity he has made possible. Then let us not be discouraged, but
turn our faces to the sunlight of heaven and put forth our very best
endeavors, confidently expecting to reap the full rewards for our
labors and attain the full measure of manhood as a race in this "the
land of the free and the home of the brave."

TOPIC XXVII.

THE NEGRO AS AN INVENTOR.

BY H. E. BAKER.

[Illustration: H. E. Baker]

                        HENRY E. BAKER.

     Henry E. Baker is one of the most useful men in Washington.
     His life stands out in strong contrast to that of so many of
     our educated colored men who have come to Washington,
     obtained positions in the government service, and shriveled
     up so far as public usefulness is concerned. He is an active
     member of the Berean Baptist Church, being its treasurer, an
     office he has held for several years. For ten years he has
     been secretary, the executive officer of the Industrial
     Building and Savings Company, and a director of the Capital
     Savings Bank. His most notable characteristic is his public
     spirit, having been connected with almost every
     well-directed movement in this city for the last fifteen
     years, looking to the betterment of the condition of his
     race, especially in the matter of opening up business
     opportunities for them. The estimation in which he is held
     by those who know him best is attested by the fact that he
     is almost invariably called to the position of treasurer in
     every organization of which he is a member. Born just before
     the War in Columbus, Miss., he attended the public school of
     his home and also the Columbus Union Academy. He passed the
     entrance examination at Annapolis, and was admitted into the
     Naval Academy as cadet midshipman in 1875, where he remained
     nearly two years. In 1877, he was appointed "copyist" in the
     United States Patent Office, where he is at present
     employed, and where he was promoted, through the several
     intervening grades, to the position of Second Assistant
     Examiner at $1,600 per annum. He attended the Ben-Hyde
     Benton School of Technology in this city from 1877 to 1879;
     entered the law department of Howard University in 1879,
     graduating in 1881, at the head of his class, and from the
     post-graduate course in 1883.

     He was married in May, 1893, at Lexington, Ky., to Miss
     Violetta K. Clark, of Detroit, Mich., who graces a cozy home
     at 2348 Sixth Street, N. W.

It is quite within the mark to say that no class of men of modern
times has made so distinct a contribution to what is popularly called
"modern civilization" as have the inventors of the world, and it is
equally within bounds to say that the American inventor has led all
the rest in the practical utility as well as in the scientific
perfection of his inventive skill. Within the century just past the
inventors of America have done more than was done in all the preceding
centuries to multiply the comforts and minimize the burdens of
domestic life. What Washington and Grant, Sherman and Sheridan did for
the glory of America was done, and more, by Whitney, Morse, Thompson,
Howe, Ericsson, Colt, Bell, Corliss, Edison, McCormick, and a host of
other Americans, native and naturalized, to promote the progress of
American inventive skill, and thus firmly to establish this country in
the front rank of the enlightened nations of the world.

The true measure of a nation's worth in the great family of nations is
proportionate to that nation's contribution to the welfare and
happiness of the whole; and similarly, an individual is measured by
the contribution he makes to the well being of the community in which
he lives. If inventions therefore have played the important part here
assigned to them in the gradual development of our complex national
life, it becomes important to know what contribution the American
Negro has made to the inventive skill of this country.

Unfortunately for the seeker after this particular information the
public records of the United States government offer practically no
assistance, since the public records distinguish only as to nations
and not as to races. The Englishman and the American may instantly
find out how each stands in the list of patentees, but the Irishman
and the Negro are kept in the dark--especially the latter.

The official records of the United States Patent Office, with a single
exception, give no hint whatever that of the thousands of mechanical
inventions for which patents are granted annually by the government,
any patent has ever been granted to a Negro. The single exception was
the name of Henry Blair of Maryland, to whom the public records refer
as "a colored man," stating that he was granted a patent for a corn
harvester in 1834 and another patent for a similar invention in 1836.

It is altogether safe to assume that this Henry Blair was a "free
person of color," as the language of those days would have phrased it;
for the government seemed committed to the theory that "a slave could
not take out a patent for his invention." And this dictum gave rise to
some rather embarrassing situations on more occasions than one. For
instance, in 1857, a Negro slave, living with his master in the state
of Mississippi, perfected a valuable invention which his master sought
to have protected by a patent. Now, in law, a patent is a contract
between the government and the inventor or his assignees. The slave,
although the inventor, could not under the law be a party to a
contract, and therefore could not secure the patent himself. His
master applied for the patent, but was refused on the ground that
inasmuch as he was not the inventor and could not be the assignee of a
slave, he could not properly make the required oath. The master was
not satisfied with this interpretation of the law by the Commissioner
of Patents, and at once appealed from the latter's decision to the
Secretary of the Interior, who, in 1858, referred the case to the
Attorney-General of the United States. This latter official, who was
Hon. Jeremiah S. Black, of Pennsylvania, confirmed the decision of the
Commissioner of Patent, and neither master nor slave was ever able to
get a patent for the slave's invention. This case reported on page 171
of volume 9, of "Opinions of Attorneys-General, United States."

Another instance of a similar character occurred a few years later, in
1862, when a slave belonging to Jefferson Davis, President of the
Confederacy, invented a propeller for vessels. He constructed an
excellent model of his invention, displaying remarkable mechanical
skill in wood and metal working. He was not able to get his invention
patented, but the merits of his invention were commented upon
approvingly by a number of influential Southern newspapers, and his
propeller was finally put in use by the Confederate navy. With the
barrier of slavery cast aside, a new opportunity was opened to the
Negro inventor, and the purpose of this article is to show what use he
has made of that opportunity.

It must still be borne in mind that the records of the United States
Patent Office do not show whether a patentee is a Negro or a
Caucasian, and that to ascertain what the Negro has accomplished in
the field of invention other sources of information had to be
utilized; and finally, that the very omission from the public records
of all data calculated to identify a given invention with the Negro
race completely destroys the possibility of arriving at any definite
conclusion as to the exact number and character of negro inventions.

Judging from what has been duly authenticated as Negro inventions
patented by the United States, it is entirely reasonable to assume
that many hundreds of valuable inventions have been patented by Negro
inventors for which the race will never receive due credit. This is
the more unfortunate since the race now, perhaps, more than ever
before, needs the help of every fact in its favor to offset as far as
possible the many discreditable things that the daily papers are all
too eager to publish against it.

It appears that no systematic effort was ever made by the government
to collect information as to the number of inventions by Negroes until
January, 1900, when the then Commissioner of Patents, Hon. Charles H.
Duell, undertook the task. Previous to that time the United States
Patent Office had received numerous requests from all parts of the
country for information on that point, and the uniform reply was that
the official records of the Patent Office did not show whether an
inventor was colored or white, and that the office had no way of
obtaining such information.

Notwithstanding this fact, however, an employee of the Patent Office
had undertaken to collect a list of such patents, and this list was
used in selecting a small exhibit of Negro inventions. First, for the
Cotton Centennial at New Orleans, in 1884; again for the World's Fair
at Chicago, in 1893; and, lastly, for the Southern Exposition at
Atlanta in 1895. But it was reserved for the United States Commission
to the Paris Exposition of 1900 to make the first definite effort to
obtain this information, and at its request the following letter by
the Commissioner of Patents was addressed to hundreds of patent
lawyers throughout the country, to large manufacturing establishments,
to the various newspapers edited by colored men, and to prominent men
of the race:

                            DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR,
                                 United States Patent Office.
                                       Washington, D. C., Jan. 26, 1900.

     Dear Sir:

     This Office is endeavoring to obtain information concerning
     patents issued to colored inventors, in accordance with a
     request from the United States Commission to the Paris
     Exposition of 1900, to be used in preparing the "Negro
     Exhibit."

     To aid in this work, you are requested to send to this
     Office, in the enclosed envelope, which will not require a
     postage stamp, the names of any colored inventors you can
     furnish, together with the date of grant, title of
     invention, and patent number, so that a list without errors
     can be prepared.

     You will confer a special favor by aiding in the preparation
     of this list by filling in the blank form below, and sending
     in any replies as promptly as possible. Should you be unable
     to furnish any data, will you kindly inform us of that fact?

                              Very respectfully,

                                           C. H. Duell,
                                           _Commissioner of Patents._

========================================================================
     NAME.     |      NUMBER.     |      DATE.     |     INVENTION.
---------------+------------------+----------------+--------------------
               |                  |                |
               |                  |                |
               |                  |                |
               |                  |                |
---------------+------------------+----------------+--------------------

The replies to this letter showed that the correspondents personally
knew of and could identify by name, date and number more than four
hundred patents granted by the United States to colored inventors. The
letters also showed that nearly as many more colored inventors had
completed their inventions, and had applied to patent lawyers
throughout the country for assistance in obtaining patents for their
inventions, but finally abandoned the effort through lack of means to
prosecute their applications. The list of the patented inventions as
furnished mainly by the letters above named is printed below, and
shows that, beginning first with agricultural implements and culinary
utensils, which circumscribed the character of his earlier employment,
the Negro inventor gradually widened the field of his inventive effort
until he had well nigh covered the whole range of patentable subjects.

A study of the list will disclose the fact that the Negro inventor has
very often, like his white brother, caught the spirit of invention,
and not being contented with a single success, has frequently been led
to exert his energies along many different lines of inventions.

Elijah McCoy, of Detroit, Mich., heads the list with twenty-eight
patents, relating particularly to lubricating appliances for engines
both stationary and locomotive, but covering also a large variety of
other subjects. The next is Granville T. Woods, of Cincinnati, whose
inventions are confined almost exclusively to electricity, and cover a
very wide range of devices for the utilitarian application of this
wonderful force. Mr. W. B. Purvis, of Philadelphia, comes next with
sixteen patents relating especially to paper bag machinery, but
including a few other subjects as well. Mr. F. J. Ferrell, of New
York, has ten patents on valves adapted for a variety of uses. Then
comes ex-Congressman Geo. W. Murray of South Carolina, with eight
patents on agricultural implements. Mr. Henry Creamer has seven
patents on steam traps, and more than a dozen among the number have
patented as many as five different inventions.

Time and space will not admit of any extended notice of many
individual patentees, but mention should be made of a few of them.

Granville T. Woods is called the "Black Edison" because of his
persistent and successful investigations into the mystery of
electricity. Among his inventions may be found valuable improvements
in telegraphy, important telephone instruments, a system for
telegraphing from moving trains, an electric railway, a phonograph,
and an automatic cut-off for an electric circuit. One of his telephone
inventions was sold to the American Bell Telephone Company, who is
said to have paid Mr. Woods handsomely for his patent. Mr. Ferrell's
inventions of valves laid the foundation for a large and highly
successful manufacturing and commercial enterprise which he now
conducts in the city of New York.

Mr. Elijah McCoy succeeded in placing his lubricators on many of the
steam car and steamboat engines in the northwest and also on some of
the ocean steamers, and from these he receives a valuable annual
royalty.

Mr. Matzeliger, of Massachusetts, is credited with being the pioneer
in the art of attaching soles to shoes by machinery; and Mr. Joseph
Lee, of Boston, is said to have placed his kneading machine in many of
the first-class bakeries and hotels in Boston and New York, from which
he receives a substantial royalty.

So far as is known to the writer Miss Miriam E. Benjamin, of
Massachusetts, is the only colored woman who has received a patent for
an invention, and the principle of her invention, that of a gong
signal, has just been adopted in the United States House of
Representatives in signalling for the pages to attend upon members who
want them for errands. Formerly the pages were signalled by members
clapping their hands, and the noise incident to this method was
frequently a great disturbance of the House proceedings. The new
system just adopted involves merely the pressing of a button on the
member's chair, and this rings a small gong while displaying a signal
on the back of the chair.

Another invention by a young colored man which has attracted
considerable attention is the rapid-fire gun by Mr. Eugene Burkins, of
Chicago. This gun has been examined by officers of the War and Navy
Departments, and has been pronounced a valuable contribution to the
scientific equipments for military and naval warfare.

The following description of Mr. Burkins' gun appeared in Howard's
American Magazine some months ago:

     "A brief description of the gun is not exactly out of place,
     although the Scientific American and other technical
     journals have long since given it to the world. It is an
     improvement upon all that has yet been done in the way of
     ordnance, and the principles involved in its construction
     can be applied to any size of gun, from a one-inch barker to
     a thirty-six-inch thunderer. The model as it now stands
     weighs 475 pounds, measures four inches at breech, and is
     constructed of the finest of gun brass at a cost of $3,500.
     There is a magazine at the breech in which a large number of
     heavy shells can be held in reserve, and in the action of
     the gun these slip down to their places and are fired at the
     rate of fourteen a minute, an improvement on the Maxim gun
     of four shots. The gun is elevated upon a revolving turret
     with electrical connections, enabling the gunner to direct
     the action of the machine with a touch of his finger.
     Firing, reloading and ejection of shells are all effected by
     electricity, and a child could conduct the work of manning
     the gun as easily as anyone."

These inventions show how completely in error are those who constantly
assert that the Negro has made no lasting contribution to the
civilization of the age, and they prove conclusively that under
favorable environment he is capable of performing his whole duty in
the work of mankind whether it be tilling the earth with his hoe or
advancing the world by his thought.

LIST OF COLORED INVENTORS IN THE UNITED STATES AS FURNISHED FOR THE
PARIS EXPOSITION, 1900.

Inventor.         Invention.                     Date.          Number.

Abrams, W. B.     Hame Attachment                Apr, 14, 1891. 450,550
Allen, C. W.      Self-Leveling Table            Nov.  1, 1898. 613,436
Allen, J. B.      Clothes Line Support           Dec. 10, 1895. 551,105
Ashbourne, A. P.  Process for Preparing Cocoanut
                     for Domestic Use            June  1, 1875. 163,962
Ashbourne, A. P.  Biscuit Cutter                 Nov. 30, 1875. 170,460
Ashbourne, A. P.  Refining Cocoanut Oil          July 27, 1880. 230,518
Ashbourne, A. P.  Process of Treating Cocoanut   Aug. 21, 1877. 194,287
Blair, H.         Corn Planter                   Oct. 14, 1834.
Bailey, L. C.     Combined Truss and Bandage    Sept. 25, 1883. 285,545
Blair, Henry      Cotton Planter                 Aug. 31, 1836.
Bailey, L. C.     Folding Bed                    July 18, 1899. 629,286
Bailes, Wm.       Ladder Scaffold Support        Aug.  5, 1879. 218,154
Bailiff, C. O.    Shampoo Headrest               Oct. 11, 1898. 612,008
Ballow, W. J.     Combined Hatrack and Table     Mar. 29, 1898. 601,422
Barnes, G. A. E.  Design for Sign                Aug. 19, 1898.  29,193
Beard, A. J.      Rotary Engine                  July  5, 1892. 478,271
Beard, A. J.      Car-coupler                    Nov. 23, 1897. 594,059
Becket, G. E.     Letter Box                     Oct.  4, 1892. 483,525
Bell, L.          Locomotive Smoke Stack          May 23, 1871. 115,153
Bell, L.          Dough Kneader                  Dec. 10, 1872. 133,823
Benjamin, L. W.   Broom Moisteners and Bridles    May 16, 1893. 497,747
Benjamin,         Gong and Signal Chairs
  Miss M. E.         for Hotels                  July 17, 1888. 386,286
Blackburn, A. B.  Railway Signal                 Jan. 10, 1888. 376,362
Blackburn. A. B.  Spring Seat for Chairs          Apr. 3, 1888. 380,420
Blackburn, A. B.  Cash Carrier                   Oct. 23, 1888. 391,577
Blue, L.          Hand Corn Shelling Device       May 20, 1884. 298,937
Binga, M. W.      Street Sprinkling Apparatus    July 22, 1879. 217,843
Booker, L. F.     Design Rubber Scraping Knife   Mar. 28, 1899.  30,404
Boone, Sarah      Ironing Board                  Apr. 26, 1892. 473,653
Bowman, H. A.     Making Flags                   Feb. 23, 1892. 469,395
Brooks, C. B.     Punch                          Oct. 31, 1893. 507,672
Brooks, C. B.     Street-Sweepers                Mar. 17, 1896. 556,711
Brooks, C. B      Street-Sweepers                 May 12, 1896. 560,154
Brooks, Hallstead
  and Page        Street-Sweepers                Apr. 21, 1896. 558,719
Brown, Henry      Receptacle for Storing and
                     Preserving Papers           Nov.  2, 1886. 352,036
Brown, L. F.      Bridle Bit                     Oct. 25, 1892. 484,994
Brown, O. E.      Horseshoe                      Aug. 23, 1892. 481,371
Brown & Latimer   Water Closets for Railway Cars Feb. 10, 1874. 147,363
Burr, J. A.       Lawn Mower                       May 9, 1899. 624,749
Burr, W. F.       Switching Device for Railways  Oct. 31, 1899. 636,197
Burwell, W.       Boot or Shoe                   Nov. 28, 1899. 638,143
Butler, R. A.     Train Alarm                    June 15, 1897. 584,540
Butts, J. W.      Luggage Carrier                Oct. 10, 1899. 634,611
Byrd, T. J.       Improvement in Holders for
                     Reins for Horses             Feb. 6, 1872. 123,328
Byrd. T. J.       Apparatus for Detaching Horses
                     from Carriages              Mar. 19, 1872. 124,790
Byrd, T. J.       Improvement in Neck Yokes for
                     Wagons                      Apr. 30, 1872. 126,181
Byrd, T. J.       Improvement in Car-Couplings    Dec. 1, 1874. 157,370
Burkins, Eugene   Rapid-Fire Gun                                649,433
Campbell, W. S.   Self-Setting Animal Trap       Aug. 30, 1881. 246,369
Cargill, B. F.    Invalid Cot                    July 25, 1899. 629,658
Carrington, T. A  Range                          July 25, 1876. 180,323
Carter, W. C.     Umbrella Stand                  Aug. 4, 1885. 323,397
Certain, J. M.    Parcel Carrier for Bicycles    Dec. 26, 1899. 639,708
Cherry, M. A.     Velocipede                       May 8, 1888. 382,351
Church, T. S.     Carpet Beating Machine         July 29, 1884. 302,237
Cherry, M. A.     Street Car Fender               Jan. 1, 1895. 531,908
Clare, O. B.      Trestle                         Oct. 9, 1888. 390,753
Coates, R.        Overboot for Horses            Apr. 19, 1892. 473,295
Cook, G.          Automatic Fishing Device        May 30, 1899. 625,829
Coolidge, J. S.   Harness Attachment             Nov. 13, 1888. 392,908
Cooper, A. R.     Shoemaker's Jack               Aug. 22, 1899. 631,519
Cooper, J.        Shutter and Fastening            May 1, 1883. 276,563
Cooper, J.        Elevator Device                 Apr. 2, 1895. 536,605
Cooper, J.        Elevator Device               Sept. 21, 1897. 590,257
Cornwell, P. W.   Draft Regulator                 Oct. 2, 1888. 390,284
Cornwell, P. W.   Draft Regulator                 Feb. 7, 1893. 491,082
Cralle, A. L.     Ice-Cream Mold                  Feb. 2, 1897. 576,395
Creamer, H.       Steam Feed Water Trap          Mar. 17, 1885. 313,854
Creamer, H.       Steam Traps                     Mar. 8, 1887. 358,964
Creamer, H.       Steam Traps                    Jan. 17, 1888. 376,586
Creamer, H.       Steam Trap Feeder              Dec. 11, 1888. 394,463
Creamer, H.       Steam Trap                      May 28, 1889. 404,174
Creamer, H.       Steam Trap                     Aug. 18, 1891. 457,983
Creamer, H.       Steam Trap                     Nov. 21, 1893. 509,202
Cosgrove, W. F.   Automatic Stop Plug for Gas
                     Oil Pipes                   Mar. 17, 1885. 313,993
Darkins, J. T.    Ventilation                    Feb. 19, 1895. 534,322
Davis, I. D.      Tonic                           Nov. 2, 1886. 351,829
Davis, W. D.      Riding Saddles                  Oct. 6, 1896. 568,939
Davis, W. R., Jr. Library Table                 Sept. 24, 1878. 208,378
Deitz, W. A.      Shoe                           Apr. 30, 1867.  64,205
Dorticus, C. J.   Device for Applying Coloring
                     Liquids to Sides of Soles
                     or Heels of Shoes           Mar. 19, 1895. 535,820
Dickinson, J. H.  Pianola                 Detroit, Mich., 1899.
Dorticus, C. J.   Machine for Embossing Photo    Apr. 16, 1895. 537,422
Dorticus, C. J.   Photographic Print Wash        Apr. 23, 1895. 537,968
Dorticus, C. J.   Hose Leak Stop                 July 18, 1899. 629,315
Downing, P. B.    Electric Switch for Railroad   June 17, 1890. 430,118
Downing, P. B.    Letter Box                     Oct. 27, 1891. 462,093
Downing, P. B.    Street Letter Box              Oct. 27, 1891. 462,096
Dunnington, J. H. Horse Detachers                Mar. 18, 1897. 578,979
Dorsey, O.        Door-Holding Device            Dec. 10, 1878. 210,764
Edmonds, T. H.    Separating Screens             July 20, 1897. 586,724
Elkins, T.        Dining, Ironing Table and
                     Quilting Frame Combined     Feb. 22, 1870. 100,020
Elkins, T.        Chamber Commode                Jan.  9, 1872. 122,518
Elkins, T.        Refrigerating Apparatus         Nov. 4, 1879. 221,222
Evans, J. H.      Convertible Settees             Oct. 5, 1897. 591,095
Faulkner, H.      Ventilated Shoe                Apr. 20, 1890. 426,495
Ferrell, F. J.    Steam Trap                     Feb. 11, 1890. 420,993
Ferrell, F. J.    Apparatus for Melting Snow      May 27, 1890. 428,670
Ferrell, F. J.    Valve                           May 27, 1890. 428,671
Ferrell, F. J.    Valve                          Apr. 14, 1891. 450,451
Ferrell, F. J.    Valve                          Nov. 10, 1891. 462,762
Ferrell, F. J.    Valve                          Jan. 26, 1892. 467,796
Ferrell, F. J.    Valve                           Feb. 2, 1892. 468,242
Ferrell, F. J.    Valve                           Feb. 9, 1892. 468,334
Ferrell, F. J.    Valve                          Jan. 17, 1893. 490,227
Ferrell, F. J.    Valve                          July 18, 1893. 501,497
Fisher, D. A.     Joiners' Clamp                 Apr. 20, 1875. 162,281
Fisher, D. A.     Furniture Castor               Mar. 14, 1876. 174,794
Flemming,
  R. F., Jr.      Guitar                          Mar. 3, 1886. 338,727
Goode, Sarah E.   Folding Cabinet Bed            July 14, 1885. 322,177
Grant, G. F.      Golf-Tee                       Dec. 12, 1899. 638,920
Grant, W. S.      Curtain Rod Support            Aug. 28, 1894. 525,203
Gregory, J.       Motor                          Apr. 26, 1887. 361,937
Gray, R. H.       Cistern Cleaners                Apr. 9, 1895. 537,151
Grenon, H.        Razor Stropping Device         Feb. 18, 1896. 554,867
Griffin, F. W.    Pool Table Attachment          June 13, 1899. 626,902
Gunn, S. W.       Boot or Shoe                   Jan. 16, 1900. 641,642
Haines, J. H.     Portable Basin                Sept. 28, 1897. 590,833
Hammonds, J. F.   Apparatus for Holding Yarn
                     Skeins                      Dec. 15, 1896. 572,985
Harding, F. H.    Extension Banquet Table        Nov. 22, 1898. 614,468
Hawkins, J.       Gridiron                       Mar. 26, 1845.   3,973
Hawkins, R.       Harness Attachment              Oct. 4, 1887. 370,943
Headen, M.        Foot Power Hammer               Oct. 5, 1886. 350,363
Hearness, R.      Sealing Attachment for Bottles Feb. 15, 1898. 598,929
Hearness, R.      Detachable Car Fender           July 4, 1899. 628,003
Hilyer, A. F.     Water Evaporator Attachment
                     for Hot Air Registers       Aug. 26, 1890. 435,095
Hilyer, A. F.     Registers                      Oct. 14, 1890. 438,159
Holmes, E. H.     Gage                           Nov. 12, 1895. 549,513
Hunter, J. H.     Portable Weighing Scales        Nov. 3, 1896. 570,553
Hyde, R. N.       Composition for Cleaning and
                     Preserving Carpets           Nov. 6, 1888. 392,205
Jackson, B. F.    Heating Apparatus               Mar. 1, 1898. 599,985
Jackson, B. F.    Matrix Drying Apparatus         May 10, 1898. 603,879
Jackson. B. F.    Gas Burner                      Apr. 4, 1899. 622,482
Jackson, H. A.    Kitchen Table                   Oct. 6, 1896. 569,135
Jackson, W. H.    Railway Switch                  Mar. 9, 1897. 578,641
Jackson, W. H.    Railway Switch                 Mar. 16, 1897. 593,665
Jackson. W. H.    Automatic Locking Switch       Aug. 23, 1898. 609,436
Johnson, D.       Rotary Dining Table            Jan. 15, 1888. 396,089
Johnson, D.       Lawn Mower Attachment         Sept. 10, 1889. 410,836
Johnson, D.       Grass Receivers for Lawn
                     Mowers                      June 10, 1890. 429,629
Johnson, I. R.    Bicycle Frame                  Oct. 10, 1899. 634,823
Johnson, P.       Swinging Chairs                Nov. 15, 1881. 249,530
Johnson, P.       Eye Protector                   Nov. 2, 1880. 234,039
Johnson, W.       Velocipede                     June 20, 1899. 627,335
Johnson, W. A.    Paint Vehicle                   Dec. 4, 1888. 393,763
Johnson, W. H.    Overcoming Dead Centers         Feb. 4, 1896. 554,223
Johnson, W. H.    Overcoming Dead Centers        Oct. 11, 1898. 612,345
Johnson. W.       Egg Beater                      Feb. 5, 1884. 292,821
Jones & Long      Caps for Bottles              Sept. 13, 1898. 610,715
Joyce, J. A.      Ore Bucket                     Apr. 26, 1898. 603,143
Latimer, L. H.    Manufacturing Carbons          June 17, 1882. 252,386
Latimer, L. H.    Apparatus for Cooling and
                     Disinfecting                Jan. 12, 1886. 334,078
Latimer, L. H.    Locking Racks for Hats, Coats
                     and Umbrellas               Mar. 24, 1896. 557,076
Lavalette, W. A.  Printing Press                Sept. 17, 1878. 208,208
Lee, H.           Animal Trap                    Feb. 12, 1867.  61,941
Lee, J.           Kneading Machine                Aug. 7, 1894. 524,042
Lee, J.           Bread Crumbing Machine          June 4, 1895. 540,553
Leslie, F. W.     Envelope Seal                 Sept. 21, 1897. 590,325
Lewis, A. L.      Window Cleaner                Sept. 27, 1892. 483,359
Lewis, E. R.      Spring Gun                       May 3, 1887. 362,096
Linden, H.        Piano Truck                    Sept. 8, 1891. 459,365
Little, E.        Bridle-Bit                      Mar. 7, 1882. 254,666
Loudin, F. J.     Sash Fastener                  Dec. 12, 1892. 510,432
Loudin, F. J.     Key Fastener                    Jan. 9, 1894. 512,308
Love, J. L.       Plasterers' Hawk                July 9, 1895. 542,419
Love, J. L.       Pencil Sharpener               Nov. 23, 1897. 594,114
Marshall, W.      Grain Binder                    May 11, 1886. 341,589
Marshall, T. J.   Fire Extinguisher               May 26, 1872. 125,063
Martin, W. A.     Lock                           July 23, 1889. 407,738
Martin, W. A.     Lock                           Dec. 30, 1890. 443,945
Matzeliger, J. E. Mechanism for Distributing
                     Tacks                       Nov. 26, 1899. 415,726
Matzeliger, J. E. Nailing Machine                Feb. 25, 1896. 421,954
Matzeliger, J. E. Tack Separating Mechanism      Mar. 25, 1890. 423,937
Matzeliger, J. E. Lasting Machine               Sept. 22, 1891. 459,899
McCoy, E.         Lubricator for Steam Engines    July 2, 1872. 129,843
McCoy, E.         Lubricator for Steam Engines    Aug. 6, 1872. 130,305
McCoy, E.         Lubricator                      May 27, 1873. 139,407
McCoy, E.         Steam Lubricator               Jan. 20, 1874. 146,697
McCoy, E.         Ironing Table                   May 12, 1874. 150,876
McCoy, E.         Steam Cylinder Lubricator       Feb. 1, 1876. 173,032
McCoy, E.         Steam Cylinder Lubricator       July 4, 1876. 179,585
McCoy, E.         Lubricator                     Mar. 28, 1882. 255,443
McCoy, E.         Lubricator                     July 18, 1882. 261,166
McCoy, E.         Lubricator                      Jan. 9, 1883. 270,238
McCoy, E.         Lawn Sprinkler Design         Sept. 26, 1899. 631,549
McCoy, E.         Steam Dome                     June 16, 1885. 320,354
McCoy, E.         Lubricator                     June 16, 1885. 320,379
McCoy, E.         Lubricator                      Feb. 8, 1887. 357,491
McCoy, E.         Lubricator Attachment          Apr. 19, 1887. 361,435
McCoy, E.         Lubricator for Safety Valves    May 24, 1887. 363,529
McCoy, E.         Lubricator                      May 29, 1888. 383,745
McCoy, E.         Lubricator                      May 29, 1888. 383,746
McCoy & Hodges    Lubricator                     Dec. 24, 1889. 418,139
McCoy, E.         Dope Cup                      Sept. 29, 1891. 460,215
McCoy, E.         Lubricator                     Dec. 29, 1891. 465,875
McCoy, E.         Lubricator                      Mar. 1, 1892. 470,163
McCoy, E.         Lubricator                      Apr. 5, 1892. 472,066
McCoy, E.         Lubricator                      June 6, 1893. 498,809
McCoy, E.         Lubricator                    Sept. 13, 1898. 610,634
McCoy, E.         Lubricator                      Oct. 4, 1898. 611,759
McCoy, E.         Lubricator                     Nov. 15, 1898. 614,307
McCoy, E.         Lubricator                     June 27, 1899. 627,623
McCree, D.        Portable Fire Escape           Nov. 11, 1890. 440,322
Mendenhall, A.    Holder for Driving Reins       Nov. 28, 1899. 637,811
Miles, A.         Elevator                       Oct. 11, 1887. 371,207
Mitchell, C. L.   Phoneterisin                    Jan. 1, 1884. 291,071
Mitchell, J. M.   Cheek Row Corn Planter         Jan. 16, 1900. 641,462
Moody, W. U.      Game Board Design               May 11, 1897.  27,046
Morehead, K.      Reel Carrier                    Oct. 6, 1896. 568,916
Murray, G. W.     Combined Furrow Opener and
                     Stalk-knocker               Apr. 10, 1894. 517,960
Murray, G. W.     Cultivator and Marker          Apr. 10, 1894. 517,961
Murray, G. W.     Planter                         June 5, 1894. 520,887
Murray, G. W.     Cotton Chopper                  June 5, 1894. 520,888
Murray, G. W.     Fertilizer Distributer          June 5, 1894. 520,889
Murray, G. W.     Planter                         June 5, 1894. 520,890
Murray, G. W.     Combined Cotton Seed            June 5, 1894. 520,891
Murray, G. W.     Planter and Fertilizer
                     Distributer Reaper           June 5, 1894. 520,892
Murray, W.        Attachment for Bicycles        Jan. 27, 1891. 445,452
Nance, L.         Game Apparatus                  Dec. 1, 1891. 464,035
Nash, H. H.       Life Preserving Stool           Oct. 5, 1875. 168,519
Newman, Miss L.D. Brush                          Nov. 15, 1898. 614,335
Newson, S.        Oil Heater or Cooker            May 22, 1894. 520,188
Nichols & Latimer Electric Lamp                 Sept. 13, 1881. 247,097
Nickerson, W. J.  Mandolin and Guitar
                     Attachment for Pianos       June 27, 1899. 627,739
O'Conner & Turner Alarm for Boilers              Aug. 25, 1896. 566,612
O'Conner & Turner Steam Gage                     Aug. 25, 1896. 566,613
O'Conner & Turner Alarm for Coasts Containing
                     Vessels                      Feb. 8, 1898. 598,572
Outlaw, J. W.     Horseshoes                     Nov. 15, 1898. 614,273
Perryman, F. R.   Caterers' Tray Table            Feb. 2, 1892. 468,038
Peterson, H.      Attachment for Lawn Mowers     Apr. 30, 1889. 402,189
Phelps, W. H.     Apparatus for Washing Vehicles Mar. 23, 1897. 579,242
Pickering, J. F.  Air Ship                       Feb. 20, 1900. 643,975
Pickett, H.       Scaffold                       June 30, 1874. 152,511
Pinn, T. B.       File Holder                    Aug. 17, 1880. 231,355
Polk, A. J.       Bicycle Support                Apr. 14, 1896. 558,103
Pugsley, A.       Blind Stop                     July 29, 1890. 433,306
Purdy & Sadgwar   Folding Chair                  June 11, 1889. 405,117
Purdy, W.         Device for Sharpening Edged
                     Tools                       Oct. 27, 1896. 570,337
Purdy, W.         Device for Sharpening Edged
                     Tools                       Aug. 16, 1898. 609,367
Purdy, W.         Device for Sharpening Edged
                     Tools                        Aug. 1, 1899. 630,106
Purdy & Peters    Design for Spoons              Apr. 23, 1895.  24,228
Purvis, W. B.     Bag Fastener                   Apr, 25, 1882. 256,856
Purvis, W. B.     Hand Stamp                     Feb. 27, 1883. 273,149
Purvis, W. B.     Paper Bag Machine              Feb. 12, 1884. 293,353
Purvis, W. B.     Fountain Pen                    Jan. 7, 1890. 419,065
Purvis, W. B.     Paper Bag Machine              Jan. 28, 1890. 420,099
Purvis, W. B.     Paper Bag Machine              June 24, 1890. 430,684
Purvis, W. B.     Paper Bag Machine              Aug. 19, 1890. 434,461
Purvis, W. B.     Paper Bag Machine              Sept. 2, 1890. 435,524
Purvis, W. B.     Paper Bag Machine             Sept. 22, 1891. 460,093
Purvis, W. B.     Electric Railway                 May 1, 1894. 519,291
Purvis, W. B.     Paper Bag Machine                May 8, 1894. 519,348
Purvis, W. B.     Paper Bag Machine                May 8, 1894. 519,349
Purvis, W. B.     Paper Bag Machine              Dec. 11, 1894. 530,650
Purvis, W. B.     Magnetic Car Balancing Device   May 21, 1895. 539,542
Purvis, W. B.     Paper Bag Machine               Mar. 9, 1897. 578,361
Purvis, W. B.     Electric Railway Switch        Aug. 17, 1897. 588,176
Queen, W.         Guard for Companion Ways and
                     Hatches                     Aug. 18, 1891. 458,131
Ray, E. P.        Chair Supporting Device        Feb. 21, 1899. 620,078
Ray, L. P.        Dust Pan                        Aug. 3, 1897. 587,607
Reed, J. W        Dough Kneader and Roller      Sept. 23, 1884. 305,474
Reynolds, R. R.   Non-Refillable Bottle            May 2, 1899. 624,092
Reynolds, H. H.   Window Ventilator for R. R.
                     Cars                         Apr. 3, 1883. 275,271
Reynolds, H. H.   Safety Gate for Bridges         Oct. 7, 1890. 437,937
Rhodes, J. B.     Water Closets                  Dec. 19. 1899. 639,290
Richardson, A. C. Hame Fastener                  Mar. 14, 1882. 255,022
Richardson, A. C. Churn                          Feb. 17, 1891. 446,470
Richardson, A. C. Casket Lowering device         Nov. 13, 1894. 529,311
Richardson, A. C. Insect Destroyer               Feb. 28, 1899. 620,362
Richardson, A. C. Bottle                         Dec. 12, 1899. 638,811
Richardson, W. H. Cotton Chopper                  June 1, 1886. 343,140
Richardson, W. H. Child's Carriage               June 18, 1889. 405,599
Richardson, W. H. Child's Carriage               June 18, 1889. 405,600
Richey, C. V.     Car Coupling                   June 15, 1897. 584,650
Richey, C. V.     Railroad Switch                 Aug. 3, 1897. 587,657
Richey, C. V.     Railroad Switch                Oct. 26, 1897. 592,448
Richey, C. V.     Fire Escape Bracket            Dec. 28, 1897. 596,427
Richey, C. V.     Combined Hammock and Stretcher Dec. 13, 1898. 615,907
Rickman, A. L.    Overshoe                        Feb. 8, 1898. 598,816
Ricks, J.         Horseshoe                      Mar. 30, 1886. 338,781
Ricks, J.         Overshoe for Horses             June 6, 1899. 626,245
Robinson, E. R.   Electric Railway Trolley      Sept. 19, 1893. 505,370
Robinson, E. R.   Casting Composite              Nov. 23, 1897. 594,286
Robinson, J. H.   Life Saving Guards for
                     Locomotives                 Mar. 14, 1899. 621,143
Robinson, J. H.   Life Saving Guards for
                     Street Cars                 Apr. 25, 1899. 623,929
Robinson, J.      Dinner Pail                     Feb. 1, 1887. 356,852
Romain, A.        Passenger Register             Apr. 23, 1889. 402,035
Roster, D. N.     Feather Curler                 Mar. 10, 1896. 556,166
Ross, A. L.       Runner for Stops                Aug. 4, 1896. 565,301
Ross, A. L.       Bag Closure                     June 7, 1898. 605,343
Ross, J.          Bailing Press                  Sept. 5, 1899. 632,539
Ross, A. L.       Trousers Support               Nov. 28, 1899. 638,068
Ruffin, S.        Vessels for Liquids and Manner
                     of Sealing                  Nov. 20, 1899. 737,603
Russell, L. A.    Guard Attachment for Beds      Aug. 13, 1895. 544,381
Sampson, G. T.    Sled Propeller                 Feb. 17, 1885. 312,388
Sampson, G. T.    Clothes Drier                   June 7, 1892. 476,416
Scottron, S. R.   Adjustable Window Cornice      Feb. 17, 1880. 224,732
Scottron, S. R.   Cornice                        Jan. 16, 1883. 270,851
Scottron, S. R.   Pole Tip                      Sept. 21, 1886. 349,525
Scottron, S. R.   Curtain Rod                    Aug. 30, 1892. 481,720
Scottron, S. R.   Supporting Bracket            Sept. 12, 1893. 505,008
Shorter, D. W.    Feed Rack                       May 17, 1887. 363,089
Shanks, S. C.     Sleeping Car Berth Register    July 21, 1897. 587,165
Smith, J. W.      Improvement in Games           Apr. 17, 1900. 647,887
Smith, J. W.      Lawn Sprinkler                   May 4, 1897. 581,785
Smith, J. W.      Lawn Sprinkler                 Mar. 22, 1898. 601,065
Smith, P. D.      Potato Digger                  Jan. 21, 1891. 445,206
Smith, P. D.      Grain Binder                   Feb. 23, 1892. 469,279
Snow & Johns      Liniment                        Oct. 7, 1890. 437,728
Standard, J.      Oil Stove                      Oct. 29, 1889. 413,689
Standard, J.      Refrigerator                   July 14, 1891. 455,891
Stewart, T. W.    Mop                            June 13, 1893. 499,402
Stewart, T. W.    Station Indicator              June 20, 1893. 499,895
Stewart & Johnson Metal Bending Machine          Dec. 27, 1887. 375,512
Stewart, E. W.    Punching Machine                 May 3, 1887. 362,190
Stewart, E. W.    Machine for Forming Vehicle
                     Seat Bars                   Mar. 22, 1887. 373,698
Spears, H.        Portable Shield for Infantry   Dec. 27, 1870. 110,599
Sutton, E. H.     Cotton Cultivator               Apr. 7, 1874. 149,543
Sweeting, J. A.   Device for Rolling Cigarettes  Nov. 30, 1897. 594,501
Sweeting, J. A.   Combined Knife and Scoop        June 7, 1898. 605,209
Shewcraft, Frank  Letter Box                     Detroit, Mich.
Taylor, B. H.     Rotary Engine                  Apr. 23, 1878. 202,888
Taylor, B. H.     Slide Valve                     July 6, 1897. 585,798
Thomas, S. E.     Waste Trap                     Oct. 18, 1883. 286,746
Thomas, S. E.     Waste Trap for Basins,
                     Closets, etc.                Oct. 4, 1887. 371,107
Thomas, S. E.     Casting                        July 31, 1888. 386,941
Thomas, S. E.     Pipe Connection                 Oct. 9, 1888. 390,821
Toliver,  George  Propeller for Vessels          Apr. 28, 1891. 451,086
Tregoning &
  Latimer         Globe Supporter for Electric
                     Lamps                       Mar. 21, 1882. 255,212
Walker, Peter     Machine for Cleaning Seed
                     Cotton                      Feb. 16, 1897. 577,153
Walker, Peter     Bait Holder                     Mar. 8, 1898. 600,241
Waller, J. N.     Shoemaker's Cabinet or Bench    Feb. 3, 1880. 224,253
Washington, Wade  Corn Husking Machine           Aug. 14, 1883. 283,173
Watkins, Isaac    Scrubbing Frame                 Oct. 7, 1890. 437,849
Watts, J. R.      Bracket for Miners' Lamp        Mar. 7, 1893. 493,137
West, E. H.       Weather Shield                 Sept. 5, 1899. 632,385
West, J. W.       Wagon                          Oct. 18, 1870. 108,419
White, D. L.      Extension Steps for Cars       Jan. 12, 1897. 574,969
White, J. T.      Lemon Squeezer                  Dec. 8, 1896. 572,849
Williams, Carter  Canopy Frame                    Feb. 2, 1892. 468,280
Williams, J. P.   Pillow Sham Holder             Oct. 10, 1899. 634,784
Winn, Frank       Direct Acting Steam Engine      Dec. 4, 1888. 394,047
Winters, J. R.    Fire Escape Ladder               May 7, 1878. 203,517
Winters, J. R.    Fire Escape Ladder              Apr. 8, 1879. 214,224
Woods, G. T.      Steam Boiler Furnace            June 3, 1884. 299,894
Woods, G. T.      Telephone Transmitter           Dec. 2, 1884. 308,817
Woods, G. T.      Apparatus for Transmission of
                     Messages by Electricity      Apr. 7, 1885. 315,368
Woods, G. T.      Relay Instrument                June 7, 1887. 364,619
Woods, G. T.      Polarized Relay                 July 5, 1887. 366,192
Woods, G. T.      Electro Mechanical Brake       Aug. 16, 1887. 368,265
Woods, G. T.      Telephone System and
                     Apparatus                   Oct. 11, 1887. 371,241
Woods, G. T.      Electro-Magnetic Brake
                     Apparatus                   Oct. 18, 1887. 371,655
Woods, G. T.      Railway Telegraphy             Nov. 15, 1887. 373,383
Woods, G. T.      Induction Telegraph System     Nov. 29, 1887. 373,915
Woods, G. T.      Overhead Conducting System for
                     Electric Railway             May 29, 1888. 383,844
Woods, G. T.      Electro-Motive Railway System  June 26, 1888. 385,034
Woods, G. T.      Tunnel Construction for
                     Electric Railway            July 17, 1888. 386,282
Woods, G. T.      Galvanic Battery               Aug. 14, 1888. 387,839
Woods, G. T.      Railway Telegraphy             Aug. 28, 1888. 388,803
Woods, G. T.      Automatic Safety Cut-out for
                     Electric Circuits            Jan. 1, 1889. 395,533
Woods, G. T.      Automatic Safety Cut-out for
                     Electric Circuit            Oct. 14, 1889. 438,590
Woods, G. T.      Electric Railway System        Nov. 10, 1891. 463,020
Woods, G. T.      Electric Railway Supply
                     System                      Oct. 31, 1893. 507,606
Woods, G. T.      Electric Railway Conduit       Nov. 21, 1893. 509,065
Woods, G. T.      System of Electrical
                     Distribution                Oct. 13, 1896. 569,443
Woods, G. T       Amusement Apparatus            Dec. 19, 1899. 639,692
Wormley, James    Life Saving Apparatus           May 24, 1881. 242,091
Williams, P. B.   Electro-Magnetic Electrical
                     Railway Track Switch        Apr. 24, 1900. 648,092
Williams, P. B.   Electrically Controlled and
                     Operated Railway Switch     Jan. 15, 1901. 666,080

TOPIC XXVIII.

WHAT THE OMEN?

BY PROF. W. S. SCARBOROUGH.

[Illustration: Prof. W. S. Scarborough.]

             PROF. WILLIAM S. SCARBOROUGH, A. M., LL. D.

     William S. Scarborough, now Vice-President of Wilberforce
     University, Wilberforce, Ohio, and Professor of Greek and
     Latin in the same institution, was born in Macon, Ga.,
     February 18, 1852. He received his early education in his
     native city before and during the Civil War. In 1869 he
     entered Atlanta University where he remained two years in
     preparation for Yale University, but, instead, entered
     Oberlin College, Oberlin, Ohio, in 1871, and was graduated
     from the Department of Philosophy and the Arts with the
     degree of A. B. in 1875. He spent a part of the following
     year in Oberlin Theological Seminary in special study of the
     Semitic languages and Hellenistic Greek.

     In 1877 Professor Scarborough was elected as head of the
     Classical Department in Wilberforce University. In 1881 he
     published through A. S. Barnes & Co. (New York) a Greek text
     book---"First Lessons in Greek"--the first and only Greek
     book ever written by a Negro. This book was widely used by
     both the white and colored schools of the country,
     especially in the North. Professor Scarborough has also
     written a treatise entitled "The Birds of Aristophanes--a
     Theory of Interpretation"--aside from numerous tracts and
     pamphlets, covering a variety of subjects--classical,
     archaeological, sociological and racial. He has written many
     papers for various societies to which he belongs. In 1891 he
     was transferred to the chair of Hellenistic Greek, Payne
     Theological Seminary. In 1897 he was again re-elected as
     Professor of Latin and Greek in the University and
     Vice-President of the same.

     He has contributed largely to the press of the country,
     including the leading magazines. He is one of the editors of
     the A. M. E. Sunday-school publications, having filled that
     position for a number of years. He is a member of a number
     of associations: American Philological, American Dialect,
     American Social Science, Archaeological Institute of
     America, American Spelling Reform, American Folk-Lore,
     American Modern Language, American Political and Social
     Science, the Egyptian Exploration Fund Association and the
     American Negro Academy, of which he is First Vice-President.
     He has several times been one of the orators at the Lincoln
     League banquet of the State of Ohio. At a conference held by
     the leaders of the race in the city of Columbus, Ohio, he
     was elected President of the Afro-American State League
     designed to further the interests of the Negro throughout
     the country. Professor Scarborough has traveled extensively
     in Europe. He was a delegate to the Ecumenical Methodist
     Conference held in London in 1901, representing the African
     Methodist Episcopal Church.

     We take the following from the "New York Age" of July 18:

          "While in Boston Prof. W. S. Scarborough of Wilberforce
          University was delightfully entertained by the colored
          graduates of Harvard University and Amherst College at
          a reception given in his honor at the home of Mr. G. W.
          Forbes, a graduate of Amherst. Speeches were made by
          Messrs. Forbes, Morgan, Trotter, Lewis, Williams and
          others eulogistic of the life and services of the
          professor in behalf of his race. The professor replied,
          thanking them for the honor conferred upon him. Next
          year it will be twenty-five years since Professor
          Scarborough first became connected with Wilberforce
          University as its classical professor and he intends to
          mark the event by publishing a volume of his
          philological papers. These papers have all been read
          before the American Philological Association at its
          various annual sessions. Twenty years ago Professor
          Scarborough was first elected to membership in this
          body at Harvard University. This year the association
          again met at this venerable seat of learning and by way
          of commemorating the event Professor Scarborough read a
          paper on Thucydides. It is some of these papers that
          the professor intends to put into more tangible form
          for future use."

The all-absorbing question now before the American people seems to be
the race question. Our magazines and papers generally--dailies and
weeklies as well as monthlies--are deluged as it were with articles on
the Negro people--the Negro as a citizen--his status, his future, the
sort of education best adapted to his needs as a man and a citizen,
and kindred subjects. In fact no phase of the Negro's life fails of
discussion at the hands of the most flippant penny-a-liner as well as
the gravest thinker. All have theories of some sort and they do not
hesitate to express them--whether they are visionary or practical.

If theories alone could have solved this problem, long ere this would
race friction have been removed; it would have been a question of the
past, but unfortunately for the race, unfortunately for the people at
large, many of those who knew least about the subject and who had no
remedy for the troubles complained of--have had most to say and they
have generally said it in the most reckless way, regardless of facts.
Only now and then do we have a calm view of the situation with
reasonable suggestions as to the best course to follow.

As we enter upon the twentieth century, it will be well for black and
white to get together and understand one another and ascertain as far
as possible what is best to do in the light of facts before us.

One thing is certain--the white man does not yet know the Negro.
Strange as it may seem, the Northern white man does not know him after
many years of close observation, neither does the Southern white man,
for all the years gone by in which the Negro has lived in his midst.
The observations of both in fact only leave the Negro largely an
unknown quantity to either. I have claimed heretofore that there is a
life that the white man knows nothing of. It is found in the hovel as
well as in the cultured home, in the school and the church. It is a
life in the bud-time of race pride and another race prejudice; and it
is swelling to the blossoming. _What will be the fruit?_

To know the race one must do more than occasionally to visit it
here and there, must see more than even a close examination of
schools and churches, instructed, aided and supported by white
philanthropy, will disclose. The toadying, the servile representatives
of the race, the politicians, the dependent ones--all must be passed
by and the people found. _To know the Negro one must be with him and
become a part of his life--see what he is doing, and above all, to
know what he is thinking._

Go into the schools and churches where there is not a shadow of white
influence to check freedom of speech or tinge thought and what do we
see and hear? In every case we find those from the oldest to the
youngest with some ideas upon the race question and ready to express
them. Not so with white children. They are not thinking about the
color of their skin or the texture of their hair or their rights and
privileges or the deprivation of these rights, the contempt and
ostracism following them everywhere; but the Negro child, on the other
hand, of every shade of color has these almost constantly in mind, for
they are thrust upon him. _He can think of little else._

In such schools, in such communities, the field work, the social
gathering, the literary society, the routine of school or church or
community life, the platform--all are tinctured deeply with these
ideas and these are expressed in some form on every possible occasion.
All these questions are in a large degree to the race, as far as
interest is concerned, at least, the momentous, the ever-present,
ever-burning topic.

No youth of the white race feels the weight of any subject agitating
the mind of the public as these colored youth feel this one. What is
the omen, when boys and girls alike make it a common question, in some
form or other for all their daily work? It has been said that the two
races are growing apart, that there is as much race prejudice in the
one as in the other. In many respects this is true, though the
prejudice on the part of the Negro is a thing of natural growth from
certain causes, not an inherent quality. The fact that the Negro is
rising without anything like adequate recognition--at least other than
a patronizing one--is one of these causes. As here and there the Negro
comes, to the white man's higher level, among the best he is
confronted with that "Ah-you-are-here." Ah, which means more than
words can express and he straightway feels his pulses stirred to the
defensive counter spirit of
"I-am-and-what-are-you-going-to-do-about-it?" The result is the two
mutually draw back from each other.

Among the middle classes where the level of the whites intellectually
and financially is more readily and more rapidly being reached by the
greater number of Negroes there is still more prejudice to be found.
It is here where the Negro has his fiercest battle ground; it is here
where he finds his greatest opposition. It is only following out the
idea of the French writer who said, "Mediocrity alone is jealous." The
constant desire of this class of white people to rise to the highest
level aggravates them upon seeing a Negro reaching out for or
obtaining in any way that which they may have or may be seeking, and
they "take it out" by greater assumption of superiority especially
over those of the race who have reached their own plane of living, and
here again is a creation of a counter prejudice.

Growing refinement brings with it to the Negro all that sensitiveness
which is accorded to refined people wherever found, and naturally he
recoils from rebuffs, insults, and contumely, and holds himself aloof
more and more only as business demands contact. He has no growing
reason to revere the whites as a mass, and if nations are proverbially
ungrateful, what more can be expected of individuals, no matter how
much fine theorizing there may be upon the subject of what the Negro
owes to the white man.

With this increasing prejudice, for reasons named, there is a growing
race pride. This is taking firm root among the young people of the
Negro race who are being taught to respect those of their own number
who have obtained honor and distinction through merit. The school-boy
and school-girl are studying the history of their own race with
eagerness. They are finding out that it is not an altogether degraded
people from which they have sprung, and with the gathering evidences
about them of education, refinement, even wealth, and high character,
they see no good reason why they should be despised for mere color or
the possession of some imperceptible drops of Negro blood, as in many
cases. This is a laudable pride based upon both the past and present
and, as we have said, they are more alive to all that pertains to race
matters than any other set of young people whom we are able to
mention.

What is the omen? Think you that the growing generation will tamely
submit to the endless continuance of present and past grievances?
Think you that this thoughtfulness of the Negro youth will be without
some sort of fruit? Will these not have as much influence upon their
ignorant brother masses as have the whites over the ignorant masses of
their own color? I repeat, the white man does not thoroughly know the
Negro. He does not begin to see all that boils and seethes and
ferments in the brains of this growing class. It is well for the
nation to learn wisdom from the mouths of babes and sucklings. And
when these prattle of race issues it is an omen not to be unheeded.

TOPIC XXIX.

WHY THE NEGRO RACE SURVIVES.

BY PROF. T. DE S. TUCKER.

[Illustration: Prof. T de S. Tucker.]

                       THOMAS de S. TUCKER.

     Thomas de S. Tucker first saw the light of day at Victoria,
     in Sherbro, Sierra Leone, West Coast of Africa, on the 21st
     day of July, 1844. His mother was the youngest daughter of
     James Tucker, hereditary chief of Sherbro. The founder of
     the family, about two hundred years previous, was an
     Englishman, from whom the surname is derived.

     On the paternal side, Tucker comes of an ancient noble
     family in the east of France, the de Salieres, of
     Marseilles. His father, Joseph, although descended from this
     noble lineage, was an ardent admirer of Napoleon Bonaparte,
     whose checkered fortunes he followed to the disastrous field
     of Waterloo.

     In accordance with the custom of the country, the wife being
     deemed of higher social standing than the husband, the son
     took the maternal surname. Tucker was sent, at a tender age,
     to a school located in the family territory. Such was his
     rapid progress that in a few years he had acquired English
     sufficiently enough to read and write it about as well as
     the average child of his age in this country.

     In the summer of 1856 he came to the United States to
     complete his education. Having just completed the English
     course in the public schools of Oberlin, Ohio, he entered
     college and completed the course in 1865. He then crossed
     over into Kentucky and opened day and night schools for the
     education of the newly freed race.

     From Kentucky he removed to Louisiana, where the climate was
     more congenial to his tropical constitution. During his
     residence of many years in that State he was employed most
     of the time in the customs service with chances of
     preferment to higher and more lucrative posts, which he
     never sought nor cared for. His tastes have always inclined
     him to the more quiet and private walks of life, where he
     can promote the welfare of his fellow men, without show and
     the applause of the giddy crowd.

     President Grant once advised him that he intended to offer
     him the Liberian Mission, but Tucker was so indifferent in
     the honor that he made no effort to be commissioned.

     Anxious to pass away from official duties, he studied law
     and entered on practice in New Orleans. This profession was
     so fully in keeping with his tastes he hoped to pursue it
     the rest of his days. Finding that his legal training
     practically restricted him only to Louisiana, he removed to
     Florida and located at Pensacola. He was admitted to
     practice, and with it he rose rapidly both in knowledge of
     the common law and in securing a paying clientage. He stood
     high with the bar, from judge and attorneys to officials. He
     saw every prospect of realizing the fond dream of his
     ambition when once again a call of duty to serve God's
     humble children came in stentorious tones. The State in 1887
     had founded a Normal and Industrial School for the training
     of Colored teachers. A telegram unexpectedly announced that
     Tucker had been elected by the State Board of Education to
     take the management of it. He demurred, he objected; but
     leading Colored men and the Chief Executive importuned and
     requested his acceptance of the place. By patient
     perseverance and tact he succeeded in enlisting the hearty
     good will of all classes to the maintenance of the
     institution. The history of his work is a part of the
     educational records. Many men and women of worth and saving
     influence in their respective communities in Florida owe
     their training to the devoted consecration to duty of this
     native of the "Dark Continent." The school itself will ever
     remain a lasting monument to his tireless, efficient
     devotion to the welfare of his race.

     He retired from the field of his labors at the close of the