THE
NEGRO IN PROGRESSIVE
CIRCLES.
A COMPENDIUM OF
HIS BEGINNING AND
PROGRESS THROUGH
LIFE, DOWN TO THE
: : PRESENT TIME. : :
INTERROGATIVELY ARRANGED
BY WILLIAM KNIGHT
Part I.
Origin and Early History.
From B. C. 4004 to A. D. 1565.
Who made the first man?
God. (Gen. 1:26, 27.)
Out of what did God make him?
Out o f the dust of the ground. (Gen. 2:7.)
Who made the first woman?
God. (Gen. 2:22.)
From what did God make her?
From a rib he took from the man. (Gen. 2:22.)
Did God make them good?
Yes. He made them in his own image and after his likeness.
(Gen. 1:26.)
Did they remain good?
No. They disobeyed God and thereby became dead in tres¬
passes and sins. (Eph. 2:1.)
Did God curse them for disobeying him?
No. He only punished them for doing so. (Gen. 3:16-19.)
What did God name them?
Adam. (Gen. 5:2.)
What does this word mean?
Red.
What name did Adam give his wife?
Eve. (Gen. 3:20.)
What does this word mean?
Life or living. (Gen. 3:20.)
Then why did Adam give her this name?
Because she was the mother of all living. (Gen. 3:20.)
Why did God name this first man and woman Adam?
Because, according to the meaning of the word, they were red.
(3)
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The Negro in Progressive Circles.
Adam and Eve being the first man and woman, what
relation do they sustain to the human race?
They are its first parents. (Gen. 5:1-32.)
What was their color?
Red. Because the meaning of the word God used in naming
them justifies this conclusion.
How many different nations of men were there in the
world before the flood?
There was only one nation of men. (Gen. 11:6.)
Where did the different nations of men have their
origin?
At the building of the city and tower in the land of Shinar.
(Gen. 11:2, 4 8, 9.)
How was the origin of the different nations of men
effected there?
By the Lord confounding the then one language of all the
earth, and by his scattering the then one people from thence
abroad upon the face of all the earth. (Gen. 11:8, 9.)
Why did the Lord scatter the then one people from
thence upon the face of all the earth?
Because he had determined that the then one people should
from thence become different nations of men, and inhabit the
face of all the earth. (Acts 17:26.)
By whom was the whole earth peopled, and by whom
was its nations divided after the flood?
By Shem, Ham and Japheth. (Gen. 9:19; 10:32.)
When was the earth divided among its nations?
In the days of Peleg, or one hundred and thirty-one years
after the flood. (Gen. 10:25.)
What does the word Peleg mean?
Division.
Where was this division of the nations of the earth
made?
At the building of the city and tower. (Gen. 11:8, 9.)
Was the division of the earth among the nations made
when the division of the nations in the earth was made?
Yes. (Gen. 10:25, 32.)
Who were the ancestors of the different nations of men
after the flood?
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5
Shem, Ham and Japheth. (Gen. 9:19; 10:32.)
From which one of these ancestors did the Negro
descend?
From Ham.
Is the Negro the only race that descended from Ham?
No. The Mizraimites (Egyptians) descended from Mizraim,
his second son; the Canaanites from Canaan, his youngest son;
the Sidonians from Sidon his grandson; the Hittites, the Jebu-
si'tes, the Amorites, the Girgasites, the Arkites, the Sinites, the
Arvadites, the Zemarites, and the Hamathites, also descended
from his son Canaan. (Gen. 10:6, 13, 15-18.)
Were these nations related to tha Negro race?
Yes, they were near kinsmen, having descended from the
three brothers, Cush, Mizraim and Canaan. (Gen. 10:6.)
From which one of these three brothers did the Negro
strictly descend?
From Cash, Ham's oldest son. (Gen. 10:6.)
What does the word Cush mean?
Black.
Why, do you suppose, he was named Cush?
Because of his black color, possibly.
Was he named before the dispersion at Babel?
Yes. (Gen. 10:6.)
If he was named Cush because of his black color, (and
according to the meaning of the word it is reasonable to
believe he was), then what is proven by it?
That climate, temperature and mode of life did not produce
his black color, (as is claimed by the ethnologists), but that he
was black from his birth.
What does the map of the divisions into which the
earth was divided among Shem, Ham and Japheth show?
That Shem had Asia for his possession; Japheth had Europe
for his, and that Ham had Africa for his.
What else does it show?
That Cush had Ethiopia for his possession, from which de¬
scended the Cushites, or Ethiopians known to-day as the
Negro Race, and that Mizraim had Egypt for his, from which
descended the Mizraimites or Egyptians. It also shows that
Shem and Japheth had nothing at all to do with the early peo-
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The Negro in Progressive Circles.
pling of Africa, but that Ham and his descendants did.
What other proofs are there that Africa was the home
of Ham?
In Psalms 78:51, Egypt, the chief city of Africa, is called
"The tabernacles of Ham;" and in Psalms 105:23, 27, it is called
"The land of Ham." By the words "tabernacles of," and "land
of Ham," is meant, of course, the places and land in which he
lived.
What caused the different shades of color?
Pigment, matter which God in his work of creation put into
small apartments called pigment-cells, which he placed in the
inner surface of the outer skin of all creatures he gave such
apartments.
To whom was the name Negro originally applied?
To the quite black race of men living in Ethiopia or southern
Africa.
Why was the name Negro applied to it?
Because the word Negro, in the Latin language means black,
and since the people were black, for this reason, the name was
applied to them.
What do the words Ethiopia, Cush and Egypt mean?
Ethiopia means sunburnt, negro-land; Cush means black,
which is also the meaning of the word Egypt.
What is proven by the meaning and application of these
words?
That the name Cush, was applied to the father of the Negro
race because he was black; Ethiopia, to southern Africa, be¬
cause its inhabitants were Negroes; and that Egypt was applied
to that portion of Africa bounded on the east by Arabia, on the
south by Nubia, on the west by the deserts of Africa and on
the north by the Mediterranean Sea, because its people were
black.
Is not the Negro's black skin, thick lips, flat nose, wooly
hair, etc., representative of the mark God set upon Cain?
(Gen. 4:15.)
No. Because, in the first place, the Negro did not descend
from Cain, Adam's oldest son, (Gen. 4:1), but from Seth, his
third son, (Gen. 4:25); and in the second place, the Negro could
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7
not have descended from Cain because all of his posterity was
drowned in the flood. (Gen. 7:23.)
Possibly the Negro's color, etc., is the result of the
curse pronounced against Canaan? (Gen. 9:25.)
Indeed not; for Noah, though drunk, (1) did not say in utter¬
ing the curse, "Cursed be Canaan," the color of his skin shall
be changed from white to black; but, "a servant of servants
shall he be unto his brethren," (Gen. 9:25) and, (2) it did not
apply to the Negro, because the Negro did not descend from
Canaan, but from Cush.
Did not God direct this curse?
No, as evident from the following reasons: (1) Noah was
drunk, and God would not have employed the services of a
drunken man to utter his decrees; (2) Canaan, upon whom he
pronounced the. curse, was perfectly innocent of the crime for
which the curse was uttered, while Ham was the guilty party;
and (3)
God moves His prophets by His Spirit divine,
But Noah was moved by the spirit of wine.
The curse was wrong, and quite unfit,
Is proof that God did not direct it.
Noah awoke, and the child abused,
Made furious by the wine he'd used.
Most drunken men will do and say,
A thousand things out of the way.
That Noah was drunk there is no doubt,
For the curse pronounced was never carried out.
Gen. 9:24, 25) Neither Canaan nor his descendants ever were
"servants of servants" unto their brethren.
Is it a curse from God to be of a black color?
No.
What part of a creature having a black color is black?
Its covering.
What part of a crow is black?
Its feathers (covering).
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The Negro in Progressive Circles.
What part of the black sheep is black?
Its wool (covering).
What part of the black horse is black?
Its hair (covering).
What part of a ground mole is black?
Its fur (covering).
What part of the black Negro is black?
His skin (covering).
Mention some creatures whose covering is black, which
is in no sense a curse to them.
The black bear; the black sheep; the black cow; the crow;
the black hog, etc.
Mention some creatures whose covering is white, which
is in no sense any more of a blessing to them, than any
other color might have been.
The white bear; the white sheep; the white cow; the white
hog, etc.
Has God made any difference as to blessings among
these creatures?
No. They all are without speech and reason; they all eat
raw food, and all are content to sleep on the bare ground.
Is the Negro contented with raw food to eat, and the
bare ground to sleep on?
No, except in case of defending his country, which seems to
have been our fathers' lot in the late wars of our country.
What is proven by this?
That the Negro is a human, and not a brute, as is often
stated in the white newspapers, and that God made no differ¬
ence in blessings between the man whose covering is white, and
the man whose covering is black.
What conclusion may be reached from Acts 17:24, 26,
in regard to the Negro?
That as one of the "all nations of men," he has the right to
live or "to dwell" anywhere "upon the face of all the earth,"
where "God has determined" his "bounds," and that he was
made by the hand of God as all other nations were, and did not
"spring from a monkey or a baboon" as ex-Governor Bate sup¬
posed.
What deed did Moses, the great leader, legislator and
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9
prophet of the Israelites do, which if the Negro does to¬
day, is considered by the white people a crime, the pen¬
alty for which is death by lynching?
Intermarriage. He, being a white man, (a descendant of
Shem), married a Negro woman whose father was a Midian
priest. (Ex. 2:21; 3:1.)
Give a brief history of the near kinsmen of the Negro
race.
The history of their empire shows that the Egyptians were
the first to lead off in the march of civilization and advance¬
ment. They became the first slave-owners by enslaving the
Israelites, (the descendants of Shem), for more than four cen¬
turies. (Ex. 12:40.) Rameses II, the most illustrious of the
kings of Egypt, conquered the greater portion of western Asia
and the eastern edge of Europe. Melchizedeck, (a descendant
of the "cursed be Canaan," Gen. 9:25), was king of Salem (Jeru¬
salem Ps. 76:2); received from the patriarch, Abraham, (a de¬
scendant of Shem, Gen. 11:10-26), a tenth of the spoil; he was
a priest of the most high God; king of righteousness; without
father, without mother, without descent, having neither begin¬
ning of days, nor end of life; but was made like unto the Son of
God; abideth a priest continually. (Heb. 7:1-4.) Doubtless
he was the greatest priest that ever lived, for nowhere in the
sacred Scriptures is it stated that our Savior was made forever
a priest after the order of any other priest. The Canaanites,
(descendants of the "cursed be Canaan") built Tyre, Sidon and
Carthage, the three greatest maritime cities of the world, and
planted their colonies throughout the ancient world, while
their fleets of commerce and exploration were on every sea..
The Sidonians, (descendants of Sidon, the oldest son of the
"cursed be Canaan," Gen. 10:15), were superior in art, manu¬
facture and commerce. They manufactured Tyrian purple,,
which was worn by emperors, kings and nobilities. They were
skillful hewers of wood, and for this reason were employed by
king Solomon in erecting the great temple at Jerusalem. They
were the first shipwrights and navigators who ventured beyond
their own coasts, and in those early ages engrossed the greatest
part of the then commerce of the world (Deut. 3:9; I Kings 5:6.)
Hiram, king of Tyre, (a descendant of the "cursed be Canaan,")
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furnished king Solomon cedars for the temple, chief architects
for the same, and warships and sailors for his navies on the
Mediterranean and Red Seas. Nimrod, the cunning hunter,
and oldest son of father Cush, built the great historic city, Baby¬
lon, in whose borders the different nations of the earth had
their origin. (Gen. 11:8, 9.) The Sabeans, (descendants of
Seba, another son of father Cush, who built the city bearing his
name), were famous for their stature, strength and bravery; and
were very wealthy merchants. (Gen. 10:7; Isa. 45:14.) Their
queen visited King Solomon, whose wisdom in answer to her
most perplexing questions, so astonished her, that she exclaimed,
''The half was not told me," and she presented him with an
abundance of gold and spices. It is said that she afterward
became his wife. (I Kings 10:1-10.) King Solomon, the
wisest and the richest of all the kings of the earth (I Kings
10:23), erected the greatest temple that ever was dedicated to
the worship of Jehovah; married King Pharaoh's daughter, and
reigned king over Israel forty years. (I Kings 3:1; 6:1-38;
10:23; 11:42.)
If the curse Noah pronounced upon Canaan had its
fulfillment in Negro slavery, what relation does it show
that the slave sustained to his master?
That the slave was his master's brother. ("A servant of
servants shall he be unto his brethren." Gen. 9:25.)
Was not the curse fulfilled when King Hiram's serv¬
ants, who were descendants of Canaan, worked for King
Solomon?
Indeed not. They did not work for King Solomon because
they were slaves, but because King Hiram received for their
services from King Solomon annually, forty-two thousand, five
hundred boles of wheat and fifteen hundred and sixty gallons of
oil; besides twenty cities in Galilee. (I Kings 5:11; 9:11.)
Of how many different bloods did God make all nations
of men?
Of one blood. (Acts 17:24, 26.)
What is proven by this? That the now different nations of
men had one common origin (beginning.)
Part II.
Recent History and Progress.
From A. D. 1565 to A. D. 1913.
How long were the Israelites in bondage to the Egyp¬
tians?
Four hundred and thirty years. (Ex. 12:40.)
How long were the Negroes in bondage in America?
Three hundred years, from 156,5 to 1865.
How many souls went down into Egyptian bondage?
Only seventy. (Gen. 46:27.) (Deut. 10:22.)
How many came out?
Six hundred three thousand, five hundred and fifty men,
women and children under twenty years of age. (Num. 1:45,
46.) (Ex. 12:37.)
How many Negroes came into American bondage?
Five hundred chain-bound.
How many came out?
Four millions.
How many Negroes were there in the world in 1900?
Two hundred and fifty millions.
How much were the Negroes worth when they came to
America in 1565
Nothing.
How much are they worth to-day?
Six hundred and fifty million dollars.
How is this amount of wealth divided?
Into real and personal property, and bank deposits.
How much in real estate?
Five hundred, forty million dollars' worth.
How much in personal property?
(11)
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Fifty million dollars' worth.
How much in bank deposits?
Sixty million dollars.
How many saving banks had the Negroes in 1565?
None.
How many have they to-day?
Fifty-six.
Where are these banks located?
Birmingham, Alabama; Richmond, Virginia; Washington
City; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; and Atlanta, Georgia, and
other cities.
What is the aggregate capital of these banks?
More than sixty thousand dollars.
How many ships did the Negroes own in 1565?
None.
How many do they own to-day?
Five. One runs from New York to Africa.
Did Negroes own railroads in 1565?
No.
How many miles of railroad do they own to-day?
Two hundred.
Where is the company's headquarters?
Haiti.
Who was the richest Negro in Tennessee in 1565?
No one.
Who1 to-day is the richest one in Tennessee?
Robert R. Church, of Memphis.
How much is he worth?
More than two hundred and fifty thousand dollars.
Name and give the estimated worth of some of the
wealthiest Negroes in America to-day.
Francois Delacroix, (died in 1870), worth one million dollars;
he resided in New Orleans, Louisiana; Tonie Lafon, (dead; of
New Orleans, Louisiana, was worth five hundred thousand dol¬
lars; John R. Lynch of Natchez, Mississippi, is worth eighty
thousand dollars; Ben Montgomery's heirs of Mississippi, are
worth two hundred thousand dollars; J. C. Corbin of Pine Bluff,
Arkansas, is worth seventy-five thousand dollars, Ferdinand
Havis and J. C. Jones, both of Pine Bluff, Arkansas, are said to
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13
be worth a hundred thousand dollars each; Wiley Jones of
Little Rock, Arkansas, is worth one million dollars; Wm. H.
Jacks of Jefferson Springs, Mississippi, is worth eighty thousand
dollars; Mr. Harris of Mobile, Alabama, is worth one hundred
thousand dollars; Wright Cuney of Galveston, Texas, is worth
one hundred and fifty thousand dollars; Mrs. Gloster of Brook¬
lyn, N. Y., is worth seven hundred thousand dollars; Deslonde
of Louisiana, was worth three hundred thousand dollars; An-
toine Dubuclet of Louisiana, is quite wealthy.
What else can you say of some of these gentlemen?
Francois Delacroix, Louisiana's first Negro millionaire, was
a skillful tailor; bought his own freedom, for which he paid two
thousand dollars; opened an establishment of his own, which
soon became the leading one in New Orleans, becoming famous
alike for its high prices, and the cut and quality of the garments.
He got his goods direct from Paris, France, and had the most
skillful Parisian workmen to make them. He made the most
of his fortune by making loans at thirty-six per cent a year.
Although he made his loans without taking any security, it is
said that "he never lost a cent of the principal."
Tonie Lafon, who may very properly be styled "a Louisiana
philanthropist," gave at his death, two hundred and fifty thou¬
sand dollars to endow educational and charitable institutions,
"exclusively for whites." John R. Lynch served three consecu¬
tive terms in the United States Congress; was nominated by Col.
Theodore Roosevelt, now ex-President of the United States, to
preside as temporary chairman over the Republican National
Convention which met in Chicago, Illinois in 1884; was elected
unanimously, and presided over the convention as the first and
only Negro who has ever been in charge of such a body.
Ben Montgomery's heirs made their fortune by growing cot¬
ton. Wiley Jones, probably Arkansas' only Negro millionaire,
owns nearly the entire street-car system in Little Rock; he also
owns two good plantations; a large saw mill; works many hands;
owns valuable real estate, and is a large depositor in the leading
bank of his city. Mr. Harris made his fortune by leasing barber
shops in the steam-boats just before the war. Wright Cumey
was once collector of the Port of Galveston, Texas. Deslonde
was Secretary of the State of Louisiana during Governor Kel-
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logg's last term. Antoine Dubuclet was treasurer of the State
of Louisiana under Governor Kellogg.
When did Haiti become free and independent?
In 1791.
What great Negro won its independence?
General Francois Dominique Toussaint L'Ouverture.
How did the general obtain the name L'Ouverture, and
what does the word mean?
By his bravery in battle. The word means "the opening."
When and where was the general born?
In 1745, in Hayti.
What became of him?
After holding the position as first president and governor of
the republic whose independence he had so bravely won, he
was treacherously deceived by Napoleon, put in prison by his
order in France, in April in 1803, and starved to death.
As General L'Ouverture caught the last glimpse of his
much-loved Hayti, what did he say to the French captain
who was then taking him prisoner to France?
"You think you have rooted up the tree of liberty, but I am
only a branch; I have planted the tree so deeply that all
France can never root it up."
What became of the treacherous Napoleon?
Just twelve years after the death of General L'Ouverture, he
was defeated and taken prisoner at the battle of Waterloo, put
in prison on the island of St. Helena, where he starved to death
in 1821.
What Scripture was fulfilled in this case?
"And with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you
again." (Matt. 7:2.)
How may Negro United States Congressmen had we in
1565?
None.
How many have we had since then?
Twenty six. Others were elected but were not seated.
Name them and give their sketch.
1. J. Willis Minnard of New Orleans, Louisiana, was elected
November 3, 1868. He was a college graduate and had ren¬
dered very creditable service to the government. (2) Hiram R.
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Revels of Mississippi, was elected by the Mississippi legislature
in January, 1870, to fill an unexpired term, caused by the resig¬
nation of Jefferson Davis at the beginning of the Civil War.
Mr. Revels was a Methodist preacher of unblemished integrity,
and was highly respected as one of the most prominent and
useful Negro leaders in the South. He accomplished a great
work in Mississippi, as president of a college for Negro students;
so highly was his work appreciated, that the State contributed
liberally to the support of the college. He served a little more
than one year in Congress; was styled, "the first Negro National
law-maker," and at the time of his death, was still president of
the college. (3) John R. Lynch of Mississippi, was elected in
1873; served three consecutive terms in Congress; presided as
temporary chairman, over the Republican National Convention
at Chicago, Illinois in 1884. (4) Blanche K. Bruce of Missis¬
sippi, was elected in 1875; served a full term in Congress; was
Registrar of the United States Treasury; resident minister to
Hayti, and at the time of his death, was Recorder of Deeds for
the District of Columbia. (5) Joseph R. Rayner of South
Carolina, was admitted without question to the Forty-first
Congress. (6) Jefferson F. Long of Georgia, was the only Ne¬
gro ever elected to Congress from that State. (7) Cordosa of
Massachusetts, was highly educated; was a minister of long
standing, and served as treasurer of his State. (8) J. H. Rainey
of South Carolina, was elected to the Forty-second Congress,
and served five terms, being the longest record of any other
Negro Senator. (9) Robert Smalls of South Carolina, was
elected to the Forty-fourth Congress; served six years; attracted
much attention in the early part of the Civil War, by taking
his family in a boat and sailing out of Charleston Harbor, to
join the blockading fleet. He afterwards rendered very im¬
portant service to the Union cause; prior to which time, he was
one of the sea island slaves of South Carolina. (10) C. E.
Nashe. (11) R. B. Elliott of South Carolina, was elected to
the Forty-second Congress; he startled the country by his elo¬
quent reply on the floor of the House to Alexander H. Stephens
of Georgia, ex-Vice President of the Southern Confederacy, and
was elected to the Forty-third Congress. (12) Purver. (13)
"Whisper. (14) Wright, was at the time of his election a supreme
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The Negro in Progressive Circles.
judge. (15) Delodge. (16) Boseman of South Carolina, after
his election, served as postmaster of Charleston. (17) R. C.
Delaney of South Carolina, won college honors in Ohio, and
struggled faithfully for good government. (18) Jerry Harold-
son of Alabama, was elected to the forty-fourth Congress; his
service was brief, but he was long a potent political factor in his
State, and gained thrift by his shrewdness and always close
dealing by sale of delegations from his State in National Con¬
ventions. (19) James D. O'Hara of North Carolina, was
elected to the Forty-ninth Congress, but was defeated for
election to the Fiftieth. (20) John Mercer Langston of Vir¬
ginia, was elected to the Fifty-first Congress; he was our first
lawyer, our powerful and successful anti-slavery agitator; the
recruiter of our famous regiments in the late Spanish-American
War; our very earnest worker amongst us; our very efficient
teacher, and trusty adviser; our faithful holder of public office;
our able politician and brilliant statesman; our popular leader
and true friend to his race. (21) Thomas E. Miller, of South
Carolina, was elected to the Fifty-first Congress. (22) Henry
P. Cheatham, of North Carolina, was elected to the Fifty-first
and Fifty-second Congresses. (23) George W. Murray, of
South Carolina, was elected to the Fifty-third and Fifty-fourth
Congresses. (24) George H. White, .of North Carolina, was
the only Negro in the Fifty-fifth and Fifty-sixth Congresses..
(25-26) Samuel A. McElwee and Jesse M. Graham, were
elected from Tennessee.
Had we any Negro Registrars of the United States
Treasury in 1565?
No.
Have we had any since that time?
Yes.
Who were they?
Honorables Blanche K. Bruce of Mississippi, who was holding
the position at the time of his death; Judson W. Lyons of Geor¬
gia; W. T. Vernon of Kansas; and J. C. Napier of Tennessee,
our present incumbent.
What may South Carolina be called in regard to her
production of Negro leaders?
The mother of Negro statesmen.
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How many college-bred Negro teachers had we in 1565?
None.
How many have we to-day?
Twenty-five thousand.
Were there any Negro children in public schools in
1565?
No.
How many are there in public schools to-day?
Three million and five hundred thousand.
How many Negro students were there in the higher
institutions of learning, including art and mechanical
in 1565?
None.
How many are there to-day?
One hundred and twenty thousand.
How many Negro colleges in 1565?
There were none.
How many are there to-day?
One hundred and twenty well founded.
How many Negro presidents of colleges had we in 1565?
None.
Have we any to-day?
Yes; sixty-three.
Name and give location of some of our leading Negro
institutions of learning.
Wilberforce University, Xenia, Ohio; Morris Brown College,
Atlanta, Georgia; The Tuskegee Normal and Industrial Insti¬
tute, Tuskegee, Alabama; Roger Williams University, Nash¬
ville, Tennessee; Fisk University, Nashville, Tennessee; Walden
University, Nashville, Tennessee; and Livingston College, Char¬
lotte, North Carolina.
How many Negro doctors were there in 1565?
None.
How many have we to-day?
Twelve hundred in active practice.
How many Negro lawyers had we in 1565?
None.
How many have we to-day?
Fourteen hundred.
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Name six prominent Negro doctors of Tennessee.
Dr. Boyd of Nashville; Dr. Hardin of Murfreesboro; Dr. Bert
of McMinnville; Dr. Haigler of Chattanooga; Dr. Felton of
Knoxville, and Dr. Johnson of Huntingdon.
Name three prominent Negro ministers who have
figured conspicuously in church.
Bishop Allen of Pennsylvania, the founder of the great A. M.
E. Church; Bishop Turner of Georgia, the great missionary
worker in Africa; and Bishop Payne of South Carolina, the
great church historian.
Name three great Negro leaders who have figured con¬
spicuously in State.
Toussaint L'Ouverture, the great Haytian general; Frederick
Douglass, the champion of Negro freedom, and Hiram R.
Revels of Mississippi, our first Negro national law-maker.
Who is our best singer?
Madam Sisserretta. Jones.
By what name is she familiarly known?
Black Patti.
How much did she get for singing one song?
One thousand dollars.
Name our most accomplished elocutionist.
Miss Hallie Quinn Brown of Ohio.
Who is our best photographer?
J. P. Newton of Memphis, Tennessee.
Name our greatest educator.
Booker T. Washington, (the black Moses) of Alabama.
How much did he receive at one time for industrial
education
Twenty thousand dollars.
Who gave this vast sum?
Andrew Carnegie (white) of New York.
How many Negroes are there holding federal offices
to-day?
Twenty-two thousand four hundred and forty.
What are their salaries?
From one thousand, to ten thousand dollars a year.
Who was the greatest Negro in Cuba?
General Antonio Ma/>eo.
The Negro in Progressive Circles. 19
What became of him?
The Spaniards captured him and cut off his head.
What number of Negro soldiers have we to-day?
Forty-five hundred, valiant-hearted.
Name the Negro lieutenants who graduated from
West Point.
Flipper, Young and Alexander.
Which States have a majority of Negroes?
South Carolina, Mississippi and Louisiana.
In which State have Negroes the most wealth?
Louisiana.
What is the Negro population of Cuba?
Four hundred and eighty thousand.
How many books have been written by Negroes?
Three hundred.
Name some of the leading Negro authors.
Alexander Dumas, was said to have published in twenty-three
years, more novels, historical sketches, plays and travels than
any man that ever lived. Benjamin Banneckerof Philadelphia,
the self-educated philosopher, mathematician and astronomer,
published an almanac for the years 1792-95. Without a pat¬
tern, he made a wooden clock which kept very good time, and
assisted in surveying and laying out Washington City. Drs.
Alexander Crummell and William Wells Brown of Cambridge,
Massachusetts, the latter of whom is author of "The Colored
Patriots in the American Revolution/' "The Black Man," etc.,
Joseph T. Wilson of Norfolk, Virginia, is author of "The Black
Phalanx." Dr. Simmons is author of "The Men of Mark."
Paul Laurence Dunbar of Dayton, Ohio, is author of a book of
poems entitled, "Majors and Minors." He was received in
London with grand honors, and was sought for, by the most
fashionable people. Phyllis Wheatley, the African girl, is
author of a volume of thirty-nine poems; she was an accom¬
plished Latin scholar, and translated one of Ovid's tales. Pro¬
fessor W. S. Scarborough of Wilberforce University, Ohio, is
professor of ancient languages in that institution, and author
of a Greek text book.
How many Negro newspapers are edited to-day?
More than four hundred.
20 The Negro in Progressive Circles.
Name some of our able editors and the newspapers
they edit.
George L. Knox of the Indianapolis Freeman-, T. Thomas For¬
tune of the New York Age; Dr. H. T. Johnson of the Philadel¬
phia Christian Recorder; Dr. Rufus L. Perry of the Brooklyn
Monitor; and Dr. G. C. Clement of the Star ofZion, Charlotte,
North Carolina.
Who is the greatest Negro poet?
Paul Laurence Dunbar of Dayton, Ohio.
Who was the first Negro martyr for freedom?
Crispus Attucks, who fell in the massacre of Boston.
In what war was this massacre in which this valiant
hero shed the first blood?
The great American Revolution.
For whom did he shed his life's blood?
For his master, to be sure.
Why do you suppose he shed his blood for his master?
Because, being a slave, he was considered to be nothing but
personal property, and of course, had no freedom for which to
shed blood.
Who is the Negro silver-tongued orator of to-day?
Bishop Arnett of Ohio.
What part did the bishop play in President McKin-
ley's first inauguration?
He presented the Bible, upon which he took the oath of office
as President of the United States.
What did the Bible cost?
One hundred dollars.
How many building associations did Negroes own in
1565?
None.
How many do they own to-day?
Forty-five.
When was the last sale of Negroes disposed of?
In 1859.
Where?
At the race track, in Savannah, Georgia.
By whom were they sold?
By Pierce Butler of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
The Negro in Progressive Circles.
21
How many did he sell?
Nine hundred and eighty-eight.
How much did he get for them?
Three hundred and three thousand, eight hundred and fifty
dollars.
Name two of our leading poetesses.
Madams Francis Harper and M. E. Lee.
Who is the richest Negro boot-black?
Thomas Gleason.
How much is he worth?
Fifteen thousand dollars, of which it is said, that he earned
every dollar of it by polishing boots and shoes.
Who is the best Negro mathematician?
Professor Kelley, an accomplished geometrician.
How many Negro policemen have we to-day?
Seven hundred and fifty.
How meny Negro mayors are there to-day?
Twenty-three.
Which one of this number was the first to serve south
of Mason and Dixon's line?
Professor W. H. Richards of Washington City. The profes¬
sor has served as professor of international law at Howard
University; has had charge of the mammoth library of the de¬
partment; has been a conspicuous figure in politics; served a
two-term tenure as president of Bethel Literary and Historical
Association, the most widely known Negro society of its kind
on the globe. The professor also has an extensive law practice.
Name three leading Negro publishing houses, locate
them, and give the name of their secretaries.
The A. M. E. Sunday School Union, Nashville, Tennessee,
Mr. Ira T. Bryant, LL. B., Secretary; The National Baptist
Publishing House, Nashville, Tennessee, Rev. R. H. Boyd, D.
D., Secretary; The A. M. E. Book Concern, Philadelphia, Penn¬
sylvania, Rev. J. I. Lowe, D. D., Manager; A. M. E. Zion
Publishing House, Charlotte, North Carolina, Rev. J. F. More-
land, Ph. D., Manager.
How many hands does the Baptist Publishing Board
employ?
Eighty-six.
22
The Negro in Progressive Circles.
How many does the Sunday School Union employ?
Thirty.
How many does the Book Concern employ?
Forty.
Who was the first Negro circuit judge?
Honorable Joseph E. Lee of Jacksonville, Florida.
What Negro served as lieutenant governor of Louis¬
iana?
His Excellency, Pinckney B. S. Pinchback.
What number of Negro blacksmiths have we to-day?
Twenty-three hundred.
What number of harnessmakers to-day?
Fourteen hundred and thirty-two.
How many shoemakers have we to-day?
Seventeen hundred.
How many barbers have we to-day?
Two thousand and forty.
What Negro sold a horse for ten thousand dollars?
Dr. William Key of Shelbyville, Tennessee.
What can the horse do?
Take a silver dollar out of a full bucket of water; deliver mail;
play an organ; knows money from one cent to one dollar; and
is a mind reader.
What is his name?
Jim Key.
What number of women secretaries have we?
Twelve hundred and eighty.
What is their salary?
From ten, to fifteen hundred dollars a year.
How many editors of newspapers have we to-day?
Twelve.
How many dentists?
Seventy-five hundred.
How many musicians?
Forty-three hundred and fourteen.
How many women doctors?
One hundred and twelve.
What number of bookkeepers?
Three hundred and forty-seven.
The Negro in Progressive Circles. 23
What number of land surveyors?
Eighteen.
How many professional stenographers?
Seventy hundred.
What number of actresses?
Thirty-nine hundred and forty-nine.
What does this show in regard to our women?
That as "help meets," the position for which God made them
{Gen. 2:18), they are rendering valuable service.
What number of mail-carriers have we to-day?
Possibly several hundred.
How many hat firms do Negroes own?
One.
How many Negro postmasters had we in 1565?
None.
How many have we to-day?
Two hundred and eighty.
Name our greatest Negro land owner.
Hon. George W. Murray of South Carolina.
How many acres of land does he own?
Eight thousand.
What Negro as a general officer of the religious denom¬
ination receives the greatest salary?
Dr. Mason of the M. E. Church.
What is the doctor's salary?
Forty-five hundred dollars a year.
Give the Negro wealth of the United States by States.
Alabama $ 10,120,173
Arkansas 9 ,810,000
California 4,416,930
Colorado 3,400,527
Connecticut 550,170
Delaware 1,320,196
District of Columbia 5,830,707
Florida 8,690,044
Georgia 15,196,880
Idaho 16,411
Illinois 11,889,562
Indiana 4,404,524
24 The Negro in Progressive Circles.
Indian Territory $ 761
Iowa 2,750
Kentucky 10,967
Kansas 4,296
Louisiana 19,918
Maine 196
Maryland 10 ,392
Massachusetts 9,904
Michigan 5 ,200
Minnesota 1,210
Mississippi 16,742
Missouri 8,366
Montana 132
Nebraska 2,750
Nevada 276
New Hampshire 331
New Jersey 3 ,630
New York 19 ,243
New Mexico 395
North Carolina 13 ,480
North Dakota 84
Ohio. 8,580
Oregon 93
Oklahoma 4,213
Pennsylvania 16,730
Rhode Island 3,740
South Carolina 16,750
South Dakota 135
Tennessee 11,446
Texas 19,202
Utah 32
Vermont ^ 1,112
Virginia 10,930
Washington 623
West Virginia 6,164
Wisconsin 156
Wyoming 243
Making a grand total of more than four hundred million
dollars worth of property, free from all incumbrances.
The Negro in Progressive Circles.
25
How long has the Negro been in accumulating this vast
amount of property?
About forty-eight years.
What does this show?
That the Negro is a producer as well as a consumer.
What two countries are controlled by Negroes?
Hayti and Liberia.
How are these countries governed?
Hayti by a president and congress, and Liberia by a governor-
general and parliament. (?)
Does the well thinking Negro want social equality?
No.
Well then, what does he want?
Money and an equal showing.
Who is our present minister to Liberia?
Honorable W. D. Crum.
Which one of our Negro lawyers has the largest income?
Honorable Edward H. Morris of Chicago, Illinois.
What is his annual income?
Ten thousand dollars.
Who was paymaster for the United States volunteer
army under President Roosevelt?
Honorable John R. Lynch of Mississippi.
What Negro is superintendent of the United States
stamp division?
Honorable J. P. Green.
Who is surgeon-in-chief of the Freedmen's hospital?
Dr. William A. Warfield.
Give the number of Negro officers who served in the
late Spanish-American war.
Eighty-nine lieutenants; four chaplains; two paymasters and
several captains.
What Negro started with fifteen cents, and in fifteen
years had accumulated ten thousand dollars?
Professor Todd of Kentucky. (?)
What is the age of the oldest Negro living?
One hundred and twenty years.
Who is the largest Negro?
Henry Mitchell of New York.
26 The Negro in Progressive Circles.
How much does he weigh?
Seven hundred and thirty pounds.
Who is probably the only Negro, to whom the white
race, except in case of war, largely gives credit for striking
a white man?
James Parker, who knocked Czolgosz down when he assas¬
sinated President McKinley.
What other heroic deed did Mr. Parker do?
He saved a white woman's life, who by his request, leaped
from the second story of a burning building into his arms on
the street below.
What punishment did he sustain by this act?
When the descending woman's body came in contact with his,
it prostrated him upon the hard pavement from which he re¬
mained unconscious for sometime.-
What should this teach the white people in regard
to the Negro?
That the better class of them don't seek to degrade their
women, but will suffer death to protect them.
How many cotton factories do the Negroes own to-day?
Two.
Where are they located?
At Concord, North Carolina, and Jackson, Mississippi.
How many rolling mills do they own?
Twenty-seven.
How many Negro millionaires are there to-day?
Five.
Where are the wealthiest Negroes?
In the South.
What may the Negro be inclined to believe by this?
That while it is said that his friends are in the North, his
future success will be in the South; since for forty years, this
has been the case.
Has the Negro invented anything?
Yes.
Name some of them with their inventions.
Benjamin Bannecker of Philadelphia, invented a wooden
clock; The Veys of Africa, invented an alphabet; Elijah McCoy
of Detroit, Michigan, is a mechanical engineer, an inventor of
The Negro in Progressive Circles. 27
seven valuable appliances used in engineering; a young man in
Prof. Booker T. Washington's school, invented an automatic
churn.
How much did a New York firm offer this young man
for its patent?
Forty thousand dollars.
What does the record of the patent office at Washington
City show?
That Negroes have been granted patents on more than nine
hundred inventions.
How much did a Negro who, a few years ago, invented
an automatic car coupler, refuse for its patent?
Fifty thousand dollars.
Who is the musical wonder of the age?
Blind Tom (Thomas Wiggins) of Georgia.
What three things can he do at the same time?
On the instrument, he can play "Dixie," with his right hand;
"Yankee Doodle," with his left; and sing, "Tramp, tramp,
tramp, the boys are marching."
In his composition called, "The battle of Manasses,"
"what remarkable events are reproduced perfectly by
him upon the piano?
The firing of cannons; the report of musketry; the marching
troops and the playing of bands.
What Negroes have sat in the President's chair?
Blanche K. Bruce of Mississippi, sat two and one-half hours,
and Booker T. Washington of Alabama, sat five minutes.
Who is the greatest Negro song composer?
Edmond Dede of New Orleans.
Who is our best sculptress?
Miss Edmonia Lewis of Rome, Italy. (?)
In what art does the Negro show the most native talent?
In music.
Who is the greatest Negro artist?
Henry 0. Tanner of Philadelphia.
Give a brief sketch of Mr. Tanner.
He is a son of Bishop Tanner of the A. M. E. Church; he was
born in Philadelphia; he began his course of study in the Acad¬
emy of Fine Arts of his native city; he has exhibited in the art
28 The Negro in Progressive Circles.
galleries of the cities of New York, Chicago, Louisville, Cincin¬
nati, Washington and Paris, France; he is a member of the
American Art Association of Paris; he was for two years a stu¬
dent in the Institute of France; won prizes for two sketches, and
produced a picture which he sold for one thousand dollars.
Who was the first Negro colonizationist?
Paul Cuffee, who in 1815, took thirty emigrants in his own
vessel from New Bedford.
Who was the first Negro in 1838, to take the platform as
a regular anti-slavery lecturer?
Charles L. Redmond.
Who is said to be one of the finest Arabic scholars in the
world?
Dr. Edward "W. Blyden, President of Liberia College.
Who now owns Jefferson Davis' plantation in Missis¬
sippi?
A Negro planter.
When and from what institution of learning did Wil¬
liam Anthony Amo from Africa, receive the degree of
Doctor of Philosophy?
In 1734, from the University of Wittenberg, Germany.
From what institution of learning did Dr. Pennington
receive the degree of Doctor of Divinity?
From the University of Heidelberg, Germany.
Who was our first minister to Liberia?
Honorable J. Milton Turner of St. Louis, Mo.
Who was our first minister to Hayti?
Honorable E. D. Bassett.
What Negro lawyer received the largest fee?
Honorable J. Milton Turner, who for the successful prosecu¬
tion of some claims of the Cherokee Indians, against the Gov¬
ernment, received fifteen thousand dollars; the largest single
fee ever collected by a Negro lawyer.
Who is our minister to Vladivostock, Russia?
Honorable Richard T. Greener.
Who is president of the colored Women's League of the
District of Columbia?
Mrs. Helen A. Cook, wife of Captain John F. Cook, the
wealthiest Negro in the District.
The Negro in Progressive Circles.
29
Who is now head mail clerk in the post office at Ha¬
vana?
F. F. Davis, a talented young man of Columbus, Georgia.
What position did he hold in his city, prior to his ac¬
cession to the chief-mail-clerkship of Havana?
Postmaster.
Who was the first Negro boy to be appointed page in the
Kansas House of Representatives?
Elmer Lynk of Topeka.
Who was the first Negro to serve as page in the Indiana
House of Representatives?
Richard W. Thompson.
What Negro has the largest family?
James Edwards.
How many has he in family?
Fifty-one; himself, and wife, and forty-nine children.
What Negro served ten years on the reportorial staff
of the St. Louis Globe Democrat?
Richard A. Hudlin.
What position is Mr. Hudlin now holding?
Postmaster at Clayton, Missouri.
What Negro in Boston, Massachusetts, has the finest
merchant tailoring establishment in that city?
J. H. Lewis.
Who is president of the Walker Baptist Institute at
Augusta, Georgia?
Prof. N. W. Curtwright, A. M.
Who was the first Negro to hold a judicial post in Michi¬
gan?
D. A. Straker, LL. D., of Detroit.
By whom was the Negro exhibit at the Paris Exposition
of 1901 prepared?
By Prof. T. J. Calloway, B. S., a graduate of Fisk University,
Nashville, Tennessee.
Who is recorder of Albany, New York?
James C. Matthews.
What position did Mr. Matthews hold at Washington
City during President Cleveland's first administration?
Recorder of Deeds for the District of Columbia.
30
The Negro in Progressive Circles.
Who receives the largest compensation of any Negro
official in the country?
Cyrus Fields Adams, A. M., southtown clerk of Chicago. He
is now Assistant Registrar of the United States Treasury.
What was his annual compensation?
Fourteen thousand dollars.
What can you say of Mr. Adams' literary attainments?
He is a numismatist and a master of the German language.
How much do the Negroes draw in annual salaries from
the United States government?
Twelve million dollars, or more.
What did Governor Blanchard of Louisiana, say in his
inaugural address a few years ago, about mob violence,
and the Negro question?
That "mob law in contravention and defiance of law, will
not be tolerated. Lynchings will not be permitted under any
circumstances, if it be possible for the militia at the command of
the governor, to get there in time to prevent it; and if they occur
before the intervention of the executive can be made effective,
inquiry and investigation will be made and prosecutions insti¬
tuted. Sheriffs will be held to the strictest accountability
possible under the law, for the safety from mob violence of
persons in their custody." "The Negro," said the good govern¬
or, "is here. He is a man and a citizen. He is useful and
valuable in his sphere. "Within that sphere he must be guar¬
anteed the equal protection of the law, and his education along
proper lines—mainly agricultural and industrial, is at once a
duty and a necessity. He must be protected in his rights to
live peaceably and quietly; in his right to labor and enjoy the
fruits of his labor. He must be encouraged to industry, and
taught habits of thrift."
What Negro in 1867 was invited by the Emperor of Rus¬
sia to assist in the review of the Emperial Guards?
General T. Morris Chester of Pennsylvania.
What can you say of General Chester?
He is a professional stenographer; is known in Europe as
"Captain Chester," and in America as "General Chester;" he
is one of Pennsylvania's most successf ul lawyers, and meeting
The Negro in Progressive Circles. 31
the author in 1888 at Dickson, Tennessee, he impressed him to
become a stenographer.
Who is the leading Negro astronomer of the United
States?
Rev. P. C. Lawrence of South Carolina.
Who is the greatest Negro theologian?
Dr. Alexander Crummell, a graduate of Cambridge Uni¬
versity, England.
Who was the first Negro bishop in the United States?
Richard Allen of Pennsylvania.
Who is the collector of the port of Charleston, South
Carolina?
Dr. W. D. Crum, but has now resigned.
Name three leading Negro lawyers of Tennessee.
Honorables Josiah T. Settle, of Memphis; J. C. Napier, of
Nashville; and William F. Yardley of Knoxville.
For what office of Tennesse did Mr. Yardley run in
1876?
For governor.
Against what white candidates did he run?
Against Honorables D. B. Thomas, George B. Maney and
James Davis Porter.
How many votes did Mr. Yardley receive?
Two thousand, one hundred and sixty-five.
Name one of our leading Negro horse dealers?
Calvin Johnson of Knoxville.
How much is he worth?
Between seventy-five and one hundred thousand dollars.
How much did he pay for a horse?
Six thousand dollars.
From what Negro's gun at the battle of Bunker Hill,
was the bullet fired that killed Major Pitcairn?
From Peter Salem's.
Name a leading Baptist magazine with its editor.
The Voice of the Negro, with Rev. J. W. E. Bowen, Atlanta,
Georgia.
What did Senator Elkins of West Virginia say some¬
time ago about the Negro's political rights?
That "The democracy of West Virginia, advocates the as-
32
The Negro in Progressive Circles.
tounding proposition, should it come into power in the State,
to disfranchise fifteen thousand loyal colored republicans and
rob them of the rights of citizenship guaranteed by the Consti¬
tution, and for which many of them and their fathers fought in
the War of the Union. Republicans must and will resist this
proposition, because it is not only wrong in itself, but unfair and
unworthy."
What Negro delegate at the Republican National Con¬
vention of 1896, nominated H. Clay Evans of Tennessee
for vice president of the United States?
Delegate Smith of Kentucky.
Who requested that a Negro delegate at the Republican
National Convention of 1904, deliver the speech seconding
the nomination of the Convention's candidate for Presi¬
dent of the United States?
Colonel Roosevelt, then president of the United States-
What Negro was recommended?
Harry F. Cummings of Maryland.
By whom was he recommended?
By Senator McComas of Baltimore.
What part did a little Negro boy play at this Conven¬
tion?
He waved a little Union flag cheeringly at the nomination of
Mr. Roosevelt for President of the United States.
What did Mr. Roosevelt say, when he at the Republican
National Convention of 1884, nominated Mr. Lynch of
Mississippi for chairman of the Convention?
That "It is a fitting thing for us to choose to preside over the
convention, one of that race whose right to sit within these
walls is due to blood and treasure so lavishly spent by the found¬
ers of the Republican Party."
What Negro once served as county judge of Blount
county, Tennessee?
Allen Garner.
What can you say of Mr. Garner?
He was an accomplished bookkeeper, and was quartermaster
sergeant in the late Civil War.
What Negro was said to be the most expert with a gun
of any soldier in the late Civil War?
The Negro in Progressive Circles.
33
Sergeant William Lenoir of Philadelphia, Tenn.
How many navies do Negroes own to-day?
Two.
What Negro governments own them?
Hayti and San Domingo.
How many vessels has each?
Hayti, five; San Domingo, three.
How many farms operated by Negroes to-day?
Eight hundred eighty thousand, eight hundred and thiriy-
seven.
What is the total number of acres of these farms?
Forty-two million, six hundred nine thousand, one hundred
and seventeen.
What is the total valuation of these farms?
Nine hundred million, one hundred thirty-two thousand,
three hundred and thirty-four dollars.
What Negro received a fine silver watch and chain as a
present from the Emperor of Germany for saving the
statue of Frederick the Great at Washington City from
destruction by dynamite?
George C. Ellis.
What did the Tennessee Republican say about Paul
Laurence Dunbar?
"The life of Paul Laurence Dunbar, the Negro poet, who died
recently in Dayton, Ohio, ought to be an inspiration to his race.
Of full Negro blood, it is remarkable how much he learned in a
short school life of ten years. But he absorbed so rapidly and
thoroughly that he has been a literary light to two continents.
His first poem was written when he was only seven years old."
What did Dr. A. J. Barton, Secretary of the Home Mis¬
sionary Society of the Colored M. E. Church, say about
the Negro missionaries?
"Thirty-three colored missionaries have been employed for
all of their time, and they are among the best and strongest of
their race. To do this work successfully, we must rise above
our prejudices. We, as Christian citizens should see to it that
they have their rights before the law, both in civil and criminal
matters. Let us stand for justice. In doing this work, we are
34
The Negro in Progressive Circles.
helping a people who are exceedingly grateful, for the best ele¬
ments of the race appreciate all that we do for them."
What prominent white divine of New York is soliciting
means with which to erect a monument to the memory
of Paul Laurence Dunbar?
Rev. Edward W. Clark.
What Negro in Texas owns a lead and copper mine?
James A. Lott.
How much has a prominent white man provided in his
will for the Tuskegee Industrial Institute to receive at
the death of his widow?
Fifteen hundred dollars.
What did the Governor of Virginia say a few days ago
about the whites and blacks of his State?
Upon his refusal to appoint delegates to a proposed Southern
Conference, he said, "The whites and blacks dwell together in
peace and harmony, and there are no clashes among them." This
proposed conference was on the Negro question.
What Negro is the light-weight champion pugilist of
the world?
Joe Gans of Baltimore, Maryland.
What can you say about the pugilistic ability of Mr.
Gans?
He weighs only one hundred and thirty-three pounds. On
January 3, 1907, at Tonopah, Nevada, he knocked out Kid
Herman (white) of Chicago, Illinois, in an eight-round contest
for a purse of more than twenty thousand dollars.
Who is the heavyweight champion pugilist of the
world?
Jack Johnson, who knocked out James Jeffries in a fifteen-
round contest.
State what the Nashville Banner said recently about
the Colored Fire Company of Nashville and the Negroes of
Tennessee in general.
"At a time when so much is being said about the bad Negroes
of the country and when the South seems to be held up as a
sort of cat-o'-nine-tails instituted and operated for the sole and
solitary punishment, degradation and eternal damnation of the
colored race, and the race is held up as a sort of an ever-present
The Negro in Progressive Circles.
35
menace to the peace of the white man, it might not be out of
place, or altogether without justice to both sides, that a word
be spoken in behalf of the good element of the race, and their
work among the white people of Nashville. Engine Company
No. 4 is a colored company; it was organized in 1884, with six
members. In the twenty three years of its existence, it has
had but thirty-six men associated with it. They operate an
engine, the "Ross Handly," and a reel. They have been en¬
gaged for nearly a quarter of a century in the fire department
of one of the largest cities of the South, with perhaps as much
Southern sentiment, and certainly as much Southern loyalty, as
any city among them, and they have gone on quietly without
molestation. They have gone on with their duties, growing to
their places as those places grew in importance with the growth
of the city. That they have been unflinchingly brave, has been
demonstrated in the records of the great fires here. This they
would necessarily have to be, as acceptable firemen; that they
are well behaved, law-abiding citizens is also one of the requis¬
ites of the Department. Some of them have for twenty years
or more been associated in this work with the white firemen,
working side by side with them. They have many friends
among the white people of Nashville. Tennessee is full of
Negroes of all classes and conditions; but it has seldom, if ever,
been recorded, that a well-behaved, industrious, self-respecting
colored man has fallen upon danger, or injustice in Tennessee
to any more serious extent than the white man of corresponding
condition. It is the insultingly aggressive, the law-defying, and
the corrupt of both races who fall into trouble. There are many
well-behaved, self-respecting colored citizens in Tennessee. All
in all, the men of Company No. 4, are a most remarkable set of
men. The quiet, inoffensive method of their lives, their un¬
questioning service in the company, the courteous conduct that
marks them individually and as a company, their appreciation
of kindness, have won for them an honorable place among the
citizens of Nashville, and many personal friends among the
best people of the city."
Give by states the number of Negro soldiers who served
in the late Civil War.
At large 733
36 The Negro in Progressive Circles.
Arkansas - _ -- 5,526
Alabama . - 4 '969
Colorado _ _ 95
Connecticut _ -- - 1 >764
District of Columbia _ _ __ , - 3,269
Delaware ______ - 954
Florida . __ - 1 >044
Georgia - - 3 ,486
Illinois __ _ _ _ - -- 1 >811
Indiana - - - _ _. 1,597
Iowa - - -- — - 440
Kansas .. -- — 2,080
Kentucky _____ _ _ .23,703
Louisiana _ _ __ . _ -_24,052
Mississippi __ -.17,869
Maryland _ - -- 8,716
Missouri - - -- 8,344
Massachusetts, _ _ - . -- 3,966
Michigan - -- 1,387
Maine . ___. _ _ ._ 104
Minnesota _ _ 104
New York __ _ _ _ _ __ 4,125
North Carolina. _ _ _ 5,035
New Jersey _ _ ______ 1,185
New Hampshire _ _ 125
Not accounted for _ __ _ ___ 5,083
Ohio _ - . _ _ . 5,092
Officers _ _ _ 7,122
Pennsylvania. • 8,612
Rhode Island _ 1,837
South Carolina . _ 5,462
Tennessee ... ___20,133
Texas _ . . __ 47
Virginia - __ 5,723
Vermont _ . . _ _ 120
West Virginia ... 196
Wisconsin _ 155
Making a grand total of one hundred eighty-six thousand,
The Negro in Progressive Circles.
37
and seventeen soldiers who rendered most valiant service in
the War.
Who is at present Registrar of the Treasury of the
United States?
J. C. Napier, of Tennessee.
What did the Tennessean and American, a newspaper
published at Nashville, Tennessee, say a few days ago
about Dr. Henry Johnson of Huntingdon, Tennessee?
"Henry Johnson, a Negro farmer of Carroll county, has
demonstrated what thrift and constant attention to work will
do for a member of his race. Johnson has acquired 1,700 acres
of land which he has divided into seventeen farms and has culti¬
vated by tenants whose chief crop is cotton. Thirty-four plows
are frequently in operation at once on the land of this Negro
farmer. He has his own blacksmith shop, hay balers, feed
crushers and sorghum mills. Johnson is fifty years old, but has a
little education, and knows little of the country outside of the
county in which he lives. He visited Nashville last week, but
remained only a short time, as his extensive farming operations
demanded his immediate attention. Men of Johnson's type
always command the respect of both their white and black
neighbors. They never figure in any clashes between the races,
for they are always too busy at useful work to meddle in trouble¬
some affairs."
Name some well-to-do Negroes of Weakley County,
Tennessee.
J. R. Richie is said to be worth twenty-five or thirty thousand
dollars. Dallas Lathan is said to be worth forty or fifty thou¬
sand dollars. Elder T. J. Higgs, his brother, Chess Higgs and
Mr. John Richie are in most favorable circumstances.
What Negro boy of Dickson, Tennessee invented a
railway butting post?
Henry Gray.
What name is applied to him by the white people of
Dickson?
"The colored inventor of Dickson."
Has he been offered anything for the patent of his in¬
vention?
Yes, a nice little fortune.
38
The Negro in Progressive Circles.
Name some of our schools with their educational facil¬
ities.
NAME.
Payne Seminary
Walden University
Fisk University
Roger Williams University
Shelbyville College
Howe Institute
Lane College
Tuskegee Industrial Institute
Morris Brown College
Wilberforce University
Kittrell College
Paul Quinn College
Allen University
Western University
Shorter University
Payne University
Campbell College
Wayman Institute
Flegler High School
Delhi Institute
Sission Institute
B ethel Institute
Shaffer Industrial School
Girls' Training School
Parochial Schools
Eliza Turner School
Knoxville College _
Athens College
Harriman College
Howard University
Mossel Institute
10 1
2800
5
195
60
20
4
130
2
2
1173
18
2
100
4
1882 61
46 1
45
1200
660
189
230
190
349
184
187
250
126
130
190
75
80
376
2i 2 $10500
6685
19
22
12
11
9
6
6
3
4
2.
2.
5
1
1607
1,075
85,000
25,000
30,000
8,400
35,000
85,000
20,000
15,000
72,000
6,400
1,050
31,000
2,000
10 ,000
50,000
The Negro in Progressive Circles.
39
Have we any reform schools?
Yes. We have one at Nashville, Tennessee, superintended
by its founder, Rev. G. B. Taylor. It is said to be doing excel¬
lent work for colored youths.
What did Dr. Henson once say to one of his students in
zoology and natural history, who defined a crab as being
a red fish that runs backwards?
"Young man, your definition is quite good, but there are
three little mistakes. In the first place, a crab is not a fish; in the
second place, it is not red ; and in the third place, it does not
run backwards."
Ex-governor Bate once said, "that the Negro was not
folks, but was between the monkey and baboon, having
sprung from one of them or probably from both."
How does Dr. Henson's student's definition of the crab
compare with the good (?) governor's definition of the
Negro?
Very favorably; but as the doctor said to his student, so say
we to the good (?) ex-governor, that his "definition is quite good,
but there are three little mistakes." In the first place, the Ne¬
gro did not spring into existence, but was bom just as the good
(?) ex-governor was; in the second place, he is not between the
monkey and the baboon, but is a human being often found bet-
tween the Negro and the white man as the good (?) ex-governor
well knew; and in the third place, he is folks, because he is en¬
dowed with speech, reason and judgment, equal to, if not far
beyond that of our worthy ex-governor.
What Negro is now revenue agent?
Governor P. B. S. Pinchback of New York.
What Negro is collector of internal revenue at Hawaii?
Charles A. Cottrill.
Who is collector of internal revenue at Jacksonville,
Florida?
Judge Joseph E. Lee.
What Negro is United States consul to Puerto Cabello,
Venezuela?
Herbert R. Wright.
Who is collector of customs at Beaufort, S. C.
Robert Smalls.
40
The Negro in Progressive Circles.
Who is collector of customs at Washington, D. C.?
Whitefield McKinlay.
How many Negro letter carriers are there in the post
office at Little Rock, Arkansas?
Forty-six, with an aggregate salary of forty-three thousand,
seven hundred dollars a year.
How many letter carriers in the post office at Memphis,
Tennessee?
Sixty.
What is their aggregate salary?
Sixty-four thousand and four hundred dollars a year.
What Negro is deputy marshal of the Federal Court
at New Orleans?
T. J. Galbreath.
What Negro is assistant surgeon in the Freedman's
hospital?
Dr. S. L. Carson.
Who is surgeon-in-chief of this hospital?
Dr. William A. Warfield.
How many Negro males of voting age were there in the
United States in 1910?
Two millions, four hundred fifty-nine thousand, three hun¬
dred twenty-seven.
What Negro is now assistant attorney-general of the
United States?
William H. Lewis, of Boston.
Who is now recorder of deeds for the District of Colum¬
bia?
Henry L. Johnson, of Georgia.
What Negro is assistant register of the United States
Treasury?
Cyrus Field Adams, of Illinois.
The Race Song.
Tune—'John Brown's Body.
1. Dominique Toussaint L'Ouverture.
Though L'Ouverture's body lay mouldering in the clay;
But he won the independence of his much-loved Haiti;
And died a valiant hero in the cause of liberty;
Yet his soul goes marching on.
Chorus.
Glory, glory, Hallelujah! Glory, glory, Hallelujah!
Glory, glory, Hallelujah! Our race is marching on.
2. Crispus Attucks.
Attucks' body lay mouldering in the clay;
The first to shed his blood in the revolution war;
And died a valiant soldier in the land so far away;
But his soul goes marching on.—Cho.
3. Frederick Douglass.
Douglass' body lay mouldering in the clay;
He labored for our freedom in the dark and gloomy day,
Recorded deeds at Washington and died among the free;
But his soul goes marching on.—Cho.
4. Booker T. Washington.
Booker T. Washington's work has begun;
The greatest Negro leader that's under the sun;
We'll triumph the victory when our work is done;
For our race is marching on.—Cho.
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