Читать книгу Colored girls and boys' inspiring United States history and a heart to heart talk about white folks - William Henry Harrison - Страница 3
ОглавлениеAUTHOR’S PREFACE
Not to Boast but to Boost
Negroes should find great pride indeed
In Race progress herein they read;
But to such readers let me tell
This book means not our heads to swell;
For five of the greatest rich white men
Could buy the wealth of our Race: and then!
So this book is neither a brag nor boast
But just to inspire our younger host
To elevate their racial name
From poisoned stains of slavery shame,
By climbing to the highest heights
Thro aid of friends who are “real whites”.
TWENTY-FIVE years ago, when a lad fifteen years old attending the public schools of Pennsylvania, in which State I was born and reared, certain ideas and sentiments caused me to secretly resolve that some day, when I had gotten together the necessary data, I would write just such a book as is contained herein. At the time that resolution was formed, I was attending the Darlington School in Middletown District, Delaware County over which Prof. A. G. C. Smith was Superintendent. And I remember with much gratefulness my first and last public school teachers, Misses Carrie V. Hamilton and Rebecca R. Crumley and Prof. Smith for their kind and frequent words to me as encouragement to continue my education after graduating from the public schools.
My favorite study was the United States History, and even at the tender age of fifteen years, I was greatly surprised and Race pridely hurt not to find any history, except about slavery, in such books concerning the American Negro. I had such childish confidence in my school books and their authors that I felt sure if Negroes had fought and died in the several American wars; had become great poets, orators, artists, sculptors, etc., the histories I was studying would have mentioned such. I thought in doing that they would have been preserving United States valuable history more so than merely giving just credit to the Colored people who had made such history. I did not know that right then the attentions of many public school children in far away Europe were often called to the histories of such distinguished Colored Americans as Phyllis Wheatley, the poetess; Frederick Douglas, the orator; Henry O. Tanner, the artist; Edmonia Lewis, the sculptoress—all of them having won recognition and fame in Europe as well as in America.
My youthful ignorance, regarding the achievements of my race, is easily explained when it is taken into consideration that I was a farmer boy living far from libraries I had never seen and Negro histories I had never heard about. And the United States histories then used in the public schools had nothing in them to enlighten me on that subject. They misled and kept me, along with thousands of other Colored school children, in absolute ignorance relative to the progress and attainments of the American Colored people. So whenever our history classes went up to recite and my white classmates proudly went through the lessons about General George Washington, Noah Webster, Benjamin Franklin, Eli Whitney, Longfellow, etc., while I knew and could just as easily recite such history, nevertheless, my feelings of crushed race pride and mortification were beyond expression because not one thing could I proudly recite from my lessons about great things my people had accomplished in America.
It is the same with the United States histories used in our public schools of today. They do not relate about Crispus Attucks, a Negro soldier and the first Colonist martyr to give his life for America in the Revolutionary War; nor about the Colored sailor, William Tillman, who received six thousand dollars from the Federal Government for recapturing a stolen schooner from the Rebels in the Civil War; nor about the Colored Registrars of the United States Treasury, B. K. Bruce, J. W. Lyons, W. T. Vernon and J. C. Napier, whose names, during different administrations covering a period of more than thirty years, appeared on all the United States paper money made and issued during that period; nor about Matthew A. Henson, who was with Commodore Peary when he (Peary) discovered the North Pole; nor about Booker T. Washington, one of the greatest orators America has ever produced and also builder of one of the most famous institutions of learning not only in America but in the world.
As I said before, I knew nothing about such Negro history while I was a farmer’s boy, but I could never quite rid myself of a feeling that the Colored people in the United States did have a worthy history. I studied the white man’s U. S. History from cover to cover and learned all I could from it, but I got no more racial inspiration from it than a white boy would get from studying only a Negro history in which nothing was written about his own racial achievements. So I secretly resolved to immediately begin to quietly and patiently research for American Negro data in order to some day publish a book so that future Colored school children would not be kept in ignorance about their own race history. I felt it was perfectly right and necessary to study the white man’s history at the school desks, but if Colored children were not permitted to study the history of their own race at the same desks, it was perfectly right and necessary that Colored children learn about the achievements of their great men and women at their home firesides within their family circles.
So for the benefit mostly of Colored youths, here are the crude results of my boyhood resolutions and manhood efforts after twenty-five years filled with trying discouragements, and bitter disappointments, but also just as full of unswerving determinations, constant hopefulness, upward climbs, ceaseless works and fervent prayers to God to succeed.
The author wishes to use this place and opportunity to express his deepest thanks to the more than one hundred prominent Colored men and women, living in as many large cities in all parts of the United States, who so friendly sent to him up-to-date information regarding the progress and success of Colored people in those cities.
For the unusual generosity and kindness in giving of their valuable time to personally and helpfully send to him exceptionally fitting and authentic Negro data, the writer most courteously acknowledges and gratefully names the following distinguished Colored and white contributors;
Mr. Cleveland G. Allen, New York City, N. Y., Associate Editor of the New York Home News, and Lecturer on Negro Music in the Public Schools of New York City.
Rev. G. W. Allen, D. D., Editor & Manager of Southern Christian Recorder, Nashville, Tenn.
Attorney Violette N. Anderson, foremost woman lawyer in Chicago, Ill., and one of the most prominent Colored women in her profession in America.
Rev. F. P. Baker, prominent minister in Evansville, Ind.
Miss Eva D. Bowles, New York City, N. Y., Executive Secretary in charge of Colored Work of the Young Women’s Christian Association.
Mr. Thomas F. Blue, Head of Colored Library, Louisville, Ky.
Miss Mabel S. Brady, Branch Y. W. C. A. Secretary, Kansas City, Mo.
Rev. Geo. F. Bragg, prominent minister and author of Baltimore, Md.
Mr. Chas. H. Brooks, Phila., Pa., Sec’y of Cherry Bldg. & Loan Ass’n, and prominent in insurance business.
Captain Walter R. Brown, Assistant Commandant, Hampton Institute, Va.
Rev. Russell S. Brown, prominent minister in Atlanta, Ga.
Mr. Walter A. Butler, San Francisco, Cal., Financier and President of the Northern California Branch of the N. A. A. C. P.
Rev. H. W. Childs, D. D., LL. D., prominent minister in Pittsburgh, Pa., and member of the Executive Board of New England Baptist Convention.
Dr. J. B. Claytor, prominent physician in Roanoke, Va.
Mr. M. L. Collins, Editor of Shreveport Sun, Shreveport, La.
Prof. J. W. Cromwell, Historian, and instructor of higher education in Washington, D.C.
Mr. A. G. Dill, New York City, Editor of The Brownies’ Book and Business Manager of The Crisis Magazine.
Prof. Carl Diton, Phila., Pa., noted composer, organist and pianist.
Mr. James E. Gayle, New Orleans, La., Editor of The Vindicator, and Manager of the Pythian two hundred thousand dollar Temple in that city.
F. Grant Gilmore, Author, Playwright and Producer, Philadelphia, Pa.
Bishop Robert E. Jones, Editor of Southwestern Christian Advocate, New Orleans, La., first and only Negro elected Presiding Bishop over the Louisiana, Alabama, Mississippi and Texas Diocese of the Methodist Episcopal Church.
Mr. Joseph L. Jones, Founder & President of the Central Regalia Co., Cincinnati, Ohio.
Rev. D. J. Jenkins, D. D., Editor of Charleston Messenger, Founder and President of The Orphan Aid Society, Charleston, S. C.
Hon. Jas. Weldon Johnson, New York City, N. Y., United States ex-Consul to several foreign countries, Associate Editor of The New York Age, Secretary of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People.
Mr. Tony Langston, Chicago, Ill., Advertising Manager of Chicago Defender and eight theaters, President of Langston’s Slide and Advertising Company.
Mr. Matt. N. Lewis, Editor of The Star, Newport News, Va.
Principal Isaac H. Miller, A. B., Cookman Institute, Jacksonville, Fla.
Mr. J. E. Mitchell, Editor of The Argus, St. Louis, Mo.
Dr. J. E. Mooreland, New York City, N. Y., International Secretary and Head of the Colored Department of the Young Men’s Christian Association.
Mr. Daniel Murray, Assistant Librarian, Congressional Library, Washington, D.C.
Dr. Harvey Murray, M. D., prominent physician, Wilmington, Del.
Mrs. Mary F. Parker, Chester, Pa., Undertaker and Embalmer, and Fraternal worker.
The late Mr. Chris Perry, who until his death was Editor of The Philadelphia Tribune and President of National Negro Press Association.
Attorney T. Gillis Nutter, Charleston, W. Va., Representative in the West Virginia Legislature.
Mr. Geo. W. Perry, Boley, Oka., Editor of Boley Progress and prosperous farmer.
Mr. Jos. L. Ray, Bethlehem, Pa., Confidential Man of Mr. Charles M. Schwab.
Mr. John H. Rives, Dayton, Ohio, Editor of The Dayton Forum.
Hon. F. M. Roberts, Sacramento, Cal., Assemblyman in the California State Legislature.
Mr. C. K. Robinson, Editor of Independent Clarion, St. Louis, Mo.
Mr. R. H. Rutherford, President & Treasurer of The National Benefit Life Insurance Co., Washington, D.C.
Miss Myrtilla J. Sherman, In Charge of Negro Record Department, The Hampton Normal and Agricultural Institute, Hampton, Va.
Mr. John A. Simms, Jacksonville, Fla., Editor of The Florida Sentinel.
Attorney Harry C. Smith, Cleveland, Ohio, Editor of Cleveland Gazette, ex-Member of the Ohio State Legislature where he introduced as Bills and had enacted as Laws, The Ohio Anti-Lynching Law and The Ohio Civil Rights Law.
Mr. C. C. Spaulding, Durham, N. C., Vice-President & Gen’l Manager of The North Carolina Mutual Life Insurance Company.
Mrs. Maggie L. Walker, Richmond, Va., R. W. G. Secretary & Treasurer of the I. O. of St. Luke, and President of the St. Luke Bank.
Miss H. Georgiana Whyte, Chicago, Ill., Editor of the Women’s Department, The Favorite Magazine.
Mr. J. Finley Wilson, Washington, D.C., Editor of The Washington Eagle, and President of The National Negro Press Association.
Dr. Carter G. Woodson, Washington, D.C., Editor of The Journal of Negro History, and Director of Research for The Association For The Study of Negro Life and History, Incorporated.
Mr. P. B. Young, Norfolk, Va., Capitalist and Editor of The Journal and Guide.
But the full credit, due for most of the Negro data references contained in this book, the author takes great pleasure in justly acknowledging and gratefully extending, through the Negro Year Book, to its Editor, Prof. Monroe N. Work, Director, Department of Records and Research, Tuskegee Normal and Industrial Institute, Tuskegee, Ala., whose personal consent was obtained by the writer to take extracts from the Negro Year Book.
William Henry Harrison, Jr.
