Page Two
THE UNIVERSITY STUDENT
Feto
NEGRO PROGRESS IN
BUSINESS
(Delivered at the National Negro Week
Programme by E. Avant, ’31.)
The Negro has without a doubt ventured
into and accomplished more in the field of
business than any other field open to his
services. Not that he has conquered less
in other fields of endeavor, but that he
has shown decidedly so, his ability in this
particular labor and has accomplished
more.
It may be added that the Negro has ad
vanced not in a sympathetic environment,
but in a certain inimicable and hostile at
mosphere in which the white man was and
is continually striving to make a reality
the highly touted Nordic Supremacy.
Under such conditions it is not a wonder
that the Negro ventured into business with
rather discouraging success. In Johnson’s
History of the Negro Race we find that
among the earlist recorded business enter
prises of the Negro was the Freedmen’s
Savings Bank, of Washington, D. C. In this
bank was deposited a very colossal figure
between the years of 1866 and 1871, total
ing the enormous amount of 857,000,000.
But despite the fact that this bank met
a very disastrous and disgraceful failure in
the hands of incompetent officials, it fur
nishes a strong contention for the thrift
and indu.stry of the newly freed Negro.
This figure informs us that no more than
5 years the 3,000,000 emancipated Negroes
had accumulated the prodigious sum of
857,000,000 in one bank. This alone should
offer the highest incentive for the modern
youth. While the failure of this bank
tended to decrease confidence in Negro
business, the Negro has succeeded in spite
of everwhclming odds against his advance
ment in this part of modern livelihood.
At the end of the Civil War comparative
ly few Negroes possessed any form of bus
iness. Realizing his deplorable and desti
tute circumstances, he immediately began
to labor most assiduously to overcome this
embarrassing state of affairs. Consequently
we find that with practically no start with
the exception of the absurd promise of “40
acres and a mule” he has advanced to
heights almost incredible.
It was not until 1866 that any notewor
thy pTDi^'ress was recognized. Up until
that time the Negro owned 12,000 homes
of very little value. In 1926 this number
had increased to 700,000 representing some
of the most palatial types of modern
honn(s. There were 20,000 farms in 1866,
representing the most poorly equipped of
all. But in the latest census of 1926 sta
tistics show' that the Negro owned and
operated something like 218,612 farms as a
lucrative investment.
At the close of the Civil War there
was hardly to be found any business enter
prises of any kind among the Negro ele
ment whether they had been previously
been free or slave. Consequently the only
means of investment of the indeed meagre
accumulation that he had made possible
was among the white concerns. These
white trusts were never to give any aid
to the Negro in the development of bus
iness. And it is pleasing to note that some
men of vision and with all the virile
strength and tenacity to transform visions
into realizations, stepped forward, and
said the Negro shall not remain in a state
of lethargy—not wdth verbal announce
ments nor floral orations, but rather
showed their desire to further Negro
achievement in business by the act of con
secrated elTort and diligent labor. Hence,
we find the number of business enterprises
increasing from 2,000 in 1866 to the ex
ceedingly great and encouraging figure of
70,000 in 1926, there being more than 200
varieties of businesses. Among these are
67 important insurance companies with
assets amounting to 87,500,000 and an an
nual income of $10,000,000 and $250,000,-
'^ary.
1928.
000 of insurance in force on 1,000,000 lives.
While this data is encouraging we lament
the fact that only one half of the entire
population carries insurance in Negro com
panies. But this proves to us that the Ne
gro notwithstanding this great success is
but a pioneer in business and has just be
gun to blaze the trail for others.
The North Carolina Mutual of our own
State has $45,000,000 of insurance in force
and an income of $2,000,000 yearly. Other
leaders are National Benefit, Northeastern
and Liberty Life.
It may be interesting also to note that
the first Negro bank was organized in 1888.
But today there are 73,000 such institutions
with a capital of $6,250,000, with $20,000,-
000, in resources and doing an annual bus
iness of 8100,000,000, and the most inter
esting part is that these insurance com
panies and banks are all organized, financed,
managed and supported exclusively by
Negroes.
A group of Negroes recently bought the
town of Truxton, Va., comprising 253 mod
ern residences. The purchase price was
8141,000. In the United States there are
68 tow’ns, many villages and settlements
populated and governed entirely by Ne
groes. Among these are Mound Bayou,
Miss., and Boley, Okla.
There is now a National Negro Finance
Corporation with an authorized capital of
one billion dollars for the purpose of en
couraging Negrp business.
There are also several hundred Negro
papers and magazines. One of the num
ber is said to have a circulation of 200,000.
In the face of substantiating and con
vincing proof of Negro progress we can
but conclude that the Negro has accom
plished much. But let ns not tarry where
our forefathers have stopped by the sinister
hand of death, but rather lift up the ban
ner of Negro businesses and plant it on
heights yet unreached by mortal man.
THEFRESHMEN
By .1. Warren
The examinations are over—good for
some and bad breaks for others; but the
majority of the members of the Freshmen
class are pi’oud and happy, as they feel
that they have successfully pulled down
sixteen good college hours. Of course, there
will be some weeping and gnashing of
teeth.
The base ball season is here. A success
ful season for Smith depends largely on
some of the Freshmen product. Ole “Tuck,”
Ellis. McDowell and Lindsay have been
talking and wishing for this season for
the last four and a half months. We wish
for them and the whole team at large
“Haiming” breaks during the season.
Smith University is making another for
ward step in the collegiate line, as she is
editing an Annual this year. The Fresh
man class is planning to be well represent
ed in the Annual and will support it to the
extent of their ability.
With the beginning of the second semes
ter there were a few more well-thinking
students added to the Freshman class in
the persons of Messrs. Hamilton and Leakes
of Selden Institute; T. R. Brown, of How.
ard University; Wm. L. Smith, of Union
University, and James Jones of Henderson
Institute. We, the old aces of the class,
cordially greet these new members.
Mr. R. H. Lee, a very popular member
of the Freshmen class attended the North
Carolina State Student Council of Y. M. C.
A at Winston-Salem, N. C., during the week
end of February 18th. “Page” is worthy
of this honor and we are sure that he re
presented both the class and school with
credit.
Mr. Robert Dockery has been somewhat
indisposed, but at this writing he is much
improved.
The Freshmen class is represented on
the Staff of the Annual that is being pub-*
lished by tile Junior class in the person of
Mr.' R. H. "Lee, Secretary, and J. Warren
Whitten, Assistant Secretary.
We students are all wondering why
“Lee” had to be elected to attend the Con
ference at Winston-Salem. Why couldn’t he
go to Durham instead. He was asked why,
and his reply was, “I prefer Winston-Sa
lem to Durham. But we are forced to be
lieve that some “Female” is behind it all.
The members of the Freshmen class are
proud of the honors that have been given
it by the student body in electing Edward
McDowell as Business Manager of The
University Student. We are sure that
McDowell has proven himself worthy of
this position which only a man of intelli
gence and efficiency can fill.
Any member of the Freshmen class who
has news that he desires to be published in
The University Student will kindly hand it
in to the Reporter that it may be listed
in the Freshmen Column. Let us make our
column the most interesting one in the
Publication. The Reporter wishes to thank
all the members of the class in advance for
their hearty co-operation and support.
“Together we stand—divided we fall.”
Georgia is well I’epresented in the Fresh
men class in the persons of Jordan,
“Square,” Hamilton, Leake and Houston.
These cotton growers must think that the
class is planning to have a “State Cotton
Picking Contest.” If it were, Georgia
would surely get the prize.
MONEY AND BRAINS
Cato C. De Vane
Two important factors are vital for the
moral, intellectual and industrial lift of
any group of people: these two are money
and brains. In the first function of this
three-fold progression, money and brains
are necessary as stabilizers in our econom
ical, educational and political system. Sec
ondly, if each factor is wisely utilized, it
tends to strengthen and advance a group—
and only then.
Money is paid for brains that have passed
through strenuous ordeals of cultivation and
application. Money is hardly of avail with
out brains. Materially, the intrinsic value
of money and brains is limited in its expan
sion, and varies so far as material compo
sition is concerned. As a result of com
parisons and relationships as contrasted, it
may be said that money is paid for brains
and not bravm.
In brain work there must be a sacrifice
of energy. This energy is given up in
thinking, investigating and analyzing re
sults. If a student is to receive the great
est pleasure and benefit for which an in
stitution functions, there can be no lack
in the vital d,ynamics for daily application
to his studies.
The real pleasures of life are mental and
physical. Pleasure should permeate the
life of every thinking student and he
ought to relish it just as he does his daily
food. One cannot appreciate good litera
ture, good music and art without mental
cultivation. Void of mental development,
one might gaze upon a piece of art and
never receive any pleasure or enjoyment.
Brains require cultivation to work. To be
educated and cultured there must be brain
work. College is the place for hard work.
College is the place of enlightenment in all
affairs and for the pleasures of life.
ARTIES: PLACE
“Service That Excels.”
Barbecue and Hot Dog
Shoppe.
625 Vz East 1st St.
CHARLOTTE, N. C.
THE ALEXANDER DUMAS
READING CIRCLE
J. T. Wilson, 29.
On the first and third Tuesday evenings
we ffn^ no more profitable way in which to
spend our time than by listening to some
interesting book review and discussing the
c.urrent news. We feel that we develop
ourselves in a quicker and more satisfac
tory way by sharing and combining our
ideas and opinions with those w'ho have
proceeded us and who evidently were far
our superiors. The Alexander Dumas
Reading Circle affords us this great privi
lege. This circle is composed only of upper
class men and theologs. At present we
have twenty-two members with the follow
ings newly elected staff:
W. D. Scales, president.
A. W. Waddell, Vice-President.
C. A. Evans, Secretary.
L. L. Blakeney, Assistant Secretary.
H. L. Marshall, Treasurer.
J. T. Wilson, Reporter.
The names of the members are as fol
lows:
W. W. Jones, E. L. James, J. A. Squire,
W. E. Belton, H. L Foster, J. 0. Scipio,
J. A. Jones, C. M. Thorpe, V. H. Chavis,
H. H. Brown, G. G. Lyerly, A. A. Jones,
C. H. White, R. L. Crater, J. H. Whiteman,
and Leon Steele.
.A.t the next meeting which will be Feb
ruary 21st the newly elected officers will be
installed. Mr. W. W. Jones, the founder
of the organization, will give the installa
tion address. The subject for discussion will
be the Life and Works of Alexander Du
mas.
LAMPADOS CLUB
By M. A. Hawkins, ’.30.
Now that we have had fully one semes
ter of association with each other and that
we have been working most assiduously
to create a close relation or rather, I should
say, continue, for the relation has always
been very noticeable between us, we begin
to feel the real significance of a brother
hood.
This very feeling is but a step nearer
and truly an earmark of realizing one
of our greatest aspirations which is that
of being transformed from a protege to a
real big hearted brother; for after all we
are but bundles of raw material in which
our bigger brothers have recognized the
innate potentialities of being converted into
a much finer and finished product, namely,
that of a true and tried sojourner on the
road to the Omega Kingdom and we are
doing our utmost to prove worthy of their
perception and interest.
While we have always been careful lest
we be misled into evil doings we are ex
tremely cautious on hearing a seemingly
ungesterious yet familiar whisper, when it
it? This very interrogative arouses and
lends encouragement to us to labor dili
gently in the conquest of knowledge, and,
too, creates a spirit of unsatisfaction within
us. so much so that we do not content our
selves with mediocre attainment in our aca
demic pursuits, but exhaust our greatest ef
fort to make a record for Lampados.
We wish to take occasion here to compli
ment the scrollers on their recent achieve
ment of upsetting the dope bucket and
winning from the Sphinx. We are won-
ear open to such a challenge.
AGENT FOR NEGRO PERIODICALS:
“The Crisis” Magazine, and “The Afro.
American.”
W. S. Brinkley, Room 38 Berry Hall.
Johnson C. Smith University.