SCHOMBURG NEGRO LIBRARY SOLD
Urban League Arranges to Make It Available to
Students.
-;At the- instance of the Na^
tional -Urban League, the sum
of 110,000 has been appropriate
ed by the Garhegie Corporation
New York to the New York
for the purchase
mar library.
matchless collection of Afro
are- exceedingly rare pamphlets,
■manuscripts, -autographs and
prints, represents the labors of
Arthur A, Schomburg over a pe
riod-of* thirty years, and offers
' for* the student of Negro life and
letters a rich storehouse of in
formation. A part of this col
* lection has been on exhibition
- at the 42nd Street Library
where it attracted wide-spread
interest, and another section of
ib including over 200 volumes on
* - Slavery, is a loan to the 135th
Street Branch of the Public Li
brary. In the collection are as
< -a base practically every impor
tant book written by or about
•. the Negro in America and an as
tonishing revelation of books on
the subject in French, German,
Assyrian, Latin and Spanish.
, One volume bears the date of
. 1550. There & a presentation
copy of the great Ludolfs His
tory of Abyssinia printed in
- 1691. There are the books of
such early Negro scholars and
poets as Gustavas Vassa, Jaco
bus Capitien. Paul Cuffe, Jupi
ter. Hammond. Juan Latino, Ig
natius Sancho, Prince Saunders,
. DeBaron Vastey, and Henry
... Sipkins; complete first editions
^iDimbar, speeches otErederick
Douglass and Absolom Jones,
more than 100 manuscript ser
mons and speeches of Alexander
Crummel, volumes from the
Sans Souci Press of Haiti, with
forty or more orders and memo
randa in the handwriting of
Toussaint L’Overture, bound vol
umes of all the Negro magazines,
past and present, from the An
glo-African to the present, a
complete memorandum record
of Ira Aldridge, the great Negro
tragedian, with programs, pos
ters and press comments on his
triumphs from all over the
world, rare prints and mezzo
tints, one of the most precious
of which is that by W. Ward of
the Chevelier St. George, fa
mous Negro composer and one
of the greatest fencers of Eu
rope, born in Martinque. Long
and patient search has drawn
these things into one repository.
The picture of Benjamin Ban
neker which appears in Wood
son's “The Negro in History” is
the result of a twelve year
In making this library avail
able for public use through the 1
medium of the New York Public
Library for the sum of ten '
thousand dollars, Mr. Schom
burg refused many private of
fers greatly in excess of that i
amount and the public is indebt
ed to him for his public-spirited (
dedication of his collection to
stimulate the aspirations of
young Negro literary talent as
weD as his determination to use 1
the funds received for his libra
ry in investigations and in ex
tensions of its usefulness. Mr. <
Schomburg’s desire is to have
this collection available for stu
dents of Negro life and those of
the Negro race who take pride
in the achievements of their tal- <
ented race members. The fol- 1
lowing is a part of the resolu
tion passed by the Trustees of i
the New York Public Library in
accepting the gift: <
“Resolved, That the collection
so purchased shall be known as
the Arthur A. Schomburg Col
lection of Negro Literature and 1
Art; that it shall be kept as a .
separate reference collection, to •
which additions may be made
from time to time; that the col
lection shall be deposited in such
library of the New York Public
Library system as shall seem
advisable for the purpose of
making the collection of the
greatest use to the interested
public; and that this collection^
shall form a part of the Refei:
'the
y, and
r__0__ Erections as to
its deposit shall remain for the
time being in the building of
the 186th Street.Branch, and be
it further, Resolved, That this
Board of Trustees, desiring the
advice and continued interest of
Mr. Schomburg and of others
who have been endeavoring to
make this collection available
for public use, hereby requests
the following persons to serve
on and to constitute an Advisory
Committee of the Arthur A.
Schomburg Collection, vacancies
occurring at any time in such
committee to be filled by the
Board of Trustees upon the
nomination of the surviving
members ot the committee.
L. Hollingsworth Wood
Arthur A. Schomburg
Henry G. Leach
Mrs Charles S. Brown, Jr.,
Engene "Kinckle Jones.
Charles S. Johnson, editor of
“Opportunity” magazine, con
ducted the negotiations between
the League and Mr. Schomburg,
and L. Hollingsworth Wood,
President of the National
League, made the appeal to .the
Carnegie Corporation.
ORGANIZED.
Important Educational Step
Taken by P. T. A. Leaders—
Mrs. H. R. Butler Made
President.
Atlanta, Ga., May 18.—The
National Congress of Colored
Parents and Teachers was or
ganized in this city on May 7th,
by delegates representing the
States of Georgia, Florida, Ala
bama and Delaware. The or
ganization was effected by Mrs.
A. H. Reeves, President of the
white National Congress of Par
ents and Teachers, who had
joined with Mrs .H. R. Butler,
President of the Georgia Colored
Parent-Teacher Association, in
jailing the meeting for this pur
pose. The form of organization
and program worked out by the
white National Congress during
Its thirty years of existence were
adopted by the new organiza
tion.
Mrs. Reeves and otner repre
sentatives of the white National
Congress expressed their great
pleasure at the creation of this
parallel organization which, for
some years they had been seek
ing, and pledged to it the fullest
sympathy and cooperation. Mrs.
Reeve predicted that the new
>rganization would meet a long
felt need and would grow at a
rapid rate.
The following officers were
sleeted: President, Mrs. H. R.
Butler, Atlanta; First Vice
President, Mrs. M. W. Blocker,
lacksonville, Fla.; Second Vice
President, Mrs. H. D. Davidson,
3entreville, Ala.; Fourth Vice
Prtesident, Mrs. H. M. Reeves,
Albany, Ga.; Fifth Vice-Presi
lent, Prof. E. E. Butler, Macon,
3a.; Sixth Vice-President, Mrs.
E. V. Baker, Jacksonville, Fla.;
Seventh Vice-President, Mrs. P.
L. Smith, Savannah, Ga.; Re
cording Secretary, -Mrs. _S. F.
Brown, Newnan, Ga.; Corre
sponding Secretary, Miss M. E.
Foster, Montgomery, Ala.;
rreasurer, Mrs. Willie Daniels,
Atlanta, Ga.; and Historian, Miss
3. H. Lee, Savannah, Ga.
One of the first actions taken
yy the new National Congress
nras the sending of a telegram
to Mr. and Mrs. Julian Harris,
of the Columbus Enqjiirer-Sun,'
expressing appreciation of their
crusade for interracial justice
and congratulating them on be*
ing awarded the Pulitzer gold
medal for the most distin
guished service rendered by any
American newspaper last year.
LEGAL ISSUES INVOLVED
-IN ANTI-LYNCHING LEG-*
ISLATION.
Washington, May 22.
the unsavory record of 3,559
iynchings in the United Stated
during the past 36 years, the
American people, through their
legislative department of gov
ernment, are struggling to es
tablish legal means whereby the
lives of all citizens may be given
the equal protection of law, and
through which, when life arid
law have been outraged, punish,
ment may be meted out, in ac
cordance with American jurtef
prudence, to those who are guil-j
ty of the crme of lynching *■\
The Dyer, the McKinley, add;
the Berger bills are ample proof*
that the American people
ashamed of their country's
lynching record; yet, two
these bills have already
the inevitable scrutiny - of -l
adamant law; and the third,
it is to gain any headway,
also face the rigid inspection
the Federal and State statutes
of the United States.
The platform upon which
every American citizen may, in
times of dire distress, rightful
ly, legally, and justly expect the
aid, comfort and protection of
the nondiscrimmatory laws of,
Federal and State gverament
is clearly found in the
lat he is a cl
the United States and of the
State in which he resides.
For this reason, he is respon
sible to both governments, and
each sovereign government,
both State and Federal, in turn,
owes to him the equal protection
of the law. No States’ rights
in the country, no matter how
strongly they may be urged by
the legislative and judicial de
partments of that sovereign
power, can rightfully be estab
lished and practiced to the prej
udice of a citizen’s status as a
component part of the Federal
Commonwealth’s populace. Fur
thermore the United States Con
stitution clearly states that Con
gress shall have the power to
enforce certain precepts of the
Federal Constitution; and that
no increment part of any State
Constitution shall be in conflict
with its parent document, the
United States Constitution.
Yet, this same historic docu
ment preserves unto the States
their police power, i. e., their
right to regulate public heatlh,
public morals, and public safety;
and expressly states that such
powers as it does not reserve un
to the Federal Government are
impliedly delegated to the
States, to supplement the right
of those sovereign entities to ad
monish, control, proteot, and
punish their own private citi
zens.
uonsequenuy, wnenever auu
lynching legislation is intro*
duced in the United States Con
gress, the troublesome question
of legal jurisdiction arises be
tween the proponents and oppo
nents of increased Federal su
pervision in matters affecting
citizens, who are amenable to
the United States as a whole
and to the States in which they
reside, with the result that but
little headway has been made in
creating public sentiment which,
laying aside all considerations,
will establish, in theory and
practice, the fact that a man's
life is sacred wherever it may
be; that it is to a great degree
immaterial as to what means
are used to give to all the pro
tection to which, under the law,
it is netitled; and that those
who defy both the State and
Federal commonwealths by
down defenseless beings
disregard of the divine and
written precepts, nondis
linatorily applicable to sill
ican citizens, must be
ie to stand accountable Ka
the bar of Americ
It State or Federal.
mount issues wmuu
American people must solve,
less of the legal techni
ities and Cowardice, behind
ch every mob is now supine
abiding^
IAN LEAGUE PRESENTS
CAUSE OF RACE TO IM
MENSE CROWD
On Wednesday evening, May
.9th, a distinguished audience
f white and colored people filled
wn Hall to capacity to hear
he “New Negro Tell His Sto
iry.” The occasion was the open
ing of the drive tp secure an Ur
League’s Sustaining Fund
60,000assure the run
expenses of the New York,
iklyn and National Urban
Leagues for three years. Un
doubtedly, if was one of the
most brilliant inter-racial gath
erings ever witnessed in Greater
New York. With L. Hollings
worth Wood, President of the
National .Urban League, presid
ing, there were addresses by
Charles S. Johnson, Editor of
“Opportunity” Magazine; John
E. Nail, Harlem Real Estate op
erator and Mrs. Elise McDou
gald, Assistant Principal of Pub
lic School No. 89. Eugene Kinc
kle Jones, Executive Secretary
of the National Urban League,
■gave a brief review of the as
inniflliinflr gmfftl) and ©fftective
ness of the League’s work. The
Rev. Henry Hugh Proctor, re
cently elected Moderator of the
New York Association of Con
gregational Churhes, discussed
the function of the Negro church
in relation to social service
among Negroes. Coming down
from Harvard University, es
pecially for this meeting,
Countee Cullen read from
“Color,” and otherwise delight
ed the audience. The Harmonic
Quartette,through the courtesy
of J. Rosamond Johnson, Mrs.
Charlotte Wallace Murray and
C. Carroll Clark, accompanied by
Miss Beatrice Lewis, sang Ne
gro spirituals. Lloyd Garrison,
great grandson of William Lloyd
Garrison and Treasurer of the
National Urban League, spoke
of the fiscal problems confront
ing the League and pleaded for
racial justice.
The climax of the evening
came, however, when a letter
from Casper Holstein, the donor
of the $1,000 awards in “Oppor
tunity’s” recent literary Prize
Contest, was read, in which
there was a check for $500, mak
ing a total of $1,000 Mr. Hol
stein, a colored man, has given
so far to the Urban League’s
three years’ sustaining fund.
5 fir his letter to Mr. Jones Mr.
Holstein Said, “I intended to be
present at the meeting tonight
but unfortunately I cannot do
so.
“But I am so vitally interested
in the efforts the Urban League
is making for funds with which
to conduct and solidify its work
lor the next three years that I
cannot withhold the impulse to
send you another check for five
hundred dollars ($500.00),
merely as an expression of what
I, as an humble member of the
Negro race, deem to be my duty,
With the hope that it will en
courage other Negroes to real
ize their responsibility to the
Urban League.’’
A CARD
Rev. and Mrs. J. B; Francis
extend their appreciation for
the kindness and sympathy that
were extended them during the
illness and death of their little
daughter, Ruth, April 30,1926.
SCOTIA CHAPTER ORGAN
IZED AT WILSON.
On the 9th of April, 14 older
Scotia girls met at the home of
Mrs. Sarah Dortch Hines at 609
3reene Street, and organized a
Scotia Chapter, named the Mary
Chapman Chapter, in honor of
Kiss Mary Chapman who so
long and faithfully served in
Scotia, and who is dearly loved
>y every Scotia girl far and
vide.
At that meeting the main
features were organization and
;he outlining of a general plan.
The officers elected were as
Allows:
President, Mrs. Annie Wash
ngton Vick.
Vice-President, Mrs. Minnie
rones George.
Secretary, Miss Marie R. Per
ion.
Assistant Secretary, Miss Su
jie Whitley.
Treasurer, Mrs. Sarah Dortch
Sines.
It was decided that the chap
ter meet four times each year.
Die first meeting: was set for
May 12, so as to have a full
meeting before the grirls left for
the summer.
Accoringly, on the afternoon
of May 12, a full meeting was
held at the home of Mrs. Annie
Washington Vick, our Presi
dent. The house was beautifully
decorated with lovely Spring
flowers, and the Scotia colors,
blue and gray, hung in garlands
everywhere. Five cars brought
the out-of-town members from
Goldsboro, Tarboro and Rocky
Mount.
Each girl was welcomed with
a “Who are You?” card as she
entered the parlor, and she put
her maiden name oif +he card
and pinned it on so that every
one could be introduced by look
ing at her card.
The programme was as fol
lows:
Opening song, “Scotia Love
Song,” full chorus with Miss
Margaret Adams at the piano.
Remarks by the President,
Mrs. A. W. Vick.
Prayer by Mrs. M. B.George.
Enrollment of members and
there were 10 new members to
join. Next was the roll call at
which each member responded
with a dollar for alumnae fee.
Twenty-four dollars were
raised. This was followed by
the minutes of the last meeting
and a report on the constitution
by the chairman of th6 commit
tee, Mrs. Bessie Dortch Hatch
er. The chapter extended a vote
of thanks to the committee for
the splendid purpose of the
chapter, which was to foster the
memory of our beloved institu
tion, to arouse interest among
its daughters, and to secure
systematic contributions for our
institution.
Three vocal solos were ren
dered by girls from Goldsboro
followed by a round table talk of
the aims of the chapter for next
year. One hundred dollars is
the financial goal, which we hope
to reach. This is to be used for
something definite for the
school. In addition each mem
ber pledged to send her alumnae
fee each year.
“I Honor Thee, Scotia” was
sung and all repaired to the
dining room where they partook
of delicious refreshments con
sisting of punch, chicken salad,
and pineapple delight. A few o*
the guests entertained them
selves by much talk and watch
ing ice being made by the elec
trical frigidare in our hostess'
dining room.
Those present were Misses
Margaret Adams, Virginia Fai
son, Lurean Barnes, Roberts
Battle, Marie Person, Susie Fau
cette, Roberta Hogan, Charity
Hatcher, Susie Whitley, Corf
Hatcher, Pocahontas Newell
Hilda Thompson, Severens
Mitchell, Mesdames Sara!
Dortch Hines, Bettie Offord Du
bisette, Annie Wasington Vick
tt ii* v« ,, ,
Hattie Whitlev Hnlidav Bim
AMbuu vw nuuuiijr> JOiiiUft
Fanner Hooker, Minnie Jones
George, Maude Dillard Williams,
Sophie Dawson Artis, Emm*
Lewis Gover, Mildred Cobb Bos
tic, Bessie Dortch Hatcher, Mat
tie Malray Arrington. < ?
Several of the husbap|s en
joyed the refreshments with the
Chapter, and one expressed the
sentiment of all when he said in,
leaving, “Haven’t we girls had
a good time?”
MRS. MINNIE J. GEORGE.
April 25th, our pastor, Dr. E.
I. Gregg, began a series of ser
mons on the Ten Command,
ments. His text was Exodus
20:3: “Thou shalt have no oth
er gods before me.” The subject
was “The Ten Commandments
in Modem Life.”
May 2nd we listened to the
second sermon from Ex. 20:16
and St. John 4:20; “God it a
spirit and they that worship him
must worship him inspirit and
in truth.” W
The second commandment- is
to declare the true manner of
worship. God wanta to teach
us how to worship. Tnafee is
nothing more important than
our worship. God must he wor
shipped in spirit and in truth.
Sunday, May 9th, being Moth
er’s Day, the church was beam
tifully decorated with white and
red carnations in honor of the
dear mothers.
Our pastor; Dr. E. J. Gregg,
delivered a 'tffery impressive ser
mon from Exodus 20:12 on the
fifth commandment, “Honor thy
fatherandthy mother-thatihy
days may be long upon the land
which the Lord thy God giveth
thee.” •• '•
Many strong points were
brought out concerning the im
portance of celebrating Moth
er’s Day. The observance of
Mother’s Day was not to convey
the idea that the father waa of
less importance, but the influ
ence of the mother is stronger
and her sacrifice greater.
There are two types of moth
erhood, namely, physical mother
hood and soul-motherhood. The
fact was emphasized that some
of the greatest mothers that
have lived were childless. A
number of illustrations were
given to bear out this truth. In
the class of soul mothers the
Sunday school teachers are
placed, especially the primary
teacher. Many good mothers
have spent most of ^ their time
in this noble work of’child train
ing. The greatest tribute that
can be paid to mother is that of
appreciation.
Three new members have been
added to the church recently—
one on profession of faith, the
there by letter.
Sunday evening at 8 o’clock
the girls’ Hi-Y of Stanton ren
dered an excellent program on
Mother’s Day. Lawyer Perkins
delivered a very timely and ap
propriate address on “Mother.”
He said the three most impor
tant words in our language are
Mother, Home and Heaven.
Mrs. Carrie White* who has
been ill for several weeks, is out
again and at her post of duty,
to the delight of her many
friends.
The funeral services of the
late Mr. William Smith were
held Sunday* April 25, at 2 P.
M. Dr. E. J. Gregg, the pastor,
officiated, assisted by- Dr. J. S.
Ford, of Bethel Baptist church.
Mr. Smith was born in 1872
in Atlanta, Ga. He attended Bid
dle (now Johnson C. Smith Uni
versity) in 1889. Owing to the
death of his father he had to
give up school. He entered the
railroad service which brought
him to Jacksonville. He united
with the Laura Street Presbyte
rian church. He was made an
(Continued on page 4)