BRARY 
 
 VERS1TY OP 
 
 M.IFORNIA 
 
 University of California Berkeley 
 
JdlTJtll 
 
 REV. E. R. CARTER. 
 
THE 
 
 BLACK SIDE 
 
 A PARTIAL HISTORY OF THE BUSINESS, RELIGIOUS 
 
 AND EDUCATIONAL SIDE OF THE NEGRO 
 
 IN ATLANTA, GA. 
 
 BY 
 
 REV. E. R. CARTER, 
 
 Author of "Our Pulpit Illustrated" "Descriptive 
 Scenes of Europe and the Orient." 
 
 ATLANTA, GA. 
 
 1894. 
 
LOAN STACK 
 
ftf. 
 
 CI7 
 
 I MY 
 
 PREFACE. 
 
 This Book comes to the public from one who has the 
 care of a large pastorate, busy studying and praying in 
 order to find how he may best serve his flock; it comes 
 to a people who are not all prepared to appreciate a work 
 of this kind from one of their own race. 
 
 The Negro, it seems to the author, is not yet ready to 
 encourage its men of a historical and literary turn of 
 mind not even those who are in advance of the common 
 people. I have often thought if I was anything else 
 but of the race I am, I might, perhaps, be something and 
 be able to do and also make somebody else something, 
 but as it is, I am doubtful. Yet I feel encouraged 
 enough not to despair, but to push forward under God's 
 help with hope to become something and to yet make 
 my people something. It is universally conceded that 
 my people have accomplished what no other race in the' 
 world ever accomplished in so short a time, and notwith- 
 standing I am not so flushed with what we have accom- 
 plished to forget the fact that we have not as yet more 
 than got our foot on the bottom round of the ladder, 
 whose top leads to all that a race must possess to be 
 classed with the races who passed through centuries to 
 lay their hands on the top round. 
 
 Generations must come and go before this can be 
 done. It took five hundred years to make a Jew in the 
 days of Abraham, eight hundred years to make a Roman 
 in Cicero's time, and one thousand years to make an 
 Englishman. We have done well for the time we have 
 
IV PREFACE. 
 
 had, but not well enough. To stop and take time to 
 argue about what we have done, is like a little boy 
 boasting of his manly acts before he has hardly com- 
 menced in life, so we may by so doing spoil all we have 
 done. Yet we may, as we go, on 'speak of what we have 
 done for our own encouragement and inspiration of those 
 who are to follow in our footprints. 
 
 The Black Side will be one of the factors in solving 
 the great Negro problem. 
 
 These beautiful, cultured faces, either in the school of 
 experience or letters, will do much in advancing a step 
 farther in finding the answer in the great problem. 
 
 This book represents men, young and old, who have 
 come to the front in life with everything to discourage 
 them, no lucrative position to inspire them, nothing to 
 encourage ^ save the natural ability being an impetus to 
 their successful business tact which the God of Nature 
 has abundantly crowned the Negro with. 
 
 It is hoped that this book will do much when it is read 
 to give a great impetus to the younger ones. 
 
 This wish is the inmost throbbing of the Author's life. 
 
INTRODUCTORY. 
 
 BY BISHOP H. M. TURNER, D.D., LL.D. 
 
 " To everything there is a season and a time to every 
 purpose under the heaven," says the wise King of Israel. 
 He further says : " I have seen the travail, which God 
 hath given to the sons of men to be exercised in it." 
 Recognizing the truth of these divine declarations, this is 
 evidently the time and the season for so much of the 
 Hamitic races as includes the Negro, to take their place 
 among the literary men of the present age, and rapidly 
 are they doing so. Year after year additions to our 
 libraries are made by the productions of this cold-shoul- 
 dered and undervalued race. 
 
 A few years ago it was argued by the contemners of 
 the Negro that he was not only degraded, non-intellectual, 
 but created an inferior race by that God who is no re- 
 specter of persons, and as such was destitute of a knowl- 
 edge of governmental institutions, and could not compre- 
 hend the subtilties of any system of philosophy. Another 
 charge that has repeatedly been alleged, was that he 
 either had no history or had been too incompetent to pre- 
 serve it. This allegation is false and ever has been, as 
 all ancient history abounds with the genius, skill, bravery, 
 adventure and enterprise of the Hamitic races; and the 
 same has been preserved, not only in recorded annals, 
 but in granite shafts and heaven-towering spires. The 
 man, or men, who make such assertions, advertise their 
 ignorance of history upon the one hand, or proclaim their 
 disregard of truth upon the other. 
 
VI INTRODUCTORY. 
 
 Who built the pyramids of Egypt ? Who embalmed 
 the dead heroes that have defied the tooth of time for 
 four thousand years ? Who founded and organized the 
 first civil governments ? Who built the first floating 
 crafts and spread their sails to the breeze ? Who 'first 
 carved wood and chiseled stone ? What people insti- 
 tuted military protection, and marshalled men by thous- 
 ands to the defense of their country ? Who first de- 
 signed the hieroglyphics and made them the symbols of 
 thought and expression ? Who gave Greece that alpha- 
 bet which enabled Homer to write his world-famed 
 Iliad ? Echo answers, Who ? 
 
 Read the historic lore of ages, and the footprints and 
 finger-marks of the sons of Ham will tell the inquiring 
 student who. But let us admit that the Negro was a 
 degraded being during the days of our enthrallment and 
 forced dehumanized condition. Is it anv marvel ? Was 
 
 * 
 
 not every form of our environment degraded ? Were 
 we not brought up under a degraded people ? Were 
 not the whites, to whom we belonged, equally degraded, 
 and did they not close the doors of every avenue that 
 looked toward our elevation ? But why pause to discuss 
 that phase of this doleful subject ? Thank God, the 
 Negro has outlived them all, and our duty now is to look 
 to the future. While we may not entirely forget the 
 past, we may remember it only as an incentive to achieve 
 grander results in the progressive hereafter. 
 
 That other falsehood also, that the Negro can only 
 attain to certain limited conditions, is equally defunct. 
 He can, and will, do what any other people can. 
 
 Hinton R. Helper, of South Carolina, says, in his works on 
 " Negroism," that only from the fair Caucasian race can 
 statesmen, orators, poets, philosophers, historians, law- 
 yers, physicians, merchants and editors be obtained, to 
 say nothing of great authors, logical ministers of the 
 
INTRODUCTORY. VII 
 
 gospel, manufacturers, adventurers, etc. Let us, how- 
 ever, see. From Mr. Helper's own State we have the 
 world-renowned Bishop D. A. Payne, D.D., LL.D. ; the 
 celebrated Robert Smalls ; the learned F. L. Cardoza; 
 the mathematical professor, J. W. Morris, A.M., LL.B., 
 the national famed Robert B. Elliott, and eloquent 
 Richard H. Cain, both of whom held the United 
 States Congress spellbound; the fluent yet learned Rev. 
 Frank J. Grimkee, D.D.; the massive-brained Elder A. 
 T. Carr, whose granite shaft in Charleston's cemetery 
 vies with John C. Calhoun's; and the universally -known 
 and ever to be lamented W. J. Simmons, D.D., LL.D., 
 and the able physician, J. J. Durham, A.M., M.D. 
 
 This catalogue takes in but a small number of the 
 black celebrities of South Carolina, but it suffices to con- 
 trovert his own position, whether set forth ignorantly or 
 intentionally. And, if we will step ontside of the little 
 State above mentioned, and glance over a few pages rep- 
 resenting the present and the past, what an array of 
 Negro talent confronts us ! Will any one dare to say that 
 Toussaint L'Overture, in point of actual generalship, 
 was not the peer of Bonaparte, Wellington or Washing- 
 ton, and with the same resources to draw from would 
 not have been more famous than any one of them ? 
 
 Shall we pause to recount the mathematical prodigies 
 of Benjamin Banneker, who brought President Jefferson 
 to his feet, or Phillis Wheatley, whose poetic genius won 
 the admiration of the cultured men and women of Amer- 
 ica and Europe ? May we not well lift our hats at the 
 name-shrine of Dr. Garnett, Samuel Ward, Dr. McCune 
 Smith, the elder Downing, Dr. Bias, Lewis Woodson, 
 Rev. Andrew Marshall, who lived to the age of a hun- 
 dred and four years, Major Martin R. Delaney, Captain 
 Small, to say nothing of Douglass, Wears and a long list 
 of living lights, whose splendor-blaze eclipses the flicker 
 
VIII INTRODUCTORY. 
 
 ing lights of our race beraters and would-be contemners ? 
 But still they come; slowly, yet surely, the years are 
 giving us a retinue of lights, whose effulgence enters 
 into our homes and is bidding our ignorance, vice and 
 immorality disappear. This is a glorious age in some 
 respects, in which the Negro is living, notwithstanding 
 the reign of barbarism that has been inaugurated by 
 white mobs, lynchers and incarnate fiends, who are 
 putting to death from a thousand to fifteen hundred of 
 us without judge or jury, here in the midst of schools 
 and churches, every year. But the God of the Negro 
 still lives and holds the store of his vengeance, and will 
 mete out retribution sooner or later if he will only be 
 true to himself and stand guiltless before the bar of an 
 enlightened conscience. The time is ripe for the Negro 
 to fight his own battles, seek his own fame, achieve his 
 own greatness and immortalize his own name. Let the 
 young men, who may read these pages, remember that 
 their fathers are growing old, and the mothers of the 
 young ladies are doing the same, and prepare to supply 
 their places and radiate a moral luster that will redound 
 to the good of our race. 
 
 Greatness has no color; learning is neither white nor 
 black. There is no such thing as colored intelligence, 
 white intelligence or black intelligence. There is no 
 such being as a white God; God is neither white nor 
 black. There is no such place as a white heaven, where 
 every angel, cherub and seraph is white. If there were, 
 it would be a dull, monotonous place. Heaven, with its 
 population, is as variegated in its color as the flowers of 
 the forest, or as the stars in the sky. 
 
 The one great want of the Negro race is men learned 
 in all the sciences, philosophies and professions of civili- 
 zation and an unadulterated C'hristianity. We need great 
 poets to write hymns in harmony with our color, and not 
 
RESIDENCE OP ALFRED NASH. 
 
INTKODUCTOKY. IX 
 
 cherish the idea that God must pull off our black skin 
 before we can pass through the pearly gates into the 
 New Jerusalem. 
 
 Rev. E. R. Carter, the author of the book to 
 which this is an introduction, is grandly contributing his 
 part in the promotion and general advancement of our 
 race. As a preacher of the gospel, he has few equals; 
 as a temperance lecturer, he has no superior; as a trav- 
 eler and explorer, he has been to the summit of Calvary, 
 where the Son of God expiated for the sin of the world. 
 He has inspected the Egyptian pyramid with his own keen 
 and observant eye, as well as rolled in the salif erous waters 
 of the Dead Sea. He has given the public a book of near 
 three hundred pages entitled Our Pulpit Illustrated, in which 
 can be found the profile, not only of a large number of emi- 
 nent colored divines and gentlemen of his own colored 
 denomination, but of Methodists, Presbyterians and others 
 of worth and merit. No young minister in the State of 
 Georgia is more industrious, more venturesome, more 
 popular, more forethoughted and more studious than he. 
 While largely self-made, he will, in a few years, if he 
 continues in his noble work, wear every title of distinc- 
 tion which the college can confer, and go down to his 
 grave beloved, honored and wept for. I bespeak for 
 this inimitable production a wide sale, thorough and prof- 
 itable reading, not only by the members of our race on 
 this side of the broad Atlantic, but on the fertile plains 
 and golden sands of the sunlit landscape of Africa, where 
 in the fullness of time, the sons and daughters of our race 
 will achieve wonders in every department of civilization 
 and Christianity that will be spoken of from pole to pole. 
 Africa, the future home of her goaded and oppressed 
 children, where they shall stand out in the grandeur of 
 their individuality, and men like Brother Carter will have 
 their names woven in prose and song. 
 
fHE BLACK SIDE. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 THE HISTORY OF THE BLACK SIDE OF ATLANTA. 
 
 In beginning the history of the Black Side, or the 
 Afro-American, in this the beautiful, enterprising city of 
 Atlanta, because of the unfriendly relations existing be- 
 tween most of the whites and blacks, and because of the 
 continual effort to debar and prevent the Brother in Black 
 from entering into any lucrative business, I am inclined 
 to use the words of the Apostle Paul: "For here we 
 have no continued city, but seek one to come." 
 
 This condition of affairs causes a feeling of unrest and 
 everlasting perturbation, which unsettles all permanent 
 thought and action, and we wonder what will be the re- 
 sult or outcome of such a state of affairs? 
 
 Notwithstanding the effort to close every avenue which 
 leads to trade-learning against the negro, the Black Side 
 of this city has surmounted obstacles, leaped over im- 
 pediments, gone ahead, purchased the soil, erected houses 
 of business and reared dwellings, which show architec- 
 tural skill and taste, and, as Mr. Crumbly says, if given 
 a white man's chance and let alone, will accomplish what 
 any other race has accomplished or can accomplish. By 
 the above assertions we would not have our readers be- 
 lieve that we think ourselves utterly friendless in our 
 sojourn here, for there are among us white brothers who 
 will do us any favor or show us unlimited courtesy; yet 
 Southern custom and public sentiment clasp these in fet- 
 ters so binding that they are hindered from carrying to 
 
12 THE BLACK SIDE. 
 
 any great extent these higher feelings, however hard 
 they may strive to do so. In giving the history of the 
 Black Side in this city, which will include also some 
 prominent features of the Black Side out of the city, I 
 am obliged to go out into this field as did Ruth into the 
 field of Boaz, with the little handful which I have gleaned 
 from the acts and doings of that small number of the 
 colored people, which helped to form this now great city 
 in its infancy. It has been said that diligence and ac- 
 curacy are the only merits which a historic writer may 
 ascribe to himself. I have spared neither care or pains 
 to secure the facts as to the Black Side of this city. 
 
 I would not say that the work is without error; to as- 
 sert such would be the grossest egotism. In presenting 
 to the public the facts as to the history of the negroes 
 here, I give in connection herewith a brief sketch of the 
 oldest living Afro- American in this city, viz: Andrew 
 Montgomery. Allow me to add that he it is who fur- 
 nishes the information concerning the history of the early 
 days of Atlanta. 
 
 Like many others of his race, he lived during the 
 dark days of slavery, and bore the cruel treatment char- 
 acteristic of those days, and having lived his four score 
 years and more, he is still here to relate to the younger 
 generation the history of the early days of Atlanta. 
 
 Andrew Montgomery was born at Buck Creek, Jack- 
 son county, Georgia, in the year of our Lord, 1808. He 
 passed through all the vicissitudes of slavery life, had 
 several owners, from whom he received both kind and 
 cruel treatment. When quite young he became converted, 
 and ever afterward lived a devout Christian. 
 
 At quite an early age he came to this city, then called 
 Terminus. At this time there were not more than fifty 
 colored persons here, and of that number only two were 
 
THE BLACK SIDE. 13 
 
 not slaves. These were Mary Combs and Ransom 
 Montgomery. 
 
 Mary Combs was the first colored person to own 
 property in this city. Her property occupied the place 
 where Wheat street meets Peachtree street. This prop- 
 erty she sold, and with the proceeds purchased her hus- 
 band. 
 
 Ransom Montgomery, who was a brother to Andrew 
 Montgomery, was the second person of color who pos- 
 sessed a share in Atlanta's soil. He obtained his free- 
 dom by a noble act of his life. This act was the saving 
 of the lives of more than one hundred passengers during 
 the burning of the bridge over the Chattahoochee river 
 while a passenger train was crossing it. By this act the 
 State of Georgia unloosed the chains of slavery which 
 bound Ransom, made him a free man, and gave him all 
 that land lying near and around the Macon round-house 
 and along where the Milner spring used to be. 
 
 There were others here who owned property. Bob 
 Webster, better known as Bob Yancy, Dougherty Hutch- 
 ins and Jacob Nelson. Several others, of whom we 
 shall speak farther on, and who became prominent in the 
 legislature of Georgia, came after the above named per- 
 sons in having a share of Terminus. Every age has its 
 great men, and these, of whom we have just spoken, 
 were considered as such, esteemed and held in high re- 
 spect by their own race, as well as by members of the 
 white race. Although not able in those early d;iys to 
 exhibit patriotism for their brothers in black, when the 
 days of slavery were no more these rendered great ser- 
 vice to their people and became their leaders. 
 
14 THE BLACK SIDE. 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 MAKTHASV1LLE. 
 
 The population of Terminus increased gradually until 
 1843, when it was able to boast of about ten white fami- 
 lies. Now it was that the inhabitants became ambitious 
 for a corporate name and charter. Application was 
 made to the legislature for a charter which was granted, 
 and the village was christened under the name of Mar- 
 thasville, in honor of the daughter of ex-Governor Wilson 
 Lumpkin, who at that time held the reins of State power 
 in his hands. 
 
 At this time the Hamitic population of Marthasville 
 was quite small, for not all of the ten white families were 
 able to hold slaves, and very minute was the number of 
 free men among the sons of Ham. Nothing noteworthy 
 concerning them transpired to mark their existence in 
 the village of Marthasville till the establishing of the first 
 colored church. That came about in this way. During 
 the days of Terminus the whites and blacks worshipped 
 in the same house, the whites using it on mornings and 
 allowing the negroes to use it in the afternoons, requiring 
 them to use portions of scriptures as refer to passages 
 like, servants obey your masters, etc. Or, to use 
 Father Montgomery's words, " The negroes had to 
 consider themselves the shoe soles and the whites the 
 upper leather." But finally, there chanced to pass by 
 one who proclaimed the Word as found in Christ Jesus, 
 regardless of one's feelings. This enraged the whites, 
 who refused the negroes privilege to hold services in 
 their church house again. So Father Montgomery, of 
 whom we have already spoken, called together a num- 
 ber of the brethren to devise means by which to estab- 
 lish a place of worship. This number consisted of Nelus 
 
THE BLACK SIDE. 15 
 
 Murphy, Henry Strickland, Vine Ware, Sam Fisher and 
 Father Montgomery himself. These constituted the 
 Board of Trustees whose business it was to obtain 
 ground on which to erect a house of worship. The 
 smallest sum for which land could then be purchased was 
 seventy dollars and on to one hundred. 4 
 
 Father Montgomery called upon Colonel L. P. Grant 
 who gave him a portion of land. Major Terry selected 
 a suitable site, on what is now Jenkins Street, for the 
 building which was soon erected thereupon. This house 
 stood till destroyed by the Federals. 
 
 The land was then taken from the Negroes but by order 
 of Colonel Grant was returned to them, He then gave 
 deeds for the same, and finally this site was sold and a 
 more desirable one on Wheat Street was purchased, 
 and upon it was erected another house of worship . To 
 this was given the name, Old Bethel, and from it the 
 present church derived its name, Bethel Church. Thus 
 was established the first colored church in Marthasville, 
 and it was Methodist. 
 
 The chief events of this period were namely, the ap- 
 pearance of the Luminary, the first newspaper, and the 
 completion of the entire line of the Georgia Railroad, the 
 first train running through from Augusta to Marthasville 
 September 15, 1845, arriving about dark. 
 
 In 1846 Marthasville could boast of another railroad. 
 This was the Macon and Western Railroad, which had 
 just been completed. 
 
 After the entering of the railroad things in Marthas- 
 ville took a turn. The villagers were buoyed up by 
 these events, and feeling themselves " too great " for a 
 village incorporation, made an effort to obtain a charter 
 for a city. The first attempt failed, but the second was 
 a success. 
 
 Thus after a life of five years the village gave up the 
 title of Marthasville and received instead that of Atlanta. 
 
16. THE BLACK SIDE. 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 ATLANTA. 
 
 The name, Atlanta was suggested, through a letter to 
 Mr. Richard Peters, by Mr. Edgar Thompson, as a more 
 suitable one for the terminus of the Western and Atlantic 
 Railroad. Thus, in 1847 the Legislature of Georgia 
 legalized the name and change, so that, as Marthasville, 
 Atlanta existed. 
 
 Now in the year 1848, Atlanta numbered about five 
 hundred souls. This population consisted chiefly of work- 
 ing men employed by the various railroads. There 
 were continual new developments in the city of Atlanta, 
 but as nothing of importance concerning the Black Side 
 occurred, we pass on to Atlanta during the war. 
 
 This period cannot be truly described, except by him 
 who had the opportunity to witness the scenes thereof 
 himself. 
 
 The writer was a small slave who then lived at 
 Athens, Ga., but r<> ot so far away that he could not hear the 
 continual report of cannon and gun, the sounds of which, 
 echoing and reverberating, traversed the distance from 
 this city, where a mighty struggle was going on, to the 
 place of his abode; and often in the still hours of night 
 could be heard those terrific roarings as of muttering 
 thunder. 
 
 Under the flying shells which sent down torrents of fire, 
 as in the days of Sodom, houses were consumed, and the 
 inmates were forced to take refuge in holes or caves and 
 flee to the woods for protection. Many, in fleeing, were 
 seriously injured, while others, from the strokes of shells, 
 lay bleeding and dying. This was a sad picture, a pitiable 
 scene! The loss on the white side was great. 
 
REV. JAMES TATE. 
 
SAMUEL FREEMAN. 
 
THE BLACK SIDE. 17 
 
 Only a few blacks suffered loss of property, for not as 
 yet were their possessions much in real estate. 
 
 In fact, this struggle was more of gain than loss to the 
 black side ; for the shells of General Sherman were the 
 strokes of the hammer of liberty, unfastening the fetters 
 of the accursed and inhuman institution of slavery! 
 
 These strokes were joy to the " Brother in Black." 
 Yes, they rejoiced when they saw the Confederate flag 
 fall like Lucifer and trail in the dust, and in its stead the 
 Union flag floating in the breeze, publishing to the nations 
 that the diabolical temple of traffic in human blood had 
 been overthrown and buried in everlasting oblivion, and 
 the temple of the Goddess of Liberty had arisen. 
 
 Yes, they cried for joy ; 
 It from the slave's eye did beam ; 
 His heart o'erflowed with ecstasy 
 That was not all a dream ! 
 The cries of the long enslaved, 
 "We are free, we are free ! 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 ATLANTA AFTER THE WAR. 
 
 In 1867,, by order of General Pope, the Constitutional 
 Convention met in the city of Atlanta for the purpose 
 of revising the Constitution of the State of Georgia, 
 and reconstructing the political affairs concerning the 
 government generally. And be it said to the honor of 
 the Black Side, that the majority who composed that 
 Convention were some of the noblest and most patriotic of 
 th'.i sons of Ham. This meeting brought about fiery, 
 bitter speeches from both sides, which made this period 
 almost as dangerous as any preceding it. This is a chap- 
 ter in the history of the metropolis of the South equally 
 
18 THE BLACK SIDE. 
 
 as difficult to narrate, especially when referring to the 
 feeling which existed between the two races. 
 
 It was, however, the year of jubilee for the Black 
 Side. Nearly all public affairs were under their control, 
 or that of the party to which they belonged. In the 
 same year of the reconstruction, Rufus B. Bullock was 
 elected Governor of Georgia. Hence, the Governor, 
 Speaker of the House and Representatives were all sup- 
 porters of the principles and party of the Black Side. 
 
 All over the State, as well as at Atlanta, began the 
 organization of leagues, which were for the purpose of 
 inspiring and encouraging the Republican party in this 
 State. 
 
 This league trumpet could have been heard from the 
 mountains to the seaboard. The reinforcement of their 
 energies and power was the backbone and the life-giving 
 power of the Republican party. In Atlanta could be seen 
 the sable sons of Ham, who a few days previous, handled 
 a plow, saw, shovel or pick, crowding into the Legisla- 
 ture and Senate Hall, for the purpose of making laws 
 for the government of their former owners. In nearly 
 every seat in the old capitol hall were seated the ebony- 
 faced men, once slaves, now free men and statesmen. 
 There sat H. M. Turner, now D.D., LL.D., U. L. 
 Houston, Madison Davis, Romulus Moore, Alfred Rich- 
 ardson, the martyr of the Republican party, James Simm, 
 Jacob Fuller, Campbell and Bradley, and a number of 
 others whom we cannot mention at this point. There 
 sat they beneath the capitol dome, while the stars and 
 stripes played peacefully in the breeze, assuring them of 
 protection and security. 
 
 Those were times worthy of appreciation and recog- 
 nition. 
 
 Every child should be told of the hands which aided 
 in the reconstruction of the government of this grand 
 
THE BLACK SIDE. 19 
 
 old Empire State of the South, should be told of the 
 honors conferred upon their fathers, and the high positions 
 to which they were chosen, notwithstanding their insuffi- 
 ciency in many instances. . It is the history of the race, 
 and is therefore worthy of repetition. Those were trying 
 times ; they called forth all that there was in our fathers. 
 Though the emblem of peace waved over them, yet they 
 walked the streets in jeopardy. However, they were 
 not molested to any injurious extent. This was pre- 
 vented through the wise counsel of the better class of 
 the brothers in white ; and from the fear of worse happen- 
 ings than those through which the country had but re- 
 cently passed. What was true concerning the state of 
 affairs in Atlanta, was equally true of the State of 
 Georgia. While the brothers in black were rejoicing in 
 their sleeves over their freedom, they were at the same 
 time trembling in their boots, from fear of losing their 
 life, so great was the hostility between the two races. 
 Jehovah be praised! Most of this hostility is over. The 
 white man is glad that the black man is free and the 
 black man is glad that the white man is free. The strug- 
 gle is now in another line. Education, wealth, suprem- 
 acy are what the races are now fighting to gain. 
 
 The first two powers the Black Side is bound to have ; 
 yes, determined to possess. The third never enters his 
 brains ; he cares nothing for it. All he asks is a citizen's 
 privilege, the rights of a tax-payer and free access to 
 the public positions of the city, which he is compelled to 
 support, and whose laws he so eagerly strives to protect. 
 I doubt whether there are people living by the side of 
 another people who pay as much taxes as the Negro in 
 this city for the support of its government, and who 
 share so little recognition in the government of the city. 
 
20 THE BLACK SIDE. 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 THE PROGRESS OF THE BLACK SIDE OF TO-DAY. 
 
 After the Southern Cause had been lost and the coun- 
 try became quiet, the Negro then realized that he must 
 act for himself. Standing alone, possessing nothing, he 
 closed his eyes to the past to open them to the dawn of 
 a new day. 
 
 The many hardships and privations which he had so 
 long and patiently borne, energized him to strive to make 
 a brighter future for himself and children ; accordingly ? 
 James Tate, who is now one of the most successful whole- 
 sale and retail merchants of the Black Side, or the aver- 
 age business man of the White Side, in the year 1866 com- 
 menced a grocery business on Walton street, near the First 
 Baptist Church (white). His total stock at that time 
 amounted to $6.00 (six dollars). He now carries a stock 
 of more than $6,000 (six thousand dollars), in a neat, 
 two-story brick building on Decatur street, where he has 
 resided since 1867. This man was the first to open and 
 teach a school in this city. He might rightly be called 
 the father of the beginning of business and enterprise, as 
 well as of the intellectual source. The first of the Black 
 Side of this now thriving city to open a store, the 
 first to open a school, the first to teach a school! From 
 him no doubt came the inspiration for the many who 
 have come after him. Business houses among the Black 
 Side are now established all over this wonderful vestibule 
 of the South ; businesses of every class and kind, from 
 the junk to the dry-goods store. 
 
 The next event of importance in the history of the 
 Black Side of Atlanta was the establishment of the 
 Atlanta University. "This institution was chartered in 
 
THE BLACK SIDE. 21 
 
 1867, soon after the shackles of slavery had been re- 
 moved, and civil and religious liberty had been declared 
 the natural heritage of the colored race by the .great 
 benefactor and patriot of modern times, Abraham 
 Lincoln." Though chartered in 1867, the University 
 was not properly opened until 1869. This inestimable 
 source of knowledge and instruction to the Black Side 
 was organized and established under the auspices of the 
 broad-hearted, Godly-*ninded Professor Edmund Asa 
 Ware, who, through conflicting opinions of the North 
 and South, came to this city to open a channel of learn- 
 ing for the children of Ham. Upon one of the many 
 hills which surround the city of Atlanta, where battles 
 were fought to keep the negro in bondage and ignorance, 
 sets this grand institution, a lasting monument to the good 
 man who raised it ; sending forth yearly, men and women, 
 boys and girls, to wage battles against ignorance, crime 
 and vice. 
 
 In the year 1868, under the leadership of Rev. Frank 
 Quarles, the First Colored Baptist Church was organ- 
 ized. This body consisted of about twenty-five mem- 
 bers, among whom were John Carter, Levi Allen, Jake 
 Whittaker, James Tate, Orange Davis, Betsy Rucker,' 
 Mary Whitehead and others. They first held religious 
 services in a car-box, in the northeastern part of the 
 city, on Walton street. Here they worshipped for a 
 considerable time. The next place of worship was 
 somewhere on Luckie street, where they also held meet- 
 ings quite a while. Finally a lot on corner of Haynes 
 and Markham streets was purchased, and a small 
 wooden building was put up. The membership had by 
 this time increased considerably, and wishing a still more 
 desirable site, the present lot on corner of Mitchell and 
 Haynes streets was, through the recommendation of 
 John Carter, purchased, and upon this a more commo- 
 
22 THE BLACK SIDE. 
 
 dious structure of brick was erected. As the wheel of 
 time moves onward and developments in progress are 
 made, a new day dawns. While in the past there were 
 none or only a few places of mercantile or intellectual 
 resources, now Atlanta for the Black Side abounds in 
 such innumerable places of business and of intellectual 
 and industrial training, occupying some of the best 
 streets and dotting the hills and borders of this fair city. 
 
 All around her borders tower, like the mighty hosts 
 of Zion, some of the finest colleges, universities and 
 seminaries for the Black Side, in all this Southland, re- 
 gardless of class or kind! There are attached depart- 
 ments where youths of any age who have the power of 
 speech can, by simple operations, be taught to read, 
 spell and cipher, and given a practical insight into 
 geometry without having a book placed in their hands. 
 This form of instruction comes through the Kindergarten 
 system, which is among the wonderful inventions of the 
 age. In fact, Atlanta, for the Black Side, is the classic 
 city. 
 
 On some of the most beautiful avenues and streets of 
 this basin city are grand structures erected as altars to 
 Jehovah, from which minarets, domes and steeples lift 
 their heads to the azure sky. Along these same streets 
 are many structures of brick, where various kinds of 
 businesses are carried on. 
 
 Some of these structures are: Odd Fellows Hall, point- 
 ing upward four stories in height, on Piedmont avenue; 
 Good Samaritan building, ascending four stories, on Ivy 
 street; the Schell Opera House and Hall, of three sto- 
 ries in height, on West Mitchell street. On Marietta 
 street, the erections of Rivers, McHenry and McKinley 
 stand with neat brick fronts. The storehouses of Tate 
 and Murphy occupy conspicuous places on Decatur 
 street, while on West Mitchell street, near their beauti- 
 
THE BLACK SIDE. 23 
 
 ful residences, are to be seen the two-story structures of 
 N. Holmes and W. H. Landrum, used as storehouses; 
 and, in proximity to the same, on West Hunter street, is 
 the handsome storehouse, with residence above, of M. 
 V. James. The neat storehouse and dwelling of P. 
 Escridge, on Wheat street, deserves special mention, for 
 the owner and proprietor is a man of acute business 
 talent. Going in another direction, we arrive at the 
 storehouse and dwelling of I. P. Moyer, on Peters street. 
 Here he carries on a flourishing business. Also on 
 same street are the storehouses and dwellings of King 
 and R. N. Davis. ' Such are some of the brick buildings 
 owned by the Black Side of Atlanta. 
 
 Returning to Wheat street, we come to the large 
 fancy grocery of F. H. Crumbly, where he does business 
 on an extensive scale. Above this place of business are 
 his handsomely arranged apartments. On same street 
 are the business houses of Pace, and C. C. Cater; the 
 storehouse and residence of T. M. Gooseby & Son; 
 the bookstore of Hagler & Co. Next in line is the 
 pharmacy of Drs. Slater, Butler & Co. Then, on 
 Fraser and Martin streets are the storehouses, near 
 which are the dwellings also, of Watts, Graham, 
 Emery, and Epps & Jones. There are other promi- 
 inent grocers in the city whose names and places 
 of business we should be glad to mention would the 
 scope of this paper permit. 
 
 Briefly we mention some other enterprises carried on 
 by the Black Side of our business-like city of Atlanta. 
 Among the most prominent is that of J . McKinley, 
 which consists in rock-quarrying and dealing in sand and 
 brick. In this enterprise he employs at times more than 
 one hundred and fifty laborers, white and colored. An- 
 other, the Cooperative South View Cemetery Co. The 
 Georgia Real Estate Loan and Trust Co., of which the 
 
24 , THE BLACK SIDE. 
 
 Hon. H. A. Rucker is President. Atlanta Loan and 
 Trust Co., of which W. C. Redding is President. 
 
 These enterprises show the marked ability of the 
 Black Side in controlling and managing the most intri- 
 cate forms of business, and is a firm denial of the asser- 
 tion that the negro is non-progressive. It also demon- 
 strates to the world what the negro will do if given a 
 chance and let alone. 
 
 Just here may also be mentioned the professional pur- 
 suits. As lawyers we have the erudite Robert Davis 
 and the cunning, shrewd M. E. Loftin. In dentistry the 
 famous pedestrian, Robert Badger, and the sons of the 
 late, much lamented Roderick Badger. Let us add that 
 there are others of our sons pursuing this profession, 
 who will soon begin practice in this and other cities. 
 
 As we take a retrospective view of the Negro, then 
 see him as he now is, engaged in the many enterprises ? 
 pursuits, professions and occupations, we can but exclaim 
 like the poet : 
 
 " O, what a glorious hope is ours, 
 
 While in this land -we stay; 
 We more than taste immortal joys, 
 
 And antedate that day." 
 
 But let us proceed. There is the firm of Drs. Asbury, 
 Taylor & Co., known as the Friendship Drug-store. 
 Then, that of Drs. Strong & Lockhart. All of these 
 are skillful physicians and have an extensive practice 
 among our peoplft. 
 
 Those in the educational line, who are capable of fill- 
 ing chairs of languages and sciences at the colleges of 
 to-day are : the scholarly, linguistic Professor Wm. E- 
 Holmes, of the A. B. S. ; Professor Wm. H. Crogman, who 
 is considered by all whose pleasure it has been to meet 
 him, as a deep thinker, an able instructor and eloquent 
 speaker; Professor St. George Richardson, the learned 
 Principal of the Morris Brown College. 
 
ALLEN'S TEMPLE. 
 
GOOD SAMARITAN BUILDING. 
 
THE BLACK SIDE. 25 
 
 In the public schools we have as principals: the re- 
 fined, cultured, gentlemanly instructor, W. B. Matthews, 
 of the Houston street school; the business-like and ora- 
 torical E. L. Chew, of the Gray street school; the elo- 
 quent " Boy royal of the times," F. Grant Snelson, of the 
 Mitchell street school; and the witty, deep-thinking, pro- 
 gressive, self-made, Carl Walter Hill, of the Martin 
 street school. As lady principal, there is the inestimable, 
 Christian worker, well informed Mrs. Allie D. Carey, of 
 the Roach street school; and of her it is truly said that 
 nowhere is there a more intelligent, better read or bet- 
 ter informed person in all the languages than she. 
 
 Having spoken of those who work with the mind, we 
 now mention those whose lot it is to deal with the body. 
 Our successful tailors are: the polite, artistic G. M. 
 Howell; the venerable Wm. Finch, the successful Rufus 
 Cooper, A. W. Finch, who does a flourishing business, 
 and B. B. Brightwell, the steady. These are scarcely 
 more than half of our successful tailors ; but this number 
 serves to show what the Negro is doing in this line. We 
 also have several artistic and fashionable dressmakers in 
 our midst, and the gentle, obliging Mrs. Pennemone as 
 milliner and hatter. Verily, the sons and daughters of 
 Ham are applying themselves to the useful arts and pro- 
 fessions of life. 
 
 THE GOOD SAMARITAN ORDER. 
 
 The order of the Independent Order of Good Samari- 
 tans and Daughters of Samaria was introduced into the 
 State by the organization of Crystal Fount Lodge, No. 
 i, in Atlanta, Ga., on Friday night, July 9, 1875, by 
 Rev. W. G. Strong, of Mobile, Ala., under the jurisdic- 
 
26 THE BLACK SIDE. 
 
 tion of the R. W. E. D., Grand Lodge, No. i, of Brook- 
 lyn, N. Y.. 
 
 The following officers were installed on that night : 
 
 H. R. Rakestraw, W. P. C. ; Sarah Mangum, W. P. 
 P. D.; Samuel B. Bailey, W. C. ; Julia Dillard, W. P. D.; 
 Wm. Holmes, W. V. C.; Eliza Holmes, D. of Ft.; John 
 Davis, W. P.; Amanda Bradbury, D. of L.; S. W. 
 Easley, Jr., W. R. S.; Beele Burkes, D. of R.; C. J. 
 Dickerson, W. F. S.; Mary A. Snyder (King), D. of F.; 
 Alfred Peck, W. T.; Betsy Jackson, D. of T. ; James 
 Dozier, W. Con.; Lucy Watkins, D. C.; J. H. Oliver, 
 I. S.; Rachael Oliver, D. of K.; Peter McMurray, A. S.; 
 Jane Scott, D. of P.. 
 
 The lodge was organized with about seventy-five per- 
 sons, composed of the very best people in Atlanta, 
 among whom may be noted Mitchell Cargil, Hiram 
 Brooks, Joseph McCants, Anderson Phelps, Rev. J. C. 
 Riggin, Ed. Hill, Andrew Hill, Sam'l Jackson, Jack- 
 son Gates, Allen Brown, Thomas J. Henry, Mrs. J. P. 
 McMurray, Mrs. Lizzie Lewis, Mrs. Clora Garner, Mrs. 
 Mollie Golden, Mrs. Sully Alexander, Mrs. Amanda 
 Hill, Mrs. Viola King, Miss Mary Garrett, Mrs. Nancy 
 Wilson, Mrs. Lizzie Ford and others. 
 
 The list of honorary members is also brilliantly illus- 
 trated by such noted prelates as Right Rev. W. J. 
 Gaines, D.D., Rev. S. H. Robertson, D.D., Rev. Rich- 
 ard Graham, and others of like note. 
 
 Crystal Fount Lodge has also furnished to the Grand 
 Lodge of Georgia three Grand Chiefs, two Grand Pre- 
 siding Daughters, viz. : J. M. Marshall, S. W. Easley, Jr., 
 Peter McMurray, Mrs. Matilda Simmons, and Mrs J. P . 
 McMurray, and other Grand Lodge officers, as well as 
 National Grand Lodge officers. 
 
 The lodge since its organization has initiated into mem- 
 
THE BLACK SIDE. 27 
 
 bership over three hundred persons, and has a member- 
 ship to-day in good standing of about four hundred. 
 
 The secret of the marvelous financial and numeri- 
 cal success of this lodge is due to the fact that its treas- 
 ury has always been open to all charitable objects, suf- 
 fering humanity, and the poor inebriate. It contributed 
 to the yellow fever sufferers in Savannah, Ga., in 1876? 
 to the afflicted in Memphis, Tenn., 1875, during the great 
 cholera epidemic that carried off so many souls ; in this 
 and other ways caring for the poor, sick, afflicted, dead, 
 the lodge has disbursed upwards of $26,000. It has 
 a fine four-story brick building on Ivy street in the heart 
 of the city, valued as $30,000, and several shares in the 
 South View Cemetery of Atlanta, Ga. It was the first 
 of the secret orders in Atlanta to purchase real estate, 
 though by several years younger in the city than any of 
 the secret orders. In fact it has been the pioneer in every 
 movement looking to the advancement of "the Black 
 Side of Atlanta." In religion, morals, industrial, intel-* 
 lectual and financial progress Crystal Fount Lodge has 
 blazed the pathway, that others may "go and do thou 
 likewise." 
 
 The order is a Christian-temperance order, and its 
 members the world over are found in honorable stations 
 in life, from queens, princesses, kings, noblemen, lords, 
 congressmen, governors, bishops, ministers, lawyers, 
 doctors, laymen, professors, authors, orators, nurses, 
 cooks, seamstresses, laborers, and toilers after honest gain, 
 for the sustenance of life. Such an onjjer as the Good 
 Samaritans is a power in the land and country, and is a 
 God-send and a blessing to mankind generally. Long 
 may it live and prosper. 
 
28 THE BLACK SIDE. 
 
 SPELMAN SEMINARY, 1881-1893. 
 
 It is not my purpose to bring before the public the full 
 and interesting history of the faculty of this grand and 
 God-established institution, but rather I wish to have you 
 know of the work which it has done, which it is doing, 
 and which it is destined to do. 
 
 In April, 1881, there came to the city of Atlanta two 
 consecrated Christian women from Boston, Mass., to en- 
 gage in work for the women and girls of the South. 
 
 Little did Miss Sophia B. Packard and Miss Harriet E. 
 Giles know when they entered Friendship Baptist Church 
 and rapped at the door of the study of Rev. Frank 
 Quarles, that they had come in answer to his prayers, and 
 even to the prayer which he was then offering. Priscilla 
 and Aquila had come. 
 
 After conversing with these ladies, and finding out 
 their object, with a heart overflowing with joy and grati- 
 'tude, Rev. Quarles gladly opened his church door, and 
 on April n, 1881, in the basement of Friendship Baptist 
 Church, these noble-hearted and self-sacrificing women 
 laid the foundation of the grandest work ever done for 
 the women of the South. 
 
 The first term of work lasted only three months. 
 Though the Southern climate was very severe, and many 
 comforts were naturally denied these white ladies who 
 had come to work among the colored people, these Chris- 
 tians felt it their duty to spend their first vacations in At- 
 lanta, that they might learn more of the people, and that 
 the people might learn of them and of the object in view. 
 
 During this summer they visited the homes, the Sun- 
 day-schools, gave Bible readings, organized a mission 
 band and an educational society. 
 
 The ensuing October the second term of school opened 
 with an increased number of sixty-nine. 
 
THE BLACK SIDE. 29 
 
 The exceeding dark prospects had begun to get bright, 
 the foundation had been laid, and, as the Lord said to 
 Zerubbabel, he said to them: u Yet now be strong . . . 
 for I am with you, saith the Lord of hosts." 
 
 The school had grown large enough to demand the 
 service of another teacher, and more room was impera- 
 tive. 
 
 The American Baptist Home Mission Society of the 
 North had agreed to take charge of the work, but it 
 questioned the wisdom of maintaining a separate school 
 for girls. The decision was reached the school was 
 ever to be a school for women and girls. 
 
 The necessity for a boarding department was clearly 
 seen, so Rev. Frank Quarles, whose sympathy was in 
 the work from the beginning, after getting a few dona- 
 tions from the colored people, went North to raise money 
 to build a boarding department. The inclemency of a 
 New England November was too great a strain upon his 
 Southern constitution, and he sickened and died, thus 
 giving his life for the education of the women of his 
 race. 
 
 In February, 1883, the old barracks, with nine acres 
 and five frame buildings, upon a height in one of the 
 loveliest parts of the city, was purchased. The school 
 was moved from the basement, and the boarding depart- 
 ment was immediately opened. 
 
 The real growth of the school was more and more 
 plainly manifested. The "unseen hand" was constantly 
 at work. 
 
 The third teacher, who came in December, 1882, was 
 now to open another department a model school where 
 girls could be trained to be efficient teachers in the day 
 schools, to which most were likely to be called. The 
 industrial feature became prominent. The students were 
 taught sewing, cooking, house-cleaning and laundering. 
 
30 THE BLACK 
 
 This school, unlike the other schools of the kind in At- 
 lanta, was the first to see the value of putting mental, 
 moral and manual training side by side, believing that the 
 rise of a race depends as much upon nicely kept homes 
 as it does upon its ability to handle Csesar or to challenge 
 Euclid. 
 
 The annual progress of this school has been beyond 
 human conception. ' In 1884 the name of the school was 
 changed from Atlanta Baptist Female Seminary to Spel- 
 man Seminary, in honor of John D. Rockefeller's father- 
 in-law. Mr. Rockefeller gave the largest donation to- 
 ward the purchasing of the property; he also was the 
 largest donor toward the erection of the first brick build- 
 ing, which bears his name. The chapel, office, reading 
 room and eleven recitation rooms are in this building. 
 
 In 1886, Union Hall, in which was the old chapel and 
 recitation rooms, was burned. At the time of burning it 
 contained the dining hall, the model school and the music 
 rooms. The burning of this building necessitated the 
 immediate erection of the second brick building, which 
 was named Packard Hall, in honor of the Senior Principal, 
 Miss S. B. Packard. 
 
 Spelman Seminary has a Preparatory Course, an Aca- 
 demic Course, a Collegiate Course, an Industrial Course, 
 a Nurse Training Course, a Missionary Training Course, 
 a Normal and Training Course. 
 
 THE PREPARATORY COURSE includes primary, inter- 
 mediate and grammar school studies. Those finishing 
 this course often teach in the public schools of the South. 
 
 Those completing the ACADEMIC COURSE have taken 
 all of the sciences commonly taught in any English course. 
 Some graduating from this course have held and are 
 holding high positions in some of the colleges which are 
 maintained by the Baptist Home Mission Society. The 
 majority finishing this course are engaged in teaching. 
 
THE BLACK SIDE. 31 
 
 Others have married. From these the model home of the 
 rising and future generations is hoped to come. 
 
 It is desirable that those graduating from the Academic 
 Course will return and complete the COLLEGIATE COURSE, 
 which is four years. This course, comprising the lan- 
 guages and higher sciences, was added this year. 
 
 In the INDUSTRIAL COURSE the girls are taught plain 
 sewing, dress-cutting, cooking, house-cleaning and laun- 
 dering. Much attention is given to this course, owing to 
 the fact that while all cannot be teachers, none are exempt 
 from properly performing the duties of our every-day 
 home life. Certificates are awarded those who creditably 
 complete this course. 
 
 Every woman more or less is called upon to care for 
 the sick. To meet this demand a NURSE TRAINING 
 COURSE was added to the Seminary in 1886. Nine-tenths 
 of the daily deaths occur from the want of proper nurs- 
 ing. In this course the students are taught physiology 
 and practical hygiene. There is a hospital, the Evarts 
 ward, on the campus, where the nurses have the practice 
 in nursing under the eye of a professor. There is a sur- 
 gical room connected with the ward, in which cases are 
 sometimes brought in and operated upon in the presence 
 of the nurses. 
 
 It is well for every teacher to have some knowledge of 
 caring for the sick. What teacher has not met with an 
 opportunity, possibly to save life, if she had only known 
 some of the most simple remedies which are learned in 
 this course. A few of the students have chosen nursing 
 as a life-work, and are earning ten or more dollars a week, 
 working under some of the best doctors, both white and 
 colored. 
 
 THE MISSIONARY TRAINING COURSE was added to 
 Spelman Seminary in 1892. This course prepares those 
 who have finished the Academic or its equivalent, to do 
 
32 THE BLACK SIDE. 
 
 missionary work in the families, churches, Sunday-schools, 
 in this or foreign lands. This course takes in two terms 
 of eleven months each, six months in school and five 
 months jm the field doing practical work under the direc- 
 tion of a teacher. The time of two teachers is given to 
 this work. Lectures to the class from different profes- 
 sional men are given almost weekly. The great neces- 
 sity of this work is plainly seen. It is the longing desire 
 that all pastors will take hold and encourage the work. 
 The Bible is the only text-book used. Expenses of this 
 course are borne by the friends of the North. 
 
 To give the older women an opportunity of gaining an 
 education, an ELECTIVE COURSE has been added specially 
 for them. One has graduated from this course, and is 
 doing a grand Christian work among the women of her 
 race. 
 
 THE NORMAL AND TRAINING COURSE, the last but 
 not the least addition to Spelman Seminary, prepares 
 graduates for teachers after the plan of the best normal 
 schools North. Miss Griffin, from Potsdam, N. Y., is 
 the superintendent of this course. She is ably assisted 
 by six teachers, together with nine pupil teachers. The 
 pupil teachers teach under the immediate eye of a reg- 
 ular teacher. It is hoped that ere long only teachers re- 
 ceiving this special training will get employment. Those 
 who creditably take this course are awarded certificates. 
 This course will soon occupy an immense four story 
 brick building which is near its completion. In this 
 building, aside from the twenty-four recitation rooms for 
 the Normal and Training Department, there are eighteen 
 dormitories and three recitation rooms for the Missionary 
 Training Department, also a Chemical Laboratory and 
 Science lecture room. 
 
 Those students wishing to become printers and whom 
 the principals think prepared, are taught printing, which 
 
THE BLACK SIDE. 33 
 
 will enable them to get employment in many of the 
 printing offices. 
 
 Vocal music is given twice a week without extra 
 charge. Instrumental music, two lessons a week and a 
 daily practice hour, is given by paying extra. You have 
 your choice of taking on either piano or organ. 
 
 Spelman Seminary is founded upon the teachings of 
 the Bible, therefore the Bible is taught daily to every 
 scholar. As the result of this, two students, Miss Nora 
 A. Gordon and Miss Clara A. Howard, were taught to 
 hear the gracious call, replying: "Here am I, send 
 me." They are now missionaries in Africa. 
 
 The student who does not leave this school to work 
 for Christ and the good of all who come under her influ- 
 ence, has failed to carry out her instruction. The motto 
 of Spelman Seminary, " Our whole school for Christ, "is 
 expected to be verified in every girl who has been a 
 member of that school. 
 
 " In 1888 a Board of Trustees was formed, and 
 Spelman Seminary was incorporated by the State of 
 Georgia," 
 
 The school has a nice library in which there are many 
 valuable books, which have been donated by different 
 friends of the North. 
 
 There is a museum in which some beautiful collections 
 have been gathered stuffed birds, valuable stones, and 
 many relics from the East. 
 
 Aside from the regular courses, persons wishing to 
 become professional dressmakers, or elocutionists, may 
 enter and pursue said studies belonging to the profes- 
 sion. 
 
 There are six associations and societies belonging to 
 this institution Young Women's Christian Association, 
 Congo Mission Circle, Students' Volunteer Society, 
 Social Purity, Christian Endeavor societies, and the Ly- 
 
34 THE BLACK SIDE. 
 
 ceum. The teachers and students take an active part in 
 the promotion of each of these organizations. 
 
 The expenses of this institution are within reach of 
 almost every woman or girl who is desirous of an edu- 
 cation. 
 
 Each girl has the choice of doing her own washing. 
 There is a comfortably arranged brick laundry with all 
 of the modern facilities. There is a regular laundress 
 in charge, with several assistants. 
 
 Aside from the donations given by the colored 
 churches," Sunday-schools and associations of Georgia, 
 amounting to two per cent, of the total donations, Spel- 
 man Seminary is run by the American Baptist Home 
 Mission Society, the Women's American Baptist Home 
 Mission Society of New England supporting a large 
 number of the teachers by the Slater fund, and by indi- 
 viduals, Hon. John D. Rockefeller being the largest in- 
 dividual donor. Many of the faculty, now numbering 
 thirty-seven, whom the Lord has prospered in this 
 world's goods, have given and are giving, their services. 
 
 Sixty-six young ladies have satisfactorily finished the 
 academic course and are doing work in every Southern 
 State. Two are missionaries in Africa; Miss Rubie B. 
 Jones is a member of the faculty of the Spelman Semi- 
 nary; Miss Selena M. Sloan is preceptress of the State 
 Normal School of Florida ; Miss Alice E. McEwen is an 
 editress in Alabama ; Mrs. Morgan (Ida B. Carswell) is 
 principal of a city public school in Columbus, Ga.; Miss 
 Essie M. Atkinson is teacher in the Gray St. School, 
 Atlanta. Many, whose location I cannot get, are holding 
 good positions. 
 
 There have come into this work, as have come into all 
 others, discouragements and dark shadows, but the 
 presence of the Lord has always been felt. The death 
 angel has visited the institution and taken five of his 
 
, THE BLACK SIDE. 35 
 
 consecrated ones to their reward. Each coming seemed 
 to have been sadly realized, but none was so heart- 
 breaking as was the calling home of the beloved and 
 honored senior principal, Miss Sophia B. Packard, who 
 was one of the first two who planted the mustard seed 
 which has so rapidly grown into a great spreading tree. 
 This sad stroke came in June, 1891. Do the women of 
 Georgia realize their loss, is the question to be an- 
 swered. 
 
 Miss Harriet E. Giles, Miss Packard's associate prin- 
 cipal and coworker succeeded Miss Packard as principal 
 of Spelman Seminary, with Miss Lucy H. Upton as 
 associate principal. Under these two ladies nearly two 
 terms have been successfully taught. 
 
 MRS. CARRIE STEELE LOGAN, 
 
 FOUNDER OF THE COLORED ORPHANAGE OF ATLANTA, 
 
 GEORGIA. 
 
 This noble, Christian woman is a native of Georgia, 
 and in this State was reared. She was a slave till, 
 through divine providence, that great benefactor, Abra- 
 ham Lincoln, set her free. While a slave she learned to 
 read and write, the acquisition of which she has always 
 found indispensable to her. For more than twenty years 
 she has been in public w r ork, and her contact with the 
 world has been a complete education of itself. Being, 
 for a long while, a stewardess at the depot in this city, 
 this good woman had daily experiences of the sufferings 
 and wants of her people. 
 
 Daily she saw hungry, half-clad, ignorant children 
 wandering about the streets, being tossed hither and 
 thither by the rude winds of adversity ; waifs drifting 
 
36 THE BLACK SIDE. 
 
 down the stream of destruction! Children barefooted 
 and crying for bread, seeking, in vain, places to lay their 
 tired heads! 
 
 These sad sights touched the heart of Mrs. Steele, and 
 moved to pity, she resolved to do something for the chil- 
 dren of her race. By her industry and economy she had 
 some time previously purchased a valuable lot on Wheat 
 street, and upon it built a handsome cottage. She now 
 began to think how she could better the condition of the 
 children of her people. A divine inspiration came to 
 her, and she grasped it eagerly; it was that she might 
 erect a place of retreat for these little ones. 
 
 She began this arduous work by writing a short ac- 
 count of her life, which she placed before the public for 
 sale. Her little book took well, and she realized an ac- 
 ceptable profit from it. This was the first step in the 
 great undertaking of her life. 
 
 She then solicited aid in other ways, and to her re- 
 quests many kind hearts of both races responded, and 
 she was soon able to begin the erection of the Orphan- 
 age, which now stands a lasting monument of the great 
 work done by this good woman. 
 
 This building is three stories in height, built of brick 
 with a stone foundation, and well adapted to its usages. 
 Within its walls Mrs. Logan has gathered around her 
 fifty heretofore friendless and homeless little ones, who, 
 at the time of their coming, were mostly ignorant and 
 uncouth, but now are tidy, trained and being taught to 
 read, etc. 
 
 These are taught, first of all, to pray. The older ones 
 are being taught domestic work in all its parts, and fancy 
 work. The boys do farm work. All attend school, 
 which is provided for them at the Home. 
 
THE BLACK SIDE. 37 
 
 They have Sunday-school every Sunday, and even the 
 little ones of four years can repeat chapters in the Bible. 
 
 The campus is spacious and most beautiful. 
 
 The Orphanage was erected at a cost of five thousapd 
 dollars, all of which was raised through the efforts of 
 Mrs. Logan. 
 
 She is deeply interested and wrapped up in her work, 
 which she claims is the greatest joy of her life. 
 
 Since this noble woman has done so much for human- 
 ity, all should lend a helping hand to push forward the 
 grand and glorious work. 
 
 Mrs. Logan has done a work which will tell in years 
 to come. She has placed the stepping-stones for the bet- 
 terment of the race, by striving to save the boys and girls. 
 They are the ones to be shielded from dangers and 
 temptations. Save, O, save the children! God's choic- 
 est blessings rest upon him who works to this end. 
 
 Just after resigning her place at the depot, she married 
 Mr. Logan, of New York, a Christian gentleman, a man of 
 sterling worth. Their ideas are mutual, both having at 
 heart the elevation of the race ; both laboring to the same 
 end. In Mrs. Logan he possesses a treasure rare; jn 
 him she finds all which could be desired in any one. 
 
 This Home is non-denominational; it is free to all 
 homeless, friendless children of the city of Atlanta. It 
 was dedicated June 20, 1892. 
 
 Long after the founder shall have gone to her final 
 rest this structure will still tower heavenward, and may 
 the good work done within its limits make her memory 
 imperishable, her name immortal. 
 
38 THE BLACK SIDE. 
 
 REV. N. J. JONES, 
 
 FOUNDEK OF THE COLOKED MEN'S PKOTECTIVE 
 ASSOCIATION ABLE BAPTIST MINISTER 
 
 Rev. N.J.Jones the subject of this sketch was born 
 in Nashville, Nash county, North Carolina, in the year 
 1844, an< 3 when six years of age was brought to Pike 
 county, Georgia, at which time he was the property of a 
 Mr. Milton Riggins. In 1862, when but eighteen years 
 old, he was, for his thrift, aptness and integrity, appointed 
 driver and foreman over a large and prosperous planta- 
 tion, which was managed chiefly through his directions. 
 
 He also worked at the blacksmith trade, and was con- 
 sidered a skilled and first-class workman in that line. 
 When emancipation was declared, he was still the prop- 
 erty of the same man, and when all of the slaves had 
 gone, he remained with his former owner, Mr. Riggins. 
 Mr. Jones was a great favorite with him, and until this 
 day he highly respects him. 
 
 He came to Atlanta in the year 1866, and the follow- 
 ing year was converted and joined the Friendship Bap- 
 tist Church, under the venerable Rev. Frank Quarles. 
 He has ever since labored for and devoted his Christain 
 zeal to this church, and is a most important factor in it. 
 He assisted largely in making the church what it is now, 
 one of the leading Baptist churches in the State. 
 
 He was at one time employed by the firm of Messrs. 
 Hoke, Miller & Company, and, because of his faithfulness 
 industry and efficiency, was greatly esteemed by those 
 gentlemen. 
 
 He is identified with many of the leading enterprises, 
 and has enlisted his heart and hands in every commenda- 
 ble effort which promises to promote the prosperity of 
 his race. In the capacity of a workman he aided in the 
 
THE BLACK SIDE. 39 
 
 erection of the old capitol building on Marietta street, 
 and later served Mr. A. Landsburg, an extensive lumber 
 dealer, whose place of business occupied the site where 
 the Markham hotel now stands. He was made foreman 
 over the entire business, and manager of the yard hands, 
 and the accuracy with which he managed the business of 
 measuring and selling lumber was commendable in no 
 small degree. He remained with this gentleman, and after 
 leaving him, went into the grocery business on a small 
 scale, but by prompt attention to business, honesty and 
 sobriety, he has built up a business surpassed by none in 
 the city in its line. He has a large and well supplied 
 stock of staple and fancy groceries. 
 
 In addition to his energy and arduous labors among 
 his people, he retains the highest confidence and esteem of 
 all good citizens of both races, who know him. 
 
 Concerning the orders and organizations of the city, he 
 holds in some of these the highest offices in their gift. 
 Was chosen president of a benevolent society, which office 
 he filled with trust and ability, and from which much good 
 has been d-erived. 
 
 On another occasion he was unanimously elected pres- 
 ident of a Smallpox Society, during the time when that 
 terrible epidemic infested our city. Through his endur- 
 ing efforts, a large sum of money was collected and de- 
 posited in the James' Bank for the relief of those who 
 might fall victims to the dreaded plague. As a worker 
 in the Sunday-school, Rev. Jones has no peer, as there is 
 no more useful, earnest and faithful laborer to be found. 
 He has been an active teacher in the Friendship Baptist 
 church for the past twenty years, and many are the 
 young men who have graduated from the A. B. S., who 
 received valuable instruction in the Sunday-school class 
 taught by Rev. Jones. It can truly be said, that no one has 
 labored more zealously for the Sunday-school cause than 
 
40 THE BLACK SIDE. 
 
 this man. Because of his activity and Christian zeal for 
 the cause of Christ, the church granted him license and 
 permission to preach the truth "as found in Christ Jesus." 
 He possesses a superior'knowledge of the scriptures, and 
 his manner of expressing it is eloquent and forcible. As 
 a divine he stands and ranks with the leading clergy of 
 the State. 
 
 Along with the other note worthy events of his life, might 
 be mentioned the formation of the Colored Men's Protec- 
 tive Association, an organization which is known far 
 and near, and is looked upon as being one of the best so- 
 cieties among the race. This large and flourishing insti- 
 tution was projected and founded by this good man in 
 the year 1886. After careful study and consideration of the 
 poor class of the race, he devised a means to bring them 
 in closer connection with that class which was more able to 
 help them. Thus he called a council of good men to whom 
 he stated his object; which was, that he desired to establish 
 an order or union which would take care of and help those 
 who were unable to help themselves. Accordingly, he, 
 with the council, set to work, and soon the good results 
 of their hard toil manifested themselves. Of course they 
 did not have smooth sailing. There was much opposi- 
 tion ; but the harder seemed the struggle, the more vig- 
 orous grew these combatants, for they felt they were fight- 
 ing for the good of humanity. Rev. Jones finally suc- 
 ceeded in gathering together a large mass of people from 
 different points in the State, and with the committee of 
 the following gentlemen, himself being chosen chairman 
 of said committee, applied to the superior court of Fulton 
 county for a charter. Committee, N. J.Jones, Chairman; 
 A. Blalock, A. Payne, H. C. Davis, A. B. H. Lowry. 
 
 December 17, 1886, the charter was received for a 
 term of twenty years. During the same year Rev. 
 Jones was elected President of the Association. During 
 
MRS. CARRIE STEELE LOGAN. 
 

 THE CABRIE STEELE OBPHANS HOME. 
 
I 
 
 REV. J. J. JONES. 
 
THE BLACK SIDE. 41 
 
 the year 1887 the order had increased in number to one 
 thousand, and soon after to eighteen hundred. 
 
 Great and good have been the results of this order, 
 and all due to the noble-hearted, unselfish Rev. N. J. 
 Jones. Sick members receive the best attention, the 
 poor are cared for and the dead decently buried. This 
 good work is not confined to Atlanta, the society has 
 State rights, and, as a consequence, several branch 
 lodges have been established from the one of this city. 
 These lodges are doing creditable work, and be it said to 
 the honor and credit of Rev. N. J. Jones, that under his 
 leadership the prosperity of the lodge has been great 
 and rapid. As expression of the confidence placed in 
 him, he has been made president every year since its or- 
 ganization, and this without opposition. He is the ac- 
 knowledged leader and chief commander, and is backed 
 by a number of intelligent citizens. It is an established 
 fact that the Colored Men's Protective Association of 
 Atlanta has done more to lift up fallen humanity than 
 any other organization in the city. 
 
 Its doors are open to all with no respect to persons ; 
 the rich, the poor, the cast down, may enter and receive 
 protection, all that is needed being a reformation on the 
 part of those who have been or are cast down. 
 
 Those who are received must take most solemnly the 
 pledge which strictly requires good morals, decency 
 and uprightness of character, and so soon as one violates 
 this pledge he is excommunicated. So rapid has been 
 the growth of this order that the wise president saw the 
 need of enlarging its borders, thus giving access to a 
 broader field of labor. Accordingly, he called a conven- 
 tion to meet at Atlanta, October, 1890. In that grand 
 assembly were 'many distinguished business men from 
 many cities of the State. In addition to widening the 
 
42 THE BLACK SIDE. 
 
 field of work and establishing better laws, the president's 
 object was to organize a t grand lodge for the State. 
 
 It is needless to say that this convention was a success 
 under his wise jurisdiction, for he rules but wisely. The 
 work was substantial and agreeable, the session lasting 
 three days. 
 
 During the session the delegates from the various 
 places united in one voice in electing Rev. Jones Supreme 
 Grand President. Thus he stands supreme over all of 
 the C. M. P. A. lodges. 
 
 After giving a grand banquet in honor of the presi- 
 dent, the Convention adjourned to meet at Columbus, 
 Ga., the following year. The Association has a large 
 amount of capital deposited in one of the prominent 
 banks of the city, and pays out to its sick annually 
 from eight to nine hundred dollars. Since its organiza- 
 tion has paid out to its members more than five thousand 
 four hundred dollars, besides other expenses. 
 
 During the recent heavy snow Rev. Jones busied him- 
 self in looking after the poor and needy. With wagon 
 and driver, through the snow, he was seen going from 
 place to place issuing out provisions to those who were 
 in need ; and by his timely aid relieved many from acute 
 suffering. 
 
 In this fragment of a chapter, this mere outline, it is not 
 possible to give all the good deeds performed by this 
 godly man. He is a Christian man, affectionate in his 
 home, pleasant and polite in his manner, with a smiling 
 countenance for all he meets. 
 
 Rev. Jones will long live in the hearts of his people as 
 a devoted Christian, and a leader of his people. 
 
THE BLACK SIDE. 43 
 
 WEST ATLANTA W. C. T. U. 
 
 ORGANIZED MARCH 10, 1887, AT FRIENDSHIP BAPTIST 
 CHURCH, UNDER THE SUPERVISION OF MISS LIZZIE 
 STEPHENSON. 
 
 The following officers were chosen: Mrs. Ella M. Pitts, 
 President; Mrs. E. R. Carter, Vice- President, and Mrs. 
 M. A. Ford, Secretary. 
 
 The object of the Union is to promote the cause of 
 temperance and morality, especially in the western part 
 of the city. The departments of work chosen by the 
 Union were these: Prison and Railroad Work, Press 
 Work, Juvenile Work, Social Purity, Department of Lit- 
 erature. 
 
 The Union did very little during the first years of its 
 organization except hold prayer-meetings, study temper- 
 ance literature and visit the sick in the neighborhood. In 
 1890, with Mrs. M. A. Ford, President, regular active 
 work began at the close of the year. The reports 
 brought in were as follows: 
 
 Report of Mrs. M. A. Mason McCurdy, Superintend- 
 ent of Prison and Railroad Work Chain-gang visited 
 three times; 39 books, n Testaments and 19 different 
 kinds of papers distributed among prisoners; reports of 
 W. C. T. U. sent to five different papers. 
 
 Report from Miss M. F, Pullen, Superintendent of Ju- 
 venile Work Twenty-three talks on purity to the girls 
 of the W. C. T. U. of the Atlanta University, and 28 talks 
 to the Unions in the city on the following subjects: En- 
 gagements, What They Are; Engagements, What They 
 Should Be; Care of Body, Baths, etc.; Mother's Influ- 
 ence; Marriage; Motherhood; Unfermented Wine; Char- 
 acter Building. Talks given privately to 63 persons; 23 
 young women took White Cross pledge. 
 
44 THE BLACK SIDE. 
 
 Reports in the year closing March, 1891, were these: 
 
 Superintendent of Social Purity reported 127 pledges 
 taken for social purity. 
 
 Superintendent of Juvenile Work, two Bands of Hope 
 organized. 
 
 Superintendent of Work among the Girls, Miss Eunice 
 D. Coles, reported that her class of girls had made cloth- 
 ing for an orphan baby; also had pieced a quilt for an 
 orphan home in Covington, Ga. This class of girls met 
 once a week, and sewed while some one read an inter- 
 esting book to them. 
 
 At the close of the year ending March, 1892, with 
 Mrs. E. R. Carter. President, these reports were brought 
 in: 
 
 Superintendent of Evangelistic Work reported 2 1 visits 
 made poor and sick, of the neighborhood. 
 
 Superintendent of Social Purity, 23 pledges distributed, 
 visits made to four families, 3 public talks on purity 
 6 mothers' meetings. 
 
 A committee was sent to pastors of different churches 
 to urge them to use unfermented wine on the communion 
 table. Two surprises were given to poor families. 
 
 Through the influence of the Union enough money was 
 raised for the burial of a poor man. 
 
 Miss M. F. Shattuck, an honorary member of the 
 Union, gave to it $12 with which to purchase a book- 
 case for a library to be located in the western part of the 
 city. A good number of books have been given by Mrs. 
 C. C. Tucker and other friends from the A. U. 
 
 For the year ending March, 1893, the following pro- 
 gram was sent out by our State President, Mrs. G. "W. 
 King, to be used in each Union : 
 
 On the first Monday in each month, business meeting; 
 second Monday, science meeting; third Monday, social 
 
THE BLACK SIDE. 45 
 
 
 
 purity and mothers' meeting; fourth Monday, Bible read- 
 ing, consecration and prayer-meeting. 
 
 During this year a number of visits were made by 
 members of the Union to the poor and sick. Two quilts 
 quilted for an orphan home. A room rented in which to 
 open a library. A bookcase purchased and books 
 marked and arranged in the case. On the opening of the 
 library an ice-cream and strawberry festival was given, 
 which was preceded by literary exercises. 
 
 It is the aim of the West Atlanta W. C. T. U. to con- 
 tinue the work begun until its influence for good can be 
 felt from the Atlantic to the Pacific, from the lakes on the 
 north to the gulf on the south. We shall not stop here^ 
 but continue to pray, hope and work until the whole 
 world shall be made better for the West Atlanta Women's 
 Christian Temperance Union having been organized. 
 
 MRS. M. A. FORD, President. 
 
 M. F. PULLEN, Secretary. 
 
 MORRIS BROWN COLLEGE. 
 
 In pursuance of the policy of the African Methodist 
 Episcopal Church the ministers of this denominatiori in 
 the State of Georgia, in 1880, resolved to build a college 
 for the education of the young men and women. 
 
 Accordingly in 1 88 1, under the general superintend- 
 ence of Rt. Rev. W. J. Gaines, D.D., the beautiful site, 
 overlooking the City of Atlanta, was purchased at a cost 
 of $3,500, and thereon, in 1885, was erected the north 
 wing of the proposed college. This portion of the 
 building was completed and dedicated to the memory of 
 Rt. Rev. Morris Brown, the second bishop of the 
 A. M. E. Church. Hence* the name, " Morris Brown 
 College." 
 
46 THE BLACK SIDE. 
 
 V 
 
 In October, 1885, Morris Brown College first opened 
 its doors for the admission of students eager for educa- 
 tion. During that year 107 were enrolled. Since then, 
 many improvements have been made. A large sum of 
 money has been expended in furnishing the school with 
 the best school furniture, as desks, seats, maps, black- 
 boards, clocks, globes and other necessary supplies. 
 The north wing was erected at a cost of about $10,000, 
 and last year the south wing, a building the same as the 
 north wing, was put up at about the same cost, thereby 
 making a total expenditure of about 25,000 on the two 
 buildings. This amount was raised by Negroes, from 
 among Negroes, for Negroes of the State of Georgia. 
 
 During the first period of the history of the school it 
 was under the principalship of Mrs. A. D. Gary, who 
 was succeeded by Rev. E. W. Lee, A.M. These princi- 
 pals were each zealous in promoting the welfare of the 
 school and, in increasing its usefulness. 
 
 In 1 888 Professor A. St. Geo. Richardson was appointed 
 Principal of Morris Brown College, which position he still 
 holds with much credit. Under his management the 
 school has steadily progressed from year to year. Both 
 the staff of teachers and the number of pupils have been 
 doubled. In 1888 there were four teachers ; now the 
 corps of teachers numbers eight. The enrollment of 
 pupils for 1888 was 252; and at the date of writing the 
 enrollment for the present year is 430. 
 
 The course of instruction embraces four departments, 
 viz: ist, the English Department; 2d, the Normal De- 
 partment ; 3d, the Academic Department; 4th, the In- 
 dustrial Department. 
 
 The English Department comprises eight classes, 
 taught by competent, experienced teachers, who have the 
 work at heart, and are interested in the moral and spirit- 
 ual welfare of the pupils, as well as the development of 
 
THE BLACK SIDE. 47 
 
 the intellect. The instruction given in this, as also in the 
 other departments, is systematic and thorough. 
 
 The Normal Department aims at giving full and sound 
 instruction in those branches of study "Which are calcu- 
 lated best to prepare and tit the student not only for the 
 profession of teaching, but, at the end, for the active 
 duties of life. 
 
 In the Academic Course, the student is prepared for 
 the higher studies embraced in the college course, and 
 also for entering the field of business and commerce. 
 
 Although the Industrial Department is not yet fully 
 established, it is expected to have manual training in 
 operation and actively engaged in by the students after 
 the opening of the next fall term in 1893. 
 
 The curriculum of studies is so arranged that on the 
 completion of any one course the student will have ac- 
 quired a good foundation for the pursuance of any higher 
 course, or for active service in the business world should 
 he then discontinue his studies at school. The system 
 of instruction is uniform throughout, and is arranged so 
 that all the several courses are but different links in the 
 one great educational chain that binds together the sev- 
 eral parts of the whole system. 
 
 Music is taught to all the pupils, who are drilled in 
 the elementary exercises of the first and second music 
 readers. The pupils are taught to sing with feeling and 
 expression. Instrumental music will be one of the new 
 departments in the next academic year. 
 
 Drills and calisthenics form a part of the instruction to 
 pupils in the English Department. The various exten- 
 sion movements with wands, bar-bells, etc., are the ones 
 generally practiced. 
 
 Fridays of each week are devoted to a review of the 
 week's work done by the pupils. Exercises, such as 
 essays, declamations, recitations, etc., are presented by 
 
48 THE BLACK SIDE. 
 
 the several classes. The last hour of this day is devoted 
 to Bible-reading and students' prayer-meeting, in which 
 the students take a most active part, and by their inter- 
 est and enthusiasm, together with the assistance of the 
 teachers, many souls have been converted to Christ. 
 
 Upon the opening of the new building next fall ar- 
 rangements will be made to accommodate, with board 
 and lodging, students from abroad, who are now com- 
 pelled to board in private families in the vicinity of the 
 college. 
 
 In the new building it is expected to have established 
 the Theological Department for the special training of 
 young men about to enter the ministry. 
 
 The Academic Faculty is composed of the following 
 efficient and experienced teachers: 
 
 A. St. Geo. Richardson, B.A., Principal, Professor of 
 Classics and Mental Science. 
 
 Miss Carrie J. Thomas, Assistant Principal, Instructor 
 in Science and Literature. 
 
 Miss Florence H. Martin, Instructor in History and 
 Mathematics. 
 
 Mrs. Alice M. Hoyt, Teacher of English Branches. 
 
 Miss Annie B. Thomas, Teacher of English, and Sec- 
 retary of Faculty. 
 
 Mrs. Ella M. Landrum, Teacher of English Branches 
 
 Mrs. I. E. Upshaw, Preceptress of Primary Depart- 
 ment. 
 
 Miss Julia T. Allen, Assistant Primary Teacher. 
 
 In addition to the above staff of teachers Rev. S. H. 
 Robertson, D.D., is the General Superintendent and 
 Treasurer. The President of the Board of Trustees is 
 'Rt. Rev. Abram Grant, Presiding Bishop of the Sixth 
 Episcopal District. Of the Executive Board Rev. E. P. 
 Holmes is Chairman, Rev. A. W. Lowe, Secretary. 
 
 Bishop W. J. Gaines, ex-President of the Board of 
 
BIG BETHEL. 
 
THE BLACK SIDE. 49 
 
 Trustees, has labored strenuously to place this school on 
 a good, sure foundation, so that its future success may 
 be assured and its purposes realized. 
 
 During the past five years Professor Richardson, with 
 his able corps of teachers, has put forth every effort to 
 bring this school to the front rank, so that now it stands 
 forth as the coming school of the Negroes in the State 
 of Georgia. This school is a monument to the enter- 
 prise and energy of the Negroes of Georgia. 
 
 On all their public exhibitions and concerts the students 
 have always acquitted themselves well, and have received 
 many favorable comments from both pulpit and press. 
 The commencement exercises reflect much credit on the 
 school and its energetic Principal. 
 
 Morris Brown College has graduated three young 
 ladies from its Normal Department. In 1890, Miss 
 Laurean Chandler, now. teacher in Summer Hill Public 
 School, Atlanta; in 1892, Miss Georgia Allen, Principal 
 Grant Institute, Mclntosh, Ga., and Miss Julia T. Allen, 
 teacher at Morris Brown College. 
 
 The work that is now being done is principally pre- 
 paratory and normal, but in process of time the higher 
 courses will be fully established as the school grows 
 older. 
 
 Our great need is money sufficient to complete the en- 
 tire structure of the building and equip the school with 
 all necessary apparatus. An endowment of about $25,000 
 or $30,000 would be a lasting monument to the gen- 
 erosity of any one who has the work of education at 
 heart. Should any person be thus inclined to help a 
 school that has thus far been helping itself without the 
 aid of any endowment of any sort, he would confer a 
 lasting benefit on the negroes of Georgia and immortalize 
 his name by making a bequest to this school, Morris 
 Brown College. 
 
50 THE BLACK SIDE. 
 
 I. O. OF O. F. ST. JAMES LODGE NO. 1455. 
 
 In the year 1870, January 20, Mr. Augustus Thomp- 
 son met upon the streets of Atlanta one Mr. James 
 Lowndes, of Louisville, Ky., who had only a day pre- 
 vious come to Atlanta. Mr. Thompson was recognized 
 by Mr. Lowndes by the likeness he bore to his brother 
 who resided at Louisville, and who was a friend and ac- 
 quaintance of Mr. Lowndes. A conversation arose, 
 during which Mr. Lowndes asked Mr. Thompson if the 
 people of Atlanta had an Odd Fellows Lodge here. 
 Receiving a reply in the negative, he said to him that he 
 (Mr. L.) could tell him how to organize such. The 
 proposition was accepted, and they proceeded forthwith 
 to discuss matters relative to it. The Lodge could be 
 organized with twenty-five good men. Accordingly Mr. 
 Thomson set about in search of this number. He first 
 succeeded in gathering together six or seven good men, 
 and on the following Sunday they met in a basement on 
 corner Pulliam and Rawson streets, belonging to E. E. 
 Rawson. After arranging preliminary matters they dis- 
 persed, each promising to bring some one to the next 
 meeting. The following week they organized with the 
 desired number twenty-five among which number 
 were some of the best citizens, such as Revs. J. A. Wood, 
 J. A. Carey and Brothers J. D. Render, A. Thompson, 
 and others. Their next action was to write to Philadel- 
 phia to Mr. James Netum, General Secretary of Com- 
 mittee of Management, who forwarded the application 
 to England. The chapter was delayed for twelve months, 
 thus it was some time before the body could be fully or- 
 ganized. But during this time the members cared for 
 their sick and buried their dead, while waiting for their 
 charter. 
 
THE BLACK SIDE. 51 
 
 Finally a letter from them fell into the hands of D. B. 
 Bowser, who had been installed as General Secretary of 
 Committee of Management in the place of the deceased 
 Mr. James Netum. He wrote the body telling them so 
 soon as their charter arrived from England he would so 
 inform them. 
 
 In the meantime, after they had been started a period 
 of about ten months, Rev. F. J. Peck, hearing of the 
 movement on foot and being an ex-member from Boston, 
 Mass., also started up a lodge and named it the Star of 
 the South. January, 1871, the charter and books arrived, 
 and immediate arrangements were perfected for D. B. 
 Bowser, of Philadelphia, to come to Atlanta to set up 
 the lodge. He came by the members paying him $3.00 
 per day, from the time he left Philadelphia till his return 
 to that city, and also his traveling expenses, board and 
 one gallon of beer per day. March 5, 1871, he 
 reached Atlanta, and during the same day set up the St. 
 James Lodge No. 1455, one hundred members strong. 
 
 The St. James agreed to let Mr. Bowser set up the 
 Star of the South Lodge if it would agree to pay half of 
 the expenses, which they did. 
 
 The officers installed in St. James Lodge No. 1455 
 were as follows : Augustus Thompson, Noble Father ; 
 James Lowndes, Noble Grand ; Rev. J. A. Wood, Vice- 
 Grand ; L. S. Smith, P. S. 
 
 The Star of South No. 1456, with sixty members 
 and Vine Ware (now deceased) as Noble Father, was 
 also set up. 
 
 Under the St. James Lodge a lodge was organized 
 at Marietta, Ga., with thirty-four members. Also one 
 at Dalton, Ga., with forty or more members. Then one 
 at Augusta, Ga. 
 
 Thus it is seen from the start, the St. James No. 
 1455 began to work, and is still burying her dead, 
 
52 - THE BLACK SIDE. 
 
 caring for her sick, and at this time, taking care of an 
 old brother who has been blind for ten years ; all of this 
 time giving him from $10 to $12 per month. This 
 Lodge has done great work. It has a lot which cost the 
 members $3,350, and a four-story brick building costing 
 over $n,ooo, making a total of $14,356. The Lodge 
 is still growing and has a very large membership. The 
 following brethren have done much good as Board of 
 Directors and as Building Committee : 
 
 W. H. Landrum, M. P. V. P ; W. A. Harris, Perry 
 Calhoun, Henry Pleasant, A Dixon, Professor C. W. 
 Hill, L. H. Cargile, Martin Alexander, Wesley Redding, 
 Lucius Lester, Treasurer ; E. B. Gibson, P. S. ; La- 
 fayette Landrum. AUGUSTUS THOMPSON, 
 
 M. P. V. P. 
 
 HISTORICAL SKETCH OF THE ATLANTA 
 BAPTIST SEMINARY. 
 
 THE ATLANTA BAPTIST SEMINARY, under the name 
 of The Augusta Institute^ was founded at Augusta, 
 Ga., in May, 1867. It was conducted under the 
 auspices of the National Theological Institute, by Rev.. 
 J. W. Parker, D.D. 
 
 No permanent location having been secured for it 
 thus early in its history, it was taught at night in Spring- 
 field Baptist Church. 
 
 When Dr. Parker had been in charge but three 
 months feeble health compelled him temporarily to sus- 
 pend his labors and return North. During his absence, 
 at his request, Rev. J. Mason Rice took the principalship 
 and continued it until the following fall, when Dr. Parker 
 returned to his post of duty. 
 
THE BLACK SIDE. 53 
 
 Instruction was given by lectures to such ministers and 
 deacons as found it convenient to attend, while two as- 
 sistants taught females. 
 
 In November of the same year, Dr. Parker having re- 
 signed, Rev. Charles H. Corey and wife were appointed 
 to fill the vacancy. They retained Mr. Rice, and taught 
 with success until July 13, 1868, when Mr. Corey was 
 transferred to the Richmond Institute, Richmond, Va. 
 
 Early in the following winter, Rev. Lucien C. Hayden, 
 D.D., succeeded Mr. Corey in the management of the 
 Seminary, but as the United States Educational Bureau 
 was then establishing schools for the colored people, it 
 was thought best to blend the efforts of the Seminary 
 with those of the Bureau. 
 
 Dr. Hayden took charge of these schools in January, 
 1869. Thus, with the exception of an occasional lecture, 
 ministerial training during that year was discontinued. 
 
 November 15, 1869, under appointment of the Ameri- 
 can Baptist Home Mission Society, Rev. W. D. Seigfried 
 came South as the president of the Seminary. The 
 school being still without quarters of its own, it was 
 urged by friends that it was essential to its success that 
 the Society should purchase a site for that purpose. 
 Accordingly, April 21, 1870, a beautiful lot in the city of 
 Augusta, Ga., 180 by 180 feet, centrally located on 
 Telfair street, was bought for cash at $5,700. 
 
 Dr. Seigfried at once removed to the premises, where 
 he had an unusually large attendance. 
 
 In the summer he went North to solicit subscriptions 
 to reimburse the Society for the outlay in the purchase 
 of this property. He returned early in the following 
 autumn ; but in the course of a few months he severed 
 his connection with the institution, whose operations 
 were a second time suspended (until August i, 1871), 
 when Rev. Jos. T. Robert, LL.D., was appointed to its 
 
54 THE BLACK SIDE. 
 
 presidency. A Southern gentleman of high culture and 
 liberal views, Dr. Robert succeeded in carrying forward 
 the work as none of his predecessors had been able to 
 do. He conducted the school four years without an as- 
 sistant. In addition to raising funds for its maintenance* 
 he heard recitations five hours a day, and delivered two 
 lectures a week on biblical and scientific subjects. 
 
 The fifth year he had two of his advanced students aid 
 him in hearing classes. In the sixth year of his connec- 
 tion with the Seminary Professor Sterling Gardner, an 
 accomplished colored gentleman, a graduate of Madison 
 University, Hamilton, New York, was transferred from 
 the Richmond Institute to assist Dr. Robert at Augusta. 
 
 Professor Gardner was eminently fitted for the work, 
 and did effective service, but in less than a year, after a 
 protracted illness, he died. During his sickness, and after 
 his decease, two of his pupils, Collins H. Lyons and 
 William E. Holmes, aided Dr. Robert in his work. 
 
 After the death of Professor Gardner, Rev, David 
 Shaver, D.D., was associated with Dr. Robert as his 
 principal assistant, from the beginning of the session 
 1878-79 to the close of that of 1 880-81. A man pos- 
 sessed of large general information, and deeply learned in 
 theology and philosophy, Dr. Robert found in him a 
 colaborer admirably adapted to the work he loved so 
 well. 
 
 In the fall of 1879 tne Seminary was removed to 
 Atlanta, Ga,, and given its present name, THE AT- 
 LANTA BAPTIST SEMINARY. An eligible lot of four 
 acres was purchased, and a commodious brick building 
 was erected for its use at the corner of Elliott and West 
 Hunter streets. 
 
 Dr. Robert continued with the school until his death, 
 which occurred March 5, 1884. 
 
 After the death of Dr. Robert, his first assistant, Rev. 
 
THE BLACK SIDE. 55 
 
 David F. Estes, A.M., was commissioned acting presi- 
 dent. In this capacity he served with acceptance until 
 May 27, 1886, when Rev. Samuel Graves, D.D., of 
 Grand Rapids, Michigan, was appointed to succeed Dr. 
 Robert. Dr. Graves is unusually well qualified to dis- 
 charge the delicate and difficult duties of his position, 
 having had large experience as a pastor and educator. 
 
 Under him the Seminary has gone steadily forward; 
 its standard has been raised, its attendance increased, 
 and its influence wicened. 
 
 As the result of Dr. Graves's efforts, the American 
 Baptist Home Mission Society has been enabled to secure 
 a lot of fourteen acres, "beautiful for situation," high 
 and healthful, in the western part of the city, for the sum 
 of 7,500, on which a building, convenient in all its ap- 
 pointments, 140 feet front and four stories high, has been 
 erected. The corner stone of this structure was laid in 
 May, and the Missionary Baptist Convention of Georgia, 
 which was then in session here, took pr^rt in the exercises 
 on that occasion. This building was ready for occu- 
 pancy December I, 1889. 
 
 In view of the steady and substantial progress which 
 the Seminary has made during the twenty years of 'its 
 existence, we have reason to "thank God and take 
 courage." 
 
 THE COLORED PROTECTIVE ASSOCIATION, 
 
 No. 3- 
 
 In this thrifty, rushing nineteenth century, when in- 
 vention and enterprise are lending much in aiding the 
 human family in rising to the high mark of that civiliza- 
 tion which characterizes all thorough-going, industrious 
 people, the negro has not shown in the least that he is 
 
56 THE BLACK SIDE. 
 
 wanting on any of these lines. He has organized banking 
 systems, building and loan associations, institutions of 
 learning, and corporations of such nature as do aid the 
 people in acquiring wealth in many ways which enable 
 them to have some income outside of their daily labor. 
 
 The Colored Men's Protective Association, which is 
 the subject of this sketch, is one of those enterprises 
 which render many a poor man, washerwoman and 
 mechanic's condition in time of sickness or disability less 
 burdensome than it otherwise would have been without 
 the existence of such an enterprise. 
 
 This benevolent enterprise was organized in Shiloh 
 African Methodist Episcopal Church, Atlanta, Ga., Au- 
 gust 24, 1888, by Lodge No. i, with Robert Farmer 
 as its President and Robert Collier as Secretary, having at 
 the time of the organization forty-two members. Since 
 the date of its organization the membership has grown 
 to be 1,068. They have as a financial basis $1,633.25. 
 They have paid out as sick benefits $842.75, and for 
 burying the dead of the Association 275.00; for other 
 expenses and charitable purposes $40.90. The object of 
 this enterprise is not simply to administer to the wants of 
 'their members and to protect them in the many disadvan- 
 tages that they may be called to undergo in these lines, 
 but to stand by their fellow-men at all times and in any 
 case of emergency or danger; and, further, to help their 
 fellow-citizen of the "Black Side" in building up business 
 establishments, to induce the people of the race to 
 patronize the men of their race that are in business; and, 
 further, to aid the unfortunate in obtaining his legal rights 
 at this time. 
 
 The Colored Men's Protective Association has been 
 instrumental in doing grand service to its race. Since 
 their organization they have held their meetings in build- 
 ings owned by colored men ; first, for some time in the 
 
ODD FELLOW'S HALL. 
 
Hnr 
 
THE BLACK SIDE. 57 
 
 Shiloh African Methodist Episcopal Church; then in the 
 River's Hall, and now in the Shell Opera House, a splen- 
 did three-story building. 
 
 In the sick-room they employ the doctors of their own 
 race, and thus build up the practice of colored physicians. 
 Among the colored physicians Drs. I. W.. Hays and 
 Taylor are the practicing physicians. 
 
 The Hon. Robert Farmer, who is at the head of this 
 enterprise, is a man of wonderful natural executive 
 power; he governs his people with the skill of a Napolean. 
 This able man was born in the dark days of ante bellum 
 times, when negroes were not allowed to learn their 
 letters, in the county of Franklin, Ga., July 30, 1842. He 
 is a very devout Christian minister, a straight-forward 
 business man, a finished mechanic, a lover of his race, a 
 man of honors and virtues that would adorn any race. 
 
 THE MT. ZION BAPTIST CHURCH, OF 
 ATLANTA, GA. 
 
 This is the second Baptist Church of this city. It was 
 organized April 5, 1868, by the Revs. Dock Philip, 
 Owen George, George Hines, M. Mitchell, Deacons 
 Samuel Gordon, Anthony White and Milner. 
 
 The above composed the council, with the following 
 members: Brethren James Thornton, Henry Gates, 
 John Mack ey, David Hines; Sisters Charity Owens 
 and others, thirteen in all, and Rev. Dock Philip as 
 pastor. This church edifice was located on Luckie Hill, 
 where services were held for a considerable length of 
 time. 
 
 In 1869 the church changed pastors, calling Rev. 
 
58 THE BLACK SIDE. 
 
 Owen George from Griffin, Ga. He accepted the 
 charge. During the rive years of their stay on Luckie 
 Hill many were added to the church. 
 
 In 1882 the members, becoming dissatisfied with their 
 place of worship, agreed to move to the corner of Baker 
 and Calhoun streets. This site was located by Rev. 
 Owen George the pastor, and his composed trustees. 
 They purchased a piece of land at the above named 
 place, from Wallace & Fowler, for three hundred and 
 fifty dollars. They erected a house of worship at a cost 
 of $ 1,000, facing East Baker street. Here they wor- 
 shipped till the disease of their venerable and loving pas- 
 tor. After his death the church called Rev. A.W.Watson 
 who served them two years, when for some unknown 
 cause there came about great dissatisfaction, which re- 
 salted in the burning of their house of worship. This 
 caused much confusion among the members and they no 
 longer kept Rev. Watson as pastor, but called Rev. 
 W. R. demons, from Greene county, Ga. This was in 
 1880. Having no house of worship, they went to an old 
 box-factory and worshipped there until they could build, 
 which they did in a short time. They marched their 
 members from the old factory and settled them in their 
 new house of worship, in the same spot of the first one. 
 Their new house cost three hundred and fifty dollars. 
 They used this house for five years, when they again be- 
 came discontented, and Rev. demons split the church, 
 carried out fifty-eight members and with them built a 
 church known as Mt. Olive Church. The Mt. Zion 
 Church being without a pastor, could not remain so, and 
 immediately called Rev. W. L. Jones, of Roswell Junc- 
 tion. This was in the year 1886. He accepted the call, 
 and soon under his wise guidance the darkness dispersed, 
 light shone into each heart, and the prospects for ad- 
 vancement were bright. They moved on gradually, and 
 
THE BLACK SIDE. 59 
 
 through prayer and supplication many new souls were 
 added to their number. 
 
 The church wanted their pastor fully equipped for his 
 high calling, so it sent him to the A. B. S. that he might 
 gain the needed knowledge. His salary was seventy- 
 five dollars per month, besides they giving him a com- 
 fortable home on Angier avenue. 
 
 This saying of the Saviour was a prophecy: " He that 
 soppeth in the dish with me, has lifted his heels against 
 me. As a proof, in 1888 Rev. Jones split this grand old 
 church again and carried out about sixty-five members. 
 This wounded the hearts of many. They, however, 
 would not give up the struggle, but with Jesus as their 
 leader, struggled on in prayer, and in 1890 called Rev. 
 S. A. McNeal. He served them one year, when his 
 resignation was solicited. He resigned, whereupon Rev. 
 W. H. Tilman, from Tennessee, was chosen as pastor. 
 He remained until June, 1892, when, without the knowl- 
 edge of the members, he left them without a pastor. 
 They heard of the good- works of the oratorical W. H. 
 Tuggle, a young pulpit divine, who was then laboring 
 in Morgan, Putnam, Green and Rockdale counties. He 
 was known from reputation as a preacher, praying man 
 and a singer. , He had already four churches in charge, 
 consisting of one thousand, one hundred and eighty-six 
 members, and found it hard to leave this field ; but trust- 
 ing in God, he accepted the call of the Mt. Zion Church, 
 and was installed October, 1892. Since his acceptance 
 very flattering are the prospects of success. Through 
 this noble young man the church has made rapid strides 
 toward advancement, , and many wayward ones have 
 been brought into the fold of Christ. The church edi- 
 fice is among the largest of the city, and very often 
 standing-room cannot be procured, so large is the au- 
 dience. 
 
60 THE BLACK SIDE. 
 
 This church is the root of more branch churches than 
 any other in the State, six having gone out from it, being 
 located in this city. 
 
 Surely " The Lord loveth Zion more than all the 
 dwellings of Judea." 
 
 FLOYD H. CRUMBLY, 
 
 SOLDIER, LEADING MERCHANT, ENTERPRISING CIT- 
 IZEN. 
 
 Among the prosperous men of Georgia, is Floyd H. 
 Crumbly, of Atlanta. Of those of this city who have 
 made the mercantile line a success, he ranks head. He 
 has prospered and grown with the prosperity and growth 
 of the city, and to-day is the leading young colored mer- 
 chant of the town. 
 
 In commencing this business, Mr. Crumbly started at 
 the lowest round of the ladder, but his ascent has been 
 steady and sure. His firm resolution and strong will 
 suffered him not to think of failure. Persevere and suc- 
 ceed ! were his watchwords, and these kept in view 
 landed him safely in the harbor of success. 
 
 In the "City of Hills," May 10, 1859, tne nero ^ our 
 narrative first opened his eyes to the light of this world. 
 His father was a slave, the chattel of a Methodist min- 
 ister. 
 
 The elder Crumbly was a preacher to his fellow-bonds- 
 men, in the days of servitude, and after the war he en- 
 gaged in politics for a time, being a member of the Con- 
 stitutional Convention of 1866, and of several successive 
 legislatures. 
 
 The mother of the subject of this sketch was a free 
 woman, who, just before the war, was separated from her 
 
THE BLACK SIDE. 61 
 
 husband. Then, taking her son with her, she went to 
 Nashville, Tenn. The wife never saw the husband 
 again as she died in 1869. After the mother's death, 
 young Crumbly was brought to Atlanta and given to his 
 grandparents. 
 
 In the meantime, his father having learned his where- 
 abouts came for him, taking him under his own protec- 
 tion. The first teacher of young Crumbly was the Rev. 
 George Standing, an English minister of the M. E. 
 Church, a man full of good work and of the Holy Spirit. 
 It is not to be doubted that the principles and goodly ex- 
 amples of this devoted man did much to shape and 
 mould the character of Mr. Crumbly. 
 
 In 1876, Floyd was eighteen years old and living in 
 Atlanta. A recruiting officer of the United States Army 
 was seeking recruits for the military service, and young 
 Crumbly enlisted for a period of five years. 
 
 From Atlanta he was carried to St. Louis, thence to 
 San Antonio, where he received instruction in military 
 tactics, and then was assigned to Company I, Tenth 
 United States Cavalry, commanded by Capt. T. A. Bald- 
 win, stationed at Fort Richardson, Texas. Upon ar- 
 rival, he was appointed lance corporal, which position 'he 
 held six months ; when he was commissioned as corporal. 
 
 At the expiration of two years he was promoted to 
 the rank of sergeant. This was at Fort Sill, I. T. He 
 was then appointed clerk of his company. In 1880, while 
 stationed at Fort Stockton, Texas, he was appointed Ser- 
 geant Major of white and colored troops, commanded by 
 Lieutenant-Colonel J. F. Wade, now Colonel of the 
 Fourth Cavalry. Mr. Crumbly was in the Victory Cam- 
 paign of 1880, which lasted six months, commanded by 
 Generals Grierson and Hatch. He was discharged at 
 Fort btockton after having served his country five yeai s 
 of honorable and acceptable service. 
 
62 THE BLACK SIDE. 
 
 During Mr. Crumbly's term of enlistment, he applied 
 himself to study and acquired a first-rate business educa- 
 tion. At the same time he kept up a correspondence 
 with Miss Lula Goldsmith, whom he afterwards married. 
 
 Soon after his return from the army, Mr. Crumbly 
 was employed by Mr. Charles H. Morgan, who was at 
 that time a prosperous grocer, to clerk in his store at a 
 salary of five dollars a week. He remained in the em- 
 ploy of Mr. Morgan for some years, and then resolved to 
 go into business for himself. This was a bold resolve, 
 and to many it seemed rash. 
 
 He was altogether without resources. His good name 
 and sober habits secured for him $300 worth of goods 
 on credit. With only ten dollars, with which he paid the 
 first month's rent for the building in which he placed the 
 goods above mentioned, he entered into the business of 
 a grocer. His earnestness, honest business integrity and 
 energy soon drew to him a good line of customers. Bus- 
 iness prospered, and at the end of six months Mr. Crum- 
 bly began to buy the place he had been renting. 
 
 In eighteen months he had finished paying for the 
 place, and began to buy the place next door. These 
 places are on Wheat street, one of the principal thor- 
 oughfares of the city. On one of these lots he has erected 
 a handsome two-story building. His trade has grown 
 rapidly, and his stock of goods has increased in propor- 
 tion, until now he has a stock of $1,500, or $2,000. Mr. 
 Crumbly ascribes no small part of his success to the 
 economy, devotion and sacrifice of his wife, who never 
 failed to rejoice with him in his prosperity, and to sym- 
 pathize and counsel with him "in his struggle. With his 
 -wife he spent time happily and pleasantly, till the mes- 
 senger Death claimed her for his own, and left him in 
 sorrow and sadness. 
 
 The death of Mrs. Crumbly occurred October i, 1892, 
 
THE BLACK SIDE. 63 
 
 and was as an electric shock to her large circle of friends, 
 who feel deeply her absence from their midst. In 1890 
 he associated himself with Messrs. H. A. Rucker, J. T. 
 Schell, J. N. Blackshear and Alex. Hamilton in the or- 
 ganization of the Georgia Real Estate Loan and Trust 
 Company, of which H. A. Rucker is President, and Mr. 
 Crumbly is Secretary. Under these able men, this com- 
 pany has prospered and controls more than twenty-five 
 thousand dollars worth of Atlanta's valuable soil. Sub- 
 sequently at the session of the Grand Lodge of Free- 
 masons of Georgia, held at Augusta, he proposed the 
 very successful plan of a relief association for the benefit 
 of the poor widows and orphans of deceased brethren of 
 the order. He also has been Secretary of the Grand 
 Lodge for more than eight years, and aided in the adop- 
 tion of its present code of laws. In 1892, the Penny 
 Savings Bank of Chattanooga, Tenn., in selecting its 
 directors, could decide upon no better choice from this 
 city, than Mr. Crumbly : and he was chosen one of the 
 directors. This banking house is prosperous and reflects 
 credit upon the Negro's financial ability. Later he was 
 appointed by the Governor of the State of Georgia, Ad- 
 jutant of Lieutenent-Colonel Thomas Grants' Staff. He 
 possesses great military ability, and as such a man is ac- 
 knowledged by all as having no equal. Mr. Crumbly is 
 Secretary of the Board of Directors of the Carrie Steele 
 Logan Orphanage of this city, and the founder of the 
 Negro Historical Society of Atlanta, which body has 
 charge of the Emancipation exercises etc., etc. Well 
 might North Geogia be proud of such a son. 
 
 Mr. Crumbly has acquired considerable real estate and 
 as a business man he cannot be surpassed. He is gen- 
 tlemanly and courteous, pleasant and affable. The "Gate 
 City" of the South should be grateful to her sister "City 
 of Hills," for giving to her one so worthy of esteem, so 
 charitable and so honorable as Floyd H. Crumbly. 
 
64 THE BLACK SIDE. 
 
 J. ROBERT DAVIS, 
 
 ATTORNEY AT LAW. 
 
 J. Robert Davis, the subject of this sketch, was born at 
 Lagrange, Troupe county, Ga., A. D. 1867. Hu parents 
 came to Atlanta in 1871, bringing with them their son 
 Robert, who was then in his fourth year. So soon as 
 Robert arrived at a sufficient age, he was placed in the 
 Storrs School, which was then under the unequalled 
 regime of Miss Amy Williams, of Rochester, N. Y. 
 After completing the course of study at Storrs, Robert 
 was admitted into the junior preparatory class of the At- 
 lanta University. By this time his young mind began to 
 appreciate the meaning and value of study, and, he en- 
 tered upon the study of the higher branches with zest ; 
 so forcibly^ was he impressed with the importance of 
 knowledge, that he eclipsed all his classmates by passing 
 from the junior preparatory class to the senior prepara- 
 tory, thus gaining a whole year by skipping the middle 
 preparatory class. 
 
 At the age of seventeen he was fitted for college. 
 Desiring the benefit of travel, he decided to go North, 
 to complete his college education. He went to Lincoln 
 University, Chester County, Penn., October, 1884. 
 
 Arriving at Lincoln, he was exatnined, after which he 
 entered the junior college class. Having come from the 
 senior preparatory class of a Southern school, his admis- 
 sion to the junior college class of a Northern institution, 
 nonplused him, and not desiring to be an A.B. at so 
 early an age, he left Lincoln University after spending 
 about three months there, for a college with a higher 
 curriculum, selecting Howard University at Washington, 
 D. C. 
 
ROBERT FABMER. 
 

 J. S. RIVERS HOUSE. 
 
THE BLACK SIDE. 65 
 
 In January, 1885, he registered in the freshman class 
 of Howard University, college department. 
 
 He passed through the college department to within 
 five months of completing the senior year, when there 
 arose, between the class and the faculty, some discrep- 
 ancy in which he would not yield. So rather than 
 sacrifice his individuality by yielding to the faculty's de- 
 mands, he left his class and went to Fernandina, Fla., 
 where he took charge of the public school of that city. 
 
 In the autumn of '89 he matriculated in the Law De- 
 partment of the University of Michigan. Here he 
 began to prepare himself for actual warfare in this race 
 of life. 
 
 In June, 1891, he received the degree, LL. D. Im- 
 mediately on receiving his diploma, he turned his head 
 southward as the only field for his success in his pro- 
 fession. 
 
 In September, 1891, he applied for admission to the 
 bar of Atlanta. After passing a rigid examination before 
 the Hon. Marshall J. Clarke, the court ordered that his 
 license be given him. 
 
 Mr. Davis has, for a young man of his age, travelled 
 extensively, having visited every State and Territory- in 
 the Union. He has also visited the British Isles and the 
 continent of Europe, and has set foot upon the soil of 
 France, Belgium, Holland, Germany, Switzerland and 
 Western Austria. 
 
 This young man of whom I now write is intelligent 
 and able, besides full of energy and pluck. 
 
 He is destined to make his mark in this life among his 
 people. 
 
66 THE BLACK SIDE. 
 
 MISS HATTIE M. STURD1VANT, 
 
 SCHOOL-TEACHER. 
 
 
 In Walton county, Ga., in the little town of Monroe, 
 March 7, 1872, was born to Eli and Martha Stur- 
 divant their only daughter, Hattie. With her childish 
 prattle and winsome ways, she was the joy of the house- 
 hold, as well as the pet of the neighbors. So soon as she 
 was old enough she was sent to school. 
 
 Hattie made rapid progress in her studies, and her 
 parents, desiring to give her better educational advan- 
 tages than their little town afforded, moved to Atlanta, 
 in the year 1880. 
 
 In this city, whose educational facilities are unsur- 
 passed, they could educate their two children, their son 
 and daughter Hattie, as they desired. Hattie was sent 
 to a school taught in the basement of Bethel A. M. E. 
 Church, while her brother attended another. Being dili- 
 gent in study, she was soon promoted to higher classes. 
 Her teacher then was the gentle, and amiable, and com- 
 petent instructor, Miss Elizabeth Easley (Holmes). 
 
 During the summer of '82 a building was erected on 
 W. Mitchell street. This was the Mitchell Street School, 
 arid in September of the same year, Hattie entered this 
 school where for four years she received instruction. 
 While a pupil there, she took the examination for county 
 schools and secured second grade license. Now it was 
 that her father's health began to fail rapidly, but through 
 the inflexible zeal of the mother the children were kept 
 in school. 
 
 . In the fall of '86 Miss Hattie became a student of the 
 Atlanta University, where she continued her studies till 
 May, 1892, when she graduated with high honors. 
 
 While an inmate of the Atlanta University she ac- 
 
THE BLACK SIDE. 67 
 
 cepted Christ as her Saviour and helper and friend ; and 
 she now lives the true, pure life of a Christian. 
 
 She says that since she has given herself to the Lord 
 her work seems easier, her life is happier: and you who 
 have experienced the love of Christ can but acquiesce, 
 for "He maketh the crooked ways straight," and " with- 
 holdeth no good things from them that walk uprightly." 
 
 Miss Hattie first began teaching by assisting Mr. B. F. 
 Smith. She has since conducted with success her schools 
 alone. 
 
 She united with the Friendship Baptist Church, was 
 baptized by the Rev. E. R. Carter, and is an ardent 
 worker in the Sunday-school. 
 
 Miss Hattie is a lady of an amiable disposition, gentle, 
 refined and modest. 
 
 REV. ROBERT L. DAROEN, 
 
 ABLE MINISTER OF THE GOSPEL. 
 
 Among the young divines of this day who^iave bat- 
 tled with many hardships, overcome many obstacles and 
 are now doing great and good service in the Master's 
 vineyard, no one of them is more prominent than he of 
 whom these words are written. His parents were for- 
 merly slaves, and at the time of his advent into this life, 
 were in very poor circumstances; but owing to perse- 
 verance and will-power contrived to send young Robert 
 to school during a small portion of the year. Thus his 
 .first years were spent on the farm and in the village 
 school. Early in life there could be discovered in him 
 signs of speech-making and oratory, which signs devel- 
 oped as he advanced in years, until they have reached a 
 
ti8 THE BLACK SIDE. 
 
 point which now determines our subject to be an influen- 
 tial pulpit orator. He encountered many difficulties, and 
 because of his father's limited means more than once 
 was the fond hope of one day attending a better school 
 destroyed and scattered as the wind does the chaff. 
 However, the time finally came, when he was given the 
 privilege to make his own way through life; and, know- 
 ing that without education for a guide and helper, he 
 could not be prepared for life's battles, made his way 
 first to that grand old camp where religion and knowl- 
 edge go hand in hand, the Atlanta Baptist Seminary. 
 
 At the time of his entering his worldly effects may be 
 summed up thus . One suit of clothing, one pair of shoes, 
 one hat, and six dollars in cash. After being in school 
 about three months, finding himself financially embar- 
 rassed, he left and began the work of teaching, by 
 which he was enabled to re-enter school at the opening 
 of the next term. 
 
 So, by teaching during the vacation months, he re- 
 mained in school till he completed his course of study. 
 In 1 888, realizing that he was called to the ministry, and 
 deeming jt unwise to enter so great a field without more 
 biblical instruction, he re-entered the Seminary and took 
 a thorough course of theology, under the efficient pres- 
 ident of the institution, Dr. Graves. In 1890 he finished 
 this study, and after his" ordination, became the pastor of 
 a church at Fairburn, Ga. The people of this place 
 were not slow to find out that they had a good leader in 
 the person of Rev. Darden, and soon the membership, 
 as well as the congregation, increased rapidly. 
 
 . Rev. Darden's next charge was the First Baptist 
 Church, of Marietta, Ga. When he first accepted this 
 work the church edifice was unfinished, as it had been 
 for quite a number of years. More experienced minis- 
 ters than he had left the work incomplete, and the mem- 
 
THE BLACK SIDE. 69 
 
 bers to suffer. Deacons had become impatient, and all 
 was at a standstill till he took charge of the work. By 
 his labor and wise judgment the work was pushed for- 
 ward to completion, and to-day the edifice, completed at 
 the cost of three thousand dollars, stands as a monument 
 to Rev. Darden's untiring zeal. It is the oldest Baptist 
 church in North Georgia, and has a membership and con- 
 gregation of which any pastor might well be proud. He 
 has delivered able sermons before the different Associa- 
 tions in the State, but he proved himself equal to any 
 pulpit emergency when he delivered the conventional 
 sermon before the Sunday-school Baptist Convention, 
 held at Macon, Ga., 1892, which sermon was ordered 
 by the Convention to be published in all the colored jour- 
 nals of the State. He married Miss Daphne P. Knox, 
 ex-student of Atlanta University, who is refined and 
 gentle, and who teaches in the public schools of Marietta. 
 Rev. Darden is a member of the Executive Board of the 
 State Baptist Convention and a life-member of the For- 
 eign Mission Convention of the United States. He has 
 a beautiful home in the city of Atlanta, and also a pro- 
 ductive farm in Meriwether county, Ga. He is a 
 worthy young man, an advocate and defender of the 
 denomination with which he is identified. He is the sec- 
 ond son of Noah and kucy Darden, and was born in 
 Meriwether county, Ga., February 2d, in the year of 
 our Lord 1865, 
 
70 THE BLACK SIDE. 
 
 MR. WILLIAM C. ROSETTE, 
 
 KEAL ESTATE AND KEN TING AGENT. 
 
 The young man whose name adorns this sketch is one 
 of Atlanta's thrifty, enterprising, adopted sons. He is of 
 a bright intellect and keen business perception. Few 
 men would prove more serviceable, to the Black Side, in 
 this line of business of which the undaunted spirit of this 
 young man will make a success. 
 
 The Negroes, in the days of slavery, used to pray that 
 the time would come when they would have men of their 
 own race prepared to lead, conduct and foster lines of 
 business for themselves. Providence, by the use of hu- 
 man agency, has answered those prayers, and we now 
 have the men. But sometimes, because of the lack of 
 confidence and trust imposed in them, by the very ones 
 who prayed, I am made to wonder if these men be not 
 in advance of those prayers. The men are here, pre- 
 pared and ready, but it is a sad fact that the race is not 
 supporting them as it should. The co-operation of the 
 race is essential to the success of the members of 
 that race. The success of the business into which this 
 young man has entered depends upon the people, and 
 that success is only gained in this way, viz.: Those 
 among us who have houses to rent, lands to sell, should 
 put them into the hands of our own agents, that the per- 
 centage which would make the men of other races inde- 
 pendent might make the men of our own. race equally 
 so. Mr. Rosette was born in the classic city of Athens, 
 Gat.-, 1865. His early days were spent in a private 
 school. Later, he attended the Knox Institute of that 
 city. His first manner of making a living was school- 
 teaching, which he pursued several years; after which 
 he engaged in grocery-keeping. Desiring to see some- 
 
THE BLACK SIDE. 71 
 
 thing of nature before settling and taking unto himself a 
 wife, he sought and obtained employment over one of the 
 prominent railroads, and, selling his property all but two 
 very desirable lots, traveled for three years through many 
 of the States of the Union. 
 
 After having this taste of nature, he returned to his 
 home, where he was married to Miss Emma Eva Carey, 
 a former belle of Atlanta. 
 
 Soon after their marriage, by request of his wife, they 
 moved to Atlanta, in which city Mr. Rosette is engaged in 
 the aforesaid business; and, it is hoped, that the Black 
 Side of this city will give him the patronage which a 
 struggling son deserves. He is pleasant in manner, con- 
 genial and affable, and with the combined efforts of the 
 Negroes of this city Mr. Rosette will prove an honor to 
 the race. 
 
 AUGUSTUS THOMPSON, F. L. T. AND M. V. P., 
 
 MASTER BLACKSMITH. 
 
 ,. The subject of this sketch was born in Jackson, Miss., 
 on July 8, 1837. His mother was a slave, but his father 
 was a freeman. His mother, Minerva Lee, with four 
 children, including himself, were willed to a Mr. Julius 
 Sappho, of Madison, Ga. So in 1840 they were moved 
 to Madison, The father, being a freeman, could not ac- 
 company his wife and children, because the removal of 
 a freeman to another State caused him to be enslaved. 
 Thus the mother and children were separated from the 
 father. 
 
 The early life of our subject was quietly spent. Edu- 
 cation was denied slaves, and his chances to gain knowl- 
 edge were poor indeed. However, he had a good chance 
 
72 THE BLACK SIDE. 
 
 to develop his muscles. In 1855 ^ e was apprenticed to 
 the blacksmith trade, which he served faithfully during 
 his apprenticeship of six years, when he was considered 
 as a master of his profession. 
 
 His first work was at Lexington, Ga., as a journey- 
 man, after which he was employed at Athens by the 
 Confederate Gun Factory Company, where he made guns 
 for the Confederacy. These guns were used in the late 
 war. He was under Major Ferdinand Cook. 
 
 In 1863 he was detailed under Colonel Raines, and 
 sent to Augusta, Ga., to iron off gun carriages of artil- 
 lery in the Augusta Machine Works . Here he was em- 
 ployed until emancipated through the influence of the 
 noble Abraham Lincoln. 
 
 In 1865 he worked as blacksmith for the Augusta 
 Cotton Factory, and the following year married a Miss 
 Lorie Ann Jones, who proved a true and devoted wife, 
 and with whom he- lived happily till her death, which oc- 
 curred 1888. During their union there were no children 
 given them. 
 
 From 1866 to 1870 Mr. Thompson worked incessantly 
 for the Georgia Railroad in one or more places. At bne 
 time worked in Augusta under Colonel Frost and Mr. 
 McDuffie as car-builder, ironing off passenger coaches. 
 He next removed to Union Point, Ga., where he was 
 blacksmith of that entire line of railroad. 
 
 In 1870, desiring to better his condition, he came to 
 Atlanta, and soon obtained work in the State road shops 
 as a boiler manufacturer, where he remained during the 
 Messrs. Bullock and Blodgett management of that road. 
 When the road was leased to Jos. E. Brown he was sus- 
 pended. 
 
 Not being satisfied without employment, Mr. Thomp- 
 son began a business for himself, which he has ever since 
 pursued both profitably and creditably to himself. By 
 
REV. ROBERT L. DARDEN. 
 
AUGUSTUS THOMPSON. 
 

 REV. W. M. FINCH. 
 
THE BLACK SIDE. 73 
 
 hard work and temperate habits he has realized a snug 
 little fortune, and is well prepared for rainy days. He 
 does business on South Pryor street, rear of No. 69. 
 
 Being thoroughly acquainted with his trade, and ren- 
 dering satisfaction to all patroriizers, he is never without 
 a pretty good supply of work. May he continue in the 
 path of success. 
 
 In the latter part of the year 1870 Mr. Thompson met 
 a Mr. James Lowndes of Louisville, Ky., who was a 
 member of the order of Odd Fellows, and who had a 
 "general law" governing the order of the G. U. O. of 
 O. F. They conversed together concerning Odd Fellow - 
 ism. Mr. Thompson became deeply interested in it. 
 Ideas were exchanged, plans were arranged, and the or- 
 ganizing, through the efforts of Mr. Thompson, of the 
 first colored lodge of Odd Fellows in the Empire State 
 of the South was the result. He next organized a lodge 
 at Marietta, then one at Dalton, Ga., and from these have 
 sprung many other lodges. 
 
 It is with pride and pleasure that Mr. Thompson re- 
 calls those days, and now looks upon the result of his 
 work. Ah, verily we reap what we sow. These grand 
 institutions have done much toward helping and uplifting 
 the Negro race, He, is still a member and trustee of the 
 oldest lodge in this State. 
 
 The enterprising spirit of this man would not permit 
 him to be satisfied with a mere organization. He de- 
 sired more a home for this organization so he brought 
 the matter before the Assembly, which discussed it fully, 
 finally deciding in favor of Mr. Thompson's plans for a 
 home, and now, through his influence, stands a fine four- 
 story brick building, which should reflect credit on any 
 race, and is an ornament to any city. To show their ap- 
 preciation of the founder, this lodge has made him an 
 
74 THE BLACK SIDE. 
 
 honorary member, and this but extends to him the de- 
 served merit. ' 
 
 Mr. Thompson is a man who deals squarely and hon- 
 estly with and by his fellow-men, and commands the re- 
 spect of both races. 
 
 In 1889 he was happily wedded to Miss Katie Mc- 
 Clendon, in whom he finds a helpmate true, and who 
 shares his cares and happiness with him. 
 
 In September, 1892, he was converted and united with 
 the A. M. E. Church under the present pastor, Rev. 
 Larry Thomas. 
 
 Mr. Thompson is a Christian man, a law-abiding citi- 
 zen, and a true friend to his race. His neat and comfort- 
 able home is on Connally street, No. 157. May God's- 
 choicest blessings rest upon all such good and useful men. 
 
 REV. WILLIAM FINCH, 
 
 EX-CITY COUNCILMAN PREACHER TAILOR. 
 
 No citizen of the city of Atlanta is better known than 
 the one whose name appears at the top of this page. All 
 who have known him have felt themselves honored by 
 the acquaintance. 
 
 That part of life over which he has passed has been an 
 inspiration for good to many a youth. To say that he is 
 a benefactor of the race is putting it mildly. No one has 
 ever sought his sympathy and received it not. None 
 have ever, in time of distress or trouble, applied to this 
 man for assistance, financial or otherwise, and been denied 
 or turned away unaided. 
 
 Small in stature, yet in his bosom rests a magnanimous 
 heart. He bears malice toward none, and has chanty for 
 all. Even in those " cruel days," to his oppressors he 
 
THE BLACK SIDE. 7 
 
 was ever kind and obliging. In those trying times, when 
 the enemy, while fighting to bind more tightly the chains of 
 servitude, became wounded, with his own hands would 
 William dress their wounds, administer to their wants, 
 and soothe their sorrows. Besides exhibiting the gran- 
 deur Of his soul in thismanner, he was often the instru- 
 ment of saving for his master, and sometimes others, 
 much of their gold, silver and valuables. He tells many 
 interesting anecdotes of war times, which with his per- 
 mission the writer would be glad to record. 
 
 This worthy man was born in the county of Wilkes, at 
 Washington, Ga., during the days of servitude, and 
 of a slave mother. At the age of twelve he went to live 
 with Judge Andrews, in the same county. He stayed 
 with Judge Andrews four years, at the expiration of 
 which he went to Athens to stay with Chief Justice J. H. 
 Lumpkin. This was the year 1848. Spending several 
 years in the employ of Mr. Lumpkin, he afterward went 
 to the war, where he passed through the hottest of the 
 struggle. Returning, he again made his abode with 
 Judge Andrews and remained with him till the strife 
 ended, a result whereof was the liberation of six million 
 slaves. In gratitude to the Union army for his freedom, 
 Mr. Finch made a beautiful United States flag which he 
 presented to the I44th New York Regiment. 
 
 He was deeply interested in the welfare and elevation 
 of his people, and having, by his own efforts and assist- 
 ance from his former owners, acquired some education, 
 he resolved to do what he could toward instructing them. 
 Accordingly he opened and taught the first school for the 
 Negro in that part of the State. 
 
 In 1854 ne married Miss JLaura Wright, with whom 
 he passed life happily till 1876, when death severed the 
 union. He was apprenticed to the tailor's trade at the 
 age of fifteen, and becoming an efficient tailor, in 1866 he 
 
76 THE BLACK SIDE. 
 
 went to Augusta, Ga., to engage in the business. He 
 remained in Augusta two years, when, hoping to bet- 
 ter his financial affairs, he came to Atlanta, and, with Mr. 
 Danwell Brydie as partner, opened business in this city. 
 He came to Atlanta fifty dollars in debt and with six chil- 
 dren whose support rested entirely upon him. By.sobri- 
 ety and close attention to business he soon canceled the 
 debt, educated his children, and besides purchased a por- 
 tion of land on what is now the beautiful Edgewood 
 
 O ' 
 
 avenue, on which he erected a cosy cottage, now worth 
 $6,000. 
 
 In 1881 he married Miss Minnie Vason, of Madison, 
 Ga., who is charming in manner and appearance. 
 
 Mr. Finch was at one time a member of the city 
 council, the only Negro who has ever enjoyed that honor 
 in this city. While a memoer he used every effort to 
 bring about a state of affairs by which his people could be 
 benefited. He was the originator of the plan to have 
 public schools for Negro children, and after the establish- 
 ment of the same he was the first to agitate the query: 
 Should the whites teach the Negro children, while among 
 the Negroes were able, competent teachers? Every res- 
 ident of our city is aware of the result. Every public 
 school in the city for Negro children is supplied with 
 Negro instructors. Of course Mr. Finch met much op- 
 position, and at times the desired result was almost de- 
 spaired of; but his untiring energy failed him not, and 
 at last his labor was rewarded. 
 
 In July, 1848, he was converted, joined the African 
 Methodist Episcopal Church under Rev. Samuel Antony, 
 and has from that time onward been a faithful worker in 
 the church and cause of Christ. March 15, 1868, he was 
 ordained to the ministry by Bishops Alexander and Way- 
 man. Lastly, he was ordained as elder of the African 
 
THE BLACK SIDE. 77 
 
 Methodist Episcopal Church, by Bishop T. M. D. Ward, 
 May 9, 1876. 
 
 The eventful and successful career of this man is well 
 worth perusal. He ascribes much of his success -in his 
 business life to the conversations which used many years 
 ago to occur between himself and Chief Justice Lumpkin 
 while he lived at Athens in the Justice's service. Many a 
 night until the clock would strike the midnight hour they 
 would be conversing, consulting and advising with each 
 other. 
 
 He was always fond of horses and has for several 
 years owned fine ones. He tells a little anecdote con- 
 cerning his being able to keep them. Riding along the 
 streets one day he was asked by a white friend: 
 
 " How is it, Finch, that you are able to keep horses to 
 ride while I have to walk!" 
 
 To which Mr. Finch replied in this language : 
 
 "Do you drink beer, etc., smoke, chew tobacco; and 
 if so, how much does the use "of them cost you?" 
 
 Receiving yes to his questions, he again remarked: 
 
 " / do neither. This is why I am able to keep horses to 
 ride. The money you spend foolishly for such things I 
 save. Do likewise and you too can ride." 
 
 He is a great temperance advocate, an honor to the 
 race, and the pride of his church. 
 
 MR. FRANK T. HOWARD, 
 
 SUCCESSFUL UNDERTAKEK AND EMBALMER. 
 
 Atlanta is behind in nothing. Within her broad limits 
 every industry, trade, business enterprise and profession, 
 and everything it takes to make a city, are to be found. 
 In the line of business of which I now write she is sur- 
 
78 THE BLACK SIDE. 
 
 passed by no city, and in this business here of the Black 
 Side no one is more noted than the young man whose 
 name is written above this article. He is the eldest son 
 of the well-known David T. Howard, of this city, and 
 was born December 10, A. D. 1871, in Atlanta, Ga. 
 At^ the age of seven young Howard was sent to the 
 Storrs School, which he attended till he finished the 
 course of study there, which he did at the age of four- 
 teen. 
 
 Then he entered the college preparatory at Atlanta 
 University, and when he reached his seventeenth year 
 was prepared for the college course. He continued in 
 college till he finished the freshman year. He also at- 
 tended the Knowles Industrial School, connected with 
 the University, and acquired the skilled use of tools. 
 Desiring to put into practice this valuable knowledge ob- 
 tained at Knowles, he left school and associated himself 
 in business with his father, and to the father the son is 
 indispensable. He manufactures and manages the man- 
 ufacturing of most of his fine caskets and coffins, some 
 of which equal those made at the factories of the North. 
 Young Howard has the reputation of being the fastest 
 coffin trimmer in Atlanta. He has been known to make, 
 paint and trim a hospital case in one hour. 
 
 He is also a skillful embalmer, and embalms for the 
 "State Anatomical Board of Georgia." He is success- 
 ful in his business, numbering his subjects by the scores. 
 
 Aside from the more solemn works of life, he is very 
 fond of athletic sports. During the season of 1892 Mr. 
 Howard very successfully managed a baseball team, 
 which played in several Southern cities under his direc- 
 tion. He is the possessor of a very fine-blooded trotting 
 horse, which has made a fine record. Mrs. Ella B. 
 Howard, the mother of this young man, is a charitable, 
 Christian lady, and devotes much of her time to charita. 
 
THE BLACK SIDE. 79 
 
 fole and temperance work, and is greatly loved by all 
 who know her. 
 
 Mr. Frank Howard is a young man of fine intellect, 
 jovial and courteous, and is in good -circumstances, his 
 father having accumulated much real estate. That he 
 may live many years, be an honor to his race, and ascend 
 the ladder of fame, is the earnest wish of the writer. 
 
 REV. M. V. WHITE. 
 
 RISING BAPTIST DIVINE. 
 
 This 'worthy young man was born in Upson county, 
 Ga., March 10, 1858. Being deprived of educational 
 advantages he did not learn the alphabet till he was four- 
 teen years of age. 
 
 In 1877 he went to Hampton, Ga., where he was em- 
 ployed as a farm laborer for the salary of 6.00 per month. 
 His employer agreed also to send him to school during 
 the three months term. Young White was very studi- 
 ous and soon learned to spell, read and write. He next 
 went to Jonesboro, Ga., at which place be also did farm 
 work. 
 
 Being the son of a good Christian woman the precepts 
 taught him in early youth, and the prayers he had been 
 wont to say at her knees, followed him through boyhood 
 to manhood, and in 1880 Mr. White was converted and 
 united with the Baptist Church. During the same year 
 he married a Miss Vinie Lawrence. It was now that 
 Mr. White began to realize that there was a higher 
 sphere for him to fill a nobler work to do. From 
 Jonesboro he moved into Atlanta, and soon afterward he 
 felt that he was called to the ministry. To better pre- 
 
80 THE BLACK SIDE. 
 
 pare himself for the great work to which he had been 
 called, he entered the Atlanta Baptist Seminary in 1-877, 
 and while pursuing his studies was offered the pastorate 
 of a church in this city. He accepted this, and under his- 
 wise, good guidance many souls were brought to Christ . 
 He was next principal of the school at Tallapoosa, Ga. 
 Here he remained till called to a church at Powder 
 Springs, Ga. This was a poor charge, but through the 
 perseverance and patience of this good man, the work 
 soon revived and many came into the fold of Christ. 
 He also at this place erected a new church which is a 
 credit to him and the community in which it now is. 
 
 God is blessing his work and rewarding his labors by 
 adding members to his church. 
 
 Rev. White is still attending the Seminary, which is in 
 proximity to both of his charges, one being at West 
 Point, the other at Powder Springs, Ga. 
 
 REV. WILLIAM H. TUGGLE, 
 
 PULPIT ORATOR BAPTIST LEADER. 
 
 About three miles west of Madison, Morgan county, 
 Ga., standing in the midst of an extremely poor vicinity, 
 is an old farm-house known as the Bill West plantation. 
 Here on the 25th of August, A. D. 1867, William H. 
 Tuggle first saw the light of day. His early life was 
 characteristic of honesty and frankness, for while a 
 youth he scorned a mean act. His father being a poor 
 farmer, William was obliged to work hard and steadily 
 while quite small. 
 
 But amidst all disadvantages and difficulties he perse- 
 vered and succeeded in obtaining a common school edu- 
 
FRANK F. HOWARD. 
 
REV. M. V. WHITE. 
 
THE BLACK SIDE. 81 
 
 cation. Though born in obscurity and poverty he was 
 destined some day to become a leader among his peo- 
 ple. When he was eleven years of age his father died, 
 leaving him to the care of a widowed mother. At the 
 time of his father's death William was unconverted, but 
 this death so affected him that it was not long before he 
 sought and found salvation of our Lord. 
 
 In the autumn of '78, shortly after his father's death, 
 he, during a series of meetings held at the popular New 
 Enon Church was converted, and received the holy rite 
 of baptism from Rev. Samuel Cochran. William very 
 soon became an ardent Sunday-school worker and his 
 untiring zeal knew no limit, though the cyclonic winds 
 of misfortune and trial blew hard against him. 
 
 In the year 1885 he was united in holy wedlock to the 
 accomplished Miss Ollie Coleman, of Eatonton, Ga., in 
 whom he finds a helpmeet indeed. 
 
 The impression during his early life that he must 
 preach the word of God grew stronger in him as he ad- 
 vanced in life, so finally making known his desire to the 
 church with which he was connected, he was granted 
 license, and began his work in the fourth district of the 
 Shiloh Association as Sunday-school agent. His labors 
 in this direction proved a success. He was next called 
 to the pastorate of the Baptist Church at Monticello, Ga ., 
 where he rendered faithful service till called to the Sand 
 Hill Baptist Church in Putnam county. Here he was a 
 successful leader for the Baptist army. His next field 
 of labor was at the Henderson Grove Baptist Church 
 where he served till a cry came down from Conyers, 
 Ga., calling for his service at that place. He found the 
 baptists at that place far behind the times, but this only 
 Simulated him the more to labor, and he, with ni^e ener- 
 getic members, went zealously to work and soon their labor 
 
82. THE BLACK SIDE. 
 
 was rewarded by the erection of a neat little structure, 
 which cost six hundred dollars, and that amount was soon 
 cancelled. At this place Rev. Tuggle baptized many 
 souls. 
 
 Finally, to the deep regret of all the charge he re- 
 signed. He was called to guide the Mt. Zion Church, 
 at Atlanta, Ga., where with united energy,' Christian zeal, 
 patience and ambition, he still proclaims in oratorical 
 tones the imperishable word of God. To this church, 
 where he has been since September last, he has, by pray- 
 ers and his wonderful manner of preaching, added seventy- 
 four members. It is said of him that he has a voice like 
 a silver trumpet, and is like unto one of the sweet sing- 
 ers of Israel. 
 
 REV. RUFUS H. HOUSTON, 
 
 HONOEED CITIZEN, USEFUL DEACON. 
 
 Savannah, the picturesque city by the sea, is the p'ace 
 of nativity of the one whose name heads this narrative. 
 He was born in the year 1845, and when very young was 
 carried to Jackson countv, Ga. His early life was 
 spent like that of most slaves. At the age of eleven 
 years he was sold to one John Holliday, with whom he 
 lived until the emancipation. In 1864 he married a Miss 
 Frances Schell, of Athens, Ga. She died in 1876. 
 During the same year he entered the service of Major 
 Campbell Wallace. The same year of his marriage he 
 professed a hope in the Lord, and was baptized by the 
 late Rev. Francis Quarles. Like the most of his fellow- 
 brethren, at the close of the war, Brother Houston had 
 almost nothing, his possessions amounting to six dollars 
 in silver; and the thought which troubled him most was, 
 
THE BLACK SIDE. 83 
 
 what must he do with those six dollars. He could not 
 definitely decide, so he laid them away and began work- 
 ing for Major Wallace, receiving as wages thirteen 
 dollars per month. Taking out a small portion upon 
 which to live, he saved all the rest, and by the time there 
 was a bank established, he had quite a handsome sum to 
 deposit. Thus he became a member of the bank, which 
 progressed finely for a time, when finally it failed, and 
 Mr. Houston found that he was no better off financially 
 than when he first employed himself to Major Wallace. 
 It was as if he had just started in life. This failure was 
 a great drawback to him, but he did not allow it to dis- 
 courage him, and he went forward with renewed en- 
 ergy, the result of which was that, in a few years, he had 
 accumulated enough to purchase a cozy little home, 
 which to-day cannot be purchased for three thousand 
 dollars. Now he began to feel the need of education. 
 His business arrangements would not permit him to attend 
 school ; however, he secured a teacher, to whom he re- 
 cited as often as work would allow him. Finally, a night 
 session was opened at the Storr's School, and he had a 
 chance to go. His object for seeking education was that 
 he might some day be more able to preach the Word of 
 God as he felt had been enjoined upon him. He learned 
 to read, write and spell, and also obtained a fair knowl- 
 edge of arithmetic. In 1882 he married his second 
 wife Mrs. Laura Boyd, a woman known for integrity, 
 virtue and Christianity. In her he possesses a treasure. 
 In the year 1885 he was ordained a deacon of the 
 Friendship Baptist Church, which position he fills credit- 
 ably. In 1890 he was licensed to preach the Gospel. 
 Brother Houston is bold and courageous in the discharge 
 of his duty, a useful factor in his church, a faithful 
 Christian, devoted husband, and an example to believers ; 
 an honor to his race. 
 
84 THE BLACK SIDE. 
 
 REV. ISAAC R. HALL, 
 
 PAINTER, PEOGKESSIVE MINISTER. 
 
 Isaac R. Hall was born near Greensboro, Ga., De- 
 cember 25, 1856. His parents were quiet, religious 
 people, whose occupation was that of tilling the soil. In 
 his early life Hall had to assist his father in field work, 
 and this he did till the year 1875. All who know any- 
 thing of. farm life know it is not an easy one. Many 
 troubles and perplexities must in it, as in all other under- 
 takings, be borne and endured. Becoming tired of farm 
 life, Hall learned and pursued the painter's trade for some 
 time. During this time he became desirous of seeking 
 and working for Jesus. These words, "Ye must be 
 born again," rang in his ears and echoed through his 
 heart. He obeyed them, and in the year 1882 united 
 with the Baptist Church at Greensboro, Ga. 
 
 Havingbecome a resident of this city, he cast his lot with 
 the Mt. Zion Church ; from which church he was, in the 
 year 1886, ordained. While at Greensboro, Hall attended 
 the public schools which were of 'short duration. After 
 coming here, he entered the Atlanta Baptist Seminary, 
 where he pursued, in connection with other studies, that of 
 theology, under the efficient Rev. S. Graves, D.D. 
 During Hall's vacation he left for the West, visiting the 
 principal cities of Illinois, Indiana, Arkansas and Califor- 
 nia. While on this tour he was called upon at the dif- 
 ferent places to assist in religious services. After two 
 months' travel he returned home and prepared to reenter 
 school. In August of the same year he was called as 
 pastor of the Shilph Baptist Church, which had been or- 
 ganized four years prior to his call and was then in a 
 state of decline. He accepted this call with the hope 
 and intention to revive the church, whose membership 
 
THE BLACK SIDE. 85 
 
 then numbered only five souls, viz : Brethren Lewis 
 Holmes (and wife), Linear (and wife), and Pitts. With 
 these Rev. Hall held worship in a small, unseated, un- 
 lighted, rented room. He with these labored zealously ; 
 the church grew in numbers and increased in strength, 
 and after two years a lot, 5ox 100 feet, at a cost of four 
 hundred and fifty dollars, was purchased, upon which a 
 house of worship was soon erected. In 1891 this build- 
 ing could not accommodate the congregation and had to 
 be enlarged. Rev. Hall has a wife who, to him is a great 
 help and blessing. The Lord has bountifully blessed his 
 work. Since he has had charge of the church he has 
 raised $3,500.00, baptized three hundred and five souls, 
 and received one hundred and twenty by letter, making 
 a total of four hundred and twenty-five. 
 
 Rev. Hall is an eloquent speaker, zealous worker and 
 Christian gentleman. May God continue to bless him 
 and his work. The race needs more useful workers like 
 him. 
 
 REV. R. H BURSON, 
 
 STATE MISSIONARY, DEVOUT CHRISTIAN. 
 
 This godly man of whom I now write first saw the 
 light of day in Fair Play District, Morgan county, Ga., 
 A. D. 1840. 
 
 He first became religiously impressed at the age of 
 five years, by his pious, Christian mother. That mother's 
 spirit has passed (July i, 1888) into its eternal rest, 
 but the memories of her devotion to her Maker and the 
 Christian teaching to her son Richard are still fresh 
 within his bosom. Being personally acquainted with 
 Rev. Burson for a number of years, it is more than a 
 
86 THE BLACK SIDE. 
 
 pleasure to me to be called upon to relate these few facts 
 of his Christian life. He was born of slave parents, and 
 was himself a slave ; but his treatment was never cruel. 
 Somehow he was a favorite in his masters' families. In 
 1852 he was sold to Mr. S. Burson, of Morgan county, 
 who was his former master's son-in-law, and with this 
 man as his owner he spent the remainder of his days of 
 servitude. His chief duty while a lad was to carry his 
 master's children to and from school. This aroused the 
 desire for an education within him ; and he set himself 
 to wondering how he could obtain such. 
 
 He had no means with which to purchase and no ways 
 of obtaining books. He finally decided that he would 
 gather all the disconnected leaves of the pupils' books 
 lying around the schoolhouse. One day, after carrying 
 the children to school as usual and waiting till they had 
 all gone into the schoolroom, he busied himself picking 
 up the loose leaves which he put away snugly in his 
 pocket, and on reaching home, obtaining a needle and 
 thread he sewed them together, making as he said a 
 book, and was it not a book ? Aye, to the youthful slave 
 it was a dear book. The children were kind to him and 
 gave him the necessary assistance, so it was not long be- 
 fore he could spell every word on every leaf of his home- 
 made book. 
 
 Afterward by some means, he came into possession of 
 a Webster's spelling book, and within a year he had 
 mastered its contents, reading quite accurately. 
 
 Thus began his education. Let me add, his study 
 hours were confined to the hours of the night, as he had 
 no chance during the day for it. 
 
 In 1866 he married Miss Antoinette Virginia Veal, a 
 woman of true worth, who has been the guiding star of 
 his life. To them was given only one child, who having 
 grown to useful, intelligent manhood, with a bright 
 
THE BLACK SIDE. 87 
 
 future before, was suddenly overtaken by a severe dis- 
 ease which cut him off from this life. This inestimable 
 wife taught her husband to write, and then possessing 
 the knowledge of reading and writing, he felt in a meas- 
 ure equipped to pursue his calling. 
 
 He was converted five years before his marriage, and 
 had united with the Baptist Church of Gwinnett county. 
 
 In 1873 he was licensed and ordained to preach. He 
 has served the following churches : At Stone Moun- 
 tain, Ga., Shiloh, in DeKalb county, one at Norcross, 
 Ga., one at East Point, Ga., and the Fraser street B. C. 
 of this city. 
 
 He has served as missionary of the State for four 
 years during which time he has given entire satisfaction 
 to the chief authorities of the missionary force and is do- 
 ing great work for the Master. He is still spending his 
 days and strength in that capacity, and is not satisfied 
 when not working for his Maker. Verily it will be said 
 of him when he shall have finished his earthly career: 
 " Thou hast fought a good fight. Enter into thy rest ." 
 
 REV. THOMAS M. DORSEY, 
 
 BAPTIST PREACHER. 
 
 Thomas M. Dorsey was born June 2, 1860, in Colum- 
 bia county, Ga. When he was but five months old his 
 mother died, leaving him to the care of his father. At 
 the age of nine he began to do farm work. 
 
 Being anxious to learn and not able on account of hav- 
 ing to work, to attend school, young Dorsev found out 
 where a school was being taught at night and of this fact 
 acquainted his father, who consented to send the son to 
 
88 THE BLACK SIDE. 
 
 this night school. While attending he learned rapidly. 
 His daily labors seemed easier to him since he felt that 
 he was acquiring knowledge, though at the sacrifice of 
 a few hours sleep at night. He was anxious to learn, for 
 he had already the conviction that " knowledge is 
 power." 
 
 The young man of whom I now write is not selfish, 
 he loves the race to which he belongs. Accordingly, feel- 
 ing that he was able to impart knowledge to the children 
 of that race with God as his leader, he began the work of 
 school teaching. His first work of this kind was at 
 Sandtown, Ga., where he endeared himself to the patrons 
 and pupils. Wherever he afterward taught, he was loved 
 and respected by those with whom he came in contact- 
 Mr. Dorsey at one time attended the Schofield Industrial 
 and Normal School at Aiken, S. C., where he was a 
 diligent student. 
 
 Having accepted and resolved to follow Christ and to 
 work for him, he united with the Baptist Church, and 
 was baptized by one Rev. E. V. White. He was soon 
 appointed church clerk, and superintendent of the Sun- 
 day-school, where he did good service for the master. 
 Feeling that be was one of the chosen he applied to his 
 church for license, and the church believing him to be 
 called of God granted him the necessary license. After 
 coming to Atlanta, Mr. Dorsey joined by letter Shiloh 
 Baptist Church of which Rev. I. R. Hall is pastor, and 
 from which church he (Rev. Dorsey) was licensed and 
 ordained, the presbytery consisting of Rev. J. B. Davis, 
 Atlanta, Ga.; Rev. M. V. White, Atlanta, Ga.; Rev. 
 W. H. Tilman, Atlanta, Ga.: Rev. I. R. Hall, Atlanta, 
 Ga., and the writer. 
 
 Rev. Dorsey was called to take charge of the Big 
 Bethel Baptist Church December last. May he be suc- 
 cessful in this work. This church is located in Cobb 
 
REV. W. H. TUGGLB. 
 
REV. I. K. HALL. 
 
R. 11. HOUSTON. 
 

 SHILOH CHURCH. 
 
THE BLACK SIDE. 89 
 
 county, Ga. He also was a student of the Atlanta Bap- 
 tist Seminary, the inexhaustible source of knowledge. 
 
 Rev. Dorsey is a good man, worthy of his calling. 
 May the Lord continue to be his guide and protector 
 through the varying scenes of life. 
 
 REV. HENRY WHITE, 
 
 ABLE BAPTIST DIVINE. 
 
 He was born at Richmond, Va., A. D. 1854. When 
 he was very small he was placed upon the block to be 
 sold, but he used his lungs with such violent force he 
 was taken down. Young White knew nothing at all 
 about his paternal parent, his father being sold before his 
 birth. He was finally purchased by a man from the 
 State of Louisiana and carried to that State. After 
 spending some considerable time there, he came to Geor- 
 gia and located at Lagrange. There he stayed till 
 1871 working on the farm. He next came to Atlanta. 
 Ga., and for a while worked at butchery. Thinking he 
 could better his financial condition by so doing, he took 
 up the business of draying, which proved to be successful. 
 His first investment in this city was in three-fourths of 
 an acre of land, for which he paid one hundred dollars. 
 
 Afterward sold the same for two thousand dollars. In 
 1885 he united with the Wheat Street Baptist Church, 
 and soon afterward was made superintendent of the Sun- 
 day-school. 1887 he was licensed to preach, and prov- 
 ing himself an efficient disciple, he was ordained. 
 Shortly after his ordination, he was called to the care of 
 a small church in South Atlanta. As pastor he has done 
 and is still doing excellent labor. At South Atlanta Rev. 
 
90 THE BLACK SIDE. 
 
 White has erected a church-house at a cost of one thou- 
 sand, nine hundred dollars, and increased the member- 
 ship greatly. He also engaged in grocery -keeping which 
 enabled him to push forward his education. He is a 
 student of the Atlanta Baptist Seminary. In 1892 he 
 accepted the pastorate of the Baptist Church at Fair- 
 burn, Ga. Rev. White is one of the business men of 
 our city, and by his enery and push is able to keep the 
 wolf from the door. 
 
 REV. J. C. BEAVER, 
 
 DEVOUT SUNDAY-SCHOOL WORKEK. 
 
 He is the youngest of eleven children, who were born 
 to William and Charity. Beavers, and was born October 
 17, 1860, in Campbell county, Ga. His early school 
 days were passed in the village of Campbellton, and in 
 this school he ranked at the head of his classes. 
 
 While he was a small boy, he would play " at preach- 
 ing " to the other children about the place, and the older 
 persons who heard him would say among themselves : 
 ** That boy is going to preach sure enough one day." 
 He has fulfilled the prophecy, as he is to-day a leader 
 among the Baptist army of the State. He has taught in 
 several public schools and was regarded as a model teacher. 
 Rev. Beavers is a Christian and a trusty man ; all who 
 know him, place the utmost confidence in him, and be- 
 lieve him a true follower of Christ. He is a great Sun- 
 day-school worker, and has done more work in that di- 
 rection than any other man in West Georgia. Has also 
 enjoyed the honor of being the clerk of several Associa- 
 tions, and has written largely for the leading Negro jour- 
 
THE BLACK SIDE. 91 
 
 nal of the South, the Georgia Baptist. In 1889 he moved 
 to Lithia Springs, Ga., where he is employed as janitor 
 and florist of the beautiful Chautauqua grounds. 
 
 He performs his duties so well and successfully, that 
 those for whom he works deem him indispensable. In 
 1891 he married a Miss Magnolia McGraw of New Or- 
 leans, La., and during the same year was elected clerk 
 of thte Carrollton Association. Rev. Beavers says of him- 
 self that he is a Baptist of the deepest dye. In 1892 he 
 was ordained to the ministry ; and soon after became the 
 pastor of the church of which he was a member. 
 
 He immediately began the fight against sin, and soon 
 had a large number to baptize. Among this number 
 was his wife, who had accepted Christ, that she might 
 the better assist her companion in upbuilding the Master's 
 kingdom. His highest aim is to glorify God and ad- 
 vance his kingdom on earth. Rev. Beavers is now en- 
 gaged in erecting a church edifice, which, when finished, 
 will assist in adorning the already beautiful little vil- 
 lage of Lithia Springs, Ga. 
 
 REV. J. B. DAVIS, 
 
 CARPENTER, JANITOR, SUCCESSFUL, PROGRESSIVE MIN- 
 ISTER OF GOD. 
 
 A few miles from Watkinsville, Ga., in a poor region 
 known as Farmington, near the roadside, sat an humble 
 cabin. In this cabin, April 15, 1857, was ushered into 
 this world, Jeremiah B. Davis. Being the son of slaves, 
 and born at the time of slavery, his educational advan- 
 tages were like those of most of his people. 
 
 After freedom he lived with a white man, whose son 
 took pleasure in teaching Jeremiah, and each day would 
 
92 THE BLACK SIDE. 
 
 give him a lesson to prepare for the next. He would 
 get this lesson by taking with him to the field his book,, 
 and at the dinner hour would study it. In this manner 
 Jeremiah received his first teaching. Ail through his 
 earlier life he scorned wrong-doing, and never stooped 
 to meanness. At the age of fifteen, after hearing one 
 Rev. Shadrick preach from i Cor. 15:55, he was con- 
 verted. This good man, Rev. Shadrick, though not 
 a theologian or scholar, though not able to ascend the 
 starry heaven and bring philosophy to dwell with man- 
 kind, knew how to preach the blessed Word of God r 
 and selecting, at that time, the above named portion of 
 scripture was the means of bringing to Christ one more 
 soul. After his conversion, Jeremiah lived a true Chris- 
 tian, and in his community is considered the leader of 
 prayer-meetings and of the Sunday-school. Like most 
 of his fellow-men he was obliged to do field work, but r 
 thirsting for knowledge, he managed to attend the three 
 months public school which had then been established. 
 
 When he was seventeen he became apprenticed to car- 
 pentry under one Mr. Mack, of Athens, Ga. He served 
 this trade nine years. Though his early life was given to 
 physical toil, his mind was hungry for food, .and in time 
 this food was given him. 
 
 He found a friend in the person of Rev. C. H. Lyon r 
 D.D., who was then pastor of the Baptist church, at Wat- 
 kinsville. Seeing in Jeremiah a grand spirit and believ- 
 ing if cultivated he would become a power for good as a 
 pulpit orator, the church with which he was connected 
 granted him license to proclaim the truth in Christ Jesus. 
 .Rev. Lyon now urged him to enter the Atlanta Baptist 
 Seminary, and he, being anxious to pursue his studies^ 
 consented to this. Arranging and locking his tool-chest, 
 he made ready for his departure. His possessions in 
 finance amounted to only fifteen dollars, half of which 
 
THE BLACK SIDE. 93 
 
 amount he gave to his wife. After paying his railroad 
 -expenses for himself and tool chest Jeremiah had left him 
 the pitiful sum of two dollars and fifty cents. Ar- 
 riving in this city, with comparatively no means, all 
 around him seemed dark and gloomy, and he knew not 
 where to go. 
 
 In the midst of despondencies and discouragements, 
 God opened a way for him, as he will do for you, my 
 readers, if you will trust him. He succeeded in obtain- 
 ing board and lodging for eight dollars per month, from 
 a charitable woman who waited till he was able to pay her. 
 Entering school he paid his tuition of one dollar. Having 
 brought his tool-chest, he was prepared to follow his 
 trade; and this he did, obtaining work Friday afternoons 
 and Saturdays. By this means he kept up with his ex- 
 penses for three years. At the expiration of this time, 
 the president, Dr. J. T. Robert, LL.D., perceiving that 
 Jeremiah was quick intellectually and industrious in his 
 habits, and knowing his financial condition, together with 
 the other members of the faculty made him ("Jere") 
 janitor of the building, allowing him as salary twelve dol- 
 lars per month, including tuition. Thus, being able to 
 pursue his studies, he completed the normal and theolog- 
 ical course with honor. While attending school he ac- 
 cepted the call of a small church at Woodstock, Ga., 
 where he served as pastor for two years, during which 
 time he very much enjoyed his labor among the people ? 
 who were friendly, frank and unselfish. Indeed he was 
 drawn by cords of love to these people, whose simplicity 
 attracted him. 
 
 Having a family to support, and other expenses, the in- 
 come of my subject was quite limited, and because of 
 railroad expenses this field of labor was inconvenient for 
 him, and, though regretting to leave the flock he had for 
 two years tended, he gave up the work and assumed 
 
94 THE BLACK SIDE. 
 
 charge of a church in the western portion of this city. 
 For this church he served in the capacity of janitor as 
 well as pastor, and for this little weather-beaten struc- 
 ture he purchased lamps, filled and lighted them, but 
 rang not the bell, there being none to ring. Rev. Davis 
 has served this church for eight years, during which time 
 God has bountifully blessed his labor, he having added to 
 his flock two hundred and forty souls, making now the 
 membership two hundred and sixty strong. Also he has 
 .erected a handsome three thousand dollar brick structure 
 where the former house stood. 
 
 Rev. Davis, born amid hardships, and having traveled 
 at least half the distance of poverty and want, knows how 
 to sympathize with suffering humanity. Having through 
 God's help been So successful in his work, Rev. Davis 
 retrospectively views the condition of the church, when 
 it was a dilapidated building, with defaced furniture 
 within, and says within himself: " Surely God is pleased 
 with my work, since he has crowned it with success." 
 He merits the respect and trust of all. God bless such 
 men ! 
 
 REV. DAVID S. KLUGH, 
 DEVOUT BAPTIST MINISTER. 
 
 I know of no one more unassuming, more unpretend- 
 ing and more gentlemanly than the young man of whom 
 I now speak. Besides bearing these qualities, he is full 
 of energy, push and vim. He first beheld the dawn of 
 light in the State of South Carolina, A. D. 1864. Mr. 
 Klugh's father died while he was yet too young to realize 
 what grief was, so the son never knew the love of that 
 parent. 
 
THE BLACK SIDE. 95 
 
 The mother was left with five children to care for, and 
 many were the battles she fought against poverty, but 
 she succeeded in rearing her children aright and properly 
 administering to their needs morally, intellectually and 
 physically. By this mother's teachings the soul of our 
 subject became enthused with three desires: he desired 
 first to know something, then he would work to be some- 
 thing, and, lastly, he would struggle to have and do 
 something. 
 
 His first school days were spent in a rude log cabin. 
 It was a free school, but as he lived outside the town- 
 ship he had to pay fifty cents per month tuition. Feel- 
 ing that he must make good use of the time so as to 
 receive the value of his fifty cents, he applied himself dil- 
 igently to study and became the leader of all his classes. 
 Mr. Klugh does not regret the money paid in those early 
 days for his schooling, for he says it was the best invest- 
 ment of his life. 
 
 Leaving the village school he began farming, at which 
 he worked five years, and during that time found it to be 
 both profitable and pleasurable. Subsequently he entered 
 the Normal Institute at Greenwood, S. C., and while 
 in attendance there he was offered and accepted the 
 position of teacher in the Pine Grove school at Hodges, 
 S. C.; but not being satisfied with his ability as teacher 
 he soon resigned this work and became a student of the 
 Caflin University at Orangeburg, S. C. While here he 
 was again solicited to take the school at Hodges, which, 
 after some persuasion, he did. 
 
 It was now that he felt God required his labor in a 
 higher sphere that of minister of the gospel; so he again 
 gave up the school at Hodges and took charge of one at 
 Greenville, S. C., thereby having a better opportunity to 
 exercise his ministerial talents. Feeling his deficiency 
 for so high a calling, he resolved to attend a Baptist school 
 
96 THE BLACK SIDE. 
 
 of some note. Accordingly he matriculated in the At- 
 lanta Baptist Seminary at Atlanta, Ga. t where he en- 
 deared himself to the professors and students, as well as 
 to many leading residents of the city. First in all his 
 classes, he graduated with high honors in 1890, and his 
 oration for that occasion was considered a masterpiece. 
 After his graduation he became the pastor of the Morris 
 Baptist Chapel, Greenwood, S. C., where he led many 
 souls to Christ, and also founded the Greenwood graded 
 schco), which is still under his successful management. 
 He has, also, charge of the Baptist Church at Promise 
 Land, S. C., to which he gives a portion of his time, and 
 where he is erecting a handsome church edifice, 
 
 He has recently been called to the pastorate of the 
 Union Baptist Church at Augusta, Ga. Degrees have 
 been offered him, but as yet he has not accepted any. 
 One might readily see that the future of this young man 
 is bright and prosperous. Early he obeyed the command : 
 *'Seek first the kingdom of heaven," and now he is real- 
 izing the promise : " And all things else shall be added 
 unto you." 
 
 REV. CYRUS BROWN, 
 
 ELOQUENT MINISTER. 
 
 In the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred 
 and fifty-four, twelve miles from the classic city of Ath- 
 ens, in Georgia, was ushered into slavery life a male 
 baby to whom was given the name we present above 
 this narrative. Though born a slave he did not suffer to 
 any great extent the cruelties of slavery days, for as we 
 see, his advent into this world was not a great while be- 
 fore that great struggle which finally resulted in his free- 
 
REV. DAVID S. KLUGH. 
 
REV. J. B. DAVIS. 
 
MACEDONIA BAPTIST CHURCH. 
 
THE BLACK SIDE. 97 
 
 dom commenced. But he saw enough of the cruel treat- 
 ment to others older than himself to impress him that 
 slavery was an accursed institution ; he heard enough of 
 the cries and prayers of his elders to make him wish that 
 they were free. 
 
 Cyrus was used as a house boy, what we now call a 
 butler, and was more favored than , many of his fellow- 
 creatures, but possessing a tender, sympathetic heart, 
 many were the tears he shed in secret over the wrongs 
 perpetrated upon his people. He first learned shoe-mak- 
 ing under his father, but after his father's death he was 
 put to work under a Mr. Henry Horten, of Athens, Ga. 
 In those days of superstition and ignorance the idea of 
 children's religion was not tolerated, there were none 
 who would believe in it ; consequently when, at the age 
 of twelve Cyrus professed and proclaimed a hope in 
 Christ, he created no little excitement. He was small in 
 stature, and had to be placed upon a table in the church 
 when telling of his conversion. He was the first child to 
 unite with the church in the city of Athens. He became 
 a member of the Baptist Church, and was baptized by 
 Rev. Floyd Hill. In 1876 Mr. Brown was married to 
 a Miss Eliza Lester. He felt that he was one of the 
 chosen, to whom the command, "Go preach my gospel," 
 was given; so that he might prepare himself for that 
 arduous calling he came to Atlanta in 1882 and entered 
 the Atlanta Baptist Seminary. Before his becoming a 
 member of the seminary he was called as pastor of the 
 Mt. Pleasant Church. During the same year of his enter- 
 ing school he was also called to St. James Baptist Church. 
 He accepted the call and went alternately to these 
 churches to fill the office of pastor. At neither of these 
 places had they a decent house of worship, but under 
 his wise management and well preached gospel both 
 
98 THE BLACK SIDE. 
 
 communities soon erected comfortable churches at a cost 
 of seven hundred and eight hundred dollars respectively. 
 In 1888 he resigned these charges and accepted that of 
 the Macedonia Baptist Church at Atlanta. 
 
 In 1890 he finished his studies and was then able to 
 devote his whole time to his ministerial work. He is still 
 the honored pastor of the last named church, where he 
 has been instrumental in bringing many souls to the king- 
 dom of Christ. 
 
 The names which follow are some of the worthy female 
 members of his church ; 
 
 Mrs. Amy Simms, Mrs. Leah Hartsfield, Mrs. Susie 
 Eagles, Mrs. Lucy Dillard, Mrs. Mattie Sanders, Mrs. 
 Mahala Saracens, Mrs. Mollie Calhoun, Mrs. Cresie 
 Kendrick, Mrs. Chas. McHenry. Sunday-school teach- 
 ers : Miss Mary Jordan, Mrs. Laura Price, Miss Hattie 
 Rogers, Miss Culbreth; Messrs. Tate andj. C. Comer, 
 also trustees Rainwater and Bugg. 
 
 In 1889 Rev. Brown accepted another charge at Ac- 
 worth, Ga., where *he also labors vigilantly for the cause 
 of Christ. He owns real estate in Athens, Ga., in a most 
 desirable portion of the city, said property being near the 
 Lucy Cobb Institute. He is a zealous worker for the 
 kingdom of Christ, full of ambition and valor, a man of 
 unswerving determination. 
 
 REV. W. L. JONES. 
 
 SUCCESSFUL AND BELOVED PASTOR OF THE BEULAH 
 BAPTIST CHUKCH. 
 
 Immediately after the late rebellion, the parents of the 
 subject of this narrative removed from their home in 
 Milton county, Ga., where he was born, to the county of 
 Gwinnett, at Norcross. 
 
THE BLACK SIDE. 99 
 
 Young Jones possessed the traits common to all 
 youths, but was early in life religiously inclined, for at 
 the tender age of sixteen years he professed a hope in 
 Christ Jesus and united with the Baptist Church at Nor- 
 cross, Ga. Immediately he became an enthusiastic Sun- 
 day-school worker, which he has ever afterwards been. 
 Soon after his conversion he began to feel that he was to 
 enter into the ministry of God. To rid himself of this 
 feeling he left his home and went into the State of Mis- 
 sissippi, but while there the spirit continually impressed 
 his mind, and after remaining there a year, he returned 
 home and began preparing himself for his arduous call- 
 ing. He was licensed and ordained, and only ten min- 
 utes after ordination was given the care of two churches. 
 
 His influence and fame as a pastor began to spread, 
 and during the second year of his ministry, he was called 
 to serve the third church. At one time he was the pas- 
 tor of four churches. This led him to believe that God 
 had a special work for him to do; so he began to gather 
 together all the churches in the county in which he 
 lived, and organized and formed them into an associa- 
 tion, to which he gave the name of the Hopewell Asso-. 
 ciation. Now it was that he felt the need of education ; 
 so after due consideration, he resolved to attend the 
 Atlanta Baptist Seminary. Moving from his home to 
 Decatur, Ga., which, on account of its being only six 
 miles from Atlanta, is nearer to the seminary, he became 
 a member of the Atlanta Baptist Seminary. Finding it 
 too expensive to reside at Decatur and attend school 
 here, he finally moved to Atlanta, where he was more 
 able to continue his studies. Soon after coming to this 
 city he was called to serve the Mt. Zion Baptist Church, 
 of this city. After due and prayerful consideration this 
 call he accepted. The church building being in a dilapi- 
 dated condition, Rev. Jones began to devise plans for 
 
100 THE BLACK SIDE. 
 
 the erection of a new one. After much toil and labor 
 his efforts were rewarded by seeing a neat structure 
 occupying the place of the old one. 
 
 All this time he, through many disadvantages, contin- 
 ued in school, and also served another church at 
 Roswell, Ga. He remained in school till he received his 
 " sheep skin," when, against the protestations and tears 
 of his many charges, he gave them up with the inten- 
 tion of removing to the West. He left the soil of his 
 native State, but his religious influence and good works 
 remained behind, and during his absence he was re- 
 quested to come back home and be the pastor of the 
 Beulah Baptist Church. Feeling it his duty to do all 
 the good he could at home, he returned and became the 
 pastor of the above named church. This church house 
 was also in a state of decline, but under this energetic 
 man a new edifice soon towered upward. This was not 
 accomplished all at once, for the membership was small 
 and the members poor; but they all persevered until the 
 work was completed, and now a handsome edifice of 
 stone and brick adorns the community which sur- 
 rounds it. 
 
 Notwithstanding the many hardships through which 
 he has passed, Rev. Jones has had bountiful success in 
 all his labors. He has greatly increased the member- 
 ship of this church, having baptized three hundred be- 
 sides taking in others by letter. He is a man who be- 
 lieves that it is left with a person as to whether he will 
 make anything or nothing of himself, and entertaining 
 this view he has striven to make something of himself. 
 
 Few men there are who possess more courage and 
 fortitude than he. As a young man he has made his 
 mark in the world for good. His religion is of the lib- 
 eral nature which constrains him to look after the spir- 
 
THE BLACK SIDE. 101 
 
 itual and temporal welfare of his people and all who aid 
 in any way the onward march of Christ,. 
 
 Struggling against disadvantages, and knowing how 
 hard it is for poor young men and women to acquire an 
 education, he contribu f es annually to the Spelman and 
 Baptist seminaries. 
 
 Rev. Jones has been the wise and efficient moderator 
 of the Hopewell Associatiation for the past ten years, 
 which fact shows his ability to rule wisely and well. 
 
 May God continue to bless him and his work, and as 
 he advances in years, may he advance also in the love 
 and grace of Christ Jesus. 
 
 MISS MABLE B. JOHNSON, 
 
 TEACHER IN ATLANTA PUBLIC SCHOOL. 
 
 The women among the Negro race who would dare to 
 be anything to the race, have untold difficulties and trials 
 to undergo, and if they, through perseverance do rise to 
 any pre-eminence in the race, it is only because nature 
 has endowed them with an indomitable will and such un- 
 swerving and natural ambition to be something. The race 
 has not yet in general arisen high enough in the scale of 
 culture and refinement to not show signs of prejudice to 
 to those who would rise to honor and fame. 
 
 Long since the idea of woman's ability and position in 
 life has crystallized itself in the minds of men and the pub- 
 lic, that they are good for nothing more, absolutely noth- 
 ing more, but to attend to babies, to cook, to entertain the 
 husband's company, and to see after domestic affairs 
 generally. 
 
102 THE BLACK SIDE. 
 
 Such have been some of the disadvantages through 
 which the subject of this sketch has had to pass. 
 
 Mabel Beatrice Johnson came into life surrounded by 
 the beautiful hills of the paradise-like town of Griffin, in 
 Georgia. She was born of parents of ante bellum days. 
 Her early life was spent in the Gate City of the South. 
 So early was she brought to this city by her parents, that 
 she scarcely recognized the fact that she was not born in 
 this city. This quiet, unassuming woman has gone along 
 making her way by degrees up and up the rounds of the 
 ladder of art, science and industry, until she stands in 
 even ranks with those who have made in every way com- 
 plete success. She has had superior advantages to many 
 of her race in the educational line. When she was 
 scarcely old enough to go through the streets unaccom- 
 panied, she was placed in the Haynes street school, which 
 at the time of her attendance was taught by white teach- 
 ers. After spending some years in thfs school, she passed 
 to the Summer Hill public school. At this time, her 
 mother wishing her to be taught more thoroughly sent 
 her to the Storr's, a school of a much higher curriculum. 
 
 Here she remained till within a few months of graduat- 
 ing. Her parents then moved to Charlotte, N. C., where 
 they lived some time. Returning to Atlanta in 1882, she 
 entered the Spellman Seminary, one of the first schools 
 for women and girls in the South. 
 
 On entering, she was able to make the Junior Normal 
 class, and after four years, graduated with honors from 
 the class of 1886. 
 
 After her graduation, she entered public work. She 
 made a creditable standard before the board of education 
 and was appointed supernumerary of the Atlanta public 
 schools, which position she filled with credit to herself 
 and satisfaction to the board of education, as a good dis- 
 ciplinarian and successful teacher. The record will show 
 
THE BLACK SIDE. 103 
 
 that in 1888 she was elected teacher of the third grade of 
 the Houston street school. In the fall of 1890 she was 
 promoted to the fourth grade at the West Mitchell street 
 school. In 1892 she succesfully advanced and was raised 
 in honor of her faithful and praiseworthy work, to the 
 sixth grade. 
 
 This she has done by hard struggle and by accepting 
 hardships and disadvantages as she met them. Miss John- 
 son is an expert in artistic needle work, and all her spare 
 moments are utilizedin fine lace-making and embroidering. 
 She displays fine musical talent and on the whole is intel- 
 ligent cultured and refined. 
 
 Nature has also bestowed upon her a bountiful supply of 
 beauty, as the accompanying cut of herself will show. 
 
 REV. SILAS SMITH, 
 
 BAPTIST DIVINE. 
 
 Rev. Silas Smith was born in Pittsylvania county, 
 Virginia, 1857. He spent the earlier part of his life in 
 farming, and when he reached manhood he went to Dan- 
 ville, Va., where he was employed in a tobacco factory, 
 where his work consisted in rolling the leaves for their 
 further use. He worked in this establishment for some 
 considerable time, when the desire to travel seized him, 
 and, having saved some money, he began to make prep- 
 aration for an extended tour. He purchased a magic 
 lantern whereby he might be the better able to defray 
 his expenses, and thus pass from place to place with ease. 
 With his lantern he was most successful, being able to 
 pass through twenty-two States, visiting all of the 
 principal cities and towns in those States. With his pan- 
 
104 THE BLACK $EDE. 
 
 orama he commands crowded houses, and his splendid 
 variety of scenes and kaleidoscopic views are enjoyed by 
 all whose high pleasure it is to see them. 
 
 ID this his chosen profession Rev. Smith stands second 
 to none. He has * charm about him whereby he is able 
 to hold his audiences speHbound ; and can cause them to 
 sing, laugh or cry at his own wflL In short, he seems 
 suited to this profession, in which he is so successful. 
 
 During his travels he felt that he was called of God to 
 preach the Gospel la March, 1892, he was ordained. 
 
 Rev. Smith now resides at Bedford City, Virginia, 
 where he has a most beautiful and comfortable home. 
 He is pastor of two churches, one being in the city in 
 which he lives and the other in Roanoke county, Virginia. 
 He pays taxes on $1,000.00 worth of real estate. Rev. 
 Smith is a man of broad experiences, having traveled 
 quite extensively. He is jovial and entertaiiftirtg, a clever 
 
 REV. W. D. JOHXSOX, 
 
 P ACKER. 
 
 the leading Baptist divines of the Xegro race 
 wefl be classed the subject of this narrative. He 
 first saw the fight of day at Hephzibah, Richmond county, 
 Ga-, June 4, 1862. Having a praying mother and a 
 
 r_:_;~_ 
 
 were brought to bear so heavily upon 
 me years old, he left his home one 
 Monday morning and went to a great creek swamp, 
 where he stayed five nights and days without a morsel 
 of food or a drink of water. Having seen the gathering 
 
 if IJLr tl^.t-S ~'~. !'~~~-- i-rlli I ~.~.i: ':.- ''<"-:: IT!". 
 
V3.T- '-:- --> 
 
BULAH BAPTIST CHURCH. 
 
REV. W. L. JONES. 1 
 
THE BLACK SIDE. 105 
 
 a search was instituted; but when found he "had been 
 killed dead to sin and made alive in Christ Jesus." He 
 was then baptized into the Covenant Baptist Church by 
 Rev. Nathan Walker. Being born of poor parents, he 
 was never as well attired as his fellow schoolmates, but 
 his aptness as a scholar and his Christian deportment won 
 the respect of his teachers and demanded it of the pupils. 
 His first effort at oratory was made at the closing exer- 
 cises of the school of which he was a pupil, at the age of 
 ten years. This attempt was a success, and then and 
 there it was prophesied that he would one day become 
 an orator of eminence. His parents were too poor to 
 purchase shoes for him; thus, while making this speech, 
 his feet were bare, and there were seen patches on the 
 knees of his pants. At this early age (nine) he was 
 often chosen by the older members and officers of his 
 church to lead the prayer-meetings. At twelve he was a 
 prominent teacher in the Sunday-school. Being im- 
 pressed with the religious zeal of this boy disciple, 
 the ministers and older Christians predicted for him a 
 call to the ministry. Looking to this end he was per- 
 suaded by them and Rev. C. T.Walker, then his pastor, 
 to enter the Augusta Institute, now the Atlanta Baptist 
 Seminary. In November of 1888 he entered this school 
 with eight dollars and a half, and in a way that he can't 
 explain remained there six months on that sum, supple- 
 mented only by a little meal and wood brought now and 
 then from his country home. When he left school he 
 taught a private school in Burke county, near Green's 
 Cut, for ten dollars per month. In the summer of the 
 same year he resigned this school to teach at Millen, 
 Ga., at $15.00 per month. In the fall of 1879, as 
 the school had moved from Augusta to Atlanta, he en- 
 tered Haven Normal School at Waynesboro, Ga., 
 and remained there for several months. In the spring 
 
106 THE BLAck SIDE. 
 
 of 1880 he was taken by Rev. Robert Kelsey to a very 
 dark section of country on the line of Screven and Burke 
 counties. This was a section unvisited before by any 
 but local instructors, and the people were almost idol- 
 atrous in their worship, and in every respect were 
 much in need of both a leader and instructor. In this 
 capacity he worked, gaining the confidence and respect 
 of both white and colored. The Bible, hymn books and 
 Sunday-school literature were introduced, and the people 
 came ten and twelve miles to be instructed. For five 
 years he labored in this section with almost marvelous 
 success. He has been styled "the father" of this country, 
 and to-day there are hundreds of young men and women 
 who regard him the greatest benefactor of their lives. 
 In the fall of 1880 he resumed his studies at the Sem- 
 inary. Since his connection with the Seminary he has 
 studied modern languages, viz., Latin and Greek, both at 
 Paine Institute, Augusta, Ga., and by correspond- 
 ence from Chautauqua school by Alfred A. Wright. 
 Though starting penniless he has saved up his earnings 
 and now owns very valuable property in Augusta, 
 Ga., his present home. When the grocery firm of 
 F. P. Johnson & Co. failed in Augusta, Ga., in 1881, 
 he was a heavy loser, being in school but having stock in 
 that firm. He is a stockholder both in the Augusta Sen- 
 tinel and the colored State Fair Company. In the spring 
 of 1880 he was licensed to preach (Rev. C. T. Walker, 
 pastor), and in December, i8Si, was ordained to the 
 Gospel ministry. Shortly after his ordination he \vas 
 called to the pastorate of Zion Baptist Church. Burton 
 Ferry, Ga. Under his pastorate this flock greatly 
 prospered, a new house of worship being built, and many 
 were added to the church, At the close of two years' 
 labor, from 1882 to 1884, he resigned this' flock, to the 
 regret of all. In 1883, he was called to the Murphy 
 
THE BLACK SIDE. 107 
 
 Ebenezer Baptist Church, Girard, Ga., which he ac- 
 ceptably served two years. He was also called to the 
 pastorate of the St. Paul Baptist Church in this year, 
 which he served very successfully for three years. In 
 1884 he was called to the pastorate of the Thankful 
 Baptist Church, Waynesboro, Georgia. This church had 
 fallen into utter insignificance, having no land, no house, 
 no money and very few members. It was regarded as 
 a failure. The other churches and denominations had 
 the town. Fifteen persons was a large congregation. 
 By his hard work and shrewd management it has grown 
 to be the strongest church in the town. They have pur- 
 chased a lot and built a large and attractive edifice, and 
 every service there the church is crowded to overflow- 
 ing. In referring to his success there, Rev. C. T. 
 Walker, D.D., said, "Nobody else could have done what 
 Johnson has done." For nine years the Lord has pros- 
 pered his labors there. In 1885 he was called to the 
 pastorate of Palmer Grove Baptist Church, near Green's 
 Cut, Ga., at which place he has built a large and 
 substantial house of worship, paid off all of the old 
 church debts, and baptized many precious souls. In 
 1889 he was called to the pastorate of Franklin Cov- 
 enant Baptist Church where he was baptized, and 
 preached three years with great success. In 1887 he 
 was called to the pastorate of Elim Baptist Church, 
 Summerville, Augusta-, Ga., which church he now 
 serves. This church had the sworn opposition of nearly 
 every church in Augusta, but by earnest effort he has 
 built a fine house of worship and largely increased its 
 membership, and the church is now regarded as one of 
 the strongest and most influential churches of the city. 
 The city folks take great delight in riding three miles out 
 to the village to hear its pastor preach. The Northern 
 
108 % THE BLACK SIDE 
 
 guests from the great Bon Air Hotel regard it a pleasure 
 to resort to this church and listen to his sermons. 
 
 At the age of fifteen he was elected as a delegate to 
 the Walker Baptist Association by his church, and served 
 on important committees. Since that time he has been 
 regarded as one of the leaders of that Association. For 
 ten years Ire has served on the Executive Board. He is 
 chairman of the local Board of Trustees of the Walker 
 Baptist Institute, and has done much to bring that school 
 up to its present degree of prosperity, and toward 
 shaping its future usefulness. He has long served as a 
 member of the Executive Board of the State Baptist 
 Sunday-school Convention, and at the last session of that 
 body was elected its vice-president. He is one of the 
 directors of the colored State Fair located at Augusta, 
 Ga. Prominent among the addresses and sermons 
 delivered upon special occasions were the following: 
 " The Needs of the Colored Ministry," delivered at the 
 centennial celebration of the Baptists of Georgia in 
 Savannah, 1888; "The Duty of the Colored Baptists to 
 send the Gospel to Africa*" delivered before the Foreign 
 Mission Baptist Convention of the United States in 
 Louisville, Ky.; and "The Enemies of the Cross," 
 introductory sermon preached to the Missionary Baptist 
 Convention of Georgia at Cuthbert in 1891. He has 
 baptized more than 1,200 persons, and is still laboring in 
 the Master's vineyard. Success to him through future 
 life as it has been through his past. 
 
THE BLACK SIDE. 109 
 
 REV. A. B. MURDEN, 
 
 STATE MISSION AKY ELOQUENT BAPTIST DIVINE. 
 
 Few young men at the age of twenty-seven have ac- 
 complished more or exerted a broader influence for 
 good than has Rev. A. B. Murden. He first saw the 
 light on the plantation of Judge Howell Bunkley, near 
 Crawfordville, Ga., August 25, 1865. He was the sev- 
 enth son of Jerry and Sarah Ann Murden. Being a 
 bright boy from babyhood, the people predicted great 
 things for him. 
 
 The white people called him Bartow, in honor of the 
 great Southern General, but the colored folks called him 
 Ulysses Grant, hence the name Aaron Bartow Ulysses 
 Grant Murden . 
 
 At the age of nine young Murden was sent to school. 
 He soon proved to be a very bright boy; so rapidly did 
 he learn that many offered to take him and educate him, 
 but his mother was not willing to have him leave home. 
 As a lad he was thoughtful and active and always wanted 
 to earn something for himself. 
 
 A pleasing little incident is that when about twelve 
 years old he bottomed a chair for a neighbor and re- 
 ceived in payment an old hen. At another time he earned 
 a goose, and from that time he began to earn money. He 
 became quite skillful in making brooms, horse-collars and 
 foot-mats. These articles, when sold, brought many dol- 
 lars to his widowed mother. 
 
 When about sixteen years old young Aaron found him- 
 self an orphan, thrown upon the world to care for him- 
 self. He had always been a great lover of his mother, 
 and now that she who had been his best friend was dead, 
 he resolved to leave the old home place. 
 
 He had a great thirst for knowledge, but to gain it he 
 
110 THE BLACK SIDE. 
 
 must have money, and this he had not. He resolved to 
 find work on the railroad so that he might earn money 
 enough to defray his expenses at school one term at least. 
 Accordingly he left his home and came to Atlanta, but 
 not until the crop was gathered and he had attended to 
 all the business which his mother had left undone. After 
 settling the debts of the farm, paying the doctor's bill and 
 burial expenses of his mother, he found that he had 
 twenty-five dollars for himself. 
 
 On reaching Atlanta he went to see his cousin, Mr. W. 
 A. Jackson, at whose house he left his trunk and other 
 articles. Before leaving the city he deposited twenty- 
 two dollars in the bank, and boarded the cars for Mari- 
 etta, Ga., with three dollars in his pocket. While on the 
 cars, boy-like, he bought a ring for a dollar and a half. 
 On reaching Marietta he found he must walk forty miles 
 to Dallas, Ga., at which place he was to engage. On the 
 way some one stole a dollar from him, so when he 
 reached his destination he had only fifty cents. 
 
 The E. T., V. & G. R. R. was being constructed at 
 that time, and he engaged at grading for a dollar and a 
 quarter per day. His manliness, activity and faithfulness 
 to duty soon brought him to the place where he earned 
 a dollar and seventy-five cents a day. At first he boarded 
 at nine dollars per month, but soon found this a poor way 
 to save money, so he built him a little shack in the woods 
 and did his own cooking. He found by so doing he could 
 live on three dollars a month. Some of my readers may 
 not know what a shack is. It is a very small house built 
 of logs and daubed with mud. It has a stick-chimney, a 
 dirt floor and is just high enough for a man to get in. In 
 such a house our hero lived from March till August, 
 1882. 
 
 In this short sketch we cannot mention all the incidents, 
 but the reader may i est assured they were many and va- 
 
THE BLACK SIDE. Ill 
 
 ried. Young Murden was the only Christian but one 
 working on the road at that time. Most of the men 
 spent Sundays in gambling; but he went out and found a 
 church into which he gathered the children and told them 
 about Jesus, that one who died to save them. 
 
 He witnessed many crimes, and many accidents oc- 
 curred. Several times he narrowly escaped with his life. 
 
 Rev. Murden tells of one most remarkable incident. It 
 was the 25th of March, 1882; he had been holding the 
 jumper from seven o'clock till near twelve, when the 
 man who was driving the steel said, "Murden, I guess 
 you are tired now, let me hold and you drive." They 
 were working in a deep cut, and a huge stone looked 
 frowningly down upon them. Murden had said, "Mitch- 
 ell, I think that rock there is cracked." Mitchell had 
 proposed to examine it in a few minutes. Scarcely had 
 the words died from his lips when down came the mas- 
 sive rock upon him. He was leaning over the jumper, 
 and so great was the force that the steel was driven right 
 through his breast. His head was terribly mashed; he 
 brought one convulsive groan and was dead. A piece of 
 the rock struck young Murden in the side and hurled him 
 quite a distance. Think, he had gotten up from the steel 
 only about ten minutes before Mr. Mitchell was killed ! 
 What a narrow escape and what an evidence of God's 
 providence over those whom he chooses to do a great 
 work in his name. 
 
 Remember, Murden was only sixteen years old at this 
 time, and he thought this narrow escape was a warning 
 to him, so he resolved to leave the road. But he first 
 went to God in prayer, and the Spirit seemed to say to 
 him, "I'll be with you," so he decided to work until Au- 
 gust. 
 
 It was always a glad day for him when the pay-train 
 came. No one knew where his bank was, but he always 
 
112 THE BLACK SIDE. 
 
 wended his way to a certain rock away off in the woods, 
 under which he concealed his well-earned wages. 
 
 In August he returned to Crawfordville. Having earned 
 enough money to defray his expenses at school, he en- 
 tered the Atlanta Baptist Seminary the following Octo- 
 ber. , 
 
 He had not been at the seminary long before the 
 teachers found him to be really a promising youth. As 
 a student he was thorough and inquisitive. He was never 
 reproved. He realized that his opportunity was worth 
 all the effort he could put forth, so he spent no time in 
 idleness. As a schoolmate he was genial and loving, al- 
 ways good-natured, hence he was loved by all the stu- 
 dents. 
 
 The second year of his attendance at the seminary Mr. 
 Harden did not seek a boarding place in 'the city, but 
 stopped in the dormitory, where a number of the young 
 men did their own work. Wednesday was his cooking 
 day. You need not think he merely cooked special things 
 on that day; it means he did not cook anything but once 
 a week. 
 
 During the summer vacation of 1883 Mr. Murden 
 taught school at his home. He was quite successful as a 
 teacher, and the people loved him as they were wont to 
 do. He taught school five consecutive summers, and thus 
 earned money to defray his expenses at school. Every- 
 where he was loved by patrons and scholars, and always 
 made warm friends wherever he went. 
 
 In 1886 Mr. Murden was licensed to preach by the 
 Friendship Baptist Church, Crawfordville, Ga. He at 
 once showed marked ability as a pulpit orator, and evinced 
 signs of becoming one of the foremost preachers in the 
 State. 
 
 In 1888 Rev. Murden preached the introductory ser- 
 mon of the State Baptist Sunday-school Convention at 
 
MISS M B. JOHNSON. 
 
'] 
 
 W. G. JOHNSON. 
 
BEV. MADISON, C.B., MASON, B.D., D.D. 
 
THE BLACK SIDE. 113 
 
 Savannah, Ga., which led to his being 'appointed State 
 Missionary by the State Convention. 
 
 As a missionary Rev. Murden was untiring in his ef- 
 forts and faithful in visiting destitute places. For four 
 years he traveled over the State preaching the gospel and 
 doing what he could to lift his race to a higher standard 
 of morality, intelligence and true Christian living. 
 
 Let the reader be assured that a missionary's path is 
 not always a smooth one. Many times has Rev. Murden 
 had to walk twenty and thirty miles in order to meet his 
 appointments. He was not always received by the peo- 
 ple, and not a few times has he gone without food forty- 
 eight hours. But Rev. Murden had a true missionary 
 spirit, and allowed none of these things to move him. He 
 went about doing what his hands found to do, with the 
 firm conviction: Where there's a will there's a way. He 
 has many pleasant memories of persons converted through 
 his own personal influence. Many times has he known 
 wicked men to cry out while he was yet preaching. He 
 has that peculiar gravity which draws people; having 
 been once heard he never fails to get a congregation. 
 
 We need not add that as a missionary Rev. Murden 
 was abundantly successful. By his resolute will and firm 
 trust in God he has made an excellent record and done a 
 great work among his people. He has the honor of being 
 called the best financier of all the missionaries of Georgia. 
 
 As an orator Rev. Murden is quite fluent, and we make 
 no mistake when we say eloquent. His graduating ora- 
 tion in May, 1 886, won for him quite a name as a speaker. 
 As a preacher he is a deep and ready thinker and never 
 fails to make an impression. 
 
 Since May ist, 1892, Rev. Murden has been pastor of 
 the First Baptist Church, LaGrange, Ga. He has little 
 experience as pastor; but thus far he has been quite sue- 
 
114 THE BLACK SIDE. 
 
 cessful. He has won a warm place in the hearts of the 
 people, and the prospects are that his career in the line of 
 church .work may be a brilliant one . 
 
 In October, 1891, Rev. Murden married Miss Dora A. 
 Jackson, of Atlanta, Ga., a graduate of Spelman Semi- 
 nary. Theirs was a happy union. Their home is made 
 cheerful by a bright little boy, A. B. Murden, Jr. 
 
 Rev. Murden is a graduate of the Normal and Theo- 
 logical departments of the Atlanta Baptist Seminary. 
 
 May this short sketch inspire some young man of mean 
 circumstances to . rise up and make for himself a name. 
 
 REV. ROBERT SCHELL, 
 
 SUCCESSFUL MINISTER OF THE GOSPEL. 
 
 The subject of this sketch was born October 12, 1855, 
 at Barnesville, Pike county, Ga. As a slave he was the 
 property of the man's daughter for whom the town was 
 named (Barnes); and was when emancipated on a farm 
 three and one-half miles from Barnesville, and was in his 
 tenth year. His father, Vine Schell, then moved back 
 to town, and then it was that Robert's pilgrimage began 
 without learning or experience. He was first hired out 
 as house boy; after which he moved to Griffin, Ga., and 
 entered a public school taught by Northern ladies. This 
 was in 1866. After staying in school for a few months 
 he was again put out in service, this time working in a 
 barroom. Leaving that, he was then put to work on 
 the farm, where he spent two years, and endured many 
 hardships, being without a mother's care. In 187 his 
 father moved the family on a farm at Milner, Ga. In 1872 
 Robert was apprenticed to the blacksmith trade, at which 
 
THE BLACK SIDE. 115 
 
 he worked during the day, going to school at night. 
 Eighteen hundred and seventy-four found him again in 
 school at Barnesville. During this same year he also 
 worked as brickmason ; after which he served as a 
 teamster; and next as a cook in a restaurant. In Feb- 
 ruary, 1877, he married a Miss Lilian Schell, and in the 
 fall of the same year moved to Atlanta. His first em- 
 ployment after coming to this city was that of teamster 
 for a Mr. F. Kicklighter. Soon after this he worked on 
 the custom house, which was then in course of erection. 
 When his work on aforesaid building gave out he em- 
 ployed himself at draying for seventy-five cents per day; 
 finally his wages were raised to ninety cents. 
 
 In the spring of 1880 Mr. Schell was converted, united 
 with the Friendship Baptist Church, and was baptized by 
 Rev. Frank Quarles, who was then pastor. He was 
 elected church clerk soon afterward, and served in this 
 capacity for seven years. During this time he was still 
 draying, working in the wholesale grocery o,f a Mr. Smith, 
 whose place of business was on Alabama street. He had 
 so far gained the confidence and respect of his employer 
 that his wages were raised from ninety cents per day to 
 ten dollars per week, and the entire business of shipping 
 goods was put into Mr. Schell's hands. 
 
 Mr. Smith carried on an extensive shipping business, 
 and many thousands of dollars' worth did Mr. Schell send 
 to all parts of Georgia, North and South Carolina and 
 Florida. 
 
 While caring for his physical wants he wished also to 
 contribute to his mental wants; so he entered the A. B. S., 
 but continued in the service of Mr. Smith, working for 
 him every afternoon after school hours. Of course his 
 wages were not so much then, but were sufficient to 
 enable him to provide for his family and keep himself in 
 school. Mr. Schell felt that he was called to the minis- 
 
116 THE BLACK SIDE. 
 
 try, and he wished to prepare himself for this great and 
 grand work. He was given license in 1886 by the 
 Friendship Baptist Church, while attending the Seminary, 
 and in the following year was called to the pastorate of 
 the Shiloh Baptist Church at Dallas, Ga. In the fall of 
 the same year he went into business with J. T. Schell (his 
 brother) at No. 145 West Peters street. During his stay 
 at Dallas he built a neat house of worship, and baptized 
 between eighteen and twenty-five persons. In the spring 
 of the next year Mr. Schell became ill, and lost all his 
 possessions but a home for his family. In 1889 he was 
 appointed State Missionary, which he followed two years, 
 during which time he was instrumental in the conversion 
 of between one hundred and fifty and one hundred and 
 seventy-five souls, who professed to know Christ in the 
 pardon of their sins. 
 
 He has given up the missionary work, but serves in 
 the city whenever he can, together with serving the 
 churches at Dallas and Douglasville, Ga. He is also in 
 charge of the McKinley Temple in West Atlanta, and is 
 now considering a call to the Enon Church, Campbell 
 county. 
 
 Rev; Schell is a member of the Executive and Educa- 
 tional Boards of the Friendship Association. 
 
 Thus it can be seen by these few pages that Rev. 
 Schell has already accomplished much good and proved 
 himself worthy of the life God has given him. 
 
THE BLACK SIDE. 117 
 
 REV. MADISON C. B. MASON, A.M. B.D., 
 
 POSTMASTER BRILLIANT PASTOR FIELD AGENT OF 
 THE FREEDMEN'S AID AND SOUTHERN EDUCATIONAL 
 SOCIETY OF THE METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH. 
 
 Rev. M. C. B. Mason was born of slave parents on a 
 sugar farm near Houma, La., March 27, 1859. 
 
 When ten years of age he was placed in the village 
 school, where he mastered the alphabet in one day. 
 Reaching the limit of the country schools in the fall of 
 1874, h e entered the State Agricultural and Mechanical 
 College, at New Orleans, La., in January, 1875. This 
 being a mixed school, he received no little persecution 
 and ill treatment on account of color. He, however, 
 refused to leave, and stood at the head of his class from 
 March till the close of the school in July. 
 
 Rev. Mason was principal of the town school of 
 Houma, where he was once a student, from 1877 to 1880. 
 In the fall term of 1880 he entered New Orleans Univer- 
 sity, but left in the spring term of 1881 to become post- 
 master of his native town. In 1883 he joined the Louis-, 
 iana Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church, and 
 was stationed at Haven Chapel, near New Orleans, when 
 he re-entered New Orleans University, graduating from 
 the classical department in 1888. In the pastorate Rev. 
 Mason has been successful, as his work at Haven, Thomp- 
 son and Mallalien Churches in the city of New Orleans 
 will show. It was, however, while pastor of Loyd Street 
 Church, Atlanta, Ga., that he deservedly won his popu- 
 larity as a preacher arid pastor. During a pastorate of 
 two years the church greatly prospered under his minis- 
 trations, more than doubling its membership during this 
 time. 
 
 After coming to Atlanta he became a student of Gam- 
 
118 THE BLACK SIDE. 
 
 mon Theological Seminary, from which he graduated 
 with high honors in 1891. Almost immediately thereaf- 
 ter he was elected field agent of the Freedmen's Aid and 
 Southern Educational Society of the Methodist Episcopal 
 Church, being the first colored man in his church who 
 had been honored with such a position. He holds the 
 position at this writing and is doing great service for the 
 churches and the race. 
 
 Rev. Mason is a man of fine scholastic taste, discrim- 
 inating in his choice of books and the subjects which he 
 treats. He has been North several times on lecturing 
 tours, and has published several of his addresses. His 
 addresses are specimens of eloquence, rhetoric and pol- 
 ish. His life is an inspiration for those who come after 
 him. 
 
 MR. H. A. HAGLER, 
 
 EDITOR STATIONER. 
 
 The subject of this sketch was born March 21, 1866, in 
 Fairfield county, S. C., and is therefore about twenty-seven 
 years of age. His parents were poor, and their resi- 
 dence being in the country, they were illiterate, though 
 possessing those sterling qualities of honor, love of duty 
 and strict integrity, which they have transmitted in so 
 large a measure to their son. 
 
 His boyhood was spent in the most arduous toil, ren- 
 dered imperative by the poverty of his people and the 
 scarcity of money. His first visit to the schoolroom 
 was when, as a small boy of seven, he walked four miles 
 to a country school taught by an aged and irascible white 
 man, who assisted the young idea to shoot, with a club 
 and strap. Here he learned his alphabet and in two 
 
THE BLACK SIDE. 119 
 
 months' time was reading. The school then closed 
 the closing of which was but the opening of the youth- 
 ful student's study time; alone and with occasional help 
 from passers-by and traveling workmen, he pursued his 
 studies. 
 
 When the term opened again he had so far advanced 
 that he could " skip" a class. The school continued only 
 three months another long spell of wait and study; thus 
 passed his boyhood until he reached his fifteenth year. 
 During this period he acquired a taste for reading every 
 almanac, newspaper, circular, magazine, or book of any 
 shape or size. When first he found what " nice reading" 
 was in the Bible, he determined to have one of his own; 
 having secured it, for three years he read and reread 
 until he knew it, until his mind was full of its truth, and 
 with texts ever ready to illustrate and prove its truths, 
 when later in life he went to lead others in the Sunday- 
 school and debating club, he found how valuable to him 
 had been the carrying of that Bible in his pocket for 
 years. 
 
 His next acquisition in the book line was a dictionary ; 
 alone he mastered the mystery of the diacritical marks,- 
 and there in his country home, where the English spoken 
 is a kind of patois, he commenced to purify his English*, 
 finding that there were different forms of speech, he com- 
 menced to study the methods and art of expression, 
 which later gave him prominence as a writer of strong, 
 pure English in a clear, concise style. 
 
 When about fifteen the horizon of his country home 
 seemed to become too small, so he removed to Columbia, 
 S. C., then the Mecca of all aspiring youths in that section. 
 There he heard of the inducements offered by Charles- 
 ton to young men and went there, but not liking the cold 
 welcome accorded him, he hastened to Savannah where 
 he spent eight years. By the time he reached Savannah 
 
120 THE BLACK SIDE. 
 
 his money was about gone, fand he looked upon a posi- 
 tion in a barber shop though a menial one as a god- 
 send. 
 
 He was polite, he was spry, he was anxious to learn ; 
 hence soon we see him as a knight of the scissors and 
 razor plying his calling. 
 
 If we are to judge the past by the present, we may 
 know that he shaved close and cut rapidly and to the line 
 in a barber shop as well as in the editorial sanctum. 
 
 Ever desirous of chang'e, when that change promised 
 advancement, he seized the first opportunity to learn the 
 printer's trade by entering the employ of Kuckuk & 
 Lieman, prominent job printers, where he learned to 
 fumble the em quod, manipulate the shooting stick, and 
 explore the deep, dark mysteries of the helve box, and 
 knock things generally into "pi." A job office, while it 
 is a good place to learn to set type in, is not a good place 
 to learn journalism, and at last our young man has dared 
 to determine to bejcome a journalist. In the office of that 
 great daily he saw the inner workings of a first-class pa- 
 per, the association with brainy men in an air saturated 
 with journalistic vim, developed the fever in the young 
 man ; once more his horizon is too contracted for him. We 
 are a little surprised to see him assume managerial con- 
 trol of the People's Journal, published at Rome, Ga. Here 
 he stayed four or five months, when an advertisement in 
 an exchange, the Atlanta Times, for a competent printer 
 to act as foreman and manager, determined him to come 
 to Atlanta, that magnetic city to which so many strong 
 men seem naturally to gravitate. Finding the Times in a 
 shaky financial condition, and having been disappointed in 
 the promised position as foreman and manager, and an- 
 other installed in his stead, he worked there as a subor- 
 dinate until he secured a position in a white job office. 
 At this time, without a dollar in his pocket and not one 
 
MISS VICTORIA MADDOX. 
 
H. A. HAGLER. 
 
THE BLACK SIDE. 121 
 
 friend in town in fact with only a few acquaintances, 
 with no one to aid he determined on carrying into effect 
 the darling project of his heart, to start a paper of his 
 own. The People's Advocate was the result. Started as 
 a monthly, soon the financial status enabled him to make 
 it a weekly, and with the same increase in circulation 
 through the coming time, it will not be long before the 
 people will call it into a daily. 
 
 Most colored papers start (after great advertising) 
 with a boom, then "peter out." The Advocate,- born out of 
 time, cradled in the editor's pocket, having for an office 
 the editor's hat, has had. a phenomenal run; each issue is 
 larger than the last, and there are never any back copies 
 to be had. The growth of the circulation is uniform. 
 
 The paper is Hagler, and Hagler is the paper. The 
 paper is the best in the South, and compares in matter 
 and finish favorably with any Negro publication in this 
 country. 
 
 It was largely through Mr. Hagler's influence that the 
 recently organized Negro Press Association of Georgia 
 was called into being; he labored, wrote, spoke, and can- 
 vassed for it. As its Vice-President and member of the- 
 Executive Committee, he will have much to do with its 
 policies and future usefulness. Thus his field is enlarging; 
 he is a young man of promise; look out for him in the 
 future. 
 
 Believing that the home is the chief corner-stone of the 
 State, Mr. Hagler married early. His was a love 
 marriage. His wife, M. Francessa, is a dutiful, sympa- 
 thetic, intelligent and helpful helpmate, and it is said is 
 one of the most competent compositors ever employed in 
 the office. Two beautiful children, a girl and boy, have 
 blessed this union. In his home Mr. Hagler is a model 
 husband, kind, gentle and loving. 
 
 After the establishment of the Advocate, he had asso- 
 
122 THE BLACK SIDE. 
 
 ciated with him in his job office Mr. Moses Amos, a 
 thorough business man and pleasant gentleman, the lead- 
 ing Negro pharmacist in the State in point of ability and 
 experience. After continuing the pleasant business rela- 
 tions for sometime Mr. Amos retired, Mr. Hagler pur- 
 chasing his interest. Thus Mr. Hagler runs the best 
 Negro paper in Georgia, the only Negro job office in 
 Atlanta, and the largest Negro bookstore in the South. 
 He has made Negro literature a specialty since his open- 
 ing business. 
 
 If we judge a man by what he has overcome, keeping 
 in view the obstacles which he has surmounted, the 
 depths from which he has ascended and the heights at- 
 tained, then no fair, impartial man could withhold from 
 this man the claim of heroism which is justly his due. 
 
 His mind is still growing; in his editorials there appears 
 more profoundness of thought; his investigations are still 
 going on. What may we not hope from the future of this 
 man who has triumphed so grandly in the past ? 
 
 PROFESSOR W. H. CROGMAN, A.M. 
 
 William Henry Crogman, who occupies the chair of 
 Latin and Greek in Clark University, in this city, in 
 Christian character, scholarship in his department, liter- 
 ary ability, general culture, and distinguished services, 
 stands, it is not too much to say, the equal of any -of the 
 great educators of the country. He is thoroughly capa- 
 ble to honor a professorship in any college in the land. 
 
 Professor Crogman was born in the year 1841, on the 
 beautiful little island of St. Martin, in the West Indies. 
 In his fourteenth year he left that island with a gentleman 
 
THE BLACK SIDE. 123 
 
 by the name of B. L. Boomer, at that time first mate on 
 a vessel. Mr. Boomer from the first became very much 
 interested in young Crogman, and after returning home 
 in Massachusetts, sent him to the district school, where 
 he made a good record. He afterwards followed the sea 
 along with Mr. Boomer's brother, who was also a sea- 
 faring man and captain of a vessel. In this way the 
 boy Willie, as he was then called, had the privilege of 
 visiting many lands, England, Sweden, Germany, Aus- 
 tralia, Calcutta, Bombay, Brazil, Argentine Republic, 
 Peru, Chili, and many other places. Being observant 
 and thoughtful, while even a lad, Professor Crogman ob- 
 tained a wide knowledge of men and things. 
 
 Just here I insert a few words from a letter from Mr. 
 Boomer, read at Professor Crogman's fiftieth anniversary : 
 
 " It has been my good fortune to know our good friend 
 air the way from his fifteenth to his present fiftieth year, 
 and it would afford me the greatest satisfaction if I could 
 feel that his great success in all these years had, in any 
 manner, been furthered by me. On the contrary, his 
 untiring perseverance, diligent, wise and studious use of 
 his time and money made him from the first inde- 
 pendent of all save our love, respect and never ceasing 
 interest ." 
 
 In 1866, at the suggestion of Mr. Boomer that an 
 academic education would make him more useful, the 
 young man Crogman began to earn money and lay it 
 away for this purpose. In 1868 he entered Peirce Acad- 
 emy, Middleboro, Mass., where he took a course of study 
 comprising the higher English branches and French. He 
 also took a commercial or business course in a commer- 
 cial college at that time connected with the academy. 
 While attending this school he had to encounter (though 
 not in the school) that fiendish race prejudice which 
 everywhere among white people in this country ostracizes 
 
124 THE BLACK SIDE. 
 
 the Negro. Nevertheless, he completed his course with 
 honor to himself and credit to his race. 
 
 Professor J. W. P. Jenks, of Brown University, Provi- 
 dence, R. I., who was at that time principal of the 
 academy, writes these good words in reference to his 
 splendid scholarship and rapid progress made under him. 
 He says: 
 
 "Beginning with me in the elementary English 
 branches, I may safely say, in them all, he accomplished in 
 one quarter as much as the average student did in two, 
 mastering almost intuitively, and with equal facility, both 
 mathematical and linguistic principles,. So rapid was 
 his progress in his classes that I formed him into a class 
 of one, lest he should be hindered by the dullness of other 
 students. In the third quarter, he commenced French, 
 and, as I have often said, surpassed every one of the hun- 
 dreds of students in both rapidity of advancement and 
 accuracy of scholarship. I need say no more, except 
 that his record since leaving the academy, taking all the 
 extenuating circumstances into account, has reflected 
 greater honor upon me as its principal, and his almost 
 sole instructor while connected with it, than any other 
 alumnus." 
 
 Having completed his studies at the academy, he 
 .turned his footsteps southward in order that he might 
 devote the energies of his life to the elevation of his peo- 
 ple. In the fall of 1870 he was employed in Claflin Uni- 
 versity, Orangeburg, S. C., and taught there three years. 
 Desiring to render himself more proficient in his chosen 
 work, he came to Atlanta in the fall of 1873 a d entered 
 the Atlanta University, from which institution he gradu- 
 ated in 1876 in the first class of young men that came 
 out of that school. 
 
 Professor Frances, of the Atlanta University, on Pro- 
 fessor Crogman's fiftieth birthday, in a speech, paid the 
 
THE BLACK SIDE. 125 
 
 Professor a most glowing tribute both with reference to 
 his scholarship and his conduct while a student. He said 
 that the Professor had carried away as his bride one of 
 their noblest, most gifted, and cultured young ladies, 
 Miss Lavinia C. Mott, of Charlotte, N. C. 
 
 In September of that same year, 1876, he was called 
 to a position on the faculty of Clark University, where 
 he still remains teaching with great acceptability to stu- 
 dents and employers, the classic tongues of Greece and 
 Rome. It is safe to say that the* name of Professor W. H. 
 Crogman has done more to win respect for Clark Uni- 
 versity and draw students to it than the name of any or 
 all who have been connected with the institution. 
 
 In token of respect for this great man and his services, 
 on his fiftieth birthday, at a reception given him by Dr. 
 Thirkield, he received many valuable gifts from differ- 
 ent parts of the country, North and South. Among these 
 were an elegant gold watch, a set of beautiful Carlsbad 
 china, nine handsomely bound volumes of ancient classics, 
 along with a large ornamental inkstand, from which rolled 
 one hundred dollars in gold. The china was especially 
 appropriate, as it recognized the merit of Mrs. Crogman,' 
 who is the queenly helpmeet of the noble subject of this 
 sketch, and presides over one of the most cultured homes 
 of this land. She is a worthy mother of seven children. 
 
 In 1884 Professor Crogman was elected one of the 
 secretaries of the General Conference of the Methodist 
 Episcopal Church. To this office, which he filled with 
 great efficiency, he was again elected in 1888. Rev- 
 D. S. Monroe, D.D., the chief secretary, who nominated 
 him, sa\s, "I was certainly fortunate in securing the ser- 
 vices of one so efficient, educated, modest and gentle- 
 manly as Professor Crogman. 
 
 Rev. Charles H. Payne, D.D., Secretary of the Board 
 of Education of the M. E. Church, says of him, " I have 
 
126 THE BLACK SIDE. 
 
 watched his course with a brother's interest, and have 
 rejoiced to see his loyalty to principle and his fidelity to 
 duty. Few men in our church have rendered more use- 
 ful service in our educational work than he. Few men 
 have maintained a more straightforward and manly 
 course, or acted more wisely under all circumstances, than 
 has he." 
 
 Another distinguished man said of him, " He is an 
 honor to the human race. I wish the world were full of 
 such men." 
 
 These tributes show that by fidelity to right principles 
 one may make his life useful, admirable, grand. 
 
 Some years ago, a university of good standing, wishing 
 to do honor to Professor Crogman, conferred upon him 
 the degree of LL.D., which degree he, nevertheless, re- 
 spectfully declined. Professor Crogman has also won 
 great distinction for himself and great respect for his 
 people by his wonderful power and gift of speech . On 
 manifold occasions he has had the honor of addressing 
 the most cultured audiences with greatest acceptability. 
 At Ocean Grove, at Henry Ward Beecher's church, at the 
 National Teachers' Association, and many other places 
 of note, Professor Crogman has spoken, and has never 
 failed to come up to expectations. 
 
 In conclusion, and for the benefit of the rising genera- 
 tion, we may say that the life of this remarkable man is 
 only an illustration of the truth of jScripture,' which saith, 
 " Blessed is the man that is diligent in all things; he shall 
 stand before kings." 
 
 MISS MADDOX. 
 
 No person can ever tell how much the world owes to 
 its mothers and good guardians. We can never be too 
 grateful for the unwearying love and care of them. And 
 
THE BLACK SIDE. 127 
 
 on the other hand, they can never think too highly of that 
 grand work of training children, for they never know 
 for what glorious work they are training them. The 
 mother, grandmother and Spelman Seminary have given 
 to Georgia, in the person of Victoria W. Maddox, a wo- 
 man in which the race might be justly proud. Her 
 progress is an eminent example of that perseverance that 
 in its onward and unwearied march conquers all difficul- 
 ties, and makes what would be stumbling-blocks to ordi- 
 nary women stepping-stones to prominence. The record 
 of her life is full of interest, and it is impossible to give 
 her justice in this small sketch. We must simply satisfy 
 ourselves to speak of some of her common characteris- 
 tics which have caused so many to admire her. 
 
 Miss Maddox was born at Stone Mountain, DeKalb 
 county, Ga. She was the daughter of Ned and Betsie 
 Maddox, who lived on a farm near Stone Mountain. 
 Her father died when she was but four years old, leaving 
 her widowed mother to provide for her small children. 
 The difficulties she encountered in trying to care for 
 them are too numerous to mention here. Her parents 
 were both members of the Baptist church, her father 
 being a deacon. Before the mother had been left long to 
 face the stern realities which every widow experiences 
 in caring for their children, God saw fit to remove her 
 from a life of toils and disappointments, and this left the 
 children (three in number) to care for themselves. 
 
 Through the kind providence of God they managed to 
 provide for themselves and to surmount the hills of ad- 
 versity until they reached the age of maturity. Miss 
 Victoria was always a quiet, modest and sweetly disposed 
 girl, easy to be instructed, and it was by this that she was 
 influenced in the right direction. A short time after the 
 death of her parents she joined Bethsaida Baptist Church 
 at Stone Mountain, Ga., under the pastorate of Rev. 
 
128 THE BLACK SIDE. 
 
 E. R. Carter. Her Christian life was exemplary. Many 
 were her disadvantages, but, like a woman, she sur- 
 mounted them all, and to-day stands shoulder to shoulder 
 with the leading young women of her race. 
 
 Miss Maddox became a member of Spelman Seminary 
 in 1881, when the school was in the basement of Friend- 
 ship Baptist Church, Atlanta, Ga. Her eagerness for an 
 education, her devotion to her studies, her deportment 
 and Christian character soon won the love and respect 
 of her teachers, classmates and schoolmates. Her teach- 
 ers .soon recognized in her one who gave promise of be- 
 ing a large factor in the uplifting of her race. She grad- 
 uated with honor in 1888. She was retained as teacher 
 in her Alma Mater in 1881 and 1889. She taught suc- 
 cessfully in Howe Institute, Memphis, Tenn., and in many 
 other places. That genial and compatible disposition, 
 that earnest desire to lift her race intellectually and mor- 
 ally, has caused her to be admired in every place where 
 she has labored. In 1891 she entered the Missionary 
 Training Department of Spelman Seminary, then opened 
 for the first time, and completed the course in 1893. She 
 has ever been found to be firm in her religious principles, 
 never swerving from the right to please others. Being 
 just in her decisions she was often called upon by her 
 classmates and schoolmates to decide questions of differ- 
 ence among them. A noble Christian worker, she lives 
 to-day an ornament to her race. 
 
 A. O. LOCKHART, M.D. 
 
 Among the men of the race who are able to annex the 
 title M.D. to their names is found this one, of whom 
 Atlantians should be justly proud. No one of whom we 
 have spoken is more worthy of space in this, the " Black 
 
A. O. LOCKHEART, M.D. 
 
MOSES AMOS, PH. M. 
 
THE BLACK SIDE. 129 
 
 Side," than he. No one deserves more praise for having 
 surmounted obstacles than does A. O. Lockhart, the sub- 
 ject of this narrative. He is a self-made man, having 
 from early boyhood up to the present depended entirely 
 upon his own resources for a livelihood. Few there are 
 who are willing to suffer and endure what he did to gain 
 an education. Not many would have braved the fury of 
 the tempest and not succumb. But our hero looked be- 
 yond the means to the end. He fought to obtain the 
 prize, and nothing short of that would satisfy him. Con- 
 sequently he ranks to-day with the leaders of the race, 
 and that race should be appreciative of such leaders. 
 
 In the village in which he was reared young Lockhart 
 was considered no ordinary youth, and a bright, useful 
 future was predicted for him. 
 
 To prepare himself for real life- work he, in i879,entered 
 the Atlanta Baptist Seminary, where he took a complete 
 course of all the studies there taught. He had little or 
 no ready means of support, but by hard, honest toil suc- 
 ceeded in accomplishing his desires in the line of educa- 
 tion. Having completed his course at the A. B. S., and 
 desiring to be a man of profession, he went to Meharry 
 Medical College in pursuit of the needed information. 
 Gaining that, he has returned to us ready and equipped 
 to fight against the diseases which sometimes hold sway 
 over these earthly tabernacles of ours. 
 
 Dr. Lockhart is proficient in his profession, thus re- 
 ceiving a pretty good amount of practice. 
 
 He possesses a strong will and nerve, and believes that 
 victory attends the daring, success awaits the persever- 
 ing. All honor to such men! 
 
 Albert Owen Lockhart was born near Hampton, Henry 
 county, Ga., November 24, 1860. Soon after the war 
 the family moved near Jonesboro and sett'ed on a farm. 
 
130 THE BLACK SIDE. 
 
 Here this young man resided till twenty-one years of 
 age, working on farm and doing other work to assist 
 himself to acquire the much-needed education. 
 
 He is now one of Atlanta's noted physicians and drug- 
 gists, and bids fair to be successful in his profession. Suc- 
 cess to him. 
 
 IRWIN W. HAYES, M.D., 
 
 BRILLIANT STUDENT, SUCCESSFUL TEACHER, GRAND 
 DEPUTY FOR THE STATE OF GEORGIA, ABLE PHYSI- 
 CIAN AND SURGEON. 
 
 Among the many young men of the State of Georgia 
 who have risen above the clouds of ignorance and super- 
 stition that overshadowed their birth and early life, and 
 are destined to write their names high upon the pages of 
 history, and equally indelibly upon the hearts of men, 
 perhaps none looms up with more promise than the sub- 
 ject of this sketch. Irwin W. Hayes was born at Ten- 
 nille, Washington county, Ga., May 5, 1865. He was 
 the second son of Charlotte Hayes, and at quite an early 
 age gave signs of promise and future usefulness. Being 
 of Negro, Caucasian and Irish extraction he possesses to 
 some extent the peculiarities of each. His early life was ' 
 passed at Tennille and Sandersville, Ga., and it was at 
 these places that he first began to study books. At the 
 age of eight he was hired upon a farm four miles in the 
 country, and was assigned the work of a "shepherd 
 boy," watching cattle upon the pastures. While thus 
 employed he was seized with the desire to know some- 
 thing. He finally obtained a spelling-book and was not 
 long learning to spell, then to read, and next to write. At 
 the expiration of two years he secured a position at San- 
 dersville which enabled him to attend school at night, 
 
THE BLACK SIDE. 131 
 
 though he had to work during the day. Being an apt, 
 swift pupil, at the age of twelve he entered the common 
 school under the principalship of Professor J. A. Butler, 
 and completed the course in two years. Next he obtained 
 employment in the National Hotel at Macon, Ga., as bell 
 boy at night, and during the day attended the Lewis 
 High School. He did not remain here very long, being 
 summoned home on the account of sickness. Subse- 
 quently, being without sufficient means to return to 
 Macon, he taught a small school during the summer, but 
 realizing so little cash from this he left for Savannah, 
 where he hoped to secure work whereby he might be 
 able to help his mother, and at the same time continue 
 his studies. Failing to secure such work in Savannah he 
 embarked upon the steamer '-Halyson" as cabin-boy. 
 During his two years' stay with this vessel he recited 
 daily to the captain (who was quite a learned man), and 
 in this wav completed all the principal English studies, 
 besides enriching his life by traveling. 
 
 During his voyages he touched the shores of the great 
 continents of the earth. In 1881 he returned to this 
 country, entered Cookman Institute at Jacksonville, Fla., 
 where he completed the course of study in two years, 
 graduating at the head of his class. In this institute he 
 was considered as being the only student who could 
 break and make classes at will. October, 1883, he ma- 
 triculated in the Clark University at Atlanta, Ga., but 
 being in poor health and with limited means, his career 
 here was uneventful. He, however, completed the 
 higher mathematics, all the sciences and most of the lan- 
 guages. In 1885 he had some altercation with the fac- 
 ulty of the university, which grew out of a misunder- 
 standing between himself and a teacher. Having been 
 indefinitely suspended he demanded a proper dismissal, 
 entered Benedict College at Columbia, S. C., and gradu- 
 
132 THE BLACK SII>E. 
 
 ated from the scientific course with the degree of B.S. 
 the following spring. He returned to Georgia and be- 
 gan the work of teaching in Greene county. Soon after 
 was elected President of the Teachers' Institute of 
 Greene county, which position he very creditably filled 
 for two years. It was now that he turned his attention 
 to the study of medicine. Accordingly he became a 
 student of the Leonard Medical College of the city of 
 Raleigh, N. C. He took two courses of lectures and 
 one summer's course of study, after which he graduated 
 with the degree of M.D. Was twice elected from this 
 school to represent the medical fraternity before the Mis- 
 sionary Association of North Carolina. This he did in 
 such an able manner that he elicited the praise of the 
 whole body. 
 
 Leaving Leonard Medical College he came to Geor- 
 gia, and during the summers of 1889 and 1890 taught 
 school and practiced medicine in Hapeville, Ga. Hear- 
 ing of the opening of city hospitals of Nashville, Tenn., 
 to colored students, he determined to avail himself of all 
 the clinical advantages possible. Thus, on the first of 
 November, 1890, he entered the Clinical Sanitarium of 
 Nashville, paying strict attention to surgery, gynecology 
 and pharmacy, and again was awarded the degree of 
 M.D. February, 1892. During his stay at Nashville he 
 won not only the prize for excellence in practice, but car- 
 ried off the gold medal which was offered by the Inter- 
 Collegiate Association at their annual oratorical contest 
 of 1892. Since his last graduation he has located in 
 Atlanta, Ga. Dr. Hayes has proven himself a thorough- 
 going and able physician, and has already won a repu- 
 tation of which any young practitioner would be proud. 
 He takes well with his people, commands a large prac- 
 tice and is highly respected by all. During the past few 
 months he has, for reasons best known'to himself, refused 
 
THE BLACK SIDE. 133 
 
 the proprietorship and management of two drug stores. 
 At the Biennial Conference of the Colored Men's Pro- 
 tective Association of Georgia, held at Atlanta, July, 
 1892, he figured conspicuously in advancing plans for 
 the bettering of the association, and was unanimously 
 elected Grand Deputy for the State of Georgia. This 
 position he still holds to the satisfaction of all. May this 
 young man live long that he may do much good for the 
 race of which he is a member. 
 
 MOSES AMOS, 
 
 PHARMACEUTIST. 
 
 In the city of Atlanta there lives a young man who 
 has established himself in the drug business, and whose 
 standing in the community makes him a fitting represent- 
 ative of the State of Georgia and the city of Atlanta. 
 
 He is considered as one of the solid young men of the 
 city, and the success which he has made during his short 
 life should not be kept from the public. The number 
 of business men among our people is small at best, and 
 when we have one whose deeds are worth recording let 
 us record them. 
 
 We have orators, divines and professors in abundance, 
 but our business men are few, and especially in the line 
 of business represented by the named person. 
 
 Not many launch out in this enterprise, but here is one 
 who is well equipped in the business. Mr. Moses Amos 
 first saw the light of day at Haynesville, Ga., in the year 
 1 8 , where his early days were passed. 
 
 In 1876 he came to Atlanta, and shortly afterwards en- 
 tered Storr's School. He remained a student of this 
 
134 THE BLACK SIDE. 
 
 school till he completed the course of study in 1885. In 
 the fall of the same year he entered the Atlanta Univer- 
 sity, making the junior "prep." class. After passing 
 awhile as student of that institution, because of business 
 engagements, he was not able to finish the course. 
 
 The life of this enterprising young man is a history in 
 itself. Quite early in life he was employed by Dr. J. C. 
 Huss, by whom he was given a thorough knowledge of 
 pharmacology. Seeing that Moses was of quick perception 
 and would doubtless be of great service to him in his 
 business, the doctor took great care in teaching him phar- 
 maceutics, little guessing that at some future day he 
 would put this knowledge into practical use for himself 
 and his people. 
 
 This was even then manifested by the fact that most of 
 the customers of the store were the patrons of Mr. Amos 
 and not of Dr. Huss. He remained with Dr. Huss until 
 that gentleman sold out the business to its present 
 owners, Drs. Butler and Slater. When they assumed 
 charge of the business, they retained Mr. Amos, finding 
 in him just what they desired. At first his salary was 
 small, but at the expiration of a few months, it was raised 
 to quite a handsome sum. Mr. Amos is still with this 
 company to whom he has rendered great satisfaction. 
 
 He is one of the shrewdest young business men in the 
 city, and for his true worth well merits the honor and 
 respect shown him. He is interested in several paying 
 enterprises, and an owner of much of Atlanta real estate. 
 
 THOMAS HEATHE SLATER, M.D. 
 
 In the town of Salisbury, N. C., December 25, A. D. 
 1865, Thomas H. Slater came'into this life. 
 
 His early life was passed at his North Carolina home, 
 
THE BLACK SIDE. 135 
 
 where he received a complete knowledge of the rudi- 
 ments of an English education. Having gone over and 
 over again the same studies, young Thomas began to 
 think of going to Shaw University where he could secure 
 a higher course of study. Just as the necessary prepa- 
 rations for his leaving were completed, death came un- 
 announced and robbed him of his father. 
 
 This was in 1882, and of course all thoughts of school 
 were temporarily dismissed. In 1882 Rev. F. C. Potter, 
 a graduate of Lincoln University, suggested the idea of 
 going to that school, and volunteered his assistance in 
 securing a scholarship for the doctor. In this Rev. Potter 
 was successful, and in September of the same year the 
 young man bade farewell to his mother, his friends and 
 the home of his childhood and took leave for Lincoln. 
 He entered the university as a "prep." in the "A" class. 
 
 That indomitable spirit of conquest and victory began 
 to manifest itself, and he began to strive for honors. 
 Early he comprehended the words, " Knowledge is 
 Power." As he succeeded in accumulating knowledge, 
 he found himself more and more in the possession^ of 
 power, and to stand first or second in a class followed as 
 a necessary sequence of this power. At last, after five 
 years hard study, he was graduated in June, 1887, with 
 first honor and the captor of the Bradley medal, a prize 
 offered for the best average in a five years' course of the 
 natural sciences. 
 
 While at Lincoln he was very fond of the classics, and 
 delivered the Greek salutatory on Class day and the Latin 
 salutatory on Commencement. 
 
 From Lincoln his thoughts turned to Philadelphia, the 
 Mecca of the followers of the medical faith. Here he 
 received his first blow from the shillalah of prejudice. 
 The Medico-Chirurgical College of that city is a dis- 
 satisfied offspring of Jefferson Medical College, the 
 
136 THE BLACK SIDE. 
 
 Gibraltar of Southern opposition and the hotbed of 
 Southern prejudice. The faculty of the former school, 
 after admitting him, summarily informed him that they 
 could not admit him on the ground that it was not ex- 
 pedient for that year. The truth was that the white 
 students did not want to contend with a Negro for class 
 leadership. The fear of "Negro domination" is a bug- 
 bear up there too. 
 
 Nothing daunted, he resolved to go elsewhere, and 
 through the kindness of Dr. G. W. Hubbard, the Dean 
 of the Meharry Medical College, he was allowed to enter 
 that school in the autumn of the same year, 1877. In 
 this school he evinced the same spirit as of yore, and 
 with his present partner and former classmate, Dr. H. R. 
 Butler, succeeded in capturing "the gold," Dr, Butler 
 winning the medal for excellence in dissecting and sur- 
 gery, and Dr. Slater the one for excellence in obstetrics. 
 
 Immediately after graduating from Meharry, he came 
 to Atlanta, Ga., where he began the practice of medicine, 
 and with Dr. Butler, opened the first drugstore in the 
 State of Georgia, owned and operated by colored men. 
 'Tis safe to say that they are doing a larger retail drug 
 business than any Negro drug business in the United 
 States. His practice, scattered among Atlanta's best 
 class of Negro citizens, has steadily improved in value. 
 The doctor's ability, scholarship and talent is a strong 
 deniiil of the lie that a Negro has little or no talent. His 
 intellect towers above that of ordinary men as the church 
 steeple above the brick chimney of the ordinary house. 
 His success is sure and a bright future awaits him . 
 
I. W. HAYES, B.S., M.D. 
 
T. H. SLATER, M. D. 
 
DR. H. H. BUTT.ER, M.J). 
 
THE BLACK SIDE. 137 
 
 H. R. BUTLER, A.B., M.D. 
 
 The subject of this sketch was born in Cumberland 
 county, N. C., April, 1862. 
 
 His early life was spent on the farm. About 1876 his 
 parents moved to the city of Wilmington, N. C. Shortly 
 after reaching the city, he secured employment with .the 
 lumber firm, then known as Colville, Taylor & Co. 
 
 Here he worked himself up from the most humble 
 position to be one of their most reliable men. Business 
 becoming dull with the firm, Mr. Butler pushed himself 
 out, not being a man to wait for something to turn up, 
 and applied to the Wilmington Compress Company for 
 employment. He was received, and worked with this 
 company for six or seven years, during which time he 
 worked himself up from a hoop-straightener to a cotton 
 tier, and was said to be the soberest man in the employ 
 of the company. It was in this latter position he made 
 the money to start him in school. 
 
 Having spent only three months in free schools, his. 
 education was of course limited. Professor E. E. Green, 
 now Dr. Green, of Macon, and his wife, gave him a few 
 months of private instruction at night, preparatory to his 
 entering the University. 
 
 In January, 1883, Dr. Butler bade his many friends 
 good-bye, saying he intended to make a man of himself, 
 God willing. He reached Lincoln University January 3, 
 1883, and after spending five and a half years in hard 
 study, and often in need of the necessaries of life, he was 
 graduated with the class of '87 with the degree of A.B. 
 In the fall of the same year, without money enough to 
 put him through the term, he entered Meharry Medical 
 College, Nashville, Tenn. While there he won the 
 H. T. Noel gold medal for being the most proficient in 
 
138 THE BLACK SIDE. 
 
 operative surgery and dissecting. Five days after re- 
 ceiving his degree of M.D. and diploma, he left Nashville 
 for Atlanta, Ga. Here he put out his shingle and is now 
 enjoying a large and lucrative practice. In January last 
 he was appointed by the democratic governor of Georgia 
 surgeon to the Second Battalion of Georgia Volunteers, 
 colored, with the rank of first lieutenant. He is also one 
 of the leading business men now of our race. He and 
 Dr. T. H . Slater, also of North Carolina, are doing the 
 largest retail drug business of any colored drug establish- 
 ment in the United States. 
 
 Dr. Butler and his partner were the pioneer druggists 
 of the Negro race in the State of Georgia, and hence 
 hold the first pharmacy license ever issued to Negroes in 
 the history of the State of Georgia. 
 
 EDWARD J. TURNER, 
 
 PHARMACIST. 
 
 The hope of the nation is the young men, whose aspi- 
 rations are such as will develop them into good and loyal 
 citizens. 
 
 Their habits, conduct and common pursuits will decide 
 what home, society and government will be. 
 
 And when we, who are more experienced, more ac- 
 quainted with the ways of life, see younger brothers 
 striving to press their way to the front ranks of the race, 
 we should open file and let them in line. One calculated 
 to benefit his race, full of ambition and loyalty, is the 
 subject of this sketch. Until Edward was six months of 
 age his parents were in easy circumstances, his father 
 being the leading barber of the town in which he lived; 
 
THE BLACK SIDE. 139 
 
 but the father died* misfortune came, and their possessions 
 were swept away, and the mother found herself in strait- 
 ened circumstances. She toiled arduously for the main- 
 tenance of herself and child, and was successful in pro- 
 viding for him intellectually, as well as morally and 
 physically, until he was old enough to assist her. The 
 home, which to the mother had been so pleasant during 
 the father's life, was now broken up, and Edward, hav- 
 ing arrived at the age when he could steer alone, launched 
 his boat out upon the broad sea of life. Coming to At- 
 lanta, Ga., he entered the Clark University that he might 
 prepare himself for life's work. His financial condition 
 would not allow him to remain an inmate long at that in- 
 stitution. 
 
 Having a knowledge of pharmacy, he was offered a 
 situation as druggist in the firm of Drs. Asbury, Taylor 
 and Company. He accepted this offer, and is rendering 
 satisfactory service to all concerned. 
 
 Mr. Turner is a steady, upright young man, and by his 
 gentility and agreeableness of disposition, he is destined 
 one day to be an honored citizen. 
 
 He is quite a young man, not yet eighteen years old. 
 Thus, before him lies a whole lifetime of usefulness, and 
 the writer hopes that he will exercise his ability and tal- 
 ent to do good wherever and whenever needed. Mr. 
 Turner speaks most tenderly of his mother, and the 
 precepts taught him by her he cherishes fondly, and says 
 whatever goodness or greatness he may attain will be due 
 to the teachings of his Christian mother and adviser. He 
 is a native of Enterprise,. Miss. 
 
140 THE BLACK SIDE. 
 
 MR. WALTER H. LANDRUM, 
 
 ONE OF ATLANTA'S HONORED CITIZENS A MODEL 
 
 MAN. 
 
 One who has made rapid strides up the ladder of suc- 
 cess is the subject of this paper. 
 
 He started at the lowest round, but by perseverance,, 
 industry and toil he has already reached a height of which 
 the most ambitious might well be proud. 
 
 His mother is Mrs. Eliza Landrum, a woman of firm 
 purpose, who used great care in the training of her chil- 
 dren, of which Walter is the second. 
 
 From his mother he inherited a spirit of thriftiness, for 
 while he was yet quite young he would peddle about with 
 cakes and pies, or do any sort of work which would 
 bring him the honest dollar. 
 
 When he was but nine years of age he was appren- 
 ticed to the brickmason's trade, but in this pursuit money 
 came in too slowly for Walter, so he obtained a more lu- 
 crative occupation with Mr. Wesley Darden, who paid 
 him a salary of three dollars per week. He desired to 
 do even better than this, and began to search for work 
 which jwould pay him better. Finally, in 1876, he secured 
 work with the Central Railroad of Georgia, and has 
 been in the service of said railroad for sixteen years. 
 Every one who is acquainted with Mr. Landrum knows 
 he is the embodiment of prudence, economy and discre- 
 tion combined. 
 
 Before engaging in any action he first considers and in- 
 vestigates most thoroughly, and whatever he may realize 
 from any movement he does not readily throw away. In 
 short, he exercises wisdom and judgment in all his under- 
 takings. His dealings with his fellow-men are charac- 
 teristic of fairness and equity. In truth, it may be said 
 of him that he is one who practices the lt golden rule." 1 
 
THE BLACK SIDE. 141 
 
 As a worker in benevolent organizations he has few 
 equals . Has for years been identified with the I. O. O. F., 
 in which body he has held the highest offices in its gift. 
 Passing through all degrees, he has filled every office and 
 is now Patriarch. He is also allied with the Good Samari- 
 tan Lodge, in which he has also occupied conspicuous 
 places. Mr. Landrum is charitable and benevolent, re- 
 fusing help to no one who is needy; an advocate of every 
 movement having for its object the elevation or advance- 
 ment of the Negro. He is associated with several enter- 
 prises of this city, and possesses no little amount of her 
 soil, owning many desirable lots on some of the principal 
 streets. His home residence, on West Mitchell street, as 
 seen in the cut, is attractive, and on entering it one's eyes 
 are made to feast on beauty and art. An amiable, affec- 
 tionate wife presides over his household in which two 
 lovely children scatter sunshine. 
 
 Aside from his possessions in the city, Mr. Landrum 
 owns a productive farm consisting of fifty-five acres. This 
 land lies along the Central Railroad and is within three 
 miles of Jonesboro, Ga. 
 
 He is a member of the Friendship Baptist Church, and 
 an honored and trusty deacon, a teacher in the Sunday- 
 school, and, on the whole, a devout worker for the king- 
 dom of Christ. He pays taxes on fifty-five hundred dol- 
 lars' worth of property. Mr. Landrum was born at 
 Wintersville, Ga., February 19, 1859. 
 
 MR. JOHN T. SCHELL, 
 
 ENTERPRISING, PROGRESSIVE, RISING CITIZEN. 
 In that lovely month of the year when Nature puts off 
 her sable costume for one of emerald, when the buds 
 
142 THE BLACK SIDE. 
 
 begin to unfold themselves to our view and the grass 
 peeps up from the soil, in the year 1857, John T. Schell, 
 the subject of this narrative, came into this life. 
 
 Without doubt he is one of the most assiduous in bus- 
 iness that it is my pleasure to know. He is also benev- 
 olent, having built a house of worship, which, unfortu- 
 nately, was destroyed by fire some months ago. Mr. 
 Schell is a native of Barnesville, but until the emancipa- 
 tion lived three and one-half miles from that town. His 
 mother is , his father Colonel Wm. 
 
 Fletcher, a lawyer by profession, and from him our sub- 
 ject inherited the business talents which characterize him- 
 
 His mother having married a man by the name of Schell, 
 he took his stepfather's name, which he still bears. In 
 1865 his stepfather removed the family to Barnesville, 
 and he was sent to live with an aunt in Griffin, Ga. His 
 aunt hired him out as an errand boy, but he had oppor- 
 tunity to attend school part of each day, and, being apt, 
 he learned quite readily. He remained with his aunt till 
 1867, when he returned to his mother, who apprenticed 
 him to the shoemaker's trade. Working at that till he 
 served out his apprenticeship, he came up to Milner, Ga., 
 and opened a shop for himself. While at this place he 
 met and married a Miss Sarah Fambro, a charming girl 
 in the bloom of youth. After his marriage he stayed on 
 for a while, when, thinking he might better his financial 
 condition, he came to Atlanta. After reaching this city, he 
 found it exceedingly hard to find employment at his trade. 
 He searched and searched for work, but all in vain. 
 
 The few cents he had brought with him had nearly all 
 been spent, and he had not the means to open a business 
 of his own. He had a wife now who was dependent 
 upon him; what must he do ? Finding he could not 
 secure work at his trade, he began to look about for 
 other employment. Finance was at a low ebb, and he 
 
THE BLACK SIDE. 143 
 
 must get work of whatever nature. Accordingly he 
 engaged as a paint- washer at the Markham Hotel. One 
 day, while at his work, he discovered that the hotel boys 
 were ridiculing him because he did not wear the stylish 
 " tooth-pick " shoes. Being humiliated at this, he spent 
 the last dollar and cents he had for a pair. Then the 
 idea of drudgery and " tooth-pick " shoes became dis- 
 gusting to him, and he resolved to seek another field of 
 labor. 
 
 This time he was more fortunate than at first, as he 
 succeeded in getting work at his trade with a Mr. Tines. 
 His wages were poor, but he remained with Mr. Tines 
 till he was offered more money by Mr. Latham, with 
 whom he went to work. He was soon able to move his 
 family to Atlanta, which he did, but the expense of car- 
 ing for it decently was more than he could do with his 
 small wages; thus he left his trade, purchased a receipt 
 for making a patent soap, and by this enterprise he real- 
 ized enough cash to start some line of business. vSo he 
 opened up a small grocery, with a shoe shop attached, on 
 Peters street. This was his starting point. His busi- 
 ness flourished, and ere long he became the owner of the 
 building in which his business was carried on . 
 
 Signal success has attended him ever afterward, and 
 he is now classed with the wealthiest citizens of the Gate 
 City of the South. He is a member of every prominent 
 enterprise in the city, an extensive dealer in real estate, 
 and an owner of much of that real estate. He has a 
 snug bank account, and, on the whole, is a progressive 
 and rising young man. A cultured and amiable wife pre- 
 sides over his; pleasant, beautifully arranged home, in 
 which four bright, merry children mingle their happy 
 voices. 
 
 Mr. Schell is a leading spirit in political, social and 
 financial matters in this city, and his industry and atten- 
 
144 THE BLACK SIDE. 
 
 tion to business, his urbanity and sobriety, characterize 
 him a model man. In addition to his vast amount of real 
 estate he owns a well supplied dry goods establishment. 
 He is master of his trade, having followed it for twenty- 
 six years. In connection with his dry goods store is a 
 shoe store, and he has another in a different portion of 
 the city. Wonderful has been his success in so few years. 
 Mr. Schell is also owner of a neat, three-storied brick 
 building which adorns that portion of the city in which it is 
 located. 
 
 MR. THOMAS L. LYMAN, 
 
 A RISING, INDUSTRIOUS YOUNG MAN. 
 
 Newnan, Ga., in Coweta county, was the scene 
 
 of this young man's birth, and the year was 18 . 
 
 He only spent four years of his early life at this place, 
 after which time, his father having died, his widowed 
 mother sent him to Marietta, Ga., where he was to live 
 with his grandparents. While in Marietta he attended 
 school, which was under the supervision of a Mrs. John- 
 son. After spending five years in Marietta, he returned 
 to Atlanta. Leaving Atlanta, he went to Opelika, Ala., 
 and while there attended school, and after school hours 
 clerked in his brother's store. Staying with his brother 
 till misfortune caused him (his brother) to close 'his place 
 of business, he then returned to Atlanta to care for and 
 assist his mother. In 1888 he married Miss Cora Bos- 
 well, a gentle, refined, intellectual lady, who, together 
 with a bright little boy of two years, makes his home a 
 comfort and joy. 
 
 Mr. Lyman owns a most beautiful home in a very de- 
 sirable portion of the city, the hospitality of which many 
 friends enjoy. 
 
RESIDFNCE OF W. H. LANDRUM. 
 
THOMAS LYMAN. 
 
THE BLACK SIDE. 145 
 
 He is a model young man, thrifty and saving; and his 
 industrious, economical wife shares equally his sorrows 
 and his joys. 
 
 Mr. Lyman, of course, did not have the many disad- 
 vantages and difficulties to encounter which so many 
 others have had, but nevertheless he was a poor boy, and 
 accumulated what he has through industry, toil, and per- 
 severance, and that is saying a great deal for him. 
 
 MR. JAMES C. ODOM, 
 
 A THRIVING MERCHANT. 
 
 Among the thorough-going young men of this city 
 who are full of energy and pluck can be classed Mr. 
 James C. Odom. He is genial and courteous, and pos- 
 sesses in no little degree that quality which is termed 
 grit. His parents, perceiving in him an aptness to learn, 
 placed him in school so soon as he was old enough to 
 attend. They were soon rewarded by James having, at 
 an early age, completed with credit his studies in the 
 grammar school, and being prepared to enter a school of 
 a higher course of studies. Consequently, he entered 
 the Atlanta University, where he applied himself dili- 
 gently for a number of years. Then, deciding that he 
 had received jso much from his parents it was now his 
 duty to assist them ; accordingly he left college and began 
 teaching school. He taught for a successive number of 
 years in the State of Florida. While in that State his 
 father died; he gave up his work there and ^returned 
 home that he might care for and comfort his mother. 
 He is a lover of home, and has the peace and protection 
 of it at heart. Mr. Odom struggled under the disad- 
 
146 THE BLACK SIDE. 
 
 vantages common to all colored young men, and by 
 which so many of our young men are carried down the 
 abyss of ruin; but possessing an indomitable will he man- 
 aged to keep his head above the sweeping tide ; and to- 
 day is a model young man. In 1890 he commenced the 
 grocery business. This was known under the names, 
 Goodlett & Odom; but Mr. Odom, in a few months, 
 bought out Mr. Goodlett's share and is now sole owner 
 of the house. This has not proved a failure, but the 
 stock of two hundred dollars with which he began has 
 increased eight times its value. He makes a splendid 
 living for himself and family, and has no mean supply 
 Jaid by for days which may be rainy. For one of his 
 years Mr. Odom has done remarkably well; and how 
 well he may yet do is for the coming years to decide. 
 The future is big with promises for him. He believes 
 that he can do what others have done. He has no place 
 in his vocabulary for " I can't." 
 
 Recently Mr. Odom was married to the accomplished 
 and amiable Miss Pickens of this city, in whom he pos- 
 sesses a jewel of much value. He is not a native of 
 Atlanta, having first beheld the light of day in Carroll- 
 ton, Ga., A. D. 1864. 
 
 MR. PETER F. HOGAN* 
 
 ANOTHER RISING YOUNG MAN. 
 
 Were two-thirds of the Negro population of Atlanta 
 made u^> of such thrifty men as is the subject of this 
 sketch, it would be well with the entire city; for he is one 
 who possesses in a considerable degree the requisites for 
 the advancement of a people like ours. He did not live 
 
THE BLACK SIDE. 147 
 
 during the days of bondage; but while justice was de- 
 manding the liberation of the slaves and injustice was 
 struggling to fasten more tightly the shackles which 
 already bound them, Peter first opened his eyes to the 
 light of this world. He experienced some sadness dur- 
 ing his early life. When only seven years old his father 
 was burnt to death. After the death of his father, he, 
 with his mother and brother, went to live with his grand- 
 father. Soon after they had settled themselves comfort- 
 ably at their new home the summons came for the 
 grandparent to join the innumerable caravan gone on be- 
 fore. Then the family was once again dispersed. The 
 boys, though young, undertook farming, but with no help 
 except that of a mother found it a difficult task. There 
 was a school being taught in their little village, and they 
 were both anxious to attend; but the mother could not 
 spare them both; so she sent one son one week and the 
 other son the next week; thus trying to do her duty by 
 both. Finally, she was advised to give Peter as much 
 advantage in school as possible, as he displayed a quick 
 and clear perception ; so Peter was sent daily to school'. 
 In 1886 he came to Atlanta, thinking that in this city he 
 might have better opportunities to become a more useful 
 man. His ambition was to assist in the elevation and the 
 advancement of his people; and with this cherished hope 
 in his bosom he entered the Atlanta Baptist Seminary to 
 prepare himself more thoroughly for the work. He first 
 felt that he could do the most good for the race by 
 preaching the gospel; then he decided that perhaps this 
 was not his talent, and that he could the better preach to 
 his people by teaching their children. Accordingly, for 
 quite a number of years, he taught school in different lo- 
 calities, when he finally decided that he would invest the 
 proceeds of his labor in some line of business. Conse- 
 quently, he began grocery keeping with a small stock, 
 
148 THE BLACK SIDE. 
 
 which stock has increased to the amount of three or four 
 thousand per year. 
 
 In 1890 Mr. Hogan purchased a lot on Greenferry 
 avenue, on which he soon had erected a two-story 
 building, the lower floor of which is used as his 
 storehouse, being 20x90 feet. He has a considerable 
 amount of cash and some valuable real estate, all of 
 which was accumulated in five years. He is a member 
 of the Salem Baptist Church, and an untiring Sunday- 
 school worker; a useful and law-abiding citizen. He 
 hails from Lincoln county, Leathersville, Ga., and was 
 born in the year of our Lord 1864. 
 
 LEWIS H. COX, 
 
 SHIPPING CLERK, STENOGRAPHER, MERCHANT. 
 
 Without doubt no occupation of the mind is so pleas- 
 ant as that indulged in when one looks over the lives of 
 industrious, devout and Christian young men, who are 
 unpretending, unassuming and gentle in manner. Mr. 
 Lewis Cox is a young man of tbu*s make-up. He was 
 born at Meansville, Ga., nine miles below LaGrange, De- 
 cember 10, A. D. 1864. 
 
 His parents remained at the home of his birth till the 
 year 1869, when they came to Atlanta, bringing with them 
 their two children, Lewis and Laura. Being industrious 
 and economical they soon saved enough of their earnings 
 to purchase a comfortable home. In 1884 the father died, 
 leaving Lewis and Laura to the care and protection of 
 the mother. The son then felt that the care of his wid- 
 owed mother and his sister rested upon himself, and be- 
 ing of a sufficient age to seek work, he sought and ob- 
 tained employment with Mr. W. Darden, working on the 
 farm, and in this line became a professional farmer. 
 During portions of the year he attended the Storr's 
 
THE BLACK SIDE. 149 
 
 School, where he applied himself diligently to study and 
 wasted not a moment. All of his hours of rest from his 
 labors were spent in study. In this way he acquired a 
 pretty fair education. 
 
 In 1879 he entered the A. B. S. with a view to com- 
 pleting the Normal Course, but scarcely had he begun 
 his studies, when because of ill health his mother could 
 spare his assistance no longer. This noble son gave up 
 his cherished hopes of continuing his studies, left school 
 and again sought work, which he found with the firm of 
 Duncan & Camp as a shipping clerk. He served the firm 
 in that capacity for several years, giving, by his strict at- 
 tention to business, entire satisfaction. 
 
 In 1890 he accepted the position as bookkeeper and 
 clerk in the grocery business of Mr. Nick Holmes, who 
 finds him indispensable, so successfully and thoroughly 
 does he execute his tasks. 
 
 Some years ago Mr. Cox professed the hope of Christ, 
 was baptized by the distinguished Rev. E. R. Carter, and 
 united with the Friendship Baptist church. 
 
 His promptness to the services, his punctuality and 
 activity, combined with the devotion displayed in the 
 meetings, soon won for him a warm place in each heart, 
 and the whole body of the church desired his services 
 as clerk of the church. He was made clerk, and to his 
 honor it is said that one more faithful in the discharge of 
 his duties is yet to be found. 
 
 Mr. Cox studied shorthand under the Rev. Samuel 
 P. Smith, of Halifax, England, and in it became quite 
 an expert. 
 
 The writer cannot do justice, in the small space set 
 apart for this narrative, to this young man. All he might 
 say will be praiseworthy, but this little sketch will show 
 that Mr. Cox has made the beginning which marks for 
 him a bright future and a glorious end. 
 
150 THE BLACK SIDE. 
 
 J. W. COX, 
 
 DEVOUT CHRISTIAN, USEFUL CITIZEN. 
 
 This gentleman was born, A. D. 1819, in Murray 
 county, Ga. Though born and reared during slavery 
 days, his treatment was better than that of the average 
 slave, as his master was his father. 
 
 Very early in life he married Miss Martha Ray, a free 
 woman, and to them were born five children. Soon after 
 the birth of the fifth child, the mother died, leaving the 
 father and children to lament her loss. Some years af- 
 ter her death, Mr. Cox met and married Miss Emily 
 Griffin of the State of Alabama. To this union were 
 given ten children. 
 
 Soon after the surrender Mr. Cox was chosen chair- 
 man of a committee. This was the Reconstruction 
 Committee. He fain would have accepted this honor, but 
 being illiterate, said he was unprepared for the duty in- 
 volved therein. Feeling the need of education, he re- 
 solved to pursue the road to the acquisition of knowledge. 
 Thus he began to study, but the duties and cares of life 
 came so heavily upon him that he could not long continue 
 his studies. 
 
 In 1872 he removed to Atlanta, at which place he lived 
 till his death, which occurred a few months ago. He be- 
 gan work in this city by running hacks, and getting a start 
 in life by this means of employment, he went into the 
 shoemaker's work. Serving out his apprenticeship of 
 several years, he opened a business of his own, hiring his 
 own help, paying them from seventy-five cents to one 
 dollar a day. This line of business proved a success, and 
 soon in connection with it he opened up a beef market 
 and a grocery store. His success was rapid and steady. 
 Selling his property at West Point, which he owned, he 
 
THE BLACK SIDE. 151 
 
 invested the proceeds in real estate in Atlanta, and soon 
 became the possessor of valuable land in this city. Dur- 
 ing all his life he proved a model husband, devoted father, 
 a worthy and useful citizen. 
 
 This good man passed from this life not long since, af- 
 ter bearing uncomplainingly for several months the se- 
 verest illness, to the " Home beyond the skies." He 
 leaves a wife and several children to grieve his absence. 
 He was connected with the M. E. Church (Loyd street) 
 of this city, in which he was a most devout and useful 
 worker. He left his family in easy circumstances, hav- 
 ing accumulated, by hard, honest toil and industry, several 
 thousand dollars' worth of property. 
 
 He fought the good fight, finished his course, then 
 entered his Master's rest. He was connected with a lodge 
 of Odd Fellows, being P. N. F. of his organization. 
 
 MR. GREEN W. WILSON, 
 
 AKCHITECT AND BUILDEK. 
 
 He is a young man of acute business talent. Though 
 comparatively young he has had to encounter many dis- 
 advantages, and has come in contact with many obsta- 
 cles, but his indomitable will and unswerving energy 
 have made him successful in life thus far. He has never 
 given over to disappointments, has never yielded to fail- 
 ures ; the result of which is that he ranks with those who 
 are fast approaching the front in the accumulation of this 
 world's goods. He is a mechanic of the first order, ap- 
 plying his skill to the architectural part of the profession. 
 With his clever knowledge of drawing he is able to make 
 all his plans for his work. He is also a skillful bridge 
 builder, and for several years followed this pursuit in the 
 
152 THE BLACK SIDE. 
 
 West. He married a Miss Bomar in 1891, and in her 
 possesses a charming, industrious and intelligent help- 
 meet. Mr. Wilson is a man full of pluck and nerve; he 
 believes that the way to success is through perseverance,* 
 and says that he alone falls who gives up the struggle 
 and holds not out to the end. He was born March 31, 
 1856, at 
 
 He owns twenty-live acres of fertile land, which he 
 has purchased and paid for himself. 
 
 In 1891 he opened up a butcher's business on Tattnall 
 street, which he finds to be very lucrative. This busi- 
 ness his helping wife attends during the day while he is 
 at his profession. May he continue in the road to suc- 
 cess and prosperity. 
 
 MORGAN McNAIR, 
 
 KEPAIRER OF ALL KINDS OF SEWING-MACHINES. 
 
 The subject of this narrative was ushered into this life 
 in DeKalb county, Ga., August 31, 1862. When only 
 three months old his mother died, leaving her infant son 
 to the charity of the world. His mother's mistress, be- 
 ing interested in the baby, had him reared in her own 
 family, and cared for him till he became of a sufficient 
 age to "paddle his own canoe." His first real work was 
 that of farming, which he followed for some years, when 
 he left and went to a place called "Snap Finger" to seek 
 work. Here there were a saw and a gin mill owned by 
 a Mr. Van Winkle (the same now does business in this 
 city), who employed him, and with whom he remained a 
 year, working around the house of Mr. Van Winkle 
 and assisting at the milh. 
 
P. F. HOGANS. 
 
JOHN W. COX. 
 
JOHN TREMBLE. 
 
THE BLACK SIDE. 153 
 
 At this time, young Morgan's brother, who was older 
 than he, began farming, the farm being near Atlanta, 
 and desired the services of his brother; so Morgan left 
 Mr. Van Winkle and went to live and work with his 
 brother. They worked- together two years, when, hav- 
 ing saved some money, they turned their faces Atlanta- 
 ward, thinking that they could save and make more 
 money. That they might not be out of employment while 
 seeking work, they bought each an axe and went from 
 house to house chopping wood. While thus engaged 
 Morgan one day met Judge A. Speer, who then lived on 
 the corner of Rawson and Cooper streets. The Judge 
 employed Morgan to cut wood, and told him to come 
 over the next morning and clean his yard and wash and 
 curry his horse. Morgan did his work so well that both 
 the Judge and wife were pleased, and being without 
 a coachman the Judge hired Morgan in that capacity, 
 giving him a salary of six dollars per month. Morgan 
 remained with Judge Speer till his (the Judge's) death. 
 Judge Speer and wife were exceedingly kind to Morgan, 
 sending him to school, two terms, after which they gave 
 him lessons themselves every night. The result was that 
 he learned to read and write very rapidly. Judge Speer 
 was of no little prominence, and being with him Morgan 
 came in contact with the better class of whites and blacks. 
 
 After the death of the Judge, Morgan apprenticed 
 himself to the brickmason's trade, at which he worked 
 for a considerable time; then he obtained a situation with 
 the Singer Se wing-Machine Company of this city and 
 worked with this house seven ' years. While with it he 
 learned all about the work and became machine adjuster. 
 He served as foreman until July 6, 1891, when he opened 
 the same kind of business for himself. 
 
 In 1887 he married Miss Jennie V. Payne, with whom 
 he has from that year to this spent a happy life. Mr. Me- 
 
154 THE BLACK SIDE. 
 
 Nair is well versed in the sewing-machine manufacturing- 
 business; is fully able to renovate all machines out of re- 
 pair. He also sells and buys machines, and will give as 
 good satisfaction as any white machine dealer. Let all of 
 us who have work in his line to be done give our patron- 
 age and thus help him instead of our white brother, who 
 needs our help less. His place of business is No. 43. 
 West Mitchell street. He has a neat, comfortable home 
 which he has purchased and paid for since his coming to 
 Atlanta. 
 
 Besides being industrious, Mr. McNair is courteous in 
 manner and a pleasant conversationalist. 
 
 MR. JOHN A. TREMBLE, 
 
 CARPENTER. 
 
 This Christian young man was born at Covington, New- 
 ton county, Ga., A. D. 1864. ^ n Christian character, ster- 
 ling worth, he cannot be surpassed by any young man 
 who was reared without the tender, watchful care of pa- 
 rents. 
 
 The mother of this young man died when he was an 
 infant. When he was but ten months of age his father 
 went to the war, never returning, and he was never heard 
 of by the son. Young Tremble was then left to the care 
 of his grandmother, who also died when he was only nine 
 years old, leaving him to be cared for by her daughter. 
 After living with this relative for two years, she also died, 
 and he was again left alone in the world. 
 
 Being now eleven years old, he resolved to find employ- 
 ment whereby he might support himself. After many 
 days of careful search he succeeded in obtaining work at 
 a very small salary. In 1881 he secured employment 
 with the drug firm of Sharp & Brother, for which he 
 
THE BLACK SIDE. 155 
 
 received better wages than he previously had. With 
 these men he worked till 1884, wnen ne was employed 
 by the C. R. R. of Ga., where he remained several 
 years. 
 
 Mr. Tremble is a model young man, sober, industrious, 
 energetic and persevering. He was converted in 1886, 
 and united with the Friendship Baptist Church of this 
 city. 
 
 In 1890 he became apprenticed to the carpenter's trade, 
 and after completing his apprenticeship, went to work 
 with contractor Geo. Thomas. 
 
 By good, careful management he is able, to surround 
 himself with the comforts and necessities of life. His 
 education is limited, but sufficient to enable him to be 
 classed with the leaders of the race. 
 
 A bright and prosperous future lies before him, which, 
 if he continues in the path in which he now treads, he 
 will doubtless realize. 
 
 JOHN OLIVER ROSS. 
 
 MEKCHANT. 
 
 John Oliver Ross is a native of Austin, Texas, born 
 A. D. 1863. 
 
 Soon after his birth his mother moved to North Caro- 
 lina, where his early life was passed. 
 
 When he was but thirteen years old his mother died, 
 after which he went to Raleigh and engaged in farming. 
 This was the beginning of his career. He first attended 
 night-school till he realized enough cash to enable him 
 to attend daily. His first (day) instructor was a Miss 
 Hayes, who, becoming interested in him and wishing to 
 aid him, made him janitor of the school building. 
 
 By this means he was able to pay his board and tui- 
 tion . While studying here he became equipped for a 
 
156 THE BLACK SIDE. 
 
 teacher. He taught for one year and earned enough to 
 enable him to become a student of Shaw University. 
 
 After a time he had to return to work, and was em- 
 ployed in the office of the Secretary of State of North 
 Carolina. He stayed there till he earned enough to come 
 to Atlanta, Ga. 
 
 In 1882 he became a member of the Atlanta Univer- 
 sity, where he acquired a pretty good education and a 
 thorough knowledge of shoe-making. Following this 
 line of work he made enough cash to keep himself in 
 school, paying his board and tuition. 
 
 In 1885 he went to Valdosta, Ga., to engage in the 
 mercantile business, which he carried on for two years, 
 when he was made principal of the Academy of that 
 town. 
 
 Returning to Atlanta in 1889 he engaged in the gro- 
 cery business, which he now follows. He married the re- 
 fined, highly cultured and intelligent Miss Mahoda Hill, a 
 graduate of the A. U. and a former teacher in the At- 
 lanta public schools. 
 
 Mr. Ross has traveled extensively through most of the 
 States of the Union. 
 
 His business is in a flourishing condition. 
 
 He is a young man of good repute, highly respected by 
 all good people \vho know him. 
 
 It may be interesting to some readers to know that this 
 young man, coming to Atlanta with only forty dollars, 
 and depending upon the money earned by his trade 
 for his support, by industry and attention to business, has 
 been able to purchase the beautiful home residence of 
 the late beloved president of the A. U., for which he paid 
 three thousand dollars. In this home, where are cher- 
 ished memories so dear to all A. U. students, reside 
 this happy pair, to whose keeping God has given two 
 lovely little children. 
 
THE BLACK SIDE. 157 
 
 CORNELIUS KING, 
 
 INDIAN AGENT. 
 
 Cornelius King, the eldest son of George and Phyllis 
 King, was born March 17, 1861, in Mississippi. His 
 mother was a Cherokee Indian, and was stolen from her 
 parents at the age of six or seven and sold a slave in 
 Mississippi. Here she grew to womanhood, met and 
 married George King, who, being a carpenter and mill- 
 wright, saved money and bought his wife and two chil- 
 dren, Cornelius and Alice, and sent them to Jackson, 
 Tenn., in 1863. Here the children attended school, and 
 1870 Cornelius was put to work at a machine shop, and 
 developed a great talent for the use of tools. Captain 
 Jacobs, the head master mechanic, noticed this and found 
 that he had learned the use as well as the names ,of many 
 of the tools. He at once offered to teach him the trade 
 if Mr. King would agree that the boy could stay with 
 him long enough. The offer was accepted and Corne- 
 lius was given the trade. He worked here until the 
 death of his mother in 1876. This was a terrible blow 
 to him, the effect of which still remains fresh in his mem- 
 ory. He always refers to his mother in the most endear- 
 ing manner, and hopes to see her a'gain in the beautiful 
 home, where parting is no more. 
 
 His father now prepared to move to Ft. Smith, Ark., 
 and sent Cornelius on ahead. A young white boy ac- 
 companied him. They traveled in a wagon. At this 
 time the Mississippi and Arkansas bottoms were alive 
 with wild animals. This was very dangerous, and he and 
 his companion often despaired of ever reaching their des- 
 tination. Three days and nights they traveled through 
 these bottoms without seeing a living soul. The waters 
 had subsided, and the high water mark was twenty feet 
 
158 THE BLACK SIDE. 
 
 above their heads. Though homesick and often dis- 
 couraged, they traveled on, and in twenty days after 
 they started they reached Arbuckle Island, where the 
 white boy, fohn P. Perkins, now a leading young lawyer 
 in Ft. Smith, found work. King, however, finding none 
 there, went on to Ft. Smith. The only machine shop 
 there was owned by Philip Millberger. He applied to 
 this man for work, and obtained a situation which he held 
 until 1880, when a company, known as the Arkansas 
 Oil Mill Company, built one of the largest mills and 
 cotton compresses combined in the South. This com- 
 pany employed Captain Jacobs (who had taught King 
 the trade) to put in all the machinery and boilers and 
 put the mill to running. He employed Cornelius and Jim 
 Childs to help him. They made all the water and steam 
 connections, and when these were tested not a defect was 
 found. This gave Cornelius great prominence, and he 
 was sent from mill to mill to do general repairing until 
 1887. This year he married, and as Arkansas City was 
 a very unhealthy place, and fearing his wife's health, as 
 well as his own, would be endangered, he resigned and 
 took work with the Iron Mountain Railroad Company, 
 with headquarters in Little Rock. Here he remained 
 until the death of his mother-in-law, Mrs. Bishop Turner, 
 in 1889. The bishop being thus left alone, requested 
 him and his daughter to move to Atlanta and keep house 
 for him. This they did. He hoped to secure work in 
 some of the machine shops here. Having excellent letters 
 of recommendation from the best business men and com- 
 panies in the State of Arkansas, he presented them to 
 several different shops, and, to his great surprise and dis- 
 appointment, was told that Negroes were not allowed to 
 work at a bench, as the white workmen would all quit. 
 He was compelled to accept a position from the Western 
 and Atlantic Railroad Company. Here he stayed until 
 
THE BLACK SIDE. 159 
 
 he was injured in a wreck at Dalton, Ga. He brought suit 
 against the road and the jury gave him five hundred 
 ($500) dollars, though many thought him entitled to as 
 many thousand. He has recently been employed as pri- 
 vate detective in the law office of Messrs. Hoke and Burton 
 Smith. The former, now Secretary of the Interior and 
 thus a member of the President's cabinet, moved to 
 Washington and still kept King in his employ in that 
 city in the pension office. 
 
 He has deeds to some one hundred and sixty acres of 
 fine farming lands in Arkansas and some to his wife's 
 property in Georgia. His father holds his claim of one 
 hundred and sixty acres in the Indian Territory, which 
 comes through his mother. Each of the other children 
 has the same share. His father, stepmother, his only 
 brother and youngest sister now live in a beautiful home 
 on the edge of a large prairie thirty-two miles from Ft. 
 Smith in the Indian Territory. Victoria Turner King, to 
 whom he was married in 1887? visited the home of Mr. 
 King, in company with her father, then Bishop of Indian 
 Territory, in 1882. Here they were betrothed, and. 
 were ever, before and after marriage, devoted and happy 
 in their choice. 
 
 Three bright boys blessed their union, Henry McNeal, 
 George Turner and Cornelius Victor. The two oldest 
 died before their mother, the youngest one month after. 
 Her death was a shock to the entire community. She was 
 well known throughout Georgia and in many of the other 
 States. She attended school at Wilberforce, O., and 
 Berea College, Ky. She spent much time in Washing- 
 ton City and traveling with her father. She had the 
 happy faculty of making friends wherever she went and 
 was very popular. Many hearts were saddened as the 
 news of her death was read in the papers. They were 
 married December 14, 1887. She died May 28, 1892, 
 
160 THE BLACK SIDE. 
 
 and is buried in West View Cemetery, Atlanta, near her 
 mother and beside her three children. 
 
 The following is clipped from the Atlanta Journal of 
 May 30, 1892: 
 
 "Lincolnia V. King, the wife of Cornelius King and 
 daughter of Bishop H. M. Turner, will be buried this 
 afternoon froirijBethel African M. E. Church, on Wheat 
 street. She was born August 25, 1864, and died a^ 
 2 o'clock P. M., Saturday^- the 28th inst. 
 
 "Her father said to-day that she was bright and po Q - 
 sessed an unusual tendency to politeness from childhood. 
 She was educated at Wilberforce University, in Ohio, 
 and Berea College, Kentucky. She was happily con- 
 verted about seven years ago during a revival conducted 
 in Bethel Church by Rev. Richard Graham, now presid- 
 ing elder of the Milledgeville district. She married some 
 five years ago Cornelius King, of the Indian Territory, 
 and for a time lived at Little Rock, Ark., but after the 
 death of her mother, Bishop Turner's wife, she and her 
 husband came to Atlanta to keep house for her father. 
 She lived a consistent Christian and died most happily. 
 
 "A short time before she expired, she called for her 
 infant baby and kissed it good-bye, commending it to the 
 keeping of the Christ in whom she put her trust, and 
 then in turn kissed her father, husband, sister and niece r 
 and requested them to meet her in heaven, being con- 
 scious of all she was doing and saying until the breath 
 left her body. She was generous to the poor, sympa- 
 thized with the suffering and a worker for her church. 
 A stream of persons were coming and going all day yes- 
 terday, many of whom wept profusely as they looked 
 upon her remains. Bishop Gaines and other ministers of 
 prominence will conduct the funeral services at Bethel 
 
JOHN ROSS. 
 
C. KING. 
 
MRS. VICTORIA KING. 
 
THE BLACK SIDE. 161 
 
 church. She leaves an infant only two months old and 
 a devoted husband to lament his loss." 
 
 After holding an important position in the Pension 
 Office for more than a year and a half, Mr. King was 
 appointed a Special Indian Agent, with headquarters at 
 Muscogee. This is an important and honorable place, 
 only to be held by men of undoubted ability and well- 
 tried fidelity. This appointment was extensively noted 
 and commented upon by the press throughout the coun- 
 try, and many letters and telegrams of congratulation 
 were received from distinguished colored men all over 
 the country. 
 
 Before going to his new field of activity Mr. King was 
 united in matrimony with Miss Tina Culver, one of the 
 most cultured and affable leaders of the best society of 
 Washington, who accompanied him to his home at Mus- 
 cogee, I. T., after visiting through the East and South, 
 stopping at most points of interest. 
 
 The elements which show themselves in Cornelius 
 King are patience, industry, sterling honesty, acute ana- 
 .lytical powers, powerful memory, large generosity and 
 kindness of heart, invincible courage and indomitable 
 will power. These qualities of head and heart, coupled 
 with a strong body and economical habits in his business 
 and personal life, will in time carry him to the top whence 
 he can look back from his already exalted post with a con- 
 sciousness of duty well discharged and that success 
 is the price of worth and activity. His life is an incen- 
 tive to younger men to educate and apply themselves > 
 thereby to rise, as King has risen. 
 
 11 
 
162 THE BLACK SIDE. 
 
 MR. WILLIAM M. ALLEN, 
 
 SHOEMAKER, MUSICIAN. 
 
 He was born at Athens, Clarke county, Ga., in the 
 month of December, Christmas day, 1860. At the 
 emancipation he was sent to live with his grandmother, 
 and while with her he went to school and learned the 
 alphabet. His next school days were spent in the city of 
 his birth, and these schools were taught by the first mis- 
 sionaries. At the early age of eleven years he was ap- 
 prenticed to the shoemaker's trade under a Mr. Adam 
 Malone. He was so apt and swift in this that by the 
 time he reached his fourteenth year he had served his 
 apprenticeship. Then he went back to school, and later, 
 took the examination for county schools, received license, 
 and taught in different counties. He did not fancy 
 school-teaching, but had a desire to be a business man ; 
 so in 1880 he entered the Atlanta Baptist Seminary to 
 better prepare himself for a business life. Subsequently 
 he received an appointment as mailing clerk in the post- 
 office of Athens under Postmaster Madison Davis. This 
 position he filled with credit and honor to himself. In 
 the spring of 1884 he resigned his position as clerk, re- 
 turned to Atlanta and resumed his trade, which he fol- 
 lowed till 1891, when, having taken the Civil Service 
 examination, June 6 of same year, was appointed U. S. 
 letter carrier by General J. R. Lewis, postmaster. His 
 other duties were so urgent upon him that he found it 
 very necessary to return to them. . Accordingly, he, on 
 the twenty-second of same month, tendered his resigna- 
 tion. He received a very flattering letter from the post- 
 master, who regretted his (Allen's) hasty action. Mr. 
 Allen is full of. enterprise, being a member of all the 
 leading organizations of the city. For two years he was 
 
THE BLACK SIDE. 163 
 
 the honored Secretary of the South View Cemetery 
 Company, which position he filled with credit to himself 
 and benefit to the Association. He is also a member of 
 the Georgia Real Estate Loan and Trust Company, 
 which is one of the strongest organizations in the South, 
 having a capital of 50,000. 
 
 Mr. Allen is a lover of music, and performs with great 
 skill on the violin, zither, mandolin, cornet and other in- 
 struments of music. He is the organizer of the first 
 orchestra of this city, and on the whole is what might 
 be called a talented young man. He has, by his habits 
 of industry and sobriety, accumulated considerable prop- 
 erty. Being a first-class shoemaker, he is in the employ 
 of the premium boot and shoemaker of the State, viz., 
 A. J. Delbridge, and is the leading workman in the shop. 
 Mr. Allen is a great advocate of all young men learning 
 trades of some kind, and, having learned them, to stick 
 to them. Too much cannot be said in reference to his 
 spirit of energy and daring, for few possess these in a 
 greater degree than he does. It is hoped that he may 
 ever be useful in life and achieve greatness in the end. 
 
 G. H. FARMER, 
 
 A PROGRESSIVE BUSINESS MAN. 
 
 G. H. Farmer, the subject of this biographical sketch, 
 was born in Madison, Morgan county, Ga., December 
 25, 1859, and is thirty-four years of age. At an early 
 age he attended a high school taught by Bost Howell, 
 but his circumstances rendered it necessary for this 
 bright genius to forsake the school of learning before his 
 collegiate course was completed. He took favor to the 
 music of the anvil and delighted in the wheelwright's 
 trade, and by assiduous work he became master of both 
 
164 THE BLACK SIDE. 
 
 trades. Under H. R. Goldwire, of Madison, he started 
 his trades in their different branches, and proved a com- 
 petent and accurate workman. In 1888 the firm of Geo. 
 D. Harris & Co., of Augusta, gave him work, at which 
 place he stayed until 1891, when the fame his business 
 characterized by remarkable success, went widespread, 
 and Atlantians, who are ever on the alert to secure that 
 which is best, did not miss the opportunity of having him 
 join their number. Here he opened with a business of his 
 own, and is very extensively patronized by all who need 
 work in his line. Success has attended his every effort ? 
 and both Morgan and Fulton counties receive a consider- 
 able amount of taxes on real estate. He is generous to 
 a fault, the friend of all workmen, the enemy of none, 
 lending help when and wherever he can. Such is the 
 character of this business man of whom we write. In 
 1885 he married a Miss Janie Jones, a woman faithful 
 and true. God bless all such good men, for they in their 
 turn are a blessing to any community. Young men, 
 follow in his footsteps. 
 
 MR. JULIUS ALEXANDER, 
 
 NEGKO ARTISAN. 
 
 He was born in the State of North Carolina, in the year 
 1843, of slave parents. At the tender age of five years 
 he was sold from his parents, and thus grew up without 
 their tender care and protection. 
 
 Julius passed through ail the trying scenes of Southern 
 slave life. It was his lot to be the property of both kind 
 and cruel masters. At the age of twenty-one he emi- 
 grated to Georgia, and locating at Griffin employed him- 
 self to a man under whom he learned blacksmithing. 
 After leaving Griffin he came to Atlanta and secured 
 employment from the G. R. R. Company, for which he 
 
THE BLACK SIDE. 165 
 
 worked three years. He next obtained work at the 
 Winship Brothers' Foundry, in whose employ he stayed 
 several years, a.fter which he opened a business of his 
 own. He now has an establishment, where he runs two 
 forges, on corner of Ivy and Lyon streets. 
 
 In 1871 Mr. Alexander united with the First Congre- 
 gational Church, in which church he was treasurer for 
 both church and Sunday-school. At this time Rev. 
 Cyrus W. Francis was pastor. 
 
 His first wife was a Miss Lula Nunnally, to whom was 
 born eight children, two of whom he educated in the 
 Atlanta University, these being Stephen and Annie. In 
 the year 1881 Stephen died. His daughter Annie, ;i 
 graduate of the A. U., is now a successful and accom- 
 plished teacher in Florida. His first wife dying, he was 
 married in 1889 to a Miss Edwards, who bv habits of 
 economy and industry renders him great service. 
 
 At the surrender Mr. Alexander was entirely illiterate, 
 but by diligent and hard study, chiefly at night, he has 
 acquired a good business education. 
 
 His mother was a devout Christian woman, a member 
 of the Methodist church, and though Mr. Alexander was 
 deprived of her gentle training, he seemed to have par- 
 taken of her Christian nature. 
 
 He is a good man, a useful, law-abiding citizen, and is 
 esteemed and respected by all who know him. When 
 freedom was declared he would not take his former 
 master's name, and instead of using his full name, Julius 
 Alexander Pledger, he cut off the surname, which was 
 his master's, and used his first and middle names. Thus 
 we know him as Julius Alexander. 
 
 He has some real estate ; pays taxes on one thousand 
 four hundred dollars' worth. Mr. Alexander is still a 
 useful factor in the church, law-abiding, and respected 
 by all who know him. 
 
166 THE BLACK SIDE. 
 
 MR. THOMAS GOOSBY, 
 
 AETISAN AND MEKCHANT. 
 
 The subject of this sketch, Thomas Goosby, was bom 
 November 10, 1840, in Oglethorpe county, Ga. He was 
 born of slave parents, and lived during the "dark days' T 
 of slavery, but as it was his lot to fall into the hands of a 
 good, Christian owner, a man who possessed a heart and 
 realized that all other human beings possessed the same 
 organ, he fared well, and did not experience the cruel 
 treatment or feel the lash of the Negro driver's whip as 
 so many of his slave brothers did. 
 
 In his early life he worked on the farm and at the car- 
 penter's trade. During the war he worked at shoe- 
 making. 
 
 December i, 1865, Mr. Goosby received his first wages,, 
 which consisted of one pound of meat and twenty-five 
 cents per day. He was married in the year 1863 to a Miss 
 Martha Eberhart, who has been a constant helper, ad- 
 viser and sharer of joys and sorrows to him. This union 
 was prolific of five children, two of whom are graduates 
 of the Atlanta University, Miss Mary, who is now em- 
 ployed as public school teacher at Athens, Ga., and Mr- 
 Wm. H., who is now in the government service, being 
 U. S. letter-carrier. Mr. Goosby moved to Atlanta in 
 1866, and at once obtained work at his trade (carpentry), 
 receiving one dollar and twenty-five cents per day. He 
 was, as is now, a master workman, and during the re- 
 building of the city had as much as he could do. He 
 assisted in erecting many of the first structures in the 
 city. Was employed in the erection of the present Kim- 
 ball house for two years, also on the State capitol, and 
 aided in the erection of the steeple on the Trinity M. E. 
 Church (white). 
 
THE BLACK SIDE. 167 
 
 In 1876, having professed a hope in Christ, he united 
 with Wheat Street Baptist church, and was baptized by 
 Rev. W. H. Tilman. Mr. Goosby is an important factor 
 in this church, serving as trustee, treasurer, finance col- 
 lector and deacon. He is a man of sober habits, integ- 
 rity and industry, and numbers his friends by the scores. 
 
 In 1889, with his son as partner, Mr. Goosby com- 
 menced grocery keeping, in which, for so short a time, 
 he has built upon an excellent trade, carrying on an ex- 
 tensive business in this line. 
 
 He owns a most cozy cottage home on the principal 
 thoroughfare, Wheat street, near which is his place of 
 business. Mr. Goosby pays taxes on more than $6,000 
 worth of real estate. He is a man of fine parts, gentle, 
 faithful in duty, earnest in business, respected by all 
 who know him. 
 
 MR. FLOYD GRANT SNELSON, 
 
 PRINCIPAL OF THE MITCHELL STREET GRAMMAR 
 SCHOOL. 
 
 The subject of this sketch, Floyd Grant Snelson, was 
 born at Ellaville, Schley county, Ga., December 19, 
 1865. His father is Rev. Floyd Snelson; his mother is 
 Mrs. Nancy Snelson. Grant is the eldest of three chil- 
 dren, all of whom are living. He is brother to the thriv- 
 ing, successful practitioner, S. C. Snelson, of Savannah, 
 Ga., who graduated from Howard Medical College at 
 Washington, D. C. ; lso brother to Mrs. Mary Snelson 
 Cooper, a graduate of the Atlanta University. 
 
 Grant first entered the A. M. A. school at famous An- 
 dersonville. He next attended the Beach Institute at 
 Savannah, while his father was pastor of the Congrega- 
 tional Church in that city in 1874. During the winter of 
 
168 THE BLACK SIDE. 
 
 1874 ' s ^ther moved to Mclntosh, Liberty county, 
 where he constituted the Dorchester Congregational 
 Church and established the Dorchester Academy. Grant 
 then entered this school, where he remained a student 
 till the fall of '83, when he entered the Atlanta Univer- 
 sity. While at his home he was secretary of his church 
 for four years, an assistant deacon and a religious worker, 
 frequently aiding his father as exhorter. He was organ- 
 ist for five years, and the leader of the boys and girls in 
 assisting to raise funds for the erection of the large Con- 
 gregational Church which his father afterwards erected 
 at Snelsonville, a village of two hundred inhabitants, 
 named for the family of Snelson. 
 
 Grant began his career as teacher at the age of twelve 
 years by assisting in the academy he attended, hearing 
 three classes regularly each day under the supervision of 
 Miss R. M. Kinney, who was then in charge of the Dor- 
 chester school. The principal frequently commended be- 
 fore the entire school the excellency of Grant's work, 
 and he was considered the "boy royal" of the times. 
 
 After two years' experience in his own schoolroom as 
 a tutor, at the age of fourteen, in company with others, 
 including 'his brother, Grant went before the County 
 School Commissioner to take the examination, which 
 was both oral and written. Hon. S. D. Bradwell, the 
 present S. S. C., who was at that time President of the 
 Institutes for whites, was called upon to assist in examin- 
 ing the applicants. In the presence of a large audience 
 he gave Grant a rigid problem in taxes to solve upon the 
 blackboard. This Grant did so quickly and accurately 
 that the C. S. C., Hon. Benj. Dorsey, observed: "This 
 boy is an exceptional Negro, for he has the brain of a 
 white man." Grant answered readily all questions put 
 to him by the white students of the institute, and it is 
 needless to say received first grade license. This was 
 
WM. ALLEN. 
 

 tf'^p 
 
O. H. FARMER. 
 

THE BLACK SIDE. 169 
 
 remarkable for a boy of fourteen. He was so small in 
 stature that his mother prepared for him two home-made 
 dusters in which to teach, that his small figure might not 
 be so noticeable to his pupils. Signal success has followed 
 and attended him ever after in the schoolroom. In the 
 summer of 1888 he was compelled to leave his school 
 after teaching three weeks, on account of the "crackers," 
 who had most of his patrons employed, and who told 
 them that if they sent their children to school to Snelson 
 they would not hire them (the patrons) to work for them* 
 It was election year, and the "crackers" claimed that 
 Grant would teach the children Republican doctrine. So 
 he was persecuted in this way, an account of which ap- 
 peared in the State papers of color. 
 
 In 1877 the father of Grant was called to the mission- 
 ary work in West Africa under the auspices of the A. 
 M. A. Grant accompanied the family in visiting Africa, 
 the fatherland. He remained there fourteen months, at- 
 tended school with the natives, one of whom, Mr. A. B. 
 Jarrett, has since graduated from Fisk University. 
 
 Grant in Africa, as in America, was first in his class, 
 and was well spoken of by the principal, Rev. A. P. 
 Miller, now pastor of Congregational Church at New 
 Haven, Conn. 
 
 He frequently accompanied his father about among the 
 African villages, talked with the natives, gave Bible 
 lessons, and was generally found doing good. 
 
 In rhetoricals he was pointed out as "the model" for 
 all the boys, and was fondly considered by the notables 
 in Sierra Leone, among whom was the royal governor 
 who predicted that Grant would some day be a "good 
 and grand man." The English commandant called him 
 his "little American beloved," and when Grant was pre- 
 paring to return to America he presented him with a fine 
 jack monkey and a copy of Robinson Crusoe. On their 
 
170 THE BLACK SIDE. 
 
 return homeward, while in New York City, Grant's- 
 father took him to Henry Ward Beecher's church. 
 
 This eloquent divine placed his hands upon Grant's 
 head, blessed him, and prayed that God would give him 
 a life of usefulness, long and full of good deeds. 
 
 Entering the Atlanta University in 1883 he spent seven 
 years in this institution, graduating in 1890, just nineteen 
 years after his father's graduation at the same university. 
 While an inmate of this institution he led an exemplary 
 Jjfe, always stood well in his classes, was religious and had 
 the respect and confidence of the entire faculty. 
 
 In the college literary societies he was always ready r 
 with his wit and genius, to contribute to the 'occasion, and 
 whenever his name appeared on the program for eman- 
 cipation or other public exercises, there was sure to be 
 assembled a large audience to greet his appearance on the 
 rostrum . 
 
 His ability as an author is wothy of mention : his pro- 
 ductions being "Starlights of the Ages" a historical 
 essay on slavery; "Universal Conflict" a philosophic 
 oration touching upon the great movements of mankind; 
 "Eulogy on General U. S. Grant," his distinguished name- 
 sake, and the "Development of Modern Liberty," which 
 was his graduation oration in which he surpassed himself,, 
 and which was pronounced to be the treat of the occa- 
 sion. 
 
 Immediately after his graduation he was called to the 
 principalship of the Columbus High School, at Colum- 
 bus, Ga. 
 
 Very untoward circumstances greeted him at the 
 opening of this work. They were subjective as well as 
 objective. Subjectively he was discouraged, because his 
 plans for entering a Northern seminary had collapsed. 
 
 He left home with only means to secure a week's lodg- 
 ing ; without money and with little to cheer, he took upon 
 
THE BLACK SIDE. 171 
 
 himself the labor of building an institution of learning. 
 Objectively the work there was in a shattered condi- 
 tion. The fears within this educational enterprise were 
 greater, than the foes without; but notwithstanding this 
 he labored to unite all elements in the city, visited all 
 churches, preached and lectured to all congregations and 
 Sunday-schools, and in ten months had increased the 
 school from a membership of nineteen pupils to one hun- 
 dred and fiftv. 
 
 / 
 
 His addresses and lectures were inspiring and elevating 
 in no little degree, and were always largely attended. On 
 one occasion he received an invitation from the white peo- 
 ple of an adjoining town to lecture to them, which invita- 
 tion he accepted. He .held an immense crowd spell- 
 bound, and received unlimited applause, his address being 
 encouraging to both races, practical, eloquent, and serving 
 to teach the colored heroism in all that develops the race, 
 and to teach the whites generosity, fair play and equity, 
 to an aspiring people. 
 
 January, 1891, Mr. Snelson delivered the Emancipa- 
 tion Oration at Columbus. The occasion was a brilliant 
 one. The address was published abroad and was favor- 
 ably commented upon by the public press. 
 
 At the dedication of the high school building at Way- 
 cross, Ga., in 1889, he delivered the dedicatory address, 
 which was complimented most freely by the town paper, 
 as well as all who heard him. 
 
 Limited space will not allow us to recount every 
 achievement in his public career; let it suffice to know 
 that^ he figures conspicuously in all public gatherings 
 which have for their object the elevation, morally and 
 mentally, of the Negro race. 
 
 His address delivered before the State Teachers' As- 
 sociation, held at Macon last June, was considered one of 
 the best of the session. 
 
172 THE BLACK SIDE. 
 
 He is now the successful principal of the West Mitch- 
 ell Street Grammar School, of this city, and is identified 
 with all that tends to better the race. 
 
 Mr. Snelson is connected with the A. M. E. Church as 
 a member of Class 1894 of Gammon School of Theology. 
 He is blessed with the companionship of an educated, 
 refined and faithful wife; ambitious like himself, she en- 
 courages and lends inspiration to him in all his efforts, and 
 is building for him a house of true love which shall bless 
 his coming years with progress and peace; a fine baby- 
 boy has sealed their union and united their spirits for life. 
 
 MR. JAMES LEE HONEYWELL, 
 
 CIGAR MANUFACTURER U. S. LETTER CARRIER. 
 
 The amount of enterprise shown in the life of this 
 young man of whom I now write is worthy of commen- 
 dation. It is not an every-day occurence to find one of 
 so few years as he who has passed through the many va- 
 rying scenes of this complicated life of ours. He was 
 the only child of Mrs. Mariah Gay, and first opened his 
 infant eyes to the light of day at Quincy, Fla., Jan- 
 uary 28, A. D. i86. 
 
 His mother was not strong physically, and young 
 Honeywell had to be put in service at an early age to aid 
 in her support. Thus, when he was eight years old, he 
 was employed as errand-boy and clerk in a grocery store. 
 His next work was that of stationary engineer, and from 
 this he went to the hotel work. Possessing a spirit of 
 enterprise and daring, this life soon grew monotonous, 
 and he began to look about for other employment. 
 
 Accordingly he met Mr. A., of Maine, a retired mil- 
 
THE BLACK SIDE. 173 
 
 lionaire, who engaged Honeywell as companion for him- 
 self. Honeywell was eager for the hour to arrive when 
 his employer and himself would begin what was to be to 
 Honeywell a round of sight-seeing. 
 
 With the millionaire he traveled for more than a year, 
 visiting every State in the Union, Canada and Mexico. 
 
 After leaving Mr. A.'s service he did not care to locate 
 at any particular point; so he secured work over a prom- 
 inent railroad as sleeping-car porter. 
 
 One day while in New York City a stranger ap- 
 proached Honeywell, and in language which was not all 
 English told him that he was in distress and wanted to 
 go home, and asked assistance of him. This stranger 
 was a native of Cuba. Mr. Honeywell complied with 
 the stranger's request; and, while conversing with him 
 concerning his home, expressed a desire to go to Cuba 
 himself; but added that he had no friends or relatives 
 there, and did not know how he would fare among the 
 natives. Whereupon the Cuban persuaded him to go, 
 telling him he would see that he (Honeywell) was cared 
 for. Accepting the invitation, Mr. Honeywell, in due 
 time, with his friend, reached the Isle of Cuba. 
 
 All was strange and new to him, but he trusted his 
 Cuban friend. True to his promise the Cuban secured 
 Mr. Honeywell employment in a cigar manufacturing 
 establishment, in which were employed one thousand per- 
 sons, whose language he could not comprehend or speak 
 a word. 
 
 Among these strangely speaking people he had pecu- 
 liar experiences. When he desired anything he either 
 had to go out and search for his Cuban friend, or pay an 
 interpreter to make known his wishes. This, however, 
 did not last a great while, for soon Mr. Honeywell mas- 
 tered the Spanish language, which he now speaks most 
 fluently. 
 
174 THE BLACK SIDE. 
 
 After spending two years in Cuba, working in the cigar 
 business, he returned to Atlanta, Ga., where his mother 
 was then living. Soon after his return to this city, she 
 became ill, and lingered for a year. During her illness 
 he proved to be the most devoted son. Indeed he per- 
 formed the parts of husband and son. No wish of hers 
 was denied. The best medical attention was furnished 
 her; and finally, when death claimed her, the devoted 
 son's grief was most poignant. 
 
 During the latter part of 1892 he was married to Miss 
 Mattie Duke, a very amiable young lady, who, during his 
 hours of sadness, shared equally his sorrow. 
 
 He is a son of whom the fondest mother might be 
 proud; a husband to whom the loving wife can look with 
 reverence. 
 
 He has established a cigar business here, which is car- 
 ried on with great profit to himself. He also occupies a 
 government position, being a United States letter-carrier. 
 
 My personal opinion of Mr. Honeywell is that he is a 
 model young man. He has a pretty fair education, and 
 his experiences gained through traveling are interesting 
 and various. 
 
 His only teacher was the Rev. E. K. Love, now of 
 Savannah, to whom he went seven months. 
 
 The remainder of his education he acquired himself, 
 with sometimes the aid of perhaps his different employ- 
 ers. He is what might truly be called a self-made young 
 man. During his young life, so far, he has performed 
 many noble acts, which if he continues to do until he shall 
 have reached a ripe age, when he is summoned to join 
 his mother, there will be written opposite his name many 
 noble deeds. 
 
THE BLACK SIDE. 175 
 
 MR. ELIJAH RICHARD GRAVES, 
 
 THE CANDY MANUFACTURER 
 
 To many, perhaps, the biography of this man will be 
 particularly interesting, as he is the only one of the race 
 with which he associates in this city who is engaged in, and 
 owner of the above business. His father was a Jew who 
 bore the cognomen of Allison Deikle. His mother, in 
 whose veins flowed Anglo-Saxon and Indian and a few 
 drops of African blood, married a man by the name of 
 Belvin Graves, and it is from him that our subject takes 
 his surname. 
 
 Early in life he was bereft of his mother and left to the 
 care of his step-father. At the time of Hood s raid 
 through Georgia, young Graves refugeed from Atlanta 
 to Macon, Ga., and then joined the United States hospit- 
 al train, which was then going through the country tak- 
 ing up the dead and wounded soldiers. It was then that 
 he lost sight of his step-father. Leaving the hospital 
 train at Nashville, Tenn., he returned to Atlanta and 
 soon after became quite ill. He was then adopted 
 into the family of Festus Flipper, where he was nursed 
 back to health. By his many good traits young Graves 
 soon won the hearts of the entire family, and was liber- 
 ally provided for by Mr. Flipper, who sent him to the 
 Storr's School, where he received instruction from the 
 best teachers. In his early life he worked at photogra- 
 phy under one Mr. R. N. Lane. Mr. Graves has had a 
 checkered career, in which has been mixed both sorrow 
 and joy. He at one time joined a minstrel troup at 
 Athens, Ga., which soon dissolved, and not having the 
 necessary means, he had to walk the entire distance from 
 that city to Atlanta. On another occasion he was com- 
 pelled to walk ninety-three miles. He was employed as 
 butler in the National Hotel, at Atlanta, but desiring to 
 
176 THE BLACK SIDE. 
 
 acquire a knowledge of some occupation or profession, 
 he began to work at the baker's trade; but his lungs be- 
 ing weak, he feared the constant dealing in flour might 
 more seriously affect them . So he gave up this vocation, 
 and took up that of candy-making. 
 
 He found employment with the F. E. Block & Com- 
 pany manufacturing establishment, where he worked 
 quite a number of years, mastering entirely the candy- 
 making art. 
 
 So proficient in this art is he that he has established a 
 business of his own, which he conducts and carries on 
 most successfully and with profit to himself. 
 
 In 1876 he led to the hymeneal altar a Miss Georgia 
 Anne Sims, whose father was Dr. Thos. Sims, of Clay- 
 ton county, Ga. The marriage vows were solemnized by 
 the eminent Rev. Wm. Finch, ex-councilman of Atlanta. 
 The morning succeeding their marriage Mr. Graves gave 
 his wife fifteen cents, which was half of his entire pos- 
 sessions, and said to her, "As I give you this I will give 
 you more." With the aid of his brave, industrious wife, 
 who has proven a constant source of comfort and joy to 
 him, he has accumulated a bountiful supply of this world's 
 goods. 
 
 His neat little cottage home on Magnolia street, near 
 which is located his place of business, is attractive and 
 inviting. 
 
 Space need not be taken to comment further upon this 
 man's life. The facts here given show the amount of 
 industry, enterprise and grit in his make-up; and if his 
 future be as progressive as has been his past, he will have 
 ascended to the topmost rung of the ladder of finance. 
 He has some valuable real estate, and also some cash. 
 
 He is a native of Richmond, Va., where he was born 
 A. D 1855. Mr- Graves pays taxes on three thousand 
 dollars' worth of property. 
 
F. O. SNELSON. 
 
JACKSON M' HENRY. 
 
THE BLACK SIDE. 177 
 
 MR. DANIEL L. ANDERSON, 
 
 A EISING MERCHANT. 
 
 Mr. D. L. Anderson was born in the year 1865 in 
 DeKalb county, Ga. His parents were industrious, 
 thrifty and religious people, who, though they were, or 
 had been, debarred of educational advantages, resolved 
 to do their duty by their children in this line. By their 
 industry and economy, they had accumulated something 
 of this world's possessions, thereby enabling them to edu- 
 cate their children. 
 
 Accordingly Daniel was sent to the village school till 
 it was found to be necessary to send him elsewhere to 
 one of higher studies. 
 
 Finally it was decided to send "Dan" (as he was 
 called at home) to Atlanta, and after doing so he entered 
 the Atlanta University, where he spent five years, dur- 
 ing which time he made rapid progress, so that when he 
 left this grand institution of learning he was equipped to 
 fight life's battles. 
 
 While a student of the Atlanta University he would 
 spend his vacations in teaching that he might help him- 
 self in school and not depend entirely upon his parents, 
 who had several other children to educate. 
 
 From both parents " Dan " inherited that spirit of 
 thriftiness which so plainly characterizes him. Since 
 living in Atlanta, he has borne an untarnished name, and 
 is ever found on the side of right. 
 
 He was converted and joined the A. M. E. Church in 
 1875. Faithfulness in the discharge of his religious 
 duties brought him to the office of steward and then sec- 
 retary in his church. These positions he held for a num- 
 ber of years with credit to himself and satisfaction to all. 
 
178 THE BLACK SIDE. 
 
 In 1891 Mr. Anderson married Miss Macie Gill, a 
 sweet-tempered young lady, who is a helpful adviser and 
 counselor to him. 
 
 In 1888 Mr. Anderson opened a grocery business with 
 a stock of thirty-six dollars. This business has grown 
 steadily till he now does a business of six thousand dol- 
 lars per annum. 
 
 For one so young, he is fast coming to the front ranks 
 of the race. It furnishes me no little pleasure to be able 
 to record the good deeds of our coming young men, 
 those who will take their places beside the worthies of 
 our race, as the subject of this paper will no doubt do. 
 
 JACKSON McHENRY, 
 
 ENTERPRISING AND PROGRESSIVE CITIZEN. 
 
 There is no man in the city of Atlanta who bears a 
 greater flame of anxiety in his bosom for the progress of 
 his people than does the subject of this paper, Jackson 
 Me Henry. 
 
 His very existence goes rushing out, as an uncontroll- 
 able flood, for the elevation and welfare of the young of 
 his race. He is not a man of letters. The "King's 
 English" is not at all safe when it falls into his mouth; 
 but in common sense, wit and humor there is not a man 
 born who can surpass "Jack." 
 
 He is a born orator. When he is speaking, words of 
 wisdom fall from his lips like an April shower. It is 
 almost marvelous to see a man with no more education 
 than he .has with such power of speech. He can electrify 
 and entertain any assembly of people, political or relig- 
 ious, ignorant or educated, as well as any man of superior 
 attainments. 
 
THE BLACK SIDE. 179 
 
 His business career in the city of Atlanta has not been 
 in any certain line. He, like his fellow brethren, is 
 hedged in by race prejudice. The assistance which Ne- 
 gro men of the South need is shut out from them wholly 
 because of color. A great number of colored men in 
 this city, of unflagging industry and energy, would soon 
 be lifted to wealth and distinction, were it not for South- 
 ern sentiment. On account of this state of affairs, he has 
 had to keep feeling until he found it safe to hold on to 
 one certain line of business. 
 
 He came to Atlanta in '1868 with seventy-five cents in 
 his pocket, and feeling himself rich in the possession of 
 that amount*. Possessing an indomitable will, and being 
 of a high spirit, no class or kind of work "downed" him. 
 He soon began blacksmithing with his brothers, serving 
 the trade till he became an acceptable workman; but de- 
 siring to do better, he took his earnings and purchased 
 an ox and cart and began hauling and selling wood. 
 After a time he was able to dispose of his ox and secured 
 a mule; finally he sold the mule and obtained a horse. 
 Then accepting a position as office porter under H. Ir 
 Kimball at 40 per month, he gave up the team to his 
 two brothers. 
 
 This he held till he was engaged as janitor for the 
 financial committee of the Legislature of the State of 
 Georgia at a salary of $30. He pursued this till the 
 Democratic administration, after which he obtained the 
 agency for the Wheeler & Wilson Sewing Machine Co., 
 receiving $75 per month and 10 per cent, on every ma- 
 chine he sold. He was thus engaged ten years, and was 
 able to repair machines and do work connected there- 
 with. 
 
 In 1891 he was made head janitor at the custom house 
 of this city, for which his salary is $800 per year. He is 
 a military man, being Captain of the Governor's Volun- 
 
180 THE BLACK SIDE. 
 
 teers. Under him this company has progressed, winning 
 the first and second prizes. Mr. McHenry is the oldest 
 captain (in position) in the State. He was married at 
 the early age of seventeen to a Miss Louisa Moore, who 
 died in 1871, after which he married in 1873 Miss Ellen 
 Brown. In 1872 he united with the A. M. E. Church, 
 of which he has ever since been an active member. He 
 pays taxes on between two and three thousand dollars' 
 worth of property. Mr. McHenry was at one time an 
 owner of several hacks and cabs. This pursuit proved 
 very lucrative. Was also at one time engaged in the 
 express business. 
 
 In 1870 he was nominated for councilman," but was de- 
 feated by sixty votes. Eighteen hundred and seventy- 
 six found him a nominee for the Legislature, and received 
 the largest number of votes ever given a colored man. 
 He has filled the position of bailiff, and has been a dele- 
 gate to every District Convention ; also a member of 
 the State Central Committee. In 1888 he was elected 
 as delegate from the Fifth Congressional District. It is 
 seen by this that he has occupied many positions of 
 honor, which he filled honorably. 
 
 REV. FREDERICK LAWRENCE CARLETON, 
 
 A GEEAT EVANGELIST. 
 
 One of the bright stars that beamed forth with bright- 
 ness and shed its rays in a portion of Clarke county 
 known as Bashire, in Alabama, is^Rev. Frederick Law- 
 rence Carleton. 
 
 He was ushered into this life December n, A. D. 1837. 
 At the age of six weeks he was sold for the sum of $100. 
 He became religiously impressed when he was just three 
 
THE BLACK SIDE. 181 
 
 years old, by one night hearing his mother shouting 
 and praying. This impression was so deep that from 
 that time he became a Joseph boy. He talked constantly 
 of things pertaining to the other life, but was not then 
 conscious of the extent of his knowledge concerning that 
 life. 
 
 His mother was permitted to stay with him until he 
 reached the age of seven years, after which time she 
 was sold from him, and he was left to the care of a 
 drunkard. He remained with this drunken master one 
 year longer, when he was again sold, this time bringing 
 the amount of $850,* an d with this owner remained until 
 he was emancipated through Lincoln. Being a bright, 
 active lad at the age of twelve years, he was placed in a 
 blacksmith shop to learn the trade, which he accom- 
 plished by the time he was sixteen years old. He was 
 then taken from blacksmithing and put to engineering, 
 at which he worked till his stoppage was necessitated by 
 his having lost his. sight. For a number of years he 
 could not see at all, then a period of partial blindness set 
 in, during which time he worked at the mill. 
 
 In 1862 he became converted and was immediately 
 called to the ministry, while between the plow handles in 
 the field. He began preaching then and there; threw 
 aside his plow, went to the house and told his master of 
 his call; whereupon his master got upon his horse and 
 rode all around to the different plantations, telling the 
 people not to molest Frederick, but to allow him to 
 preach wherever he went. There were many souls con- 
 verted under him even before he was baptized. He was 
 afterward baptized by the Rev. Cerrine, at Elam Baptist 
 church, remaining a member of that church till freedom 
 was proclaimed. During this time he went about from 
 plantation to plantation, preaching the word of God, and 
 causing many to turn from the paths of sin. 
 
182 THE BLACK SIDE. 
 
 At this period it was discovered that he was endowed 
 with the evangelistic gift. In 1856 he was married to 
 Patsey King, and with her lived till '59, when they be- 
 came separated by her having been sold to a different 
 plantation and another put in the house with her. He 
 next married in 1870, Miss Elizabeth Griffin, his present 
 wife, after which he moved to Mobile, Ala., where he 
 received license to preach from the Central Baptist 
 church, After receiving license, in six months he raised 
 a church, caused the conversion of many souls, who were 
 baptized by Rev. C. C. Levi. 
 
 A council was called, by which he was ordained from 
 the Shiloh Baptist church. He served as pastor there 
 three years, then going to Scranton, Miss., organized a 
 large church, which he pastorated till the yellow fever 
 epidemic. He then returned to Alabama and established 
 another flourishing church. 
 
 Leaving here he went to Chunchula, Ala., and there 
 built from the bush arbor a large church, remaining pas- 
 tor two years, and also caring for the Starlight church, 
 of same place, for twelve years. This church deciding 
 that he had the evangelistic call, sent him out as an evan- 
 gelist. It was then that his evangelistic tour com- 
 menced, which afterward became so extensive. He 
 went to the States of Florida, Louisiana and Texas, 
 where he organized and erected churches and baptized 
 many souls. He met many Associations, all of which 
 co-operated with him in his work. He did and said 
 much toward preserving the purity of the Sabbath, and 
 much gospel work generally. 
 
 The education of this godly man is limited, on account 
 of his partial blindness for so long a period. He attended 
 
 college at for a time, when his sight failed. 
 
 He next pursued a course of Theology under Professor 
 Warner, when his sight again failed. Applying himself 
 
THE BLACK SIDE. 183 
 
 at different times to diligent study, and information gath- 
 ered from his extensive travels in nearly every State in 
 the Union, have made him a well informed man. 
 
 Rev. Carleton came to Atlanta, Ga., October 26, 1892, 
 purchased a desirable lot, beautiful for situation, erected 
 thereon and occupied a neat cottage, in less time than 
 one month. He owns forty acres of fertile land in Mobile 
 county, Alabama. He has been solicited by the Sunday- 
 School Convention to visit the entire State of Georgia. 
 The blessing of God ever attend his work. 
 
 Rev. Carleton ranks with the world's great evangelists; 
 is a most profound Biblicist of this day, knowing it from 
 Genesis to Revelations, and is prepared at any time, with- 
 out any previous warning, to quote exactly any passage 
 required. 
 
 Below are given clippings from some of the leading 
 journals of the day concerning him, and showing forth 
 his vast knowledge and good works: 
 
 "By request we visited and listened to a lecture Mon- 
 day evening, on the Scriptural Sabbath and its Proper 
 Observance, by Rev. F. L. Carleton, of Chunchula, Ala. 
 To say that we were surprised, is putting it mild . His, 
 familiarity with the Bible is indeed wonderful, and his 
 lecture would do credit to more pretentious divines, and 
 he is instructive and entertaining to any audience. We 
 are informed that he has appeared before white congre- 
 gations in many places and astonished them with his rea- 
 soning and ready reference to scrip 1 . ural passages from 
 Genesis to Revelations, sustaining his arguments. He 
 requests his hearers to bring their Bibles with them, 
 refers them to different chapters and verses and calls 
 upon them to read aloud during the progress of his lec- 
 ture. He seems to know the whole Bible by heart."- 
 The American, Lake Charles, La. 
 
184 THE BLACK SIDE. 
 
 "On Sunday evening, the i8th inst., the Rev. F. L. 
 Carleton lectured to a congregation of whites and blacks, 
 at the Skating Rink, on the Observance of the Holy Sab- 
 bath and Training of Children. This lecture was indeed 
 a gem, and so pronounced by all present. The Rev. 
 Joel T. Daves, pastor of the M. E. Church (white), com- 
 mended it in the highest terms, saying in the course of 
 his remarks that it was a duty for the colored people to 
 send this colored divine forth over all the country, and if 
 they failed to do so, God would be angry with them. I tes- 
 tify to these things for the simple reason that I know they 
 are true, and that I believe that the Rev. F. L. Carleton 
 should receive encouragement and support wherever he 
 goes, from the white people as well as his own race, 
 whom he is so capable of elevating and enlightening." 
 W. C. McClanahan, Editor American, Lake Charles, La. 
 
 "Rev. F. L. Carleton, the Evangelist, of Chunchula, 
 Ala., has been traveling in Alabama, Florida, Mississippi, 
 Louisiana and Texas, and has met with great success." 
 
 MR. JOHN W. WILLIAMS, 
 
 SUCCESSFUL DYEK. 
 
 Among the earliest records of the human race we find 
 that there was a great appreciation of the brilliant hues 
 displayed by natural objects; and in those days of wis- 
 dom, men were not long in finding out ways of appro- 
 priating these hues for the adornment of wearing apparel. 
 The art of dyeing extends back to the days of Jacob and 
 Joseph; for we are told that Joseph had a coat of many 
 colors. Moses, when making the Tabernacle, was com- 
 manded to use "blue and purple and scarlet and the 
 ram's skin dyed red." 
 
KEY. F. L. CAELETON. 
 
JOHN W. WILLIAMS. 
 
B *; 
 
J. O. CONNALLY. 
 
THE BLACK SIDE. 185 
 
 When Solomon's Temple was being built, the Tyrians 
 sent one of their number skilful to work a in purple and 
 blue and in line linen and in crimson," to assist in this 
 line. 
 
 During the time of the Roman emperors a kind of 
 coloring was so highly estimated, that cloth whicji had 
 been twice dipped in it, was sold for a sum equal to 
 about one hundred and fifty dollars per pound weight. 
 We are told that in the fourteenth century, in the city of 
 Florence, there were two hundred dyeing establishments. 
 These facts give an idea of the importance of the art of 
 dyeing in those early days. The man who dyes will live, 
 because he is indispensable. Realizing this fact, he 
 whose cognomen appears at the top of this paper chose, 
 for his part in life, this art. Of course he did not accom- 
 plish it all at once ; he did not step from the lowest to 
 the top round of the ladder; he ascended it step by step, 
 and this too through many disadvantages, and over 
 many obstacles. In making the ascent to this accom- 
 plishment, Mr. Williams first employed himself to the re- 
 nowned Mr. James Lockrey (white), with whom he 
 staid five years. He next worked under the most pro- 
 fessional dyer in this State Mr. James Watson, remain- 
 ing with him a considerable time, after which, feeling 
 that he was able to stand alone, he began a business for 
 himself. This business he carries on with the greatest 
 accuracy, and satisfaction to all customers ; his patronage 
 is large. 
 
 Mr. Williams' early'years were spent as house-boy in 
 his master's family. In 1865 he became apprenticed to 
 the hatters business, and says he made many woolen hats 
 during Federal days. His first wife was a Miss Mattie 
 Hardie, with whom he passed four happy years, when 
 death claimed her as his victim. His present wife was a 
 Mrs. Ophelia Marsh, in whom he finds one well able to 
 
186 THE BLACK SIDE. 
 
 fill her station in life. Being a man of sound intellect 
 and good judgment, his advice is often sought. He is 
 treasurer of one of the largest orders in the city, admin- 
 istrator and gifardian of the estate of Mr. Edmond 
 Thomas, and an esteemed deacon of the Zion Hill Bap- 
 tist church. He was born at Griffin, Ga., A. D. 1850. 
 The real estate of Mr, Williams and wife amounts to 
 four thousasd dollars. 
 
 DAVID W. RYAN, 
 
 PICTUKE FRAME MAKER AND DEALER IN BRONZE, OX- 
 ODIZED OAKS, COMPOSITIONS AND MOULDINGS. 
 
 David is the first child of John and Jane Ryan, and 
 was born in Edgefield county, S. C., November 30, 
 1861. 
 
 Young Ryan was placed in school at an early age, and 
 being ready in his studies made rapid progress, so that 
 when but eighteen years old, he was employed as teacher 
 in one of the public schools of his county. He taught 
 three years, after which time his mind thirsted for more 
 extensive knowledge; so he left his nativity and came to 
 Atlanta, Ga., and entered the Atlanta University. Here 
 he pursued his studies two terms, then left this institu- 
 tion and became a member of the Clarke University. 
 While a student of Clarke he began the business of 
 framing pictures, which he did so ^accurately, that it in- 
 sured for him immediate success, so much so that he 
 had to leave school to give his whole time to his work. 
 
 Mr. Ryan deserves commendation for the manner by 
 which he learned the first steps in his now lucrative busi- 
 ness. He gained his knowledge of the art of framing 
 by watching a man do the same work, and he said to 
 
THE BLACK SIDE.^ 187 
 
 himself that he saw no reason why he would not do the 
 same. His invincible will assisted him. He applied 
 himself to the task, and the result is that he now carries 
 on the business with great profit to himself, and satisfac- 
 tion to the patronizers. Mr. Ryan's patronage is not 
 confined to his people and to this city. He does work 
 for both people, and for different cities. When David 
 was fifteen years old, his father gave him one hundred 
 and ten acres of farming land and three horses. He un- 
 dertook farm work, but it not being congenial to his na- 
 ture, he sold out his possessions and invested the proceeds 
 in the above mentioned business, which he now follows. 
 
 He was converted at the age of twelve years, and has 
 since lived a Christian life. He was only seventeen when 
 he married Miss Amanda Hardy. He met her when she 
 was but nine years and he only twelve years old. They 
 loved at first sight, and their affection for each other in- 
 creased until they were wedded. She survived only one 
 year after marriage. 
 
 Mr. Ryan has acted as secretary for the Building and 
 Loan Association of Syracuse, New York, and has held 
 other positions of honor and trust. 
 
 His business increases rapidly and is carried on quite 
 extensively. 
 
 Wishing to unite with some order, Mr. Ryan joined 
 the Free Masons' organization, and is now a Master Ma- 
 son. Success to him continually. 
 
 ROBERT STEELE, 
 
 THE PRINCE OF BARBERS. 
 
 
 
 One who has made success in the tonsorial line in this 
 city is he whose name heads this page. He is one of 
 Atlanta's most enterprising citizens, and justly deserves 
 
188 THE BLACK SIDE. 
 
 
 
 the title given him above, for the manner in which he 
 governs his business. Among the corps of workmen 
 in this line of work Mr. Steele is surpassed by none. 
 He has splendid equipments for shampooing and baths, 
 and after going through this treatment under his skil- 
 ful hands, one feels new energy, new life again. 
 
 His place of business, located on the thoroughfare, 
 Marietta street, is inviting within, and, at a glance, one 
 sees that it is operated by master hands in this vocation. 
 
 Mr. Steele is a man who exercises great common sense 
 in all things, and of extreme politeness. Exercising 
 these traits, he has been able to draw around him a host 
 of the best citizens of both races of the city. His patron- 
 age is white, and consists of the best of that race in this 
 city. His work is done in the latest and most modern 
 style, and satisfaction is always given. 
 
 It must not be inferred from the above assertions that 
 
 , 
 
 Mr. Steele is not a race man. To his people he is kind, 
 benevolent and generous, exercising a great deal of 
 charity towards them. 
 
 He is also a Christian gentleman, a member of Bethel 
 A.M. E. Church, in which he is a class-leader and use- 
 ful worker. 
 
 Mr. Steele is a trustee of the Carrie Steele Logan Or- 
 phanage. Mrs. (Steele) Logan, his mother, did much 
 to help him along in life, but to himself was left the 
 greater part of the struggle to fight. 
 
 Being of a good disposition when a lad, he met with 
 favorable circumstances. Was apprenticed to the bar- 
 ber's trade, and, marked for his wonderful aptness, he 
 soon rose to the position of barber, having a chair of 
 his own. , 
 
 Laying aside his blacking-box, he began the work in 
 earnest, and with a desire to better his condition and 
 accomplish his calling. After working sometime at his 
 
THE BLACK SIDE. 189 
 
 trade his health began to fail, so much so that he was 
 obliged to leave off work of that kind. Accordingly he 
 accepted a position as porter in the National Hotel. 
 This work he followed for sometime. When his health 
 was restored he went back to his trade, which he has suc- 
 cessfully pursued ever since. 
 
 In 1872 he was married to Miss Emma Brown, in 
 in whom he finds a thorough-going, economical wife, 
 and to her noble traits and characteristics he says he 
 owes much of his success. 
 
 Mr. Steele is an honored member of the Masonic 
 Lodge, and also of the Afro- American Historical Society. 
 
 He was born December 4, 1846, at the historic little 
 town of Milledgeville. He is a man of fine and com- 
 manding appearance, to whom Dame Nature, in bestow- 
 ing elegance of person and manner, has been kind. 
 
 JAMES W. PALMER, 
 
 "A STAUNCH FRIEND OF HIS PEOPLE. 
 
 Mr. James W. Palmer, the subject of this sketch, is 
 one of the staunchest Republicans belonging to the 
 party. Doubtless, no young man of the Republican in- 
 clination has sustained more disadvantages for tire sake 
 of the party than he has, and none has proved more* true 
 to the cause. He was born in Hancock county, A. D. 
 1854, an d wa s the property of one Henry Farley. His 
 earliest days were spent in the capacity of errand boy for 
 his master's family. After the surrender he was sub- 
 jected to many and various changes, going from one 
 place to another, till, finally, he located at Milledgeville, 
 where he was employed to one Dr. White as porter and 
 
190 THE BLACK SIDE. 
 
 messenger boy. He remained at this place till 1866, at 
 which time he went to Augusta, Ga., and found a posi- 
 tion as waiter in the Planter's Hotel. Subsequently, he 
 
 was employed as cabin-boy on the steamer . 
 
 In 1873, Mr. Palmer came to Atlanta, in the same 
 predicament in which so many before him had come, 
 viz., without money, and with only one suit of clothing. 
 He soon found work under Inman & Co., cotton dealers, 
 as sampler of cotton. For this firm he worked success, 
 ively till 1890. In 1892 he was employed by the United 
 States government as an assistant engineer at the Custom 
 House. Two years previous to this he served on a 
 County Executive Republican Committee, also as assist- 
 ant chairman of the first ward of this city. He has also 
 been in the race for councilman of Atlanta, and was 
 among the first to apply for a policeman's position, stood 
 a fine examination, but only on account of the color of 
 his skin was not appointed. Mr. Palmer is a man of fine 
 physique, congenial, pleasant in manner, entertaining in 
 conversation. If allowed the chance he would fill high, 
 honorable positions in the city in which he resides. 
 Will race prejudice never cease ? 
 
 MR. J. O. CONNALLY, 
 
 SAUSAGE GRINDER, SUCCESSFUL BUTCHER. 
 
 In days of bondage, we were what our white brothers 
 made of us. In this day of freedom and opportunities 
 we are what we make ourselves. From the earliest pe- 
 riod it has happened that those born amid hardships and 
 in poverty often amass the most in this world's goods. 
 So it is with the man who bears the name of this paper. 
 
THE BLACK SIDE. 191 
 
 Near where the famous historic battle of Chickamauga 
 was fought, in Walker county, was born ' on July 20, 
 1855, J. O. Connally. At the early age of ten Connally 
 was left an orphan, his parents having died of that devas- 
 tating disease, smallpox, which then infected the city of 
 Chattanooga, Tenn., to which place they, after 'leaving 
 Walker county, had gone. With no kindred, save a 
 cousin, young Connally was thrown upon his own re- 
 sources. He lived with bis cousin, assisting him in 
 farm work. This relative, being in poor circumstances^ 
 had not the necessary farming implements, and with only 
 the hoe did not make this vocation a success. With an 
 intention and a desire to make something of and for him- 
 self, young Connally left" his relative, having staid with 
 him about seven years, and with not a penny in his pocket 
 he walked to Atlanta. He worked at whatever he could 
 find to do, receiving little remuneration. Finally he 
 succeeded in obtaining employment under a white butcher 
 a Mr. Shields, On^account of his small stature, Con- 
 nally was first refused by Mr. Shields, but afterward was 
 taken on trial. The work proved to be very hard for 
 him. Early and late had he to grind away at the sausage 
 mill. No day was his, not even Sunday, as that day as 
 all others was spent at the slaughter-house or the 
 market. How well Connally performed his tasks is 
 shown by the fact that he remained with Mr. Shields for 
 ten years. On the occasion of Mr. Shields's refusing to 
 increase Connally's salary he left Mr. Shields, and having 
 saved his earnings he was able to 'start a business of his 
 own. Knowing more about it than any other, he decided 
 on butchery. He has made it a success. Thus, while 
 grinding at the sausage mill from early morn till late at 
 night, though weary and faint at times, this man was 
 shaping his destiny, and grinding, as it were, dollars and 
 cents, which have enabled him to take a place among the 
 
192 THE BLACK SIDE. 
 
 property holders of the Gate City of the South. His 
 property values about three thousand dollars. His busi- 
 ness is in a most flourishing condition. 
 
 LANDY EMBREE. 
 
 FROM A CANAL DIGGER TO A TRUSTY, WORTHY 
 PORTER IX THE SUPREME CO'URT ROOM. 
 
 The subject of this sketch was born at ; , 
 
 May 1 5th, A. D. 1854. 
 
 He remembers a few incidents of slavery-life. On one 
 occasion his mistress, having become angry with him, 
 declared that she would sell him to the meanest man she 
 could find. Accordingly he was sold to a Mr. Horton. 
 Landy was then but ten years old. He staid with this 
 man 'till freedom was declared. .Contrary to his mis- 
 tress' expectat^ i, Mr.Horton treated Landy with great 
 kindness, and seemed to like him very much. 
 
 After the emancipation he went to live with his uncle, 
 with whom he staid two years, and receiving no pay for 
 his services, his mother took him home. He lived with 
 her five years, when she hired him for fifty dollars per 
 year. This employer was a negro-hater, and one day 
 while Landy was at his work, his employer became en- 
 raged at him for some trivial offense, and threatened to 
 flog him. Landy resisted, whereupon his employer put 
 a pistol to Landy's temples, and made him yield. 
 
 He felt that he could not stay with this man and take 
 such cruel treatment, so he decided to return to his 
 mother. 
 
 When he reached home and told his mother of the 
 mistreatment he had just received, she told him that he 
 
J. W. PALMAR. 
 
LANDY EMIiRY. 
 
THE BLACK SIDE. 193 
 
 could go about and pick cotton for a livelihood. This he 
 did, and during the year made twenty-five dollars by it. 
 He had to divide this money between his mother, himself 
 and nine brothers and sisters. 
 
 He kept for himself five dollars, which was the largest 
 amount of money he had ever received or possessed. 
 After that he left home and went to Augusta, Ga., where 
 he was employed to assist in digging the canal. His 
 next employment was dish- washing in a hotel; then a 
 butler. Up to the time he was twenty-three years old 
 he had saved nothing. Leaving Augusta he went to 
 Madison, where he obtained work at the Female College; 
 his wages being eight dollars per month. 
 
 In 1881 he came to Atlanta and was employed in Capt. 
 Langston's family as cook. After that he went to work 
 for the E. T., V. and Ga. railroad. 
 
 In 1882 he returned to Madison to receive his bride, 
 Miss Maggie . 
 
 Mr. Embree is a useful member of the Friendship 
 Baptist church, a Mason and an Odd Fellow; and in each 
 institution gives valuable service. Having married an in- 
 dustrious woman, with her assistance he has accumulated 
 quite a snug little fortune. When he first came to At- 
 lanta he had only twelve dollars in cash; now he pays 
 taxes on five thousand dollars property. By these few 
 points in this man's life one can easily see that life is what 
 we make it. He never attended school but five weeks 
 during his life. Born amid the disadvantages, he perse- 
 vered; pressed forward to make himself something and to 
 make something for himself. He waited not for oppor- 
 tunities, but searched for them, and having searched he 
 found them awaiting him. Go ye, do likewise. 
 
 He also has six shares in the Mutual Aid Loan and 
 Investment Company. 
 
 13 
 
194 THE BLACK SIDE. 
 
 MR. WILLIS SMITH, 
 
 PROGRESSIVE MECHANIC. 
 
 The subject of this sketch, Willis Smith, was born in 
 Walton county, Ga., in the year 1835, under the yoke of 
 slavery. His lot was the same as that of his fellow bonds- 
 men. Deprived of liberty, he had not the opportunity to 
 gain an education. When a mere lad he was anxious to 
 learn something in books; and so soon as he found op- 
 portunity, he by some means obtained a Webster's spell- 
 ing book, and with the aid of an old man whom he 
 called "Uncle George Peters," Willis was soon able to 
 spell anywhere in the book, but could not read a sentence. 
 One day, uncle George asked him why he did not read. 
 Willis replied, I do not know how; whereupon the old 
 man took the book and began reading about the old fat 
 hen feeding her chickens. This so amused Willis that 
 he took the book and after trying for a while, began then 
 and there to read. Ah! it was no easy task in those days 
 of darkness to learn to spell or read. In this day we look 
 with amazement upon those who cannot read; in those 
 days those who could read were considered as being won- 
 derful (of course I refer to slaves), and when they, with 
 all the difficulties and threats through which they had to 
 pass, were so persevering as to accomplish such, me- 
 thinks that if we, who have everything prepared for us, 
 neglect such chances, shall be justly punished for oppor- 
 tunities wasted. Willis went to the war in 1860, as at- 
 tendant for Mr. Calvin Naul, and remained .during the 
 years '61, '62, '63 and '64, when he returned to the place 
 of his nativity (for the slave has no home). In 1866 he 
 came to Atlanta. He had just enough money to pay his 
 railroad fare, so when he arrived here he was penniless. 
 He borrowed five dollars from his sister and with it set 
 
THE BLACK SIDE. 195 
 
 himself up in the business of selling pies and cakes, but 
 this proved a complete failure, leaving him as bad off 
 financially as at first. Having a knowledge of carpentry 
 he resorted to the use of tools, and was successful in 
 realizing ten dollars . This stroke of good luck encour- 
 aged him greatly, so he engaged a job at twenty-five 
 dollars. In 1869 he began bridge-building, and with fol- 
 lowing that and house-building together he was soon able 
 to purchase a piece of land, on which he built a small 
 house, into which he moved his mother and sister. In 
 1871 his mother died, and the next year Mr. Smith was 
 married to a Miss Adaline Sims. His work was profitable 
 and thereby he was able to buy a more desirable lot than 
 the first. Accordingly his present lot on Tatnall street 
 was bought, and the house on the former lot was moved 
 to this one. 
 
 Soon after this Mr. Smith became ill, but Providence 
 saw fit to prolong his life, and soon he was again at hard 
 work. In 1874 ne began car-building, and worked at 
 that till 1 88 1, when he became the junior partner of Mr. 
 Harrison Coles in the undertaker's business. In this was 
 invested twelve hundred dollars. They did well for a. 
 time; finally Mr. Coles died, and when his affairs had 
 been settled, Mr. Smith found that he was involved about 
 thirteen hundred dollars. Of course this was enough to 
 deprive him of courage, but possessing that quality in no 
 little degree, he struck out anew, continued the same busi- 
 ness until he could arrange matters satisfactorily. Then 
 he resumed the work of carpentry, in which he engages 
 now. 
 
 Mr. Smith is a great advocate of education. He has 
 educated his wife, who took a thorough course in the Nor- 
 mal department at the Spelman Seminary, under that 
 matchless woman, the late Miss Sophia B. Packard. He 
 and wife have no children, but aid greatly in the education 
 
196 THE BLACK SIDE. 
 
 of others; having educated his sister's children. Mr. 
 Smith and wife united with the Friendship Baptist 
 church of this city, having been baptized by the Rev. 
 F. Quarles. 
 
 He claims that much of his success in later years is due 
 to the help of his industrious wife. He has renewed and 
 enlarged his home; making it a six-room residence. 
 
 In the family of Smiths with which he was connected 
 the name of Willis was much valued; the grandfather, 
 the father and the present Smith, all having the name 
 Willis. 
 
 Mr. Smith pays taxes on two thousand dollars' worth of 
 property. 
 
 WALTER A. WRIGHT, JR. 
 
 Walter A. Wright was born in Athens, Ga., October 
 15, 1872. His father is Rev. W. A. Wright ; his 
 mother was Mrs. Hattie Wright. His father being a 
 minister of the A. M. E. Church and a member of the 
 Conference, young Walter had the advantage of travel. 
 So soon as he was old enough he was sent to school, 
 where he spent his early days. 
 
 Conference finally gave Rev. Wright a charge at his 
 old home, Athens, from which he had been sent for a 
 number of years. So the family moved back to Athens. 
 At this time the religious wave was sweeping over 
 Athens, and during this period young Wright was con- 
 verted and united with the church of which Rev. D. G. 
 McGhee was pastor. While at Athens he attended the 
 normal school under the regime of Rev. C. H. Lyon. 
 This school he attended two terms, during which time 
 his mother died. After her dea v .h he became dissatisfied 
 at Athens, and went to Albany, Ga., to live with his 
 
THE BLACK SIDE. 197 
 
 uncle. While with his uncle he learned the woodturner's 
 trade. He begnn by earning fifty cents per day, and was 
 soon able to earn two dollars per day. By this occupa- 
 tion he was soon able to purchase a lot of three acres in 
 Watkinsville, Ga. At the time of the purchase the prop- 
 erty was worth only three hundred aud fifty dollars. 
 Now it is valued at just twice that amount. 
 
 Leaving Albany, he went to stay with his father, who 
 was then at Acworth, Ga. He did not long remain here 
 till the desire to return to Athens seized him, and gaining 
 his father's consent to this, he went to that city to live 
 with his aunt. Then it was that he became a zealous 
 Sunday-school worker. He was sent as a delegate to 
 conventions at various times. 
 
 He next worked at the barber's trade, but seeing that 
 he would not make a success in this line, he gave it up 
 and coming to Atlanta, entered the Clark University. 
 
 Soon after his entrance to this school he became quite 
 ill and remained so for several months. 
 
 After his recovery he was anxious to make money, so 
 he employed himself to the Dobbs Lumber Company as- 
 woodturner. Here he stayed thirteen months. His 
 next place of labor was at the Western Union Telegraph 
 Company, at a salary of thirty-five dollars per month* 
 Next he worked for the Advance Publishing Company, 
 giving entire satisfaction. 
 
 Mr. Wright is a Christian young man and is destined 
 some day to be an honor tp his people if he continues to 
 pursue the path he has chosen . 
 
 Since coming to Atlanta he has united with the 
 Friendship Baptist church under Rev. E. R. Carter as 
 pastor t and is an important factor for one so young. 
 May he hold out faithfully to the end, thereby winning the 
 prize. 
 
198 THE BLACK SIDE. 
 
 MR. GEORGE W. HATSFIELD, 
 
 GROCEK. 
 
 Somewhere in Richmond county, Ga., A. D. 1850, 
 George W. Hatsfield came into this life. His early days 
 were spent in the capacity of house boy. He afterwards 
 went to the war as servant to his master, who was 
 most kind to him, and by whose family he was used most 
 kindly. In fact, his master and family were so good to 
 him that after the surrender he remained in their ser- 
 vice, receiving as wages ten dollars per month. 
 
 In 1871 he conceived the desire to come to Atlanta. 
 He had not the means with which to do so, and so bor- 
 rowed his railroad fare. Arriving in this city he was 
 not long in finding and obtaining employment under one 
 Mr. Pelligrini, who ran the terra cotta business. Under 
 this man he made all sorts of statues, images, etc. By 
 his industry and aptness in this work, he has from 
 time to time, received as much as two dollars per day. 
 He well understands this work and pursues it at no 
 mean profit to himself. In 1875 Mr- Hatsfield was 
 united in holy wedlock to one Miss Deys, and their union 
 has been blest with ten children, six of whom are living. 
 
 His chances for education were those of the average 
 man who was born a slave, but his perseverance in this 
 line aided him in acquiring a pretty fair knowledge in the 
 common branches of study. Many nights, after hard 
 day's work, he would walk some distance to attend 
 night school, that he might the better fit himself for 
 life's great work, which none but those who are blest 
 with some education can successfully accomplish. 
 
 Mr. Hatsfield has at heart the welfare and elevation of 
 his race, is a strong advocate of all which pertains to 
 the good morally, mentally and financially of his people. 
 
THE BLACK SIDE. 199 
 
 He is'in possession of some fine property on Chapel 
 street, which consists in a comfortable residence and a 
 well-paying grocery, which business his industrious wife 
 superintends during the day, while he is at work at his 
 trade. His grocery business grows rapidly and yields a 
 profitable income. Mr. Hatsfield pays taxes on twelve 
 thousand dollars worth of property. Thus from a poor 
 boy has risen a man of respectability and means. 
 
 CHARLES WILLIAM THOMAS, 
 
 OLEKK IN TL S. COUKT KOOM, PRIVATE SECRETARY OF 
 U. S. MARSHAL. 
 
 Many things of value, because of their apparent in- 
 significance, have been considered of no value. Hence, 
 what was a fortune to some, became a misfortune to 
 others by neglecting it for its outward appearance. 
 
 Three persons in company with each other were pass- 
 ing through the streets of a city, when they all espied 
 an ordinary package lying at their feet. One passed it 
 by with only a slight glance at it. Another concluded 
 it was only a bundle of rubbish. The third stopped, 
 looked down upon it, and deciding its contents may be of 
 value, picked it up, and on opening it found therein 
 things of value. 
 
 Like the -hero of the preceeding narrative, many sons 
 and daughters of the race, because of no striking out- 
 ward show, are passed by unseen, unknown until, per- 
 haps, a good Samaritan chances to pass by who discovers 
 in them noble traits, which only need the proper devel- 
 opment. 
 
 Taken in, sheltered, nourished, they proved to be 
 
200 THE BLACK SIDE. 
 
 worthy, industrious and ingenious. Thus it will be seen 
 in this brief sketch of the life of Charles Wm. Thomas. 
 The first person to take any notice or manifest any in- 
 terest in this young man was Miss Amy Williams, the 
 inestimable instructor of the Storrs' school of the good 
 days of yore. She discovered in Charles an intellect 
 which needed only training to perfect its magnitude a 
 business talent which required the least cultivation, and 
 many grand traits. She put forth every effort to aid 
 him in preparing to meet the tasks of this life success- 
 fully. 
 
 His mother was a poor woman who maintained a 
 livelihood by cooking. As much of her earnings as she 
 could spare went toward the support and education of 
 her son. She desired to see him fill a man's sphere, in 
 the true sense. 
 
 With the ennobling influence of Miss Williams and the 
 teaching and prayers of a good mother, our hero 
 launched out toward the shores of success. And to 
 those who know the Charles W. Thomas of to-day, it 
 need not be told that success has attended his young life 
 thus far. 
 
 When he left the Storrs, Miss Williams secured a po- 
 sition for him with Colonel A. E. Buck. After having 
 two months' instruction in stenography (from Miss C. B. 
 Ball) the quick genius of this bright youth immediately 
 exerted and displayed itself, and it was not long before 
 he became an expert in stenography. He could take 
 speeches of any one with ease and rapidity. 
 
 During the campaign of President Harrison he was 
 appointed Chairman of the State Central Committee. 
 
 In 1890 he was made a- Master Mason ; in 1891 made 
 Grand Worthy Chief of Crystal Fount Lodge of the 
 Good Samaritans. 
 
C. W. THOMAS. 
 
A. HAMILTON. 
 
THE BLACK SIDE. 201 
 
 Since the death of his step-father, in 1884, he has 
 been the sole support of his mother and sister. 
 
 During his short life he has filled many places of note 
 and honor, and served as clerk in the United States 
 Marshal's office. He is an important member of the 
 Real Estate Loan and Trust Company, and member of 
 the board of South View Cemetery. He* has acquired 
 the knowledge of calligraphy and writes very skillfully 
 from dictation. Has been clerk at the Sixth ward polls 
 for three terms. Also notary public. He is the first 
 negro who has ever acted in the capacity of record clerk 
 in the clerk's office ; also United States Court. His 
 position now is that of private secretary for the United 
 States Marshal. 
 
 This serviceable, intelligent young man, in whose 
 short life so much genius has been displayed, is a Geor- 
 gian by birth, LaGrange being the place of his nativity, 
 the date of his birth, February nth, 1867. 
 
 A glorious future awaits him, to which he is prosper- 
 ously approaching. 
 
 MR. AARON PERRY, 
 
 INDUSTRIOUS FARMER BOY, SUCCESSFUL BAKER 
 ^ THRIVING RESTAURATEUR. 
 
 "We may live without poetry, music and arts, 
 We may live without conscience and live without hearts, 
 We may live without knowledge and live without books, 
 But civilized men cannot live without cooks." 
 
 Neither can civilized women; and when woman does 
 not engage in the art of cooking, man must. 
 
 Different minds choose different spheres. Some engage 
 in various occupations; some in enterprises, others ascend 
 
202 THE BLACK SIDE. 
 
 to the starry heavens and busy themselves in the science 
 of Astronomy; while others descend and busy themselves 
 in the science of Gastronomy. 
 
 To the last class belongs the subject of this narrative, 
 Aaron Perry. He was born one and a half miles south- 
 east of Columbus, Muscogee county, Georgia, August 17, 
 1858, where he remained until he reached his ninth year. 
 His parents then moved farther out and began the work 
 of farming. Being unsuccessful in this line of labor, they 
 left Georgia in the year '70 and moved to Alabama- 
 Here they remained four years, after which time they 
 returned to Georgia, locating sixty miles north of Atlanta. 
 In the meantime, Aaron went back to Alabama, where 
 he labored as a farm hand, receiving as salary $75 per year 
 and board. Till now he had never had an opportunity to 
 attend school, but began to realize that to do so would 
 be a great blessing. Accordingly he purchased a blue- 
 back spelling book, and with the assistance of one Mrs. 
 Mulkay, a white ladv, soon learned to spell quite accu- 
 rately. So anxious was he to acquire learning, that he 
 carried with him daily his book to the field, studying it 
 at odd times while plowing. 
 
 In 1876 Aaron returned to Atlanta, at which place he 
 was employed in a colored restaurant. He next obtained 
 employment with the Jack & Holland Candy and Cracker 
 Manufacturing Co. Aaron was desirous of learning the 
 baker's trade, and soon mastered it so thoroughly that 
 the firm made him foreman baker. In this capacity he 
 served until he was given a position which had never 
 before been given a person of color in the establishment. 
 
 His wife was a Miss Bettie E. Holsey, youngest 
 daughter of Robert and Sallie Holsey, of Athens, Ga. 
 She is an accomplished and refined woman. The fruits 
 of their union are three children : Glovina Virginia, Rob- 
 ert Aaron and George Edwin. 
 
THE BLACK SIDE. 203 
 
 Mr. Perry continued the baker's business for two years 
 after his marriage. In the spring of '87 he was seized 
 with a severe illness, which kept him confined for nearly 
 a year. Convalescing, he went to Chicago, where he 
 spent five months. Returning to Atlanta, he began bus- 
 iness by peddling pies on the street. He followed this 
 for a year. 
 
 In 1889 he became proprietor of the neat, inviting res- 
 taurant at No. , West Mitchell street. Here Mr. Perry 
 constantly keeps on hand a bountiful, fresh, palatable 
 supply of food, which satisfies the taste of the most epi- 
 curean; also niceties and dainties of every kind. 
 
 By sobriety and strict attention to business, Mr. Perry 
 has realized great success, and is prepared against a 
 rainy day. He pays taxes on $1,500 worth of property. 
 
 MR. JAMES SIMONTON, 
 
 EMINENT MERCHANT. 
 
 In the little village of Watkinsville, Oconee county, 
 Ga., on July 25, 1851, the subject of this sketch was 
 born in slavery When he was but four years old his 
 parents were sold from him, but being the property of 
 Judge Thos. Simonton, young James was cared for by 
 the judge until slavery was abolished. Having not the 
 guidance and tender care of parents he drifted to and fro till 
 the year 1867, at which time he came to Atlanta and 
 secured employment in u hotel as butler. He was next 
 apprenticed to the carpenter's trade, and at the same 
 time engaged in butchery, to which he attended at night. 
 Toiling away at carpentry during the day, working at 
 butchery through the night, he was soon able to deposit 
 
204 THE BLACK SIDE. 
 
 some of his earnings in the bank. His first deposit was 
 three dollars, but little by little he added to this till he 
 had what was then to him the snug little sum of one hun- 
 dred dollars. At this juncture the bank failed, but prior 
 tothe failure, Mr. Simonton had drawn out all of his deposit 
 but a few cents. So he lost only eighty-eight cents by 
 this failure. Soon afterward, the " Citizens' Bank of 
 Georgia " was established, in which he also made de- 
 posits, and when this bank failed he lost sixty-seven 
 dollars. Possessing a nerve of iron, he did not allow this 
 straw to stem the tide of his progress, but regarded it as 
 an incentive. 
 
 In 1889 Mr. Simonton was employed as clerk in 
 the grocery of one Foster Mitchell, with whom he 
 staid till death of his employer. Having gained four 
 years experience in this line of business, he resolved to 
 pursue it for himself. At the opening up of his business, 
 his total stock amounted to eighty dollars. According 
 to the late census it is now more than two thousand dol- 
 lars. 
 
 Mr. Simonton's wife was a Miss Lizzie Chatman, who 
 is industrious and economical, and renders him great 
 service in his business-like life. They were the first for 
 whom the marriage ceremony was performed in the 
 present Friendship Baptist church, of this city. Their 
 union resulted in four children, Benjamin Hays, Andrew 
 Jackson, James Escott and Russell Hugh. 
 
 A more useful, active, progressive business man than 
 Mr. Simonton is hard to find. He has occupied more 
 places in life than one, was at one time captain of the At- 
 lanta Light Foot Infantry, also on the United States jury, 
 also in the Superior Court. It can be said of him what 
 cannot be said of everyone: He grew up without. pa- 
 rents, with no father's strong hands to point out the 'dan- 
 gers of life, no loving mother's tender care to guide him. 
 
THE BLACK SIDE. 205 
 
 Does not he merit the respect given him for having made 
 a man of himself ? Mr. Simonton's education is limited, 
 he having attended school at the Storrs for a short time, 
 and the school conducted by the Rev. D. L. Delamotta ; 
 but he is a man of broad experience. His business tact 
 is unsurpassed. Industry, thrift, energy and push are 
 stamped upon him, as may be shown in the fact that he 
 came to this city, among strangers, a penniless youth, 
 and now possesses more than four thousand dollars' worth 
 of real estate. 
 
 Young men of advantages, you should waste not your 
 time and talent. Be sure you put them to the proper 
 use; and to you, who have no other source of help but 
 yourself, I would say do not be discouraged. Before 
 you give up the struggle, consider the hardships of the 
 subject of this sketch, consider through what disadvant- 
 ages he passed. Fight, and you too will win. 
 
 MR. FELIX BROWN, 
 
 PROFESSOR OF THE CULINARY ART. 
 
 Of the men who are respected for their moral and re- 
 ligious qualities, certainly no one can object to such a 
 worthy character as Mr. Felix Brown for companion. 
 
 He lacks greatly in letters, but in being charitable, 
 generous and benevolent, he lacks nothing. Of industry 
 and thrift, of enterprise and progress, and all which tends 
 toward the development of his race, he is the very 
 embodiment. He possesses a broad heart, and in that heart 
 there is room for the poor and needy. There is no time 
 when Mr. Brown is not willing to make some effort to 
 render some one's condition better. He is a great insti- 
 tutor of all kinds of charitable orders, and sustains rela- 
 
206 THE BLACK SIDE. 
 
 tions to many of these institutions in this city. He is a 
 Christian gentleman, a lover of home and of the church, 
 easily entreated, gentle in manner. He was born A. D. 
 1844. 
 
 While quite a small boy his father died and his mother 
 was sold from him, so like many others of his fellowmen 
 he was thrown among strangers. Early in life he 
 learned the profession of cooking, and is now a cook of 
 the first order. He has filled that capacity in all of the 
 leading hotels in Georgia and many in other states. 
 
 From the old reliable National Hotel in the city of 
 Atlanta to the magnificent Markham House, Mr. Brown 
 filled well the sphere of a first-class cook. In fact he has 
 been employed in most of the leading hotels of the 
 South. It may be interesting to the reader, and also 
 serve to show this gentleman's reputation in this line, for 
 me to give the names of some of the cities in which he 
 has ruled over the culinary department: Atlanta, Au- 
 gusta, Savannah, Macon, Gainesville, Rome in Georgia; 
 Chattanooga, Tate Springs, in Tennessee ; Birmingham 
 in Alabama; Asheville in North Carolina; Jacksonville, 
 in Florida; Watch Hill in Rhode Island. Surely he 
 is master of his profession. 
 
 Mr. Brown has been twice married, his first wife hav- 
 ing died leaving two children. The fruits of his second 
 union are two children, also. The first two children he 
 has given a fair education, and is educating the other 
 two younger ones. He is a man of some means. Owns 
 property on the beautiful and popular Eegewood avenue, 
 valued at eight thousand dollars; also other real estate 
 and some cash. It pays to be industrious; it pays to be 
 economical. He has been engaged in hotel business 
 since the year 1866. 
 
THE BLACK SIDE. 207 
 
 ALEXANDER HAMILTON, 
 
 CCXNTKACTOK AND BUILDER 
 
 In the dark days of reconstruction, when men of worth 
 for the race were comparatively few, among those who 
 stood boldly in the cause of the defense and interests of 
 the race, was Mr. Alexander Hamilton. Though his 
 opportunities for an education were very limited he, 
 nevertheless, used to a great advantage those talents 
 with which he was endowed. In political life he then 
 wielded a great power, and that to the betterment of his 
 people. 
 
 'In 1862 he was in the army, remaining one year in the 
 South, then transposing to the North; he participated in 
 several engagements. In peace as hs. war, he exempli- 
 fied great courage. 
 
 In Alabama, his former home, he married a 
 
 Miss Mattie Crocker, now deceased. They had born to 
 them five sons, three of whom are now living. 
 
 He was a member of the Legislature of Alabama, 
 serving a two years' term ; ran as a member of the city 
 council of Eufaula, Ala., and was regularly elected ; 
 was foreman of a jury of Barber county, which position 
 is seldom given to a man of color. 
 
 In 1877 he came to Atlanta, his present home. Not 
 long since he married Miss Grant, a genial, cultured lady, 
 of Charleston, S. C. 
 
 Mr. Hamilton ranks as one of the best contractors in 
 the city. He was superintendent of the work of W. L. 
 Trainer & Co. for several years. He also was the con- 
 tractor of Morris-Brown College, and many of the most 
 beautiful houses in the city, on Peachtree and Washing- 
 ton streets. The brick structure of the Good Samaritan 
 building, on Ivy street, was erected under his super- 
 
208 THE BLACK SIDE. 
 
 / 
 
 vision. In fact, Mr. Hamilton stands fair as a prominent 
 factor in these lines, and the numerous structures all over 
 the city which have been built under him are enough to 
 recommend to all that skilled labor is amply repaid. 
 
 Mr. Hamilton is a gentleman of considerable wealth, 
 and stands in high estimation among the representatives 
 of the races. If there be one who, by his own labors, 
 through hardships and difficulties, has won his way from 
 servility to honor and confidence in the estimation of both 
 races, it is the subject of the above sketch. 
 
 In commenting on his life we can but speak generally, 
 for the benevolent enterprises and acts relative to the 
 race, in which he engaged, are too numerous to here 
 mention in detail. 
 
 He is in possession of some very valuable real estate. 
 The handsome residence recently erected by him is an 
 object of " beauty " and attraction. 
 
 Mr. Hamilton is a Christian gentleman, and is held in 
 high respect and esteem by all whose good luck it is to 
 know him. 
 
 REV. JAMES BUCHANAN BORDERS, 
 
 SUCCESSFUL TEACHER, DEVOUT BAPTIST PREACHER. 
 
 It is a pleasure to me to be able to relate the following 
 facts, as I know them, of this godly man's life : 
 
 He was a student of the A. B. S. at the same time the 
 author was, and we were classmates. During those days 
 he manifested a true Christian character and was never 
 known to deviate from the path of rectitude and duty. 
 He took no part in frivolity, but was always diligent and 
 attentive to his studies. The consequence was that he 
 made rapid progress and graduated with honor. 
 
FELIX BROWN. 
 
REV. J. B. BORDERS. 
 
JAMES SIMONTON. 
 
THE BLACK SIDE. 209 
 
 The elder Borders was a pious man, who gave in the 
 days of slavery a large portion of his time preaching to 
 his fellow men, who, unlike himself, were held as slaves. 
 From both the father and mother young Borders inher- 
 ited the spirit of Christianity, which has characterized 
 him so prominently. At quite an early age he sought 
 and found Christ as his Savior, and was baptized by his 
 father. 
 
 In 1884, during the month of October, he was ordained 
 to the Gospel ministry by the Rev. E. K. Love, D. D., 
 G. H. Washington and Jeremiah Spence. In 1886 he 
 was chosen principal of the Jackson Academy at Forsyth, 
 Ga., which position he held honorably for a year, when 
 he resigned to accept the pastorate of the Liberty Bap- 
 tist church at Cuthbert, Ga. During his term of princi- 
 palship of the above named school, it was said by the C. 
 S. C. and patrons of said school, that he gave better sat- 
 isfaction than any of his predecessors; and many were 
 the protestations when he tendered his resignation. 
 
 After serving this church acceptably for a year, bap- 
 tizing many souls into the membership thereof, he ac- 
 cepted the charge of the Saint James Baptist church, at 
 Forsyth, Monroe county, Ga., thinking that he could do 
 more good in a larger field of labor. Thus against the 
 wishes and prayers of the members of Liberty church, 
 he became pastor of the one at Forsyth. During his 
 pastorate of four years at Forsyth, he gave good satis- 
 faction as leader and pastor, and was the instrumental in 
 bringing many souls to Christ. At one time he baptized 
 more than one hundred souls. He also renovated the 
 church house at a great cost, making it a neat and at- 
 tractive house of worship. 
 
 In 1891 he was chosen Secretary of the Middle Geor- 
 gia Baptist Association, which is one of the largest in the 
 
 14 
 
210 THE BLACK SIDE. 
 
 State, with about eighty-five churches and a membership 
 of eight thousand. He served in this capacity two ses- 
 sions, when his work becoming too burdensome, he re- 
 signed, against the will of the entire body. A committee 
 was appointed at the time of his resignation to draft res- 
 olutions thanking him for such efficient service while 
 being clerk. 
 
 In 1892, October 24th, he was called to the pastorate 
 of the Mt. Olive Baptist church at Macon, Bibb county, 
 Ga. This is a very strong church, owning property 
 worth more than fifteen thousand dollars. Rev. Borders 
 did not accept the call to this church at once, but waited as 
 is his custom for the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Finally, 
 after several weeks premeditation, he resigned his con- 
 gregation at Forsyth, and accepted the church of which 
 he is now pastor. 
 
 No man has undergone more hardships than Rev. 
 Borders; but being a man of God, and one who trusts 
 fully in God's guidance, he has overcome so far all ob- 
 stacles, and is now carrying on a successful work for 
 Christ. It can be said of him, and with truth, that no 
 servant and follower of the Master labors more zealously 
 in His vineyard than does he who represents this narra- 
 tive. 
 
 Rev. Borders is a man of unblemished character, and 
 is a Christian gentleman. May he live long to do much 
 work for the Master, is the wish of the writer. 
 
 MR. JOSHUA SHARP. 
 
 A EISING YOUNG MAN. 
 
 He was born in Green county, Penfield, Ga., A. D. 
 1859, and was the son of Daniel and Emeline S. His 
 mother was a Christian lady of the Baptist faith. 
 
THE BLACK SIDE. 211 
 
 When he reached the age of fourteen he was sent to 
 the village school, but being the only help of his mother, 
 he could remain in school but two weeks. 
 
 He employed himself for twenty-five cents per day, 
 his work consisting in cutting and cording wood and 
 burning coal; by this he was able to contribute to the 
 support of his mother and three sisters. He also pur- 
 chased an acre of land upon which he built a cottage. 
 
 Though he had to toil incessantly for a livelihood he did 
 not neglect to contribute something to his mind, but 
 availed himself of every opportunity to increase his small 
 store of knowleege, which resulted in his obtaining a 
 pretty fair common education. In 1881 he married Miss 
 Lena Laster and came to Atlanta, Ga., to reside. The 
 union was blessed by one child. 
 
 When Mr. Sharp came to Atlanta he had in cash only 
 three dollars, which he paid out the day after his arrival 
 or house rent. He was then without a penny, and had 
 to borrow one dollar and seventy-five cents with which 
 to pay for his baggage. Owing to his persevering na- 
 ture he was not long a dweller of this city before he suc- 
 ceeded in getting employment on the E. T., V. & G. R. 
 R. He next engaged himself as coachman to a private 
 family, for which he was paid twenty-six dollars per 
 month and board. He served in this capacity for nine 
 months, after which he went to learn the brick mason's 
 trade. He first worked at this for eighty-five cents per 
 day, but because of his promptness and energy his em- 
 ployer increased his wages to one dollar and twenty-five 
 cents per day. Completing his apprenticeship he began 
 to take contracts; the first of which was the Girls' High 
 School, on East Mitchell street. He realized quite a snug 
 little sum from this work, which he deposited in the bank. 
 
 The bank failed and he lost. Nothing daunted he was 
 soon ready to make deposits in another bank; but pre- 
 
212 THE BLACK SIDE. 
 
 ferred to invest it in real estate. In 1886 he was bap- 
 tized by the writer and united with the Friendship Bap- 
 tist church, in which he is a useful member. 
 
 He pays taxes on twelve hundred dollars' worth of 
 property. 
 
 W. A. HARRIS, 
 DEALER IN LUMBER. 
 
 W. A. Harris, son of Elijah and Mary Harris, began 
 life near Senoia, Ga., A. D. 1861. At close of the war 
 the father died, leaving the mother and eight children to 
 the cold charity of the world. Soon after the death of 
 the father, the mother became quite ill and lingered a 
 year or more, when death freed her. Thus the children 
 were left to fight life's battle alone. 
 
 The subject becoming of an age when he could work 
 for his support, sought immediately for employment. 
 Having to make his own support, he had not the oppor- 
 tunity of attending school but a very short time. 
 
 But he seized all the information which he had a. 
 chance to do, thereby being able to make his way through 
 life thus far a success. Coming to Atlanta, he employed 
 himself to W. J. Willingham, the lumber dealer. His 
 sobriety and integrity won the respect and trust of his 
 employer, and he was made foreman and salesman for 
 the firm, which position he still holds. He is also a man 
 of some means, being in possession of some neat cottages 
 on Chapel street. As it is seen by this, now and then our 
 brother in white, seeing the real worth of his brother in 
 black, opens his heart and the avenue to places of honor 
 and lets him in. Thus it has been with the hero of this 
 narrative. 
 
 Hasten onward, oh time, in your flight, when a man- 
 will be a man " for a' that and a' that." 
 
THE BLACK SIDE. 213 
 
 PROF. WILLIAM E. HOLMES, A. M. 
 
 The character of this sketch is one that there cannot 
 "be too much said about. If we speak of his interest in 
 the race advancement progress, thereis none to equal 
 him. If of his scholarship, he is the equal of any. If of 
 character, as far as human beings can be pure, he is 
 that in character. If of manners, he is as polite as an 
 angel. He would take the prize any where. An able, 
 genial, noble man is the subject of this sketch. He was 
 born in the city of Augusta, Georgia, January 22. 1856. 
 His parents were slaves, his father belonging to one 
 family and his mother to another. Separated as they 
 were, the care and responsibility of rearing him devolved 
 upon his mother. Fortunately for her, in the immediate ser- 
 vice of her master, who was a planter, she never spent a 
 day. - From early youth to the close of the war she was 
 hired out, and the family in whose employ she passed the 
 last fourteen years of her slave life, consisting of a father, 
 mother and son, were very kind. The head of the family 
 was a contracting carpenter, and did business on a large 
 scale, and, as is characteristic with most Southern men, 
 lived an easy, free-going life, never thinking of expenses 
 in providing for his family. There being but one child 
 on his premises, he took a liking to William at an early 
 age, and made a pet of him. He ate at his table, slept 
 in his bed, and accompanied him in his walks. In this 
 kind treatment his wife and son vied with him. His home 
 was indeed a pleasant one. Books and papers were not 
 kept from him, or, indeed, anything which was elevating 
 and ennobling in its tendencies. His mother being able 
 to read, early inspired with love for books, had taught 
 him to read. During the last years of the war she sent 
 him to school, carefully concealing his books under his 
 
214 THE BLACK SIDE. 
 
 clothes to avoid arrest, for even the elementary instruc- 
 tion of Negro youth in slavery was forbidden, and the 
 authorities were ever on the alert. All over the South 
 they were preparing, in this secret way, a host to go 
 forth and raise up their people, for had this not been the 
 case, our race would never have made such progress in 
 so short a time. From 1865 to 1871 he continued his 
 studies under some of the best teachers from New Eng- 
 land. On account of ill health he suspended his studies 
 that year, and was hired to a cabinet maker and under- 
 taker, in whose employ he continued two years, but still 
 kept up his studies. On December 10, 1874, ne was con " 
 verted and joined the Thankful Baptist church at Au- 
 gusta, and on the 7th of February following was baptized 
 in the Savannah river. That year he began school at 
 the Augusta Institute, prosecuting his studies for seven 
 years without interruption four years in the city of Au- 
 gusta, and three years in the city of Atlanta, after the 
 removal of the school to that city and its incorporation 
 under the name of "The Atlanta Baptist Seminary," Dr. 
 Joseph T. Roberts, President. He was a trustworthy 
 disciple to that good man, to whom he owes much for 
 his instruction. Shortly after he entered the institution 
 he was gradually promoted until graduation, when he 
 was made a full professor. Besides doing the work of 
 the prescribed course of literary and theological studies,, 
 he has had thorough instruction, careful preliminary in- 
 struction in the Hebrew language. He went to Chicago 
 and was favored with the personal training of Dr. William 
 R. Harper, the learned professor of Oriental languages 
 at Yale University, and for two years he pursued the 
 study of German under a gentleman who completed his 
 education in one of the German universities, and French 
 under a graduate of Colby University. He was licensed 
 to preach on the 2ist of June, 1878, and on the 2d of 
 
THE BLACK SIDE. 215 
 
 September, 1881, was ordained to the ministry in 
 May, 1883, ne was elected to the corresponding sec- 
 retaryship of the Baptist Convention of Georgia, which 
 position he held one year. Recently he delivered a lec- 
 ture before the Spellman and Baptist Seminaries, his 
 subject being " The Negro Problem. " It was well re- 
 ceived. He has at various times been called to fill posi- 
 tions of prominence and trust. He is secretary of the 
 faculty of the Atlanta Baptist Seminary, corresponding 
 secretary for the State of Georgia of the American Na- 
 tional Baptist Convention, member for 1888 of the com- 
 mittee to report to the American Baptist Home Mission So- 
 ciety on the colored people, member of the Local Board of 
 Trustees of Spellman Baptist Seminary. The degree of 
 Master of Arts was conferred upon him by the Univer- 
 sity of Chicago June n, 1884. He is worth about five 
 thousand dollars. He married Miss Elizabeth Easley, 
 a graduate of the Atlanta University, July 15, 1886, who 
 taught in the public schools of Atlanta. He is a man 
 universally beloved and admired by all who know him. 
 
 THE MT. OLIVE BAPTIST CHURCH. 
 
 This church is situated on the east side of the city, in 
 the Fourth ward, on the corner of Harris and Butler 
 streets. It is one of the most elegant, unique and at- 
 tractive church edifices in the city. It is beautifully 
 adorned on the inside with most adapted colors in wall 
 papers of the modest kind for church purposes. The 
 walls are richly reflected by the exquisite variegated 
 colors from the cathedral glass. Its vestibule and belfry 
 are arranged in taste and symmetrical beauty. The 
 pulpit is also arranged in equally as great a taste and 
 harmony with all the other portions. This church was 
 
216 THE BLACK SIDE. 
 
 founded in 1886, with fifty-six members, by Rev. W. R. 
 demons. Since the date of its organization it has stead- 
 ily increased in its membership and power for good. 
 Since the day of Rev. demons it has had two very able 
 pastors, whose labors cannot be too highly spoken of, 
 viz.: Rev. C. H. Lyons and the present pastor, Rev. 
 E. J. Fisher. Under Rev. Fisher the membership has 
 increased to six hundred from its organization. Among 
 those that make up this membership are some of the 
 best and most refined people of our city; all of which is 
 due to the eloquence of its able pastor and his power to 
 draw. This affable Christian gentlemen and gospel 
 minister was called to the pastorate of this church Octo- 
 ber, 1889. Since that day there have been brought into 
 this church some of the strongest and most devout 
 Christian men and women of any church in the city. 
 Among them are N. L. Black, the efficient and genial 
 superintendent of the Sunday-school. 
 
 The following are those who compose the deaconry : 
 C. B. Banks, L. Wellon, R. Coles, I. A. Thomas. The 
 Dorcases and those in whom the spirit of mission work 
 is found, Miss L. L. Turner, Mrs. Eliza Johnson, Miss 
 Lula Harris; all of which is due to the indefatigable 
 leadership of their learned pastor. He has baptized 
 over twelve hundred persons, and has traveled and 
 labored in evangelical work in this State and others. 
 
 Rev. Fisher is a man of more than ordinary culture 
 and the best element of success. Notwithstanding all 
 the pastoral and ministerial work he has accomplished, 
 burdened at the same time with a large family, he has 
 accumulated considerable property, so that now, from a 
 financial standpoint, is in good condition. 
 
MT. OLIVE BAPTIST CHILKCH. 
 
READ STREET BAPTIST CHURCH. 
 
THE BLACK SIDE. 217 
 
 ELLA P. WILSON. 
 
 The subject of this sketch was born in Atlanta, where 
 she has lived the greater part of her life. 
 
 She was educated at Atlanta University, where she 
 graduated in 18 . 
 
 The greatest part of her labor has been among the 
 youth of this and surrounding counties, until her election 
 to a place in Gray Street school, five years ago. 
 
 Ella (Baker) Wjlson is a woman of large sympathy, 
 fearless courage, strong will, strict religious convictions 
 and transparent truthfuluess. She is no idealist, but hav- 
 ing had acquaintance with the stern actualities of life, is 
 a true realist. Her devotion to her church, her creed 
 and her God is something beautiful to contemplate, while 
 her devotion to her family and friends is full of self-sac- 
 rifice and self-forgetting. Her energy shows itself in 
 every lineament of her countenance, upon which charac- 
 ter is written in legible characters, and in her every move- 
 ment, which seem full of suppressed force, needing but 
 an occasion to flash forth and scintilate in energetic action. 
 
 She has .been since a child a true and consistent mem- 
 ber of Friendship Baptist church, where she is ever seen, 
 taking a lively and sensible part in the lay work of the 
 church. 
 
 Her ambition always seems to be to be exact; this shows 
 itself in her scholarship. Without any vain attempt at 
 display or egotistic pretensions to splendid natural parts 
 or superior acquirements, she has, by merit and merit 
 alone, gained the reputation of being one of the best in- 
 formed and most accurate scholars among the ladies of 
 our city, and having a masculine mind, many men fear 
 her trenchant logic and evade the collision of wits with her. 
 
 By pursuing researches in biblical work, and examin- 
 
218 THE BLACK SIDE. 
 
 ing theological questions, her mind was turned to biblical 
 criticism. Her " Thesis on Luke " was the outcome, for 
 which she received a certificate of merit from Dr. Harper, 
 of Morgan Park, Chicago. This is but one of the nu- 
 merous monographs from her able and fertile brain. 
 
 As a teacher, from the time that she first wielded the 
 birch in a country school to the present time, she has been 
 a decided success. 
 
 Her re-election to Gray Street school, the finest school 
 in Atlanta, for five successive years, attests the value 
 attached to her services by the principal and the Board of 
 Education of Atlanta Public Schools, who engineer the 
 finest system of schools in the South, and one of the best 
 graded and regulated, as well as most effective, in the 
 United States. 
 
 Her pupils get the benefit of the best methods, and are 
 brought directly under the finest discipline. They do 
 well, and reflect credit on their teacher 
 
 Taken all in all, her character, worth and work reflects 
 credit upon her town, her school and upon her race. 
 
 REED STREET BAPTIST CHURCH. 
 
 The Reed Street Ba ptist church, the subject of this 
 sketch, is a hou se of worship that shows taste in its plan 
 and arrangement, bea uty in its architecture . This church 
 was fir st known as Pleasant Grove Baptist church. At 
 the tim e it bore this name, Rev. Robert Epps, one of the 
 most t horoughgoing, energetic and eloquent preachers,, 
 was its pastor. For many years Rev. Epps took the 
 foremost lead, and ranked among the best brethren, and r 
 in fact, was one of the strongholds in Zion, and in the 
 work of the State. He was a preacher among those who 
 
THE BLACK SIDE. 219 
 
 preached the best, noble among those who were noble, 
 honored among those who were honorable. He was 
 often chosen to preach the leading sermons of the Baptist 
 Convention of Georgia. His fame as a preacher went 
 far and wide. Whenever it was known that Rev. Epps 
 was to preach, the people came from every direction to 
 hear the great preacher. This church was organized by 
 Rev. Epps in 18 , which he served for some considera- 
 ble number of years with signal success. 
 
 In 1876, Rev. Charles O. Jones was called pastor of 
 this church. Rev. Jones, the present pastor, has greatly 
 improved upon the house of worship of the day of Rev. 
 Epps. The house in which these good people wor- 
 shipped was an old wooden structure. This has been 
 torn away and a more commodious house, built of brick 
 and on modern order, with cathedral glass windows, with 
 a seating capacity between five and six hundred. The 
 plan of the floor is that of an incline, and the seats are so 
 arranged that all who sit in the rear can see as well as 
 those in front. The walls are overlaid with beautiful 
 paper, which gives an air of pleasantness and cheerful- 
 ness to those who come to worship. Too much cannot 
 be said about the noble pastor of this church. He is a 
 man of great patience, long suffering and of great endur- 
 ance. He is a graduate of the theological deparment-of 
 the Atlanta Baptist Seminary. He is an exceptional 
 preacher, of indomitable will and very courageous in all 
 of his work. With these characteristics he has accom- 
 plished much for himself, people and Master. He has 
 succeeded wonderfully in imparting this spirit to his peo- 
 ple, old and young. 
 
 Just here we mention some of the prominent and affable 
 members of this church. As mothers of this church we 
 mention Mrs. Beasley, Mrs. Nettie Lary, Mrs. Nancy 
 Mitchell, Mrs. Jenkins, Mrs. Filer Anderson. As 
 
220 THE BLACK 
 
 leading and thoroughgoing, energetic men of this church, 
 is the able and efficient superintendent, Milton Wash- 
 burn, and the inestimable assistant, J. H. Brooks. Deacon 
 W. A. Jones is a young man of high aspiration, and one 
 who takes very great pride in the work of his church. 
 Doubtless there is no man that has done more for the up- 
 building of that church. However, I would be guilty of 
 gross injustice were I, by the slightest attempt, discoun- 
 tenance, or in any way speak disparagingly of the work 
 of the other grand and noble men of the deaconry, viz. : 
 David Render, Willis Jones and Knowlley. Equally as 
 much may be said about the following brothers and sis- 
 ters : R. L. Jones, who is the able clerk of the church; 
 Daniel Jones, R. B. Jones, Rev. Willis Graver, Owen 
 Jones and Miss Emma Jones. And then there is a grand 
 choir of some of the most worthy and enterprising young 
 ladies that would be an honor and credit to any church 
 to have in its membership. Miss Laura Maddox is one 
 of the brightest scholars in the city, and is one of the 
 teachers in the public schools of Atlanta, and was for the 
 first term assistant principal. The other young ladies 
 deserve praise for their labor and work in this church: 
 Miss Mary Williams, Miss Lena Davis, Miss Mamie 
 Washburn, Miss Lula Washburn, Miss Bessie Washburn, 
 Miss Janie Carr, Miss I. Lee Williams. 
 
 These and a host of others are the able and efficient 
 workers of the Reed Street Baptist church. 
 
 SKETCH OF THE PASTORS OF BETHEL A. 
 M. E. CHURCH, ATLANTA. 
 
 The Allen family is one of the largest in the world 
 many different climes on this broad earth can boast of 
 its children. We shall speak of those members of this 
 
THE BLACK SIDE. 221 
 
 family who, from time to time, have taken up their abode 
 at one of the family residences in our city. The first to 
 take charge of this sacred house, then on Jenkins street 
 (see fifth chapter), was Rev. J. A. Wood, who labored 
 with might and power to build up the family. Times 
 were different then to what they are now, so he labored 
 under many difficulties, but success was his. Next came 
 Rev. W. J. Gaines, who saw at once that this part of the 
 family needed a new residence, so set to work to build 
 one on Wheat street (he yet seems to have that power to 
 see quickly what is needed). This house is useful yet, 
 though crumbling with age. He had great success, and 
 won many souls. After his time was out he went to 
 take charge of another house. We had in his stead Rev. 
 1?. J. Peck, who aroused the family by his learned talks r 
 and many flocked to hear him. He saw that this resi- 
 dence needed an addition to hold the children, so he add- 
 ed an up-stairs room (the gallery), which helped the cause 
 very much. The next head of the family was Rev. C. 
 L. Bradwell, who came with all earnestness and worked 
 with all his might. The children, too, seemed to be in 
 earnest about their work, seeing their father so willing 
 to help them. When his time was out he left to take 
 charge of another house. Rev. W. D . Johnson then took 
 charge. He spent a short while with the children, but 
 made them feel very happy, and many shouts of amen ! 
 and hallelujah! were heard while he was here. Rev. S. 
 H. Robertson was at the head of this family next. He 
 worked hard to point the children to the Better Land, 
 and felt their interest in every way. He left in a short 
 while to talk to another part of the family. Rev. F. J. 
 Peck then returned to the house, and as before, carried 
 on the good work to the delight of all. The next man 
 of the house who called the children in to listen to his 
 words was Rev. R. A. Hall. He wanted to instill in. 
 
222 THE BLACK SIDE. 
 
 them the qualities which he possessed dignity and pride. 
 So, said he, " We are too proud to live in this residence 
 without a steeple or bell." Then the children began to 
 feel so too; so up went the steeple, and in it was placed 
 the bell. It soon sounded forth to the delight of all. 
 Again he sard: "Some people think that if I have you 
 change this way of sitting, the male members of the 
 family on one side of the house and the female on the 
 other, you will sit and talk while I am instructing you in 
 your Christian duties, but you will be too dignified for 
 that I know." So the change was made, and now we 
 like to see ladies and gentlemen sitting together much 
 better than the old way. He also told the children to 
 honor the celebration of the death and sufferings of 
 their elder brother by removing their right hand glove 
 before catching hold of the cup. Many children were 
 added to the family during his stay at the house; they 
 came in so fast and in such large numbers the doors 
 of this house were not closed for three weeks, but stood 
 open night and day. Those who came in then will al- 
 ways have pleasant recollections of his tender care and 
 of the sweet songs he sang to them while they were com- 
 ing in. Dr. W. J. Gaines then had charge of the house for 
 some time, and his work was felt, not only in the family, 
 but throughout the city. Said he, one Sunday, " I al- 
 ways feel more like preaching in the mornings than at 
 any service during the day ; let us make true the words, 
 4 Lord, in the mornings Thou shalt hear my voice ascend- 
 ing on high.' ' He urged that all would try to make 
 morning service the best of the day. He succeeded 
 in this. " If you do not believe it, go to every other house 
 in the city, on Sunday mornings then come to this one, 
 and see if the attendance is not greater than at any 
 of them. After doing a noble work, he was called 
 to another house. Then Rev. R. Graham walked in 
 
THE BLACK SIDE. 223 
 
 to take charge of the children. He was with them a 
 short while, but labored as best he could. He pos- 
 sessed a true Christian character, and the children 
 needed more of this than they seemed to possess at 
 that time. Next came Rev. J. S. Flipper, who set 
 about to please the children; he then worked to help 
 them pay their honest debts ; he was of the opinion of 
 St. Paul, owe no man anything; he also taught the mem- 
 bers punctuality. Who of you can remember the time 
 when the last bell was ringing for the children to gather 
 to listen to his counsel, that you did not see him, as reg- 
 ular as a clock, walk up these aisles, take the book and 
 begin as soon as the last sound of the bell died away ? 
 He spent some time with us, then was called to take 
 charge of another part of this family. I have said that 
 Rev. W. J. Gaines seemed to be possessed with the 
 power of seeing ahead that which is for the best. He 
 had become Bishop at this time, and when Rev. J. S. 
 Flipper left, this great head of the family sent the heroic 
 builder to us, Rev. L. Thomas. His work is so great, and 
 he has pleased the children so well in building a fine two- 
 story residence on the corner of an avenue, for them to 
 live in, that they scarcely know how to behave them- 
 selves. Of course there is much more to be done to this 
 house before it is completed, but that is easily done com- 
 pared with what has been done. This good man of the 
 house tried with all of his might to impress upon the chil- 
 dren the importance of holding up virtue and morality. 
 He will long be remembered. He has gone to take 
 charge of other children. The head of this family now 
 is Dr. R. M. Cheeks. He comes willing to help the 
 children in paying their debts and encourage them all he 
 can. He has aroused the " nursery" since his coming, 
 and such joy and merriment we've not heard from this 
 part of the house in some time. The little folks are up 
 
224 THE BLACK SIDE. 
 
 early and dressed, ready to hear his kind words. We 
 wish him much success. 
 
 Thus ends the line up to 1894. 
 
 The following are the Bishops who have cared for us 
 since our organization : 
 
 Bishops D. A. Payne, A. W. Wayman, J. M. Browne, 
 T. M. D. Ward, J. P. Campbell, I. W. F. Dickerson, J. 
 A. Shorter, W. J. Gaines, A. L. Grant. 
 
 Nine in all. Six are with the Church Triumphant. 
 Three are left, who still carry on the work. 
 
 The Presiding Elders who have helped to counsel the 
 members of this part of the family are : 
 
 Revs. H. M. Turner, Andrew Brown, S. B. Jones, A. 
 W. Lowe, D. T. Green, W. J. Gaines, S. H. Robertson, 
 R. A. Hall, D. T. Green (second time). 
 
 Eight of these. Two of this number, Rev. H. M. 
 Turner and Rev. W. J. Gaines, have since become Bishops 
 in the church. The former has dared to cross the ocean 
 and find his brother in foreign lands. His name will ever 
 live as the great missionary of this family. Three others 
 have finished their work on earth; they live with that 
 part of the family that have crossed the river. 
 
 To bishops, elders and pastors: 
 
 " Ne'er think the victory won, 
 
 Nor once at ease sit down, 
 Thy arduous work will not be done 
 
 Till thou hast got the crown." 
 
 GRAY STREET SCHOOL. 
 
 THE FIFTH WARD GRAMMAR SCHOOL. 
 
 Gray Street School building was erected in the spring 
 and summer of 1890. The building is a substantial brick 
 edifice, with stone basement of rubble, random range. 
 It is trimmed with rock-faced granite and terra cotta 
 
REV. E. J. FISHER. 
 
BIG BETHEL CHURCH. 
 
THE BLACK SIDE. 225 
 
 Romanesque designs. It is finished throughout with 
 Georgia pine, hard oil finish; has large, commodious 
 rooms, airy halls, Venetian blinds, and is fitted out with 
 Smead's system of heating, and furnished with first-class 
 desks for pupils and teachers, with all the latest educa- 
 tional aids in the way of maps, globes, numeral frames, 
 charts, etc. 
 The cost of the lot was $2,500 ; the cost of the house, 
 
 It is said to be the best arranged building for grammar 
 school purposes in the city, as well as being the best 
 workmanship. It was planned by the well known firm 
 of Bruce & Morgan, architects. 
 
 When the school opened there were four hundred and 
 fifty pupils present. A.. L. Gaines was principal, with 
 Misses Helen Coles, F. M. Beale, M. A. Hill, C. T.John- 
 son, Mrs. E. P. Wilson, Misses E. D. Coles, C. E. Pul- 
 len and H. Jenkins as teachers. This was a strong corps 
 of teachers, and soon made their school felt in the city. 
 
 By resignation, later, of some of the teachers, Misses 
 E. L. Holmes, A. E. McNeil, M. M. Sloan, S. H. Porter, 
 L. J. Maddox, R. M. Bass, E. M. Adkison received 
 places in the school. 
 
 Mr. Gaines, after a successful stay as principal, re- 
 signed in 1892, to assume the pastoral charge of Bute 
 Street A. M. E. Church, Norfolk, Virginia, one of the 
 largest and best appointed churches in the State of Vir- 
 ginia. 
 
 E. L. Chew was elected as principal to succeed Mr. 
 Gaines. Mr. Chew has kept the school up to the high 
 standard reached and held by Mr. Gaines. 
 
 The present corps of teachers are E. L. Chew, R. C. 
 Deveaux, C. E. Pullen, E. L.Holmes, E. P. Wilson, L. J. 
 Maddox, E. M. Adkison, L. C. Davis, M. A. Ross. 
 
 15 
 
226 THE BLACK SIDE. 
 
 Most of the former teachers of Gray have, by some 
 peculiar coincidence, left the school as brides. In fact r 
 there are several happy homes in which are one or the 
 other of its heads learned and practiced the power of 
 control in Gray. 
 
 The percentage of attendance has been on the increase 
 since the first vear. 
 
 / 
 
 The scholarship and discipline have had an even, uni- 
 form and encouraging development since the founding of 
 the school. 
 
 A close scrutiny of this school and its corps of trained 
 teachers, its building, with its elegant modern appoint- 
 ments, will convince even the most unbelieving that the 
 white Board of Education cares and works for the edu- 
 cation of the Negro child. 
 
 To the thinker this institution is pregnant of much 
 good feeling, and promises much good for the future of 
 our ward and city. 
 
 Then, too, it is a tangible evidence of that spirit of 
 equity and broad philanthropy which, in its last analysis,, 
 concedes to the Negro the discharge of those duties and 
 responsibilities for which he is fitted, and guarantees to 
 him the environment most calculated to develop in him 
 the highest powers of a man. 
 
 The school is young, but already her sons and daugh- 
 ters are taking leading rank in the school sand colleges 
 of our city. 
 
 This fact, coupled with the intense love of her principals 
 and teachers for her good under the fostering care of the 
 Board of Education, will in time develop Gray Street 
 School into one of the most important feeders to the va- 
 rious colleges of Atlanta. 
 
THE BLACK SIDE. 227 
 
 G. M. HO WELL, 
 
 A FIEST-CLASS MERCHANT TAILOK. 
 
 The gentleman of whom we speak in this narrative is 
 one of the brightest young men in business of the race. 
 He comes into prominence, as a root out of dry ground. 
 His appliance to the tailoring business is almost a mys- 
 tery to himself, and intuitive to the natural order of things. 
 
 He began this pursuit very peculiar to the regular way 
 in which boys come into possession of trades. It was 
 like this : One day while his mother was away, Mr. 
 McHenry, who, at that time in Mr. Howell's early days, 
 was acting as a machine agent, came to Mr. Howell's 
 house to sell a machine. His mother being absent, Mc- 
 Henry saw by talking to young Mr. Howell that if he 
 could get him interested in the machine, he might count 
 on the machine being sold. This Mr. McHenry was 
 very successful in doing. Mr. Howell was so delighted 
 with what he had learned about the machine that he was 
 now determined to do all he could to induce his mother 
 to purchase the machine. Accordingly, on her return 
 the young man succeeded in his attempt, and the machine 
 was purchased. Previous to buying the machine, the 
 young Mr. Howell had been engaged in peddling in mint, 
 rags and bones, and such things; but when the machine 
 was purchased, he began trying to learn to sew, and in a 
 very short time he accomplished his much craved desire. 
 He now understood more about the machine than any one 
 on the place. This led him to feel that he could use this 
 knowledge to a little advantage to himself and all con- 
 cerned; so he purchased some cloth and made aprons for 
 the hotel boys and the bar tenders. 
 
 Succeeding in this very well, he went on a step farther 
 in the business, and began making ladies' [dresses and 
 
228 THE BLACK SIDE. 
 
 underwear of all kinds, classes and sorts. Becoming very 
 efficient in this, he began to apply himself more directly 
 to tailoring. 
 
 How this came about was that one Captain Cook, who 
 was running a tailoring business in the city, employed 
 young Mr. Howell to carry his dinner to him. While 
 the young man was waiting for Mr. Cook to finish din- 
 ner, he would employ these moments in trying to cut and 
 sew. Captain Cook saw his aptness on this line; he 
 gave him the benefit of all he knew about sewing while 
 he was employed as a dinner carrier. It was with this 
 man that he got the idea of sewing, cutting, measuring, 
 and to some extent making men's clothes. He learned 
 how to press and clean clothing from Mr. John Williams, 
 who was then working for the Watson dye house. In 
 1883, while attending the Atlanta University, he opened 
 his first tailoring shop in the engine room at the Atlanta 
 University. Here he cleaned and pressed the clothing 
 of the students. Out of this little business he earned suf- 
 ficient money to defray all his school expenses. The 
 reader of this sketch will learn a lesson of perseverance, 
 energy, thrift and industry and what boys may do if they 
 would use what knowledge they have of doing any one 
 thing. They will learn also that it is not the man or the 
 boy that knows the most, nor that is often times sur- 
 rounded with every advantage in life to fit him for 
 the successful carrying out of any pursuit or profession 
 which he may desire to follow in life, but the man or boy 
 that uses the knowledge and opportunities of fitting for 
 the profession which he wishes to follow. After leaving 
 Mr. Cook, he went to work with Rev. William Finch, of 
 this city, earning one dollar per day for his labor. We 
 can see how that from the little knowledge he picked up 
 here and there, he is able to make somewhat an inde- 
 pendent living for himself, and also to aid a struggling 
 
THE BLACK SIDE. 229 
 
 mother and father. In 18 he gave up working for Mr. 
 Finch to attend the exposition at New Orleans for the 
 purpose of enlarging his knowledge in his line of business 
 while in that city, this trip giving him an opportunity to 
 look in upon other business of his kind, and to see how men 
 more skillful in his line of work manipulated and carried 
 it on. Gathering the experience he desired, he returned 
 to the city of Atlanta, opened in a shoe shop with his 
 brother his brother using one corner to make shoes and 
 he using the other part to carry on his work. His busi- 
 ness succeeded in such a marvelous way, Mr. Howell 
 was obliged to seek a larger place, where he might bet- 
 ter accommodate his customers. Accordingly, he moved 
 to one of the most desirable places in the city. Here his 
 business grew so rapidly on account of his skill and cheap- 
 ness in making the finest gentleman wear, that where it 
 was his custom to employ two or three hands, he was 
 obliged to employ from sixteen to twenty men and women, 
 including drummers in the city and agents on the railroads. 
 His whole stock, previous to coming to this place, never 
 exceeded at any one time more than seven dollars. His 
 stock at this place increased from four thousand dollars 
 to fifty-five hundred. This flourishing business went on 
 until his pay-roll ran up from ten dollars per week to 
 three hundred and fifty, until he met with a disastrous 
 destruction by fire, and although this fire completely de- 
 stroyed everything he had, did not discourage his busi- 
 ness ambition. However, he had some little insurance 
 which, after a little trouble and a process of law, he suc- 
 ceeded in gaining, which enabled him to again carry on 
 his business, but of course not on as large a scale as it 
 was at first. 
 
 According to Bradstreet's report, Mr. Howell carried 
 on the largest merchant tailoring business of any man of 
 his race this side of Mason and Dixon's line up to the 
 
230 THE BLACK SIDE. 
 
 time the fire took place. His business now is valued at 
 frem twelve hundred to two thousand dollars. 
 
 In 1890 he married a very refined and accomplished 
 young lady of the city of Augusta, Miss Sophie Summer- 
 ville. In 1866 this young man, of whom this noble and 
 inspiring record speaks, came into this world, poor and 
 penniless, and by his natural genius, push and shove, to- 
 gether with indomitable will, made himself eminently 
 great in the industrial world. 
 
 Let those who read this sketch catch his spirit and go 
 forward. His work is done neatly and of the latest styles, 
 and at prices that suit every man's pocket. 
 
 A PREACHER, A DYER, 
 
 A MERCHANT IN OLD CASTAWAY CLOTHING-A CLEANER 
 AND REPAIRER OF CLOTHING. 
 
 Robert B. Brightwell, a merchant hustler in old cloth- 
 ing in this city, is one of the most thoroughgoing, enter- 
 prising, stirring men of the city. The business that he 
 carries on in this city is one of untold service and advan- 
 tage to the public. At his place of business old clothes 
 can be made new, the soiled made clean, at a little cost. 
 His industry and thrift has made him popular and very 
 influential among the people of this great city. He was 
 born at Maxie, Ga., on the i5th day of June, 1864, and 
 came to Atlanta in 1876 and engaged in the grocery 
 business, which he followed till 1884, when he opened the 
 business above named, of dyeing and cleaning and re- 
 pairing old clothing, which business he carries on up to 
 the present time. His path in his business has not 
 always been smooth, as the success which he has had in 
 carrying on this business would seem to show. He has 
 
THE BLACK SIDE. 231 
 
 had some very serious drawbacks since his engagement 
 in this business. Once disturbed by the falling in of the 
 Norcross building on the corner of Marietta and Peach- 
 tree streets, by which destruction of the building all 
 his ready and unmade stock and other work in repairing, 
 dyeing and cleaning of his customers, were seriously in- 
 jured by the breaking of the water pipes, which flooded 
 his whole business, and from which he suffered great 
 loss. In the month of August, of the same year of this 
 first destruction, 1894, he met with a simliar misfortune, 
 the loss in which amounted to about eight hundred dol- 
 lars, by fire which broke out in the Gould building, which 
 caysed his second misfortune in the same way. In the 
 same year he met with another disaster in business, which 
 was caused by the invasion of an army of cock-roaches, 
 which destroyed a great lot of his goods. And yet with 
 all these disadvantages and cripplings which have come 
 to him in his efforts to develop and establish this line of 
 business, he has not abated in the least in his efforts, en- 
 ergy and courage to still go on. 
 
 In my opinion, if there is any definition of persever- 
 ance and energy, Mr. Brightwell is that. 
 
 The young men of to-day, and of generations to come, 
 who may read this sketch, will do well to take Mr. 
 Brightwell as an example in establishing a business and 
 sticking to it under whatever disadvantages or adversi- 
 ties they may meet in carrying it to a success. Mr. 
 Brightwell, aside from carrying on this business, has 
 availed himself of the opportunity of obtaining a knowl- 
 edge of books by attending the Atlanta Baptist Seminary. 
 For several years he has carried on a course in theology 
 in order that he might be better able to preach the gos- 
 pel. He has taken other studies along with this course 
 of normal, which have helped him much in conducting 
 his business to a great financial success. 
 
232 THE BLACK SIDE. 
 
 He is not a young man who has in his possession much 
 of this world's goods, but presuming from the energy, 
 push and shove, and qualities of the like, will become a 
 great benefactor in finance to his people and charitable 
 good of his race. 
 
 GATE CITY COLORED PUBLIC SCHOOL. 
 
 The above-named school, more popularly known as 
 the " Houston Street School," is situated on the corner 
 of Houston and Butler streets. This school was first 
 taught in the basement of Big Bethel A. M. E. church, 
 in 1879 or 1880. When the colored citizens of the 
 Fourth ward asked the city authorities for a public school 
 for the colored children of that ward, the authorities said 
 they had no suitable building, and could not give the 
 school on that account until grounds were secured and a 
 building erected. The officers and members of Big 
 Bethel, who were then allowing a private school to be 
 taught in the basement of that church, offered the base- 
 ment to the city to be used as a public school. By this 
 means all excuses for delay were obviated. 
 
 During the year 1880 the city bought a lot and erect- 
 ed the building now situated on the corner of Houston 
 and Butler streets, to be used by the colored people in 
 that section of town as a public school building. The 
 building is large and spacious, containing eight large 
 rooms, neatly furnished, four up stairs and four rooms 
 down stairs. It also has a large hallway, which makes the 
 building very convenient for a school-house. 
 
 The seating capacity of the school is four hundred and 
 fifty, which afforded, at the time of erection, ample ac- 
 commodation for all who applied for seats. The com- 
 munity surrounding the school has increased so rapidly 
 
G. M. HOWELL. 
 
THE BLACK SIDE. 233 
 
 since its erection that from one to two hundred children 
 are turned away every year for the want of room. This 
 being a public school, it is directly under the manage- 
 ment of the city government. All supplies for run- 
 ning the school are furnished by the city, the teachers are 
 appointed by the city through the Board of Education. 
 
 Professor R. H. Carter, a graduate of the Atlanta Uni- 
 versity, and a teacher of some experience, was elected 
 by the Board of Education to the principalship of this 
 school in 1880. Professor Carter had as his assistants 
 some of the best educators in the State among the Negro 
 race. Notably among them were Mrs. M. A. Ford, 
 Mrs. Julia Turner, Miss G. B. Mitchell, Miss I. M. Clarke, 
 and other very faithful workers, whose names do net 
 now present themselves. Professor Carter proved him- 
 self to be an efficient principal, giving very general sat- 
 isfaction to the Board of Education and to his patrons. 
 He served them four years, after which he resigned to 
 take a position which paid better. 
 
 In 1885 Mr. A. Graves was elected principal of the 
 school, and held that responsible position for two years.. 
 He proved himself to be an able man, a good disciplina- 
 rian, and an excellent teacher. He managed the school 
 successfully, building it up as a useful factor for good in 
 the community. As a man he strove to impress the law 
 of obedince upon his pupils. If he understood the law 
 to be just, he would see to its being carried out to the 
 letter; but if he thought it wrong, or unjust, he wuld not 
 obey, neither would he make his children obey. The 
 firmness of Professor Graves is illustrated by the follow- 
 ing true story which occurred during his administration: 
 While he was principal of the school, the remains of the 
 late Jefferson Davis were removed from Mississippi to 
 Richmond, Virginia, by way of Atlanta. The white citi- 
 zens of Atlanta celebrated the occasion with # great dem- 
 
234 THE BLACK SIDE. 
 
 onstration. In the line of march all the public schools 
 were commanded to join, led by the principals. Mr. 
 Graves thought that it was wrong to honor a man who 
 had fought and died, as it were, to keep the teachers 
 and pupils represented in the school in which he was 
 teaching in slavery. He told the teachers and pupils the 
 situation, and said to them that if they wanted they might 
 go, but he would not. 
 
 The school made progress under the direction of Prof. 
 Graves, who was assisted by an able corps of teachers. 
 
 During the summer of 1886 Professor L. M. Hershaw 
 was elected principal of the Gate City Public school to 
 succeed Mr. Graves, who had resigned. When he took 
 charge of the school he tound it in a progressive condi- 
 tion, having moved on so successfully since its beginning 
 that it ranked as one of the leading grammar schools of 
 the city. 
 
 Mr. Hershaw was principal of the school for four years, 
 during which time the scholarship of the school was 
 greatly promoted. The pupils from this school com- 
 pared very favorably with the pupils of any school 
 in the city in the entrance examinations to the prepara- 
 tory course in the colleges and seminaries. He was a 
 successful teacher and principal, having managed the 
 school to the satsifaction of the Board of Education and 
 the patrons. 
 
 In 1890 Professor Hershaw accepted a clerkship in 
 the department at Washington, D. C., and Mr. W. B. 
 Matthews was elected principal of the Gate City school. 
 He found the school in a flourishing condition. Many of 
 the teachers whom he found there had been with the 
 school from its foundation. They were well experienced 
 and knew the rules of the school and rendered great as- 
 sistance to the new principal during his first week about 
 the school. * 
 
THE BLACK SIDE. 235 
 
 Since 1890 the school has been growing in popularity. 
 Many of the best citizens of the city have been attracted 
 to the school under the management of Prof. Matthews. 
 
 The order of the school has improved very greatly, and 
 the high scholarship reached under Professor Hershaw 
 has been retained and improved. 
 
 During the last four years there has been less trouble 
 between the parents and teachers than formerly. This 
 school has competed with older and more favored schools 
 located in the same community, thereby proving the solid 
 work done by its teachers. Through the enengy and 
 push of the present principal, the teachers and pupils 
 have learned to regard their duty as a sacred trust. That 
 the school is doing good in the community we do not 
 think anybody has any doubts. That the money spent by 
 the city government in support of this school is as seed 
 sown in good soil, is very obvious. Let those who doubt 
 come and see. 
 
 Many of the pupils who have gone through this gram- 
 mar school have graduated from the colleges in our city 
 and elsewhere, and are now very proficient teachers in- 
 the public schools of our city and State. Many of the 
 young men are in business, holding government positions 
 and filling other honorable callings in life. 
 
 The present corps of teachers who are doing good 
 work in this school, are : W. B. Matthews, principal; Mrs 
 Julia Turner, assistant principal; Miss A. D. Badger, 
 seventh grade; Miss S. B. Pullen, sixth grade; Miss 
 Aurora V. Peters, fifth grade; Miss M. P. Westmoreland, 
 fourth grade; Miss L. E. Badger, third grade; Miss 1. B. 
 Pollard, second grade; Miss C. R. McGhee, first grade. 
 
 The patrons of the Gate City Colored Public School 
 are proud of the work the school is doing for the elevation 
 of the race. The school is under the immediate control of 
 the city Board of Education, and that Board; extends the 
 
236 THE BLACK SIDE. 
 
 same advantages to all of the schools in every respect 
 save one they do not pay white and colored teachers 
 the same salary. This one fact makes a wide difference 
 between the white and colored schools of Atlanta. The 
 teachers of the colored schools see the unfairness in the 
 manner of paying teachers here, but would not feel it so 
 keenly if more accommodations were given to the colored 
 citizens for the education of their children. 
 
 It is not a good idea to criticise anybody unjustly ; it is 
 very poor policy to find fault with our friends, especially 
 when they claim that they are doing the best they can 
 for us; but it is never right to accept discrimination with 
 sealed lips and silent pens. 
 
 The Negro citizens of Atlanta are thankful for what 
 schools they have, but feel that they need more, and trust 
 that the city, through its Board of Education, may soon 
 provide more room for them. 
 
 MRS. OBEDIA CECILS BROWN CARTER. 
 
 BY MRS. M. A. McCURDY. 
 
 It is indeed interesting and amusing to watch with 
 care an artist while he tries to transfer to his canvas 
 the luster of a precious stone. After he has used his ut- 
 most skill, his picture proves to be dull, and in many in- 
 stances valueless. The same can be said concerning the 
 writing of a biographical sketch of a grand and Christ- 
 like woman, full of reason, love and godliness, that makes 
 a whole crown of precious jewels; and all that one can 
 do in the attempt, is to present a valueless opaque copy 
 of her in the sketch. 
 
 The happy and beautiful name which heads this article 
 belongs to one who was born May 10, 1858, in Athens, 
 Ga., the " classic city of the South," yet with all its 
 
THE BLACK SIDE. 237 
 
 beauty and happiness, it fails to give us an idea of the re- 
 markable energy and brave persistency of character of 
 which Mrs. Obedia Cecile Brown Carter is the possessor. 
 She is the daughter of Mr. John Wesley and Harriet 
 Brown (deceased), of Athens, Ga., and granddaugh- 
 ter of the venerable Rev. Robert Brown, of Athens, Ga. 
 Mrs. O. C. B. Carter was married at the age of eighteen, 
 in the year, A. D. 1876, to Rev. E. R. Carter, now the 
 pastor of Friendship Baptist Church, of Atlanta, Ga. At 
 the time of her marriage, she knew not Christ as her Re- 
 deemer, but after being elected President of the West 
 Atlanta Woman's Christian Temperance Union in 1888, she 
 sought earnestly to know the Lord as her Redeemer, and 
 was converted several days previous to the time she was to 
 preside over that Christian body of women. She there- 
 after held the position of President for more than two 
 years, much to the delight of her many admiring friends, 
 and is now Vice-President of the same local union, as 
 well as Superintendent of Prison and Jail work, assist- 
 ant Superintendent of Evangelistic work, and has been 
 Treasurer of the State Woman's Christian Temperance 
 Union (subject to re-election) 'ever since 1892. Her 
 value in this Christian work cannot be estimated, as she 
 is and has ever been an untiring laborer, ever doing and 
 saying such things as will eventually assist in the dethron- 
 ing of the demon rum. She received her education at 
 Knox's Institute in the city of Athens ; said education has 
 caused her to fill with honor and accuracy the many po- 
 sitions she now occupies, and when she is called from 
 " labor to reward " it will be a difficult matter to find one 
 to take her place. As a local missionary sent out by the 
 church of which her husband is pastor, she is one of 
 those Godly women who never tires in doing work for 
 the advancement of the cause of Christ, going into the 
 highways and hedges on errands of mercy, ever adminis- 
 
238 THE BLACK SIDE. 
 
 tering to the sick, poor and needy. Just such things that 
 give life and strength to the soul and food and raiment 
 for the body, and thus making for herself a reputation as 
 a modern Dorcas, worthy of commendation and emula- 
 tion. As a member of her husband's church, she is 
 greatly beloved, especially by the juvenile members of 
 the church, as it is with them she labors most assidu- 
 ously, ever remembering that the future of our race de- 
 pends very largely upon what the boys and girls of 
 to-day will prove to be in the to-morrows of the future, 
 when men and women will be wanted to fill the place of 
 those who are to-day making "foot-prints in the sands of 
 time," that cannot be erased and are " in the broad field 
 of battle," proving themselves to be heroes and heroines, 
 like the subject of our sketch, in this strife. She is also 
 the President of the "Woman's Fireside School " and 
 " Bible Band " of Friendship Baptist Church. The ob- 
 ject of this band, which she is carrying out in a most 
 beautiful manner, is to cause, if possible, the reading of 
 the Bible in the homes of the members, at least once a day, 
 and bring about the much needed practice of praying in 
 the homes of many mothers, whose children know not 
 what it is to hear their parents pray. Last, but not least, 
 one of the most loveable and praiseworthy traits of this 
 grand woman, is her devotion to her husband and children. 
 As a wife and a mother, she is a model, one ever worthy 
 of commendation. When either one of the members of her 
 family are in pain or sorrow, she it is who ever adminis- 
 ters to their wants and necessities, with untiring care, dur- 
 ing the wee small hours of the lonely night, and the heated 
 or cold hours of the day. Her trust, love and respect for 
 her husband is all that any one could wish, as she 
 " Never doubts his fidelity, 
 Never thinks his heart untrue, 
 But, trusts him fully, trusts him freely, 
 Even as he has trusted her." 
 
THE BLACK SIDE. 230 
 
 MITCHELL ST. PUBLIC SCHOOL. 
 
 ALICE D. GARY, PRINCIPAL. 
 
 Early in the month of July, i8&2, not far from the cor- 
 ner of Maple and Mitchell streets, the sound of nail and 
 hammer was heard, which attracted the attention of the 
 passersby and neighbors as well. 
 
 It was not very long ere it was generally known that 
 there was to be erected on that spot a building to be used 
 exclusively for the colored youth. 
 
 For two months the erection of this building was- 
 watched with much interest and anxiety by many, and 
 when the appointed day for opening came, the first noon 
 in September, 1882, the house was packed with children 
 eager to get a seat in this new building. 
 
 Many parents came with their little ones, and each in- 
 sisted that their children should be favored with a seat. 
 
 The parents' friends and children listened to an encour- 
 aging and pointed speech from the superintendent, Maj. 
 W. F. Slaton, after which the work of seating and grad- 
 ing was done by the corps of teachers then employed for 
 that year, viz. : Prof. H. L. Walker, Misses C. E. Jones, 
 Helen Coles, E. M. Towrfsley, I. M. Clarke, L. Easley,, 
 Julia M. Tooke and E. M. Thomas. 
 
 It was not many days before the school was in good 
 working order and continued throughout the year, and 
 at its close the teachers expressed themselves satisfied 
 with the year's work, and showed an annual report of 
 493 pupils. 
 
 Mitchell Street School has been in session twelve years, 
 has had eight principals, viz. : Prof. H. L. Walker, Rev. E- 
 P.Johnson, Profs. E. A. Johnson, C. W. Hill, T. A. John- 
 son, P. A. Allen, Rev. F. G. Snelson and Mrs. Alice D, 
 
240 THE BLACK SIDE. 
 
 Gary; .with twenty-four assistant teachers; of this twenty- 
 four two have crossed the river of death, Mrs. Katie 
 (Short) Wright and Mrs. Ella M. (Townsley) Pitts; 
 twelve of them have crossed the river of mantrim'ony 
 and living in comfortable homes of their own; the re- 
 maining nine are still teachers. 
 
 You will observe that during these twelve years there 
 have been almost a principal for each year. No school 
 in the public schools of Atlanta has had so many; yet 
 she has, despite the many changes and obstacles, braved 
 the tide, and to-day we find her firm and sailing smoothly 
 over them, and promises a still brighter future. Last 
 year's enrollment was 450; per cent, of attendance, 96.8. 
 
 It is with much delight I recognize the fact that four 
 of the teachers now teaching in the public schools were 
 pupils of Mitchell Street School, and finished from that 
 school with credit. Two of them, Misses A. Boswell 
 and W. E. Keller, are now employed as teachers in the 
 same building they were seated as pupils in 1882; of the 
 other two, Misses R. Keiths, is teaching at Summer 
 Hill school; Miss H. Studivant at Roach; and she hopes 
 ere many more years have passed to have as many or 
 more of her pupils employed as teachers in some one of 
 the public schools. * 
 
 I do not feel that a sketch of Mitchell Street School 
 would be complete without the mentioning of our faithful 
 janitor, Mr. Pat. Heard. He was with the school in its 
 infancv, and performed his duties with faithfulness and 
 credit, until sickness laid hands on him and bade him 
 cease work and be nursed by its grim hands, but ere it 
 had long held him, death relieved him and bade him go 
 where there would be no more pain or death. 
 
THE BLACK SIDE. 241 
 
 BETHLEHEM BAPTIST CHURCH. 
 
 REV. EDWARD SMITH, PASTOR. 
 
 This little church is one of the most enterprising 
 churches in the city. The people who compose it are a 
 people of most untiring zeal ever gathered in any one 
 place for the purpose of keeping house for God. They 
 are in spirit and activity a perfect bee-hive so earnestly 
 are they about their Master's work. 
 
 There are a number of churches that have larger mem- 
 berships and larger houses, and more embelished with 
 the beauties of artistical paintings, in which to worship, 
 but none more ardent and zealous for the advancement 
 of the Master's kingdom than this grand little band of 
 disciples. 
 
 They pride themselves in doing whatever the pastor, 
 Rev. Edward Smith, assign to their hands to do. He 
 only has to speak and it is done; to' command, and his 
 people go forward to carry out his orders. 
 
 At this point we will give a few names of some of the 
 most faithful, active and eminent members f this 
 church : 
 
 G. W. Person, Benjamin Pierson, Armus Weaver,' 
 Wm. Armps, Dora Norwood, Emma Fletcher, Lucy 
 Brown, Sarah Beatle, Mary Arnold, Ida Thomas, Martha 
 Weaver, Eliza Suttles, Nancy Dura, Josh Mathews, Julia 
 Washington, and a host of others that this limited space 
 would not allow us to name. 
 
 This church was organized March, 1879. The council 
 was composed of Revs. G. W. Gwin, D.D., Jerry M. 
 Jones, and Rev. Dorsey, with twenty-five members. 
 
 Since the day of its organization it has passed through 
 many vicissitudes, but the Lord has heard their prayers 
 
 16 
 
242 .THE BLACK SIDE. 
 
 and they have accomplished great good since the day of 
 their organization. 
 
 The church now has a beautiful set of working young 
 men and women, who are always active in entertain- 
 ments and mission bands, and thus aiding and keeping 
 alive the church. They have had in a very short dura- 
 tion, eight pastors. 
 
 In 1889 the church extended a call to the present pas- 
 tor, Rev. Edward Smith, and all that we have spoken of 
 this church in the way of activity and work, is due en- 
 tirely to the untiring zeal and energy of this noble man. 
 Its membership has grown greatly under his care. At 
 the time he accepted the call there were only about fifty 
 in number; from that time up to the present, the church 
 has increased on an average of seventy-five a year the 
 membership now being five hundred. On account of 
 this rapid increase, this good people have been obliged to 
 enlarge their house of worship. The value of the prop- 
 erty has also increased under his ministry from five hun- 
 dred to three thousand nine hundred dollars. 
 
 Rev. Smith is a bright, intelligent and able preacher 
 clear-headed, kind-hearted and generous. No man de- 
 serves more credit from this people than Rev. Edward 
 Smith. He has done more in that part of the city for the 
 Baptist cause and the kingdom of our Master than any 
 other man could possibly have done. 
 
 They have given cheerfully to the mission and educa- 
 tional work whenever it was their duty to do so. 
 
 Be it said of this noble, generous-hearted preacher of 
 the gospel, that he has done well. 
 
THE BLACK SIDE. 243 
 
 FIRST COLORED BAPTIST CHURCH OF 
 ATLANTA, 
 
 KNOWN AS THE FRIENDSHIP BAPTIST CHURCH. 
 
 There is no church in the city that is more worthy of 
 the highest honor, praise and recognition among all the 
 Baptist churches that are in the city, from the point of 
 view that she has done more to inspire and to provoke 
 the other churches to good works and to set up a stand- 
 ard of model preaching and worship. She has done 
 more by the way of rendering her building to the edu- 
 cational service to the Negroes of Georgia than any 
 other church in the city or State. 
 
 This church was organized by Rev. Frank Quarles, 
 in 1868, and consisted at that time of twenty-five mem- 
 bers. 
 
 In 1 88 1, at the close of the eventful pastor ate^>f Rev. 
 Frank Quarles, it numbered about fifteen hundred. It 
 had its beginning in a car-box, in the northeast part of. 
 the city, on Walton street, and after several changes as 
 to location and house, a lot was finally bought on the 
 corner of Haynes and Mitchell streets, where, under the 
 leadership of Rev. Frank Quarles, a very large and 
 commodious house of worship, 46 x 100 feet, was 
 erected. But when the first pastor, Rev. Frank Quarles, 
 died, a large debt of $3,000, created in the erection of 
 the house, was still unprovided for. But when Rev. 
 E. R. Carter took charge of the congregation the debt 
 was soon paid, and interior improvements, costing about 
 $2,500, were made to the church and paid promptly- 
 making the property now worth $60,000. 
 
 Since the Rev. E. R. Carter accepted the pastorate 
 of Friendship Baptist Church the growth- in membership, 
 strength and influence has been so marked that now this 
 
244 THE BLACK SIDE. 
 
 is considered the second strongest, numerically and finan- 
 cially, of any colored Baptist church of organization in 
 the State. 
 
 To-day his membership numbers 2,500 souls, and is 
 increasing at the rate of nearly one hundred baptisms 
 annually, besides those received by letter and other 
 methods of Baptist usage. 
 
 The damp basement story of this church was the 
 birthplace of Spelman Seminary, which is now one of 
 the largest and most reputable schools on the continent. 
 
 The organization, growth and usefulness of this 
 church have been remarkable, evidencing most conclu- 
 sively the fact that God's guiding hand has directed its 
 course and blessed its labor. 
 
 While its first pastor was a devout Christian and de- 
 voted his life and energies to the interest of this church, 
 God again displayed the hand of a wise Providence 
 when R^v. E. R. Carter, although an obscure young 
 man, was called to fill the pulpit, so ably occupied by the 
 former pastor. 
 
 The present pastor, E. R. Carter, is one of the most 
 remarkable men (regardless of color) of the present 
 century. His native ability, present intellectual attain- 
 ments, coupled with the great work he has accomplished 
 and the traveling he has done, makes him as a prodigy 
 in the estimation of those familiar with all the facts con- 
 nected with his brief but eventful life of usefulness. 
 
 This church, under the wise leadership of Rev. Carter, 
 has given largely to educational and missionary work, 
 and secured and now maintains a home, where its old 
 and decrepit members can be and are cared for by the 
 gifts and appropriations made by a society known as the 
 " Ninety-and-Nine." 
 
 R.ev. Carter was born in Athens, Ga., and while there 
 is no record as to the exact date of his birth, it is 
 
THE BLACK SIDE. 245 
 
 thought that he is now about thirty-five years old. His 
 was an uneventful life up to 1879, exce pt tne honest 
 fight he made in ignorance and poverty, always hoping 
 and longing for an opportunity and striving for means 
 to educate himself. 
 
 He was married in early life, and an afflicted wife for 
 five long years added to the obstacles in the way to ed- 
 ucation. But she was a true, patient woman, and when 
 her health was restored, greatly aided him in his efforts 
 to attain the great desired boon, an education. 
 
 In 1879 he entered the Atlanta Baptist Theological 
 Seminary, from which institution he graduated after 
 years of privation and battling with poverty. He actu- 
 ally did the washing for himself and family, and worked 
 some each day in a shoe-shop, in order to make his way 
 through college. His first call to the charge of a church 
 was at Stone Mountain, at $8.00 per month, $32.00 of 
 which is still unpaid and due him. 
 
 During his year of ministry at Stone Mountain twenty- 
 five souls were converted, and from this number some 
 promising preachers, missionaries and brag scholars .of 
 Spelman Seminary, have developed. 
 
 In addition to the great work he has done as a min- 
 ister of the gospel and advocate of prohibition, he has 
 found time to write a book, entitled "Our Pulpit," 
 which was published in 1890. He has recently written 
 a book entitled " Descriptive Scenes of Europe and the 
 Orient," which is now ready for publication. 
 
 Rev. Carter has traveled very extensively, both in the 
 Old and New World. He made his first trip to Europe 
 in 1888. The object of this journey through the old 
 country was to extend his information and render prac- 
 tical the extensive reading he has done. 
 
 The object of his second trip, in 1891, across the 
 great waters was to familiarize himself with the historic 
 
246 THE BLACK SIDE. 
 
 scenes recited in Biblical history, to better prepare him- 
 self for his life-work that of teaching his race the way 
 of eternal life. While making these trips in the orient 
 he traveled in Egypt, Asia, Syria, Italy, France, Ger- 
 many, Switzerland, Belgium, Ireland, England and Asia 
 Minor, thus having traveled extensively throughout the 
 Old as well as the New World, because he has visited 
 and labored in nearly every State in the Union and in 
 Canada. We doubt that such a record has ever been 
 made by any man living or dead, white or black, on this 
 continent, in so brief a time. 
 
 Nine years ago he could not write, but now he is a Greek, 
 French, Hebrew and English scholar, and has some prac- 
 tical knowledge of the Latin and German languages. 
 
 In addition to all the work and travel mentioned 
 above, he edited the colored Baptist paper of the State, 
 served as Grand Worthy Chief Templar of the State, 
 Vice-President of the Georgia State Baptist Sunday- 
 school Convention, and was a member of the Centen- 
 nial Committee of the colored Baptists of the State of 
 Georgia. 
 
 He made himself a hero in two prohibition campaigns, 
 and has lectured in many prominent cities, on various 
 occasions and subjects. 
 
 Be it said to his credit, that all this has been accom- 
 plished in the last nine brief years. He is an orator 
 and theological student and scholar, linguist and author, 
 and a born leader of his race. 
 
 WHEAT STREET BAPTIST CHURCH. 
 
 The Wheat Street Baptist Church is one of the most 
 elegant and neatly arranged that is in the city. It has a 
 seating capacity of about one thousand . Its floor is that 
 
THE BLACK SIDE. 247 
 
 of an incline plane, slanting from the door to the pulpit. 
 It has a splendid swinging or self-supporting gallery that 
 is most charmingly situated in the front entrance, a stair- 
 way going from the vestibule which leads into it. The 
 windows are of beautiful cathedral glass of variegated 
 colors, costing in the neighborhood of eight or nine hun- 
 dred dollars. Its walls are covered with the most exquisite 
 and rarest kind of wall paper for church services. Its pulpit 
 is the model style and is situated in the rear end of the 
 house with just above a nicely and very beautifully ar- 
 ranged apartment, something like a small gallery, where 
 the choir sit. Up in this apartment is a splendid pipe 
 organ whose appearance and beauty add much to the em- 
 belished character of the house. 
 
 The choir ranks as equal to any in the city, and is 
 composed of the best class of people. 
 
 The church is beautifully lighted with the latest style 
 chandelier gas lamps. Its baptistary is conveniently 
 arranged underneath the pulpit. It is very agreeably 
 heated by a furnace having five registers, one in the front 
 of rostus and two on each side. It has a basement which 
 they use for society meetings, church conferences and 
 other secular meetings. 
 
 This church was organized on the South end of Fort 
 street, in 1870, by Rev. Andrew Jackson and a few of 
 Atlanta's most prominent citizens, who were at that time 
 members of the Friendship Baptist church, the number 
 being only six. The much esteemed Peter Eskridge was 
 one among the number. Rev. Andrew Jackson served 
 this church about four years, and then resigned and went 
 to Mississippi. The church was then without a pastor, 
 and the services of Rev. Henry Brewster were employed 
 until they could secure another pastor. During this time, 
 by some means not known to the writer, this church be- 
 came acquainted with Rev. W. H. Tilman and extended 
 
248 THE BLACK SIDE. 
 
 him a call. The membership at this time was about two 
 hundred. The house of worship, by the power and in- 
 fluence which this venerable minister of the gospel had 
 over the people who came to hear him, was crowded, 
 and the house which they were then using was too small 
 for the people who gathered. The pastor and deacons 
 began to look about for a place more suitable on which 
 to erect a house that would give larger accommodation. 
 In 1880 the site on which the present house of worship 
 now stands, was purchased. 
 
 Deacon Thomas Goosby and Deacon S. Foster were 
 the two men who raised the first amount to purchase the 
 present house of worship. 
 
 Shortly after the purchase of this place, by these two 
 noble brethren, the erection of a far more commodious 
 building was seen going up. 
 
 The lot was valued at two hundred and forty dollars, 
 fronting about seventy feet on Wheat street (now Au- 
 burn Avenue) running back about two hundred on Fort 
 street. On this piece of ground is the above described 
 house. This piece of property is now worth from thirty 
 five hundred to forty hundred, all of which has been 
 paid for. 
 
 It numbers among its members some of the wealthiest 
 colored citizens of Atlanta, and also those of the highest 
 character and eminence of the citizens of Atlanta. Among 
 them are Thomas Goosby, Peter Eskridge, S. Foster, 
 Willis Murphy, Joseph Johnson, W. T. Robinson, Lu- 
 cius Laster, Shadrack Laster, Crawford Austin, Thomas 
 Gray, Columbia King, Mrs. George Foster, Mrs. Mary 
 Goosby- Crumbley, Mrs. Emma Williams, Mrs. Effie 
 Brandon, Henry Dupree, Mrs. Adline Dupree, Mrs. 
 Georgia McGhee, Crawford McGhee, Elbert Roberts, 
 Mrs. Mary Smith, Martha Hayes, Hattie Eskridge, Mrs. 
 Caroline Badger, Mrs. Mary Gipson, Mr. J. S. Brandon. 
 
WHEAT STREET BAPTIST CHURCH. 
 
THE BLACK SIDE. 249 
 
 This list of names embraces some of the noblest citi- 
 zens, in character, wealth and honor, in the city of At- 
 lanta. Any church would be honored for having such 
 a corps of citizens for its members. 
 
 The name was originally Mt. Pleasant which was then 
 in a common wooden building and when moved to Wheat 
 street they changed its name to Wheat Street Baptist 
 Church, taking its name after the street, but since the 
 existence of this beautiful building the name of the 
 street has been changed to Auburn Avenue, so that the 
 name of the church now stands as the Auburn Avenue 
 Baptist Church. So well has this church succeeded under 
 'the grand leadership of its noble and much esteemed 
 pastor, it has grown from two hundred to fourteen hun- 
 dred in number. 
 
 This grand and noble man has done a great and noble 
 work. Too much cannot be said of this great worker in 
 Israel. He makes no pretention to scholarship. He has 
 been moderator of the Ebenezer Baptist Association 
 for eight years. He served as vice-presidertt for some 
 years of the Foreign Mission Baptist Convention for the 
 State of Georgia. 
 
 The cost of this building erected by the present pastor, 
 Rev. W.H.Tilman, is twenty thousand dollars. Within the 
 pale of this church there are a number of live societies oper- 
 ating for the good of tne church and its members. Among 
 them are the Sisters or Love, the Rising Star, of which 
 Mrs. Jennie Eskridge has been so faithful a president. 
 There are also the Aiding Brothers of JLove, the Wo- 
 man's Mission, which does work both in city and State, 
 This society has done much in the way of relieving wid- 
 ows and the poor little orphan children. Miss Hattie 
 Eskridge, a most faithful and energetic woman, is its 
 president. There is also the Sunday-school, of which 
 
250 THE BLACK SIDE. 
 
 Mr. J. S. Brandon has been superintendent for the last 
 six years. 
 
 Much of the. success of this good and great church 
 is due to its charitable spirit and its broad hearted pastor. 
 
PAPERS READ 
 
 AT THE 
 
 TWELFTH ANNIVERSARY 
 
 OF THE 
 
 AUTHOR'S WORK AS PASTOR 
 
 OF 
 
 FRIENDSHIP BAPTIST CHURCH, 
 
 ATLANTA, GA. 
 
THE CALL. 
 
 
 
 BY MISS U. E. CRAWFORD, TEACHER IN FOURTH WARD 
 
 SCHOOL. 
 
 When the throne of England or any of the great 
 powers of foreign nations have been deprived of their 
 king or queen, their subjects are never at a loss to know 
 who will be their next ruler, as these offices are filled ac- 
 cording to birth or hereditarily. 
 
 When the head of the American nation has been re- 
 moved, either by death or expiration of term, the atten- 
 tion of every true American citizen is turned to the city 
 of executive power and the all important question of 
 the day then is, who shall take his place ? Who shall 
 stand at the head of this great nation? 
 
 The same question may be asked by each individual 
 State in reference to her Governor, the city in reference 
 to its mayor. 
 
 As in politics so it is with institutions of learning and 
 religion. For at the head of all these there must be 
 some one who shall feel the responsibility of all. 
 
 During the declining years of the venerable and much 
 beloved Father Quarles, when his feeble strength would 
 not permit him to fill his own stand, he would often be 
 seen wending his way to the plant bed of the Baptist pul- 
 pit, the Atlanta Baptist Seminary, and draw therefrom 
 a young man in whom he had implicit confidence as a 
 true Christian gentleman, Rev. E. R. Carter, to assist 
 him in his work. And while this young man was ad- 
 ministering the gospel to his congregation, he would sit 
 at his back and invoke God's blessing upon him. 
 
 In the year 1881, after much pressing and hesitation, 
 he consented to go on a mission to the North for the pur- 
 
254 THE BLACK SIDE. 
 
 pose of procuring funds for the erection of the now fa- 
 mous Spelman Seminary. He left Rev. Carter in charge 
 of his church until he returned. But the allwise Father of 
 all saw fit to call him from his- well-harvested field of 
 labor while away on his mission. And though the 
 hearts of his sons and daughters were grieved at the 
 sudden and unexpected death of their beloved father, 
 friend and brother, the question was being asked by each 
 one of them, who shall take his place? What man among 
 us is there who is able to lead this people who have been 
 from their earliest existence under the leadership of so 
 great a man ? In their grief and excitement it had not oc- 
 curred to them the possibility of the man who was serving 
 his apprenticeship, as assistant and supporter of their de- 
 ceased father, was by divine injunction, under a course of 
 preparation, the result of which would be his calling to 
 the pastorate of the church he was then serving. And 
 finally, after a brief consideration, he was unanimously 
 elected pastor of Friendship Baptist church. 
 
 In appearance one may style him a very ordinary look- 
 ing man. In character he is firm in his convictions, wide 
 in his views, generous and sympathetic in nature, frank 
 in his expressions, dares to speak his opinions and acts 
 and moves according to the dictates of his own con- 
 science. 
 
 His ability, while he makes no attempt at display, is 
 well founded. He is a thorough scholar, a deep thinker, 
 eloquent in expression, fluent in language, clear in his 
 conceptions and arrives at conclusions from a logical 
 standpoint. 
 
 He has written several books, among them the u Bap- 
 tist Pulpit," "Scenes Abroad " and " The Black Side of 
 Atlanta," each of which is a masterpiece of thought and 
 ability. 
 
THE BLACK SIDE. 255 
 
 Immediately after taking charge of the church, he was 
 informed of the enormous debt of $1,500 which over- 
 shadowed the church, the interest being one-third of the 
 principal and if not paid would probably dispossess them 
 of their home. He did not simply show them their sad 
 plight, but immediately began to devise plans and ways 
 by which the indebtedness )f the church could be met ; 
 and by his skillful management the debt was soon can- 
 celed, and the hearts of his people rejoiced that they 
 could once more worship under their own vine and fig 
 tree. 
 
 Hardly had this object been accomplished when he 
 inspired them to remodel and beautify the home for 
 which they had paid so dearly. And as usual they took 
 hold with a will. The result of that effort can be seen 
 in the beautiful and delicate designs which adorn these 
 walls ; The displacing of the old pews for the present 
 ones not only gives comfort but adds beauty and capacity; 
 the removal of the breakable and often smoking lamps, 
 for the beautiful and illuminating gas lights ; the large 
 pipe organ which peals forth its sweet strains of music 
 and often causes the congregation to forget church etti- 
 quette in looking back to see from whence the sound 
 came, takes the place of a much inferior one ; and last, 
 but not least, the many souls which have been added to 
 the cause of Christ since his calling. 
 
 The work accomplished up to this time covers the 
 short period of six years, in which time the church has 
 been raised to a higher standard financially, intellectually 
 and religiously. 
 
 In 1891, to show their gratitude and high appreciation 
 for his valuable services and the great work which he 
 had accomplished in so short a time, his congregation 
 extended him an invitation of a tour to the old country, 
 at their expense ; at which time he traveled extensively 
 
256 THE BLACK SIDE. 
 
 through the old world, and visited many points of interest 
 and institutions of learning, where he gained much in- 
 formation of the manners, customs, fashions and religions 
 of the inhabitants of those countries. 
 
 That his mind is ever active and that the interest of 
 his people is always at heart was seen when he showed 
 them the importance of the church becoming the pos- 
 sessor of the valuable piece of property which adjoins 
 them; for had it remained in the hands of some one who 
 perhaps not regarding the absolute necessity of quietude 
 in or near the house of worship, possibly may have 
 erected a beer factory, a coffin factory, or some other 
 establishment which might have been detrimental both to 
 the comfort and value of the church. But instead of 
 any of these objectionable features, there now stands the 
 home of the old saints, where they rest from their labor 
 and the church supports them. 
 
 When we notice the active and ever restless spirit of 
 this man, to move onward and upward, we can but join 
 the poet in saying: 
 
 " Tell me not in mournful numbers, 
 
 Life is but an empty dream, 
 For the soul is dead that slumbers, 
 
 And things are not what they seem." 
 
 Coming to his last great step of which we have any 
 knowledge, of lifting up fallen humanity and furthering 
 the cause of Christ, is the organization of the Missionary 
 Society of a few days ago, in this church, and at the 
 head of which stands one of our noblest and most 
 earnest Christian young women, Miss Agnes Boswell. 
 
 An attempt to explain the good which has been ac- 
 complished by this band of Christian workers, would be 
 but to fail. It is enough to say that many a hungry soul 
 has been fed, the naked clothed, and the word of God 
 read to all. 
 
THE BLACK SIDE. 257 
 
 Too many good things cannot be said of one who is 
 worthy of having a great many good things said of 
 him. But I would not have you understand that while 
 Rev. Carter possesses so many beautiful traits of char- 
 acter, eloquence and ability, that he is without any of 
 the shortcomings which generally befall mankind. It 
 may be true that his demonstrations upon people and 
 things of this life may have been based upon false prem- 
 ises, from which the true results could not be deduced, 
 yet be it said to his honor that in not one single act of his 
 life was he ever known to degrade, to drag down or to 
 crush his fellow-man; but rather to lift up, to elevate, 
 and to encourage some sad heart. 
 
 Like Daniel he has often stood almost alone in protect- 
 ing the unprotected woman. When the beast in human 
 form woirid seek to crush out her life, he has come to her 
 rescue, and in words of force and command say to him: 
 " If you are not guilty, if you can establish your own 
 innocence, cast the first stone." And in nine cases out 
 of ten the casting of stones have been few and far be- 
 tween. 
 
 The W. A. W. C. T. U. tender you their congrat- 
 ulation for the many years you have led this people and 
 the valuable service given them, and especially for the 
 noble stand which you took in the prohibition campaign 
 in saving our sons and daughters from the demon alco- 
 hol, and for God and home and native land. 
 
 May these twelve brief years in which so much work 
 has been crowded, inspire us to do something to make 
 the world better for having lived in it. And though we 
 may not be called to preach, and though we cannot make 
 a speech, we can tell the love of Jesus, we can say he 
 died for all. 
 
 17 
 
258 THE BLACK SIDE. 
 
 BY KEY. J. B. DAVIS, PASTOR OF CENTRAL AFRICAN 
 BAPTIST CHURCH. 
 
 SIR I greatly appreciate the compliment which I am 
 this day enjoying in having the pleasure of meeting with 
 you on this occasion. High, however, as is the honor, I 
 cannot for one moment lose sight of the fact that, in ac- 
 cepting your invitation to speak at this hour, I am like- 
 wise assuming a responsibility which I shall seek to dis- 
 charge with all fairness and earnestness, trusting that the 
 time will come, if not now, in your own life when you 
 shall see that the words which I am about to speak have 
 been verified by your own experience. And the topic 
 which I wish to speak about is " Natural Ability as a 
 Preacher." 
 
 Rev. E. R. Carter, like the Apostle Paul* the great 
 preacher, avails himself of every opportunity to illustrate 
 the truth which he seeks to impress upon the minds of 
 those to whom he preaches or lectures. The Apostle 
 found material which served to illustrate the great truth 
 of the Bible in the Greek games, in the military service, 
 and even the anatomy of the human body furnished him 
 with abundant opportunity to explain his thoughts. He 
 never hesitates for a moment to employ .them, casting 
 aside all idea of criticism and scorning all thought of 
 censure. 
 
 If he wished to speak of the Christian warfare he 
 dressed his thought in the form and garb of the Roman 
 soldier, helmeted and attired in full armor, with weap- 
 ons at hand and shield for defense. So with Rev. E. R. 
 Carter, an educated gentleman, an eminent minister of 
 the gospel, a devoted pastor and a profound, practical 
 thinker. 
 
 From his youth he has been a close observer of every- 
 thing around him, and his audiences have, in his lectures 
 and sermons delivered from this rostrum from time to 
 
THE BLACK SIDE. 259 
 
 time, the result of accumulated years of observation from 
 many standpoints of life on the farm, in the school- 
 room, in business circles, from the pulpit, and in the 1 
 rounds of pastoral visitations extensive knowledge of 
 the Holy Land. His keen perceptives have caught and 
 made a moral diagnosis of every idiosyncrasy and pecul- 
 iarity of character passing before him, and with his 
 wonderful ability and scalpel of caricaturing art, he has 
 dissected them before the world. 
 
 If any one should enjoy the distinction of being origi- 
 nal in the pulpit, it ought to be Rev. E. R. Carter, D.D. 
 His sermons are full of practical every-day life, and 
 with that God-given endowment he moulds from the 
 habits and customs of men a moral and a religious truth. 
 His manner in the pulpit is unique, and attractive to the 
 listener, whether young or old. 
 
 The genius for natural speaking or preaching is inborn 
 and ineradicable with some persons. It is God-given and, 
 like every other natural endowment, it is bestowed for a 
 good purpose. And accompanying his natural ability is 
 wit, of which one has truly said : "Wit is the ally of* 
 truth." 
 
 Bishop H. M. Turner, introducing Rev. E. R. Carter 
 to some gentlemen, said : " Sir, he is as sarcastical as the 
 devil and as complimentary as an angel." Many of the 
 greatest preachers possess wit and humor in a high de- 
 gree. The sparkling and caustic wit of Robert South 
 has brought down his sermons from the seventeenth cen- 
 tury to this day. He was the master of polished sar- 
 casm, impaling an absurdity on the point of an antithesis 
 with a skill never surpassed. Spurgeon's wit is no small 
 element of the popularity which makes him the first 
 preacher of his generation. Beecher's wit was irrepress- 
 ible and brilliant, and did much toward making the Ply- 
 
260 THE BLACK SIDE. 
 
 mouth pulpit in Brooklyn so irresistibly attractive to 
 crowded and cultured audiences for so many decades. 
 
 The same quality is found in Carter, in connection with 
 his astonishing powers as a word painter and theological 
 preacher. It was the natural ability and wit of Carter's 
 that has so indescribably shaken one side of these United 
 States during the recent prohibition campaign. One of 
 the daily papers published in Indianapolis, October 3, 
 1889, speaking of the ability of ^ ev - Carter, said: "Rev. 
 E. R. Carter, who preached on a recent Lord's day at 
 the North church, is pastor of a colored Baptist church 
 in Atlanta, numbering twenty-five hundred members. He 
 was at the time in attendance here upon the national 
 meeting of our colored Baptists." 
 
 He is a preacher of ability and a graduate of our Home 
 Mission Seminary at Atlanta. He is clear-headed, manly, 
 of bright intellect, and has had the advantage of traveling 
 very extensively in Europe. 
 
 During the late prohibition campaign in this State, 
 Rev. Carter received an invitation to come forthwith to 
 Monroe, Ga., to deliver a prohibition speech. After 
 many of Georgia's eminent sons had spoken, he was 
 called upon, and, after a brilliant ray of words in illustra- 
 tion of the suffering and misery derived from the use of 
 accursed traffic in liquor, the infernal fire-water, that 
 burns and scorches out all that is noble and grand in 
 humanity. After he had concluded his speech, the gen- 
 tleman who had invited him there to speak, rose up 
 and said, that " there never was such a speech made in 
 this court house since Monroe has been a Monroe ." 
 
 Dr. Geo. A. Lofton, of Alabama, in referring to the 
 defeat sustained by the Prohibition party in the last Pro- 
 hibition campaign, held in this magnificent city, said : 
 " What more could have been done to save the city than 
 was done. There is Hawthorne, Grady, Hillyer and 
 
THE BLACK SIDE. 261 
 
 Carter, Atlanta's true sons, have done their duty." I see 
 a sketch of his life written by Dr. J. W. Lee, of this city, 
 in which he said: "Rev. E. R. Carter commands the 
 highest respect and admiration, not only of his own 
 church and denomination, but of all churches and all 
 classes of our people." He is original and unique. His 
 wit and humor are of the freshest and most irresistible 
 kind. His way of putting this is peculiarly striking and 
 entertaining. Perhaps he has most prominently come 
 before the people outside of his own denomination in con- 
 nection with his work for the cause of Prohibition. 
 When his natural ability became so conspicuous in 1885, 
 during the first great uprising on the subject of Prohibi- 
 tion, in which he so valliantly fought, he was invited to 
 Richmond, Va., Mississippi, South Carolina, Alabama 
 and Indiana. His speech in Richmond, Va., excited a 
 great deal of attention. Bishop Turner said that while 
 it was being delivered, he thought he caught sight of the 
 very pit as Carter uncovered the meanness of the whisky 
 traffic. 
 
 So Dr. Lee says there was something however, about 
 the man that went deeper than his speeches. It was his 
 life and bearing. He was threatened, he was persecuted ; 
 the pressure brought to bear upon him to weaken his 
 purpose, was heavy. This only seemed to furnish 
 strength to his zeal and determination. Perhaps it will 
 be universally conceded that if an election was taken in 
 this city as to who was the greatest hero in the prohibi- 
 tion campaign of 1887, E. R. Carter would receive almost 
 the unanimous vote. No man among us met more? 
 overcame more than he did. Hon. Pringle, the repre- 
 sentative of the Georgia Legislature, has these words in 
 the Augusta Chronicle : 
 
 "Among the gentlemen who spoke here to-day I would 
 be guilty of gross injustice were^I to rate Rev. E. R. 
 
262 THE BLACK SIDE. 
 
 Carter, pastor of Friendship Baptist church, second to 
 any. At times he dived down into the purest African 
 dialect and showed ability without education; ere he had 
 done this, he soared to the loftiest heights of purest elo- 
 quence and diction. Few men have the power as this man" 
 
 Rising from the mechanic's bench, and as much as St. 
 Paul the master of a trade, he respected labor and laborers 
 first salutes him with honors. He speaks to them and 
 for them, and they are proud of him. If he exaltes their 
 destiny, he does not refrain from exposing their faults 
 If they are intemperate, he denounces not them, but in- 
 temperance. If they are idlesome he set them an exam- 
 ple of unflagging industry. If they are illiterate, he 
 shows how some knowledge had been gained by the 
 evening blaze of tallow candles and by the light which 
 breaks through the crevices of the early morning. 
 
 In his sermons he never has been betrayed into any 
 ambitious use of language, and seldom decorated any- 
 thing with borrowed scraps. Pilate and Herod struck 
 hands, but the brave heart of Carter, strong from con- 
 tinous struggle, flinches in no wise from the task self-im- 
 posed and self-sustained. 
 
 God grant that you might live to see the dead carcass 
 of the great wrong of intemperance buried forever out of 
 the sight of man, and the once blackened besom of the 
 great Christiandom, pure again from that ancient sin. 
 May you live to do more in this spiritual struggle, amel- 
 iorating the condition of humanity, both temporally, in- 
 terlectually and morally. 
 
 Sin, the enemy of equity, justice and right, is as the 
 colossal forces that shook our broad land, and made its 
 earth-fast foundation tremble with the steps of uncounted 
 hosts. 
 
 Sir, this world needs men like yourself who can get the 
 great truths out of th'e Bible, and give it in child-like 
 simplicity to a dying world 
 
THE BLACK SIDE. 263 
 
 AS I HAVE SEEN HIM. 
 
 BY PKOF? W. E. HOLMES, A.M. 
 
 Rev. Edward R. Carter was called to the pastorate 
 of Friendship Baptist church April n, 1882, where he 
 has served with acceptance these twelve years. 
 
 FINANCIAL WORK. 
 
 On coming into the work he was greatly surprised to 
 learn that a debt of two thousand dollars rested upon 
 the building, this amount having been borrowed from 
 the American Baptist Home Mission Society of New 
 York City to aid in erecting this place of worship. 
 
 Besides this, there were several obligations of smaller 
 sums here and there to be met in the city. 
 
 The members were told the condition of affairs, and 
 they went to work cheerfully and promptly to lift from 
 their shoulders this load of debt which had been in- 
 curred in providing them with a church home and in op- 
 erating it after completion. 
 
 Appeal after appeal was made with the most gratify- 
 ing results. Collection after collection in a remarkably 
 short time' liquidated all the debts, and the church stood 
 free and untrammeled to advance the cause of Christ. 
 
 With a view to encouraging the people and to con- 
 gratulate them upon the success of their efforts, a large 
 and enthusiastic meeting was held, before which an in- 
 teresting programme of speech and song was carried 
 out to the delight of the entire audience. 
 
 'The building was decorated, and in a conspicuous 
 place was displayed the legend, "Free From Debt." 
 Thus discharged of all its obligations, the church has 
 since been prosperous in an eminent degree in every- 
 thing it has undertaken. 
 
264 THE BLACK SIDE. 
 
 MATERIAL PROGRESS. 
 
 Having an eye for the beautiful as well as the useful, 
 under the direction of the pastor the building has been 
 beautified within and improved without. 
 
 To enable everybody to see what is going on in front, 
 the floor has been elevated at the doors and lowered at 
 the rear; the pulpit has been enlarged, and on the arch 
 above it, in prominent characters, is the statement from 
 Scripture : a He that believeth and is baptized shall be 
 saved." Beautiful cathedral windows take the place of 
 the plain, unpretentious sash, and frescoed walls give 
 evidence of cultivated taste, while from afar a roof of 
 slate glitters in the summer sun. 
 
 Desiring to lengthen her cords and strengthen her 
 stakes, the church has undertaken, on property of her 
 own, representing an outlay of fifteen hundred dollars, 
 to provide for her worthy, indigent poor. And now, 
 while we speak, a number there are beneficiaries of her 
 charity. 
 
 RELATIONS BETWEEN PASTOR AND PEOPLE. 
 
 No where can beneficial results be reached without 
 hearty co-operation, concert of action and the closest 
 cordial relations. And eminently true is this of the re- 
 lations between pastor and people. In Friendship this 
 has been repeatedly illustrated. 
 
 From the day Mr. Carter was elected to this pastorate 
 to this hour, there has always been the " Faithful Few " 
 to confer with their pastor concerning the interests of 
 the church, to unite with him in furthering the success 
 of Zion, and to strengthen his hands and encourage his 
 heart all the time and everywhere. 
 
 Nor have they been slow to give liberally of their 
 means to enhance his happiness and promote his welfare. 
 
 At the suggestion of one of his sincerest friends, they 
 
THE BLACK SIDE. J65 
 
 have several times sent him North to spend vacation, 
 and twice they have sent him abroad to revel in the 
 beauties of other lands and to gather information for in- 
 creased usefulness at home. So far as known, they took 
 the initiative in this worthy, generous step. 
 
 SPIRITUAL RESULTS. 
 
 So much for material results and general success. 
 But the noblest, the most enduring, and by far the most 
 signal success, has been in the realm of grace. 
 
 Anxious to add to the excellent work already begun 
 and so ably carried forward, the new pastor began at 
 once to labor for souls for the Master, and in this line of 
 endeavor he has brought much to pass. Ninety persons 
 every year eleven hundred the entire time have come 
 into the church as the result of his earnest labors. 
 
 And what more shall I say? The crown of his re- 
 joicing is bright, shining as the sun, and when in the 
 presence of our Redeemer, where are joys forever 
 more, he shall be called to receive it; he will be wel- 
 comed with the salutation : x "Well done, thou faitlrful 
 servant; enter thou into th*e joys of thy Lord." 
 
 HIS ABILITY AS A HERO IN THE TEMPER- 
 ANCE CAUSE. 
 
 BY LEWIS COX. 
 
 There has been much said as to the cause of temper- 
 ance reigning in this section of this country. There have 
 been a good many plans on foot to oust intempefance ; 
 many speeches have been made by our best citizens, who 
 have lost many a sleepless night planning and arranging 
 as to how we shall take advantage of this monster. 
 
266 THE BLACK SIDE. 
 
 % 
 
 Among some of our most eloquent was the Hon. H. W. 
 Grady, who now sleeps beneath the clods awaiting the 
 final judgment, when the Lord shall say unto those who 
 have done good unto the resurrection, " Come ye blessed 
 of my Father;" Hon. George Hillyer, the Hammonds, 
 Sam Jones, Sam Small, Dr. Morrison, Dr. J. B. Hawthorne, 
 Captain Milledge, Captain Harry Jackson, Alex Smith 
 and D. L: Moody. 
 
 Thus we see one among the Anglo-Saxon race who 
 maneuvered the campaign fields and could always 
 locate the enemy, was Mr. H. W. Grady, who seemed to 
 be first and foremost in planning for his people. Many 
 laurels he has won for his race, and yet to remember him 
 the people of Atlanta have set up a monument in a 
 street of Atlanta that all who pass by that way may be 
 reminded of the great hero who once lived and did so 
 much for the elevating of his race. 
 
 And last, but not least among the great men of our 
 race who did what they could in promoting the cause 
 was Rev. E. R. Carter, Bishop Gaines, Bishop Turner 
 John W. Young, who now sleeps beneath the clods, and 
 Granderson, Price, the great negro historian who by 
 his eloquence won for himself and race many honors. 
 Both white and black pronounce him an orator, but the 
 Lord has taken this great man away through his provi- 
 dence to live with the just men made perfect. 
 
 Among the many speakers among our people there 
 seems to be one distinguished from the rest, whose mo- 
 tive in life is to make a mark that unborn generation who 
 shall come after him will see his foot prints on the sands of 
 time, and will know from reading history that the great 
 temperance hero lived. This great hero is in the person 
 of our distinguished pastor and orator, Rev. E. R. Carter, 
 whose aim in life is to promote his race, and whose 
 greatest ambition is to see his people prosper and to do 
 
THE BLACK SIDE. 267 
 
 f 
 
 everything in his power to elevate them to a higher stand- 
 ard in life. In fact, he is a model preacher, who has 
 studied extensively and knows exactly what good thing 
 to give his people. As a maneuverer in the gospel min- 
 istry he has no equal. A man for this day, has written 
 extensively. 
 
 First, " Our Pulpit Illustrated," a book worthy to be 
 in any house; second, a book known as the " Black Side 
 of Atlanta," that is now in the press, and still another 
 called "Descriptive Scenes of Europe and the Orient." 
 
 Thus you see the time he has spent in preparing good 
 literature and money too cannot be compared with the 
 glory that shall be revealed e'er he's gone. 
 
 Let us as young and old ones too throw our arms 
 around such a man and show him that we as a race ex- 
 pect to stick up to our race and honor them to whom 
 honor is due, then -we can say as one has said, United we 
 stand, but divided we fall. 
 
 So powerful and influential was the speeches that they 
 were stereotyped and sent all over this State and other 
 States in the Union as a standard and temperance com- 
 paign document. Thus by the power of the press his 
 speeches on this great subject has gone nearly the round 
 of America, into nearly every family, and has done much 
 to shape and mold the great and powerful sentiment of 
 temperance in this great nation. From the compliments 
 and eulogies which the papers of this country have paid to 
 our pastor, I think I can be. warranted to say that there 
 is no man, living or dead, that has undergone more to 
 glorify the temperance cause and to battle down the 
 strong hold of the traffic in liquor, than the man whose 
 twelfth anniversary we meet here to-day from all over 
 this beautiful city to celebrate. 
 
 We may, reviewing things as we do of the past, 
 truthfully and rightfully entitle him, as the Dow of 
 the Negro race in the temperance cause. 
 
268 THE BLACK SIDE. 
 
 And may God grant that from the heroism that has 
 been displayed in our pastor from this pulpit and nearly 
 every rostrum and platform and stump in this State and 
 other States, so inspire and enthuse and mold and form in 
 every man and woman that here is to-day to catch on fire 
 from this hero and rise to that eminence that will make 
 them a blessing to home, to God and native land. 
 
 A PURPOSE AND WILL. 
 
 BY MISS SAKAH DOZIER, TEACHER IN THIRD WARD 
 
 SCHOOL. 
 
 There may be somewhere on the globe, men who have 
 made themselves conspicuous to the world's eye as men 
 of prominence, of interest and wealth who started out 
 without a Purpvse and Will in life, men who have rowed 
 their life-boat at random, men who have truly reached 
 the top, but how few men have climbed the ladder of 
 fame and prosperity, beginning with the round that 
 rested upon the ground to the one that leans against the 
 highest summit of human ambition, were men who had 
 marked out for themselves in life this motto, " A Purpose 
 and Will." 
 
 A purpose and will means nothing more than a fixed 
 destination. This all men should have, for it gives one more 
 zeal, makes him courageous, makes him indeed a warrior 
 for the fixed purpose, and like the eagle which seeks ta 
 rise above the mighty thunder storm, struggles, battles 
 and wrestles with the mighty winds (all the while with his 
 head upturned as if desirious of fixing his eye on the 
 goal), and screams only when he has proven to himself 
 at least that he had a << purpose and will," when he can 
 calmly spread his pinions and sail above the storm. 
 
THE BLACK SIDE. 269 
 
 Not that the same person may become successful in all 
 occupations in life, but it is enough that success is 
 achieved in a single occupation, proves much to that 
 man. He deserves well of his fellowmen and may justly 
 respect himself. He had in life mapped out a purpose and 
 will and accomplished it. 
 
 This man, though young in years, recognizing the 
 divine call, without a thought of self, and a heart full of 
 love for God and mankind, has proved beyond a contra- 
 diction that He, without whose knowledge a sparrow 
 cannot fall, takes care of His own. He seemed to have, 
 realized that the highest success is achieved by making 
 the most of one's powers and opportunities. He works 
 in accordance with the will of the Master, and when dif- 
 ficulties confront him, they vanish before him as do the 
 mists from the morning sun. But to the limited advan- 
 tage for intellectual improvement, he has accomplished 
 infinitely more by force of his natural abilities than have 
 many who have ample stores of useful information. 
 
 Out of the material furnished and in accomplishing the 
 controlling purpose of life, he has placed himself where 
 he now stands. He has been advanced from one position 
 to another, in each of them showing himself capable of 
 meeting the demands made upon him. , 
 
 His aim is high, and to help him reach it, he has availed 
 himself of all the help, in the way of learning that were 
 accessible; he has read only to learn more emphatically 
 that God made all men to be brethren and that Christ 
 gave as the sum total of his doctrine, that they should 
 love one another. Let us take a view of the past twelve 
 years of his life, when he first became pastor of this 
 church. Just think a church of fifteen hundred members, 
 a pulpit left vacant by the death of its dearly beloved 
 pastor, he stepped in as a son taking up the great work ? 
 has labored under many disadvantages to lead his people 
 
270 THE BLACK SIDE. 
 
 to the desired haven. Notice the path through which he 
 is passing. It is one of obstacles and difficulties, but be- 
 ing a self-made man he has worked his way up from the 
 base to its summit. 
 
 In preaching to his congregation he always bears in 
 mind the old as well as the young. With these two forces 
 he has struggled night and day and succeeded in finding 
 words to please both, and to-day when he takes his stand 
 in the pulpit, mother and daughter, father and son, wit- 
 ness together the glorious truths that falls from his lips. 
 
 His purpose is not to gather a band about self, but 
 unite a company around the Savior. He has not 
 only devoted his time and talent to his own church, but 
 has also gone abroad to better the moral condition of his 
 race. Take, for instance, the work he undertook in ad- 
 vocating the cause of prohibition. In this movement he 
 has made himself famous. During the great struggle in 
 this cause in 1885, he stood, as it were, almost alone and 
 defended his cause. He made in this campaign a name 
 that is a household word with prohibitionists of the South. 
 Look, if you will, at the enemies on all sides in the form 
 of friends men who walked daily by his side with 
 smiles and words enough to cause him to cry out : 
 "Truly the victory, will be ours!" But in the midst of 
 the great combat he is often found alone, and with a pur- 
 pose and will, conquers his foe. 
 
 Another instance in which he has experienced great 
 difficulties, is in preaching to his people on the subject of 
 emigration. He was threatened and the pressure brought 
 to bear upon him to weaken his purpose was heavy. Has 
 he faltered ? No, it has seemed only to furnish strength 
 to his zeal and determination. He has lived, and the 
 people have lived to see and experience that many of the 
 things he preached to them are indeed truths. 
 
THE BLACK SIDE. 271 
 
 It must have taken a man of purpose and will to stand 
 under such difficulties, amidst opposition of such strength. 
 In viewing his life from early boyhood to where he now 
 stands, we can see supreme purposes which he has formed 
 running through his whole career. He has a mark in 
 view, and is pursuing it steadily. It requires purpose, 
 will and oneness of aim and invincible determination, to 
 succeed. He has experienced the great difference be- 
 tween men, between the great and the insignificant, is- 
 energy, invincible determination, an honest purpose once 
 fixed, and then death or victory. 
 
 This quality will do anything in the world, and no tal- 
 ents, no circumstances, will make a creature a man with- 
 out it. The very reputation of being strong-willed and 
 indefatigable is of priceless value. Such purpose and 
 will have enabled him to cower his enemies and dis- 
 pel the opposition that was about to confront him. He 
 started in life with a determination to reach a certain po- 
 sition, and adhered unwaveringly to his purpose, rejecting 
 the advice of the over-cautious. Can such a man fail ? 
 No, he will not fail, but is continuing to work until. he 
 reaches goal for which he set out. 
 
 He is a man who sees but little impossibility in what- 
 ever he undertakes. If he waits and does nothing, the 
 reason is that he wants an opportunity to carry out his 
 purpose. He has formed in his mind a divine purpose ;. 
 it has governed his conduct, as the laws of nature gov- 
 ern the operation of physical forces. I dare say, had he 
 not been a man of courage and full of the divine will- 
 power, he could not and would not be standing where he 
 is to-day. 
 
 For the success which he has enjoyed, and for the 
 wide, extended influence which he has exerted, not only 
 in his own State, but in other States, ought not the church, 
 to be proud of such a man ? 
 
272 THE BLACK SIDE. 
 
 I have not written in terms of fulsome flattery of one, 
 nor would I convey the impression of invidious compari- 
 son, but because he merits it, I repeat and affirm all I have 
 stated in the assertion, that of all the choice spirits who 
 preach the Gospel of the Son Go'd, he is one. 
 
 POSITIVENESS OF SPEECH. 
 
 BY MKS. A. BAKSWELL, 
 
 Teacher in Fourth Ward School. 
 
 Many know when to speak and what to say, but do not 
 know how to say it. Many know how to speak, but 
 fail to do so. Such possessions as these are possessed 
 either with selfishness, cowardice or hypocrisy. Then 
 there are few, very few, who know how to speak, and do 
 speak in the real way. When, by chance, we find one 
 of this few we should confer upon him the greatest hon- 
 ors, for this plain, positive, open way of speaking is the 
 best way to reach the minds of the people. No doubt 
 this very reflection has been stamped upon the mind of 
 Rev. Carter, and that is why he chose this simple way 
 of imparting his knowledge. He considers the classes 
 of people that he has to minister unto ; for they range 
 from the old gray-haired fathers and mothers of the dark 
 days of slavery to the young blooming child of the nine- 
 teenth century; from the most ignorant to the most 
 learned. Yet, even though his mind is filled with a 
 knowedge of the various languages; even though he can 
 reason with philosophers and contest with the great men 
 of the nation, he knows that this is not the time nor 
 the place for it. So he places himself in an attitude to 
 make the lowest understand. He does not come in with all 
 
THE BLACK SIDE. 273 
 
 the fine words of Webster, with his hyperbolical expres- 
 sions and oracular speeches to crowd out and crush down 
 the understanding of the unlearned. But he is one of 
 the very few who know how to talk, and who talks in 
 the real way. He comes with good common sense rea- 
 soning; not with a puff and a blow, but to give the 
 truth in a plain way, so as to reach the hearts of the peo- 
 ple. He has that quality of candor in him which is one 
 of the first if not the foremost of all qualities a man can 
 possess. He is the man with power and not show; and 
 throughout the land you will find that the man who has 
 power is rather to be preferred than the one who has 
 show. Rev. Carter pours out his heart's blood into the 
 channels of public prosperity, but he does it in a way 
 open to all. His hearers are carried away with him; they 
 follow him in all that he says, because they can under- 
 stand even every change of feeling. He speaks without 
 mingling his speeches with falsehood. If he has to speak 
 that he will do it and do it candidly. If he is asked his 
 honest opinion, that will he give in spite of all the foes 
 that may rise against him. Once I heard him say, " that 
 if he had to be a man's enemy because he spoke his opin- 
 ions, why then he would be his enemy." That very ex- 
 pression, in my opinion, won for him the name of a man 
 who is not afraid of the truth. Sometimes I think he is 
 too plain and that if he were to withhold some things 
 of his mind he might the more gain the favor of the 
 public. But he does not regard public sentiment; he 
 cares nothing for the thoughts of the world. Let them 
 do what they may his thoughts are his own and he 
 does not smother them when they should be known. He 
 knows what he does know; he knows when to make it 
 known, and he makes it known in a distinct way. I say 
 now, as I said in the beginning, that if any man cannot 
 
 18 
 
274 THE BLACK SIDE. 
 
 speak his mind because of fear then he is a coward ; and 
 if any man will not speak his opinion because of friend- 
 ship's sake he is a hypocrite. Let us then reflect upon 
 this; let us imitate the example of Rev. Carter. For, to 
 say the least of it, is to say that it is simply honest. We 
 all know that any undertaking, clear, round dealing is 
 the best deal. We have been told that this winding way ? 
 this twist, this turn about is the course of the serpent 
 that God has lowered. If any man takes this way he 
 lowers his character and covers himself with shame. Let 
 us walk in the straight path then; for sooner or later 
 it will gain for us the principal instruments for action 
 which are trust and belief. We will see that, as the poet 
 
 says: 
 
 There's wit there, we'll get there, 
 We'll find no other where. 
 
 WALTER H. LANDRUM, 
 
 MASTER OF CEREMONIES. 
 
 DEAR BROTHERS, SISTERS AND FRIENDS: We are 
 gathered this beautiful Sabbath to celebrate the twelfth 
 anniversary of the administration of the Rev. E. R. Car- 
 ter's work with us in this our church. 
 
 A little over twelve years ago it pleased the omnipo- 
 tent and all-wise God to transfer the late Frank Quarles, 
 our much beloved pastor, from this world of woe and 
 misery to the celestial city above the sun, moon and stars. 
 
 My much beloved brothers and sisters, I know 
 you remember him well yes, I know you do. Yes, 
 just as true as I am standing here, I believe I have living 
 witnesses to what I shall say. 
 
 At times away down in the souls of you who labored 
 with the Rev. Quarles, can't you hear him giving out 
 
THE BLACK SIDE. 275 
 
 that favorite hymn of his? Yes, when the Rev. Quarles' 
 soul was kindled with the flames from on high, he would 
 rise up with the tears running down his cheeks 
 
 1 Servant of God, well done, 
 
 Kest from thy loved employ; 
 The battle fought, the victory won, 
 Enter thou thy Master's joy.' 
 
 2 The voice of midnight came, 
 
 He started up to hear ; 
 A mortal arrow pierced his frame, 
 
 He fell, but felt no fear. 
 
 
 
 3 The pains of death are past, 
 
 Labor and sorrow cease, 
 And life-long warfare closed at last, 
 His soul is found in peace. 
 
 4 Soldier of Christ, well done, 
 
 Praise be thy new employ, 
 And while eternal ages run, 
 Rest in thy Savior's joy. 
 
 Now, to Father Tate, Father John Carter, James 
 Holmes, Rivers and Houston, you who labored with the 
 Rev. Quarles so long, at times in your bosoms you caa 
 hear the very sounds of his lining, and the tinkling 
 music of his favorite hymn, of which I havu just spoken, 
 ringing and shall continue to ring until God shall call you 
 hence. God will not let the work of his people die. 
 
 But let us go back to the subject of to-day the 
 twelfth anniversary of the administration of the Rev. 
 E. R. Carter. Twelve years ago this church was with- 
 out a leader. The eyes of the deacons were turned in 
 every direction, thinking what would be the best for the 
 church. The prayers of the sisters ascended on high. 
 
 The God that we serve being surrounded by a legion 
 of angels, making music both day and night ; but in the 
 midst of all that magnificent music the prayers of Friend- 
 ship church were heard. God sent forth a young man 
 
276 THE BLACK SIDE. 
 
 by the name of Rev. E. R. Carter to lead his people on- 
 ward and upward toward the celestial city. But stop! 
 Satan was not asleep. Some of the members began to 
 find fault, saying the young man Carter was too young; 
 others said the debt that hung over this church was too 
 great for a man of his age. 
 
 The young man Carter being a commissioned officer of 
 God, his papers all duly signed by the Supreme Hand of 
 the universe, took his little army here, much out in the 
 fields, delivering the church from the great debt and add- 
 ing hundreds of souls to her list. 
 
 Thus we have gathered to return our sincere thanks to 
 our God for the twelve years' journey in the wilderness. 
 
 A LOOK BACK OVER THE PASTOR'S WORK. 
 
 BY MRS. MAMIE (jACKSON) TATE. 
 
 As we look back upon the silent ocean of the past 
 twelve years, of which our beloved pastor, Rev. E. R. 
 Carter, has been our leader, we find that they are marked 
 ones in the history of our community. 
 
 In the year 1882, he was called to preside over the 
 congregation of Friendship Baptist church, which at that 
 time was a very small number. As the years rolled on the 
 church grew in membership^ financial strength, and in- 
 fluence, and is now considered the second strongest of 
 any Negro organization in the State of Georgia. 
 
 Under the philosophical leadership of Rev. Carter, 
 this church has been successful in all of its undertakings, 
 and has given largely to the educational and missionary 
 work. Its organization, growth and usefulness are most 
 remarkable. In the midst of the pastor's grand work,. 
 
THE BLACK SIDE. 277 
 
 which is his happiness, there has beat around him, not 
 once but repeatedly, storm after storrn, and at times they 
 seemed as if they would carry him down ; but he stood 
 undismayed in the midst of he temptest, while darkness 
 seemed to bar the way, sustained by strong faith through 
 which he saw a brighter day, for beyond that belt of 
 darkness, where the years will roll on as rippling and 
 caressing waves, around the green islands fragrant with 
 the breath of flowers that never wither and whose atmos- 
 phere is joy and peace, there alone is life. When the 
 great waves of sorrow or depression have come striking 
 at individuals, he has never failed to give them needed 
 consolation. Notwithstanding the many difficulties which 
 have surrounded him, he has thrown out the life line and 
 brought many safely to the shore. 
 
 Friends, can we be otherwise than grateful for such a 
 man as Rev. E. R. Carter ? For I doubt if there has ever 
 been such a record of any man, living or dead, black or 
 white, on this continent in so brief a time as this one which 
 is being brought before us to-day. 
 
 Does not the world need such men ? Yes, we want 
 more men like the one who stands at the head of Friend- 
 ship church, which a time like this demands, men with 
 great hearts, strong minds, true faith and willing hands; 
 men whom the lust of office does not kill, men whom 
 the spoils of office can not buy, men who possess 
 opinions and a will, men who have honor, and men who 
 will not lie. 
 
 A GOOD SHEPHERD. 
 
 BY MAJOR S. W. EASLEY, JR. 
 
 1 am to speak to you of a good shepherd as contra- 
 distinguished from "The Good Shepherd." The term 
 shepherd in this sense is applied to one who provides 
 
278 THE BLACK SIDE. 
 
 spiritual food for his flock, in whom he takes pleasure in 
 caring for and constantly holding before them the love 
 of God, the cross on Calvary, the bleeding wounds of 
 Him who died for mankind, a pleader of our cause be- 
 fore the Great I Am, a loving Savior, the Prince of 
 peace and King of kings. He who does this is truly a 
 good shepherd, as was exemplified on the plains of Beth- 
 lehem when the angelic choir appeared unto the shep- 
 herds, apprising them of the fact that the Emanuel was 
 born. This that choir of choirs did with a song of such 
 melody and sweetness that the sound thereof is still upon 
 the wings of the wind, which causes the blood-washed 
 souls to become enchanted at each recurring sound. 
 
 Does the shepherd of this mighty flock in whose be- 
 half these exercises are being held to-day, come up to 
 this standard ? Is he mindful of his flock, standing be- 
 fore them with an acquitted conscience of a duty well 
 done ? From my observation of him I have gleaned the 
 following : 
 
 It is always a difficult task to even fairly estimate the 
 character and purposes of a man filling an exalted posi- 
 tion. He is so far removed from the ordinary plane that 
 his in-coming and out-going are a mystery to most of 
 mankind. Few people know him well. The multitude 
 must gather their knowledge of him through the mist of 
 conjecture and take their view of his conduct from be- 
 hind other people's spectacles. 
 
 Years of association with men of more or less import- 
 ance have taught me many useful lessons in criticism. 
 A man of prominence once said that you never really 
 know a man until you have been with him in his bibulous 
 as well as his graver moments. This is entirely true. 
 The most difficult of all the work writers have to do is 
 to make an estimate of a prominent man and his acts 
 from the eminence upon which he stands. Criticism is 
 
THE BLACK SIDE. 279 
 
 therefore often as unjust as applause is undeserved. In 
 this spirit and in this light I am viewing Rev. E. R. 
 Carter, pastor of this church, whose broad personality is 
 worthy of careful consideration. 
 
 I have been led to make this attempt at an estimate of 
 the character of the most accomplished and scholarly 
 Baptist minister in Georgia, and is therefore rightly 
 called a good shepherd. 
 
 The doings and sayings of men in high places are oft- 
 times magnified or dwarfed by those whose self-interest 
 intrudes eulogy or defamation upon those who have not 
 the opportunity of seeing and hearing for themselves. 
 There is an old and true adage that " No man is a hero 
 to his valet," yet he may be a hero to the many who can- 
 not reach him. There is no one so great in this world 
 that he is net an ordinary individual to some one. 
 
 The character under revision to-day by this congrega- 
 tion is known to* you as one possessing lofty traits of 
 Christian virtues, a personification of the lowly Nazarine, 
 the embodiment of a true and faithful shepherd. 
 
 Those of us who cast our eyes heavenward at night 
 and as we hehold the bright planets that adorn the skies 
 with their radiance of light and splendor, we observe 
 the satalites around 'which cluster the smaller ones. So 
 it is -with us to-day clustering around a servant of God 
 commissioned by Him to preach Christ to a dying world, 
 and how well he has done so, the records of this house 
 of God is an answer for that. 
 
 We are asked to-day to stop and celebrate the twelfth 
 anniversary of the installation of th^ pastor of this 
 church. To me it is both a pleasure and a pride to be 
 permitted to add my feeble and humble testimony to the 
 intellectual, moral and Christian worth of our friend and 
 brother. 
 
280 THE BLACK SIDE. 
 
 LINES, 
 
 BY LITTLE MISS PEARL SCHELL, 
 
 At the Author's Twelfth Anniversary of his work as Pastor of 
 Friendship Baptist Church. 
 
 1 The man I came to speak of to-day 
 Is one of whom the people say 
 
 Is a mighty speaker in every way. 
 
 2 He was born in Athens, they say, 
 A city not far away, 
 
 In the year of fifty-six 
 
 The day of the month not accurately fixed. 
 
 3 He came to Atlanta in seventy-nine, 
 
 And in the people's hearts he began to entwine, 
 For he always was a fellow not to be left behind. 
 
 4 He drove the peg with hammer of shoemaker's kind, 
 That he might stay in school and prepare himself for the 
 
 task of the times. . 
 
 5 In eighteen hundred and eighty-four, 
 He finished college and went no more, 
 For the Master's work called him to go. 
 
SUMMER HILL GRAMMAR SCHOOL. 
 
THE BLACK SIDE. 281 
 
 ABSTRACT OF AN ADDRESS. 
 
 BY WM. E. HOLMES, 
 Delivered before the white teachers at Gainesville, Ga., June, 1894. 
 
 Besides the teachers there were present members of 
 the Board of Education, Hall county, the expert in 
 charge of the white teachers' institute, lawyers, the col- 
 ored teachers of Gainesville and the county, and the col- 
 ored pastors. 
 
 The address delivered at the request of Hon. John T. 
 Wilson, Sr., Commissioner of Education, Hall county, 
 was as follows: 
 
 LADIES AND GENTLEMEN: I am glad this opportunity 
 presents itself. I shall improve it to the extent of my 
 ability in the brief space of time allotted me to speak to 
 you. I am always glad to address an audience of this 
 kind. Two years ago before one of the largest and most 
 representative gatherings ever assembled in the historic 
 old First Church of the Baptist denomination in Philadel- 
 phia I was invited to speak. To that body I spoke of 
 the Negro, and to you I shall speak of the same subject, 
 because everywhere there is misapprehension, misunder- 
 standing on this subject. And the cause of all this in the 
 South is, that for thirty years the life of a generation 
 you have not known anything of the Negro; you stand 
 aloof from him; you have no adequate conception of the 
 progress he has made since '65; nor do you know what 
 he is reading, what he is thinking, or what he is doing. 
 
 In that elder day when he sustained the relation of 
 slave to you, and you master to him, you saw more of 
 him in your houses. You visited his cabin and his more 
 pretentious dwelling place. He worshiped in your meet- 
 ing houses and at your firesides, but with freedom came 
 
282 THE BLACK SIDE. 
 
 mistrust, alienation, and the withdrawal of your assist- 
 ance and kindly advice. 
 
 Thus left alone, ignorant and irresponsible, to become 
 an easy prey to the demagogue who sought power and 
 preferment at his hands, and the South herself is re- 
 sponsible for the condition of affairs which followed 
 emancipation. 
 
 But here let me not rest. The Negro is misrepre- 
 sented whenever he asks the worth of his money. On 
 railway lines and river steamers he asks not that you be 
 his associate, but that instead of crowding him into third- 
 rate compartments where the air is vitiated with the 
 smoke of the white man's cigar, and the water cups 
 are used to drink whisky from, you provide him with 
 accommodations commensurate with the expense his 
 travel involves. 
 
 Why charge him first-class rates, and in return give 
 him such fare ? At present it is neither safe nor comfort- 
 able for our women to travel any considerable distance 
 alone on common carriers in most Southern States. And 
 yet when we ask that this condition of things be changed r 
 the cry of "social equality" is raised, when, in truth,, 
 there is not a sober, sensible Negro on the American con- 
 tinent who desires or seeks admission to your social circles. 
 This whole thing of social equality is a bugbear, and ex- 
 ists only in the minds of those who harp upon it. 
 
 The Negro is the best peasantry in the world. You 
 talk about filling up the South with the hordes of immi- 
 grants who by the half million every year crowd our 
 shores. You are talking and planning to introduce peo- 
 ple here who are out of harmony with the genius and 
 spirit of our government ; people prepared to create a 
 reign of terror of which the Negro never dreams. You 
 are planning to have enacted here such scenes as those 
 
THE BLACK SIDE. 283 
 
 through which our fellow-countrymen passed recently at 
 Chicago, Boston, New York, and other places. 
 
 Let the white people of the South but make the over- 
 tures to the Negro they are making to the anarchists, to 
 the communists, to the socialists, and every old red hill 
 would be crowned with plenty and every neglected valley 
 would smile with the products of his labor. 
 
 Why should not the Negro be trusted ? From day to 
 day, patient and uncomplaining, he goes to his task under 
 conditions no other people would endure. 
 
 Why should not the Negro be trusted now ? When 
 the permanence and stability of this union was at stake, 
 and you of the South, at Bull Run, Shiloh, and Gettysburg, 
 contended for what you believed to be right, behind you 
 were your wives and your little ones, left to the keeping 
 of the faithful Negro about whose limbs you were forg- 
 ing more tightly the chains of slavery, and during that 
 entire struggle there was not one black hand uplifted to 
 to strike down the least of those committed to his care. 
 
 The Negro is an American citizen, and he is concerned 
 for the welfare of American institutions and the perpe- 
 tuity of American government. And here let me state 
 that, however good and law-abiding may have been the 
 parents of the present generation of Negroes, their sons 
 and successors are no less so. 
 
 Here and there among therri is;found the vicious, shift- 
 less, lawless element and where is it not found? but 
 I deny that education has unfitted these people for res- 
 idence in the land that gave them birth. It has- helped 
 them; it has not hurt them; it has done them good; it 
 has not done them harm;' it has lifted them up; it has not 
 cast them down. 
 
 In conclusion, I would say Northern institutions for the 
 higher education of the Negro have not, as some have 
 claimed, made the Negro the enemy of his Southern 
 
284 THE BLACK SIDE. 
 
 white neighbor. On the contrary, these schools have 
 opened the eyes of the Negro to his duty to himself and 
 to his fellow-men. If you and all the other white people 
 of these Southern States knew what these schools are do- 
 ing for the South in giving it a more desirable class of 
 citizens, in preparing them to develop its resources, and 
 so become powerful factors in its material advancement, 
 you all would commend the public spirited philanthropists 
 of the North for furnishing the means to reach such 
 results. 
 
 I declare there cannot be found anywhere within the 
 limits of the old Confederacy better or more effectual 
 agencies at work making law-abiding, useful citizens of 
 the Negro than the seminaries of learning everywhere 
 in the South, which stand as monuments to the patriotism 
 and humanity of Northern benefactors. 
 
 I invoke God's blessing upon these benefactors, and I 
 pray that the light of his countenance may shine upon 
 the institutions they have founded for the education of 
 this race. And may they continue to be what they have 
 thus far proved to be, powers for good to the latest 
 generation of man. 
 
 Hoping what I have said may lead you to think more 
 favorably of the race I represent, and thanking you, ladies 
 and gentlemen, for your patient and polite attention, I 
 have done what I regard 3 very pleasant duty. 
 
 LET US PLAY THE MAN. 
 
 Sketch of a sermon preached before the Second Battalion of the 
 Governor's Volunteers (Ga.) on the fourth Sunday in July, 1894, 
 by the Author. 
 
 We are living in one of the grandest countries on the 
 face of the globe ; none like it anywhere. Whatever 
 we may think of it, because of our attitude and situation 
 
THE BLACK SIDE. 28. *> 
 
 in it, of course, protection of life, property, liberty, 
 friends, and all other civil rights are of the'first and high- 
 est importance with the people of the government; and 
 if these things are neglected in reference to any part of 
 its citizens, the country where that part of its citizens live 
 will be taught by such treatment to seek a panacea for 
 their ills, and will regard the local district and geograph- 
 ical line that encircles the spot of their habitation as the 
 whole country, and that the meanest and most unright- 
 eous spot upon the globe, but this will not blot out the 
 fact of its grandeur in all. 
 
 There are other countries that may have some features 
 that accord with our idea as to how a country ought ta 
 deal in equity with all of its subjects, and this idea may 
 create dissatisfaction in,the ill-treated part of that govern- 
 ment, and with the love of liberty that burns in their 
 bosom, may stir them to seek another clime, and as they 
 go, shake the dust off their feet as a testimony against it. 
 But on arriving at this goodly land, we come in contact 
 with a more formidable foe, and may be called eternally 
 to the battle-field to protect our property, religion, liberty 
 and family. Worse than all, swim through a sea of 
 blood to maintain them, so far as the right to own prop- 
 erty in this country. We can own all we can pay for. 
 So far as religious liberty, no man dare to molest us; so 
 far as civil liberty, we may walk, stand, and act where we 
 please. So far as our standing, walking, and acting are 
 in the bounds of the law, and when I say this, I am not 
 blind to nor ignorant of the troubles, drawbacks, hin- 
 drances and mighty resistances which, as a part of this 
 grand republic, we have to encounter. 
 
 But, my fellow-brethren, we are not the only creatures 
 of God's great creation that have to meet and encounter 
 and struggle for the place they would occupy on this- 
 mighty, prolific, and progressive globe. All things have 
 
286 THE BLACK SIDE. 
 
 to struggle with all their might and main for the point of 
 eminence for which they are striving to reach. The 
 mighty king of day, as he rises out of the womb of the 
 morning, has to struggle against the darkness of a pre- 
 ceding night with a mighty burning torch of light to gain 
 his reign ; the silvery lights that aid the way-worn traveler 
 have to struggle through air and cloud, and a thousand 
 other forces to give its light to earth's inhabitants; the 
 little stream that comes tumbling down the crags of a 
 mighty Alpine peak through valley and plain, pushing and 
 shoving and dividing its way around curves, being re- 
 pelled and tossed backward and forward before it reaches 
 the mighty ocean. It seems to be the order of nature and 
 the plan of Providence to develop and improve a nation 
 of people through this method of discipline, and its sub- 
 jects' have only to wait for the fruits of its operation. 
 4< The bud may have a bitter taste, but sweet will be the 
 flower." 
 
 It has just been a few centuries since the Jew was 
 hated, persecuted, and brutally treated ii Europe. And 
 these very same people by wise conduct have arisen from 
 this abject state to the best society and position that is 
 within the gift of the United Kingdom. I have only need 
 to refer to the Rothschilds, the monarchial gold- 
 bugs; their moneys are loaned in every part of 
 the world. Benjamin Disraeli is another mighty 
 power that has arisen of the Jewish nation in the 
 United Kingdom. He was despised and rejected of men. 
 How bitter these words are, especially to the despised 
 ,man; it weighs on his ambition like a millstone around 
 his neck. So felt Benjamin Disraeli, the Jew. To be a 
 Jew was to be out of the pale of English society, eligible 
 to no office, ground down by special taxes. After work- 
 ing earnestly for many years, he was at last rejoiced to 
 see the "Emancipation of the Jews" act passed by the 
 
THE BLACK SIDE. 287 
 
 English Parliament, and he was elected by a small bor- 
 ough as its representative in the British House of Com- 
 mons. When he made his first speech there, he became 
 so confused and embarrassed that, amidst the jeers and 
 laughter of the other members, he sank back silent into 
 his seat. The ridicule so stung him, tha* he jumped up 
 again and said, "You laugh at me now, but the time will 
 come when you will laugh with me." By patient indus- 
 try, at last, he was acknowledged to be the first rheto- 
 rician in the house, and when Disraeli rose in his seat, the 
 empty benches became filled as if by magic, and the 
 morning newspapers everywhere were filled with his 
 great speeches. The words of this Jew moved the em- 
 perors and kings of other countries, and he became the 
 exponent of English ideas to the powers of the earth 
 everywhere. He became the most trusted minister of 
 Queen Victoria, until at last, for his great services to her 
 and the English nation, she said, "You are no longer 
 plain Mr. Benjamin Disraeli, the Jew, but you shall be 
 called "The Right Honorable Earl of Beaconsfield, a 
 peer and nobleman of England, and the leader of the 
 House of Lords, and second only to a prince of the 
 blood royal." 
 
 At the close of the Russian-Turkish war, Russia dic- 
 tated peace to Turkey, but the other European powers 
 objected to the San Stefano treaty, and demanded that 
 a conference should be held. The result was a meeting 
 of the representatives of all the great powers in Berlin, 
 Germany. Lord Beaconsfield was sent to represent 
 Great Britain, and among all the great ones of these 
 great countries, Lord Beaconsfield was elected chairman 
 of that conference, to which the destiny of nations was 
 intrusted, and the peace of the world involved. When 
 he returned to England, the enthusiam of the people was 
 beyond description when he stood up in his place near 
 
288 THE BLACK SIDE. 
 
 the throne and said, " He had brought back from Berlin 
 to London peace with honor." 
 
 At last, full of years and honor, he lay down to his last 
 sleep amid the wail of a grief-stricken nation. Around 
 the grave stood the great ones of the earth, princes, kings, 
 and emperors, ione too great to do him reverence. He 
 lives to-day, as no other statesman does, in the hearts of 
 his countrymen. He alone has had dedicated and set 
 apart a special day to commemorate his memory. On 
 the anniversary of his death, his favorite flower, the prim- 
 rose, will be seen decorating the homes and persons of 
 high and low, rich and poor, in England, and if you ask 
 its meaning, the people will say, " This is primrose day, 
 kept in honor of Benjamin Disraeli, the despised Jew." 
 
 And now what do I mean by telling this bit of history 
 of a despised race but to show you what is true of ope 
 race may be true of another, especially when its men will 
 do their whole duty, and have for their sole object the 
 elevation of the people. Benjamin Disraeli did not come 
 to honor by incendiary speeches and teaching his de- 
 spised race anarchy and rebellion, but by being a loyal 
 citizen himself, and teaching his people the same, and 
 playing the man for them. What we want are men. 
 
 God give us men ! A time like this demands 
 
 Great hearts, strong minds, true faith, and willing hands. 
 
 Men whom the lust of office does not kill ; 
 
 Men whom the spoils of office cannot buy ; 
 
 Men who possess opinions and a will ; 
 
 Men who have honor, men who will not lie; 
 
 For while the rabble, with their thumb-worn creeds, 
 
 Their large professions and their little deeds, 
 
 Wrangle in selfish strife lo! Freedom weeps, 
 
 Wrong rules the land, and waiting Justice sleeps. 
 
 Oliver Wendell Holmes. 
 
 This was not in the land where they were recognized as 
 men, and allowed every proper representation, but where 
 they were ridiculously treated, sneered at, rebuked, and de- 
 
THE BLACK SIDE. 289 
 
 spised that they have arisen to so great a height of eminence 
 and altitude of power and recognition. And what is true 
 of this people, is true of any nation or race of people who 
 will adopt the wisest and best method of producing peace 
 with the race among whom they are living, and follow it. 
 Know this that there is no place teeming with such op- 
 portunities and advantages for aiding a people to the 
 highest plane of civilization. We often charge bad gov- 
 ernment with most of the wrongs that we have received, 
 and then seek to check them by changing the govern- 
 ment by political measures; and so we say that if the 
 Wilson bill goes overboard the country will be better. If 
 the Force bill goes into effect old things will pass away, 
 and behold all things will become new. If we had some 
 change in the government that would give all subjects 
 fair recognition and representation, then this would be a 
 grand country; but these remedies have been applied in 
 part, and still we are in want of a panacea. What 
 then? We see what we want, we feel what we want, but 
 where is the statesman that ever stood in Congress, in the 
 Senate, that ever formed the law or constructed a mode 
 of government that ever met the approval of all people. 
 God himself has never yet done it, and man need not ex- 
 pect it from sinful and erring man. The thing for us to 
 do as a part of this grand republic, is to view the state 
 of affairs as respecting us in the clearest light, and seek 
 in the most peaceful way, with the race which we are liv- 
 ing and bound to live, the wisest and best method of ad- 
 justing them. Hot-headedness and incendiary speeches 
 never bring peace, but will sink deeeper and deeper the 
 prejudice and envy that now exist between the two 
 races, into irreconcilable depth. There is no other way 
 for us to live with another race but to seek mutual con- 
 fidence and pursue it. We have tried politics long enough ; 
 
 19 
 
290 THE BLACK SIDE. 
 
 we have looked forward to the results of political meas- 
 ures in hope of a resurrection from all our ills, and still 
 we are in our graves without hope of ever living again. 
 The main thing for us to do is to become reconciled with 
 our opponents. All the wrongs done us in the South are 
 not from a natural pesonal hatred or personal envy which 
 they have against us as a people, but from the relation 
 which we sustain to the Republican party, and the Re- 
 publican party to us. The Republican party, in its incip- 
 iency, guarantees so many things contrary and inherent 
 to the Democratic principles, and *we being in such away 
 allied to the Republican party, we are ever made subjects 
 of their hatred and victims of their spleen. If both par- 
 ties had left off many harsh measures, which have been 
 used for adjusting the things relative to our condition, we 
 no doubt long since would have been enjoying the same 
 features of recognition and representation that any other 
 unliked element, in the form of people dwelling in the 
 midst of this great .nation, has enjoyed; but however 
 dark and cloudy may seem the state of affairs, I candidly 
 believe that there is a turning point for our good, but not 
 in partyism, nor in political reformation, because all polit- 
 ical reforms of to-day are nothing but tricks, and what- 
 ever danger and destruction and hurtful results that are 
 in these reforms, the poor and ignorant part of the gov- 
 ernment are the sole victims. See the state of affairs 
 that is now in our midst; the people of the country, in 
 wild confusion, snatched the government with their ballot 
 from the wisest statesman that the nation ever witnessed, 
 thinking that a new reform would better the condi- 
 tion of the country. Alas ! ere they had cleared the polls 
 and the grand old ship of State had been launched for a 
 glorious voyage on the sea of Democracy, she sprung a 
 leak in the lower deck of tariff reform, and she went down 
 into the gulf of bankruptcy, carrying with her almost 
 
THE BLACK SIDE. 291 
 
 every conceivable form of industry; and as I watched 
 her sinking into the deep, I saw the poor and ignorant class 
 perish with her, while a few of the crew, such as the gold- 
 bugs, leaped from the upper deck upon a little plank that 
 floated upon the rough sea. The Wilson bill tried to 
 save their lives, and all who looked on thought that they 
 would finally be lost, and the plank on which they floated 
 only left a sign of where they went down. Viewing these 
 things as we have, and seeing that we have not as yet 
 obtained any permanent and abiding benefit, let us not 
 grow despondent, nor become discouraged and give up 
 the ship, for things are not even now what they used 
 to be. Many changes have taken place are taking 
 place every day for our good, and as slow as they 
 may seem to come, the day is breaking, and the 
 skies of our political condition are already reddening 
 with a beautiful and glorious sunlight of a charming day 
 of recognition. Only let us do our part well in all the 
 trusts that are vouchedsafed to us by the government, 
 the people, and the nation, and take the advice of the 
 Mighty General of the armies of Isreal, " Be of good- 
 courage, and play the men for our people, and for the 
 cities of our God and the Lord, do that that seemeth good 
 to them." 
 
 THE NEGRO IN ORATORY. 
 
 Delivered before the Teachers' Association of Georgia, June, 1894, 
 at Augusta, Ga. 
 
 Mr. President and the Teachers of Georgia assembled : 
 
 I esteem the opportunity that has been given me to 
 speak to you to-day as a great privilege, and the sense 
 of the honor conferred by the distinguished presiding 
 
292 THE BLACK SIDE. 
 
 officer of this department is so profoundly fraught with 
 ^our estimation of my ability to speak to you upon 
 this subject that I find it exceedingly difficult to select 
 words to express my feelings of the honor conferred. 
 
 The negro, in general, has shown himself fully suscep- 
 tible of the fullest development in all the arts and sciences 
 that have been discovered in this nineteenth century. As- 
 a historian, Johnson has fully shown competency, on the 
 part of the negro, to write the story of facts in details. 
 While he may not have had the time and experience 
 and hereditary associations drawn about him that many 
 of the brightest stars in 'this sphere of literary sky, yet 
 he has arisen so high in the midst of the mighty 
 constellation, that its brilliancy can be recognized by the 
 most cultured, acute minds in such a powerful way that 
 it compliments the race, not with that narrow circum- 
 scribed appellation as the best historian of the Negro race,, 
 but as a historian that is equal to any. and unrivaled by 
 many of the Caucasians who have taken their rank in the 
 mighty stellary system of the historians of the world. As 
 a philosopher, I have only to refer to Bishop Henry 
 McNeal Turner, J. W. E. Bowen, E. W. Blyden, and the 
 irresistible and potent reasoner, J. H. Garnett, D.D. If 
 we glance at the inventor's fields, I have only need to 
 ask your investigation of the patent hall of the capitol 
 of the nation, and there you will find ocular demonstra- 
 tion sufficient to evince the genius and ability of the Negro 
 to produce almost anything in the ruder and finer arts 
 that any other being that has a soul can produce. I speak 
 in reference to these things and in the face of the most 
 gorgon prejudice unlimited and uncompromising. 
 
 Some may judge me extravagant, but I shall never- 
 own it. And now, as 1 proceed directly upon the subject 
 assigned me for this occasion, I come with no less words 
 of limitation, with no less compromising words for the 
 
THE BLACK SIDE. 293 
 
 Negro in the oratorical field. The Negro is not like the 
 Caucasian race on this line, who have to be drilled and 
 mechanically trained in order to become powerful in the 
 <irt of speaking, but it is innate and ineradicable in. the 
 Negro. He can speak as powerfully and as eloquently, 
 with a very limited vocabulary, as can many of the 
 brightest stars in the oratorical skies, with all their liter- 
 ary attainments. I have heard the greatest speakers 
 of the world. I have sat under the mild and dew-like 
 falling tones of the matchless pulpit orator, Charles H. 
 Spurgeon, the preacher of the nineteenth century; I have 
 heard the brilliant and eloquent Parker of the city of 
 London; 1 have heard the only Gladstone in the world; 
 the enthusiastic, sensational, and bombastic DeWitt 
 Talmage, Parkhurst, Stors, of Brooklyn, and Gordon 
 of Boston, and Grady of Atlanta. But all their liter- 
 ary attainments, coupled with centuries of hereditary 
 culture, when compared to the natural ability of the 
 Negro, is like the blowing of fog horns in the midst of 
 the mighty peals of a thunderstorm at sea. I do not 
 mean by this that the volume of the Negro's voice is all 
 fuss, but along with this thundering and earthquaking 
 power in oratory comes inspiration that creates men into 
 lions, or fashions them into lambs. The Negro's power 
 to speak is as charming as the mound-like waters of the 
 Ontario, and as awfully grand as the dizzy heights of 
 the altitude peeks of the Alps of Italy, and as electrifying 
 as the beautiful powers in the forces of nature, and as 
 eloquent as the heavens. This is due in a measure to 
 the clearness and beauty of the Negro's voice. 
 
 The voice, in my opinion, and the power to use it, is 
 the most important element in oratory, and this the Negro 
 has without measure. I admit that rhetoric grammar 
 and some elocutionary training play an important part 
 in the art of speaking, but these without a good voice, 
 
294 THE BLACK SIDE. 
 
 clear as the ringing of a silver bell, would be as so much 
 ammunition set apart to be used in a great battle with- 
 out cannon or gun through which to give them force 
 and- power for which they are to be used. 
 
 The Negro has both the ammunition and the instrument 
 through which to make it powerful. And with this 
 mighty voice of his, with the appliance of these other 
 elements, he has driven the guilty sinner into awe and 
 lifted the Christian into ecstasy; with it he has charmed 
 congress and the chambers of the senate; he has set the 
 legislature into as great a rage as the Euroclydon ever 
 stirred the sea. It has gone over sea and land that the 
 Negro is an orator. 
 
 In proof of these strong utterances which I give upon 
 the Negro in oratory, let us call your attention to some of 
 the Negro orators of the past days, such as Toussaint 
 L'Ouverture. It was at a time when the freedom of San 
 Domingo was about to be overthrown, and when this man 
 saw the fleets coming into the waters of the island, he 
 exclaimed, " All France is coming to enslave Sando- 
 mingo! We perish!" and turning to his people he said, 
 "Burn the cities; destroy the harvest; tear up the roads 
 with cannon, and poison the wells. Show the white man 
 the hell he comes to make." And at another time his 
 little soul was fired with indignation, and he gave vent to 
 it in these words: " I took up arms for the freedom of 
 my color. France proclaimed it, and she has no right to 
 nullify it. Our liberty is no longer in her hands; it is in 
 our own. We will defend it or perish." The next to be 
 'noticed of the past days are the late Revs. Andrew Mar- 
 shall, Henry Watts, and T. M. Robinson. 
 
 It is said that Rev. Andrew Marshall was such a won- 
 derful speaker that the legislature of Georgia at one time 
 gave him a hearing in an entire body. William Cathcart, 
 in speaking o fhim, says his voice was so deep, sonorous, 
 
THE BLACK SIDE. 295 
 
 and tender, that its capacity for the expression of pathos 
 was unsurpassed ; and then adds that he was endowed 
 with ready argument and would have been a leader in 
 any age or country. The late Dr. Joseph T. Roberts 
 said that the eloquence of Andrew Marshall in speech 
 could not be told from the most refined and cultured 
 white man. Rev. Henry Watts, of this city, is another 
 factor to 'be used in demonstrating that the Negro is an 
 orator. This little, slender, wiry-framed man had a voice 
 as clear as a sea of glass and as effective as the eloquence 
 of Pericles, and as powerful as the sudden cracks of 
 thunders of the heavens. It is said at times he soared 
 to the loftiest heights of charming eloquence. So won- 
 derful at times was his description of the city above that 
 his people, and many of those who were of the other 
 race, were forced to exclaim, What a man ! Rev. T. M. 
 Robinson, of Macon, is a man that few have power to 
 speak as he, the wonderfulness in humor, wit, and the 
 ready flow of it, clothed with such eloquence and earnest- 
 ness that few men may be regarded as his equal as a 
 speaker. These men were mighty men, mighty because 
 they were natural men, mighty because they spoke as 
 they knew, and not as others. I am one of those men 
 that believe in the development of men, as we do nature. 
 There is some part of nature that can be developed, 
 and some part, if touched by human art, becomes as ugly 
 as hell and as ridiculous as an army of mosquitoes, dressed 
 in soldiers' uniform. I have seen men attempt the im- 
 provement of springs, of natural scenes in the forest, and 
 the attempt in nearly every case has only proven to be the 
 destruction of their beauty and naturalness. What hand 
 can make more beautiful and attractive Manhattan Island, 
 the exquisite grandeur of the verdant-covered Alps of 
 Switzerland, of Niagara, and of the grand Pyrenees sys- 
 tem. Nature has done her work too well for man in his 
 
296 THE BLACK SIDE. 
 
 imperfection to improve. The ax has been applied to the 
 tree, the knife to the flower, the hammer and drill to the 
 spring, for their fuller development, to array them with 
 more beauty ; but in nearly every case the tree has died, 
 the flower withered, the spring has dried up. How true 
 is this when applied to the natural endowed ability of the 
 speaker. Many a powerful speaker among us has been 
 made weak by the ax of conventionalism, by the artificial 
 knife and mechanical art in speaking. The first men 
 never knew it ; they spoke from the heart to the heart, 
 unconscious of the key or pitch of voice. Men may be 
 taught to move their hands and head, and they may use 
 them on some occasions when they are merely formal, but 
 when men are fired from danger of country, liberty, and 
 property by the hostility of some invaders, the natural 
 man forgets artificial and conventional speaking, and 
 leaves it for less dangerous moments. Oratory is natural, 
 and the proof of it is found in the men of the Negro race, 
 who have not passed under the polishing stone of the elo- 
 cutionist. The Negro, as an orator, speaks with his mouth 
 open, with his eyes open, his hands open, and it is not 
 long before all that hear him are in the same condition . 
 This was the character of Andrew Marshall, Henry 
 Watts, and is the manner of T. M. Robinson. Do not 
 mistake me I believe in trained speakers, but not out of 
 their element. If the rock is more attractive and beau- 
 tiful in the rough, do not destroy the beauty by attempt- 
 ing to improve it. And these men I have mentioned are 
 and were more beautiful in the rough than they could 
 have possibly been if polished. And now, as I proceed 
 to speak of men of broader erudition and training 
 in the art of speaking, the same principle, so far as the 
 naturalness of the orator is concerned, must be ap- 
 plied to them as to the former, if they would be power- 
 ful and natural speakers. What has given Robert El- 
 
THE BLACK SIDE. 297 
 
 liott, Richard R. Wright, J, B. Davis, J. C. Price, Grog- 
 man, Ellis of Savannah, William E. Holmes, Dr. C. T. 
 Walker, W. G. Johnson, Silas X. Floyd, W. J. White, 
 Douglas, Bruce, Walter H. Brooks, Langston, Booker 
 Washington, Grandison, Cyrus Wilkins, Vann, Lucy 
 Laney, Ida B. Wells I say, what has given these men 
 and women their position in the grand stellary host of 
 the brilliant orators of to-day, but the same energy, 
 earnestness, and eloquence that is found in Robinson, 
 Watts, and Marshall. Now, in conclusion, hear a few 
 extracts from these men's speeches. 
 
 Dr. Walker on the Sunset at Sea : 
 
 11 We saw the sun set, and as night put on her sable 
 robe, his light went down in the west, its beautiful rays 
 lingering and irradiating the heavens for quite awhile. 
 Soon after sunset the new moon came out in her silvery 
 sheen and stationed herself nearly over our steamer, and 
 smiled upon the sea. The stars then came out one by 
 one, taking their places in their diamond sockets, and 
 gave us the benefit of their effulgent brightness, while 
 the mountain, on the other side, were covered with snow." 
 
 Professor William E. Holmes on the Negro Problem: 
 
 " There are three steps. The first is to make solid, 
 moral progress. I want our people to recognize the fact 
 that there is rottenness and evil in society, and to remm- 
 ber that until this is remedied we must keep our mouths 
 shut. The second step is to make common social prog- 
 ress, as we are too free and familiar, though not wish- 
 ing to underrate the kindly hospitality, not wishing that 
 we should be social icebergs, yet dignity is to be culti- 
 vated. Much that is called politeness is downright vul- 
 garity. The third step is to make sound, mental progress. 
 We must have men of learning that are broad and deep." 
 
 Robert Elliott, in the house of Congress, speaking of 
 the much-honored Alexander Stephens, said : 
 
298 THE BLACK SIDE. 
 
 "I meet him only as an adversary, nor shall age or 
 any other consideration restrain me from saying that he 
 now offers this government, which he has done his utmost 
 to destroy, a very poor return for its magnanimous treat- 
 ment, to come here to seek to continue, by the assertion 
 of doctrines obnoxious to the true principles of our gov- 
 ernment, the burdens and oppressions which rests upon 
 five millions of his countrymen, who never failed to lift 
 their earnest prayers for the success of this government, 
 when the gentleman was seeking to break up the union 
 of the States, and to blot the American Republic from 
 the galaxy of nations." 
 
 And as I leave off these recitations I wish to make a 
 suggestion to the teachers assembled in this beautiful 
 city, that they resolve from this time on to exhume 
 these dead heroes, patriarchs, and their speeches, and see 
 to it that hereafter the, declamations of the boys and girls 
 under us in school shall have their speeches and decla- 
 mations made up of some one of the noble heroes, patri- 
 archs, and orators of this race. Let Cicero and Demos- 
 thenes sleep in their almost mystical graves. Bring about 
 a resurrection of Toussaint, Elliott, and let white robes 
 and crowns and palms of victory be given to them, and 
 the God of Heaven will break upon us the mighty liter- 
 ary millennium of the Negro race, wherein will dwell the 
 beauty and grandeur of a cultured race. And old things 
 will have passed away; all things will have become new. 
 
THE BLACK SIDE. 299 
 
 THE TO-DAY AND TO-MORROW OF THE 
 COLORED MAN. 
 
 BY REV. SAMUEL GRAVES, D.D., 
 
 Professor of Theology in Atlanta Baptist Seminary. 
 
 " Though ye have lain among the pots, yet shall ye be as the winers 
 of a dove, covered with silver, and her feathers with yellow gold.' ' 
 Psalm 68 : 13. 
 
 The imagery of the text is highly poetical and expres- 
 sive. It denotes restoration to beauty ; exaltation to 
 honor ; out of degradation and vileness. The Psalmist 
 sees a bedraggled dove, defiled by the soot and filth of 
 an Eastern inn, hid away among the cooking utensils. 
 This dove is to be sought out by a loving and gentle 
 hand, and restored to the beauty and freedom native to 
 her, and which have made the dov.e in all ages a symbol 
 of purity, fleetness, and peace. 
 
 So God had brought his people Israel again and 
 again out of the oppressions and defilement of .the 
 heathen, among whom they had often been carried, and 
 had set them in honor and made them glorious among 
 the nations with the beauty of the Lord their God upon 
 them. 
 
 He had rescued them from Egvptian bondage, from 
 Midianite and Philistine oppression, from the captivity in 
 Babylon. And the text looks forward, as many believe, 
 to yet unfilled promises, when Israel shall be again gath- 
 ered and restored to the land which God gave in conve- 
 nant to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. 
 
 And since the Word of God, " as we read," is of no 
 private interpretation, the promises herein written may 
 be claimed by all whether individuals, nations, or races 
 who come into similar relations to God, which those 
 stood in to whom the promises were originally given. 
 
300 THE. BLACK SIDE. 
 
 How applicable this language is to every true believer; 
 born as we all have been of a corrupt seed, with a dam- 
 aged moral nature, by which we were children of wrath, 
 how like the dove in the text, soiled and despoiled of 
 grace and beauty, but as redeemed and saved by the 
 grace of God, made glorious in the righteousness of 
 Christ. 
 
 So too, of this lost world in its alienation from God, 
 debauched and defiled by sin, yet redeemed by Christ, 
 and yet to become the abode of righteousness when the 
 new heavens and the new earth shall emerge from the 
 ruin of sin. 
 
 I wish, however, as already suggested, to apply these 
 words as in some sense prophetic of what, in his provi- 
 dence, God will yet do, indeed has already begun so sig- 
 nally to do, for the colored people of this country, and 
 through them, of what he will ultimately do for Africa. 
 The text very graphically expresses their former condi- 
 tion. They have "lain among the pots." 
 
 Africa has well been called " The Dark Continent." 
 
 For 250 years her wretched sons and daughters had 
 been despoiied of the right of manhood and the virtue of 
 womanhood; bought and sold and worked like cattle, 
 
 under a of servitude, at cast-off as 
 
 an enormity. within these few 
 
 years Africa has been opened to the light of the gospel 
 and Christian civilization, and the nations of Europe are 
 parceling it out among themselves to conquer and to col- 
 onize. In the exaltation of manhood which this century 
 'has brought about, the colored man has been lifted out of 
 chattlehood, and in civil rights set beside his white 
 brother a citizen, a property holder, a voter an inte- 
 gral part of our national life and unity; an element in our 
 Christian civilization. He is here, and here to remain, 
 for weal or for woe to himself and to us. His destiny is 
 
THE BLACK SIDE. 301 
 
 bound up with the destiny of the republic. What is 
 good for him is good for the nation; and what is ill for 
 him is ill for the nation. 
 
 When emancipation was first talked of, the question 
 which sprung to thousands of anxious lips was, " What 
 shall we do with the Negro?" But the spirit of Christ 
 in its breadth and helpfulness, changed the question, and 
 we asked, " What shall we do for the Negro?" The 
 practical answer and outcome of this question has been r 
 by our own denomination, the founding of a score of 
 schools for the education of both male and female pupils, 
 with equal opportunities and accommodation for both; 
 216 teachers, 4,861 pupils, an endowment fund of $750,- 
 ooo, and an expenditure since the war of $2,300,000. 
 Of the pupils in those schools last year, 416 were prepar- 
 ing for the Christian ministry, an increased number for 
 mission work in districts and scattered through the dark- 
 est places in our own country, and others who are pre- 
 paring to go to Africa; 1,756 were preparing to teach, 
 others for various purposes, or in their own language, 
 " to make men and women of themselves." 
 
 In these schools, I suppose, between 20,000 ar/d 30,- 
 ooo have received an education which has fitted them 
 very well for the business and duties of life. 
 
 The South itself, though at first it looked with disfavor 
 upon this work, has become certainly the most liberal 
 minded to appreciate the value of these schools, and has 
 been stimulated to make larger provisions for the colored 
 people in the public schools of the South. 
 
 The effect of this has already been, and in the course 
 of a generation will be, of incalculable benefit. It is in- 
 spiring the colored man with self-respect, it is fitting him 
 as nothing else can, for citizenship in this land where the 
 citizen is the sovereign. Neither the Emancipation Proc- 
 lamation nor the amendments to the Constitution could 
 
302 THE BLACK SIDE. 
 
 do this. They only furnished the opportunity. Chris- 
 tian training, patiently, lovingly pursued through the 
 years, alone can bring these things to perfection. 
 
 Now, we justify what has been done for the colored 
 people, and urge that it be continued and enlarged for 
 the following reasons, viz.: Because, i. It is but paying 
 a debt which we owe. We have had the well-nigh un- 
 requited toil of the colored man for seven generations. 
 The wealth of the country, especially of the South, be- 
 fore the war was largely due to him. The rice, the cot- 
 ton, the corn, the sugar were products of his hand, for 
 which in return he received little but the coarsest food 
 and clothing and rudest shelter. " And the hire of the 
 laborer who had reaped our fields, which by us was kept 
 back, cried and still cries in our ears and in the ears of 
 the Lord God Sabaoth " for a full satisfaction. God is 
 sometimes slow in settling his accounts, but in time they 
 are squared with interest. And this debt we are paying 
 as best we can by what we are doing for our creditors by 
 these Christian schools. 
 
 2. We owe it to him because slavery starved his intel- 
 lect, kept his moral nature in degradation, shut up the 
 Bible and made the teachings of it to him a crime. 
 True, he came here, or rather he was captured and 
 brought here a pagan; but it was our Christian duty to 
 him as our weaker brother, to teach him and enlighten 
 him for whom Christ died, as he did for us. 
 
 We owe it to him because we robbed him of the most 
 precious boon of life all that the dear old Saxon word 
 "home" can mean. For neither his wife nor his chil- 
 dren were his own, marriage itself, the oldest, most 
 sacred, and essential institution which God has established 
 for the welfare of the race, slavery degraded into a con- 
 cubinage which darkened and damned the life of the col- 
 ored man; we are therefore in these things indebted to 
 
THE BLACK SIDE. 303 
 
 this race, and common honesty requires us to pay these 
 debts in full, and with interest. God, who requires that 
 which is past, yet holds us responsible. 
 
 3. We owe it to them as Baptists. One-third of our 
 more than three millions of Baptists in this conntry are 
 among the colored people. In their simplicity and sin- 
 cerity, as in the days of slavery, the}- heard the Bible 
 read and their warm and ardent natures were touched 
 and renewed by the spirit of God. The way of obedi- 
 ence was plain. They did not know enough, as some 
 seem to have, when they heard the Bible read, to be any- 
 thing else but Baptists. And as they become better 
 educated and can read the Bible for themselves, it only 
 makes them firmer and more intelligent Baptists. 
 
 In Georgia alone there are reported 188,000 members, 
 compressing into 1,400 churches. The pastors have, for 
 the most part, been godly men who knew Christ and the 
 way of salvation, though with scarcely any culture, who 
 yet have believed and taught for doctrine many absurd 
 things. But the schools which have been planted and so 
 vigorously worked among them all through the South 
 since the war, have made the demand for a very dif- 
 ferent order of men as pastors and teachers men and 
 women who can feed the open intellect of the people 
 and guide them into right ways of thinking. 
 
 And we are sending out from our schools every year 
 hundreds of young men who are tolerably well fitted to 
 preach the gospel intelligently and to guide the affairs of 
 the church discreetly in receiving members, in receiv- 
 ing and training the young. We send them out staunch 
 temperance men, and they are doing a most needed work 
 among their people in this line. 
 
 And with these are going out hundreds of Christian 
 young women, many of whom become the wives of these 
 pastors, who work faithfully with their husbands, and 
 
304 THE BLACK SIDE. 
 
 set the example of the cultured Christian family in the 
 community where they settle. And this is of the very 
 first importance. The family is God's institution. It is 
 the oldest. It was meant to be an agency even higher 
 than the church for the training of the race in higher and 
 nobler living. No race can rise higher than its families. 
 Pure, virtuous, intellectual families are the bed-rcrck and 
 bulwark of a nation's safety, and the most inspiring and 
 assured hope of all its prosperities. They are the elec- 
 tric lights to be kindled all over these yet dark regions 
 in the South. Christian homes, Christian churches, 
 Christian schools, which shall be fed from these Chris- 
 tian seminaries, as from electric plants goes forth the 
 subtle fluid that flashes thousands of lights over out- 
 cities. 
 
 4. We owe it to them on the ground of the great 
 commission, " Go ye into all the world, and preach the 
 gospel to every creature." We have just been review- 
 ing a century of foreign mission work, and it is the 
 grandest record of the ages. There is scarcely a nation; 
 race or tribe, save in the depths of Africa, to which the 
 gospel has not been sent. God be praised! But here 
 right at home, in darkest America, in what is known as 
 the Black Belt, and bordering on the Gulf of Mexico, 
 are thousands of colored families in which scarce a ray 
 of light from these Christian schools has shone, as igno- 
 rant and superstitious and vicious, and in circumstances 
 even more appalling than when .Lincoln's proclamation 
 brought hope and freedom to the race. 
 
 We know how hard it is to lift men and women out of 
 such a state; how impossible it is to grow virtue in such 
 a soil; to build the granite columns of manhood, the 
 delicate shafts of pure, chaste womanhood, on such a 
 morass as this. How discouraging, how impossible. 
 But there is a subsoil, we believe, even underneath such 
 
THE BLACK SIDE. 305 
 
 bogs as these, which, concreted with the gospel and the 
 grace of God, will make bed-rock, and we are going to 
 find it, deep down as it lies, and build on it the kingdom 
 of God and the beautiful and abiding structure of Chris- 
 tian homes, with the integrities that strengthen and the 
 virtues that adorn life. 
 
 Again, we owe it to ourselves, as a safeguard to the 
 nation. The Negro problem was not solved by the war. 
 The war, for the time, only complicated it. Lincoln's 
 proclamation and the fourteenth amendment have not 
 settled it. It still confronts us with the face of a sphinx. 
 
 This problem has,|in the providence of God, been put 
 upon us to solve. Have we the wisdom, the pajdence, 
 the patriotism, the perseverance, the large-minded Chris- 
 tian helpfulness, to find and work out the solution? This 
 is one and not the least of these great issues that con- 
 front us to-day. The labor, the drink, and the race ques- 
 tions, how are we going to meet them? 
 
 In the ignorance and the vices which the colored man 
 brought out of slavery, we have a perpetual menace to 
 our free institutions which we know have their bottom 
 safety, not in the wealth and enterprise of our people 
 to which such magnificent temples are being built, as the 
 gods of this nation but in the intelligence and virtue 
 and godliness of the citizen; not of a class, but of the 
 people as a whole. 
 
 The danger which threatens us to-day, as every think- 
 ing man knows, is an ignorant, irresponsible ballot, and 
 the unprincipled recklessness with which it is used, 
 coupled with the congested wealth of our rapidly in- 
 creasing millionaires. 
 
 We have not yet passed the experimental period of our 
 free institutions. Can they bear, without breaking 
 down, these enormous strains? 
 
 20 
 
306 THE BLACK SIDE. 
 
 What labor and capital have alike most to fear are the 
 ignorance and vice and cupidity that can be marshalled 
 by demagogues at the polls, to annul the will of the up- 
 right, intelligent citizens of the land. 
 
 And no use of money can be more judiciously or re- 
 muneratively made in this generation than that which 
 will carry intelligence and virtue, and the thrift, content- 
 ment and safety which these beget, into the homes of 
 ignorance and vice, and there build up true, responsible,, 
 self-respecting, self-directing man and womanhood. 
 
 Again, a solid white South against a solid black South r 
 which the late Mr. Grady and his followers would bring 
 about, has in it the germs of a race war, as do also the 
 obstructions put in the way of colored voters, the threats 
 and actual violence used to prevent their voting which 
 tend to the same end. And yet it is true that large num- 
 bers of colored voters are not competent to cast an intel- 
 ligent vote as are thousands of ignorant foreigners in the 
 North who are rushed into citizenship. It might greatly 
 help to solve this race problem if some change could be 
 effected in politics that would divide the white and the 
 colored voters into something like equality. But that 
 may be long in coming. Now our schools are fitting the 
 colored man, as nothing else can, for intelligent citizen- 
 ship. The pupil is taught not only his rights he knows 
 them already but patience and self-restraint, and to de- 
 serve his rights, though for the present he be deprived of 
 them. He is taught economy, thrift, to acquire property,, 
 to get homes; a better mode of [living; these homely but 
 necessary virtues. Piety, intelligence, thrift, are the 
 trinity which is to lift them to the level of true man and 
 womanhood. And so our work is rounding out our pu- 
 pils, if we can keep them long enough, in all these best 
 qualities of citizenship. 
 
 Let this work go on, as it has for the last twenty years, 
 
. THE BLACK SIDE. 307 
 
 and the colored vote may yet save the country from the 
 anarchy which socialism and communism, allied to vice 
 and ignorance and discontent, are to-day threatening us 
 with, and which come largely also from our foreign pop- 
 ulation. 
 
 There is another danger which many far-sighted among 
 us apprehend, and of which now and then we may see the 
 danger signal, and what recent and very adroit but sus- 
 picious movement too plainly indicated, viz.: Romanism, 
 as a combined political power. Those who have studied 
 the matter know very well that Rome has always carried 
 her religion into her politics. Her old-time dogma, from 
 which she has never receded since the days of Hilder- 
 brand, that the civil power is subject to the spiritual; that 
 the Pope of right shall dominate kingdoms and cabinets 
 and presidents; and that all she calls heresy must be put 
 down where she bears rule. And Rome counts nothing 
 so great and dangerous a heresy as free religious thought^ 
 
 If some issue which wily Jesuitism may yet bring 
 upon us, the colored vote, I believe, would be a unit against 
 it. You cannot well make a Roman Catholic of the 
 Negro. He does not want any priest or proxy to come 
 between him and Christ. He wants to go himself to 
 headquarters. Andwho knows but God is raising up in 
 the South among these despised men of color, whose 
 fathers and mothers we are to-day teaching, a power by 
 which he will yet save this nation from perils, even greater 
 than that of the rebellion, out of which, as a civil power, 
 they have come. And whose prayers, from lowly cabins 
 and forest glens, did as much in the great hour of our 
 country's need to save it as did the statesmanship of Lin- 
 coln or the canons of Grant ; nay, were rather the back- 
 lying forces which, in the providence of God, gave effi- 
 ciency to all these. And so it seems to me that God 
 may be providing a reserve force to meet any such like 
 
308 THE BLACK SIDE. 
 
 emergency that may hereafter rise in the unfoldings of 
 our national life. 
 
 The colored man is American born ; his home is here, 
 and he loves it. He is tractable and responsive to the 
 highest and best influences. He is naturally religious. 
 According to the last census, one in three of every col- 
 ored citizen is a church member. He is loyal, as was so 
 remarkably seen in his fidelity to his master's family dur- 
 ing the war. Any other race would have mutinied under 
 a like crisis. He has in him the quality of true courage, 
 as was seen when our colored troops met with such hero- 
 ism the shock of battle. 
 
 And one may see in these traits, when redeemed and 
 rectified from the harms of slavery, a justification for the 
 hopes I have spoken of, both for himself and for the 
 country. 
 
 Never in the history of civilization has a race so long 
 in servitude made such strides in all direction of progress 
 as the colored people in these last thirty years. It is the 
 wonder of the world, and will so be recorded by the pen 
 of history. It was four hundred years after the exodus 
 from Egypt before the Israelites had established a perma- 
 nent government. Have not the wings of the soiled dove 
 been growing white like silver, and her feathers like as 
 pure gold? * 
 
 The work, therefore, which we are doing in the South, 
 by the aid so largely of Northen sympathies and help, is 
 paying a debt which before God we sacredly owe the 
 colored man; is averting, I believe, a great peril; is build- 
 ing, I seem to see, a bulwark for the nation against dan- 
 gers which threaten its highest well-being, if not its very 
 existence, when times of coming peril may hereafter 
 arise. It is caring, as we are bound to do, for our own 
 denomination. While we are building such universities 
 as Chicago in the North for our people, we are not for- 
 
THE BLACK SIDE. 309 
 
 getting the wants that appeal to us from the South. And 
 finally, but more important, it may be, than all, we are 
 doing in these Christian schools in the South what will 
 have a direct and vital bearing upon the redemption and 
 Christian civilization of the continenfof Africa. 
 
 The belief grows upon me that in the providence of 
 God the colored people in this country are the agents 
 which he has chosen and is preparing for this great and 
 final missionary work. What agency seems so fitted by 
 nature to do this work? The colored man is of the same 
 race, and race affinities are verv strong. He will en- 
 counter no such prejudices as the white man. He can 
 endure the climate, and his sympathies draw him to the 
 "fatherland." In this view may we not- see the hand of 
 God in this matter? And it is always safe, nay, more 
 than safe, always sure of successi ndeed, success is won 
 in no other way than along the line in which God's provi- 
 dence moves. Find these, follow these, and you cannot 
 fail, whatever obstacle you may encounter. 
 
 1 do not pose as a prophet, but I believe with all my 
 heart there are possibilities in the colored race which God 
 means to develop and use in giving to the world a better 
 type of civilization than we, the Anglo-Saxons, have 
 wrought out. 
 
 There is a skeptical drift in the Anglo-Saxon mind 
 which needs to be corrected by a deeper and more ear- 
 nest faith, a faith which seems native to the colored race, 
 in order to give to our common Christianity, and the civ- 
 ilization based upon it, their best and fullest development. 
 Christianity, while world-wide in its adaptations, is yet 
 Eastern in its origin, and peculiarly adapted to the East- 
 ern mind and modes of thought ; and the colored races 
 are natives of the East. And further, there is a rough, 
 overbearing, domineering quality in the white races that 
 we have inherited from our old Saxon ancestors, which 
 
310 THE BLACK SIDE. 
 
 has done service through the past ages in conquering the 
 savagery of nature and bringing its forces into the service 
 of man. This needs to be toned down and rendered more 
 amiable and catholic and kingly before we shall realize 
 that condition of society which the gospel of Christ 
 points to, and for which the best aspirations of the human 
 heart yearn; I mean the brotherhood of man. 
 
 And so I believe. I hope in "the good time coming," 
 when these prejudices against the colored man will pass 
 away with his ignorance and vices; when the white man 
 and his black brother the Saxon and the Negro, the 
 Aryan and mongrel will stand side by side, each bringing 
 of his own peculiar gifts of heart and brain, to work in 
 loving rivalries towards the realization of the kingdom of 
 God on earth. 
 
 But we must be patient and remember that "one day 
 is with the Lord as a thousand years. Nations are of 
 slow growth. It took five hundred years after the bond- 
 age in Egypt to rear a Jew of Solomon's time, and as 
 long to rear a Greek of Pericles' time; seven hundred 
 years to make a Roman of the Augustine age, and a 
 thousand years to build an Englishman, an Anglo-Amer- 
 ican of to-day. And what may five hundred, nay, half 
 that time do, when the world is moving so much faster 
 than of old, for the colored man and the black races of 
 the East, if they but have the chance, and we but do our 
 duty toward them, and whose day seems to be dawning, 
 or perhaps returning after a cycle of four thousand years, 
 when Egypt taught Greece her letters and was the leader 
 of the world's thought. 
 
 And this confidence is strengthened in my own mind 
 by. such a series of manifest providences of God as are 
 circling around and centering upon him. Mark you, 
 God suffered the violence and cupidity of the slave-dealer 
 to bring him to this land. Two hundred and fifty years 
 
THE BLACK SIDE. 311 
 
 of slavery, with its crimes against humanity and heaven, 
 was, after all, an uplift from the savagery of Africa. He 
 learned of the true God, the way of salvation ; and crude 
 as his notions were, the light of these truths took hold of 
 his deeply religious nature, while the wrongs he suffered 
 drove him more and more to God as the hope and refuge 
 of the oppressed. This rough discipline was God's 
 school in which he learned the alphabet of trust and the 
 rudiments of something higher. 
 
 And-then, when Livingstone was finishing his sacrificial 
 work for Africa, and was dying on his knees by her great 
 lakes, and our own Stanley was making ready for the 
 bold adventures which brought Africa into the sympa- 
 pathies of other nations, and laid bare the arteries of her 
 great central valley, with its five thousand miles of navi 
 gable rivers, God snapped, by the bolt of war, the fetters 
 of the black man and made him a free citizen of this, the 
 most Christian nation on earth. 
 
 And then what? In line with the same providence, God 
 moved the heart of the great North to found and furnish 
 these Christian schools, and by a marvelous enthusiasm 
 to bring thousands and tens of thousands of colored 
 youth into them, where, under able and godly teachers, 
 they are being trained for leadership among their people 
 here at home. And more, is calling some of the noblest 
 of them to go back to the fatherland with the Gospel 
 which builds civilization and saves men. Does not this 
 look like God's work? What else, pray, can it be? 
 
 And what can be plainer in the light of these provi- 
 dences, and in the direction in which they have been mov- 
 ing for the last thirty years, than that God intends and 
 has been ripening events for it that the colored Chris- 
 tians of America should become the regenerators of 
 Africa, and carry their own English tongue, born of the 
 Bible, as no other speech on earth has been, and to plant 
 
312 THE BLACK SIDE. 
 
 * 
 
 there very largely the Christian faith and church as we 
 Baptists hold them, in their New Testament simplicity 
 and spirituality, and so make Africa largely a Baptist 
 continent? 
 
 The spirit of mission to Africa is in our schools in the 
 South. Already a number have gone' there, and are 
 doing excellent service. Choice young men and women 
 from Africa are being sent by our missionaries there to 
 be educated in this country and to return. 
 
 Who knows but that in the rapidity with which the 
 world is now moving, there may be, by the close of the 
 twentieth century, a civilization on the banks of the Congo 
 which shall command the respect of the world, and em- 
 body the best elements of that upon the Thames and the 
 Potomac? It is like God to work in just this way. 
 "Though thou hast lain with the pots, yet shall ye be as 
 the wings of a dove." 
 
 And now further to show what the to-day of the col- 
 ored man promises for his to-morrow, let me quote a pas- 
 sage from a recent number of the North American Review. 
 
 A Southern man, writing on the Negro Question, has 
 used these words, which the reviewer takes for his text: 
 "The Negro has made no progress since the emancipa- 
 tion, not because he was a siave, but because he has not 
 the faculty to rise above slavery. Twenty-seven years 
 have gone since the war,and the Negro is the barber, the 
 boot-black, the hotel waiter. Here and there a lawyer, 
 now and then a doctor. There used to be good mechanics 
 among them in slavery times. Where are they now?" 
 
 In reply to this, says the reviewer: "Twenty-seven 
 years ago, forbidden by law to read, without a school; 
 to-day, 25,530 schools. Then, not a child in school; now, 
 2,250,000 have learned to read, and most of them to 
 write; while according to the census of 1890, there are 
 now in colored schools 238,229 pupils. Twenty-seven 
 
THE BLACK SIDE. 313 
 
 years ago a negro school-teacher would have been a 
 curiosity; to-day, by the grace of God and their own grit, 
 there are 20,000. Twenty-seven years ago it was thought 
 that the colored man was incapable of higher education; 
 to-day they have iSo^schools of advanced education. 
 Among these are seven colleges, presided over by col- 
 ored men, three of whom were slaves twenty-seven years 
 ago. And what was the colored ministry? Now there 
 are 1,000 college-bred Negro pastors in the land. Twenty- 
 seven years ago there were two newspapers edited by 
 colored men; to-day, 154. Then there were two negro 
 attorneys; now, 160. Then, three doctors; now, 749 
 And mark, 247 colored students in the universities of 
 Europe." 
 
 Look now at the question of accumulating property. 
 Twenty-seven years ago the entire taxable property of 
 the Negro was $12,000; to-day it is $264,000,000. And 
 a change like this has taken place in twenty-seven years, 
 and very largely by our schools which have so stimulated 
 the aptitudes and energies and economies of the colored 
 people. Now, in view of these showings, have not the 
 wings of the soiled and bedraggled dove "grown white 
 with silver and her feathers yellow with gold?" 
 
 These are the things I preach to our friends in the 
 North, and I bring them to you, young men and women, 
 for your encouragement and inspiration in your noble pur- 
 pose to make the most of yourselves, and to look faith- 
 fully to the same end among your people. Be true to 
 youselves by becoming Christians, for unless you do, you 
 will still lack the best and highest qualities of manhood 
 and womanhood; and then consecrate all you have and 
 are to the service of God and your fellowmen. 
 
314 THE BLACK SIDE. 
 
 "ALL THINGS WORK TOGETHER FOR 
 GOOD." 
 
 BY DEACON NICK HOLMES, 
 At the Pastor's Twelfth Anniversary of Friendship Baptist Church- 
 
 From the shoemaker's trade to the pulpit, with which 
 trade he supported his mother and other children for a 
 number of years, their father being dead. 
 
 When converted he joined Hill's Baptist Church at 
 Athens, Ga., and felt that he was called to the ministry. 
 He was licensed and served the above named church as 
 a deacon. 
 
 Seeing that he could not prosecute work without an 
 education he decided to make the sacrifice to come to 
 Atlanta and attend the Atlanta Baptist Seminary. With- 
 out visible means of support, he entered school almost 
 without any money at all. In 1882 he was called to the 
 pastorate of Friendship Baptist Church. Here he found 
 a debt against the church of $2,500, and a number of 
 minor debts too numerous to be mentioned. The debts 
 were canceled in about eighteen months. Then came 
 the remodeling of the church, floor raised, new pews, gas 
 fixtures, reslating of the house, which cost about $3,000. 
 When all this was paid we had a jubilee meeting, re- 
 joicing over the great victory that we had achieved. 
 
 In 1885 came the great prohibition fight against the 
 great monster alcohol, to which he rose in the scales of 
 eminence as a speaker second to none in the campaign, 
 and thus he continued. At different places in the State 
 he was called to speak against the monster king alcohol, 
 and in Virginia and other places as a speaker and pulpit 
 orator. 
 
 There are few that are able to compete with him. 
 Some men are born for great things, and some are born 
 for small things. And it is not written why some 
 men are born at all, but " all things work together for 
 good." 
 
THE BLACK SIDE. 315 
 
 R. B. FERRELL, 
 
 CONTRACTOR MECHANIC, HOUSE BUILDER. 
 
 Few men in the city of Atlanta, on account of their 
 skill in the line of professions which they follow, demand 
 more respect and credit than Mr. Ferrell. 
 
 His sober habits and promptness, and the manner in 
 which he turns off all the work which he contracts to do, 
 together with the great satisfaction which his work gives, 
 has brought to him eminence in his business and a wide 
 and lucrative field in which to labor. Doubtless no young 
 man among the colored citizens of Atlanta has overcome 
 more, gone through more to gain recognition in the 
 city than Mr. Ferrell. He is one of those young men 
 who believes that " if the will not is removed, the cannots 
 will slip loose like a bowknot." In other words, Mi. 
 Ferrell is one of those men that does not wait for some- 
 thing to " turn up," but is constantly turning something 
 up. 
 
 On many of the beautiful hills and planes of this great 
 city stands many a beautiful cottage spun from the ar- 
 chitectural plans drawn and prosecuted by himself, which 
 is a lasting illustration and recommendation to him as a 
 mechanic. 
 
 i Mr. Ferrell, like the most of the young men of his 
 race, being surrounded with many hardships and priva- 
 tions of life, had but little opportunity for obtaining an 
 education. He entered Storr's school when he was at 
 the age of fourteen, and remained until he was seventeen. 
 He was, on account of the poverty of his father, com- 
 pelled to stop school. His father, being a carpenter by 
 trade, took him in the shop with him, where he learned 
 his first lessons in house-building. By his aptness he 
 was soon made an acceptable workman. 
 
316 THE BLACK SIDE. 
 
 In 1891 he married Miss Minnie Strong, a very pleas- 
 ant, genial, and economical woman, to whom he attributes 
 the success that he has made in life. 
 
 Mr. Ferrell owns some very valuable property in the 
 city, from which he gathers a very satisfactory income, 
 besides a very beautiful cottage home, neatly furnished 
 with those things which make a home comfortable, 
 pleasant, and cosy, of which his affable wife is queen. 
 
 Mr. Robert Ferrell was born in Macon county, Ala., 
 in the year 1850. Soon after his advent into this life 
 his parents came to Atlanta, bringing their infant son with 
 them, where he has resided ever since. 
 
 Since his coming here, the facts in this sketch are the 
 fruits of his labor. Mr. Ferrell is a man of strong 
 Christian character, great charity, warm-hearted, and of 
 a pleasing and generous impulse. It might be said of 
 him that he allows no opportunity to escape for doing 
 good. 
 
 REV. JOSEPH CONYERS. 
 
 A PREACHER FIKST-CLASS BRICKMASON. 
 
 This character springs into life in Carroll county, of 
 Georgia, at Sandhill postoffice, in 1852. At four years 
 of age he was carried by his mother to Haralson county, 
 where he remained until emancipation. He then returned 
 to Carrollton and worked on the railroad for some con- 
 siderable time. 
 
 Feeling the roughness which came to him in this class 
 of labor, he was determined to find something that was 
 more elevating, and in 1868 he went to Macon, Georgia, 
 where he engaged in a small business, such as young men 
 make for themselves with a small capital. 
 
THE BLACK SIDE. 317 
 
 It was at this place that he was converted and made a 
 profession in Christ, and was baptized by Rev. William 
 Plant. 
 
 In 1870 he came to the city of Atlanta without any- 
 thing. On arriving here he became acquainted with Mr. 
 Felix Sours, who was a brickmason, under whom he 
 went to work as an apprentice for the brickmason trade. 
 Being very apt and industrious, he soon became very 
 efficient. His treatment by Mr. Sours was so bad, and he 
 now being able to pilot his own way, he leaves Mr Sours, 
 who was paying him seventy-five cents a day, and estab- 
 lishes a business of his own. He had large contracts 
 given to him, which were completed with satisfaction to 
 those who granted them, and with credit to himself. 
 
 He was a poor boy, brought *up without many of the 
 advantages that other boys had for education, having the 
 greater part of his juvenile life the responsibility of look- 
 ing after the smaller brothers and sisters, who were in 
 early life with himself, bereft of the care, love and tender 
 instruction of a mother ; nevertheless, with whatever 
 embarrassments or disadvantages, he was determined 
 to push ahead and make the most of himself 
 
 In 1879 he was licensed to preach the gospel of the 
 Son of God by Rev. Frank Quarles, the pastor of Friend- 
 ship Baptist Church, in the city of Atlanta. At this pe- 
 riod he began to feel more than ever the need of educa- 
 tion. Accordingly in 1879 wnen the Atlanta Baptist 
 Seminary was opened in the city of Atlanta, he enrolled 
 himself as one of its pupils, and studied here for three or 
 four years under Rev. Joseph T. Roberts, D.D., LL.D. 
 Mr. Conyers had now come to better days in his life. 
 His hardships, in a great meusure were, were now over, 
 and he was able to live very pleasantly and comfortably. 
 In 1871 he was married to Miss Alice Collier, a very 
 
318 THE BLACK SIDE. 
 
 thoroughgoing, industrious, refined, and economical lady 
 to whom Mr. Conyers, in the kindest words, attributes 
 all that he has been able to accomplish, 
 
 He owns in the city of Atlanta some two or three lots 
 with houses, to the amount of eight thousand dollars 
 ($8,000.00), all of which he has accumulated and saved 
 put of his hard labors. 
 
 In 1886 he was ordained to the gospel ministry by 
 present pastor of Friendship Baptist Church, Rev. E. R. 
 Carter, the author of this book. Since that day he has 
 served the First Baptist Church, at Acworth, Ga., for 
 three years, and was an active worker and teacher in his 
 own church from which he received his ordination. In 
 1887 he moved to Chattanooga, Tenn,, with his industri- 
 ous wife. He has been able to accumulate a very pleas- 
 ant amount of property at this place, working with the 
 trowel and hammer in the week days and preaching the 
 gospel on Sunday, when the B Street church was with- 
 out a pastor, Rev. Conyers supplied the pulpit for three 
 months. He was also pastor of the Prpeville Baptist 
 Church, Tennessee, for two years. 
 
 We can see at this point of Mr. Conyers' life that 
 through the varied scenes whicn he has passed, he has 
 eaten no idle bread. Since the day that he arrived at 
 Chattanooga he has been able to accumulate enough to 
 purchase one of the finest lots in the city of Chattanooga t 
 on which he^has built a most elegant, commanding and 
 stately building, which will compare favorably to any 
 business house in the city. It lifts itself three stories, 
 with four store rooms on the first floor and eighteen 
 rooms on the second floor, and an elegant hall on the 
 third floor. 
 
 This building is very tastefully trimmed with .marble 
 and is built of'pressedj brick, and is valued at five thou- 
 
THE BLACK SIDE. 
 
 sand dollars, making the property of Mr. Conyers in the 
 city of Atlanta and Chattanooga all worth forty ($40,000) 
 thousand dollars, all of which is contributed to the in- 
 dustry of Mr. and Mrs. Conyers' economical and saving 
 characteristics. These two are a happy pair of noble 
 Christians and generous-hearted citizens. 
 
INDEX. 
 
 Chapter I Page II 
 
 II .... 14 
 
 III.... ..16 
 
 IV.... 17 
 
 V .... " 20 
 
 The Good Samaritan Order 25 
 
 The Spelman Seminary 28 
 
 The Carrie Steel Orphan Home 35 
 
 Rev. N. J. Jones, Protective Association .* 38 
 
 The West Atlanta W. C. T. U , 43 
 
 The Morris Brown College , . 45 
 
 The St. James Lodge No. 1455 50 
 
 The Atlanta Baptist Seminary 52 
 
 The Protective Association No. 3 . 55 
 
 The Mt. Zion Baptist Church 57 
 
 Col, F. H. Crumbly .60 
 
 Hon. J. Robert Davis 64 
 
 Miss Hattie M. Sturdivant 66 
 
 Rev. Robert L. Darden 67 
 
 Mr. William C. Rosette 70 
 
 Mr. Augustus Thompson, F.L.T., M.V.P 71 
 
 Rev. William Finch 74 
 
 Mr. Frank. T. Howard . . . . : 77 
 
 Rev. M. V. White 7& 
 
 Rev. William H. Tuggle 80 
 
 Rev. Rufus H. Houston 82 
 
 Rev. Isaac R. Hall 84 
 
 Rev. R. H. Burson 85 
 
 Rev. Thomas H. Dorsey 87 
 
 Rev. Henry White ' : 89- 
 
 Rev. J. C. Beaver 90 
 
 Rev. J. B. Davis 91 
 
 Rev. D. S. Klugh 94 
 
 Rev. Cyrus Brown 96 
 
 Rev. W. L. Jones* 98 
 
 MissM. B.Johnson.. . 101 
 
322 INEDX. 
 
 Rev. Silas Smith 103 
 
 Rev. W. D. Johnson 104 
 
 Rev. A. B. Murden 109 
 
 Rev. R. T. Shell 114 
 
 Rev. M. C. B. Mason, A.M., B.D., D.D 117 
 
 Mr. H. A. Hagler % 118 
 
 Professor W. H. Crbgman, A.M ' 122 
 
 Mrs. Victoria Maddox Simmons 126 
 
 A. 0. Lockhart, M.D 128 
 
 Trwin W. Hayes, M.D 130 
 
 Moses Amos 133 
 
 Thomas Heathe Slater, M.D 134 
 
 H. R. Butler, A.B., M.D 1S7 
 
 Edward J. Turner 138 
 
 W. H. Landrum 140 
 
 John T. Shell 141 
 
 Thos. Lyman 144 
 
 James C. Odoin 145 
 
 Peter F. Hogan 146 
 
 Lewis H. Cox 148 
 
 J. W. Cox 150 
 
 Green W. Wilson 151 
 
 Morgan McNair 1 52 
 
 John A. Tremble 154 
 
 John Oliver Ross 155 
 
 Cornelius King , 157 
 
 William A. Allen 162 
 
 G. H. Farmer 163 
 
 Julius Alexander 164 
 
 Thomas Goosby 166 
 
 F. G. Snelson 167 
 
 James Lee Honeywell 172 
 
 Elijah R. Graves 1 75 
 
 D. L. Anderson 177 
 
 Captain Jackson McHenry , 178 
 
 Frederick L. Carlton 180 
 
 John W. Williams '. 184 
 
 David W. By an 186 
 
 Robert Steel , 187 
 
 James W. Palmer 189 
 
 J. 0. Connally 190 
 
 Landy Embree 192 
 
 Willis Smith . . 194 
 
 Walter A. Wright, Jr ,. 196 
 
 G. W. Hatsfield.. . 198 
 
INDEX. 323 
 
 . W. r J*homas 199 
 
 Aaron Perry 201 
 
 James Simonton 203 
 
 Felix Brown 205 
 
 Alexander Hamilton 207 
 
 Rev. J. B. Borders 208 
 
 Joshua Sharp 210 
 
 W. A. Harris 212 
 
 Professor W. E. Holmes, A.M 213 
 
 Mt. Olive Baptist Church 215 
 
 Ella P. Wilson 217 
 
 Reed Street Baptist Church 218 
 
 The Pastor of Big Bethel A. M. E. Church 220 
 
 Gray Street School 224 
 
 G. M. Howell 227 
 
 Robert B. Brightwell 230 
 
 Gate City School 232 
 
 Mrs. Obedia C. B. Carter 236 
 
 Mitchell Street School 239 
 
 Bethel Baptist Church 341 
 
 The First Baptist Church 243 
 
 Wheat Street Baptist Church 246 
 
 Paper by Miss N. E. Crawford 253 
 
 The Author's Ability as a Preacher, by Rev. J. B. Davis 258 
 
 As I Have Seen Him, by Professor W. E. Holmes 263 
 
 His Ability as a Hero In the Temperance Cause, by Lewis H. Cox. '265 
 
 A Purpose and Will, by Miss Virginia Dozier 268 
 
 Positiveness of Speech, by Mrs. A. Barswell 272 
 
 Master of Ceremonies, Walter H. Landrum 274 
 
 A Look Back Over the Pastor's Work, by Mrs. Mamie Jackson 
 
 Tate k . . . 276 
 
 A Good Shepherd, by Major S. W. Easley '. . . 277 
 
 Lines, by Little Miss Pearl Shell 280 
 
 Abstract of an Address, by Win. E. Holmes . 281 
 
 Sketch of Sermon Let us Play the Man, by the Author 284 
 
 The Negro in Oratory 291 
 
 The To-day and To-morrow of the Colored Man, by Rev. Samuel 
 
 Graves, D.D 299 
 
 All Things Work Together for Good, by Deacon Nick Holmes. . . 314 
 
 R. B. Ferrell ! 315 
 
 Rev. Joseph Conyers 316 
 
1