The Journal of Negro History Volume V Part 65

In 1909 and again in 1912 myself and wife, both of us having a knowledge of French and Spanish and I a little Italian made a tour of Western Europe viz, Gibralter Italy Switzerland France Germany Holland Belgium and England plodding on foot amongst the common people studying sociological conditions and comparing with our own people. I find the contrast of the humbler cla.s.s of Europe also the colored races of the West Indies and South America with less opportunities possessed of more enterprise and ambition than the colored people of America.

It is a lamentable fact that the princ.i.p.al attraction of those who should be our strong men and leaders in enterprise those of high school and college training consists of Uncle Sam's bounty and in the absence of this to cling to some white man in private life.

I have for many years been an ardent advocate of business amongst our people and to this end I have written contributions to the _Commonwealth_ of Baltimore a paper once edited by John E. Bruce (Bruce Grit) the Colored American of Was.h.i.+ngton, and to other papers edited by our race.

My att.i.tude towards other enterprises is that we are sufficiently and disproportionately represented in other branches, especially teaching preaching politics governmental patronage &c which require no financial responsibility; consequently the results place us in the att.i.tude of a Castillian gentleman who is facetiously described thus--_Caballero sin caballo, Mucho piojo, poco dinero_, that is, a knight without a horse, Plenty of lice, little money.

As a race we are the poorest numerically of any race in America.

We have so little ambition and so envious and void of race pride.

We don't mind a white man climbing over our heads but a colored man never and if you doubt me keep a store.

I have grown weary of the struggle and am leaving the fight to the younger men who I hope may prove vigorous champions.

I have done my part, I am

Yours very truly (Signed) STANSBURY BOYCE.

LONDON, ONT. October 25/1918

DR. CARTER G. WOODSON, _Journal of Negro History_, Was.h.i.+ngton, D. C.

_Dear Dr. Woodson_,

I have been reading your "Century of Negro Migration" with interest. On page 36 you speak of a change of att.i.tude on the part of Canadians towards the refugees. I do not know to what this refers. The att.i.tude of the Canadian government never changed--it granted asylum and protection right up to the Civil War and afterwards. From the very earliest days there was an occasional show of prejudice but I doubt if this was greater in 1855 than in 1845 or 1835. The laws were administered fairly, the Negro exercised his vote, could get land cheaply if he desired to farm. The chief prejudice was shown in the schools though this only in some places, this city for instance. But this was only occasional, not general, and you are quite correct in saying that "these British Americans never made the life of the Negro there so intolerable as was the case in some of the free States."

On the same page there is a slight error in the use of the word "towns" in connection with the settlements of refugees in Southern Ontario.

"Dawn" was not a town but a farming community, "The Dawn Settlement" "Colchester" was the same, it is the name now given to a towns.h.i.+p in Ess.e.x county.

"Elgin" was not the name of a Settlement but of the a.s.sociation which managed the settlement. Buxton was the settlement founded by the Elgin a.s.sociation.

"Bush", _i.e._ "The Bush" is the term applied to a great tract of country north of Toronto, bushland, in which there were some Negro farmers.

"Wilberforce" was also a tract of land divided into farms and termed the Wilberforce settlement. It is in Middles.e.x county, near London.

"Riley" should be "Raleigh," it is the towns.h.i.+p in which the Elgin a.s.sociation's settlement was located. It is in Kent County.

"Anderton" is also the name of a towns.h.i.+p in Ess.e.x county.

"Gonfield" should be "Gosfield." It is also a towns.h.i.+p in Ess.e.x county.

These are only minor matters but you might desire to make the change in another edition.

I think I shall write something dealing with the Canadian end of your subject, from the economic standpoint. The _Journal_ is a publication of which as Editor you can be proud. It maintains a high standard. I intend to have it added to the Western University's list of periodicals this year.

Sincerely yours, (Signed) FRED LANDON.

BIRD-IN-HAND, PA., Aug. 21, 1918.

CARTER G. WOODSON, ESQ.,

_Dear Mr. Woodson_:

I have read most of the articles in the JOURNAL with deep interest and think it a valuable periodical. One or two mistakes I noticed; one writer says that President Lincoln thought that "the war should be over in ninety days." It was Seward, _not_ Lincoln that cherished this almost insane idea.--Please do not set me down as a carping critic when I say that I am very sorry that the long article on "Slavery in Kentucky" was printed without comment or correction. To speak of Henry Clay as an anti-slavery man seems absurd to people like myself, born into _real_ anti-slavery families and familiar almost from infancy with the anti-slavery struggle. The interview with Mr.

Mendenhall, a Friend (Quaker) is told somewhat differently from what I heard it in my childhood. I always understood that a delegation of Friends called upon him and he told them to go home, that his "Negroes were sleek and fat." The comparison between Friends and his negroes, as given in Mr. McDougle's article is even more insulting than is anything in the story as I heard it. One of my earliest recollections is seeing in my grandmother's kitchen in Phila., "Clary" a little octoroon woman, who was, I was told, either once the mistress or else the daughter of Henry Clay. From this you may judge what his moral reputation must have been.

Very truly yours, (Signed) (MRS.) MARIANNA G. BRUBAKER.

SOME CORRECTIONS

BIRD-IN-HAND, PA., April 21, 1920.

MR. CARTER G. WOODSON,

_My dear Mr. Woodson:_

On the next page will be found a correction of the article "The Negro Migration to Canada after 1850," which you may print or not, as you choose. In a historical periodical, accuracy is important, is it not?

Very truly yours, Signed (MRS.) MARIANNA G. BRUBAKER.

On page 30 of the _Journal of Negro History_ for January reference is made to the famous Christiana Riot of Sept. 11, 1851. Christiana is about nineteen--not two--miles from Lancaster. Parker, the hero of this event, was a wonderful man.

He returned to Christiana in the summer of 1872, spoke at a political meeting there and spent some time visiting friends, by whom he was greatly admired and respected. The exact distance from Lancaster is important because of the very different character of the two communities.

(Signed) MARIANNA G. BRUBAKER.

BIRD-IN-HAND, PA., April 21.

DOc.u.mENTS

The following letter was addressed to the City Council of Was.h.i.+ngton, D.C., July 15, 1833, by Joseph Jefferson, Sr., and Mr. Mackenzie, managers of the Was.h.i.+ngton Theatre.[1]

_Dear Sir:_

"Permit us to take the liberty of representing to you a burden that oppresses us most heavily, and of requesting your kind endeavors so to represent the case before the mayor and council that we may obtain all the relief that it is in their power to grant.

"You must be aware that we pay nightly to the city a tax of $6 for permission to perform in the theater; in the year 1832 this amounted to nearly $1,400 in the aggregate; we pay this tax cheerfully, and all we ask in return is a liberal protection and support from the city authorities.

"There is at present a law in force which authorizes the constables of the city to arrest the colored people if on the street after 9 o'clock without a pa.s.s. A great proportion of our audience consists of persons of this caste, and they are consequently deterred from giving us that support that they would otherwise do.

"Can there be any modification of that law suggested, or will the mayor and council authorize us to give pa.s.ses to those colored persons who leave the theatre for the purpose of proceeding directly to their homes?