Daily Republican., 1879-08-05
THE AFRICAN RACE.
Sketch OF . Few Of the Great Men
OF the Dsy Belonging 10 the
African Race.

OF the nay Belonging 10 tn
African Race. .
BY JAMES II. MURRAY.
For the REPUBLICAN. r.,
The late King Theodore, Of Abysini
who was ruler Of no ordinary ability
and after his accession to power be BE-
gan to inagurate series Of reforms
which it has been said had he lived il
another country, or had suitable ad
visers at his side he would have gain
ed himself a reputation equal to tina
Of Peter. or Frederick the Great. A de.
scription of him is that Theodore wal
darker than many Of his country men
his black eyes slightly depressed,
the nose straight, the mouth large, thu
lips small, he was straight, and well
knit, a splendid llorseman, excelled in
the use Of the spear, and on foot will
tire his hardest followers, when in good
humor the expression Of his counte
nance is pleasing, his smiles attractive
his manners courteous, really kingly,
but when in anger his aspect is fright.
ful, his black face acquires an ashy
hue, his eyes bloodshot and fierce seem
to shed fire, his thin lips compressed,
leaving but a whitish margin around
the mouth, his very hair seems to
stand erect, and his whole department
is that Of q savage and ungovernabls
fury. ....
As l have been speaking Of African
craftsmanship and generals, what will
you say when come to negro scholars
and philosophers, and yet in spite of the
adverse circumstances with which w
have had to contend, such persons
have appeared even in modern times
Euclid, the father Of Geometry, is moi
tha only great mathematician which
Africa has produced. In 1734, Anthony
William Amo, an African from tine
coast of Guinea, took the degree Of
Doctor Of philosophy at the University
Of Wurtsnburg. According to Butum.
two OF his dissertations exhibit
much we'll digested knowledge of the
best physiological works Of the times; he
was we'll versed in astronomy, and
spoke the Latin, Hebrew, Greek, French
Dutch and German languages. In an
published by the academic
council of the University, his integrity,
talents, industry and erudition are
highly commended. The court of Ber-
lin conferred upon him the title of
counsellor Of State.
Benjamin Banneker was born in
Baltimore county, Maryland, in the
year 1882, his father was born in AT
RIGA; and his mother, and parents were
both natives of Africa; when he was
approaching manhood he went to =
remote county school during the in
Of labor where he acquired the
knowledge Of reading, writing and a
little arithmetic; from this point he
was entirely self taught in his thir-
.ieth year he astounded his neighbor-
hood by making clock with no other
help than the sight of watch, a
,lock he had never seen, and that
which he constructed was probably the
irst of which every portion was made
II America.
In the year 1887 he received from a
riend q present of Ferguson's Astrono-
ny, from this time astronomy became
he great object Of his life, and in its
tudy he almost disappeared from the
light of his neighbors. He had still to
abor for his living, but he 50 supplied
lis wants as to be enabled to devote
he greater portion of his time to astro
'omisal studies; he slept much during
he day that he might the mere observe
t Might the heavenly bodies whose
avs he was slowly but surely master
nH and he determined to compile an
lRanac. This was task of very great
and more difficult to COM
lie then than now, when We have SO
aany hooks to assist US; bat he accom-
ished his self appointed labor, and in
1872 published his first almanac ex-
ibiting the varying planets, a table of
he motions of the sun and moon, their
ising and setting and the course of the
odies of the planetary syst.m.
These calculations were so accurate
S to win the appreciation OF Pitt, Fox,
yi.berforce and other eminent men,
nd one of his almanacs was produced
4 the House of Commons as an argu-
rent in favor of the education of the
'lered people in June, 1907. Banne-
er died beloved and respected by all
ho knew him, though no monument
larks the spot where he was born and
we'd j.; yet history must record that one
the most original scientific intellects
which the Southern States Of Ameri-
. can boast was that of the pure Afri-
IN, Benz amin Banneker, the story of
le captive, the scholar and divine, the
1thor Of Latin works, in both prose
I'd verse of Thomas Fuller, a marvel
arithmstical ability Of Thomas Jen.
ms, whose successful pursuit of
nowledge under difficulties awake
lmiration in all who knew him
James Durham, who, though born
ave, became one of the most distin.
lished physicians in New Orleans of
mes Mcclure, who, when he took his
,gree OF medicine at the University
Glasgow bore: away the first prize
ON five hundred students, and Of the
'essnt generation, Bishop Haynes, the
'incipal of the Wilberforce University;
NJ. Langslon, colored lawyer and
'ofessor of the Howard law school, in ,