The Portland daily press., 1894-10-27
MIR. sMALLWOOD's ACH IEyEMENTs
A Sketch of This Remarkable
Man.

Blaine-A Sunday School Delegate to
London-An International Lecturer In
Europe at $1,000 a Month"; College
President In yirginia-Why He Needs
$4,000.
From the various statements in the
PRESS during the past few mon tbs, in
regard to Rev. John j. Smallwood, the
remarkable negro college president, lee
turer and clergyman, it has appeared
shat he and the Rev. l.G. Ross, pastor
of the South Portland Methodist church,
are close friends and intimately connect
ed.
This friendship came about in the
following interesting way: In 1881 Mr..
Smallwood was working in lum Der
camp in Virginia. That was before he
could read or write, but not before he
could use his tongue in regard to great
subjects of reform. He was delivering
temperance addresses every Sunday.
There were great mass meetings of the
negroes, mum bering from 500 to 1000.
On one of these occasions ! man
named Davis, a commercial traveller of
Boston, was present, drawn thither to
witness the spectacle and hear the sing
ing and speaking. Afterssthe meeting he
spoke to Mr.. SIN alllwood and said You
ought to go North and be educated" AT
ter some discussion as to the feasibility
of doing this. he said. You send word
to Ross, of Greenfeld, Mass, about it
h fo6
He was then, as now active in the in
teresus of the coiored race, and Davis
had heard him lecture about it at Burn
inston. Mass. In this way, Mr.. Ross heard
of Mr.. Smallwood. He wrote to ex-Goy-
ernor Washhurn and others about the
matter, and it resulted in his sending
S25 to the young negro lumberman Ia
Virginia. He came north and first at
tended school in Wilberham, Mass. His
progress was remarkably rapid. He sup
ported himself by doing chores at the
school and also by delivering lectures
on the negro problem, the liquor ques-
ton and the ballot box in the South. He
then gained prominence, and his re-
markable oratorical powers soon made
him of such value as a Republican polit-
ical speaker that in May, 1888, he spoke
at meeting on Staten Island, at which
Senators ingalls, and Hoar were present.
His subject was Sympathy in politics
for our public men," The speech made
such an impression that Mr.. Quay, of
the National Republican committee, sent
him to Indiana to deliver that speech
there for week.
On his return he was soon sent back to
speak in. Indiana. Ohio and Michigan.
He was on the stump for three weeks.
He was then ordered to. join Mr.. Blaine
ut indianapolis, and travelled with him
in Indiana and Minnesota, speaking on
the same platform. All this time he
had been very. active. in Sunday school
work, and wherever he was, devoted his
Sundays to it. In 1889 he conducted
campaign in Virginia, in the interest of
Sunday schools, and also delivered many
speec les on the same subject in Massa-
chusetts. AS result, in that same year,
be represented that great state in Lon
don as delegate to the Wold's Sunday
School Convention His colleague was
the Rev. John r. Gushing OF Jamaica
Plain. Bis eloquence and fascination as
a speaker made such an impression that
in 1920 he was en- gagged by the Interna-
tional Occurring Bureau Association of
Great Britain, engaged him to lecture
throughout Europe upon the negro prob
lem in America. He spoke in France,
Dol
Sweden and Russia, with an interpreter
by his side on the platform, of course. 1t
was business transaction on the part
of the Lecturing Association. They
made great deal of money out of it,
though they paid him $1,000 a month for
six months. With that $4,000 he
founded his college two years ago, at
his old homein Claremont. Va.
In his address here Thursday night,
he declared that he hal come to the
North to ask for $4,000 that he must have
to maintain that college against the OPP
position it has encountered. Since his
last visit here he has net with other OBJ
stacles beside the cowardly midnight
burning of lis college buildings. The
college grounds extent for two and a
half miles along the James river. The
town is some distance away. Some of
the white people induced the judge to
close the original county road running
from the town through the college land
b the wharf. They put up fence and
forbade the negroes from entering the
town>by that way. 1t necessitated a
detour of three and half miles.
Mr.. Smallwood went to New York, He
induced white man there to buy the
poperty Between the college grounds and
the town Then Mr.. Sma1lwood bought
the land fom him, and one day soon af-
ter, the negoes went in body with axes
and destroyed the fence. The whites
came in body to protest, but he
showed them the deed and proclaimed
his right to pass over his own property.
1t was to raise the $4,000 to pay for that
S5 or 40 acres of land that Mr.. Smallwood
came to the North this time. If he can
I. 10 %h