The Worthington advance., 1895-10-10
IDEAS ARE DOLLARS.

-lI-:lJ-'.Il41l4A1D -lI-:l-' l4l4A1D A5ILlss liNJlIll4AuEll,D
ONE BLACK MAN WHO HAS MADE
$4,000 OUT OF HIS.
The True Reformers' Association Of Rlcil-
Y mond and Its Wonderful Work The Re-
maxxable Business Capacity of q Full
Blooded Negro-A Unique System. IN
There was published recently an ac-
count Of the banking and insurance fea-
lures Of the True Reform ers' association
of Richmond, Of which the Rev. w. w.
Browne was the founder and is now the
controlling influence. Any one familiar
with the velopment Of the work Of
the True Reformers will admit that Mr..
Browne has a remarkable head for bust
ness. He is q pure African in feature
and characteristics, and his ancestors
must have belonged to the trading tribes
Of the west coast Of Africa. He undoubt-
edly inherited his knack Of organizing
and controlling business enterprises. He
has no technical, scholastic or business
education. d. 5,S IN ${
= The fifteenth annual meeting Of the
True Refor1ners has just been held in
Richmond. It was one Of the most i'm
portant meetings of the order ever held.
There were 500 delegates in attendance.
One of the most important propositions
submitted to the meeting was made by.
A. V. Norval, that $4,000 be appro-
priated to purchase all the right and
title in the plans Of the order upon
which Mr.. Browne held a copyright
The question of purchase had been made
4 special order at the previous annual
meeting. Mr.. Browne was asked to state
what he considere fair price for his
plans and the like ard named $40, 1000.
DR.. r. S. P. Miller Of New York made
un address explaining the value Of Mr..
Brownies plans and labors to the True
Reformers and the Afro American race
and moved that $50, 600 be given to him.
Amid great excitement the motion was
put, and Of the 500 delegates only 20
voted in the negative. ~ wi
In speaking Of this action and of Mr..
Browhe's work a prominent New York
member Of the order, who has just re-
turned from Richmond, said: .s.'
Fifteen years ago an obscure negro
from the wilds of Georgia migrated to
Richmond, poor and friendless and al
most ignorant Of the alphabet. Yet he
possessed fertile and active brain. He
approached some friends later and told
them if they would help him secure q
few dollars he would show them. what
he could do By putting a banking sys
tenn in operation. Many Of these people
laughed at Browne and his ideas Some
said he was either crazy or fraud But
he kept hammering away and finally
succeeded in finding persons willing to
advance the required capital How
much do you suppose it was? One hum
dred and fifty dollars was the capital
which became the foundation of the gi-
gantic superstructure we have today.
This was the capital on which Mr..
Browne has built a banking system un-
like any other in operation anyw here,
the phenomenal success Of which is adj
mitted on all hands. He simply put in
motion machine for gathering in the
pennies Of his race =, !, ,=.2. 49,. Il. < II
Beginning in Richmond as his head
quarters, he has succeeded in putting
his system in operation in nearly every
city, town and hamlet in Virginia aud
has many lodges in 19 other states of
the Union, with total membership of
over 10000. In the space Of 15 years he
has disbursed over $3.50. 900 and pur-
chased over, 500, 900 worth of real es-
tate Many Of the buildings owned by
the order are paying 10 and Is per cent
on the investment. It is but just and
fair that o man who has accomplished
so much for the order should be paid
handsomely for his idea, as be crystal
lized it into a system, under which the
order is now working. I do not think
$50, 900 at all excessive
: DR.. T. S. p. Miller Of New York,
chairman Of the committee on banking
and insurance, and his associates exam
ined the books of the bank and found
them kept in the most simple and accu-
rate manner. The system is extremely
simple. This committee had placed be-
fore it on table in the bank $25, 900
in gold, silver and paper money. This
was glory enough for the downtrodden
negro, who has staggered under bur-
den of ignorance and poverty for 200
years and was delivered from bondage
without an acre Of; land or a penny to
his credit. -.%ess-f $., +,
The institution has now in it's en-
ploy over 100 negro clerks. men and
women, with 200 boys aud girls in
training, to be placed in active service
as rapidly as the necessities of the order
shall require the opening of branch
banks and the like. It is sort of bust
ness college. The True Reformers expect
to keep on reforming in this new field
until the business capacity Of the Afro.
American negro has been thoroughly es-
tablished. The business mall depart
ments Of the order during the past year
amounted to SOL, 773.04, an increase Of
three-fourths per cent over the business
done last year. Under the masterful d.
rection OF w. w. Browne we expect to
60 on from one success to another.