The Appeal. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. ;) 1889-19??, 1901-08-24

is 1903
Prominent ST. Paul Afro Am ricans
claim that these figures are inaccurate
These authorities claim the Afro
,A American population Of st. Paul is
over 1900. =
The AfrO-American citizen of St.
Paul is a man of substance, and his
wife is. generally refined, educated and
resou1ceful. Forty-five per cent of the
adult males are taxpayers. There is
not city in the United States that has
comparatively so few cf the common
Negro. A larger percentage live in
--near own homes than in any other
city in the country, and in no city in
tie United States is there so large a
comparative number Of comfortable
substantial and even elegant homes
owned by Afro-Americans. s.
The st. Paul Afro-Americans besides
being hcme builders and owners, are
business men. Many Of them, over
looked in the scramble Of every day
life, have amasseE comfortable for
tunes and scores of them enjoy COM
netencies. One of st. Paul's Afro
American. citizens is reputed to be
worth 100000, and quite a number
could handle transactions involving
more than: $50,O0O In the industrial
life of st. Paul the Afro-American is
found in nearly all of the avenues,
The St. Paul Afro American has sue
eeeded in medicine, law, surgery, dent
istry, the ministry, railroading, pho
Biography, pedagogy, newspaper pub
fishing, and the municipal and govern
mental service. He has a place in the
police department, the municipal court
the fire department and the mail serv-
ice in capacities ranging from mail
carriers to special clerks. He has filled
them all:with credit A St. Paul Afro
american photographer was selected
by the national government to tour the
United States to prepare the govern
ment Photographic exhibit for the
Paris exposition. H. -.
In the purely commercial lines, the
Afro Americans of st. Paul have en-
barked and succeeded admirably in the
most diversified enterprises. Some oil
their barber shopsvcontrol a portion OF
the best trade in the city and are
among the finest establishments After
that the range Of the American s
business ventures in St. Paul grade
from the manipulation of railroad
stocks down to the ownership of res
taurantsc and saloons. Among those
who hold' salaried positions the range
of employment is from railroad claim
agents down. Five hundred Afro
Americans living in St. Paul are en-
ployed by the railroads, centering in
the city: One road employs large
number of Afro-Americans as porters
in charge of sleeping cars, which
throws upon them the responsibilities
Of a conductor. And it is to this road
that they assign much of the building
Of a superior citizenry in community
that twenty years ago had almost nc
Afro-Americanss 81
The st. Paul: Afro American is es-
pecially happy+ln his home and church
life. Many OF the Afro-American
women of ST.. Paul are graduates OF
Fisk and Wilberforce colleges. A far
greater number are graduates of the
high schools, and st. Paul girl is
among the leaders Of her class at the
University of Z Minnesota The laWless
and dlssofutes element has been reduced
to a minimum fraction, and the St
Paul Afro Americans social life en-
braces a degree Of culture and refine
ment not epuafed anywhere in Ameri:
ca. HeodoesT not crave, but rather fears
domestic social equality He ands his
wife have their own clubs and social
and fraternaI organizations, and his
successes in the fields Of commerce and
the professions are rapidly winning
him the business standing necessary tic
putt1im on common plane of.compe-
tition. with ais fellow white fealpM eatii-
zen,
In their churches they have set q
high mark for their race throughout
te civilized world. Threea of their
churches the Episcopal, Methodist and
Baptist, are conducted by Afro Ameri.
can ministers. The Afro-America1
Roman Catholics are ministered to by
a white priest. Their churches are
not encountered with heavy debts, ant
the ministry in st. Paua has ever beer
free from the faint Of scandal that ha:
50 frequently initiated against the sue
cess Of the race in other cities