The Washington times., 1901-11-24
COLORED WOMEN
As BREADWINNERS
Progress Made Since the Slaves
ShackleS Fell
MANY OF THEM IN BUSINESS.
We1l-known Names In the Field of
Liternture-Bcgfan of the CIub
Movement-The National Associa-
tion and What II Stands For.

|
as those who are more or less of the
leisure class, to get away from the
usual occupations to which they have
been limited has shown itself among
colored women to such an extent that
thousands have aspired to get beyond
the humble avocations in which slavery
left them and participate in the gem
eral aggressive work characteristic OF
the women Of today.
AS slave the colored woman was
either domestic or field hand, in which
capacity the testimony is all in her
favor for faithfulness and efficient SER
vice. When the race was emancipated
to her hands fell not only the response
bility of establishing home life, which
had hitherto not existed. but in most
cases she was an equal breadwinner
with the men of the race, often assum-
ing entire support of large families
wholly dependent upon her for shelter,
food, and clothing.
The present generation of negroes
have received their formative influ-
ences from these ex-slave mothers. and
the remarkable fact is not that the
| criminal and vicious element OF the
race is so large. but that these un-
| trained and unlettered mothers have
! produced a generation in which there
are so many that are law-aiSiding,
honest, and aspiring public citizens.
Fidelity to Home.
While the largest and best exhibition
| of negro yvarn.pband bau haap opJ &c,
! still shown in her fidelity to the homes
of her race, the number who have en-
tered the various occupations requiring
| educational fitness or special prepara
| tion is considerable element. Still the
masses of colored women who are en-
| gagged in gainfuI occupations are to
be found. outside OF agriculture, in do
mestic service and the simple indus
| tries of laundering and sewing.
From the kitchen some have gone
into special lines of cookery. Some of
| our best French cooks are American
| negro women. Many are in the bakery
business. During the Paris Exposition
OF last year the Agricultural Depart
| ment built a corn kitchen in which the
various ways of preparing the Ameri-
can corn for food, which is so entirely
strange TO all Europeans. were dem
onstrated by Aunt Jeminia," South
ern colored woman, taken from this
country at the expense OF the Agricul-
tural exhibit Even the most exacting
French pastry eonnoisssurs pronounc-
ed Aunt Jemima's" pancakes some
thing new and delicious to.the French
palate. So that IL is TO the credit of
this colored woman that she is the first
American to enter France, the source
of all that is delicious In the culinary
=.
American pancake. "a
1t is interesting TO note, however,
some examples of those who have beer
fortunate enough to enter higher fields |
of labor and others who are sufficiently |
removed from the hard struggle for
existence to entitle them TO be placed |
in the leisure class OF women. Many |
have become typewriters and one of |
the large mercantile houses of Chi |
cago has a negro woman for chief |
stenographer. Others are clerks, a |
young negro woman being demonstra- |
tor in a large departmental establish |
ment in New. York. Mrs. Whetzel, of |
ST. John, New Brunswick, one of the |
richest women of the race, conducts 4 /
large ice business Several have be-
come efficient nurses and a few are |
pract cing physicians and dentists, |
while ,here are some lawyers, one q /
teacher in a law school.
Harriet Tubman's Work.
From the days CT Harriet Tubman,
who made nineteen visits to the South,
bringing back to freedom over 400 !
slaves, she having been sent as a spy
and scout for the army by the Governor
of Massachusetts,, and Sojourner Truth,
the uneducated but witty. philosophical
hn |
to now. women of the race have been
prominent in efforts for elevation.
The work of Jennie Deane at Manas-
sas, Va, an uneducated woman who
is so anxious to help educate her race
that she has devoted her life to rais-
ing. funds to carry on the work, is one
of the secrets of the races progress.
This aid and encouragement work is
a powerful stimulus to the negro
youth. Sc
In the public schools of the country
over Il 800 colored women are employed
as teachers. many as principals. In
Boston Miss Maria Baldwin, principal
of Agassiz School, is regarded as one
Of the best teachers of that section of
advanced thought and method. Mrs.
Bette G. Francis, as a member of the
School Board, not only
Identifies herself with the interests of
the negros education, but she has
taken rank among the most energetic
and progressive members of the board,
making her influence felt in everything
for the betterment OF our school sys-
tenn.
The young woman from Philadelphia, ,
Jessie Fauset, who has just won hon
ors at Cornell, standing first in Latin ,
IN third in Greek of the 126 who COM ,
oeted for the scholarship, is one of the i
many colored girls to enter Northern !
colleges, there being graduates from
Cornell, Vassar. Wellesley. Radeliff, 3,
Smith, Oberlin, and others. II
In the Field of Literature.
Though in literature none has equal :
I'd the productions Of the slave girl, I
Phillis Wheatley. whose poems pub t
ished in 1773 were SO excellent that her
authorship had to be certified to the :
ncredulous public, negro women are i
authors. magazine contributors, and t
newspaper writer's. The works of Mrs.
Frances Harper, Of Philadelphia, show !
and some literary merit. an.1 \
here are many others who have writ +
en- works of equal merit.
The name of Jennie Jackson may be
orgotten, but few who ever heard her g
With the Jubilee Singers can forget r
Ter song. BY such singers as Eliza n
beth Taylor Greenfield the Black '
Swan'f Madapno Calika SiSerretta S