Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1901-11-02
Benjamin Banneker and Thomas JET.
fersOn.

To the Editor Of The Evening Star:
A communication was published in The
Star Of October 80 asking for the authority
to Justify the statement of a correspondent
that Thomas Jefferson entertained at dinner
Benjamin Banneker, and disputing the
statement because the writer had failed to
find it in Latrobes account of Banneker, or
in Mrs. Tysons life Of him. Now, it must
be admitted that the absence of such an In
cident In either account is not evidence
one way or the other, and, as Is generally
the case, new facts in regard to the fathers
of the country are constantly being drawn
out by happenings Of today, and this Is
one of them. Mrs. Martha Tyson, who was
the daughter of George Ellicott, Banneker' S
warm friend, sought her information in re-
gard to Banneker at Ellicott's Mills nearly
fifty years after Banrekers death, By con-
versing with those who had known him. 1t
is plain that all who personally saw him
and gave her Information must have been
quite young when they knew him, and prob
ably were little likely to know of such a
matter as the Jefferson dinner, since JEFF
ferson lived several hundred miles away.
But the probability of its truth may be es-
tablished by facts in the life of jefferson
which may show that he had no such an
tipathy or caste spirit as would render such
thing improbable. l am not able to af-
firm that Jefferson did entertain at dinner
Benjamin Banneker, but am able to prove
that he invited in 1916, Mr.. Julius Mel
bourn, a colored man, born slave In North
Carolina to be one of dinner party, the
others being James Monroe, afterward
President Of the United States; VIM. Writ,
John Randolph. etc. Mr.. Melbourn bore a
letter of introduction to Jefferson from his
friend Mr.. Pendleton. The fact that Mel
bourn had been born slave was well
known to Jefferson, and at the dinner party
over the wine and walnuts, the whole COM
pany discussed the matter General George
Washington had no such antipathy to the
L. Ga
as is now exhibited inca small section of
our country. and lin the small section re-
ferred to the antipathy or aversion is limit
ed to the male members of7the colored race.
General washington slept In bed with Prf-
mus Hall, young mulatto, valet to Colonel
Pickering, w ashiBgtaniS friend. The ac-
count will be found in Godey's Lady's Book
or Magazine for 1S49 the facts being con-
tributed by the Rev.oMre Harrington. Color
Should never, among aaGhristian people, be
made test OF merit. snsf can recall an In
stance where any Christian has done so.
II Is inconsistent with the examples and
teachings OF Christ. 1 cannot recall where
any gentleman has doffe so, being remind
ed that to be gentleman one must follow
the precepts of christianity, and when one
departs from acting in harmony with Chris
tan principles in dealing with his fellow
man he ceases to be az gentleman. A man
VINO mad nothing else, ito recommend him
save his color would not be an acceptable
guest at any gentleInan's table, and one
VINO mas everything else should not be eX-
cluded. The Sermon on the Mount would
have been delivered in vain had no practi-
cal examples of its spirit been exhibited
among men. Mrs. Tyson says of Banneker:
Ills striking superiority over all men of his
race led them to disregard all prejudice of
caste (the same with Booker I. Washing
ing). He was invited to sit at table with
the engineer corps" According to the
southern dictum laid down for President
Roosevelt, neither Robert Browning nor
Alexander Hamilton, were they living,
could have sat at any southern white mans
table, since both were octoroons. Jefferson
could not have sat down at table with his
own children according to a paragraph in
Marshall Hairs 'srwefold Slavery in Amer
lea, London, 1854, in which. speaking of
Jefferson, he says: HE had no such an
tipathy toward the African race. as to pre-
vent him having family of mulatto chill
dIen." DANIEL MURRAY.