The colored American., 1901-04-13
The CoLoRED AMERICAN WASHINGTON. D. q

they want TO max splurge al q paTS-
| re as they foe lishIy Imsgine the ''sC-
pt rlor race" by a show OF wealth, hire
anu borrowed GTeI uits and gowns TO
make "a stunning display at an inaugu-
raj bi Ii Ins uguIal bals ana emancl-
Da(iOn ps raGe5 are nice things to have
no dOubE, tut should an lmpOI erishe0
race indulge in such lux xuEies when
there are oUher pressing ana mole vital
interests at stake? The paramount
cues ton which concerns every Negro
III America today is that which re lates
to his rights as citizen, al unit | our
status as citizeUs is established beyond
cavil, all other questions and con-
sideratiOns should De 70 erely subsidiary.
AS Mr.. Douglass correctly and
pOintedly states tbe ten thousand or
N re dollars squandtred by Negroes at
these balls and for various other Eur-
poses (sDd ten thousand dOllaIs is a
cor seTvstiye estlmate) If placed in the
han0s or the Alto American Council TO
assist in fighting jam Crow Car law
and dtsfranchIseme laws, would
have TeHec ed more credit on The Mt
gro race than anything 1t has done
since its emancipation from slavery.
For p9uper TSCe to indulge in side
IuXuTles envirODed ss 1t is on every
side Oy caste prejudice and Tepressive
and aggressive laws written and III
written, is the Gp0tbPCsis Of folly and
sbortsighte dness. $4,000 for pleasure,
$1,000 TO fight the devil OF oppression,
what coming set Of idiots we Ne
grOea art! aud how the while man must
snick le as he cOntemplates us ia our
mad ambllil II to secure outward con-
fOr 70 F.i~ ol.A-
ing lar hair, bleaching our black faces |
and t1attenIDg our purses in the strug- |
gle TO be like him Bah!
Mr.. John II. Wills whom I have |
have known as boy and man for |
period Of years (never mind how many |
mas tat lIshed business at the Ma. |
tIOnaI Capital which is hound to be q /
success. He Is des Ter in rare { Id books |
and his speciality is books that treat |
particular ly Of the Negro written by |
Negroes. and about Negroes. 1t may |
be OF interest to some of your readers |
to be told that dealers in cid books in |
the North are having quick sales at |
fancy prices for Doc ks that treat upon |
the Ne gro and that the buyers of the Sc |
books are mostly W white men and women |
Who are interested in the Negro ques-
EiOn.
Pm quite surprised on calling On nv
dealer mere, Mr. John Skinner. q she ri |
time ago to learn that q considerable |
collection OF Negro book S, manv of |
them quite rare had all been sold and |
that the demand for this class of books |
was greater than the supply | bad gone |
IN there to purchase rare eli cOpy of |
me discipline and laws OF the A. M.
+. Church printed soon after IT'S estah
lishment by Bishop Allen. Mr. J. P.
Morgan of New York paid S22 90 for
is book, as he is max ng q collection
OF church dieciplIDes. The hook when
published prOba ly cost 30 cents at
most. Now Mr.. W Ills has been in the
Dock business some years and he has
facilities and opportunities for getting
hold Of looks which the average dealer |,
IN Cd books has not. H9 knows too
what books are of especisI value to Ne
gro boOk lovers and he would be onIv
too glad to hsve those who are In oue at
of oks by Negro authors fer their
libraries to I lace their orders with him
1t Is very significant thing, this ir-
teTest which white students of sOcio' oCN
are evinciDg III Negro literature C5r
tainly the Negro should be no less IN.
teTested d than the white people in these
early productions Of the abIest nen and
women Of the times in which thev
lived. very earnestly hop and wish
thst Negro library ssOciatIon superIr
tendents Of Sabbath schools and pri
al q 1EEE EEryavn 80 { L /