The colored American., 1902-04-12
A KENTUCKY GENIUS.
Stephen Bells Rise to anEnViob bic
Prominence -Pedago ogue.. Pub
lie Official and Fraternity
Chieftain.


man that fortunes buffets and rewards,
hast taken with equal thanks And
blessed are those whose blood and judg-
ment are so we'll commingled that they
are not a pipe for fortunes finger to
sound what stop she please"
These thoughts occur to us when con-
templating the promising life of Mr.
Stephen Bell, upon whom all who know
him, look with love and admiration.
On October the 9th, 1868, in the me
tropolis of the State of Kentucky, the
subject of our sketch first opened his
ewes upon the light and glory of this
world. Born of humble, honest, respec-
table and industrious parentage, Mr..
Bell had to endure, through his scholas-
tic period, the ordinary privations and
sacrifices incident to "The slow rise of
worth by poverty depressed" but with
unconquerable resolution, invinCible will
and unhagging courage, he fought his
way. from comparative obscurity, over
appalling obstacles, against overwhelm-
ing odds, to the serene heights of men
tal moral and financial Importance, that
have made his name known, respected
and praised throughout the length and
breadth of his native State. In his
earv davs at school, he was of quick
mettle and gave unmistakable evidence
of that mental acumen which in youth,
ever foreshadOwS a splendid intellec-
tual equipment which needs only years
of maturity to enable it to blossom into
a perfect flower.
The writer of this article had oc-
casion for many years to study Mr.
Bells character. his habits of thought
and to ascertain something of their mo-
duS-operandi Mr. Bell was analytical
and positive in his mode of thought;
he sought to know the why and where
fore of things His mother had lowered
him with imagination and the higher
qualities of the soul beyond all her other
children. His genius was distinctly
mathematical. He had in a wonderful
degree the faculty of calculation. Many
a time have seen him dispose of diff
fcult proposition in algebra, geometry
or trigonometry with the most astound-
ing faCility-almOSt by intuition, and
apparently unconscious of the perpleXi-
ties it offered to others His original
method of demonstrating the Pythago-
rean TheOrem, and his unique mode of
showing the ratio of the circumference
to the diameter of a circle have chal-
lenged the admiration of scholars far
and near To my mind, the wonderful
intellectual advancement of the Negro
race, in the short period of freedom, has
never been satisfactorily explained by
the ordinary time honored hypothesis
generally assumed; and when the true
history of the development of human
intellect shall have been written, it will
be found that the sciences of algebra,
astronomy, geometry, chemistry and
theology had their origin among black
race of men, on the banks of the Nile,
the Niger, the Tigris- -Euphrates and on
the shores of the Mediterranean Sea.
This race had its dark ages and IS now
entering upon its renaissance. The
mind of man, by lying fallow for cen
turleS gathers strength and out of this
desire for knowledge, this thirst OF the
mnd this hunger of the soul, genius IS
necessarily born. In this way we can
nationally account for the extraordinary
intelligence of such men as Stephen
Bell. We can see why they have such
broad, intellectual horizon and why
above their heads such a mental sky.
Upon Mr.. Bells graduation from the
central High School he at once entered
upon the serious business of life. In
ISS7 he began teaching school and
taught until 1890. In October, 1890, he
Went to Philadelphia, Pa, and opened
cafe at 1913 Lombard street. The
mjathematicians around the neighbor-
hood Of the Pennsylvania University in
IeTe'ted him more than his business.
and he sold it out and took brief
course in his favorite study. He then
returned to his native city and resumed
MS duties as a TEACHER which he con-
n9ued nJge;d 10 discharge for ten years. In