The colored American., 1903-06-20
THE coLoRED AMERICAN

little more than ten years ago he was
bootblack and neWsboy in the city
of Chicago. He was discovered by
Judge Jarvis Blume, who said to the
boy one day, as he (Wood) was quot
ing Shakespeare and polishing away:
why, Charlie, I think you ought to
shine in higher sphere" 81 would
if [ could" was the reply "You come
to my office; l wish to talk with you
Judge Blume, on finding that the boy
had talent for dramatic art, took him
to the famous professor, Walter c.
Lyman, teacher of Elocution and Dra-
matte Art, who gave Wood lessons
Chief among the friends that Judge
Blume interested in his protege were
Dr. d. K Pearson, DR.. Frank w. Gun
saulus and Frank Hanson Esq, who
combined and sent the rapidly deVel-
oping boy to Beloit College, Beloit,
Wisconsin, from which school Mr.
Wood graduated, having won while
there first prize in the Interpretation
Of Greek tragedy and first prize in
oratory. In 1895 Wood appeared as
Oedipus in Sophecles's tragedy, which
was given by the students of Beloit
College, at Central Music Hall, Chica-
go. The dramatic critic of one of the
daily papers in Chicago went so far
as to compare Mr.. Woods interpreta-
~, the French tragedian who played
the role with great success. In June
Of the same year Beloit College,
though q white school, selected Mr..
Wood to represent it in an oratorical
contest at GaleSbGrg, ILL.,, where ten
colleges were competing. Mr.. Wood
won first prize and thereby fixed him
self III the hearts of his Beloit fellows,
William Jennings Bryan, the great
Democratic leader, being one of the
judges on this occasion.
Mr.. Wood graduated from BelOit in
1895, and from Chicago Theological
Seminary in 1898, was the same year
engaged by DR.. Booker T. Washington
to take charge of the English Depart
ment at Tuskegee Institute. In 1901
DR.. Washington selected Mr.. Wood for
the John Crosby Brown scholarship
1T Columbia, where he has since been,
and from which he has just graduated.
Mr.. Wood is the first man of his race
to secure a B. A. from Teachers Col
| iege. He returns to Tuskegee this fall
to begin his life work of helping his
people.
Miss Maud K Griffin, of 124 West
bath street, has been compelled to
abandon her office duties for the past
few days on account of nervous strain
caused by Overwork. Miss Griffin holds
a responsible position on the staff of
| the Union Associated Press, where she
has been employed for a number of
years, and is required to do newspaper
work that very few, if any other, col
ored woman is doing in this city.
At a meeting held at the Republican
Club (white) ,54-56 West FOrtieth
street on Monday evening, resolutions
were passed asking Congress to take
| up the question of suffrage as affected
| by the disfranchisement of the Negro
| in the Southern States. Mr.. G. H.
DennisOn, Chairman of the Committee
| on National Affairs read a set of reSo-
lutions stating that it was admitted
that in certain states citizens are de-
MED the right to vote at elections for
the choice of electors for President
| and Vice-President of the United
States and other offices, including the
Representatives in Congress, and that
while acknowledging the authority in
| any State to make provisions for the
exclusion of illiterates this should be
without distinction of race class or
condition. The resolutions called for
a searching investigation as to the eX-
| tent to which the suffrage had been
abridged A B. Humphrey, in second