Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1904-08-24
cLAFLIN QUARTETTE.
Pleasing Entertainment Given by
CIafiin University Quartette at

Pleasing Entertainment Given by
cIaflin University Quartette at
Presbyterian Church.
A large audience was we'll enter
tanned at the Presbyterian church last
night when the colored quintet Of
Claflin university gave their excellent
entertainment. The members of the
quartette are all colored men, students
of the university in question which is
one of the large educational institu-
tons built up for the education of the
southern negro. Their ages range
from sixteen to perhaps twenty-five
years. Their singing was pleasing
throughout, consisting of melodies of
the southland, number of popular old
southern songs, in which their voices
blended harmoniously and sweetly.
With the quintette selections were
interspersed duets, solos and several
recitations by the youngest member of
the quintette, young boy only six
teen years of age, and an unusually
talented young colored man.
Dr. Dunton, who is travelling with the
quintette, is in charge of Claflin uni
versity and made several interesting
little talks, telling of the work that
has been done by the university. This
is the eighth season that this musical
organization has been travelling, and
the proceeds Of their trips they have
devoted to the erection of additional
buildings at the schools. Dr. Dunton
touched briefly upon the question of
the negro problem, stating that there
were now nine millions of negroes in
the south and while it had been pos
sible to reach a large number of them
through schools and universities estab.
lished for them, over half of the
negroes of the south had not yet been
reached. The educational movement
had not kept pace with the increase in
the number Of negroes in the south.
The young men in the quintette were
severally introduced to the audience
as typical of the students at the uni.
versity. One Of them, DR.. Marshall
the leader, was a graduate from a
colored medical school and had been
admitted to practice in Illinois. An
other was taking a course in medicine
and still another in dentistry. There
was great demand, said DR.. Dunton,
for colored physicians among the peo.
pie of the colored race. There was
also great demand for teachers and
many of the graduates of the UNIVERSE
ty entered that profession. Some had
graduated for the ministry. Others
took courses in the trades, and there
was a wide field for all who graduated
from the school. Girls were taught
dress making, millinery, nursing
housekeeping and similar work. DR.
Dunton spoke also of the determine.
ton of the young colored people to
obtain an education. Many of them
came to the university with no funds
but determined to take the course
Some of them lived on sums ranging
from twenty-five to forty cents a week
DR.. Marshall, the leader of the quin
tette, at the close of the entertainment
addressed the audience. DR.. Marshall
is a full blooded negro but speaks well
He told of the struggles of the young
negroes for. an education. Of the
lives of poor boys at the university, he
said they were able to live on sums
from forty cents week and less than
that sum by buying corn meal, making
corn pone and eating that three times
a day with a tough molasses This
was practically their only food during
the time they were working their way
through school. -.
There was a good audience present
and the entertainment was as vel
educational as musical.