Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-02-15

later sold to Gov Woodward for laying
out the city of Detroit was an intimate of
Jefferson's, and was often held up as evil
dence that no mulatto should be slave
"Banneker exhibited considerable mathe-
NAUTICAL knowledge and compiled in 1892 an
almanac which Jefferson sent to the Anti
Slavery Society in Paris to support his
view that the mulatto was the equal OF
the white man. Jefferson had high regard
for Banneker and formally invited him to
be his guest at Monticello, and in other
ways treated him an equal.
I'm the same spirit animating Gregoire,
and for the same purpose, to show 10 the
world that the colored race, under which
head I include all not white or who have
strain of African blood, is entitled to
greater credit than is now accorded 1t by
the American people, 1 have prosecuted my
researches. With this purpose in view L
have diligently collected the evidence neces-
sary to fix their status. claim for the
colored race whatever credit OF an 1ntelec-
tual character a negro, mulatte, quadroon
or octoroon has won in the world or let
ters, and believe fair examination of the
evidence will remove no little prejudice
against African blood.
Book Attracted Attention.
cit has generally been accepted by
scholars that 'Phillis Wheatleys Poems,
ira was the first book by a negro to
display unusual intelligence and win
recognition from the Caucasian But this
is not so. I find numerous instances,
more than 100 years earlier, and its pos
sible subsequent research may develop
many more. In Joachim Won Sandrats
work The worlds Greatest ,th, pa,n5ef IS
Nuremberg, 1875, will be found the por,
trait of Higiemonte, negro, VINO had
acquired sufficient fame to have his por-
trait included in the galaxy given. In
Felix Dubois book, Timbuctoo the Mys-
terious" many earlier instances are
noted. Beginning with Alexander the
Great and his black general, Clitus,
have patiently gathered the facts from
authentic sources of every highly credit
able act by a negro, mulatto, quadroon
or octoroon in the forum OF letters or the
polite arts.
displayed evidence of literary capacity
of a creditable character are the subjects
of consideration, l have not strictly con-
fined myself to this line; If | found
in command of the French forces In
China during the Boxer troubles, or like
Toussaint, Rgaud, Henry Diaz or Gen.
Dumas, father of Alexander Dumas, all
men of military genius, l have not neg
lected any means to complete bio
graphical sketch of him. Again, have
noticed in every case man like Henry
Dietz of Albany, who won a prize in a
competition of plans for a bridge. who in
1857 published in Leslie's Weekly plans
and drawings for the first elevated rail-
road, now such a feature OF the large
cities of the country; though not an au-
thor, he is included. Dietz for a long
time was the financial agent of Mrs.
Dudley, who paid him $4,000 per annum,
and as such he financed the expenditures
on the Dudley observatory. Roscoe Conk-
ling and Horatio Seymour were related to
Mrs. Dudley
The Mulatto Murillo.
.sThen, again, short sketches are given
of Sebastian Gomez the "mulatto Muril-
To- and Juan Parez, painter. who rivaled
Velasquez, and Of Edmonia Lewis, the
sculptress, whose Cleopatra was one of
the features of the centennial EXPOSE
tion,' Philadelphia, 1876; at the same fair
a colored artist. Bannister, won prize
for his painting. Along with Henry O.
Tanner, of worldwide fame. these are
noticed. The second president of Mexico
was colored man. Our own Admiral
Porter was n lieutenant In his service
His proclamation of emancipation in 1870