The Nashville globe. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1906-193?, 1909-12-03

lHSy Try 10 NIil Ncyro OOll SoIH-
pany-concern in Nashville, How
ever, Discovers the Trick, Which
Was Attempted During the Pres
ent Christmas Holiday Season, but
Loyalty Of Negroes overrides the
Rumor and They are Buying Dolls.
The most unkind cut that was ever
given to a Negro enterprise was ad-
ministered, or attempted to be admin
istered, to the National Negro Doll
Company, of this city, by newspaper
correspondent recently. He possibly,
was urged or persuaded by merchants,
who feared the increasing popularity
of the Negro dolls; but like true, faith
full, patriotic, race-loving people, the
Negroes throughout the United
States did not place any confidence
in the news item that was sent
over the country with the intention of
destroying the Negro doll business. 1t
was evident from the ovation given
the advent of Negro dolls that practi-
cally every family which cared to
instiIl race pride into their children,
would either have a Negro doll in
their homes or none at all. The
merchants saw this, as the sale OF
white dolls among Negroes had fallen
off to an alarming extent. They had
thousands of dollars worth of white
dolls left on hand from the last holt
day season, so this special notice was
sent out in an effort to revive the
white doll business and destroy this
Negro enterprise. 1t reads as follows:
There is nothing doing for the
Negro doll business among Negroes
and consequently the exclusive Me-
gro Doll Factory for Nashville will
not materialize Negro mothers have
set their foot on the Negro Doll
Movement in Nashville, and no mat
ter what church, conference, or re-
ligious and educational associations
advise Negro dolls for Negro chill
dren to play with, they will not be
able to make it work. Thus all the
hopes of Dr. R. H. Boyd and the Col
ored National Baptist Association
came to naught. At the recent con-
vention of the National Baptist AS
sociation, DR.. R. H. Boyd, a wealthy
Negro preacher of Nashville, brought
this matter up, and the convention
unanimously endorsed the idea In the
following resolution:
whereas, Our people for half a CEN
turv. because of the uncomely ana
deformed features of Negro dolls,
have spent thousands If dollars on
white dolls on Christmas, etc., there
fore be it
Resolved, That we do here and
now give our endorsement and hearty
approval of the Negro Doll Factory,
and not only urge the patronage of
the people of our church, but Of the
race at large throughout the United
States
Securing a number of clever
salesgirls, DR.. Boyd undertook to in
troduce the Negro dolls, explaining
that his church had endorsed the
move, but the proposition fell fiat.
Git out! My baby shan't play wild
any OBJ dem balloons. Dey's just as
good as anybody's chilluns, and is
gwine to hab pretty white dolls to
play wild This met the average sales
girl when she attempted to sell the
dolls and Dr. Boyd has given up his
pet scheme"
Your correspondent, learning that
such a notice had been sent out from
Nashville, called upon Rev. R. H.
Boyd, the President of the National
Negro Doll Company, to ascertain the
facts. DR.. Boyd stated that the re-
port with regard to the failure of the
National Negro Doll Company was
false upon its face and that the only
motive he could assign for sending
out this special was as stated in the
foregoing, that the Negroes had
really resolved not to give their chill
dren white dolls, and that some Of
the merchants, like drowning men
grasping at straws, attempted to
save themselves by encouraging the
sending out of false reports. The
manager of the National Negro Doll
Company, Mr. Henry A. Boyd, showed
your correspondent his order-book
which proves that orders for Negro
dolls had been filled and shipped
and sold in every state in the
Union, and that they were hard
at work attempting to supply the
present demand. Already an enor-
nous number of dolls is on hand,
made up this year for the trade, pre-
paratory to placing them in every
Negro family in the United States.
Dr Rovd cavc fIIrthor that thoca M