The Twin City star. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1910-19??, 1911-09-16

Organization Made Up Of Well In,
formed Students Has For Its Objee
the Preservation Of the Literar,
Wnrks of Afro-Amerieans Writer
and Published Centuries Ago.
By N. BARNETT DODSON.
Yonkers, N. Y!-Several months ago
Arthur Schomburg of New York city
and j. e. Bruce Of Yonkers discussed
at the latter's residence, in Yonkers
the feasibility Of establishing society
with limited membership for the pur-
pose Of gathering information from
books and through correspondence of
historical value to the Negro race.
Their ideas agreed, and number of
men known to be interested In work
of this character were invited to at
tend a meeting in Yonkers not long
ago, at which time the plans of Messrs
Schomburg and Bruce were out
lined and cordially approved by those
present, and the society was organized.
The name Negro Society For Histor-
ical Research was adopted and full
complement of officers was elected as
follows: John X. Bruce, president; A.
A. Schomburg, secretary treasurer;
Professor W. w. Weekes, musical d.
rector; David B. Fulton, librarian; w.
Il. Braxton. art director. Membership
in the society Is limited to twenty &C.
tive members, and the entrance fee Is
$40, with a monthly tax of 25 cents.
The society purposes to gather
ed States and foreign countries books.
pamphlets and valuable manuscripts
written by Negroes and when opportu-
nifty presents to reprint such books or
pamphlets now out Of print and coming
into possession which have any his
torical value or which will be useful
for reference. These it will endeavor
to dispose Of to members Of the race
who are interested in knowing what
Negroes who wrote books fifty or
hundred years ago had to say and how
they said 1t.
The society is also making a collec-
ton of pictures. old wood cuts. photo
graphs of Negroes here and abroad.
But this feature of it's work will be at
tended with some difficulty, as there
are few pictures Of noted Negroes of
the early period in this country. 1t
recently came into possession Of
splendid steel engraving Of Nat Tur-
ner, the Virginian Negro who headed
and led an insurrection in that state
in 1888, which it contemplates repro
ducing and disposing Of for the pur-
pose Of adding to its book fund The
books thus far gathered by Messrs.
Schomburg and Bruce embrace over
$50 titles. A few Of the more impor-
tant ones are here given:
Poems of Phyllis wheatley," 1913, first
edition: Poems of Phillis Wheatley," re-
visited edition; Letters of Phillis Wheat
ley.' Of which only 100 copies were pub
lished; "Anglo-African Magazine" vol. l.
1859; THE Greatness Of Christ" Africa
and America" Alex. .Crummell: West
Africa Before Europe" e. A. Blyden, L. L.
D.: History Of Black Phalanx," Colonel
J. T. Wilson; "Clothilde," a novel. William
Wells Brown; Behind the Scenes" Mrs
e. Kekley; Light and TRUTH" r. L. Lew.
is. Boston 1Si0
1.-THE Color of Solomon" Bishop B. r
Tanner: Biography Major M. r. De-
lany: Poems Of Islay Walden" blind
poet of North Carolina, 1875; Poems Of
Frances Ellen Watkins" Harper; DR..
Robert J. Love; THE National Provi-
dence," Hon. J. c. Smith: Money and
Profit Sharing Hon. J. c. Smith: THE
Nations From New Point Of View" Rev
Harvey Johnson; THE Rock OF Wisdom"
(sermons), N. c. w. Cannon, 1920: Race
Adjustment" Kelly Miller. ESQ.,; Bio
graphical Sketches Of Persons Of Color"
Miss A. Mott: Around the World With
Uncle SAM" j. II. Paynter; Shadows and
Light" M. w. Gibbs; Anthology of Ne
gro Poets" Messrs. Schomburg and Bruce,
Compilation.
"Shammah. Glimpses of the Ages" 2
vols, DR.. T. z. 8. Scholes, London Eng;
prince Saunders Haytian Papers,"
"Frondacity," J. ]. Thomas reply to J.
A. Froude: Negro Patriots Revolution"
w. c. Nell: Historical Notes Of the EN-
ployment Of Negroes In New York." 1863.
George II. Moore; THE Exiles of Florida"
]. r. Giddings; "The Freedman" book. L.
M. Child: Hanover" story of the VIII
of Sojourner Truth" Essays" Rafael
Serra Poems" FREDERICK Marin.
Life of Pierre Toussaint." first and sec
ond editions Of autobiography, Frederick
Douglass: Charles Sumner" A. Grimke:
THE Lone Star of Liberia" F. A. Dur
ham: AN Historical Research" George
Livermore: Negro Masonry" Upton.
Echoes From Harper's Ferry" Redputh:
Genesis In the Grebo Tongue" Rev. ].
Payne. formerly the property Of Rosetta
Douglass Sprague; Life of Julius Mel
bourne" 1859; THE Cushite." Rufus L.
Perry; ''The Octoroon," A. A. Whitman,
poems: Origin and Objects Of Ancient
Freemasonry," DR.. Martin r. De Laney:
"Etoile Afrcaine," Benito Sylvan, aid
de-camp King Menelik.
THE Black Venus" 'PTimbuctoo the
Mysterious" Felix Du Bois: The Souls
OF Black Folt," w. e. B. Du Bots; His
tory Of Negro Race" George w. VIII
liams; Negro Soldiers In th& Rebellion"
George w. Williams: "Placido," poems;
Negro In Revolution Celebrated
Crimes" Alexander Dumas; Inter Tenn
porary Values" 1.-THE Gold Trust" "Abup- |