The Lexington standard. [volume] (Lexington, Ky.) 1892-1912, 1911-10-21
SELECT SOCIETY
FOR RESEARCH
UNIQUE PLAN TO TRACE
HISTORY OF THE RACE
Organization Made Up of WeIi-In-
formed Students Has for Its Object
the Preservation of the Literary
Works of Afro-Americans Written
and Published Centuries Ago.
BY N. BARNETT DoosoN.

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
=, iti limited membership fer tire
purpose 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 meeting in Yonkers not long
ago, at which time the plans of
Messrs. Schomburg and Bruce were
outlined and cordially approved by
those present, and the society was or
ganized. The name Negro Society for
Historical Research was adopted and
a full complement of officers was
elected, as follows: John E. Bruce,
president; A. A. Schomburg, secre-
, tary-treasurer; Prof. w. w. Weeks,
musical director; David B. Fulton,
librarian; w. e. Braxton, art director.
Membership in the society is limited
to twenty active members, andDthe
entrance fee is $40, with monthly
| tax Of 25 cents.
The society purposes to gather
through its correspondents in the
1 OlllI6Q oIdIOo duQ tOl CiSh SOQhtiAOo
! books, pamphlets and valuable manu-
scripts written by Negroes and when
opportunity presents to reprint such
books or pamphlets now out OF print
and coming into possession which
have any historical value or which
will be useful for reference. These 1T
will endeavor to dispose of to mem
bers 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 it.
| The society is also making collec.
| ton of pictures, old wood cuts. photo
graphs of Negroes here and abroad
But this feature of it's work will be
attended with some difficulty, as there
are few pictures of noted Negroes OF
the early period in this country. II
recently came into possession of a
splendid steel engraving of Nat Tur
ner. the Virginia negro who headed
| and led an insurrection in that State
lin 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 oveI
i $50 titles A few of the more i'm
| pcrtant ones are here given:
Poems OF Phyllis Wheatley," 1913
i first edition; Poems Of Phillis Wheat
Hey" revised edition; Letters of Phil
Ills Wheatiey," of which only 10(
copies were published; Anglo African
i Magazine" vol. 1, 1859: "The Great
Il ness of Christ" Africa and America,
Alex. Crummell; "West Africa Before
i Europe" E. A. Blyden, LII. D.; "Eis
i tory of Black Phalanx," Col. j. T
i Wilson; "Clothilde," novel, William
Il Wells Brown; Behind the Scenes,
i Mrs. E. Kekey; Light and Truth,
j R. L. Lewis, Boston, 1910.
4 "The Color of Solomon" Bishop B
i T. Tanner; Biography" Major M. r
!. Delany; Poems of Islay Walden,
blind poet of North Carolina. 1875
Poems of Frances Ellen Watkins,
Harper; DIR. Robert J. Love; 9Th,
National Providence HA ].
lSpith: Money and Profit Sharing,
<on: J. G. Smith; The Nations fron
a - Point of View Rev. Harve
Jonason; The Rock of Wisdom" (sel
y mons), n. C. w Cannon, 1920; "Rac
II Adjustment Kelly Miller, Esq.
Biographical Sketches of Persons G
Color" Miss A. Mott: Around tn
: World With Uncle SAM" J. H. Pay
, ter; Shadows and Light, NJ v
: Gibbs; Anthology OF Negro Poets
J, Messrs, sebombprg End Bruce sccr