The Twin City star. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1910-19??, 1912-02-24
DR.. EDWARD W. BLYDEN DIES
Noted Statesman and Scholar Passes
Away In Africa.

Noted Statesman and Scholar Passes
Away In Africa.
Rev. DR.. Edward Wilmot Blyden of
Liberia, author, lecturer, statesman and
diplomat. who died recently, was one
Of the most eminent scholars of the
Negro race. He was born in the Ddn-
ish island Of st. Thomas, in the West
Indies, on Aug. 3, 1882. His parents,
who were Of pure Negro stock, be.
longed to the Dutch Reformed church,
and the boy was baptized as member
Of this denomination. His pastor, the
Rev. John p. Knox, formerly Of New
town, N. Y, early picked the boy out
as showing exceptional promise and
advised him to come to the United
States and enter an American college,
Accordingly at the age Of eighteen,
with the assistance of his pastor, Mr..
Blyden came to New York.
This was in 1850, just after the pas
sage of the fugitive slave law and in
the height Of the excitement over the
slavery question. The young Negro
made application for admission to sew
eral colleges, hut all of them refused
to receive him. 1t had been his inten-
ton to 60 to Africa as soon as he had
obtained an education, and when he
found the doors Of American colleges
closed against him he decided to go
thither at once.
In the fall Of 1850 he sailed for Ii
IBERIA, and two years later he entered
the Alexander high school at Monro-
via, named after DR.. Archibald Alex
ander Of Princeton. At that time the
colony of Liberia had been in existence
about thirty years, but the republic was
less than FIVE years old. In the Alexan-
der school he took the course In clas-
sizes and mathematics, and In 1858 he
became a teacher in the, school. In
1861 he was appointed professor Of
languages in the newly founded Ii
IBERIA college. After five years service
he received a leave Of absence and oc-
cupied it in a trip to Egypt and Pales-
tine
He also visited the Protestant COL
lege at Beirut as the guest Of DIR. Jes-
sup. Here he took occasion to improve
the knowledge of Arabic which he had
begun to acquire in Africa. On his re-
turn to Liberia DR.. Blyden continued
his work of teaching until 1871, when
he resigned and went on trip through
Europe. He was then appointed by the
British government as diplomatic agent
to make treaties with the powerful
Mohammedan and pagan chiefs Of the
interior tribes of Africa. After three
years Of this work he again took charge
Of the Alexander high school, which
had meantime been removed from Mon
rovia to the interior. twenty-five miles
up st. Paups river.
In 1877 DR.. Blyden was appointed
minister plenipotentiary to Great Brit
ain and served In this capacity for
three years. On his return to Monrovia
he was elected president of Liberia col
lege. He resigned in 1884 and took up
independent educational work among
the Mohammedans at Sierra Leone. In
1892 he was again appointed Liberian
representative at the court of St.
James. From his early years DR.. Bly,
den was fond Of the study Of Ian
guages, and he possessed working
knowledge Of French, German, Italian
and Spanish among modern European
languages and Of Hebrew. Greek and
Latin among the classics. His special
field, however, was Arabic.