Franklin's paper the statesman., 1912-07-13

Afro Americans In the Keystone
State, Ready For Distribution.
Scholarship of Author In Evidence.
By N. BARNETT DODsON.
elphia.-Included in the June
output of periodicals published by the
A. NJ. E. Book Concern in this city
is Dr. r. R. Wright's long. expected
volume. entitled The Pennsylvania
Negro-A Study In Economic History"
The book is the result of DR.. Wrights
sociological Investigations made while
he held the research fellowship in So
ciology at the University of Pennsyl-
'vaniu
The book contains $50 pages. is neat
ly bound and shows the excellent
handiwork of the Book Concern. Fill
ed with facts and figures showing the
marvellous progress of the Negro
through many years. it ought to be in
the home of every family of the race.
The author treats after the careful
manner of thoroughly trained mind
the various present day problems of
the Pennsylvania Negro from the
point of view OF his historical devel-
opment. He not only asks. for exam
pie. what is the amount of crime
among Negroes. but what is the his
tory of Negro crime in the state and
what are the various agencies tending
to produce crime.
The chapters are: slavery In the
Colony of Pennsylvania THE Aboli-
tion of Slavery 1.-THE Free People of
Color In Pennsylvania Prior to 1860"
The Negro Population Since the Civil
War" occupations of Pennsylvania
Negroes Their Business Enter
prises." Ownership of Property"
Churches and Secret Societies." Ed
ucation of Pennsylvania Negroes"
Negro and Crime" Poverty Among
Negroes "Interracial Contact and So
cial Progress"
Illustrating the method and material
used by DR.. Wright. the following
quotations are to the point Under
the chapter Of slavery In the Colony
of Pennsylvania" he says: when the
colony of Pennsylvania was founded
by William Penn. Negro slavery was
recognized institution in the new
world The Dutch and Swedes who set
tied along the Delaware had slaves.
But whence they came is not exactly
known
at is known. however. that ns early
as 1850 an offender. one Coinclesse.
was sentenced to serve along with the
blacks of South river tthe Delaware
and in 1877 one James Sunderlands is
said to have been "A Shareholder in
the Delaware neighborhood.
The Penn colony arrived In 1852
Though there is no record of any OF
them owning slaves at that time. 1t is
probable that slaves were early pro-
cured by many.
James Claypoole. an Englishman.
upon deciding to come to Pennsylvania
in 1862, wrote, Advise me In thy
next what might have two Negroes
for william Penn himself
owned slaves - The Pennsyl
vania colonists procured their slaves
chiefly from the West Indies" Sum
ming up his chapter on slavery. DR.
Wright says: "On the whole. as com
pared with other colonies. slavery in
Pennsylvania was mild Yet there
was IL distinct status"
DR.. Wrights discussion of the Negro
slaves legal status is exhaustive and
exceedingly scholarly. He concludes
by pointing out some of the legal diff
ferences between Negroes and whites:
las to morals for example. 1t was TAX
en- for granted that the Negro had but
few and was punishable for offcnses
against morals only when whites were
involved. For adultery white person
was imprisoned one year and fined ESQ.
but there was no penalty for Negroes
committing this crime. Ne
groes were punishable by death for
five otfenses. whites for only one. Ne
sroes were usually whipped for minor
offenses. while whites were fined
The most thrilling chapter is that on
"The Rise Of the Free People of Color"
showing the work of that magnificent
group of anti-slayery men and women
of color as they strove to lift them
selves and their fellows to higher
plane of civilization.
In introducing chapter 4 Dr. Wright
says. The civil war marks II
distinct break In the history OF the
Negro population of Pennsylvania.
causing decided change in its char
acter." There was less selected kind
of Negro immigration from the south
Newer avenues of labor and opportu
mites for self expression caused the
better class Of Negroes TO remain at
the south. Another influence was the
neglect of the northern Negro by the
northern whites. who were 80 busy
attending to the needs of the southern
freedmen that they forgot the brother
at their doors.
The Negro population. however, grew
very rapidly after the war. the Negroes
congregnting In the cities More than