The Colorado statesman., 1912-07-13

First and foremost, of course, stands
Phillis Wheatley, the poetess OF the
revolutionary period Any mention of
colored women as writers would be in
complete without her. Frances Ellen
Watkins Harper of Maryland was one
of the sweetest of our women poets
Her poem, THE Burial of Noses" will
rank with any similar poem OF its
character in the English language.
Mrs. Anna ]. Cooper is a schoolteach-
er in Washington, with the mind OF
wise statesman. Her book "a Voice
From the South" is most valuable
contribution to race literature.
Mrs. Josephine Heard, Charlotte
Forten Grimke, Miss H. Cardelia Ray
and her sister, Miss Florence Ray, are
also poets Mrs. Heard, who is the
wife of a former minister to Africa,
wrote a very readable volume OF
poems entitled Morning Glories.
Mrs. Grimke has written many very
beautiful poems, one of them mas
terpiece, entitled Charles Sumner.
The Misses Cordelia and Florence Kay
have recently published a volume OF
poems, which they have dedicated to
their father, the late DR.. Charles B.
Ray.
The wife of DR.. Harvey Johnson,
Baltimores leading Baptist clergyman,
is writer of stories suitable for Sun
day school Libraries. The American
Baptist Publication society paid her
a handsome sum few years ago for
two books from her pen. Mrs. john
son is a fine French scholar. Amanda
Smith, the noted evangelist, has pub
lished an interesting autobiography of
her labors in Africa, England and the
United States. Poor Ben" Is the title
of a biographical sketch of the late
Bishop Arnett, from the pen of Miss
Lucretia Coleman.
Ida B. Wells Barnett in journalism
welded a trenchant pen twenty or
thirty years ago, and her right hand
has not yet lost it's cunning, for she
is now editing a weekly newspaper
in Chicago as Mrs. Barnett. There
used to be several other papers edited
by our women. Ringwood's Magazine
was an ambitious undertaking and
creditable production. The Woman
Era was edited in Boston by Mrs
Josephine st. Pierre Ruffin.
There are any number of careful
and brilliant women correspondents,
some of whom have done and are do
ing good work on race papers and pa
pers published by white people. Miss
Ida Griffin was for number of years
editor OF periodical devoted to the
interests of the home and fashion,
which circulated largely in the south.
Mrs. Mary C. Lawton, wife of Rev.
DR.. William R. Lawton, the successful
pastor of st. James Presbyterian
church in New York, contributes regu-
larly to Brooklyn daily, the Standard
Union. and Mrs. Lydia G. Smith is
regularly employed by the Brooklyn
Daily Eagle. For eleven years Mrs.
Smith has reported the daily happen
ings among our people in Great New
York for the Eagle She is secretary
Of the woman's auxiliary board of
managers of the Howard Colored Or
phan asylum and vice president of the
Fifty-third Street New York; Young
Womens Christian association.
There are bright women enough In
the race to have paper all their
own, just as their white sisters have,
and 1t is hoped that they will get to-
gether and think about it. There are
enough women societies of one sort
and another to support paper inde-
pendent of any help from men, for
there are even compositors among our
Urit
lecturers.