The broad ax., 1914-01-10

the theories of the country upon prac
teal education.
Music is the Negroes special gift t.
the world. The only folk songs thai
America has today, originated with
him during slavery days. Samuel Cole
ridge-TaylOr wOve these into wonderful
compositions and today enjoys the
unique distinction of being the first
of his race to produce a masterpiece
and attempt something on large scale
unsteady. The Boston Journal says of
Mr.. Taylor: "To those who follow
music, it is needless to state that Mr..
Coleridge Taylor, as the composer of
the trilogy on Hiawatha has written
the most beautiful, original, richly col.
ored and fascinating music that has
come out of England for a hundred
years at least" Rosamond Johnson
and Will Marion Cook, with Ernest Ho-
gan, are charged with having given
ragtime to the country. Whether rag
time is considered a contribution, re-
mains an open question, but all the
world seems to have gone crazy over it.
In war and craftsmanship, Hannibal
of Carthage, one of the greatest mil
itary geniuses the world has ever
known, demonstrated that the Alps
could be crossed, bearded the Roman
lion in his den and remained twelve
years with his soldiers in Italy. Won
Moltke, the eminent military critic said
of him, "When Hannibal flashed his
sword from its scabbard,. the boundar-
les of the broad empire of Rome osci-
lated on the map. He was the arch
angel of war" Touissaint L'Ouverture,
another Negro general, electrified the
world by his military eonquests and
left his stamp upon the world by defy
ing the armies of three of its proudest
nations. He made Hayti free and gave
as his contribution to civilization the
little Black Republic which has held
her own even down to the present day.
Coming down to modern times, in the
realm of craftsmanship, might be placed
the Anti-mob law, placed upon the stat
ute books of the great state of Illinois,
through the efforts of Honorable Ed |
ward d. Green, ex-member of the Legis-
lature. Although lynehing had pre-
vailed throughout the country for the
past thirty years, not until the passage
OF this bill, was any efeetual check for
lynehing found. Since this law be-
came effective, no Negro in Illinois has
been lynehed. That which restraints
nObs and makes for the peace and dig-l
nifty Of the commonwealth, most GER
tainly advances civilization.
And what has the Negro achieved in
the field Of invention, the realm which
has done most to promote the cause of
,ivilizationi In 176s Richard Ark.
wright, a Negro, set up in Preston,
England, the first spinning frame. Ben
amin Bannaker Of Maryland, astron-
'mer and mathematician, invented a
lock and almanac. Although the
lock was constructed with crude tools,
t struck the hours with faultless pre-
'ision for twenty years and was the
mechanical wonder Of his day. James
Forten Of Philadelphia invented an ap-
'aratus for managing sails, Benjamin
Lewis, a machine for picking oakuu.
Negroes have to their credit today
200 patents. Foremost among present
lay inventors Is Granville 7. Woods
whose inventions relate to electrical I,
such as teIegraphic and tele-
'honie instruments, electric railways |
md several patents on means for trans
hitting telegsphic messages between
moving trains. Elijah Mccoy Of De- 9
roit is regarded as the pioneer in the
ut Of supplying oil to machinery in
Intermittent drops from 8 cup, 50 as
o avoid the necessity for stopping
he machine to OIL it. No doubt,
thousands Of maehinists have used
GecOy's Lubrieating Cups daily and
id not know they were the invsn-
on of a cOlOrsd man. William Purvis
Philadelphia invented machine j