The Dallas express. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1893-1970, 1921-08-06
RACIAL LEADERS.
Noted Negroes Who Have Promoted
me Welfare ~ Their Race

PHILADELPHIA has not hereto.
fore been wholly neglectfuI Of re.
wards of merit and memorial dis.
unction for the leaders of the Negro
race Two of the public schools Of
Che city have been named for citi.
zens of that race. Octavius " Cato
and James Forten. But others, EN-.
inenta among the intellectual lead.
ers of their race. such as Richard
Allen. Absalom Jones, Henry Ho.
sier, Cordelia A. Jennings, Fanny
Jackson Coffin, James Derham. Rob
ert Purvis, Benjamin Tanner Pau
Cuffe and Daniel "A Payne, whose
likes touched this city at different
periods OF the eighteenth and nine.
teenth centuries, come readily Ia
mind among those familiar with the
achievements Of the blacks In Phil
adelphia
The oldest of them all, in point OF
chronology. was Absalom Jones, a
Delaware slave Negro, who purchas-
cd his freedom during the Revolu-
uonary period, and who. with Rich
ard Allen, another exslave. founded
the first African church in America.
But instrumental as Jones was In
starting a separate congregation OF
Negroes, which still exists in the Ne
grOa Ilpiscopalian Church on Twelfth
itreet, below Walnut, Allen became
he, best known Of the two. The lat
Ger was one OF Benjamin Chew's
slaves, who succeeded in purchasing
his freedom, and who, after travelling
about the country as an itinerant
preacher. served as a teamster dur
ing the Revolution, Methodism was
fast growing in the Colonies at that
lime, and when Allen found that the
congregation at St. Georges Church,
which he attended, forced the blacks
into the galleries, he decided to
start q church OF his own. II was
this congregation, known as the
Free African Society, which came
into existence early in 1887, but
which was split subsequently by AL
lens Withdrawing to start a Metho-
dist meeting In a blacksmith shop
near Sixth and Lombard streets.
while Jones and his followers be-
came members of the Episcopallan
denomination. From Aliens A. M. g..
Zion Church, started under that
name in 1900. however, has sprung
the host of Negro Zion churches
throughout the country. 1t was In
bese early Negro Methodist church
60, too, that Henry Hosier, declared
w Benjamin Rush TO be the most
eloquent man In America" spoke.
h0sier was the body servant of Bis
hop Coke. and Il was said he often
'attracted greater crowds than Blsh-
oD Asbury.
Allen and Jones. too. were instru-
mental In starting the abolition
movement among the Negroes. Be
fore the close Of the eighteenth cen
tBry they were at work endeayor-
ing to ameliorate the condition of
The ensIaved blacks, and in 1900
they petitioned Congress and the
Legislature to favor emancipation.
Assisting them In the endeayor was
= Philadelphia sail-maker, James
F0rten. who had received his educa-
ton at the Quaker Free School for.
Negroes, founded BY Anthony Ben
ezet the French Huguenot. who was
che pioneer in Negro education in
this locality. Forten was in the
front of all movements for the bet
torment OF the race. the chairman
OF the first convention Of free Ne
groes held in this city In 1917, ac-
lively interested In the colonization
projects In Liberia and Sierra Leone,
a a N 1914 "a "a ri
Otiam by raising twenty-five hun
dred Colored volunteers for the pro-
lection of the city when II was
threatened by invasion Whittier and
William Lloyd Garrison were coun-
ted among hts close friends, and
one OF Forten's grand daughters be-
came the wife OF the son of another
noted Negro leader, Robert Purvis,
who was also among the early abo-
litionists
Purvis was the son Of free Col
ored woman of Charleston, who was
brought to this city by his parents
In 1870 In 1888 he was a member
OF che famous Anti-Slavery Convent
ion held in this city, the only Color
ed signer-of its declaration and in
1859 he was chosen as the chairman
OF Vigilance Committee, which be-
came The directing body of the "Un-
dergound Railway by which slaves
WE'RE transported through Pennsyl-
yania to freedom. OF him hitler said
IN description Of the early Anti
Convention, Il think ! have
never seen a finer face and figure,
and his manner, words and bearing
were in keeping" His son, Or.
Charles d. Purvis, became a. noted
Negro surgeon I'M the Ciyil War,
che Surgeon General Of the Freed
mems Hospital and an instructor In
medicine at Harvard. Another Phil
too, who acquired FAR
EARLIER fame as Negro physician
was James Derham, born In 1867.
aud taught to read by a kind mas
Ger Purchasing his freedom, Der
b I'M moved to New Orleans.
or All the Negroes who have been
identified with Philadelphia, how
evek none have been more init
mately concerned with works which
last 10 this day. than Cordelia A.
Fanny Jackson Coffin and
Daniel A. Payne IN three were
emlnent educators I'd their lives
arc linked with those Of the early
Negro benefactors Of the eighteenth
century, Miss Jennings, who be-
care the first Negro teacher n al
PHI adelphia public school, being
A graduate OF that Institute for
Coiored YOUTH which Richard
an ex-slave holder. en-
dowed in 1899 and which. after a
short career in Bristol Township,
WAS conducted FOR a number Of OF
years on Lombas street until It was
removed TO Chsyney, where 1t isl
san active as an industrial school.
MISS jennings mother, Mrs. May
Jeanings, was a school
in Virginia, and her daugh-