Richmond planet. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1883-1938, 1921-02-12
(By Truman Hughes Talloy }

(By Truman Hughes Talloy.)
Four summers ago, few months
after America entered the World War,
there arrived In New York from the
island of jamaica n coal-black Negro
Of the purcst African type, whose mus
cW!ar, chunky, short body was bur-
dened with negligible load of tangi-
bic assets, but whose prognathic- jaw
ed, broad noscd. kinl1y-haired head
was fairly bursting with an idea that
was as great and as heavy as 1t was
tangible.
Only thirty years old. but well-edu-
Gated both IN ants and letters and in
the ways OF the world, n traveller and
student in many countries. a journ-
alist, an orator, and a human encyclo-
ncdia OF tho affairs of his own race,
he had early in life glimpsed a vision
which thereafter always remained be
fore him, and which he, in landing III
New York, was still pursuing His
was vision OF true Negro liberty
and an ideal OF literal African Com
monwearth But what they say about
tic rank and file Of prophets applied
with more than double force TO him;
he was without honor in any country.
Unknown to khe vast majority of his
Pwn race, unwelcOmed by the very
AeW who did know" him; unheralcd
nv any OF them upon his arrival. he
took with him to his obscure lodging
In That part OF Harlem which consti-
tutes the largest and greatest Negro
CITY IN the world, his still more OBJ
Scure idea. He waS then Just plain
Marcus Garvcy from .Inmnica. Teddy
he Is the Honorable Marcus Gnrvey,
president OF tho Provisional Republic
OIL Africa, president general Of the
Universal Negro Improvement Asso-
citation and African Communities
League or the World, rresident Of the
n Black Star Line of occon-gning steam
ships, president Of the Negro Factor
les Corporation. editor and publisher
or the Negro Word, the mot power
1ul Negro now@n"nor on earth. ana
ne Is acclaimed NV millions of his
color rs THE Black Moses, dost incd. rs
one fervent biaFranher says, ITO
rank in history alongside Nrdcr, Alar-
&c, Attila, Genphis than Cromwell, No
poleon, Bismarck and Washington"
Marcus Garvcy was born in Jamai-
ca, the West Indian isle that has a
population Of 90 per cent working
Negroes and 10 rcr cent employing
whites. What education the govern
ment system there affords he absorb
ed by the time he was sixteen years
old. His first step from school was
In the opposite direction from that
8taken by virtually MI his classmates
who in one form or another. rs was
inevitable, gravitatcd back to the
soil. Garvey went 10 work in n print
ing office rs means toward an end.
Within two years he starved a news
paper that lin its hectic and short
career bristIed with net little or
8the youthful editors adolescent radi
3calism. At thee arc nf twenty no
gave up his local enterprise and
! journeyed to London, bent on gain
ing further education and knowl-
edge Of the world. In the British cap
ital he met famous figure N the
world OF color radicalism in the per-
9son OF Duse Mohamcd F,ffcndi, editor
OF Africa and Orient Review. While
in the editorial employ Of thrt Egyn-
tian. whose mother was n fullblood-
ed Negress, Carney found time to at
tend London University. Af'er sever
! al years in school Garvcy set forth
to study European countries, partic,l-
larly thee" condition hnn~'rg nnon
racial affairs and FOR a long period,
he travelled in the then Central En-
pires, in France. through the Medi-
ferranean Latin countries. tho Near
East, and Northern Africa. Writing
nost of the time. study'n" c'ocution
part of 1.-THE time and thinking all of
the time about the past, present and
future Of his own race. he returned
20 Jamaica some time later. n consd
erably wiser md hrc""cr man He
'tarted another newspaper and in this
his second personal forum there
POISONED the beginnings &c his pres
bnt day creed.
While in London he had rehearsal
he steps in his enterprise with Duse
Mohammcd, with the resu'' ant good i'm
pression upon that snewd dean OF
ace affairs that lc obtained lnuda-
Fory letter Of Introduction to one Of
he Heading American Negroes of
4 nat time. Peck IN Jcmaira. Garvey
'ondere4 long and seriously his in
ended trip to America, for he real'z-
ri the importance Of his impression
here unon The QUO or failure OF
lis scheme. In 1912 Garvey set forth