The Black Man, the Father of Civilization, Proven by Biblical History
TekstCOMMENTS ON LECTURE TOURS OF THE WRITER
To Whom It May Concern:
“I beg to say, after hearing Elder Webb on the subject, that the blood of the Negro coursed through the veins of Jesus and Solomon. I am frank to say I have seldom, if ever, enjoyed such an intellectual treat. The position he assumed as the subject of his lecture touching the Hametic blood and race is difficult and requires a practical knowledge of Biblical and historical lore. But I am pleased to say that he not only shows himself an expert, but the master of the situation, and I commend him to the ministry and churches of our race of every denomination. Truly,
“Bishop H. M. Turner.”
COMMENT FROM ONE OF THE LEADING PAPERS OF THE WRITER’S HOME
“The evidence submitted by Elder Webb tending to prove that the Saviour of mankind was a black man seems to be sufficient to put those who oppose the proposition upon their proof. Now that the chain of evidence presented by Mr. Webb appears so complete, it is strange that none of the delvers in the Biblical records have not advanced the sensational proposition before. Not only was Christ a Negro, but it seems that Solomon, who has been held up through all of the ages as the personification of wisdom, had Ethiopian blood in his veins also.”—Seattle Daily Times.
Henry O. Tanner is the world famous Afro-American artist. He is the oldest son of Bishop Tanner of the A. M. E. Church. He was born in Pittsburg, Penn., but was trained in the public schools of Philadelphia, to which place his parents moved soon after his birth. His first steps in his life work were taken in the art schools of Philadelphia from which training he went to Paris where his genius developed and flowered in the studies of Benjamin Constant and Julien. In 1895 his “Sabot Maker,” was shown in the salon exhibit and received friendly treatment from the French critics. Frenchmen, as a rule, are not too favorably inclined to the works of foreigners and their appreciation of Tanner is truly significant of the real value this work—a merit which puts it beyond the limitations of race and country. In 1896 he exhibited “Daniel in the Lion’s Den,” the first of a line of religious works with which his fame has been since connected. This picture received Honorable mention from the French Jury and was bought by the Pennsylvania Academy.
Mr. Tanner’s picture, “The Two Disciples at the Tomb,” was purchased by the Chicago Art Institute for $1,600.
THE COLORED SOLDIERS
(From Dunbar’s “Lyrics of Lowly Life.”)
If the muse were mine to tempt it
And my feeble voice were strong,
If my tongue were trained to measures,
I would sing a stirring song.
I would sing a song heroic
Of those noble sons of Ham,
Of the gallant colored soldiers
Who fought for Uncle Sam!
In the early days you scorned them,
And with many a flip and flout
Said “These battles are the white man’s.
And the whites will fight them out.”
Up the hills you fought and faltered,
In the vales you strove and bled,
While your ears still heard the thunder
Of the foes’ advancing tread.
Then distress fell on the nation,
And the flag was drooping low;
Should the dust pollute your banner?
No! the nation shouted, No!
So when War, in savage triumph,
Spread abroad his funeral pall—
Then you called the colored soldiers,
And they answered to your call.
And like hounds unleashed and eager
For the life blood of the prey,
Sprung they forth and bore them bravely
In the thickest of the fray,
And where’er the fight was hottest,
Where the bullets fastest fell,
There they pressed unblanched and fearless
At the very mouth of hell.
Below are written some of the comments on his poetry and prose:
Dr. Adams, editor of “The Advance,” says: “Dunbar was a genius bound in ebony.”
Former President Theodore Roosevelt said: “I was a great admirer of his poetry and his prose.”
P. Ka Isaka Seme, who delivered such a wonderful oration on the subject, “The Regeneration of Africa,” which oration is reproduced from the Colored American Magazine of New York (June, 1906). This oration substantiates me in my article wherein I claim that the black man was the FATHER OF CIVILIZATION.
The Regeneration of Africa
Curtis Medals Oration, First Prize, April 5, 1906, Columbia University
I have chosen to speak to you on this occasion upon “The Regeneration of Africa.” I am an African, and I set my pride in my race over against a hostile public opinion. Men have tried to compare races on the basis of some equality. In all the works of nature, equality, if by it we mean identity, is an impossible dream! Search the universe! You will find no two units alike. The scientists tell us there are no two cells, no two atoms, identical. Nature has bestowed upon each a peculiar individuality, an exclusive patent—from the great giants of the forest to the tenderest blade. Catch in your hand, if you please, the gentle flakes of snow. Each is a perfect gem, a new creation; it shines in its own glory—a work of art different from all of its aerial companions. Man, the crowning achievement of nature, defies analysis. He is a mystery through all ages and for all time. The races of mankind are composed of free and unique individuals. An attempt to compare them on the basis of equality can never be finally satisfactory. Each is self. My thesis stands on this truth; time has proved it. In all races, genius is like a spark, which, concealed in the bosom of a flint, bursts forth at the summoning stroke. It may arise anywhere and in any race.
I would ask you not to compare Africa to Europe or to any other continent. I make this request not from any fear that such comparison might bring humiliation upon Africa. The reason I have stated,—a common standard is impossible! Come with me to the ancient capital of Egypt, Thebes, the city of one hundred gates. The grandeur of its venerable ruins and the gigantic proportions of its architecture reduced to insignificance the boasted monuments of other nations. The pyramids of Egypt are structures to which the world presents nothing comparable. The mighty monuments seem to look with disdain on every other work of human art and to vie with nature herself. All the glory of Egypt belongs to Africa and her people. These monuments are the indestructible memorials of their great and original genius. It is not through Egypt alone that Africa claims such unrivalled historic achievements. I could have spoken of the pyramids of Ethiopia, which, though inferior in size to those of Egypt, far surpass them in architectural beauty; their sepulchres which evince the highest purity of taste, and of many prehistoric ruins in other parts of Africa. In such ruins Africa is like the golden sun, that, having sunk beneath the western horizon, still plays upon the world which he sustained and enlightened in his career.
Justly the world now demands—
“Whither is fled the visionary gleam,
Where is it now, the glory and the dream?”
Oh, for that historian who, with the open pen of truth, will bring to Africa’s claim the strength of written proof. He will tell of a race whose onward tide was often swelled with tears, but in whose heart bondage has not quenched the fire of former years. He will write that in these later days when Earth’s noble ones are named, she has a roll of honor too, of whom she is not ashamed. The giant is awakening! From the four corners of the earth Africa’s sons, who have been proved through fire and sword, are marching to the future’s golden door bearing the records of deeds of valor done.
Mr. Calhoun, I believe, was the most philosophical of all the slave-holders. He said once that if he could find a black man who could understand the Greek syntax, he would then consider their race human, and his attitude toward enslaving them would therefore change. What might have been the sensation kindled by the Greek syntax in the mind of the famous Southerner, I have so far been unable to discover; but oh, I envy the moment that was lost! And woe to the tongues that refused to tell the truth! If any such were among the now living, I could show him among black men of pure African blood those who could repeat the Koran from memory, skilled in Latin, Greek and Hebrew,—Arabic and Chaldais—men great in wisdom and profound knowledge—one professor of philosophy in a celebrated German university; one corresponding member of the French Academy of Sciences, who regularly transmitted to that society meteorological observations, and hydrographical journals and papers on botany and geology; another whom many ages call “The Wise,” whose authority Mahomet himself frequently appealed to in the Koran in support of his own opinion—men of wealth and active benevolence, those whose distinguished talents and reputation have made them famous in the cabinet and in the field, officers of artillery in the great armies of Europe, generals and lieutenant generals in the armies of Peter the Great in Russia and Napoleon in France, presidents of free republics, kings of independent nations which have burst their way to liberty by their own vigor. There are many other Africans who have shown marks of genius and high character sufficient to redeem their race from the charges which I am now considering.
Ladies and gentlemen, the day of great exploring expeditions in Africa is over! Man knows his home now in a sense never known before. Many great and holy men have evinced a passion for the day you are now witnessing—their prophetic vision shot through many unborn centuries to this very hour. “Men shall run to and fro,” said Daniel, “and knowledge shall increase upon the earth.” Oh, how true! See the triumph of human genius today! Science has searched out the deep things of nature, surprised the secrets of the most distant stars, disentombed the memorials of everlasting hills, taught the lightning to speak, the vapors to toil and the winds to worship—spanned the sweeping rivers, tunneled the longest mountain range—made the world a vast whispering gallery, and has brought foreign nations into one civilized family. This all-powerful contact says even to the most backward race, you cannot remain where you are, you cannot fall back you must advance! A great century has come upon us. No race possessing the inherent capacity to survive can resist and remain unaffected by this influence of contact and intercourse, the backward with the advanced. This influence constitutes the very essence of efficient progress and of civilization.