195
EVENING PRAYER _H. Cordelia Ray_ 199
THE STRENUOUS LIFE _Silas X. Floyd_ 200
O LITTLE DAVID, PLAY ON YOUR HARP _Joseph F. Cotter, Jr._ 202
A DAY AT KALK BAY, SOUTH AFRICA _L. J. Coppin_ 203
BISHOP ATTICUS G. HAYGOOD _W. H. Crogman_ 205
HOW TWO COLORED CAPTAINS FELL _Ralph W. Tyler_ 207
THE YOUNG WARRIOR _James Weldon Johnson_ 208
WHOLE REGIMENTS DECORATED _Emmett J. Scott_ 209
ON PLANTING ARTICHOKES _Daniel A. Rudd and
Theodore Bond_ 210
A SONG OF THANKS _Edward Smyth Jones_ 214
OUR DUMB ANIMALS _Silas X. Floyd_ 216
A LEGEND OF THE BLUE JAY _Ruth Anna Fisher_ 218
DAVID LIVINGSTONE _Benjamin Brawley_ 220
IRA ALDRIDGE _William J. Simmons_ 224
FIFTY YEARS _James Weldon Johnson_ 228
A GREAT KINGDOM IN THE CONGO _William Henry Sheppard_ 233
PILLARS OF THE STATE _William C. Jason_ 249
OATH OF AFRO-AMERICAN YOUTH _Kelly Miller_ 250
NOTES 251

INTRODUCTION

The Negro has been in America just about three hundred years and in that
time he has become intertwined in all the history of the nation. He has
fought in her wars; he has endured hardships with her pioneers; he has
toiled in her fields and factories; and the record of some of the
nation's greatest heroes is in large part the story of their service and
sacrifice for this people.

The Negro arrived in America as a slave in 1619, just one year before
the Pilgrims arrived at Plymouth in search of freedom. Since then their
lot has not always been a happy one, but nevertheless, in spite of
difficulties and hardships, the race has learned many valuable lessons
in its conflict with the American civilization. As a slave the lessons
of labor, of constructive endeavor, of home-life and religion were
learned, even if the opportunity was not always present to use these
lessons to good advantage.

After slavery other lessons were learned in their order. Devoted
self-sacrificing so