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Negro Soldiers Roscoe C. Jamison 194 The "Devil Bush" and the "Greegree Bush" George W. Ellis 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

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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 souls—soldiers of human brotherhood—took up the task in the schoolroom which their brothers began on the battlefield. Here it was that the Negro learned the history of America, of the deeds of her great men, the stirring events which marked her development, the ideals that made America great. And so well have they been learned, that to-day there are no more loyal Americans than the twelve million Negroes that make up so large a part of the nation.

But the race has other things yet to learn: The education of any race is incomplete unless the members of that race know the history and character of its own people as well as those of other peoples. The Negro has yet to learn of the part which his own race has played in making America great; has yet to learn of the noble and heroic souls among his own people, whose achievements are praiseworthy among any people. A number of books—poetry, history and fiction—have been written by Negro authors in which the life of their