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91
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A l a r t h ¿1. I
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T t . l o r » S ett ion v r . p e w « .
i b I h i h i n l l w a
« • a « B ftel prlactpala
Who A re the Thirteen Most
Gifted Negroes\"KUnited States?
Cliarle» H
Houston, lawyer
9 W il
It Lewis, lawyer: 10. Julian D. Eugene Gordon, Radical Essayist, Makes
The Author Compiles the Most Interest liam
Kalnry. lawyer, II. Conrad U Vin
cent. pbyalclan; 12 Louis T Wright,
ing and Thought Provocative List of physician and surgeon.
a Most Sensational and Challenging
The following rank highest under
art: 1 William Stanley Oralthwalte
Gifted Individuals of the Year.
Selection of Talented Afro-Americans.
poet and anthologist. 3. Henry T
Br EU G EN E G ORD ON
I
The proportion of K>ft**<i colored men and women to the
whole Aframericnn population persist*. I believe, in about
the same ratio as the lifted whites to the whole Caucasia*
tneriean population. Simply holding that theory, however,
d o e s not help one very much to pick out the most gifted
from a colored population of from ir> to 20 millions.
Before selections ran be made the
Atramerlean populstton Bill have to
!»■ divided Into classes or categories.
That ta.sk hating been accomplished.
the selector will have to designate
111 each category or class, the per-
son or persons who he thinks are the
most gifted These lists will h ive to
be reduced furtlier through ellmlnat-
li)g this one for this deficiency and
Ibal one for that Much a proegsg U
nrccaaary. lor Uie reason that there
la no way to rom|>ure dissimilar.»
W e cannot compare a poet with an
HENRY A. HI NT
E* arator
engineer, because as poet snd engi
neer they have no parallelisms —
unless t tie engineer chanoes also to
write poetry. In that cju * they are
compared as poets, and net as en
gineer and poet.
From the point of view af class dl-
vision, let us see Into how many
categories all Aframerlca ran be
brought. O f course there will be sub-
classes, and Sub-sub-classas. If we
carry ttir division to its logical, de-
tailed end- I think that If we list
all Aframerlca under the heads of
Business. Professions. Art. Sclrncr, Kd-
ucatitm, I'olltUs. and Mist rUanc.ius
we shall take In everybody. I f we list
Writers under Art, thus Treating the
first sub-class, we shall of neceaslty
have to create sub-sub-rlasses. under
the heads of Novelists. Poets. News-
papermen.
Essayists.
Historians,
Playwrights. Publicists, and so on.
In writing this paper I have kept
that rulr In tnlnd; nevertheless, I
have avoided sub-classes as fsr as
practicable
Comprehending
my
Kclicmc, the render will realize that
I believe the critic does Rambo Hlew-
foot no good when he annoburea, ex
critic liavcvi onr with the* ImpvrMftou
lh#, on(. |1IU t*,.,, tulenlng lo „on -
^enar.
j re»rrvc the privilege of omitting
, rot„ nils paper any category which
does not. In my opinion, contain per
a hose performance is no better
medlocie
n makuiK such
omissions, however. It is likely that I
„lay overlook someone who deserves
consideration. In that case I ask to be
forgiven my fallibility, please, even It
Burleigh, rumpoarr and singer. 3.
Melville
Charlton.
organist:
4.
Charles W Clirstnutt. novelist.
5 29. George S Schuyler, novelist: 30
Countee Cullen, poet, # Nathaniel Richird Reid, portrait painter;
im e n f there person, nam’ d on? origl-
nal Id-*a: that is. an Idea that cr.gl-
pam te r " and°'lHus tr a tor*' °8' W ^ ' e ' u
11 Paul Robpvw' “ t=r and s‘ n* " ' n» tid * lth th } P 'nwn
«
“ Uk* *
UuBol*.
novelist; 9 Artiiur
HufI 32 William O. St'U. composer and wise Improbable that th ! idea, what-
Fauset. short story writer;
10 Jem- arranger; 33. Gertrude Schalk. short ever it is. is essential to the welfare
»ie Fauset. novelist and poet
story writer; 24 Henry O. Tanner of sot.cty. Certainly It is n;t easy
atory
_ 11 ,,udo*Ph ri»her. »hurt
painter; 35 Will Henry Vodery. ar- to say whether a man's initiative in
ranger and composer; 30 Meta War- advanc ng his Idea is perfect, for the
rick Fuller, sculptor; 37 Dorothy reason that salesmanship d?p;nds al-
..
together upen the salesman
The
West short story writer; 38. Clarence
. . . . .
_
'
success attained is more easily meas-
Cameron White, compose
and vlo- ured. and it is therefore likely that
Imlst;
39 Hale Woodruff. painter: more than one person may receive
40 Albert Alexander Smith, etcher 21 P « « * » » lor success ln advancing
fhelr Ideas.
and painter.
Messrs. Bousfield, Pace. Spaulding
The m;st outstanding Aframerican and other gentlemen of th ; insurance
scientists seem to me lo b * : 1 George business ernnot mce; my te_t at ai
W Carver, agricultural chemist; 1 und,-r the heads of "Orlg.nalitv ol
_ .
_ „ „
.__. .
. Idea" wild Value of the Idea td So-
Solomon C Fuller, neurologist and cle,y .. N , lth?r C3n the
not
psychiatrist. .1 William G. Haynes, the manufacturers of hair good; anc
chemist; 4 William C. Hinton, cilni- beautifiers. There is na originality
cal pathologist*
5 Elmer S lines, in the idea of insurance, nor ha3 that
physicist; 6 Ernest E Just, bio- branc-> oi Ne* ro business been of in-
chemlst; 7 Harry Keeland. chemist.
Educators are listed as follows
1
Charlotte Hawkins Brown; 2 Mary
McLeod Bethune; 3 Nannie H Bur
roughs; 4 Leslie Pinckney Hill; 5.
Henry A Hunt; 6 Gilbert H, Jcnes;
7 Mordecal W Johnson; 8 Robert
R Moten; 9 James E Shepard; all
heads of educational Institutions.
Aframerlca s geniuses ln politics
may be found. I think among the fo l
lowing gentlemen; I. Archibald J.
Carey, political boss and member of
civil service commission; 2 Robert
L W I iS T O N H I GHES
R Church, political boss; 3 Oscar
Fuel and Author
DePrlest, political boss and rongress-
__ ________.
. . . , , „ _____ man; 4 Ferdinand Q Morton, civil
!?T‘te .■ * " d. " ? !
. V . . . ! ? , s e r v i c e commissioner and Tim m anv
nar. singer: 13. William C Handy,
Hall satellite; 5. Fred R M ore. ald-
muslelan and compoaer; 14. Helen erman.
Hagen, pianist: 18. Hasel Harrison.
Under Mtsrellaneous we list the
pianist; 1« Richard B Harrison, se-
tor
17 Roland Ha\.
18 b,,r,“ » inpd of Aframerica s InteUec
.
tusl Arlstocrscy: 1 Joseph D Bibb,
Hugh”
<’o fl and novelist; newspaper editor: 2 Floyd Calvin,
^ Eva Jr!,!,y* « " " P 0* " and arrani; feature story writer and columnist;
3. W E. B DuBoLs. magazine edi
tor and sociologist: 4 Francis J.
Ortinke. clergyman: 8 Wm E Har-
rlson. essayist; 8 George E Haynes,
sociologist; 7. Maurice Hunter, art
ist’s model; 8 Charles S Johnson, so
ciologist and author; 9 Theophilus
GEO. S. SCHUYLER
Lewis, dramatic critic; 10 Kelly M il
Essayist sad Novelist
ler. easaylst and publicist; 11 Carl
J Murphy, newspaper editor;
12. _ . , . .
A Clayton Powell clerygman;
13 f, l l* blr
' ° *he m«saes of
William Krlley. newspaper; 14. Aub-
Most of the ether buai-
rey Bowser, literary critic: 15. Rob- n « * « »re parasitical ln their na-
ert 3. Abbott, newspaper editor; 18.
therefore unnecessary, except
A- Philip Randolph, labor organizer: ** ibr,R»hing a means of llveliliood
17. Reverdy C. Ransom, clergyman; to, i he
„
18. Robart T Vann newspaper edl- 1 Mf n Ukf Clarence B Curley and
tor; 19 William T. -Vernon, clergy- J*nTP' A -»»«kson are valuable to
man; 20 J. Finley Wilson, fraternal such bustn'*“ e1s “ “ l m
how-
order head; 21 Carter O. Woodson. PVTG since little of the business they
historian: 22 Monroe N Work, btblt- PurP °rt ' « sustain through their ex-
ojrapher; 23 Plummer B Young. P*?* adv*cc ts worth sustaining — Its
newspaper; 2« Wtlltxni N DeBerry vah',‘ be,n« estimated in relation to
clergyman; X5 T S. Harten. clergy- lu b<‘?<‘.9t , to soc,ety —
gentle-
man.
men fall low in the scale I dev:aed
.
. (
io
^ e m by.
my fallibility cannot be forgotten.
My »election* are of necessity arbi
trary. for t have no means n( de
termining the excess of one man's tul-
ent over another's In a given field e x
cept by exercising my opinion.
For
J cannot weigh this surge n's skill
against that ones, taking Into con
sideration the number ■>( times this
one's operations have been successful
and that ones u i i s c h c c s s I u I. 1 can
not do so for thr reason that I have
nr data-on which to rinstruct such
a graph
..nd If I had thr data I
should lark
something ...----
equally
lin-
...... ..............„
, ---
pnrlant the knowledge whether the
success ot the one designated ns more
talented was caused by chance, good
fortune, or some other fortuitous cir
cumstance. Therefore, 1 say, my
selections are urbltrarv
Nevcrthe-
less. I shall give . reason for each
selection
In brief. Hits l»p c r might
properiy be titled "M y Opinion of
Who an- the Thirteen Most Gifted
Aframcrtcans."
II
I think I can Justly base my Judg
ment In each category, and In rach
case In that category, on these four
principles
ID Originality of th-
Idra; i 2 i Value of the Idea t o soci
ety; O i Initiative In advancing the
Idea; 141 Degree of sueeeoa attained.
le t us first consider Business
These men and women srem lo stand
out above the rest: I. M O . Bouse-
field. Insurance company head; 2.
Clarence B. Curley, business adviser;
3. Thanton Hsyes. proprietor music
store; 4. Albon L. Hulsey, organiser
of Negro b x a l n c s ; 5 James A.
Jackson, "business specialist," US.
Dr|iartment of Commerce; 6 Annie
M. T .
Malone, manulacturer; 7.
Bennie
Motcti.
proprietor
music
store; 8
Anthony Overton, manu-
foe hirer and banker; 9. Harry H.
Pace. Insurance rompatiy head; 10.
S. W, Rutherford. Insurance com-
pany olBdal; It. Charles C. Rpauld-
Ing. head Insurance company and
banker; 12 W att Terry, real estate
"operator"; 13. Maggie L Walker, head
of business concern operating as fra-
tenial organisation and president of
ROLAND HAVYES
bank; 14. Sadie Warren, manager of
Singrr
a newspaper; 15. R. R Wright. Sr.
head
of bank
..—
„ —
------
In the category of Professions the Cr; 20 Hall Johnson, eomixwer and
following persons seem to me to be arranger;
the most conspicuous;
conspicuous: 1 Raymond
21. James Weldon Johnson, poet
Pare Alexander, lawyer; 2 Sadie T and cotninser; 22 Clarence E Muse.
M A l e x a n d e r , lawyer; 3 8 Joe actor. 23
John F Matheus, short
28 Aixnistw
Savage.
wuljAor
r.w i, person. I have
Judged according to
ill
Ity of hi* idea; ,J> the
idea to society; (3)
the
said, will be
the original- a"
‘ n ^ 'P
value of hU
X lb ^
initiative he wa- T1v»re or
" ’ h ^ e V m e CnP
* rh ¿ th*’
?
L ^ o la e ^
HU
If«
it ^ a
Sr£5.S£tt =» ?
a
will mean that when we have found.
say, an artist whose Idea Is wholly
original, whose original Idea Is eaaen-
Ual to the welfare of society whose
Initiative in advancing the Idea could
not be Improved upon, and whose
,, .»^1,,r . i * t , I 1,4____ __
ly.
rt-u
impn>hable tliat there
«h„n i. c ,i„,, j
o m ji
M
«.. V i^ * .
he
'
°*
t
, K .
i.i
nnot , " n1
to sec th lt
~ a>er|l rontrlbu,e anything of value
w society
rn ro ttiin g my n atural
(t'antinaed an Page 2)