the good old home state. Wife join me in sending love you and yours. I am your friend and patient. DAYTON, OHIO, 7/22/17. My dear pastor and wife: I recd your letter was Glad to hear from you I am do find hope the same for you I am send you some money for my back salary I will send you some more the 5 of Sept next month Give love to all of the member of church I will be home on a visit in Oct are early so pray for me write to me I would have wrote to you but I didnot no just what to say all of the people leaves Go to place up East that I did not no weather are not you care to hear from me are not so I am glad you think of me. Mr. O write me was going to take out life insurance with him but he would not send me the paper so I just let it Go as I guess he did not class me with himself I am mak $70 month at this hotel and then not work hard. PARIS, ILL., 11/7/17. REV. Union Springs, Ala. My dear old friend: Yours of a few days ago has been received and in reply I can only say that I was only too glad to hear from you and to know that you are having such great success in your farming as well as church work since I dont farm I know that my Kmza joys will be made from a box fresh from your farm. We are still well and happy glad to say and doing about as well as can be expected. We have had some heavy snows this fall, but the last four days have been like summer. How is the conscription, high cost of living and now high cost of postage serving you? It is giving me more trouble than I want. One hundred of my men are gone to Texas and we feel that if Uncle Sam doesn't come down they will have to go to France and from the battle fields to the grave yards as the Germans are still on the job and playing havoc. I am to preach the Thanksgiving Sermon for the Union Services this year. At this service all of the churches of the city come together, both white and colored. I also recd. a notice of being elected to preach the Annual Sermon for the Dist. Grand Lodge K of P. in May of next year. Son pray for me for these are no small gatherings, no little honors. How would you like for me to play off and get you to fill my place? speak out, son. The madam joins me in asking to be remembered to dear sister Hayes and extending you all an invitation to come to see you soon. DR. Union Springs, Ala. HOLDEN, W. Va. How are you Dr. I am OK and family I make $80 to $90 per mo. with ease and wish you all much success Hello to all the people of my old home Town. I am saving my money and spending some of it. Have Joined the K. P. Lodge up here in the mountain. Sen me 5 galls of country syrup will pay you your price. Yours in F. C. & B. CHICAGO, IND., July 15, 1917. DR. Union Springs, Ala. My dear Pastor: I find it my Duty to write you my whereabouts also family, I am glad to say Family and myself are enjoying fine health. wish the same of you and your dear wife. Well I can say the people in my section are very much torn up about East St. Louis. Representive col men of Chicago was in conference with Governor he promise them that he would begin investigation at once tell Sister Hayes my wife Says She will write her in a few days. Dear Pastor I shall send my church some money in a few days. I am trying to influence our members here to do the same. I recd. notice printed in a R. R. car (Get straight with God) O I had nothing so striking to me as the above mottoe. Let me know how is our church I am to anxious to no. My wife always talking about her seat in the church want to know who accupying it. Yours in Christ. DAYTON, OHIO, Oct. 17, 1917. Dear Pastor: I have join the church up here and I authorize the church to write for my letter of dismission but they say they have not heard enything from the church at all. Sister wrote to you she ask for my letter so I can join here in full and if the church hold me for enything on why say to them I will know what to do. I have never herd eny thing from my credental from old man Bonnett. I sent him a letter and also credencil for him to sign and sent stamps for him send them and he fail to let me here fum him at all, so I thought you would here fum him befour know & got him to tend to it for me so dear pastor let me here from you and be shure to send me my letter of dismission By Return mail my famil send they regaurd to you and wife they planning to send some on they salary love to who may ask about me. DR. Union Springs, Ala. EAST CHICAGO, IND., June 10, 1917. Dear Old Friend: These moments I thought I would write you a few true facts of the present condition of the north. Certainly I am trying to take a close observation-now it is tru the (col) men are making good. Never pay less than $3.00 per day or (10) hours-this is not promise. I do not see how they pay such wages the way they work labors. they do not hurry or drive you. Remember this is the very lowest wages. Piece work men can make from $6 to $8 per day. They receive their pay every two weeks. this city I am living in, the population 30,000 (20) miles from Big Chicago, Ill. Doctor I am some what impress. My family also. They are doing nicely. I have no right to complain what ever. I rec. the papers you mail me some few days ago and you no I enjoyed them reading about the news down in Dixie. I often think of so much of the conversation we engage in concerning this part of the worl. I wish many time that you could see our People up here as they are entirely in a different light. I witness Decoration Day on May 30th, the line of march was 4 miles. (8) brass band. All business houses was close. I tell you the people here are patriotic. I enclose you the cut of the white press. the chief of police drop dead Friday. Burried him today. The procession about (3) miles long. Over (400) auto in the parade-five dptpolice Force, Mayor and alderman and secret societies; we are having some cold weather-we are still wearing over coats-Let me know what is my little city doing. People are coming here every day and are finding employment. Nothing here but money and it is not hard to get. Remember me to your dear Family. Oh, I have children in school every day with the white children. I will write you more next time. how is the lodge. Yours friend, AKRON, OHIO, May 21, 1917. Dear Friend: I am well and hop you are well. I am getting along fine I have not been sick since I left home I have not lost but 2 day I work like a man. I am making good. I never liked a place like I do here except home. Their is no place like home How is the church getting along. You cant hardly get a house to live in I am wide awake on my financial plans. I have rent me a place for boarders I have 15 sleprs I began one week ago and be shure to send me my letter of dismission By Return mail. I am going into some kind of business here by the first of Sept. Are you farming. Rasion is mighty high up here. the people are coming from the south every week the colored people are making good they are the best workers. I have made a great many white friends. The Baptist Church is over crowded with Baptist from Ala & Ga. 10 and 12 join every sunday. He is planning to build a fine brick church. He takes up 50 and 60 dollars each sunday he is a wel to do preacher. I am going to send you a check for my salary in a few weeks. It cose me $100 to buy furniture. Write me. BOOK REVIEWS The American Negro in the World War. By EMMETT J. SCOTT, Special Assistant to the Secretary of War. The Negro Historical Publishing Company, Washington, D. C., 1919. Mr. Scott's account of the Negro in the World War is one of a number of works presenting the achievements of the Negroes during the great upheaval. Kelly Miller, W. Allison Sweeney and others have preceded him in publishing volumes in this same field. The account written by Kelly Miller is apparently of dubious authorship. It is but a common-place popular sketch of the war supplemented by one or two essays bearing the stamp of controversial writing peculiar to Kelly Miller. W. Allison Sweeney's work undertakes to make a more continuous historical sketch of the achievements from year to year while at the same time guided by the topical plan. At times the author is lofty in his treatment and equally as often trivial. To say that Miller's and Sweeney's works are not scientific does not exactly cover the ground. They do not well measure up to the standard of the average popular history. Mr. Scott's history is far from being a definitive one, as the purpose of the author was rather to popularize the achievements of the Negro soldiers. In addition to giving the current historical comment accessible in newspapers and magazines, Mr. Scott has incorporated into his work a large number of official documents accessible only to some one, who like himself, was connected with the War Department during the conflict. It has another value, moreover, in that it well sets forth the reaction of an intelligent federal official of color on the thousands of events daily transpiring around him. The author undertakes to connect the Negro with the fundamental cause of the war in that race prejudice was its source. He shows how fortunate it was to have Negro troops as the first of the national guard to be adequately equipped for immediate service and to occupy the post of honor in guarding the White House and the national capital, by order of the President of the United States. His own appointment and his work as the Special Assistant to the Secretary of War as an official recognition of the Negroes' interest in the war are made the nucleus around which the facts of the work |