THE MARCH OF PROGRESS

by: Charles W. Chesnutt
The colored people of Patesville had at length gained the object
they had for a long time been seeking--the appointment of a
committee of themselves to manage the colored schools of the town.
They had argued, with some show of reason, that they were most
interested in the education of their own children, and in a
position to know, better than any committee of white men could,
what was best for their children's needs. The appointments had
been made by the county commissioners during the latter part of
the summer, and a week later a meeting was called for the purpose
of electing a teacher to take charge of the grammar school at the
beginning of the fall term.

The committee consisted of Frank Gillespie, or "Glaspy," a barber,
who took an active part in local politics; Bob Cotten, a
blacksmith, who owned several houses and was looked upon as a
substantial citizen; and Abe Johnson, commonly called "Ole Abe" or
"Uncle Abe," who had a large family, and drove a dray, and did odd
jobs of hauling; he was also a class-leader in the Methodist
church. The committee had been chosen from among a number of
candidates--Gillespie on account of his political standing, Cotten
as representing the solid element of the colored population, and
Old Abe, with democratic impartiality, as likely to satisfy the
humbler class of a humble people. While the choice had not
pleased everybody,--for instance, some of the other applicants,--
it was acquiesced in with general satisfaction. The first meeting
of the new committee was of great public interest, partly by
reason of its novelty, but chiefly because there were two
candidates for the position of teacher of the grammar school.

The former teacher, Miss Henrietta Noble, had applied for the
school. She had taught the colored children of Patesville for
fifteen years. When the Freedmen's Bureau, after the military
occupation of North Carolina, had called for volunteers to teach
the children of the freedmen, Henrietta Nobel had offered her
services. Brought up in a New England household by parents who
taught her to fear God and love her fellow-men, she had seen her
father's body brought home from a Southern battle-field and laid
to rest in the village cemetery; and a short six months later she
had buried her mother by his side. Henrietta had no brothers or
sisters, and her nearest relatives were cousins living in the far
West. The only human being in whom she felt any special personal
interest was a certain captain in her father's regiment, who had
paid her some attention. She had loved this man deeply, in a
maidenly, modest way; but he had gone away without speaking, and
had not since written. He had escaped the fate of many others,
and at the close of the war was alive and well, stationed in some
Southern garrison.

When her mother died, Henrietta had found herself possessed only
of the house where she lived and the furniture it contained,
neither being of much value, and she was thrown upon her own
resources for a livelihood. She had a fair education and had read
many good books. It was not easy to find employment such as she
desired. She wrote to her Western cousins, and they advised her
to come to them, as they thought they could do something for her
if she were there. She had almost decided to accept their offer,
when the demand arose for teachers in the South. Whether impelled
by some strain of adventurous blood from a Pilgrim ancestry, or by
a sensitive pride that shrank from dependence, or by some dim and
unacknowledged hope that she might sometime, somewhere, somehow
meet Captain Carey--whether from one of these motives or a
combination of them all, joined to something of the missionary
spirit, she decided to go South, and wrote to her cousins
declining their friendly offer.

She had come to Patesville when the children were mostly a mob of
dirty little beggars. She had distributed among them the cast-
off clothing that came from their friends in the North; she had
taught them to wash their faces and to comb their hair; and
patiently, year after year, she had labored to instruct them in
the rudiments of learning and the first principles of religion and
morality. And she had not wrought in vain. Other agencies, it is
true, had in time cooperated with her efforts, but any one who had
watched the current of events must have been compelled to admit
that the very fair progress of the colored people of Patesville in
the fifteen years following emancipation had been due chiefly to
the unselfish labors of Henrietta Noble, and that her nature did
not belie her name.

Fifteen years is a long time. Miss Noble had never met Captain
Carey; and when she learned later that he had married a Southern
girl in the neighborhood of his post, she had shed her tears in
secret and banished his image from her heart. She had lived a
lonely life. The white people of the town, though they learned in
time to respect her and to value her work, had never recognized
her existence by more than the mere external courtesy shown by any
community to one who lives in the midst of it. The situation was
at first, of course, so strained that she did not expect sympathy
from the white people; and later, when time had smoothed over some
of the asperities of war, her work had so engaged her that she had
not had time to pine over her social exclusion. Once or twice
nature had asserted itself, and she had longed for her own kind,
and had visited her New England home. But her circle of friends
was broken up, and she did not find much pleasure in boarding-
house life; and on her last visit to the North but one, she had
felt so lonely that she had longed for the dark faces of her
pupils, and had welcomed with pleasure the hour when her task
should be resumed.

But for several reasons the school at Patesville was of more
importance to Miss Noble at this particular time than it ever had
been before. During the last few years her health had not been
good. An affection of the heart similar to that from which her
mother had died, while not interfering perceptibly with her work,
had grown from bad to worse, aggravated by close application to
her duties, until it had caused her grave alarm. She did not have
perfect confidence in the skill of the Patesville physicians, and
to obtain the best medical advice had gone to New York during the
summer, remaining there a month under the treatment of an eminent
specialist. This, of course, had been expensive and had absorbed
the savings of years from a small salary; and when the time came
for her to return to Patesville, she was reduced, after paying her
traveling expenses, to her last ten-dollar note.

"It is very fortunate," the great man had said at her last visit,
"that circumstances permit you to live in the South, for I am
afraid you could not endure a Northern winter. You are getting
along very well now, and if you will take care of yourself and
avoid excitement, you will be better." He said to himself as she
went away: "It's only a matter of time, but that is true about us
all; and a wise physician does as much good by what he withholds
as by what he tells."

Miss Noble had not anticipated any trouble about the school. When
she went away the same committee of white men was in charge that
had controlled the school since it had become part of the public-
school system of the State on the withdrawal of support from the
Freedmen's Bureau. While there had been no formal engagement made
for the next year, when she had last seen the chairman before she
went away, he had remarked that she was looking rather fagged out,
had bidden her good-by, and had hoped to see her much improved
when she returned. She had left her house in the care of the
colored woman who lived with her and did her housework, assuming,
of course, that she would take up her work again in the autumn.

She was much surprised at first, and later alarmed, to find a
rival for her position as teacher of the grammar school. Many of
her friends and pupils had called on her since her return, and she
had met a number of the people at the colored Methodist church,
where she taught in the Sunday-school. She had many friends and
supporters, but she soon found out that her opponent had
considerable strength. There had been a time when she would have
withdrawn and left him a clear field, but at the present moment it
was almost a matter of life and death to her--certainly the matter
of earning a living--to secure the appointment.

The other candidate was a young man who in former years had been
one of Miss Noble's brightest pupils. When he had finished his
course in the grammar school, his parents, with considerable
sacrifice, had sent him to a college for colored youth. He had
studied diligently, had worked industriously during his vacations,
sometimes at manual labor, sometimes teaching a country school,
and in due time had been graduated from his college with honors.
He had come home at the end of his school life, and was very
naturally seeking the employment for which he had fitted himself.
He was a "bright" mulatto, with straight hair, an intelligent
face, and a well-set figure. He had acquired some of the marks of
culture, wore a frock-coat and a high collar, parted his hair in
the middle, and showed by his manner that he thought a good deal
of himself. He was the popular candidate among the progressive
element of his people, and rather confidently expected the
appointment.

The meeting of the committee was held in the Methodist church,
where, in fact, the grammar school was taught, for want of a
separate school-house. After the preliminary steps to effect an
organization, Mr. Gillespie, who had been elected chairman, took
the floor.

"The principal business to be brought befo' the meet'n' this
evenin'," he said, "is the selection of a teacher for our grammar
school for the ensuin' year. Two candidates have filed
applications, which, if there is no objection, I will read to the
committee. The first is from Miss Noble, who has been the teacher
ever since the grammar school was started."

He then read Miss Noble's letter, in which she called attention to
her long years of service, to her need of the position, and to her
affection for the pupils, and made formal application for the
school for the next year. She did not, from motives of self-
respect, make known the extremity of her need; nor did she mention
the condition of her health, as it might have been used as an
argument against her retention.

Mr. Gillespie then read the application of the other candidate,
Andrew J. Williams. Mr. Williams set out in detail his
qualifications for the position: his degree from Riddle
University; his familiarity with the dead and living languages and
the higher mathematics; his views of discipline; and a peroration
in which he expressed the desire to devote himself to the
elevation of his race and assist the march of progress through the
medium of the Patesville grammar school. The letter was well
written in a bold, round hand, with many flourishes, and looked
very aggressive and overbearing as it lay on the table by the side
of the sheet of small note-paper in Miss Noble's faint and
somewhat cramped handwriting.

"You have heard the readin' of the applications," said the
chairman. "Gentlemen, what is yo' pleasure?"

There being no immediate response, the chairman continued:

"As this is a matter of consid'able importance, involvin' not only
the welfare of our schools, but the progress of our race, an' as
our action is liable to be criticized, whatever we decide, perhaps
we had better discuss the subjec' befo' we act. If nobody else
has anything to obse've, I will make a few remarks."

Mr. Gillespie cleared his throat, and, assuming an oratorical
attitude, proceeded:

"The time has come in the history of our people when we should
stand together. In this age of organization the march of progress
requires that we help ourselves, or be forever left behind. Ever
since the war we have been sendin' our child'n to school an'
educatin' 'em; an' now the time has come when they are leavin' the
schools an' colleges, an' are ready to go to work. An' what are
they goin' to do? The white people won't hire 'em as clerks in
their sto's an' factories an' mills, an' we have no sto's or
factories or mills of our own. They can't be lawyers or doctors
yet, because we haven't got the money to send 'em to medical
colleges an' law schools. We can't elect many of 'em to office,
for various reasons. There's just two things they can find to do--
to preach in our own pulpits, an' teach in our own schools. If
it wasn't for that, they'd have to go on forever waitin' on white
folks, like their fo'fathers have done, because they couldn't help
it. If we expect our race to progress, we must educate our young
men an' women. If we want to encourage 'em to get education, we
must find 'em employment when they are educated. We have now an
opportunity to do this in the case of our young friend an' fellow-
citizen, Mr. Williams, whose eloquent an' fine-lookin' letter
ought to make us feel proud of him an' of our race.

"Of co'se there are two sides to the question. We have got to
consider the claims of Miss Noble. She has been with us a long
time an' has done much good work for our people, an' we'll never
forget her work an' frien'ship. But, after all, she has been paid
for it; she has got her salary regularly an' for a long time, an'
she has probably saved somethin', for we all know she hasn't lived
high; an', for all we know, she may have had somethin' left her by
her parents. An' then again, she's white, an' has got her own
people to look after her; they've got all the money an' all the
offices an' all the everythin',--all that they've made an' all
that we've made for fo' hundred years,--an' they sho'ly would look
out for her. If she don't get this school, there's probably a
dozen others she can get at the North. An' another thing: she is
gettin' rather feeble, an' it 'pears to me she's hardly able to
stand teachin' so many child'n, an' a long rest might be the best
thing in the world for her.

"Now, gentlemen, that's the situation. Shall we keep Miss Noble,
or shall we stand by our own people? It seems to me there can
hardly be but one answer. Self-preservation is the first law of
nature. Are there any other remarks?"

Old Abe was moving restlessly in his seat. He did not say
anything, however, and the chairman turned to the other member.

"Brother Cotten, what is yo' opinion of the question befo' the
board?"

Mr. Cotten rose with the slowness and dignity becoming a
substantial citizen, and observed:

"I think the remarks of the chairman have great weight. We all
have nothin' but kind feelin's fer Miss Noble, an' I came here to-
night somewhat undecided how to vote on this question. But after
listenin' to the just an' forcible arguments of Brother Glaspy, it
'pears to me that, after all, the question befo' us is not a
matter of feelin', but of business. As a business man, I am
inclined to think Brother Glaspy is right. If we don't help
ourselves when we get a chance, who is goin' to help us?"

"That bein' the case," said the chairman, "shall we proceed to a
vote? All who favor the election of Brother Williams--"

At this point Old Abe, with much preliminary shuffling, stood up
in his place and interrupted the speaker.

"Mr. Chuhman," he said, "I s'pose I has a right ter speak in dis
meet'n? I S'POSE I is a member er dis committee?"

"Certainly, Brother Johnson, certainly; we shall be glad to hear
from you."

"I s'pose I's got a right ter speak my min', ef I is po' an'
black, an' don' weah as good clo's as some other members er de
committee?"

"Most assuredly, Brother Johnson," answered the chairman, with a
barber's suavity, "you have as much right to be heard as any one
else. There was no intention of cuttin' you off."

"I s'pose," continued Abe, "dat a man wid fo'teen child'n kin be
'lowed ter hab somethin' ter say 'bout de schools er dis town?"

"I am sorry, Brother Johnson, that you should feel slighted, but
there was no intention to igno' yo' rights. The committee will be
please' to have you ventilate yo' views."

"Ef it's all be'n an' done reco'nized an' 'cided dat I's got de
right ter be heared in dis meet'n', I'll say w'at I has ter say,
an' it won't take me long ter say it. Ef I should try ter tell
all de things dat Miss Noble has done fer de niggers er dis town,
it'd take me till ter-morrer mawnin'. Fer fifteen long yeahs I
has watched her incomin's an' her outgoin's. Her daddy was a
Yankee kunnel, who died fighting fer ou' freedom. She come heah
when we--yas, Mr. Chuhman, when you an' Br'er Cotten--was jes sot
free, an' when none er us didn' have a rag ter ou' backs. She
come heah, an' she tuk yo' child'n an' my child'n, an' she teached
'em sense an' manners an' religion an' book-l'arnin'. When she
come heah we didn' hab no chu'ch. Who writ up No'th an' got a
preacher sent to us, an' de fun's ter buil' dis same chu'ch-house
we're settin' in ter-night? Who got de money f'm de Bureau to
s'port de school? An' when dat was stop', who got de money f'm de
Peabody Fun'? Talk about Miss Noble gittin' a sal'ry! Who paid
dat sal'ry up ter five years ago? Not one dollah of it come outer
ou' pockets!

"An' den, w'at did she git fer de yuther things she done? Who
paid her fer de gals she kep' f'm throwin' deyse'ves away? Who
paid fer de boys she kep' outer jail? I had a son dat seemed to
hab made up his min' ter go straight ter hell. I made him go ter
Sunday-school, an' somethin' dat woman said teched his heart, an'
he behaved hisse'f, an' I ain' got no reason fer ter be 'shame' er
'im. An' I can 'member, Br'er Cotten, when you didn' own fo'
houses an' a fahm. An' when yo' fus wife was sick, who sot by her
bedside an' read de Good Book ter 'er, w'en dey wuzn' nobody else
knowed how ter read it, an' comforted her on her way across de
col', dahk ribber? An' dat ain' all I kin 'member, Mr. Chuhman!
When yo' gal Fanny was a baby, an' sick, an' nobody knowed what
was de matter wid 'er, who sent fer a doctor, an' paid 'im fer
comin', an' who he'ped nuss dat chile, an' tol' yo' wife w'at ter
do, an' save' dat chile's life, jes as sho' as de Lawd has save'
my soul?

"An' now, aftuh fifteen yeahs o' slavin' fer us, who ain't got no
claim on her, aftuh fifteen yeahs dat she has libbed 'mongs' us
an' made herse'f one of us, an' endyoed havin' her own people look
down on her, aftuh she has growed ole an' gray wukkin' fer us an'
our child'n, we talk erbout turnin' 'er out like a' ole hoss ter
die! It 'pears ter me some folks has po' mem'ries! Whar would we
'a' be'n ef her folks at de No'th hadn' 'membered us no bettuh?
An' we hadn' done nothin', neither, fer dem to 'member us fer. De
man dat kin fergit w'at Miss Noble has done fer dis town is
unworthy de name er nigger! He oughter die an' make room fer some
'spectable dog!

"Br'er Glaspy says we got a' educated young man, an' we mus' gib
him sump'n' ter do. Let him wait; ef I reads de signs right he
won't hab ter wait long fer dis job. Let him teach in de primary
schools, er in de country; an' ef he can't do dat, let 'im work
awhile. It don't hahm a' educated man ter work a little; his
fo'fathers has worked fer hund'eds of years, an' we's worked, an'
we're heah yet, an' we're free, an' we's gettin' ou' own houses
an' lots an' hosses an' cows--an' ou' educated young men. But
don't let de fus thing we do as a committee be somethin' we ought
ter be 'shamed of as long as we lib. I votes fer Miss Noble, fus,
las', an' all de time!"

When Old Abe sat down the chairman's face bore a troubled look.
He remembered how his baby girl, the first of his children that he
could really call his own, that no master could hold a prior claim
upon, lay dying in the arms of his distracted young wife, and how
the thin, homely, and short-sighted white teacher had come like an
angel into his cabin, and had brought back the little one from the
verge of the grave. The child was a young woman now, and
Gillespie had well-founded hopes of securing the superior young
Williams for a son-in-law; and he realized with something of shame
that this later ambition had so dazzled his eyes for a moment as
to obscure the memory of earlier days.

Mr. Cotten, too, had not been unmoved, and there were tears in his
eyes as he recalled how his first wife, Nancy, who had borne with
him the privations of slavery, had passed away, with the teacher's
hand in hers, before she had been able to enjoy the fruits of
liberty. For they had loved one another much, and her death had
been to them both a hard and bitter thing. And, as Old Abe spoke,
he could remember, as distinctly as though they had been spoken
but an hour before, the words of comfort that the teacher had
whispered to Nancy in her dying hour and to him in his
bereavement.

"On consideration, Mr. Chairman," he said, with an effort to hide
a suspicious tremor in his voice and to speak with the dignity
consistent with his character as a substantial citizen, "I wish to
record my vote fer Miss Noble."

"The chair," said Gillespie, yielding gracefully to the majority,
and greatly relieved that the responsibility of his candidate's
defeat lay elsewhere, "will make the vote unanimous, and will
appoint Brother Cotten and Brother Johnson a committee to step
round the corner to Miss Noble's and notify her of her election."

The two committeemen put on their hats, and, accompanied by
several people who had been waiting at the door to hear the result
of the meeting, went around the corner to Miss Noble's house, a
distance of a block or two away. The house was lighted, so they
knew she had not gone to bed. They went in at the gate, and
Cotten knocked at the door.

The colored maid opened it.

"Is Miss Noble home?" said Cotten.

'Yes; come in. She's waitin' ter hear from the committee."

The woman showed them into the parlor. Miss Noble rose from her
seat by the table, where she had been reading, and came forward to
meet them. They did not for a moment observe, as she took a step
toward them, that her footsteps wavered. In her agitation she was
scarcely aware of it herself.

"Miss Noble," announced Cotten, "we have come to let you know that
you have be'n 'lected teacher of the grammar school fer the next
year."

"Thank you; oh, thank you so much!" she said. "I am very glad.
Mary"--she put her hand to her side suddenly and tottered--"Mary,
will you--"

A spasm of pain contracted her face and cut short her speech. She
would have fallen had Old Abe not caught her and, with Mary's
help, laid her on a couch.

The remedies applied by Mary, and by the physician who was hastily
summoned, proved unavailing. The teacher did not regain
consciousness.

If it be given to those whose eyes have closed in death to linger
regretfully for a while about their earthly tenement, or from some
higher vantage-ground to look down upon it, then Henrietta Noble's
tolerant spirit must have felt, mingling with its regret, a
compensating thrill of pleasure; for not only those for whom she
had labored sorrowed for her, but the people of her own race, many
of whom, in the blindness of their pride, would not admit during
her life that she served them also, saw so much clearer now that
they took charge of her poor clay, and did it gentle reverence,
and laid it tenderly away amid the dust of their own loved and
honored dead.

TWO weeks after Miss Noble's funeral the other candidate took
charge of the grammar school, which went on without any further
obstacles to the march of progress.


Next: THE FREEDMEN'S BUREAU

Previous: SIGNS OF PROGRESS AMONG THE NEGROES

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