The fact is that the Negro has such a contagious brand of humor that many people never realize that this plays only on the surface.  The real background of the race is one of tragedy.  It is not in current jest but in the wail of the old melodies that the soul of this people is found.  There is something elemental about the heart of the race, something that finds its origin in the forest and in the falling of the stars.  There is something grim about it too, something that speaks of the lash, of the child torn from its mother’s bosom, of the dead body swinging at night by the roadside.  The race has suffered, and in its suffering lies its destiny and its contribution to America; and hereby hangs a tale.

If we study the real quality of the Negro we shall find that two things are observable.  One is that any distinction so far won by a member of the race in America has been almost always in some one of the arts; and the other is that any influence so far exerted by the Negro on American civilization has been primarily in the field of aesthetics.  The reason is not far to seek, and is to be found in the artistic striving even of untutored Negroes.  The instinct for beauty insists upon an outlet, and if one can find no better picture he will paste a circus poster or a flaring advertisement on the wall.  Very few homes have not at least a geranium on the windowsill or a rosebush in the garden.  If we look at the matter conversely we shall find that those things which are most picturesque make to the Negro the readiest appeal.  Red is his favorite color simply because it is the most pronounced of all colors.  The principle holds in the sphere of religion.  In some of our communities Negroes are known to “get happy” in church.  It is, however, seldom a sermon on the rule of faith or the plan of salvation that awakens such ecstasy, but rather a vivid portrayal of the beauties of heaven, with the walls of jasper, the feast of milk and honey, and the angels with palms in their hands.  The appeal is primarily sensuous, and it is hardly too much to say that the Negro is thrilled not so much by the moral as by the artistic and pictorial elements in religion.  Every member of the race is an incipient poet, and all are enthralled by music and oratory.

Illustrations are abundant.  We might refer to the oratory of Douglass, to the poetry of Dunbar, to the picturesque style of DuBois, to the mysticism of the paintings of Tanner, to the tragic sculpture of Meta Warrick Fuller, and to a long line of singers and musicians.  Even Booker Washington, most practical of Americans, proves the point, the distinguishing qualities of his speeches being anecdote and vivid illustration.  It is best, however, to consider members of the race who were entirely untaught in the schools.  On one occasion Harriet Tubman, famous for her work in the Underground Railroad, was addressing an audience and describing a great battle in the Civil War.  “And then,” said