BY A NEGRO AUTHOR

Cortland Evening Standard, Tuesday, December 15, 1896.

BY A NEGRO AUTHOR.

"SELENE," THE FIRST PUBLISHED WORK OF KENNETH YOUNG.

Something About the Slave Life of the Author's Parents—How Young Came to Write the Novel—Writes For Pure Love of It—His Life at College.

   South Carolina has an Afro-American novelist, certainly the first one of his race in that region. His name is Kenneth Young, and he is what is known in the southern states as a "white folks' nigger." This is a term which carries much respect with it, and thoughtful colored people are proud to have it applied either to themselves or to their children. It simply means that the one to whom it is applied is unpopular with the lowest element of his own race, popular with the best element, and that because he fashions his life and ways and thoughts after the best white people of his acquaintance he gains their confidence and esteem.

   Mr. Young is 36 years old and is a barber by trade. "Selene" is the title of his book, and thrilling is an adjective that can be applied to every chapter from the first to the last. Mr. Young loves his race as much as does Booker T. Washington, and in much the same way. This racial pride and love are evident throughout the little volume.

   An incident of the slave life of the author's parents will give an idea of the stuff that he is made of, for those who know him best say that he is a chip off of the old block. Joe Young, the father, was born in upper South Carolina, and was the property of Dr. Young, father of the late General P. M. B. Young. The Youngs migrated to Georgia about 1854, when General Young was 10 or 12 years old. Joe was about the same age and had about one-fourth or perhaps one-half white blood in him. Some time after that Colonel Joel Foster, an old friend and neighbor of Dr. Young, went with his family to Georgia and settled near the doctor. When Joe arrived at manhood, his chief duties consisted in serving the person of "handsome young Pierce Butler Young," as the doctor's son was called from one end of Georgia to the other end of South Carolina. At Colonel Foster's house there was a little handsome colored girl not far from Joe's age. They met, saw each other often and fell very much in love with one another. A marriage, approved by both the Youngs and the Fosters, followed. Of course, Joe lived on with his master, Dr. Young, and his wife with her mistress, Mrs. Foster, but their nights and Sundays were spent together.

   Their union was on a high plane. In the old slave days a marriage contract between slaves was not recognized by law, and often not by owners. But these two led pure lives, after the manner of the best white people. Joe was industrious, ingenious and apt. He picked up several profitable trades and was considered very valuable. His wife was respected for her virtues and for the interest she took in the affairs and children of her mistress.

   About 1858 Colonel Foster concluded to return to South Carolina. One obstacle was in his way—he could not bear to separate Joe and his wife. He went to Dr. Young and said that as he was going to return to his old home he would buy Joe at any price rather than separate him from his wife when their affection was so true.

   Foster offered $4,000 on the spot for the man slave. Young refused the offer. They then left the price to a committee of neighbors. After discussing the matter a long time the committee named $4,000. Dr. Young refused to accept the decision. He loved Joe too well for any money to buy him and so refused to give him up. Colonel Foster, with his family and servants, went to South Carolina, leaving Joe heartbroken and taking his wife away in the same condition. Ono morning after they had got settled who should appear at the Fosters' place but Joe.

   "Marse Joel," he said, "I've come to stay."

   "But you can't, Joe," said Colonel Foster. "Dr. Young wouldn't let me have you at any price. You must go right back."

   "No; I've come to stay," said the slave with sturdy independence.

   Colonel Foster pleaded and remonstrated, but not even threats moved Joe, who finally said:

   "Marse Joel, you jes' keep right on talkin tell judgment day if you's er min to, but I'm goin to stay." And stay he did. When the colonel understood fully that Joe would not be separated from his wife, he wrote to Dr. Young, stating that Joe had arrived and with his mind made up not to live away from his wife and suggesting as a solution of the difficulty that Dr. Young should hire Joe to him if he would not sell. After a few letters had passed the agreement was reached that Colonel Foster should board and clothe Joe and pay Dr. Young $300 a year for him. That was equal to $5,000 at 6 per cent. Joe remained, and by plying his several trades made with his own hands every cent of the money to pay his hire and had a balance at the close of each year to his credit. In that shape matters remained until the close of the war. Since then Joe and his wife have been leading quiet, happy, useful lives and are now growing old together. And so it was by chance that South Carolina, instead of Georgia, boasts this negro novelist, the son of Joe Young.

   Is it any wonder that the son of such a union should be full of strong feelings and sentiments and of affection not only for those near to him, but for his entire race?

   When asked how he came to write a novel, Kenneth Young replied: "Because I wanted to read one in which the characters were all negroes. I 'm tired of reading about the things that white people have done and do and will do, about their feelings, passions, aspirations and inspirations. It's time for the colored people to know something of the feelings, capabilities and higher aims that they may attain to, and they must learn this through books about themselves, and these can only be written by men or women of our race. I shall write many more novels. 'Selene' is the first that I've had published, but I've written other romances and am now at work on one which I hope to have ready for publication soon. The hero of 'Selene' was a college mate of mine, and so was the heroine. I have tried to recount the hero's entrance to the institution, his college career, his precipitous flight, his encounter with the Sioux in their uprising in 1890-1, his temporary mental eclipse and restoration, faithfully and graphically. The records of the battles with the Indians were given me by the hero and are authentic."

   When asked from whom he got his literary talent, Mr. Young answered promptly and at the same time modestly: "If I have any real talent, I guess it must have been granted by a power not human, but I got my inspiration from my good mother. She and my father are both illiterate, but she was always ambitious for me and told me what a great thing it was to 'know things' like white folks. I went to a common free school until I was 10, and then I entered the preparatory class in the South Carolina university. I studied there three years, taking the regular classical course.

   "Where did I get the money? Why, I earned every dollar of it myself by teaching and by working on a farm during vacation. Then I went to the Atlanta university and studied there two years. Negroes were not admitted to the Georgia State university, so this Atlanta university was established by the state to accommodate them. It had a normal department, and Selene was a student there when I met her. I paid my way through this institution by barbering, as my father had taught me that trade. Latin and psychology were my favorite studies as a boy and are today, and I always stood first in the studies that were pronounced the driest by other students.

   The last half of my first novel is purely psychological. I should write right on even if 1 only paid my expenses, which is not the case, for the sale of my first novel has been excellent, because I have some things to tell my people. I want to make them better morally, mentally and physically. It took me a whole year to write 'Selene,' but I wrote it in my barber shop as I found leisure between shaves, and the only reference book I had at hand was an unabridged dictionary. I hope, however, to get out of the barber shop into a more congenial atmosphere soon, for I've applied for a professorship in a college for colored people in my state and stand an excellent chance of getting it, so I've been told. Anyway, if I was a street sweeper I should go on writing. There are three things I can't live without—my books, my pen and music."

   Young is well built, has light brown skin and large, luminous eyes with a most melancholy expression. His face is exceedingly sad, but this sadness is corrected by a smile that changes his whole expression. He has a kindly manner and a dignified bearing. His vocabulary is very large and unusual in one of his race, and his easy, graceful flow of words is the envy of every black and the wonder of every white who hears him.—New York Sun.

GIVES ITS OWN AIM.

NEW TORPEDO TERROR WHICH CAN STEER ITSELF.

Device of C. D. Haskins of Boston—A Chicago Man's Contrivance to Aid Coast Defense—Two Electricians Push Work Along Similar Lines.

   If the war talk in this country during the last two years has done nothing more, it has at least set the minds of two men of inventive genius at work in an effort to aid in solving the problem of American coast defenses, and by a strange coincidence these men, in devising two appliances for entirely different uses, have based their calculations on the same physical fact—viz, the influence the proximity of a mass of metal, such as is found in a steel armored ship, may have upon electro-magnetic apparatus subject to induction.

   One of the inventors is C. D. Haskins of Boston. The invention of Mr. Haskins is an automobile torpedo, or a torpedo fitted with a device connected with its steering apparatus which will cause it when in motion to be diverted directly toward the object which has had a magnetic effect on the device.

   The other invention is the creation of Francis B. Badt, secretary of the Siemens & Halske company in Chicago. It is an electro-magnetic sentinel, to be used in connection with submarine mines placed for coast defense or in any other place where it is desired to have an automatic contrivance to announce the approach of a mass of magnetic material such as is found in every armored vessel.

   In both instances the genius of the electrician is pitted against the genius of the engineer, who made the war vessels a thing seemingly invincible, and the very armor placed about the floating arsenal to add to its safety is made the agent to set in motion the power that is to destroy it.

   The problem of making a projectile which would do damage to a steel armored cruiser or warship, to launch the projectile effectively, make it hit its intended mark and explode when it would do the most harm, is one with which inventors have been wrestling ever since naval architects, on the other hand, began spreading armor plates over the sides of their seafaring fortresses.

   The greatest difficulty experienced in tussling with the problem has been to hit or come near the mark. This is due to the fact that in most cases the torpedo boat and the target boat, or hostile ship, are moving either in opposite directions or at different rates of speed, or subject to change in direction, making the position of the target ambiguous or marksmanship ineffective.

   There are two ways in which the percentage of successful attempts at hitting the target may be increased, by making the aim more exact or by making the target larger. The latter is what, in effect, the invention of Mr. Haskins accomplishes. Instead of aiming at the vessel direct, the operator of one of his automobile torpedoes need only aim to throw the projectile within the range of the magnetic influence of the vessel—say within 300 feet of it in any direction, thus increasing the actual diameter of the target aimed at by 600 feet.

   That his device will do this is the claim made by Mr. Haskins and his friends. After a series of laboratory tests with models it is reported that one of the devices was taken out in Boston harbor on five occasions, where it "found" a big Cunarder coming into port, as well as several other vessels from 200 to 300 feet in length. Later the device was shown at Newport, when tests were made of several torpedoes before the naval board, and was exhibited in action.

   The Whitehead torpedo, which in Europe particularly is looked upon as the best known prior to Mr. Haskins' invention, is expected to average only one hit in ten trials. This is owing to the difficulties confronting the submarine sharpshooter already referred to.

   Mr. Haskins claims that his invention practically endows the torpedo with a self-directive power as great as though it were a sentient being. He says it is only necessary for the torpedo equipped with his invention to come within the radius of the target's magnetic influence, and it will straightway make a beeline for the target.

   The operation of the invention is somewhat as follows: The torpedo is first thrown in a straight line for the target or in its direction. The steering apparatus is not set in motion until the torpedo arrives in the vicinity of the target vessel. The device once in motion, the Haskins invention is ready for action. As soon as it reaches the area affected by the attractive force of the iron or steel hull of the vessel the delicate mechanism of the invention operates upon a motor which controls the rudder, steering the torpedo in the direction of the strongest magnetic attraction. If the momentum of the projectile carries it past the line of strongest attraction as the target vessel moves, the rudder will be deflected to the right or left, as the case may be, and the course of the torpedo corrected to conform to the changed position of its object. Varying conditions may result in the course of the torpedo being along a sweeping curve, or a zigzag line, if the vessel tacks.

   To secure for the gunboat throwing the torpedo immunity from its attack, which might ensue if no precautions were taken, the steering device is so arranged that it will not begin operations until the projectile is far enough away from the torpedo boat to be outside its magnetic fields.

   The steering device invented by Mr. Haskins weighs about 125 pounds and can be attached to any torpedo.

Francis B. Badt's Invention.

   The invention of Mr. Badt, like that of Mr. Haskins, aims to increase the efficiency of agencies of destruction already established. Instead of being applicable to torpedoes which roam abroad in their search for prey, it is designed to serve as an ally to the submarine mine of explosives, which lies in wait for the passing of its adversary, to spring upon it from ambush.

   For the defense of a seaboard city the submarine mine is one of the most common expedients. Large quantities of powerful explosives, stored in suitable airtight and water tight structures, are anchored beneath the surface of the water at points in the entrances of harbors most likely to be passed over by vessels seeking to make the port, generally at narrow passages.

MORE TROUBLE FOR SPAIN.

The Rebellion in the Philippine Islands is Spreading Rapidly.

   MADRID, Dec. 15.—A dispatch to the Imparcial from Manila, the capital of the Philippine Islands,  says the rebellion in those islands is spreading and bands of insurgents infests the outskirts of the city of Manila. Advices from the Caroline and Marians Islands say uprisings are imminent there. The cabinet council which was held yesterday decided to purchase the English transport steamer, Prince of Wales, in order to expedite the transportation of troops to Manila and it was also decided to purchase a complete equipment of new rifles for the troops.

Fireman's Hall, Main Street, Cortland.

FIREMEN'S ELECTION.

Size of Ballot to be Used To-morrow Night—Nominations Ratified.

   The annual election of officers of the Cortland fire department will take place in Fireman's hall at 8 o'clock to-morrow night.

   At the meeting of the board of engineers last night it was decided that the ballots used should be uniformly 2 by 3 inches in size and of white paper, the names to be either printed in black ink or written with a black lead pencil.

   The board received and acted favorably on a petition signed by the members of the conference committee recently appointed by the Water Witch, Orris, Excelsior, Emerald and Hitchcock companies. The petition asked the board to ratify the nominations of L. A. Arnold for chief and George B. French for assistant, which were made by the committee while in session last Thursday night, and also to ratify the nominations of H. P. Davis for second assistant, M. V. Lane for secretary and J. H. Phelps for treasurer, which have been made by the committee since its meeting Thursday night.

BREVITIES.

   —New advertisements to-day are—I. Whiteson, Clothing, page 8; Bingham Bros. & Miller, Furnishing Goods, page 7.

   —The Eureka Dancing club will give a closing ball in Empire hall Friday night. McDermott's orchestra will furnish music.

   —Chief of Police Linderman has in his possession a key which the owner can have by calling on him and proving property.

   —Mr. Patrick Kane died Saturday evening at his home in McLean, aged 90 years. The funeral was held this morning at 10 o'clock from the Catholic church at McLean.

   —Lincoln lodge, No. 119, I. O. G. T., will serve a ten-cent supper in the lodge rooms in the Martin building to-morrow evening beginning at 5 o'clock. A short literary program will be rendered.

   —William Newton, a former Cortland boy, died at his home in Cardiff, Dec. 13, at 7 A. M. of consumption. His age was 10 years. Funeral services were held at the house this morning at 10 o'clock and at the church at 11 o'clock. Burial occurred in the Cardiff cemetery.

   —The Hose Owners' National Protective association offers a reward of fifty dollars for the recovery of a horse and buggy driven from the stable of John Mack, Clyde, N. Y., and now supposed to be stolen, also for the arrest and conviction of the thief for grand larceny.

   —Mr. Josiah Stephens, brother of Miss Editha Stephens, and a former resident of Cortland, died this morning in Albany. His age was 49 years. The remains will be brought to Cortland for burial in the family lot in the cemetery, and the funeral which will be held here will be private.

   —Rev. E. E. Davidson, who in the winter and spring of 1889 conducted union revival meetings for some weeks in Cortland, is now engaged in similar work in Fulton and the reports are that he is having great success there, and that Fulton people are all stirred up over his work.

   —The value of hospitals is all over the country becoming more and more appreciated and hospitals are becoming a popular and at the same time altogether worthy object for bequests. The latest instance of this kind comes from North Adams, Mass., where Mayor Houghton has given his $1,000 salary to the local hospital.

   —Trustee Warfield is to-day taking a vacation from his duties in directing the affairs of the Second ward of the village and is instead watching over the cradle of a certain young lady who has come to gladden his home. He is meanwhile practicing his part in some lullaby duets which he anticipates singing with Trustee Glann of the Third ward at future meetings of the board of village fathers.

   —Cortland girls who are proud of their bicycling achievements will be interested in knowing that Mrs. Herman Davis of New York has ridden her wheel over the great St. Bernard Pass. She is the first woman who has accomplished this difficult and picturesque bit of riding, and not many men can duplicate it. Accompanied by her husband she has travelled 2,000 miles on her wheel during her summer vacation in Europe, making between sixty and sixty-five miles a day.