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14 
THE CRISIS
[[image MR. C.F. HEARTMAN]]

Mr. Barrett served in the treasurer's office almost from the time of his entering Hampton and was cashier from 1907 until 1913. He was a quiet, accurate man, happily married and widely influential.

A BIBLIOPHILE
One of our most noted women, and the first of her race in America to distinguish herself in letters, has been rescued from obscurity, and immortalized as it were in a kind of trilogy. We refer to the three distinctive publications on the gifted poetess of the Revolution, Phillis Wheatley--a Bibliography, a book of Broadsides, containing facsimiles of all the various editions of her fugutive [[fugitive]] poems, and her Letters and Poems combined. We who are somewhat backward in recognizing the literary merits of our geniuses, discovered and undiscovered, must now, if we have any gratitude in us, acknowledge our debt to Charles Frederick Heartman, late of Brunswick, Germany, a thorough and painstaking bibliophile and now a resident of New York.
Mr. Heartman's early training in German journalism gave him to the opportunity to devote himself to the writing of short stories.
His studies of unfortunate human types may have been the reason that prompted him to republish Phillis Wheatley's poems, and everything extant and obtainable in print or manuscript concerning this truly remarkable woman of the Negro race. Phillis has so long been permitted to remain in obscurity, because of her complexion in spite of the fact that she was the first woman in America to attain any distinction as a writer of poetry.
Mr. Heartman came to the United States with a keen knowledge of rare and historical books. The Heartman Historical Series, which he issues periodically and in which are included the Phillis Wheatley Series, number to date ten issues and cover the field known as Americana. Every publication in which he is interested is privately printed. His books are for the few who appreciate the rare, the beautiful, and the useful.
He has brought to the notice of the great libraries of the country and to the bibliophiles a mass of information respecting this brilliant Negro girl. His is the work of an honest, fair minded, unprejudiced investigator. Not once has he spoken of pecuniary reward, but always of his desire to hand down to posterity this tribute to the mental and moral worth of Phillis Wheatley; to bring before the great libraries and collectors in all its completeness in so far as was humanly possible the work of this young African girl who in her day was quoted as freely and as generously as are some of our modern poets.
This publication has brought to light another remarkable Negro poet of whom few have heard in the person of Jupiter Hammon. No imprint of his peoms was known to exist. We are indebted to Mr. Heartman for a reproduction of Hammon's splendid poem to Miss Wheatley.
Mr. Heartman is a man with a big heart, a noble mind, and of generous impulses; we admire him for his democratic spirit.


MEN OF THE MONTH
[[image: photo of MR. W. C. HANDY]]
[[image: photo of MR. WILLIAM DYKE]]


HAVE YOU EVER HEARD THE "BLUES"?
The distinction of having contributed to the world an entirely new style of music composition can be claimed by W. C. Handy of Memphis, Tennessee.
Mr. Handy wrote the now world-famous "Memphis Blues" which is the first American composition to attain popularity written in the "Blues Style." The difference between this and the old established rule of composition is stated by on authority to be that the "Blues Style" has fourteen measures to the strain, which represents the correct construction of genuine African music, whereas, the regular style has sixteen measures to the strain. Musicians who at first laughed Mr. Handy's compositions to scorn and ridiculed them as being musically impossible have joined the large number of writers who are now imitating his style. 
Mr. Handy's work is all the more remarkable for the reason that he never had a music lesson in his life. By purely personal work and a determination to master music, he is now able to play nearly every musical instrument, and is a cornet soloist of rare ability. He reads at sight the most difficult music and writes all of the orchestrations used by his band of forty-five men, besides doing arranging and making orchestrations for many musical organizations and music houses who have no regularly employed arranger.
Mr. Handy was born in Florence, Alabama, nearly forty years ago and taught music at Normal, Alabama, for several years. Later he travelled with Mahara's Minstrels in order to master brass band and orchestral work. About ten years ago, he went to Memphis and organized a "Knights of Pythias" band. He received scant encouragement from the older musicians who had a practical monopoly in furnishing music to the city. Today, he furnishes nearly all the music to the city both public and private, and employs the year round nearly fifty musicians. His bands are in demand for every occasion. Profiting by the mistake he made in selling the "Memphis Blues" to a white publisher, he later formed a partnership with Harry