ANTHROPOLOGY APPLIED… (4)
By:
August 11, 2025
An excerpt from Robert Gilbert Wells’ Anthropology Applied to the American White Man and Negro (1905). Set in post-Reconstruction America, with numerous sf and fantastic elements, including invisibility, time travel and a drug that allows one to change skin color. HiLoBooks is pleased to serialize an excerpt for HILOBROW’s readers.
ALL INSTALLMENTS: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5.
SAM HEARS DEATH CONVERSING WITH MR. JONES.
Sam — This man of men, known by the name of Death, has mastered all me but one in the past ages of this old world. I saw him stroke his own cold, icy beard and said to Mr. Jones: I teach men and nations by killing them with pains. The stroke that I give is to compensate for the sins of omission on your part. The stroke that I shall make next week through the cunning of Sam, the Negro’s hand, will be to compensate and remind you of the sins of commission by your forefathers in riveting the cuffs of curse caste and prejudice upon you and your people’s minds and souls. I heard the voice of Death speaking like the rumbling thunder from the skies, saying to Mr. Jones: Twenty-seven hundred years ago the Negro laid his man- hood down at the shrine of ignorance and walked away from it as a child would from a number of worthless toys. But, mark you, I have punished the Sons of Ham. Yes, I have punished this African race because of its father’s unmanly stand. You will remember these Sons of Ham will return back to their father’s old home, much improved and better men than they were on the noon or even when they bade farewell to their far off land, the jungles and sand, where their fathers lost many of the agencies that develops the full-fledged man.
Oh, Ham, thou African man,
Over our land across the deep blue,
The American Negro is sure to roam,
Long or short, late or soon, he will enjoy
this precious boon.
While walking upon the African shore,
He saw the flag of England and France,
To which the most of the natives did rock
and dance,
Germany and Italy could hardly rest at their
best.
But the Negroes of America continued to
go to African shores,
Until England and France did say twelve
millions or more
From America have come black men to
African shores;
Then Italy and France, Germany and
England.
Did take a stand against the American
black man,
And sent the news to Uncle Sam’s
American men,
Saying, tell all of the sons and daughters of
Ham
In our dominion of African land at our new
stand.
There’s no more room for the American
black man
Twelve millions or more of Negroes upon
African shores.
To Absenia did go and stop at King
Minilick’s door,
To help to fight Minilick’s four.
Sam — Well, Sally, I believe I’ll finish telling you what the voice of Death said to Mr. Jones about his people. Now listen to what I heard, please, upon the threshhold of my door. I was raised to the height of the flight of an American eagle with freedom in her wings from yonder heights. I caught the voice of Giant Death sounding like the volcanoes which break loose in time of war and destroys happiness and develops grief, saying to Mr. Jones: God Almighty appointed your forefathers to go to the land of Ham and bring a remnant of those dark children to this western world to teach them that Christ had died and risen from the grave for the black as well as the white man. Thus, the Anglo-Saxon of America, in fact, all of the Saxons of this old world, became the greatest missionaries the world ever had to impart the glad tidings of the risen Saviour to more people inside of a given time than the world has any record of in the same length of time. They did their work well. All of the work that their forefathers could not do while establishing the altar of Christ, accompanied with a free government, which, of course, was left for their sons to do. Well, much of the work of these fathers have been left undone, while much of their work that they were not able to accomplish has never been touched by their progeny, and is yet unfinished.
God never intended the whip and gospel should go hand in hand. It must be acknowledged that the sons of the progenitors of this great country succeeded better with the Negro in this way than may ever be expected with any other slaves. Strange, indeed, when the effect is noted; their children drew blood from the back of the former slaves of the vanguards of this country. Therefore God marshalled out upon the field of battle, brother against brother and father the foe of his son. Then the thunder from artilleries of great mechanical skill belched forth its deadly missiles of steel and lead until blood ran from the veins and arteries of the white man like streams of water from the rock-ribbed fountain of yonder mountain, and so continued until as much blood had been drawn from the Saxon’s body as had been drawn from the black man’s back. Oh, thou American white man. The curse that has fallen upon thee and thine shall be repeated in a different way from without and from where you least expect it. Your children are all slaves to sentiment; when your intellectual stand is considered, you are today greater slaves than your brothers were forty-five years ago. Now to burden your children with caste as an inherited curse for generations to come, is too hard to be borne.
In the hand of Death was a quivering lance with streams of burning fire issuing from its hilt, and arrows of flaming steel flying from every finger. Well, Sally, my soul drew back into the farthest recesses of my body; my hair on end did stand, the muscles of body did quiver and tremble, my eyes with tears were blind, my blood itself congealed and refused to flow through my body. Mr. Jones fell upon his knees. Oh, how that man did pray that death would spare his life that he might have the pleasure and privilege of doing that which his father had left undone for the Negro, this long lost and forgotten brother. Yes, loosen the bands that yet fetter the American man’s children, that they may use reason and thought instead of sentiment; that he may teach the American people, both white and black, to cultivate no blooms of caste, nor gather clusters of grapes that will put the children’s teeth on edge with unfavorable prejudice which would likely disrobe the joint man of right, justice, and honor, or rob the virgin of her true, pure femininity.
Mr. Jones — Now, Death, upon my word and honor, if you will only let me pass your keen steel sword I will declare between heaven and earth that I’ll spend the balance of my days working for the elevation of my maltreated black brother. I will teach all men, both old and young, to know any man by the curls upon his head, or the straightness thereof, by the color of his skin, whether it be white or black, and treat no man as a slave, whether he be bound or free; to work for the freedom of all mankind, whether upon the high seas or in foreign climes; that every man be treated by right of merit in all things, whether he be high or low, rich or poor, yellow, white or black. Now, after this, Death did sheath his sword and bid Mr. Jones to keep his word.
Behold, the spell is broken now. When Mr. Jones, Sam and Sally found themselves, to their surprise, it was three o’clock in the morning. They were upon the train in the Jim Crow car, moving at the rate of forty miles an hour.
The triangle had to lay over at a little place between the village where Postmaster Baker was murdered and Pitchfork Tillmansville of S. C. While waiting in this place Sam proposed to Mr. Jones the wisdom of calling upon Mrs. Jones on arriving home, saying that he, Sam, would accompany him. Mr. Jones consented to do so. The three parties arrived home at two o’clock sharp that after- noon. The two men went at once to Mrs. Jones’ home, for such it must be called as there was no white man by that name in the community. When the two men arrived at the house, Mrs. Jones met them at the door. As they started up the steps she spoke, in a clear tone of voice, saying not another foot nearer do you dare come, you black nigger, and as for you, Sam, I am surprised at your accompanying this strange Negro to my home to bring a still deeper stain upon my family. I shall report you to Mr. Jones whenever he returns.
Just at this moment Mrs. Jones eldest son appeared at the door with his father’s gun in hand. He addressed Sam by name saying: Uncle Sam, my father, yes, the entire family, have always had the most implicit confidence in you and yours. Your people have lived in our family ever since the first ship load of Negroes were brought to this country and it appears that all of the bad quality that belonged to the generations of them have come out in you.
Just to think of the sobs of the heartbroken father as he passed out of the yard gate, brings a shade of sadness over my soul. As Mrs. Jones turned from the door into the house facing her son, she remarked that a strange and peculiar feeling seized her, such as does whenever Mr. Jones has been off and returned home again. The son said such was the case with him. Mrs. Jones was one of those fair, square, true-blue southerners who usually look upon all things from an intuitive standpoint and are always governed by the laws of moral ethics. Thus she let the matter pass saying that Mr. Jones would see the news of the sad affairs in the papers and return home.
At this time Mr. Jones and Sam had arrived at Sally’s house, found supper ready and awaiting the couple. She had maintained her regard for the old southern custom; a table had been prepared for Mr. Jones at one side, arranged so as to make him as comfortable as possible under the circumstances. Thus they all finished supper about eight o’clock and went into the house. All was silent until the stillness of the evening was broken by a rap upon the door. Sam opened up and asked the parties in and, behold, there were many men and boys to get in. This blood-thirsty mob took Mr. Jones and Sam to Mrs. Jones’ house for identification, which she did. She was not to be an agent to the coldblooded murder of two men under circumstances which she could not understand. And, more than that, the thought of killing men without judge of juror, brought from her such plain talk that the mob sneaked off by the dozen and scores. By the time she had finished there was not any one standing there but the husband and father and the former slave who was standing by his ex-master, like a true and tired friend. At this time a very peculiar sensation had enveloped the entire family. All of the members of the house had become convinced that this man was father and husband. But his skin was dark and hair curly. Thus his hair and color was the barrier. The conscience of the sad family was weeping itself to death. Well Sam and Mr. Jones passed out of the house. As this heart- broken father stepped out of his own home his son remarked; that was the voice, the clothes, the step and the mind of my father and your husband, but we cannot accept his color in our family, said he. Mother if you remember my father and your husband had a brother who wandered off and turned dark; his hair exceedingly curly or kinkey. When he returned home, grandfather, mother, brother and sister would not own him, so he is an alien today from home in some strange land, perhaps mangled, bruised and bleeding as my father is to night, at this time.
___
HILOBOOKS notes: Menelik II was king of Shewa from 1866 to 1889 and Emperor of Ethiopia from 1889 to his death in 1913. prevent its colonization. Menelik II fought against Italy to defend Ethiopia’s sovereignty and prevent its colonization. The conflict arose from a dispute over the Treaty of Wuchale, which Italy misinterpreted as granting them a protectorate over Ethiopia. Menelik, realizing Italy’s imperial ambitions, mobilized his forces and decisively defeated the Italian army at the Battle of Adwa in 1896, preserving Ethiopia’s independence. By the end of the 19th century Ethiopia was the only independent country left in Africa, which had otherwise been carved up by European powers. Adwa became a pre-eminent symbol of pan-Africanism. (Haile Selassie was the grandson of Menelik II’s cousin.)
What is “Minilick’s four?” The Italian army at the the battle of Adwa consisted of four columns: Right, Central, Left, and Reserve. This is no doubt the explanation.
RADIUM AGE PROTO-SF: “Radium Age” is Josh Glenn’s name for the nascent sf genre’s c. 1900–1935 era, a period which saw the discovery of radioactivity, i.e., the revelation that matter itself is constantly in movement — a fitting metaphor for the first decades of the 20th century, during which old scientific, religious, political, and social certainties were shattered. More info here.
SERIALIZED BY HILOBOOKS: James Parker’s Cocky the Fox | Annalee Newitz’s “The Great Oxygen Race” | Matthew Battles’s “Imago” | & many more original and reissued novels and stories.