Page:The Afro-American Press.djvu/126

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THE AFRO-AMERICAN PRESS.

means for resuscitating her from moral degeneracy. She possesses all the elements for her redemption. She has but to will it, and she is free." If '33 presented this glorious aspect for moral reform, how much greater should this day offer!

This magazine we have just been considering, while in every respect Afro-American by having an Afro-American as editor, was not owned by a black man. It, however, demonstrated the Afro-American's capacity for the editorial work of a magazine.

But it was not long before the Afro-American was sole owner of a magazine, as well as editor of it. With the year 1837 came the publication of The Mirror of Liberty, a quarterly magazine, (taking William Welles Brown as authority), published by David Ruggles, whom we have noticed in a preceding chapter. Mr. Ruggles was much interested in the moral, social, and political elevation of the free Afro-Americans in the North, and for this he labored zealously through the columns of his magazine for many years. He was not so interested in the Abolition Movement, when editing The Mirror of Liberty. The magazine had an able corps of writers and was a credit to the race.

Between the years 1840 and 1850, there is no record that tells us of any publication of the nature we have been considering. Not until '59 do we hear of another Afro-American magazine. True to the spirit of the Afro-American, unhindered, this time his effort for a magazine was greater than ever, resulting in one the journalistic neatness of which was worthy of that of the most pretentious. It was called The Anglo-African Magazine, and was an outcome of The Anglo-African paper, both being owned and edited by Mr. Hamilton. Vol. 1, No. 1, appeared January, 1859. It was a monthly magazine of thirty-two pages. The title page had the following: "Et nigri Memnonis arma." January 1st,