e respect for the
marriage vow are, as a rule, those who are indolent, worthless and
without a home and making no effort to obtain one. But, happily, this
class form but a small minority.

Another virtue in the Negro's character which comes only from a moral
sentiment is gratitude. He loves his benefactors and would gladly
repay them for all they have done for him, if he were able to do so.
If the mind was filled with sensuality, deception, hatred and like
vices, there would be no room for that noble characteristic,
gratitude, which is so prominent in the present generation. His
gratitude extends beyond the individual benefactor to the flag of his
country; overlooking present conditions and remembering past favors,
he is always ready to dare and die for his country's honor. We
conclude by saying that the fathers who came up out of slavery,
unlettered and untrained, did well. The present generation of fathers,
or heads of families, by reason of superior advantages, are doing far
better. The race as a whole for the last past thirty-six years has
made a history for itself which will form the apex of its glory when
it has passed through a century of training under its changed
condition from slavery to freedom.

FOURTH PAPER.

IS THE YOUNG NEGRO AN IMPROVEMENT, MORALLY, ON HIS FATHER?

BY MRS. ARIEL S. BOWEN.

[Illustration: Mrs. Ariel S. H. Bowen]

MRS. ARIEL SERENA HEDGES BOWEN.

Mrs. Ariel Serena Hedges Bowen, wife of Dr. J. W. E. Bowen
of Gammon Theological Seminary, Atlanta, Ga., was born in
Newark, N. J. Her father was a Presbyterian clergyman in
that city. He had graduated from Lincoln University, Pa.,
and had organized churches in New York State. Her mother
represents one of the oldest Presbyterian families of that
State. Her grandfather was a bugler in the Mexican war, and
was a Guard of Honor when Lafayette revisited the United
States. Her parents removed early to Pittsburg, Pa., where
she attended the Avery Institute. She completed the Academic
course of this school. Her parents then moved to Baltimore,
Md., where her father became pastor of Madison Avenue
Presbyterian Church, and finally of Grace Presbyterian
Church. She was sent to the High School of Springfield,
Mass., where she remained and graduated with honor in a
large class in 1885. She also took the Teachers' Course and
Examination and passed