The Sunday Gazetteer
Sunday, June 26, 1892
EMANCIPATION DAY
The 26th anniversary of Mr. Abraham
Lincoln's famous emancipation
proclamation was observed in a way and
manner entirely appropriate to
the occasion in Denison Tuesday by the
colored people of north
Texas. Arrangements looking to
the celebration began making
as much as 2 months ago, and a general
outpouring of Negroes from
surrounding towns and communities was
expected. The attendance
from the outside was quite large, but
nothing like that which w as
expected. The crowd, however, was large
enough, and one thing certain,
a more intelligent and a better
dressed crowd of colored people
never assembled in Denison, and throughout
the en tire program a
better behaves and more peaceable lot of
people is seldom seen.
A big barbecued and picnic dinner was
spread on the ground in
the shade of the stately oaks in Forest
park, and tons of ice were
deposited in the big fountain.
Quite a large number of
white people were present as invited
guests. It was a splendid
dinner, and there was plenty for all.
In the afternoon C.M.
Furgerson, a colored lawyer of Paris,
addressed the crowd for
about 2 hours. His subject
was "The Relation of the
Negro Race to National American Life."
His remarks were patriotic
in every sense and could his advice be
accepted and put into practice
by all the colored people there would be
less friction and more harmony
and good feeling between the races.
At night a ball was given at the opera
house, one at Quinn's hall and
another at the pavilion at the park.
It was a quiet and
pleasant occasion, and the colored people of
Denison, as well as their
guests from surrounding towns, are to be
congratulated on their
emancipation success.
