[Review of The Wife of His Youth]

Mr. John C Asbury, of the Odd Fellows Journal, referring to Mr. Charles W. Chesnutt, says, "It is disappointing however to find a colored writer of Mr. Chesnutt's genius devoting his splendid ability to the portrayal of the customs, aims, ambitions, asperations, follies and inconsistencies of such an insignificant portion of the colored race, a coterie of colored people in Cleveland, Ohio, who have long been the butt of ridicule of the entire race, who do not represent more than one half of one per cent. of ten millions of the Afro–American people in this country."

Mr. Asbury forgets that Mr. Chesnutt, like Dunbar, writes for the reading constitiency, that constitiency thus far has shown more interest in these phases and those characteristics of our life that represent the contented masses, not helped by culture than those of the classes who are bent on civil and social recognition. Let Mr. Asbury be patient. The "jim crow" and the "blue veined" will not be the only types to interest the reading public.