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About The monitor. (Omaha, Neb.) 1915-1928 | View Entire Issue (Sept. 4, 1915)
The Monitor A Weekly Newspaper devoted to the civic, social and religious interests of the Colored People of Omaha and vicinity, with the desire to contribute something to the general good and upbuilding of the community. Published Every Saturday. Entered as Second-Class Mail Matter July 2, 1915, at the Post office at Omaha, Neb., under the act of March 3, 1879. THE REV. JOHN ALBERT WILLIAMS, Editor and Publisher. Lucille Skaggs Edwards, William Garnett Haynes and Ellsworth W. Pryor, Associate Editors. Joseph LaCour, Jr., Advertising and Circulation Manager. SUBSCRIPTION RATES, $1.00 per year. Advertising rates, 25 cents an inch per issue. Address, The Monitor, 1119 North Twenty-first street, Omaha. “MUF.” No, gentle reader, this is not a new way of spelling m-u-f-f-, the erstwhile pillow-shaped article of feminine ap parel in which in former days when winds were chill and snow fell fast my lady was wont to thrust her dain ty hands to keep them warm. It has nothing to do with either woman’s or man’s apparel although in truth it concerns the comfort of both man and woman. Young men and maidens, old men and children, will all take an in terest in “MUF.” It’s a new game we want to have introduced in the progressive city of Omaha. Our as sociate editor, William G. Haynes, has imported it from Pittsburg, where ev erybody entered into the spirit of the game and thoroughly enjoyed it and incidentally brought to pass a much needed improvement in the important matter of transportation. For genial good nature the people of the west have it on the east and in this virtue the people of Omaha excel. For this reason “Muf” will soon be popular here. W'e want the Commercial club and civic organizations to play the game. We want our newspapers to take it up and we want the Omaha & Council Bluffs street railway to root for the game. Here are the requirements for the game of “Muf”: A street car and a passenger. How the game is played: On boarding the car each passenger simply MOVES UP FRONT as far as he can. This is the game of “Muf.” Let us all begin to play it. On get ting on street cars go as far front as possible and in getting off the street cars use the front exit. "Muf”—Move Up Front. PLEASE TAKE THIS ADVICE. We have been approached this week by a very pleasant young man with a most alluring proposition by which we may speedily become rich and that is, by investing the small ?()—to us with our limited stipend or salary or income, or whatever you care to call it—it is a large sum of $10.00 in shares of stock in a gold mine in Colo rado. Ten dollars is the minimum amount which one can invest in this sooner-or-later sure-to-pay-large-divi dends gold mine in Colorado; but, of course, if one has more money to in vest it is cheerfully taken. Unfortunately, neither as editor oi parson did we have $10.00 to invest in mining stock or anything else, as it keeps us busy to provide living expenses for wife and babies. If, how ever, we are ever so fortunate as to have any money to invest we will in vest it in real estate in Omaha or a little acreage somewhere else in Ne braska. Our advice to our readers is this: If you have a few dollars saved up in vest it in a home in Omaha or else where in the state and fight shy of get-rich-quick gold mines. Did it ever occur to you that if these propositions were such gil I edge investments as they are repre sented to be it is not likely that en terprising white men would be push ing them among colored people? Do you think they would have any trou ble at all in securing all the investors wanted among their own people? Invest in a good life insurance pol icy to protect your loved ones; put your savings in some reliable savings bank; buy a home or a farm—but fight shy of mining stock, which prom ises to pay large dividends within the next sixty days. -o We are very sorry indeed to learn that the funds for street cleaning has been exhausted, for we had fondly hoped and vainly dreamed that before that dire calamity should befall North Twenty-first street between Nicholas and Clark street might be cleaned up. But now, alas! and alack! When will that rubbish be removed from the street that runs hard by—and finds it mighty hard to run by—our chamber door? Answer, Drexel, an swer truly, we implore. -o We bid cordial welcome to the Let ter Carriers who have shown such ex cellent taste in choosing Omaha for their convention. -o Lynch law and prejudice promoting photoplays must go. Create public sentiment against them. ATTRACTED LITTLE ATTENTION. While the country was in a state of hysteria over the lynching of Leo Frank and the headlines of the daily papers were bold and black and their columns crowded with every detail of that awful affair, the following modest dispatch of five lines from Montgomery, Ala., appeared in an equally modest place in several pa pers; some failed to record it: “Montgomery, Ala., Aug. 18.—Three Negroes, recently released from jail, where they were held charged with poisoning mules, were lynched near Hopehull early today." Three Negroes lynched on the charge of having poisoned some mules, and that after they had been released from jail! But, perhaps, this little affair was pulled off in Alabama just to divert the attention of the country, or to somewhat re lieve the strain. Yet, if that was the purpose, it was a miserable failure, for the lynching of the three Negroes attracted no wider attention than did the original offense of poisoning the mules.—The New York Age. LEO FRANK PICTURES BARRED. Exhibitions of moving pictures of the body of Leo Frank as it swung from the limb of a tree near Mari etta, Ga., after the mob had done its work, were stopped by the police. This is as it should have been. Any exhibitions that are inflammatory, causing friction between races, should be stopped. It is to be hoped that the owners of the “Birth of a Na tion,” who are Jews, will take note of this. Nationality, perhaps, did not enter the minds of the police, but at the same time that race would have felt called on to resent what would have been considered an insult had the exhibitions been permitted. What we are saying may not sit so lightly, but it is the truth. There is very much money wrapped up in those “Birth of a Nation” pic tures, and that’s the rub, we think. But when a race of ten million is stirred as the Negro race is over these pictures, and when officials are condemning them as they have been in many localities, there is something wiong, and so very wrong that the money invested should not weigh against the perpetuity of the wrong. —The (Indianapolis) Freeman. THE SUNDAY MEETINGS DRAW THE COLOR LINE (Continued from first page.) were notified by letter to attend re hearsal Wednesday night, but Wed nesday morning the pastors of these churches were called up and notified that inasmuch as the committee fear ed the presence of fellow Christians of a darker hue might give offense to some of the weaker brethren, these choirs could not be used. The pas tors passed on the word to their choirs and of course the members of the choirs had too much self-respect to attend. One gentleman who did not get the word presented himself, but as he is quite fair he was able to “pass,” although he was at a loss to account for the absence of all the rest of St. John’s choir members. He was justly indignant when he subse quently learned why his fellow choir members were not present. Differing radically as we do from Mr. Sunday, we have no desire to do him an injustice. Personally he may not be responsible for this drawing of the "color line”—we say MAY NOT advisedly—but inasmuch as his per sonal representatives, his son, Mr. Welch and other workers are here, di recting the preliminary arrangements for the meetings and are in daily con sultation with the local committee, it would seem that the> are only carry ing out his wishes. We suppose that the segregation method may obtain in seating peni tents, or do they call them “mourn ers”? in the tabernable. This will also be a concession tc “cue weaker brethren.” It will be in exact keep ing with the hyporcritical and cow ardly conduct of the committee, act ing, of course, under autocratic orders which has excluded colored singers from the choir, after inviting them to take part. This may show superior ity, gentle breeding, refinement and sanctity, but we fail to see it. To us it savors of the rankest Phariseeism. Phariseeism means self-righteousness and hypocrisy. And this Is our honest opinion of Sundayism. COLORED REPUBLICANS OF MARYLAND ACTIVE Baltimore, Md., Sept. 3.—Colored Republicans of this city are clamoring for more representation on the Re publican State Central Committee. James N. Young is a candidate for re election from the Fourth legislative district. He will be opposed by Wil liam F. Tydings. There will also be colored candidates in the First and Second legislative districts. In a num ber of counties there are colored mem bers of the committee. BROOKLYN WOMAN IS OLDEST PERSON IN N. Y. The oldest person in the state of New York, according to the state cen sus bureau, is Mrs. Susan Gillis, 571 Classon avenue, Brooklyn, a color°d woman, 115 years old, who has a daughter living at 84 years of age, a grand-daughter 42 years old, an 1 a great grandson and great grand daughter aged 18. and 17 years, re spectively. Theodore Spiering, the noted violin ist, who has made known many new violin compositions, has presented Coleridge-Taylor’s “Ballade” in lead ing cities in Germany. In London, Mr. Spiering has played the composition with the late Coleridge-Taylor at the piano. The "Ballade” was first played in America by Mr. Clarence Cameron White, violinist, of Boston, Mass., with Mrs. Maud Cuney Hare at the piano. It will be remembered that we pub lished in our Education number a picture of Dr. Isabella Vandervall and noted her excellent record at the New York Medical college, where she led her class throughout her course. We regret to say that the Hospital for Women and Children at Syracuse, N. Y., would not admit Dr. Vandervall as interne when they discovered that she was colored, but peremptorily repudi ated their contract and did not wish her even to spend the night at the in stitution after her day’s travel to a city where she was unacquainted.— The Crisis. Among the prizes recently given by the New Orleans Item, a white daily, for writing the best letters, one was won by Mrs. C. 13. Spears, a colored woman. THOUGHTS. Examine your thoughts, my brother. For thoughts, ’tis said, are things That ofttimes bring us sorrow— Like a viper when it stings. And true it is, like boomerangs They hit the mark, your aim, Then turn again to right about And cause the sender pain. Examine your thoughts, my brother. For by seeking you shall find That some thoughts weaken virtue. While others build the mind; 'Tis therefore true that words with stings Have power to make us moan, Since every word is compassed With vibrations like its own. Examine your thoughts, my brother, Let peace be their golden goal; For, though you win the world with strife, You jeopardize your soul: So, barb not your thoughts with anger Nor tip your words with sting; For whate’er we bring to another, The same to ourselves must bring. —John Twamley.