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About The monitor. (Omaha, Neb.) 1915-1928 | View Entire Issue (Oct. 12, 1918)
| THE MONITOR A Weekly Newspaper devoted to the civic, social and religious interests of the Colored People of Nebraska and the West, with the desire to con tribute something to the general good and upbuilding of the community and of the race. Published Every Saturday. Entered a a Second-Class Mail Matter July 2. 1916. 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 and William Garnett Haynes, Associate Editors. George Wells Parker, Contributing Editor. Bert Patrick, Business Manager. Fred C. Williams, Traveling Representative SUBSCRIPTION RATES, $2.00 A YEAR; $1.00 6 MONTHS; 60c 3 MONTHS Advertising Rates. 50 cents an Inch per Issue. Address, The Monitor, 1119 North Twenty-first street, Omsha. Telephone Webster 4243. MEETING THE DEMAND FOR LEADERSHIP The consecration of Archdeacon Demby as bishop suffragan of Arkan sas in All Saints’ church. St. Louis, Sunday, September 29. a full report of which is published in this issue, is a strikingly significant event in the religious life and development of our race In this country. Because of its significance and importance we; have devoted unusual space to it in j our columns. As an event t tran sends local and denominational limits, j It gives striking and unimpeachable I evidence of racial evolution and prog- 1 ress. It testifies to the growing and ; insistent demand for competent lead ership along all lines on the part of our particular social group, the an swer to that demand and the recogni tion by those in authority of compet ency and ability amorig representa tives of our people to assume the du ties, obligations and responsibilities; of this intelligent leadership. More over, it has an obvious bearing upon the progress of true democracy which perforce is looming large not only in the thought but also in the activities of the day. The Episcopal church is concededly a conservative body. It is also most influential. Impartial observers, out side of this communion, statisticians and experts who take account of such matters, state that the Episcopal church wields a religious influence vastly beyond that which her numeri cal strength would seem to justify. Her canon law fixes the educational and moral standard of her ministry and this has been unusually high. Whether wisely or unwisely, designed ly or undesignedly, the result of her policy has been stress the qualitative rather than the quantitative, both in her ministry and lay membership. Whether this is an element of strength or weakness may of course be a de batable question. By many she has been considered handicapped by her ultra-conservatism. Be that as it may, her conservatism was shown in I giving the priesthood to Colored men, although it should be known that the Episcopal church was the first of the religious bodies holding what is known as the doctrine of the apostolical sue-1 cession in this coutnry to confer her orders on a member of the race. The j Rev. Absalom Jones being ordained a priest of the Episcopal church in Phil adelphia in 1794. Her standard for all her ministers being the same, it is rather noteworthy that over a hun dred years ago a man of our race could be found who measured up to those qualifications. Ordinations to the priesthood were comparatively rare until after 1880. Since that time they have been more frequent, until today in the United States there are about 150 in the min istry of the Episcopal church. There has been an increasing de mand, the legitimate outcome of racial self-respect and self-consciousness, for the Episcopate. This demand has been met with opposition, but finally this demand has been answered by the election and consecration of Bishop Demby, who in spiritual powers is the peer of every member of the house of bishops. As the racial priesthood has wrought for God and righteous ness so also will the racial Episcopate. It answers the legitimate demand for the recognition of ability for leadership which is becoming so in sistent in affairs of church and state and bears witness to the fact that the Colored American believes himself to be in every respect a man, willing and anxious to prove his manhood by ac cepting and discharging the full re sponsibilities of manhood in every legitimate sphere of human endeavor. EDITOR DUBOIS POSITION The position of the eminent editor, DuBois, “duty first, then rights,” is creating a great deal of comment and discussion throughout the country and especially in the Colored press. While upon its face this slogan sounds right, a deep study of the same develops a train of thought that is apt to lead to dissent. To transpose the slogan to, “rights first, then duty,” would be a little short of treason and treason is something which the Colored Ameri can canot tolerate. We believe that the better way is lights and duty together. There is no better time than now for us to demand our rights. No better example of the grasping of such op portunity is afforded than the activity of labor during this crisis and labor had practically accomplished all that it set out to do. Why, then, should we rest upon our rights and postpone the issue until after the war. After the war men will be too busy to heed us. While our boys are fighting over there, now is the time to demand and demand and demand. Now is the time to stand shoulder to shoulder and make ourselves heard. The man who says nothing is usually the man who gets nothing. Added to our common injustices are a thousand others com ing in the train of this war and for our leaders to stand idly by and try only to placate and palliate these wrongs, is no less treason to us than treason to the principles upon which our country is founded. Rights and duty at the same time, that is the right slogan and until our race men can see it, they are not worthy to represent the sentiment of twelve mil lions of Colored Americans. THE RIGHT DECISION TWO weeks ago we published a let ter from the chancellor of our state university, written to Joseph B. Lacour, a student there, who, on or ders from a representative of the war department, had been excluded f'om the S. A. T. C. Chancellor Hastings’ letter stated in unmistakable language that the University of Nebraska stood for true democracy by admitting to its educational privileges all who applied who could meet the conditions exacted of all, without respect of race or nar entage. Its Colored students had al ways deported themselves well and there had never been any friction: nor, in his judgement, would there be any should they be admitted to the S. A, T. C. Similar cases of exclusion, or at tempted exclusion, of Colored students from the S. A. T. C.’s of other north ern institutions were reported and protested. As a result the war de partment has wisely decided that Col ored students may be admitted to the S. A. T. C.’s of any institution whose custom is and has been to enroll them. This, of course, is the right and sen sible thing to do. What sense is there in creating division and widening the chasm between Americans by intro ducing the Southern segregation policy into communities and institu tions where it does not exist? Surelj these are times for drawing all Amer icans more closely together, and if there is any place where this should be done it is in the colleges anti universi ties of the country. PI TTING OMAHA ON THE MAP npHK MONITOR ha- been respon -l sible for bringing a large number of our people from the South. They are an industrious class and are em ployed in many of the industries of the city. Many of them are buying homes. They are proving a valuable asset to our city and should be given every en couragement. Just a few days ago a bright little chap, who came from Brewton, Ala., and sells weekly a large number of Monitors, was asked, “How did your folks happen to come to Omaha?” This was his reply: “My father began reading The Monitor and learned that there was lots of work and good schools up heah, and so we come." This little lad, who has two brothers just like him, is a hustler. He’ll be a successful business man some day. Another family recently came from Houston. This is what the man said: “1 read The Monitor and from it 1 got the idea that Omaha was a good place for me to come to to raise my family.’* We do not claim to have brought all, but The Monitor has helped to put Omaha on the map for many of our people. DESDUNES BAND GETS PREFERRED PLACE During the formation of the parade for last Thursday afternoon, things were made quite interesting for Des dunes band. It seemed that every di vision set up a holler for Dan’s band. Orders were given by Colonel Mayer, commander, that Des’s boys should be placed in front of the army officers’ livision. This was the preferred place of all, but the colonel’s order did not keep the home guard and many other divisions from trying in every way possible to get the Colored band with them. The home guard is made up of big business and Commercial club men and usually their word is law, but in the case of Thursday, Colonel May er had the say and he wanted the band for the officers. Some class, eh? VARDAMAN AGAIN Last week Senator Vardanian of Mississippi spoke in the senate apropos the suffrage amendment. Of course the senator had to bring in a discussion of the race problem and ; he did it with his characteristic man- j ner. No newspapers quoted him for obvious reasons, and we imagine that 1 it hurt him to his soul, if he ever had one. The amusing thing in the i speech was that Vardy once, speak ing of himself and his Dixie collogues . said, “we southern statesmen.” Now that is really a joke. In all the range | of history, literature and newspaper dom, we cannot remember that any one ever had the nerve to slander j Vardy by calling him a statesman. GERM \\Y CANNOT HE. TRUSTED I JEACE overtures from Germany at this time are too transparent)!' hypocritical to be considered. An at mistice, indeed, to discuss terms of j peace! President Wilson in his lucid language has definitely stated the only terms of peace which we will ac cept. What armistice will Germany keep? Cessation of hostilities on the part of the allies will be used by Ger man'.' to strengthen the morale of her army, to reform her lines and prepare for a great offensive. Lmconditional surrender is the only peace term which the allies can accept from Gev i many. Germany has shown that she cannot be trusted. AMERICA For more than four hundred years, America has meant merely the name of a certain country, and particular ly that part known as the United States of America. The adjective "American” has no definite meaning other than to designate that country. In the revolutionary war. this coun try passed into political significance as an independent state; in the civil war this country established and con firmed its unity; in the world war in which we are now engaged with our allies, this country Has entered upon the task of “making the world safe for democracy.” The whole-hearted, spontaneous and • uncomplaining re sponse of the people to this call re veals the common understanding of what "America” means; the adjective! “American” hereafter shall have a [ glorious meaning, definitely under-1 stood and approved the world over. Democracy means the people, the spirit and the purpose of the people; it means the welfare of the people; it means that the people are to have the blessings of freedom, of self govern ment, and the enjoyment of the inali enable rights of life, liberty and prop erty. America is not satisfied to have these things for herself alone; it wants all the peoples of the earth to have them; democracy can not be satisfied until all men come under its benign protection. Race prejudice, particularly that against men because of color, is one of the clouds which obscures this sun; America must overcome this; democ racy must lift this cloud. The Negro is part of the people; lie is part of na tive born America; he knows no other country; he knows no other govern ment; he has given of service, of prop erty and of blood to establish and maintain it; no good reason exists for the unknid, senseless and often brutal discrimination practiced in this demo cratic land against him. America hav ing placed high before the world her standard; must lot herself he lifted up j to her ideal and let “all men” be drawn j with her to this unper level.—The Chi- j cago Defender. Ol ESTIONS BV THE WAY When will Colonel Young be re called to active service? When is the first contingent of Col ored Red Cross nurses to be cal'ed? Are we getting our full quota of commissioned officers for our Colored soldiers ? When will the Jim Crow law be abolished on government controlled railroads. When will lynching cease to be a southern pastime? When will the ninety-second divis ion get to Berlin? ALBERT W. JEFFERIS, Republican Candidate for Congress. I Obvious Observations 1 The allies are planning to burn a German city for every city they de stroy. That’s what we call business. The Germans must have a heavy dose of their own medicine. Have you bought that Liberty Bond j yet ? Hurry, brothers and sisters, i hurry. Here’s betting that the war will be i over before the violets come next i spring. Mayor Smith says that he gave up the draft job so that he can give more ; time to being mayor. Bully, but if by j more time he means more quarreling and stewing, why not reconsider and give up the mayor’s job? There’s nothing so dead as politics. Indian summer is here, but don’t let it fool you into being careless. Re member that the Spanish flu is look ing around for all easy pickings. The contributing editor will make a trip to St. Joe this week, but he isn’t | going to bring back any bottles, be- , lieve mob! The order for a closed city on ac count of the flu will give some folks an idea of the kind of a town the re formers would like to saddle on us if they had a chance. Some one told us that he saw a boy crying because the schools had to be closed down. Said friend might have seen such a thing, but— We wonder if the carnival people will feel like coming back to Omaha next year? Thanking you kindly for reading ; this dull care junk, we will not ad- j journ to the office closet anti get ac quainted with the mop. SKITS OF SOLOMON Getting Even With the Boche In the gay city of Parse, that nestles beside the Seine, the allied big guns are sitting in council figuring on handing the Deutch some of their ; own brands of civilization. When the allies started they sort of felt like they would conduct a gentlemanly sort of warfare, that is, a war carried on something like civilized people should fight. Hut they have found out that war ain’t any such animul. The old adage that Socrates hung up in his den, “Anything is fair in love and war,” has changed a bit. When you go to git a guy, git him and git him right. If you have to slip him the happy mitt and as he makes to take hold, swipe him in the peepers and then belt him in the wind and follow with a bugler over the heart, do it. That’s war. The boche takes delight in burning every city he has to run away from and the allies ought to , make it a rule to clean up every burg , they run into. A few more days and the fight will be on German soil, and we believe in soaking the German un til his descendants will see stars to the thousandeth generation. Of course that isn’t Christian like, but it’s war like and war is what we are into withj both big feet. What we want to do is to get the kaiser in such a condition that every time somebody said ally to him he’ll have a fit. Give him so 1 many samples of hell that by and by he’ll have the whole establishment, machinery and all. That’s war. There is no more use in try ing to make war civilized than it is to try to make the moon dance to jazz music. It won’t work. The allied job won’t be a good j job until the Teuton,is ready to swal- j low strychnine by the bushel. And if Marshal Foch keeps up, the time isn’t long. That’s war. Letters from Our Readers [ \ MONITOR READER AND FINE ROOSTER Cameron, Mo., Oct. 6. Rev. John Albert Williams, Editor of The Monitor: Have been a constant reader of your ; paper for the past year and have greatly enjoyed every issue of it. Yours is a good, live paper through out, and I have been greatly benefited by reading it. 1 My subscription expired last Sep- i1 tember. Am sending you money order for $5.50—$1.50 for my last year's! subscription, $2 for another year and $2 for a year's subscription to be ent to W. T. Rraxton. Just address Mr. Braxton’s to Cameron, Mo. Send mine as formerly. Should there be any ad ditional charges let me know. Wishing you continued success, I am respectfully, JOHN W. COLLINS. 208 West Eighth Street. Buy Liberty bonds! r» » « « ... G. W. HOLMES TONSORIAL PARLOR First class Shaving and Hair Cutting. Try Our Electric Clippers. 1832 North 24th St, i . . .... ..... ... i Buy Your Copy of The Children of the Sun NOW! 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