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.
Application made for entry at the Postofflce, Omaha, Neb., as
second-class mail matter, under Act of Congress, 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.
ONE WHO IS MAKING GOOD.
Among the men of our race who
are contributing, according to their
talents, abilities and opportunities, to
the upbuilding of Omaha, and making
their influence for good felt, should
be mentioned Dan Desdunes, whose
cut adorns the front page of this
issue. He is a good example of our
energetic, ambitious, progressive and
self-respecting men, of whom we have
many more than the general public
believe.
Dan Desdunes is the son of R. L.
and Matilda Cheval Desdunes, highly
respected people of New Orleans, La.,
in which city he was born June 18,
1870. His early education was re
ceived at home after which he at
tended Straight university. While
quite young he learned the painter’s
trade. At 17 he began the study of
music and soon thereafter entered the
theatrical business, which he followed
with marked success for several
years. He began his theatrical work
with Cleveland’3 Consolidated Min
strels, forty white and forty colored.
Subsequently, he traveled with Dud
ley & Andrew’s Minstrels, “In Old
Tennessee,” P. T. Wright’s Nashville
Students, Gideon’s Minstrels and “The
Georgia Camp Meetin’,” which play
he wrote. While with this company
he was married, in March, 1904, to
Miss Mada Mabry. After :s mar
riage he decided to leave the road
and settle in some progressive west
ern city. In April, 1904, he came to
Omaha and was most favorably im
pressed with it as a city offering good
opportunities for a musician.
Showing commendable judgment,
he decided to make Omaha his home,
and he has never regretted his de
cision. He found here a geod field
for his talents. He organized Des
dunes’ Orchestra, which rose rapidly
into popular favor. He then organ
ized Desdunes’ Band, which also soon
found its place among the musical
organizations of the city. This band
subsequently consolidated with the
Omaha Military Band, the final out
growth of which was the First Regi
mental Band, which is meeting with
such marked success and has its well
recognized place in the musical life
of the city. This band, through Mr.
Desdunes’ efforts and because when,
through his persistency with the
chairman of the committee, it was
given an opportunity to show what
it could do, it made good, has now
its annual place in the Ak-Sar-Ben
parades which are such an important
feature of our civic fall festivities.
This band has been employed by the
city, with others, to give the munic
ipal band concerts in the various
parks of the city.
It is only due Mr. Desdunes to say
that while he works untiringly as
band master to keep this splendid
organization up to the highest stand
ard of efficiency, he receives no sal
ary for his work. He is an enthusias
tic musician, thoroughly in love with
his work. He takes delight in train
ing and helping young musicians, be
lieving that the study of music and
the love of music makes men better
citizens, and so he is always willing
to do what he can to contribute in
this way to the general good of the
community,
Mr. Desdunes is the author of a
number of meritorious compositions,
which, owing to the peculiar “system”
of the East, he has been unable as
yet to publish.
In addition to his musical work, Mr.
Desdunes is a trusted and respected
employe of the Omaha Commercial
Club. He is buying a cozy little bun
galow at 2516 Burdette street. His
home, like that of so many of our
worthy and progressive citizens,
bears every mark of good taste and
refinement.
He furnishes another example of
those of our American citizens of
color who in every community are
striving to and succeeding in making
good.
-n
HIGH SCHOOL PRINCIPALSHIP.
Of course, we are interested in the
principalship of the Omaha High
school. Why shouldn’t we be? We
are interested in all the children of
the city and are anxious that they
should have the best educational fa
cilities possible. On several occasions
we have been called upon to visit the
high school in the interest of some
of our students, and it was a great
pleasure to come into contact with
such cultured, earnest and broad
minded educators as Professor Lewis,
Miss Kate McHugh, Mr. Reed, the
retiring principal, and Mr. J. F. Wool
ery. On two or three occasions griev
ances had arisen which were speedily
adjusted. We found those in author
ity above named exceedingly anxious
that every pupil under their charge
should be treated with justice and
fairness. We want to see this policy
continued. We would therefore dep
recate the election to the principal
ship of the high school of any man
or woman whose policy would be re
actionary and subversive of the fun
damental principles of democracy
which the public school should con
serve. Personally, w'e do not believe
that the Board of Education will gain
by going outside of the city. Why
not choose a man like Mr. J. F. Wool
ery, the assistant principal, who
knows the work and whose worth has
been proven by his years of faithful
service in the educational work of
Omaha? Why would he not make an
efficient principal for the important
position of principal of the Central
High school?
The fact that the Ford Automobile
Company has purchased ground for
the building of a large plant here for
the assembling of their automobiles
is a cause of congratulation to our
city and to our live Commercial Club,
if they have been instrumental in
getting this enterprise to locate here.
It emphasizes the fact that Omaha is
the most advantageous distributing
point for the mid-western territory to
lie found anywhere in the United
States. The coming of the Fords
means the coming of a good class
of workmen, and the increase to our
population; and while we, as a peo
ple, as yet, unfortunately, are given
scant recognition or employment in
any of the large manufacturing enter
prises, we nevertheless rejoice to see
them come, and indulge the hope that
we may in some slight measure share
in the benefits that through them may
come to our city. The coming of the
Fords means the coming of like con
cerns, all of which ought to make for
l he material betterment of the city.
-o
If you chance to own desirable
property in any section of the city
and some one offers you what seems
a prettty good price and is very anx
ious to have you sell, think twice or
thrice before you sell. There is gen
erally a big deal behind it. Some one
on the inside has got what they call
a “tip.” It will probably pay you to
wait.
-o
With apologies to Edgar Allen Poe,
we stand repeating, to our street com
missioner entreating, to North Twen
ty-first retreating, take the trash from
out the street which runs hard by our
door, and we wrill praise thee ever
more.
-o
"What a good line of advertisers
you have got.” Yes, thank you, we
have. And what is better, our in
creasing list of subscribers know it
and are patronizing them.
July, yet. But winter is just over
the hill. Better be thinking about
filling that coal bin.
-o
PRESS OPINION OF THE MONITOR
The Monitor, edited by John Albert
Williams, is a new, nicely-printed 8
page weekly paper being published
in Omaha in the interest of the col
ored population. It follows in tne
wake of the Progress, the Enterprise
and the Sentinel. It is well edited
and printed by the Waters-Barnhart
Company. — The Western Laborer,
July 10.
The first number of The Monitor
came to our office this week and we
are pleased to find that it is to be
"a weekly newspaper devoted to the
civic, social and religious interests
of the colored people of Omaha and
vicinity, with the desire to contrib
ute something to the general good and
upbuilding of the community.”
It is edited by the Rev. John Al
bert Williams and ought to fill a
great need here in Omaha as a spe
cial publication and mouthpiece for
the 8,000 colored people in the city
and suburbs. This first number Is
extremely well edited and contains
some very interesting information on
various aspects of the race question
in this country today.—Omaha Excel
sior, July 10.
East Africa has now come forward
with a new wood suitable for lead
pencils at a time when the supply
of American cedar, so largely em
ployed for that purpose, is approach
ing exhaustion.
1
ACID.
The harmless fruit acids used in
cooking are those obtained from fruits
of the citrus family, lemons, limes,
etc., the lees of wine and from vine
gar.
Oxalic acid is a poison though ob
tained from the w eed oxalis or sorrell,
which we cook and which is harmless.
Prussic acid is a poison although It
is present in minute quantities and
gives the pleasant bitter flavor to the
leaves and fruits of trees of the al
mond tribe, which are freely used.
Stir an acid into a solution of cochi
neal. Notice the change of purpl^ to
a scarlet, hence cake icing and other
substances colored with cochineal
have a brighter tint if they are slight
ly acidulated.
Lemon juice and other acids stirred
into such mixtures as boiling pudding
sauce, tapioca or starch jelly and some
soups, generally will change their blu
ish appearance to a clear transpar
ency.
Lemon juice or other acid is often
required to make similar change in
gelatine and in strong consummes,
which sometimes become too rich and
viscid to pass through a strainer until
cut with a dash of acid.
Acids are used to brighten the sur
faces of brass or copper. Acid and
salt will clean a copper or brass ves
sel, but the brightened surface soon
tarnishes unless dry polished after
wards.
Acids act upon copper and brass ves
sels in such a way as to produce a
poison called verdigris, which forms
at the edge where the air, acid and
copper or brass are in contact.
Stewed fruits, cranberries, pickles,
salads, etc., acquire a bitter taste and
become poisonous if allowed to stand
in brass or copper vessels, and brass
spoons from which the plating is worn
off, become coated with a bitter tast
ing poison if left standing in fruit,
jelly, sauce, salads or anything that
contains an acid.
Lemon juice or vinegar will wrhiten
boiling chickens, fish, turkeys, sweet
breads, etc., provided the vessel used
to boil in be bright and new, but
if an iron vessel or tin one much worn
the action of the acid will often spoil
the appearance of the fish or meat en
tirely by turning them blue and of a
dirty color and when such vessels
must be used, writh the tinning most
ly w'orn off, the vinegar and lemon
juice should be omitted.
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