Image provided by: University of Nebraska-Lincoln Libraries, Lincoln, NE
About The monitor. (Omaha, Neb.) 1915-1928 | View Entire Issue (Sept. 4, 1915)
The Monitor A Weekly Newspaper Devoted to the Interests of the Eight Thousand Colored People in Omaha and Vicinity, and to the Good of the Community The Rev. JOHN ALBERT WILLIAMS, Editor $1.00 a Year. 5c a Copy. Omaha, Nebraska, September 4, 1915 Volume I. Number 10 Governor Praises Race For Notable Progress Twelve Thousand People Attend the Opening Services of the Lincoln Jubilee Celebration. FIFTY YEARS OF FREEDOM Show Remarkable and Steady Ad vance—Racial Ability and Achievements. Chicago, 111., Sept. 3.—The great exposition which demonstrates the wonderful achievements of colored Americans during fifty years of free dom was formally opened on Sunday afternoon, August 22nd, by a great religious service in the Coliseum, at tended hy twelve thousand people. The official opening was on Monday morning, when President Wilson pressed an electric button in Wash ington and thus signalized the open ing. This national half-century exposi tion and Lincoln Jubilee has attract ed the attention of the colored race everywhere throughout the United States and Canada. The opening exercises were marked by several notable addresses, the prin cipal one being that of Governor Dunne of Illinois, who unstintedly praised the race for its notable prog ress. Bishop Samuel Fallows of the Re formed Episcopal church, president of the half-century Illinois commission, opened the proceedings with a gavel cut from wood taken from Lincoln’s home in central Illinois. Governor on Platform. On the platform were Governor Dunne, David E. Shanahan, speaker of the Illinois house or representa tives; the Rev. J. W. E. Bowen of Gamon college, Atlanta, Ga.; the Rev. A. J. Carey, pastor of the Institutional church, Chicago; the Rev. Dr. J. T. Jenifer, historian of the Methodist Episcopal church; Charles F. Gunther of Chicago, who has loaned his Lin coln collection to the exposition; State Senator I>ailey; Simeon W. King, former United States commis sioner, Chicago, and many representa tive men and women in colored cir cles in Chicago and elsewhere. One thousand colored men and women, who had organized them selves into a great chorus several months ago, sang national and relig ious anthems under the leadership of J. Gray Lucas. The great crowd out side, unable to gain entrance, took up the refrain. Dunne Pays Respects. In his address, Governor Dunne first paid his respects to the name of Lin coln and to Bishop Fallows and oth ers who have labored for the success of the exposition. "We meet today to demonstrate in the most conclusive manner the ef Let’s Play MUF Woodmen of the World Building. feet of freedom on the human race,” said the governor. “We meet to prove the worthiness of the black man for equality under the law. Fifty years ago, within the personal memory of many of us here today, the black man, before the law, was a thing and not a man; a chattel and not a human being. Vast Progress of Race. “De profundis ad astra. From the depths of poverty and slavery, a race has risen into the starlit heaven of liberty. In 1865, 90 per cent of the black race of America was wholly il literate; today 70 per cent of the same race can read and write and possess the education given by the grammar schools. ‘‘The aggregate wealth of the four million blacks in 1865 did not exceed $1,250,000. Today these black men and their descendants own $1,000,000, 000 worth of property. “In 1865 there was but one college open to the black man in the United States; today he maintains success fully 400. In 1863 there was not a black physician, lawyer or banker In the United States. Today there are over 5,000. “In 1863 the black man had but one newspaper; today he has 400. In 1863 he had but 400 churches; today he worships God in over 30,000. “Within fifty years the black man has been developing skilled and schol (Contlnued on seventh page.) The Sunday Meetings Draw the Color Line Choirs of the Co-operating Colored Churches Invited to Sing, Then Told They Are Not Wanted. IS SUNDAYISM PHARISAISM? This Action Was Taken by Local Committee but Apparently Act ing Under Instructions. We did not intend to give the Sun day meetings any special advertising, and it will be noted that up to the present we have not even mentioned the name of the widely-advertised evangelist who is coming hither for a vigorous and protracted campaign In which it is confidently expected that he will turn this place upside down and overturn the customs of the peo ple. We have not done so for sev eral reasons, chief of which is that we do not believe in the sensational methods employed by the modern evangelist, in which methods it is claimed Mr. Sunday is an adept. The blatant familiarity with Diety affected by these men and their irreverent and frequently blasphemous expressions fill us with horror and shock our sense of reverence. We do not be lieve that the cause, of true religion is advanced or can be advanced by such methods. Upon the contrary, we believe it suffers sadly and grievously from such methods oftentimes at the hands of those who, no doubt, believe that they are doing God service; for undoubtedly among those who employ such methods there are to be found many sincere and well-meaning men Inasmuch as there are those who be lieve that good does come from these Sensational religious campaigns, we have not tried to convince them to the contrary and so we have said nothing about either Mr. Sunday or the proposed meetings. So far as our own pastoral work is concerned we shall go on in the same quite unos tentatious way with the usual daily and Lord’s Day services, happy and contented to do what little good wt> can. We have been moved to break our silence with reference to the Sunday meetings by a most un-Christian spirit that has manifested itself at the out set and which >ve would be recreant to our duty to let pass unchallenged and unrebuked. The promoters of the Sunday meet ings invited the co-operation of the "evangelical churches’’ — whatever that may mean—nay, more, they in sisted that before Mr. Sunday would consent to include Omaha in the field of his evangelistic labors, these churches must close up and co-oper ate. This co-operation included the choirs of the respective churches. Among these choirs were St. John’s A. M. E. and Zion Baptist, which con’ tain many excellent voices. They (Continued on fourtli page)
