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.
DUTY, NOT RACE.
We have received an interesting
letter from our very dear friend of
many years’ standing, the Rev. John
Williams, which we gladly publish,
and in which he takes issue with
John E. Milholland as to the ethnic
type represented by Jethro, the fath
er-in-law of Moses and to the clan*
advanced that he was the originator
of democracy.
We are very sure that all our read
ers will be interested in what Father
Williams has to say. We hope that
the views advanced by Mr. Milhol
land and Father Williams, respective
ly, may lead to wider reading, inves
tigation and study along these lines
by our readers. As a matter of fact,
we know too little of the important
part played by Africa and Africans in
the history of civilization. We take
it too much for granted that civiliza
tion has been advanced solely and
wholly by the Caucasian race, which
is by no means true.
It may be sufficient to state here
that Ethiopian means black faced.
Black faced people are Africans. Af
ricans are Negroes. Negroes by
modern terminology are all people in
whose veins flow the rich warm blood
of Africa, even though it be but a
very small quantity. That in ' the
United States determines the ethnic
type. There are scholars of repute
like Flinders Petrie, who claim that
the Egyptians are Negroes, and they
certainly have the features. Our only
contention now is that Ethiopians,
Africans or Negroes have contributed
an important part to the world’s civ
ilization, even though accepting Rid
path’s inaccurate and unscientific
classification of races, we exclude
Egyptians, Abyssinians and Nubians,
and other races, and place them as
he does among the WHITE races.
WHITE NUBIANS! WHITE ABYS
SINIANS!
We have not attempted here to de
fend Mr. Milholland’s position, or to
answer in full our correspondent. We
desire simply to indicate a line of in
vestigation for our readers to follow
and to point out that Ethiopian, Ne
gro and African are interchangeable
terms. If this be conceded and his
tory is read from this viewpoint it
will be discovered that Negroes have
played an important part in the past,
as they are destined to play a far
more important part in the future.
For after all, the important thing for
individual, race or nation, is not what
he or it has been, but what he or it
is NOW and shall BECOME.
As touching the Negro race in
America and throughout the world—
for being a Christian race we are
cosmopolitan in our vision and sym
pathy—we are of those who believe
that “IT DOTH NOT YET APPEAR
WHAT WE SHALL BE."
What we are anxious to see is ev
ery member of our race making the
most of his present opportunities and
j acquiring and building himself up in
that worthiness of character that will
enable him to do his share in the
world’s work, in whatsoever way
and at whatsoever time God may
indicate what that work shall be.
At present, it is to do honest and
faithful work wherever he has been
called to service. True greatness for
individual or race is found in faith
ful service to God and to humanity.
And, after all, is there not only one
race—the human race? Are not rac
ial' groups largely artificial? Are not
Jethro and Moses and Pharoah and
Confucius and Lincoln and Dr. Alex
ander Crummell, for example, all
brethren of the one blood? The im
portant part is to do one’s full duty.
PHARISAISM REPELLENT.
The Cleveland Gazette, thanks to
the weak-kneed three—two ministers,
supposedly of grace, and a musician—
all of sanctimonious speech and man
ner, whom we have been advised con
stituted the local sub-committee re
sponsible for the action, is given the
opportunity to take this fling at the
Christianity of our city:
Omaha, Neb., churches (white) re
fused to admit our church choirs to
their “Billy” Sunday meetings’ cho
rus, afj,er sending them invitations.
What kind of Christians( ?) must the
white church members of Omaha be?
It gives us pleasure to assure our
contemporary that there are many
consistent Christians even among "the
white church members of Omaha”—
not, of course, as many as there
should be, but they are not found in
very large numbers among those w'ho
are devotees of Sundayism. That pe
culiar type of religion, being peculiar
ly individualistic and Pharisaical, is
not the kind that develops that cath
olic-mindedness and racial comprehen
siveness for which true Christianity
stands, and which it seeks to promote.
This type is permeated with the spirit
manifested by the Pharisee in the
well-known parable of the Pharisee
and the publican, and wdiich spirit
our blessed Lord condemns. The pub
lican, realizing his sinful state, peni
tently prayed lor pardon. How rev
erent he was! The Pharisee, with
breezy irreverence and overweening
egotism, bragged of his goodness and
greatness, and immediately disproved
both by sneering at the publican and
boasting of his superiority to him.
The publican was justified; the Phar
isee condemned.
The Pharisaic temper still survives,
but it does not make for righteous
ness. It repels, rather than attracts.
It is antagonistic to the spirit of
Christianity, which teaches brotherly
love, kindness, courtesy, charity and
forebearance.
_
." .
Letters From Our
Readers
PLEASED WITH MONITOR
Omaha, September 18, 1915.
The Rev. John Albert Williams,
Publisher The Monitor.
Omaha.
My dear Father Williams:
I send you herewith my check for $1
in payment, of one year’s subscription
to The Monitor.
1 have been reading The Monitor
with constantly growing interest. It
fairly bristles with good things, and
it reflects distinct credit not only up
on its thoughtful, fair-minded editor,
but upon the colored people, for whose
rights he is so sanely and manfully
battling.
I congratulate you particularly upon
the singular excellence of your literary
style. It is rare that one meets with
better writing than that to be found
in the editorial columns of The Moni
tor.
With all good wishes for the suc
cess of The Monitor, and for your own
happiness, I am,
Yours very cordially,
LEIGH LESLIE.
Publisher The Daily Omaha Price
Current and The Daily Cash
Grain Bidder.
TAKES ISSUE.
9u6 No. 49th St., Sept. 18.
Editor The Monitor:
Of course I read The Monitor with
great interest, and I therefore, for
your sake and your people’s sake, re
gret such an absurdity as that which
appeared today in it about Jethro be
ing an Ethiopian—a Negro, and orig
inator of democratic government.
Ethiopia and Ethiopians, as you must
know, are terms so vague, geograph
ically and ethnologically, that it is
the fondest sort of racial self-love to
make them correspond with our popu
lar usage of calling the Negroes Ethi
opians.
The ancient kingdom of Ethiopia
was not a Negro kingdom, and if it
were, Jethro could not be identified
with it. He was a Midianite, so
named as descended from Madian,
son of Abraham and Keturah, as the
Ishmaelites were descended from
Abraham and Hagar. Doth the Ish
maelites and the Midianites were
Semites and dwelt in Arabia, side by
side, if not intermingled in a meas
ure, as the story of Jethro and his
father, Reuel or Raguel, wrould clearly
enough show. The Ethiopians proper
were Cushites doubtless, as the Egyp
tians were, but this is no proof at all
that they were Negroes in either in
stance; though they may have had,
and doubtless did have, Negroes min
gled with them, perhaps some of
which may have become men of abil
ity. But the Ethiopians of ancient
times were no more Negroes than
they were Senegambians. To think
so is a like historical blunder to the
one which makes St. Augustine and
St. Cyprian Negroes. These, of course,
were Romans — Caucasians. Even
Othello is very commonly dressed up
as a Negro, when Shakespeare only
calls him a Moor, a name indeed indi
cating nothing more ethnographically
than that he was a North African of
the middle ages, either Arabic or
Cushite.
Negroes were never dominant in
North Africa, remotely kindred though
they doubtless were to the Cartha
ginians, who were Palestinian Cush
ites by descent.
But Jethro was not a Cushite, nor
yet the founder of democracy. He
advised Moses to select the elders
who were to assist him in governing
the people, not to have the people
elect them.
Who is your Queer expositor? White
man, black man, beggar man, thief?
Fight shy of extravagant contributors.
God may, and I hope He will, give the
Negro his day. But He has not yet.
I should have far less hope for his
future if I thought He gave it to him
in the long ago and he failed to make
good. JOHN WILLIAMS.
A CONVERSATION.
"Didn’t see the point in publishing
the picture of that fierce looking dog
on your front page.”
“Didn’t you? You must be English.
We wanted you to see the dog’s teeth.”
“Why?”
“To make you ‘Muf’.”
"Muf”?
“Yes, Muf. Now, will you Muf?”
"Say, that’s good; I catch ti now.
I’ll admit it’s one on me. With a dog
like that looking at me I’d ‘Muf.’ you
bet, on the street car or anywhere
else.”
Our subscription list and advertis
ing patronage is steadily growing, for
which we again desire to thank our
subscribers and patrons, who all seem
to be well pleased with The Monitor.
As the only publication of its class in
Nebraska, it is being recognized more
and more as a good advertising me
dium.
SWEET TONED
Schmoller & Mueller
Pianos and Player Pianos
Sold direct from factory
to home, eliminating the
middleman’s profit, which
means a saving of $75 to
$150.
Many different styles to
select from.
Sold on terms of $5.00 per
month.
Free Stool and Scarf.
Schmoller & Mueller
Piano Co.
1.311-13 Farnam Street
Phone Douglas 4287
Fontenelle
Investment Co.
Real Estate and Insurance
220 South 13thSt., Omaha, Neb.
(Over Pope’s Drug Store)
l-.-........,.......—....
jCumiere Studio
Modern Photography
1515-17 Farnam St. Omaha *
Phone Doug. 3004
, . ....
Let the
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