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, W'illiam Garnett Haynes and Ellsworth W.
Pryor, Associate Editors.
Joseph LaCour, Jr., Advertising and Circulation Manager.
SUBSCRIPTION RATES, $1.50 PEP YEAR
Advertising rates, 50 cents an inch per issue.
Address, The Monitor, 1119 North Twenty-first street, Omaha.
Telephone Webster 4243.
“ONE TO THREE.”
A few days ago the Omaha news
papers, in reviewing the statistics of
1915, published the statement that in
Douglas county last year there was
one divorce to every three marriages.
One to three! Think of it! And in
cidentally it was stated that the ratio
of divorces to marriages had been in
creasing yearly.
This is a serious situation and calls
for sober reflection, great searching
of heart, and earnest purpose in the
creation of a healthy public opinion
that will arrest the growth of this
malignant social cancer.
We do not know how our own dis
tinct group stands in this alarming
ratio. We presume that our people
average relatively high. We hope
not; but we are rather afraid that an
investigation would disclose the fact
that we do. Of this, however, we ar«
fully persuaded that our own people,
in common with others, are all too
quick to seek the divorce court to
sunder the family tie rather than to
seek by mutual forgiveness and for
bearance to overcome domestic diffi
culties and maintain the family bond
inviolate.
Some of the causes which make for
the increase of divorse are the friv
olity, immaturity, unpreparedness and
indiscretion with which so many enter
into marriage; the flippancy of tone
concerning marriage which is too gen
erally current, the unwillingness to
make sacrifices or to practice self
denial; the desire “to have a good
time” at any cost and the non-ap
preciation of the fact that this estate
is not one of pure harmony and hap
piness, and unclouded skies, but one
in which there will be lights and shad
ows, the clash, at times of human
wills, but all making for the develop
ment of character. There must there
fore be a willingness to give and take.
This does not exhaust the list of
causes. The chief cause will be found
to be selfishness.
But whatever the causes, the condi
tion is to be deplored; and every ef
fort should be made by those who
realize that marriage is the founda
tion of the family and the family of
the state and a matter in which the
rights of children have to be consid
ered, to lessen the divorce evil and
eliminate this social cancer from our
life.
“One to three.” What will the ra
tio be next year and the next? Think
of it. W'hat is your duty ?
SPEAKING OF THE MONITOR.
Yes, thank you, The Monitor is still :
growing; and again we desire to thank j
our subscribers and advertisers for j
their patronage and interest, and the |
many kind expressions we hear from j
all sides.
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We are rather proud of the compli
ment paid us by a veteran publisher
the other day who said, “There is not
a neater, more attractive or better
edited publication in Omaha; and
there is need of just such a publica
tion. It is a paper that not only you
and your people, but all Omaha can
be proud of. I like its broad-minded
policy.”
Said another, a prominent business
man, who has advertised with us from
the start: “I take great pleasure in
reading The Monitor. It’s a newsy,
bright paper, full of good stuff. It
has opened my eyes to a good many
things, and I am frank to confess, I
have learned a great deal by reading
it, that I wouldn’t have gotten hold
of in any other way.”
Such statements as these are rep
resentative and show that The Mon
itar is being read; and since expres
sions of this kind are being backed
up by a growing list of subscribers,
it shows that they are sincere.
All of this is most gratifying to us
and shows that our efforts to provide
a creditable paper are meeting with
reasonable success. We hope to im
prove the publication as the time goes
on, and make it one of the best of its
class in the country.
There is another gratifying fact
worthy of note and that is the loyalty
with which so many of our adver
tisers have remained with us. This
shows that they recognize The Mon
itor as a good advertising medium,
which, being the only publication of
its kind in the community circulating
among a class of people who are far
too liberal spenders for their own
good, it certainly is. This is a fact
which our energetic and gentlemanly
advertising solicitor, Joseph La Cour,
emphasizes in soliciting advertising.
Help The Monitor grow. Call your
friends’ attention to it. Get them to
subscribe. Advertise in its columns.
Patronize our advertisers. Thank
you.
BISHOP SCANNELL.
In the sudden and unexpected death
last Saturday of the Rt. Rev. Richard
Scannell, who has administered with
singular ability and consecration the
See of Omaha for nearly a quarter of
a century, not only do the Roman
Catholics of his diocese lose the earth
ly presence of a faithful chief pastor,
but Omaha and the state are deprived
of the guidance and counsel of a great
religious leader.
Since his translation from the See
of Concordia, Kas., to that of Omaha
in 18:M, he had devoted himself quiet
ly and unostentationsly to the up
building of his diocese, which has
made great progress under his ad
ministration. Loyal, as was right, to
his own faith and convictions, he had
the reputation of being tolerant to
those of other communions, and ad
dressed himself to the special work
assigned him.
As “God buries His workman, but
His work goes on,” may a wise suc
cessor to Bishop Scannell be chosen,
who will prove himself a potent factor
in deepening and advancing the relig
ious life of the community.
Please bear in mind that we raise
our subscription rates February 1st
to $1.50. We were urged to make it
that at the start, but deemed it best
to start at the lower figure. Send in
your subscriptions NOW and get the
advantage of the lower rate. Phone
in your name and address, many have
already done so, and our collector will
call for the money.
We know our readers who have
been enjoying the delightful articles
furnished them by Lucille Skaggs Ed
wards in the department “Our Women
and Children,” will join us in heartiest
congratulations and best wishes to
Dr. and Mrs. Edwards, upon the birth
of a daughter January 6th. May the
little child be highly graced and
gifted.
-i
Candidates have begun to file. The
primaries are in April. Begin to do
your political advertising now. If you
want to get before the Colored voters,
don’t overlook the important fact of
advertising in The Monitor. Our ad
vertising columns are open to candi
dates of all parties. Our editorial
policy is not for sale. We will sup
port the men and measures that we
deem best for our people and the
community.
Why not start a savings bank ac
count, if you have not already done
so, or begin paying on a home ?
Building and Loan associations offer
excellent opportunities for systematic
savings. Investments in Omaha real
estate will be found to be safe, sound
and productive.
What would happen if the Negroes
| of America, dissatisfied, as many of
them are with the two dominant par
ties, should decide to vote the Social
ist ticket?
PATRONIZE OUR ADVERTISERS.
| A PROFESSIONAL DERMA
TOLOGIST NEEDED.
A professional dermatologist ought
to have no trouble in making a living
in this day of color disputes. I. S.
Cousins, of Erwin, Tenn., a railroad
engineer, was charged by his local
lodge of locomotive engineers with
being mixed with African blood, and
as a result he lost his preferred run.
He sued for $15,000 damages and se
cured a judgment in the fderal court
for $3,800, the jury deciding that
Cousins was a white man. In St.
Louis an extraordiiarily “fair” pas
tor of a colored church got into trou
ble with his flock because somebody
whispered it around that he was a
“white” man, and now he is taking
steps to file a suit against his ac
cusers. Now, it would seem that an
expert dermatologist who knows all
about the skin tints, complexion adul
terations and blood admixtures that
affect race issues, could get busy and
put an end to all this sort of litiga
tion, which is both embarrassing and
expensive. Such skin specialists
would be particularly valuable on
street cars and railroad trains, in res
taurants and theaters, and now and
then, they might pick up a job in a
church or a school house. Even “po
lite society” might at times avoid
complications by drawing on their
services.—The Indianapolis Freeman.
Few foreigners came into the
United States during 1915. The small
est number in twenty years was the
326,700 who came during the year
ending June 30, 1915. There were
1,218,480 the year before. So many
went back to Europe in 1915 that our
net gain in population was but 50,070.
In 1914 it was 769,276.
For one man who is too good for
his job there are a thousand whose
jobs are too good for them.
Many a man who can hear Pleasure
whisper a mile way, can’t hear Duty
when it shouts in his ear through
a megaphone.
No man acquires the secret of pop
ularity unless he has learned to keep
his troubles to himself.
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North Twenty-first Street, Omaha, Neb.
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