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, $1.50 PER YEAR
Advertising rates, 5Q cents an inch per issue.
Address, The Monitor, 1119 North Twenty-first street, Omaha.
Telephone Webster 4243.
A SIGNIFICANT ACTION.
The Com Exchange National Bank
of Chicago recently gave employ
ment in the institution, presumably
clerical positions, we have not been
advised as to that, to two young col
ored women and one young man. The
Foresters, a strong fraternal race or
ganization, thereupon withdrew its
deposits, amounting all told to a large
sum, from other banking institutions
and deposited it with the Com Ex
change Bank. Other secret societies
and individuals, it is alleged, are go
ing to do the same thing.
This action is significant, sugges
tive and commendable. It show’s that
our people are beginning to wake up
and are determined to give their pat
ronage, banking, commercial and
other, to firms and institutions that
are at least willing to make the ef
fort to “tote fair.”
Only last week, in commenting in
these columns on the reports of build
ing and loan companies, and urging
-our readers to use such institutions
in saving their money and buying
homes, we called attention to the fact
that none of these institutions in
Omaha gives our race any employ
ment whatsoever, not even so much
as a janitorship. The same is true
with two notable exceptions, of the
banks of this city, in which our peo
ple are comparatively heavy depos
itors. Two banks, the United States
National and the Omaha National,
each employ a colored man as mes- j
senger. Why should not others do
at least as much as this? More than
this, why could not a clerical position
for some capable colored young
man or woman be found among the
large clerical force employed by the
larger banks of the city? Perhaps
if the race in Omaha follows the ex
ample of their Chicago brethren such
an opening may be found or made.
Individually, the deposits made by
our people may be small, but when
taken in the aggregate and the funds
of the numerous secret societies and
fraternal organizations are taken in
to account, they run well up into the
thousands. The judicious concentra
tion of such deposits in the banking
institutions wrhich give employment
to our people we believe would prove
advantageous to us.
And in this connection, why
should not a concerted move be made
upon the part of our people to obtain
employment not only in banks and
commercial institutions, but also in
public utility concerns like the
Omaha Electric I.ight and Power
Company, the Omaha Gas and the
Nebraska Telephone Company? Our
people spend thousands of dollars
yearly with all these concerns. Why
should they not give us some returns
in the way of employment?
To the gentlemen in charge of
these institutions we are taking the
liberty of sending copies of The
Monitor with this editorial marked.
We respectfully ask you to consider
as a matter of simple economic
justice, if you are acting quite fair
in withholding employment within
your gift from a class of people who
constitute, in accordance with their
numbers, a large percentage of your
patrons? Doubtless, you have never
thought of it in this light, if at all.
Please consider it now, and as fair
minded men, we are quite sure you
will admit that our contention is ab
solutely right. Whether you will
have the moral courage to take fa
vorable action in our behalf is an
other question. We hope some of you
have.
It will be well for us all to take
note of the significant action of the
colored people of Chicago, as symp
tomatic of the growing demand of
colored Americans everywhere for
reasonable reciprocity.
KEEP YOUR MOUTH CLEAN.
You read an exceedingly interesting,
instructive and practical article in
last week’s issue under Science Notes
on Oral Sepsis. The article was con
tributed by Dr. Craig Morris, one of
our dentists, who is a graduate of
Creighton Dental College, and shows
how an unclean mouth furnishes
a choice breeding ground for
bacteria which cause decayed teeth
and abscesses, the result of which
will eventually poison the whole
system and engender many serious
diseases to which flesh may easily
fall heir. The chief burden of this
instructive article is this: KEEP
YOUR MOUTH CLEAN.
And, by the way, this is an ex
cellent motto to keep constantly be
fore our young men especially, al
though, be it said to their shame,
old men need to keep it in mind, too,
and so do many young girls and
women. We might be bold enough to
add to this list old women, too, were
it not that there are so few “old
women” these days.
So many boys and young men
foul their mouths with profanity and
salacious jokes and stories that it
shows “moral sepsis” to be very
prevalent. Foul language indicates
a foul mind. A foul mind means a
vitiated or weakened moral nature.
Now just as the whole physical na
ture can become diseased by neglect
ing to cleanse the mouth, so the
moral nature can become diseased by
dirty speech.
To avoid “oral sepsis” and the
pain and suffering which it brings,
“keep your mouth clean,” and to
avoid “moral sepsis”, with its sad
and far-reaching misery and woe,
“keep your mouth clean.”
An educational anti-spitting cam
paign has been started by Mrs. H. C.
Sumney with the purpose of abolish
ing the habit of promiscous spitting
which is a menace to the public
health. The plan proposed to accom
plish this is educational, rather than
legislative. This nuisance has been
abated considerably, if not almost en
tirely, on street cars and public con
veyances. There has been some im
provement too in this matter in ref
erence to spitting on sidewalks, since
to do so is punishable by a fine. But
there is lots of room for further im
provement, and if the people can be
brought to see that this habit is a
menace to public health, the reform
sought will be speedily accomplished.
It is up to each individual to see that
he does not offend in this matter and
to make himself a willing helper in
.his educational campaign.
Funds are being raised for the re
lief of the Jew's who are suffering
untold privations because of the Euro
pean war. It is to be hoped that our
people will cheerfully contribute to
the relief fund. Aside from human
itarian instincts w'hich should move
us to give is the fact that in this coun
try the Jews have shown themselves
to be loyal and dependable friends of
our race.
We desire to remind political can
didates that our columns are open
for their advertisements and that if
they desire to reach the colored voters
they can do so with the least ex
pense by using The Monitor. Our ad
vertising columns are open to candi
dates of all parties.
... " 1 ... ■' 1
That western kid-napping story
struck us w’hen wre read it, as fishy.
So it w'as an elopement after all, just
what we thought it was.
If it is our duty never to do wrong
at all, it is also our duty never to
repay wrong w'ith wrong.—Plato.
“POLLY TICKS.”
Do you know “Polly Ticks?” She’s
a coy, elusive and fascinating maid
en of rather doubtful age, whom
many love to woo. Get your name on
her list as one of her ardent wooers.
Gentlemen, if you have a political
aspiration
That will lead you to risk flirtation
With “Polly Ticks,” a dream and in
spiration,
Do not have the slightest hesitation
In taking advantage of our circula
tion,
To reach that portion of our popula
tion,
Which can grant you circumambula
tion
With this lady of your choice and
station.
MOHR MURDER CASE
ATTRACTS ATTENTION.
(Continued from first, page.)
Healis brings another great complica
tion.
Public sentiment in and about Prov
idence is greatly divided. Many per
sons sympathize with Mrs. Mohr, and
quite a number sympathize with
Brown and Spellman, but little or no
sympathy is evidenced for Healis, who
turned State’s evidence, and thereby
sacrificed his alleged conspirators.
Lawyer William H. Lewis, the fa
mous Boston attorney, at one time,
assistant United States Attorney, is
the only unpaid attorney in the case.
It has been said that Brown’s eigh
teen year old wife is retaining Mr.
Lewis, but such is not the case. Mr.
Lewis said his presence in the case
was simply altruistic, and not in an
effort to gain fame and fortune.
However, he is being praised on all
sides because of his recognized ability
and his conspicuous refinement. He
never indulges in unnecessary dis
cussion. Every time he rises he has
some sufficient cause, and two-thirds
of his objections are sustained by the
court. In cross-examination, Mr.
Lewis is exceedingly clever. His rap
id-fire method of sending questions at
the State’s witness is the feature of
the trial.—John R. Williams in Balti
more Afro-American.
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