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About The monitor. (Omaha, Neb.) 1915-1928 | View Entire Issue (Jan. 27, 1917)
THE MONITOR A Weekly Newspaper devoted to the civic, social and religious interests of the Colored People of Nebraska and the West, with the desire to con tribute something to the general good and upbuilding of the community and of the race. 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 and William Garnett Haynes, Associate Editors. George Wells Parker, Contributing Editor and Business Manager. Joseph LaCour, Jr., Lincoln Representative, 821 S. St., Lincoln. SUBSCRIPTION RATES, *1.50 PER YEAR Advertising Rates, 50 cents an Inch per Issue. Address, The Monitor, 1119 North Twenty-first street, Omaha. Telephone Webster 4243. RACE PRIDE # _______ Race pride is an intangible some thing that makes and raises people and nations. Without it men are mere clay; with it no power in heaven or earth can hinder the onsweep of its potent force. Collectively speaking, we are not a race-proud people. It is not our fault. For three hundred years our tutelege at the hands of a fairer race has dammed up the well springs of our self love. They taught our fathers and us that our race was a hewer of wood and a drawer of water, and we have believed. But the rose tint dawn of truth is chasing away the pall of the selfish lie. Despite the vigorous protests of prejudiced American historians we have always had a suspicion that the great races of northern Africa and hither Asia had a large strain of our blood, but now we know it. The great scientists of Europe who prefer truth to error have fairly startled the world with the facts they are hurl ing at the false ethnical claims of pseudo-historians. Old Rawlinson and Ridpath must be fairly shaking in their graves as proof after proof is produced, showing that the Grecian and Roman civilizations owe their rise to African blood. The pill is so bit ter that American historians and jour nals refuse to swallow it. It hurts their pride to the choking point. It will be a long day before they accept the new facts, but time and tide wait not. Truth will establish her claims despite the puny prejudices of Amer icans. Let us take heart and ponder the meanings of these wonderful truths. To know that our ancestors ruled the world and gave birth to human civili zation is worth more than all the jewels and gold and silver in the world. It gives us the basis for a pride of race that none can equal. The day will yet come when a child of our dusky race may say with truth, “To claim relation with Africa’s children is greater than to be bom a king!" PORTO RICO AND THE SOUTH W. E. B. contributes an article to the Boston Transcript severely scoring Congress for its action upon the Porto Rican franchise bill. He says: “The Porto Rican bill probably would pass Congress without much objection or debate, had not the color question un fortunately been injected into it. As the measure passed the House last July, it imposed an educational and property test upon all citizen voters— this a device of Southern statesmen to prevent the Negro from securing equal rights in the Island. Some of the senators proposed to broaden the bill but the Southern idea, as repre sented by Hoke Smith of Georgia in the committee, constituted an obsta cle. The Negro element in the Island is only twelve per cent, but tAat is enough to make a vital difference in the character of the legislation the United States Congress is willing to enact for the benefit of its ward. Pres ident Wilson, it is understood, is sat isfied with the compromise.” SONG OF SOLOMON P. C. 1. Hearken, 0 my son, whilst I thrum for thee a plaintif thrum upon my trusty lyre. 2. Ye have called for a song upon a Colored man’s favorite dish and I have gone the gamut from start off to finish. 3. Ye have heard it said that chicken was a Colored man’s middle name, but son of my heart, it isn’t so. 4. So, too, hath it been rumored that a red ripe juicy watermelon was better than a comp to the golden streets, yet it seemeth to me a libel of levity. 5. And there clingeth a legend that possum with sweet potatoes was a platter decoration plenipotentiary, yet history produceth no proofs of preference. 6. Nor have mine ears been deaf to the faint call for ‘chitlins’ but on a vote it lost in its own precinct. 7. Then I hied myself to the market place to watch Colored folks shopping. Mine eyes did spy yellow legged chicken, mouth compelling ham, sleek possum, and what not, but the Col ored folk saw them not. 8. They formed a line like gallery gods and the first one whispered “Pork Chops.” 9. And behold when he hath slip ped the butcher his thin dime, the next whispered pork chops. And thusly the third, and so on until the last little son of Ham raised to his tip toes and piped, “Pork Chops.” 10. And then, 0 my son, I felt in my jeans and found two bits and lean ing over the marble counter, I caroled into the ear of the fat butcher, “Pork Chops.” PRESS COMMENTS People Who Miscalculate. Most people do not think beyond today or look beyond tomorrow. As a result they are constantly miscal culating in the affairs of life and be come a drain upon society and a worry to their friends.—The Rich mond (Va.) Planet. Gratitude. Our gratitude is best expressed in actions. To speak of opportunities and blessings which come to us as a result of the emancipation proclama tion and then to neglect to make the best use of them is a paradox. Let us show our appreciation of freedom by making the best use of the advan tages afforded us. Good homes, schools, churches and worthy business enterprises will be the best commen taries in our citizenship.—The Torch light, Danville, Ky. LETTERS FROM OUR READERS An Humble Tribute to the Late Dr. M. O. Ricketts. Omaha, Neb., Jan. 22, 1917. Editor Monitor: In the last issue of The Monitor I read with much regret of the death of Dr. M. O. Ricketts, of St. Joseph, Mo., formerly of Omaha. It was my pleasure to have known Dr. Ricketts intimately and well from 1882 to the day of his departure from Omaha. I watched his career as a citizen, a professional man and a pub lic servant, and during that period of time I knew of no man possessed of nobler traits of character. He was honest and conscientious, a firm ad herent to that noble principle of the fatherhood of God and the brother hood of man. I readily recall a little incident in his life which illustrated and showed the estimation in which he was held by others as well as myself. It was in 1834 when he sought his second term in the legislature. A few days after the republicans had named a ticket, the democrats did likewise. The tickets being before the people I asked the late Paddy Ford, ex-Councilman of the 3rd ward of Omaha, if he was going to vote the straight democratic ticket, and his re ply was, “indeed, I am not. I am go ing to vote for my neighbor, Dr. Ric ketts, as I believe he is the brightest man on aither ticket.” I was present in the House of Rep resentatives when in joint session in February, 1895, and I heard Dr. Ric ketts make that eloquent speech plac ing John M. Thurston in nomination for the United States Senate. It was a masterpiece of eloquence. Ed. F. Morearty. OBVIOUS OBSERVATIONS The election is over and the new of ficials have taken office, but the Col ored voter still stands on the out side looking in. How long, voter, how long ? Japan has paid millions of dollars on her national debt and will try to pay it all if the war lasts much longer. The world nations don’t like it, but Japan keeps smiling—and planning. Tom Lawson said he didn’t want to sqeal, but they made him and now the democrats from Woody down are hunting for cyclone cellars. SOME ADMINISTRATION. The whole of Canada has jumped cnto the water wagon and the predic tion is that in ten years there will not be enough whiskey in the U. S. to float a tooth pick. Well, we never cared for whiskey anyway. The troops are leaving Mexico, ac cording to the latest reports. Let us see, what the dickens did they go down there for, can you remember? It snowed Saturday night, rained at midnight, snowed some more and then froze up tight. Some class to this weather. Thanking you for your kind atten tion, ye editor will now put a pad lock on the typewriter and start out collecting on the subscriptions. AWARDED DAMAGES FOR DEATH OF HUSBAND Mrs. Oneida Jackson, of Omaha, whose husband was killed last sum mer by falling down an elevator shaft at Yonnker Bros.’ store at Des Moines, la., has been awarded compensation in the sum of $2196.49 by Judge C. A. Dudley. The widow has been re ceiving $5 a week, but has been now awarded the above sum. CHURCH OF ST. PHILIP THE DEACON Rev. John Albert Williams, Priest. The church is never over-crowded, except on rare and special occasions; so worshippers who desire to come are reasonably sure of being able to find a seat. The hours of the Sunday services are 7:30 a. m.; (a little too early, it is admitted, for the saints who re oice in their beds); 10:00 a. m., Sun day School; 11 a. m., (even this is too early for some, or else their clocks are slow); and 5 p. m. (this gener ally interferes wdth the dinner hour, afternoon nap, or Sunday callers.) However, these are the hours of serv ice. You will notice that they have been carefully planned to interfere as little as possible with the usual hours set for the “movies.” The Woman’s Auxiliary met Thurs day with Mrs. Irvine Gray, 2610 Sew ard street. Next Thursday the usual monthly missionary tea, with a sil ver offering will be held at the resi dence of Mrs. C. H. Hicks, 2020 Clark street, Mrs. Hicks and Mrs. Silas Johnson being the hostesses. The parish paper of St. Luke’s Church, Lincoln, contains this signifi cant item: “The churches are full of v/omen; the penitentiaries are full of men.” KENTUCKY GOVERNOR PREVENTS LYNCHING (Continued From First Page) honor and responsibility with which he regards his office. Here is the letter: OFFICE OF THE GOVERNOR Frankfort, Ky., January 20, 1917. Mr. W. H. Gray, 1322 Ave. A, Co. Bluffs, la. My Dear Sir: Your kind and generous words of commendation and approval came duly to hand. I regret my inability to ex press my profound appreciation. As I see it, it is the prime duty of a Chief Executive to maintain the law in its majesty and to enforce it with out fear or favor. A lawless mob, de fiantly attempting to overthrow courts and to take into its own bloody hands the administration of alleged justice, is not guilty merely of a murder in which hundreds participate without provocation or excuse: It is a kind of treason and insurrection against con stituted authority—an effort to de molish those sacred and established institutions upon which civilization itself is based. It is, however, very gratifying to know that my good and generous friends are so hearty in their approval of what, to my mind, was the simple discharge of a plain duty. Most sincerely yours, A. O. Stanley. MADAM DEMBY A FAVORITE IN SOUTHERN SCHOOLS AND COLLEGES Madam Demby, who is to give a recital at Grove M. E. Church, next Thursday night, under the auspices of the Women’s Home Missionary So ciety, is said to be an artist in her line and is a great favorite at many of the Southern colleges and schools where she has frequently sung. Weeping Willow Lodge No. 9696, G. U. O. of 0. F., meets second and fourth Thursdays of each month at U. B. F. Hall, 24th and Charles. M. H. Hazzard, N. G.; T. H. Gaskin3, P. S.
