The Monitor n=ri
WOy _ : . 1
A National Weekly Newspaper Devoted to the Interests of Colored Americans
THE REV. JOHN ALBERT WILLIAMS, Editor
------ '<? _
$1.50 a Year. 5c a Copy _OMAHA, NEBRASKA. JUNE 22. 1918 Vol. III. No. 51 <W*. ,e No. 155)
Colored Troops
Defeat Germans
Sweep Back lluns—Take 300 Prison
ers—Capture Many Guns—Occupy j
Important Tactical Position—In
flict Severe Defeat on Enemy.
WINNING FAME IN FLANDERS
Sable Sammies Sustaining Traditions,
and Writing Another Brilliant Page
of Achievements in the Military An
nals of the World.
BULLETIN
WrITH the American Expedition
ary forces in France, June 11.
—The French-American forces to I
night struck the Germans a hard blow
all along a front of twelve miles be
tween Rubescourt and St. Maur, the
Colored American troops showing con
spicuous daring and bravery, recap
turing Belloy, Gentlis Wood and the
heights between Courcelles and JVlor
temer. Our boys inflicted heavy loss
upon the Boches, delivering a brilliant1
counter tactical attack upon Gentlis
Wood, recapturing it, thus cutting the
enemy off from its shelter and ex
1,osing them to the concentrated dead
ly fire of the heavy allied artillery and
machine guns.
Seeing their progress hindered, the
Germans turned toward the other
flank and nearly reached Itibeeourt to
the north of which place the hottest
encounters occurred in the woods of
f Decaslin Court.
The enemy was forced to deboucn
•. on the plain near the Oise river where
he found himself without shelter.
The Germans found it necessary to
i bring forward more divisions to fill
I the gaps in their ranks caused by the
I terrific gunfire of the Colored troops.
Y The enemy’s possession of the
height of Ecouvillon, below Tliies
court, enabled him to filter troops
through the small valleys, making the
position of the allies occupying tlie
small hillocks perilous and causing
them to retire.
The whole countryside hereabouts
is dotted with these small hills, which
are, called mountains, forming a kind
of bastion, which, when turned from
one side or the other, become abso
lute traps for the occupants. Most
of the valleys between run toward the
■ banks of the River Oise.
Hence the importance of the brav
ery of our Colored troops in clearing
Gentlis Wood, leaving the enemy with
no vantage point from which to en
fillade the unprotected inhabitants,
is not hard to estimate.
Of the 1,000 prisoners captured by
all our allied forces on this front 300
Boches were taken by our Colored
soldiers and many guns. The Colorei*
soldier is just beginning to write an- [
other brilliant page in the history of j
bis country.
CAPTURE GERMAN
DESPATCH DOGS
With the American Army in France, j
June 7.—A wise Alabama Colored sol-1
dier in an organization with the ■
French troops used a novel means to
capture German dogs employed to
carry despatches to the front line ■
from the enemy rear posts.
The soldier got leave to go huntmg
and killed a fox. Then he crept across j
“No Man’s Land” at night and j
dragged the fox back along the ground |
from the German trenches. The fol
lowing day six German messenger
dogs came bounding into the Ameri
can trenches and were captured by!
the soldiers.
NOMINEE FOR CONGRESS
NAMED AT CHICAGO
Chicago, 111., June 12.—Colored men
of the First Congressional district un
der the leadership of Oscar De Priest,
have nominated James A. Scott, for
mer Asst. States Attorney for Con
gress, on the Republican ticket, in
opposition to Martin B. Madden, the
present incumbent. Edward H. Mor
ris, the well-known attorney, had been
selected but refused to run.
HOWARD UNIVERSITY GETS
l BUST OF FOUNDER
t — —■
/ Washington, D. C., June 21.—Mrs.
Elizabeth H. Bancroft, daughter of
Gen. O. O. Howard, the founder of
Howard university, has just loaned
the bronze bust of the benefactor to
that institution, and the figure wdl
adorn a prominent niche in the Car
negie library of the school.
#
COLORED GIRL BEST
WRITER IN EIGHTH GRADE
Alice Watson of Howard Kennedy !
School Carries Off Premium Honor
in Penmanship.
- I
GEORGE GOFF RANKS FOURTH
ALICE WATSON, eighth grade
graduate of Howard Kennedy
school and daughter of Mr. and Mrs.
W. B. Watson, 2925 Grant street, is
the champion writer in the Omaha
grade schools, according to awards
announced last week, by J. A. Savage,
writing supervisor.
The next best nine writers in order
of excellence with their respective
schools, are:
Ruth Cunningham, Walnut Hill;
Heinrich Heine, Vinton; George Goff,
Lincoln; Bessie Handler, Mason;
Sarah Roitstein, South Central; Bea
trice Canfield, Florence; Emma Ritch
ie, Columbian; Dorothy Steinbaugh,
Webster; Frank Maritsas, Central.
Supervisor Savage issued 113 cer
tificates of excellence in writing with
gold seals, the highest honor a grade
pupil can receive. Gold seals are is
sued only to eighth grade graduates.
More than 1,400 certificates of pro
ficiency in writing were given during
the school year.
George Goff, who ranks fourth, is
the son of Mr. and Mrs. J. M. Goff of
Forest avenue.
Highly Honored
by 367th Regiment
Charles W. Anderson Is Made Honor
ary Colonel of Famous New York
Military Organization for Loyal
Services to Government.
FIRST TIME TITLE CONFERRED
Custom Common in European Coun
tries Hitherto Unknown Here—Will
Doubtless Establish Precedent of
Honoring Civilians.
NEW YORK. June 12—Charles W.
Anderson, Supervising Agent of
tho State Department of Food for
Markets, and who was for ten years
Collector of Internal Revenue for the
New York district, has been made an
honorary colonel of the 367th United
States Infantry. Although the cur
tom is common in European countries,
this is the first time that any man
has been so honored in this coun
try. It was awarded to Anderson
as a mark of appreciation of his serv
ices in organizing Colored regiments
and in recognition of the manner in
which he has aided the government
in many other ways.
At the outbreak of the war he col
lected names of Colored men of fight
ing age and organized a meeting to
encourage enlistments. He introduced
Colonel Haywood, commander of Ne
gro regiments in the Spanish-Ameri
can war, to the assemblage, and the
meeting marked the formation of the
Fifteenth Regiment of Infantry, the
regiment which has been mentioned
frequently for daring and courageous
service in France.
Working with Colonel Moss, com
mander of the 367th, he has been in
strumental in the building of the new
auditorium at Camp Upton. Ander
son was one of the first to sign the
“Stand by the President’s letter, and
has in every way combated tho in
fluence of a few leaders who strove to
lessen the participation of the Colored
man in the war. He has been render
ing service as a volunteer member of
Draft Board No. 139 since July, 1917.
BOMB THROWN INTO CHURCH.
St. Louis, Mo., June 8.—A bomb
explosion at 12:30 a. m. Thursday
wrecked the interior of the First Bap
tist church. Bell and Cardinal ave
nues. The bomb was dropped into a
committee room in the basement
through a window and exploded
there.
Damage was estimated at $1,000.
It was the third attempt in five
months to destroy the building. Twr
other bombs had failed to explode.
Detectives working on the case re
garded the explosions as a protest of
white residents of the .community to
the location of the church.
PUBLISHING HOUSE TO
MOVE TO NASHVILLE
Nashville, Tenn., June 21.—The pub
lishing house of the C. M. E. Church
will be removed from Jackson to this
city as soon as the machinery can be
dismantled and shipped without undue
interference with the publication
work.
SONGS OF THE NEGRO
REVEAL HIS SPIRIT
Harry Burleigh Calls Attention to Plantation Mel
odies; Hopes Much from War for Negro.
By Minna Lederman in the New York
Tribune.
□N unhappy people—but a people
of great faith." Harry Rur
leigh, singer and composer, charac
terizes his race simply yet with that
poetic grace which is the Negro’s gift
for expressing himself. ‘‘Take all the
plantation melodies and I challenge
you to find one that suggests retalia
tion. Vengeance, the mood that cre
ates sharp dissonance in the song
of the Indian, is never a motif in the
song of the Negro. To peace, to truth,
to all the cardinal virtues his mu
sical soul was pledged.
“His is a lovely acquiescence. Some
times I feel it is too complete.. Had
the Negro risen to shake off his
chains and strike his blow, he might
have suffered less.
“But then, of course, he would have
sung less. His religion held him in
leash. Singing in reverent community
with his fellows, he was purged of a'l
'pain. In his faith and his music he
was solaced.”
No one can speak with greater au
thority upon the Negro spiritual than
Harry Burleigh. By his collection and
arrangement of this primitive mate
rial, he has done more than any com
poser living or dead, black or white,
to focus the serious attention of the
public unon it. The very moving melo
dies, that he or his relatives or friends
have heard on the plantations of the
south he has furnished with careful
yet rich revealing accompaniments.
You may have had the pleasure of
hearing Mr. Burleigh himself sing
these spirituals with great fervor.
The stirring exhortation “(Jo Down
Mosps,’’ “Deep River" epic., almost,
in its yearning and sadness, “Nobody
Knows the Trouble I’ve Seen," “You
May Bury Me in the Eas,” the plain
tive “By an’ By,” and that beautiful
song “My Lord, What a Morning,
When De Stars Begin to Fall,” w'hich
has caught so equisitely the hush and
wonder of dawn—these are hut a few
of the treasures for which we are
indebted to Mr. Burleigh.
War Will Help Negro.
Mr. Burleigh feels that America has
been unfair to the Negro.
“The public is only just beginning
to realize what our musical heritage
is. The old minstrels, beginning with
Christy’s troupe, have done the Negro
a great deal of harm. They reflected
in exaggerated form the grotesque,
the startling features of his dance,
and America with characteristic su
perficiality seized on these to exploit
and imitate. Our songs, with all their
inspiration, their true beauty, were
muffled, while the buck and wing
and the clog spread wildly through
every state in the Union. In the pop
ular mind the Negro figures most viv
idly as a jigging automaton.
“Perhaps he will be more truly felt
now. The war will be a great leveler.
It will demand sacrifice from us as
from the rest of the continent, and I
hope it will somewhat approach equal
ity in its rewards. And then, too,
the war will strike a blow at the easy
frivolity of the American public.
Gravity and somber mood will find
more relief in our songs of eternal
hope, than in our professional cake
walk.
Future of Negro Music.
Mr. Burleigh is a mon of consider
able musical attainment, not to say
erudition. Besides his arrangements
of the spirituals, he has composed
over 100 original songs. They cover
a wide range of subjects, and only a
few are Negro in their musical con
tent. He has set Walt Whitman’s
“Ethiopa Saluting the Colors” to a
very dramatic accompaniment. A re
cent work is “The Young Warrior,”
which has been translated and adopted
by Italy as a war song, and has been
orchestrated by no less a person than
Zandonai, the composer of “Francesca
da Rimini.”
He has a son of eighteen, in whose
promise as a musician and poet he
takes great pride. The boy is al
ready hnf1 father’s collaborator. One
Sunday, in an old church of Virginia.
.x heard for the first time the melody
and words of “I Stood on De Ribber
of Jerdon.” Recording them both, he
sent them on to Burleigh, who gave
it its present popular arrangement.
He has also written a great deal of
verse, which his father assures me
is, some of it, quite extraordinary.
“The future of Negro music ? It
will depend, of course, on some Ne
gro. Not me, but my son perhaps,
or his son. The progress of art is
slow, and extends over many genera
tions. Meanwhile we will go forward
developing our old chants.
“Some day, I feel, we may achieve
in music a great dramatic form, some
new operatic expression. A tremen
dous merging of dance and verse and
song will be our gift to the new
world.”
NATIONAL PRESIDENT OF
WOMEN’S CLUBS VISITS OMAHA
Mrs. Mary B. Talbert, who is the
national president of the Colored
Women’s association, an organization
representing over 100,000 women, will
be an Omaha visitor next week. Mrs.
Talbert will speak at St. John’s A,
M. E. church and the public should
eagerly embrace this oportunity of
hearing her.
It was through her efforts that
the mortgage on the Frederick Doug
las home at Anacostia was paid off
and that historic place preserved for
the Race. The association is now
addressing itself among other things
to securing the enactment of a law
that will bring lynching under direct
authority of the national government.
COLORED SOLDIERS
COUNTER ATTACK
With the French Army in France,
June 11 (By the Associated Press;
noon.)—The strongest effort made by
the Germans in the course of last
night and this morning in their new
offensive was in the direction of the
railroad connecting Estees-St. Denis
and Montdidier. The Germans met
with such resistance that they re
nounced for the moment their at
tempts in this region.
Negro troops, supported by entent
allied tanks, which did great execu
tion, delivered a brilliant counter at
tack in this vicinity and recaptured
the forest running southwest of Mar
queglise, between Perte farm and
Loges farm.
DONS SHROUD AS
DEATH APPROACHES
Middlesboro, Ky., June 11.—The un
dertaking firm of Gibson Brothers,
of this city, yesterday received a hur
ry call for a casket and a shroud, to
be sent at once. The undertaker in
quired who was dead and was in
formed that no one was dead yet, but
that one Kella Henderson, a Negro
woman, was expecting to die and
wished to inspect her grave outfit
before passing to th<; eternal beyond.
The coffin was delivered and the girl
arrayed in her grave clothes and smil
ingly awaited the visit of the death
angel which finally made its appear
ance and the funeral services were
duly held attended by sorrowing rela
tives and friends. This is the moss
unique case on record here of its kind.
NATIONAL ASSOCIATION
OP GRADUATE NURSES
St. Louis, Mo.—The National Asso
ciation of Colored Graduate Nurses
will convene here August 20, 21, 22,
23, and will be entertained by the
local Association of Negro Graduate
Nurses.
TRENTON HONORS ROBERTS.
Trenton, N. J.—Trenton has gone
on record as honoring her son, Need
ham Roberts, one of the two Afro
American soldiers awarder! the gold
palms in France, by sending the fol
lowing cablegram:
Private Needham Roberts,
369th Infantry,
U. S. Expeditionary Forces,
France.
I desire to extend to you the con
gratulations and thanks of the citizens
of Trenton for your inspiring acts of
bravery, which have not only reflect
ed glory upon yourself, your eity
and your race, but which will live
forever in the annals of American
valor. Trenton is proud of you, her
son, who has so gloriously upheld
her best traditions on the battle
field. The name of Needham Rob
erts will have a cherished place in
the remembrance of all patriotic
Americans long after this conflict
shall have ended. Trenton salutes
you!
FREDERICK DONNELLY,
Mayor, Trenton, N. J.
Asks McAdoo to Cut
Out Jim Crow Cars
—
Ralph W. Tyler Asks for Equal Ac
commodations on Railroads for Our
Soldiers and Speakers Presenting
War Aims of Government.
PRESENTS CURIOUS ANOMOLY
Patriotic American Citizens Compelled
to Accept Inferior Accommodations
to Which Aliens Are Not Subjected
and Pay First Class Fare.
WWASHINGTON, D. C., June 14.—
Recently Ralph W. Tyler, na
tional secretary of the National Col
ored Soldiers’ Comfort Committee,
sent the secretary of the treasury, Mr.
Adoo, who is in charge of the rail
reads now under government control,
a letter asking that some steps be
taken to stop the jim crowing of sol
diers and speakers presenting the
war aims of the government. It is
•stated that Mr. Tyler in his letter
suggested that since the railroads are
under government control and this
war is in the interest of the oppressed
people of the world for the true spirit
of democracy, it was hurting to com
pel soldiers and patriots to accept
inferior accommodations to which
even aliens are not subjected. Mr.
McAdoo, it seems, referred Mr. Ty
ler’s letter to Judge Prouty, director
of public service, who ii vited Mr. Ty
ler to call for a conference on the
matter.
The conference was held last Tues
day morning. It is reported that
Judge Prouty expressed himself as
having always believed our people
should have equal accommodations
and that he expressed sympathy for
the Race and his personal views
against segregation and discrimina
tion because of color and promised to
take the matter up with Mr. McAdoo
on his return from the Virginia health
resort, where he is now recuperating.
Mr. Tyler advised the director that the
subjecting of soldiers especially, and
the men who had volunteered to de
liver speeches presenting the war
aims of thfe government to grossly in
ferior railroad facilites was hurtful
and directly inconsistent with the
President’s declaration as to why
America had entered this war. Judge
Prouty is from the state of Vermont.
KILLED IN ALTO ACCIDENT.
Dorey McNeeley, Colored proprie
tor of a pool hall at 2607 N street,
South Side, was instantly killed early
Sunday morning when an automobile
he was driving crashed into a tele
phone pole near Twenty-fourth and
U streets, South Side. McNeeley’s
neck was broken and his right arm
fractured.
The accident occurred near a curve
in ^Twenty-fourth, at I the intersec
tion of U street. Due to high speed
the machine is thought to have got
ten out of control of the driver and
dashing up over the curb struck the
pole. Five other occupants of the
wrecked automobile escaped with but
a few scratches. All were Colored
people.
FORMING WOMEN’S BATTALION.
New York, June 21.—Unit No. 319
of the Red Cross workers are form
ing a regimental battalin of women.
They will be instructed as to the use
of rifles and uniforms will be made
for them in the near future.
New York Socialists
Nominate Candidates
Prominent and Able Colored Men Are
Chosen to Run for Congress, the
State Senate and the Legislature,
REV. GEORGE FRAZIER MILLER
Fearless and Outspoken Champion of
Human Rights Is Nominated for
Congress From Twenty-Second Dis
trict, Which Has Large Population.
NEW YORK, June 21.—Friday eve
ning, June 8th, the socialist party
of New York designated three of the
ablest Race men in the state of New
York as the regular nominees of the
party. Both races and both sexes
participated in the nominations. The
men selected to carry (the banner
were Dr. George Frazier Miller for
congress from the 22d congressional
district of the state of New York; A.
Philip Randolph for state senator from
the 20th senate district of New York,
and Chandler Owens for assemblyman
from the 31st assembly district of
New York city. These districts take
in the bulk of the population of the
Harlem district, where about 80,000
people are living right together and
where the largest Colored Settlement
in the world is located.
Socialists Growing Among Race.
The socialist party in New York
is growing rapidly among our people.
Last year after a strenuous and effi
cient campaign waged by A. Philip
Randolph and Chandler Owen, the
socialist ticket polled about 25 per
cent of the race vote.
Candidates Men of Ability.
Dr. George Frazier Miller is one
of the most scholarly ministers in
New York, who has always condemned
injustices to the Race. He is an A. B.
from Howard university, a graduate
of the General Theological Seminary,
a member of the National Association
for the Advancement of Colored Peo
ple, and a student and writer of rare
ability. A Philip Randolph is a polit
ical scientist from New York City col
lege. Chandler Owen'is an A. B. from
Virginia Union university and did spe
cial graduate work in the school of
political science of Columbia univer
sity.
New York has led the way with
men of character and ability who have
taken part in nearly every real uplift
movement in this city for the last five
or ten years. Let the Race citizen*
throughout the country lend all their
aid to the election of these men, who
will help to strike the blow fdr the
liberation of their brothers and the
oppressed peoples throughout the
world.
JACK JOHNSON WANTS
TO FIGHT FOR COUNTRY
Undefeated, but Ex-World Champion,
an Exile From Home, Anxious to
Do His Bit—Seeks Assistance of
New York Congressman.
Paris, June 12.—Jack Johnson, the
American pugilist, now in Madrid,
wants to fight for his country. He
has written the following letter to
Captain E. H. LaGuardia, representa
tive in congress from New York:
“After my talk with you yesterday
it occurred to me to ask you to use
your good offices in my behalf. 1 am
as good an American as anyone living
and naturally I want to do my bit.
I firmly believe I wasn’t fairly treated
at home.
“All I ask now is a chance to show
my sincerity. There’s no position I
would consider too dangerous. I am
willing to fight and die for my own
country. I cannot offer any more.
“Will you kindly make my offer
known to the proper authorities? I
am anxiously awaiting a reply.”
Captain La Guardia referred the
letter to the adjutant general.
FIREMAN RESIGNS
AFTER LONG SERVICE
St. Paul, Minn, June 20.—P. H. An
derson, lieutenant in Engine Company
No. 22, city fire department, has re
signed after thirty years and eleven
months of continuous service. Lieu
tenant Anderson was rated as one of
the most efficient and daring fire
fighters of the department. His name
has been placed on the firemen retire
ment roll and he will receive a pen
sion of $58 per month. Engine com
pany No. 22, is a complete hose and
engine company, with fourteen men,
and composed entirely of Colored men
and captained by William B. Godette,
who has been in the service for nearly
thirty-five years.