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. 1916. 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 Edltora
George Wells Parker. Contributing Editor. Bert Patrick, Business
Manager. Fred C. Williams, Traveling Representative
SUBSCRIPTION RATES, 81.50 PER YEAR
Advertising Rates, 50 cents an Inch per issue.
Address, The Monitor, 1119 North Twenty-first street, Omaha.
Telephone Webster 4243.
“MAN WHO KEEPS H’S MORI)”
THIS is the caption of a suggestive !
editorial which was recently pub
lished in the Baltimore Afro-Amer
ican, one of our most highly esteemed j
exchanges. What we admire about
the Afro-American is its high charac
ter and tone, and its frankness and
fearlessness in expressing its convic
tions. It has an opinion and a will. .
And our newspapers which are mak
ing their influence felt belong to this
class. The Afro-American is one of
the oldest of our publications and its
editorial utterances are always worth 1
while.
Americans in general and Colored
Americans in particular are too care
less about promptness and the keep
ing of their word. People will mak"
promises which they do not conscien
tiously try to fulfill and do not regard
this peccability with any serious con
cern. Therefore we need to be repeat
edly told and have impressed upon us
what the Afro-American =o well says
in the following editorial words, which
we quote in full and commend to the
thoughtful consideration of our read
ers:
“ ‘The most important man in the
world today is the man who keeps his
word.’ These are the words of a suc
cessful man whose work is well
known.
“There is wisdom in this man’s
words. The great fault that is found
with the workers of this day is their
inability or unwillingness to fulfil!
their part of the contract. When a
man promises to meet you at a certain
time and fails to keep his engagement
with you, he is full of excuses of all
kinds when he has been unable to keep
his word with‘you, when, as a matter
of fact, he has not even tried to be on
time. Sometimes he will squirm and
twist in every conceivable way to
make you believe it is no fault of his,
when, as a matter of fact, he has de
liberately fallen down and never real
ly intended to be there on the time he
promised.
“The great demand of the day is for
reliable people. The man who when he
says he will be at a certain place or
will do a certain thing at a certain
time, is the man that gets the very
best jobs and incidentally the best
paying one. It is aggravating in the
extreme to have a man promise to
meet you at a certain place at a cer
tain time and then be kept waiting
for a half-hour or more after the time.
He is not only wasting his time. but.
worse, wasting your time, which ’>e
has no business to do.
“There is many a man who would
rather put up with inefficient work
men who will always be on time rath
er than have more efficient workmen
who can never be depended unon.
Many people prate about what they
can do and promise to do it, but never j
do it. People who do not know how 10 j
live up to their agreement ought to be |
made in some way to pay for it. Such
people need hard and fart rules arn j
ought to be made to pay even at a sac- j
rifice. If you want to take a chance
you have no right to take it at an
other’s expense. You should pay the
bill.
“There is an old adage that ‘a man’s
word should be as good as his bond.’
Some men’s word are better than their
bond. And it is these men who go to
the front and are always in demand.”
EM B A RR ASSING Q1 ESTION S
WE publish in this issue a thought
ful editorial from the Washing
ton Bee, which we understand has
passed under new management, which
bears the caption, “How Colored Peo
ple May Help In War Work.”
With much of what the Bee says we
are in heartiest accord. Its commen
dation of Secretary Baker and his spe
cial assistant, Emmett J. Scott, we
most heartily endorse. Its advice fcr
whole-hearted co-operation with Mr.
Scott in making the work of our peo
ple effective in this great crisis we
unqualifiedly commend. We do not,
however, concur with the opinion ex
pressed by our contemporary at the
seat of government that the people
should refrain from asking “embar
rassing questions.”
Any fair question that any group of
the American people in general and
our own group in particular may ask
ought not give rise to the slightest
embarrassment if there be the desire
and disposition and intention of those
in authority to deal fairly and justly
by that group. Where there is an at
tempt at side-stepping and evasion in
a matter of policy or principle almost
any question that may be asked in
that connection becomes an “embar
rassing question.”
It was by asking an “embarrassing
question” that we ultimately succeed
ed in getting, for example, an officers’
training camp. It is by asking an
“embarrassing question” that will
eventually be answered by employing
Colored Red Cross nurses. The asking
of “embarrassing questions” will ulti
mately result in opening up to our
people, in common with all other
American citizens, the opportunity for
service, willing, efficient service, in
any branch of the civil or military ser
vice for which we may have the train
ing and ability.
With frank, square dealing with all
there will be no reason for embarras
sing questions.
GETTING TOGETHER
RECENTLY there was held a no
table conference of editors and
leaders from all sections of the coun
try at Washington, D. C. The confer
ence was called by Emmett J. Scott
for the unification of sentiment and
efforts on the part of the millions of
Colored Americans in winning the
war. The conference was notable in
that it brought together representa
tives of such wide differences as Dr.
Dubois, editor of the Crisis, and Dr.
R. R. Moton, principal of Tuskegee.
These two men typify the so-called
radical and conservative schools of
thought within the race. Naturally
there are many who fall between these
two extremes. The conference wa;
notable in that it brought together all
schools of thought and all agreed upon
a statement and platform that was
agreeable to all.
The extract from the resolutions,
which are published elsewhere in this
issue in the report of the conference,
shows the sane, manly and patriotic
views expressed by these leaders and
| moulders of thought and opinion. That
there is a reasonable discontent upon
the part of Colored Americans is not
overlooked by the conferees. Thev '
would be unworthy of their leadership
and false to the best interests of the
republic had they blinked this fact. It
is unwise, unpatriotic and dangerous ;
to cry* “Peace, peace, when there i
no peace," or to say that people are
satisfied and contented when such is
not the case. In impressing this fact
upon those in authority the race press
has been rendering the government
and country loyal and patriotic serv
ice, which some day will be fully ap
preciated.
While urging loyalty and unques
tioned service upon their people, the
press has not ignored injustices which
are contrary to American ideals, but
has called attention to them in the :
hope and belief that “pitiless pub- j
licity” and the innate sense of justice
upon the part of the American people ;
would lead to their correction.
i
It is pleasing to note that this is the ;
position of the conference. It is
gratifying to The Monitor to notice
that the resolutions voice the senti
ments expressed by us in an editorial
several months ago, in which we said I
that German propaganda would be
absolutely powerless among our peo
ple if our president would only speak
out against American atrocities. The
silence of this great leader has been a
puzzle as well as pain and grief to us
in the face of crimes against one-tenth
of loyal Americans. The resolutions
of the conference almost re-echo our
words when it says, “W'e believe today
that justifiable grievances of the Col
ored people are producing not dis
loyalty but an amount of unrest and
bitterness which even the best efforts
of their leaders may not be able al
ways to guide unless they can have
the active and sympathetic co-opera
tion of the national and state govern
ments. German propaganda among
us is powerless, but the apparent in
difference of our own government
may be dangerous.”
Our leaders are getting together.
Our people are getting together.
Standing unitedly for the country, we
shall also stand intelligently and
unitedly together until justice shall be
accorded us as American citizens.
AS IT SHOULD BE
I AST week we called attention to
J the fact that unfortunate Colored
women, arrested for prostitution and
suffering from social diseases, were
being detained in the county jail, while
their erring sisters of the other race
were being sent to the detention hos
pital provided by the city for the care
and treatment of such cases. It now
gives us pleasure to state that this
discrimination has ceased. Colored
unfortunates are being sent to the de
tention hospital and given exactly the
same care, attention and treatment
as others. We have been assured that
all are being treated alike. This is
as it should be. And it is but fair to
state that this matter was promptly
taken up by the Board of Public Wel
fare.
JEFFRIES FOR CONGRESS
[T gives us pleasure to note that A.
W. Jefferies, one of Omaha’s fore
most lawyers, has filed for nomina
tion for congress on the republican
ticket. He is a man big in stature,
brain and heart, with the blood, tradi
tions and vision of the west, therefore
a typical American. He will make a
good congressman. The Monitor
heartily endorses his candidacy.
DIXON’S PROPAGANDA
INI) E R THE BAN
DIXON’S infamous misrepresenta
tion of history, conceived as an
effective propaganda to create a sen
timent which should demand the re
peal of the fourteenth and fifteenth
amendments, is being placed under ti e
ban in many cities and states. The
authorities of several Southern states
see in its exhibition a serious danger
and menace to the public welfare and
have refused to allow the picture to
be shown. City after city and com
munity after community are forbid
ding the exhibition of “The Birth of n
Nation.” There must therefore he
good reasons for this action which
justify the opposition raised by Color
ed Americans, who were by some < on
i sidered “over-sensitive about this
beautiful and harmless production.”
The chief ground of objection to
; this motion picture is the sinister mo
! tive lying back of it, and not denied
by its author, to create strife between
i the races.
With cool-tempered, thoughtful an 1
sensible people such a scheme would
fail; but even Americans, with their
many advantages, are not as a whole
cool-tempered and thoughtful. Many
are easily swayed by passion, and so
the authorities are wisely deciding
that in these perilous times everything
possible should be done to prevent
strife.
SKITS OF SOLOMON
The City Hall
4K city hall, located on Eight- ■
eenth and Farnam streets, has be
come the habitation of jackals, hyenas
tnd wildcats. In the good old days
everything around the brownstone
pile was peace and happiness, and any ;
citizen could drop in, cross his feet |
over the mahogany table, light si j
Pittsburgh cheroot and talk to the
mayor and commissioners on any sub- -
ject from secret diplomacy down to
the raising of radishes.
But these days are not more. Wt
have scrappers there now, scrappers
who scrap and make the Queensbury
rules look like play games at a chil
dren’s party. In fact, the gentlemen
scrap so much that they haven’t yet
had time to find out whether the city
has any affairs it wants them to at
tend to or not. Perhaps they don’t
care. Before they got in they prom
ised to have Omaha dressed up like a
Quaker meeting, but a tempo Omaha
is going to the dogs so fast that one
can feel the fleas.
Mi stub Smith as a mayor is a lemor. !
with a huge spec. Sir Ringer, who
was to unhoss the incubus of lawless
ness, has been so busy trying to flop
his friends into fat berths that law
lessness stands on the corner twig
gling its fingers at the end of its nose.
Lord Falconer is saddling unionism on
this burg until it feels like a label
Senor Towl has had a tug-o’-war try -
ing to yank Dan’s jobs away from
him, and Count Zimman flops like a
pendulum trying to gain its equilib
rium. Meanwhile the daily press is
building nice little fires under the
bunch and it is green apples to soap
suds they will be hopping around right
lively in a few weeks. If they ever
make good it looks as though it will
be about the same time that Kaiser
Bill puts his brogans under the feed
ing board at the Palais Royal. In
other words, they arc digging nice,
deep graves to fall into when the next
municipal election rolls around.
The Children of the Sun
By George Wella Parker
f I E white man has always won
I dered from whence he came and
what kind of a place his original home
was. About forty years ago a profes
sor by the name of Max Muller de
cided to find out. He was a student
of languages and by chance he noticed
that three root words in English were
similar to three root words in Sans
krit. Upon this flimsy evidence he
propounded what was known as the
Aryan theory. He declared that the
white man came from India and no
where else, and told how “when the
first ancestors of the Indians, the Per
sians, the Greeks, the Romans, the
Slavs, the Celts and the Germans were
living within the same enclosure, nay,
under the same roof." The theory
spread like wild fire and where Mul
ler had found only three words other
scholars came forth, declaring that
they had found from ten to one hun
dred. For a time it seemed that the
question of the white man’s origin
was finally settled and it became gos
pel truth. Everything went lovely for
a while, but later on a few French and
German scholars sort of got tired o!1
the noise that was being raised ann
began to look into the subject for
themselves. They were unable to fig
ure out how a small Aryan clan iu the
mountains of Central Asia could send
out great colonies, which marched
foui' thousand miles to the shores of
Europe. After a bit they discovered
traces of primitive Europeans who
were not Aryan and who did not speak
the Aryan language, and still other
non-Aryans who did speak the Aryan
tongue. One scientist was so unkind
as to call the new theory an invention
of armchair savants, and this led
many more to hunt for the probable
origin of the white race. Up to the
present time they are still hunting. In
India, where they thought the ques
tion forever answered they have found
millions of black folk and to this day
these same people are found tucked
away in the hills, where they are liv
ing the lives of their ancestors, un
mindful of the great wordy war that
has been fought over them.
When we inquire into the ethnology
of the Indians we find many factft
legends and circumstances which go
to prove that they are primarily an
African people. When the Aryans,
whoever they were, invaded India,
they gathered all the inhabitants un
der the name of “Daysu” and of them
an authority says that everything
about them, from "their color and flat
roses to their barbarous customs,
manifested their relationship to the
Negro races." As to their barbarous
customs an issue may be raised. From
the Vedic hymns themselves we may
learn that these people certainly were
not savages. From the Ramayena
and the Mahabarrata, the epics of
India, we read that they were civilized j
and wealthy, and that they guarded I
their country with ‘‘seven castles anil ;
ninety forts.” In the latter Sanskr.t j
literature the invaders made alliances
with the aboriginal princes, and when I
history at length dawns upon the
scene we find some of the most povvei
ful kingdoms of India ruled by dynas
ties of African descent. In the Sans
krit epic which narrates the advance
of the invaders into southern India
one of the chieftians describes his j
race as of fearful swiftness, unyield- |
.rig in battle and in color like the dark j
blue clouds. This blue—blackness ap- i
pears in ancient pictures which illus
trate the epic. The fact that the sun |
god Krishna means the “blackenet” j
may have some significance.
To see the Hindu one is not apt to
call him a white man. When he ven- '
tured into the northwest recently his
reputed fair-skinned cousin could by
no mental analysis accept him as such ,
and Kipling, in the jargon of the ;
British soldier, called him “nigger.” i
In "The Annals of Kural Bengal” Mr.
Hunter, in describing the Santali or
bill tribes of India, says that hundreds
of imperceptible gradations may be j
traced “from the black squat tribes of j
the mountains to thp tall olive colored
Brahmin, with his intellectual brow, j
calm eyes and high but narrow fore
head." Darwin adds that in the courts
of justice it is necessary to ask the ]
witnesses whether they are Santali- I
or Hindoos, so much are they alike.
So it seems, after all, that the Hindu
must come under the classification of |
African, and this is not surprising
when we consider their wonderful '
j philosophy, literature and architec
] ture. The white races are incapable |
| of such grandeur of expression, such
! depths of emotion, such beauty of har
I mony. These attributes seem to have
been vouchsafed in the beginning to
the dark races and all later civilization
is simpyl the excrescence of the orig
inal cultures.
Ail through Asia do we find evi
dences of African mixture and cul
ture. The Japanese have a legend of
how their island was once conquered
by “black savages” and the wonderful
civilizations of the Indian ocean, now j
sunk beneath the waves, were attrib
uted to Africans by no less an au
thority than the great Huxley. All
the islands of the eastern seas arc
filled with native folk who are kin
with Africans. A broad and deep study
of these regions is necessary to ap
preciate the wonderful spread of j
African culture, and it is because men
have studied it that Asia and her
civilizations have passed away as
monuments to the white races and
! have been given, although somewhat
grudgingly, to the credit of the Col
ored races.
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PRESIDENT WILSON tells us
that we have more than a mil
lion men in France. Surprising, is
it not? Let them know that we are
standing solidly behind them.
Buy War Savings Stamps
Thomas Kilpatrick &. Co.
V•
10 ROOM
Rooming House
FOR SALE
MUST SELL AT ONCE.
MRS. BANKS
Telephone Douglas 4379. 921 North 20th Street.
Drug Store For Sale
PROPRIETOR DRAFTED.
MUST SACRIFICE MY ENTIRE STOCK.
TERRELLS DRUG STORE
Telephone Webster 4443. 24th and Grant.
Trade at the Washington Market
The Most Sanitary and Up-to-Date Market in the Middle
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Washington Market
1107 DOUGLAS STREET
Avoid the Perils of
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If you have germs of malaria in your system you are in peril. Heed
all such warning as chills, sudden fevers, headaches, lassitude, etc.
Such symptoms indicate that the germs are getting the upper hand
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PRICE 25 CENTS
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BOX 1009, HOUSTON, TEXAS
Warden Hotel
On Sixteenth Street at Cuming.
STEAM HEATED ROOMS—HOT AND COLD RUNNING WATER—BATHS
By Day for One . .50c, 75c, $1.00
By Day for Two.$1.00. $1.25, $1 50
By Week . . .$2.00 to $4.50
BILLIARD PARLOR IN CONNECTION FOR GENTLEMEN WHO CARE
EASY WALKING DISTANCE TO HEART OF CITY
Douglas 6332. Charles H. Warden, Proprietor,
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