The Monitor A Weakly 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-Claas Mail Matter July 2. 1916, at the Poet Office at Omaha. Neb., under the act of March 3, 1179 THE REV. JOHN ALBERT WILLIAMS, Editor and Publisher. Lucille Skaggs Edwards and William Garnett Haynes, Associate Editors. George Welle Parker. Contributing Editor. Bert Patrick, Business Manager. Fred C. Williams, Traveling Representative SUBSCRIPTION RATES, $2.00 A YEAR; $1.00 6 MONTHS; 60c 3 MONTHS Advertising Rates, 60 cents an Inch per Issue. Address, The Monitor, 1119 North Twenty-first street. Omehs. Telephone Webster 424$. Bl'Y A LIBERTY BOND TVTHAT have you done for your YY country? Have you "given a father, a son, a brother, a sweetheart ? If so, back him up and as soon as you can reach an official BUY A LIB ERTY' BOND. When you back them up, you back up your country, and your country needs your backing. No man or woman is too small, too incon‘ sequential, to help the nation. If you have not yet given up a loved one to defend our country over there, more is the reason that you should BUY A LIBERTY BOND and help. There is but one slogan now and do not forget it: BUY A LIBERTY BOND! THE CONFLICT OF REASON A N I) SENT1 M ENT LIFE is an eternal conflict between reason and sentiment. In this hour of world war. when our country is doing all possible to preserve civil ization and make the earth a decent home, reason dictates that our race has no other part to play than that of patriotic loyalty and unvarying devo tion. This is the only country we know and the Stars and Stripes is the only flag for which ye have ever felt a passion. We are Americans all, and it is up to everyone of us to do an American’s part. Yet it cannot be denied that senti ment plays its part. The heart has a language and sometimes it screams aloud and almost drowns the voice of reason. As a persecuted people we have, peihaps, more delicacy of .-oul than other peoples, and the slightest injustice never passes unnoticed. It is as though a music maker tunes his harp to sweetest harmony and sud denly a hidden hand strikes and brings forth discord. Our supposed leaders say that we must forget our wrongs, but CAN WE ? Can we view with voiceless tongue and unwavering eye the subtle workings of prejudice as they are rife today? If our beloved country is big enough to be great, is it not also big enough to be gen erous? Our nation has put fear into the hearts of all who would dare as sail our purpose and our aims; can it not p't'; fear into the hearts of those who try to make it a crime to be black? Whatever may be done or said, now is the time for the executive department of our government to strike at the hydra headed demon of prejudice and keep it silent during the war. Then after the war it might revive, but revive with such a weak ness and frail it y that men might help one another to try and forget it. We wonder if such a thing may not be possible? GETTING IN THE GAME The World-Herald reprints a selec tion called ‘‘Us Angry Saxom’s,” from the Atlantic Monthly and it is about the cheapest attempt at Negro dialect we have ever read. It purports to be a dialogue indulged in by members of the Eighth Illinois and is certainly a monument to the white man’s ignor ance. We did not expect such a thing from the Atlantic Monthly, but when it stoops to such ignorant jargon and attempts to saddle it upon such a regi ment as the Eighth, we beg to be ex cused. Of course the “Us AngKy Saxom’s,” was copied from one of Charles W. Chestnut’s books and used by some white pen acrobat who is making an attempt to be funny. But there isn’t any humor in it. When you want real Negro humor, you must first of all learn how he talks. No Negro in the woild ever talked like those written up in the Atlantic Monthly. If this New England maga zine wants to deal in southern dialect, it had better put a Colored man or woman on the staff and have them censor such stuff as “Us Angry Sax oms." Get in the game right. THE ETERNAL AFRICAN When the war came at last the Negro rare rose to the occasion with really touching simplicity. No ob server could fail to see that the Ne groes thrilled deeply to the thought that the American flag was their flag and that it was not only their duty, but their privilege to defend it. What ever we may feel them, the Colored people feel themselves not African hut American. Have they not indeed itiunk of our wells and eaten of our bread for three centuries? The Ger man propagandists told them the flag was not theirs. But it is the only flag they have ever had. and under it, in spite of adverse conditions, they have attained to a degree of civilization and prosperity and happiness which their fellows have reached under no other. We must remember too that American citizenship, of which some of its white possessors think lightly enough, is for the Negro still a great, almost romantic privilege, and that all his hopes for the future as sum med up in complete attainment of it and full enjoyment of all its rights and advantages. The race is emo tional and the days are propitious for an emotianal patriotism.—Harrison Rhodes in the Metropolitan. PROCESSION OF THE SLAIN If we sat dav and night and saw the ghostly procession of those slain in the war file by in ranks of four, minute by minute, ten years would pass and still the tale of the world’s sacrifice of its youth and strength and hope would not have been told. And if behind the dead, there filed the host of the maimed, the halt, the blind, the dumb, the paralyzed, fifty years would hardly exhaust the dread ful spectacle. The material costs we do not yet realize. We are burning down the house of Bobo and it makes a fine blaze—plenty of work, plenty of money, plenty of profits. We shall have to wait till the fire is out and we survey the map of ashes before we appreciate the meaning of these thou sands of millions of debt which Bonar Law announces to a house that used to be seized with visions of national I bankruptcy if any one asked for one million dollars to build schools or house the poor, or heal the sick.—The London Daily News. QI'ESTIONS BY THE WAY - N When will Colonel Young be re called to active service? When is the first contingent of Col ored Red Cross nurses to be cal'ed? Are we getting our full quota of commissioned officers for our Colored soldiers? When will the Jim Crow law be abolished on government controlled rail roads. When will lynching cease to be a southern pastime? When will the ninety-second divis ion get to Berlin? The nineteenth Colored soldier was hung this week to expiate the Hous ton crime. Georgia this week has lynched her nineteenth Negro victim in nine months. Not a single Georgis Hun has been molested for his crime. • Buy a Liberty bond and make the world safe for democracy. THE METROPOLITAN ON THE NEGRO THE October number of the Metro politan Magazine contains a very inclusive article cn the Negro and the war, by Harrison Rhodes. We say in clusive, because the author has includ ed almost every phase of war activity as it touches the race in America. It is a sympathetic and deeply apprecia tive article and has none of that course vulgarism that typified the “Mobiliz ing Rastus” that appeared in Collier’s sometime ago. Particularly interest ing is the manner in which the author takes up the matter of the Red Cross. He says that this national society has usually prided itself upon assuming a certain social and aristocratic tinge and when it was first suggested that Colored women be made Red Cross w’orkers, there was a considerable fight on hand. The organization even went to the length of turning down the work of Colored chapters by the wholesale and that thousands of knitted goods were thrown out for the reason that the Red Cross wanted nothing from Colored women. The author also states that the Colored soldier has shown himself a veteran under shell fire, the one point where many said he would fall down. The article is a good one and well worth reading. Buy a Liberty bond to beat the Hun. I Obvious Observations Same pen scribbling bother said in the paper las* week that while dollars ] are cheap, you'd better get a collec tion. Dear brother, you said a mouth ful. We never saw so many cullud folks buying Metropolitan Magazines since we have been sons of Ham. What was cooking? Colonel Hayward sure bets all this poker chips on those shady boys of I his, eh ? Two more jumps, then Metz, then PLUNK! Press dispatches say that Bulgaria I has accumulated a mess of cold dogs. ; Well, one thing is certain: the allies aren’t going to give her a chance to warm them unless they get hot feet via the rear speedway. Ye editor hath gone down to glim the great consecration. Well, let him slip off this one time, beause its the first event of its kind in the old U. S. A. But we hope he won’t get the idea that The Monitor can get along with out him. It is rumored that Link Sam is soon to add the packing plants to his col lection of industries. Please hurry, Unk. because this six bit bacon has about disturbed our serenity. Genera! Forh is sure *he worring est mar we ever heard of. Fine weather, brother; but don’t th'nk this is April instead of October. Business is good, thank you! Even over there. Whoa! Suspender button slipped. Will continue in our next. SKITS OF SOLOMON Himself Mr. Solomn has been with you sev eral days by the old calendar on the wall. Week by week he has been wheezing out desecrated English for your edification and hasn’t tried to borrow a dime or a drink. But now old Soi ha.- about bankrupted h's ex chequer bringing cut a nifty I ooklet known as The Children of the Sun. In the whole regiments of type he hasn’t said a word about himself, but what he said about you is a caution. Legend has it that old man Darwin claimed you descended from a simian called monkey, but Sol has hit Darwy such a blow that his progeny for one hundred vears will have a headache. Old Sol has gone through the dark and devious ways of history and ; nnked loose more ancestral timber ’bun Noah h-d on his who e blooming Ark. Of course folks don’t say much when a eullud student sticks around the dark continent for family tradi- j ♦ions, but when he sticks Greece in his watch pocket, Rome in his inside coat pock ;t and then collects the rest of the big show and hangs it on hi* hip, there is bound to be a holler. But that is just what Solomon has done. He has been long nn the foolish stuff, but brothers end iseers, he hasn’t let tic heavy bass slip by. For twenty years he has been nosing around dusty tombs and library corners where he had no business, and now he is going to give you an earful of his awful ac cumulations; not aw-ful on you, but aw ful on the guy who has been telling you for several moons that you were nothing but the wart behind the neck of history. Sol shows you where \ cu’re the face, the symetrical arms, the big chest, the dainty waist, the shape !y legs, and the number eleven feet. In fact, old Sol has crowded everybody off the lines but >0u, and it is up *o you to manifest apprecia tion. Grab onto the book while its hot and then put in some spare time accumulating its salt and pepper. TO A KOSEBIO Dear little rose, I hold thee in my hand— A cast-away, a spumed and lifeless thing; A few days since, I saw thee wet with dew, A bud o’ promise, to th> parent cling. Now tholi art dead, yet fragrant as before, The adverse winds but waft thy frag rance more! - : How frail art thou! I tread thee un der foot. And leave thee helpless on the reeking ground; Perchance someone, in pity for thy state, j Doth pick thee up in reverence pro found. Lo! thou art rich, in sweetness more intense, Thy perfume grows from earthly det riments. Why do we grieve? I^et each afflic t;on bare. A nobler beauty neath the surface sod; Our thoughts like incense from the urn. Which wafted up, enshrouds the throne o? God. Envoy of hope, this message I dis close; “Be ever sweet”—O, humble, fragrant rose. EVA ALBERTA JESSIA. _ 1 Letters from Our Readers ABOUT THE OLD FOLKS HOME? Some time ago one of the ladies conected with the Old Folks’ Home (for Colored people), came to our manager. Mr. William Lewis, to En gage the First Regimental band U. R. of K. P., to play for an entertain- | ment to be given at the home com- : mencing September 9. Mr. Lewis informed the lady that her cause was too sacred to have to pay for the services of the band, and j therefore he would furnish the said j band free. On the opening night thirty mem bers of the band met and played for two hours in the yard of the home. I regret to say that a band that drew at least ten thousand citizens on the this, may outlive all of your relatives and friends, then where will you turn j for comfort? Don’t you think it will be wise to I invest a little time and money to per- , petuate something that will be wait ing for you should you need it ? Now you ask what can I do? Well it will cost you twenty cents to become a member and ten cents per month dues. Not very much, even if the cost of living is high. In America we think only of dollars, we never think of ten cents as being very much, but if one thousand of the present population will donate ten cents per month that will support the home very nicely. Let’s all rally to the home and keep her going on safe waters. Now if you want to join this organ ization just get in touch with the fol lowing ladies: Mesdames Martha Smith. 1920 North 34th street; A. L. Bowlei, 2709 North 28th avenue; Kate Wilson, 521 North 33d street. Oh, yes, you should join; you’re not compelled to attend meetings, only send vour dues. Respectfully, DAN DFSDUNF.S. THE COLORED PRESS The Negro newspaper is beginning to wield great power. It required th» great white race centuries to reach a place of merit which we have reached in less than half a century. One hun dred years ago there was not a news paper in America as well printed as the Broad Ax, nor better edited, and perhaps not as extensively read. Edu cation of the masses has been the slogan upon which it has predicated its potency. Progress has risen out of oblivion to shine forever against the old order which Abraham Lincoln annihilated with his immortal pen. The Negro press is becoming forci ble and mighty, and has built itself upon the foundation of truth and hon or, defying envy and all supping time. Today it stands intrenched by every noble qualification. Capable and j praiseworthy, in fact, it has become a determining factor of our steady de velopment and progress, besides being a monitor, a guide, and defender of our race escutcneon, points the way like a sentinel on a watch tower or guiding like a lighthouse pointing the shoals and quicksands,—The Chicago Broad Ax. __ ! -i I ' i 1! , , biandeis Stores OVER-SEAS SERVICE Rendered We will take orders at our OVERSEAS BOOTH on the Main Floor, fr om anyone who desires to send anything over seas and our Par is office will buy and send direct. This Service Is Rendered Absolutely Without One Cent of Profit by This Store. Come to the Over-Seas booth on the Main Floor, and you will find a printed list of the merchandise carried by our’ Paris Office— 1. —You select the gift you wish to send. 2. —We mail order to Paris. 3. —Our Paris office finds out where your bov is stationed. 4. —Our Paris office sends the present to your boy, asking him for a receipt. 3.—The receipt is returned to us and sent to you. Buy Your Copy of The Children of the Sun NOW! In this book George Wells Parker, author and historian, smashes traditions, overturns historians and proves the African Race the Great est Race of History 25 cents per copy Cash or money order. No stamps The Hamitic League of the World 933 North 27th Street Omaha, Nebraska i % UNCLE SAM NEEDS OUR MEN. LET THE ff ! PORO SYSTEM ! I*! TAKE CARE OF YOU } l I X y x X v X X X I I I x i x z Y X ? I Y X ¥ f ¥ I Y X I I I J 1 m | PORO SYSTEM COMPANY | | SAINT LOUIS, MO. | | Dept, U f