Bruce Grit's Column
l
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(Continued From Last Week.) |
Immediately on war being declared
by Great Britain Sir Frederick Lu- j
gard, governor gems al of Nigeria, 1
had concentrated three columns com
posed of men of the Nigerian regi
ment of the West African Frontier
Force near the frontier. These col
umns entered Cameroon? on the 25th
of August. The most northerly col
umn started from Mairtugari, under
the command of Captain U. W/ Fox,
marched on Mora 110 miles to the
southeast, and endeavored to carry it
by assault. The attempt failed, Mora
being placed on a commanding emi
nence in very ragged and difficult
country, almost impregnable to direct
attack, well fortified and provisioned
and ably and resolutely defended by
its commandant, Hauptmann (Cap
tain) von Raben. The attackers then
established a watch unt;i the French
reinforcement arrive!. Another as
sault was delivered and tailed. Sev
eral positions were carried by Colonel
Brisset’s troops in night attacks, but
were recovered by counter attacks,
the fighting being so severe that the
Germans asked for an enjiistice to
bury their dead.
Colonel Brisset and Captain Fox
then decided to divide their forces,!
the Nigerians remaining to blockade
Mora, while their allies advanced to
Marua, a large Muhammadan town
about 15 miles further south. Driv- i
ing before him a Germar force ad
vancing to the relief of Mora, Colonel
Brisset attacked the town. Although
the attack was not successful the Ger
mans abandoned the position during
the night and retired 1o Gama, a large
town on the Benue near the Nigerian
frontier, and 160 miles southwest
of Marua.
As the operations at Moia had no j
decisive effect on the result of the j
conflict, which was fought out on
another area, it may be stated here !
that the blockade was maintained un
til August, 1915, when Brigadier
General Cunliffe again ordered an !
assault. The Nigerian troops at
tacked with desperate and determined
courage against almost insuperable
natural obstacles. General Cunliffe
thus describes the position: “Mora
mountain has a base perimeter of
about thirty miles, it rises precipit
ously to a height of 1.700 feet, and
its sides, which are so steep as to be
accessible only in a few places to
men using both hands and feet, are
covered with huge botilderg, affording
excellent cover to the defenders.”
From a hill called Ouatchke, the sum
mit of which is of nearly equal height,
but separated from Mora mountain :
by a deep valley 600 yards wide, three j
separate attacks weie launched. The
third succeeded in gaining a foothold
on the summit only to find its prog
ress stopped by a redoubt. An as
sault with the bayonet on this work
by the Nigerian regiment was stopped
within 60 yards of the defenses, but
these indomitable" troops held the po
sition they had gained for forty
eight hours without food or water
which it was impossible to supply
them, and the general,was obliged to
order them to retire, which they did
only in obedience to theii orders.
In consequence of the development
of the course of the operations in
oter parts of the country. General
Cunliffe’s force was now recalled for
service on the coast, troops equal in
numbers to the original investing
force being left to maintain a block
ade. This was maintained until all
the other German forces having been
defeated, Hauptmann von Rabon was
called upon to surrender on honorable
terms which he accepted, and capit
ulated with his whole force on the
18th of February, 1916.
The operations so far described
had been conducted in the eastern ex
tremities of the interior country, hut
the decisive struggle took place in the
western portion and near the coast.
These operations were under the com
mand of Major General Charles Do
bell, K. C. B., inspector general of the
West African frontier force, com
posed entirely of natives of West Af
rica under British officers. The base
of operations was Duala, the chief
port of Cameroons and the starting
point of a railway.
It is always necessary to bear in
mind the vast area of the country in
volved in these operations. It forms
a great triangle w-ith Duala at its
apex. The northern side from Duala
to Kusseri is 650 miles long; the
southern side, from Duala is 600 miles
long; while the base, from Kusseri
to Bonga, measures 900 miles. The
western half of this vast area is cov
ered by the forest described above,
through which the advancing forces
had to hew' their own path, and which
afforded a skillful and determined
enemy constant opportunities for sur
prise attacks on forces necessarily
extended in a thin line over a great
length of road.
All the troops engaged on both
sides, though for convenience spoken
of as British, French or German, were
black men, natives of the west coast,
drilled and trained in the European
discipline and provided with arms of
precision. Whether fighting for the
Germans or the allies, they equally
proved their courage, and the high
military capacity and value of the
African.
| Antar, the Arab Poet
Paper delivered by Syed M. Ehsan
El-Bakry, native Arabian, before the
Societe Internationale De Philologie,
Sciences Et Beaux Arts, and reprinted
from the Philomath, official organ
and journal of the Societe.
Arabic is the richest language in
poetry in the world.
Every Arab, literate or illiterate, is
a poet of some sort.
There are three schools of Arabic
poetry. The first school is that of
the poets of the “Gahilieh,” which
literally means the “time of ignor
ance,’ that is to say, the period pre
ceding Islam. The second school is
that of the poets of “Sadr-ul-Islam,”
that is to say, the period of Islamic
power and civilization, which extends
from the beginning of the 7th cen
tury to the end of the 12th century.
The thud school is that of the mod
em poets, who are chiefly Egyptians
and Syrians.
Antar belonged to the first school,
which was composed of Bedouin war
riors whose only occupation was fight
ing. It was during this period of
“Gahilieh” that the greatest Arab
poets appeared. Never before, nor
after, had poetry a greater hold over a
people. Every year all Arabs of im
portance met at the principal mar
ket, “Suk Ikaz,” to recite their poems
and compete to win the envied prize
of poet laureate. They even wor
shipped poetry, and the greatest seven
poems that were ever written were
hung at the Kaaba, the Holy Temple
at Mecca, to be worshipped by the
thousand of pilgrims who came thith
er every year. One of the proudest
poets who possessed the honour of
having one of his poems hung in the
Kaaba was the one whose life and
works we will now consider.
Antar was bom about the year 498
of the Christian era, in Najd in Arab
ia. His mother was a black slave
whose dark colour Antar inherited.
He used to be taunted for his colour,
but he always had a clever and proud
answer which silenced his enemies.
Here is a literal translation of a few
lines of some of the poems he wrote
on this subject:
"They, these narrow-minded fools,
*
. * *>» ** * a a * a « « K'K
taunt me for the blackness of my'
skin; though had it not been for the
blackness of the night, there would 1
have been no dawn. If my. skin is
black, still my heart and deeds are .
white, and I am always giving freely !
to the needy.”
“What silly fools they be, and how i
they wisdom lack,
Who say, in scorn, to me, ‘Antar, thy I
skin is black.’
Know not they that the dawn, with its j
inspiring light,
Would not , exist at all, but for the j
darksome night?
”ris blackness of the night, when it
doth pass away,
That brings in view the light that
heralds in the day.
My skin indeed is black, my heart
and deeds are white,
For ever I assist the needy in their
plight;
When scomers me assail, as often is
their whim,
I say, ‘God made me black, the blame
then lay on Him.”’
At first his father would not own
him because his mother was a slave,
and treated him like a slave. But one
another tribe attacked the "Beni Abs”
—Antar’s tribe—and defeated them,
capturing a great number of men and
women and cattle. Whilst this was
going on Antar remained sitting by
himself some little distance from the
; scene of the combat, taking no part
in the fray. His father cried to him,
“Why are you not fighting, Antar?”
I “Because the duty of a slave is to
' look after the cattle and not fight,
j which is duty of a free man,” Antar
i replied. His father was touched by
his answ'er, and replied: “Fight, my
son, and you shall be free.” On hear
ing this Antar sallied forth with the
remaining tribesmen, and thanks to
his great strength and personal cour
age he completely defeated the enemy
and freed the captives. From that
time he became famous and was con
j sidered the greatest warrior of the
time.
He admirably shows the change in
his position from a slave to that of a
protector of his people in some lines
of his poetry:
“In the past I used to look after
their camels; but now, whenever there ,
is trouble, I am the guardian of those j
who own those camels.”
As Dr. Leon has well expressed it:
“In olden days I was a slave, whom
no one did regard,
They scorned me then, and deem’d me :
fit their camels but to guard;
Not so today; when trouble comes j
they haste to me and say,
‘Brave Antar, come, thou noble one,
protect us in the fray.’ ”
His people were always grateful to |
him, and treated him in a very un
generous way. Still, whenever they j
needed the aid of his sword he never j
refused it to them, thus setting an
excellent example of the patriotic and
generous feelings of the true Arab.
Some of his poems on this subject
are interesting.
“I served a people to whom I stood
in relationship, and expected them to
help me in my need as I had helped
them in theirs, but they are ungrate-1
ful, like the scorpions. When there !
is peace and they do not require my
services they call me ‘Thou son of a ;
slave.’ But whenever there is any j
fighting to be done I become ‘The
noble son of a noble father.’ If it
was not for the love I bear in my
heart I would never humiliate myself
to such people, as they are not worth
it, nor would a lion like me bow to
a gang of foxes like them. They
will always remember me whenever
the hoofs of enemy horsemen are
treading on their soil. They could
not forget me, for the very sword or
spear must remind them of my deeds
and the terror of my blows.”
(To be Continued)
LEADERSHIP AND
RACE BUILDING
(Continued From First Page.)
will. The difference instantly shows
in the power of song. Where the
white man closes his book in song,
there the Colored man just begins.
It shows itself in that marvelous
thought transference. More and more
do I marvel at the power.
Therefore, Cplored men must be
trained in all the broad cultures, if
they shall clad their race to that
broad position God designs it to take.
And lastly, the leader must have the
vision to see the completed task ere
the first attack is launched. Of course
I am all the while thinking of building
a race along the lines of its own
genius. Were I to counsel the train
ing of only economic leaders, and did
I have the power to confine all train
ing to such, I should be ringing the
curtain down and the lights out for
the race. But, thank God, the race
possesses those native springs of div
inity which will give forth life to her
preachers, her teachers, her authors,
her singers, as well as to her material
leaders.
In every 1,000 young men and wom
en, white or Colored, there are a large
percentage who will stay on the lower
levels. They are fitted by nature and
disposition to be the hewers of wood
and drawers of water. There is a
small percentage who will become
moderately skilled in the trades and
gain possession of a much larger per
cent of property than will the first.
There is yet a much smaller percent
age who will climb to strong posi
tions of leadership among their fel
lows. These are the exceptional men ,
and women without a college or uni- j
versity training, and those who have j
such training. There yet remain of:
the 1,000, whether white or Colored,1
one or two who can trained to become !
outstanding leaders of their genera-j
tion.
Keeping this thought in mind, let j
me say that I, of course, believe in |
common school education for all.
There can be no safety for the human
race otherwise. I also believe, most
emphatically, in special training for
those who can become the farmers,
the blacksmiths, the workers in wood
and iron. But I earnestly believe in
all the training and culture possible
for those exceptional young men and
women who are fitted by God for the
highest cultures, that they may be
come the prophets of their times.
I affirm that any system of schools
saying to students of any race, “Thus
far shalt thou go and no further,” is
flinging a lie in the face of God.
I affirm that any system of schools
cultivating each student to his best
capabilities and constantly calling the
brightest and best to the highest
reaches of culture is in harmony with
the truth of God.
I affirm that only as every system
of schools and every leader of the
Colored race shall follow this age
old wisdom of man, and this ordina
tion of God, shall they be true to
the race they lead, the generation
they mould, and the God they serve.
BUY A HOME
■Will help those who will try to
kelp themselves. Will advance any
person who hasn’t the required cash
payment up to one hundred dollars
without any interest if you will buy
from this firm. Homes in all parts
of the city at your own terms. See
Nimiod Johnson, agent, Webster 1302.
Smoke John Ruskin cigar.
-11111! 111111111II111111111111111111111111II111111U
~
||tHE SCHOOLMA’AM |
= By ETHEL M. FARMER. §
TiiimiiiimiMiiiiiimiiiiiiiiiimiiiiiimnfT
Hi ss Brooks stood on the threshold
of the little village school vigorously
ringing the rusty old bell. Many school
ma’ams had stood on that same thresh
old ringing that same rusty bell but
somehow this one seemed different
from the rest. And somehow' the clang
I ing of the bell seemed clearer than
ever.
The ringing of the hell ceased, the
long line of children passed Into the
building and the schoolhouse door was
; closed. It was very evident that the
long days in the little school were not
ones of drudgery. The teacher, who
was little more than a girl herself, was
dearly loved by all the children.
As she began the day's work no one
would have surmised that in her heart
there was trouble.
"it really did seem strange about
Ed. It could not be true. Dick was
mistaken. II*—”
A suppressed giggle Interrupted her
wandering thoughts.
With great dignity she asked a very
modest little girl, who proudly wore
two tight braids down her back, the
chusc of the disturbance.
"Excuse me. please,” the girl spoke \
timidly, "but we had this lesson two
days ago.” •
“Excuse me, too,” was all she said,
as she reassigned the lesson.
The clock carefully ticked away the :
minutes and the hands gradually crept i
along their dally journey. Then u
ruler fell on the door with a sounding
thud 1
A little red headed fellow In the
front seat was working very Industri
ously, with his desk covered with pa
pers and opened hooks, hut the tell
tale ruler lay In the aisle beside him.
"Jimmy!"
"Er, yes'm, Miss Brooks; did you
mean me?" And he struggled desper
ately to return her look with luno
cency.
"Pick It up 1” she said slowly, forc
ing back a smile.
With great surprise he leaned over
and picked up the offending article and
placed It thoughtfully In his desk.
All went well for a while after the
ruler was safely deposited out of sight
until Jimmy suddenly thought of the
lovely, big cud of gum he had stuck
under his desk.
“How good It would taste!” he
thought, but he knew how stern "she”
was on chewing in school—he had
tried It before.
He studied the clock with a sigh, for
there were 15 minutes more! At last he
could stand It no longer, and the gum
was suddenly and slyly transferred j
from the desk to his mouth.
“How good it was 1” And he gave It j
a few good chews.
“Jimmy !" came in low tones from the
other side of the room.
“Er. yes’m.” he replied, jumping to
his feet, “I’ll take—”
"Put It In the basket and crawl In
under my desk. Stay there until the 1
bell rings.”
At last the closing bell rang and the ;
children filed out of the building, but i
Miss Brooks did not notice that Jimmy
did not appear.
With a sigh she sat down at her desk
and drew out part of a newspaper clip
ping which told of the engagement of ■
Lieut. Edward Smith to a beautiful
“society belle." All of the nrtlcle was
not there, but Dick had assured her
that it was true and that Ed had not
treated her fair.
Just then Dick himself entered the
room.
“WYiere shall we go this evening?"
he asked cheerfully.
“Are you sure this Is true about
Ed?” she asked him again.
“How can you doubt It? Forget
about him and we will have a good
time together."
She shook her head.
“I guess I will not go tonight. Some
how I do not believe that Is true about
him.”
Suddenly Jimmy opened hla eyes, j
Who said Ed? Why, Ed was his spe
cial friend and was coining home from
the army this ver\- day 1
He scrambled out from under the;
desk, rubbing hla eyes.
“Why, I’ve been asleep and I prom
ised to meet Ed right after school.”
"Ed?” she asked in surprise, after
overcoming the shock of the unex i
pected third party.
The boy’s face fell.
“It was to be a surprise to yon," he
stammered.
Just then Dick picked up his whip, j
which he had laid on a chair, and dls
uppenred through the door, for he had
suddenly spied a tall soldier hastening
up the road with one arm carried stiff
ly In a sling.
He had just burely left when the
soldier entered.
“Ruth!”
She looked with surprise and Joy at!
the newcomer.
A few minutes luter she passed her
worn clipping to Ed slowly.
His face clouded as he read, but 11
Immediately cleared when he realized
its significance, and the cause of the
strange disappearance of his old rival
whom he hud Just caught a glimpse of
down the road.
“This Is another Ed Smith, who live*
In town,” he assured her. “I know him.
Don’t worry about me.”
No more explanations were neces
sary and Miss Brooks’ “problem” was
settled very satisfactorily.
At a signal from Ed, Jimmy scam
pered from the building, but he suw
what happened later when lie glee
fully climbed up on the roof and
peeked In at the cracked window.
^Copyright, 1919, by the McClure News
paper Syndicate )
CRISPUS ATTUCKS CHAPTER
SPRINGS SURPRISE
The Crispus Attucks chapter of the
Red Cross, accompanied by their hus
bands, descended upon the home of
Lieut. Edward Turner Tuesday eve
ning and captured the lieutenant and
his patriotic wife by a surprise party.
Mrs. Turner has been one of the most
faithful members of the Red Cross
since the organization of the chapter.
As Lieut. Turner was the first of our
officers to return from overseas this
surprise was planed as a mark of
appreciation for him and also in rec
ognition of the faithful services of
Mrs. Turner. The chapter presented
Lieutenant Turner with a pair of gold
cuff buttons, Mrs. John A. Smith
making the presentation speech. Lieu
tenant Andrew Reed, another Omaha
boy, who made good in the trenches,
fortunately arrived in time to attend
the party. Lieuts. Turner and Reed,
Fr. Williams and J. R. Lemma were
called upon for speeches. The eve
ning was spent in games, viewing war
relics and listening to war news. Mrs.
Bailey, president of the chapter, said
that the Red Cross was simply wait
ing for the return of the majority of
our boys from overseas to give them
an enthusiastic reception.
ENTERTAINMENT FOR
365TH INFANTRY
People of “Wintjy City” Plan Great
Reception for Brave Fighters En
Route to Demobilization Camp.
(By the Associated Negro Press.)
Chicago, III., March 6.—Prepara
tions are being made for the enter
tainment of the 365th Infantry of the
A. E. F., who have arrived in the
United States, and who will come
through here on their way to Camp
Grant for demobilization. The regi
ment is made up largely of Chicago
draftees, and was in much real fight
ing in France.
However, they have reached our
glorious shores with a good meas
ure of soreness and disgust. In the
first place it is claimed that their
regimental flag, which was presented
to the boys before they left Chicago,
in a great public demonstration at the
Coliseum by Editor Robert S. Abbot,
of the Chicago Defender, had been
ordered placed in the “junk heap.”
This to many seems unbelievable, but
the fact is declared on affidavit by
the Y. M. C. A. secretary and chap
lain of the regiment.
Added to this sitution is the fact
that for the first time, in cross-ocean
transportation the commissioned offi
ce.-s of the 365th regiment were “jim
crowed” by the commanding officer
of the vessels soldiers. Brig. Gen.
Gearhardt. The men were marie to
eat in separate dining rooms, and
were in every way made to feel the
very opposite of the democracy for
which they had but recently been
fighting.
Protests have been sent to the sen
ators and representatives at Washing
ton, and it is expected that some ac
tion will be taken.
PAY FOR YOUR PAPER
The really cheap man or woman is
the one who takes a paper, reads it
and then runs when the collector calls
to ask them to pay for it.
Do you patronize The Monitor ad
vertisers?
When you fail to get your paper,
don’t holler. It must be that you
owe something and haven’t paid.
It takes some folks a long time to
learn that a newspaper isn’t exist
ing upon air.
LODGE DIRECTORY
Keystone Ixidge, No. 4. K. of P., Omaha,
Neb, Meetings first and third Thursdays
of each month. M. H. Ifazzard, C. C.; J.
H. Glover, K. of H. and S.
A FIREMAN’S RI*K
Fred Gillin, otherwise known as
Sam Gilinsky, who has considerable
insight on the fire department, put
one over on the boys at No. 9 the
other morning, when he and the boys
were going to an early morning fire
one cold day. Of course he drives the
big hose truck (which is nothing to
brag about), but as 1 was saying on
his way to the fire he froze his third
leg (which is vooden), and he could
not drive it back, so the captain
(Dunn, otherwise known as the skip
per of the janitors at the bai*n), had
John Casey, alias Gum Shoe Johnnie, ^
drive it back.
When the boys got back, Bryan, the
engineer, and Butler, his assistant,
got busy to fire the boiler to unfreeze
Gilinsky’s leg. They sat him by the
big stove and went off to finish the
job of cleaning the track (which is
their duty), and they forgot all about
Sam until his leg was half burnt off.
Now’ the poor fellow has to wear a
crutch. (Too bad Sam, the boys will
buy you another.)
Walter Martin, formerly on the wet
wagon of the Luxus plant, is an all
round card shark. He was playing
pinochle the other night and forgot
what tramps were, and tried to take
the skipper’s trick, but Chuncy Mc
Coy (the ladies man and partner of
the skipper, wouldn't let him.) Some
player Walter.
Sr. Captain Charles, living near the
hog yards, has a flivver, known as a
Ford. He takes good care of the tin
can, for sometimes it runs and some
times it don’t run at all. He tried to
sell it two months ago but nobody will
buy. (The only way to get rid of it*“' “
Charlie is to leave it stand out at
your front door and move away.)
Charlie had to donate $3 for a wheel
license (Class 3, 1919), but don’t know
where to put it. (Never mind Charlie,
hang it on the seat of your pants
where everybody will see it.)
John Casey, alias Gub Shoe Johnnie,
was upstairs shaving when the bell
hit he came near breaking his neck
through the swinging doors getting
downstairs. Here he was his head in
one room and the rest of his body in
another. (Poor judgment, Johnnie,
be careful next time.
FURNITURE SALE
If you want to sell your furniture,
don’t give it away; sell it at a private
sale; cost is small. Just call Nimrod
Johnson, agent. Webster 1302.
RACE BOOKS AND PERIODICALS ^
Our Boys and Girls
A weekly newspaper for our youth,
$1.00 per year; 50c for 6 months. 54
West 140th St., New York City.
The Negro in American History
By Prof. John W. Cromwell, $1.40 and
worth more. 1439 Swann St., N. W.,
Washington, D. C.
The Negro Soldier
By John E. Bruce “Grit”. The glor
ious record of America’s black heroes,
25 cents (no stamps.) 2709 Madison
Ave., New York City.
The Children of the Sun
By’ George Wells Parker. Proves the
African the Greatest Race in His
tory. 25 cents (no stamps.) Hamittc
League of the World, 933 North 27th
St., Omaha, Neb.
The Crusader Magazine as
The Greatest Negro Magazine of
America. $1.00 per year and cheap
at that. 2299 Seventh Ave., New
York City.
Automobile and Open
Horse Drawn Hearses Day and Night
Allen Jones and Company
FUNERAL HOME
Dady Attendant
Calls answered promptly anywhere
Web. 1100 and Web. 204
Licensed Embalmer.
V.. . . ... . . . . .
I The Fashion Cafe j
% 7
$ 1311 North Twenty-Fourth Street. $
I F -
X Music Every night; ^
•j* Dancing if vou like; ?
.jl A nice place, run right. ,|I
| The Warden Hotel j;
For Sale 1 v
'j On Account of Other Business. If You Mean Business ;>j
CALL WEBSTER 2736.
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