I. —_ i The Monitor lj^_i
A NATIONAL WEEKLY NEWSPAPER DEVOTED TO THE INTERESTS OF COLORED AMERICANS.
THE REV. JOHN ALBERT WILLIAMS, Editor
$2.00 a Year. c a Copy OMAHA. NEBRASKA. FEBRUARY 19. 1920 Vol. V. No. 33 (Whole No. 242)
General Leonard Wood Given Ovation
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Girls Safer in Wilds of
Africa Than in Omaha
Statement Made by Former Omaha
Young Woman, u Missionary Home
on Furlough, In Thrilling Address
In Presbyterian Church. Startles
Congregation.
HAS NO FEAR OF NATIVE BLACKS
Miss Jennette Miller Pays High Trib
ute to Character of Native African—
Lost for Days With Guides, Received
Nothing hut Kindness and Respect.
PKOPLK who picture to themselves
women who devote themselves as
missionaries to Africa and China and
other sections of the world as sallow
faced, sour-visaged spinsters with
cork-screw curls, receive a severe Jolt
when they meet or hear Miss Jean
nette Miller, a missionary of the
American board .who for eight years
lias worked in Africa, and is anxiously
looking forward to return to her work
shortly as soon as her furlough is
over. With a round, pleasant face and
expressive eyes which light up with
merriment, and looking precisely like
the average well-bred, cultured pur
ijioseful American woman, Miss Miller
soon dispels any foolish preconceived
picture of what the average foreign
missionary looks like.
Miss Miller was here last week and
spoke to several audiences, among
them St. John’s A. M. K. church. But
perhaps it was at the rather exclusive
First Congregational church where
she made her audience gasp when she
declared that the •‘black man’s crime
was taught him by the white man” and
followed this up by the other rather
surprising statement that "an unpro
tected girl is safer in the wilds of Af
rica than she is right here in Omaha."
Among other statements of similar
character made by Miss Miller in the
course of her address was, “The mor
als of the black men, except at festi
vals in connection with funerals and
weddings, is faultless until the wicked
Portugese began to teach them their
white men's way.”
Miss Miller’s mission station is lo
cated in an adobe hut in a clearing in
the woods at Ocileso, in Angola, the
Portugese penal colony. She formerly
attended Central High School, Omaha,
and was here visiting friends and
classmates. When in Africa at her
mission Htatlon she is four days' jour
ney from any other while person ex
cept a few Portugese.
"Fear of tho black man never en
ters my mind, it’s the Portuguese 1
fear, if anybody. I never go past their
doors.’’
Miss Miller was lost in the maze of
wilderness trails for several days with
a few African guides and wandered
into a cannibal village.
‘‘We were treated with the utmost
courtesy, food and huts in which to
sleep were given us, and we were di
rected back to our trail.”
The black man is honest, kind, faith
ful and courteous. “He doesn't need
us to teach him ethics, only the love of
Christ and different standards of liv
ing. He is more polite even than the
Japanese, who are said to be the po
litest people in the world,” she main
tains.
The United States government
should draft missionaries to go over
and teach the black man in Africa,
Miss Miller believes.
"It Is the only solution to the Ne
gro problem In America," she said,
"(liven the right kind of teaching, no
one can excel the black man. Indus
trially ,too. they are a great prospect,
but with the sort of white man’s civi
lization they are learning today from
the Europeans, who use them only for
their own personal gain, the black
man will be a menace to the white
race.”
Club life exists even in the African
villages—that is, the men gather at
noon In a central clubhouse or imt for
luncheon and all women are excluded.
"They never eat luncheon with their
wikes”
Tigers and leopards wander around
the outside of Miss Miller’s hut at
night and a few years ago a mission
ary In that locality was killed by a
hippopotamus.
Miss Miller has Installed sewing
machines and other modern contriv
ances to teach the native women to
sew. Life is so crude and supplies so
difficult to obtain that she is forced to
refine her own Balt, make her own
I
, nioca and starch and cure and pre
«* .'e her own meats.
"The Africans had scant informa
tion about the war. The only mention
I heard of It was when the chief of the
village expressed sorrow that so many
girls would be left without husbands,
if so many men were killed,” she said.
“He offered them husbands if they
would come to his village, and offered
to parcel out pieces of land to them.
His offer was kindly given and with
no possible thought that the white
women would not consider it accept
able." said Miss Miller.
Miss Miller’s jvarents, Mr. and Mrs.
Frank Miller, moved front Omaha to
Detroit about two years ago While in
Omaha she was visiting Mr. and Mrs.
fcmory Johnson. Mrs. W. H. Shearer,
Miss Mary Austin, princijval in one of
our schools.
Protests Against
Robbing Race
Tuakegee Conference Voices Opposi
tion to Discrimination on Railroads
for Charging First Class Hates for
Steenth Class Accommodations.
PLANTERS MUST CEASE
EXPLOITING TENANTS
(By Associated Negro Press)
rTNUSKEGEE Institute, Ala., Feb. 17.
I —Reaffirming its opposition to
the discrimination practiced by rail
roads and other common carriers and
holding as indefensible the practice of
charging Negroes first class fare and
providing them with third and fourth
class accommodations, the declara
tions of tlie twenty-ninth annual Ne
gro conference at Tuskegee were
adopted following addresses by prom
inent white men as well as Negro
workers for the session.
Lynching is deplored and its prac
tice held as a "cure for nothing." "If
NegroeB commit crimes, they should
be punished by the courts, not by
lynching,” the declaration sets forth.
Insistence on better and fairer meth
ods for adjusting many of the ordi
nary differences between the races is
voiced and the white and colored
leaders in every community are urged
to co-operate and help make the South
the finest example in the world of
people of different races living to
gether in mutual respect and help
fulness.”
Members of the race are urged to
profit by the lessons of industry and
tlirift so effectively taught during the
war and farmers are especially urged
to grow sufficient food for their fam
ilies. for their community and to raise
more and better poultry, hogs and
cuttle. increased values of farm
products and wages which men are
now enjoying should result, the con
ference holds, In better homes,
schools and churches.
The conference suggests to plant
ers that they offer more favorable
renting conditions to their Negro ten
ants; that they make regular stated
settlements and provide them with
more comforts and all people are
called upon to supply houses for Ne
groes with more sanitary surround
ings.
INCORPORATE ANOTHER SCHOOL
(By Associated Negro Press)
Upper Marlboro, Md., Feb. 17.—For
the Industrial and educational better
ment of tlie colored boyH and girls of
Southern Maryland, the Croom Settle
ment school of Prince George's coun
ty, has been incorporated. The incor
porators are the Misses Susie and
Katherine Wllles of Croom and Ra
chel A. Henry.
IVILBE It FORCE ORCHESTRA
TOURS COUNTRY
(By Associated Negro Press)
Wllberforce, Ohio, Feb. 17.—The
Wllborforce Orchestra, under the di
rection of Prof. Stewart, has been
making a tour in the interest of the
school. The tour included Baltimore,
Philadelphia and a number of other
eastern cities.
INVESTS HEAVILY IN
BARBER COLLEGE
(By Associated Negro Press)
Memphis, Tenn., Feb. 17.—A. P.
Martin has put in operation a $20,000
barber college for the instruction of
students in the barber trade.
THE HON. FRANK O. LOWDEN
Governor of Illinois, who is a prominent candidate for the Repub
lican nomination for president—One of Speakers at
Lincoln League
THE COMMENDABLE RECORD OF THE NEGRO
leading Pacific Coast Newspaper Publishes Instructive Article on
Progress of Colored American Which is a Revelation to
Thousands of Readers—Declares “People of United States
Cannot Consistently .Ask Freedom and Equality for Czecho
slovaks or Any Other Oppressed Peoples Until They Give It
to the 10,000,000 Negroes in America.”
EMINENT PHYSICIANS, INVENTORS, MUSICIANS, POETS
AND AMERICA’S FOREMOST LITERARY CRITICS
MEMBERS OF RACE
(Special to The Monitoi\)
CAN FRANCISCO, Cal., Feb. 16.—A recent issue of The Call
»’ and Post, one of the leading newspapers of the Pacific Coast,
recently published an instructive article on "The Record of the
Negro,” as disclosed by facts in the Negro Year Book for 1918n
1919. The article has created great interest among the thousands
of readers of this great newspaper here and throughout Califor
nia. While your correspondent is a little curious to know upon
what authority the writer speaks of “the days when Negroes ate
human hearts’ and joins issues with him upon this statement, the
article is so praiseworthy as a whole that a slip of this character
is readily forgiven. It is gratifying to have such facts as The
Call and Post here publishes given to its wide circle of readers,
So many derogatory stories have been given wide publicity con
cerning our race in this country that it is gratifying to see lead
ing publications give such facts as these which really indicate, in
some degree at least, the progress our group is making:
The Negro Year Hook for 1918-1913
has just been printed. It is an an
nual publication, showing the Negro
at his beBt. In In he tells the good
I hinge, he does and does not dwell
upon the crimes committed by indi
viduals of his race. But you cannot
blame the Negro for that. White year
books are also the recital of good
deeds, not evil ones. And if a race
can fill 523 closely printed pages with
a year’s statistics on progress, it de
serves praise, not criticism.
Anyone who wishes to go to Africa
can learn what the Negro was. By
reading the Negro Year Book he can,
more profitably, learn what he is to
day. In 1790 there were 757,208 Ne
groes in the United Hates—19 per
cent of the population. In 1910 the
number had increased to 9.827,763—
10 per cent of the country—despite
poor education, hard labor, lack of
medical attention and l.vnchings. The
reason the percentage is not larger
is the falling off in Immigration in
1808. In that year congress forbade
compulsory immigration in slave
traders’ ships.
Negroes can do anything the white
people will allow them to do. They
began humbly, working in the fields,
and one colonial judge ruled it a
crime to teach moral standards to a
Negro. But a few slaveholders, good
men but poor slave owners, taught
some of their slaves and used them
as chemists, bookkeepers and medical
attendants. Now there are 36 large
Negro insurance companies in the
country, 72 bankH and 653 educational
institutions. In 1830 only three Ne
groes had ever been to college; to
day 6,910 hold university degrees, and
282 have been elected to Phi Beta
Kappa, a fraternity of the brightest.
Negro medictn^ m Amca was a
primitive affair of toni-toms, bitter
herbs and voodooism. American Ne
gro medicine is different. In 1910
there were 478 dentists, 2.433 trained
nurses, 3,777 doctors and 118 hospitals
and nurses’ training schools operated
by and for Negroes. Dr. Daniel E.
Williams, a Negro, was the first sur
geon to perform a successful opera
tion on the human heart—which is a
iong step from the days when Negroes
ate human hearts.
The year book tells pleasant things
about the Negro in science. The Zuni
Indians of Arizona still repeat a le
gend about the black Mexicans who
came to their country a long time ago.
It can be traced to a Negro natnqi
Estevancio, who discovered Arizonst
in 1538. Another Negro named Mat
thew Henson went to the North Pole
with Peary. No other Americans have
ever been there. A Negro astronomer
in 1754 constructed the first clock
ever made in America. Katherine
Wickes. a Negro woman, invented
Saratoga chips—a great aid to picnics.
Some people say a Negro gave the
idea of the cotton gin to Eli Win ney,
but received no credit for it. Another
Negri, John Matzeliger, invented the
first machine that performed auto
matically all the operations involved
tn attaching soles to shoes. He revo
lutionized the making of shoes, but his
'nventlon has nothing to do with their
high cost today. As far back as 1834
a Negro patented a corn harvester.
Ice cream is supposed to have been in
vented by Augustus Jackson, a Phila
delphia Negro. Player pianos would
not disturb our meals if it were not
for J. H. Dickinson of New Jersey,
who owns a dozen patents on the
(Continued on Page Eight.)
i
NOTED ELOCUTIONIST
SUFFERS FROM INJURIES
Mins Ilallie Q. Drown Compelled to
Cease Active Duties.
(By Associated Negro Press)
Wilberforce, Ohio, Feb. 17.—Follow
I ing injuries sustained in a street car
! accident last summer in Portland,
j Ore., Miss Hallie Q. Brown, noted elo
cutionist and orator, has ceased acj
tive duties with the Wilberforce uni
versity and is confined to her room
at Homewood Cottage. While Miss
Brown's condition is not thought to
be dangerous, yet her general nerv
ousness gives her considerable unrest
and prevents her from carrying on
much of the routine of the past.
More Bomb Outrages
Occur Im Windy City
Another Attempt Made to Wreck Pala
tini Home of Jesse Bintrn, Wealth;
Itcultor and Banker—Other Prop
er!; Owned by Colored Americans
Damaged.
RESIDENTS REFUSE TO
BECOME PANIC STRICKEN
(By Associated Negro Press)
('CHICAGO, Feb. 17.—To the people
* outside of Chicago, it may be re
garded as a joke to state that another
attempt, making the fourth, has been
made to bomb the home of Jesse
Binga and the perpetrators have not
yet been caught.
While delegates to the Lincoln
League were assembling in Chicago,
just to show the visitors how the
thing is done, the beautiful $50,000
home of the Appomattox club on
Grand boulevard was bombed and the
damages are $1,000.
“ Following this, as the visitors were
leaving the city two more bombs ex
ploded. The first one was set in a
hallway on the lower floor of a two
story flat building at 1849 Hamlin
avenue. It did $1,000 worth of dam
age. The next damaged the front of
a gray stone house at 4406 Grand
boulevard, owned by Mrs. Mary C.
Clark which tvas bombed a little more
than a month ago.
Where this thing will end no one at
this time can foretell, but the deter
mined effort being put forth by the
Protective Circle of Chicago, expects
that drastic action will be taken by
the local authorities to put a stop to
the trouble.
What will probably be one of the
greatest mass meetings of protest ever
held in Chicago will take place Feb
ruary 29, at the Eighth Regiment arm
ory, under the auspices of the Pro
tective Circle.
PROMINENT YOUNG
BUSINESS MAN DIES
(By Associated Negro Press)
Cleveland, O., Feb. 17.—Daniel D.
Fowler, one of the most promising
young business men of the race and
founder of the Dixilene company and
graduate of Case School of Applied
Science, and former national president
of the Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity,
died here after a brief illness from
double pneumonia. Mr. Fowler’s sis
ter died just a week before with the
same disease.
SPECIAL LENTEN SERVICES.
The Monitor Is requested to call the
ttention of its readers to special
.jenten services which may interest
some. Bishop Shayler will deliver a
series of addresses to women on “Per
sonal Religion’’ every Friday morning
during Lent at All Saints’ church, j
Twenty-sixth and Dewey avenues at j
10:30. The services last Just one
hour. The usual twenty minutes
noonday services will be held at Trin
ity Cathedral, Eighteenth and Capitol
avenue, every week day during Lent
from 12:10 to 12:30.
UNIQUE ROBBERY.
Bethel Baptist church was broken
into and robbed Monday evening. The
safe was carried off and found later
in the northern part of the city. It
had been broken into and its con
tents scattered, there being only
books in it.
""" »y
How dear to my heart
Is the yearly subscriber;
The yearly subscriber,
Who pays in advance.
Lincoln League Holds
a Great Covention
An Epochal and Outstanding Political
Gathering of Representatives from
All Sections Respond to Call and
Take Significant Action.
GENERAL LEONARD WOOD
GIVEN GREAT OVATION
Soldier Statesman Frankly Declares
Himself on Issues of Day. Stands
Uncompromisingly for Law and Ord
er. Hays and Lowden Also Speak.
League Announces Its Platform.
(By Associated Negro Press.)
CHICAGO. Feb. 17—The first annual
convention of the Lincoln League of
America, held at South Park Method
ist Episcopal church, this city, Febru
ary 11 and 12. stands as the most re
markable political gathering of repre
sentatives of our group ever held in
he United States. More than 400 dele
gates, and several hundred visitors,
from thirty-three states of the union,
journeyed to Chicago to deliberate and
take action on the questions of the
day.
The significance of the occasion
was heightened, not only by the fact
that the delegates and visitors repre
sented without question the experi
ence, culture, wealth and economic-po
litical strength of the group, but by
the appearance on the program of
Cour national characters, two of whom
are candidates for president of the
United States. They were, in order of
appearance at the convention: Will
H. Hays, chairman of the Republican
National Committee; Governor Frank
0. Lowden of Illinois, Mayor William
Hale Thompson of Chicago and Major
General Leonard Wood of the Central
department, United States army.
The convention was called to order
by Perry W. Howard of Jackson, Miss.,
the attorney for the league, and one
of the most constructive political lead- .
ers of the country. Colonel Roscoe
Conkling Simmons, president of the
Lincoln League of America, was in
troduced by Alderman Louis B. An
derson of Chicago, and the big jneet
ing swung into action, prayer being
offered by Rev. J. W. Robbins of
Tennessee,
It had been the purpose of the
league to have former Governor P. B.
S. Pinchback of Louisiana, as one of
the honored guests of the convention,
but Governor Pinchback's health
would not permit. There were, how
ever, many present who had come up
through that period, and they were in
troduced to the convention, among
them were Major John R. Lynch, for
mer congressmann from Mississippi,
and for a number of years in the
United States army as paymaster, and
for a long time under command of
General Leonard Wood; J. C. Napier
of Nashville. Tenn., former register
of the treasury; W. H. Stewart of
Louisville, Ky„ editor of the Ameri
can Baptist; Scott Bond of Arkansas,
farmer and t&tipalist; I. F. Norris
of Seattle, Wash., former member of
the legislature of Tennessee. These
men, although yet active in the af
fairs of the race, expressed their great
pride in seeing the younger men pre
pared to take up the active work of
political and economic progress and
bade them God speed. Ralph W. Ty
ler of Ohio, former auditor of the
navy, spoke as a newspaper repre
senranve.
Southern Representation.
The first subject to be discussed in
the convention was “Should Southern
Representation Be Cut Down?" While
It was agreed that the final disposi
tion of this Important subject should
be left to the resolutions committee,
the discussion was filled with dra
matic moments when views from the
various sections were expressed. The
sentiment was overwhelming, how
ever, for cutting down representation
at the earliest possible time, in ac
cordance with the actual vote, as has
been done by the National Republican
Committee for delegates to the Na
tional Republican Convention.
The discussion of "Jim Crow” cars
was opened by Charles A. Cottrill,
former collector of internal revenue,
Honolulu, H. I., a resident of Ohio.
He was followed by James A. Cobb,
former assistant district attorney,
Washington, D. C.
Lynching was discussed at length
at the closing evening session by
James Weldon Johnson of New York,
(Continued on Page 8.)
