L I F T I N G- GROWIN G
-L I F T TOO -T HANK Y O 0
A NATIONAL WEEKLY NEWSPAPER DEVOTED TO THE INTERESTS OF COLORED AMERICANS
I THE REV. JOHN ALBERT WILLIAMS, Editor
*2.00 a Year. 5c a Copy OMAHA, NEBRASKA, FRIDAY. OCTOBER 26, 1923 Whole Number 433 Vol. IX—No. 17
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PROMINENT WOMAN
CALLED BY DEATH
AT BOFFALO HOME
Mrs. Mary B. Tulliert, Ex-President of
(he National Federation of Col
ored Women Succumbs
to Malady
DEATH SINCERELY MOURNED
Kecugnlsed as One of Most Useful and
ltc|ircscntative Women of Entire
Bare—Honored at Home
and Abroad
nuffalo, N. Y., October 26.—Mrs.'
Mary B. Talbert, an illustrious leader
of women, and one of the most useful
and widely known women of the race.i
(lied at her residence here Monday
morning, October 16, after a protracted
and serious Illness of several months'
duration. In fact Mrs. Talbert had
been virtually an invalid for the past
two years although this fact was dis
guised by her cheerfulness and unsel
fish activity, until a few months ago
when she was compelled to surrender
to her physical infirmity. Her death
was expected since early in the month
when speck'Beta declared valvular
affection of the heart made her re
■o.ery Impossible. The end <ame
-carefully, her devoted husband, Wil
liam H. Talbert; her daughter, Mrs.
•ar' Me; Kealen a sister and other
relatives being at her bedside.
The funeral, wss held Wednesday
afternoon from the Michigan avenue
Baptist church, the edifice not being
large enough to accommodate the hun
dreds who attended. Hundreds of tefe
grams and letters were received from
i ll parts of the country.
Mary Burnett Talbert was born in
Oticrlln, Ohio, September 18, 1866,
daughter of Cornelius J. and Caroline
Burnett. She was descended on her
maternal side from Richard Nichols,
who compelled Peter Stuveysant to
surrender New Amsterdam, and who
for a short while was Governor or
New Yoik She was graduated from
Oberlln college i t the age of nineteen.
She then took the post of assistant
principal of Little Hock high school,
a position she held for several years.
On September 8, 1891, she married Wil
liam H. Talbert of Buffalo. Continu
ing t er studies, she received the de
gree of H. A. from Oberlin college in
1894, and a few years later received
the degree Ph. D. from the t'niversity
of Buffalo.
Mrs. Talbert was chosen president
of the National Association of Colored
Women’s Clubs from 1916 to 1920. In
September, 1920, she wm a delegate
to the Internationa' Council of Women
held in Christiania, Norway. From
Norway she toured continental Europe,
"or fame ns a worker In the political
and cultural fields was spreading and
she w: s invited to speak at gatherings
that Included the best minds of the j
world. At Haddon Hall, England, Mrs. j
Talbert was the guest of U>rd and
l ady Aberdeen, who remained in j
touch with her up to her death. Queen j
Wilhelmina' honored her by inviting j
her to stay at the royal palace in Hoi- ,
land.
1. During the various war drives Mrs
Talbert was most active in helping to ;
raise funds, and In all rive loan drives (
she personally solicited thousands of j
dollars worth of Liberty bonds. Upon |
the entrance of this country into the !
World War, she enlisted as a Red |
Cross nurse and saw active service In j
France.
The most notable of her many ac-1
tivltles was the restoration of Fred
erick Douglass Home at Anacosta, I).
C., in 1922, after vain attempts had
been made by Booker T. Washington
and other prominent men of her race.
Mrs. Talbert was the only woman to
receive the Slngarn medal. Her last
great effort was the launching of the
Anti-Lynching Crusaders to aid in the
passage of the Dyer anti-lynchlng
measure. Although the bill was de
feated last year, it will come up be
fore the house of representatives again
in December. According to Represen
tative Dyer, who visited Mrs. Talbert
•at her home last spring and congratu
lated her on her valiant efforts, the
bill will become a law before the year
has passed. During the intensive cam
paign Mrs. Talbert traveled thousands'
of miles throughout the country and
spoke to audiences of white and col-,
ored people. Her motto was "A Mil-!
lion Women United to Suppress Lynch
ing”, and she was successful in rale- ;
Ing her quota as a result of her speak
ing tour.
Mrs. Talbert was a vice-president
of the National Association for the [
Advancement of Colored People, and |
one ”f its directors. She was also
chairman of the anti-lynchlng commit
tee of the United States, president of
the Frederick A. Douglass Memorial
association, former president of the
National Association of Colored Wom
en’s clubs, governor of the Household
of Ruth, past president of the Phyllis
Wheatly association, and organizer of
the Christian Culture Congress.
COLORED STUDENT
CHOSEN BY COLUMBIA
FOR FOREIGN STUDY
Miss Thelma Brown One of Eight Ee
lected by University to be Sent
to France for Language
Course.
Institute, W. Va., Oct. 26.—Colum
bia university, New York City, has
just named eight persons of the Grad
uate School who are doing work in the
department of Romance Languages to
study in France from February, next,
until June, 1924. Miss Thelma D
Brown, of this place has been selected
as one of the number. Miss Brown
received from the West Virginia Col
: legiate institute her baccelaureate de- \
gree last May. Her major was in
French. In discussing the recogni
tion which recently has come to Miss
tlrown, Prof. John F. Matheus, head
of the Department of Romance lan
guages at Collegiate institute, said
that it was nothing more than a just
reward for faithful and diligent study.
One of the considerations in selecting
students for study abroad is scholar
ship and distinct ability alongg a spe
cial line. The students to go to France
in February will return in time for
the June convocations to be held at
Columbia. At this time Miss Brown
will receive her master’s degree.
Miss Brown is the daughter of L.
N. Brown, contractor and builder of
Institute and Charleston, W. Va. Two
of the children of Mr. Brown have re
ceived degrees from the West Virginia
Collegiate Institute. Dallas Brown,
who graduated in the college class
with his sister, is teaching in the
Kelly Miller high school of Clarks
burg, W. V.
I
PLEASANT GREEN BAPTIST
CIU HCH’S ANNIVERSARIES!
K<'|iurls Show Congregation Pr«s|»er
ing 1’nder Pastorate of the
Rev. Z. E. McGee
—
Pleasant Green Baptist Church of
which the Rev. Z. E McGee is pastor
recently celebrated the sixth Miniver-1
ary of tlie organization of the church
and the second anniversary of the pas
tor. The liev. A. P. Pinkney of Colo- i
rado preached the anniversary ser
mon. The reports read showed the
church to be in a most prosperous con
dition. The total receipts for the year
were $10,960,82. The membership had
been increased by 178 additions. A
comfortable parsonage has been pur
chased.
Il l SAINTS l»AV SERVICES
AT ST. PHILIP’S CHITtCII
Next Thursday, November 1st, is
known as All Saints Day, upon which
It is the beautiful custom to com
memorate the faithful departed. Ac
cording to custom there w-ill be two
special services at the church of St.
ITiilip the Deacon at 7 a. m. and 10
a. m. The usual services on Sunday.
EMINENT TEACHER LAUDS
FLORENCE COLE AALBERT
Mr. Oscar Sangaj, the eminent vo-'
cal instructor of New York pays Flor
ence Cole Talbert, who is to sintr ut
B ramie is theatre November 19, this
hitch tribute:
"Iler voice is a beautiful sopranoj
which she uses with consummate skill.
This combined with splendid musician
ship places her in the FRONT RANK
OF ARTISTS.” •
Our Pet Peeve
r-] | f oh ma vweke's my
| I LUoHT OVERCOAT ? J
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f YOU'Ll RNP it IN YOUR }
JIFD-ROOM CLOSET, PAP, 1
_
SIGHTS, EXPERIENCES AND IMPRESSIONS OF A TRAVELLER
WHO ATTENDED NATL. BAPTIST CONVENTION, LOS ANGELES
By Mrs. M. If. Wilkinson
(Continued from last week)
Continuing with out sight-seeing
tour in Juarez, Mexico, we came across
a very attractive large white building
enclosed with a high white fence. The
yard was bedecked with trees and
flowers and lattice work covered with
climbing vines.
You would never 'mess what this
pretty comer was. Must I say? A
real professional gambling house, pro
tected by the law.
Here were large checker tables cov
ered with glass and gamblers seated
around. Over there was a dice table
covered with padding and ment stand
ing around. "The Dividend Man,” had
charge and received five cents off of
every bet in the interest of the house.
The greatest sight was the vast sums
of money pilpd upon the tables. The
occupants paid no attention to sight
seers, but I imagine things would have
become exciting had we touched the
money.
Would you belive it? A colored
woman was in there gambling, making
true the saying, “that there was noth
ing ever done that a Negro was not
in it.”
Have you ever tried to make your
self understood to a person who spoke
a different language? Of all strains
it is one of the greatest. We met a
delegate turning from a fruit stand
where she had unsuccessfully at
tempted to purchase some grapes.
Just why I thought that I could turn
the trick I cannot tell, at any rate I
did not; you bet I tried. When 1
pointed to the grapes the woman
nodded that she understood, but to
save > e I could not find out the price,
nor die how many 1 wanted. Pshaw!
Just as I was thinking what’s the use
trying any longer a man of our group
came along who spoke Spanish and re
lieved the situation and we walked
happily away eating the sweetest
grapes we had ever tasted.
Back to the station at El Paso where
we experienced the most striking scene
of our lives. Here four trains were
made up with at least twelve coaches
each. The passenger director came
forward with a megaphone and called
each delegation as their trains were
made up. A great moving mass of
humanity surged its way thru the
station and the yards. Coach after
coach was seen on the tracks. Mean
while, a number of singers of the Illi
nois delegation, led by Prof. Nix,
stood on the front of their coach and
sang to the satisfaction of all present,
white and colored. Sang until our
hearts were aflame with holy fire, and
we seemed to have stood on hallowed
ground; sang until our spirits were
wafted on the wings of their songs and
heaven seemed sweeter and nearer.
As the vast multitudes thronged our
Saviour, so thronged we them, eager
to catch the words of comfort and in
spiration; while standing out in the
open, fanned by September’s warm
breezes and covered with the canopy
of heaven, that declareth the glory of
God. and the firmament that sheweth
His handiwork. Here our conscious
ness was so charmed that when they
softly sang, “Steal away to Jesus” we
felt ourselves at the mercy seat, and
as they turned to “Sjnce Jesus came
into my heart, floods of joy o’er my
soul like seabillows roll,” we could feel
the living well of waters spring up
within us. I said to a delegate that
stood nearby, should I not go any far
ther I feel well paid and am satisfied.
I thought of the final day when the
Saints would gather from all points of
the earth and witness the great cor- '
oration of our Lord and King. O
what a glorious time that will be!
One by one the trains pulled out until
all were on their way to Los Angeles.
Passing thru New Mexico many
Mexicans were seen and many straw
brick and mud houses. It is a lofty
plateau crossed by mountain ranges;
once we travelled eighty miles without
a curve. Trees are very scarce, the
hills are covered with a short grass.
I saw here what I had never noticed
before, how that the Creator in His
wisdom and power had where there
were no trees, shaded the hills here
and there with the clouds, a wonderful
proof of His providence.
Here soil is little worked, irriga
tion by means of wells and canals
is being rapidly installed, for they
very seldom have rain. Here in this
dry and sandy soil the cactus is mag
nified and glorified into a tree. This
is its native air and conducive to its
growth. In other soils it dies or
carcely peeps above the mold. How
like humanity, thought I, when placed
in our natural fields of activity, like
the cactus we become giants, while
in foreign soils we remain dwarfs.
Let every man find his place in life
and success is his.
Into Arizona the land of wonders
and mysteries where long buried!
dwellings and cities with other ruins I
of an exceedingly ancient people are
being continually disclosed, and ex
plorations by government geologists
are yielding a vast and curious volume
of information concerning the cliff
dwellers and other prehistoric races.
Talking about the Sahara desert!
excuse me. For the one in Arizona is
too much for me! We never felt such
heat before. Nothing but hot air and
sand could be felt or seen. I thought
of the poor, innocent women and chil
dren that were left on this scorching
desert by the train crew last year
during the great railroad strike. Re
ally, I felt that the strikers deserved
»vere punishment. How could they
find the heart to be so cruel ?
Passing on we saw fifteen hundred
acres of land planted in cotton by a
I.OS Angeles firm as an experiment.
It was doing well, much of it was in
bloom.
“Look out for the Indian reserva
tion at Yuma, Arizona,” the auditor
cried. A large number of them were
near the station. Many delegates
alighted and purchased trinkets for
souvenirs. An Indian one hundred and
thirty years old was seen. Others were
seen bathing in a creek nearby. Tues
day eve the trains being several hours
late the men became anxious about go
ing to bed. The auditor finally stated
should we arrive after twelve o’clock
we would be allowed to remain in the
Ihrllmans all night. Down the beds
(Continued on Page Two)
SLATER, THE FAMOUS FOOTBALL
STAR, PLAYS IN OMAHA SUNDAY
Fred W. "Duke” Slater, 24 years of
age, height 6 feet 1 inch, weight 206
pounds, known as the world’s greatest
colored football player of all time, is
to play at League Park, Omaha next
Sunday afternoon as a tackle on the
famous Rock Island Independents foot
ball team of Rock Island, 111. Slater
was unanimous choice of American
sport critics for a place on the all
American team two years ago when he
played tackle for University of Iowa
and was one of the chief reasons why
Iowa succeeded in defeating Yale in
the Yale bowl. Slater first took his
place in the limelight when he played
tackle for the Clinton, la., high school
team. There he was named all-Iowa
state high school tackle.
CHIVALROUS SHAPES IN
MEN’S CLOTHING
WOULD LYNCH GIRL
Woman Protects Herself From Lecher
ous Assailant and His Friends
Attempt Moh Violence.
Rome, Ga., Oct. 26.—An attempt to
lynch a colored woman, who had de
fended her honor against a white
farmer, became known here Saturday
morning when news leaked out from
the sheriff’s office of an incident,
which if carried through would out
rival Congo brutality.
Miss Ada Robertson, belle of this
city, shot and seriously wounded Em
ery Maynor. prosperous white farmer,
when the latter invaded her home, in
the absence of the other members of
the family, and attempted to assault
her. The girl obtained a revolver and
seriously wounded the man.
Attempt Lynching.
Six men, said to be cronies of the
wounded man, stormed the jail, where
the girl had been placed following the
shooting, and demanded that the jailer
deliver the woman to them. They were
told that she had already been taken
to the Fulton county jail in Atlanta.
Removal of the girl was due to a
warning received by the sheriff.
through a colored prisoner. His wife
hearing of the impending attempt,
wrote him a note telling of the would
be lynchers’ plans. The prisoner
turned the warning over to Sheriff
Wilson and the girl was sent to At
lanta several hours before the effort
was made to get her.
None of the men were recognized
by the jailer, who said that all wore
handkerchiefs over their faces, which
made them unrecognizable.
N. A. A. f. P. HOLDS MEETING
The regular monthly meeting of the
local branch of the N. A. A. C. P. was
held in the lecture room of Grove
] M. E. church last Sunday afternoon
at 4 o’clock, Henry W. Black presid
ing. The president and other officers
read their annual reports which re
vealed a large amount of real and tell
ing work accomplished during the
year. On the second Sunday in No
vember the election of officers will
be held.
“BASKET OF FLOWERS”
PLEASES LARGE AUDIENCE
A large ond appreciative audience
witnessed the second presentation of
a “Basket of Flowers” by the Garden
club of the North Side “Y” at Grove
M. E. Church Monday night. A de
lightful musical and literary program
preceded the pageant, which was given
for the benefit of the church.
DINNER AT HILLC REST
Mr. and Mrs. Alfred Jones enter
tained at a four course dinner Wednes
day night in honor of Dr. George A.
F’atton, nephew of Mr. and Mrs. N. P.
Patton, at Hillcrest, their beautiful
home. Twenty guests were seated
around a large square table, artstic
ally decorated. The menu was such as
only this famous caterer knows how
j to prepare and serve. Another out
I of-town guest was Miss Gertrude
Jackson of Kansas City, Kans.
PILGRIM PABTI8T CHI RCH
Rev. Win. Franklin, Pastor.
Ffnpreventable circumstances have
detained the Rev. E. u Harrison of
IFouston who was to have conducted
the revival. It has been indefinitely
postponed. Sunday morning services
were well attended and the pastor
slKike on "Spiritual Awakening”. Sev
eral were added to the church. Quite
a number of visitors were present. Mr.
.A. R. Goodlett, the Sunday school su
perintendent, Is visiting the various
Sunday schools of the denomination
for observation purposes and for fur
thering co-operation. The Alabama
Glut) was recently entertained at the
home of Miss Smith, 2206 North Twen
ty-second street. Banks, which will
hold $5.00 each, are being distributed
among the members with the request
that they be returned full as a Christ
mas gift.
MARYLAND FARMERS
FORM ASSOCIATION
Maldorf, Md., Oct. 26.—A number
of the most progressive colored farm
ers living near Maldorf, Charles Coun
ty, Maryland, are organizing a co
operative association for the purchase
of supplies. By purchasing such sup
plies as coal, lumber, brick, flour, feed,
oils, fertilizers, etc., in quantity lots,
they hope to effect a considerable sav
ing to each member of the association.
TALENTED SINGER
CHOSEN SOLOIST
DOSTON SYMPHONY
Roland Hayes Attains Higgh Honors
In Native Land After Hard Study
and Successful Career
Abroad.
DELIGHTS EHGLISH ROYALTY
Returns From Triumph In Europe
and Will Appear With Famous
Boston Orchestra—Inter
esting Career.
Boston, Mass., Oct. 26.—They say
that every man’s life has material for
at least one good book. There is cer
tainly a drama in the career of the
colored tenor singer, Roland Hayes.
He returns in a few days to this city
from his third and most successful
European tour to new honors.
He has sung, not only Negro folk
songs, but classics of Schumann,
Brahms, Wolf and other masters, be
fore immense and distinguished audi
ences in many countries, inclding an
appearance by royal command before
the English King and Queen.
t His first appearance here will be
as soloist of the Boston Symphony
Orchestra, a distinction never before
achieved by a colored musician.
Tenor’s Early Days.
Roland and his brother Robert, who
also lives in Boston today, went to
school three or four months in a year,
between harvesting and planting time,
in Curryville, Ga.
That was their birthplace. At Chat
tanooga they alternated in studying
and working, one working a year and
earning money, while the other stud
ied, then turn about, as in the manner
of fair play.
At the Chattanooga school a certain
1 number of pupils were trained each
| year to sing. The brother of one of
' the teachers was Arthur Calhoun of
Oberlin Conservatory. Roland ac
cepted his offer to teach him singing
with a degree of indifference but—
he began to sing.
Foreman in Foundry
He became foreman in an iron foun
dry, read at night school and con
tinued his singing lessons. After nine
months had gone by he became
“aroused,” to use his own words, about
singing.
With $50 in his pockets he set out
for Oberlin, planning to pay his way
by singing.
At Nashville his money gave out
and he entered Fisk University on
trial as a working student. After
graduation there he went to Boston
with the Fisk singers in 1911 where
he remained and so impressed a
wealthy Bostonian that he agreed to
pay for his singing lessons.
Symphony Hall Debut
Hayes became a pupil of Arthur
Hubbard, and worked at the Repub
; lican Club as a messenger while study
ing. He gained employment in the
office of the late D. H. Sutherland and
brought his mother from the South
the next year. It was while he was
technically on leave of absence as
i messenger from Sutherland’s office
| that he gave his first concert attended
J by 900 of the officers and clerks of
i his company in Symphony Hall, Nov.
15, 1917.
First European Tour
Nevertheless it was not wholly
smooth running.
In 1920 Hayes went to Europe. At
first in London, he had poor luck. The
critics had not expected serious things
of a colored singer and it was a time
before they would take him as an art
ist of substantial aims. Hayes had in
vested all his available funds in his
trip and his concerts. He faced not
only failure but absolute need.
He was sitting brooding over all
this in his hotel room fairly sick with
physical strain and worry when the
telephone rang. He feared he was
being dunned, but picked up the re
ceiver. It was a summons, a “com
mand” to sing for thirty minutes be
I fore the King and Queen.
The half hour went into two hours.
| Hayes says that the King seemed
; more interested in what he had to say
in conversation than in his singing!
He told the King then, as he .has told
it since to others, of his desire to ex
press the serious music and illustrate
the creature genius of his race in the
musical art.
Since this incident he has made two
trips to Europe, and now returns to •
senes of concerts with the Boston sym
phony.
November 19th is the date. Bran
deis Theatre the place.—Aidv.
