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LIFTING- \\ /I \T I r I ^ Tl GROWING
-LI F T T O O I ■ ■ ■ I ■ ■ ■ ■ -T HANK YOU
A NATIONAL WEEKLY NEWSPAPER DEVOTED TO THE INTERESTS OF COLORED AMERICANS
THE REV. JOHN ALBERT WILLIAMS, Editor
_ ■ _ ^
$2.00 a Year. 5c a Copy OMAHA, NEBRASKA, FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 2, 1923 Whole Number 434 Vol. IX—No. 18
N GRO HCE ENTERING INTO IG BUSINESS
RACIAL VIEWPOINT
NOW UNDERGOING
RADICAL CHANGE
Commercial and Economic Aspect Re
garded As Important Agency In
Race Prosperity In
America.
ECONOMIC CONSCIINSNESS
Prominent Group of Leaders Surren
der Successful Professional Careers
To Enter Field of
Business.
Atlanta, Ga., Nov. 2. — Race pro
gress along economic lines has so
challenged the thought and attention I
of a group of prominent race leaders
in the South that it has given birth to
an economic viewpoint which bids fair
to becoming a revolutionizing agent in j
raising the status of the Colored peo-'
pie in this country. The responsibility j
for the birth of this new viewpoint is
credited to a group of men now en
gaged in the conduct of the affairs of
three giant corporations in Atlanta,
Georgia, having recently given up pro
fessional careers to help shape the in
dustrial destiny of the Negro.
Among the important members of
this group are: Dr. W. F. Boddie, who
surrendered a medical career with a
lucrative practice in a thriving South
ern Georgia city to come to Atlanta to
serve as cashier and treasurer of the
Citizens Trust Company. Dr. Boddie
was shortly followed by Dr. A. M.
Wilkins, who after having for twenty
five years successfully pursued his
dental profession in Griffin, Georgia,
gave it up to enter the business world
as vice-president of the same corpooa
tion. These men are now part of a
notable group which includes a large
number of young college-trained men
who have abandoned the teaching and
other professions in many of the large
cities of the country so as to help put
over the ambitious program of the.
Standard Citizens Service group in
Atlanta.
Among these younger men may be
mentioned John K. Pinkett and Joseph
H. B. Evans, formerly teachers in the
Sumner High School of St. Ixmis,
Missouri; David D. Jones, who recent-1
ly gave up the work as Executive
secretary of the St. Louis Y. M. C. A.;
and Oscar C. Brown, who had just,
opened law offices in Indianapolis.
Dr. Boddie very forcefully sets forth]
this new viewpoint in a statement
which discusses in detail what part a
fundamental economic program will
play in the progress of the Negro in
America. In the opinion of Dr. Boddie,
the fundamental weakness of the
Colored people in America is the lack
of an economic viewpoint. This is
brought out very clearly in our rela-1
tions with other groups. The most
profound changes are taking place as
a result of this fact. In the South, es
pecially in the rural sections, whole
areas are being depopulated and the
resultant effect will be more far
reaching than it is possible at this
time to estimate.
“One cause of this condition,” Dr.
Boddie says, “is that as a group we
have never been considered by other
groups as an integral part of the
economic life of this country. In the
past it has been largely a matter of
exploitation, due to our inability to;
see clearly that their manifest inter-;
est was mainly for personal gain. We
have possibly never felt before so
keenly the need of an economic view
point.’OUR LEADERS HAVE GIVEN
THEIR FIRST CONSIDERATION TO
RELIGION, EDUCATION AND POL
ITICS, BUT LITTLE TO ECON
OMICS."
“Today, our practical elimination in
every phase of American life is due
to the fact that we have failed to re
cognize that the economic group view
point is absolutely essential to recog
nition in the affairs of our country.
WE HAVE BEEN SEGREGATED
RELIGIOUSLY, EDUCATIONALLY,
AND POLITICALLY, BUT NO DIS
CRIMINATION HAVE WE SHOWN
FOR OURSELVES ECONOMICAL
LY. WE ARE THE ONLY GROUP
IN AMERICAN LIFE WHOSE
ECONOMIC RESERVES ARE GIV
EN TO THE CONTROL OF OTHER
GROUPS."
Dr. Boddie asserts that in America
there is an economic group conscious
ness which is so rigid as to practical
ly exclude every group which does not
have one. Only groups which have
this economic consciousness are main
taining their place in American civili
sation. Since the economic factor is so
essential for other groups or races in
their struggle for equal advantages
for the members of their group, it
stands to reason that it would be
equally advantageous for us to at
least begins to ponder, confer and de
vise ways and means by which pro
paganda may be disseminated through
our racial group that would, in the
course of time, grow and crystalize in
to a concept that would become so em
bedded in the minds and actions of
our people that an economic racial
solidarity would result that would
make us stand out on the horizon of
races as do the Hebrew children of
the world.
“In this country,” according to Dr.
Boddie, “every group save our own,
controls its own economic reserves.
The Jewish race in America, and as it ]
is constituted in all sections of world
civilization, is a concrete illustration
of a racial group without a country,
virtually dictating the affairs of the
world economically, because of the
mastery of their resources. We can
only get and maintain a place in
American economic life by and
through our own efforts.”
"To develop an economic viewpoint,
the essential thing is that the leaders
of the thought of our group should
teach racial economic group con
sciousness. This should be taught to
develop in us not a hatred of other
races, but that we might forge for our
group a weapon for our advantage to
be added to our religious, educational
and political armamentarium in furth
ering equality of opportunity for our
selves. We need to teach practical co
operation of the masses of our peo
ple, with each other, by each other
and for each other.”
“In laying the foundation for our
economic development, insurance or
ganizations, banks and trust compa
nies, are the first institutions which
should be built. The insurance organ
izations to gather the money reserves]
of our group and at the same time
give them that protection which is es
sential to the buttressing of invest-!
ments. The banks and trust companies
to act as reservoirs for the accumu
lation of these reserves of capital, and
for the proper safeguarding and intel
ligent care of our estates. Along with
these, we should have grocery stores,
meat markets, clothing stores, manu
facturing establishments, and in fact
all of those commercial enterprises!
which have made the Anglo-Saxon,
the predominate factor in the world
today.
"The task of the co-operation of
the masses of our group will not be
easy to accomplish, due to the fact
that our reserves of capital are all i
held by the opposite groups, and these!
groups have the bulk of our patron- j
age. WE MUST LEARN AS A
GROUP NOT TO EXPECT CONSID
ERATION BECAUSE WE ARE
BLACK, BUT FOR THE REASON
THAT WE ARE RENDERING THEj
SAME SERVICE FOR THE SAME
MONEY.”
--
N. A. A. r. P. arranges
FOR PRINTING HOUSTON
MARTYRS’ PETITIONS
New York, November 3.—It is an
nounced by the National Association
for the Advancement of Colored Peo
ple at 69 Fifth Avenue, New York City,
that the National Office will arrange
for the printing of the petitions to be
used in gathering signatures asking
•he release of the fifty-four men of the
Twentyfourth Infantry confined In
I.eavenworth prison for the use of in
dividuals and those organizations
which desire the petitions only in
small quantities. This the National
Office has arranged to do for reasons
of economy. Therefore, those organ
izations which desire only limited
quantities of the petitions may secure
them at the rale of one cent a sheet,
approximately one half the cost of
printing and mailing, by sending an
order and the amount necessary to
cover the same to the N. A. A. C. P.
These orders will be turned over to
the printers at New York and filled
as promptly as possible.
Larger organizations are following
the original plan and having their peti
tions printed locally, but the N. A. A.
C. P. feels that the above outlined plan
will be a convenience to smaller or
ghntzatlons and to individuals.
The N. A. A. C. P. reports that there
has never been any cause which has
been entered into with such whole
hearted enthusiasm as the campaign
to free these men. The Methodist
Episcopal Church through Bishop R.
E. Jones Is distributing petitions
among Its churches; the Knights of
Pythias of North America, etc., thru
Supreme Chancellor S. W. Green, and
thru their grand chancellors are cir
culating more than five thousand peti
tions (each petition having space for
sixty slgnaturea); the Citizens Club of
Berkley, Norfolk, Va., has unanimous
r Big Events in the Lives of Little Men
IPJI II I nf
ARApDfr /rt w
(Coprrlyht, W. N. U.)
ly passed' a resolution pledging com
plete co-operation in this effort and,
during the special meeting which it
will bold on November 11, the audi
ence wil; stand for five minutes In
silent prayer for the release of the
men. According to all present Indica
tions manv more than the original
goal of 100,000 signatures to the peti
tion will be secured.
“BIRTH OF A NATION”
AGAIN BANNED IN PARIS
Paris, Nov. 3.—The Frenh auth
orities have again emphatically for
bidden the showing of Thomas Dixon’s
infamous motion picture production,
“The Birth of a Nation,” until all
scenes containing Negroes or the Ku
Kliix Klan have been eliminated.
The action of the authorities in pro
hibiting the showing of the picture
when it first came to France, aroused
international comment. Film men de
clare that the picture would be robbed
of its value, if the scenes objected to
by the French censors are cut out.
The promoters of the picture stand
to lose over 3,000,000 francs.
ST. LOUIS CITIZENS
OPPOSE SEGREGATION
St. Louis, Mo., Nov. 3.—Three hun
dred and seventy-five members of the |
St. Louis Real Estate Exchange havej
approved a plan for the establishment
of a Negro residential section of the
city. The plan of segregation has for
its fundamental force the refusal to
sell property to colored people in other
sections than those set aside for them.
The claim has been made that the col
ored population of 65,000 in 1920 has
increased through migration to more
than 100,000, and that some action for
housing of the migrants is imperative.
It is said that colored people will press
their opposition to the new ruling in
court, if necessary, even to the point
of holding that the action of the real
estate men is conspiracy.
SIGHTS, EXPERIENCES AND IMPRESSIONS OF A TRAVELLER
WHO ATTENDED NATL. BAPTIST CONVENTION, LOS ANGELES
By Mrs. M. //. Wilkinson
LOS ANGELES.
(Continued from lost week.)
The intense heat that greeted us in
[.os Angeles was, indeed a disagree
able surprise! After crossing the
scorching desert in Arizona many had
assured us we would have relief in the
charming climate of California. How
ever, it was explained that this heat
wave was very unusual and generally
preceeded an earthquake. This ex
planation made matters worse, for
right then and there we experienced
a fear quake!
But after the eclipse of the sun,
which was very interesting, things
cooled off or down, I can't say which.
O, the joy and admiration exper
ienced in seeing California is inex
pressible. What serenity and sublimi
ty possesses the traveler as he feeis
the balmy air, beholds the beauty of
the flowers, the groves of oranges,
lemons, grapefruit, prunes, olives and
acres of bushes laden with grapes, in
haling the soothing and animating
fragrance of them all.
Really, is this Los Angeles? “Yes,”
we were told,” the garden spot of the
land, founded by a few Spanish sol
diers as far back as 1781 and named
Nuestra Senora La Reina de Los An
gels — The City of Our Lady, the
Queen of the Angels—but the Angels
was enough for the busy Americans
who came later. So now we have Los
Angeles, the city of the Angels. Its
active life dates from 1885.
I can never tell you how delightful
ly strange I felt the first morning I
walked the streets of Los Angeles,
greeted by the glorious sun, shining
so friendly and affectionately upon
those graceful and historical palms
that stood as sentinels on both sides
of the streets, whose ancestors had
exchanged greetings with this same
sun and watched it rise and set for
centuries in Jencho and along the
banks of the Jordan, where John bap
tized the Christ.
The palm, it is said, will not be
pressed or bound down, or grow
crooked, though heavy weights be laid
on it. This tree is one of the most fa
mous of all the forest, and is the
usual emblem of constancy, fruitful
ness, patience, and victory, which the
more it is oppressed, the more it
flourisheth; the higher it grows, the
stronger and prouder it is in the top.
As a race and as individuals may we
strive to imbibe these winning vir
tues. David realized its endurance
and perseverance and sang “The
righteous shall flourish as the palm
tree.”
Los Angeles presents a unique and
beautiful aspect; for while its public
and business buildings are notably
fine, the peculiarity of the place is
its lovely homes; its many flowers
and its picturesque shaded trees with
its wonderful and varied palm trees,
planted so effectively. First a tall,
stately palm, then a short bunchy one.
We get our palm fans from the palm
that grows tall and bunchy at the top
with fan-shaped leaves. Then, there
is the palm tree that looks like a
pine apple with the leaves branching
out from the top of the seeming ap
ple. Another species’ leaves spring di
rectly from the ground like the lilac
bush. They are a distinguished and
valuable group of plants, gratifying
the eye by their adornment of land
scape and ministering abundantly to
the necessities and pleasures of man.
The mild climate allows the most
delicate flowers and shrubbery to
flourish all the year round. One sees
hedges of calla lillies, great 10-foot
gerraniums, heliotrope covering the
side of the house and trees that bloom
in purple the year round, spreading
their fragrance everywhere.
Speaking of Pasadena, surely it is
the lost Eden recovered. It is beauti
fully located between the mountains
and joined to Los Angeles by a strip
of land. Pasedena is an exceptionally
beautiful city. Its streets, too, are
lined with a great variety of tropical
trees such as the Eucalyptus and
palm. I can never forget the ride
through these streets, viewing those
lovely mansions and attractively dec
orated landcsapes, everything immacu
late and idealistic. It was very quiet
and scarcely a person was seen on the
streets in the wealthy residential dis
trict. I remembered an old man who
came from the country to Philadel
phia, Pa., and when he saw the bril
liant lights and paved streets with
fine mansions he was amazed and ex
claimed, "If ‘Heben’ is any prettier
than this I don’t want to; see it.” My
i *4 ' c b ■ "? <!* *4# v
thoughts were not as his in regard to
the loveliness of Pasedena but thought
I, really it seems to be a heaven on
earth. This is seeing and enjoying
life and the beautiful. Some think
there are none of our group in Pase
dena; but we had the pleasure of
viewing their community and the
homes were very pretty. Much could
be said of Hollywood, the dreamland
of the actors, that rivals in beauty
with Pasedena. Coming back we saw
the ostrich farm enclosed with a very
high fence. Here is the largest of all
living birds, standing from six to
eight feet in height. It is an old bird
from the deserts of Africa and Ara
bia. Thus bird reaches its prime at
three years old. The first feathers are
cut when it is eight months old. This
process is renewal at the intervals of
eight months. The long white fea
ther's come from the male bird, the
female plumes are not pure white but
are flecked with gray.
The ostrich prefers an Alkaline soil
on which to graze, and its introduc
tion into Southern California in 1882
has proven quite a success.
I.os Angeles is twenty miles from
the beach. On our way we saw many
oil wells and learned the oil produc
tion bids fair to become one of Los
Angeles’ greatest industries.
Reaching the beach Sante Monica,
we never experienced such a jam,
nor heard so much noise, nor saw so
many odd and entertaining things.
Why, even the old Ark was there with
Brother and Sister Noah peeping out
of the windows, and their sons smil
ing and nodding at everyone passing..
Goodness garcious, it was worse than
the Vanity Fair in Pilgrim’s Progress.
Think of it, we paid to “see a Mother
with the smallest baby, five weeks
old and still alive.” And to our dis
appointment, honey, it was a monkey
with her offspring leaping about in
a cage.
We elbowed our way to the beach
where hundreds of people were rest
ing in the sand under large umbrel
las or jumping the foaming waves.
Here we viewed the peaceful and ma
iestlcc Pacific and watched Old Sol as
he seemed to bury himself in the
depths of the blue deeps leaving a
glorious golden light lingering and
dancing upon the waves.
POPULATION OF SOUTH
The population of the south as a
whole forms 30.9 per cent, of the
population of the United States. Of
the 33,044,445 inhabitants of the sev
enteen Southern States, including the
District of Columbia, a trifle more
than one-fourth, or about 26.9 per
cent., are colored. In other words,
in each group of 1,000 persons living
in the Southern States 731 are white
and only 269 are colored, a condi
tion that makes a joke out of the
'icious cry of “Negro Domination”
by ignorant politicians. Prior to the
present migration, Mississippi and
South Carolina were the only States
in which the colored population con
stituted 50 per cent, or more of the
total State populations. The colored
population of Georgia was 41.7 per
cent, of the total, that of Louisiana
38.9 per cent., Alabama, 38.4 per cent.,
and Florida 34.0 per cent. In no other
Southern State, including the District
of Columbia, does the colored popu
lation form as much as 30 per cent,
of the State population.
BEWITCHING WITCHES DISPENSE
WITCHES BREW AND
DOUGHNUTS
The Woman’s Auxiliary of the
Church of St. Philip the Deacon, gave
a Halloween party last Thursday
night at the attractive and commo
dious home of Mr. and Mrs. Charles
H. Hicks, 2530 Maple Street. The
rooms were appropriately and artis
tically decorated. Among the many
unique features was the “Witches
Caldron” from which “witches brew,”
cider, was dispensed. The magic clock,
fish pond and a fortune tellers’ booth
all presided over by attractive and
bewitching "witches” in regulation
witches’ costumes furnished fun for
many, and funds for the organization.
Games of various kinds gave ample
amusement and entertainment for the
large number who attended. It was a
pleasant and successful social affair
for the promotion of good fellow
ship among the members and friends
of the congregation.
GIRLS FRIENDLY
HAVE UNION
HALLOWEEN PARTY
The Girls’ Friendly Society of the
various Episcopal Churches had a de
lightful Halloween Party, Wednesday
night at Trinity Cathedral parish
house. The party was preceded by
a service at five o’clock in Trinity
cathedral at which several associates
were formally admitted by Bishop
Shaylor, who also delivered an excel
lent address. Repairing to the parish
house a picnic supper was served,
after which a program and games oc
cupied the evening. St. Philip’s
branch was represented by a large
number who report a delightful time.
CHILDREN INCREASE
ATTENDANCE IN EAST
Philadelphia, Pa., Nov. 3.—(By A.
N. P.)—The school census for this
year reveals that colored and Mongol
ian children have increased their at
tendance in the public schools and that
the whites have fallen off in large
numbers. There are 313,033 white
children registered this year. This is 1
a decrease of 34,944 under the regis
tration of last year. Colored children
have increased about 12 per cent.
There are seventy more Japanese and
Chinese children than were registered
last year.
NEW YORK LEADS
WITH 10,000 WIDOWS
New York, Nov. 3.—The city of
New Cork has 10,238 colored widows
and ranks first place in this respect
among other cities of the country.
Washington brings uip an ambitious
second with 9,061, and is followed in
order named by Chicago, New Orleans,
Philadelphia, Baltimore, Atlanta,
Memphis, St. Louis and Birmingham.
How many of these are widows indeed
"by sod and not by grass” is not
stated.
{4. A. A. C. P. WILL ELECT
OFFICERS SUNDAY
The Omaha Branch of the National
Association for the Advancement of
Colored People will hold its regular
meeting at Grove M. E. Church, Twen
ty-second and Seward streets, Sunday
afternoon at 4 o’clock for the annual
election of officers. As this is a most
important meeting all members of the
Association are urged to be present to
vote for such persons as they may
prefer for officers for the ensuing
year.
I
AN AFRICAN JEW
INNOCENT CAUSE
OF THEATRE RIOT
Resentment of Insulting Remarks By
White Rowdies Alleged To
Have Started the
Trouble.
POLICE QIELL DISTURBANCE
David Kolscritta, Jewish Cantor, Said
To Be Native of Abysinnia,
Speaks Several
Languages.
Washington, D. C., Nov. 2. — The
Howard Theatre was the scene of a
battle royal at a midnight show here
recently, according to the Washington
Eagle, of this city. The participants
were all white, and the battle was
waged in resentment to insulting re
marks made concerning a black Jew.
David B. Kollscritta, the only col
ored Jewish cantor in the world, was
rendering a number on the program
when three white ruffians began to
make insulting remarks. The Jews in
the house immediately took it up and
the fight followed. It lasted for about
ten minutes. Policemen came in and
quieted the melee. During all the fight
Mr. Kollscritta continued to sing. At
the conclusion, the Jews surrounded
Mr. Kollscritta and all left the thea
ter together singing the Jewish na
tional anthem.
Native of Africa.
The cantor is only 33 years old. He
is a native of Abyssinia, Africa, and
is a member of a Jewish tribe there
which is called one of the “lost
tribes.” The members are of mixed
Jewish and African descent, their or
igin, it is said, going back to the days
of the Queen of Sheba and King Sol
omon, when a great number of Jews
were taken to Africa. Intermarriage
perpetuated the Jewish strain and the
following of the ancient religion.
When only a child, the cantor re
solved to embark on the study of lan
guages. He tells the story that in his
early youth he was deformed because
of a very large head and small body,
and as a result drew the derision of
members of other tribe* whose
tongues he did not know. The boy de
termined to leam their tongues to
know what they were saying. He ad
ded many European and Oriental as
well as ancient classical languages to
his African list, in all twenty-eight
languages.
Mr. Kollscritta pursued his earlier
studies in Palestine and later went on
a tour of the world with scientists
searching for “lost tribes.” He trav
eled for five years, and states that he
has been in every civilized country.
A Linguist.
The cantor reads and writes nine
languages; can speak fourteen fluent
ly. Here is but a part of the list:
Spanish, French, Italian, German,
Swedish, Danish, Norwegian, Dutch,
ancient Hebrew, Yiddish, Targon, a
language of Bible times; Bible Latin,
in which he is well versed; Russian,
Polish, Gaelic, Slavish, ancient Greek,
the original Ethiopian of which he
can write the script; Flemish, Manchu
and Chinese; also Kaffir, Malay, Zulu,
Zambesi and Hottentot, all African
tongues, as well as Boer, which is sim
ilar to Dutch.
Kollscritta declares that the most
difficult language he had to leam was
English. "It has so many letters that
say nothing,” was his way of express
ing his difficulty. During the war
Kollscritta was eleven months in
France. There he became acquainted
with a Chinese cook who knew Eng
lish and taught the cantor much Chi
nese. Kollscritta was an interpreter
in the army during the war. Inciden
tally he is an American citizen.
PRINCIPAL GIRLS’
SCHOOL VISITS
OMAHA FRIENDS
Miss A. Bowden, principal of St.
Philip's School for Girls at San An
tonio, Texas, en route east from the
Provincial Synod of the Seventh Prov
ince of the Episcopal Church, held in
Kansas City, Mo., last week, spent
three days here as the guest of the
Rev. and Mrs. John Albert Williams
at St. Philip’s rectory. Miss Bowden
is recognized as one of the prominent
educators of the Episcopal Church in
the South, her school ranking among
the best. Miss Bowden who is a
graduate of St. Augustine’s School,
Raleigh, N. C., was pleased to meet
here a former classmate at St. Au
gustine’s in the person of Mr. W. H.
Robinson. She left Wednesday after
noon for Des Moines.
