HE MONITOR —^•fsrtrjji
%/e A NATIONAL WEEKLY NEWSPAPER DEVOTED TO THE INTERESTS OF COLORED AMERICANS
j tj THE REV. JOHN ALBERT WILLIAMS, Editor
$2.00 a Year. 5c a Copy OMAHA, NEBRASKA, FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 23, 1923 Whole Number 437 Vol. IX—No. 21
DO YODR PART FOR THE COMMUNITY CHEST
IMPERIAL WIZARD
EVAR’S ATTACK IS
PLAINLY ANSWERED
Omahu Branch National Advancement
Association Recites Facts Which
Refute Ignorant
Charge
RECORD SUFFICIENT REPLY
Head of Hooded Knights and His Law
less Followers Are Inviting
Domestic Strife and
Civil War
The Omaha Branch of the National
Association for the Advancement of
Colored People has Just made the fol
lowing reply to the Imperial Wizard
Evans of the Ku Klux Klan:
AN OPEN LETTER TO DR. W. A.
EVANS, IMPERIAL WIZARD OFTHE
KU KLUX KLAN.
Sir:
Recently you made a speech In Dal
las, Texas, in which you declared, In
substance, that the Negro is Biologi-j
cally and socially inferior and has
always been so and always will be
so; that he cannot become an Ameri
can.
Birth, residence, obedience to laws,
observance of the customs, habits and
traditions, labor and service, are some
of the things required to make one
an American. How have we met j
these requirements? All of the col
ored people for many generations
have been born In America. We have
had the longest average residence In i
America of any racial group except |
the American Indian. We have obeyed j
the laws of the country. We have |
observed the habits, customs and tra
ditions. Up to 1850 the great bulk
of the wealth of the nation had been
produced by the labor of our people.
We have given the highest service in ,
peace and in war. One of our num- j
her was with Christopher Columbus
when he discovered America, and we
have been on Amerioan soil almost
continuously since 1600. Men and j
women of our race produced much of!
the food to sustain the American Army [
under Washington in the Revolution,
and at one time one fourth of the
revolutionary army was composed of
colored men. We fought with Perry
on Luke Erie and with Jackson at
New Orleans: during the war of the
rebellion, we gave 200,000 black sol
diers to free the slaves and save the
nation; and during the World War we
gave 400,000 men that all that was
best in civilization might not perish
from the earth.
Fifty-eight years have passed since
chattel slavery was shot to death.
We were then totally illiterate and
propertyless and penniless. Our il
literacy has been reduced 78 per cent;
we have accumulated property valued
close to $3,000,000,000; we have pro
duced many men and women of let
ters, painters, composers, editors,
business men of rare ability and
achievment, and' thousands of min-1
inters, lawyers, doctors and other |
members of the advanced professions.
More of our people are engaged in
useful productive work, in proportion
to their numbers; than any other raf
cial element in America.
We are quite safe to rest our case
upon the record we have made. We
believe, also, that when the American
people learn the truth about us, as
they must learn It, and from us, their
decision will not be in favor of the
enemies of Amerisa for whom Im
perial wizard Evans speaks.
We know that our achievements,
all things considered, in all fields of
social effort, are without parallel in
the hlHtory of the human race; that our
contributions to the development of
the American Democracy has been
greater In proportion to our numbers
than any other racial element Mn
America. We have paid' every price
it has been possible for human beings
to pay. Our reward must be liberty
and equality under the law.
The constitution of the United States
was adopted to insure domestic tran
quility. Imperial Wisard Evans and
his lawless followers are destroying
it; they are inviting Civil War. And
this pernicious doctrine that Borne
races are inferior and some superior
Is threatening the peace and security
of the world, as well as America.
And' such a doctrine Is wholly false.
All human beings have human pos
sibilities. Equality of achievement in
any field of human effort depends
upon opportunity, and time, and cir
cumstance.
Two thousand years ago the Anglo
Saxon was too salvage, ignorant and
Imbruted to become Roman slaws.
How does Dr. Evas know the number
of years his elect of race was in
j darkness? How does ho know what
the future holds for us? He does not
know and his claims show him to
be a very ignorant man, and a slave
to the worst form of that malady,—
prejudice.
We say to Dr. Evans and all his
kind in America, that this Is our
country; we have made It with our
labor and sacrifice; with our blood.
We have thus preserved it. That no
element in this country shall define
Americatnism for us; we have de
fned It for ourselves and them. Ideal
ly, it is a land of liberty, the asylum
for_the oppreesed of all the earth.
And thus it must ever be; we must
strive to keep It so. We must have
justice.
We join with all lovers of liberty
to crush the enemies from within and
from without.
Imperial Wisard Evans, if he will
but look, will see, In the great book
of Justice, our whole answer in bias
ing letters of the blood we have spill
j ed to help America and Mankind.
Omaha Br?.nch Naional Association
' for the Advancement of Colored Peo
ple.
Signed,
H. J. Pinkett.
Jno. Albert Williams.
W. W. Peebles.
I
Adopted by Association Sunday, |
! November 18, 1923.
OMAHA BRANCH
N. A. A. C. P. HOLDS
INTERESTING MEETING
_
j Elects Six Members of Executive Com
mittee, Adepts Reply to I>r. Evans
and Hears (treat Address
from Henry Monsky
The Omaha Branch of the National
Association for the Advancement of
Colored People met at Grove M. E.
Church last Sunday afternoon at 4
o’clock. Therg was a good attend
ance. The president presided. The
report of the nominating committee
for members of the Executive Com
mittee was adopted. The following
persons were chosen for this commit
tee: Henry W. Black, Mrs. Frederick
Divers, Mrs. W. W. Peebles, H. J.
Pinkett, H. W. Walsh and Rev. W. C.
Williams; Three vacancies were left
on the Board to be filled later. H.
J. Pinkett, chairman of the commit
tee appointed' at a previous meeting
to prepare a reply to the recent at
tack of Grand Wizard Evans, pre
sented the report of the committee,
which was received with vociferous
applause and unanimously adopted.
The full text of the reply which was
drafted by Mr. Pinkett, appears else
where in this issue.
Henry Monsky, first vice-president
of the Board of Governors of the
Omaha Welfare Federation and Com-1
munlty Chest was then Introduced.
Mr. Monsky prefaced' his splendid ad-j
dress and appeal for the Community
Chest by congratulatory remarks upon ;
the reply to Evans and eloquent and
inspirational words on the racial ques- j
tlon upon which he could speak with i
sympathy as a co-sufferer of racial
prejudice. He counselled that our peo
ple should show such sterling char
acter and worth that the malicious
charges and accusations of our en
emies would he refuted. He then made
a strong appeal for support of the
Community ChcHt. Mr. Monsky’s splen
did address made a deep impression
i>!>on his audience.
The next meeting of the Associa
tion will be held December 2 at which
time it is planned to have another
good' speaker and an Interesting pro
gram, due notice of which will be
published next week.
DEMAND KLAN BAR AT
HARVARD UNIVERSITY
New York, Nov. 22.—A message
was sent to the Board of Overseers!
of Harvard University last week by!
the N. A. A. C. P. calling attention
to reports that the Ku Klux Klan
existed in the institution and asking
that the organizers be ferreted out
and expelled.
The message stated that the Klan
was a vehicle for the dissemination
of the poison of race and religious
hatred, and that it would be better
to close the doors of the university
than to allow the “empire” to re
main there.
SLAVE MARRIAGE
DECLARED LEGAL
New Orleans, Nov. 22.—Declaring
his slave marriage legal, a Baton
Rouge court awarded Rev. M. H.
Blackburn, aged 71, judgment of (7,
600 against relatives who claimed the
entire (30,000 estate of his dead wife.
jj Would You Recognize This as a Brother J
SIGHTS, EXPERIENCES AND IMPRESSIONS OF A TRAVELLER
WHO ATTENDED NATL. BAPTIST CONVENTION, LOS ANGELES
i -
By Mrs. M. H. Wilkinson
(Continued from last week)
GOLDEN GATE PARK
Tt is said that this splendid and at
tractive Park is one of the largest in
the world'. There are over 300 acres
of beautiful green lawn.
Well kept drive ways bedecked with
flowers of all colors and kinds from
the soft and dainty to the loud and
gorgeous, every one trying to look
its best and to exhale its sweetest
fragrance. These flowers and shrub
bery are from every country in the
world. Many of the delegates rode
through the Park in the large sight
seeing cars; but a few had the honor
of going through in an old fashioned
buggy drawn by a very ordinary
horse. The owner, time and weather
beaten, boasted of having been on me
Job for fifty years and knowing every
nook and corner in the Park as well
as the names of every flower and
shrubbery.
He surely gave us the names of all
we saw, but whether or not the names
were correct X could not say. He
boasted much of the advantages his
old buggy had over the automobiles,
how that we could see more by driv
ing slowly and by not having our
vision obstructed by any barrier. This
old buggy and he looked as though
they had been faithful pals of long
standing. He was indeed a talkative
old fellow and took great pride in
pointing out the things of interest.
The horse appeared to be as familiar
with the various haunts and objects
as he, Just where and when to stop
he knew. "This is the century tree,"
said the driver, "that blooms every
hundred years and then dies. This one
bloomed thie year.” And we beheld a
very tall, slender tree of a pale green
hue, resembling somewhat a rubber
plant. It’s work in this capacity was
finished and gradually it was return
ing to mother earth to begin a new
work of enriching the earth that other
plant life might thrive.
Here were children’s play ground,
tennis courts, base ball grounds and
huts built for animals enclosed with
a high iron fence. The largest bear
I ever saw was here and weighed
over a thousand pounds. There was
also another Alaskan bear which
came near that mark. They could
hardly walk. I thought of the once
popular song concerning the fellow
who ran up the tree from the bear
and' prayed “Lord, if you don’t help
me, please don’t help that bear.” My
heart filled with sympathy, went out
to the brother as I beheld those great
monsters. Had they broke out, I
am quite sure I would not have been
able to have prayed at all.
This Park sheltered thousands of
refugees during the terrible earth
quake and fire.
$75,000 was the price of a very
handsome music pavilion’ built by the
Italians every stone of which was
brought from Italy. It la a light
brown marble with a rich glowing
finish. Around it are placed rowa
and' rows of benches surrounded by
trees.
Another interesting building Is the
museum, a gift of i... H. de Young,
and contains a rare collection of fa
mous paintings and sculptures, an
cient armour, Egyptian mummies, an
tiques and relics of several centuries.
Here we saw a statue of a Chinese,
formed out of very fine texture of
wood, enclosed in a glass case. Never,
in all my life have 1 seen anything
unreal look so real and inhuman so
human. His hair streaked with gray
looked so real, his yellow complex
ion so natural, the expression with a
few wrinkles in the forehead so per
fect, one could not believe that he
was not breathing. Kneeling with
an uplifted head he presented tl|e ex
pression of Master I am ready to do
thy bidding. It was very touching.
My how willing and how humble he j
looked. A fine piece of work.
Here we saw, I believe, some of the
finest work that could be carved out
of marble. Blind Homer, with eyes
without any life or light. One that!
could not read would readily see that
this must represent a blind man.
Beautiful lacee as delicate and real
as laces made of thread decorated
these statues, buttons and frills and
everything necessary to put on the
finer touch.
I have never realized and admired
the wonderful genius of the Sculptor
so much as during this pleasing ex
perience. Paces so full of expression
and carved out of hard cold' stone,
and yet seemed so warmed with real
ity. What wonders and achievements
man is capable of performing. How
great is the Source of Wisdom from
which we draw orr Creator the Alps
and Omega. All comes from him!
A very picturesque and Interesting
scene is the Japanese Garden. It Is
indeed oriental; covering about an
acre of ground and enclosed and shel
tered by a cloister of trees. There is
a main entrance with many by paths
covered here and there by hanging
vines arid archways, every path lead
ing to some enchanted nook. A very
romantic air is felt while crossing the
sparkling streams filled with gold and
silver fish, climbing the oval shaped
bridges and viewing their Gods made
of hands, that have eyeB and see not;
ears and hear not. In the midst of
all the blooming flower beds and
green shrubbery with trees hanging
with beautiful foliage is seen their
Temple, a place of worship, built In
the shape of a belfry. Passing through
the main pavilion where the famous
tea is made and where each tourist
registers, through hanging moBs and
stones we passed on to a little build
ing whose walls and floors were filled
with beautiful hand paintings In pic
tures and china. Such an enchanted
Garden. One could not feel that he
was really In the U. S. A. Benches
and tables for teas were made out
of large trees that still retained their
bark, and knots. How thrilling end
lovely to be so near to nature.
NEWSLETS
At Bakersville, N. C., 77 “leading
citizens” were indicted for unlawful
assembly in connection with recent
violence in forcing colored people to
leave that vicinity.
Ruanda, the country of giants, cov
ering an area in Africa larger than
the State of Connecticut, has been
ceded to Belgium by Great Britain.
Fred D. McCracken, prominent re
altor of St. Paul, was refused service
in a leading department store in that
city and the colored people have boy
cotted the establishment in reprisal.
O. C. Hall, prominent churchman of
St. Paul, has been endorsed by the
Minnesota Conference of the A. M. E.
Church for Secretary-Treasurer of
the Sunday School Union in Nash
ville.
Whether or not married women
: shall be allowed to teach, to the ex
clusion of maidenly and spinister el
igible products of the Normal unit,
is the heated question to occupy the
front of the stage in Washington’s
perennial school controversy.
At a meting of the Philadelphia
Housing Association the problem of
home settlement for the influx of
migrants was considered to be acute
on account of slow building activi
ties. That there was an increase of
crime in the Quaker City, due to mi
gration, was denied.
Confessing that she stole a watch
anti chain from a colored chef, to re
turn to her old home at Roanoke,
Va., Lula Wade, colored maid at
White Plains, N. Y., was provided
with a purse by the Grand Jury of
Westchester county, who refused to
indict her and started her on her way.
Eric Waldrond, brilliant young
magazine writer, bearing a commis
sion from several New York publica
tions, attended the recent national
meeting of the Urban League at Kan
sas City, Mo., with a view to study
ing sociologists in the formation of
conclusions on the race problem. A
series of articles are anticipated that
will be truly enlightening.
THREE RACE DOCTORS
PLACED AT TUSKEGEE
Tuskegee, Ala., Nov. 22.—(By A.
N. |P.)—Three colored doctors 'and
two dentists have taken up work at
the Veterans’ hospital, here. They
do not expect any hindrance. The
doctors are: Walter S. Taylor, Drue
King, Toussant T. Tillman. The
dentists are Benjamin D. Boyd and
Thomas B. Davis.
You help thirty social agencies
by giving to the COMMUNITY
CHEST.
BOOK CHAT
By Mary White Ovington, Chairman,
Board of Directors of the National
Association for the Advancement
of Colored People.
“These United States”
Edited by Ernest Gruening. Pub
lished by Messrs. Boni and Liveright,
195 W. 40th St., New York City.
Price $3.00. Postage 10 cents extra.
“Has the State you come from
been overhauled by The Nation yet?”
is a question frequently asked this
past year. For The Nation, New
York’s greatest humanitarian week
lv, has been publishing’ a series of
articles, on the States of the Union.
Very few have escaped unscathed.
Vermont, whose story is charmingly
written by Dorothy Canfield, makes
the best showing, largely, we surmise,
because she is poor. Were she to
strike some hidden mine of wealth,
she might differ little from her neigh
bors. East, West, North and South
one learns of grafts and national- j
ism, of noble pioneering to be fol-!
lowed by ignoble exploitation. Out
of the 27 States described in this
first volume, Kansas, by William A
len White, is the best piece of writing.
It describes the strength and the
weakness of Puritanism. One feels
proud of the State’s noble humani
tarianism, its sobriety, its lack of de
grading poverty. But with this is an
absence of creative art, of apprecia
tion, and love of beauty. Can the two,
one wonders, never exist together?
The Negro problem is a very pres
ent reality in “These United States.”
Ernest Gruening, editor of the se
ries wisely limits it to two of the 27
states, Mississippi and Alabama. But
here he summons two of the great- j
est critics the South has today, Beu
lah Amidon Ratliff and Clement
Wood. Mrs. Ratliff writes of Miss
issippi. Her name first appeared in
an article some yearas ago in the
Atlantic Monthly entitled (‘A Man
Hunt in Mississippi.” Her story re
minded one of Fannie Kempble’s di
ary, and the Atlantic Monthly has
been apologizing to its Southern con
stituency by sloppy “darky” senti
metri ever since. Mrs. Ratliff has
lost none of her force in her sum
mary of the State in which she lived
for some years. Black and white
alike are degraded by race prejudice.
She shows the plantation Negro in
his ignorance, his hopefulness, his ani
mal bestiality. But she points out
clearly that the Southern planter
keeps him purposely in this condi
tion. He prefers to bear with dull,
irresponsible labor rather than to see
the Negro show any power. He
knows that cleanliness and knowledge
would increase the Negro’s amlbition
and he wants the Negro in a condi
tion as close to slavery as possible.
Thus he degrades his worker and he
degrades himself. Child labor, illit
eracy, narrow provincialism, and in
ability to face facts, these are at
tributes of white Mississippi.
Alabama is treated by Clement
Wood whose novel “Nigger” I re
viewed some months ago. Miscege
nation is the keynote of this article
and never has the subject been treat
ed more eloquently and fearlessly.
Every colored man and woman should
read it to know what this white Ala
baman is saying. They may not
agree with his solution, Absorption,
but they will follow him breathlessly
as he reaches it. “A study in Ultra
Violet." Mr. Wood calls his article,
and it is a great chapter in a great
book.
K. K. K. INVOKES LAW
Steubenville, O., INov. 22.—Mem
bers of the Ku Klux Klan here in
jured in an anti-klan riot filed nine
teen suits under the anti-lynching
bill passed sometime ago for the pro
tection of Negroes in the South.
WHOLE PARADE ARRESTED
Portsmouth, 0., Nov. 22. — Klan
paraders, numbering 244, who mar
ched1 here recently were arreeted by
police, and fined.
LIBERIANS MEET PREJUDICE
Paris, France, Nov. 22.—Managers
of a local hotel were warned by the
government to close unless they took
in Attorney General Grimes and Col
lector Dixon Brown, of Liberia. White
Americans objected to their presence.
TOWN BUILDER BURIED
Cracksdale, Miss., Nov. 22—Chas.
Banks, active with Isaiah Montgom
ery and others in founding the town
of Mound Bayou, died in Memphis and
was burled here recently.
HAGAA-TALBERT
RECITAL IS fiREAT
MUSICAL EVERT
Premier Pianist and Famoug Singer
Captivate and Delight An Ap
preciative Audience at
Brandclg Theatre
GIVE RICH CLASS PROGRAM
Musical Masterpieces Are Skillfully
Interpreted By Finished
Artists of Rare
Gifts
Undoubtedly the greatest musical
event, from the standpoint of artistic
excellence, ever sponsored by our
group in this city was the piano-song
recital given at the beautiful Bran
deis theatre Monday night, under the
auspices of the Episcopal church of
St. Philip the Deacon, by Helen
Hagan, pianist, and Florence Cole-Tal
bert, colortura soprano. While the
attendance was not as large as had
been anticipated the audience was a
cultured, representative Mid warmly
responsive one which inspired these
eminent artists to do their very best.
The audience was captivated and
delighted from the first number by
Helen ened the pro
gram and spirited
interpretation of the Chopin B flat
minor “Scherzo,” to the last number
by Florence Cole-Talbert, who closed
the program with “Homing,” which
she gave as an encore in response to the
enthusiastic applause with which her
last programmed number, the difficult
"Caro Nome” from Rigoletto by Verdi
was received.
The musical critics of the Omaha
dailies, August M. Borglum of the
[World-Herald; Henrietta M. Rees of
I The Bee, and Miss Myrtle Shotwel!
j of the Omaha Daily News, all wrote
, in laudatory terms of the work of these
i artists. Persons high in musical cir
cles in this city were most enthu
siastic in their praise.
The program was a generous one
consisting of four numbers by each
artist. These with the encores which
the audience demanded and the mu
sicians graciously gave, extended It
beyond the customary length.
The opening number, as has been
said, “Scherzo," B flat minor by Chop
in was performed with brilliance by
Helen Hagan. Her other numbers
were “O Ix>ve” by Lizst; “Gardens in
the Rain” by Debussy; Prelude, G,
Minor by Rachmininoff; “I Am Trou
bled in Mind” and Bamboula (Afri
can Dance)—(Transcription of Negro
Melodies) by S. Coleridge Taylor;
Hungarian Rhapsodic No. 2 by Llzst,
and as encores “Deep River” by Bur
leigh and “The Spinning Wheel.’’ In
all her numbers her complete mastery
of her art and instrument was mani
fest; It would be difficult *to say
which was her best number, the dif
ficult Rhapsodie perhaps giving the
best opportunity for full display of her
superb musicianship. Her charming
personality and graciousness enhance
her rare musical gifts.
Florence Cole-Talbert, who has a
striking stage presence and a sunni
ness of disposition which charm® her
audience, chose as her opening num
ber the difficult classic aria, "Queen
of Night” from the Magic Flute by
Mozart, which acclaimed her mastery
of the vocal art. Her other numbers
were Ave Maria by Schubert; Song
of India by Rimsky-Korsakoff; Swiss
Echo Song by Eckert; “The Wind is
East” and “Are You Ready” (Spiri
tual) by Hilbert Stewart, of Chicago,
a young race composer of great prom
ise; “Oh, My Ijove” by Burleigh: “At
Parting” ’by Rogers; "The Night
Wind” by Farley; “Butterflies” by
Seiler; “The Spirit Flower” by Tip
ton and “Caro Nome” from Rigoletto
by Verdi, encore numbers being “A
Big 'Brown Bear,” “The False Pro
phet” and "Homing." It is exceed
ingly difficult to say which was her
best number or numbers, but in Ave
Maria, The Swiss Echo Song, Are
You Ready and “Caro Nome” her mag
nificient voice >and wonderful tone
shading and control were given ample
demonstration.
I Florentine F. Pinkston, our own tal
ented townswoman, and graduate of
the New England conservatory, did
excellent work as Mrs. Talbert’s ac
companist.
WHITE SETTLERS SOUGHT
New York, Nov. 22.—Officials of
the Southern Railway are offering in
i ducements to white farmers in the
North to take up farms in the South
left by migrating Negroes.