f. - _ . —
The Monitor "v
NEBRASKA’S WEEKLY NEWSPAPER DEVOTED TO THE INTERESTS OF COLORED AMERICANS
THE REV. JOHN ALBERT WILLIAMS, Editor
$2.0« a Year—5c a Copy OMAHA, NEBRASKA, FRIDAY, APRIL 17, 1925 Whole Number 510 Vol. X—No. 40
Advancemrt Association Scores Another Big Victory
PLAYGROUNDS
REUNCE JUVENILE
WAYWARDNESS
Colored Americans Enjoyed Health
Giving Recreation In Nearly
Two Hundred Centers
East Year
CITIES RECOGNIZING VALUE
New York, April 17. — Colored
Americans last yeur enjoyed health
giving play in 179 public recreation
centers and playgrounds maintained
for their exclusive use, according to
the Year Book of the Playground and
Recreation Association of America,
just issued. More ami more cities are
realizing thut their Negro citizens can
get no recreation except the expen
sive ari l often degrading commercial
ized kind, states the Association, and
so they are providing in colored
neighborhoods play leaders and facil
ities for wholesome good times.
Outdoor playgrounds for colored
children numbered 133 during 1924,
reports from 68 cities indicate. Five
of these playgrounds were opened last
year for the first time. Twenty-two
cities stateil the average number of
colored children who daily enjoyed
these grounds, and the total is 14,339.
Nine cities reported the total valua
tion of their playgrounds for colored
children to be $112,090.
Social evenings, athletics, music
and dramatics were among the activ
ities furnished for colored citizens,
lioth grown-ups anil children, by 46
indoor recreation centers in 37 cities,
says the Year Book. The total value
of these centers in five cities was re
ported at $97,000.
Playgrounds Reduce Delinquency
From Columbus, Ga., which last
year opened a playground for colored
children, comes this report, ‘‘The
playground has more than justified
its expense, if for no other reason
than that juvenile delinquency among
colored boys has been cut down ma
terially. Of course its greatest bene
fit has been in providing supervised
recreation for hundreds of colored
children who had never known what
a playground meant."
The Columbus playground was made
possible by a playground committee
organized among the colored people
of the city. They secured the use of
six acres of land and raised the funds
to equip it. The city Playground
Board supervised the layout of the
playground and furnished a paid
leader. •
Orangeburg, S. C., has recently
made a beginning in the establishment
of recreation parks where colored
people may meet and enjoy outdoor
activities. The first such park has an
artificial lake, five sunken gardens,
and a neat little administration build
ing. Several rustic bridges have been
built over the stream that crosses the
grounds and the grove affords shade
all day. Colored people of the city
have given personal labor towanl the
development of the park.
National Bureau Assists
Cities creilit much of their expan
sion in providing recreation for col
ored people to the aid of the Bureau
of Colored Work of the Playground
and Recreation Association of Amer
ica. In 1924 this Bureau gave per
sonal service to forty cities and help
by correspondence to ninety additional
cities in meeting the play and recre
ation problems of their colored cit
izens.
DENVTR CONFERENCE OF
N. A. A. C. P. TO VISIT
COLORADO SCENES
Delegates and visitors to the Six
teenth Annual Conference of the Na
tional Association for the Advance
ment of Colored People in Denver,
Colorado, this June, will have an op
portunity of seeing some of the fin
est scenery of the Rocky Mountains.
George W. Gross, president of the
Denver N. A. A. C. P. writes that the
Colorado Springs outing, to be ten
dered delegates and visitors on June
27, will include not only a free bar
becue in the Garden of the Gods, but
a motor trip taking in Manitou, Ute
Pass, North Cheyenne Canon and
Broadmoor.
The scenery along this route In
cludes high mountains, glaciers, deep
canons, fields of wild flowers up to
the “snow line” of the mountains, and
innumerable streams.
For those delegates who wish to re
main in Colorado after the close of
the N. A. A. C. P. conference, the
railroads offer easy access to vaca
tion points In Rocky Mountain Na
tional Park and other points of in
terest.
---£> —-- --
EASTER AT & IILIP’S
£ ISCOPAL CHURCH
(t ✓
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Easier sp the Church of St.
Philip the Deacon reached the highwater
mark ill attendance, communions and of
ferings. At the 6:30 a. m. service the
church was filled and ninety-seven re
ceived the Holy Communion. At 11 o’clock
another large congregation was present for
an inspiring service. The music was
heartily sung, the soloists in Shilling's
“Christ Our Passover” were Mrs. Augus
tus Hicks, soprano; Miss Melva McCaw,
alto; and Weldon Solomon, tenor, all of
whom sang well. The sermon topic was
“The Remembrance of the Resurrection".
At 5 o'clock was verspers and the chil
| dren’s service. Brief addresses were made
\ hy Mr. II. W. Thompson, Dr. L. E. Britt
! and J. Dillard Crawford, superintendent,
j Easter cards and tokens were given the
children. The attendance at all services
; was the largest in the history of the parish.
On faster Even at 4:30 Florence Mi
j nerva, infant daughter of Mr. and Mrs.
I A. D. James, and Marjorie Edna, infant
1 daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Andrew John
son. were baptized. The sponsors for the
James’ baby were Mr. and Mrs. Thomas
I S. Riggs, of Chicago, the parents answer
! ing for them hy proxy; and Mrs. J. Frank
i Smith. Those for (he Johnson baby were
die Misses Ernestine Singleton and Melva
McCaw; the great-grandmother. Mrs. Thos.
Reese; the grandmother. Mrs. Edna Mc
Caw. and the mother. Mrs. Andrew John
son. all being present. The paternal
grandmother, Mrs. Robert Severe; and the
uaternal grandmother, Mrs. W. H. Thomas,
of the James' baby were also present.
Following this service Mrs. Eddie Iou
Robinson, who was ill on Palm Sunday,
and Mrs. Edna McCaw were confirmed hy
Bishop Shayler in his private chapel.
LIEUT. JULIAN PPREPARING
N FOR U. S.-AFRICA FLIGHT
New York, April 17.—Lieut. Hubert
Julian, who received his United States
aviation license last February, is rap
idly pushing plans for his second at
! tempt at a U. S.-Liberiu flight. He
has already secured a mechanic, Sol
omon Allard, 24, to accompany him on
the trip. He is having a special plane
constructed for the fight. Lieut. Jul
ian has obtained the financial back
ing of a minister, two doctors and a
colored woman publisher.
n
NEGRO TEACHER OF
SEVERAL LANGUAGES
DIES IN GERMANY
Karl Frazier, Native of New Orleans,
Hut Resident of Berlin for Two
Years, Found Dead in
His Room.
DOG WATCHES BY BEDSIDE
(Preston News Service)
Berlin, Germany, April 16.—Pro
fessor Karl Frazier, regarded by the
German people as a “mystery man,” a
native of New Orleans, La., who was
a teacher of twelve languages here,
was found dead in his room recently.
The police say that when they entered
the room crouched by the side of his
dead master was his famous dog,
named Passa, watching at the bedside.
The German authorities believe that
, Frazier died three or four days ago
of gas poisoning caused from a leak in
a gas pipe.
When the rumor spread that Frazier
was dead children and students of the
entire section of West Berlin flocked
to the house. None of the neighbors
knew much about his life, except that
he was a quiet, studious and high
ly respected man. He has been here
for two years teaching students. Many
.German people marveled to see a Ne
gro who could fluently converse In
more than a score of languages.
The body was taken to the morgue
and was released Friday for a fun
eral arranged from the Americun con
sulate. Professor Frazier’s widow, it
is said, was afraid to accompany her
husband to Germany, and is living in
New Orleans, La.
DEPARTMENT OF LABOR
DISMISSES DR. FLECKER
COMPLAINED OF BY ASS N
New York, April 17.—The U. S.
Department of Labor has dismissed
from its service Dr. A. W. Plecker of
Richmond, Va., concerning whose anti
Negro pamphlets distributed at the
expense of the government, complaint
was made to Washington by National
Association for the Advancement of
Colored People.
The N. A. A. C. P. has received a
letter from Arthur E. Cook, assistant
to the Secretary of Labor, confirming
the dismissal.
West Virginia Supreme Court
Puts Ban on “Birth of a Nation”
*
New York, April 17.—Colored cit
izens of Charleston and of the state
of West Virginia have won a great
victory before the State Supreme
Court which has decided that “The
Birth of a Nation” shall not be exhib
ited in the Rialto Theatre in Charles
ton.
The picture was to be shown on
April 1 to 4, and the city had been
flooded wth advertsements. Thurs
day afternoon, March 26, T. G. Nutter,
president of the Charleston branch of
the N. A. A. C. P., together with W.
W. Sanders, vice-president of the N.
A. A. C. P. branch and state super
visor of Negro schools; Capt. G. E.
F'erguson, hotel proprietor and for
mer member of the N. A. A ,C. P.
branch executive committee, called on
Mayor W. W. Wertz. The delegation
protested against the film being
shown in violation of a special law
which colored leaders put througn
the legislature in 1919, expressly to
prohibit this film.
Mr. Nutter informed Mayor Wertz
he had power to prevent the showing
under that statute as well as by ex
ercise of the police power of the city.
The mayor after consultation with
the city solicitor notified the theatre
management that “The Birth ot a
Nation” should not be shown and that
if attempt were made to show it, he
would confiscate the film and arrest
the manager and all the employees of
the theatre, also any owner of the
film who might be in Charleston.
The mayor asked Attorney T. G.
Nutter to prepare the necessary affi
davits describing the film and show
ing violation of the law. Thereupon
the management asked for a commit
tee of colored citizens to view the
picture to see if objectionable por
tions could be cut out. Through Mr.
National Advancement Association
Scores Another Victory In Fight
Against Anti-Racial
Propaganda
MAYOR TAKES FIRM STAND
President Nutter of Local Branch
Tells How the Campaign
Against Film Was
Waged.
Nutter 30 colored people appeared
but declined to reach any agreement
other than withdrawal of the film.
The management held up the film
long enough to apply to the Judge of
the Common Pleas Court of Kanawha
county for an injunction restraining
Mayor Wertz and Chief of Police
John Britton from interfering with
the film. Judge Owen granted a tem
porary injunction and the picture was
shown twice that day. Appeal to the
Circuit Court the next day resulted in
dissolution of the injunction and the
picture was not shown that day.
The following day, Friday, April 3,
the theatre people applied to the Su
preme Court of Appeals for an appeal
and supersedeas from the order dis
solving the injunction. The Virginia
Amusement Co., in its petition set
forth that the mayor’s threat to ar
rest all the theatre employees and to
seize film and projection apparatus
would be confiscation of property
without due process of law.
The mayor replied that nothing
would be done* to interfere with the |
production until the scene was reached
where “a white girl is chased by a
Negro from a spring and she jumps
from a precipice; the moment that
part of the picture was reached war
rants would be served and film and j
machine would be taken as evidence.” j
The judge held warrants could be>
served and arrests made but film and
machine could not be seized and is
sued a sweeping injunction prohibit
ing the mayor and the police chief
from interfering with the showing of
“The Birth of a Nation.” This injunc
tion was dissolved by the Circuit
Court Judge on the ground that “city
authorities had a right to make t*ie I
arrest under proper warrants charg
ing that a crime had been committed
and to seize the film, machine and
other paraphernalia used in the pro
duction of the picture as evidence of
the crime.” This decision was unan-1
:mously sustained by the State Su- ■
preme Court.
Mr. Nutter, who assisted the city
officials throughout the fight, writes:
“The fight made by Mayor W. W.
Wertz and City Solicitor, Ex-Judge H.
D. Rumminel, stands unparalled in
the history of the state. They made it j
a personal affair transcending mere
official duty. Mayor Wertz was with
Hie committee that witnessed the pic
ture Tuesday evening and as soon as
it was over, rushed to the manager of
the Rialto without consulting the com
mittee and said:
“ ‘It is the worst thing I ever saw,
and I cannot understand why any
law abiding citizen should bring such
a picture to Charleston. It will not
be shown so long as I am mayor of
Charleston.’ ”
Mr. Nutter states that in the fight
he had the support of the entire col
ored citizenship of the city. The N.
A. A. C. P. has extended congratula
tions to Mr. Nutter and is writing
letters of appreciation to Mayor
Wertz and City Solicitor Rumminoi.
WWWggi'Mi' " —H5
IHSHOI* A. i. CARET GETS
$150,000 APPROPRIATION
Kansas City, Kan., April 17.—(Spe
cial).—The legislature of the state of
Kansas has passed the bill calling for
the appropriation of $150,000 for West
ern University, which is located at
Quindaro, Kans., u suburb of Kansas
City. A delegation of ministers of the
A. M. E. Church, headed by Bishop A.
J. Carey of the fifth episcopal district
in which the Western University is
located, went before the committee on
appropriations and urged upon them
the need of a substantial sum for the
maintenance of this university. After
much deliberation the committee rec
ommended the sum asked for, which
was finally passed by both branches
of the assembly.
Western University is one of the
leading schools of the A. M. E. Church
and is located in the heart of the
great agricultural west. In connection
with it are the State Normal and In
dustrial Departments. Recently West
ern University sustained a severe loss
in the destruction by fire of Ward
Hall,-which was the main building of
the school group. Already, however,
this building has been rebuilt at a
cost of $200,000. But the $150,000 Just
Appropriated was urgently needed for
maintenance, teachers’ salaries and
upkeep.
BASEBALL
The Western league baseball
season for 1926 was opened yesterday
in Oklahoma City with the champion
Omaha club as visitors, results of the
game were not available at press time.
The season’s home play will open
here on Wednesday, April 29th, with
Tulsa as the visiting club.
Great plans are being made for a
real welcome to the champs on their
return here. Full details of the open
ing day ceremonies will be given next
issue. Secretary Reis, however, de
clares that fans may expect an inno
vation in the old stereotyped plans of
opening festivities.
Mr. Reis also announces the plans
are being4 made for the Kansas City
Monarchs to play here on the off
Sunday against all star colored teams
from over the country.
Only the strongest colored teams
will play against the Monarchs.
LADIES’ BAND ENTERTAINS
Prof. Waddle, Pioneer Bandmaster,
Presents a Ladles' Band of
Forty Pieces at Grove
M. E. Church.
Last Monday evening at Grove M.
E. church, 22nd and Seward streets,
Prof. Waddle, pioneer bandmaster,
presented a band of forty ladies. The
band held a fairly sized audience of
music lovers spell-bound throughout
a well arranged program for more
than one and one-half hours.
Although filling a major space on
the program, the entire band did not
entertain through the whole program.
There was a cornet solo by Miss B.
Brown; a well rendered vocal solo by
Mr. Carter; violin solo by Miss K.
Brown; cornet duet, Misses Warmeta
and Smith; cornet solo, Miss Margaret
Murray; remarks by Mr. W. H. Hall
and Rev. J. H. Ellis, pastor of Grove
M. E. church. t
A reading from Paul Laurence
Dunbar, “Lias”, was given by Iola
Holiday. This selection caused the
audience to call the reader for a sec
ond number.
The whole program was well ren
dered.
The band is very well equipped with
instruments and uniforms. Prof Wad
dle, at the conclusion of the program,
announced that entirely new uniforms
had been ordered and would toe worn
by the members at the next recital,
A. M. E. church, Ave. A and 16th
Sts., Council Bluffs, Thursday, April
23rd.
SALEM BAPTIST CHURCH
CELEBRATES 3rd ANNIVERSARY
Salem Baptist Church, located at 1811
North Twenty-third street, has been cele
brating its third anniversary of the church
and its pastor, Rev. J. S. Williams. The
observance began April 6 and closed April
13. The church was attractively decorated
with Easter colors, purple and white, flow
ers, Easter lilies, palms, birds and a beauti
ful background. The services each night
during the week were very successful with
visiting churches largely represented.
Sunday, being Easter, was a great day.
At 5:30 a. m. the pastor preached on “The
Resurrection" and at that early hour the
church was crowded. Just before the Rev.
J. S. Williams began his sermon, three
veiled women, imperonating the three
Marys visiting the tomb, entered and gave
an impressive and dramatic setting to the
sermon.
Mr. H. L. Anderson of Zion Baptist
church visited and addressed the Sunday
school at 10:30. The Rev. S. S. Farley
of Lincoln, preached at 11, and the an
niversary sermon was delivered by the
Rev. Dr. Bolts, pastor of Zion at 3 o’clock,
and his choir rendered the music. Salem
was organized April 9, 1922.
Judge A. L. Sutton addressed the B. Y.
P. U. at 6 ’clock. He also brought candy
for the Sunday school children and re
mained to their program which began at
7:30. The church was crowded and many
turned away.
Monday night a banquet was given by
the church to its pastor, visiting friends
and members. It was served in the church
dining room appropriately decorated for
the occasion. Over 100 persons were served.
The guests of honor included Rev. and
Mrs. J. S. Williams, the Rev. and Mrs.
W. F. Botts, the Rev. and Mrs. J. H.
Young, the Rev. and Mrs. James Crowder,
the Rev. Messrs. Derdon, McQueen and
I. M. Coggs, Mr. and Mrs. N. A. Perkins,
Mr. H. L. Anderson and Dr. Wesley Jones.
In the State of Deleware, colored
men are not permitted to serve as
jurors.
COWARDLY KLUXERS
FOREHEAD j
OFjNEGRO CITIZEN
Prosperous Merchant of Plymouth, N.!
C., Victim of Mistreatment for j
the Atrocious Crime of Being
a “Smart Nigger”
WAS FIRST FINED AND FLOGGED
Plymouth, N. C., April 17.—The Ku
Klux Klan scored what the members
of that hooded band called a “Ten
Stripe” when they branded the fore
head and cheeks of a Negro with the
letters “K. K. K.”
The victim, Robert H. Taylor, a lo
cal merchant, has left the community
for parts unknown to the public.
The reports, however, have it that
he is at Freedman’s Hospital, Wash
ington, D. C., undergoing treatment,
in an effort to remove the K. K. K.
letters from his cheeks and face,
which were engraved with acid.
From the best information at hand,
the charge against Taylor was that
he is a “smart nigger.” Indirect
charge against him is, he tried to
pass for white.
Just before he was kidnapped, flog
ged and branded, he was fined five
dollars in a Kangaroo Court, where
he was charged with resisting an of
ficer.
On leaving the court room, Taylor
was met at the door by a hooded
band, who forced him into a waiting
auto, took him to a lonely spot about
ten miles out of the city, where he
was beaten mercilessly, branded on
each cheek and the forehead with
“K. K. K.” and told to “beat it.”
Members of the Ku Klux Klan are
well known in the community, but
all deny any knowledge of wftat hap
pened to Taylor.
Nothing has been done to molest
his wife or mother, who are still here.
But it is understood that they are
planning to leave as soon as possible.
MME. E. HACKLEY LAWSON, 2631
Lake street. We. 1655. Scalp treat
ments scientifically done. All kinds
of human hair goods made to order.
Acme hair preparations and skin
whitener for sale.
NEGRO SCHOOL
PLAYS PART IN
STATE PROGRESS
Agricultural, Mechanical and Normal
School Big Factor in Develop
ment of Southeast
Arkansas.
WORK ON BUILDING PROGRAM
An institution which plays a large
; part in the advancement and develop
ment of the Negro people in South
east Arkansas is the Agricultural,
Mechanical and Normal school, which
is a branch of the University of Ar
j Kansas nd is locted in Pine Bluff.
Kansas and is located in Pine Bluff.
This school has been in operation
since April, 1875, and although start
ing in a small way, its work has been
I of such practical character and its
supervision so efficient that today tne
school occupies a tract of twenty
acres of ground in the western sub
urbs of Pine Bluff, upon which have
been erected buildings supplying ad
ministration offices, class rooms, and
mechanical shops.
University Board
The government of this school ts
vested primarily in the board of trus
tees of the University of Arkansas
and the superintendent is the admin
istrative head of the school, under
whom there are department directors,
each responsible for the development
and efficient management of his par
ticular department.
The work of the school is divided
into many departments, among which
are the preparatory department, nor
mal department, mechanical indus
I tries department, business training de
i partment, scientific course, tailoring
! division, home economics, agricultur
| al, blacksmithing and wheelwrighting,
i carpentry, vocational training and
music.
Co-Educational
The school is co-educational and the
social and moral welfare of the pu
pila is carefully safe-guarded. There
is connected with the school a branch
of the Y. M. C. A. and the Y. W. C.
A. and weekly meetings for Bible
study are held regularly and are wide
ly attended. The school is strictly
undenominational and no doctrine or
creed is taught, however, daily the
students are assembled together with
the faculty for devotional exercises
and attendance upon these exercises is
compulsory.
Just recently the school acquired a
farm site of thirty acres and agri
cultural experts of the University of
Arkansas are now at work upon a
cropping plan for the development of
this farm.
Building Program
Experts are also at work upon a
fifty year building program in con
nection with the farm with reference
to the proper types, sizes and loca
tions of buildings, also the proper
equipment for same. The power line
of the Arkansas Light and Power
Company from the Remmel Dam sta
tion crosses the farm and it is pos
sible that this power may be utilized
to operate the machinery necessary In
the work of the farm. Pure bred live
stock, poultry, etc., is being procurred
and will be added to as rapidly as
possible until the farm is tuny
stocked.
More than 500 students are en
rolled in the Agricultural, Mechanical
and Normal school this term. The
summer term begins in June. R. E.
Malone is superintendent of the
school.—Pine Bluff Commercial.
$10,000 ORGAN DEDICATED
Washington, D. C., April 17.—The
$10,000 pipe organ was dedicated last
week at Metropolitan A. M. E. Church,
this city. Rev. C. E. Stewart, D. D.,
pastor, is a talented mhsician, and it
was his love for music that inspired
the church to gladly invest in this
one of the largest and best organs
owned by anp church in America, and
the “largest in any Negro church”.
“This organ,’’ says Dr. Stewart, “is not
built in its constructive details by a
colored man, but the outline, super
vision, plan and scope of the instru
ment are the result of the labors of
a colored man.” Prof. Wm. C. Brax
ton is organist and has been for over
thirty yearB, and Prof. J. Henry Lewis
ig chorister.
Bishop J. A. Johnson of Philadel
phia and others Joined in the dedica
tion exercises.
MRS. C. E. REESE, 2868 Corby, We.
7103. Fashionable dressmaker and
ladies’ tailor. Most modem and up
to-date electrical appliances.