BOOK CHAT By Mary White Ovington Chairman, Board of Directors of the N. A. V C. P. “The American Race Problem,” by E. B. Reuter. Published by The Thomas W. Crowell Company, 393 Fourth avenue. New York City. Price $2.75. An amazing number of books dis cussing the race problem are being printed from year to year. This vol ume of Reuter’s, professor of sociol ogy at the University of Iowa, im presses me as the best up to date. It has careful statistics concerning the Negro population, health, economic status, education, the church, and crime. There is also a comprehensive bibliology at the end of each chapter. The comment is dispassionate some times to the point of dullness, but clear, and on the whole very favor able. “As a result of intermixture the Negro as such will ultimately disap pear from the population and the race problem will be solved. But in the meantime there will be the prob lem of defining relations in terms tolerable to the mem be s of each racial group.” VVhat those terms should be is shown in another clear cut statement. “It would be to the advantage of the Negroes and to the advantange of the white people, to remove all handicaps imposed by caste and other preju dice. They retard the cultural ad vance of the Negroes and to that ex tent the advance of the community. The result is the same whether the Negroes are handicapped in their in dividual freedom directly by discrimi natory acts or by the existence of a sentimental race complex.” Prof, Reuter does not believe in what he calls the nationalistic move ment—voluntary segregation. Only in open competition he feels can men do their best work. “Separate insti tutions are inferior institutions. They are manned by persons incompletely assimilated to modern culture.” So lidarity, he believes, can only bring i temporary success. He considers the two races as equal in cultural possi bilities, declaring that “for two de cades, scholars have accepted as a provisional and fairly well working hypothesis the position that the vari ous races and people of the world are essentially equal in mental ability and capacity for civilization.” There are many opponents to the Negro whom we can now gladly declare are not scholars! Reuter shows up Dr. Dean of two decades ago, who found extra ordinary differences between Negro and white brains, because he knew which were Negro and which were white. Reuter finds little work of first importance as yet produced by the American Negro, but he ac counts for this on cultural, not phy „ siological grounds. The discussion on lynching and crime is admirable. Among other things, the author says: “There is a deep seated and all prevailing fear of the Negro in the American South. One source of this feat is the treat ment the Negro has received at the hands of the whites. The slavery of the Negro, his,economic and indus trial exploitation, his moral degrada tion, and other historic facts of the Southern situation are fundamental ly repugnant to civilized moral stand ards." This condition creates crime against the weaker races, since “the presence of a misused person is a perpetual reminder of conduct in vio lation of the customary standards, and such an irritant becomes an ob ject of aversion and hatred.” The book is a scholar’s presenta- j tion of an immense mass of material j which he has accumulated for years. It lacks the human note. One ques tions whether Prof. Reuter has any friendly, intimate knowledge of the educated Negroes of today. If he had he could scarcely indulge in his crushing criticism of “classical train ing,” the college education given after the war at such institutions as Atlan ta, Fisk, Talladega and Tougaloo. The contact of the newly emancipat ed black with the consecrated teach ers of these schools was the finest one thing the American Negro has ever had. Reuter values also, per haps too highly, the cultural stand ards of the white Americans. The Negro musical shows were far more artistic in the past when they catered chiefly to their own race, than to day when they are doctored up to suit white Broadway. Roland Hayes sang for years to appreciative color ed audiences before England and France had told white America to listen to him. But these are minor criticisms. On the whole, the book is generous in its spirit, and full of important material. It is both a text book and a disquisition. SHOE REPAIRING BENJAMIN & THOMAS always give satisfaction. Best material, reason able prices. All work guaranteed. 1415 North 24th St., Webster 5084 AKRON CAUTIONS AGAINST INFLUX OF POPULATION The National Urban League, by its Department of Industrial Relations, has just released the following state ment with reference to w'hat appears to be a sudden, unwarranted migra tion to Akron: "Negroes throughout the country from practically all of the Southern and Middle Western states and from as far west as Los Angeles, are com ing to Akron looking for work. Some of them are coming upon the invita tion of relatives and friends who have lived in Akron; some have heard through various sources that the city is short of workers. Akron’s indus trie are reported on a firm founda-1 tion, and are working a full time schedule, hut it is feared that if the intake of new workers does not cease Akron will be unable to take care of the numbers who are finding their way to the city. “George W. Thompson, executive secretary of the Association for Col ored Community Work, has conferred with the Better Akron Federation, the Local Community Chest and oth er public and private agencies and advises that persons planning to come to Akron expecting to find work im mediately should delay their coming until those who are already there are properly intergated within the social and industrial life of the community. “Akron has been fortunate in not having unweildlv unemployment or business depression periods, because the prosperous automobile industry kept the rubber manufacturing plants busy. This probably accounts for the opinion generally thought to be true, that work is always plentiful there. “The Urban League is making known the fact that such is not the case, and advises that persons who contemplate going to Akron for work should obtain it before reaching the city or be prepared to maintain them- I selves for several weeks and perhaps longer, while seeking employment.” LOS ANGELES N. A. A. C. P. FIGHTS SEGREGATION AT THE BATHING BEACH New York—Dr. H. C. Hudson, the president of the Los Angeles Branch of the N. A. A. C. P., and three com panions have undergone arrest and paid a fine as part of a fight the Branch is making against an attempt to exclude colored people from Man hattan Beach and the bathing priv ileges there. In order to exclude colored people from the beach and bathing privileges the City of Manhattan Beach leased the beach front and the municipal pier to a private individual for the sum of one dollar, and this individual gave orders that the police were to eject or arrest "undesirable charac ters” trespassing on the beach front age for which he held the lease. Dr H. C. Hudson and three com panions insisted on their right to bathe on the city’s property and were arrested, the police testifying that they had been instructed to exclude all colored people as “undesirable.” Each of the colored men was fined $100 and all realased in $500 bail, tneir attorney giving notice of appeal. In the absence in Europe of Arthur B. Springarn, chairman of the N. A. A. C. P. national legal committee, Mr. Springarn’s associate, Charles H. Studin, is sending legal citations to Los Angeles. -- | C. P. WESIN Grocery Company Now one of the •{• i Red and White £ | Chain Stores £ I Same Prompt and £ £ Courteous Service £ £ Better Prices. !|I | 2001 Cuming Ja. 1248 k v : -1 WATERS f BARNHART [ PRlNTOffiCft r 1 -^r 9- I Cheap side First Home of Great British Bank How cume the bunk of England to be built? And why the appellation “The Old Lady of Threadneedle ! Street?" Mr. H. Kooksby Steele, a well-known Loudon architect, supplies the answers in an article on the archi tectural history of Britain’s bullion house. Many think that Sir John Soane, tiie wizard of Lincoln's Inn lields, built the bank. His are the girding wails, but In the raising of the fabric three other names—those of Sampson, Tuylor and Cockerell—have to be Joined. Mercer’s hall, Cheapside, was tiie bank's first home; but a J ijuick move was made to the Grocer’s I hall, in Poultry, and it was not until 1752 that the foundation stone of the present bank was laid. George Samp son was the first architect, and it is curious that no building, other than the bank, can be attributed to his hand, a writer in the Cleveland Plain Dealer comments. In the cornice ex tending the full length of the build ing, Taylor sculptured an excellent figure of Britannia, some years uf er the completion of the building. “This carving, the ’trade mark’ of the bank." writes Mr. Steele, “was probably the Inspiration for that trite appellati on, the ‘Old Lady of Threadneedle j Street.’ ” Taylor added to Sampson's building, and In 1870 the Gordon ri ds led the directors to fear that the ad joining church of St. Christopher de stocks might lend itself as a danger ous vantage point for a mob, so pow ers were obtained, the fabric was pulled down, and more extensions were made. _ First Rude Te 'escore Evolved by Accident When the son of a Sixteenth cen tury spectacle maker in Holland picked up some spectacle lenses in Ms father’s shop one day and happened to hold up two of them, one In each hand, he was surprised on looking through both lenses to see the weath ercock on a neighboring church steeple greatly enlarged. Excited by rtiis discovery, lie ran to his father and told him wlmt lie laid seen. The j illier Immediately took the two j lenses and repeated the experiment, ('lie result confirmed his hoy's report md the father set to work at once, i fixing two movable lenses on a hoard -an Ideu suggested to him by the | varying view lie had obtained by inov- | ing the lenses in Ids hands—and thus | the first rude telescope came into l being. Shortly after the news of this discovery had leaked out. a friend wrote to Galileo In Italy describing Hie contrivance of the Hutch optician and it was from tills description Hull the Italian Inventor built the tele scope that made him famous—New castle Weekly Chronicle. Cape Horn Gen. William T. Sherman wrote In his Memoirs that Gape Horn was an j island rounded like un oven, "after ; which It takes its name (Ornos) oven.” However, he was In error, for ! tlie Spanish word for oven Is “hornos," i though it is pronounced without the i "h" sound. The island to which Sher man referred is known as Horn island j und the actual cape is only a portion | if the Island, says the Pathfinder j Magazine. But the cape did not get its name because of its resemblance to an oven. It was named for the ; Hutch navigator William Schouten van | Hoorn who, with I.emaire, doubled the cape in 1010. Horn Is an anglicized form of Hoorn. In Spanish it is I called Cabo de Hornos. No wonder Sherman was misled, for literally Cabo 1 de Hornos would mean cape of mens, that Is, it would according to the form ilid It not have b different origin. Next Be3t Thing It was a country town, and at a meeting of the leading merchants It was decided that the tire company and appliances available were not sullieient for a place of such Importance. They therefore decided to form a supple mentary company and, having enlisted several members, consulted the chief of the lire department as to what was to be done. "Well,” said the chief, “let us sup pose there were two fires In the neigh borhood and all our available men were called to one, do you think you could manage to put out the other?" “Well, we couldn't do that, but we could keep our fire going till you came , hack from the other.”—Pittsburgh Chronicle-Telegraph. Skill That Becomes Art The attainment of proficiency, the pushing of your skill with attention to the most delicate shades of excellence. Is a matter of vital concern. Efficiency of a practically flawless kind may be reached naturally in the struggle for bread. But there is something beyond —a higher point, a subtle and unmfs rakahle touch of love and pride be vond mere skill; almost an Inspiration which gives to all work that finis! which Is almost art—which Is art. < 'on rad. Poland’a Capital Warsaw was the capital of the ui lent kingdom of Boland, and later th chief city of the Russian province o: that name. The peace settlement 01 1919 re-established Poland an a son ■reign state with the republican font' l Hie in*i; i fascinating chap ters in animal po mis is tile subject nf natural immunity, ttie fact tlmt some tiliilimls are iniinune to the poi sons of others and remain unhurt if stung or liiilcti by the poisonous ani mal, whereas all other sorts of beasts succumb, A case in point is that of desert unimnls which are unharmed by u scorpion's sling. The desert fox, the kangaroo rut and other inhabitants of deserts where scorpions abound are In tliis happy position. Their cousins* living far away from the desert, would at once lie seriously injured by a scorpion's sling, whereas the desert breeds remain unhurt. It Is to lie sup posed that In the far distant past, before the desert animals had this complete immunity to scorpion venom, those which were stung and could not resist died, leaving no offspring. Their luckier brothers, who happened to have a hardier constitution, survived and left behind them a resistant race | of descendants.—I’rof. 11. Munro Fox in the Forum. 'Twas a hard and bloody battle a- ! lie pistol range. At last the Instruc j or called : "Fire at Random I" After the carnage had ceased one reshman still stood with bis pistol ai , ready." a full clip in It. "Hey, you!" yelled the instructor Why didn't you shoot?" "I'm waiting for 'Random to stick head around the parapet,” Getting art/ Spending \ familial adage is, "Kusj con | \V go " This is p -i uliarly upplicuh; i money the easier money conic lie easier il goes, ami conversely tin -order money cmin-s the more cur* oily is it expended Only the uni, tin knows ill* cost ol ,1 dollar, know -s value —Grit. Classified FOR RENT—Furnished room in strictly modern home. One block from Dodge carline. Call during business hours, WE. 7126, even ings, WE. 2480. tf-12-10-26. FOR RENT—Neatly furnished room. Modern home. With kitchen priv ilege. Call Web. 6498. —tf. i i FOR RENT—Furnished rooms. Web ster 2180. 2516 Patrick avenue. WANTED—Working girl to take a room in my cosy apartment. Web. 1185. FOR RENT—Six rooms, 1148 North 20th street; five rooms, 1152Vi North 20th. Modern except heat. Webster 5299. FOR RENT—Furnished room in mod ern home, with kitchen privileges. Man and wife preferred. Call WE. 0919 mornings. FOR RENT—Furnished rooms. 2616 Patrick avenue. Tel. WE. 2180. NICELY furnished rooms. All mod ern. WE. 3960. FOR RENT—Nearly furnished room in modern home, kitchen privileges. WE. 3308. 4-T. UNDERTAKERS JONES & COMPANY, Undertaker* 24th and Grant Sts. WEbster 1101 Satisfactory service always. PAINTERS AND PAPER HANGERS A. F. PEOPLES. Painting and decor ating, wall paper and glass. Plas tering, cement and general work. Sherwin-Williams paints. 2419 Lake St. Phone Webster 6366. 4 No. 20th St WEbster 6194 i ]: N. W. WARE ATTORNEY AT LAW 1208 Dodge Street, Omaha, Nebraska ‘ * y X Phones Webster 6613-Atlantic 8192. II x T < « X V I l