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'
<f government, and Warsaw Is thi
■upltal. It has a population of 700.
100, one-third of whom are Jews. It
is an important railway center and It
the first place in what used to h
southwestern Russia.
Nature Han Equipped
Sea Bird for Piracy
The man-o’-war Is a sea bird with a
body ubout the size of that of an ordi
nary bnrnyard hen, monstrous long
wings, spreading as much as ten feet,
a long bill with hooked tip that makes
a dungerous weapon, und tiny feet so
weak that the bird can scarcely wad
die.
With such equipment, the bird is an
accomplished aeronaut, circling and
diving in midair with lightning speed,
or hanging on motionless wings in the
teeth of a gale without losing ground.
It gels its name from its habit of dash
Ing forth, after the manner of the old
fashioned frigate ship, or fullsailed
man-o'-war in pursuit of a merchant
man, and playing the villain's part
with the peaceful booby returning
home from the sea with a maw full of
tish for the powder-putt' youngster on
the islet’s battlements.
The frightened booby squaks and
dodges, but it cannot escape tbe
threatening pirate bird; so in despair
i it disgorges in midair and make* its
1 escape, while the man-o'-war dives
* like a plummet, recaptures the morsel
before It drops into the sea, and makes
hjr Its own youngster atop the Islet or
lies in wait for another encounter—
I National Geographic Magazine.
Desert Animcls That
Scorpions Cent Hnrm
Oue <>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.
<k-xk~x~x~X“X“:-x~X“X~x~x~
| EMERSONS LAUNDRY |
i• The Laundry That Suits AH j
$ 1301 No. 24th St. Web. 0820 iji
4k-<“X-X“X~x-x~xX"X..x~x~x-:4
LAWYERS
VV. B. BRYANT, Attorney and Coun
selor-at-Law. Practices in all
courts. Suite 19, Patterson Block,
17th and Farnam Sts. AT. 9344
or Ken. 4072.
W. G. MORGAN—Phones ATlantic
9344 and JAckson 0210.
H. J. P1NKETT, Attorney and Coun
.*elor-at-Law. Twenty years’ ex
nence. Practices in all court*.
Suite 19, Patterson Block, 17th and
Farnams Sts. AT. 9344 or WE. 3180.
HOTELS
PATTON HOTEL, 1014, 1016, 1018
South 11th St. Known from coast
to coast. Terms reasonable. N. P.
Patton, proprietor.
THE HOTEL CUMMINGS, 1916 Cum
ing St. Under new management.
Terms reasonable. D. G. Russell,
proprietor.
BAGGAGE AND HAULING
J A. GARDNER’S TRANSFER. Bag
gage, express, moving, light and
heavy hauling. Reliable and com
petent. Six years in Omaha. 2622
Maple Street. Phone WEbster 4120.
C. H. HALL, stand, 1403 No. 24th.
Baggage and express hauilng to all
parts of the city. Phones, stand,
WE. 7100; Res., WE. 1066.
Harry Brown, Express and Transfer.
Trunks and Baggage checked. Try us for
your moving and hauling. Also, coal and
ice for sale at all times. Phone Webster
2973. 2013 Grace street.
DRUG STORES
ROSS DRUG STORE, 2306 North 24th
Street. Two phones, WEbster 2770
and 2771. Well equipped to supply
your needs. Prompt service.
THE PEOPLES’ DRUG STORE, 24th
and Erskine Streets. We carry a
full line. Prescriptions promptly
filled. WEbster 6323.
BEAUTY PARLORS
MADAM Z. C. SNOWDEN. Scientific
scalp treatment. Hair dressing and
manufacturing. 1 lf>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
