Nebraska Newspapers

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NEBRASKA’S WEEKLY NEWSPAPER DEVOTED TO THE INTERESTS OF COLORED AMERICANS
THE REV. JOHN ALBERT WILLIAMS. E4it*r
GROWING —
THANK YOU
$2.00 a Year—5 Cent* a Copy
Omaha, Nebraska, July 20, 1928
Vol. XIV—No. 3
Whole Number 676
Both Races Offer Blood To Save a Life
OMAHA DISTRICT
CONFERENCE AND
AUXILIARIES MEET
Successful Sessions of The Christian
Endeavor League, Sunday School
and Mission Society Held at
Lincoln.
BISHOP GREGG IS A VISITOR
Ministers Present Attend Course of
Lectures Given by University
Professors and Other
Instructors.
The Omaha district conference,
Allen Christian Endeavor league,
Sunday school and missionary con
ventions were held at Lincoln, Neb.,
for one week beginning July 11th
and ending July 15th. The Rev.
John Adams, the presiding elder of
the Omaha district, was in charge of
the convention work and presided
throughout the sessions. Those ac
quainted with annual and district
* conferences in Nebraska, claim that
this was the most enthusiastic, large
ly attended and unique series of
church conferences witnessed by this
section of the country. Every ar
I / rangement was made for the comfort
of the sessions by the entertaining
church and its pastor, Rev. M. C.
Knight, D. D., and the presiding
elder. The business and study pe
riods were interspersed with drives
about the city, picnics, afternoon
promenades and athletics.
The scheme of this district confer- ]
ence and Sunday scool convention
was to combine study, and recrea
tion, placing emphasis upon a study
of religion and religious methods.
The convention proper was held in
two auditoriums, that of Quinn chap
* -1 A. M. E. church and the lecture
5 oom of Professor Barbour of the
' epartment of Astronomy and Ar
■ aeology in the University of Ne-1
aska. The missionaries and min-;
: ters attended lecture courses three j
> iours each day. These lectures were i
delivered by Professor Barbour, A. j
M., Ph. D., of the University of Ne-j
braska; the Rev. F. H. Schillingber- ]
ger, Ph. D., of the Department of i
Philosophy at Cotner college, Lin-;
coin, Neb., and the Rev. Ray Hunt of
the United Brethren church, and the j
Revs. John Adams and J. E. Brewer
of the conference.
Professor Barbour’s study was j
“Cosmological Antiquity,” a study of !
Old Testament Scripture. Professor'
Hunt, A. M., D. D., spoke on the
“Realities of Religion,” a study of
Biblical institutions and movements. ,
. Professor Schiliingberger’s subject <
was “The Kingdom of Jesus Christ.” 1
Dr. J. E. Brewer’s subject was!
' “Hymnology.” Dr. John Adams, the
presiding elder, covered the field of :
“New Testament Exegesis” and1
“Church Law.”
^ Able papers were read by the del
egates attending and the conference j
was favored with rare music. The:
closing program was held on Sunday
| night. The crowds had continued up i
to this hour to hear and participate
in a specially prepared study on “The
Negro and the Church,” by Drs. J. E.
Hughes and I. Garland Penn, of the
Methodist Episcopal church. This
study was presented to a packed
house.
Bishop Gregg Attends
The Rt. Rev. J. A. Gregg, presiding
bishop of the fifth Episcopal district,
attended the conference and spoke.
The mayor and the city of Lincoln
tendered Bishop Gregg a most en
thusiastic reception and thanked him
(for honoring their city with an offi
cial visit. Bishop Gregg spoke on
“The Greater Call,” and covered al
most every phase of the accomplish
ments and present needs in the field
of missionary activity. The bishop
was entertained by the ministers of
the district, after the general recep
tion by the citizens of Lincoln.
I The annual missionary sermon was
preached by the Rev. J. W. Garner,
| pastor of Bethel A. M. E. church of
Omaha. The annual educational ser
mon was delivered by the Rev B. R.
Monroe of Atchison, Kans. The an
nual Sunday school sermon was
preached by th eRev. J. W. Johnson
l
\
COURAGE OF COLORED
YOUTH SAVES MANY
LIVES FROM FLAMES
Baltimore, Md.—James Cooper, a
colored youth living in Dolphin
street, was acclaimed a hero when a
fire broke out in a building on South
Hanover street, Monday. Cooper,
who is an elevator operator, brought
sixteen white girls to safety, bring
ing them down through the roaring
flames and smoke.
After bringing the girls to safety,
Cooper, according to reports, return
ed to the upper floor to fight the
flames singlehanded, and found him
self trapped. He was driven from
the building by the smoke and the
flames.
Make* Another Trip
Cooper, it seems, was one of the :
first to discover the blaze. He ran
the elevator to the fourth floor and ;
warned the workers of their danger.
They made a rush for the elevator (
and the girls were carried to safety. ;
After Cooper had carried the first
load out of the reach of the flames,
he went up for another load and got [
the manager and four others on the '
fifth floor, which by this time was ‘
a roaring furnace.
Thick clouds of smoke filled the
shaft and when the youth an.-ed
with the elevator he was gasping. His
escape, cut off both by way of the
stairway and the elevator, the young
hero was forced to use the fire escape :
by way of which he made his escape j
to the street. All of the persons in 1
the building escaped without injury.
—
MINISTER URGES
RACE TO SUPPORT
DEMO CANDIDATE
I
...
Washington, D. C.—Rev. R. B. I
Robinson of this city, president of the
National Afro-American Democratic
league, who it is understood will have i
charge of the Smith campaign among
the race voters of the country, re
cently issued a call to the race citi- j
zens of the country to rally to the ’
Smith banner during the coming pres
idential election.
Advocates Smith Vote
The Rev. Mr. Robinson in his state
ment declared that it should be “the
proudest act of the colored voters in :
all parts of the country to go to the
polls in November and vote for Gov. j
AI Smith for president.”
Assails G. O. P. Decrepancies
Dr. Robinson, who was an organiz-:
er for the democratic party under the i
late Senator Andreas Jones of New
Mexico, four years ago, accused the
republican party of failure to keep
its practice on a level with its preach
ments concerning the Negro. “As the
republican party today is not the
party of Linclon, Sumner or Grant,” j
he said, “so the colored voter of to
day will prove not to be the voter of
65 years ago.”
Mr. Ollie Young went to Los An
geles, Cal., last Thursday.
of Hiawatha, Kans. The financial j
report was the largest in the history
of the district.
For the various conventions, the
following officers were elected:
Woman’s Mite Missionary society,
Mrs. Hattie E. Adams, president;
Mrs. Mollie Brown, first vice-presi
dent; Mrs. Ella Whiteside, treasurer.
Members of the executive board:
Mrs. J. W. Garner, chairman; Mrs.
Ella Badler, Mrs. Mary Shelby, Mrs.
Eva Ellis, Mrs. Georgia Robinson,
Mrs. Lula Thornton, recording sec
retary, and Mrs. Della Jones, corre-;
spending secretary.
The following were elected offi
cers of the Sunday scool convention:
Mrs. Luella Brooks of Beatrice, pres
ident; Mr. Lester Carter of Omaha,
secretary; Miss Frances Covington of
Omaha, vice-president.
The following were elected officers
of the A. C. E. L.: Miss Cleo Ross of
Lincoln, Neb., president; Miss Alma
Williams of Lincoln, Neb., vice-presi
dent; Miss Lois Herdon of Fremont,
Neb., secretary.
In a testimonial meeting recount
ing the accomplishments of the pre
siding elder for the past four years
the conferences presented him with a
very beautiful Panama hat, and to
Mrs. Hattie E. Adams, his wife, a
handsomely engraved purse.
EDITORIAL
The Negro voters of the country care little or nothing about
the quarrels, apprehensions or fears of the white citizens con
cerning the religious convictions or affiliations of candidates
for public office, national, state or local. They, as a group, are
optimistic constitutionalists. Despite the fact that their con
stitutional rights are in many cases flagrantly violated they are
still willing to hold to the conviction, perhaps a deluded one,
that the Constitution of the United States means what it say3
and will ultimately be enforced. That is their faith. Call it
child-like, if you please, but child-like faith in justice and
righteousness and truth triumphs in the end. They believe
that under the constitution no religious test can be demanded
as a qualification for holding public office, save perhaps that
such aspirant must be a believer in a Deity, for unless he does,
his oath of office must be meaningless. What his faith in that
Deity may be or how he may express it, to him it is a matter of
indifference. So whether an American citizen, qualified for
holding public office, be Protestant, Roman Catholic or Jew,
does not perturb the average American of color and he wisely
refuses to be drawn into any such controversy. Any appeal
therefore to our people upon the ground of either religion or
race is foredoomed to failure. We are concerned with issues
and principles which we consider more fundamental and vital.
What chiefly concerns the Negro citizen and voter is the at
titude of political candidates and parties to the constitution in
its application to all citizens. This must be the deciding factor
m winning his support and allegiance.
In the presidential campaign there are, it would seem, very
important principles at stake whi$h vitally affect our status as
citizens. These must be given chief consideration in making
our decision. One party in its platform declares for States
Rights and its candidate, for whom we personally have the
warmest admiration for his fair-mindedness towards our peo
ple, his frankness and honesty, favors the repeal of the Eigh
teenth Amendment. We are opposed to the doctrine of States
rights and we are opposed to the repeal of the Eighteenth
Amendment. The repeal of this amendment might open the wav
for the repeal of the Fourteenth and Fifteenth amendments,
which would vitally affect the rights of citizenship of ever)'
American of color. States Rights would work to our detriment
in ever)' Southern state. Whatever we may think of the per
sonality of the respective standard bearers of the two major
parties we cannot afford to overlook these two paramount
principles which seem to us to be at stake in the national cam
paign.
BOTH RACES OFFER BLOOD
TO SAVE NEGRO WOMAN
Columbia, S. C.—Race prejudice
was forgotten here Monday when it
was announced by authorities of the
Columbia Hospital that blood trans
fusion was necessary to save the life
of Mrs. Rena Cornish, and volunteers
were requested. Members of both
races gathered at the hospital offer
ing the necessary blood.
After typing the blood of several
individuals, Miss Helen Ford, a col
ored woman, was accepted, and the
transfusion made. While it was not
certain that the sick woman’s life
would be saved the action on the
part of colored and white volunteers
has been pronounced as most encor
aging to those interested in bringing
about amity between the races, and
Miss Ford has been acclaimed a real
heroine.
The transfusion was successfully
effected and Miss Ford suffered no ill
effects. When she left the hospital
she told the physicians that if neces
sary she would give more blood to
save the stricken woman. Others,
however, are being typed, and if a
second transfusion is necessary an
other volunteer will be used.
—
GRADUATES FROM COLUMBIA
Tuskegee, Ala.—Miss Myra Logan,
the daughter of Warren Logan, for
mer treasurer of Tuskegee Institute,
who was valedictorian of the class of
1927 of Atlanta university, gradu
ated with honor from Columbia uni
versity, New York City, this June.
She received her A. M. degree.
WINS RESIDENCE FIGHT
Los Angeles, Cal.—Through the ,
ruling made by Judge Strutsman in
the case of George H. Letteau and j
others against Pauline Ellis and oth
ers who have purchased property in
the Entwistle tract, Fortieth street
to Vernon avenue and Avalon boule
vard east to McKinley avenue, will be
permitted to hold their property in
spite of a clause in their deeds dis
criminating against race persons.
In the United States today about
B,5000,000 women go out to work
every day.
Berlin has 2,000,000 working wo
men as against 1,400,000 working
men.
YOUNG RACE POET
WINS COVETED HONOR
New York City—Countee T. Cul
len, 25 years old, noted young poet
and journalist, will go to Paris, where
he will study and complete a group
of narrative poems and the libretto
for an opera.
Mr. Cullen was one of three color
ed Americans to be awarded a John
Simon Guggenheim Foundation Fel
lowship last spring. The other re
cipients were G. J. Bailala and Erie
Derwent Walrond.
The fellowships amount to S2.500
each and are awarded only to young
scholars and artists who have given
unequivocal evidence of marked gift
for research and for creative work*
and who are engaged in constructive
projects requiring special facilities
a'. ailable abroad.
FEAR OF NEGRO WILL
KEEP SOUTH SOLID
Athens, Ga.—The so-called “Negro
menace” will prevent any serious bolt
in southern democracy this fall, ac
cording to the belief of Robert La
than, editor of the Ashville, N. C.,
Citizen, as expressed here in an ad
dress at the opening of the institute
of public affairs and international
relations.
“The best guarantee that there will
be no serious bolt on the part of the
southern democrats this fall is that
the thinking people of the south are
not ready to countenance the devel
opment now of a situation which
might result in the reappearance of
the Negro as a formidable factor at
the polls in this section,” he said.
CHINESE SCHOLAR
VISITS TUSKEGEE
Tuskegee Institute, Ala.—Tien Lai
Huang, Chinese scholar and states
man, will lecture to students of the
Tuskegee Institute summer school on
what is happening in China. Mi*
Huang is one of the most noted rep
resentatives of the modern China and
a leader of the new generation. He
has been an officer in the Chinese
army, director of the Chinese mass
education movement, Chinese secre
tary of the Methodist board of for
eign missions, and a delegate to the
League of Nations at Geneva. He is
a graduate of Peking, Syracuse, and
Columbia universities.
CLERGYMAN URGES
EFFORT TO DEVELOP
THE BLACK RACE
Toronto, Can.—Unless the south
assists the Negro in expressing him
self in political and civic affairs, it
will find itself in a “more embar
rassing position than ever before,”
Rev. John Hope, of Atlanta, Ga., told
the fourth congress of the Baptist
World Alliance recently.
Coming to America in slavery and
ignorance, the Negroes have adopted
the white man’s language, but a great
many feared the white majority.
They were afraid, he said, that the
whites, dominant in numbers, wealth
and political power, would continue
to thwart the development of the
Negroes.
He expressed the idea that the Ne
gro was prevented from expressing
himself politically, and added:
“Unless this condition is changed,
I expect to see my native south in a
more embarrassing position than it
has even been before, even in the
civil war.”
Prof. W. T. Connor, of Fort Worth,
said he placed character formation as
one of the most important functions
of the theological school.
“A theological seminary,” he said,
“ought not to be a cold storage plant,
the atmosphere of which is so frigid
that the zeal of the student is frozen
to death.”
ARREST 15 WEST
AFRICAN WORKERS
Paris, France—According to re
ports being circulated in labor circles
a campaign of persecution has been
begun against militant leaders of the
[native workers in French West Afri
ca, the Belgian Congo and British
i West Africa.
Word from Dagar comes to the
effect that fifteen militant leaders
have been rounded up by government
officials and plans have been made to
deport them.
JOHN D. JR., HELPS
HARLEM CHILDREN
New York City—Through a gift of
$72,000 by John D. Rockefeller, jr.,
the establishment of a children’s rec
reational center in the Utopia Chil
dren’s House will be effected imme
diately, according to an announce
ment made by William Hodson, exec
utive secretary of the Welfare Coun
cil.
SPANISH WAR VETERANS AND
AUXILIARY HOLD MEETING
The woman’s auxiliary of Captain
Allen Allensworth Camp No. 25,
Spanish War Veterans, held a meet
ing and social Wednesday evening,
which was well attended by comrades
and friends. Two new members from
Council Bluffs, la., joined the auxil
iary. Several visitors were present
and an enjoyable evening was spent.
Plans are being made for a lawn so^
cial to be held at an early date for
the public, which date will be an
nounced later.
PENN. WOMEN
PREPARE FOR MEET
_
Philadelphia, Pa.—On July 24 to
27, the 25th annual convention of the
Pennsylvania State Federation of Ne
gro Women’s Clubs will meet to dis
cuss the things that mean for the
higher development of womanhood.
The meeting is to be held in Chester,
when the various organizations will
be the guests of the Ruth Bennett)
club, the Ruth L. Bennett Juniors and
I the Twentieth Century club.
OMAHA GIRL EMPLOYED
BY URBAN LEAGUE
Miss Ruth Seay, one of Omaha’s
best equipped young women, has
I been employed as office assistant
and stenographer by the Omaha Ur
ban League. Miss Seay was employ
er for some years as stenographer in
the law office of Mr. Dundy, resign
ing to accept a position as teacher in
the St. Joseph, Mo., public schools.
Recently she graduated from the Uni
versity of Omaha, where she special
ized in sociology. She is well pre
pared for her present position.
VITAL ISSUES ARE
STRESSED II
DRESS TO PEOPLE
National Advancement Association
Closes Los Angeles Conference
With Clarion Call to
Intelligent Action.
DISFRANCHISEMENT SCORED
Discrimination in Educational Oppor
tunities Condemned. Cleveland
Chosen for Next
Session.
Los Angeles, Cal-—Closing their
seven-day national conference in Los
Angeles, the National Association for
the Advancement of Colored People
made public its address to the Amer
ican people which sets forth the atti
tude of the association on public
: questions. The address in part is as
follows:
“The year of the presidential elec
tion brings forcibly to the mind of
every American colored or white cit
izen the insistent problem of demo
cratic government in the United
states. The N. A. A. C. P. reiterates
its charges that the disfranchisement
of the majority of intelligent adult
Negroes in the United States is not
simply a race problem. It is a prob
lem of democracy and it affects the
entire nation and the whole world.”
The association points out that in
disfranchisement of 3,750,000 color
ed voters in the south, 5,000,000 of
the southern white voters have been
deprived of the franchise. The re
port continues:
“Thus democratic government in
the United States has become a farce,
primarily because for the sake of dis
franchising Negroes part of white
America has been willing to disfran
chise itself. Despite an increase of
100 per cent in the voting population
of the eleven southern states there
has been practically no increase in
the number of voters in a genera
tion.”
Pointing out that for the first time
in a generation there was passed in
the United States a period of 120 days
when a human being has not been
lynched, they assert that if it can be
lessened by local initiative it can be
wiped out by national enactment and
urge a federal lynching law.
The association urges the use of
political power to abolish disenfran
chisement and segregation of the Ne
gro.
Deploring the means of education
afforded the colored people in dis
crimination of salaries of teachers,
length of school terms, provision of
housing and equipment and claiming
such discrimination illegal, the asso
ciation urges that it be remedied by
the ballot and court action.
“Our economic situation is still
precarious and deplorable. We de
nounce the secret enmity toward
workers which is still manifested by
those American trade unions which
acquiesce in discrimination toward
them and in opposition to their em
ployment. We should refuse to use
our political power to advance the
cause of white unionism if it stands
for color discrimination.”
Next year’s convention city was
named as Cleveland, Ohio, at a busif
ness session, at which one delegate
from each branch reported on the ac
tivities of his branch during the past
year.
THE A AND B GROCERY STORE
HAS FORMAL OPENING
The A and B Grocery Store, of
which Messrs. Adams and Burnett
are the proprietors, located on North
Twenty-sixth street between Corby
and Maple, had its formal opening
Monday night, which was largely at
tended. Refreshments were served
to all patrons and Adams’ orchestra
furnished music. The store is well
stocked and presents a neat and at
tractive appearance. The proprietors
expressed themselves as well pleased
with the patronage received since
they purchased the business a month
ago. The A and B Store la a decided
addition to the growing business en
terprises conducted by our race im
this city.