THE VOICE
A NEGRO WEEKLY
“Dedicated to the promotion of
the cultural, social and spiritual
life of a great people**
Rev. Melvin L. Shakespeare
Publisher and Owner
Business Address
2225 S Street Phone 5-6491
If no answer call 5-7508
Rubie W. Shakespeare
Advertising & Business Manager
Mrs. Joe Green
Circulation Mgr.
Member of the Assoc. Negro Press
Subscription rate $2.00 per year
10c per copy
Entered as Secpnd Class Matter,
June 9, 1947 at' the Post Office at
Lincoln, Nebraska under the Act
of March 3, 1879.
The Key Thai Opens All Doors
Character is that key that opens
all the doors of life. No one na
tion or race has monopoly on it.
The people without it cheat them
selves of happiness and company
of others. You may be a stranger
in a new land without funds but
if you possess character you have
a start. So many emigrants have
found themselves in this predica
ment, they have become leaders
in our own nation. Our slave
parents found themselves cut
loose from security when the E
mancipation Proclamation was
signed, all they had to fall upon
was their teaching which demand
ed character. This character has
made us a forward moving race.
Let us bring it into our everyday
life by being honest, loyal, and
sincere in our everyday living.
This means when you work for an
employer you give him your best,
then we shall automatically have
a fair practice bill for an employ
er wants those qualities in his
employees. Your race, national
ity, and religious belief would be
absorbed into your character, he
would be looking at you as a
man or a woman as a credit to
our nation.
Joseph W. Adams
-o
To The Editor of the Voice:
To Mrs. X—If you are well cul
tured there is the beginning of
equality between us but I believe
you believe that equality lies in
the color of the skin. Our race
is building toward an equal un
derstanding with others through
culture or through education. We
don’t want to drop down to your
standard of thinking; we shall
endeavor to bring the light of
life to you through our paper
which you find so much enjoy
ment in reading. As you know,
under our system of government
we shall never be equal as under
the communistic rule, we don’t
want it. What we want is an
understanding between all races,
then we shall have a nation we
can be proud of but as long as
we have people in our race and
yours that think like you do, we
shall have strife.
Mrs. A. R. Adams
Nebraska City
-o
To The Editor:
I would like to know why the
colored boys were not well repre
sented at Camp Strader at Crete.
Is it lack of leadership as I am
inclined to think or have the
boys simply lost interest? If the
latter is true there must be a cause
for this.
I am wondering if the Negro
is really ready for all he is asking
for.
Interested.
Teen Age Chatter
by Marguerite Gill
Asst. Ruby Lee Harper
Asst. Loretta McWilliams
1
Hi Gang!
Ladora Walker and Geraldine
Nettles spent the week end in
Omaha.
Fletcher Bell and Nolen Davis
had a party Friday night. Some
attending. were Loretta McWil
liams, Marian Bradford, Birdie
Powell, Doris Powell, Margo
Knowles, Susie May Whitehall,
Billy Ruthford, Gerald Davis, We
land Tarpley.
I heard Peaches Winston was
enjoying herself Sunday on her
bicycle.
A fine time was had by all at
the Urban League. We wish to
thank Weiland, Gerald, Fletcher,
and Nolan for their lovely enter
tainment.
I hope the gals have a good
game and also win their game.
Journeying to St. Joe, Mo., over
the week end were 3 brothers,
Weiland, Gwen, and M. C. Tar
pley.
Leaving us to go home (Kansas
City) was Doris Roberts. Also
Lois and Cecil Hatcher.
I forgot to mention last week
but we are very glad to have Mary
Lamb living in Lincoln with us.
The Independents had two very
good games last week, winning
both. They also had a very loud
cheering section behind them.
While Calvin was away Walter
did a fine job of catching. (Keep
up the good work boys.)
Muny swimming pool caught
many dipping in and out Sunday
afternoon.
Visiting Margo Gill Friday was
Leon Holland of Omaha, Nebr.
We are very happy to have the
newlyweds back with us. Of
course you know they are none
other than Calvin and Bettye
Rodgers.
Well, gang, that’s all for now.
Bye.
Fairview, Kansas
By Mrs. Edna Bell
Trinity Chapel A.M.E. Church
Services at 3 p.m., Rev. S. Davis,
Pastor. Sunday School 10:00 a.m.
Mrs. Emily Davis, Supt.
Aug. 10, union services were
held at Horton, Kans., for our
Fourth Quarter for the circuit.
Rev. Joseph Johnson delivered
the sermon at 3 P. M. His text
was, “Transformation.” His choir
furnished music. Rev. Johnson
is pastor of Hiawatha-Falls City
Circuit. Rev. L. S. Goolsby and
Mrs. Goolsby, whose headquarters
are in Lincoln, were present for
the all day services which were
enjoyed by all. It was also the
close of our rally to start work on
the Parsonage. The rally was a
success.
Thursday evening a cantata
was held at Trinity Chapel A.M.E.
Horton, with the circuit taking
part. Those attending and help
ing to make the evening a sue-1
cess came from Hiawatha, Sa
betha, and Fairview, also Falls
City, Nebr .
Mrs. Odessa Bowen and Mrs.
(Continued on page 3)
Dark Merit
by Kathryne Favors
THE FREE NEGRO DURING
SLAVERY
Slaves and free Negroes min
gled together very much. In fact
free Negroes did not mingle very
much with anyone besides Indians
and slaves. At first, this was not
the case for some slaves did not
like free Negroes for they felt
that they felt themselves super
ior to the slaves. However, as
the percentages of free Negroes
grew less, they began to mingle
freely with the slaves. Soon many
of them intermarried. In the nine
teenth century, this became a very
common thing. It was difficult,
however, for the white man to
reduce the status of the free Ne
gro to that of the slave for so
many of them had good positions
and were very progressive and
desirable citizens.
The white laborer felt that the
free Negro was a disturbing fac
tor. The Negro was so badly in
need of jobs when freed, that
they accepted positions for less
than the white laborer and there
fore caused dislike. Because of
the lack of the free Negro’s edu
cation, he was often cheated out
of much of his salary and his pro
perty. Free Negros were of eco
nomic worth although some have
called them idlers, cheats .thieves
and so forth. Negroes tried to
permanently establish themselves
whereever they had the oppor
tunity. According to Carter G.
Woodson, “Joseph Cassey and
William Platt became enterpris
ing lumber merchants in Western
New York; Henry Topp came for
ward as a leading merchant tailor
in Albany; and Henry Scott of
New York City founded and pro
moted for a number of years one
of the most successful pickling
establishments in that metropo
lis. Along with him arose Thom
as Downing, a caterer, and Ed
ward Clark, a prosperous jeweler.
Other Negroes were building
churches, establishing schools, and
editing newspapers promoting the
interests of the people of color.
(We may see that whenever the
Negro is given the opportunity
he really tries to make something
of it. That is exactly what some
people are afraid of today. They
feel that if we are given equal
opportunities, we will become a
great race. There is absolutely
no doubt about that. With the
Negroes great and deep belief in
religion, no group will be able to
crush us. There are many brilli
ant minds among the Negro race
who simply will not be walked on
and kept down. When the Negro
becomes great, however, you will
not hear anything about superior
races for there will be equality
for all men. In the Bible, it says,
“The weak shall inherit the
earth.”)
LOTMAN’S GROCERY
1945 R Street
Meats and Vegetables
THE EVANS
CLEANERS — LAUNDERERS
Save Money
Use our Cash and Carry Plan
333 No. 12th St. Dial 2-6961
PIANOS RADIOS
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WASHERS SWEEPERS
Gourlay Rros. Piano Co.
212 So. 12 2-1636
Our Children
By Mrs. W. B. Davis
_a***!
Doctor, he just won’t eat a
thing! I try hard to fix things
he likes but he simply will not
take them. Why, the little he
eats wouldn’t keep a bird alive
and even that I have to force into
him. What shall I do? So begins
the little drama, Mother some
where between hysteria and tears
of exasperation, Johnny or Nancy
staring stonily at the wall or more
often with an expression of smug
self-consciousness; and the Dr.
striving to make an expression
of professional interest mask his
inner emotions as he groans to
himself, “What, another one!” A
silly situation if you like; but not
at all to the mother whose genu
ine concern is evident at a glance,
nor to the Dr. if he is like most
of his brethren and truly wants
to help people in distress. And
this situation is so common as to
be almost the expected thing in
pediatrists’ or other offices where
many children are seen.
Though the children and the
aged may sniff at its importance
this question means enough . to
thousands of people to warrant
comment on this strange phenom
enon, this unique instance in all
nature, of a young growing ani
mal not taking his sustenance.
Sometimes the child is sick; this
is so uncommon that it need not
concern us, and rarely indeed
does even the most distracted
mother consider her child ill.
So let us consider only the child
who has no physical defect dis
cernable even after careful Exami
nation. On the contrary, he is
usually surprisingly well nourish
ed. He is likely to be alert and
intelligent; active and energetic
in play, often overactive in the
opinion of his mother. Healthy
children won’t starve themselves.
(To be continued.)
IF IT COMES FROM
The Lincoln Market
IT MUST BE GOOD
“WE DELIVER”
22nd and "O" Street 2-7349
PAINT IS SCARCE
We appreciate your
patronage and hope
we soon can supply
all your requirements
VAN SICKLE
GLASS & PAINT CO.
143 So. 10th
HAVE A ROC
THAT HAS BEEN DES
AND IS MANU:
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See us for price on
BUILT UP ROOFS
233 North 22 2-2493
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BEAL BROS. GROCERY
Fresh Fruits & Vegetables
Meals
2101 R Tel. 2-6933
SCHOOL SUPPLIES
Notebooks, History Paper
Pens, Pencils, Erasers, Ink, etc.
Goldenrod Stationery Store £
215 North 14lh St.
MAG DONALD STUDIO
PHOTOS
Any Kind - Any Time - Any Place
Phone 2-4984 218 No. 11th
All Types Of
BEAUTY TREATMENTS
For Appointments
Call 2-4879
Ann’s Beauty Shoppe
704 No. 22nd Street ^
For Everything in
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101 No. 9th 2-3710
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IGNED, DEVELOPED,
PICTURED IN
:R'S PROVING GROUND "
[•HE
{TONE COMPANY jj
2-1946
’IMATES j' ^