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PUBLISHED WEEKLY_
~Dedicated to the promotion o) the cultural, social and spiritual
life of a great people." _______
Hev. Melvin L. Shakespeare
Publisher and Editor
Business Address 222z S Street Phone 5-6491
If No Answer Call 5-7508
Ruble W Shakespeare. AdveiUsing and Business Manager
Charles Goolsby.Associate Editor, Y.M.C.A.
Rev. J. B Brooks.Promotion Manager
I'orothy Greene .. .— ■<>«*«• Secretary
Mrs Joe Greene. ..Circulation Manager
Member of the Associated Negro Press and Nebraska Press Association
. . Entered as Second Class Matter, June 9, 1947 at the Post Office at Lincoln,
Nebraska under the Act of Mdrch 3, 1879. __
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EDITORIALS
The view* expressed in these columns
are those of the writer and not necessarily
a reflection of the policy of The Voice.—
Hub. I
x YOUR MOST HUMBLE SERVANT
By Shirley Graham, Reviewed
by Etta Vee Barness for ANP.
“He was born a free man in a
country where freedom was a
thing foi which men died.” Thus
Shirley Graham introduces her
reader to Benjamin Banneker
‘•forgotten hero of America’s early
years.”
Banneker is best remembered
by some as the man who helped
survey and plan the capital of the
United States. By others, he is re
membered for having constructed
one of the first clocks to be made
in this country. Still others may j
have heard that this scientist was
the calculator of a series of al
manics issued during the years 1
1792-1802.
“YOUR MOST HUMBLE
SERVANT” is fascinating reading.
It is beautifully and sympatheti
cally written. Miss Graham evi
dently did extensive research in
preparing for the work. The
reader is shown many facets of
life during the paradoxical time
of Benjamin Banneker.
This educated, genteel, Negro
man was the cause of much per
plexity 'during his time. He was
thought a slave (tho’ a well
dressed one) until he spoke, tnen |
his education and freedom were j
often resented by some whites, j
A similar'attitude is noticed more
than a hundred years later when i
Negroes don’t live "up’' to the ^
stereotypes maintained dv some
l
groups.
Banneker was free, but he was
not accepted by the revolutionists
to help them fight for freedom j
from Britain. He was free, but he i
couldn't marry the woman he
loved, for her owner would not
sell her to him.
Here is fascfhating reading, I
vivid writing. The action takes
place more than a hundred years j
ago, but its appeal is as current
as this morning’s paper.
Shirley Graham's fame is :
spreading as biographer of dis
tinguished Negroes. Her biography |
of Frederick Douglass, "There Was
Once a Slave” won for her a
Guggenheim fellowship ond the 1
Julian Meaner award for the best
book combating intolerance in
America. Others who are among
the great whose lives she has por
trayed in her writing are George
Washington Carver, Paul Robeson
and Phillis Wheatley.
MGM to Pair La Vaughan, Eckstine in Special
Disc Releases; to Invade Long Playing b ield Also
NEW YORK. (ANP). Leave it
to Leo, the M-agnificent G-rowl
ing M-ascot, to pull a double
barreled coup on the platter front.
Last week, the MGM playboy
announced what amounts to be
ing one of the biggest and best
treats of 1950—the teaming of the
. Great Mr. B. and La Vaughan
(with the magic voice) in a series
of special releases. At the same
time, MGM General Manager
Frank B. Walker said the firm
would begin the release of 33 ^
long-playing microgroove records
on March 1.
Sarah, who recently came into
the MGM fold, has come a long
way from being a church choir
singer in Newark, N. J. Just a
few short years ago, she em
barked upon her career as a pop
ular singer by winning an ama
teur contest. Now hailed as one
of the truly gerat song stylists,
she has taken every major popu
larity poll as America s No. 1 girl i
singer during the past two years! j
Her latest tor MGM are two re- j
issued spirituals THE LORD’S
PRAYER and SOMETIMES I
FEEL LIKE A MOTHERLESS j
CHILD.
The other half of the duet is the
man voted “outstanding male vo- ,
calist of 1949—Billy Eckstine.
Need more be said—except per
haps that the Ecstine voice may 1
be heard six times in a special
album recently released. Tunes j
in this set are “Someone To Watch
Over Me,” "Nobody Knows the
Trouble I’ve Seen,” “My Old
Flame,” “I Don’t Want to Cry
Any More,” “You Go To My
Head,” and “Over the Rainbow.”
About the LP, first releases in
!
this field will be four of MGM’s
most popular albums formerly re- 1
leased on standard 78 rpm shellac
and Metrolite platters.
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by IAMKS C. OLSON, SufunntenJtnt
• TATI BXSTOB IC A l> SOCIBTY
When winter locked the Mis
souri river in ice. the pioneers of
territorial Nebraska lost their
most important outlet to the
world—the steamboat. Yet the
same ice which closed off this
means of transportation opened
up another, for only when the
Big Muddy was frozen solid did
Nebraska territory have a bridge
to Iowa.
The pioneers made good use
of this natural bridge, and at
times a steady stream of wagons
would be seen making their way
between Iowa and Nebraska. The
ice bridge assumed particular
importance after the Chicago and
North Western Railway was com
pleted to Council Bluffs in 1867.
And before the Union Pacific
bridge was completed in 1873, the
railroad at times ran trains over
a bridge l/uilt on ice. The Union
Pacific Museum in Omaha has
a photo of such a bridge in use.
Naturally, the condition of the
ice was an important item of
local news and the early terri- ;
torial newspapers . frequently
mentioned it.
The Brownville Advertiser of
December 30, 1858, took note of
the river as follows: “The
weather, for ten days past, has
been exceedingly mild. On south
ern exposures the frost is en
tirely out of the ground. The ice
in the river is yet stationer; there !
has been no venturing over it, '
however, for two days past, dur
ing which time we have been
without any eastern mails—in
fact, without any from any direc
tion.”
Two weeks later, the situation
had further deteriorated, and on
January 13, 1859, the Advertiser
reported: “One of Hoadley Muir’s
lumber teams, in crossing the river
on Tuesday, broke through the
ice: cne of the oxen was drowned
before it could be gotten out. Last
evening a team belonging to Mr.
Dunder, broke through the ice a
short distance above this city.
One horse was rescued; the other,
together with the wragon was lost.
The Missouri bridge is rather
dangerous just now'. Be careful.”
Other years, though, were
colder. On December 15, 1864,
the Advertiser announced: “The
river at this place is spanned by
a firm and substantial bridge of
ice, over which heavily loaded
wagons are constantly crossing.”
Again, on January 19, 1865, the
Nebraska City News informed its
readers: “The river presents a
lively appearance at present. The
continual crossing and recrossing
of teams, the working of the ice
men, and the sport of skating
with the boys, gives the ‘Old
Muddy’ a very animated appear
ance. The bridge is safe and
solid and promises to last for
some time to come. Wood can
now be bought at reasonable fig
ures.”
46 Years
13th & O
National Bank
of Commerce
Lincoln, Nebraska
Member FJ)XC.
If You Have A Bad Break!
CALL: 2-6931
And We’ll Fix It For Yoa —
Van Sickle Glass Paint Co.
143 So. 10th Lincoln, Nebr.
Sports Questions and Answers
By A1 Moses
NEW YORK. (ANP). Readers
bear with us, for it is question
and answer time again:
Dear A1 Moses:
I sav that it was in San Fran
cisco where Stanley Ketchel
made his great stand against
heavyweight champion Jack
Johnson. Would the year be
1908? Didn't Ketchel stay ten
rounds?—Virgil Hayes, NYC
(A) The affair was in Colma,
Calif., in October. 1909. Ketchel
was kayoed (for 15 minutes) by
210-pound Johnson in the 12th
round alter the clashing white
fighter, who scaled 40 pounds
less, dropped “Lil Artha” for a
nine count in this round, which
was the final one.
Q) In his first two seasons in
the majors how many stolen
bases were credited to Brooklyn’s
Jackie Robinson1’—L. H., Troy,
N. Y.
(A) 51 bases.
(Q) Was Roy Campanella a
great athlete before joining up
with Negro leagues? Has he chil- j
dren?—Clement Whittaker, Bar
rows Fla.
(A) The bullet-pegging Brook
lyn backstop was "a four-letter
athlete while attending Simon
Gratz high school in Philadel- ;
phia. The Campanellas’ have four j
kiddies, namely, two boys, David
and Roy, Jr., and two girls Bev- :
erly and Joy.
(Q) See where good-looking j
Johnny Bratton suffered a re
fracture of his broken jaw by \
Beau Jack in the Ike Williams
fight which you predicted would
result disastrously for deaf mute
Hairston’s conqueror. Do yoli
think Bratton should continue
boxing Alvin?—Tony Sills, Balti
more, Md.
(A) No.
(Q)What did you think of the
guest who threw a right-handed
punch at Branch Rickey, Dodgers
prexy, after Rickey’s Hotel Astor
speech on the FEPC? What Ne
gro sports figures were in'attend
ance?—Eugene Hampton, NYC.
(A) The unidentified assailant
was entirely wrong as I saw it.
Ray Robinson, Jackie Robinson,
and a number of colored writers
attended the dinner most of
whom considered Rickey’s “tol
erance plea” eloquent and most
timely. However, you can’t i
please all the people all the time :
you know. Gene.
(Q) Do you think any Negro
kegler can bowl well enough to
keep Our World magazine from
losing $1,000 should champion
Johnny Small, ABC king, accept
the challenge Al?—Leroy Stokes,
New Haven, Conn.
(A) Only the three screened
by Major Robinson, Our World
sports researcher, have a chance.
They are Jack Marshall, Bill
Jess
Williams
Springs
Rhodman and William Hampton,
all from Chicago.
(Q) How does this Riley,
whom Willie Pep all but mur- **
dered recently, compare with
Sandy Saddler, ex-champion.
Why don’t they meet?—G. H. L.,
Detroit, Mich
(A) Because Saddler’s man
ager, Charlie Johnson, was stupid
enough not to protect his fighter
in writing as is the legal way.
Saddler would kayo Riley just as
easily. He is Pep’s only real
threat.
(Q) George Rhoden, West In
dian middle distancer, and Her
bert McKenley, also a Britisher,
seem to have recaptured the form
that made them unbeatable Who
is the better of the two?
(A) Rhoden seems to be better
than McKenley (this indoor sea
son) over the 600.
Considering McKenley's time
(77:7) for winning the 500 at the
K. of C. games Saturday night
two weeks ago at Brooklyn’s
160th Regiment armory, McKen
ley would .win at 300, 400 meters
—440 and 500 yards.
(Q) What was the name of the
team (Catholic college) that first
elevated a Negro basketball player
to its roster, and have there been
any more additions to that said
school on the sports front?—Pat
McQueen, 8th Ave Butchers
Assn, Harlem, N. Y. C.
(A) Levi Bough, a real great
player first joined St. Francis
college’s basketball squad in 49.
This year the Brooklyn Terriers,
as St. Francis college is known to
sportsmen, boasts another Negro
poential star (freshman squad)
in Vein Stokes, ex-Commerce
high school courteer of outstand
ing ability in PSAL circles.
(Q) How many CIAA basket
ball championships has my friend
John McLendon, North Carolina
State's peerless basketball coach
won during the ten years he has
been there?—F. D. C., East
Orange, N J.
(A) 202 victories in 252 start
ing games. Born in Kansas, ‘‘John
B.” developed squads that dom
inated the CIAA in 1941-43-44-46
47-49. State's teams were in the
second slot under his guidance in
1940-42-45.
(Q) Would Jack Blackburn
have whipped Ray Robinson at
the time Blackburn was licking
god 175 and 2-- pounders?—Guy
Wood, New Dorp. Staten Is.
(A) I have no way of know
ing but I should think he could
have, for Jack Blackburn was as
formidable a boxer as he was a
trainer. At the latter job he was
plenty good. __
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