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About The Omaha guide. (Omaha, Neb.) 1927-19?? | View Entire Issue (April 17, 1937)
COMMENTS EDITORIAL PAGE opinion | ..EDITORIALS.. I ______ g- 4 g- g--g > g g-» ■ g-t rti _ THE OMAHA W IDE H Published Every Saturday at 2418-20 Grant Street, Omaha. Nebraska Phonoa: WEbster 1617 or 1518 Entered as Second Class Matter March 15, 1927, at the Poatoffice at Omana, Neb., umierAct of Congress of Murcn 8, 1879. ' TERMS OF SUBSCRIPTION $2.0u fZR YEAR Knee prejudice must go. The Fatherhood of God and the Brother hood of Man must prevail. These are the only principles which will atsi.d the acid test of good. All News Capy of Churches and all Organisations must be in our affice not later than 6i00 p, m. Monday for current issue. All Adver tising Copy or Paid Articles not later than Wednesday noon, proceed ing date of issue, to insure publication. AFTER YOU, KIT CARSON It lia* been truly said that “the American railroads are internationally recognized u the most reliable and progressive transportation sys.em in the world." And so closely is their his torical groWth and development interwoven with that of the nation that the glamorous story of one cannot be told without the other. Wherever, the hardiest of settlors dared venture, the section gang soon followed. Faint and tortuous paths of the covered wagons were graded and spiked with last'd rails, for ever marking the way of the emmigrants. I he job ol spanning i the Iiocky Mountains, backbone of America, and other far west-i ern ranges, presented nvpaling obstacles, all of which were fi nally overcome. Today Florida grapefruit and California oranges may be enjoyed with equal relish in .the dead of winter, from rock-bound Maine to the stormy coast of Washington and Oregon. The rail road!^ own and maintain a quurter million miles of line—and move commerce daily requiring more than a hundred thousand railroad ears of many types, available for loading whenever and wherever freight is ready to move. In times of national emergency the railroads must be ready to serve efficiently and at a moment's notice. During re cent floods in the Middle West, the railroads gave invaluable help to the sufferers, and during the great droughts of 19-14 and 19115, the railouds moved livestock oilt of the afflicted areas without delay, thus saving millions of dollurs worth ol callle and preventing u serious shortage of beef. 1-W appreciate the amazing work of organization back of modern, efficient rnlilroading. Still fewer fully appreciate the ♦extent to which ,1flie railroads make it possible for all of us to enjoy present-day comforts and luxuries. FIRE! FIRE! FIRE! Civilization-began with the discovery of fire by prehis toric man. And icr inncy A human being, e.'vili ntion, so far ns he personally was concerned, has ended with a fire! It is a curious truism that one of mans essential aideis is likewise, under other ciroumstances, one of man’s worst en emies. Controlled fire is a boon. Uncontrolled fire is a destroy ing demon. - - The problem of controlling fire is as old as history. Im mense progress has been made in .t)hg direction ol perfecting fire-fighting apparatus and equipment, and developing mater ials that resist fire. The fire department of yesterday is a ludic rous thing in comparison to the amazingly efficient fire depart ment of today, even as the building construction of yesterday offered a veritable invitation to fire. Aggressive effort has been given in recent years toward educating .the public in preventing fire—and here, too, progress lias been made, but on nowhere near a comparable scale. Some of us have learned the simple lessons that will eliminate most hazarik*—many of us have not. It is a safe bet that at least one home out of two—and this includes new as well as old ones— contains flagrant hazards which the owner disregards. Tn the law, ignorance is no excuse, and it would be a fine .thing if that same principal were extended to cover the har boring of fire hazards. Each year, los# running into lhe millions results from improper storage of inflammable liquids, needless accumulations of waste, amateur tampering with electric fix tures, eareletKsnesK with smoking materials. Such “little” things as these are responsible for a majority of fire's. Remember that fire is a good friend—employed respect fully. Take no chances with it. Care will save you dollars—and,1 infinitely more important, perhaps your life. Texas Preacher, 94, Divorced, Don’t Like 0 Women Who Smoke Dallas, Texas, April 17 (A_NP) —Sett ing a record as the oldest di vorced preacher in the state, Rev. H. Y. Linn, 94 yeas old, a former slave who was awarded a decree1 last Tuesday, is uncertain as to' whether or not he will remarry,) but “just in ease” e does, has his own idea as to the type of woman his n<#t wife must bt. “I don’t want any wife ho dinks likker,! smokes eigarets or dips snuff,” was his ultimatium. ENTERTAINS VISITOR Misfs Lmotle Rucker, 4409 Burt, street, entertadnafd at a beautifully appointed luncheon n Friday, April 9th, in honor f Mrs. Hattie Mae George Hayes, charming yoimg newly ved from Dallas, Texas. Among those present wero Misses Ada Fee Walker, Mary Ellen Onenl, Felila Rucker and Mrs. Hayes. Everyone left stating that she bad enjoyed herself immense y. Mrs. M. L: Rucker assisted (t.-itih the serving. KELLY MILLER SAYS WHY NEGRO COLLEGES FAIL TO PRODUCE ATHLETES I he success of Negro ath letes on the basis of nation-wide and world wide competition awakens sense of pride in all our breasts. We are proud to claim kinship with anyone who achieves (superb excellence in any line of distinction. To hold the world record in uny compe titive undertaking is surely an achievement well worth brag ing about. When Jesse Owens outruns the world every Ne' gro in the world feels a cor responding uplift by virtue of his prowess. Negro athletes have achieved distinction espec ially in track and pole-vaulting which are peculiarly academic sports. It is to be noted that super ior excellence of Negro athletes in the academic world is con fined motatly to those sports which are dependent on per lonal add individual abilities Where intimate social contacts are involved, the colored stu dent is rarely admitted on a plain of fair competition. In baseball, football, an aquatic sports the Negro rarely ever comes to the front for ,thc sim ple reason he is not given a fair chance. in the prize ring, the Negros success is most phenominal. The prize ring, however, does not come within the purview of iny present purvose because such sports fall almost wholly outside ,the scope of the aca demic world. However, our col leges are beginning to take cog nizance of the importance of cultivating the manly art of self-defense. In case boxing and fisticuffs should ever become a part of the academic program, iit. is but natural that Negro students will shine forth most brilliantly in this field of con test. We hflive but to mention the names of Jesse Owens of Ohio State; Ulysses Peacock of Tem ple; Edward Tolan of Michi gan^ Ralph Metcalfe of Mar quette; Ben Johnson of Colum bia; Arthur Thomas of Pitts burgh; John Woodruff of Pittsburgh; David Albritton of California; and Uavalle of Sou thern California to illustrate .the extent to which American colleges are developing super ior athletic lalent in Negro youth. But, as wre scan this list of athletic celebrities we find that none of them are the pro duct of Negro colleges a»d uni versities. Both candor and cur iosity lead us to inquire from what unfriendly cause does this obvious deficiency proceed? During my deanship at How ard University, 1 discovered a young man of considerable ath letic power, hut because of his fondness for sports we had to suspend him for infraction of rules. At a conference with the dean of Chicago University some time later, he apprized me that he had recently enrolled one of my former pupils who was reflecting considerable cre dit upon the university for his athletic ability. This young man afterwards gained consid erable repute in the athletic world, but full credit was as signed to Chicago University rather tha n to Howard. Several years ago, while fill ing a Weture engagement in Philadelphia, I sought accom odations in the Colored Y.M.C. Calvin s Digest By Floyd J. Calvin COMMERCE REPORTS It is encouraging to learn tha.t thie Department of Com merce, through the Division of Negr o Affairs of the Bureau of Foreign and Domestic Com j A- 1 found that ,the rooms were all taken and the restaurants in the neighborhood overcrowd ed with colored students from nearby colleges and universi ties preliminary to participa tion in ,the athletic meet at the University of Pennsylvania. No single representative of of a col ored institution scored any cre ditable record at this athletic meet. Why is it .that Negro schools and colleges rarely or ever turn out any worth-while aihletic products. There are thousands of young men in high schools and colleges. Surely they pos sess the inherent muscular and phyhicai capacities which col ored boys in attendance at white schools so strikingly ex hibit. Fisk, Atlanta, Lincoln and Howard, with thousands of Negro students are far outdis tanced in the at,hletic sports by a handful of colored stu dents from mixed schools and colleges. Out of the same ma terial white schools moke a su perior product. Development of superior tal ent, whether in athletics or in seholarsip, requires equipment, facilities, discipline, surround ings, atmosphere and spirit. As a rule the colored colleges do not supply the requisite of stimulus and encouragement. The missionary founders of,the schools and colleges were so en grossed with the moral and spiritual necessity of savini the soul that they displayed Ji tie interest in the development of the body. Much of the disinter ested attitude is inhereted by the present day control of Ne gro schools and colleges. Athletic sports a.re fast be coming a rival to intellectual interest in the great colleges and institutions of America. The Negro institutions lag behind, both for la*k of resources and interest in this important phase of college life. Athletics may be compared to solid intellectual achievement as gunpowder to the cannon ball, whose explo sion nndnoise announce and ad vertise the more solid accom plishments of a purely academic character. Another eailse which mili tates against the success of ath letics in Negro schools is due to the increasing number of fe males in the student body Col lege athletics is mainly a mas culine sport in which the fe male contingency constitutes lookers-on and not participants. Negro colleges are confroil - ed with not only inferior fac ilities, resources and spirit, but are limited to inferior range of competition. They must com pete among themselves, and are not permitted to test their prow ess in competition with white rivalry. Just as women could hardly expect to attain a su perior place in the world at lage so long i*s they were eon fined .to eomvetition with their own sex; just so the Negro will dag behind as long as his field of competition is confined to his own race. Why do Negro schools and colleges fail to produce their quota of Negro athletes 1 I ut ter the query, and await the echo. merce, is stepping out boldly into the Negro field and at tempting t o render informa tion service to this group of the nations entrepreneurs. In its "Notes.and Comments" we find much material which will not only promote'l-etttj business among Negroes, but can help them without the Government sending them a check. I n “ Store Modernization Needs", in the current release from Dr. Eugene Knickle Jones, ehief of this service, we note three results to be expected1 from modernization, viz., in crease of sales and profits "be cause customers tend to gravi tate to stores with better ex terior and interior appearance and with more uptoda,te facil ities", reduction of expense "re suiting from more convenient arrangement or more efficient equipment' ‘ ; and a more pleas ant place in which to work—if greater satisfaction is the re sult.' ‘ Concerning his innovation, Dr. Tones says: “From time to time the Division of Negro Affairs of the Bureau of Foreign and Domestic Commerce nates com ments on business trends which it feels w ill be of special inter est to businesses conducted by Negroes and those persons in terested in the general prob lems of economic adjustment.1 1 TEXAS ANNIVERSARY Negro newspapers large and small, are beginning to celebrate their anniversaries with morel promptness and seriousness. It I perhaps is because they not on-1 ly have a deeper feeling toward! die press as a vital factor in the evolution of the group, but that they appreciate the com mercial value of tlie advertis ing which accrues through such celebrations. We are pleased to congratu late the Waco, Tex., Messenger on its fifth anniversary. The larger view the press is taking of Negro life and living is clear ly and forcefully expressed in The Messenger's editorial, en titled “What Thrt Messenger Has Stood For." Editor L. J. Rhone says: “This issue marks the beginning of the sixth year of the publication of The Waco Messenger. For five years it has gone forward with definite ob jectives in view, rendering its best services to ,t,he people of Waco and Central Texas. “The Waleo Messenger has stood for the economic regen eration and industrial survival of the colored people of Cen tral Texas. It has urged that colored people themselves seek economic outlets in developing commercial and industrial en terprises while at the same time sfrive to hold their own in the fields of employment already onen to them. “The Waco Messenger has stood for a, free and unrestrict ed use of the ballot by colored citizens. Though their right to 'vote has (been challenged lo cally we have always cast our \ot w|th HiVll viduals rand or ganizations leading the n,rmy of the race's defenders. “The Waco Messengefl” has stood for an equitable consid eration of colored citizens in all civic matters. Waco’s colored population has not always been treated fairly in the distribu tion of civic improvements. The Waco Messenger has held that our local government and agen cies should be both jealous and watchful of the general welfare of all the people. Under no cir cumstances should color blind ness be permitted ,to offset ihe working of civic righteousness. “'The "Waco Messenger has |stood for interracial good will. It has refused to wave the red flag even in the fa.ee of known enemies among the white group. To our mind interracial coop eration is the backbone of pro gress in the South. 1 he W aco Messenger Fas stood for a social outlook for colored Waco and CentraJ Tex as worthy of being handed down to our children as a her itage fit for true American cit izens. We do not believe that American society will alwavs suffer from social ills based up on race prejudice. Unnatural segregation of and discrimina tion against individuals in Am erican society must cease. There is now a growing sentiment of tlie American Imasses against certain universal practices that have victimized the Negro be cause of his color. “Finally, The Waco Messen ger has stood for a local leader ship with vision. We have not been satisfied with the selfish individuals whose bickerings and personal dislikes for each other have damned colored Wa co with stagnation. For >five years the Waco Messenger has stood on the house top and cried aloud against the pages of local history being turned backward and it is a sad stnry that few in high places have given ear to our cry. “Forgetting our disappoint ments of the past and holding fast to the memory of the things which colored Waco and Cen-j ^ral Texas have helped us ac complish The Waco Mesenger looks forward toward another milepost with hope and prom ise. We shoJl no.t cease to fight for the things which stand for progress, nor compromise with the forces or influences detri mental to the general welfare of the race. If there are those who agree with us, come let us wajk together. THE ARTS QUARTERLY Lovers of tre arts, the county try over will welcome the news that Dillard University, located at t,he base of the Deep South —down below the Delta,—has issued the first number of “The Arts Quarterly Dr. Nelson states in the Fore An Echo ’From My Den By S. B. Gilbert -As I sit here in my den with pen in hand, meditating »s it were, there comes to my mind, one of the laws of psychology, “Kindness begets kindness"’ and thus the old Den Dweller writes .that the Oma.ha Negro, 16,000 strong, with a potential buying power of $10,000,000 annually should become a prac tical psychologist by carrying out this all important axiom of psychology in the purchasing and consumation of his daily food-stuff. Investigate and find out for yourself just what pack ing plant employs the largest number of Negroes, follow with a similar probe of all o,ther in dustries that are engaged in the producing consummating food stuff and then after this shall have been completed, sit down wfth pen and paper in hantl compute the proportion of Ne groes employed by the various industries and pro-rate your purchases accordingly. For example, hypothetically, should you find .tliat a certain packing industry employs more Negroes in Omaha than another then when you go to the mar ket to buy bacon, ham or shoul der. call for the brand you have found through your inves.tiga tion stands, for the firm who be lieves in fair play and stands on the square when it comes to proportional employment of our people. With the same econom ic yard stick measure the re turns coming from all food stuff producers both national and local. Thus, you shall be carrying out the practical rule of psychology: "Kindness be gets kindness." word, that: “The Arts Quar terly will hear the message that art is not a thing apart, or for the few. but that which all men can enjoy, most men interpret and far more men than we sus pect can create. It will serve, we hope, as an inspiration to a larger participation in the life ' of art and in the richness and joy which it so abundantly of fers. ... .. PATRONIZE OTTR ADVERTISERS I BRONZE *=3ancloutr I&AThe orchestra LEADER PUT “UNTILTHE REAL THINK COMES ALONG* OUT IN FRONT AS A REAL SONG, THE TUNE PAID OFF BY MAKING HIAA ONE OF THE MOST DIS CUSSED MUSICANS IN THE j, PAST THREE MONTHS I i \ , y* > THE TERPSICHORE AN NO* 1M LONDON WITH LEW LESLIE PRO-1 OOCTION OF ''BLACKBIRDS'’,SWW) owt to eecoHt a trained nowe.1 ,LATER SRC TOOK OP BOOK-KEEPING i AND FW1RU.V BECAME A DANCERS * .... p _ _ _w i
