[*Miscellaneous*] SPEECHES & WRITINGS FILE Written by Mary Church Terrell 1615 S St., N.W. Washington, D.C. Well, Josephine Baker isn't a countess, after all, although some of us became very much excited, when the news reached us that she had been married in the Italian consulate in Paris to a sure enough, honest-to goodness count. Now she says that it was all a huge joke, and that the gentleman will never be a count till he appears in a film in which he is seen to appear. Josephine is quoted as saying to a newspaper man "Stories sure do travel [?] fast. It was something I told my friends as a joke - and see how everybody has taken it seriously." Anyway the public wont be angry with me. It is always kind to me, and it was lots of fun while it lasted." However, when the news reached the United States [this country] several days ago that Josephine had married a genuine count, it created no little [less] surprise, not to say downright consternation in some circles. Nothing worries some people so much as the thought that there are some countries in the world where human beings with African blood in their veins have the same rights, privileges and opportunities which other people enjoy. But no matter whether Josephine married a real count or only a "film count" she is the most popular dancer in Paris. She arrived there practically unknown only two years ago and now she is acclaimed as an artist of the first water in that city where everybody knows an artist when he sees him perform and where artists are given proper recognition, whether they are black white grizzle or gray. The Parisians are so wild over Josephine that they name everything chic and lovely after her. There are the Josephine Baker hats - the very last word in style and beauty, the Josephine Baker coats, the Josephine Baker stockings and so on down or up the line. Even the men smoke Josephine Baker cigars. And she deserves all this praise and recognition, for she has labored hard to get it. She is said to be at the most industrious worker on the Parisian stage. Svery afternoon she appears at a popular tea-dancing establishment in the Champs Elysees. Then she goes to the Folies Bergeres where she [is] is a big headliner and then at midnight she trips to her own cabaret where she dances till the wee sma hours. Josephine does not allow the grass to 2 grow under her feet by any manner of means. Long life, continued success and much happiness to her. It pays to drop pamphlets around railroad trains which show the needs of schools and other institutions. Some time ago a gentleman left one on a seat in a railroad coach which showed that a certain town needed a school very badly. A woman with money plus a heart read it and has just donated $800 to a fund being raised to build this school. A hint to the wise is sufficient. What a sensation two Episcopal ministers created in the national congress of their church which met on the Pacific coast a few days ago. One of them declared bluntly "You can't shoot Christianity into the people of the Orient with either bullets or dogmas. And then, after stating boldly that he did not believe in foreign missions, he astounded the audience by saying: "Christians are about as unchristian as any people on earth. If we realized how unchristian we are, we would be profoundly humble. If we continue to behave as we do behave, I dont see any reason why Chinese or any other foreign race should adopt Christianity. It required a great deal of courage to make a statement like that, but many people who profess to be Christians in this country and who flagrantly violate the fundamental principles upon which the Christian religion is founded need to hear the truth now and then. A young man once asked me how I could have any faith in the Christian religion, when I know that those who [?] professed to be Christians used to buy and sell human beings, supported their churches on money thus acquired and are still subjecting the descendants of slaves to injustices and barbarities of every conceivable kind. I told him the conduct of such people did not shake my faith in Christianity at all, for I know they were not living up to[] the principles laid down by Jesus Christ, and had no right to call themselves Christians. Written by Mary Church Terrell 1615 S St., N.W. Washington, D.C. Mr,. Mrs. and Miss Reader let me introduce you to Countess Pepite Di Abatin, the first colored countess of [which] whom history has any record who hailed from the United States of America. Some of us here used to know her as plain Josephine Baker, but that was several years ago. Then she played with some of our colored companies. But two years ago she went to Paris and has literally taken that town by storm. Everybody is crazy about her over there, where they know what an artist really is and where they bow down before them, no matter whether they are black, white grizzle or gray. Well, Josephine Baker didn't do a thing but walk with her Italian Count right straight to the Italian consulate in Paris and get married. If anybody thinks this count is a nobody, let me gently whisper into your ear that if he did not amount to anything, he could never have been married in the Italian consulate in Paris or in any other city of Europe. So much for that idea. If JOSEPHINE tires of her Italin count or if she is not happy with him, she will find herself in very distinguished company indeed. She will simply be in the same class with Consuele Vanderbilt, William K's daughter, who married the Duke of Marlborough, was never happy with him, so she says, because she was forced to marry him against her will, when she was only 17 years old and recently secured a divorce from him. The Duke suddenly turned Catholic, when he wanted to marry another American girl and the Rota dissolved the union. Or Josephine, pardon me, the Countess Pepite di Abatine will be in Anna Gould's class. She is the daughter of Jay Gould who first married Count Castellane and who finally secured a divorce from him, after she had squandered a fortune upon him. So here's good luck and best wishes for our first COLORED COUNTESS FROM THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA! Incidentally let me say that the Parisians are so wild over the Countess that they name stockings, hats or anything else after her. You see displayed in the stores the Josephine Baker cigar, or the Josephine Baker hat and so on down the line. Moreover she is the most industrious worker on the stage. Every afternoon she appears at a popular toe dancing establishment 2 in the Champs Elysees, then she goes to the Folies Bergeres, where she is a headliner and then at midnight she goes to her own cabaret where she dances till the wee sma hours. The Countess does not allow the grass to grow under her feet by any means. Long life and much happiness to her. Some of the newspapers in this country will probably try to belittle the Italian count, no doubt, by claiming that his pretensions to nobility have no foundation in fact. Nothing worries some people more than churches on money thus acquired and are still subjecting the descendants of the thought that there are countries in this world where human beings with slaves to injustices and barbarities of every conceivable kind. I told him African blood in their veins have the same rights, privileges and opportunities that which others enjoy. people did not shake my faith in Christianity at all, for I know they were not living up to the principles laid down by Jesus Christ, and had no right to call themselves Christians. What a sensation two Episcopal ministers created in the national congress of their church which met on the Pacific coast a few days ago. One of them declared bluntly "You cant shoot Christianity into the people of the Orient with either bullets or dogmas. And then after stating boldly that he did not believe in foreign missions he astounded the audience by saying "We Christians are about as unchristian as any people on earth. If we realized how un-Christian we are, we would be profoundly humble. If we continue to behave as we do behave, I dont see any reason why Chinese or any other foreign race should adopt Christianity." It required a great deal of courage to make a statement like that, but the people who profess to be Christians in this country and who flagranly violate the foundamental principles upon which the Christian religion is founded need to hear the truth now and then. a young man once asked me how I could have any faith in the Christian religion, when I know that these who professed to be Christians used to buy and sell human beings, supported their churches on money thus acquired and are still subjecting the descendants of slaves to injustices and barbarities of every conceivable kind. I told him that the conduct of such people did not shake my faith in Christianity at all, for I know they were [people] not living up to the principles laid down by Jesus Christ, and had no right to call themselves Christians. [*Written by Mary Church Terrell*] Ma Ferguson will soon be frying eggs for breakfast and washing dishes instead of presiding as the Governor of Texas. It's all over but the shouting for that lady. The mere man who ran against her in the recent primary led Ma by 100,000 votes. That means, of course, that General Dan Moody will be the next governor of Texas, for everybody knows that nomination on the Democratic ticket in Texas, or almost any other state, is equivalent to an election. The disfranchisement of colored people in the average southern state makes it possible for anybody on the Democratic ticket to simply walk away with the election. When once in a half-century a Republican is elected to office in the South, it is regarded as a miracle and people wonder how in the world it happened. No people on earth talk more about purity in politics, purity in the home and purity everywhere else than do the people of this country. And yet in no other civilized country in the world is there more lawlessness, both public and private than there is right here in the United States. The newspapers do not hesitate to say that nomination on the Democratic ticket in practically any southern state means an election, although that statement is equivalent to admitting that the connotation is boldly, flagrantly violated, Everybody who knows anything shout conditions which obtain in the South knows that the law of the land is trodden shamelessly under foot. And yet no outcry is made against this violation of the constitution of the United States. The pulpit and the press are silent on this flouting of the law. People in public and private life ignore it altogether. One hears only of the violation of one amendment- the eighteenth, as though that were the only one about which the country should have any concern. Everybody who loves his fellow man and particularly everybody who loves the youth is glad that the temptation to become addicted to strong drink through the medium of the saloon has been removed. When one complains that no effort is made to enforce the fifteenth amendment, which makes it possible for colored men and women to protect themselves and their homes by the ballot, somebody is likely to accuse him of wanting the eighteenth 2 amendment abolished. It is very tiresome indeed to see passion torn to tatters, because one amendment to the constitution is violated, while not a word is uttered about the shameful manner in which another is flouted apparently by common consent of the Powers That Be.. In fact it is easy to violate the eighteenth amendment, because this country was taught how to do it by making the fifteenth null and void. When one hears so much righteous indignation expressed, because of the manner in which bootleggers are circumventing the law and sees how silent all the good folks are about snatching the right of citizenship from their fellow man in the section where the majority of the group live, one is reminded of what Charles Dickens said about the American eagle. If he were going to paint it, he said, he would paint it like an ostrich for sticking its head in the ground and thinking nobody saw it. It really seems that the dominant race in this country believes that people elsewhere do not see anything which that powerful group does not want them either to see or hear. Perhaps if they realized that people in other countries both see how hypocritical they are about somethings and hear them making high-sounding protestations and professions which they do not even try to put into practice, they might try to mend their way. Mary Church Terrill. [*(Written by Mary Church Terrell)*] People who want to see the real, genuine, honest-to-goodness Hawaiian had better hurry up and go to that interesting island, because if they dont, when they get there, they will meet folks who are nothing but half breeds- half white and half something else . One does not need to be a phil osopher to understand why this is the case. White men in Hawaii are doing what they always do, when they settle among people with dark skins. They simply marry the women, or if they do not marry the dark women, they become the fathers of their children. Dr. Romanse Adams, who is head of the department of sociology at the University of Hawaii,says that in a few years it will be a wise c hild who even knows to what race he belongs, because thirty five percent of the white men in the islands marry women of other races. There are Japanese, Chinese and colored women from the United States in Hawaii from whom these white men may make their selection. And yet nobody in the world talks louder and longer about "Purity of Race" than does the average white man, particularly, if he hails from the United States. During slavery the white men who became masters of their own colored children and, for a long time after the emancipation proclmation was signed, those who voluntarily lived with colored women, did so without benefit of clergy. Some of them are still pursuing the same course. The white men who live in this country draw the line at marrying colored women as a rule. In the bill which was drawn up by the General Federation of Women's Clubs and which provided for a uniform divorce law all over the United States, there was an interesting little clause which was designed to make the intermarriage of the races illegal. Of course this was inserted in that so-called uniform divorce bill to make any marriage between a white man and a colored woman illegal, so that a colored woman would have no redress in the courts of law, if a white man married her or debauched and deserted her. The average white citizen always throws several violent fits, whenever he thinks of a white man actually contracting a marriage with a colored 2 woman, although he doesn't spend any sleepless nights worrying about the illicit relations between the two races. All of which proves that the moral standards of some of our brothers and sisters in white are fearfully and wonderfully made. And speaking about intermarriage reminds me that many white people actually believe that this is the heart's desire of nearly every colored man in the country and the majority of colored women. I have addressed many of the leading Forums in New England. After the speaker finishes his talk, the audience is allowed to ask questions from a half an hour to three quarters of an hour. Among the first questions asked is "Do you believe in the intermarriage of the races?" Before I finish answering the question I always emphasize the fact that the average colored man or woman never thinks about intermarriage at all. It is the least of their worries and woes. But there is no doubt whatever that this intermarriage business really troubles our brothers and sisters in white. During slavery the abolitionists were always confronted with the question "Would you let your daughter marry a nigger?" Of course this question was propounded, not because anybody who had the brains of an oyster thought it had anything at all to do with the question, but because he wanted to confuse the issue of freedom and liberty and muddy the waters. Mary Church Terrell 1615 S St. N.W. Written by Mary Church Terrell. Negro Spirituals were sung at the funeral of the wife of Colonel Arthur Little, commander of the famous 369th colored Infantry, St. George's Church, New York City, a few days ago. Mrs. Little had been active in promoting welfare work for colored people and was very fond of their music. Noble Sissle, the tenor soloist, had arranged the music in appreciation of Mrs. Little's interest in colored people living in Harlem, and it was sung by four members of the Kentucky Choir, composed of men who had served in the 369th. Among the selections sung by the five men were "Swing low, Sweet Chariot," Deep River" and "My Lord, What a Mournin." Fifty prominent colored business men from Harlem attended the funeral for whom the first three pews had been reserved. Some of the most distinguished people in the country were present and sent floral offerings. Among these were Col and Mrs. Theodore Roosevelt, Ethel Barrymore, the actress and many others. At the close of the services, when the family and friends of the Colonel and the late Mrs. Little passed from the chapel, the organist of St. George's Church played softly strains from "Deep River", while the choir hummed the melody in subdued tones. In other words, nothing but Negro music was played and sung at the funeral of one of New York's most prominent women, When I heard that, I could not help thinking about the large number of colored people who but a few years ago thought it was a great reflection upon us as a group to sing the Spirituals and were ashamed to render them in public. The white president of a colored college came very near losing his position, because he had urged the choir and the glee club of the institution to learn to sing the Spirituals well. This president had requested the choir to sing some of the Spirituals, so the story goes, when several distinguished white people were visiting the college, and the leader was so filled with indignation that he sent a protest to the trustees. But now that white people have placed their seal of approval upon these wonderful, soulful melodies, most of us have quietly fallen into line. Of course, white people can never learn to sing them, as the descendants of the group who composed them do. There seems to be something the matter with the vocal chords of white people, when they try to imitate colored people, while singing the Spirituals. They 2 just "haven't got em", in the language of the street. Every time I have heard white choirs trying their best to sing the Spirituals, I have felt sorry for them. Our group should be proud of these dear, old melodies composed by our foreparents in the misery and anguish of bondage. Especially should we prize them and cultivate them and resolve always carefully to preserve them, because our forebears have the distinction of having produced the only original music of which this country can boast. Aren't you glad that Constitution Day has been officially proclaimed by the governors of twelve States? Last Saturday it was observed in some parts of the country, because the National Security League thinks it is high time that we should teach the children in our public schools and everybody else we can reach to understand the Constitution of the United States.. We observe all kinds of days thruout the year, but not one of them will call the attention of the people of this country to a matter more vital and more important than Constitution Day. Some who have given the subject careful attention feel that there should be a course in the high school, so that when young people graduate, they would be able to name the articles and the amendments to the Constitution, know what they are "all about," and why they were adopted. A thorough study of the Constitution of the country would undoubtedly be productive of much good. But, would it not be very embarrassing to the teachers in some of our schools, when they tried to answer certain questions which thoughtful pupils [might?] propund? For instance, what will a colored teacher in South Carolina, Georgia or Mississippi say to a pupil who asks why the provisions in the 14th and 15th amendments are not carried out in those States since they are a part of the Constitution like the others which have been adopted? If actions speak louder than words even those whose duty it is to administer the laws of this land have forgotten these amendments and make no effort to enforce them. By all means let us have a course on our Constitution introduced into the public schools. Three cheers for the National Security League which is trying to direct the attention of the citizens of this Republic to the fundamental law of the land. written by Mary Church Terrell- [1927] Something very funny recently happened in a Woman's Convention. I can imagine how much mirth it provoked among the men who were present, if gentlemen were allowed to attend the meeting. The national convention of the Federation of Business and Professional Women has just held a session in Des Moines, Iowa. Some of the members wanted to increase the dues to $2 per member and some were for holding them down to a single dollar bill. They argued and argued over this important point. Those who insisted upon increasing the dues to $2 cited as their reason for urging this upon the convention that they wanted to raise a fund to support the Independent Woman, a magazine published by the organization. The opponents came right back at them with the statement that only a small proportion of the 46,000 members receive the publication any how. After disputing, arguing and urging for four hours without getting anywhere at all, the business and professional women simply decided that they wouldn't rack their precious brains another single, solitary second over the vexed question, but they would simply dab a little powder on their noses, run a comb thru their bobbed hair and go out somewhere for a bit of fresh air. So out they went on a pleasure jaunt and had a wonderful time! How much wiser it was for the women to sweep the cobwebs out of their brains and wipe the mists of misunderstanding from their eyes by enjoying themselves than to continue wrangling over the disputed point until they felt like pulling each other's hair. When the National Association of Colored Women was formed thirty years ago on the 21st of this month, these who wanted to give it a bad name and a black eye used to say that colored women were always wrangling. They simply could not live in peace with each other as white women did. Over and over again colored women who were not interested in anything which would promote the welfare of their race and who would not have joined the Association, even if they had been given a chrome to do so, need to declare they would have nothing to do with it, because colored women were always quarelling with each other. But there are no women 2 women in the world who differ with each other more on important measures in their organizations than do white women. There is no better proof of this fact than the unfortunate incident which occurred in Paris recently. The two Suffragist organizations in this country, The National League of Women Voters and the National Woman's party attended the International Suffrage Alliance. There is great difference of opinion on several subjects in these two suffrage organizations in the United States. The National Woman's party believes that there should be no special legislation for working women, because this prevents many of them from getting jobs which they would otherwise be able to secure and thus takes bread and butter out of their mouths, while the other organization is certain that working women need this legislation above everything else. So, when these two bodies met in Paris and the National Woman's Party tried to become a member of the International Alliance, the National League of Women Voters would not consent to accepting its sister organization from the United States. One of the English leagues was so displeased and disgusted with this hostile attitude manifested by one woman's organization toward another from the same country, it withdrew from the Alliance altogether as a protest against the way the National Woman's Party was treated by the League of Women Voters. So, when colored women accuse their sisters of wrangling and bickering more than women of other racial groups, they prefer this charge, because they do not know the facts. I am willing to admit, however, that white women know how to conceal their feelings of hotility toward each other more skillfully than colored women sometimes do. But the fact that the women of the dominant race have more veneer than colored women some times possess in their relations one to the other does not prove that our sisters in white are any more angelic or peaceful than we are. Mary Church Terrell Written by Mary Church Terrell Irene Castle, the once famous dancer, has come to the defense of horses. She has written a letter in which she declares that a device used to train the tail of a horse into a high-curving arch is cruelty in one of its worst forms. She sprung this letter when Chicago was having a horse show, so that the attention of the rich who own blooded horses exhibited on such occasions was sharply called to the practice which she condemns. The tail sets, as they are called, "are hideous instruments of torture," she declares, "that horses are forced to wear for many hours at a stretch to force the tail up over their backs and then double back in a sort of loop effect." It is as painful to a horse to wear this device as it would be to a human being to wear something which would bend his finger back. Mrs. Castle-McLaughlin, for the former dancer married after her first husband was killed in an airplane, says also that this looped-up carriage of the tail is forced and unnatural and is, therefore ugly. She is urging all judges at horse shows to stop the hideous practice by turning down horses whose tails have been doctored. "A well-made horse is a lovely creature" says Mrs McLaughlin, "but our horse shows today give us only a caricature of what a horse should be." This effort to prevent cruelty to an animal should appeal to every human being who has a heart, no matter whether he is interested in horse shows or not. It is appalling to see how animals of various kinds are tortured by old as well as by young. Children are allowed to pull a kitten's tail, while the mother simply looks on with an indulgent smile. Or, if she remonstrates a little, she tells the child that he had better stop or the kitten will scratch him. Not a word does she utter about the pain the child may be inflicting upon the animal itself. Dogs are kept chained indefinitely where the hot sun shines down upon them in summer and where they are wretched with cold in the winter. Why some people keep a dog at all is a mystery. The animal is confined in a dark basement in some cases and sees a human being only when he is fed. Such an owner of an animal can extract pleasure only from the fact that the dog belongs to him. He knows nothing about the satisfaction and the enjoyment experienced by one who treats a dog well and is fairly deluged with its gratitude and affection. As a rule, however, no 2 matter how badly a dog is treated, he loves his master and shows his affection whenever he gets a chance. But many [matter] masters show little affection for their dogs. They are careless about seeing that the animals are properly fed and allow them fairly to famish with thirst. Many a dog which people say has gone mad is simply crazy for the want of a drink of water. Mothers especially should try to inculcate in their children a love for the dumb creatures which are so dependent upon us for their well being, not only for the sake of the animals themselves, but for the effect which such training will have upon the child's character. A few years ago the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals studied the record of men who were serving a life sentence for murder in the penetentiaries of Scotland. And they discovered that in every case these men had been notorious as children for their cruelty to animals. Those who are rearing children should ponder this fact. We deprive too many animals of their freedom for one thing. Unless it is absolutely necessary to pen an animal up, it should be allowed to run about somewhere. Not long ago an Englishman visiting this country declared that one of the things which made the deepest impression upon him was the great number of animals of various kinds which people in the United States hold in captivity. But if we must deprive animals of their freedom, let us treat them kindly whatever we do. X X X X X X X X It seems to be the fashion with some writers to dig into the past and write a book for the express purpose of exposing the weaknesses, vices and defects of a well-known man. One of the latest victims of such a literary attack is Henry Ward Beecher who was a great abolitionist and exerted himself strenuously to free the slave. On one occasion he "sold" a beautiful colored girl in his pulpit in Brooklyn, (for he was probably the most famous and the most eloquent preacher of his time), so that he could give an object lesson on the horrors of slavery to the people of the North. It is said that as Mr. Beecher played upon the emotions of his congregation while he was "selling" this slave girl, women threw their jewelry into the collection boxes, so overcome were they by the evils of the cruel institution and so eager were they to contribute as much as they could. But the author of this new Beecher biography declares that the great 6 point of view is not substantiated by the facts. Over and over again when colored have secured good positions, because their employers did not know their racial identity, they have lost them as soon as it was discovered that a drop or so of African blood was coursing somewhere through their veins. Before their employers knew with what division of the human family these women were classifies, however, they had expressed themselves as entirely satisfied with the services rendered. As soon as the awful secret leaked out, these same employers would begin to find fault for one reason or another and shortly thereafter the colored women would receive their walking papers and be shown the door. This does not happen in every single, solitary case, of course, because all the justice-loving, braod-minded white people in the United States are not dead yet, but it does happen much more frequently than many people interested in the colored people's welfare suppose. Just one example to prove this point will suffice although the number which might easily be given is legion. One day an intelligent, refined and beautiful young woman came to me in great distress and urged me to intercede immediately with her employer in her behalf. She had just been discharged, she said, because the proprietor of the store had discovered that she was colored. "When I went to secure the position," she explained, "I said nothing about the race with which I am identified, because I knew I would not have a ghost of a chance to get it, if I did. I knew I could give satisfaction, and I hoped Mr. L would not discharge me even if he discovered that I am colored." This young woman had served a long and successful apprenticeship in one of the largest and best department stores in New York City. But her family lived in Washington and she wanted to come home. Armed with most complimentary letters of introduction she had no difficulty in securing the position for which she applied. When I went to see the proprietor of the store in the young woman's behalf, he expressed great regret at being forced to dispense with her services. "I had no idea that Miss B was colored", he said, "when I employed her. There was nothing whatever to indicate such a thing. In the first place, 7 she is as fair as a lily. She is very well educated and she is refined. She had been in the store about two months, when one of the saleswomen came yo me and complained that I had employed a colored girl. I denied this, of course. "Less than a week after this conversation took place my informant brought me indisputable proof of the fact that Miss B was colored and urged me to discharge her at once. This I refused to do. 'Well, all the salesgirls will leave you" she threatened, "It will not be hard to fill your places," I replied. A short time after that, however, my customers came to me to protest against my employing a colored girl in my store. Delegation after delegation of them came to demand that I dismiss Miss B immediately and they threatened to boycott my store, if I refused. Then it became a matter of bread and butter with me and I was forced to let her go. I wish I had been able to keep her," he continued, "for she was one of the best saleswomen in the cloak department I have ever had." This proprietor's frank admission that the colored girl whom he had dismissed had given perfect satisfaction was something new under the sun and surprised me greatly. For those who discharge colored people solely on account of their race usually allege other reasons-lack of skill and lack of dependability, for instance. There may easily be an honest difference of opinion concerning the ethics practiced by this young woman who secured the position without telling her employer with what race she was identified. But bitter experience had taught her that if she acknowledged that there was the demi-semi-quaver of the thousandth part of a drop of African blood in her veins, as she herself said, she would not have had a ghost of a chance to get the job. She knew she could give satisfaction and she knew also that there could be no possible objection to her except that she was identified with a proscribed race. She accepted the position offered her on the principle that self-preservation is the first law of nature feeling under no obligation to mention to her employer anything which would prejudice him against her and make it impossible for 3 preacher always lagged behind on a mooted question, until he saw which way it was safe for him to go, before he took a definite stand. The author says Beecher would never have come out strongly against slavery, if he had not thought it was safe for him to do so. Of course it is possible to question any human being's motive and to doubt his sincerity, if one wished to detract from his reputation and besmirch his character. The fact remains that Henry Ward Beecher was a great power for good in the anti-slavery cause and our group should remember him gratefully for that. But the biographer does not stop at impugning Beecher's motives. He rakes up a divorce scandal which fairly shook the foundations of society when the case was aired in the courts. It is quite clear that although Henry Ward Beecher was acquitted of the charge proffered against him, his biographer rather doubts the justice of this verdict. Who will be the next idol to be smashed? George Washington has already been held up to ridicule and scorn by a man who handles his subject without gloves, to say the least. According to this biographer the Father of His Country was far from being the perfect gentleman and the great soldier he is usually represented to be. Of course the author of this uncomplimentary "life" of Washington has been severely criticized and loudly condemned for this shattering our cherished ideal. But what he has written, he has written, and everyman may believe as much of what he reads as he chooses. And last, but not least, two books have been written to show the glaring defects in the late President Harding's character and to emphasize the mistakes he made. One of the books shows that the men he gathered around him to help him guide the "Ship of State" did a great deal to help him turn it in the wrong direction and one is lead to believe that these men would have come pretty near wrecking it, if they had had their way. The latest book about this President is written by a woman who claims that he is the father of her child. She goes into the minutest detail to establish her contention. She literally leaves no stone unturned to convince the reader that she is telling the truth. These unsavory revelations must be very embarrassing to the family of the late President Harding. 4 Especially must this be true since the woman refers repeatedly to the late President's sisters, telling various conversations she has had with them. An effort was recently made to present a play in Philadelphia based on the book revealing Mr. Harding's conduct in the White House, but it was taken off the stage, because it was considered too unpatriotic and too reprehensible thus to expose the mistakes and weaknesses of a President of the United States. Since these books have had a wide sale, it is quite likely that there will be a perfect deluge of them on the market. Authors eager to make money will be delving deeply into the private character of our heroes to see if they can not find something scandalous to expose. None of our departed supermen will be immune from their prenicious activity. What good will it do to expose the weaknesses and defects of our great men? Will it encourage human beings who might otherwise despair of accomplishing something worthwhile, because they are oppressed with a sense of their weakness, to know that those regarded as heroes to day once struggled against defects as great and glaring as their own? If these books have that effect upon people, they may do good. But if they cause us to lose faith in humanity on general principles and convert us into Doubting Thomases whenever we hear a great man's name called, these books will do unspeakable harm. At any rate our group has the satisfaction of knowing that if its representatives occasionally make mistakes, they are not a white worse than are many belonging to a group which has had centuries of training, education and advantages far superior to their own. No one division of the human family has a corner on all the virtues or on all the vices either. Written by Mary Church Terrell/ "A man past 30 is incapable of love." So says a great scholar and philosopher, and when he was ridiculed for making such an outrageous statement a few days ago, Dr. Will S. Durant gave the following explanation: "A man above 30 may go wild over a blond chorus girl. That is not love. Love is absolute devotion, the desire to give full service to another. A man past the 30 year mark is incapable of the full flame of love. All the old bachelors should resolve here and now to be the exception to that hard and fast rule laid down by Dr. Durant. Each and every one of them should shake his fist at Dr. Durant, so to speak, and to say to himself, "I'll prove that he doesn't know what he is talking about. I'll find some good woman, love her, make her my wife and then give a practical illustration of that 'absolute devotion' which Durant says a man past 30 is incapable of showing." When he was asked to suggest a remedy for what is called "our moral degeneracy" Dr. Durant recommended strongly that parents encourage their sons to marry at the "natural age" rather than the "financial age." If we wait for marriage until the financial age is reached-at 30 or above-" he said, "love is in danger of being eliminated from the earth." Of course, many parents will not agree with this scholar. They warn their girls against marrying a man who can not "provide" for them. They can reel off arguments by the hour to prove that when "poverty comes in at the window, love flies out of the door." They can cite multitudes of cases to prove this point to their own satisfaction, whether they convince the girl who is willing to marry a poor man or not. Then the parents of a boy warn their son against marrying a girl, no matter how much he may love her, unless he can "take care of her". Such parents are sure they are giving the proper advice. They, too, can reel off cases showing that when Mr. So and So's son married a girl whom he could not support, the couple had a rough row to hoe and finally separated, each one going his own way. No matter what one's private opinion may be concerning early marriages, one can not help sympathizing with the parents If she has no personal friends here her plight is distressing indeed There are a few col hotels here to be sure - But too many col. girls coming here for employment either passing thru Washington to get jobs elsewhere the cost of a nights lodging wd be prohibitive for the prices which obtain in the col hotels are like those charged in the others - Again the YWCA is practically the only recreational center which the col women of this city have. Its [*Written by Mary Church Terrell Let all the old bachelors take heed, and try to make amends for failing to assume the responsibility of establishing a home, for a philosopher*] 2 of a young man who warns him that if he marries too early, he may ruin his career, and make both his wife and himself unhappy because the responsibilities which he assumes as a husband make it practically impossible for him to make good. One also understands the view point of the parents of a young woman who advises her against marrying a man who can not support her properly. However, under this new dispensation, in which women help to support their families, it is not such a serious matter for a young woman to marry a poor man to day as it was thirty or forty years ago. Then it was considered almost disgraceful for a woman to "go out to work." Fortunately the world thinks differently to day. But there is only one opinion one can have about a colored man who is able to support himself and a wife who fails to establish a home. He is simply shirking a responsibility which it is his duty to assume. As a race we need homes more than any other group in this country. We were not allowed to have homes of our own seventy years ago. For that reason we need to catch up with the other groups who have been having them for centuries. The men who have money enough to run a home and fail to establish one are certainly recreant to their trust. The more advantages colored men and women have had, and the more they should strive to establish homes, largely by its homes. Our young people should be encouraged to marry as soon as they possibly can, for a race is largely known by its homes. It's literally all over but the shouting now, so far as the dark races of the world are concerned. At last some of them have learned that in union there is strength and they have decided to unite for better or worse. But the position and condition of some of them couldn't be much worse than it is. So there's no doubt this union is for the better. Let me introduce you to the League of Asiatic peoples, if you please, for that is the name which the Pan-Asian congress has adopted in a session recently held in Japan. To be sure there was a fight, when the Japanese chairman refused to let a Korean speak and the Korean went at him hammer and tongs. But, after the other dark gentleman present, naely to wit, the Chinese, the Filipines and the Indian delegates [?] the rescue of the Japanese and loosed the Korean's tight grip, all went merry as a marriage bell. Nothing better for the world could happen than this union of the dark races. The first step has been made in a movement which will undoubtedly change many deplorable conditions which exist to day. There are four people on this earth to day whose faces are dark to every one whose face is white. All of which proves, with apologies to Abraham Lincoln, that God must have loved dark people very much indeed, for He made so many of them. So let's all wish this League of Asiatic peoples well. The delegates say that they are perfectly satisfied with the result of this meeting, and we should all take our hats off to them for the good start. David Belasco is certainly "all wool and a yard wide", so far as his attitude toward his colored brother is concerned. If you dont believe it, just read what he says about colored people and their dramatic possibilities in an article which he has recently contributed to a magazine. It is a great temptation to quote almost every word he says, but the editor of the Afro-American would run a blue pencil through it, so we'll just glance at a few thoughts which he was expressed. When he decided to stage his play-Lulu Belle-he intended to use whit 2 white actors in burnt-cork make-up. But he decided that would be very unreal and then he began to study the colored man first hand by visiting the cabarets in Harlem. He was amazed at what he saw with his own eyes and heard with his own ears. He says that after his fifty years of labor on the American stage he believes "The Negro from to-day onward, will compel recognition through the sheer power of his instinctive mime talent." He declares that no race, even the "sorrow-swept Jew", can surpass the Negro for instinctive stage ability. The response to emotional suggestion is more delicately developed in the colored man's nature, Mr. Belasco says, than in that of any other people on the earth. He is sure that in another decade there will be a "Negro Theatre" in which the Caucasian race will see a surprising development of this hitherto dormant nature gift. Mr. Belasco was amazed at the ease with which quite ordinary individuals who had not been trained at all both understood and remembered their lines, after he had read them aloud only once. And he came into direct contact with the ignorant and the highly-educated representatives of the race. He refers to a few outstanding people in his company and predicts a brillliant future for them. It is not only refreshing and encouraging to hear that a man with the long and wide experience on the stage that Mr. Belasco has enjoyed has expressed such views on the the colored man's dramatic talent, but it is very heartening to know that a magazine in this country would publish such high praise of the handicapped race. It is easier for a big, fat camel to pass literally through a cambrie needle's eye than it is to induce the average editor of an American magazine to publish anything complimentary about the Afro-American. [*When one becomes discouraged about*] If you get a fit of blues and make up your mind there aint no use doin nuthin no how", just visit a convention like the one which recently held a session in Washington and see the large number of intelligent representatives of the race who are deeply vitally interested in 3 promoting its welfare in every conceivable way, and the blues just melt away before such a sight as the snow does under the sun. More than 2000 delegates were enrolled including representatives from various missionary societies, educational institutions, presiding elders from twelve episcopal districts including the British West Indies, the east and west coast of Africa and district superintendents of Sunday Schools. The encouraging and delightful feature of this particular convention is that its leaders and members are talking seriously about the Church's duty to educate the young. People are realizing more than they ever did before that the only way to build any race upon a firm foundation is to educate the youth. and help them lead decent, respectable lives. The Convention of the A.M.E. Zion Denomination is certainly on the right track, when it is devoting much of its time and money on our youth. Wish we all could have heard that Filipin judge plead for the independence of the Philipines a few days ago at a convention which the Institute of Politics held in Williamstown, Massachusetts. It would have done us all good to hear those little dark gentlemen from across the sea hotly deny statements made by certain interested folks who claim that the Philipines are not yet ready for freedom. One of them said "We stand for American principles and we refuse to be argued into political slavery." Several of these Philipines have evidently been reading the history of the United States and believe that [if the coloniss wanted to be free and independent] they have as much right to insist upon being free and independent as the colonists did, when they grew tired of being bossed by England. The trouble is that the average country which governs a foreign people never can believe of its own free will and accord that these "furriners" ever have sense enough to govern themselves. Nobody could ever have made old King George or any of his ministers believe that the colonists had sense enough to govern themselves. But one of the distinguished Americans who engaged in that discussion admitted that the Philipines had a just grievance, because they had been neglected by the United States. And he submitted a plan whereby the Philipines 4 might have a government of their own, with their own flag and have a place in the family of nations, being related to this country as Canada is to England. But there is little likelihood that this suggestion will be generally approved, because the average white American probably agrees with President Coolidge that Major General Wood who contend that the Philipines are not ready for independence. XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX Did you ever hear of ministers of the gospel getting so much publicity as they are receiving to day in all your life? One of them in Texas murdered a man who came to his study to protest against something the minister said about the city government. Another minister was caught in a house in Memphis, Tennessee, when it was raided. He was exonerated by his brother ministers, when he told them, that he took sick suddenly entered the disreputable house and just happened to be there rather thin ly clad, when the house was raided. The people in New Jersey are all excited about the investigation which is being made concerning a minister, Rev. Hall who was found lying by the side of his choir singer, Mrs. Mills, both of them murdered in the suburbs of Somerville, New Jersey four years ago. Then just the other day a minister and a choir singer were shot dead in Morgantown, Ky, just as they were singing the opening hymn of the revival service. If this keeps up, Congress will have to order an investigation. "She aint bigger than a bar of soap after a hard day's washing no how." Mrs. Jim Jackson chuckled. "When Jim talks about her, he shakes his head and says-"She's little. Yes indeedy she's little, all right, but Oh My." Mrs. Jacson prolonged the Oh considerably, let it soar aloft a bit in a decided crescendo, then came down upon the My with a snap and a band and an emphasis which clearly indicated that she was in perfect accord with her husband. The members of the Club of Willing Workers which met only once a month were discussing the little school teacher who had created a great sensation in Tifton, a little town on the Mississippi River below the line which Mesers Mason and Dixon kindly placed on the map. "She aint as big as a minute," I say, " chimed in Mrs. Vick Moseby, "but to hear her tell about the miraculous things she's a goin to do in this man's town, you'd think she was the President of the United States or the Guvnorr, and the Town Council all rolled into one. There aint nuthin" she thinks she cant do." The effort required to make this speech caused Mrs. Moseby to fan herself hard [*perspire profusely*] If size were indicated in terms of time and the little school teacher was a minute, by the same token Mrs. Vick Moseby was a whole day, for she was said to tip the scales at 200 or more. "And, ladies, "interposed the president. Mrs. Todd, "I will be very much surprised, if she does not accomplish everything she undertakes to do. She has already worked miracles. She has persuaded people to send their children to school who have never done so before, and she sees to it that most of them are neat and clenan. Let's help her in every way we can." This was expressed in a tone that brooked neither further comment nor contradiction. Mrs. Todd, tall, slight and dignified, was considered the intellectual light of Tifton, and in a way, her word was law. After finishing the little school in Tifton, her parents had seet her to a preparatory school and then she had graduated fron one of the best colleges for colored youth in the South. 2 When circumstances over which she had no control forced her to remain in Tifton, she registered a vow that she would do her bit in every way she could and she had kept the faith thus far. For one thing she had formed this club composed of such women as she could induce to join, without [She did not exclude any woman] regard to the educational advantages they had enjoyed [and] or the reputed possession of this world's goods [because she had not enjoyed the advantages of an [education]] . Mrs. Todd herself was a purist. She had specialized in English, so that it sometimes took all the grace and self control she could summon to listen with composure to the [ear-splitting] assault and battery committed upon the English language by members of the club. [nerve racking, as Mrs. Todd herself ojce said.] * [*Begin*] "Well, now ef that dont beat all," exclaimed Mrs. Vick Moseby still fanning herself vigorously, as she looked out of the window. "Ef there aint the little school teacher herself, stepping high as a race horse and fair running down the street..." "Call her in," cried several voices in unison. "Yes, call her in," assented Mriss Melissa Stubbs, "I like to hear her talk and I want to hear her tell about her big scheme." * "I really feel sorry for Lem Lewis," He's just crazy about her you know. Miss Melissa Stubbs was decidedly on the shady side of forty, but was always deeply interested in the love affai[ia]rs of her neighbors. Theunregenerate and suspicious declared that Melissa never attended church so regulary as when an unmarried minister had charge of the church [*been called to preach*] or when he was asked to supply the pulpit during an interregnum. "He has already bought a lot- bought several years ago, before Lillie Bates came, and since he has been going with her, he's done built a pretty little cottage on it, spectin her to marry him. But she's done put her foot down hard and lows she won't marry nobody till she's built a new school Lord knows they(ll both be old, wrinkled, gray-headed and bald, before she kin beg. borrow, build or buy a new school house for [her] chilrun in this man's town. All I got to say is, her middle name show is Hope. See Abov [*Well if that dont beat all*] Mrs. Jim Jackson ran to the window, beckoned to t.... 3 Mrs. Jim Ja ckson ran to the window, beckoned to the little teacher and before one could say grasshopper with the proper inflection, the subject of the discussion was in the room. "We were just taling about you, Miss Lillie, said the President, and we were discussing what you propose to do. Tell us something about your plans, wont you?" She was appropriately named, for she looked like a lilu- not a pure whit lily, but a tiger lily. [and not] That is she had the yellowish brown of the a tiger lily [that had spots] without the That is, her complexion matched [that of] the tiger lily's [without] minus its spots. And now as she spoke a bit of red surged thru the yellow-brown of her face , so that her cheeks looked like yellow-red flowers She was short in stature and plump and looked jes like a partridge, as Mrs. Vick Moseby said. Her hair [was] very curly and black was confined in a large knot [She did not bother about having her hair "straighten ed,] under her hat. [*wide-brimmed*] [so that it did not lie flat to her head, but stood out appeared under her] Thank you very much for calling me in", she began, But, when you [tell] ask me [hat in its fluffy, natural state] me to [lay] tell you my plans [before] you, you scare me to death." Her eyes were twinkling, as she looked about [at] each woman squarely in the face, and her genial smile was contagious. Her very presence seemed to bring cheer and good will into the room. "I dont know whether I've got what you call a sure enough plan." The little teacher hesitated a moment, looked around appealingly at the Willing Workers then burst into a hearty laugh merrily. "Never mind about the plan, ladies, "she said, That is not all cut and dried yet, to be perfectly frank, but I've got the idea, That's as certain as taxes. I'm going to build a new school house for the children. I'm tired of teaching in the old ram schackle we're now using for a school. It's a disgra ce to the town and to the people who are sending their children to it. All of us should be ashamed to stand for it any longer.I've got an idea how we can get a new one, if I haven't a sure enough plan." "Ther's nothin' like hope, child, broke in Mrs. Vick Moseby still wielding her panama. But, if you kin git any new school house out of these stingy white folks down here, you'll show deserve several extra stars in your crown." 4 "Please dont discourage me," Miss Victoria,, pleaded the little teacher. It isn't going to be such a task after all, If I can get the town to donate only $250, I know where I can get enough cash to buy the material for the nice little school house I've already built in my mind ,I can just see it now." She paused as though she were really looking at it. "Then I'm going to persuade some of our good carpenters, plasterers and other bricklayers to give me one day or more , so that the labor on it wont cost me a cent." She stopped and looked at members of the club to see what effect the idea of having the men give their service would have upon the wom en. "Give their services." gasped one of the women whose husband was a carpenter. "Look here. Miss Lillie," You reckon you can persuade our men who got to support their families to give their services to build a school. which these white folks got money enough to pay for, [and we all] [with the taxes we pay ourselves]. We pay taxes, dont we?" "Please dont discourage Miss Lillie," pleaded the President. Let her develop her idea. She may succeed. Let's do what we can to help her" "That's all I want you to," interrupted the little teacher. But I want you women to talk to your husbands and all the men of the town about this school just as though you [believed] knew we were going to have one. Sometimes you can make yourself believe a thing, even if you really dont. Make the men believe we're going to have a new school for our children who are forced into these unsightly, unsanitary shacks every day, if they are to learn their abcs. Then tell them that you'll leave them, get a divorce from them so that they'll have to mend their socks and do their own cooking, if they dont give me a few days to help put the new school house up." She was so earnest and so jolly vivacious, as she unfolded her scheme that there was a smile on the face of every woman who heard her. "But I've got to rush off now to keep an important engagement. Thanks for calling me in, The next time I see you, I promise solemnly to have a full-fledged plan. She was gone. The little teacher's hope and determination were contagious MRS ELIZABETH THOMAS Fort Stevens, Washington, D.C. Abraham Lincoln visited her home during the Civil War and ordered it to be removed to establish Fort Stevens, Washington's only defense, where he directed the Union Army, the first and only time, as Commander-in-Chief, the President of the United States personally taking charge of the army. This Fort saved the City of Washington when General Early made his attack in July, 1864. Her present home is within one hundred feet of the place where the Fort was erected. (This photograph of Elizabeth Thomas was made with General Alexander McCook and General Thomas M. Vincent of Ohio in the Background, at the dedication of the Fort.) This noble woman is dead and was buried Wednesday afternoon Oct. 24, 1917 from her last home at Fort Stevens in Harmony Cemetery. [Wash DC Oct 27-1917 Sat.] To Humanitarian,P.O. Box 191, Grand Central Annex,c/o the American Weekly, New York 17,N.Y. Dear Humanitarian: In "The Mother's Choice" Mrs. Myers followed a normal mother's instinct to save her baby, but she did not do right. In failing to save her husband from drowning she did her her nine year old son and her six year old daughter a great injustice. No mother is justified in depriving her children of their father's love and protection, no matter what the circumstances tempting her to do so may be. Mrs. Myers could get another baby much easier than she could replace the husband she loved. Doctor's Choice The Husband's Choice. To Humanitarian, P.O. Box 191, Grand Central Annex, c/o the American Weekly, New York 17,N.Y. Dear Humanitarian: In the "Mother's Choice" Mrs. Myer's followed a normal mother's instinct to save her baby, but she did not do right. In failing to save her husband from drowning she deprived her two children of their father's love and protection. Mrs. Myers could get another baby much easier than she could replace the husband she loved. The Husband's Choice. William Fitch Tanner was wrong. Resolving to die when he discovered his wife had caught her foot between a rail and a board on a railroad track and it was impossible for her, him and the flagman to release it in spite of their desperate efforts, he doomed his three children to be orphans. The charge of cowardice and cruelty might well be preferred against a father who unnecessarily dooms his three children to be orphans, bereft of a father's love and care and deprived of the security of a home. [*To Humanitarian,P.O. Box 191, Grand Central Annex, c/o*] Mrs. Terrell Attends Conference on Aging. At the recent Conference on Aging at the Shoreham Hotel Mr. Oscar R. Ewing,Administrator Federal Security Agency, had his picture taken with Mrs. Mary Church Terrell, a delegate, who is 87 years old. Mrs. Terrell was invited to speak at a dinner at the beginning of the session and stated that while she was genuinely, deeply interested in the sessions on Religion, Education and other subjects to be discussed at the Conference,she was obliged to admit that owing to conditions obtaining at this time she was more interested in Race Relations here than anything else. She deplored the fact that 3/4th of the section of the country, the North, East and West seem to be completely dominated by 1/4th, the South. Generally speaking, she said, the men from the South who are in Congress to day are there illegally, because hundreds of thousands of her racial group are disfranchised, in the States from which they come. Not long ago, she said, a colored man who insisted upon voting, was shot to death. In the world today, she said, there are four people whose faces are black, brown and yellow to every one whose face is white. 4/5th's of the world's population are colored people, she said. Colored people all over the world know how colored people are treated in the United States, and for that reason they hate the United States. Reporters tell us that the Koreans hate white people. There is little doubt that our soldiers are so brutally treated in that country-little doubt that there backs are broken and their faces shot off,because the Koreans hate white people. Russia, she said, is assiduously cultivating the friendship of the colored people of the world, so that in the event of the 3rd World War she can count upon their assistance and good while. Meanwhile , Russia sees to it that all the atrocities and injustices of which colored people in this country are the victims are broadcast throughout the world. Mrs. Terrell said she felt it was her duty to call the attention of broad-minded, justice loving people attending the Conference to the facts she presented because she loves our country and regrets to see conditions obtaining in it which will cause 4/5th's of the world's population to hate it. The Colored Woman's Creed I shall strive to reach the highest efficiency along educational, moral and spiritual lines which can possibly be attained. I shall never lower my arms for any temporary benefit which might be gained. I shall endeavor to preserve my health, for, however great one's mental and more strength may be, physical weakness prevents the accomplishment of much that might otherwise be done. I shall close my ears and seal my lips to slanderous gossip. I shall labor to raise the ideals and purify the atmosphere of the home. I shall always protest against the double standard of morals. I shall take an active interest in the welfare of my country, using my influence toward the enactment of laws for the protection of the unfortunate and weak and for the repeal of those depraving human beings of their privileges and rights. I shall never ridicule my race, but encourage all to hold it in honor and esteem. I shall not shrink from undertaking what seems wise and good, because I labor under the double handicap of race and sex; but, striving to preserve a calm mind with a courageous and cheerful spirit, barring bitterness from my heart, I shall struggle all the more earnestly to reach the goal. Mary Church Terrell- Dec 2.1914 Washington, DC Since Labor Day gave us another three day holiday we decided to take the children to Mont St. Michel. This is one of the natural show places of France and I have wanted to go for a long time. It is situated on the Emerald Coast one hundred miles southest of Cherbourg, and is three hundred seventy five miles from Calais. It is an island of solid granite rock rising to about ninety feet at its summit. Formerly one reached it in boats but now a wide promenade connects it to the mainland. A quaint town thrives on the tourists who flock there. There is a beautiful Abbey begun in 700 and finished in the 15th century. The museum is very interesting too. The peculiarity of the place is, that the house, Abbey etc. are hewn right out of the rock itself. Lovely hand carving and Gothic architecture. We left Calais on Saturday at one o'clock and stopped an half hour to refresh ourselves in Abbeville and arrived in Rouen at five o'clock. How I longed for you darling to show you this jewel of a city. But, I will take you there when you come over. Hewlette has been studying about Joan of Arc all last year so I proceeded to show her the tower in which she was imprisoned before she was burned in the old market place. The exact spot is marked by a status reproducing the scene. We stayed in a hotel just under the celebrated Grosse Horlage and its famous chimes disturbed our slumber somewhat. The next morning at seven we were off to Lisieux where we stopped to visit the shrine of Sainte Therese. This took no less than three and one half hours, so many things there were to see. Her tomb, her hill of miracles, the temple erected to her etc. There were literally hundreds who had made the pilgrimmage on the Sunday morning that we were there. Next we moved on to Falaise and had lunch in the shadow of the Chateau where William the Conqueror was born. From there we passed through what is known as Swiss Normandy. It is beautiful country and one can imagine oneself in Switzerland. This carried us through Crecy where the famous battle was fought and after this the dynamo of the car went wrong and we were delayed for two hours, arriving only at Mont St. Michel at 7 P. M. We saw the sunset over the Mont which is equalled only by the sunrise as a scene of grandeur. We had plenty of time to bruise into quaint streets and shops before real dusk at eight fifteen. We had dinner at the very renowned establishment of La Mere Poularde, beginning with her particularly famous omelette. We returned to Pontorson at nine thirty to find rooms as all hotels on the Mont were full. The next morning we returned to the Mont early but just missed seeing sunrise. We visited the Abbey and museum etc. and finally left at midday. We pushed on to Caen for lunch as Fuzzy wanted to much so eat at the source, the much talked of speciality of the place; tripe a la mode. He was rewarded for waiting - (for we only arrived at one forty five). We were all hungry and regaled ourselves. Then we returned to Rouen, arriving at six P. M. We spent the night and arose at four the next morning to get Fuzzy back to his office on time. Our dynamo had a short circuit this time, however, and we were delayed for three hours, arriving at Calais at one thirty, only dead tired but glad to have made the trip. The weather was terrifically hot which added to the discomfort, especially for me, who was at the wheel without relief from start to finish. I like driving, however, especially, when on a thrilling adventure. Every step of the way, though I thought of you and wished for you and longed to have you there with us where you belong. From my point of view Richard Wright makes a serious mistake and does his racial group a great injustice when he in his book Black Boy he declares there is a "strange absence of real kindness in Negroes." Many years ago an officer in the American Missionary Association who visited the schools for colored youth all over the South and who had come into close contact with colored people of all types and conditions told me that if a colored person asked him for charity he was inclined not to give it, for he had observed how kind colored people are to those in their group who are in real need. "For instance,"he said,"when a widowed mother has died and left four or five orphan children, I have seen families who were in poor circumstances themselves divide the children among them and thake care of them.as best they could. I know of no racial group who is kinder at heart than colored people." I agree with this man. Mary Church Terrell - April 6, 1945 International Congress of Women in Zurich One morning I received [the following letter] a letter [from Mrs. Louis] [Post, whose husband was at] [that time Assistant Secretary of Labor,] which quickened my pulse considerably. It was dated Dec. 10, 1918 and ran as follows: "Dear Mrs. Terrell It gives me real pleasure to inform you that at a meeting of the Executive Board of the Woman's Peace Party. which is the section for the U.S.A of the International Committee of Women for Permanent Peace, held in New York City November 24, you were elected as one of thirty Delegates and Alternates of the International Congress of Women which it was arranged at the Hague should meet at the time of the Peace Conference at the end of the War." Mrs. [Post] The letter stated that it was likely the meeting would be held either at Paris or The Hague and the time might be either the first week in February or early in May. "We realize" [said Mrs. Post in] The letter conclus[ion]ed, "that this is not an easy journey which we are inviting you to take under crowded conditions, in winter, to war-worn countries. But we sincere;y hope that your love of human welfare will minimize the difficulties and that you will be able to go with us. Faithfully yours, Alice Wacher Post, Secretary of Delegates from the U.S.A." Mrs. Post was the wife of Mr. Louis Post then the Assistant Secretary of Labor under President Wilson. I was working for the War Camp Community Service at the time and was in the South trying to induce some of the committees of large southern cities to give their sanction to establishing [recreational] centers for colored women and girls. [While I wanted very much to go to the Congress I] After completing a summary of the conditions which obtained in those cities I sent it to headquarters and asked for a leave of absence. [was not at all sure I would ne able to secure a leave of absence.] But a which was granted in the following letter: "Mr dear Mrs. Terrell: Thank you [short while before I sailed I] for the summary; it is a fine piece of work and the classification workers are delighted with it. It will help us materially in understanding the problems of the cities you visited. We wish to express our appreciation of the devoted service you have given W.C.C.S. thru the past months, and willingly grant you a leave of absence to enable you to make the important trip abroad. Wishing you success in your new undertaking, Very sincerely yours, Signed Geo. E. Dickie Director Field Department. NESCOWARE IN EVERYWHERE NESCO ROYAL GRANITE ENAMELED WARE National Enameling & Stamping Co. Inc. CABLE ADDRESS: NESCOWARE USE A.B.C. CODE (4th EDITION.) ST. LOUIS, MO. GRANITE CITY, ILL. NEW YORK. MILWAUKEE, WIS. BALTIMORE, MD. CHICAGO, ILL. NEW ORLEANS, LA. PHILADELPHIA, PA. 1901-1919 LIGHT STREET Baltimore September 22,1927. Mrs. Mary Church Terrell 1615 S. Street, N.W. Washington, D.C. Dear Madam: We have just received a letter from the Good Housekeeping Institute advising that you have been having some trouble with one of our Nesco Oil Cook Stoves. From the explanation given it would seem that the Stove is not level, and the proper way to do this is to remove the chimneys—take out the wicks, turn the handles so that the pointers are at "light". The oil will then rise in the burner bowls, and if it is not as high in the burner farthest from the tank as it is in the one nearest the tank, the tank end must be raised by unscrewing the leveling appliance, thus making the legs longer. For your information, we are also enclosing a Guide Book which treats with the operation and care of these Kerosene Stoves. If,after following the instructions given, you are unable to overcome your difficulty kindly communicate with us. Yours very truly, NATIONAL ENAMELING & STAMPING CO., INC. A. D. Matthai A. D. Matthai, BRANCH SALES MGR. 2 Securing passports to go abroad right after the World War was indeed difficult. And the government refused to issue them to the thrity five delegates as originally planned and [the number had to reduced to twelve] reduced the number to twelve. It would have been very easy to leave the colored delegate out under the circumstances since there were undoubtedly a goodly number of white women who had contributed liberally to the cause of peace and who would have been glad to be included in the number to whom passports were given but who were unable to secure [passports] them. For that reason I appreciated greatly the effort which Miss Jane Addams, the president of the International League of Peace and Freedom and several other influential members made to have me attend the Congress. For several years I had been a member of the Executive Commmittee of the League and while I [enjoyed the meetings held] always felt benefitted and inspired by the meetings in New York and and in Washington, I especially enjoyed attending those as well as those which held in the home of Mrs. Lucy Biddle Lewis who lived in an old-fashioned house in the midst of spacious grounds on the outskirts of Philadelphia. [I worked for After the W.C.C.S. till the last minute and had to rush to secure passage, make the necessary arrangements for the voyage. The [members] delegates to the Congress [succeeded in securing passage on the Noordam] had arranged to sail on the Noordam, the Holland-American Liner and at the last minute, in a most desirable State room with a young Dutch girl whose parents had made a fortune in Java.] I worked for the W.C.C.S. till the last minute and had to rush to make the necessary arrangements for the voyage. The delegates to the Congress, Miss Jane Addams, Miss Jeannette Rankin, the first Congresswoman, Mrs. Louis Post, Miss Florence Kelly of the Consumer's League, Mrs, Lucia Ames Mead, Mrs. John Jay White, Dr. Alice Hamilton, the first woman to lecture at Harvard, and several others had arranged to sail on the Noordam of the Holland-Amerika line and at the last minute I succeeded in securing a very desirable state room on the same steamer with a young Dutch girl whose parents had made a fortune in Java. While we were sailing to Paris our delegation met every morning after breakfast to frame resolutions which were to be presented to the Congress. [But the cry arose that they should be typewritten] The necessity of typewriting these resolutions soon became very apparent but where was the typewriter and when that was found who would type them? That was indeed the question. I then guaranteed to produce a typewriter by fair means or foul and promised to type the reolutions [and But] Where will you find a machine on the steamer H. G. Douglass, B. PRICEHURST, SIRE ARCHON 1322 QUE STREET, N. W. L. M. HERSHAW, GRAMMATEUS 2215 13TH STREET, N. W. EPSILON BOULE WASHINGTON, D. C. May 30, 1927. Mrs. Mary Church Terrell. Dear Madam: As the widow of a deceased archon of the Sigma Pi Phi Fraternity, you are cordially invited to accompany Epsilon Boule on its annual outing in honor of its ladies, at Colton, Golden's Hotel, St. Mary's County, Maryland, June 11, 1927. The entire day will be spent at Colton. Breakfast will be served at 9 A.M., and dinner at 3 P.M. The start will be from the East Front of the Capitol Building, at 7 A.M., June 11, 1927. Please reply as early as convenient. Very respectfully, L. M. Hershaw, Chairman J. A. Cobb W. L. Houston D. O. W. Holmes J. T. Settle, Committee 3 from New York [on] the Noordam, Holland-American line, April 9th 1918, almost five months to the day after the armistice was signed. Originally I was invited to be one of 35 delegates, but the Government refused to give passports to somany and the number had to be reduced to 12- [Although it was necessary to drop 24 of the delegates Miss Addamsinsisted that I should be one of the twelve.] Since the 24 women originally designated as delegates but who had to be dropped had worked faithfully for the organization and were financially able to make the voyage, it would have been very easy to leave the colored delegate behind, but Miss Addams insisted that I should be one of the 12. On the steamer going over [I] all of our party sat at the captain's table and received as much attention as was good for us [with the rest of the party] Every morning we worked hard in Miss Addam's state room trying to decide on the resolutions which should be presented to the Congress and in what language they should be couched. I seemed to be the only member if the party who could typewrite or who cared to, [do] so, I volunteered to type the resolutions for them. [*Below O*] Where will you find by punter on board ship I was asked. The purser will lend me his, I said and he did. [After] I said very little till they they had finish ed with their workand then I asked if I might not offer a resolution which especially concerned the group in which I was particularly [especially] interested. While it was generally conceded that something should be said about justice to the dark races it was almost impossible to frame a resolution [which] of which everybody approved. [Several] Practically each member of the party wrote one, but it was picked to pieces in a short while, either because it might do more harm than good, or it might offend some, or it was too strong, or it did not state the thought exactly and so on. Finally after having failed several times I presented one of which [the following] the majority approved [on the steamer but which was altered] after having offered several which failed to get the approval of the majority. O [*Insert on page at bottom of this page*] "Ee believe no human being should be deprived of an education, prevented from earning a living, debarred from any legitimate pursuit in which he wishes to ecgage or be subjected to any humiliation on account of race or color. We recommmend that members of this Congress should do everything in their power to abrogate laws and change customs which lead to discrimination against human beings on account of race, color or creed." When we reached Paris, we went to the Hotel [After the Congress got well under] Continental. Miss Addams and Dr. Alice Hamilton [*were in a room adjoining the*] occupying adjoining rooms one occupied by Miss Jeanette Rankin and myself. Here we remained several weeks [*because*] before it could not be definitely decided just where the Congress should be held. It was finally agreed to meet in Zurich and the May 12- 17. O [*See back of page 4*] The F.H. SMITH COMPANY Founded 1873 FIRST MORTGAGE BONDS SMITH BUILDING 815 FIFTEENTH STREET, N.W. WASHINGTON, D.C. Telephone MAIN 6460 ALBANY BOSTON BUFFALO CHICAGO MINNEAPOLIS NEW YORK PHILADELPHIA PITTSBURGH ST. LOUIS WASHINGTON April 14, 1927 ADVANCE OFFERING --- AN IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT OF INTEREST TO ALL CLIENTS --- Within a few days we expect to be ready to announce a new issue of Smith Bonds which will unquestionably be regarded as one of the outstanding first mortgage offerings of the year. 1. The security is a prominent downtown office building-now entirely completed and in successful operation. 2. The interest rate will be 6 1/2%. 3. All monthly interest and amortization payments will be made to a Trust Company which will act as independent Trustee. 4. The building is 100% rented. 5. The property is located in the heart of the business and financial district of one of the country's principal cities. 6. The property will carry the appraisal of a nationally known firm of appraisers. We recommend that you advise us immediately as to the probable amount you will wish to invest and the maturity you desire. These bonds will be sold for cash when as and if issued and may be reserved for April delivery subject to your approval upon receipt of circular. We anticipate strong demand for these bonds and recommend that you use the enclosed form to advise us immediately of the amount you wish to invest. THE F. H. SMITH COMPANY NO LOSS TO ANY INVESTOR IN 54 YEARS We are about to publish a book dedicated to the memory of the poet and author, James Weldon Johnson, recently deceased. It will contain the names of the colored people of the District of Columbia who have achieved something worth while along some line of human endeavor and who are socially prominent. Knowing how genuinely interested you are in the progress of the race we will greatly appreciate an expression of your approval of this book. We hope it will be an incentive to the younger generation to exert themselves to accomplish something worth while and so to deport themselves that their names may be included in this book. If the questionnaire is returned within 10 days it will assure the early publication Note-/ Instead of repeating "this book" at the end of the above sentence, we might have it read as follows: "We hope it will be an incentive to the younger generation to exert themselves to accomplish something and so to deport themselves that their names may be included in this Social Register. Note 2- We might also say "We hope it will be an incentive to the younger generation to exert themselves to accomplish something and so to deport themselves that their names may be included in this James Weldon Johnson Blue Book. MCT We hope it will be an incentive to the younger generation to exert t themselves to accomplish something worth while and so to deport t themselves that their names may be included in this book. We plan to organize a Young People's League for social service work. If the questionnaire is returned within ten days it will [insure] assure t an early publication of the book. The James Weldon Johnson BLUE BOOK OF WASHINGTON, D.C. AN ELITE SOCIAL REGISTER PHONE -------- This book is dedicated to the memory of James Weldon Johnson, and to those of our race who have passed into the great beyond and a more abundant life It has been said (and truly) that their lives were devoted to the benefit of the "human race" without a single selfish thought in mind. May their lives and achivements inspire us with an urge to accomplish great things, and by so doing bring about a greater love and understanding between all races. The Editor Univ 8755 T. Andre The National Association of Colored Women was organized in Washington, D.C. in the 19th Street Baptist Church, Tuesday, July 21, 1896, by the merging of the National Federation of Afro-American Women, organized in Boston, Massachusetts, July 31, 1895, of which Mrs. Booker T. Washington was president and the National Colored Women's League, organized in Washington, D.C. in June, 1892 and incorporated January 11, 1894, of which Mrs. John F. Cook was president. Three years after the Colored Women's League had been organized in Washington, Mrs. Josephine Pierre Ruffin of Boston sent out a call in June 1895 for colored women to attend a convention in Boston to decide what should be done about a scurrilous attack that had been made by the president of a [*X*] Press State Association on the character of the colored women of the United States. The women who met in answer to that call formed the National Federation of Afro-American Women and elected Mrs. Booker T.Washington, President. In July 1896, each of these two organizations held a convention in Washington. July 14th, 15th and 16th the first convention of the National Colored Women's League was held in he 15th Street Presbyterian Church. The first annual convention of the National Federation of Afro-American Women was held in the 19th Street Baptist Church, July 20th, 21st and 22nd. On Monday, July 20th, the first day of the Afro-American Federation Convention, a committee of 7 was appointed from the Federation to confer with 7 from the National Colored Women's League to decide whether the two organizations should unite. On the second day of the Federation Convention, Tuesday, July 21st, the Join Committee reported it had agreed to unite the two organizations. It named the new organization and elected the first president. [*X State Press Association*] Very truly yours Mary Church Terrell Written by Mary Church Terrell If you had happened to be passing thru Statuary Hall of the Capitol the other day, you would have heard the "Rebel Yell" shouted aloud with a right good will. You would also have heard the Vice President of the United States lauding to the skies the Vice President of the Confederacy, Alexander Stephens, as he accepted for the Federal Government, if you please, the statue of the man who did everything he could to destroy it. The State of Georgia has given the statue of Stephens to represent her in the Nation's Hall of Fame. Vice President Dawes praised Alexander Stephen's "force of character which irresistibly held him to his high convictions." He declared this man who was a traitor to his country "possessed commanding intellect and was born with instinctive sympathy for the poor, the weak and the suffering." Mr. Dawes could not have eulogized Abraham Lincoln any more forcibly and more heartily than he did this leader of the Confederacy, our Vice President evidently forgot all about the "poor, weak and suffering" slaves whom Alexander Stephens was working hard forever to hold in this cruel and deplorable state. In no other country in the wide world would such a scene be possible as was witnessed in the Capitol a few days ago, when the statue of a man who had tried to destroy his government was received with gratitude and praise by one of its highest representatives. If this attitude toward a traitor teaches any lesson to the youth of this country at all, it is that the effort to wreck and ruin the government under which one lives, so far from being criminal may be actually commendable. The only differences between Benedict Arnold, the traitor, and Alexander Stephens of Georgia is that the former betrayed his country to a foreign foe, while the latter tried to destroy it in a civil war. If some one claims that since Georgia has come back into the Union, she has just as much right to present the statue of a man who was a leader of the Confederacy as Maine has to give the statue of an officer in the Union Army, I reply that if it was disloyal and wrong for Alexander Stephens to plot against his government for any reason 2 whatsoever, it was establishing a bad precedent and unwise for the Vice President of the United States to eulogize him to the skies, where a State which seceded from the Union added insult to injury, so to speak, by giving to the Nation's Hall of Fame the statue of a man who helped her try to cut the country in two. If the old soldiers who fought in the Union Army and saved this country from ruin could have heard that Rebel Yell in the Nation's Capitol, they would have had reason to wonder who really won the war after all. Poor old Illinois! What the Senators did to her was certainly a plenty. She has only one, lone Senator that she can call her own. And dear old Pennsylvania has only one representative in the Senate also. The Senators who voted not to seat these two Senators elect claim they spent too much money getting elected. All the other States in the Union will have two votes, when the Nation's business is being transacted except Illinois and Pennsylvania. One does not have to be a "Philadelphia lawyer" to see that the Senators who voted to exclude these two men who were duly elected by their respective States violated the Constitution. They have convicted them before they tried them. In other words they have given Illinois and Pennsylvania a taste of Lynch Law. That is the way colored men are treated who are shot or burned to death for a crime of which they have not been convicted in the Courts. And who, pray, were the men who voted to shut the door of the Senate in the face of Smith who was elected by Illinois and of Vare whom Pennsylvania sent to represent her? Well, as incredible as it may appear, the men who voted to take this drastic and unheard-of step were mainly these who come from that section of the country where thousands of citizens are disenfranchised, solely on account of their color and race. The men who voted to deprive Pennsylvania and Illinois of their representation in the Senate of the United States have come from states which flagrantly violate the Constitution, and they have been doing so for years. The very men who cast the ballot which keeps two duly-elected senators from 3 taking their seats in would not be in the Senate themselves, if the manner in which they themselves get there had been challenged and investigated. When the gods destroy they first make mad. If that section which continually violates the Constitution doesn't lock out, something may happen which will make it sorry that it set the example of keeping Senators out of the fold to whose method of being elected it sees fit to take exception. The Senate has set the example of making inquiries into the way Senators get the votes in their respective States. There will be some fun when the other sections begin to ask how, why, when and where the South gets hers. Its a poor rule that does not work both ways. Somebody had better watch out, or the goblins will get him. Sure. Whatever one may think of the way in which a well known judge in Birmingham Alabama metes out 'justice' to the colored prisoners, one must admit he is very original. A man who happened to be in his court when a colored prisoner charged with shooting dice was brought before him declares that the Judge gave him a chance to "pass" his way to freedom. The prisoner dropped to his knees and began to throw the dice, while the judge looked on with a dozen other spectators. "Seven" it is, exclaimed the prisoner "You are not guilty," promptly replied the judge, and he let the colored man go. On several occasions this same judge has cut cards with the prisoners about whose guilt he was in doubt. Sometimes he directs the prisoner to pray, and if the tone seems a bit low, he orders him to pray louder. This judge has a great reputation in his city for understanding the "psychology" of colored people. Every now and then one reads about the lack of respect the people in this country have for the Courts. The judges are often criticize for the manner in which they handle cases. A rich man is said to have a pretty good chance of escaping the penalty of his crime, even if he commits a murder, while a poor man is railroaded to the penitentiary or to the chair. If judges thru out the country should adopt the Birmingham Alabama judge's method of trying the cases which came before them, it is certain that respect for the Courts would not be greatly 4 increased thereby. It seems hardly possible that a judge would be allowed to make such a mockery of law and convert a trial into such a farce in any city of the country as this man is said to do in Birmingham. Miss Jane Addams of Hull House, Chicago came to Washington a few days ago to present to the President of the United States a petition containing more than 30,000 names signed by people who want to have this country take a definite stand against War. Miss Addams might easily have brought a petition bearing many more names than 30,000. Nothing is more certain than that the thoughtful, patriotic people of this country have definitely made up their minds that in the future disputes between governments shall be settled by arbitration instead of by shooting and gassing men to death. A large number of people in England sent word to the Powers That Be a short while ago that in the event that country declared War for any reason whatsoever, they would do absolutely nothing to help it. At a luncheon which Miss Addams attended after she had had an audience with the President she made a very interesting talk about the Mayor of Chicago - "Big Bill Thompson." She said it was not at all difficult to understand why he was elected. He had championed the cause of the under dog in the fight, so to speak. he had told the foreign element, for instance, that the people known as Caucasians and Nordics who were always talking about their superiority were not so superior, after all. Miss Addams thinks these Caucasians have made everybody but themselves very tired blowing about the great things they have done and the wonderful men they have produced. At any rate, the representatives of all the racial groups not classified as "Nordics" or "Caucasians" rallied around Big Bill Thompson's banner and elected him Mayor of Chicago by an overwhelming majority. The colored people of the city have been "accused" by Mr. Thompson's enemies of placing him in power. There is a great deal in the reason assigned by Miss Addams for Mayor Thompson's popularity with the foreign element. It is tiresome to hear one group continually harping upon the wonderful stunts of various kinds which they have performed and the prodigies of wisdom they have produced. No one group has all the virtues and no one division has all the vices. As great as the Anglo-Saxon may be, there are others. Written by Mary Church Terrell, 1615 S St., N.W. Washington, D.C. How many of those 12,000 bills which the first half of the Sixty-ninth Congress wished on the second half will be considered during this short session of three months with ten days taken out for the Christmas vacation? And in addition to the ten days vacation, hours and days will be consumed by the spell binders, as they tell the world what it should do now and how it should be done. The good Republicans say they are sitting pretty now since Maine went their way and assured them of the majority in the Senate. But the good Republicans could always be sure of a majority in the Senate, if they used their power, to say nothing of doing their duty, and insisted upon having the Fifteenth Amendment respected and obeyed. I wonder how some terrible tragedy will have to occur before colored people in certain States will enjoy the rights of citizenship which have been withheld from them so long. Not long ago some of us were greatly shocked to learn that there has been a steady decrease in Church membership among colored people for a long time. Certain Congregational workers among colored people attribute this growing lack of interest in the churches to the fact that the young folks are getting tired of the old-time denominational types and want churches with more modern programs. In New York City only 60,000 out of the 175,000 living in Harlem are listed as church members. In Chicago only 50,000 colored people out of 155,000 belong to church. Detroit has 45,000 church members in its colored population of 85,000. Cleveland has 25,000 out of 65,000 and Washington, D.C. has 40,000 out of a colored population of 120,000. There are said to be 7,000,000 colored people in the United States without any church connection whatever. Considering how little the white churches do to improve the condition of their brothers and sisters of a darker hue and how little they do to remove 5 enough when he was a small boy he woke & his mother was carried away [with his mother] by a band of raiders in the last yr of the civil war - [His master Moses Carver When the rescuing party sent by the ma Moses Carver the master returned] The master Moses Carver dispatched on horse men [liberally] who were well supplied with money to try to [on horseback] induce the raiders to return his slaves [The [little] child was returned exchanged for a race horse but the mother was never seen or heard of again and nobody knows her fate - when Little George was brought back to his master he was desperately ill with the whooping cough and was recovering [back to] health]. When he was 10 yrs old he a [child] weak baby desperately ill with whooping cough possessed little value for the men who had stolen Moses Carver slaves so when they were offered a full race horse in exchange for the [ailin] sick child they jumped at the chance - But the mother was never seen or heard of again and nobody knows what was her fate - [not until] when he was 10 yrs old did George [he] go to school and that one was 10 miles away from what he called home Up to that time his [best] dearest possession had been an old blue backed speller for which he [he literally mastered] pored every [?] he got and learned everything [by which he got] it contained from cover to cover 2 the evils of lynching, the Convict Lease System, the Chain Gangs and other similar horrors, it is quite remarkable that colored people are as faithful to the church as they are. I have heard many intelligent colored people say that if they believed that many of the white people who call themselves Christians really represented the Christian religion, they would have no faith in it at all. But colored people who use their brains know that the whitemembers of churches who countenance Lynching and all the other exhibitions of brutt force are not Christians, because they do not love their neighbor as themselves. If, therefore, colored youth of this generation are not joining church, as their parents did before them, it is safe to assert it is not because they want a more modern church, but because they want to see more real Christianity among those who claim to be Christians. At last the worm trodden under foot so long by the whole civilized world has turned. China seems to be showing the nations which have bulldozed and bullyragged her so long that she is tired of it and will stand for it no longer. China has her own little slogan- "China for the Chinese." She has a government, too, if you please. And this Canton government is growingstrong r every day in every way, if so that everybody can notice it. The British and the Japanese who have been so haughty with China are coming down off their high perch and are moving with great caution. Folks who know say that if the Cantonese can keep up the pace they have set, Japan, Great Britain and France would really have to go some, to stop the Chinese from establishing a strong government. Lloyd George has war ned the British that England will not go to war against China, because the Cantonese are fighting to establish Chinese rights over China. He declares also that foreign governments would make a fatal mistake to oppose such a movement. Moreover, China is also telling the world that she intends to terminate all the foreign treaties, as they expire, and as has already notified Belgium through her representative at the League of Nations that the treaty with her 2 [It is becoming more and more [apparent] generally conceded [*think realize*] that those who concern themselves with nothing but their own personal affairs [and who take pride in letting others shift for themselves are simply dis] on the ground that they believe in minding their own and justify themselves for so doing business use this] It is becoming more & more generally conceded that those are [offering] using this [as an excuse] smoke screen to conceal their own wicked indifference to [their] humanity's needs and It is becoming more and more generally conceded that those who concern themselves with nothing but their own personal affairs on the ground that they are obeying the injunction to mind their own business are using this old saw as a smoke screen to hide their cold blooded indifference to humanity's needs. While there are probably more people to day trying to mind the business of their brothers & sisters who [fat] one 3 has been terminated. Let us hope that China which has been so abused by certain great Powers will soon establish a strong government of, for and by the Chinese people. Did you ever hear of so much drinking and smoking among young people both in the puplic schools and in colleges as you do these degenerate days Here, there and everywhere, North, East, South and West we read accounts High School pupils being intoxicated at some game their team has played. High School girls are said to smoke openly on and off the hall fields and drink out of ordinary bottles—not even softening the sight by using pretty little flasks. Conditions in cities and towns were co-educational schools are located are reported to be shocking in the extreme. Well, what is the country going to do about it? Can it do much now that things have gone so far? Red tape. Red tape. Was there ever a more striking example of the use of red tape than the threat made to the young marine in Louisville Kentucky that he would be court-martialed, if he gave his blood to save a young woman lying at the point of death in a hospital there? Her family was willing to give their blood, when the physicians announced that nothing but bloodtransfusion would make her recovery possible, but tests showed that it was unsuitable. The young marine whose blood was found suitable was told that he would be court-martialed if he gave it to save this dying woman. There is a regulation against having the blood of marines tested in the first place, and he cannot give his blood even to save a dying woman, no matter how much he may wish to do so. But he is allowed to shed his blood freely on a battle field and no questions asked. 3 reason or another have shown they cannot do so for themselves it is also true that there was never a time in the worlds history [when there was] a more crying need [for service] [When it] unselfish service of those competent to give it than there is to day. [It is unecess] Those who are familiar with conditions which prevail not only in the U.S. but all over the know this is true. But before specific reference is made to them let us see what has been the role [[qualities we must possess who decides that he is going to investigate conditions role people] which shd be improved with the view to remedying them if he possibly can. For that's what minding the worlds business means after all.] But before making specific reference to them let us see what has been the role played by those who have minded to the worlds business in the past. A very interesting meeting has just been held here by the Northeastern Federation of Colored Women's Clubs which was organized thirty one years ago. While all the subjects discussed bore directly upon the problems which confront colored women none showed more clearly how intelligently they are working to promote the welfare of their sex than the one which recounted the efforts that are being made in New England to place colored teachers in the public schools. Already there are 29 colored teachers in the Public schools of Boston. Miss Elizabeth Carter, the President of the North Eastern Federation, and one of the Honorary Presidents of the National Association of Colored Women, has been a teacher in the public schools of New Bedford for many years. There are now seven colored teachers in the public schools of that city. Miss Wilson who has taught in Wooster Mass. for a long time had charge of the meeting devoted to the discussion of this important subject, and she presented many interesting facts. But Miss Roberta Dunbar of Providence, R.I gave a thrilling account of the determined efforts which the colored club women of that city have made to place the graduates of the Normal School in the public schools. She cited the case of one young women who had made a splendid record in the Normal School. But the superintendent refused to appoint her, because he claimed she was not sufficiently trained. The young woman then went to Boston to take a post graduate course and returned with a record showing that her rating was very high.[??] When she presented this pa per to the Superintendent with a request that she be [?] assigned a position in the public schools to which she is entitled, he threw it upon the floor. The young woman has already had two years of post-graduate work and intends to take a third. The mother of one graduate of the Normal School was told that her daughter had not had the necessary training. When she stated that her daughter had been sent to the schools to teach like the other members of her class, she was informed that her training was defective nevertheless. She related this conversation to a friend who had a daughter in the class which had not [finished] [xxxxxx] 2 finished. The mother of this girl made up her mind that she would study thoroughly the requirements necessary to secure a position in the public schools of the city. She found a book issued by the Board of Education showing that in order to be elligible for appointment to a teachership in the public [school] schools, a normal graduate would have to be trained in certain [schools] buildings. When her daughter was assigned to another building, the mother objected,and requested that she be sent to one of the schools [buildings] referred to in the book she had read. When the Superintendent asked her why she wanted [preferred] to have her daughter sent to the school which she had mentioned rather than to the one he had designated, the mother told him she had read the book issued by the Board of Education which specifically mentioned that the building she preferred was one of those in which Normal School graduates should be trained before they would be elligible for positions as teachers in the public schools. The gentleman is said to have been greatly surprised, but he complied with the colored mother's request. And so the colored club women of New England are waging a valiant fight to have the Normal graduates receive the recognition to which they are entitled. A sharp note of warning has been sounded to the women of the United States who want to retain their health. The head of a sanatorium for tuberculosis in Milwaukee says that the State's twenty institutions for treating that disease are full to overflowing for the first time in twenty years and that there is a long waiting list besides. He says that women wear too little clothing, in order to be as slender as possible. The body becomes chilled, says this authority, and the woman's power of resistance becomes so weakened that she cannot throw off disease. When the dreaded germ tackles her, therefore, the woman is fearfully handicapped in her fight for health. There is another mistake many women are making in order to appear slim. They eat too little to sustain themselves. They diet almost to the point of starvation, so as to be slender and in the prevailing style. They refuse to eat wholesome food for fear of putting on a few pounds of flesh. 3 What a difficult thing it is to strike the golden mean in anything in this old world! Now some of us eat too much, We literally dig our graves with out teeth. We indulge in steaks and all kinds of heavy food till we take on a burden of fat and ruin our health by indulging our appetites too much. The only way we can avoid going to extremes in anything is by being conservative and temperate in all things. But there is no doubt that by eating too little and dressing too scantily many women and girls are laying the foundation of tuberculosis and ruining their health. It is a great pity that Lindbergh has been praised so much that he feels called upon to tell the world that he is by no means a tin saint. He has been held up as a bright and shining light so much since he flew across the Atlantic in 33 hours that it has got on his nerves. He hates to have people think he is a little piece of perfection. He smokes some and he did not drink all his toasts in water, while he was abroad, he says. Some of us understand how the young man feels, when we remember how when we were children, we felt toward the girls and boys whom our parents held up to us as paragons of what we ourselves should be. "Why dont you behave like dear, little Alice or Elsie", we were asked, when we did some thing particularly objectionable."Jacob and Algernon never act like that". the boys were told, when they misbehaved. Perhaps Lindbergh remembers some such episodes in his life, when he was a child, and recalls how he felt towards those goody, goody boys. Since he is really such a fine example of what a young man should be, it is a pity that the praise which he so richly deserves and has been so unstintingly bestowed should goad him into saying that he is not so good as he is reputed to be. It gives the Doubting Thomases and the scoffers a fine chance to wag their heads, as they tell us "I told you so. He is just like other men- no better than anybody else- He's just got the world fooled a little. That's all." For the sake of the fine example he has set and the high estimate we have placed upon him, let us hope Lindbergh will not consider it necessary to exaggerate his shortcomings and defects. Transcribed and reviewed by contributors participating in the By The People project at crowd.loc.gov.