Read Ebook: The Half-Century Magazine (Vol. I No. 1 August 1916) by Various

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Ebook has 416 lines and 23828 words, and 9 pages

Cover Mrs. Florence Cole-Talbert

Page

Editorial 3-4

An Orator 5

Centennial General A. M. E. Conference 6

National Republican Convention 6

An Act of Charity 7

The National Association of Colored Women 8

Musical and Dramatic 9

A Salesmen's Convention 10

Beauty Hints 11

Domestic Science 12

Opportunity 16

The Man Who Wins 16

With Our Exchanges 18

EDITORIAL

As there are already many race publications on the market, it is expected of a new one that an excuse be offered for its entering the field and an explanation be made of its object, its purpose and its policy.

The excuse that it is "to fill a long felt want," although a stereotyped expression, is an appropriate one in this case; for notwithstanding there are already many race publications on the market, none of them seems to meet the requirements, judging from the general expressions so repeatedly heard.

It is our intention to chronicle such doings of the race as may be of interest to a majority of our readers. Such men and women of the race as may attain eminence or affluence by perseverance, we shall be pleased to make mention of in these columns, as we feel assured that the masses are interested in the same; but we shall refrain from publishing such articles as "Sister Smith of Bastrop gave a chicken dinner last Sunday for Brother Jones of Monroe," as we believe that of all our readers only four persons would be interested in such an item--Sister Smith, because it tickled her vanity to see her name in print; Brother Jones, to the extent that as he had partaken of many similar dinners under more agreeable surroundings, the recalling to his memory of this affair reminded him how bored he was; Brother Jones' wife, who was in a quandary as to why Sister Smith should go to the expense to give her husband a dinner, and Mrs. Brown, who lives next door to Sister Smith, who expresses her interest with these remarks: "I think it would be better if Sister Smith would pay her debts before she starts giving big dinners." As such news items are fully covered by our leading Colored weeklies, we leave the field to their complete monopolistic control.

Miss Evelyn Northington will conduct our Department of Beauty Hints. Miss Northington needs no introduction, as she is of national renown as an authority on Beauty Culture. You can rest assured that when Miss Northington indorses anything, it has had her personal investigation and her indorsement cannot be purchased for money. The article itself must come up to the standard or she will not indorse it. Little aids to beauty and good health--hints on complexion, hair trouble, skin, etc.--are matters on which you will receive advice promptly from a source you may trust.

We shall note each month, as the information comes to us, the latest books by Colored authors or about the Negro. The latest songs and music by Negroes and the latest talking machine records.

We want short stories with plots and settings dealing with Negro life and will pay a good price for all such stories as are accepted for publication in our columns. Stories must not exceed 5,000 words, must be typewritten and written only on one side of paper. Please understand--manuscripts that are not accepted will not be returned unless sufficient stamps are inclosed to pay postage on the same.

Politics! Oh, yes! The Negro is a born politician, and although we shall try to avoid following our natural instinct to jump into the Political Pot, at the same time we are going to reserve the right to discuss fairly and impartially, men and measures as they may come up to affect the welfare of the race.

We are planning a Special Fashion Number for our September issue. This will be a unique number in which we have a big surprise in store for you. We will show the latest fall styles in ladies' wearing apparel. A corps of trained fashion experts of our race in Chicago and New York have been engaged and will especially feature our people in the latest styles.

The advertisements of a modern publication have become one of its most important features, as it is the medium by which the manufacturer or distributor and the consumer are brought together. It is a fact that many persons are more interested in the advertisements of a publication than in any other of its features, which is evidenced by the fact that they often read the advertisements first; for it enables one not only to keep abreast with the new developments, but also offers many opportunities for saving in expenses, which is very important in these days of "high cost of living"!

We believe in truthfulness in advertising, and, therefore, will not knowingly insert in our columns, false or extremely exaggerated advertisements; nor will we accept the advertisements of clairvoyants, fortune tellers, promoters of questionable oil wells or mining stocks or other get-rich-quick concerns as have fleeced our people in the past. It is our intention to investigate the responsibility and reliability of each advertiser before we accept same for publication. We shall aim to set a standard that if the advertisement appears in this publication, it is reliable; a policy that should produce such a confidence between the advertiser and our readers, as to result in a mutual benefit.

These are only a few of the many things we have planned, to give you the best value possible for your subscription money.

THE EDITOR.

Making up your mind about people--whether you will like them or not--the first instant you meet them, is like reading the end of a book first. You may secure a fairly accurate impression, but all the thrill of suspense, the gradual unfolding of surmise into certainty, is lost forever.

THE AMBITIOUS FROG.

In old Aesop's fable we read of a frog Who burst, like a bubble in air, While trying to show to his friends in the bog The size of an ox who'd been there. And the moral was drawn from the homely old tale That a man should take care what he tries, And plod on through life, on a nice, modest scale, Since only contentment is wise.

But my heart goes out to that cocky young frog, Whose life was so recklessly spent; Who burst into bits in the midst of his bog Because on ambition intent. But tho' he was highly conceited, I know, I'm strong for his courage and gall; For it's better to burst in attempting to grow Than to have no ambition at all.

--Berton Braley in Life.

NEWS ITEMS

The National Association of Colored Women will hold their biennial meeting at Baltimore, August 6 to 11.

The National Meeting of Colored Odd Fellows, that is known as the B. M. C., will be held at Washington, September 11 to 16.

The Boyd faction of the National Baptist Convention will hold its convention September 6th at the Second Baptist Church of Kansas City.

The Morris faction of the National Baptist Convention will hold its convention September 13th at the First African Baptist Church of Savannah, Ga.

The National Negro Business League, of which the late Dr. Booker T. Washington was president, will meet at Kansas City, Mo., August 16, 17 and 18.

The National Negro Press Association will also meet at Kansas City at the same time.

The National Medical Association of Colored Physicians, Surgeons, Dentists, and Pharmacists meets at Kansas City, Mo., August 22, 23, 24. Dr. U. G. Dailey, of Chicago, is president of this organization.

An Orator

Among the four contestants for a prize in oratory at the University of Chicago was William Harrison Haynes of Nashville, Tenn. The first prize of 0, which is awarded annually to a student of this university for excellence in oratory, is given by Mr. Julius Rosenwald of Chicago.

The contest was held on the evening of June 1st, in Leon Mandel Assembly Hall. A brown face and such a title--"A Plea for Justice"--without difficulty attracted for the speaker the keenest attention of an audience almost entirely white. Confident in his skill and ability and rejoicing in this marvelous opportunity to speak before such an audience in behalf of his people, Mr. Haynes delivered his oration in a style and manner that has never been equaled in previous contests. It was evident by the heavy waves of applause, that to him belonged the victory, and when the announcement of the first prize was made, the colored speaker was hardly able to hold his position because of the crowd that thronged about him to extend congratulations and to express lofty words of praise.

Mr. Haynes, an A. B. from Morehouse College of the class of 1915, came to the University of Chicago last fall and shortly after was made a member of the Varsity Debating team. He debated for Chicago twice, winning both times, and on the day of his graduation he was given an elegant gold watch fob by the Delta Sigma Rho debating fraternity as a token of appreciation of his good fellowship and excellent scholarship displayed during his short stay at the university.

A Plea for Justice

Recently ex-President Roosevelt in a speech before the Chicago Bar Association sounded the note for military preparedness. He and the foremost leaders in political circles in the United States today are trying to make the American people squarely face the issue of preparedness from a military point-of-view.

All of this sentiment for preparation may be for future military emergencies, or it may be to meet the growing responsibility of the nation. In either case, if the best results are to be realized, it is necessary that in every section of the country the fundamental principles upon which our democracy is based shall be properly administered. If we are to be really prepared for any emergency, then the vital principles of this government must be understood by every man. Every section of our great country and every man in it must know that this country stands for justice and equal opportunities to all, and that each man is to be permitted to work out and develop himself to his highest powers. Yet there is a section of our country where every day the basic principles on which our government is founded are being violated. Every day sees men subjected to injustice and arbitrary discrimination. Every day sees men deprived of that opportunity and equal protection of the laws which have been so cherished by the American people. If preparedness means the development of manhood and womanhood in order that we shall be able to repel the injustice of a foreign invader, then we must begin by granting justice to those here at home. Tonight, ladies and gentlemen, I wish to speak to you on one phase of the great American problem--the relation of the Negro to the South, and the South to the Nation.

Allow me to present briefly, if you please, an analysis of the most prevalent forms of injustice that are practiced in the South today. In the matter of suffrage, six states in the South have in practice laws which virtually take away the right of the colored man to vote. Politicians are elected to office not on the basis of their ability, but simply willingness to design and support legal technicalities which are prolific of this sort of injustice. These suffrage laws are based upon property ownership, or ability to read and interpret the Constitution, or payment of taxes; but the power of decision as to who is qualified under these laws is in the hand of a few unscrupulous politicians, who decide eligibility purely on the basis of race. An illustration will serve to show how these laws operate and the evils resulting from them. Before the disfranchisement act went into operation in Alabama there were 232,000 white and 181,000 colored male citizens of voting age, making a total of 413,000. The total number of qualified voters in the state today will not aggregate more than 200,000. There are 181,000 colored male citizens of voting age in Alabama today, at least 8,000 of whom are college graduates, and yet there are only 3,000 of them permitted to register and vote. Nevertheless, ladies and gentlemen, these people are counted as a basis of representation, and since they are denied the ballot they are even misrepresented, and the power of those who do the injustice is doubled. There are tonight almost 5,000,000 colored citizens of this country who reside in the purview of these discriminating laws, who are denied the right of the ballot, despite the fact that more than 53 per cent of them pay taxes on property owned. Can these states consistently deny the rights of citizenship to 5,000,000 men, and then in time of crisis call upon them to support the government which has kept them down? Can Americans who believe in justice and equal opportunity to all afford to see these men deprived of their rights? These people have shown that they can successfully take part in the industrial life of the South. But what good will that do unless they can protect the fruits of their labor by means of the ballot--the ballot that elects the representatives who make the laws--the ballot which elects the judges who enforce them?

We hear so much of ignorance and its attendant evils as a menace in the South, we would suppose that the funds for public education would be adequately and justly distributed. But such is not the case.

Forty per cent of the children of school age in eleven states in the South are of the colored race, and yet they receive only fifteen per cent of the school fund. In the state of Georgia the population of the two races is almost equal and millions of dollars of the public fund are annually spent for high school education, but nowhere in this great state is there one public high school for members of my race. In the city of Atlanta, last year, 4,503 colored children applied for admission to the public school, and these came voluntarily, not forced by a compulsory education law. The seating capacity of the schools provided for their education was 2,951. Instead of increasing the seating capacity the board of education abolished the eighth grade, and even to this night the seventh grade measures the extent of public education for my race in the city of Atlanta.

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