Iowa state bystander. [volume] (Des Moines, Iowa) 1894-1916, 1915-08-06
EDITORS OBSERVATIONS
Racial Progress and Educational Advancement
as Noted by John l.. Thompson, Editor
Iowa State Bystander
Des Mones, Iowa
CHICAGO AND DETROIT OBSER
VATIONS.

CHICAGO AND DETROIT OBSER
VATIONS.
For one to observe all they see
while in the great cities of Chicago
and Detroit IL would take many col
umns to tell it, but thinking that a
! brief observation of these great cities
would not be out of place and next
week I will finish my regular travel
ing observation.
In company with my wife and two
children we arrived in Chicago on Fri
day morning, July 10th. This great
city. which is now claimed the third
city in size in the world, has millions
of people Of all nationalities upon the
face Of the globe represented. With
her high skyscrapers, her beautiful
boulevards,' her thousands Of miles
of paved streets, her great elevated
cars, surface cars and subway cars,
steam cars and interurbans carrying
her millions of people to and from
work is indeed a singular sight to
the average man who has never seen
these great things. It is said that
Michigan avenue is one of the finest
paved and largest travelled streets by
autces in the world. Here one sees
but little of the color line drawn;
most any place you go you can re-
ceive attention if you have the money
to paw for it. We have in this great
city $4,000 colored people. 1t is claim
ed that within two square miles in
South Chicago there is population
Of $4,000 colored people alone and
many of them are in business as
druggists, merchants, transfer men,
BARRIERS, restaurants, hotel, confec-
toners, newspapers, news stands,
cigar stands, dry goods, bankers and
unGertakers. In fact all the business
known in the commercial world, with
many professional men. Some of the
lawyers are the very best in the coun-
try and are so considered by the Cook
county bar.
Mayor Thompson, newly elected, Is
a true friend to the race and has
given the colored people more import
ant and responsible positions than any
mayor Chicago has ever done. II
is claimed that there are six colored
men appointed as solicitors on the
legal department with salaries rang
ing from 81, 800 TO $1,000 per year.
Rev. A. J. Carey, pastor OF the lnstl.t
tutional church, has recently received
an appointment as adjuster with a
salary of $4,000 per year. They have
two men in the legislature and one
man in the city council. We have
many colored people as clerks, book
keepers, stenographers and elevated
train clerks, which undoubtedly shows
great progress that the race Is
making in the northwest
The state of Illinois is preparing to
have their half century celebration oil
the progress the race is making.
Elsewhere you will see writeup Of it.
The church life of Chicago is &C.
tive, intelligent and progressive. We
Visited eight different churches, name
ly, A. M. E., Baptist, Congregational,
Presbyterian, Episcopal and M. T..
The latter has just been built and IS
"a beautiful new structure, called st.
Marks M. E., completely modern and
costing 100000. They are all well at
tended and have intelligent pastors. l
could not take the space to give in de-
tail some of the facts about these
churches, yet I must mention Quin
Chapel on Sixty-eighth street, the
mother of colored churches of Chi
cago and the third Oldest church OF
anv denomination in Chicago.
While we were here Saturday
morning the ill-fated Eastland met
with such great catastrophe by sink
ing in the Chicago river, in which
nearly a thousand lives were lost.
There were several social features
and dinners given in our honor.
We met several of our Iowa friends
while there, among whom were Mr..
Fred Hooker and mother, Mr.. and
Mrs. J. H. Weeks, Mrs. Archer, MIR.
Hugh Hoskins, formerly Of Keokuk,
Miss Garnet McGhee, student in Prov
ident hospital; George Hudson, Luth-
er Bledsoe, Mr.. J. A. Jones and Mr..
and Mrs. Edward johnson, Miss Cecil
Harris, Mrs. West, formerly Mrs.
Bush of Clinton; Mr.. Steele, whose
husband was formerly head waiter at
the Kirkwood hotel, and Alec Tillery,
all formerly Of Iowa.
In Detroit, which is the metropolis
of the great lakes, is a very beautiful
city, but her streets run in every
angle. However, they are nice. She
has some tall buildings and her great
ship industry is not surpassed by any
American city. It is claimed that the
Detroit river is one of the most beau
tiful, widest and most picturesque
rivers in the country. Michigan was
celebrating their fiftieth anniversary
Of the Union Grand Lodge Of Free
masons. It was indeed grand cele.
hration. They gave two boat excur-
sions, one by the commandery, which
numbered about 100 in full uniforms
and about 500 people on the boat. The
next night the Shriners in full regalia