Richmond planet. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1883-1938, 1917-12-22
.LESL|E'S ATTITUDE TO
COLORED SOLDIERS
527 N. Second St.,
Richmond, Va, December z, 1917.

527 N. Second St.,
Richmond, Va, December 7, 1917.
Mr.. John A. Sleicher,
Editor Lcslie's Weekly,
New York City, N. Y.
Dear Sir-In tho issue Of Dcccmucr
Sth of Lcslie's Weekly appear
number of pictures under the head
Ing, Making Negro Soldiers ut Camp
Pike" and photographed by Edwin
Ralph Estcp, Staff War Photograph
or. These pictures, while portraying
some OF the actual camp life of tho
soldiers, both white and colorcd, pub
lishcd with their descriptions under
meath, do All injui:'co to thousands
CT Negro men IN training for national
service at various environments and
icnd unsarory Impressions to their
millions of kindred and well wishers
throughout Tho country. Not all OF
the Negro men at these camps arc Of
the coarse, p-shoOting. Zig" sort
and not all spend their rest periods
III jig dancing and gaming; not II
rev oil them enjoy monographs, mag
azlncs, wholesome recreation and.
tho pleasure and the thoughts that
the white man in the Same khaki or
olive drab enjoys. Numbers or Incm
are grammar, high school and college
graduates. Many of them are we'll
strained professional mcn-lawycrtR
doctors, school-teachcrs and mon OF
high standing Of character and In.
tegrlty, whom not alone wo as Nc
groes are proud to send as a contri-
button to the defense Of democracy
among nations and in the interest of
Il trucr democracy at home. but of
whom millions of our white people,
who arc in the same struggle for free
dom, arc justly proud.
Similar pictures Of white men
might easily have been PHOTOGRAPHED
in any cantonmcnt in tho South or
North. Similar ludicrous sayings and
actions might easily have been heard
or seen iii any cantonment where
there are unlettcrcd backwoods white
men. | tell you, Mr. Editor, it Is a
bit unfair to over ten millions OF
American citizens, handicapped in tho
march up the hill of progress in this
country by black skins, prescribed,
"tim crowcd" and Disseminated
against,-yet bearing without dissen
sion and unmutteringly their share
OF the burden In this cNecrablc whirl
pool Of cbbing blood. which has flow
ell and must flow from the civilized
people OF today In stemming tho lido
OF despotism and establishing Il world
democracy. I say 1t Is bit unfair
to publish the uncouth, the coarse
tho ludicrous and almost absurd of
these people as typical. The colorcd
soldier does want and needs tho phono
graph, the reading room and writing
materials. So long have they been
denied him in the libraries, schools.
theatres and places OF public benefits
ana pleasures that it Is only natural
that few, decidedly the minority
nave hnen neglected and do need only
themSt'rC" an"'+ ucighbor,"
''T'n9r ""-1|. will no, remedy tho
situation" These men in kmaKi along
with their training in military tao.
Tics should not be denied tho cduca-
ZION and pleasures essential to a
good intelligent soldier Such a uucs
ton as What does the colored sol
dicr want Of reading rooms phono.
graphs and writing matcrials?" and
inc answer given, aside from being un
lair are inimical to the work Of
the Colorcd Division OF tho Y. M. G..
a. and Red Cross Society in their
endeavors to provide wholesome
amusemcnts and pleasures for these
Negro men.
Lesbos Weekly has long been con-
sidered by our people as q standard
magazine OF right and fairness to
all people and propositions. If the
pictures were published to show the
comparative ease OF life and satisfac-
ton that obtains among tho colorcd
men IN the camps or at Camp Pike
please In the name CT fairness to us
and the 5000 Negro men in that
Camp make that explanation in ono
or your succeeding issues, or publish
some pictures of the work of tho Y.
M. G. A. there among them, some
or the men at drill or something that
portrays the men differently. not as
an apology, but as the patriotic duty
or national magazine published in
"a nation at war.
Respectfully yours,
JASPER Il. DUNCAN.