The bystander. [volume] (Des Moines, Iowa) 1916-1922, 1917-10-12
EDITORS OBSERVATIONS.


seat Of Warren county, located upon
the level prairie. The Monmouth coll
lege, a we'll known educational insti-
tuition, is located here. About 800 col
ored people live here and the peculiar
thing Is that nearly all Of them own
their own homes. They are mostly
old settlers. More of them own auto
mobiles than any like number of col
ored people that we have ever seen.
One automobile garage repair shop IS
owned and operated entirely by col
ored help, Messrs. Barnett and Starr.
They are both active, experienced
young men, we'll liked and are crowd
ed with work all the time. They are
good mechanics. Mr.. J. X. Turner
is still running his second hand and
upholster store, doing an Increasing
business. Mr.. Samuel Cox, the pio-
neer carpenter contractor, is still hav-
ing large trade, more work than
ever. He and his family are indeed
fine representatives of the advancing
American Negro. He owns valuable
property and has seven-passenger
automobile. Mr.. Richmond is an old
citizen, perhaps the wealthiest COL
ored person in this county. He is still
running his grocery store in the su-
burbs of the city. He owns large
farm in Canada. His uncle, John
Richmond, younger man and far
more of a real race man than the
older Richmond, is also we'll to do. He
is in the carpet cleaning business and
real estate. He also owns farm in
Canada, also one down in the south
land. They have nice home, an au-
tomobile. The Catlins, who have
| lived here for many years, have all
moved away. Prof. C. C. Payne has
a musical orchestra and does playing
at parties. G. w. Jones, the house
doctor, is still living here, doing well.
He is one of the best informed men
in this section of Illinois on current
Negro and white literature. AS rule
he takes and reads all the journals
and magazines published by our race
and many by the white race. Ye edi-
tor enjoys stopping there, with his
good wife as cook Mrs. J. E. Smith
is still in the catering business, enjoy
ing large trade. They have fine
seven-passenger car. Mrs. Daisy
Lash recently united in marriage to
Mr.. Mason of Davenport, Iowa, was
the first in this city to buy the new
book in Galesburg, ILL.,, entitled "The
History and Views of Officers Train
ing Camp in Fl. Des Moines." She
will be agent in this county. Mrs. J..
T. Peoples is one of the active secret
society and church workers here.
There are two fine churches; indeed
they have just been built and are the
most up-to-date and modern colored
church buildings you will find. The
A. M. E. has just erected their edifice
under that able Christian minister,
Rev. Mr.. Thompson, young man full
Of energy, who is doing good work
here. The Baptist church is pastored
by Rev. c. Lindell, very scholarly
and able young minister, who came
here from Fl. Madison. 1t was his
| eloquence that won the next years
annual meeting of the Western Bap-
fist association, which was held in
Des Moines in August. Monmouth
needs good restaurant and rooming
house, a physician. Miss Bernice Met
lock will chronicle the news for the
| Bystander again this year. We next
stopped in Galesburg, the capital Of
| Knox county, city known for her
high educational institution, the Knox
| college, the Lombard university and
| several others that I cannot now re-
call. We have here about 1000 col
ored population, with three churches,
namely the Second Baptist, new
church just building, and they are
planning to move in their new build
ing the first Sunday in October and
hope to dedicate it free of debt some
time next spring. This church has
had hard struggle, as you see from
a special write-up soon to appear in
the Bystander. Yet though the hard
work of their able and highly educat-
ed minister, Rev. w. B. M. Scott, B.
A. B. Th., this church has been able
[ to raise more than 5000 this year and
their slogan is to raise $4,000 more
this year. The A. M. E. church is a
beautiful new building, only been
built few years, located in the down
town business district. It is pastored
by Rev. J. H. Garrison, formerly of
Sioux City. He was at conference.
While his congregation is split up and
lamentably divided, yet this church
is doing as we'll as could be expected
in it's condition. The other church was
originally the Christian denomination,
located in the west end of the city.
No pastor. DR.. Auter, their physi-
clan, is a very sick man. He was
taken to the sanitarium to his par
ents' home in Indiana. Mr.. C. M.
Watkins is still running his electric
and Turkish bath parlors in the Union
hotel, doing nicely. U. G. Davis is
still working in the gas plant, where
he has worked for the past thirty
years. Hsi brother is a mail carrier.