The Appeal. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. ;) 1889-19??, 1918-05-11

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Episcopal = Members 200 =
property ............ 1880
Observation-Disclosures IT'S
Property 12.OOu
$4,000
Showing that one out of every
three Negroes in st. Paul is a mem
Der of some religious organization.
Because of the fact that the
Negroes earnings are small, and of
his efforts to guard against the day
OF misfortune, sickness and death.
fraternal organizations are numer-
Gus among them and we have in st.
Paul a total of 10 fraternal and
benevolent organizations among the
Negro men, women and children, in
GUIDING such organizations as the !!
Masons, Odd Fellows, K P.'s, the
Elks and others including the varl-
Gus branches and subdivisions or
each.
We have two buildings-Union
Hall at Aurora Ave. and Kent St. |
containing a gymnasium, bowling al |
ley, an auditorium 45x80, and two
lodge rooms, of the value of 500
10000 owned jointly by the lodge of |
ODD Fellows and one lodge of
Masons; and Welcome Hall, a set
tlement House at harrington and St. |
Anthony Avenues, of the value of |
100000 owned by the Presbyter-
ian church.
st. Paul, among the Negroes has
the reputation of having more Negro
owned homes, better homes and
amidst better surroundings, in pro-
portion to, it's Negro population than
any other City in the United States.
The homes of the Negroes here are
valued at $75O,OOOOO.
The moral condition of the colored
people of St. Paul is excellent as
! evidenced by the fact that I am in
, formed by Mr.. Ninestadt, deputy
| clerk of the Police court, that during
! the past ten years there has not been
| more than six young colored girls
arrested for soliciting or street-walk-
ing.
A large number of colored boys
and girls have won honors in the pub
lie schools and other institutions of
learning in St. Paul, and only last
month, in contest with the entire City
of st. Paul and county of Ramsey,
Master Earl Wilkins, II years Of age,
and student at Mechanics Arts High
School, was declared the champion
speller of Ramsey County.
Because of prejudice the Negro
professional men, three lawyers, two
doctors, two dentists, and one me-
chanical dentist, probably do not
have as large cientage as their
ability warrants, but all of them have
some clients and patients among the
white people and are doing as we'll
as many of their white competitors.
Owing to keen competition there
are not many business enterprises
owned by Negroes in St. Paul, and
the following brief list covers about
everything of that nature of which
we can boast:
Barber shops ~
Pocket Billiard Halls. .... 5
Restaurants and Lunch Rooms =.
Picture Frame Stores ... l
Masseure Lowry Building) .....
| Grocery Store l
Real Estate Agency I
Shoe Shining Parlors ..... 3
Tailor Shops and Pantoriulns 80. 7
Turkish Bath Qadies) 1
Millinery Store .... l
| Saloon .............
These places, however, are not all
small and insignificant as the rents
| range from $500 to $4,000 per
month, the lowest amount being paid
for shoe shining parlor and the high
est for a pantorium. We are also
proud of the fact that within the past
year Negro saloons in St. Paul de-
creased fifty per cent, the other one
having closed short time ago.
4 While our color has been severe
handicap in the matter of securing
employment in clerical and skilled
lines, nevertheless, we now hold and
have held for years some very de-
sirable positions in that capacity.
The manager of the Ben amin
Goldman Hair Co. is young COL
,. ored woman. A colored woman is
said to be the best candy maker in
the Maud Borup Candy shop. One
of the architectural draughtmen en-
ployed by the City is a colored man.
One clerk in the county auditors Of
, flee. A colored man has been en-
ployed as bookkeeper by Finch,
Young & McConville wholesale dry
goods for the past thirty-five years.
We have one young lady teacher in
, the third grade of our public schools
. one expert piano polisher, one expert
, engineer, one travelling clerk and
demonstration in the Emigration De-
partment of N. P. Ry. Co., one fore-
man of City street paving gang, one
government meat inspector, one
police officer, three detectives, eight
stenographers, one railway mali
| clerk, seven mail carriers and II post
, Office clerks.
Generally, however, the Negroes
have been employed as domestics
janitors, walters, porters and in the
, sleeping and dining car service of our
great transcontinental lines, but
since the war has depleted the ranks
, of white labor, other avenues have
opened to us and large numbers OF
our people are now employed at the
various industrial plants such as
the American Can Co., Griffin Wheel
, Works, White Enamel Refrigerator
f Co., the various railroad shops, the
, American Hoist & Derrick Co., and
, the packing plants at So. St. Paul, as
skilled laborers and mechanics, and
am delighted to say that they have
+ qualified and fit we'll into their posi-.
tions.
The subscription to Red Cross anu
: Army Y. M. G. A. funds; the buy
:, ing of Liberty bonds, thrift and war
savings stamps in large numbers
shows the patriotism of the st. Paul
Negro and his loyalty to the flag and
: country, while the organization of