The Nashville globe. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1906-193?, 1918-05-17


clear to him."
The Mosaic Templars. with head
quarters in Arkansas, subscribed |
$4,000 to the first Liberty loan and |
later invested an additional $50 900. |
Recently Secretary McAdoo telegraph
ed the knights of Pythias of Florida, |
another colored order, his apprecia-
ton of their subscription Of $4,000 |
for bonds. The Provident and Mu-
tual Insurance Company Of Durham,
N. c., put $1,000 OF its spare funds
in the loan.
No figures are available TO show
the total amount OF bonds and war
saving stamps purchased by the col
ored people. AS a rule they have
bought at the banks where they did
business, and no record has been kept
OF sales made particularly to them.
But to show how extensive these
have been it may be mentioned that
Amos Scott. of Philadelphia, has sold
to date bonds to the value of more
than $4,000 to Negroes of that vicin-
! ity.
Both white and colored speakers
! have toured the country to enthuse
the Negroes for the Liberty loan and
! the response has been eager and en-
thusiastic, an emphatic reputation o,
/ the German propaganda which has
attempted to stir up the colored part
OF our population to sedition.
The organizations in charge of war
recreation work have not forgotten
I the colored troops. AS much is being
done for them pro rata as for the
/ white soldiers.
The Commission of Training Camp
Activities, which co-ordinates the
work for the soldier done by the
American Library Association, the Y.
Nj. C. A., the Knights of Columbus,
the Y. w. c. A., the Jewish Board
for Welfare Work, and other organiza-
lions, looks out for the colored troops
as we'll as the white The "Y" huts
and the Liberty theatres are open to
all, and at Fort Funston, where the
Ninety-second division is stationed, a
Liberty theatre for colored troops
alone is soon to be opened.
One of the most important factors
in gingering up the troops is mass
singing, which has both recreationa)
and a military value. The singing
of song lifts the weary men over
the last mile of long hike and IN
der the dis0omforts Of camp life
raises the spirits and breeds com
radeship. The colored troops are
the best singers in the camps They
have a natural gift for expression II
song, and spontaneous originality
born of the joy they find III Il Al
one camp a quartet gave "a Per
feet Day" with responses in gospel
hymn fashion that brought down the
house.
The War Camp Community Serv
ice division, which takes Care nf The
soldier in his relations to the adjoin
ing community, serves the soldiers
! regardless of color. 1t establishe.
hostess homes in the cities adjoining
the camps for the use of Negro troops
when off duty. Dinners, dances ant
:, vaudeville shows are furnished. From
t Washington, for instance, each weei
t amateur or professional entertainer
3 are sent out to Camp Meade t
4 l'amuse the men. Recently the teach
5 ers of the Dunbar High School (col
t , ored) gave French play and after
t wards repeated the same drama il
English.
One of the purposes of the Com
munity Service is to fight the Ger
, man propaganda that has been busy
trying to poison the minds of the
colored people. This took The forL
of stories that the Negro troops are
to be sent to France first and are tC
be sacrificed to save the whites
The whisper ran that many more
than the proportionate number Of
colOred men had been drawn fol-
service. Leaders of the Negro rex
went out anu answered these charge:
in meetings, explaining how baseless
they were
The war council OF the Y. w. C. A
is deyoting 100000 of its S5,00000C
war budget to its work among Negro
women. The money is used to pro
| vide maintenance for hostess house!
for the families of colored troops
for emergency housing and recrea
tional work among colored girls il
war industrial centers, for furnishing
workers where there is no local Y
W. c. A., and for doing anything pos
sible to protect colored girls in wal
time. The workers in these house:
help the women relatives of men il
the service and encourage them t.
take advantage of the present unpre
cedented opportunities in the indus
trial world.
Most of the Army camps alread,
have hostess houses for coloret
| troops. The one at Camp Upton i
l a training school for workers at tn
l other enCampments. Three larg
: recreation centers for Negro girl
have been opened in Washington
Brooklyn and New York.
e The colored secretary of the na
/ tional board of the Y. w. C. A. ha
/ charge of this work. Through he
d the Negro women are inspired to ris
d to their opportunity, and, as tn
l. white women are likewise doing, t
d maintain the wage and labor stant
: ards of the men whose places the
r are taking. The activity of colore
}, women in Red Cross and other wa
u work has been notable. At Washing
ton, for an example, all Negro troop
d coming from Fort Meade are met q
n the trains and invited to the hostes
e house at 1884 Fourteenth stree
l. where food, amusements, readin
6 matter, entertainment and beds ar
= supplied to the boys on furlough.
n The war has brought to the Negr
e better chance for national self-el
e preston than any event in his hi
n tory, and he is making the most :
s his opportunity. Much of the bes
d talent of the race has been absorbe
d in meeting the need caused by speet
e ing up war industries. Graduates {
y colleges and technical schools hav
n found a ready field for the use {