Cayton's weekly. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1916-1921, 1918-12-07

whole business of soldier is to kill Germans a
necessity that some whites lose sight of in war
talk. One black soldier told an officer whom he
didn't recognize his general, "No, boss amt
exactly thinking about laying down my life for
my country. Use thinking about how them Ger
mans is going to lay down their lives" Nearly
every black soldier has cheerfuy promised some
at home to bring back the Kaiser's head on a.
platter. The black imagination jumps all the
stages from the registration table to the front line
of trenches.
"Well," said one lad as soon as he had signed
his name when you want to fght?"
Ever seen military service?" asked a colored
member of exemption board. "No? Well, you're
going to!'
The colored people believe in the colored troops
They truly believe that when enough Negroes are
in the fighting line the war will be over It may
be untutored and naive, but it is such beliefs that
win wars, such passionate faith behind the lads
in khaki that drives them forward irresistibly
It's very simplicity it from being braggadocio
and makes it instead home fire burning as all
such fires should.
He Does His Bit Financially Too
The Negro is of course in position to give
the war the financial support possible to the white
But what he has done will perhaps surprise many
Carolina Mutual and Provident Association, Ne
gro corporation of Durham, N. c., has taken
total of 100000 worth of Liberty Bonds The
Mosaic Templars of Little Rock, Ark. subscribed
for $4,000 worth The Knights of Pythias of
Florida took $4,000 worth. One Tuskegee Insti-
tute graduate, William V. Chamblss, bought
$4,000 worth. The congregation of the Ebenezer
Baptist Church in Pittsburgh, Pa, invested to the
amount of $4,000 and churches fraternities and
clubs all the land place large blocks of their
savings and surplus funds in Liberty Bonds
through their official authorities. The War Say
1ngs Stamps campaign resulted, to take one ex-
ample in $4,000 week being collected in the
colored public schools of the capital. A colored
banker of Waco, Texas contributed full page
advertisement of Liberty Bonds and war stamps
as did groups of colored citizens at Louisville
Kentucky; Daytona, Floria, and doubtless other
towns.
There are several Negro organizations for doing
war relief work, the Circle for Negro War Relief
the National Colored Soldiers Comfort Committee
the War Chest, and so FORTH TO all of these funds
are contributed by Negroes, perhaps the most
touching gift of all being hundred dollars sent
to the Circle for Negro War Relief by colored
prisoners in the New Jersey State Penitentiary
To the Red Cross too the colored people have
given money and service, though often under diff
culties and discouragements which must be spoken
of later
Difficulties and discouragements must indeed
now claim attention, since some knowledge of
them will perhaps help the nation in utilizing
more fully it's colored population.
Even the North had record of not being wholly
favorable to the Negro a soldier. The old ff-
teenth regiment (coored) of the National Guard
which from France sent back the first stories of
Negro bravery and there it's two Croix de
Guerre was organized in the face of determined
opposition. A bill authorizing such a regiment
was greeted with violent protests when it was
introduced in the New York Legislature of 1911
Passed in 1912, it vetoed by Governor Dix.
Finally, in 1913 it passed and signed by Gov
ernor Suffer- Now when Negro troops parade up
Fifth Avenue they receive hearty welcome
the press almost instictively writes of Bronze
heroes" But though the friendliness in the North
is fairly evident there are lingering traces of an
inability to take the raising of cOOred armv seri