Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1920-09-16
HARLEMS COLORED COLONY
Its People Mean to he Good America ms.
and Arc. with Wide Smiles for
emperor" Garvey's Graudiose
African Project

sus takers, New Works negro colony in |
Harlem has grown In the past fifteen
years from fifteen or twenty isolated
families to a fairly homogeneous comun- |
ity representing a population Of about
10000 persons. Originally a few colored
folk deserted San Juan Hill and other
centres to try life uptown where rents
were lower and where living conditions
were less crowded Gradually their brethrn |
followed them into the vicinity OF Lenox
Avenue and 135th Street until to-day New
York's black belt may be said to span
that part of the city bounded on the north
by 145th Street, extending south to 125th
Street and stretching across Manhattan
Island from Lexington Avenue to Eighth
Avenue. says Robert A. Simon in the N.
Y. Post.
So prosperous and peaceful has been the
life on this settlement that most of the
negroes In the lower part of the city have
been attracted to Harlem, and the colony.
which oddly enough has yet to acquire
name of its own, has become one of
the largest colored communities in the
country.
One Of its leaders in Oscar H. Waters,
whose career has been parallel to the
growth of the neighborhood. Twenty
years ago he came to New York from the
South, where he had been born, the son
of erstwhile slaves.
GOT HIS START AS A RED-CAP
ct come from the Service Glass;" said
Mr.. Waters, who is in charge of the Color
ed Bureau at Democratic National Head
quarters in this city. II started in as a
| red-cap at the Pennsylvania Railroad
Station. I worked there for nine years.
| and then, through the friendship of Will
| liam IL. Egan, the station master. l got
a chance to start in on my own. His
| faith In me induced a white to lend me
| $500 without security-and you could do
| something with $500 In those days. To-
day it's nothing. Anyhow, I set up in
| the real estate business with It. and now
I'm fortunate enough to be president Of
the largest colored import concern in
New York"
From It's modest offices in Broad Street,
| this establishment traffics in coffee.
| woods, and ivory to the value Of mil
| lion dollars in a year: but commerce is
not Mr.. Waterss sole interest. Harlem,
it appears, is his first love, and he is
leader in all movements to make Harlem
a worthily representative colored COM
munty.
"They certainly have raised rents up
our way" he remarked, "but we keep
going and growing in spite of a rent in
|
We're making the place a home town.
and It's a prosperous town. I should
say that there are Between four and five
| hundred business enterprises up there.
| The colored people have plenty of sue
| cssfull real estate operators. lawyers.
physicians merchants-and some very
! successful politicians.
Politics keep going all year around in
| Harlem. They're very mixed, ! should
say. The negro reads a great deal and
that's why he's interested in every polit
ical move that takes place"
| This observation naturally brought up
| the recent activities OF Marcus Garvey
and his ambition for an African empire.
"Garvey," said Mr.. Waters, "is what
would call a person with an iridescent
dream. When he comes down to earth
he'll find it's all been empty. He's very
active up our way. but Harlem is on bed
rock loyalty to American principles and
| American government. AS property
owner 7 want to say that the better ell
ement Is perfectly satisfied with condi-
tons in America
Here Mr.. Waters displayed a character
istic smile.
AT least" he added. ITO the extent Of
not taking any trip to Africa in the near
future
The smile disappeared suddenly. and
Mr.. Waters's tones became almost evan
gelical.
THE negro" he asserted, doesn't know
any place on Gods earth but America
and he doesn't want to know any other
place. If the agitation keeps up I be-
lieve the Government will and should
interfere. 1t is my belief that II a white
man had made such utterances as Gar
vey has made up there the Government
would have taken steps long ago to sup
pres him. or course Garvey has received
a great deal of attention from the news
papers, hut this shouldn't make any one
/ think that the colored people in Harlem
are in symathy with him. To permit
such meetings as Garvey has held is pos
itively unfair to the loyal American ne
, gro"
The seekers after local color will bs
somewhat disappointed in the Harlem
2 colony. The settlement has an langurous
, slovenliness of New Orleans blackberry
purieus, for instance. is totalling lack
ing The many shops display the SAINT
commodities that may be had In any othe
b part of the city. although some of thu
drug stores display extra brilliant pla
cards advertising preparations which arr
guaranteed to lend an aristocratic kink
G mess to womons hair. Music stores ar
= particularly prominent. the NUMBER
sung by Broadway 'black-face" come
dams arc extraordinarily popular.
The social life of Harlem Is centred
s Itn numerous clubs. many OF which nav
. political origins. The churches also serv
~ social centres, and new buildings 10
y religious purposes are going up constant
n ly. The young folks are well proVide
for W the Community Centre House a
Seventh Avenue and l39th Street whic
: offers a meeting place for about twent
C social clubs. One of the most popula
g resorts In the district Is the Pubic ii
brary in 135th Street near Lenox Avenue
= which a large circulating department
o The readers show a keen interest In book
which discuss their own problem, an
the works Of Kelly Miller and Dr. u
IL Bots are always In demand.
y Harlems colored colony Is growing raj
idly. and Mr.. Waters thinks that with'
n few decades most of the territory DC
" tween 10th street and Spuyten Duy'
g will be occupied by negroes.
= "And we want the people to know,
said that our chief aim In to be ioy'
!" Americans, like the colored soldiers wh
+ served in Americas great wars. we don
,e want to encroach on the white peopi'
We are proud of our race. and we wal
. IL something to be proud or. MOST
J. all we want all well-thinking people IN u