The Enterprise. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 192?-1930, 1927-07-15
Black Frenchmen
Must Serve a Year
Continued From Page y


The Workers Differ
To return where began. Another
reason given me was that there was
a big difference between the psy-
chology of the French workngmah
and that of the American one Inc
former, l was told, was more SYM
nathetic since he had felt the OPP
nression of the bourgeoise and the
nobility. and saw in the Negro, TEL
low worker Hike himself, while the
latter had been made to feel tha'
he was one with his master because
of color. The American worker, he
said. had even fought to uphold
slavery, an institution that was
against his own interests.
French Law Strict
To these and other reasons | Will
add the two following: first, the law
in France is very strict. To illus
trate. A singular fact is that IN
France the drug stores are forced
to close on Sunday, while most OF
the other places are open.
As l write have before me
newspaper clipping telling OF an IN
stance where a husband took his
wife to a pharmacy and although
the woman was in dying condi-
tion-she died a few minutes later
the druggist would not run the
risk of violating the law. | could
multiply instances. for l have been
much in French courts.
Don't Call Names
II is criminal offense to call
names, and l am waiting for the
first cracker who calls me niger
to teach him a lesson. A few months
ago a well-known American writer
and poet was fined two hundred
francs and costs for calling a ticket
taker an imbecile. | had always
thought the Javert of Javert in Les
Miserables an exaggeration.
North Africans, as ! said, are not
much liked, but let group of
French people try to mob one and
the police would land on them like
ton of bricks.
All Must Enter Army
The second reason: French gov
ernmental policy is strictly opposed
by color discrimination of any kind.
With enemies pressing from without
II is anxious to maintain national
unity. Much is dependent on keep
ing its colored citizens in good tenn
per. Recently, l read in the papers
where the War Department refused
to give colored men training unless
there were groups of fifty or more.
What is the case here? After the
student from the French colonies,
black or yellow, finishes his studies.
he is compelled to enter the army
for one year, and 1t is not a jim
crow regiment, either.
No Anti-Negro Books 81.
The Negro occupies a solid posi-
ton in the French Republic, and !
understand that II is as difficult to
get a publisher or an editor to print
an anti-Negro book or article in
France as the same is easy in Amer
lea. There are several Negroes in
the French Parliament who in such
case would at once raise the cry
of "the enemy within"
1t will be recalled that when
Americans raised the color bar in
Paris some years ago these members
at once got busy, and Premier Poin-
care issued not plea asking them
to stop, but a command. 1t is a
government almost military in GER
tain respects that runs the country,
Military Necessity
And this is not to say that all
French people are bursting with love
| for black men, that all welcome him
here. give him square deal, and
enjoy seeing him strolling the boule-
wards arm in arm with a beautiful
white woman. ] am told that many
would like to have their say, but
dare not. Military necessity.
Besides the black men fought, not
| in separate ranks, but side by side
with Frenchmen in the last war
and for which the latter are gen.
orally grateful. It is this service
that has given the black men SO
much prestige in France. and many
of them are more French than the
French, a fact that Americas treat
| ment of their race serves to heighten
| am told that before the war the
Negro was little thought of in
France and that the white women
would associate with him only un-
der cover as in America.
In coming article l plan to give
the names and the positions held by
some of the French Negroes.
Alexander Dumas
had hoped to include an account
CT visit to the Chateau DIFF made
famous by Frances most famous
Negro, Alexander Dumas, but the
wind was too strong for every day
/ was here. The chateau is on a
small rocky isle out in the bay. and
the boats cannot land passengers.
From the large numer of boats
some of which are quite largely de-
voted to that special service, the
chateau must be a favorite place
of visitors. If fortune favors me
| hope to be back here in the winter
on my way to Egypt and North AZ
RIGA, however.
NV npxt artie1a will ba fro,s, 81