davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Enterprise. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 192?-1930, 1927-02-25
DETROIT KLAN
HOLDS MEETING In
/. NEGRO CHURCH


DETROIT. Mich, Feb. 22.-The
Ku Klux Klan, after big parade
with brass band and American flags,
held meeting at Bethel baptist
church here last Sunday night. The
first speaker introduced himself as
II. b. ST. Clair. Grand Klo. Klaid
X. X. X. of the State of Michigan,
and in his address said "The Negro
papers and the N, A. A. G. p. hava
overstepped their bounds on most
every issue that concerns the con-
flicts between the two races" A
check for $133 was presented to
the pastor OF the church after which
ii was made known that tho Klan's
policy is to lend financial aid to
ministers OF the race for Negro Suf-
frage. About six hundred members
of the Klan composed the congrega-
tion.
Rev. l.. M. Burton, pastor of New
Bethel Baptist Church, where the
meeting was held. Is silent on the
matter He informed the A. N. p.
correspondent that the baptist union
will ilsmake statement at the proper
time. i
The Negroes Of Detroit are very
Indignant over the matter.
The Enterprise. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 192?-1930, 1927-02-25
CHICAGO uses
COLORED LABOR
In LAUNDRIES

WASHINGTON, Feb. 24.-Based
upon brief study made of several
typical laundry plants, Negro laun-
dry workers of Chicago appear to
comprise approximately 65 per cent
OF the labor group employed in the
eity's massive laundries. This esti-
mate is derived from a total work.
ing force OF G25 employees of the
PARTICULAR establishment from which
the facts were gathered. OF this
group 2l9 are white and 4O6 IRE
colored; and of the last-named
group female laundry workers con-
stitute nearly 75 per cent. The sur
vey, which was made by the De-
partment's colored representative in
Chicago, discloses the fact that
large proportion of the colored
laundry group was made up of
workers who migrated to Chicago
from the South during the past few
years.
The principal occupations engag-
ed In by the colored workers are
those typical of general laundry
work, on mangles, at washers, as
starchers. shirt finishers. folders,
etc. One employer reported six
colored men I'm charge at his
plant; while another reported five
who are foreman 'or in some espe-
eially responsible position"
Another laundry employer re-
ported in his group of fifty colored
workers three engineers and
seven washermen and
wringmen, ten general workers, and
thirty in the flatwork department"
He regarded seven as holding re-
sponsible places" at wages up to
$50 per week
The Enterprise. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 192?-1930, 1927-02-25
COURT TO SETTLE
QUESTION WHO IS
AUTHOR OF BLUES

MEMPHIS. Tenn. Feb. 23.-Did
William c. Handy, known through
out the world as the originator of
the blues" purloin the motif of
Memphis Blues" from Bruce
Walker. aged and once famous "caIl
man" on the Mississippi River. but
who is now dying in dirt and squal-
or in ramshackle shanty off the
famous Deale street in Memphis,
Tenn?
Frederick Galloway, attorney, has
sought legal means of settling this
matter by taking it to court.
According to his contention, "Fid-
dler's Gal Was She," a song origi-
mated and crooned by Walker rs
years ago, was the basis of the
Memphis Blues.'' which finafiy
made Handy famous, but Handy
has said that "out of the melody
of the Negro spiritual, the rhythm
OF ragtime and the musical and
speech idiom cf the colored people,
l wrote this music. | combined
these characteristics and called them
the blues"
Bruce Walker is dying, and the
court fight may never be brought
TO conclusion. He belong ID 20
tht- olders group of river mon, who
earned their living by singing the
swaying songs which brought the
most physical eXertion out of river
workmen.
Handy is conducting prosperous
musical business with offices at
1916 Broadway, New York city.
The Enterprise. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 192?-1930, 1927-02-25
Vim. Pickens Says Russian Jews
Ridcule Heaven And He'll Theoriies

ana, OF course, some sinners I
noticed that the Devil was really
better looking and more attractive
IN all his ways than any of the
others.
Good Angel Uglicst
And the ugliest character in the
whole drama was a certain good,
angel, who kept flapping his wings
around until he finally fell into love
with one of "the daughters of men.
whereupon he promptly took off
his wings and her fig leaf and
tied them to a pully rope that was
suddenly let down from the sky.
ana sent these inconvenient articles
and emblems back to heaven.
In Heaven
The scene later shifted TO heaven.
where they were holding high court.
nearly everybody before the court
confessed to two wives" or two
husbands" and we noticed that the
recording angels condemned the
good-looking young lady sinners TO
be secretaries to the recording
angels. And, as the worst sentence
thinkable, the whole batch of old
sinners were condemned "to stay
forever in heaven"
In Hell
This seemed to be such a severe
sentence that the unhappy prison
ers finally made conspiracy with
the Devil and got him to lead them
off to his abode. When they ar
rived in the Satanic domain, we
noticed that it was labeled in blaz-
ing fiery letters, EUROPE" Final
ly Abraham and Moses and some
Of the other archangels and secre-
taries, hearing the merry voices and
the whistling coming up from the un.
derworld, slipped out of heaven.
and sneaked down to join in the
good time, too.
The crowd roared when Moses
coming in sheepishly. said that he
had come down because he wanted
10 whistle some, too" All of which
was not bit more sacreligious than
Bert Williams famous monologue
to the same effect. And the acting
was wonderful: the girl and man
who did the dance of death would
be supreme artists anywhere.
Congregation stands
Then Sunday morning we went
to church. After seeing both the
theatrical performance and the
church service, It occurred to us
what wrong opinion any person
would get who saw only ONE Of
these two. Seeing the theatre, he
CONTINUED on Page -
The Enterprise. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 192?-1930, 1927-02-25

Speaking of Douglass career as
an abolitionist, DIR. Stewart declared
that Harriet Beecher Stowe coll
locted thousands of dollars in Eng
land for the slaves on the strength
OF her fame as the writer of the
celebrated novel.
No one was ever able to have her
make a report on the funds she col.
lected, said the Rev. Mr. Stewart.
We received the sympathy and
she took the gold"
The usually staid ministers meet
ing gasped again when the Rev.
NJ stewart referred to Booker T.
W0shington, founder of Tuskegee
Institute. and usually termed the
father OF industrial education in
this country" as a copyist.
Dr. Stewart said that Booker T.
Washington copied his ideas of in
duStrial training from lengthy
letter by Frederick Douglass to
Harriet 'Beecher Stowe on the sub
iect
AbOlitionists
White abolitionists in the north
received scant consideration from
the Rev. Mr., Stewart in his add
ress. He referred to them as indi-
viduals who were opposed to slav-
cry because as an institution 1t was
impractical in the colder sections of
the country.
The Rev. George F. Bragg. Jr..
rector of St James P. f Church,
whose subject was, "Daniel Alex
ander Payne" declared that there
would be no A. NJ. L. church to-
day had not Payne lived.
Paynes contribution to the coun-
try. he said, was the eternal cam
palgn for an educated ministry and
against Politics in the pulpit.
Payne We styled "crucifier of
sdftiS'GeT aha the REV. MIR Bragg
read a letter from Payne to Booker
T. Washington In which the former
declared that one-third of the Bap-
tist and Methodist ministers of the
south were neither Intellectually nor
morally qualified for the positions
they held.
The Enterprise. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 192?-1930, 1927-02-25
Says Absolute Social
Equality Is Necessary


NEW YoRK.-Devere Allen, edi-
tor of the World Tomorrow, and
DR.. Alaine l.. Locke, speaking at
the International House last week
on Race Relations" agreed that
absolute social equality is necessary.
Allen admitted that social equal
ity will bring about an increase of
marriage because love in its truest
sense knows no bounds
but what of it?'' he said.
DR.. Locke advocated little more
intermarriage and a little less mis-
cegenation.
Booker T. Washington's doctrine
that the races. should act as the
hand but in all things social as sep
arate, as the fingers, was termed
antiquated doctrine.
The Enterprise. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 192?-1930, 1927-02-25
The Mystery OF John Henry,
Famous Southern Negro Character

the winner. don't know exactly
how many inches they were to drill
but | am sure that it would have
been good days work for the or.
dinary steel driver.
The contest ragged hour after
hour, man against machine. Now
John Henry would have tn, adyan-
tage, now the steam drill would be
In the lead AS they drew nearer
and nearer to the end of the con-
test, John Henry could feel his mus
cles beginning to give way. But he
would not be conquered by ma
chine. He summoned every ounce
Of his energy and put it into one
final effort to beat the steam drill.
Let the song tell the rest of the
story:
He placed the drill on top of
the rock,
The steam drill standin' by his
side,
He beat the steam drill an inch
and half,
And he laid down his hammer
and he died.
He laid down his hammer and
he died.
Negroes Should BE Proud of
John Henry
Thus did John Henry sacrifice his
life In order TO prove that he was a
better steel driver than the machine
was. Can you think OF story any
more dramatic, any more pathetic.
than the story of John Henry? 1
know that many Negroes today are
trying to forget the secular songs of
their race, and | don't blame self
respecting people for. not wanting
to sing about such reckless charac-
ters as Stagolee, Jesse James, Des-
perado Bill, and their like. But IT
seems to me that the race can af-
ford to be proud of John Henry.
He was faithful, courageous. tire
less, willing to die rather than give
in to q machine which he said he
could beat
hope that some day a Negro
sculptor will carve John Henry with
the hammer in his hand and place
the statue where thousands of peo-
pie may pass and learn the story
about this great Negro steel driver.
The Mystery OF John Henry
II is too bad that nothing is
known about John Henry except
what has come down in the song
about him. Did, such a man ever
live, or is the song purely imagin-
ary? II John Henry was a flesh
and-blood man. did he ever really
race with the steam drill, and did
he drop dead at the last stroke OF
CONTINUED on Page 81
The Enterprise. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 192?-1930, 1927-02-25
Pullman Porters Walk
Ten Miles Each Trip

EI.KHART, Ind.-The aver
age housewife takes $4,000
steps during an ordinary days
housewOrk, according to statis-
ties which an Elkhart chiropo-
dist has compiled. He also es-
Inmates that freight conduc-
tors, running between Elkhart
and Chicago walk fourteen
miles In the course of their
duty on each run.
Pullman Porters.
Pullman porters, says this
same authority, walk twice as
far as Pullman conductors and
Will average u ten-mile walk In
a run between Boston and Chi
cago.
Investigation of boys at play
also shows that they walk an
average of eighteen miles In a
day. Girls of the same age In
activities, ne says, walk off
fourteen or fifteen miles during
the same period.
The Enterprise. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 192?-1930, 1927-02-25
by GUY B. JOHNSON

Eavc you ever heard song which
GINS something like this?
John Henry was little boy
Settin' on his papa's knee,
He looked up to his papa and said
The hammer be the death of me -
II you have never heard about
John Henry YOU have missed a great
treat. John Henry is, in my opin-
ion, one of the greatest heroes the
Negro race has produced. Il is not
certain that such a man ever really
lived. but even II he is only an
imaginary hero the race deserves
credit for producing such a beauti-
ful story
\ Great Steel Driver
John Henry, so the story goes.
was a steel driver. Even as little
boy he always wanted to be a steel
driver, and as the stanza above says,
he used 10 say that the big steel
driving hammer would sooner or
later bring him to his grave. When
John Henry grew up he did become
steel driver and worked on rail-
roads tunnels and on other jobs
where blasting had to be done.
lie was tall and strong and welded
such a powerful hammer that he be-
came known far and wide. II was
said that he could out-drill three
or rour ordinary men.
But just when John Henry was al
The height Of his power, the rail-
roads began to try out steam drills.
OF course. John Henry didn't like
q see HIS work taken over by a
new-fangled machine, so he made
Jun Of the machine and boasted that
he could drill as far any day as
that old steam drlll. AS the song
puts It,
John Henry said to his cap'n,
man amt nothln' but a man,
Aud before I'd be beaten by your
old steam drill
I'd die with the hammer in my
hand.
Die with the hammer in my
hand"
Now John Henry's boss and most
Of his pals were confident thaN he
really could beat the steam drill.
but the boss OF the steam-drill gang
was skeptical. He said he'd have
20 be shown before he'd admit IT
was possible. SO contest was ar
ranged between John Henry and
'De Seam drill.
lohn Henry's Tragic End
John Henry took his stand beside
.he steam drill on top OF q large
rock The one that drilled a certain
number Of inches first was to be
The Enterprise. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 192?-1930, 1927-02-25
U. S. Senate Approves
Jim Crow Park

WASHINGTON, d. C.-The Dis
trict OF Columbia appropriation bill
carrying provisions for segregated
bathing pools and a segregated
park. was reported to the Senate
Monday by the Senate appropria-
tions committee with amendments
which included items for the pur-
chase of land for the Harrison
health school and the Crummell
school.
These items were stricken from
the bill by the House Appropria-
tions Committee.
Garnet G. Wilkinson, first assist
ant superintendent OF public schools.
appeared before the subcommittee
OF the Senate appropriations COM
mittee and urged restoration of
these two items.
The Enterprise. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 192?-1930, 1927-02-25
NEGRO SUPERIOR
PHYSICALLY TO
OTHER RACES

PHILADELPHIA, Pa. Feb. 2l-
That the Negro physically is super
ior to other races and that our
borrowed" Christianity is imprac-
tical for the Negro were declarations
of DR.. n. Il. Wright, of Philadel-
phia, editor of the "Christian Rec
order" at the annual Mems Day
Meeting, at Trinity A. NJ. e.
Church, Sunday night.
whites" said DR.. Wright, make
fun of our color. but that color en-
ables us to stand higher in degrees
of temperature under which the
white man willis.
They make fun of our thick
lips. Have You ever heard Marion
Anderson sing? She has what Paul
Lawrence Dunbar, the poet. called
the natural organs" thick lips and
large mouth.
Pick up a group of colored peo-
pie anywhere and at random and
they will out-sing group of any
other race.
Long Arms
Long arms, sometimes referred
TO as a mark of racial inferiority.
are just the opposite, DR.. Wright
said. They enable the race to ex-
eel in prize-fighting or in other
manual tasks. Colored prizefight-
ers, he said, usually have reach
of quarter to an inch and a half
more than whites in the same class
Jack Dempsey. 3he declared,
knew the way to keep his cham
pionship was not to fight wills. The
purpose of the hair. DR.. Wright
said. was to cover the head.
Curly Hair
whites make fun of the Negrn's
curly hair, but at the Same time
the white race has three times as
many bald heads as the colored,
quoting Madam Wal:s5r as. declar-
ing that. the hair of white persons
is much more difficult to dress than
a colorod child, he declares.
goes TO school with its hair arrang-
ed and 1t remains arranged during
the school day, but white child's
hair is disarranged at the first puff
of wind.
New Religion Needed
Christianity as developed by the
jew and adopted by the white and
colored people in America, he said.
is designed to teach white superb
ority. 1t cannot have full mean
ing for the Negro until It teaches
him that God and the angels above
are in his own image.
"Belief that God is white and the
angels are white, DR.. Wright said.
isn't inclined to give the Negro con-
fidence in himself.
"Out of this borrowed Christian
ity, he added, eventually the Negro
will develop religion of his own"
The Enterprise. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 192?-1930, 1927-02-25

, The salary will be $4,000 a year,
congress having refused to raise IL
TO $4,000 at the request of the
president and the state department
a year ago.
Carter may not accept the post,
II was learned Wednesday. As con-
sui with twenty-year record, he Is
entitled to pension on retirement.
As minister to Liberia he would for
felt pension claims.
Mr.. Carter has been in the States
since November 1, with his wife and
daughter, Miss Ulett Carter, on a
leave of absence.
Whether he will accept the post
will not be definitely known until
next week.
Clifton r. Wharton, of Boston, is
now secretary of the Legation at
Monrovia, Liberia, and Reid Page
Clarke, is acting charge d'affaires
pending the arrival of reglarly
appointed American minister.
Ben Davis, national republican
committeeman from Georgia, Is be-
ing credited for the Carter appoints
ment. Mr.. Davis conferred with
the president at the White House
last week. Influence Of PERRY How
ard, Mississippi committeeman, is
also indicated.
Until recently Il was stated that
the White House has not planned
now to fill the vacancy nor was
Carriers name one of those. promi-
nently mentioned as candidates for
the post.
Salary Too Low
The salary of the minister TO Lii
IBERIA is only $4,000 a year, for
which he is required to perform
both diplomatic and consular func-
tions. This is $1,000 less than is
paid to any other minister of the
United States 1t Is also less than
the salary received by any other
foreign representative in Monrovia.
The British consul general and the
German consul general at Monro-
via each receives salary of $500.
d year and, in addition, entertain
ment and household allotments. The.
BRITISH vice consul receives salary
OF the same amount as is paid the
American minister and consul gem
eral &c. s..-
Solomon Potter Hood the former
minister was appointed Oct. 26th,
1871, by the late President Warren
Q. Harding. Mr.. Hood is now 10
years old Feeling in Liberia was
Continued on Page 80
The Enterprise. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 192?-1930, 1927-02-25
Attacks United States
At Brussels Meet

BRUSSELS, BELGIUM Speak
ing, as he said, in behalf of 12.000,-
900 American Negroes M. Moore,
delegate to the International Con-
gress of Oppressed Nations meeting
recently in Brussels attacked the
United States government as inn
perialistic and pledged full cooper
alton in the common effort for poll
teal freedom and social emancipa-
ton throughout the wcrld.
The Enterprise. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 192?-1930, 1927-02-25
by WILLIAM PICKENs

Field Sec. of the N. A. A. C. p.
IN hussia Leon Trotsky is a very
cleVer man ana IKE all very clever
men. ne Is strongly suspected by
the less clever people of being very
egotistic. He did not appear ego
ustic 10 me.
AFTER | had cut my visit short
with MN to rush to the showing of
tne revolutionary picture, "Potem-
KIM woman at the show place,
nearing that | had left Trotzky to
come TO the movies, remarked:
We'll | am glad for once that
somebody did that to Trotzky,
everybody in this town would crawl
on ms lace for five minutes in
terview with Trotzky'
In the course OF our conversation,
II dawned upon Trotzky that there
are white people in America, who
are members OF every movement for
the uplift OF the American Negro
and he asked, with a twinkle in his
eye: DO the white people in your
organization do II much harm?"
Later ne elaborated: IF any
white people come into an organi-
zation OF Negro people out of feel
ing OF sympathy and 'beneyolence'
they VIII 90 more harm to the or
ganization than they could ever do
good: because they will look down
on the Negro and feel themselves
70. be superior. The only way IN
The Enterprise. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 192?-1930, 1927-02-25
Story Contest Extended

NEW Charles and AL
bert Boni have issued this announce
ment concerning the prize offered
by them for the best Negro novel
submitted during the last year.
Owing to the short time which
was allowed for the submission Of
manuscripts so far submitted. the
judges have felt it advisable TO ex-
tend the time limit until July l.,
The Enterprise. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 192?-1930, 1927-02-25
Juror Forced to Vote Death

PHILADELPHIA. - An affidavit.
charging thrt one Of the jurors had
been threatened and coerced by 9TH
er members of the panel and forced
To- vote for first degree murder with
the death penalty in the case of Rog-
er LOTUS. charged with murder, pro-
duccd a sensation during an argu-
ment by his lawyers for new trial,
Friday. 3ist Il
LOTUS was convicted recently of
Staying his sweetheart. Miss Dora
Terrell, into whose body he fired six
bullets after embracing her follow
ing her return from q marty.
The Enterprise. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 192?-1930, 1927-02-25
Wants Divorce From
His White Wife

SAN FRANCISCO. = Discovery
after II years that his wife was
white. led Albert Thomas here to
file suit for divorce.
Natives refer to the suit as a
Rhinelander case with reverse
ENGLISH"
The couple married in 1908 and
separated in 1919.
The Enterprise. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 192?-1930, 1927-02-25
Raid Chicago Night Club

CHICAGO. - Charging that she
found Young white girls fraterniz-
ing with colored patrons in "The
Plantation" popular night club
conducted by Irving Cohen and
James Fox. white. policewoman Ma
thilda Horn has caused their arrest
following an Investigation She also
stated that liquor was In evidence.
The Enterprise. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 192?-1930, 1927-02-25
$4,000 In "Chest"

NEW ORLEANS. La - AMP J
Negroes In this city have contrib
utcd $20,720 as their Pre- ratio Of the
vast sum now being raised for the
support Of the community chest. The
whites have fallen down and he
drive will be continued.
The Enterprise. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 192?-1930, 1927-02-25
Widow Leaves Five Wills

KNOXVILLE, TENN Further
complications in settlement Of the
estate of the late Mr.. and Mrs. Cal
vim +. johnson have arisen in dis
covering that the late widow left
five separate wills disposing Of the
estate.
The Enterprise. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 192?-1930, 1927-02-25
Johnson at N. c. University

James Weldon johnson. along with
Dr.. Will w. Alexander of Atlanta,
will participate In Human Rela-
tions Institute to he held at the Uni
versity of North Carolina, March 20
to 25.H
The Enterprise. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 192?-1930, 1927-02-25
COOLIDGE NAMES LIBERIAN MINISTER
James G. Carter, IS. Consul To
Madagascar Is Given Post In Liberia

WASHINGTON D. C.. Feb special)-The president sent the
of James o. the
post minister resident of
America
foreign service officer Of class
assigned a
The Enterprise. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 192?-1930, 1927-02-25
Harriet Beecher StOzve A CRATER?
Race Artists Receive
Four-Figure Guarantee

NEW YORK. Feb. 24.-Rol-
and Hayes and Paul Robeson
among two dozen outstanding
artists receive performance
guarantees in four figures, ac-
cording to figures taken from
Variety magazine.
frha IA, faIIA...,
The Enterprise. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 192?-1930, 1927-02-25
Author OF Uncle Toms Cabin Collected
Funds For Slaves And Made No Report

BALTIMORE Nd, Feb. 24-(A A. Harriet
author Uncle
mild sensation the A. NJ. e Ministers
The Rev. Charles e. A NJ f.
Church Washington d.
YoungstownskeÌ SlovenskeÌ noviny = Youngstown Slovak news. (Youngstown, Ohio) 1910-1940, 1927-04-22
1.-THE VAGABOND KING
v PARK THEATRE

V Park Theatre zacnn hrat' V
tyzdni Cd 2. maia hudobnn kome-
diu "The Vagabond King kto-
ra jes prepracovana 2 chytrnej fra
Sky eff / were king" od McCar-
thyho. Verse slozil Brian Hooker
a hudbu cesky skladatel' Rudolf
Friml. ~
Hlavntl llohu vagabunda hra
chyrecny am sricky herec Dennis
King. Tato komedia Je 3 fran
cilMskeho dvorneho zivota Lud-
vika XT. a pcstrost' vtedaJslch
kostymov oktNlia dlvaka. Tato
hra dosavad' vsade bola hrana $
vel ym tispechom.