St. Paul recorder. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1934-2000, 1937-05-21

OIl0 OI LIE QudrCSIC0 has SHOWN d
voice of such fine quality that in
terested persons are going to help
in it's development. She may be-
come a second Marion Anderson.
All Of which gives tremendous
impetus to the ambitions of other
young people of musical ability
and may easily lead them into Sc
rious study of their own possibili-
ties and help to cultural growth
both personally more satisfying
and of higher economic value.
The WPA has opened number
of places to young colored women
heretofore closed to them. This
has whetted their appetites for
more of the same. They are tax
ing full advantage of the chance
to prove themselves equal to any
demand. When the depression
passes and with it their present
employment they will face the fu-
ture with a new confidence and in
sistently seek a place in the bust
ness life of the community they
have proven themselves competent
to fill.
But there are numbers of women
who still have their employment
in the lower brackets. Nothing
has been done to elevate their out
look or to teach them how or where
to find advancement. Impelled by
the need to offer these women
practical help-many of them are
young with a long life before them
Mrs. Alice Onque of the Phyllis
Wheatley House is organizing a
club for their benefit. They will
be encouraged, first, to learn ev-
cry detail of their present work,
so as to do it in the most satisfac-
tory way. They will be urged to
prepare for something better and
the way and the method of this
will be taught and explained. They
will be directed in the study of the
lives of successful men and women
of their group and by learning how
others have crashed the color line
with it's limitations, be encouraged
to do likewise. Every facility that
Phyllis has developed during its
years of existence will be placed
at the service of women who have
found life hard and the way to bet
ter things obscure.
A group of young men who have
fought their way through school or
college to a place in business or to
an objective in the professions, or
skills above the average, have
realized the necessity Of inculcat-
ing this indominatable spirit in the
younger members of the group
young men on the threshold of
life, but discouraged by the ap-
parent lack of opportunity to make
progress. These are gathered
weekly in the Sumner Sweet Shop,
inspired and lectured to by those
who have not been beaten by adj
versity, but have accepted it's hard
ships as challenge to their cour-
age and ambition. Lessons drawn
from their own or the experiences
Of others are brought home to the
youngsters and they are helped to
resolve not to spend a wasted
life but to fight with every ounce
of their young manhood to open
closed doors and to be prepared to
enter when the portals to a better
opportunity are forced ajar.
These are not all. I could point to
many other examples in these Twin
Cities and throughout the country;
how the lessons of the depression
are being taken to heart and a |
vigorous and determined effort put
forth to profit from them.
1t is enough, however, to justify |
my prophecy, that the future will |
show that the difficulties of the
present years have not destroyed |
our spirits, but on the contrary
have acted only as spur to con-
tinued and consistent striving for
q brighter future wherein wider