St. Paul recorder. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1934-2000, 1938-10-07
Here And
There
By w. NJ. Smith

Ralph Matthews, young Negro
columnist of the Baltimore Afro.
American, wrote interestingly last
week for his paper. His article
sought to analyze the cities of st,
Paul. Minneapolis and their people.
His article will prove more in
teresting to those who, unac-
quainted with these cities, will not
be able to make the criticisms that
will naturally arise in the minds
of Twin City residents as they rec
ognize how many important and
vital facts find no place in his writ
ing. Some of his statements are
not true; a number of his inplica-
tons meant to be facetious are un-
called for and his deductions are
often not soundly based.
The Matthews article declares
that Minneapolis and st. Paul are
''Hick" towns. This conclusion is
reached because the writer sought
information evidently only from
the welfare agencies.
We are inordinately proud of our
agencies and the men and women
who conduct them, but had the
writer gone farther afeld and con-
suited some of the many citizens
who have lived and labored in
these cities for many, many years
he would have collected more facts
of Importance and of greater use
fitness in drawing a picture of
conditions as they present them
selves to the careful investigator.
He might have learned, for in
stance, that the Twin Cities boast
a modern up to the minute laundry,
with $3.50 of its patronage non
Negro, comparing favOrably in
workmanship and output with any
similar institution not only in
Minnesota but in the entire ma
ton. That located here are mortu-
aries with building, equipment and
personnel the equal of any to be
found anywhere. That the legal
and medical fields are represented
by men and women whose peers
may not easily be found in many
more ambitious communities. And,
strange the neglect, he would have
learned that Twin City newspapers
are rated higher than any pubIica-
ton of their size and class in the
field of Negro journalism in the
United States. This last statement
vOuched for by nationally known
company that devotes it self annu-
ally to the analysis of the Negro
press.
The Matthews article makes
some gross mistakes. Among them
that our Phyllis Wheatley House,
costing 100000, was built for the
convenience of some 25 or 80 stu
dents who come yearly to attend
our university.
This university, by the way, is
the fourth largest in the country
and draws it's Students from every
quarter of the republic. Quite some
possession for chick" town!
We would like Mr.. Matthews to
know, too, that we have in these
Twin Cities the finest electrically
equipped street railway system in
this country with not an antiquated
horse drawn car among its units.
Something that may not truly be
said of Chicago nor perhaps of
New York or Baltimore. Our park
system, nationally known, is free
of access to all our citizens, black
or white. Many larger cities might
envy this fact.
Mr.. Matthews pays fine tribute
to several persons who have lately
come to join with our people in the !
further development of our COM
munities. With this we are in full
accord. They are welcomed and
hOnOred here. Their work is fully
appreciated and supported.
We feel, however, that the Afro
Americans correspondent may well
be compared to the Englishman
who comes to America for a
months visit, then returns home
and writes an informative treatise
on American institutions.