Twin-City herald. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1927-1940, 1939-01-28
(By B. F. Peery)

1t was great day, back in 1909
when the government let down its
bars and encouraged Negroes to come
Under the wing of the Federal Posta
Service.
President Roosevelt was hailed as
a new prophet of progress as far as
we are concerned: Every young man
who could muster the courage was
urged to take civil service examina-
ton, trust the Lord, and make a good
grade. After that it was supposed tc
to be all down hill,
That happened, and about twenty
thousand Negroes were absorbed" in
to new found security that incident
ally called for an upheaval among the
colored socialites.
Before that time, doctors and law
yers being few and far between, the
barber and waiter represented all there
was to be had from a standpoint OF
snootiness.
With the new era, these fell into
the background, and the mefingue on
the social pie either pounded the pave
tiieht in that blue uniform, or shuffled
letters and skittered parcel post
through and about.
Uncle Sans newest acquisitions
did not go in for social service, or
making of new opportunities. AS a
rule they preferred to bask in the obs
and abs of those who could not make
the grade:
They did, however, show a large
gesture of goodwill, for where there
were enough in the office to enable
them to "clip in, it was the custom
to give ball once year, guests Sc
lected by elaborate invitations were
supposed to earn them by the prestige
it gave to spend an evening in the re-
Elected glory.
Happy was he of the common herd
who rated one of these, more happy
possibly was she who with cat-like
Psychology would show her betters
that she, too, could Ego to town in an
evening gown"
This affair happily concluded, the
boys in blue went back to routine
tasks, breaking the monotony with a
little back scratching in the motif
chat we had arrived
This setup history has proven was
not altogether generosity on the part
of Roosevelt the first. 1t was far
sighted diplomacy.
He could see that with the coming
Of education for the masses of Ne
groes, some plan of absorption must
be worked out. The Government could
shove the then untouchables into SER
vice with no protest from their white
colleagues, and at the same time get
rid of an army of disgruntled am
bilious young men, who had some ed
ucation, if lacking somewhat in fore
sight
Possibly Mr.. Theodore knew that
security would bring lassitude, and
lassitude was what might be sorely
needed in the future.
1t certainly worked, for if that
twenty thousand had been left to
winds of circumstance, the so called
liberal movement might have been adj
vanced twenty years.
America was fortunate in that the
favored ones developed certain apti-
tude at showmanship, fitted into the
federal rut gracefully, and have one
way or another still left the impress
sion on lot OF folks that theirs was
the right and proper way to solve the
problem of all earthly things.
Checking the records tells another
story. Aside from a few deacons who
would probably have been deacons
anyhow, and few experts at hiding
those scandals which beset us all, lit
tie has been done by this lost army
of progress.
Because it was we'll twenty years
ago that social prestige lay in an I'M
failing supply of ham and beans, there
was little reason felt for progressive
effort
Humanity became a parade to be
laughed at or wept for, depending on
the individual
Now they have been pushed off the
stage by the newer element, who real
ly practice law, saw bones, and devote
their lives to uplift of the underdog