St. Paul recorder. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1934-2000, 1961-09-29

In Adds Ababa, after calling on
the American ambassador, Arthur
l. Richards and the head of USIS,
Barrat Parker, 1 returned to my
room at the Ghion hotel and was
startled upon answering the phone,
which I had not expected to ring
to hear a bright American voice.
1t belonged to Miss Jacquelyn
D. Moragne of Pittsburgh, Pa, a
secretary and the only Negro in
the us. embassy. She spread the
word and that evening 1 had din
ner with Mr.. and Mrs. Lawrence
Walker of Ocala, Fla. He is with
Point Four, but is being trans
ferred to Iran.
Mrs. Walker is a very hospitable
woman and her home seems to be
the headquarters for all American
Negroes in Adds. Her daughter
Beverly, 20, has just completed
the University College of Adds
Abada and should be in us. by
the time you read this preparing
to enter the, graduate school at
Atlanta university to study social
work.
Also saw in Adds, Homer Smith,
former Minnesotan, veteran Ne
gro foreign correspondent who
spent many years in Russia and
London before coming here as edi-
tor of a magazine printed in Eng
lish and Amharic. He has friend
ly Russian wife and two children.
Another Negro who has spent
many years out of the States is
DR.. David Talbot who came to
Adds 16 years ago as a teacher,
became editor of the countrys
only all-English daily paper and
is now advisor to the Minister of
Press and Information. He has an
Egyptian wife and a daughter
six years old.
The Ethiopian women, on the
whole, are very feminine, have
pretty faces with fine features
and wear no makeup. Even the
airline hostesses, as well groomed
as they are, don't use Hpstick, and
even more unusual the prostitutes,
of whom there are many, spurn
cosmetics.
It's because the Ethiopian men
place a high value on what they
call natural beauty" Even the
several Negro wives of Ethiopians
I met have abandoned their fav-
orite lipsticks. The former Marie
Morgan of Chicago, who has a big
husky 20 month old son, and Jean
Martin, another Chicagoan, say
they are getting used to not wear
ing it. The hairdressers, however,
do a good business.
No one I met knew of an Eth
opian girl married to a Negro
man. Chief reason is that very few
Ethiopian girls go to America.
Walked down Adds Aba's fam
GUS Mattress street, which John
Gunther mentioned in his book.
On one side is a row of mattress
makers shops. Guess what's on
the other side? Those very naugh-
ty places where mattresses form
the basis of the business.
There are three types of mar
riages here. The conventional civil
or religious homogeneous unions |
such as we have in the states.
Then the contract" marriage I'M
der which the man agrees to pay
the woman a certain stipend per-
iodically. If he fails to make a
payment, she can take him to
court and force him to hand it |
over. But there's a catch. If he
dies, she cannot share in his estate.
The children, if there are any,
have a legal claim to what he
leaves. AS you can imagine, some |
greedy women have lost fortunes
on this deal. The third type is well
known in this and many other
parts of the world-the polygam-
Gus deal.
A small box of tissues costing
tic in the states costs $1.65Eth
here. One us. dollar equals two
and a half Ethiopian dollars.
Ran into Chicago's DIR. Herbert
Turner in Adds. He's been every
where making color movies. Says
that the Ethiopian visit almost
makes his world travels complete. |
Crossed equator again enroute
from Adds Ababa to Nairobi. So
I'm a shellback twice. Last time
was during World War II enroute
to Australia from San Francisco
by Liberty ship.
Here in Nairobi found the three
FNV,Oaornadara uyhn GtaNad habipI