Sumner High School - Maroon and White Yearbook (St Louis, MO)

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A Glorious Awakening The day was one of rare beautyg the hour was a most convenient one, and I was very drowsy. Settling myself in my favorite chair, I prepared for a little nap. Suddenly I heard the babble of voices and before I knew it I was surrounded by a group of my friends who were pulling me out of my chair. They wanted me to go swimming with them. This sounded rather refreshing, so I agreed to the hilarious plan. With carefree abandon, our swimming toggery in bags, we tramped through the house to the waiting jalopy. We rode past the crowded and stifling city streets where unkempt children were playing. We rode past slovenly and slightly inebriated men who were conversing on the street corn- ers. We rode past filthy and tumbled down tenament houses reeking with pungent odors. We rode past depressing and degrading sights to the fresh country air, green grass, shady trees, chirping birds and beautiful flowers. This was truly God's country. We basked in the glow and peace of this refreshing environ- ment. Feeling rather thirsty, we stopped at a road- side inn and obtained a few bottles of soda. After hurriedly consuming it, We went on our way once more. Past the orchards, past the barns, Past cows and the fields of corn. Onward! Onward! Faster still, Around the bend to the old red mill. Hurry! hurry! for goodness sake, Soon we'll reach our cherished lake. Suddenly the jalopy, christened Old Faith- ful, evidently grew weary of her load, for she gave away. With a wheeze and at cough she refused to bear us any longer. She was as dead as a door nail. The driver got out to investigate. He tinkered with the spark plug, the fan belt, and various other mysterious parts of the automobile. After giving up hope of restoring life to Old Faithful, he be- gan to beg us for assistance. We got out and walked around the car, looking intelligent and eyeing it with suspicion and disdain. Sud- denly someone had a brainstorm and investi- gated the gasoline supply. To our surprise we found the tank was empty. A collection was taken up and a delegation was sent to secure the cherished fluid. In their absence the remainder of us sang loudly and lustily to pass the time away. With a song in our hearts and a crack in our voices, we welcomed the gasoline bearer. MAROON AND WHITE Painfully and slowly we continued on our way. Finally, we reached our cherished lake. The sunlight on the water gleamed and glist- ened. The wind made ripples on its surface. The tantalizing swishing and gurgling of the water made us race to shelter and don our swimming paraphernalia. Frivolous, hilarious, and energetic, we splashed about in the water. The cool and delicious feeling of water on one's lurid and sweaty body had a soothing sensation. With closed eyes and lazy strokes, I swam toward the middle of the lake. The current was taking me swiftly to my destination. I had no idea that I had traveled such a long distance until I attempted to stand up. My feet went down and the previously soothing waves turned to violent and terrifying water. Fran- tically I kicked and struggled. I reached the surface and gasped for air. I was under again. After kicking with all my might, I came up for air the second time. As the water closed about me, again I remembered having heard that the third time to go under was the last time. With all my power and strength, I struggled and kicked. Suddenly, I awoke with a start and gazed into the face of my mischievous brother, who had been dashing cold water on my face. With a sigh of relief, I lay back in my chair and said, That is what I call a glorious awak- enin-g. M ary Turner. Emotion Of all the things for which I care, The gifts our Lord has given, Winter's wind pure driven snow In silver fingers from my eaves, On my windows delicate filegrees. A poignant feeling in my breast, As a shy young violet does its best, And singing birds take wing To announce the recent arrival Of the beautiful lady spring. There's something about a summer's Day that fills my eyes with tears, Causes my heart to overflow, As peaceful clouds sail in blue skies And gentle breezes blow. George P1-ice, Jr. Page Sixty-three

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The Black Immigrant America plays an all important part in the meeting and welding of races. The colored races are no exception. These seekers of destiny have come from the far corners of the world, bringing with them their fine gifts of their native lands. Our great port of New York calls them from Slpain, France, the Guianas, Arabia, Denmark, Portugal, Britain, and Africa. With them they bring traces of their quaint folk life and traditions. The largest number, from British West Indies, come for economical and educational advant- ages offered in the United States. Next in number are the Spanish-speaking natives of the Virgin Islands, who take an intelligent and active interest in affairs of their former homeland. They are tireless in their eEorts to establish civil government instead of the naval administration now in existence. These black foreigners who are usually lean, sunburnt, quaint of manners and speech, con- stitute a total population of 73,803 in the United States. From the year of 1920 to 1923 the foreign born Negro population increased nearly 4071. But this increase was not per- manent because 207p left during that period, leaving a net increase of 24,000 for the three years. Today, in Harlem alone, there are about 35,000 foreign born Negroes. It is this body of black immigrants that make New York so unlike Pittsburgh, Washington, Chicago, and other cities with large American Negro populations. For the first time here they are in contact with American Negroes and Amer- ican race prejudice. They find it hard to segregate themselves into colonies. Their too- dark complexions make it impossible to pose as Cubans or other alien-tongued foreigners, thus their adjustment to American life be- comes a task. Since the largest number of black foreigners come from the West Indies, we should be interested in learning more about them. To the average American Negro all English- speaking natives are West Indians. It is generally thought that there is everything in common among these people. This is not true. The West Indians classify themselves as being either Antiguans or J amaicans. The barriers: geographical, political, and cultural separations make them form entirely different character- istics. However, their social grouping is determined by family connections, education, wealth, and power. This social grouping does not hold to the physical barriers mentioned. Hence, one may occupy the lowliest to the most exalted position in society, whether he be an Antiquan or a Jamaican. This social bar- Page Sixty-four rier that separates the colored aristocrat from the laboring class is almost unsurmountable. But in America the lowliest West Indian learns to assert himself. For over one hundred years the West In- dians have played a most important role in American Negro life. John Brown Russwurm, a Jamaican, one of the founders of Liberia, was the first colored man to be graduated from an American college and to publish a news- paper. This was in 1827, sixteen years before the first Odd Fellows' Lodge for Negroes was organized in New York by Peter Ogden. John W. A. Shaw of Antigua, who in the early nineties, passed a Civil. Service examination, became deputy commissioner of taxes for Queen's County. The West Indian's contri- butions to the Wealth and power of the United States has not yet been realized. It was the 'black men of the Caribbean who made the union of the Atlantic and Pacific possible by their intelligence and muscular endurance during the building of the Panama Canal , said Major-General Goethals, chief engineer and builder of this magnificent project. Since these people come from lands where they experienced no legalized social or occu- pational handicaps, they find it hard to adapt themselves to the customary tasks reserved for Northern Negroes. Having a distinct dislike for menial labor and being carefully trained for skilled trades, they apply for po- sitions that the average Negro has been taught to believe restricted to white alone. This persistence in fighting restricted labor has opened new fields of employment. They ven- ture out in business, such as jewelry shops, fruit stands, grocery stores, and tailor shops, while the American Negro usually dominate those businesses where competition from other groups is small-barber shops and poolrooms. The Antiquans and Jamaicans are, on the whole, homeloving people, fond of sports, but lacking a sense of humor falthough Bert Wil- liams, world's greatest Negro comedian, was born in the Bahama islandj. They save their earnings and send a large part of it home to their kinsmen. There is a distinct difference between the West Indian's and the American Negro's form of religion. While the former is restrained in his emotions, the latter has a tendency to indulge in displays of emotionalism bordering on hysteria. The West Indians originated the style of wearing white shoes and light flannel pants during the summer months. Although they MAROON AND WHITE

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The Voice of Freedom When we consider the elements guiding and influencing the progress of America's most oppressed minority group, we cannot forget the one great factor of law. Civics tells us that law is the rule by which the people of a community, locality, or nation should govern themselves. However, it is evident that many of these laws in the majority of our com- munities do not apply to the Negro. In giving the black man of this nation his freedom seventy-five years ago, the white master kept two strikes against him, and both of these were law. Under the leadership of the fore- most members of our race and with the aid of many liberal white-blooded Americans, the Negro has not struck out yet. Instead, we have ventured into the field of law, the only means by which we can annul the white man's curse. In the first few years after the emancipa- tion, the Negro lawyers' struggle to maintain a professional foothold in the United States almost resulted in failure and the ultimate decrease in civic privileges. One of the def- inite causes which retarded the Negro lawyers' progress was, he could not get enough support from either the white or his own race. In studying law, the black man made the first mistake of practicing without regard to his own people. He prepared himself for a career of lawsuits, business disputes, and criminal defense. When the chief need of the majority of the Negroes for lawyers were for to obtain equal privileges and equal justice, the early colored barman was not prepared for the tricks and discriminations practiced in the southern courts of uneven justice. Another mistake practically fatal to our newly acquired freedom was the venturing of every Negro lawyer into the field of politics, which at that time was more corrupt than it is in the present decade. Many of our race survived the political struggle and emerged victorious in the managing of our government. Such notable lawyers as John H. Smythe, our first colored minister to Liberia, T. Morris Chester, an Arkansas officer of the reconstruc- tion period, John R. Lynch, and John M. Langston, congressman, and several other diplomats, reformers, and United States Army officers. All of these were graduates of law. To the very few barmen who had wealth enough to withstand the ordeal of a simple practicioner's career, we owe thanks for the first major step in breaking down the barriers of general discrimination existing largely in the U. S. A. Since the black -people could not Page Sixty-two K support a law school graduate, he was forced to take up another profession, or enter into the already discussed political field. Those who went into the latter class usually found service in the government. 'There they helped considerably to equalize the opportunities of the colored American. But these men were out of the field of law. The former class of graduates, those who prepared for a sideline profession to keep them going, were the ones that struggled with the tricks of' corrupt justice to destroy the evil forces working against our race. Gradually, as the Negro lawyer was forced out of politics, he was compelled to take his place beside these struggling barmen. In the late nineties, our lawyers made bold strokes for equal liberties. Continually, through the years they have been educating themselves for the task of breaking down a two hundred year old institution prejudice. Much success has resulted in the North, but the South is left as a future test of their actual ability. Can our black mouthpieces of Liberty, Justice, and Fraternity carry on the courage- ous fight in the future as they have in the past? Can they surpass the many triumphs over prejudice? The Negro has often found it necessary to apply the methods of criminal barmen to escape the loopholes of the white man's law. The fight for entrance into colleges, Army Institutions, equal business opportuni- ties and government positions have all been successful to a large degree. Now with their dark eyes to the South, the Negro lawyers are making another gallant thrust and this time they have a black minority which is more able to support them. Lawrence Still. Canossa I've been to Canossa, I've know its death-cold snows And misty winter skies. I've been depressed, Suffered pain that cut as deep As the snow itself. I know just what it means To find life's sweetest dreams Cannot come true. But I've hoped against Canossa's blinding storms And lo, I am the Victor! W MAROON AND HITE