Activities Among Negroes
The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People for several years has encouraged higher education for colored people. The Crisis magazine publishes each year the pictures and a summary of the graduates from both the white and colored colleges and universities. The following is a few who have during the past year graduated with honors from white colleges and universities:
Euclid P. Ghe, [Ghee] holder of the honorary scholarship of Harvard college, majoring in biology and chemistry and graduating with distinction,
Percy L. Julian, A. B. De Pauw University, Phi Beta Kappa: tor [sic] 1923-24, with cancer commission of Harvard university, holder of the Austin scholarship in Chemistry, on leave of absence from teaching staff Fisk university.
Sterling A. Brown A. R. Williams college '22. Phi Beta Kappa
Charles H. Houston A. B, Amherst 1915, Phi Beta Kappa, L. L. B Harvard, 1922. member of Sheldon Traveling Fellowship for 1923-24, will study in Spain.
Atticus Mahone, Northwestern University, won an internship in Cook county hospital by competitive examination.
Lucile Spence, Hunter College, Phi Beta Kappa and honorable mention for the Kelly bronze medal in education.
Clarise M. Scott, Wellesley College, winning scholarship honors each year, member of the varsity hockey team, receiving her letter "W" in 1922, Phi Beta Kappa, Wellesley chapter 1923, Delta Sigma Theta: Jennie D. Porter, B. S., University of Cincinnati, while attending university taught in one of the city public schools. Miss Porter in going from her school room to the university noticed many colored children who should have been in school and upon questioning them she learned they were recent arrivals from the Southland. She also found in a very small radius more than 130 colored children not attending school. She then visited the Board of Education and asked permission to use one of the houses in Sinton park public playgrounds to teach these children. The board granted her request, and her school grew until she had 1,500 children and employed 42 teachers. She was employed as the principal. During the summer months she would take her school out on a farm that she personally rented. Miss Porter turned her attention to the training of the children to produce a historical pagent that she had written to show the progress of the race, and to teach the value to the race of its great men: Miss Porter believes in the "negro spirituals." The musical part of her program featured "negro spirituals" and classical types of negro music by negro composers. Last year the Board of Education of Cincinnati, Ohio, decided that it could not afford to pay cooks for the Penny Lunch rooms in the schools. The teachers were ordered to close the penny lunch rooms. When the word came to Miss Porter, she said: "I will serve as cook." Instead of buying presents for her friends at Christmas time, she bought 97 pairs of shoes and stocking for children who would not be in a position to return to school after the holidays.
The Board of Education of Cincinnati decided that Jennie D. Porter was worthy of a real school. They built her a school modern in every appointment Including a swimming pool. It cost $750,000 without equipment. The school was dedicated, and at the request of Jennie D. Porter it was named The Stowe school in honor of the late Harriet Beecher Stowe, who wrote "Uncle Tom's Cabin." When the school was nearly finished Jennie D. Porter decided it must have a pipe organ which she ordered. The builders demanded first payment $3,000. Jennie D. Porter mortgaged her home and made the payment. She immediately insured her life so that if she died before the remainder of the $10,000 dollars was paid the organ builders would be protected. Stowe school was dedicated last February, and Its principal. Jennie D. Porter was graduated from the University of Cincinnati with the degree of bachelor of philosophy in June.
Colored citizens of the bay cities are enjoying this season great musical advantages under the leadership of Prof. Elmer Keaton, a graduate of the music school of the Northwestern University. He directed the Etude club, witch is composed of highly trained colored musicians who last spring were invited to render a concert from Hale's broadcasting station in San Francisco. This was the first concert of its kind given on this coast. Keaton has since organized the Muse Art club which rendered a light opera last week in the Parish House of St. Augustine church. Mis Emma Earl, a music student of the University of California, gave a lecture on the "Evolution of the Violin." There were also a musical number by one of the pupils and a talk by Keaton on musical composition, after which he played one of his own, a Nocturne op. 4. These lecture recitals will be given complimentary once a month with object of creating desire for study in music.
In response to a call by the Linden street Branch Y. W. C. A., an all-day conference was called for the chairmen of the different departments of both the branch and the Central Y. W. C. A. for last Monday. Mrs. Albert Scott, wife of the pastor of the Taylor Memorial Methodist church, Oakland, as chairman of the publicity department, opened the conference with devotions. She is the first colored trained Y. W. C. A. worker in the United States. The secretary of the Linden street branch, Miss Ruth Moore, made an address in which she spoke of the object of the conference. Reports were presented by the different chairmen showing the relation between the Central Y. W. C. A. and the branches. Among the most interesting of these reports were those given by Mrs. Theodora Purnell on the value of educating the public in regard to Hygiene, and Miss Ida Jackson, a recent graduate of University of California, who showed the necessity of looking after the interest and welfare of the employed and non-employed colored working girls. The conference closed with an address by Mrs. Brookman of Central Y. W. C. A. on "Christian Leadership."
The Mysterious Social Club of Phillips C. M. E. church, Berkeley, gave a Queen Liberty concert and it was well received. The church has just closed a revival which added many new members to the church.
The Mt. Zion Baptist church, Oakland, had a Hallowe'en concert at the church during the past week.
