12
'COLOR LINE" AT
DICINSON COLLEGE
ons of Mr. and Mrs. Frank L. Jef
erson, of 213 Adams street, Steel-
Both parents are intelligent
respected and have many friends
n Harrisburg and the industrial
>orough. Mr. Jefferson is connect
;d with the Btate Department of Ba
tor and Industry and is himself a
jraduate of the Steelton High
School. They are naturally crushed
>ver what has happened to their
)oys, who are made to suffer through
io fault of their own. but because
.he color line has been established
it the old Cumberland Valley insti
ution.
Three Yeurs at College
William had already spent three
rears at Dickinson and returned a
Tew days ago for his senior year,
aoping to graduate with a degree
:iext June. Edward, his brother, had
spent one year at the college and
started on his sophomore year on
Ihe reopening of the institution in
ate September. Both boys are in
dustrious, ambitious and have from
jhildhood earned money to aid in
'.heir own education. Their dismis
sal from Dickinson College for no
reason save their color has aroused
great indignation among their
friends everywhere.
Mr. Jefferson was asked regarding
the incident and without bitterness
told the story. In August, he said,
he went to Carlisle to see Dr. Mor
gan as to the work of the boys for
the new term, particularly about the
younger son's course of study. Dur
ing the conversation the matter of
the Students' Army Training Corps
at Dickinson, which was to be estab
lished at the beginning of the term,
was also mentioned. Dr. Morgan,
according to Mr. Jefferson, declared
he would be glad to have the boys
back. He explained that matters
were somewhat confused regarding
the military camp; that he didn't
know the exact nature of the organ
ization, but expected advices from
Washington and also stated the
equipment would be received in a
few days.
Again, in the latter part of Sep
tember and just before the reopen
ing of the college the following
week, Mr. Jefferson called on Dr.
Morgan to discover whether there
were any new developments. The
president of the institution said that
he didn't know what was the atti
tude of the Government concerning
the mixing of the races, whereupon
the father of the boys suggested it
would involve a great problem sep
arating colored from white students
in all the educational institutions of
the country. Dean Filler, who en
tered while the matter was under
discussion, remarked with regard to
the race question that he didn't
know whether the Government
would make any ruling concerning
it, but offered to telephone to Wash
ington and learn the situation. He
explained that the commandant
would be in Carlisle the following
Friday, and Mr. Jefferson said he
would prefer to wait until the com
mandant came, asking Dean Filler
to advise him after he had talked
the matter over with the military
Instructor.
Dean Filler's O. K.
Under date of September 21st,
Mervin G. Filler, the dean of Dick
inson College,, addressed the follow
ing letter to the lather of the boys:
"My Dear Mr. Jefferson:
"We found it necessary to tele
phone to Washington in order to
settle the question with respect to
your sons. Dr. Morgan has just had
a conversation with the authorities,
and the statement is made that if
they were already students in the
college they may be inducted into
! A Soldier Facing Death For You
• , '
Somewhere in France today, at this very minute, there something to prove that you appreciate what he is doing
is a soldier looking straight into the face of death. for you?
He is doing this for you. Of course you do. Then act on your desire and
By night and day, in storm, in rain, in cold and gloom, buy Liberty Bonds which will help to safeguard him and
facing a hundred deaths he never hesitates a minute but to bring him back home. ,
does his duty without a thought of hesitation and without After you have bought all you can tell your friends to
a thought of reward. do same
What are you doing for him today? Buy Liberty Bonds Today
When you think of that man don't you want to do Any Bank Will Help You
J - .
' This Space Contributed to Winning the War by
J. H. TROUP MUSIC HOUSE
FRIDAY EVENING,
i the S. A. T. C. I immediately tried |
]to reach you on the phone, but was
informed that you were out of the!
| city. Hence, I am sending you this j
I special delivery letter.
I "I am glad that we found it pos
jsible to make this adjustment.
"Sincerely,
(Signed) "M. G. Filler."
j With this assurance and happy in j
|the thought that they might con
tinue their studies and take part in
l the military training, the two boys
■ left for Carlisle on Sunday, Septem-
Iber 22, and reported at the college.
They underwent their physical ex
aminations and promptly telephoned
to their parents that both had passed !
successfully. The next day they I
took their places in the battalion i
and participated in the drill that j
| day.
j On Tuesday came the thunder- i
1 clap. During the drill Dr. Morgan j
jand the commandant, said Mr. Jef- I
I ferson to-day, stood in front of the |
j battalion, which was at attention. 1
| After a considerable wait, during
| which one of the students almost [
fainted and was assisted out of line, !
I Dr. Morgan called out William, the |
i elder of the Jefferson boys, and said |
lin substance:
I "We have been considering your
case for some time and have decid
!ed that it would, perhaps, be better '
(if you would go to a colored school. |
i There are a number of Southern ]
j boys coming here to-night and they
might make it unpleasant for you."
He then asked William what he
thought about it, ahd he replied:
"If you say so, there is nothing
I else for me to do but to go; but I i
I was working for a degree at Dick- I
inson, and you know what it would j
mean to me after the war."
Sent llomc
j Dr. Morgan replied that they had
| better go home and talk it over
| with their father. Both boys re- 1
j turned home the same evening and
were so hurt and humiliated by
I their experience that they did not
feel like leaving their father's roof.
Previously, William, the elder
boy, had replied on his question
naire to the local draft board that
he would be inducted the following
day into f the military service and
the developments naturally caused
him great embarrassment on that
account.
For several days the family were
.busy in the effort to have the boys
I entered at another institution. They
| are both now students at Howard
University, at Washington, and in
[training at Gamp Howard. Dean
[Filler issued certificates of their
! standing at Dickinson that they
might enter another institution, in
dicating regret over the cireum
! stances, and subsequently sent a
letter stating that both he and Dr.
Morgan regretted the incidents.-
Washington Agrees
Mr. Jefferson was asked whether
!the color line had ever been raised
[before at Dickinson and replied that
jit had not, so far as he had ever
I heard; that there were Southern
; boys among the students before this
'year, and that no question had ever
been raised about his sons. He felt
' keenly the treatment of the two
I boys, inasmuch as he believed he
! had taken proper precautions to
j avoid any complications which
1 might result from the introduction
lof military training.
| William and his younger brother
iare both proud of the fact that
their uncles—one a brother of Mrs.
| Jefferson and the other of Mr. Jef-
I ferson—are now lighting the battle
[of human freedom and justice and
| liberty in France.
Munncr of Ejection Hurts
I Among the friends of the Jeffer
[sons the question of racial differ
jences is not discussed so much as
,the unkind and heartless way in
I which the boys were requested to
drop out of the institution. They
felt that they could not have been |
humiliated more had they commit
ted some offense for which punish- I
ment might have been indicted. |
It is interesting in this connection j
to refer to u recerit appreciation of i
the colored soldier and the colored
man by Xrvin S. Cobb, the famous I
writer, who is himself a Kentuck- ;
ian. This article appeared in a re-i
cent issue of the Saturday Evening ■
Post under the caption of "Young:
Black Joe" and is a remarkable |
analysis of the colored fighter, his ,
optimism, his bravery, his 1 - fidelity I
and the splendid way in which he i
has made good on the fighting front '
| overseas. Friends of the Jefferson I
jboys believe that with the tine page 1
;which is being written in American
I history through the valorous deeds
!of our own colored soldiers there
should be no injustice back of the
| lines, especially in an institution in
j the shadow of another great train
ing school where thousands of In
[dian boys have been brought up
from the degradation of tribal con
ditions to the finest plane of Amer
ican citizenship.
Mr. Cobb's Tribute
! Mr. Cobb's tribute to the colored
; fighters is likewise an appreciation
iof the race, and he concludes with
| the following significant paragraph,
I which gathers up the opinion of a
| Southern man who has seen the
i colored man make good in the hell
of war:
! Coming away—and we came
I reluctantly —we skirted the
| edge of the billeting area,
I where the regiment of the
I Southern negroes was quarter
j ed, and again we heard them
singing. But this time they
I sang not a plaintive meeting
i house air. They sang a ring
ing, triumphant Glory-Glory-
Hallelujah song, for we learned
to them the word had come
that they were about to move
up and perhaps come to grips
with the "bush" Germans. Yes,
most assuredly n-i-g-g-e-r is go
ing to have a different meaning
when this war ends.
But even more significant than
this tribute from 8. Southern writer
is Cobb's extract from a letter writ
ten by an 18-year-old private to his
old mother in New Y"ork, with no
idea in his head when he wrote it
that any eyes other than those of his
own people would read it after it
had been censored and posted. The
officer to whpm it came for censor
ing copied from it one paragraph,
jand this paragraph ran like this:
Mammy, these French people
j don't bother with no color line
| business. They treat us so good
/
Wo wish to do anything that will conserve life and
health, so we gladly comply with the request of the
Health Department by observing the following hours:
SATURDAY, Oct. 12
Store Opens 9 A. M.—Closes 6 P. M.
The public can co-operate with this request
by arranging shopping hours accordingly
HAJRJEUSBURG TELEGRAPH!
that the only time I ever knows
I'm colored is when I looks in
the glass.
Side of College Officials
A Telegraph representative to-day
interviewed Dr. Morgan at Carlisle.
Dr. Morgan admitted that the Jef- j
ferson boys had been sent home.
He gave them both an excellent •
character and explained that they
had been called aside on the cam
pus and advised that, because of j
the changed conditions at the col
lege, their presence might cause dis
agreeable developments, especially
as the army camp requirements
called for segregation of races. He |
said the boys were asked to go l
home and talk the matter over with
their father. Their induction papers I
were held, he said, three days, and
nothing further having been heard
from the dismissed students the pa
pers were cancelled.
Dr. Morgan assumed all respon
sibility. Lieutenant Frank Furby,
military commandant at the col
lege, had nothing to do with the in
cident, he said.
Lieutenant Furby added: "There
is no color line at Carlisle and won't
be while I'm here." So far as he is
: concerned, he said, the way is open
for the Jefferson boys to reapply for
admission.
| J
Owls Sisters
Are Given Tip
By Ex-Officer
Mrs. Burger, of llarrisburg, Makes
Statement Based on Experience
"I recommend Tanlac to all my
sister Owls and to every one who
feels the need of a fine tonic," says
Mrs. Maggie Burger, the well-known
t ex-president of the Harrisburg
'Order of Owls, who lives at 1532
Thompson street.
"My health had been very, very
poor for a long tinje. My liver had
been poisoning my whole system for
a long time; I felt tired and run
down. I was afflicted with rheu
matism, too.
"I have been taking Tanlac now
for several weeks, and I can truth
fully say that I am fully restored
to health and happiness. I feel
strong and energetic; I sleep well
and restfully; my appetite is fine;
my nerves are quieted and much
stronger, and all of those rheumatic
pains have gone."
Tanlac is sold here by Gorgas'
Pharmacy.
The genuine Tanlac bears the
name J. I. Gore Co. on outside car
ton of each bottle. Look for it.
WAUE ADJUSTMENT HEARING
Wage adjusters, inspectors and in
vestigators attended a hearing in the
United States Civil Service room of
| It Is Up To You 1
II More of the Telephone operating j|
| force are absent today than at any 11
| period of the EPIDEMIC. 11
I . Many of the remaining force are ||
11 overworked and can properly care 11
j I for ONLY the SICK and the GOV- I §
I '.ERNMENT. .. ||
I Will YOU assist the Telephone Com- 1j
II pany in this Crisis? 1 ||
| Don't place lives in jeopardy and !|
| embarrass the Government's WAR ||
I program here in Harrisburg. Just 11
1 say "Sure I'll Help." THEN DO IT. ||
the federal building to-day at which
the basic wage scale for mechanics
on ordnance work in this vicinity
w 'OCTOBER 11', 1918.
I has been before the United States au
thorities for some time and the hear-
I ing is expected to result in import
ant awards.
Columbus Day to-morrow is a
OFFICES TO CLOSE TOMORROW
legal holiday and the city and coun
ty offices all will be closed.