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January 31, 1925. THE HEEBIE JEEBIES 5 Town Topics We are persuaded again this week to mull over the matter of a local intelligentsia, such a thing in New York, or anywhere. We find it disturbing Mr. George S. Schuyler, a New-York gentlemen who wears shabby clothes and is reputed to do much thinking. Mr. Schuyler holds forth weekly in the Pittsburgh Courier and has just written in that publication: "A falsehood oft repeated is soon assumed to be true. What the behaviorists call sub-vocal talking, or what laymen call thinking, is a form of muscular activity as susceptible to habit formation as any other. If we are told often enough that a certain soup, soap or sock is the best on the market, we flock to buy it. Most beliefs have no sounder basis. Indeed, when we believe a thing we have generally stopped thinking about it in a scientific way. Thus, most people believe in life after death, that the Y.M.C.A is a Christian institution, that Negroes are natural born singers and actors, that the white race is superior to the others, etc. By continual repetition these myths are accepted as profound truths. "Consider for a moment the myth about Harlem being a great intellectual center. This falsehood has been repeated so often that even I believed it for a while. But what are the facts? "Roseanne" with Paul Robeson comes to the Lafayette Theater in Harlem and plays six days to half filled houses, while the "Demi Virgin" plays two weeks to crowded houses. For every copy "The Nation," "The Atlantic Monthly" or "The American Mercury" sold north of 125th street there are two hundred copies of "True Story," "The Saturday Evening Post" and "Snappy Stories" bought by the "intelligentsia" of the Aframerican metropolis. These folks in Harlem are so eager for knowledge that every seventy-five of them came out to hear Prof. Franz Boas, dean of the department of anthropology of Columbia University and America's greatest scientific exponent of the equality of the races, while Teddie Roosevelt, Jr., was only able to get a measly crown of two thousand. When Eeverett [[Everett]] Dean Martin, America's greatest authority on crowd psychology, lectures free at Cooper Union every night., you can always see as many as three Negroes there to hear him, but a dance at Madison Square Garden (a quarter mile away) will draw only a group of ten thousand or so. When Dr. John B. Watson, Dr. A. A. Goldenweiser, Dr. Thorstein Veblen, or Prof. David Friday lectures at the New School of Social Research, it is amazing to see the huge crowds of Harlemites who turn out. I have counted as many as four at some of the lectures, while at the same time Mamie Smith could only draw a corporal's guard of a couple of thousand to hear her sing "Don't Mess Wid Me." The love for culture is so great in Harlem that there are twenty cabarets for every literary club! "Aside from a handful of civilized people, Harlemeites are not on the same intellectual level as their brothers and sisters in Boston, Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, Kansas City, Chicago, or even Washington, D.C. Yet, we continually hear of scores of the dark brethren seeking intellectual companions [[?]] in Harlem! It is to laugh!" Dave Peyton has signed up with Al Tearney to play for a year at the Pershing Palace Cafe, 64th and Cottage Grove Ave. Mr. Peyton's orchestra formerly furnished the music at the Plantation Cafe. The Manhattan Club held their elections of officers recently. Those that were elected to pilot the club through the year of 1925 were: Frank Dameron, president; Harold Bryson, vice president; Ernest Bell, secretary; and Wm. D. Jack, treas. The Century Club's first meeting was held at 4410 Vincennes ave. The members that were welcomed in the club were Arthur T. Macklin and Merrel Evans. Neigel Young, pres.; Nathaniel J. Taylor, vice pres., and Chas. L. Adams, critic. The Heebie-Jeebie club will meet at the home of Mrs. Lula King, 4412 Prairie avenue, Saturday afternoon. Baby Helen Clark, the little daughter of Prof and Mrs. John G. Clark danced to 500 appreciative spectators at the Eudora Dancing class Monday night. The little star successfully performed many beautiful interpretations and received much favorable comment on her toe dancing. Invitations are out announcing the silver wedding anniversary of Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Allen, 4929 Wabash avenue to be celebrated February 3, at Warwick Hall. The United Dancers Club meets at 4427 Grand boulevard Wednesday night at 8 o'clock. This club boasts the greatest progress of any club in the city for its age, being over a few days over two months old. An informal dance will be given January 31, Saturday night, at St. Elizabeth Hall. This organization has two hundred and and twent- [[section missing]] [[?]] Bryson, chaperon, entertained [[?]] members and their company. Installation of officers recently elected will be held at the home of Wm. C. Blake, 429 E. 46th st., Feb. 7. The Misses Lula Parker, Rebecca Johnson, Phedoral and Harriet Harris, were made members of the Joli Coeur at Saturday's meeting, 537 E. 42nd st. The annual billiard tournament of the Appomattox club will be opened Monday, Feb. 2, with a smoker. Carter Highbaugh and Joe Brent are among the stars already entered. Bernard Lewis is chairman of the committee in charge. One of the new clubs among the girls is the Semper Fidelis. All the members have bobbed hair and can to the "Charleston." The membership is limited to sixteen, according to Miss Marion Harris, the secretary. ------------------ Heebie-Jeebies, $2.00 a Year
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