In another class we have leaders that have been selected for us by the white race, on account of their willingness to advocate inferiority and practice submission. We have still another class that has assumed leadership based upon falsification, gall, treachery, bigotry, egotism and borrowed oratory. These two latter classes are appropriately designated as “old aces” and it is customary for our race journals to give publicity to such persons for so much per. When such persons do something for the advancement of the race we will be pleased to make note thereof, but we will not use valuable space in rehashing and gleaming before the public, falsely assumed virtues and accomplishments to which they are not entitled, but for which they have been given credit solely for the reason that they have “divied up” with someone, to falsely represent them before the public.
We should like to send every one of our Subscribers a letter telling of our plans and ambition to give them the greatest value in the columns of The Half-Century Magazine that can be obtained anywhere.
We are very pleased to announce that we have secured the services of Miss Leona Porter to conduct our Domestic Science Department. She is, without question, one of the leading cooking authorities in this country today and needs no introduction. To secure Miss Porter’s services exclusively for the Half-Century, it cost a great deal of money, but we wanted to have the “real authority” to conduct this department. The recipes which will be published each month should be saved. They are arranged in convenient form, so that they can be cut out and pasted in your cook book. You are at liberty to write Miss Porter at any time and she will give you, without cost, helpful advice on all questions of marketing and cooking, household economies, recipes, menus, left-overs and problems of housekeepers.
Miss Evelyn Northington will conduct our Department of Beauty Hints. Miss Northington needs no introduction, as she is of national renown as an authority on Beauty Culture. You can rest assured that when Miss Northington indorses anything, it has had her personal investigation and her indorsement cannot be purchased for money. The article itself must come up to the standard or she will not indorse it. Little aids to beauty and good health—hints on complexion, hair trouble, skin, etc.—are matters on which you will receive advice promptly from a source you may trust.
We shall note each month, as the information comes to us, the latest books by Colored authors or about the Negro. The latest songs and music by Negroes and the latest talking machine records.
We want short stories with plots and settings dealing with Negro life and will pay a good price for all such stories as are accepted for publication in our columns. Stories must not exceed 5,000 words, must be typewritten and written only on one side of paper. Please understand—manuscripts that are not accepted will not be returned unless sufficient stamps are inclosed to pay postage on the same.
Politics! Oh, yes! The Negro is a born politician, and although we shall try to avoid following our natural instinct to jump into the Political Pot, at the same time we are going to reserve the right to discuss fairly and impartially, men and measures as they may come up to affect the welfare of the race.
We are planning a Special Fashion Number for our September issue. This will be a unique number in which we have a big surprise in store for you. We will show the latest fall styles in ladies’ wearing apparel. A corps of trained fashion experts of our race in Chicago and New York have been engaged and will especially feature our people in the latest styles.
The advertisements of a modern publication have become one of its most important features, as it is the medium by which the manufacturer or distributor and the consumer are brought together. It is a fact that many persons are more interested in the advertisements of a publication than in any other of its features, which is evidenced by the fact that they often read the advertisements first; for it enables one not only to keep abreast with the new developments, but also offers many opportunities for saving in expenses, which is very important in these days of “high cost of living”!
We believe in truthfulness in advertising, and, therefore, will not knowingly insert in our columns, false or extremely exaggerated advertisements; nor will we accept the advertisements of clairvoyants, fortune tellers, promoters of questionable oil wells or mining stocks or other get-rich-quick concerns as have fleeced our people in the past. It is our intention to investigate the responsibility and reliability of each advertiser before we accept same for publication. We shall aim to set a standard that if the advertisement appears in this publication, it is reliable; a policy that should produce such a confidence between the advertiser and our readers, as to result in a mutual benefit.