they rose to the surface until drowned. A crowd of whites had torn a
colored woman's baby from her arms, thrown it into the fire of a blazing
dwelling, held the mother from its rescue until she, herself, was shot
nigh unto death, and then allowed her to plunge into the fire to rescue
her little one. Nor was this all.

But out there in camp, isolated from the usual social life, July 2 and 3
and 4, Independence Day, was indeed a test of nerve, already tried and
sore and raw, for the young Negroes in training. Why should men train to
fight for a country that permitted such barbarous atrocities against
their race with impunity. In savage Memphis charred remains of Negroes
burned at the stake before a gala mob of 15,000, were thrown from an
automobile in the Negro quarter of that city! And the Negroes at Des
Moines held on. It has not been recorded in history that there was here
proposed any hostile demonstration, or that vengeance and ruthless
retaliation was planned. Wise counsel prevailed, and the Negroes at Des
Moines held on.

For three months they held on without audible murmur. Negroes from
civilian life, from the national guard, from the regular army, destined
for every branch of the military service, defied any propaganda, by
whomever invented, to break their morale. For three months they held on.
And then word came they would not be graduated. A number, in disgust,
left the camp. But the great bulk of them, although at the last moment
learning that they could be assigned to no military branch save
infantry, remained in camp for another month and were finally
commissioned as officers in the national army. It was the eleventh hour
of the eleventh day of the eleventh month of 1917 that they received
their commissions forwarded from the President of the United States. The
hour and day and month a year later became famous not only in their
history, but in the history of the civilized world.

They were given a grade neither high nor low. The rank of captain was
granted to men who were to serve in France and England. The former
country proudly made the Negro a general when he merited promotion; the
latter was committed to the policy of white officers for colonial
troops. In assigning rank as high as the grade of captain, America took
the middle ground. In view of the international situation, she could
hardly be expected to do more. She had granted partial recognition,
partial honor, partial equality. It was for the Neg