ro to gain the rest.

Seven hundred American Negroes commissioned! A baker's dozen of
captains, six hundred odd lieutenants, and five hundred who dropped by
the way. German propaganda had taken contrary suggestion and forced the
Negro to this point of moral advantage. Plunder, arson, lynching and
burning at the stake were employed against him to break his morale or
incite him against America. But he held on. Seven hundred of the
"sub-species, dark of skin, wooly of hair, long of head, with dilated
nostrils, thick lips, thicker cranium, flat feet, prehensile great toe
and larkheel" had passed every physical, mental, moral and social test
and were commissioned in the American army. Doubt existed in the minds
of every American citizen, including the Negro officers themselves, that
they would ever see service overseas.

Assigned to various camps, the problem of recognition by white soldiers
of colored officers immediately was raised, and promptly settled. In
only a few cases did open clashes occur. In far more cases was the Negro
received with full merited honors of his status, and in some sections on
the basis of complete equality. The Negro of a northern locality,
accustomed to all immunities and privileges of his home, experienced
great difficulty when first assigned to camps near Baltimore,
Washington, Houston or Norfolk. He would have passed through this state
of his development well enough, settling his difficulties himself as
they arose, had not some evil genius prompted the commanding officer of
the division in which he was finally to be assembled to issue Bulletin
35, which follows:

"It should be well known to all colored officers and men that no
useful purpose is served by such acts as will cause the 'color
question' to be raised. It is not a question of legal rights, but a
question of policy, and any policy that tends to bring about a
conflict of the races, with its resulting animosities, is
prejudicial to the military interest of the colored race.

"To avoid such conflicts the Division Commander has repeatedly
urged that all colored members of his command and especially the
officers and non-commissioned officers, should refrain from going
where their presence will be resented. In spite of this injunction,
one of the Sergeants of the Medical Department has recently
precipitated the precise trouble that should be avoided, and then
called on the