PAGE FOGB
THE CAROLINIAN
SATURDAY, MARCH 17, 1945
EDITORIALS
NEW YORK MEETS THE CHALLENGE
The oiiju tmont of tlu' Ives Hill has put
the Stall' of Now York in llio vaiiKuard of
llio uiovnnicnL to I'liminato job tliscriniin-
ation boi'auso of I'aco. color or croed. Dio
fiisl stato law of its kind, it may woU
sorvc as a moilol for otlier stntos, anti
.should bo an oxamplo for Congrosa.
No hmnnn light is more fundamental
than the rigid to a job wherover one can
meet the ipialificalions for it. dob discrim
ination bi'cau.se of race, sex or creed is
coming to bo recognized as a violation of
one of tile basic civil liberties, and the
outlawing of job discrimination by the
most populous of our .states is a great
stei) forward in tlie firm establi.shment
of that principle.
■ The .size of the majority for the bill in
both houses of the New York legislature,
despite the nrganied opposition of certain
strong eniployei group.s and labor unions,
indicates tlu* strongth of tlie sentiment in
favor of the law. If public .sentiment is as
strongly behiinl it as the vote would seem
to indicate, enforcement should be relat
ively effective. There will doubtless be
violations, evasions, and other difficulties.
But the law has teeth, and so has pos-
ibilities of being far more effeeeie than
an'‘‘educationar’ law, .such as was propos
ed by some of its oiiponenls as substitute.
In a.ssessing tlie probobiliiy that such a
law ns ha.s been passed will be enacted by
other states and by Congress, one should
remember the uitusually large .lewish and
Catholic populations of New ^ ork stale,
and the political influence of pi'ominenl
Jews and Roman Catholics, as well as the
voting powers of these two minorities,
which also benefit by the new law. The
Negro group was only one of throe minor
ity groups interested, and possibly the
weakest of the three in influence.
Another obvious sidelight is that the
political fortunes of Governor Thomas K.
Dewey, whose support was definitely be
hind the bill, have not been injured by
H,^nn^^.-urrnfthomea.suij.
to adjust himself to any place and to any
conditions which human beings can take.
He gets there with the first and is among
the last to leave. He may be only a barber
or a cook, but he’s there with the rest,
and ready for anything. Some followed
Washington, and others followed Corn
wallis. Some were with Grant and others
with I-ee. But there they were.
One day we may be startled by the
solemn and documented pronouncement
of .some hi.storian that there was at least
one Negro on the Mayflower!
IS JUSTICE BLIND ?
In Wake Superior Court a few days
ago two white men. duly indicted for mur
der. were permitted to plead guilty of
manslaugliter in the killing of a Negro—
an alleged watermelon thief, or would-be
thief. Having entered a plea of guilty the
only business '«ft was the sentence. They
were given a prison sentence, which was
.suspended. The slayers were placed on
pr obation for five years, on good behavior,
and on condition that th y pay $1,900, to
go towar’d the burial expenses of the vic
tim, his hospital expenses, AND the sup-
poi't of his wife and six minor children.
He was in the hospital a long time, since
several months elapsed between his re
ceiving the wounds and his death.
We wonder just how the family will in
vest what is left of the $1,900 after ex-
pense.s are paid, so as best to support the
widow and six children.
W’e wonder also just what would hap
pen in court to two Negro farmers who
fatally shot a white alleged watermelon
pilferer. A suspended sentence on a plea
of manslaughter after an indictment for
niui'dor? Or do you think so ?
The CAROLINIAN is not for ven
geance. It is not so disturbed that these
slayer.s, who pi'obably did not intend to
kill, and who showed their real feelings
by i-usliing the victim to a hospital, were
not .sent to prison. It is not particularly
shocked by the inadequate size of the
money indemnity, if it really represents
tlie ability of the defendants to make
amends in that direction. But the
CAROLINIAN is interested in equality be-
.....i n... ........i
YOU speak. HAFW
LESS 1--RAGMENT3
OF WAR Ih^OR-
MATlON MAY BE OF
VALUE TO THE
ENEMY"
By-j.rRANcis^pmcE
iTf'f
^IF you HEAR iT-bONr REPEAT nr
/ecend Thcufitits
By C. O. HAULIBURTOM
In an address before the Sunday
Evening Forum at St. Augustine's
College recently l)r. John Hope
Franklin, the well-known young
historian, discussed the role ut
race in bringing about the present
war, and more particularly the
menace of imperialism based on
racism to the future peace of the
world.
Dr. Franklin stated that the Nazi
theories of race were a potent fac
tor m precipitating the present
war, The theory of the superiori
ty of some white subraces ovci
others was one of the pillars of
the Nazi ideology. Fundamentally
of course the theory of race sup-
ertority and. inferica-lty is the
same whether applied to different
.subdivisions of the white race or
to the different races as divided
by color. Dr Franklin says that
though the Allies began this war
in a frame of mind definitely con
demning racism, they have tended
erly accepted, that non-white peo
ples are inherently inferior to
white peoples; therefore the white
man is justified in seizing re
sources, wherever he finds them,
if those resources belong to a non
white people. Enslavement of
dark peoples is defended on the
basis that in exchange for enslave
ment and exploitation the natives
are brought the benefits of civil
ization.
On such theories were built the
justification for Negro chattel
slavery; for the newr-extermlna-
tion of the American Indian In the
earlier years, and for his progres
sive banishment to less ^nd less
desirable land as the frontier mov
ed relentlessly westward.
On such theories have the Euro
pean nations shoved themselves
callously into Africa and Asia,
with the arrogant British in the
lead. For the most p.irt the whites
hjve not considered H necssary to
,.ff. 1- -inv pRplRnatiun oiLlustmca-
It is shocking to think what has
happened. The imperialUU muscle
in, and having arrived, do not
hesitate to use any means to •‘pro
tect” themselves from the “en
croachments” of the natives, who
have committeed the heinous
and unpardonable offense of hav
ing been there first, and are so
unreasonable as to want to keep
for themselves a little of what they
have always regarded as their own!
They sometimes have the unmiti-
glted effrontery to went to main
tain even their freedom, rather
than offer their labor and resources
for the enrichment of the inter
lopers!
Later on, when the inconsisten
cies of their policies are revealed
in the cold, clean light of their
avowed principles of democracy
and Christianity, “science” In the
form of theories as to the suj^r-
iority of the white peoples, and the
Inferority of all others, •offers a
convanlent rationalization for the
For Negroes there is a special significance in Arthur Bartlett's
warning in last Sunday's This Week Magazine to the effect that
the old-fashioned servant “is becoming a vanishing American, not
just for the duration, but for keeps." He continues by saying that
“we are moving, however, toward something new, perhaps better.
We are going to have specialists, not slaves; service not servants."
The statement is to a large extent good news for the former
white domestic worker who left his or her job in the home and
sought war work in order to make a larger salary and gain re
spect as a citizen whereas before he or she was an underpaid non-
enity who in the eyes of the public deserved no particular respect.
Adding the dignity of “specialists" to this group will must ce:tain-
ly draw a larger number of better trained white people to this
field. And they will not be faced with the smoldering resentment
which is being held against Negro domestic workers because they
too sought factory Jobe for better pay and some respect.
For Negroes, however, Mr. Bartlett's conclusions based on a
cursory survey of former domestic workers, employment agencies,
and householders carry a sobering note, a warning and an admoni
tion.
'Rie sobering note is already suggested in U.c fact that more
whites will be employed by white employers with alacrity when Uie
field of service is given .greater dignity. Many of us are already
aware of the fact that there is a desire to "get even" with Negroe.t
who left their domestic jobs to do higher paying fa'^tory work dur
ing the war. The question was r.iised by a listener to a radio
forum on which the author of this column appeared. The impli
cation of the question was that Negroes who seek domestic jobs
after the war may find more than token resistance and as a result
may suffer badly the effects of unemployment since such a large
proportion of Negro women are employed as domestics in order to
strech o'jt the meager incomes of their frequently unskilled hu>
bands. This fact is especially applicable to those living in the
South.
The warning is very much in evidence when the dignifying of
the jobs is said to include a standardization of working hours, the
systematic organization of the duties to be performed by experts
in food preparation, childcare, house cleaning and the like, the pro
vision of wages comparable to those paid in industiy, social se
curity. and the bonding of the workers. Whereas the white girl
can suggest that she may find it pleasant to return to housework
from a factory job she can make certain stipulations as to what
she will or will not do. The Negro girl may be called upon to do
whatever is asked on terms already decided upon without her
agreement or else.
Sometime ago reference was made in this column to tlie fact
that it W'is eminently necessary for Negroes to prepare themselves
for the specialized requirements of homekeeping as a vocation
requiring skills. Mr. Bartlett’s article suggests the same thing by
implication in quoting a home economics professor to say that
"it takes as much training to do a good job in a modern home as
it does in an office or factory." Therein is the admonition or ex
hortation. It is almost essential for many Negro women to take
advantage of the many Uaining courses offered them so that they
may learn the techniques involved in handling electric mixers,
electric stoves, electric ironei's and the various other household
gadgets. A knowledge of vitamins, calories, and the foods in
which they may be found will be required of a good cook.
Negro high schools have rois.sed in many cases an imporUnl
opportunity when they have permitted their students to drift per-
(•onctorily through domestic cour.sts without learning the elements
of neatness, how to boil collard greens, or the difference between
the composition of the diet of an office worker and that of a welder
manu (—jQf*® nnr«»nts have obieded to these necessary
Dewny, whose support was uoiniiiuiy u-
hind the hill, hnve not lioon injured by
the pa.sji.'iire of tiic meiusure.
THE UBIQUITOUS NEGRO
Phologinphs app' urillg in the newspa
pers allowing Negroes among Uie Ameri
cans r.'lensed from I'liilippine prison
camps h.v MacArlluir’s liberating army
remind of us of a recurring phenomenon
of American life: In spite of limitations
and proscriidions. the American Negro
turns up evcrywiicre. Wherever the
American ling goes, some l)lack Ameri
can will be found, lie gets tliere somehow.
From Crisims Attin lis oo Boston Commons
to Dorie Miller at I'earl Harbor it is the
Banu* old story.
They stiy lhere was only one Negro on
Conegidor when it fell—hut there was
one. And he suffered capture and impri-
Bonment wilti the other Americans There
was only one wilh Peary at the North Pole
but there was one. He suffered «ind en
dured with Hie rest. There were not many
in the California gold rush, or in the trek
to the Yukon*-buL there were some. They
were with Washington at Valley Forge;
with Jackson at Now Orleans; beside the
Hough Riders at San Juan. Wherever cour
age, hardihood, adventurousness apd de
votion have been demanded, the Ameri
can Negro has been there. In spite of dif
ficulties and snub.s, he has been on hand
to add his bit to the history of his native
land. Unobtrusive, often ignored by hia
contemporoi'ies and forgotten by the his
torian, he has been in there working and
sacrificing for the people and the country
he loves.
Flexible and adaptable, the Negro has
met the highest test of human efficiency,
the ability to live and thrive anywhere;
amends in that direction. But the
CAROLINIAN is interested in equality be
fore the law, and the equal protection of
the law, for all the citizens of the State of
North Carolina, rich or poor, high or low,
while or black.
FROM SEVELEN TO LEDO
PYom ail over the world come stories of
the great contribution of Negro troops to
allied victories, present and to come.
Whether in combat duty or in the services
of supplyl they are meeting the require
ments in noble fashion.
Tbe Uirilling story of the 7fi4th Tank
Battalion has appeared in the daily as well
ns the weekly press. Cut off by the blow
ing up of a bridge in their rear the task
by color. Dr Franklin aays that
though the Allies began this war
in Q frame of mind definitely con
demning racism, they have tended
to forget the issue of racism as
the war progressed, and have left
entirely out of their plans for the
post-war world any positive pro
gram against racism.
The history of humanity reveals
that the strong have always ex
ploited the weak. As man has de
veloped a conscience, he has found
it necessary to justify this explol-
taUon. A few centuries ago the
theory was propounded, and eag-
callously rhtu Africa ana Asia,
with the arrogant British in the
lead. For the most part the whites
have not considered it necssary to
offer any explanation or justlflca-
tion for their aggressive appropria
tion of the resources they find In
adequately defended. Nor have
they felt any call to defend their
exploitation of the natives them
selves. So far have they been
from feeling any compunction that
they have deemed it entirely prop
er to punish any native resistance
or resentment by ruthless suppres
sion, and even extirpation.
ana unnsuanny, -wienw ■ lu iim
form of theories as to the super
iority of the white peoples, and the
inferority of all others, offers a
convanlent rationalization for the
already firmly entrenched system
of exploltaUoD.
So Churchill says that the war
will make no difference In the
status of the subject peoples of the
Empire. So Churchill insists that
no British concessions in China
are to be given up. So the Atlan
tic Charter applies only to the
right kind of people — In Europe.
Dr. Franklin is eminently right.
Lest We Lcraet.
Bt w. l. creerz
SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSON BytUv. M. W. WUliami
THE CAROLINIAN
118 East Hargett St. Raleigh, N. C.
Telephone M74
Pub) Uhed by The Carolinian Publiihlng Co.
Entered aa second-lass matter, April 6, IMO. at
the Post Office at Raleigh, N. C.. under the Act
of March 3. 1879.
P. R. JERVAY, Publisher
C. D. HALLIBURTON. Editorials
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Address all conun'inications and make all checks
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Tlie Carolinian expressly repudiates respon
sibility for return of imsoUclted pictures, man j-
•eript, etc., unless stamps are sent
Advanced thinkers are becom- ganizaUon tor permanent pMce. modioim ol plenty ali^ “
unit in ita first combat action fought its ing honest. Numerous examples ,,iind*in Se ^°liutus mid"old-world mercan-
way out of an enemy encirclement describ- pr'La" L'j'jVKSion whM
ed as "little Baatogne,” in an eighteen the nation. It ia now beginning smother growth ol the cau^ of je^ona lor toe »odoI Atb
hour struggle with crack Nazi paratroop- ^n^’ar”vocal*and ^pidar'vSo peace”"Thelaws'ot nations must man brotherhood AL-
ers. The 784th received the accolade of
Uie veteran 35th division to which it was truly liberal are masquerading as ternationai cooperation rather tian '"‘““'“'T
libSais when reaUy toey are ex- than contlict. Many parts ol toe tion to ^antee aU toe promp-
asslgned. ' They can fight with us any then popularity. No- world are over-popuial^ and tion nee^ il *dl
.. tf -j au oEhU where in the nation is this ten- under supplied. Emigraticm will hut ALLOW men to practice com-
time, said the 36th. dency to ejqiloit popularity help some in such cases, but im- plete brothwhood a^
On the other side of the world, in Bur- achieved in less criU^ Sfn!iA!?^LlATl«isi^^
more marked than in the South, caste, and kind written into the HUMAN
ma, when the first convoy started over the what was relatively liberal in laws of countries which Ini^atlon is tw to w
new Ledo Road into China, notice was ?o7a‘’rtoi Julf^
taken that 65 per cent of the An.erican -~ii*hTo?wh“.t«rd ToSed^" mlSitr
workers who completed this marvel in is learning about the basis for The means of industtiahzaUon from s^ ^not ^
ratisfactory adjustment of human must be shared if all the regions mongers and should not be
army engineer accomplisment were Ne- relations in a post-war world or- are to be fed and clothed with a trusted.
groes. The hard, rough, dangerous, and
in many respects thankless job of hacking
out a road through the jungle is a practi
cal monument to the skill, tenacity aiida
devotion to duty of thousands of black
Americans.
We say “thankless” because when the
fii'st convoy began to move, not a Negro
truck driver was in it. One can see the ex
pression on the faces of the battered en-
gineers who lined the road, looking first
hopefully, then despairingly, and finally
with dignified bitterness, as their gaze re
vealed no black face behind the wheels.
Again it had been, ‘Tgoad that barge!
Tote that bale!” and stay in the back
ground when the glory and recognition
arc passed out. The engineers protest
ed ; and by the time the convoy arrived at
the Chinese border there were some Negro
drivers. U would have been criminal to
have it otherwise.
Subject: The Law of Life. Matt.
25:31-46.
- Key Verse: Thou shall love the
Lord thy God with all ihy heart,
with aU the soul, and with all
thy mind. This is the first and
greatest commandment. And the
second is like unto it. Thou shalt
love thy neighbor as thyself. Mail.
22:37-39,
Eternal life or eternal damina-
tion sliould be the deciding factor
in the life ol each individual. In
or near Jerusalem and on the
slope.i of Olivet during what is
known as Passion Week. Jesus, the
great Teacher, pictured in no un
certain terms, the things each must
do which will decide his fate.
Life, for the Pbarasees, was eval
uated, in the most part, by the
number of Commandments they
kept, or the observance of the
greatest Commandments. Just be
fore Christ's death they asked Him
which of the Commandment^ (618)
as taught by the Jews was the
greatest? His answer to them and
to os is summed up In our Golden
Text of today's lessoo. Love to
God first, and to love at|r neighbor
as our self, second.
administer justice and mercy to
others, who himself, does not know
the God of justice and mercy?
Hardly not. True, we have mil
lions of men and women who have
accepted the Christ's way of life
and are doing their part In the
name of the Christ for world peace
and brotherhood; but can we say
as a Christian nation, as a Chris
tian State, as a Christian Com
munity, we are doing unto our
brothers as we would have them
do unto us? In this lesson, the ax
is laid at the root of the tree. If not.
God is giving us a chance to re
pent. The day of judgment will
eventually overtake us. Will we be
sheep on the right hand or goats
on the left? Eternal life or eter
nal damination? Which shall it be?
You must decide.
WASHINGTON — Ambulance
After silencing and condemning
the Pharasees (Matt. 22:41-46;
Matt. 23:1-38). He laments over
Jerusalem. It will pay us, poor
mortals, to iwnder over and pray
erfully consider these sorrowful
words in His farewell message. If
we interpret properly "The Law
of Life" _ The whole life is
weighed and determined by our
udlirance to the two great Com
mandments. No man can properly
obey the first and ignore the sec
ond. How can ye love God whom
ye have not seen and hate your
brother whom ye have seen? (Jno.
4:20). In summing up the law and
the Judgment Christ said: Inas
much as ye did it unto one of
these MY brethren, ye did it un‘u>
ME — even the Least. All of our
service tacts) if we would be
counted worthy, in the sight of tbe
master must have behind them the
highest and purest motive. We must
either serve or neglect our brother
Can one have love, paUene^ and planes of the U.
filth for his enemy, for the less Command between D-Day M>d the
favored, for those who are down middle of more
and out who do not acknowledge 100.000 wounded al^
tile Fatherhood of God and the the Continetn to togland without
brotherhood of man? Can a man loss of a patient.
f-^ctorUy through domes.♦icToura^^v^houWearnm^Th^elTinent^^
of neatness, how to boil coUard greens, or the difference between
the composition of the diet of an office worker and that of a welder.
In all too many cases parents have objected to these necessary
courses by insisting that they did not send their children to school
to be “ordinary cooks” or what-iots.
Now while there is yet time considerable attention could be
given to emphasing the importance, dignity, and real service in
household dutica. High schools and colleges might well propagan
dize the fact that domestic service oi the best typ-' is in reality an
art. It will require the temperment and skill which we have to)
often exclusively associated with professional work of another
area. It will be necessary also for us to disinfect our minds of the
pernicious thought germ which puts into an inferior social group
anyone who earns a living, however honest it may be, by doing
domestic work.
Soon the war industries will be closing. Soon millions of
workers will again be trying to find a way to earn a living. The
time of scoffing at certain types of jobs will have passed. The Ne
gro, man and woman, who will be the first fired as he was the last
hired, needs now to turn not only to new fields of endeavor in
which to gain more laurels but also to return to and to make him
self more proficient in the occ-jpations in which his worth has
been demonstrated convincingly to the Nation.
—DO YOU AGREE ?
EDITORIAL SHORTS
Taking life easy doesn’t make life easier.
• • • • •
Any married couple, with a family of youngsters, knows lhat
marriage is a racket.
• • • • *
Smokrig, we are advised, definitely shortens life, but who can
make the smoker believe it?
• « • • •
History what a smart writer thinks occurred.