Christianity In Action
SOr-IT MIXED SERVICE
The above photo shows a part of the crowd leaving the First Baptist Church in Dan
ville, Virginia at the conclusion of the First Bi*racial Thanksgiving servic* last Thursday
mor^ng. 7he service was sponsored by the Danville Minister’s Auodation.
Negro Minister Brings
Thanksgiving Message
At Interradal Service
Bishop Hemingway Succumbs
VOLUME 31 — NUMBER 49
DURHAM, N. C., SATURDAY, DEC. 4, 1954
PRICE 10 CENTS
Diike U. Professor
Baclis Hlgiiest Court
DANVELLE. VA.
Thanksgiving Day ol 19S4 in
Danville may or may not mark
a turning point in the nistory
ol the relation of white and Ne
gro churclia* in that ciiy. But
what happened on tlie morning
ol that day when 600 wonhip-
pers—300 colored and 200
white—thronged the First Bap
tist Church (white) to worship
God and mingled their voices in
praise and thanksgiving is a
ringing challenge to every se
gregated, so-called house of God
in America, a splended example
of Christian brotherhood, and a
' -d^j^atlc demonstration of what
Jesui "meant whw ha command
ed his followers to love one an
other.
Th6 speaker for the occasion
Was a Negro minister, the Rev.
L. W. Chase, pastor of the High
Street Baptist Church. He spoke
on the subject "God’s unspeak
able Gift,’’basing the topic on
Paul’s words to the church at
Corinth: “Thanks be to God for
nia unspeakable gilt.”
Rev. Chase pointed out that
thanksgiving or gratitude to
God is loremost among Chris
tian virtues and alluded to
Paul’s charge to the Corinthian
Christians to supply the needs
^ of the'saints even as others had
helped supply their needs, and
made it possible for them aa a-
church to carry on.
The minister told his npn-
segregated congregation that
they had much for which to give
God thanks and be grateful.
Beginning with the days of the
Pilgrim fathers, he cited bless
ings that had been bestowed on
America from that early date
until the present time. He said
that for tliese blessings every
American should be grateful.
The Rev. Mr. Chase conclud
ed his message by calling atten
tion to Ciurist as being God’s
chief blessing given to the
world. He urged, therefore that
his hearers give thanks for
Christ, God’s unspeakable gift.
Other participating clergy
men mentioned were Dr. L. D.
Johnson, pastor of the.church at
which the service was held; Dr.
Harold H. Hughes, pastor of the
Mt. Vernon Methodist Church
and President of the Danville
Ministerial Association, under
whose auspices the service was
held.
The pastor of the First Bap
tist Church, the Rev. L. D. John
son, offered the invo^tion be
ginning the service. Dr. A. Rey
nolds, pastor of the Main Street
Methodist Church, read the
scripture lesson and offered
prayer, and Dr. Harold ^H.
Hughes Introduced the speaker.
According to reports, this was
one of the largest crowds ever
• to attend a union Thanksgiving
service in Daqyille. It was the
' 'City’i Urst Union Thanksgiving
service combining white and
colored services.
What happened on Thanks
giving Day m Danville, when
Negroes and whites came toge
ther to give this city its first
Integrated religious service may
not happen again, it may be
(FleaM turn to Page Eight)
Dr. Clyde Donilell, prom
inent Durham physician,
who was elected president
and chairman of the Board
of Trustees of Lincoln Hos
pital at a meeting of the
Board on last Wednesday
evening, November 24. Dr.
Donnell is also Vice Presi
dent and Medical Director
of North Carolina Mutual
Life Insurance Company.
Broke Into House
ToGet Leg Back
TAUNTON, ENG.
A jury believed the story of
Howard Challenger, a one-leg
ged steelworker here, when he
told his reason for entering the
home of hia former landlady,
and acquitted him. Challenger
said he only wanted to get
back the false lag he had left as
security IS months-before onl^^^^
unpaid rent.
SaysStomachNo
Garbage Can
NEW YORK, N. J.
The husband of Mrs. Helen
Schroeder evidently doesn’t like
bacon and eggs, especially at
-he start of the day, according
to a story she told the Judge.
Mrs. Shrieder said that when
she asked her husband If he
wanted bacon and eggs, he
threw a shaving mug at her,
punched her in the eye and
shouted: “My stomach isn’t
garbage can.”
In a ^urrent Issue of The
Christian Advocate, Dr. Mason
Crum, professor of Biblical
Literature at Duke University,
writes that he is one southerner
who is not disturbed by the
Supreme Court ruling against
segregation in" our public
schools.
Dr. Crum implies a contact
with a large cross section of
southern public opinion and
states that he has not found
many alarmed about the impli
cations of the decision. “You
may talk,” he goes on, “to far
mers, laborers, trainmen, and
professional people, and they
will generally agree that the
decision was Inevitable and
right.”
A native of South Carolina,
as is Judge Wales Waring, the
grand-son of a confederate
% ilava-holdins
Cnim is of the
Human Riglits
Day Dec. lOtli
WASHINGTON
Following a precedence es
tablished in 1949 when by presi
dential decree December 10
was set apart as Human Rights
Day, the President of the United
States is expected to Issue a
similar proclamation this year.
In order to awaken more gene
ral interest in Human Rights
Day and increase its effective
ness in Influencing people
observe this period.
It recommends 'reading and
studying the Universal Declara
tion of Human Rights and the
Bill of Rights in the United
States Constitution and the
State constitution of one’s own
State and asks groups and civic
organizations to diacuss how
they might promote human
rights in their community.
Suggested also are coopera-
wholeheartedly, and In increas- tion with conmonlty organisa-
Ing numbers, to work for the tions in planning programs on
implementing of the objectives hiunan rights, holding a com-
to which such a day calls at- munlty-wide meeting on Human
tention, the United States Na- Rights Day, December 10, fea-
tional Commission for UNESCO turing a pageant, concert, panel
has published a folder which
tells in detail the origin * and
purpose of establishing a Hu
man Rights Day and gives
pointers as to bow to observe
the day.
The UNESCO document also
calls for a more concentrated
and expanded effort this year
to secure equal rights and free
dom for all men. Thus instead
of ifterely observing Human
Rights Day on December 10,
communities throughout the
nation are asked to proclaim the
six-day period beginning with
Human Rights Day, December
10, and ending with Bill of
Rights Day, December 15, as
Human Rights Week.
In addition to suggesting this
expanded period which will
Ihclude the observance ol Bill
of Rights Day as well as Hu
man Rights Day, the UNESCO
folder gives other suggestions
pointing out desirable ways to
discussion or an inspirational
address, and securing news
paper, radio, or television co
operation with such an obser
vance.
The folder further recom
mends the sponsoring of essays
and poster contests, aermona on
human rights, organizing a re
presentative conmilttee to work
on human rights, and making
every day throughout the year
a human rights day aa well as
Deceml^r 10.
Human Rights Day originated
in the General Assembly of the
United Nations on December
10, 18.48 In Paris. T%e body
adopted and proclaimed a his
toric Universal Declarwon of
Human Rights for al| peoples
and nations. The Dec^^tlM
called upon “every Iildfvldual
and organ or society to strive
by teaching and education to
promote respect for these rights
(Please turn to Page Eight)
minister, Df.
opinion that much of the ver
bal repercussion heard is loose
talk due to engrained prejudice,
which has over the years form
ed southern culture patterns.
Thus Ideational challenge to
customs of generations brings
spontaneous resistence.
"To most southerners, the
attoMttoir of segregation in pub
lic educntional institutions was
inevitable, as was the abolition
of slavaty,” he states.
The Duke Instructor pulls no
punches as he points out that
the Inconsistency between the
practice of injustice respecting
Negroes and the southern white
man’s ideals of social Justice
has caused southerners to suf
fer for years from an “inner
emotional conflict.”
Dr. Crum says that the de
segregation decree has brought
great relief to southern church
es. He is plain spoken as he
states that the decision of the
highest court in the land has
been welcomed by the churches
because for years they have
been spiritually embarrassed by
not doing what they knew in
emmmg-
way who died Tuesday in
Washington, D. C., had been
presiding Bisho.y of ^ St
Kjjisft)pOT District of the
Church since 1948. *
Last l^ites Held
For L L. Berry
In Detroit, Midi.
NEW YOR'
Last, rites for Dr. Llewc’.l- ii
L. Berry, prominent churclv. ’
in the African Methodist E-ii
copal Church, were held Fritlf.,
November 26, at 11:00 a.m. :
the Bethel AME Church Ul'
Burial followed in Detroit al
ter a short memorial service ct
the Bethel AME Church in that
city. I
Death eame to Dr. Berry sud
denly after a normal day’s ac
tivity Tuesday night, November
2^, He was in. his of&ce at
tfine. fife' lappeared tS to 'have
(Please turn to Page Eight)
■y, Ser-
AME
Churc'ii,
i'f»vev»b*T
held
BIRMINGHAM, ALA.
Bishop Clare Purcell of Bir
mingham declared today that
the Methodist Bishop’s Council
did not go on record to support
a drive against segregation in
American schools in its recent
Chicago Session.
The bishop said that the news
which originated in Chicago
was not complete In that it left
out significant words and failed
to carry the true meaning of the
council’s statement.
The Alabama prelate had re
ference to a new dispatch of
November 22, which stated that
a 50-member Council of Metho-
their heart of hearts was right. i Bishops hed pledged them-
Speaking of the grave injus- selves to support the recent Su
preme Court Decision that all
Bishop Denies Council
Will Lead Drive For
Integrated Schools
tice perpetrated upon the Negro
In America, the educator says
the south In particular owes him
(the Negro) a greet debt.
He writes of a growing hatred
Negroes have for white people,
(although white people gene
rally do not suspect it) due to
the evils of segregation.
The ,Duke professor points
out that social equality and
compulsory social interming
ling which the south fears most
have nothing in conunon with
the court ruling. "The Supreme
Court decision has nothing to do
with personal social relations.
It is aimed at equality of oppor
tunity in tax supported educa
tional institutions.”
The professor admits that
there are immense problems
facing most southern states, in
that Integrating the schools con
fronts them with the most chal
lenging situation since Emanci
pation.
But he believes that most
Southern people have enough
good will for Negroes to work
out the problem satisfactorily.
“That good will,” he avers, “Is
one of the bases upon which
better Inter-racial cooperation
may be founded.”
races should attend the same
public schools and had adopted
a message urging the 9,000,000
members of that church to sup
port desegregation.
Bishop Purchelle says it isn’t
so and states the Council had no
thought to pledge the church
to lead the fight to abolish se
gregation. He said eight south
ern bishops were against issuing
a statement of any kind on the
segregation question, and point
ed out the statement was not
unanimously adopted. ’The
Council recognizes that many
thousand of our people are sin
cerely divided on this issue and
differ conscientiously.
Heart Disease
Ask Immediate
Action In Case Of (^«!^
Hillsboro School
NEW YORK
There has been an increase
of almost 25 per cent in deaths
caused by heart trouble and
blood vessel diseases among
middle-aged men during the
past generation. At the same
time the mortality rate among!
women due to the same causes!
has decreased by almost as 1 The new lines were drawn in
much in the same age group. {.such a way that only Negro
CINCINNATI, OHIO.
The U. S. Court of Appeals
for the Sixth Circuit was asked
today to order the federal Dis
trict Court Judge John H. Dnif-
fel to act inmiediately in the
Hills^ro, Ohio school segre
gation case instead of waiting
until two weeks after the U. S.
Supreme Court issues its de
crees spelling out the May 17th
opinion outlawing segregation
in public schools.
The request was made In a
petition filed with the U. S.
Court of Appeals for the Sixth
Circuit by the NAACP Legal
Defense and Educational Fund
attorneys on behalf of the Hills
boro Negro parents and child
ren who charge the school board
with racial discrimination.
The petition asks that Dia-
trict Judge Druffel act Immedi
ately on a request for a pre
liminary function restraining
the Hillsiaoro School board
from forcing the Negro children
to return to the segregated
school.
The case Is the result of the
Negro children of Hillsboro' at
tempting to enroll in two pre-
viou^y all white schools in the
fall term. They were slowed to
register and attend classes one
week before the parents were
advised by the School Board
that the (Mldren would have to
return to the previously all
Negro school because the Board
had instituted for the first time
school zone lines.
children were forced back into
Jim Crow school. All of the
streets on which Negro school
children live, regardless of the
location of the streets within
th^ city, were included in one
zone.
On September 21, 1954, a
petition was filed with the Dis
trict Court seeking a tempo
rary restraining order restrain
ing the School Board from for
cing the children who had regis
tered at the two white schools
to return to the Negro school.
Attorneys for the Negro pa
rents and children argue that
the Supreme Court decrees will
have no bearing on their case
because none of the 5 cases be
fore the Supreme Court in
volves the issue of refusing to
allow the Negro children to re-
( Continued from Page Eight)
Heart AHment
Fatal To AHE
Church Leader
WASHINGTON. D. C.
Services for the Rt. Rev, L.
H. Hemingway, Presiding Bish
op of the Second Episcopal Dis
trict of the AME Church, will
be held in Washington, D. C.,
at twelve o’clock noon, Monday,
December ,8, at the Metropoli
tan AME Chtirch, ISIS "M”
Street, N. W.
The Rt. Rev. D. Ward
Nichols, Preriding Bishop of
the First Episcopal District, will
deliver the eulogy.
Bishop Hemmingway's death,
which occuied Tuesday, Nov. 30
at Freedman Hospital in Wash
ington, climaxed an illnees of
several weeks and came as a re
sult of-a complication of dlseasea
including a heart ailment and a
paralytic stroke.
He was bom In Conway,
South Carolina and was elected
to the bishopric in Kansas City,
Missouri in 1048. Since tkat
time he has been Presiding Bisb-
op of the Second Episcopal Dis
trict.
His wife, Mrs. Catherine C.
Hemingway, survives together
with several other close and dis
tant relatives. Interment will be
in. the Lincoln Memorial Ceme
tery, Suitland, Blaryland, just
across the District of Columbia
line.
ThMisHeWHIIh!
Wjiite FoKner
ST. LOUIS, MO.
L. Keith McGlathlin is sure
he will be forever white. He is
certain too that he belongs to a
superior race. In a letter of bit-.
ter protest to Collier’s relative
to an article on the Negro in
the North, McGlathlin writes:
“Those of us whose back-
grounds date to Plymooth Rock
feel a sense of both disgust and
fear that as great a
yours must publish such trivia.
I am white—^will always be
white and forever be of a very
pronounced and proven feeling
that our race is better than our
colored neighbors.
Announced By
Business Chain
The Diuham Business
its annual Outdoor Christmas
Decoration Contest. A great
deal of interest in this affair
is anticipated. A special appeal
is being made to the members
of the Flower Clubs and oth«
civic and social organlsatione
to enter.
There will be four grand
prizes awarded to the winners
selected by the Judges. Begin
now making jrour plans as it is
expected that this Christmas
the Durham Community will be
the most beautiful of any to be
found in the South.
Fill out the blank and mail
to: CHRISTMAS DECORA
TION CONTEST COMMITTEE
504 E. PETTIGREW STREET
Entry blanlts must be in by Saturday, December 18,
1954. Judges will begin judging the displays begiimiBC
Sunday night, December 19, 1954 at 7:00 p. m.
Durhom Business And Professionoi
Chain Outdoor Christmos
Decoration Contest
ENTBY BLANK
NAME
ADDBESS
TELEPHONE NUMBES
I PLAN TO ENTER TBE ANNUAL
CHRISTMAS DECORATIONS CONTEST.
OUTD^KM