MQi rmo
THE CAKOLINA TIMBS SATURDAY, MARCH 31, 1956
DEEP IN THE HEAliT OF DIXIE
Deep, deep in the heart of em white man when the ques- he and his forefathers have
the southern white man are tion of equal treatment for«iong mistreated his ^Negro
the roots of hatred for Ne- his Negro neighbor is broach- brother, who is deeply m-
groeft. So deep that only God ed is akin to the feeling engen- debted to the Negro for his
Almighty will ever be able to dered in a man by the sight long-suffering patience in the
pull th«n up. Let there be no of someone to whom he has face of this mistreatment, is
mistake about his pretense of long been indebted. Each ap- analagous to the debtor, and
4iatred for Communists, or pearance of the creditor in- is consequently disturbed by
even enemies of this country vokes an emotional distur- every question of equal treat-
in time of war. Such hatred bance within the debtor and ment for his Negro creditor,
is only superficial and at a with each successive intirusion The legacy of moral indebt-
moment’s notice can be re- of the creditor upon the deb- edness to which he has be-
vo^. It is wen that hatred tor’s peace of mind the pat- come heir is too great for him
is superficial, because it is at tern of association begins to to face manfully. So he re
odds with the divine natvure harden. The debtor begins to sorts to the only defense that
of humanity But, among associate the sight of his his pride can erect, hatred,
southern whites, it is only creditor wilth his feeling of He sees red whenever the
superficial and reversible if uneasiness. Soon the associa- Negro asks for or the sugges-
theobject of the hatred, com- tion crystallizes until the tion is made that he be given
munists or otherwise, are debtor ceases to think of his those things which have
possessors of a white skin. All feeling of unrest and the been wrongfully deni^ him
the rankest Communist has creditor as seperate entites. through the years. It is then
to do to be received with They came inextricably boimd that the average southerner
open arms in the South is to together in his mind, and to begins to scream about ou^
renounce his allegiance to him they become as one. He side interference, mongreli-
communism. Any former en- dislikes the creditor because zation, intermarriage and oth-
emy of this country, provid- he dislikes the uneasy feeling er nonsenical rantings.
ed his skin is white, will like- the creditor invokes in 1^. ™ j oraver
wise be received by the South The more fi^uent the CT^tor ^ South now being ad-
and otttnded .11 of the social is presented to bis sight, to ““"4“
courtesies, economic advan- hi,, ^ntemplation, the more ^ Jeep^lith St
taees and other privileges pamed the disturbance be- . ^ ,
which the South has to ofL comes The amo^t of tte tj,/southern white man save
And, say again, 1^ a good stimulus dete^nra t h e ^i^glf from himself. So deep
thins for a man to be able to reaction. He h^tes the emo roots and so well
forgive his fellowman for past tional disturbance, and he fertilized have they been by
misses. But the southern gins to hate the creditor, the *®^StTon
white man, no matter how cause of it, because he can- » ancestors that long before
forgiving he may be to form- not seperate the res^t from pattern, -the
er enemies of the country,, the cause. The psycholo^te of life for the white child
^ot find It m his heart to probabl^ave a n^^^ in the South has already been
forgive his Negro neighbor, kind of behavior pattern. But provided. What it has cost the
who has always b^n loyal, the potential for it is basic m g economically, political-
for the accident of his birth, all human beings. It becomes . socially and ab^e all,
To be bom with a dark skin incorrigible in those who can- ^ ^ever be esti-
is unforgivable in the South, not logically analyze the ^^ted How many, southern
and only the Negro must for- situation, discover the cause inspired by the
ever be assigned a place of of the disturbance and face ^ Groree Washing-
hatred in the heart of the up to the fact. H the dehtj,r ?“'?kom.s M?ersoTAbrf-
southerner. can never rea ize that his d^- ^ Lincoln and other great
L turbance is actually caused by p„t off
There can only be one rea- i-is inability to discharge a Americans have ^n cut on
son for the sad state of affairs obligation powerfully felt he ^ reahMtaon of
in thp South only one an- °°“eanon powenuuy leii, ne ^ because of the southern
m the bourn, only one an ^an never be rid of hate for probably never be
known. Hatred demands its
The white southerners, who price,
must know in his heart that^ —
Life Is Like That
H. ALBERT SHITB
“REST TO THEIR DEAR ASHES”
swer, and that is the south- jjjg creditor,
em white man’s treatment of
the Negro. What happens in
side th« breast of the south-
INIEGMIION INEVITABLE
A class in Sociology at without racial prejudice, and relations with North Carolina
Duke University, after con- also to accept without bigotry College in scholastic and
sidering the issue of desegre- the joint education of Negro athletic programs.”
gation, recently came up with children with the children to , . . „
the conclusion that adiiission be born of Duke students.” ^he class went on to advise
of Npffroes to the University . that “Negroes should be ad-
is democratic, Christian and , Tv* which graduate
inevitable. The findings of for intewa^ level. This would make it
!i,'£^iS’S“wSe*re.,S' «on*ara:fl?Svi?it”S possible to a«»rt.in how well
reports and studies on the “As a preparation for ad- ceptw by the
question. This not at all sur- mission of Negroes to Duke, posedly more broad-minaea
prising to anyone who is i n t e r-racial cooperation groups. It would make pos-
able to se& the issue clearly, should be practiced in deal- sible to see how graduate stu-
and it. hardly rates much im- ing with community prob- dents, professors and admin-
portance as a news item. For lebs (such as juvenile delin- istration officers, as weU as
we have long since contend- quency) in programs of civic the Negroes, themselves,
ed that if the matter of inte- organizations, such as the make the inevitable adjust-
gration is approached with YMCA, luncheon clubs, the ments.”
less heat and more light, there churches and financial drives. j. ^Quld be interesting to
is only one logical, democra- it Xui., nan apt anv
tic, Christian and inevitable As m md to developing ^ thanofofessor
conclusion to be reached. ...sympathetic understanding, ^her at Duke toanprtle^^^
the class suggests that stu- Hart s classroom. ^
The findings of the class dents make friendly visits to tainly its proposals call for a
were summarized in a recent Negro institutions, observe gradual acceptance of Negro
issue of the student newspa- Negro activities, promote off- students and embodies the e^
per at the Uijiversity. They campus pulpit exchange be- sence of moderation which
were: tween Negro and white those of the opposite race
nj. 1 j preachers and the like. claim to be the only way to
“It was unammously agreed Preacners ana me desegregation. If
that, sooner or later, admis-, “An introductory period of Duke University officials are
sion of Negroes to Duke would about two to four years should concerned about the
be inevitable. be developed at Duke which glaring disparity between the
“Both the Christian religion would entailjgradual explora- profession of truth and Chris-
and our democratic political tion of such activities as the tianity which the institution,
institution p-e founded up- following: as a University and a Method-
on the principle that all men a) Discussion through stu- jst supported school repfe-
are created equal before the dent activities, such as church sents, it cannot continue to
law and equal in the feyes of groups, student government ignore the statements of its
God- arid the Ys. . own students and faculty
“To deny educational op- members that ihe time for
portunities merely because of tetween Duke Md separate education is at an
race is un-Christian and un- colleges to be publish- g^d.
democratic. Southern whites who have
“The students in Dr. Hart’s c) Invitation to Negro min- paraded as liberals and
class feel if Duke does accept isters to preach at Duke humanitarians behmd tne
Negroes after a certain Chapel. well worn phrase that they
amount of preparation, and if d) Exchange of Negro and favor uplift for the Negro can
it meets with justice and dis- white professors for a semes- no longer stand «iU and re
patch the problems which ter at a time. fuse to move in the direction
thereupon arise, this will e) Invitation of Negro lec- which deceny,^i^tice, democ-
make it much easier for Duke turers to speak at Duke’s racy and Christianity ae-
students to accept Negroes on auditoriums. mand.
their own merits in later life, f) Friendly approaches in —
SATURDAY
T, E, AUSTIN
CLATHAN M. ROSS
H. ALBERT SMITH
MARCH 31, 1956
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One of the greatest men to
ever walk this planet admonish
ed in one of his letters that no
man should think more highly
of himself than he should. It
was a wise bit of philosophy
then, and still is, although 1900
years and more have passed
since that letter was written.
But, unfortunately, men have
the curious and nbsurd habit of
rejecting philosophies of life
that malce for their peace and
security. Thus it happens that
the admonition referred to is
but another rejected way of life
sorely needed in these uying
times of hostile relationships.
Universal
The author of that bit of ad
vice was evidcntally dealing
with a problem that has afflict
ed the human race from very
early days.-the arrogation of
superiority by some men who
loolc down upon other men as
their inferiors. And don't think
this pernicious tendency belongs
to any one race; it doesn’t. It
is an inter-racial plague (and
intra-racial too.' afflicting black
men as well as white men, and
men of every color.
Easily Acquired
So easy it is for a man to as
sume that he is better than other
men, one wondeis why it is so.
You don’t have to teach it to
most individuals. Just let them
get a little bit ahead of the pack,
whether they do it by hook or
crooic, fair means or foul, or by
inheritance from those who
stepped ahead of the pack, and
they assume a superiority that
results in bigotry, snobbishness
and treating those not enjoying
their status as small fry to be
loolced down upon and walked
on. ,
Different Matter
In instances, of individual
cases of this assumption of su
periority, the situation, t>ad as it
is, leads to no wide-spread dis
order in the field of human re
lationship. But when it is em
braced by some race of men...
that is a different matter. For.
then, it reflets itself in social,
political and economic philoso
phies and practices to the de
triment of other groups. And
that is bad, because mass resent
ment to the evi3s of mass su
periority assumptions leads, af
ter so long a timp, to friptinn nn
a widespread scale with tragic
consequences.
A Big Sin
The one big sin of ,the white
man in this country has been
the deification of himself be
cause of his skin color and hair
texture. It has led to assump
tions of racial superiority, es
pecially' in the South, that has
become a fetish—an object of
unreasoning devotion. The re
sult has been that he, while
feared, is about the most hated
man on earth today. Armed
might is his dikes against a
swelling tide of hatred and re
sentment. How long those dikes
can hold is the one big question
facing thoughtful white men to
day.
My Guess
I do not know a single Su
preme Court Justice. Neither
do I know actually what influ
enced their hi^tciric anti-segre
gation decision of May 1954.
But it is my guess that, among
other factors influencing them,
is this swelling tide of hatred
and resentment I have mention
ed.
Nonsense
1 have been reading a lot of
nonsense (we use to call It
“tripe”) to the effect that we
must love white people...love
them until, by the heat of our
love, the granite quality of their
detestation of black men will
itself be melted into love for us.
Well, you don’t love a man
of whom you are afraid, especi
ally when he continues to pour
the swill of inju;:tJce down your
throat, and insists that you like
it.
1 Know Reactions
Does that mean that I am an
advocate of haired and retali
ation? Not by any means. But 1
am a practical student of human
nature, have a little l^iowledge
of history and anti not entirely
blind to what is happening in
the minds of men who resent
being looked down upon; brand
ed and treated inferiors.
A Bentdiction
A week or two ago, a Negro
woman wrote a .etter, published
in an Asheville newspaper,
praising white people for the
fine human and Christian man
ner in which they had dealt
with Negroes from slavery days
up to now. She was especially
grateful to the slave owners, the
mistresses particularly, who
were so Christ-like and tender
in their relations, with those
they held in bondage. Her lov
ing gratitude even flowed out
into the cemetery to cover the
slave holder’s remains as she
pronounced the benediction:
“Rest to Their Dear Ashes.”
Commended
Of course, she received fa
vorable editorial comment, and
acclaim from the paper carrying
her letter and picture. But I am
wondering if the editor did not
hold his nose as he poured over
the nauseating and putrid sen
timent of that letter and the
sickening praise he gave it. If
he is an intelligent man, I know
he did. But how could an intelli
gent man commond her?
- An Impoxsibility
And I say that because no
spiritually enlightened man can
condone slavery, past or pre
sent, nor any philosophy or
practice that throttles personali
ty, limits the development of its
potentialities^ and degrades a
human being with inferior treat
ment because of his color.
Stating Facts
— Hatred, I admit, is a bad
thing and I‘don’t advocate it. To
do so is not necessary. But I
know that continued maltreat
ment generates it and am simply
stating facts. And, if people like
the Asheville editor "had heard
what I heard when the notorious
Negro hater, Bilbo, died several
years back, and some of his
tribe later, they would know
that it takes love to beget love,
a love that repudiates all as
sumptions of • superiority and
accepts human brotherhood in
practice as Well>ai> theory.
GHETTOEs
ITS OUR BABY
PUBUe SCHOfli
Spiritual Insight
“CRUCIFIED AND RISEN”
BY REVEREND HAROLD ROLAND
Pastor, Mount Giletid Baptist Church
"And they crucified him...He
is risen; he is not iiere...Mark
15:25;16:6.”
Why did Christ’s life of
righteousness end in the cruci
fixion? Yes, Christ was nailed
to a Cross. The Crucifixion,
however, was not the end. A
life of such spiritual beauty and
loveliness could not so end.
Thank God, there was the glo
rious triumph of Easter and the
resurection morning. Beyond
Good Friday and dark Calvary
there is Easter and its hope of
Immortal life.*' Easter and the
resurrection becomes the cor
nerstone of the Christian Reli
gion. God guarantees victory be
yond all crosses borne in right
eousness. Thank God there is no
final defeat for Goodness. Be
yond the suffering and'seeming
defeat of Good Friday and its
Cross there stands the Risen
Christ in immortal glory.
We too have the promised as-
surance thA beyond our suffw-
ings, tribulations and Crosses
there is a day of victory...“In the-
world ye shall have tribulations,
but be of good cheer, for I have
overcome the world...”
Why must good be nailed to a
Cross? Why does righteousness
have such a hard time in a
world of sin? Let’s see the tragic
drama of Passion Week which
leads to the crucifixion of Christ
the sinless Son of God. There is
the. communion of the upper
room. Then we see the agonizing
inner struggle that dark night in
prayer in the Garden. He is vio
lently arrested. He is denied and
betrayed by those he trusted.
His friends walked away and
left him in the hands of the
enemy.H e is mocked, spat upon,
scourged and thorn-crowned.
Then he is tried and condemned
to death—the death of the Cross.
There is the cowardice of a Pi
late iind the murderous hatred
of the leaders.
This unholy combination of sin
and evil crucified the sinless
Son of God.
Yes, the dark forces of sin
and evil in man’s nature plan
and execute the ruin and de-
struction_ of the Holy Son of
God. These forces are whipped
into murderous fury and they
cry out...“CRUClFY HIM...”
Goodness stands idly by as
sin and evil run wild. Why must
goodness be inactive and silent?
No .one, no voice is heard in the
streets for goodness, truth, jus
tice and decency. Goodness
hides! Evil runs wild. We see
the same thing happening in the
struggles of righteousness in
our times. Evil takes the stage;
goodness is lost in inactivity and
silence? Too' often Goodness is
slow to organize and speak
against evil. In the Passion
Week evil knew what it wanted
and went out to get it...“AND
THEY CRUCIFIED HIM,..”
Sin and evil nailed the Son
of God to the Cross. He hangs
there with nalled-pierced hands
and feet. He is pierced in the
side. Jesus, the liamb of God
dies on the Cross. Why? He of
fers himself to redeem us from
sin. Evil thinks it has won a vic
tory. But sin and evil cannot
win: THIS IS THE MESSAGE
OF CHRIST AND HIS CROSS
AMID THE SEEMING DEFEAT
OF DARK CALVARY.
Beyond dark Calvary there is
the empty tomb, the Christ vic
torious over death. The angel
gives the first Easter greetings...
“HE IS RISEN; HE IS NOT
HERE..”
Capital Close Up
17 Years After Easter, ‘30
Seventeen years ago, Marian
Anderson, denied the use of
Constitution Hall, in Washing
ton, by the Daughters of the
American Revolution, sang to
an audience of 75 thousand fel-
low-Americans, more enlighten
ed than the Daughters, from the
steps of the Lincoln Memorial.
We were not t^ere. Our Date
with Destiny, that Easter Sun
day, found us sitting on top of
our traveling bag on the curb
stone outside the railway sta
tion at Yemassee, South Caro
lina, waiting for Jhe train to
Beaufort—we had business on
the Sea Islands which are a part
of the Beaufort coast.
No Negroes Allowed
We sat outside on the curb,
because we couldn’t sit inside.
Negroes were not allowed in
side. Our traveling companies
were two books—one on 15th
Century exploration and the lat
ter ' development of the indigo,
rice and slave trade on the
Coast which added up to what
Negroes were there, and why.
Th^ other book was Abolitionist
Thomas Wentworth Higginson’s
“Army Life in a Black Regi
ment”—^which summed up, said
that Col. Higginson, of Massa
chusetts, had recruited and
trained his Black Regiment in
the Sea Islands because of the
independent character of the
Gullah Negroes there, a charac
ter invaluable in fighting men,
but undesirable in mainland
slaves.
No Paternalism Wanted
Few reports had reached
Washington on the progress, in
the islands, of the Government
pro^am on which we were
checking, but back in the to-
BY CONSTANCE DANIEL
mato fields the answer was not
long forthcoming. The stiff
necked but unfailingly courte
ous Gullahs wanted no parts of
paternalism. They wanted the
means to carry on their own
work. They wanted technical as
sistance with fewer trimmings
and more know-how—a chance
to sell what they raised without
losing crops waiting for “Negro
Day” at the canneries. After
which the less they safr of the
“Government people” the bet
ter they liked it. but they could
not beat the racial economy
squeeze. And well-meaning edu
cational efforts among them had
concentrated on conserving the
picturesque, with little recog
nition of the need for making
them self-sufficient fo^ inevita
ble transmigration.
The same character coloration
that marked ' Col. Higginson’s
fighting men in the Sixties, that
cooled off do-gooder aid seven
teen years ago, marks today’s
resistance to pressuring in the
South Carolina counties now
bearing much of the heat that
has followed the Supreme Court
decision.
We don’t know about the sta
tion at Yemassee. But Marian
Anderson now sings at Constitu
tion HaU, where Howard Uni
versity’s Dean Warner Lawson
ha^ conducted the National
Symphony for two successive
years.
"Mongretization" — Jim-Crow’s
Scarecrow
It is a never-ending source of
amazed incredulity, to us, that
any American, least of all any
from the segregated South,
would mention—much less
moan and shout—about fear of
“mongrellzation” as a result of
Integration.
Afr. Lodge and Mr. Bilbo
It his memory is as good as
ours, former Senator Henry Ca
bot Lodge, Jr., now Ambassador
to the UN, will recall being
paged off the Senate Floor in
the midst of a Bilbo anti-lynch-
ing-miscegenation tirade, by a
“weekly” reporter, who figured
that if Mr. Lodge so chose, he
could end all debate and practi
cally clear the Floor, by inviting
the Mississippian to tell how
many Negroes were in the gal
lery immediately above him. In
addition to Walter White, who
was sitting there with a white
friend, that day, we had count
ed seven who could not possibly
be identified as Negro. The ab
sence of identifiable characteris
tics did not result from “integra
tion,” or the violation of white
virtue. It resulted from “white
supremacy” in the segregated
South. Mr. Lodge didn’t take us
up-on that one.
Embree on Miscegenation
In view of the number of
times, in the past week, that we
have seen straight-faced pieces,
by responsible columnists and
others, citing the South’s alleged
“fear of mongrellzation” as a
principal reason for resistance
to integration laws,' we quote,
briefly, from “American Ne
groes—a Handbook,” by Edwin
R. Embree, late president of the
Rosenwald Fund, and grandson
of the founder of Berea College:
“When decent treatment for
the Negro is urged, a certain
class of people hurry to raise
the scarecrow of social mingling
and intermarriage.. Those ques
tions have nothing to do with
the case. And most people who
kick up this kind of dust know
that it Ir simply dust to obscure
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