-TOE CAROLINA TIMES S.V FEBRUARY 4, 1967
2A
The Righteousness of Deacons, Stewards
and Trustees
"For 1 say unto you, That except
your righteousness shall exceed
the righteousness of the scribes
and Pharisees, ye shall in no case
enter into the kingdom of
heaven." MATT. 5:20.
The powerful and indicting words
above, spoken nearly 2,000 years ago
by Jesus himself, leave no room for
doubt in our minds today that the
Son of God had the number of the
scribes and Pharisees. These self
righteous individuals held about the
same position in the synagogues as
the deacons or stewards and trustees
hold in our churches of today.
In short, we think it is not too far
fetched to do a little paraphrasing
here and use the word deacon or
steward and trustees in the place
of scribes and Pharisees. For if Jesus
were on earth today His words, in so
far as the average modern day
church is concerned, would be
equally as appropriate as they were
when they were uttered by Him
nearly 2,000 years ago.
Thus we hear thundering down
the corridors of time, That except
your righteousness exceed the right
eousness of the deacons or stewards
and trustees, "ye shall in no case en
ter the kingdom of heaven."
A glaring example of what Jesus
was talking about, is that now faced
by the deacons and trustees of two
churches in Durham, one of which
was organized as the results of a
squabble that split a local church 20
years ago, resulting in the erection
of a second edifice. The sensible,
More Consistency for NAACP
There is no doubt about it, every
Negro in America and many other
parts of the world, is indebted to the
National Association for the Ad
vancement of Colored People for the
magnificent fight it has waged for
nearly a half century in behalf of the
race. Because of this the CAROLINA
TIMES has stood by the NAACP in
and out of season and we would have
our readers to know now that we
have no intention of deserting the
organization or refusing to praise the
main bridge over which the race is
making its march toward the desired
goal of total freedom and human
dignity.
In the midst of it all we think,
however, that those who have to do
with directing the affairs of the na
tional office of NAACP would make
it less difficult for its followers, in
the hinterlands to know what the
score is, if they would maintain a
policy of consistency, instead of the
apparent "on again and off again"
policy that has been the lot of
NAACP headquarters here of late.
When one considers that it was
less than four years ago that the
NAACP made a most bristling attack
on Cong. Adam Clayton Powell in
the form of a phamplet it had printed
under the title: "Adam Where Art
Thou?" It is no wonder that many of
the faithful supporters of NAACP are
beginning to wonder what it is all
about.
Here in part is what the NAACP
had to say in that phamplet which it
published in April 1963:
"Three times within a brief period
of II days, March 21-31, Rep
sentative Adam Clayton Powell
(D. f N.T.) attacked the National
Association for the Advancement
of Colored Peoplo at open meet
ings, first in Washington end twice
later In Harlem. The March U
speech was at an outdoor rally
sponsored by a nationalist gnap
and included Malcolm X of the
Black Muslims as a speaker.
Each time he berated the NAACP,
the National Urban League, Dr.
Martin Luther King's Southern
Christian Leadership Conference
and CORE for including white per
sons among their office** and board
members.
In the Harlem rally which was
recorded in part by NBC television
cameras, Congressman Powell said
the public "should consider a boy
cott" of the NAACP because, he
stated, it had white people in
"policymaking" yssltisus.
His main speeck waa given la Ms
boat rabble-rousing, street corner
stylo and gave approval to tho
Black Muslims, although ha snld
there warn "same differences." Bo
said Malcolm X was his "friend."
When asked by n reporter U ho
wore calling for a boycott of the
and above all the Christian, thing for
these two churches to do, as was
recently suggested by one of Dur
ham's leading young ministers, Dr.
Lorenzo A. Lynch, is to bury the
hatchet and get back together as one
church. Such a move would not
only benefit the members of both
but the entire community in which
they are presently located. The
churches are within a stone's throw
of each other. Thus instead of try
ing to pay the salaries of two min
isters, and other unnecessary ex
penses involved in operating two
churches the members would be re
lieved of such a costly, stupid and
sinful burden.
So Jesus points His finger directly
at the deacons and trustees of First
Calvary Baptist Church and the
Morehead Avenue Baptist Church of
Durham and cries aloud, "That ex
cept your righteousness exceeds the
righteousness of the scribes and
Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter
the kingdom of heaven."
But like the scribes and Pharisees,
the deacons and trustees of the two
churches will turn a deaf ear to the
cries of Jesus and go on heaping up
on the weary and tired backs of their
fellow-members the heavy and un
necessary burden of operating two
churches. They will do so because
they don't really want brotherly love
and righteousness but, like the scribes
and Pharisees, who loved "the upper
most rooms of feasts, and the chief
seats in the synagogues," they love
the uppermost rooms at banquets and
the chief offices in the churches.
Association he did not then deny
it. The denial came later after pub
lic reaction against the proposal.
After a week of discussion back
and forth, on Sunday, March 31,
Congressman Powell spoke at the
Upper Park Avenue Baptist Church
in Harlem, with the NAACP as his
principal topic.
In his speech Congressman Powell
again called for the ousting ef
white people from the NAACP,
naming specifically, the president,
what he called "the secretary
trasurer," the chairman of the life
membership committee and the
director-counsel of the NAACP
Legal Defense and Educational
Fund, Inc.
Mr. Powell again embraced the
Black Muslim approach by repeat
ing that the NAACP was "con
trolled" by white people and that
Negroes should not support any
organization that they themselves
did not control. During his speech
he again repeated his assertion
that Mrs. Agnes Meyer, widow of
the former owner of the Washing
ton, D.C., POST and the late Mrs.
Eleanor Roosevelt had proposed at
an NAACP Board meeting that the
Association not support the Powell
amendment to the Federal Aid to
Education Bill. Congressman
Powell asserted for the second
time that the white members of
the Board "voted solidly" not to
rapport the Powell amendment.
He offered free advice «n the
selection of NAACP Board mem
bers and assigned racial quotas,
saying he would not object to
"four or five" non-Negroes.
NAACP POSITION
The general position of the
NAACP is that Congressman
Powell simply does not know what
he is talking about when he db*
cusses the workings of the NAACP.
He b completely ignorant of how
h b organised, how it functions,
who b on its Board of Directors,
hew Its policy b made and who
supports it financially.
Item: Mr. Powell does not knew
(or baa chosen to forget) that tho
NAACP Board as Ha meeting Feb
ruary 14, 1955, voted all-out en
denemtnt of tho Powell amend
meat in tho following language
"BE IT RESOLVED: That any
new Federal legislation in aid el
education in the stntoa at whatever
level or of whatever character
should contain corrective and safe
guarding features which make
suck aid available only to such
states as comply fully with tho
spirit and purpose of tho constitu
tion." -
Tho white members of the Boned
present voted for this endorsement.
Mr. Powell does not know tor
Continued on page SA
Unity In Leadership.. .A
ttT soon®*
''pBtSSORt
I IL - .-.iM _ 1
AN OPEN LETTER
TO MY CO-WOftKBRS
AND FRIKNOS:
I, Arthur J. Stanley, am re
tiring after thirty-five and a
half years of service at the
American Tobacco Company. I
am delighted that I was born in
Durham, and that I was select
ed back in 1931 as an employee
of such an excellent company.
As a young man, I started in
the Bull Durham Smoking De
partment lit 25c per hour. Now
35 years later, I receive $2 52
per hour, 4 weeks of vacation
and 8 holidays with pay: also.
SIO,OOO 00 death benefits, and
a profit-sharing plan which I
enjoy today, set up by the com
pany in 1960.
Throughout the years, the
American Tobacco Company,
has not only furnished a means
of subsistence, of buying a
(~ ■ , ,—h.— l.'.tUlj-U .IUJ iiV 1
: » •/({ •) i • i.-f tn.-.n?
Editor
Carolina Times
Sir:
We were mystified and dis
appointed in your editorial,
"Future of NAACP in Jeopar
dy" which appeared January
21st, 1987, because no factual
data were given in the text in
support of the heading.
The editorial begins by cit
ing (not quoting) unnamed and
otherwise unidentified "out
standing and respected Negro
leaders in the country" as
making"numerous side swipes"
at the NAACP. The nature of
the "swipes" as not described.
Then the editorial criticises
(as it has every right to do) a
statement which the editorial
describe* as being "in defense
of" Adam Clayton Powell. TV
editorial closes with a further
reference to the Powell matter
and gratuiously characterizes
all the pro-Powell people In
Harlem as "the guter element."
In between the opening and
closing paragraphs the edito
rial quotes at length from a
column iittlw hr Jhflttl
inson, ertticWmf the NAAEr
as a "dictatorship." Bnt the
Carolina TIMES did not inctaie
in its Robinson quotation the
item which caused Mr. "Rot&v
»n to write, namely, an «l£
tion for board members in
which fire out of six candidates
-Warns
Continued from front pace
Dr. Alhernathy, Vice PrwJ
dent AtLerge, and Her. An
drew Young, Executive Direc
tor, currently are directing all
SCLC programs while their
cloee associate, SCLC Presi
dent Dr. Martin Lather King
Jr., is oa leave witting a hook.
"Our nation should be mn
of three very important Ml
•boot the situation in Grenada,
Dr. Abernathy said.
"Tirst, despite oar repeated
appeal* to federal, state and
local law-enforcement agendas
for protection in Granada, oar
tpponents remain free to
threaten and intimidate as.
"Second, this will not stop
on- programs m Grenada.
"Third, if lawlessness pre
vails in that dty, there could
be disastrous cntisequences.
-Dean Rush
Continued from front page
brother. Jfthq Bosh, both of
Atlanta, time nieces and other
relatives.
Letter to the Editor
home and of rearing and edu
cating 4 children, but ah op
portunity for civic and com
munity service. I served Local
204 as President for 13 years,
as a negotiating committee for
25 years, and as field Repre
sentative for the Tobacco
Workers International Union
during the year of 1947. At
At present, I am teaching a
Sunday School Class which I
have taught over thirty-six
years.
1 could go on with pleasant
memories of the past. But, 1
shall stop with mentioning
these fond recollections, which
is an example of the good race,
relationship which exists in the
American Tobacco Company.
George Hogan, a fellow-work
er, and I. were born the same
vear. We were hired the same
day 35 years ago, and worked
■ li.; I'.l. 1 : at! i ii tiljifli)
of one faction were' rtefi^Wd 1
in balloting by Branches.
Readers of your paper, there
fore, were never informed
that a free and open election,
lost by those with whom Mr.
Robinson apparently sympa
thises, was the cause of a "die.
tatorship" column.
Mr. Robinson gave absolute
ly no facts to back up his dic
tatorship charge. You reprint
ed his undocumented com
ments. calling them "an awe
some blow."
The NAACP has more mem
bers. more local units, more or
ganized youth, more staff, more
income and a more diversified
program than all other similar
organizations put together—not
including the National Urban
League which is a part-social
work, part-civil rights group,
with local offices financed out
of local Community Chests.
" Our records, including an
nual. audited financial reports
ar« available at all times for
inspection. With this informa
tion (and more) free for the
acfctng, we wonder why the
Carolina TIMES chose to pub
lish a completely undocument
ed alarm.
We are constantly being re-
Negro leadership
Ba> a responsibility. It may be
said with equal force that the
-Humphrey
Continued from front pagt
be furnished by the Kittrel
College Choir. At 11 a.m., wot
ship service will be held at th«
Metropolitan AMK Church; tht
Rt Rev. Thomas H. Prim oi
the Fifth Episcopal District,
will deliver the sermon. At
2:30 p.m., a discussion entitled
Hie Sole of the Church in
Higher Education, will be held
at Metropolitan.
JoMph C. McKinney. Presi
dent of the Second Episcopal
District Laitjr, will serve as
tuaatuHslsi at the banquet.
-Teacher
Continued from front page
order directing the school
board to renew bar contract
far the aext school year,
to determine her damages."
Elliott B. Palmar> executive
secretary of the North Carolina
Itoachevs Association, eeived aa
lonenltaat to the attorney* and
investigated the ease. Legal
Dedpnee lawyers Involved ia
the lower court ease were:
together for 25 years in the
Bull Durham Smoking Depart
ment. And now, after serving
the same company for 35 years,
George Hogan and I still
friends, are retiring in the
same month and same year,
1967.
So, briefly, this is why I am
Droud that I was born in Dur
ham and was selected back in
1931 to sack Bull Durham
Smoking Tobacco, which has
now become the famous Bull
Durham Filter Cigarette. Then,
good luck to the new Bull Dur
ham Filter Cigarette, Pall Mall
Filter Cigarette and good luck
to Local 183, TWI Union of A
F. of L. C. I. 0. and many co
workers and friends, to whom
X am indebted for much of my
success' in life.
ARTHUR J. STANLEY
>l) ii ii jUt. /.if I
editors* o"?'Negro papers have a
responsibility to their readers
and to the institutions which
have defended and advanced
the race over so many, diffi
cult years under the twin han
dicaps of hostility from whites
and suspicion and jealousy
from Negroes.
The Carolina TIMES has a
right to its opinion on Repre
sentative Powell, but, it haa
no right to deny a contrary
opinion to others and to brand
any one dissenter as a victim
of "debility, sterility or senil
ity."
For the information of the
editor, Mr. Powell has 12,000
members in his Harlem Church
who officially support him and
they do not consider them
selves as the "gutter element"
of Harlem. Across the nation
there are groups which have
nrotested the treatment of Mr.
Powell while making it clear
that they do not approve ot
his conduct.
Even though its sense of
morality may not permit It to
agree with this view, the Caro
lina TIMES, as a journal of
opinion, ought not banish to
outer darkness those who dif
fer.
Yours very sincerely.
Roy Wllkins
Executive Director
Phillip Hirachkop of Alexan
dria, Va„ William Kunstler of
Kunstler-Kunstler and Kinoy,
ESEA of New York; and Sam
uel P. Mitchell of Raleigh. At
torney Richard L. Morgan of
the NEA carried the appeal
to the upper court of appeals.
The NEA check for S9OO pre
sented by Palmer makes a total
contribution by the NEA to the
Johnson Case of $8,687.06.
-Eastland
Continued from mqt page
places are immune to the pro
hibitions of the law merely be
cause they hold these nigh po
sitions." \_/ i
they contend that the teat
is not the official status of the
legfsltor, bat the nature of the
actions ha is called to account
for.
Previous Supreme Court rat
ings have established that the
only actions which are Im
mune are those which iavloVe a
Congressman's "legitimate leg.
lalative activtiy." The court baa
also said that when an aetioa
against a legislator rests solely
upon illegal conduct, "aft
CbCar§ma©iwo ' \
WBsaamßt j
PlklUM every Saturday at Durham, N. C.
by United Publisher*, toe. , ' ■ \
L. E AUSTIN, Publisher r
Second Claas Postage Pakl at Dor ham, N. C.
27701
SUBSCRIPTION SATIS
18.00 per year plus (18c tax in N. C. (any- * ;
where in the US., and Canada and te service
men Oversees; Foreign, ft JO per year, Sin
gle copy 18c.
Principal Offlee Located at 438 K.
fMUgiew Street, Durham. North Carolina
,37701
To Be Equal
■y WHITNEY M. YOCNG JB. 4
V ' ' ' \ ,"
A Look At
EVERY now and then something happens which reveals
how abeurd,prejudice is. The whole country got just
such a less from the itory of what happened to the
Liuni family when they tried to adopt- a 4';i-year-old girl
who had been in their foster care since she was 5 days old.
It we* reported that the county welfare commissioner
refused to let them adopt the child because she is blonde
and blue-eyed and the Liunis, of Italian extraction, are
dark-eyed brunettes. Fortunately the story
had a happy ending a few weeks ago wnen
a court approved the adoption.
Incidents like this have the beneficial ef-
HJP', feet o shocking people into the realization
HHP J that prejudice can hit anyone, and the ab-
Hh surdity of judging people by the color of
their eyes or hair points up the equally
■B stupid- practice of judging people by the
It also focuses attention on adoption rules
and procedures. This is especially acute
MR. YOUNG because of the plight of thousands of Ne
gro children being brought up in Institutions at the same
time that there exist long waiting lists- of white families
trying to adopt children.
Old Habits Die Hard
It Is time to put the light of reason on this subject and
encourage interracial adoptions. The color of a child's skin
should not determine whether he will languish in an
orphanage or be brought up in the loving atmosphere of a
home where he is wanted and needed. There are many
people who would jump at the chance to adopt one of these
children If state welfare bodies and private agencies made
the effort to encourage it. Although some agencies have
modified their regulations, old habits die hard.
ißut there have been breakthroughs. Toronto, Canada
has a successful program of placing Negro children in white
homes. Three years ago its Social Planning Council became
concerned at the lack of adoption homes for Negro chil
dren. They joined with Toronto's adoption agencies in a
campaign to explain the need and provide information to
the public.
The program was a success. About 100 children were
placed with families who weren't concerned about being
trail-blazers qr pioneers; they Just wanted a child In the
house and weren't going to let superficial differences like
skin color or hair color get.in the way of their happiness.
Some adoption agencies attempting to place Negro chil
dren have met with similar JT
families forget color when they seek to adopt children,
many more homes would be enlivened by the sound of
tuqppy children and many more couples would reap the
rewards afparenthood.
MM TON
The actions of some Baptist
ministers who want to make some
sort of god out of Adam Clayton
Powell proves what we have writ
ten for years: that we think that
too many of our churches are led
by immoral men I What preach
er, with a clean mind and clean
would advocate nrhoHlng
Powell's dirt? It matters not
aboot the dirt of white laymen.
Any minister who advocates poor
Negroes, or any Negro tor that
matter, paying off the personal
debts of Adam—or any other
such similar character—should
have Mi head and heart examined.
Why havent these fake "men of
Christ" spoken oat against Pow
ell's Immorality? Why havent
they said something about Ids
alleged open love life with his
secretary? Why havent they
asked him to be responsible and
be an example fbr our yooth?
Why havent these ministers
raised money to help eradicate
the rats from Harlem tenements?
Why haven't these ministers
soight to stop the business of
dope, prostitution, and numbers
in Harlem? Why havent these
ministers sought to get Harle
mitee to elect somebody to Con
gress who lives in Harlem, among
them, and who would seek to cor
rect the conditions among them,
rather than someone living in
luxury aad on a tar away island?
Why havent these ministers ask
ed Powell to stay in Congress
and vote on Important Civil Rights
bills and other Mils which would
benefit our people? Why dont
these preachers raise money to
generally done in a session of
the House by one of its mem
bers," there cm be no legisla
tive immunity.
-Ambassador
Continued from front page
daring the event is Drew Uni
versity Professor of Christian
Bthics, Or. George D. Xelaey.
help establish negro businesses
and give our people work and
stop building too many expensive
churches which we can't support?
The sorry tact of life Is that far
too many pulpits In America,
and especially In Wilmington, are
occupied by small, paper-back
editions of Adam Clayton Powell.
He la the god to so me preachers,
because he represents the BIG
rascal they wish to be. Any
church, regardless of what race
of people, which keeps as It
so-called "spiritual" head a
man who Is said to be living
openly In sin with another woman,
while be has a wife living apart
from him, is not worthy of the
name church and ought to close
Its slimy doors. You can bet
your bottom dollar god Powell
may be there, but the real GOD
Is not present. A church with
a dirty pastor Is a church with
a majority of dirty members!
We think Harlem Is in the shape
It's in partly, If not mostly, be
cause of the type leadership which
it supports. When Clayton Powell
has the temerity to compare him
self with Christ, one may read
his mind: a self-opinionated, con
ceited ass. Too, If ha does not
have his way, he cries persecu
tion because of race. Had Powell,
with his arrogance and character,
been tbe white man be tried to ape,
long ago be would have been
thrown out of Congress. We
think Congress bent over back
wards mainly because be was
a Negro. And, bow can we attain
first-class cmaenshlp when we
hfcfc our faults behind our race?
Countless 'Negroes, without the
benefits of a Powell, have made
It without crying discrimination
because of race. Powell ha*
bra treated whiter than any
Nafro we know of. Powell la a
coward; when he comes Into the
Sooth a* la Martin Luther Kins
, and foes to Jail on principle,
rather than fleeing Jail for wrong
doings as he does, then we will
call him a man. Sampson got
tied v with a woman and, later,
pulled down the temple on his
bead. Powell, likewise, has
wrecked his potentials over
women, wine, and the good llf*.
History ripeets, and God, of
course, Is no respecter of per
sons. The mills of the gods
grind slowly, hot wrisaiUmly
fine.
Seven panel discuasteni
around specific aspect* of the
general theme will be held
simultaneously at IJO pjn.
Saturday, Feb. 11.
Dr. Harmon Smith, professor
of Christian ethics la tee Duke
University Divinity School,
close this year's institute with
an address at 6:18 pjn. on Son
day, Feb. IS.