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^CHARLOTTE, N.
VOL. XLVIII.
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Hampton, Va., Feb. 8.— “There
are some words which linger in
one’s memory like music, full of
-deep reverberations. Such in my
memory are the words which
General Samuel C. Armstrong
wrote upon a penciled memoran
dum when the shadow of his
last illness was upon him. This is
what he wrote: ‘Hampton must
'not go down. See to it, you are
true to* the black and red chil
dren of the land and to just'
ideas of education....... It pays
to follow one’s best light—to put
God and country first; ourselves
afterwards.’ ” 1
These were the opening words
of the Founder’s Day address
delivered at Hampton Institute
Sunday, January 31, by Dr. Wal
ter Russell Bowie, for eleven
years rector of St. Paul Church
in Richmond,. Va., and now rec
tor of Grace church in New York
City.
Dr. James E. Gregg, Princi
pal of Hampton Institute, in in
troducing Dr. Bowie, said, “We
welcome with deep gladness and
gratitude as the speaker and
guest of honor on this Found
er’s Day, the Rev. Walter Rus
sell Bowie, of New York City, a
sound scholar, a true poet, a con
vincing preacher of humane the
ology, of social and individual
righteousness. A worthy son of
Virginia, he exemplifies in his
lineage the Old South at its b^st
and in his,own generous spirit
the new South at its freest and
noblest.’’
“there is one high challenge! to
which I would lfead our thought.
Men sometimes are heard to say
that race adjustment in this
country is impossible.” Mt. Ev
erest was a challenge to George
Mallory, the intrepid climber
who lost his life in the last at
tempt to Sjfale it. The “thrilli of
wanting to do something that
no ihortal man had ever done
before” spurred him on.
“fey the light of Hampton, by
the torches of the souls of Arm
strong and Frissell, by the- glo
ry of Virginia that out of her
life could produce a Robert E.
Lee, can we not also, in the mat
ter of this'Christian adjustment
between the races, aspire to do
something*” incredibly difficult
and to achieve something which
no people fever achieved before?
The existence of a problem is a
challenge. Who shall say we can
not meet ft with a conquering
will?” - I
SCHOOL ATTENDANCE IN
NORTH CAROLINA.
(Prom School Facts for Febru
ary.) f . '
This issue of School Facts
presents the 1924-25 records of
enrollment, and average attend
ance in tfie public schools, and
also shows the percentage
which the attendance was of
the enrollment in that year.
School F|icts, Vol. I, No. 7, is
sued December 15, 1924, pre
sented jsimilar facts for the
scholastic3 year ending June 30,
1924. ’
Attendance in All Schools
Children attended school
more regularly in 1924-25 than
white children enrolled in the
public schools. Of these, 426,999,
or 76.4 per cent, went to school
daily. Last year, 1923-24, there
were 544,142 children enrolled,
and 406,661, or 74.7 per cent, of
these were in average daily at
tendance.
In the colored schools 250,438
children were enrolled in 1924
25, and 169,212, or 67.6 per cent,
were in average daily attend
ance, while in 1923-24, 248,904
colored children were enrolled
Dr. Bowie spoke of the cause
for rejoicing oh this Founder’s
Day in the successful completion
' of the recent campaign for en
dowment. That this rejoicing
is not alone for the relief it
Hampton... That thousands of
people from North and South
gave to Hampton is an evidence
that multitudes believe in that
for which Hampton has stood.
They reverence the unselfish de
votion which founded the school;
they admire the sanity and so
briety of its scheme of educa
tion.”
In speaking of the question of
the right progress of the Negro
in the midst of the white civili
zation of America, Dr. Bowie
quoted Dr. Edgar Gardner Mur
phy, who said: “It is a problem
demanding most of all a patient
wisdom—the patience of thought
and work: not the patience of an
opportunist, but the deeper pa
tience of the patriot.”
“Out of limitation bravely
faced, may come enlargement.
To be ashamed of slavery would
be to lose out of your spiritual
history something infinitely
fruitful. It would be as though
the children of Israel had delib
erately cut out of the Old Tes
tament all reference to the bond
age of Egypt or the captivity in
Babylon. It is out of the days of
and 164,698, or 66.2 per cent,
were in average attendance.
Attendance in the rural schools
when contrasted with that of
the city schools, is shown to be
very much lower. However, the
rural attendance was not as
much lower in 1924-25 as in
1923-24. In other words, the
country dwellers in North Car
olina, although they did not
overtake the city dwellers in
school attendance, did make a
good gain upon them.
In 1923-24, 80.9 per cent of the
enrolled white city children were
in daily attendance, while 72.7
per cent of the white rural en
rollment was in attendance.
In 1924-25 the white city at
tendance had increased to 82.1
per cent, while the white rural
attendance had increased to 74.5
per cent.
Colored attendance in city
schools in 1923-24 was 71.8 per
cent of the colored enrollment,
while rural colored attendance
was 64.5 per cent of the enroll
ment. In 1924-25 the city col
ored attendance had increased
to 73.9 per cent and the rural
colored attendance to 65.6 per
cent.
From the facts reported to
the State Superintendent then,
it is shown that there is a
growing interest in the public
schools. Surely better and more
regular attendance is account
ed for only by an increased in
terest in the schools.
The successful dairy farmer
usually grows all of his rough
age at home and piart of his
concentrates, says John A. Arey,
dairy extension specialist.
slavery, remembered and not for
gotten, that you can bring your
most incomparable contribu
tions to American life.” Among
these contributions Dr. Bowie
includes the spirituals, the gift
of laughter, and “the priceless
heritage of loyalty.”
“What,” asks Dr. Bowie, “is
the responsibility of the white
race in the progress of the Ne
gro?.The desire to know
the truth and to deal with all
matters in that calmness of
spirit which the truths begets;
the spirit of conference—noth
ing is more wholesome in the
South today than the interracial
committees.Then above all
and through all, the attitude of
the white race must be Chris
tian.
“Any race that tries to save
its own soul and at the same
time tramples on the soul of a
weaker people, shall lose it, and
the only race that shall save its
soul into the glory of an expand
ing life is that race which reach
es out its hand to lead another
race , up and on.”
“Finally,” Dr. Bowie said,
Board of Direcl
N. A. A. C. P.
Blues,
with
Van
JKXKfflAT
By Mary White
Chairman
the
“The |
Langston Hughe
troduction by Cai
ten. Published by
Knopf, Inc., 730 Fifth Aveitle,
New York City. Price $2.00i %
mail $2.1$. ■
Langston Hughes, city
told a group of us the other
ning that he had never
for the poetry that as a
he read ip his school-books,
dealt with things of whic
had no understanding,
should he, for instance, be;
terested in Tennyson's
“I come from the haunts of
and hern
And make a sudden sally--?]
when he Jiad never seen a
or a hern.; But one day he
a poem in a Kansas newi
that the editor was hpldi:
to ridicule. It described
city’s narrow street, the a
house, even the garbage-eijg.
Here, he found, was poetry-^Jiftt
appealed to him, and he began
himself to try to write in such
a vein. **'*T'jc
This, I think, is typical of Mjfc.
Hughes’ method. Thousands
and thousands of children read
Tennyson’s brook—
“I chatter? chatter as I flo^’f
and enjoy* the sound of the
words without ever thinking
whether they have seen a ’
or not. But Langston H
never was intrigued mere]
the melody of trickling
bles. Even as a little bo;
must draw as (dearly as he
the picture of what he
-^Th# Weary^Bhie5v-is a
full of pictures, word pictures
of some of the multitude of
things that have swept across
a young man’s vision. Some
time they are out-of-doors:
How thin and sharp is the
moon tonight!
How thin and sharp and ghost
ly white
Is the slim, curved crook of the
moon tonight !
or tnis:
Sea charm
The sea’s own children
Do not understand.
They know but that the sea is
strong
Like God’s hand.
They know
But that the sea wind is sweet',
Like God’s breath,
And that the sea holds
A wide, deep death.
Sometimes they are of people:
When Susanna Jones wears red
Her face is like an ancient
cameo
Turned brown by the ages.
But always they are pictures,
not reflections upon life, but
vivid bits of life itself. All of
which tells us that Langston
Hughes is very much a mod
ern.
“The Weary Blues,” the po
em from which the book takes
its name, won the first prize
in the “Opportunity Contest” in
1925. There are other “Blues”
verses in which one sees an ef
fort to strike the rhythm of
these folk-songs. There are cab
aret songs and Harlem stands
out among them with her com
edy and her tragedy somberly
stalking through her mirth.
In the introduction, Carl Van
Vechten tells us of the interest
ing life this vagabond poet has
led,—a true poet who preferred
to knock about on ship and in
strange ports rather than stay
in college! I, for one, feel a little
piqued at this volume. It says
so little out of all it might say.
Such wonderful lands as Langs
ton Hughes has seen and such
picturesque people as he has
rubbed elbows with! He only
gives us titbits of all that must
be rushing through his mind.
We have sat down to the hprs
d’ oeuvre and they have whetted
our appetite for more. May
the next course come soon.
RACE SEPARATION AT
HAMPTON.
(From Norfolk Virginian-Pilot)
The Massenberg bill, provid
ing for separation of the races
in the theatres and other places
of public assembly in Virginia,
appears to be inspired by a de
sire to regulate by law the seat
ing arrangements at entertain
ments given under' the auspices
of Hampton Institute grounds.
The bill is general in its provis
ions, but if there is any place in
the State except Hampton
where its adoption would work
any change the fact has es
caped public observation. This
being the case, the arguments
in favor of the bill can not be
said to be conclusive. However
persuasive they may be on gen
eral grounds, they lose much
of their force when it is remem
bered that the governing au
thonties at Hampton are deal
ing with a peculiar problem
whose difficulties would be ag
gravated by the enactment of
the proposed bill. • Hampton has
too long a record of honorable
service in the cause of Negro
education to permit the belief
that its authorities will not meet
this problem in a manner com
patible with the best interests
of both races. The Virginian- Pi
lot is strengthened in this opin
ion by the fact that a group of
Virginians distinguished in the
realms of education and busi
ness appeared before the House
Committee on General Laws in
Richmond to oppose the Massen
berg bill. Among this group
were J. Scott Parrish, President
of the Richmond Chamber of
Commerce; Dr. S. C. Mitchell,
of the University of Richmond;
JQr.JLJE. Blackwell, President
of Rand61ph-Macon College;
Rev. Beverly D. Tucker, Jr., rec
tor of St. Paul's Episcopal
church, Richmond, and Richard
W. Carrington, former member
of the House of Delegates. These
men are thoroughly familiar
with the racial situation in Vir
ginia and with the adjustment
which Hampton Institute is try
ing to make. When they oppose
a bill which seeks to regulate
Hampton’s affairs, the Virginia
General Assembly will make no
mistake in heeding their views.
When complaints were lodged
a few months ago against the
provision for white spectators
at an entertainment given in
the Hampton auditorium by the
University of North Carolina
glee club, the Virginian-Pilot
suggested that the matter
would adjust itself if those who
were dissatisfied would Rtav
away from such gatherings. TInT
still appears to be the more ac
ceptable way out of the present
difficulty. Let those who do not
like the treatment they get at
Hampton avoid the place. This
is a far better solution than one
which seeks to invoke the au
thority of the State to meet
what is essentially a local prob
lem.
MEMORIAL TO MRS. NATA
LIE CURTIS BURLIN AT
HAMPTON.
On the afternoon of Found
er’s Day at Hampton Institute,
January 31, Mr. Elbridge L.
Adams, at New York, presented
a permanent scholarship and a
bronze statuette of a Negro sol
dier by the sculptor, Manhori
Young, in memory of Mrs. Na
talie Curtis Burlin, the author
ity on both Indian and Negro
song and author of “The In
dians’ Book” and “Negro Folk
Songs.”
Mrs. Edward Curtis, Mrs,
Whitman and Mias Constance
Curtis, the mother and sisters of
Mrs. Burlin, and several mem
bers of the board of trustees of
Hampton Institute were present
at the commemoration exercis
es. Mr., Rosamond Johnson, the
Hampton Quartette, and the in
stitute choir sang many of the
spirituals of which Mrs. Burlin
•was so fond.
DEATH OF RET. T. L. TOAT
LEY, OF MAKING, S. C,
—-fl—
The Rev. Toney L. Toatley,
who for more than 33 years had
been a faithful minister of the
gospel and member of Fairfield
Presbytery, passed to his final
reward Tuesday morning, Janu
ary 12th. y
Rev. Toatley wis horn in Fair
field County about 63 years ago,
inhere he made his home until
be went away to school to pre
pare himself for Ms life’s work.
. The passing of Rev. Toatley
has deprived his community and
churches as veil as his Presby
tery of a man of rare charac
ter. His responsibilities to his
family and churches were met
with the devotion of an unselfish
heart. In his love of others he
forgot the love of £elf. He never
swerved from his( duty as he
saw it, which made his life one
of continuous sacrifice—toiling,
rejoicing and sorrowing. Yet
his disposition Vas always
bright and supny, scattering
light and encouragement to
those about him. f
Rev. Toatley was a true,
faithful and loyal Presbyter.
The funeral services were
held in the Baptist church at
Manning, S. C., Thursday, Jan
uary 14th at 12 o’clock M.
Among those who took part in
the services werd Revs. J. P.
Crawford, Jv M. McKay, J. P.
Foster and Drs. I 'D. Davis, M.
J. Jackson and G* M. Young.
Mrs. J. P. Crawford sang very
touchingly, ‘The -Pearly White
City,” and Rev. lad Mrs. J. P.
Foster sang. “Beautiful Isle of
Somewhere.” I
By special requfest of the de
ceased the funeral sermon was
preached by the writer from II
Tim. 1:10.
Tim. 1:10.
Rev. Toatley is Survived by
his wife and several children,
three"brottrers ai^bne sistef;
and a great number of relatives
and friends to mourn his loss.
The interment was made at
Manning, S. C.
“Sunset and evening star,
And one clear call for me,
And may there be no moaning
of the bar,
When I put out to sea.
* * * *
“For though from out our bourn
of time and place
The flood may bear me far,
I hope to see my Pilot face to
face
When I have crossed the bar.”
I. P. POGUE.
Mayesville, S. C.
FREEDOM PRESBYTERIAN
CHURCH, DUNLAP, N. C.
We do not write often, but
we are still working for Christ
and the church. Our pastor is
the Rev. W. A. Hawkins and our
preaching Sundays are the 2nd
and 4th.
Last Sunday our pastor
preached a • wonderful sermon.
His theme was “The True
Christian.” It was a sermon
that made us look within our
selves, for he told us of the good
old Bible characters and pic
tured Christ to us as our ideal.
Not mjtay Sundays back we
put in four new officers: Elders
Charlie Smith and Fred Hall;
Deacons Joseph Stevenson and
Isadore Morrison.
Our able Superintendent is
Mr. T. C. Murdock. Even dur
ing this bad weather he keeps
the Sunday school open and a
fairly good average.
The Christian Endeavor is
doing nice work with Miss Vera
Bruner, President. Miss Bruner
plans to leave for Danville, Va.,
sometime soon. She will be
missed more than we can tell.
She organized the Christian En
deavor last August and certain
ly has gotten it in good work
ing condition.
The Society had planned to ob
serve Church Day, Sunday Jan
uary 31st, but owing to the
bad weather the observance has
been put off until next preaching
Sunday.
February 7th will be observed
as Christian Endeavor Day. Miss
Bruner is the granddaughter of
Mrs. Lola A. Bruner, who died
January 6, 1926. Sister Bruner
was a faithful worker .in «J1 of
the auxiliaries of the church.
She was the teacher of the Wo
men’s Bible class* and was also
Secretary of the W. H. and P.
M, Society.
The above death recalls to our
mind the fact that on January
10, 1926, Elder E, E. Summers
slept away. Elder Summers
was a splendid man. He had
numerous friends, both white
* nd colorei, who adm&wd his
wonderful character and Recog
nized him as a leader of his
community. He was faithful
and untiring in his church work.
He was the teacher of the Men’s
Bible class.
A MEMBER.
N. A. A. C. P. BRANCHES TO
FIGHT ANTI-MARRIAGE
BILL IN CONGRESS*
- ill
The National Association for
the Advancement of Colored
People has notified its Branches
throughout the United States
of the bill introduced in con
gress by Senator Caraway, of
Arkansas, which would prohibit
the intermarriage of Negroes
and white people in the District
of Columbia and make it unlaw
ful for persons so mailed to
reside in the District and for
those so married and now resi
dents to return to the District
for residence, if they once leave
it. The penalty prescribed by
^#te bill for anyone violating any
of the provisions of the act is a
fine of not more than $1,000
and imprisonment for not less
than one year or more than $ve
years %•-'
N. A. A. C, P. Branches are
called upon by the National Of
fice to send telegrams to the
Senators _frojxrJheirLSta$&_aod
^S^naucrprom^Mp^P^nd
colored people to send letters
and telegrams demanding that
the bill be opposed. Local edi
tors of both white and colored
publications are to be urged to
denounce the bill editorially,
and churches, lodges, fraternal
bodies and political clubs are to
be asked to pass resolutions de
nouncing Senator Caraway’s
measure.
The bill is numbered S 2160
and all communications to Sen
ators should mention it' by num
ber.
The N. A. C. P. gives the fol
lowing reasons for opposing such
measures:
1. That marriage should be
entirely a matter of individual
choice between persons who are
eligible to enter the marriage
contract under the general laws
of the land.
2. That the Negro cannot in
self-respect consent to have
himself written down in the
statute books as something out
side and beneath the human
race.
3. That every such law
sweeps away from colored girls
and women the protection, le
gal recourse and remedy, where
white men are concerned, to
which they are entitled as well
as other girls and women.
4. That the enactment of
such laws does not stop inter
mixture but sets the stamp
of legal approval upon concu
binage, bastardy and the degre
dation of colored women, de
prived of the protection of mat
rimony.
A CIGARETTE ARITHMETIC
“I am not much of a mathe
matician," said the cigarette,
“but I can add to a man’s ner
vous troubles; I can subtract
from his personal energy; I can
multiply his aches and pains; I
can divide his menetal powers; I
can take interest from his work;
and discount his chances for
success.
Tom Tarheel says it appears
to him that now is the time for
the farm boy to get him a place •
of his own. Land seems to be
in demand in North Carolina
now,