Africo-American Presbyterian
VOL. LV.
“AND YE SHALL KNOW THE TRUTH, AND THE TRUTH SHALL MAKE YOU FREE.”-Johr viii, 32.
CHARLOTTE, N. C., THURSDAY, APRIL 12, 1934.
NO. 15.
THE NEGRO AND NATIONAL RECOVERY
JOINT COMMITTEE
ON NATIONAL RECOVERY MAKES
ACCOUNTING
By George Edmund-laynes, Ph. D.,
Part II. .who give something to the finan-
’’olicies pressed About Sub- jchil support of the movement
sistence Homesteads land participate in its activities;
The Subsistence Homestead j and associate members both
projects called for special atten-I from organizations and individ-
tion to urge upon the Adminis- nals who work without voting-.
DUBOIS ON SEGREGATION
By Dr. Kelly Miller
tration a policy that funds at
the disposal of the Subsistence
Homestead Division be allocat
ed on the basis of need rather
than of race; that homestead
community projects (should be
managi^l to avoid “the perpet
uation of the uneconomic and so
cial evils of the idea of segre
gation" and that at least two
Negro experts should be ap
pointed to help carry out such
an interracial policy.
Without much agitation or
publicity but through consulta
tion with officials and by visits
to projects, both local and na-
t’onal, officials have been pressed
to accept the principle of allow
ing Negi'o applicants the same
opportunities ais whites to en
ter such projects. A Negro ex
pert has re-ently been appoint
ed on the staff.
Domestic Service Program
Urged
Domestic service is one of th
most perplexing problems of
Negro workers which involves
almost one-fourth of Negroe.=
gainfully employed in the Unit
ed States. They redfeive verv
low wages and work very long
hours. An intelligent Negro
woman who served in domestic
service and saw conditions at
fir.st hand wrote to the New
York World-Telegram: “Some ■
of us. who. once held positions j
and who are nb\f' fecIucedTo men
ials to exist find ourselves in a
sorry plfght. This hour-upon-
hour of family drudger.v is fill
ing the hospitals with nervous
wrecks and turning women in
to wage slaves. One or
two women must carry on when
once a staff of servants per
formed the household duties, j
An example: a cook and a'
bouseman-valet-butler must do
all the work of pantry maid and
Each cconstituent organization
also appoints a numbei- of con
sultants who act with voting
members.
The main purposes and policy
of the Committee have been
simple and may be summarized
a.s follows: (1) The union of ef
forts of racial and interracial
organizations and agencies to
protect and promote the welfare
of Negroes and better relations
in industry and agriculture un
der the National Recovery Pro
gram; (2) the maintenance of
the autonomy of each cooperat
ing agency with no action that
will embarrass any; (3) service
as a clearing house for all fact
ual data from available branch
es of the government or through
the branches of the member or
ganizations; (4) the provision
W 'means Lf united presenta
tion of facts about Negro inter
ests and filing c-omplaints de--
rived from the experiences of
Negroes in local areas.
On relations of white and N'
gro people in America in all the
aspects of the New Deal the
Committee believes “that the
integration of Negroes in indus
try, commerce, agriculture and
government is essential to the
success of the National Recov
ery program and vital for the
economic and communitv rela
tions of all American citizens.”
Budget is Modest; Spirit Among
Members Harmonious
The Committee’s finances
have ibeen raised almo;#t alto
gether from and through its
narti'cipatinig- organizationjs.
Thirteen of the constituent or
ganizations have either contri
buted sums from their treasu
ries, through their officials, or
have raisjnd funds from their
connections and coristituents
kitchen maid—the same smooth 1^'"’ the modest budget totaling
service demanded. The cook
must do all three serviceis of
cook, pantry and kitchen maid
as the butler must remain
(Eng-ii;^h style) in the dining
room to anticipate the wishes
of madam. The service can no* ^
be marred with bell signals. A i A,dvisP;r,
lady’s 'personal maUl miust be j
parlor and chamber maid all day
and then be ready to serve mad
am as personal maid until mi^’-
m'ght. The chamber maid is
s-crubmaid and laundres.s.’’
Last September the Joint
Committee proposed to the Sec
retary of Labor a definite plan
of action for bettering condi
tions of domestics. Some of
*hesp suggestions were adopted
by the National Committee on
Hoursehold Employment and
some of them have been pul in
to operation by fV' Department
of Labor.
(Cooperation With Organized
Labor
less than 82,400 'the first six
months. The officers of the
committee are George Edmund
Haynes, Chairman; John P.
Davis, Executive Secretary;-
Nannie H. Burroughs, Treas.
and Rose Marcus Coe, Technical
The lexecutive secre
tary, the chairman and many
other members have given lib
erally and freely of their time
and enei'gy. They have worked
together with unusual harmony
without the usual pulling for
offices and honors.
Such united effort of all the
forces intereeted in and deal-)
ing with the welfare of Negroes
r.nd their relations to their white
fellow citizens has already
achieved results that otherwise
would not have been. In the
years of effort for Negro ad
vancement this iis the best bid
toward such a united front.
Every effort should be made to
(continue its existence with such
Several weeks ago I wrote a
release—“Is the N. A. A. C. P.
Reversing Itself?’’ This serious
query was based on two edito
rial utterances in the Crisis
*or January and February last.
In these editorial express^ions,
to the amazement of his many
admirers, the erudite editor
a.ssumed a position on segrega
tion radicall,v at variance with
the stand of the organization
whose organ he edits. I suggest
ed the inevitable fate of a house
divided against itself. In the
March issue of the Crisis, Pres-
YdentiSpingarn and Executive
Secretary Walter White replied,
and while maintaining the tra
ditional position of the N. A. A.
C. P., slapped the recalcitrant
editor, rather gently, on the
v/rist. In the April issue of the
Crisis the redbubtable -editor
comes back with emphatic and
unmistakable decisiveness. His
dig at Walter White was the
most unkind cut of all. The re
lations are strained to the
breaking point. Friends of the
organization await the outcome
of this internal wrangle within
the N. A. A. C. P. with trem
bling expectancy.
In my release I dealt with the
subject wholly objectively. If
the N. A. A. C. P. was revers
ing itself on segregation, the
results would be disastrous to
the organization and to the
cause of agitation in general.
The N. A. A. C. P. is an agita-
tive organization. I believe it is
a general principle that when
ever an organization turns from
its orignial principles it hypo
thecates its further usefulness.
The Republican Party wdb- il
lustrates this philosophy. This
is wholly apart from whether
one accepts its motivating prin
ciples or no. If the N. A A. C.
P. begins to equivocate on seg
regation it will be left no un
shakable foundation on which
to stand. If the late Nevil H.
Thomas could come to life again,
he would rend the air with
scathing denunciations which
he only knew how to use, to the
utter discomfiture of DuBois’
tergiversations.
the Supreme Court decision
The ballot may add a bit here
and 'there. Protest and appeal
to conscience is always in order.
But after .all has been said and
done the race must learn to en
dure that which it can not cure.
SegTe.gatioii is a fact a.s stub
born and persistent as the
Rocky Mountains. The race
mu.st overcome by undergoing.
But whatever happehs an ide-
olo.gy must be held out to youth
lest they lose hope and buoyan
cy. This requires the highest
statesmanship .whose I'ole Du
Bois is essaying to play. Seg
regation must by constant
fighting be reduced to as small
a margin as possible.
Du Bois has now' arrived at
the position w’hich I held ten
years ago. But with the zeal of
the new Convert he now outruns
that .other disciple. Very rarely
-is a man converted after sixty.
If after sixty-five years of
strenuous fighting, the gallant
warrior turns pacifist, he may
expect merciless questioning as
to the motive of his conversion.
BY THE WAY
By Uncle Billie
One of the by-products of th c ^modifications and additions as
Joint Committee’s activity has |may be required. The needs of
been increased understanding on | voiceless, toiling millions of N'e-
the part of organized labor. Forigroes in agriculture and indus-
example, the Committee worked i try make united action impera-
verv closely with the leaders oflt've.
the United Mine Workers of
\merica on the Bituminous Coal
Code. Cooperation .'was sought
and secured from the American
Federation of Labor in presen
tations made on the codes .'f
the Iron and Steel, Lumber,
Laundry and several other in
dustries with subslantial ce
menting of interests of white
and Negro workers.
Purpoales and Policies of the
Joint (Committee ^Summarized
The structural organization
of this Committee is not in-
vMved. There are three types of
membership: con.stituent mem
bers with voting representa
tives; contributing members jrian.
Wilberforce, the great English,
preacher, said that Christianity
could be condensed into four
words: Admit, Submit, Commit,
.and Transmit. Let us use these
four words in one sentence, ex
pressing a great truth. When a
man is ready to admit Jesus
Christ into his life, and then
submit himself to the will of
Christ, commit his wav unto
the Lord, and transmit his
knowledge and the spirit of
Christ which he possesses, to
others, he puts himsMf in the
position to be of service to God
and humanity.—The Presbyte-
OFF TO COLLEGE
This period in the life of youth
;is his first step from parental
oversight or control. He leaves
s'uch restrictions in the home
of his childhood, though th
are remembered with profit by
many a thoughtful college lad
in seeking *he path of safety.
Tt is in this new step that he
experiences for the first time
that he must think and act his
own thoughts among his fellows
or become the laughing stock
of the less sympathetic, or an
object of pity or disgust by
those whose heartjs beat with
less levity. It is in college
where one learns to give and
take and become a good mixer.
It is here where a young fellow
often casts a shadow of leader
ship by his ability to exert ef
fective power or influence over
the campus with the upper and
In the April Crisis, Dr. Du-j lower classes by his peculiar
Bois ^ wholly .misrepresents my ! tact and Pauline personality,
position on^ segregation, and On returning to college after
places me in the wrong brack- ] p brief summer’s vacation, the
ct with George S. Schuyler. I j campus looks strange and minus
supposed that my position on | something essential to keep up
this question was well known. | college spirit and buoyancy be-
This was set forth in Current' ca^ge certain, outstanding per-
History for March, 1927, to j .jonalities have been graduated
which the N. A. A. C. P. formu
lated a joint reply published
in the same issue of that maga
zine. Since then I have written
twenty releases and made as
many addresses amplifying my
position on this crucial issue
which more than any other has
occupied the center of the racial
stage for the past decade. This
may be illustrated by my ad
vice to Leslie Pinckney Hill,
when the enraged colored citi
zens of Pennsylvania were de
nouncing him for sponsoring
Cheyney as a Normal School
for colored youth of the State.
I advised him to sit steady in
the boat; the severer the fight
waged against him, the better
separate school he would have
in the end. The race must needs
fight segregation, but fight dis
creetly, with an ulterior end in
view.
Segregation is embedded in
he jfteychology of the Anglo-
Saxon mind, w'hich keeps my
and gone to return no more as
students, f Nothwithatanding
the objective of college life, it
has its nights of sorrow in the
life (S many a faithful student.
Many a jmung man w'ho went
off to college on the purple
clouds of glory and under the
■sky of a cloudless day found
the path on his entrance to be a
via dolorosa. This is generally
true with the fellow whose
means are limited. Often he has
more obstacles to cause him to
give up the battle than he has
hopeful beckons to come on.
There are things without num
ber that drive many ambitious
young men from their recita
tion rooms to give up school
life. Many were of bright minds,
but became flowers that blushed
unseen, because adverse things
met them and defied their fur
ther effdrt.. /
It is very frequent in college
that scores of faithful students.
to be commended in knowing
how to reach the mind of youth
than there is in trying to get
something out of youth that
you did not inject in the foi-m
of winning piensonality.
These things are thorns in
the path of one’s quest of an
education; this is what makes
it a via dolorosa, a highway
.surveyed and paved with dis
appointment and much sorrow
But there is one great univer
sity; and it seems that the
-Afro-American is assigned to
it to complete the entire course
and do post-graduate work in
this international university,
the university of adversity. Ir
Charleston many Negroes have
lost their jibs, which many of
them had held for over a score
of year.s, and these jobs hav:
iieeii given to their white breth
ren; because, they say, the pres
ent per diem under the Recov
ery Act—whatever that means
—is too much money for a Ne
gro. But this is not confined to
ancient Charleston; it seem)
to be wherever the Negro is
found. And in this, the State,
or the whole country, seems tc
be following the Church; but
this is no criticism on the Church
or any complaint registered
against it. The Church is to be
commended as the most effectiv.
agency in Negro uplift. T am
only making an analysis by
way of comparison to show
that all activities in Church and
State hold out no lure to ser
vice that will cheer the Negro
up and on.
But it is becoming more and
more apparent that this hard
school is exerting a force that
is driving the Negroes closer
together with more of self-re
liance to act on their own
thinking.
The close observer will ob-
observe that this school of ad
versity has as many courses of
study as the occasion may
arise to produce them; and the
Negro must needs complete the
entire course. Reduced to a min
imum both in resources and op
portunities, he is expected to be
an adept in social and political
sici’ences; |Without an equal in
the economic order; must 'ex
hibit the Ipoliteness and man
ners at all times of a Chester
field; is expected to become ed
ucated up to the standard of all
the best elements and phases
of citizenry by the reflections
cf school facilities and teachers
just named or called teachers.
In this university of adversi
ty the door of hope is closed
in the Negro’s face and he is
field accountable if he fails to
be diligent , in hopeless busi
ness; fervent in a broken spir- ’
it, serving his country. He is
expected to sing one of his songs
to his oppressor, take down his
harp from the willow, and split
the air with hopeful and cheer
ful music.
the SOUTHERN VIRGINIA
PRESBYTERY
HAS
RETURNED TO PHILA
DELPHIA.
Mrs. Henry W. Gladden, of
Y/. Oxford Street, Philadelphia,
Pa., has returned home after
spending ten days in Charlotte,
iT. C-, visiting her parents, Mr.
and Mrs. William Beaver. While
m Charlotte Mrs. Gladden was
the dinner guest of the follow
ing persons: Mr. and Mrs. Frank
Erwin, Mrs. Sarah Reddick, -Mrs.
Elizabeth and Miss Henrietta
Jennings, Mrs. Eliza Ross and
Mr and Mrs. Thomas Richard
son. Mr. Leonard Miller, of
Washington, D. C., a school-
m.ate of Mrs. Gladden’s, was
dinkie^-
The Southern Virginia Pres
bytery met with the Central
Presbyterian church of Peters
burg, Va., from April the 3rd
Lhrou'gh the 5th. Presbytery
opened at 7:30 P. M., the retir
ing Moderator, Rev. W. B.
Stitt, pastor of the Bethesda
Presbyterian church, Nottoway,
C. H., Va., being in the chair.
^ After the usual preliminaries
Presbytery went into business,
after having had one of the
finest sermons from the retiring
Mrclorator that many harl ever
been favored with by him. The
spirhual atmosphere was of
such a temperature that it wa.s
not hard to settle on Modera
tor and temporary clerk. The
'hoice of Rev. C. J. Baker, D.
D. ,' pastor of Holbrook Street
Presbyterian church, Danville,
was unanimous, and the wisdom
if this choice showed itself
more and more as the hours
rolled on.
“Dn This Remembrance of
Me.”
These words were forced upon
our minds when by way of con-
luding the evening’s activities
the Lord’s Supper was admin
istered. Being favored with the
presence of Dr. J. M. Gaston,
National Missions Secretai’y,
he, together with the Rev. Dr.
Hyder, were the ministers in
charge of the communion ser
vice, while Elders J. M. John
son, of Big Oak, and Samuel
Piatte, both of Amelia County,
Quarles, of Richmond First
church, and J. W. Archer, of
Mt. Hermon church, Chula,
Va., distributed the bread and
wine.
Wednesday
Were I to pick out Wednesday
as a busy day, I might be ques
tioned as to what I called the
rest of the time. I might say,
however, Wednesday carried its
full share of the burden of
care that had to be shouldered
each day and night.
The Rev. A. A. Hector, for
mer pastor of the Richmond
First church, being quite active
early in the day, his standing
in the Presbytery was ques
tioned. After the reading of the
minutes of a called Presbytery
at the Richmond First church,
at which time and place his pas
toral relations were dis.s-olvedc
toral relationship with the
church was dissolved and Ins
ministerial privileges taken
away from him until he could
prove himself innocent of thij
charg'es preferred a.gair.st
him, a commission was appoint-
d to try eases against him.
After the reading of the min
utes the Moderator found it ne
cessary to declare that Rev.
Hector had no voice in the pres
ent Presbytery.
The special judicial commis
sion appointed to hear the
charges against Rev. Hector
met as per appointment. It
might be said that the party
cljarging misconduct on the part
of the Rev. A. A. Hector in his
home failed to appear and press
Ihe charge, hence the only
course was to dismiss the case.
The next charge, that of not be-
mg submissive to the mandates
of the Presbytery, was tried.
After giving him an opportuni
ty to ^acknowledge and apolo
gize for such an offence (which
he refused to do) he was sus
pended. On hearing the report
of the commission the judg
ment or findings of the commis-
and woi'thy students, exhibit
ron-white race at a fixed dis-'qualities for everything worth-'-also the
tance from itself. All efforts while except books. Their teach- latter.
will be ultimatel.v futile unless ers lose hope of their ever be- i Mrs. Gladden called on many
they can alter this fundamental coming other than a good “Un-| others whom T have not space
psychology. li-lo Tom:” and vet the fault is |to mention. She is a member of
The Negro’s available weap- not always in the vouth whojBerean Presbyterian church,
ens at present are the law. the exhibits oualities of a block- i A FRIEND.
ballot and moral protestation, head: auite often it is m the fact |
All of these should be used to that his teacher is thoroughly j The Church is not the only-
the limit of their effectiveness ! out of touch with the tern-| institution that promotes fleli-j
to modify and moderate, even iperament and mental bent of the igion, but if the Church’s part -
where it can not defeat. The,fellow and makes no attempt to
N. A. A. C. P. appealed to the find a way of approach to him
law with some slight effect in to give him light. There is more
■sion became the judgment of
rguesr";f Presbytery, with only one
opposing vote. Rev. Hector at
once gave notice of an appeal
which was wholly in accord with
his right and privilege. i
T shall not have much to say
.cbout the Ladies’ Popular meet
ing held on Wednesday night at
8-80 o’clock, as ’they floubtlesB
will give publicity regarding
gion, but if the Church’s part | However, I may say
were omitted, the whole enter- k^iat,^ as usual, they were the
nrisc would come to naught.— jdrawmg card of the Presbyte-
W. F. Weir.
(Continued on page 4)