Newspapers / The Carolina Times (Durham, … / Dec. 17, 1955, edition 1 / Page 2
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MCBTWO THB CAIOLINA TIMES SATUKDAY. DEC. 1?. 1155 THE SPIRITUAL BANKRUPTCY OF THE WHITE CHURCH Tbe incident which occur red at the Oak Grove Baptist Ciuirch, near Wake Forest, two Sundays a^ when a miid-mannered, aged Negro woman was practically thrown out of the church by some of its members is enougb to shock the sensibilities oi a gangster to say nothing of a Christian or a person who has been exposed to the princi ples of Democracy. It focuses the spotlight of the Sermon on the Mount and every oth er tenent of Christianity directly on the putrid condi tion of hypocrisy existing in the- average southern White cnurch today. It pin points the direct source from which springs all of the determina tion in the heart of Mr. Aver age White Citizen in the bouth to never accept the Ne gro as a brother. On our knees we ask God again and again to forbid that any Negro church will ever sink so low in the depths of self-righteousness that it will close its doors to any one of Gpd's children, whatever his race or however' degenerate he may have become. We cry alxid to Negro churches ev erywhere to keep their doors forever open to all men. For who knows but what God in his all-wise judgement has not chosen you as a citadel, a bulwark and the one place in this race-hating and.segrega- tion-inf^ted Southland to tear the cover «ff the rotten hypocrisy existing in the aver age Southern Wtiite Church , today. Let there be no mis take about it, the Oak Grove Baptist Church is no isolated example of the spiritual bank- rupt^ of the White church in tbe bouth. There are thou sands of them all over Dixie where the presence of a Ne gro at Sun^y morning wor ship would have brought the same if not a worse reaction. Were this not true, segrega tion, which teaches one hu man being to look down on another because of the color of his skin, would Jiever have survived as long as it has in the South. We must not forget that Dr. Charles Jones of Chapel Hill and other honest wMte Christian ministers elsewhere have been ousted from their pulpits for daring to include Negroes in their preaching of the Fatherhood of. God and the brotherhood of man. Said one of the irate mem bers of Oak Grove Baptist Church to the Negro woman on that fateful Sunday morn- i^g> “If you were a Christian you would^ not have come here.” Maybe the man spoke more truth than he realized. For after all there are some places where a Christian ought not go unless he goes there -for missionary pur poses — places like* bawdy houses, speak-easies, dope dens and other such dives. Certainly no Christian ought to be caught in a church where the spirit of Christ has been chilled to such an extent that an aged, rekpected Negrq woman, who had walked over three n^es to inform its pas tor that a sign had fallen down in her yard, would be thrown out. It might be interesting to the pastor of Oak Grove Bap- ^t Church and his flock, who will be sent a marked copy of this issue of the Carolina Times, to know that at the very hour when they were demonstrating their lack of Christianity toward a Negro woman that a fine, cul tured and Christian white man who was visiting a Ne^ gro church in Durham .was, kneeling at the altar with Ne groes and t^ng the “Lord’s bupper.” “Well, we don’t know what else God has in store to con found %he wicked in the South, but what has happen ed at Georgia Tech., in Mis sissippi, and T^xas and now at the Oak Grove Baptist Church in this state is enough to let us know that truth is on the march and will not be stopped. Truly these are stir ring days. Stand still, you have onty se«i the beginning of the parade. WORSE THAN AN INFIDEL At the county courthouse in Halifax last Monday, De cember 5, IJ^egro citizens of the county discovered to their dismay that aU of the “Time Ain’t Right” Negroes are not dead. The occasion was the appearance^f representatives of the National Association for the Advancement of Col ored People before the Hali fax County Board of Educa tion to ask for an end to seg regation in the county’s schooU by September, 1956. Present at the meeting, as a member of the board’s Ad visory Committee, was the Rev. F. L. Bullock. Although we have been informed that the “F” in his name stands for Frank it could just as well stand for foolish, fickle, fru- s^ated, fearful, furious, fal- ty, funjjler, funny or fiddle sticks. We do know that the Rev. . BuMnck/^tPod l>efore that board atm deliberately attempted ta snatch the rug from under Ae feet of his own people who as members of the four churches he pastors have helped him by their sweat and toil, to grow greasy, satisfied and content. He told the Halifax County Board of Education that the two races should not be inte grated in the schools without preparation'. He stated fur ther that if it is accomplished within the next 10 or 15 years it will be time enougL “I don’t think it should be done hurriedly," he^ said, “I don't think .the Supreme Court meant for it to be done hur riedly.” That is what I am telling the 3,000 people who make up the congregation of my churches.” We have since learned from a reliable source that j^v. Bullock has about 1,000* membeM in all four of the churches he pastors. Apparently members of the Board of Education attached very little if any significance to this traitorious statement- of Rev. Bullock. They seem to realize that in the endMt is going to be the Halifax County branch of the NAACP that will have the final word in what action Negroes will take to wipe out the shame ful stigma of segregation which has victimi^d their children for approximately 60 years. As we see it. Rev. Bullock has outlived his usefulness ^ a minister in-and around Hali fax County and should not only be repudiated as a lead er but relieved of the pastor ate of the four churches- he how heads. The time has come for each and every Negro holding a position of leader-> ship to stand up and be count ed or stand aside. Not only is segregation un lawful and undemocratic but abqve all it is unchristian and any minister of Jesus Christ Who cannot take a stand for its ahnlishmpnt ngninat. his own race “hath denied the faith and is worse than an infidel.” FEAR CAMPAIGNS BOOHSANG Much to th^ consernation of those responsible for the reign of terror in Mississippi and less bloody efforts in oth er areas to frighten Ne^oes into accepting their, old, time worn second class conations just when it appears that the country, and specially the South, is about to admit them to the mainstream of its life, these pressures have so far failed to the courage of the race in pressing’for the simple human rights which are the undieniable possession of all finee men by gift from their DivineJCreator. Indeed, tbese pressures are having just the reverse ef fect. "nie more bloody they are, the ‘ more loudly they ^hout to the world, the na tion and, taogt importantly, to that aln^jst extinct bre^ of head . patching. Uncle Toms of tl^ iipe^ess, vijCious- ness, depravity and down right barbarity of the s3rstem. The Till iMWe, as unfortunate as if Was/has probably^won the NAA3R more supporters than a year of campaigning could. He has become a martyir. The fearless stands taken by such heroes as Gus Courts and the NAACP offi cial in Elloree, S. C., who last week said that he would not run from the fight has put starch into the backbones of many other Negron in the South who were often ready to run at the shaking of a bush or sight of a sheet. Petty acts of discrimination and prejudice which were toler ated even a year ago now call forth vigorous protests. Ne groes have been shocked by the barbarous acts into see ing that the time Is now, not next month or next year, for the aciiordance of the simple di^ty which humanity re- q^iires. It is hard, for this newspa per to believe that the South is willing to have the blood of its ten million Negroes on its hands just to feed the ignor ance, prejudice and bigotry of the stHl binded few who have not been able to see that they are really the scape goats aind are being used to perpetrate a system designed not only to ke^ Negron down but also to keep them down too. For, as this newspaper said thirteen years ago, the Negro wants nothing more from his country than to “fish- in its streams, hunt in its forests, shout at its ball, games, laugh and c^ in ite theaters, rear his children,'niurture his old, enjoy the benefits of his labor as o&er free Americans, and look unafraid at the eventide of his life, when time shall wrap its mantle of old age a- round his shoulders and tuck him to sleep in the sacred sod of his native land.” “That is all the Negro has ever asked, that is all he asks now and that is all he will ever ask. Those who-would deny him these rights are themselves unfit to enjoy the benefits of a democratic form of government.” * SAWRDAY DEC. 17, 1955 L. 8, AUSTIN, PablWier CLATHAN^ M. BOSS, Editor M. E. JOHNSON H. ALBEKT SMITH Maaafliy: EdHor JESSE COnECD Circalatlen Mmaacar BwfauM Manaf or PublUhed X/ntj aaturdajr 1v UMl'XXU PUBUSHEBS. lacorponted ■« Z. PatUcMw St.^ Enlrred m Mjond cteiif nstter >t lie I^Mt Qfflee •I Ourhun, Mocth CuvUia under tbe Act of Itorrti I. II7». NaUonal MrartHiag BaptMMitattn: IaiB«*att UnltMl Ncvnvaptn. No coarfntee of publication of unaoiidted mat»- rlal. Letter* to the editor for publication miHt ba ■tCnad and confined to 500 words. 8ub«er4>tlon Batu: lOe per eopr; Six $tM; On* Ymr, (Voraian Coantrlaa. HM par , life Is Like That By H. ALBERT SMITH The Importance Of Godly Homes There are millions of persons in this country who realize the great debt they owe to parents, both dead and living, lor the place ol decency and respectl- bility they have achieved in lilt and lor ideals and character in line with the destiny lor which they were created. Hiey know tliat had it not Ux godly parents and the pmi^ege ol being reared in homes lound- ed on religious principles and penneated by the spirit ol the man Irom (jaUlee they might have become social outcasts and the victims ol evil influences against which their parents were carelul to guard them. Parental Vision This is true with regard to my own life. Like every boy, when I was growing up, I want ed to order my goings to and Iro. There was the desire to stay out late at night, Uie hatred ol a curlew hour. There was that universal juvenile inability to see why certain associations, places and books were bad for me and ttiat access to them would, in the course* ol time, cripple my lile and destroy every prospect ol achieving worthwliile manhood. But a loving lather and motlier had the vision their son needed and hedged him round about with protecting dis^plines. In Disagreement We spend much time today condemning our young people and drawing unlavorable con trasts between the young peo ple ol today and those ol yes terday. The saying is olten heardt “The Bible is luUUUng itsell. The children ol today are weaker and wiser.” But, with tliis pronouncement, I am in'to tal disagreement. There is no basic dilference in childrra from one generation to another. Only their environment chan ges and, as well, the persons change who control their lives and shape their destiny. In this, lies the difference between the youth ol today and the youth ol yesterday. Parents “Weaker” II anybody is growing weak er and wiser, it is the parents of today. They have changed in their attitudes toward their children. They are n^lacting to apply the .disciplines ol yester day# They have taken away the moral and sjuritual fences that held in check juvenile leet ol past generation tkat were as prone .^o wand^ and go astray as are tlie juvenile feet of to day. Then men stand agliast as they behold imrestricted and unrestrained youth today tak ing the liberties which they themselves would have taken and desired to take, If they had been permitted.. So don’t blame today’s youth too much. The parents knocked the fences down; they didn’t. An Observation An Englishman visiting tliis coimtry a lew years ago touch ed the Core of the whole thing when he was asked what im pressed him most about Ameri ca. He replied, .“The way pa rents obey Their children.” This was no shrewd observation, but it remarkably fits the^ facts. Won't Depart The Bible says that a child properly brought up will not depart from his training. It ad vises that application ol the rod is better than spoiling the child. The late William Mc- Dougall years ago in his Social Psychology endorsed this bibli cal pronouncem^t. AdtUce Of Solomon Said Solomon,” Chasten thy son while there -is yet .hope. Withhold not correction from the child; for 11 thou b^test him'With the rod, he shall not die.” He also wisely took note that “looliEtoess is' bound in the heart of a child; but the rod of correction shaU drive it far from him.” Begin Early Moses charged ancient Israel to teach religious precepts to its youth. And ^Isaiah advised moral and religious training from the time . children' “are weaned from the milk, and drawn from the breast.” And Paul called upon the parents of his day to “hold children in subjection with all gravity.” Fruit Of Neglect U the parents of today hdd given more attention to these biblical admonitions,. I believe the children - ol today wotdH be less of a problem hy far than they are and juvenile delin quency would not be the “head ache” it now is. A Solution In a conversation with a prominent woman Imown as Madam Campan, Napoleon Bonaparte said, “The old sys tems of instruction seem to be worth nothing;.what is wanting in order that people should be better educated?” Madam Cam pan replied qulcldy, “Mothers.” So impressed was- Napoleon tiiat he said, “Yes, here is a system of education in one word.” Home. First Said Samuel Smiles, “Home is the first and most important school • of character.*’ And George, Herbert gives us this: “Lord, with what care hast thou begirt us roundi Parents first season us. Then school masters deliver us to laws. They send us bound to rules of rea- Each Mindful Bach of these persons was mindful of the importance ol a wholesome home influence in the lile ol the developing cliild. And that the most inyxirtant source -to which we may look for better children is homes built on religious principles and in which parents shaU re gain their* rightful authorit](. lEITER TO THE EMTOR The Editor: We are seeing a lot in the papers nowadays abaut a pur ported “vision”'' which the pope' is supposed to have had of Jesus. And we wUl probably see a lot more^f it,—will con tinue to be deluged with maud lin news 'releases regarding it, for a long time. Maybe we can rightly esti mate as to how much credence should be put in these stories by copsidering what the Catho lic Igncyclopedia, ^o^. XII, page 275, says,—“The pious ingenui ty of the faithful is fertile in new devices, and it is*dillicult to decid^ what ^igeee ol accep tance war»nts'pf(s in regarding a new devotion as legitimately established”. t>t course, in a case like this, involving the pope liimsell, none can doubt the truth Of the story, and It is established ab initio, ipse facto. There could not possibly be a better loundation laid for the future beautification of Pio Du odecimo,—^yet he modestly “ad mitted” the truth of the story- after being “grieved” about its leaking out I see. that those who were cynical regarding the story were attacked by the Jtalian press, and I suppose that yoiir hpmble reporter 'will be included in these attacks henceforth. But back to the story of the “vision”,—and its credibility. Credat qui vult, non ego. Truly yours, J. J. Walsh This year millions of Americaiu of all faiths will Join in daily Bible reading from Thanksgiving to Cliristmas in the twelra Muiual observance of Worldwide Bibis Reading, sponsored by th« American Bible Society, . Tbeprogram, which began whan a U. B. marina on Guadalcanal wrote liis mother ask^ that the family join him in reeding the same Csages of Scripture each day, spread in scope to tlie peoples of more than forty nations. The readings are witliout note or comment, and one may' use wfaiatever veisioB o( th* Binla b* prefers. Below are the leadings for each day, in the theme of p^jrsonal faith aa ’ selected by numerous people from many-denominations. December 1«... John 14:1-14 1 7 ' John 14:15-31 18 Sunday..Rolnans 8:14-89 1 9 Romans 12:1-21. 2 0 1 John 4:1-21 2 1 .....Isaiah 9:2-7 22.. Isaiah 11:1^ 2 3 Isaiah 68:1-12 2 4 John 1:1-18 25 Chriatmaa. .. .Matthew 2:1-11 Change This Picture." sniwMCfriism- esiHT umia STILL ■Mai Spiritual Insight By REVEREND HAROLD ROLAJW Pastor, Mount Gilead Baptist Qiurch . “ARISE, SHINE’ "Arise, shine for thy light, is come, and the glory of the Lord is come upon thee." Itiah 60:1 The Prophet in the most su blime vision of the ages sees One coming as the very em bodiment of Divine light to banish darlmess. He sees One coming as he looks down the line of time who 'wHl roll back the blanket of. darlmess. He sees One to barysh the prevail ing gross darlmess of the indi vidual, the nation and the world.* He sees Him coming to bring in a reign of spiritual blessedness. He sees God, the Eternal source of light and lile, mo'ving into the stream of his tory to push back and rout the darlmess. He sees the light in the fury ol its holiness, burn ing away the shacUes from the aoMls of men. He sms a world- in gross darlmess. And he sees God coming, to set it fi^. He sees a Savior coming to bring an everlasting Kingdom 'With its blessedness of righte ousness and peace. So, we4iear the prophet 'with a flash of holy insight and vision cry out... “Arise, sliine for thy light is come, and the glory of the LK>rd is risen upon thee..“He sees a Redeemer coming to l)e our sal'vatlon and our peace. ' He comes to usher in a reign of peace where it will really count; PEACE IN THE DE PRAVED AND RESTLESS HU MAN SOUL! He comes to work at the point or trouble and dif ficulty: Man’s sinful soul.,Man has a.sinlul soul'and it needs REGENERATION! He comes as as a purging and a healing light to do just tliat. He comes that the X>LD MAN MAY DIE AND THAT THE NEW MAN BlAY BE BORN IN CHRIST JESUS. .e Light brings the da'wn new day. In the realm of nature the Sun' rises to pu^ back the darlmess and bring in the dawn of a liew day with its wffgM hopes and possibilities tKT^men. Whem the light comes the darkness muist go. The darkness of a LIE cannot -stand the light of the truth. The darkness ol sin ■ cannot , stand the light oi righteousness. Sick ness must start mo'\ring out when health and healing move in. The darkness ol iterance must move out when the light of knowledge and learning come in. Yes, the light pushes back the darkness and ushers ij^e ofV * in a new day...“ARISE, SHINE FOR THY LIGHT HAS COME. The light comes from God to banish the darkness. Tlte darl*. ness ol sin with its ugly fruits had covered the world. Truly the world was in darkness when He' came. The darkness of tyranny, injustice and slave);y prevailed everywhere. The prophet saw the light of God coming In Ciirist. The light came and rested as a little Babe in a manger. The LIGHT has come! It siiines on youl It sliines in you. Tlds light gata in you and your lile takes on a new and a holy glow. Touched by the light ol His Holy Love our Uves glow with holy q;>len- dor. Do you. have ids light? Then.."RISE AND SHINK..”’ The light iias dawned in your soul then ^t it shine. Shtae, shine, rise~and shinel Do you have this lightT nien God wants you to shine. He wants you to shine amid the shadows, the clouds and tiie darkness around you. Bise, Shine, Shine! You may be a bulb or a candle or just a little lamp but he wants you to sliine. The call comes to each one who Itnows Christ.'. “Arise, sliine thy' light has come...” Capital Close-Up D. C. Citizens Register , Hopefuls Eye Primaries Civic conscious and politi cally hopeful citizais converged on the District Building, last week, as registration oiiened for the National Capital’s first citywide election in 82 years, scbbduled lor May 1, Washingtonians, 'with noth ing more than straw balloting behind them by way of experi ence, will UM the partial tran- cliise. granted them by the 84th Congress, to vote for national committeemen, delegates to the Presidential copvenUons, and local part^ officers. Hopefuls whose names are aMady “up’’ include Barrington’ Parker, at torney Imd civic leader, on the Republican side. The names of no Negroes have come, so tar, from Donocratic sources. (De- mocsats fdso failed to nominate a Negro for the Elections Board. Republicans named Memtier West Hamilton.) Drum-beatiAg is expected to occupy much of the time be tween now and elections, with serious citizens ditermined that no candidates be hustled tiirough without inspection. Government, Labor, Business, Hear Ortmger on Jobs Urban League Director Les ter Granger bore down , m Government employment, in an address here, last week, at the 25th Annual Award Night of the Federatic»i of Clvlp Assoc^t atioM, a( the Mayflower Hotel. Gn^er referred to Negro em ployees as "low man (in Oo- vemment) on the incom* totem pole,” and made it clear that more points of contacts be tween groups must be develop ed, and that discrimination- free employment was the real' basis for all other integration. Among the dinner audience of 600 were representatives of business, labor, and civic groups—all interested in how far private employment would be forced, into action t>y Go vernment pattern-setting, and most of them definitely “frcmi Missouri” on* the matter. ’ Pre^dents o!t tihe N;AACP, Urban Leagde, Merchants and Manufacturers, Board of Trade, Industrial Union officers. Dis trict Commissioners and other city officials, utilities heads and insurance executives, dined, lis tened and talked 'with officers and memtiers of the 43-year-old Federation, which was organiz ed as a voice for disfranchised citizens,-under the discrimina tory pressures of the Woodrow Wilson Administration. The 2Sth Award Night marked the first time in FCA iiistory that non-member groups were in cluded in participation and for honors. ' Honored for community ad vancement through integration, were Dr. Margaret Just Butcher of Howard, Mmber of the Board of Education, Pres. Wal ter Hager of the merged D. C; Teachers’ College, and Dr. A. Powell Davies, Unitarian lea der. George O. Butler is Ae new ly reelected president of the Federation, with Barrington Parker first vice-pres., Leslie Perry, corresponding secretary, and Chas. Norris, treasurer. Merger and Miners The naming of A. Phillip Randolph, Sleeping C^ Porters head, and Willard Townsend of Traiuport Workers, to diember- ahip on the Ibcecutive Council of the CiO-AFL merger, doubt less influenced by the rfecent corporation executives meeting of the Govenmtent Contracts Committee, has been making press' headlines, here^ Appar- eiitly the stiffnecked AF of L, and the John-L. Lewis-fashicm- ed CIO took over industrial or- ganizatidn, Lewis commented— “You can’t have white labor and black labor and Irish labor and Italian labor—and still have labor. You have unity, or you have nothing!” The Mine Workers, organized in 18S0, as a merger of the Na tional Progressive -Union and the Nation^ Trades Assembly, found a thousand Negro mem bers alr^dy in NTA. UMW 'wrote into its constitution its aim “to unite (miners) In one orgemito^on, regardless of creed, color or nationality.” In 1820, 25 thousand Negro mem bers were r^>orted in UMW. When the Mine Workers met in Washington, 16 years later, at the convention which broke with the AF of L, one-fourth of the miners in the soft-eoal flelds were Negro. That convention passed, without fanfare, no less than 26 anti-discrlda^tion resolutions from as many lo cals. We talked with N^pro of- fidals of predominantly wldte unions—in Alabama. Those Continued On l^ifle Seven
The Carolina Times (Durham, N.C.)
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Dec. 17, 1955, edition 1
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