Newspapers / The Carolina Times (Durham, … / Feb. 9, 1957, edition 1 / Page 1
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PAGE TWO THE CAfiOUNA TIMES SATUBDAY. FCT. 8th, 1§57 A. H. GORDON'S IHE PBICE OF TOKEN REPRESBnAIION Negro leaders of Durham are putting mudi thought into the selection ^ a suc cessor to R. N. Harris who announced'several days ago that he would not be a candidate to succeed himself on the City Council There are two reasons why the selection of a suc cessor to Mr. Harris poses a most mo mentous problem to the Negro citizens of Durham. In the first place, Durham’s first and only Negro councilman, a man of un- usual ability and experience, has given the city a brand of service in his four years on the Council that is not easily matched. In the second place, tiie Council will have no other Negro member, which makes it un usually hard in that whoever is elected must attend every meeting in order to keep pro perly informed as to what is going on that might be of vital concern to his constituency as well as to the city as a whole. We think, however, the time is not too far away—thank.q to Mr. Harris’ fine record on the Coimcil—when it might be possible to elect a man to such an office from any ward on his ability and fitness without regard for his racial identity. It appears to las that it would be no more unusual for a capable Ne gro to be the councilman from a predomin antly white ward than for white person to be 4he councilman from a predominantly Negro ward. Durham is beginning to become of age, and what yesterday seemed an impos sibility on tomorrow may be only an every day occurrence. Whatever happens Negro citizens must point toward the time whbn they will have more than token representation on city coun cils, county, state and national boards of im portance. Such representation is entirely too exacting of one representative’s time, energy and ability, and it is not in keeping with the pattern of the national govefti* .ment — where each state has two senators, and several congressmen — our state gov ernment where each county has one or more representatives, depending on the popula tion. The same applies to appointive positions, especially by the governor. The custom is to appoint one Negro, or at most three, to important boards or committees on which more often as many as a hundred or more white persons are serving. The one or two Negroes are supposed to represent or speak for the more than one million Negro citizens of the state while the 50, 75, 100 or even more white people are spokesmen for the 'rest of the population which amounts to about threfe million. This, of course, makes the Negro representation way under propor tion and most of all ineffective in a group that so vastly outnumbers them. Such a condition is the reason Negro lead ers are being forced to weigh with unusual care every prospective candidate to succeed Mr. Harris. So far as ability is concerned there are numerous members of the group in Durham who are qualified. The big ques tion is will they have the time to attend ev ery meeting of the council as was done by their predecessor. Whatever is said and done, a lone Negro member on the Council, even though coming from the Third Ward, must be concerned about and conversant with the problems of all the people. Like wise, he at-the same time cannot escape the fact that being the only member of his raop, he is to a large extent the representative of the entire Negro population of the city. It is the price that we must pay so long as only token representation is our lot. OLD AND HODEKN IKNNIQUES IN EDUCATION Last week we came across a sixth-grade student in one of the public schools of Dur ham who knew absolutely nothing about just ordinary subtraction, to say nothing about multiplication and division. At fint we tiiought the discovery was one of those rare cases that might turn up in any class room in spite of how careful a teachbr is in trying to get over to her pupils the funda mentals of education that are sometimes re ferred to as reading, writing and arithmetic. Upon investigation we discovered to our sur- ptiM -that it u no unusual occurrenm to find ' advanced & the sixth grade who cannot do subtraction, multiplication and division. Now we lay no claim to being experts in the field of education, certainly not the kind that is often referred to as aaotem methods^ and that is practiced in our schools today. We only know that the averageliigh school and college graduate we come across in these days is no match, when it comes to spellings punctuation and Just plain grammar, with graduate of the old schools whose teachers had no such facilities and fine buildings as are found in a majority of our school systems today. In talking with several teachers, some of w^om have lived through and been exposed to both the old and modem teaching methods, we have been told that a majority of our public schools are putting their emphasis on such things as art, physical education and other courses that are not directly connect ed with the fundamentals of education. No longer are students taught the alphabet, the multiplication tables. No longer are they re quired to know parts of speech, analyze and diagram sentences and do many other things required of their parents a quarter of a cen tury ago. Little emphasis is put on spelling, punctuation and plain reading. We are told that in many instances modem education methods, sometimes referred to as “progressive education,” demand that a child advance with his class in spite of the fact that he might not have done the quality of work to justify promotion. When and if too many students are retained, the teacher AND NOT THE PUPILS are held responsible. Thus, often out of pure fear of criticism or tear of losing his or her job, a teacher will promote a child when there are all reaaoas for it to be retained. Probably we have no prof essiotwl light to stick our nose into the kind of work that from all evidence is being done in our average public schpol of today. But when graduates of such schools are hired on the basis of hav ing finished high school or college and are paid perfectly good money in accordance, on ly for it to be discovered later that they are sadly lacking in the fundamentals of educa tion, we feel that we have a right to squawk This newspaper happens to know where there are several busing executives who would shout for joy if they knew where they could obtain secretarial and clerical help such as were turned out of our schools before the days of modem techniques in education They long for the time when they will not have to check every letter, or other piece of work in detail for errors in spelling, punctuation and sentence structure. If soihe- one will start a school t^t would teach such subjects and retain students until they had absorbed them, its ^aduates would be in a great demand and could name their own salaries. WHAT HE FORGOT “No sir,” said Eustace Coleridge, “it’s all wrong. What with the latest medical dis coveries and the new^t inventions, a man dies just through sheer carelessness. Not for me. I’m going to watch my st^, and live for ever.” So— He brushed his teeth twice daily with the right kind of toothpaste. He had a complete physical examination every three months. He always stayed inside when it rained. He stuck to his diet—^with plenty of proteins and fresh vegetables. He had his tonsils taken out and traded in several womdown glands. He played golf, but never more than eighteen holes at a time. He took ocean trips, but only when the weather was good. He never smok ed, drank or lost his temper. He wore arch preservers and white socks. He never worked under a strain or drove himself. He never worried. The funeral of the late Eustace Coleridge will be held next Monday afternoon. He is survived by eighteen specialists, four health institutes, six gymnasiums and numerous manufacturers of antiseptic appliances and sanitary foods. (He had forgotten about not driving too fast.) Reprinted from WALL STREET JOURNAL, courtesy of Bill Crowell of the North Caro lina Pepartment of Motor Vehicles. Clw BIAIN OFFICE — 43t EAST PETTIGREW STRIET . Phones S-0C71 and 2-2I1S — Durham, North Carolina Published At Durhmm, Ntrth Carolina Every Saturday By THE UNITED PUBLISHERS. Inc. Entered os second c1m« matter at the Pott Office at Durham,.North Carolina un der the Act of March 3,1879, _ 1. E. AUSTIN, Publither CLATHAN ROSS, Editor JESSE GRAY, Adverti^ng Mgr. M. E. JOHNSON, Controller “THEY’RE ENTITLED TO PROTECTION FROM MOB RULE, MR. PRESIDENT^ _ _ Dr. Gordon Facii^ The Issue HAS^EISEmOWER PERJURED HIMSELF? £ver since Eisenhower took the solemn oath twice in as many days to “execute faith fully”, etc. and was officially Inducted Into the great office of President of the United States of America this writer has been wondering if he did not thereby perjure himself. At first I thought 1 would push this question out of mind as being, perhaps, impertinent coming from one in my posi tion to or about one in such an exalted place. Then the idea came to me that, as a citizen of the United States, although an humble and "black” one, 1, nevertheless, am one of Eisenhower’s boss es. Also as a firm believer in donocracy Involving the the-' ory that all men are equal, it does not seem presumptous to aslc whether a fellow citi zen who has been promoted to the highest office is really fit for the obligation of this office. All Of Constitution The more I think about this question the more I seem in clined to believe that Eisen- iiower was not sincere, not really serious, when he swore to D^end the Constitution of the United States. I remember that this constitution includes the Fourteenth Amendment, not to mention the First and the Fifth, and I doubt serious ly whether Eisenhower inten ded to try hon^tly and seri ously to defend these parts of the constitution during liis tenure of office. Yet, the oath he took does not obligate him to defend or, in other words, enfol^^jgaBute some of It. Considerins the glaring fact th«4k.I^lsenhower has not even declared that he would* even try to defend that recent interpretation of the Constitu tion which declares that se- gre8Bt«t~'K!tioolff and hU8«^ are unconstitutional. In fact, Eisenhower has declared that he positively will not try to enforce the parts of the con stitution on which these de cisions are baaed. During his first administra tion Eisenhower flagrantly repudiated his oath in connec tion with these amendments but he bad, perhaps, the excuse that when he took the oath, the Constitution was not interpreted to mean that seg regation was Illegal, egt>ecial- ly in reference to public schools. However, he does not have even that flimsy excuse now. Not Sincere A dictionary which lies open before me as I write defines the word perjure; “to render (oneself) guilty of swearing falsely, or of willfully making a false statement under oath or solemn affirmation",,..If one ai^lles Eisenhower’s own slogan of “Deeds not Words” as proof of whether he was sincere in promising to defend desegregation through the power and prestige of his of fice, he is, we believe, found guilty of perjury in this con nection. The only reasonT can give t^t would make him free of this charge is that he was not a witness in a court room. To add to his perjury religious hypocrisy, Eisen hower, added a statement which Creorge Washington ad ded to the original oath: “So Help Me God”. We do not be lieve, on the basis of his ac tions so far, that Eisenhower was sincere in asking God to help him enforce the desegre gation of schools in the South. If the actions, deeds not words", of Eisenhower prove in the months ahead that he really did perjure himself in taking the oath to defend the Constitution, the whole con stitution, including all its amendments, our studied opinion is that he should be impeached. A special election should be called and a man pill in office, Democrat or Re publican, who has the '“IntM- tinal fortitude" and the sin cere belief in democracy which will compel him to De fend the Constitution of the United States in all its parts (Please turn to page 2) Spiritual faisigkt ‘‘OPEN MY EYES” By BEVKRENb HAROLD ROLAND Pastor, Mount GilMid Bfcftist Chorck “OPEN MI ETES” “What do yon want me to do (or yon? Lord let me receive my siHit...” Luke 18:41 We aU need to pray with the blind man on the wayside.. “Lord let me receive my sight...” Yes, for we all are lost in the darkness of some blindness. In some respect we all need our eyes opened. We are blind to the light of some essential, needed truth that would make life richer and fuller. The man in this story was made able for a fuller life when his blinded eyes had been opened. We too would hfiTO a fiilljr life if W^DQuIiL. ^aremie our »unmies». are iblind to ou^ hlfhest good. We are blinded to God’s way of blessedness as revealed in Christ Jesus our Sdvior. A human being must recog nize his blindness before his can 1>e opened. Pride and selfishness keep us from re cognizing our blindness. You must want to escape the terri ble darkness of your blind ness. The question comes to us >11 as it did to the blind ^mftn of old..,“WHAT DO YOU WANT ME TO DO FOR YOU?” And the wise human being answers with blind Bartemus...“LORD LET B/IE RECEIVE MY SIGHT...” The light of God's spiritual truth will open our eyes and banish our darkness. God in Christ has «ome to open our eyes. He has come to restore us from the primary source of human darkness and blind- ness-SIN AND EVIL. Evil blinds us to the wisdom of goodness. Why is evil so falsely glamorous and fasci* it blinds us. It pulls a smoke' screen over our eyes—it leaves us in the prison cell of moral and spiritual darkness. The-spiritual truth in Christ Jesus can open our eyes to the spiritual -*and" moral' beauty of God’s way of joy and bles sedness. Let us ask the savior to open our eyes...“Lord let me receive my sight.. Pride is a dangerous source of human blindness. It has been a human problem since it wrecked Adam and Eve in the Garden. We all are blind ed by pride. All around us we see the agonizing effects of pride’s blindness. It has wrecked Individuals, homes, institutions, races and na tions. The blindness of pride is the heart of the world’s problems in this historic hour of crisis facing us humans. It is at the heart of the strug gle to build the new and much needed pattern of de cent race and human rela tions. Thus, each needs to Join the atayet- o^Blind Bartemus.. "Lord let-r me receive ' my sight...” Yes the blindness of pride threatens humankind. We need to be healed of the perilous blindness of pride that we may^ be saved from the pitfalls of our times. Thus, let us be honest wlttiln oar= selves and ask the Savior to open our eyes that we may see In time the wisdom of his way of blessedness. By Robert Spivmk Watch on the Potomac Mr. Spivack TOB BIO SQUEEZE Do you drive a car? If you do, then you know that the price of gasoline has gone up one cent per gallon in most parts of the country. But do you. know why it has gone up? If one were to believe the press releasM of the big oil companies, it’s because of the Middle-East cris^. But a little checking by some inquisitive congressmen, including Sen Wayne Morse of Oregon and Rep.' Charles Vanik of Ohio, discloses some information that Would indicate there’s more to it than meets the eye. This is what they have found; FACT NO. 1—There Is no oil shortage in this coutnry, there is a surplus. FACT NO. 2—In Texas, where 45 per cent of U.S. oil comes from, the regulating agenclea have ordered a cut back in the production of oil for February, 1957. The pieces hi the jig-saw puzzle all begin to fit together when one translates into dol lars and cents just how much a one cent per gallon increase in the cost of gasoline ({dus a two and one half cent boost hi fuel oil) nets the Interna tional oil cartd. 'It comes out in the next twelve months to $658,470,- 000., That’s a neat iMrofit by anyone’s calculations. By colnddMice ,it almost equals the amount the oil companies would have made last year if the President had not vetoed the “natural gas” bilL He vetoed it, the Pred- dent said, because of the oil compwiies’ “arrogant lobby ing”. To reap this year’s quickie profit, no lobbying was neces- sary. In fact no legislation was necessary. The federal government, at the very mo ment the {Resident is speak ing out against increases in the cost of living, ii standing by idly with no serious ac tion contemplated to call a halt to this deal. 'THE SMELL OF OIL It’s no secret that the oil companies have tremendous influence in Congress. They have demonstrated time and again tlieir ability to get what they, want when they want it. Congressman Vanik, a Cle veland Democrat, who also happens to be a specialM in oil matters, thinks the Ad ministration is keeping hands off in order to repay toe oil companies for their huge campaign contributions. He has called it a “built-in bribe” to the industry. “It’s a down payment to the oil Interests,” Vanik said, "to make sure they use their in fluence in CongMSS to assure passage of the admlnlstra- ticm’s budget.” Sen.- Morse has called it a “paste in the eye" for the U.S. cimsiuner. Oddly ^ough not all the oil companlM are happy about it, either. It was the Humble Oil and Refining Co. of Texas, a subsidiary of Standard of New Jersey, which started the ball rolling. But the nnaller oU compa- ntes are afraid of It. Tliey think many drivers will cur tail auto-ridibg or even hsgln to buy the smaller European cars, like the British Morris Minor or the Volkswagen, which get anywhere from 30 to 40 miles to a gallon of gas. The Cleveland, Ohio Gaso line Dealers Asm. han called it a “gouge in the j^ocket- books” that was totally un- waranted, even if we are sliipping surplus oil to Wes tern Europe. A top officer in that association disclosed that Standard of Ohio circulated a private letter to its dealers only three weeks ago, dis closing an oil surpliH of 7 billion gallons in that state alone. EMBABBASINO QUESTION ’The administration is acute ly embarrassed by the_“Invi- tatloh” extended Jan. 11 by Negro ministers in Montgom ery, Ala., for the President to come South and speak out against efforts to flout the Supreme Court ' integration decisions. ■nils exchange took place at the last White House pr^s conference: REPORTERS—“Earlier tols month the Negro leaders of Mcmtgomery, Ala., appealed to you to come South and tpeak out against the grow ing violence of the pro-segre gationists there. Have you re- Qionded to Jthat ai^eal?” THE PKSSISKNT “The message came in and, 1 believe that—Did Gov. Ad ams make a—(conferring with Bb. HagCTty)—Ym. Gov. ^- ams merely stated "that the point had been turned over to th« Dept of Justice for study and advice to me.” \nm TO THE EDITOR Dear Editor; There seems to be a wave of propaganda sweeping the coun try, aiming to discredit Mr. Eisenhower’s Interest in the Ne groes’ struggle for first-class citizenship. One reads and hears such slogans as: “Throwing bread at the Hungarians and lK>mb8 at the Negroes”, “They (the Negroes) must think that .they are Hungarians” in asking for. consideration from the Pre sident, etc., etc. It is strange in deed, that such contemptuous terms would be hurled at the President in the face'~&f tlte fact that under his Administration more substantial progress in the area of civil rights has been made in four years than in all the years since the enactment of the 14th Amendment. The President has made it crystal clear tliat he intends to crusade against second-^class citizenship, not only in America but through out the world.' Those who have not heard this from Ills own Ups need only to read his civil rights proposals tc| Congress. And those who do not take time to read need only to look about themselves and see the already tangible results of this great crusade. It is regrettable that the Pre sident’s interest in the whole sale slaughtering of the free dom-seeking Hungarians, toe Middle East Crisis, and the drou^t-stricken areas of oun country is interpreted, by any one, to mean that he is not in terested in the welfare of the Negroes in the 'Souto. (A strange sort of sectional Isola tionism in the midst of a rapidly growing world-mindedness.) By comparison, the struggle and sufferings of either the Hun garians or toe itarmers in toe drought-stricken areas, would make toe strug^ and suffer- togs of toe Negro in the Souto seem lera significant than they really are. But, to keep the re cords straight, toe President did send toe Vice President into toei Souto and otoer parts of toe country, as head of a committee, to stody and report on toe un just treatment of toe Negro, long l}efore sending him to study and report on toe condi tions toe HungariaosT I ii 111 I iM ~ 1 toe President to ^‘speak out) against toe outbreaks of vio- leqpe in toe Souto’' w>und like soldiers on toe firing Une tellhig toe general how to wid'the war. The President has long since spoken-out, in Ms own way, -hr- no imcertain terms. It is toe ef fectiveness of bis strategy toat has resulted in these sporadic out-bursta of violence. They merely represent the pains oi toe birto of freedom for the Ne- gro from the womb of wliite su premacy. And, toe operations of. the Department of Justice and toe federal courts will be far more effective and lasting iq soothing toese pains than the audible voice of the President. And suppose the Vice Presi dent were sent toto toe South to take note of the progress being made in this crusade against segregation. What would be his report? He would probably find a half dozen or more sitiuations where integration is proceeding without tocldent to every one where there are acts of violence. He would find the Negro as a whole enjoying% greater degree of prosperity and freedom than ever before in toe history of toe nation. And to our lasting shame, he would find Negroea spending by far more money to support segregated places ot amusement than toey are spad ing to support.toe NAACTP and otoer agencies worUng to break down segregation. And so, why all of this criti cism of toe Administration, wito so much to be done on our part, and yet wito toe signs of victor;; already clearly written acroaa the sky? Is it propaganda, or grandsWd play? Benjamin F.- Bullock School of Education Atlanta University Ba ited ki tiM Leid; and Mjelce, richtaana: dad for Joy, all y that are opright la imit —(Paata M,U.) living a rlghteons Ilia, ba- ing filled trito God's love and food which ara eon for toe saaMng and aecepting, is not a gria, aolenin, sour .fexpa* rianea. It is the only r«al and laatiag happinMs, sometolngi «r gladnaas uid joy that ia kindly, onaeifiah^ eagerly ahand with othara.
The Carolina Times (Durham, N.C.)
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Feb. 9, 1957, edition 1
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