VOL. LIIL
CHAHLOTTE, N. C., THURSDAY, AUGUST 6, 1931
NO. 30.
f
!
!
By Dr. Carter G. Woodson
i
The other day I received from
an office seeker the request
that I go to see Hoover to urge
that he be appointed to one of
the “Jim Crow” Federal posi
tions set aside to reward Ne
gro politicians. I had to thank
him for the compliment. I am
not a politician, and I do not
co-operate with fhem. I prompt
ly wrote this seeker that I had
never seen Hoover and I have
given such little attention to
his advertising that I would not
recognize him if I met him on
the street.
Yet, this is the usual game
we play in Washington. Every
body must try to see the man
in the White House or some
one in touch with the man
there. Negroes, unable to work
through the well established
channels of recognized bosses
in the machine, take up mat
ters through the Negro men
ials in attendance upon the
President, and, occasionally,
they hve been able to do much
in advancing the cause of wait
ing Negro politicians. Under
Hoover, however, the Negroes
have been unsuccessful in both
ways. The politicians are,
therefore, miserably depressed,
but at times they rally suffi
ciently to show evidence of des
peration.
In none of these cases, how
ever, have the politicians or
their friends ever asked for
anything of consequence. Their
ambition has not risen higher
than two or three “Jim Crow”
jobs. Intense rivalry, then, is
the order of the day. One pol
itician is repeatedly lambast
ing the others; one personal
machine- is: constantly pitted
against the other; politicians
from one section are rallying
their forces against those of
other parts; and the voteless
national machine in Washing
ton is endeavoring always to
discredit politicians outside of
the District of Columbia.
And thus we have much aao
about nothing. Negroes have
never been appointed to posi
tions commensurate with their
support of the machine, and
income from all of the so-called
higher Federal positions given
Negroes by any one national ad
ministration hais seldom
amounted to more than what
an efficient real estate agent in
prosperous times can realize in
about a year; but the bread
and butter politicians must
thereby earn their living and,
therefore, accept almost any
sop^thrown at them. The em
barrassing position in which
j they place the race in thus be
ing so pauperized, however, at
taches to it a stigma which has
proven to be one of the worst
l handicaps. The white bosses
can have nothing but con
tempt for a people whose re
I presentatives in politics stoop
to almost anything and hold
their hands out for everything.
Washington is also the cen
I ter of another sort of political
I activity. Practically all Negro
conferences and conventions
try to get their delegations an
audience with the President.
The purpose in these cases is
two-fold. The spokesmen or
leaders hope thereby to im
press the President with the
significance of their leadership,
and at the same time they en
deavor to convince the pubhc
of the importance of a “great”
mission which they have ful
filled in bringing a matter to
the attention of the chief ex
ecutive of the nation. Although
the matter usually presented
is received in silence and treat
ed with contempt, these race
y| leaders, from the childlike
p noint of view of the Negroes,
L have done something great.
0 The other purpose of such
» conferences, sometimes a sin
ii cere one, is to remedy thereby
certain evils from which the
race has suffered. A Negro is
1 cheated out of his earnings in
J Mississippi, and the President
BOGGS’ ACADEMY,
THE CENTER OF OUR PRESBYTERIAN ACTIVITIES AMONG THE COLORED PEOPLE
IN BURKE COUNTY, GEORGIA
REV. J. L. PHELPS, D. D.,
President
is asked to stop that sort of
thing; Negro strike-breakers
are shot down in Illinois, and
the President is told not to let
such a thing happen again; a
Negro suspect is lynched in
Texas, and the President must
exterminate the evil immedi
ately. Instead of stopping these
things themselves, Negroes, in
cowardly fashion, sneak away
from the fight and seek their
deliverance from without.
The situation is well ex
plained by the remark of a Fil
ipino, who. in advocating the
independence of his country,
spent much time in discussing
the matter with Pitchfork Ben
Tillman. Hearing this a smart
Negro hurried to the Filipino
to warn him against conferring
with a man who boasted of in
timidating, mobbing, and kill
ing Negroes to drive them out
of power. The Filipino listened
attentively tp the story of the
Neg|-o informant, and at the
close of his excoriation of Till
man, the Filipino expressed
surprise that such things could
happen. He was not thinking
first of Tillman and his follow
ers, or of what they did; but
he inquired immediately as to
what the Negroes were doing
while all of this was going on.
Unfortunately the answer had
to be that they were doing
nothing. This Filipino and many
others, therefore, have the
greatest contempt for the Ne
gro, because he has not the
courage to fight his own bat
tles. Ben Tillman respected the
Filipino because he will fight
the oppressor, but he had the
utmost contempt for the Ne
gro because he willingly wears
the yoke.
In going to the White House
the Negroes exhibit again
their lack of common sense in
always telling their troubles to
tne “big policeman.” In the
first place, the effort is useless
because there is nothing that
the President can do about
most of these matters except
to use his moral influence in
molding public opinion, and
for people for whom he has so
much contempt he will not
often do this. When the Negro
carries his troubles to the
White House, moreover, he
(Continued on page 4)
STORY OF BOGGS
ACADEMY
Boggs Academy and Presby
terianism are celebrating their
25th anniversary. This field in
Burke County, Georgia, is the
realization of a dream by Rev.
J. L. Phelps.
In his early life, Rev. J. L.
Phelps, being a poor country
boy, was denied the opportuni
ty of getting an education. He
mastered the shote-malker’s
trade and was fortunate in
marrying a very accomplished
lady, Mrs. M. A. Rice, an hon
or graduate of Scotia Semina
ry and one who had especially
fitted herself for the profession
of teaching.
Fortunately, Mrs. Phelps was
called to Payne College as
teacher, which gave her a
‘•plendid opportunity to en
courage and co-operate with
her husband in carrying out
his early ideas of securing an
education and entering the min
istry.
Mr. Phelps worked his. way
through Paine College (Paine
Institute) and was soon off to
Tohnson C. Smith University
(Biddle University), where he
completed his college and the
ological courses.
When he was ready to begin
his life’s work, his first thought
was of ministering to the
boys and girls of some rural
district where boys with ambi
tion were denied the opportu
nity of fitting themselves for
Christian citizenship, just as
he had been in his early life.
Then, too. he dreamed of a
Negro Presbyterian church
evangelizing the colored people
according to the standards of
the Presbyterian Church. A
rural district in Burke County
was selected and with faith in
God and himself as his only as
sets, he undertook the task.
True to his Alma Mater, he
has constantly sent students
from Boggs Academy to John
son C. Smith University. The
school is co-educational and
the girls are being sent to Bar
ber and Barber-Scotia.
Among the outstanding stu
dents which Boggs has sent to
Johnson C. Smith University
are: Col. Walter E. Rogers,
lawyer and city attorney, Chi
cago, Illinois; Arthur Kea Ray,
■pharmacist, Nashville,. Tenn,; |
Green Quarker, musician, Bos
ton, Mass.; W. W. Jones,
teacher in science and |iisto
rv, Virginia; 0. J. Taylor,
Brooklyn, N. Y.
Among other outstanding
students who did not get to
college are: Mr. 0. M. Blount,
who heads the three leading
businesses among our group in
Augusta, Ga.; and Mr. Edgdr
Walker Matthews, Postal Ser
vice Department, Augusta, Ga.
There are many others who
are in the mercantile and
teaching professions.
The school is a Christian in
stitution under the auspices of
the Board of National Missions
of the Presbyterian Church,
U. S. A., and has four depart
ments, namely, Literary, Com
mercial, Musical and Industri
al.
Boggs Academy has the rep
utation of taking poor, neglect
ed boys and girls and giving
them a chance. Boggs Acade
my is a regular feeder for
Johnson C. Smith ■University
and the boys all make .splendid
records.
Dr. Phelps will be glad to get
in touch with any student
struggling for an education.
For information, write:
REV. J. L. PHELPS, D. D.,
Principal Boggs Academy,
Keysville, Ga.
DOTHAN CHUKCH,
MAXTON, N. C.
The Dothan Presbyterian
church of Maxton has just
closed a very successful ses
sion of Daily Vacation Church
School. Rev. R. C. Scriven, the
pastor, was assisted by Misses
Hancie Shipman, Inez Johnson
and Mr. Boyd Ancrum. The
enrollment for the week was
137. The school ended Friday
evening, July 24, with a very
interesting program demon
strating some of the things
that were taught during the
week.
A FRIEND.
Loyalty is one of the finest
human virtues. It is that qual
ity which makes one trustwor
thy and dependable and fit for
the high trusts of God and
man.
CATAWBA SCHOOL OF
METHODS KOI ES
By Frank C. Shirley
“On to Franklinton!” just
three weeks before the 11th an
nual meeting of Catawba School
of Methods.
Every effort is being made to
keep the Convention up. to the
same high standard of former
years, yet we are reducing the
cost. You were informed last
week of the generosity of our
host in deducing the cost' of
board. In accordance with the
action taiken upon the volun
tary proposal -it will be possible
for the delegates to attend the
meeting SI cheaper than in
former years.
If delegates coming from the
larger centers can secure a re
duction in travel expense a
further saving in expense can
be effected. It is our hope that
a number of our prominent
business men and professional
men will help us out in this re
spect, by giving a liberal con
sideration to those who desire
to go from their churches and
communities. The men of Cal
vary church in Wilson have
been doing this for a number
of years. As a result we have
always had a large delegation
»f youth from that church. We
hope during this year at least
that many other laymen will
adopt the spirit of the laymen
of Calvary church. There are
hundreds of “youngsters” who
are anxious to go but the mat
ter of transportation keeps
them back. May no youth be
kept back this year on that ac
count. We desire at least 100
of them present this year for
the dramatic presentation,
“Challenge,” and that they may
form the nucleus of the Great
er Youth Movement that will
be formally launched at that
fime.
As usual about this time of
year there is a steady flow of
mdjil inquiring (about reserva
tions at “The School of Meth
ods.” We must follow .our time
honored custom of assigning
rooms in the order that we re
ceive the registrations.
It will be inspiring to the
boys, youth and adults of Ca
tawba Synod to hear that Rev.
A. H. George, of Knoxville,
Tenn., plans to attend this
meeting of our School of Meth
ods. For the years that Rev.
George was in our Synod he
was closely identified with our
School of Methods, serving as
leader of boys, instructor in
Vocational Guidance, and finally
as President of the Convention.
We extend to our esteemed
comrade a hearty welcome.
The older members of our
Conference will be equally as
proud to know that Mrs. S. J.
IT. Dillard, who for years was
A ssistant Secretary of the
Synodical Convention, and lat
er , Assistant Secretary of the
Convention and School of
Methods, expresses a desire to
be present this year after be
ing absent for six years.
And, of course, we all are in
terested in brides and grooms
at the School of Methods. This
year we expect to have the
pleasure of welcoming among
other such “newly weds” Rev.
and Mrs. 0. E. Sanders.
Our interest is still centered
in the “Larger Youth Move
ment” that will be formally
launched at this meeting of the
School of Methods. The drama
that has been written especial
ly for the occasion has been re
viewed by some of the leading
citizens of the nation. A copy
right has been secured for it,
and those who are to take the
leading parts are rehearsing
weekly. Remember there is a
place in the play for every
yoqth who attends the School
of Methods.
Note: “All roads lead to
Franklinton, August 24-31.”
N All ON AL ASSOCIATION
OF NEGRO MUSICIANS
Hampton Institute, Va., Aug.
1: Plans for the annual meet
ing of the National Association
of Negro Musicians to be held
at Hampton Institute from
August 22-27, have been com
pleted.
Many affairs, both musical
and social, have been planned
in connection with the Associ
ation. The program is made up
of a variety of activities among
which may be mentioned the
Annual Students’ Program,
Hampton Night, New Talent,
Branch Night, and the closing
Artists recital. Prominent social
events are the reception to the
delegates and visitors given by
the Hampton Institute Sum
mer School faculty, an Annual
Get-Together Luncheon, a
lawn social, a boat ride on his
toric Hampton Roads, a
reception at the Bay Shore
summer resort, and a sight
seeing tour that will take in
many historic points of inter
est on the peninsula.
The local committee, in
charge of arrangements, are
Major W. Brown, Dr. R. N.
Dett, Miss Wilhelmina Patter
son, Miss Harriet S. Curtis,
Mr. Don Davis, and Mr. J. Har
old Brown. Letters are being
sent to the Association branch
es throughout the country ask
ing for the names of delegates
and visitors who will be in at
tendance, and the final material
for the souvenir program to be
sent to Mr. J. Harold Brown,
Secretary of the committee,
not later than August 12.