MAKE you FREE.—Jtohn
CHARLOTTE, N. C, THURSP,
NO. 48.
OBJECTIVES OF EDUCATION FOR THE NEGRO
By Dr. R. R. Wright, Jr.
Dr. R. R. Wright, Jr., Presi
dent of Wilberforce University,
at, /Wilberforce^ Ohio, recently
delivered a notable address at
Flint, Michigan. President
Wright spoke on the objective
of education for the Negro ami
the peculiar duty of the Negro
college to work out that objec
tive. He said:
“No group in America needs
education a* «io^s the Negro.
Not only does he need education
for the purpose of information
and technical training, but
more so does he need education
for his own spiritual develop
ment of self-confidence and self
help. And that is the particular
duty and should be the objective
of the Negro college.
“A Negro boy or girl goes
out into a different world from
college to a boy or girl of al
most any other nationality in
America. He goes out jinto a
world in which there are bar
riers that obstruct his entrance
into almost every field except
that of menial labor, it matters
not how skilled or trained he
may be. The educated Negro’s
plight in America at present is
one of the most pathetic of any
group in that he is educated for
and thrown into contact with
positions on every side from
which he is barred from aspir
ing.
“In the so-called public
schools they are constantly re
minded that they are not to be
American and barriers are
thrown up everywhere to pre
vent them from full participa
tion in school life. The Negro
' child is impressed with the fact
* that he is a N^rp^and^ that^he
can society, and that he must
not expect to be an American
in all that term implies.
“For instance we say the one
great purpose of education is to
fit people for citizenship, and
the State and nation spend bil
lions of dollars annualy to fit
people for citizenship by teach
ing them to understand and to
vote intelligently. Yet there are
eleven million Negroes in Amer
ica and only about one million
of them are permitted to vote.
“The result of all of this has
been to kill race pride in the Ne
gro and to stultify group am
bition; and so the educated Ne
gro as a group has contributed
very little to his race of a per
manent nature since emancipa
uon.
“In the last seventy /ears
illiteracy of the Negro has been
„ cut to nearly 10 per cent. There
were seventy years ago less
than half a million Negroes
who could read and write; to
day there are eight million who
can read and write. There are
less Negroes, however, in the
State legislatures today than
there were sixty years ago;
there are less Negroes in Con
gress today, and less Negroes
holding elective public office of
any sort; and it may be (though
we have not adequate statistics
on the facts) that there are less
Ntiferoes actually voting when
the Negro illiteracy is 10 per
cent than when it was 50 per
cent.
The second thing is that edu
cation is to aid people ft* mak
ing a living and in developing
their resources. The colleges of
the country turn out men to
make the country growv Orig
inally when the churches dom
inated the colleges, they
turned out preachers and the
church became the center of
every community, its largest in
stitution and its greatest influ
ence. Then it was the great ob
jective to develop Christian
character. Later when the States
and private philanthroDy start
ed to develop the industry of
the Country, the agriculture,
finance, etc., and took over ed
ucation, the great objective
of education changed to that of
“making good citizens and de
veioping the resources of oux
country." Around the codegee
and vne churches came up great
i^ctc/i-s anu cuih-i.eicifai insti
tutions, railroads anl steamship
companies, in these communi
ties the school was the feeder
tor industry and the profes
sions/ Thus in the past seventy
years the white South has
grown tremendously, millions
of dollars have been accumulat
ed in wealth.
“But Negro education does
not seem to have penetrated in
dustry and business. Around
many of our Negro colleges are
slums and very few business
organizations. The Negro mass
es have not been organized, Ne
gro finance today is out of the
hands of Negroes. In spite ot
all that is said today abo>u|t inf <
dustrial education, there is not
a Negro factory of any larfre
proportion ;run (by the gradu
ates of Negro industrial schools.
Millions have been put into this
kind of education, but we do not
see any great results. All over
the South we have Negro indus
trial colleges, and yet in this
section the agriculturist’s con
dition is the most backward
and pathetic of any in America.
“In an artistic way, education
is a^so supposed to contribute
If we should ask original contri
bution the Negro’s has been that
of lie slaves in the music of the
old slave plantations which is
now called the “Spirituals.’’
“Almost the only organiza
tion which the Negro has is
that rooted in his simple life
of religion—the organization of
the church. Education has faded
to .dbranize business, industry
When we say a great deal about
Negro education we merely re
fer to the fact that so many
Negroes have graduated and
turned back to teaching school,
etc., but when it comes to de
veloping the resources of Amer
ica, very little has been done.
“It is my belief that the ob
jective of education must be
studied in the. light of facts,
and that 'the first objective
must be the overcoming of ra
cial prejudice; and, second, thai
the Negro college must strive
to develop resources within the
Negro himself by inspiring
faith and confidence in himself
and in his race by thinking of
himself as wholly American and
having the courage to insist up
on the rights that go with
American citizenship.
“I know this can not be done
in a month or a year or perhaps
ten years, bpt it should become
the objective of Negr0 educa
tion. It should be that of rais
ing the group and not an indi
vidualistic affair, for it is only
as the group advances that in
dividuals may be assured or
any permanent security. The
better trained people of this
•generation are too individualis
tic. The idea of doing something
for the race has been too large
ly supplanted with the idea of
doing something for self. The
idea of exploitation of their
people is almost as great among
the young educated Negroes as
among the whites, and too many
young Negro college graduates
look upon the mass of Negroes
as their prey for exploitation. I
think an honest study of Negro
business will reveal that much
of the failure of Negro business
is the attitude of the Negroes
at its head wh0 have forgot
ten the old missionary motto,
“Not for ourselves, but for oth
ers.* The great missionary spir
it must be brought to the col
lege as well as to the church
end that is the peculiar duty of
the Negro college. The Negro
vouth must not only to trained
in the trades and professions,
but also inspired to use this spe
cial training for the best inter
est of his group rather than to
exploit them; and also how to
(Continued on page 4)
JOINT SCOTTSBOftO
New York, Dec. 27.— Be-:
fense of the nine Scottsbdro
tooys charged with attacking
two white women on a freight
train in Alabama in 1931,' wHl
nenceforth be conducted by «
joint defense committee, it wag
announced here today. New tri-'
als following the reversal of the'
Alabama courts last April by ,
the United States Supreme
Court are scheduled to begin on
Monday, January 13. New in
dictments were returned by a
new grand jury in November.
Dr. Allan knight Chalmers,
distinguished churchman of
the Broadway Tabernacle in
New York City, wiH serve as
chairman. Dr: Chalmers is
speaking Sunday at Memphis,
Tenn., to five thousand youfcg
people of the Methodist Episco
pal Church, South. Colonel Wil
liam J. Shieffelin, of New York,
is treasurer. Colonel Schieffehh
formerly commanded the fa.
mous 369th Infantpr, is Presi
dent of the American Church
Missionary Society and of the
Citizens’ Union of New York
City, and is a trustee of num
erous associations and schools,
among them Tuskegee and
Hampton Institutes.
Direction of the legal de
fense, and exclusive control of
the raising of funds and of pub
licity and technique of the co
operating organizations are
vested under the new agree
ment in an executive commit
tee. Invitations have been ex
tended to and are now being
considered by the executive
committees of other national
organizations inviting them to
join in the joint defense. Among
those to whom invitations have
been extended are severs*
goutlieftfr -^Church ^and^ndha^
groups. The names of tnese or
ganizations and of the nation
al sponsoring committee, mem
bership upon which has already
been accepted by a number of
distinguished |ifiz£ns, will J>e
made public shortly by the com
mittee.
The full text of the state
ment issued by the participat
ing organizations, which include
the Methodist Association for
Social Service, the National As
sociation for the Advancement
of Colored People, the American
Civil Liberties Union, the Inter
national Labor Defense and the
League for Industrial Democra
cy, follows:
“The undersigned have en
tered into an agreement to com
bine the efforts of these and all
other organizations and persons
who wish to aid in the defense
of the nine Negro boyaof the
Scottsboro case. Under the
agreement, each orgonization is
pledged t0 co-operate to secure
the best possible legal defense,
and to do everything possible
to counteract frejudices which
have thus far made a fair trial
for these boys impossible. All
differences as to trial counsel
have been removed. Alabama
attorneys of high standing will
participate in the trial, togeth
er with other eminent counsel
long connected with the case.
“All or some of the nine
boys, eight of whom have at one
time been under, death .sentence
and whose convictions were
twice r set aside by. the United
States Supreme Court, will be
tried on Jaunary 13, 1936.
“These -defendants were all
minors, ore of them being 13
vears of age, another 14, ana
the eldest 20 at the time of
their arrest in March. 1931. bn
charges of rape alleged to have
been committed on two white
women on a freight train in
Northern Alabama. One of the
women testified at the second
trial that there was no rape
committed, nor any assault of
*»ny kind against either herself
or the other complaining wit
oess. Shp ok Gained that her
testimony in the first trial was
e>Urted thro i* r. fear. Her tes
timony. the Physical facts and
the medical evidence were ana
at
ige Jar.i?s Horton
of the second
the!
[ Judge. Hqtton set
conviction as unsup
the evidence.
-Organizations here un
represent men and
all 48 States of our
including many thou
gh the South. These citi
determined to see that
jthns of injustice are
best defense that it is
to give them. We be
lt all .fair-minded citi
Alabama will share this
ination. We believe firm
5 innocence of the de
and call on citizens of
and North alike to
remove an injustice
can bring only injury to
I'tire nation,
Appeal for moral and fi
support, confident that
iscience of our country
a*, stetement is signed by
'oliowin|g representatives:
rr White, Executive Secre
Natlonal Association for
^Advancement of Colored
BeogpT Roger N. Baldwin, Di
rect®*. American Civil Liber
ties? ?tMion; Robert Minor, for
thbipbternational Labor De
Norman Thomas, for the
-J for Industrial Democra
^ Bishop Francis J. Mc
of the Methodist Fed
for Social Service.
In: ^nnouncnig the N. A. A.
C. P.’s entering into the joint
defense, Walter White, Execu
tive-Secretary, today made the
following statement:
“The cases of the Scottsboro
defendants were so involved
wit$i Sectional, political and ra
ciaf^prejudices that, the defense
la tvaattftr-ofc.
grave, concern. The Board of
the National Association for the
Advancement of Colored People
has considered the question at
two special call and one regular
Board meetings. Representatives
of the Association, including
Arthur B. Spingarn, Chairman
of the National Legal Commit
tee, Charles H. Houston. Spe
cial Counsel, and the Associa
tion’s Secretary have participat
ed in numerous conferences for
the, purpose of working out the
details of an effective defense.
We believe the arrangement
which has been perfected is
about as good a one as could be
achieved under the circum
stances. The memorandum of
agreement, which has been
signed to date by five participat
ing: organizations and which we
hope will be signed by several
other organizations to which in
vitations to participate have
been extended, contains, among
others, the following provisions:
“All activities will be directed
by an executive committee com
posed of one representative from
each of the signatory organiza
tions. A sponsoring committee,
consisting of individuals and
organizations who desire to join
in the defense, is provided for.
Th$ executive committee shall
be. supreme in all matters, in
cluding the addition of repre
sentative /organizations to its
membership; ani shall ha*p
fulj povfer to arrange for em
ployment of counsel subject to
the washes of the defendants
and their relatives; to raise
funds; to obtain all services of
such other persons as may be
necessary for successful de
fense; and to organize and di
rect the campaign for public
support. A’l srch campaigns
conducted by participating or
ganizations shall be subject to
approval by the executive com
mittee,
“Special care should be taken
with regard' to the raising and
disbursing of funds for de
fense, this being one of the
points upon which the N. A. A.
C. P. representatives laid em
phasis in the conferences,
All partiatpating organizations
agreed that afr moneys raised
shall be transmitted forthwith
• .yv ** . <*
lo the treasurer of the
-ivc cbmiOttee an 4 aU dfc .
ments shall be made only on
der of the executive commit! __
A full accounting of ah such re
ceipts and expenditures by par
ticipating organizations shall
be tffade to the executive com
mittee monthly. AH expendi
tures in the case, whether by
the executive committee or jby
the participating organizations,
are subject to supervision by the
executive committee which *is
given the power to procure tta
dits Of expenses apd receipts %f
each underlying organization n
connection with funds' for ®
defense. It is provided that the
executive committee tehaSl
riodically issue financial
ments.
“All participating organiza
tions have agreed in writing
that the conduct of the s
aspects of the defense work
sidled to them shall be cat
out in absolute conformity
the policies adopted by the
ecutive committee. They
ther pledge theniselyes to co
erate fully in the work of
committee and to refrain in
conduct of their work' from an
public criticism of the policies
and activities of the other par
ticipating organizations and in
dividuals connected with thi|
case. All publiity by the partic
ipating organizations must first
be approved by the executive
commitee or a duly, authorized
sub-committee.”;
A CALL TO ATLANTIC
SYNOD
At the last meeting of oug
Synod, which met in Anderson
in October our collection of
Synodical assessment was be
low the level on account of add
ed obligations of assuming re
sponsibility of a part of cm*
for the year just past. On this
account, the Treasurer, Dr.
E. J. Gregg and your Stated
Clerk were paid only half of
their salary for the year just
past in order to pay our evange
list in full, as was suggested by
Rev. Dr. Long, who said that
“the Treasurer and Stated Clerk
can wait until next year.”
This may have been the correct
thing to do in order that our
Evangelist may not be embar
rassed |n meeting his obliga
tions; but the Treasurer was
left without one cent for the
printing of our minutes and
docket for Z935. I had to pny
for the printing of the docket,
$2.50, out of my own pocket.
This means a long step back
ward into a danger zone, and
an overstep of the Assembly’s
requirement.
There is great danger in send
ing the old-time manuscript
volume, containing the Synod’s
transactions for years, to the
Assembly lest it become lost
property. Many unprinted Syn
od' records have been lost by not
having those records printed;
and, of course, such a calamity
means many blank pages in Ne
gro Presbyterian Church histo
ry, which, it-seems, the aver
age man of our group gives lit
tle or no consideration. This se
rious lack of church record in
terest means nothing in a mat
ter of comparison in affairs ec
clesiastic as they pertain to our
group, or of inspiration to our
f Successors. Our coming church
men should have our church
court records as guides upon
. Which to make a more active,
soul-winning church.
The last big, bulky manu
s script record of our Synod was
■ sent to our Assembly that met
• at Winona Lake (1921). This
■ Vecord was delivered to the Com
mittee on Synodical Records,
i and was lost in some unfre
l quented spot. It was accidental
• ly found several years after
s wards by some minister who,
. seeing Rev. G. E. Caesar's name
- and address in this lost record,
. mailed it to Rev. Caesar. At
s that time Rev. Caesar was a
1 member of Atlantic Synod; and
i he sent it to me as your Stated
Clerk. But this is the exception.
Tktse i eccrcs are seldom found.
Since this loss and" recovery,
we decided to have our minutes
printed, which is one of the
Assembly's requirements, like
all other progressive Synods
that value unbroken history,
which is worth much to a church
group or to the Church in gen
eral.
It was very fortunate for
Atlantic Synod, all our old man
uscript records and printed
records were carefully kept, in
tact and handed down to each
succeeding Stated Clerk without
the loss of one: the late Drs.
Luke Dorland, W. R. Cedes, A. S.
Gray and A. J. Jefferson, whom
I succeeded at our Synod at
Harbison College, October, 1916.
Since then I have carefully kept
the transactions of our Synod
without the loss of one, dating
back to 1869, when the Synod
was set aside at Biddle Insti
stute with Rev. Sydney S.
Murkland as Moderator.
Another important matter is,
that it is the requirement of the
General Assembly to have all
Synodical minutes printed, for
the Stated Cleric of the Assem
bly tells you, that the Assem
bly is not responsible for your
big, bulky manuscript volumes.
Will the brethren please send
in'your balance—and those who
have paid nothing— to our
Treasurer, Dr. J. G. Porter,
President of Harbison Col
iege, Irmo, S. C., that we may
J e ah’e to hf»vc our minutes
printed?When Synod adjourned
rh* re was not one tenth of a
m V* in the tveimr *. ft is is
something ne v m Atlantic Syn
od. Think of it! The oldest Ne
gro Presbyterian Synod known
to ecclesiastical records in the
world and hasn’t the smallest
fraction of a cent in its treas
y unlesa it was sent in after
oradffiiynea.'
W. L. METZ,
Stated Clerk, Atlantic Synod.
IN BEHALF OF CHURCH
UNION
Eleven U. S. A. Presbyteri
ans are among the representa
tives of the World’s Evangelical
Churches who are announced
by the contihuation commmit
tee of the World Conference on
Faith and Order as delegates
to the “second world confer
srfce” which will meet in Edin
burgh in August, 1937. Four
are laymen, seven ministers.
The principal points of differ
ence among the communions
will be studied by the 450 dele
gates, as a preparation for
eventuah reunion. “It is the
principle of our movement,”
said Dr. Floyd W. Tomkins,
American Secretary on the con
tinuation committee, in issuing
the delegates’ list, ’‘that all
steps toward reunion must be
taken by the Churches them
selves.” Though the representa
tives at Edinburgh “will be
without authority to commit
their Churches in any way,
they will set forth their find
ings and suggestions.”
Dr. William Temple, the
Archbishop of York, is chair
man of the continuation com
mittee, and Dr. J. Ross Steven
son, President of Princeton The
ological Seminary, is the Aiher
ican vice-chairman.
Lay delegate from the Pres
byterian Church in the U. S. A.
as listed are Judge John DeWitt,
Nashville; Thomas D. McClos
key, Pittsburgh; Dr. Robert E.
Speer, New York; and Presi- ^
dent Charles J. Turck, of Cen
tre College, Danville, Ky.
Ministerial delegates are
Drs. Henry Seymour Brown,
Chicago; J. Harry Cotton, Co
lumbus, Ghid; Hugh Thomson
Kerr, Pittsburgh; William Pier
son Merrill, New York; Lewis
S. Mudge, Philadelphia; J. Ross
Stevenson,- of Princeton, New
Jersey, and Joseph A. Vance,
Detroit.
“The greatest blunder is to
live just one life when we
might live a thousand.”