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FADE FOUR
:iif SHferar
Established 1875
By J. H. DEVEAUX
S48L. C. JOHNSON__________Editor and Publisher
* T - f 1 - BUTLER Asso Editor
.... ------
•OSS WILLA M. AYERS, Asst, to Pub. & Manager
.— ------
Published Every
1009 WEST BROAD STREET
Telephone, Dial 5338
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One Year ________________________$3.00
Six Months _________________________$ 2.00
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Remittance must be made by Express, Post
Office Money Order or Registered Mail.
“We still believe that all men are ereat-
ed equal and endowed as men with cer-
tain rights. . .”
“We take these rights to include
equality before the law, and freedom
from any discrimination bolstered by
law; a right to vote; freedom of expres-
sion; and unrestricted access to all insti¬
tutions supported by taxes for the pub-
lie welfare, schools and hospitals not ex-
cepted; equal pay for equal work, and
equal opportunity to receive training
and to gain employment; and the right
to unsegregated transportation, housing
and assembly.’
The foregoing is an excerpt from a
declaration of rights which was endors-
ed at Monticello, Va., last November,
Mr. Aubrey Williams is the president of
The Southern Conference Education
Fund Inc. J he declaration was endors-
f crn l by states. i, 0 .C PerS ™ Monticello S il'“”, a is ... °k the the site i™ 1 of ! 1 ;
the University of Virginia.
ilAi'RY JNKW IRAK
Whether from force of habit or of
custom, many people go through the
form, or use the language, of making
new' resolutions to take the place of those
they have failed to cairy out during the
past year. It is second nature to greet
our friends, or mere acquaintances, with
“Happy New Year,” and very often
without any (hought of doing one thing
to make them happy for a single mo-
ment -
For those , who , wish . , to , make , the ,, com-
ing year a better year for themselves
and others, we submit two injunctions
which have come down from wise men
of the past. They come as near as
anything we know to being unimpeach-
ably safe and curative. If one really
wants to be a better person, more con-
siderate of other people, and a more cer-
tain contributor to the happiness of the
world, let him set up these injunctions
as road marks along his way.
One of them is often referred to as
the golden rule; Therefore all things
whatsoever ye would that men should do
to you, do ye even so to them. The
soul and effect of this principle of life
is not lessened by the fact that Jesus
Christ was not the first to announce it;
they are rather strengthened that wise
and good men have arrived at the same
conclusion without ever having known
each other.
The other injunction called ,, the sec-
ond commandment by Jesus Christ was
given as his answer to the lawyer who
sought to test him: Thou shalt love
thy neighbor as thyself
Do you want to be happy, do you
want to make others happy? Follow
these rules, practice them daily, wher-
ever you are, whatever you do.
-
OUR REPRESENTATIVES
In September candidates for state of-
frees were mentioned all over the state,
In counties like Chatham, the complaints
of some politicians to the contrary-not-
withstanding, Negroes contributed to
their election. At any rate, the candi.-
dates nominated at that time became
the choice of the voters of this county
and (Vstrict for members of the Gen-
eral Assembly, and the Senate. They
are the representatives of all the people,
We believe it is perfectly proper and
pertinent that our representatives should
be asked to look out for our interests
when the legislature convenes. Our Ne-
gro leaders are under obligation to those
whom they led during the last campaigns
to make a proper request to our repre-
sengatives to secure their intercession
on behalf of Chatham county Negroes
who do not deserve having their right
to vote taken from them. If our rep-
resentatives made a fight for a just
and decent registration law, to jje equal-
Masonic-Eastern Star Notes
Monday noted the fiscal year
of the Masonic lodges. They
are generally proud of progress
nf of f the Vx r» vnin* year.
The local lodges and chap-
ters held joint installation of
officers Monday. The playlet
of the chapters was character-
istic of the occasion and ef¬
fective. Past Master Geo. L.
Smith was chairman of the
joint committee and proved his
ability as such Also District
Deputy Dei D Pringle In no better
mamyr were theofficers ln-
Entered as Second Class Matter at the
office at Savannah, Ga. under the Act
„ March . 0 3, 1879
National Advertising Representative:
Associated Publishers
562 Fifth Avenue
j^ ew ^ New Yo rk
- JSiSm
«ucn
——-•
-
ly applied, they would win the respect
and confidence of every Negro in the
county, and would work marvelously to-
wards showing that our community is
one in which relations between the races
are all we like to boast about.
_
WITH BENEFIT OF TRUTH
The *•*> ‘”» k 1,ber ‘ ,e8 w,th ...
a f ex ^ acted in accordance, with experi-
ence. “Ye shall know the truth and it
shall make you free,” he turned to read,
“Ye s b a ll know the truth and it shall
J mad .” He knew that people
become mad at the truth as often as they .
were freed by it. Both texts apply to
the South’s reactions to the revelations
made recently as to the treatment Ne-
groes sufitir at it, hand,. However,
the spotty improvement in the attitudes
towards Negroes justifies the conclu¬
sion that some Southerners are grad¬
ually becoming free because they are
lacing the truth,
A truth that must be faced and ad-
mitted is that Georgia’s new legislation
covering registration—if and when it is
passed—is wrong and indefensible. If
Georgia wants to wipe Negroes off its
registration lists, it certainlv 'it has found
the trick to do it Whet her will stand
the test of the courts is another matter,
Even though -there will be few white
people affected by it, if it were equally
a pp]jed, many of them would be elimi-
r . ate d. This type of qualification is a
dangerous thing. It could be used to
keep any group or class from voting if
it 3uited the pleasure of the registrars
to do so _ The zeai of the propone „t s
of this legislation is so fixed on the Ne-
Rr0 voters that they have not seen that
what is a Rreat advant age on one hand,
ma y become a great disadvantage on the
other.
Without doubt, the opinion of the reg-
j strars as to the mean ing of a consti-
tutional section will be final, and prob-
a bly will not cause any trouble This
v)i „ be true in the case where Negroes
try to register, but jt may be different
w fi e re white people are concerned
A sample of what may happen is what
has happened i^eady tin Macon coun-
t y, Alabama, the county in which Tus-
kegee Institute is located. While many
students, probably all of them, and their
instructors could have registered under
the Alabama law, they were not given
a chance to try to “interrupt” the con-
stitution, as one registrar put it The
board of registrars would not keep the
office open, and resigned after a time,
and the office remained Hosed for 18
months. The registrars were white
men.
Our southern friends must admit an-
° ther truth. They must confess their
hypocrisy. They are not absolved of
guilt because they admit that they are
openly and frankly practicing injustices
against Negroes. They subscribe to
the principle rulers' '
that in -i democra-
C y are selected bv the people thev rule
but, except for two years in Geonria’
Negro citizens have been deprived of
this right, and representatives to both
the state legislature and the Comrress of
the United States, have felt and
said, that they are not the renres^ntn
fives of Negro citizens, so Negroes have
been political orphans There is nothin,,- ,!lif
m the category of R
this excuses democratic tn i
sort of thing in a
It is our hope that as W e f
The truth fact and is, admit it we shall hecnml
the surest and * mo-t ,* ■ t s
factory way of settlin.r ?b' . “‘T ~
titudes fereneea uf is'through individuals ’ *?, „ 1 0 at
"
say he that some legal assiNtJt, neonl^* J‘ S W1 M, I ot ” ot t( ?
aid necessary. Some ° nee ” t ^ le
of the law to change
.stalled. The officers and rnem-
|bers feel wpre that greatly pleased and
much good will be
! i the Y« a result *-a.- nl4
The Eastern S:ar chapters of
ihe state are looking forward
j to the Golden sessioni of the
Grand Chapter in Savannah
next June. The attendance
will be larger than ever.
Charity should be the main
effort of the Mystic Shrine.
It is regretted that in the to-
cal temple there seems to be an
ir.plination to belittle the ef-
£TAe Jlew Clean cS
By George Matthew Adams
BETWEEN THE LINES
By Ih-an Gordon B. Hancock lor ANR
THE SOUTH TAKES THE DEFENSIVE
fort in failing to do
,nc ™-
Every effort must be made
lnCrCaSe th ° membcrshi P of
the brothers^™ St£U ' cba P ters The
-
must be encouraged
t0 alsQ . **•
•
* HEAR
OKLA. --- BALLOT CASE
WASHINGTON <ANP> _ The
question of whether the plac¬
ing of Negro after the name &
a candidate on the ballot was
u solved when the U. S.
Court refused
s ^ cb a case on the Okla-
,
oma a ot last week.
THE SAVANNAH TRIBUNE
Every day we are writing something
down—a separate sheet for each day.
And at the close of the year we have
a volume of sheets or pages all written
upon, many of them illustrated, some
closely written, Y ith lines crossed out
—and many a careless blot left behind-
And some of the pages scarcely written
upon at all—no useful record there!
Students in the great school of life—
appealing to the Great Teacher of all,
at the inception of the New Year to
give to each one of us a new sheet upon
which to write—a new sheet for every
day—clean and upspotted. That’s what
we all are—students.
But now> that the old book is complet¬
ed and closed, let us take the new one,
with its new, clean sheets, and write
upon them, being careful of blots and
mistakes, making each recorded act an
inspiration for what shall follow- No one
has ever happilly progressed, mentally or
spiritually, by harboring regrets, past
blunders or missed opportunities. The
new sheet is for a better purpose.
We can look upon each day of this
brand New Year as a new year, so that
through all of them we can experience
growth and improvement, and increased
happiness from work sincerely perform¬
ed. We can measure out our usefulness
so that it keeps our incentive alive and
When an enemy or an opponent can be
driven from the offensive to the defensive,
it may be construed as a sign of weakness
if not indeed the sign of final full capitu¬
lation- It is a matter of history that the
Confederate armies fought one of their
mest valiant battles away up ii A Gettysburg
in Pennsylvania, where the tide of the Con¬
federacy fell to rise no more. But the sur¬
render of the great Robert E. Lee tock place
at Appomattox in Virginia-
It is a long way from Gettysburg to Ap-
pimattox. When the Confederate armies
were fighting in Pennsylvania, they were on
the offensive; when they had to fall back
to Appomattox, they were on the defensive
and on the way out. It is even so with the
Dixiecratic south- There was a time when
southerners of anti-Negro persuasion rather
boasted of that fact and nothing so inflated
the southerners’ ego as to have it known
that he was from Dixie, with decided anti-
Negro propensities. Such southerners tra¬
veled as missionaries, carrying the message
of white supremacy and of the hold-the-
Negro-down doctrkie which they religiously
spread throughout the earth-
The horrible tales some southern
white soldiers told in Europe about their
Negro comrades in arms will in the coming
generations constitute one of the sorriest
chapters in the annals of this country.
There was once a sector of the south that
boasted and blustered when it was called
upon to discuss the Negro question. But
within recent years the south is more cau¬
tious in its appraisal of its handling of the
Negro question. It is not so sure that Its
position is safe and unassailable; and great
pains are employed to prove its stand in a
subtle effort to win the approbation of the
nation and world.
The south is not haughty any more
when it reflects on its treatment of its Ne¬
gro citizens. In other words the south is
not nearly so sure of itself as it was even
25 years ago- There is an air of uncertain¬
ty even in the south's subtle plans to eter¬
nalize the subjugation and domination of
its Negroes. 1
More aril more the south is being forced
into an apologetic position in the eyes of
the world. According to Gunnar Myrdal,
science has driven the “quack” writers on
the race question out of business; and in
order for a writer to be respectable, he
must observe the fillings of science, and
these more and more discount the ideas of
race superiority, thereby undermining the
foundations of white supremacy.
So the pitiless light of publicity is being
played on the hapless Dixiecratic south and
it is no wonder, then, that the ordinary
Dixiecrat is beginning to see what intelli¬
j gent whites of the, south have seen for a
long time and that it, the tates and for¬
tunes of the white and Negro south are in¬
tertwined after such a fashion that they go
warm.
Students we still are, wanting to learn,
wanting to make fewer mistakes, and
wanting to leave few'er spots upon the
clean leaves presented to us each day
and on which v,e write the thoughts,
acts, and events of our -lives. The
Great Teacher is ever at our side, ever
looking over our shoulder, and whisper¬
ing, “Do better my child!”
And we can always do better—each
day a step more mature in wisdom and
experience. Each day more intelligent
in selection, and each day more appre¬
ciative of the real quality of life. Fewer
mistakes, more tolerant in thought, more
generous in outlays, humbler in spirit,
and more dependent upon the simpler
and eternal values.
Let us evoke the principles within us
by which men and women live upon an
exalted plane, void of the trivial and
non-essential. A plane upon which
“nothing, if done for another, seems
impossible.” A religious enactment, if
you please, realistic and inspired, un¬
selfish in mode or manner.
We can write differently upon this
new, clean sheet, because we can be dif¬
ferent. We can rise above petty things,
gain personal peace, and know inward
triumph. Thus may we all know, and
glory in—a Happy New Year!
up or down together, a thing Booker T.
Washington tried to make plain 4C years
ago. Promoters in Birmingham, Ala., are
trying to build up a Vulcan Bowl football
game as the game of the south, between
northern and southern, teams.
The object of the said game will be to
court the favorable opinion of the north-
Heretofore the south Iras not given a rap
what the north thought about it. They
have rather spurned the appraisal of the
north and the nation. Today the south
seeks to appear decent in the eyes of the
of the rest of the nation.
In a recent meeting of the southern
governors, it has been proposed that a ra¬
ther pretentious amount of money be spent
in a campaign to set the south in a more
favorable position before the world. When
the souih takes low and even admits that
its position needs bolstering, we have some
nourishing food for thought. The south
takes the defensive! The handwriting is on.
the wall and that there are broad-guaged
southerners who are becoming ashamed, if
not indeed alarmed, at the deterioration of
the south’s national prestige, is gratifying
to those who hope against hope that the
south will look upon the brazen; serpent of
a changing world order and live. The anti-
Negro attitudes of the south today afford
Russia one of Its strongest talking points
against this country. White supremacy must
go or Communism will come- The south has
the key to the inter-ideological situation.
The defensive attitude of the south is an
happy augury!
WORK ON FOR EQUAL KiGHTS
By Willkm Henry Huff for ANP
»
»One does net have to be a Red
Because he works for equal rights.
Such epithets have often led
To hot retorts and brutal fights.
Somehow, I think one ought to know
Whereof he speaks before he speaks.
Then he would shroud no one with woe
But leave a smile upon the cheeks
Of every one he meets
In paths, on pikes, or streets.
“THE MOTHER SPEAKS”
By John Henrik Cl: rke Vor ANP
When the bugles blow again
Calling men to fight,
When the wise men speak again,
About what is wrong and what is right,
I will not turn listening ears
Toward those who led men to slaughter;'
I will blankly refuse to hear
When the cannons call for more fodder.
For then I have no joyous cheers,
No hands to grip their guns.
I'll give a chorus of forceful jeers
But I will not give my son.
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 30, 1948
HOME EDUCATION!
By George F. McCray for ANP
SCHOOL AT HOME
Mary Elizabeth Thomson
“The Child’s First School is the
Family”—-Flroebel
(Issued by the National Kin¬
dergarten Association, 8 West
40th street, New York city
These articles are appearing
weekly in our columns) •
“No school today,” said John
Burgess. “The roads are just
a glare of ice, and look at that
rain coming down!”
“Too baa,” sighecf Mrs. Bur¬
gess, as she thought of her lit¬
he live-wire Jackie and her al¬
most grown-up daughter, Alice
They would quarrel—Alice was
so oossy, and Jackie resented
being bossed.
However, matters turned out
much better than Mrs. Burgess
had anticipated She had np‘»
realized how strong a hold the
disc.pline of school had al¬
ready taken on her small son.
There was no kindergarten
in the town where the Bur¬
gesses lived, and so Jackie had
arrived at the age of six with¬
out having had the benefit of
its helpful lessons in self-gov¬
ernment and cooperation- In
the beginning he had found
first grade requirements hard
o understand, but as he had
gradually become somewhat
■djusted, the school routine had
fascinated him.
So, this meriting, while his
sister did the breakfast dishes
and helped prepare the dinner,
Jackie, at her suggestion, quite
willinafl^ sat at a small table
near her with his books and
pencils- He forgot all about
Alice being his sister; she was
now his teacher and must be
treated with proper respect.
Lessons went on quietly an.d
seriously.
The effect was just as pro¬
nounced on Alice. She didn’t
nag nor pass sarcastic remarks. ;
LABOR VIEWS
By George F. McCray for ANP
rl Lesson to Lrarn from Labor
President Philip Murray of
the CIO has just sent out an
appeal to all CIO. AFL and in-
dependent railroad unions to
be on the alert for a fight to
get rid of the Taft-Hartley
law. Murray a;so warns them
to get ready for a last ditch
.crap for such things as low-
ccst housing, enactment of civil
rights legislation and reduction
in the cost of living.
The organized trade
movement in this country
knows it has a fight on its
nand. The leaders know thej^
have a battle, despite their vast
resources, effective political
organization, and the promin-
mt contribution labor made to
he success of the Democratic
party in November-
If this is true of organized
labor, it applies to Negroes
with far greater force. 8She
opposition to what we want
particularly, the fight against
every item of the civil rights
program, is far more determin-
ed and far more general than
is the opposition to the things
which labor wants. Labor
knows that Truman, simply by
the fact of his being president
of the U. S..S cannot repeal the
Taft-Hartley law, nor carry out
any of the promises he made
during his campaign, unless
Congress cooperates.
The nation’s legislature w’]l
also have to cooperate if the
INVINCIBLE LODGE
TO HOLD ANNIVERSARY
Invincible Lodge 523, K- of
P., will celebrate its thirty-sec¬
ond anniversary Monday night,
January 3. It is one of the
few K. cf P. lodges which have
been continuously in operation
since receiving its charter. C-
Thad Toomer has been K. of
R. and S. during its existence.
Past Grand Chancellor S. A.
Jones will install the officers
as follows: J- J. Bignon, C. C.;
Raymond Byrd. V. C-; R, C.
Mitchell, prelate; Thos. Green,
M. A.; C Thad Toomer, K. of
R. and S ; S. S. Kelson, M. of
F; J. H. Blount, M. of E.; J. D-
Wright, T. G- Refreshments
will be served. All members
are requested to be present.
Nomination for a reward well
deserved: the elevation of R.
Maurice Moss 'Pittsburgh ex¬
ecutive secretary) to the na-
ttional office staff of the Urban
League. iNice going, UL.)
Mrs. Burgess could not help
smiling to herself when she
heard their father ask Jackie
to hand him a ruler and Jackie
hrst asked permission: of his
“teacher” to do this, and Mr.
Burgess, grasping the sftjjjuus-
ness of the situation, politely
asked to be excused for having
interrupted the lesson.
Recess time came and Jackie
enjoyed it just as much as he
would have done had he really
been at school. Alice and he
were as playful and friendly as
a couple cf kittens-
Mrs. Burgess made no com¬
ment, but she did considerable
thinking. Such, a moniing of
quiet harmony was indeed a
refreshing change. She would
remember to ask the teacher to
ea soon. Anyone who” could
influence noisy Jackie so Quick¬
ly to become an obedient and
diligent s'udent, deservedrgrat-
.tuder ‘Not only that,11 she
thought to herself, “perhaps
this teacher could give mS some
helpful suggestions regarding
home discipline.”
“The success of the Kinder¬
garten Department depends
largely upon a strong relation, g
ship between the home and th 0
school. The kindergarten tea¬
cher acts as the wheel, hut the
actual genera' ing power comes
frem the heme. Cooperation
from parents is the spur ne¬
cessary to begin and keep the
wheel moving- Through the
ncouragemen,'; and full-heart-
d support of our community,
our kindergarten program has
developed into a real educa-
•icnal movement." — Jo.hn B.
Campbell, supervising principal,
fixe ter, Pa.
If you are interested in. get-
t ng a kindergarten opened,
write to the National Kihder-
garten Association, 8 West 40th
s’reet, New York 18, N. for
literature and advice cn the
subject. A person well trained
in kindergarten ........_ 0 _____ procedure
should be engaged
civil rights program is eyer to
j e lifted out of the platforms of
j hc Democratic and Republican
. ute bock of , he federal goy
, .
Jernment.
j jVoters it seems of the that country, we, the have Negro far
! more confidence in the powers
[Organized j of Harry labor- S. Truman Judging'. than from has
iwhat we are not doing at the
j present the time, civ.l we rights seem to feel
program
.will have smooth sailing thru
Congress. This sort of inaction
should be very pleasing to the
Dixiecrats and their thousands
.of friends in the north as well
as the south,
j Over voters, 75 per who cent went of the Ne- the
^gro to
|polls on Nov. 2, voted fo'f'Tru-
man and for civil rights legis-
ilation. These votes will be
largely wasted if steps arc not
taken immediately to strehglh-
en our ability to exert political
pressure at those points where
it is most needed,
j Labor, the farmers, and the,,
Negro voters of the country >
Harry S. Truman back in j
the White House. Cooperation
between these groups will put
civil rights legislation in the
law, but the initiative, the lead
in obtaining the support of
these groups must come from
Negro voters themselves.
One wonders if this job is
too big for the NAACP-
FIFTY YEARS AGO
Files of The Savannah
Tribune
DECEMBER 24, 1898
Last Sunday red letter day
at Georgia State Industrial col-
President McKinley f Sec¬
and Mrs. Gage, Gen’l.
Secretary and Mrs.
Porter, Mavor Meldrim, Capt-
13 EB
Purse, were present. Prof- D. C.
Suggs presided. Welcome ad¬
dress made by Rev. J. J. Dur¬
ham, prayer by Prof- N. B.
Young. President R. R. Wrighb
delivered the usual able ad¬
dress.
Cut of Chas. C. Clark of
Brunswick inserted.
Rev. w G. Johnson of Ma¬
con will preach at the 1 11 th
.
anniversary of First Bryan
Baptist church.