I
THE VOICE NURSING SCHOLARSHIP WINNERS—The two
charming: young: ladies pictured above are Miss Martha Jean Ham
monds, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Robert Lee Hammonds of 2517
barker Street, Omaha and Miss Ada E. Coffey, daughter of Mr.
and Mrs. Vernon Coffey of 1518 No. 7th Street, Kansas City, Kan
sas, who have successfully passed entrance examinations at Bryan
Memorial hospital and will enter training: there this month on
scholarships provided by The VOICE Cookbook.
Dr. Charles S. Johnson Retells
Story of Negroes Loyalty To US.
Before House Spy Committee
WASHINGTON. (ANP). Dr. Charles S. Johnson, presi
dent of Fisk university, testified here last week before the
House Un-American subcommittee on the loyalty of Negroes
to the United States.
In his “Statement Concerning the Loyalty of American
Negroes,” the prominent educator said it would be presump
tous for him to attempt o speak for Negroes generally and
that he could only venture an opinion.
He added, however, “Except for
the fact that in these days of
international tension many
Americans are seriously appre
hensive about our national se
curity, either because they know
or do not know the character of
the dangers, the question as to
the loyalty of Negro Americans,
in my opinion, would be more
than necessary, it would be ab
surd.
“In one sense, it is like asking
if Tennesseeans, or Presbyterians,
01 foreign-born citizens, or
American women, or persons with
freckles, are loyal. They are all
basically Americans whose group
identification, whatever it might
be, stands in very incidental re
lationship to their basic loyalty
and belief in themselves, as citi
zens. Considering the long un
tarnished historical record of
Negroes in times of national
emergency, it is difficult to es
cape a feeling of disappointment
that motives and actions of such
clarity could be so imperfectly
read.”
He pointed out that “a moment’s
reflection would reveal that the
consistent object of the group
has been that of hastening the
achievement of the American
democratic ideal.”
“In this respect, they have
shown not only an unshakable
loyalty, but a persistent faith in
the future and destiny of the na
tion and all its people. They
have been both willing and eager
to pay the price of their citizen
ship.”
On the subject of his profes
sional life as a sociologist. Dr.
Johnson said:
“It is perhaps pertinent to say
that ray observations have not
been casual and superficial. For
the past 25 years as a sociologist,
a considerable part of my pro
fessional life has been devoted to
social research in the north and
south and to the teaching of Negro
youth. Through this activity
there has been exposure, in one
way or another, to the social atti
tudes of no less than a hundred
thousand Negro families. It can
be said categorically, that however
unhappy some of the individuals
may have been in stressful and
! provocative situations, no hint
! of disloyalty has been voiced.
I “This is not an attitude that
' might be attributed to fear, for
among them there were many
who feared neither death nor dis
grace. Where there has been
resentment it has not been against
the form of government, but
against those who misinterpreted
or sought to abuse the purpose an
power of government and vitiate
its cherished freedom.
“If we examine the familiar in
dices of national loyalty, the ef
| forts and ambitions of American
Negroes have at times been em
i barrassingly excessive. In time
of war they have pled for com
Town Turns Out to
Honor 111-Year
Old Ex-Slave
CEDARTOWN, Ga. (ANP). The
| entire town turned out en masse
to greet “Aunt Nanny” Whatley,
111-year-old former slave, who
came to town recently for her first
visit in 12 years. The celebration,
in honor of* her 111th birthday,
was held at a local theatre where
she saw .her first movie. She re
ceived a* wheelbarrow full of gifts
and a birthday cake with 111
candles on it.
* ~~ 9
Charles Cook
Wills $50,000
To iVhl. Broker
BALTIMORE. (ANP). A local j
real estate broker, Robert J. j
Young, was awarded $50,000 in
the will of Dr. Charles E. Cook.
Young, along with two others,
Charles H. Buck and Julius Mintz,
was named a trustee of a trust
fund established by the dead man.
Dr. Cook willed 251 out of 498
shares in the Ingleside Develop
ment which Young as his real
estate advisor and close friend
helped him to acquire.
Among other beneficiaries named
in the Dr. Cook will were the
N. M. Carroll Home for the Aged
and the Maryland Home for Col
ored Children at Catonsville which
will get $500 each.
The Charles E. Cook corpora
tion will spend $3,000 a year to
aid needy churches and needy
students.
bat service, for the supreme haz
ards of military service. The
Negro press has insisted upon this
opportunity.
“In periods of voluntary enlist
ment, it has been necessary to
curb their numbers. They have
offered their lives freely for their
country even while bitterly re
senting, at times, the conditions
under which they were permitted
to die in honor.
“As servants, messengers,
chauffeurs, as well as common
soldiers and officers, they have
held information useful to the
enemy.
-“If there is record of any such
I personal profit or out of mis
I placed loyalty or racial treat
ment it has yet to come to my
attention. In fact, where special
security measures have been re
quired, it has often been Negro
troops who were called upon to
provide the ultimate safeguards.”
He posed two “regrettable” cir
cumstances for the committee to
consider as a test of the Negro’s
loyalty.
“If there is any belief,” he said,
, “that Negro citizens hold and
1 have been consistent in express
; ing, it is that inequalities among
common citizens and racial dis
criminations should be removed
from American life” . . . and . . .
; “Many shortsighted and perhaps
emotionally disturbed persons,
knowing the unfavorable popular
meaning of the term “Commu
nism,” employ it with calculated
malevolence to prejudice the pub
lic against the objects of their per
sonal hostility and aversion. I
have heard some of the most sac
red tenents of our democracy-and
of our Christian tradition referred
to as being inspired by Moscow.
“What is really meant in these
circumstances is that a particular
i personal prejudice cannot of its
| own merit or that of any respect
; able argument, win its case un
aided by prejudice and hysteria.”
He closed his statesent with the
words, “I give this testimony as
an American citizen who believes
in the philosophy and future of
this nation.
“Further, I give this testimony
as a Negro American who be
lieves that he speaks a sentiment
like that held by millions of
others, that the highest achiev
able ends and goals of living are
here.
“These ends must still be
worked for and struggled for,
and in this restless seeking there
is a patriotic service of the heart,
deeper in its meaning and integ
rity than the mere uttering of slo
gans with the lips.**
“Emancipation Day”
Commemorative Issue
After 84 Years of Emancipation
There’s Still Room For Lincoln’s
Dream of People’s Democracy
The thought of Emancipation suggests to us “To Number Our
Days.” I think that is where we are as a generation—trying vainly
to number our days in such a way that they will have dignity and
meaning, instead of futility. We come today to the celebration of
an event which eighty-four years ago began an era of progress of
a people who do not yet fully enjoy the fruits of the ideals of de
mocracy for which this country was founded.
Abraham Lincoln, the great
Emancipator, dreamed of America
of. by and for all people.
Today, Lincoln would be dis
appointed at some things, but he
would be proud of many things,
too. I cannot help but feel that
many times his spirit is guiding
our statesmen. In spite of the hos
tile congress and the powerful
Dixiecrat poisoning, freedom of
the individual is still preached.
Lincoln would rise to the occasion
and, like Isaiah, would say: “Here
am I, send me." He would run
the money-changers out of office
and the Dixiecrats under ground.
He would, once again, issue a
proclamation declaring that all
men are henceforth free .and that
any type of discrimination or seg
regation, caused by race, creed,
or religion, would be prosecuted
under the law.
Once again, America would be
cleansed and the malignant stinch
of hypocrisy would no longer per
vade our Christian shore. America
could then speak and her voice
would be heard—the world would
then know that truly free men
were speaking, and she would
listen.
Lincoln would give us that
reality—he did it once and now
others could do it again!
In spite of the backward glance,
we can still look forward with
pride at some of the things that
are being done. Day by day, de
cade by decade, we are progress
ing through the united efforts of
great Americans. In almost every
! field of endeavor, both Whites and
Negroes are excelling, and while
interracial relationships are im
proving, a very great deal remains
to be done.
Almost invariably when we
Americans think of democracy as
related to Negroes, the word tol
erance becomes associated. We
mlist come to the realization that
a democracy rests upon certain
fundamental convictions and un
less men hold to those convictions
we can have no democracy. Then
people are going to be confused
AFRICA COLLECTION—President Jacob L. Reddix of Jackson
college in Jackson, Miss., holds an elephant's tusk as he looks over
other objects collected on his recent trip to Liberia, West Africa.
President Reddix was commissioned by the Phelps-Stokes fund to
study the possibilities of developing a program of rural edocattou
| lor the Republic. (ANPj
and “stirred up” as Jackie Rob
inson expressed it when he spoke
before the House Committee on
un-American Activities recently.
He spoke well when he pointed
out the investments which Ne
groes have in America and that
he suspected that 999 out of al
most any 1,000 colored Americans
cherished America. “But that
doesn’t mean that we’re going to
stop fighting race discrimination
in this country until we’ve got
it hcked,” Mr. Robinson said, “It
means that we’re going to fight it
all the harder because our stake
in the future is so big.”
It is with a feeling of pride, joy
and appreciation that we an
nounce today the chance open to
two Negro girls at Bryan Memo
rial hospital here in Lincoln. They
will be the first Negro girls to
train at any of Lincoln’s hospitals.
We are very well aware that even
this limited project is not yet
finished; but it marks a beginning.
We are hopeful that other oppor
tunities in other fields which have
heretofore been closed, may soon
be opened.
So we dedicate this issue of
“The Voice” to those brave indi
viduals whose labors have crys
talized into great, monumental
guideposts that will result, even
tually, in the salvation of our
nation.—R.W.S. and L.P.
Miss Donna Washington
Weds Samuel H Wyatt
The marriage of Miss Donna
Marie Washington and Samuel H.
Wyatt was solemnized Sunday,
July 31, at a church ceremony in
Beatrice, Neb.
The bride is the daughter of
Mr. and Mrs. Otis P. Washington
of Beatrice.
It might surprise some Chris
tians if they could discover how
pleased their Lord is with some
people with whom they disagree.
Bathroom JHes gleam when
polished with a cloth which has
been soaked in turpentine or
lemon juice.
