There is an hysterical fear
that admitting Negroes to public
schools and restaurants W1 11
somehow result in their introduc-
tion into white society. This
fear seems to motivate the resis-
tance to integration voiced in a
letter October 18 from two State
organizations whose prime pur-
pose is to ‘“combat forced in-
tegration of the races.”
Now, forced integration has
never been contemplated by any
responsible group in the coun-
try. The current trend is to es-
tablish by law a public policy
that no race be barred because
of race from public schools or
any public places such as res-
taurants, theaters, bowling alleys,
eic. |
This implies no forced inte-
gration of races. Many races
other than white have always
been admitted to these places
without any noticeable number
of them intermarrying with
whites or joining white clubs or
even caring for white society. The
importance of the current move-
ment lies in its effort to abolish
second-class citizenship by ad-
mitting all people to all public
establishments. s
This is necessary to the dig-
nity and self esteem of every
person and every group. It is
essential to the integrity of every
self-governing state. It is, in fact,
the granting of one of those in-
dividual liberties which this
State organization presumably
means to defend. |
Beyond that, the social ming-
ling of the races is not to be
expected. Quoting from one anti-
integration group’s own
ment of principles—The various
races “willingly and by nature
segregate themselves.”
our Northern states, our most
state-
R
This has been the history of °
vital and cultured areas and of -
our most massive cities where -
there is not evidence that the -
public mingling of children and
adults has degraded the whites.
John W. Tolbert Jr.
Leesburg ‘
/
‘Success is achieved by the
ability to persuade others to fol-
low or agree with you.
Fifteen years ago most of us
were getting along fine without
those items now called neces-
sities. |
The Bine Ridge Feerald
- Published weekly at
Purcellville, Virginia
by The Blue Ridge Herald, Inc., a Virginia Corporation
John Bisenhard, managing editor
Virginia Duvall, office manager
Antoinette Eisenhard, advertising manager
James M. Lickey, production manager
John G. Persian, contributing editor
Business office open daily 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
;&aturdays 9 to 1 p.m.
Phone Purcellville 5211, »
Subscription $2.50 a year; $4.00 two years; $5.50 three years
Entered as second class matter October 1, 1920, in the Postoffice at Purcellville,
Va., under Act of Congress of March 3, 1879.
*sTo ryeaffirm faith in fundamental human rights, in the dignity and worth
of the human person, in the equal rights of men and
promote social progress and better standards of