The McDowell times. [volume] (Keystone, W. Va.) 1904-1941, 1917-03-23
The Negro Exodus
A Southern Wo-
mans View

IN MARY DEB,EDI~BF~.
The following article, remarkable in
form and spirit Is reprinted from The
Wesleyan Christian Advocste, OF Atlanta.
TIA. one of the organs of the Mstho.,,.s
Episcopal Church. South.
The pspers have been full of late of tbs
tragedy of the German expulsion or ds-
portation of the Belgian lsbor-rs. Our
hearts have heen stirred, our Indignation
aroused ~ we r~sd OF fathers, sons. hus-
bands and brothers torn from their chill
'iren. their wives aud swssth-arts, from
the old loved surroundings. and borne
'"rc''iy Ia labor IN regions strange and
new under conditions CALLING and hu-
initiating.
Ent there is another deportation, an
other expulsion going on under our very
eyes that comes "a us mor~ nesrly-soms
Of the cAuses for which should make us
as citizens Of q great, free nation, hang
our heads in shcme. should send us. q
professing Christians. 10 our kne<s, cry
ing aloud for forgiveness for our cruel
nrglect.
THOUSANDS TAKE FLIGHT.
speak Of the great exodus of the Ne
groe~ from our Southland. There il much
being said about q in the press thes~ dsv,.
%, yer. We arr beginning to talk and
question now. for We are beginning To
tear ior our pocketbooks. That which q
regard tor common Justice, fair play. hu-
man rights could not accomplish, = fear
Tor our bank accounts 10 doing AMI we
are asking Why is the Negro di--sti.-
fed What can We do to keep him in
the south We cant afiord To- let him
go, lac means too much % s-iinaneiallv.
Tie works for little, his upkeep cote us
little. for We can house him i'm any kind
OF shack. AMI make him pay us we'll for
that. We do not have to Ia careful OF hi.
living conditions; lac 10 good naturssd.
long suffering and II he should happen u
give us trouble we can cope with that
and the law will uphold ~ in ANYTHING
We do. Am I exaggerstine? 10 we do
not thus reason sudibly We, - white
rscs md ssaplopsrs of labor. aasums or
allow assumed
hut the Negro is going, going IN scores.
IN hundreds and in thousands. In sous
sections Of South Georgia there are
stretches of country almost de~titute Of
Negro population. Country churches,
which one had congregations of two and
tiIree hundred have now only twenty or
thirty members. One Negro conferences
Of the colored Methodist Episcopal church
that had membership in 1915 Of II, 900
has nov barely 5.Oo. Ata recent sss-
-ion of this conference men who hsd besn
pastors of III 80 people stood on the floor
Il the conference and with tears in their
eyes and -oi's in their throats pleaded %
i~ allowed To 20 with their congregations.
Not that We want To 10 for our own
sake" they said, but for the sake 81
our people. We know IL means suffering
and hard living. but we will work with
our hands Tor our support, that We may
minister to Our people, may keep them
N'E'e'"' s''"~ sss'y ny tttt 1fttk nuu 10
swallowed mp ia the great cities OF the
North. with no spiritual or moral guild
snce u keep them from tile downward
path.
They are going at night, these refugees;
the trains are full Of them, and they are
going with a mighty fear upon them.
A friend Of mine was talking 10 an old
man Who. with his wife. sons and daush-
ters was leaving the old home To 20 into
a great strange world, their poor belong
Ing- IN clumsy. homeiy looking bundles
in the seat~ beside them. The stock wss
left. they could not sell il. they said. and
much Of their household stuff. the poor
collection Of years Of lsbor-but theirs.
(Oontinued on Page 4.)