The Monroe journal., 1921-05-06

IL thtN had happened TO call this mar
Mister. These educated colores
men who aIe nearly white. when the,
are OF the Southern type and under
stand things. are apt to be careful al
such times 10 save white men from
embarrassment. When | was super
intendent of schools in Union county
some years ago was saved from EN-.
barraSsment by one of these eolored
men IN so tactful and gentlemanly a
way that ! have never forgotten il
he was a school teacher and saw tina,
was about to shake hands with him
under the impression that he was
white. He avoided the handshake
without appearing to. Now, there was
no harm in shaking hands with him
either for me or him, if had known
the true situation. but he was toe
much of a gentleman to allow me tC
shake hands under a misapprehen,
sion. Since that time l have met a
great many educated and cultured
and good colored people, and I have
quit trying to call man of that tyne
John and Jim" And when | quit
l found that much embarrassment was
done away with. We are willing 10
call such men Doctor and Professor
and Reverend. which are titles OF
respect. That is all the word Mister
Is. and after awhile Dolite white men
and women generally will feel that
II is no harm to use Mister as an ad-
dress of respect to colored man who
deserves II. AT least l think this is
true. | may say in passing that be-
lieye that this class Of colored people
are the ones whom we must look to to
join with good white people to enable
white and colored people to live in
friendly and helpful relations. I be-
lieye that our old fear of social
equality" is getting more and more
remote every year. and the more just,
the more friendly. and the more
christianlike we act towards the good
colored people who are striving to
stand for peace and friendship and
opportunity and helpfulness for all,
the less and less will We hear of so
cial equality. AS soon as colored peo-
pie can be made TO feel that they can.
as different race. receive the respect
and consideration. and be accorded
me dignity that character and merit
should always receive. they will find
an outlet for their aspirations which
will not be in line with what we think
of as "social equality" don't be-
lieve that We know much about the
Negro anyway. We knew the old type
but doubt II many white people real
" know the new type. And II Amer
lean freedom and opportunity have
made new type II Is useless to en-
pect Ii to be just like the old. Out
here. though there are a good many
negroes. the negro question as we
have 1t in North Carolina seems to be
remote. May be | can begin to UNI
derstand how the Republicans OF
Western North Carolina seem to feel
about il after while.
Esq. Laney. County's Richest Man.
Here comes my old friend, Squire
Laney, and tells us in The Journal
that the blackberry crop is probably
safe, though fruit and vegetables
seem to have been gone at the time.
| have always maintained that Squire
Laney was the richest man who ever
lived in Union county. His great
wealth consists in the fact that he
can see the good things of life and
never lets them get smothered in the
bad. That faculty is worth more than
money to any man. saw a big
farmer the other day who had lost on
cotton but made on steers. He could
not see anything but the loss on cot
ton. He was getting grouchy and
sour and in danger of being ruined
for life's happiness though he prob
ably has more than he can ever use
DR. know what to do with. And there
S another admirable point about the
Sd" as John Beasley calls him, and
hat is that he will always find some
hing good TO say about a person. He
me Of the story of the old
ady, who. when pressed TO say some
hing about the deyeil. said: well,
think he Is a mighty energetic man.
Squire Laney will look on the bright
side. he will find something good
bout people. and he will speak up,
or old Buford. How the world would
benefit IL we all had more of these
characteristics.
Monroe OF Olden Days.
have been carried back to the
I'D days when checkers and domi-
oes were the staple summer oc-
upation of the men In Monroe. They
till play dominoes in Texas and out
ere they call the game 1.-THE Texas
pecial." had not seen a game in
ears and years, and IL took some
Ime for II to come back to mind.
hen came the visions of hot summer
avs long ago in Monroe. when the
len sat on the streets and played
nd played and then played. The old
layers came to mind and their jokes
nd laughter rang again In my ears.
very old citizen can call up the pic
ire for himself. And today I read
iece In the city paper describing the
Id time camp lots In the city, and
ley were for all the world like the
Id ones used TO be In Monroe.
OBSERVER.