The Monroe journal., 1922-01-31
MUST AID NEGRO
SAYSDR. POTEAT
President Of Wake Forest Tells
About the Purpose Of the
Inter-Raeial Commission
SEEKS BETTER CONDITIONS
Situation Presents a Mutal prO1leE,
That Must BE Solved by CO.
Operation OF Both Races

Emphasizing the fact that the times
call for real Christian leadership,
that the negro is our brother IN deed
as well as in fancy, and that il IS our
Christian obligation to lend a help
ing hand wherever needed. DIR. VIII
liam Louis Poteat in an address be-
fore the college Y. NJ. c. A., set forth
the main activities of the lnter-Racial
commission, of which he is chairman
for North Carolina.
DR.. IL. 4. Royster, of Raleigh, was
20 have spoken using as has subject,
physical Morality" but his engage
ment was called off because of illness,
and DIR. Poteat ably filled the vacant
place on the program.
Prefacing his address With the story
of what he termed his "Foster-Broih-
er, Nat" Nat was little negro whose
mother, a slave belonging to Presi-
dent Poteat'S father, died while Nat
was an infant. Nat was forthwith fed
on natures nourishment. furnished
alike to what was then little Louis Po-
teat and Nat. As the speaker express
ed it, "We were both nourished at the
same white fountain"
$50 from childhood" he said, 81
have always had a genuine interest
in the progress and problems of the
negro race"
He explained that when the oppor-
tunity was presented to him TO serve
on the Inter-Racial Commission by
Mr.. John X. Egan of Atlanta, he
gladly accepted the opportunity TO
help towards the solution of the prob
lem of the retarn of the negro SOL
dier.
After giving the details Of the or
ganzation of his commission, which
was at first financed by the National
War Work Council of the Y. NJ. c. A.,
he explained that several people in
each state had gone into the centers
of population and organized a COM
mittee of white and colored people
who would confer with each other for
the betterment of racial relations.
This movement" said he, "sprang
from desire on the part of the men,
bers of the commission to facilitate
the return of the negro soldiers from
the army into civil life. These soldiers
having received quite bit of atten-
tion while in France, there was very
real possibility of friction when they
begun to return to their homes and
civil occupations"
"Negro thought seems to be di-
vided into two groups. One group
under the leadership Of DR.. Dubois,
of New York, would wage an ag-
gressive fight on the whole race. Con-
ciliation has no place in the vocabu-
larry. While the second group, with
Dr.. Motion, Tuskegee, as its leader,
of the conservative type, preferrlng
to council together, and find what
is best, rather than rush in where
angels fear to tread"
Continuing, he said, 81 would re-
mind you, young gentlemen, that ac-
cording to the Apostle Paul, the
negro is our brother in deed, and it
is our Christian obligation to lend a
helping hand wherever there is need,
whether the needy one be white or
black. What we need and need badly
is the man with Christian ideals who
is willing to help solve the problems
before us. You as college men, with
opportunities for broad training and
clear thinking, should embrace every
opportunity to help in cementing
friendly relations between the two
dominant races of the South"
He told of the several meetings
that the Southwde commission had
held in Atlanta, Ca, and also men
toned the conference of Religious
Leaders held at Blue Ridge, in Au-
gust, 1920, at which more than sew
enty prominent leaders of the South
we're present. At this conference, af-
ter thorough discussions of the whole
problem of the South and the negro
some of which waxed warm, a num-
ber of resolutions was adopted as
being the goal toward which we should
work in our effort to promote both
our own interests and that of the
negro, which in turn means better
feelings and finer relations for all.