The Detroit tribune. (Detroit, Mich.) 1935-1966, 1936-11-14

Atlanta, Georgia-By setting up
hard and fast racial distinction be-
tween persons of the darker races
and those with mixed blood, India
has offered a serious challenge to
the thinking American Negro, DR..
Howard w. Thurman, dean of the
Chapel of Howard University, de-
clared Monday evening in a lee
ture before an audience that filled
Morehouse Colleges Sale Hall
Chapel to capacity. What is hap
pening in India where persons with
some white blood are given pre-
ferential position in the country's
economic life may very well hap
pen in this country, DR.. Thurman
said, and he pointed out various in
stances where men and women are
able to gain employment or social
preference because of their fair
complexion.
when our civilization has COM
pletely shaken down, and all the
minority groups have been located
and defined and labelled, what is
there to guarantee to us that what
has happened in South Africa and
India shall not happen in Ameri-
ca?" DR.. Thurman said.
DR.. Thurman's lecture, the first
of a series of cultural events to he
sponsored by the Student Activities
Committee of Morehouse College
for the benefit of students and the
community, attracted the largest
crowd of many seasons to Sale Hall
Chapel. The speaker was introduce
ed by Benjamin II. Parks, '37, of
Detroit, president of the college
student body, after the college glee
club had sung two numbers, and
Drew S. Days, '36, had played
violin solo. The lecture was follow
ed by fifteen minutes of spirited
questions and answers.
The discussion of the subject,
"India's Challenge to the Young
Negro was prefaced by recollec-
tions of DIR. Humans recent 142-
days visit to India, Burma, and
Ceylon. In these 142 days he and
his party travelled $4,000 miles and
visited AZ college and university
centers, as representatives of the
Ac,or;oo, briOtiap CtuJapt Moyo-
ment. Dr.. Thurman himself deliv-
cred in this time 147 formal lee
lures, besides joining in numerous
conferences, interviews, and other
informal meetings. All this was
done in the midst of heat so swell
tering and persistent that the
slightest effort at manual labor
was a struggle.
DR.. Thurman expressed amaze
ment to discover how subtle and
wicked was the propaganda that
has been disseminated about the
Negro in India. He related only one
incident, that of an account in
Delhi newspaper which had been
dispatched from England telling of
Joe Louis gross appetite and his
loud clothes. This newspaper ac-
count, printed $1,000 miles from
America, vent on to tell how Louis
ate five pounds of meat, one full
chicken, and a quart of ice cream
at each meal, and wore flasliy,
checkered suits and yellow shoes
Racial distinctions in India are
sharply defined and rigidly observ-
ed, DR.. Thurman declared, and pro-
vision is made for the protection of
all who have European blood in
their veins, no matter how irregu-
lar this blood relationship may be.
These Anglo-Indians are assured
of preference in the government
service. The consequence of this
PROCEDURE, he observed, is that the
AM Indian is more proud of his
Fr~ ian connection than Of his
heritage, and thereby is es-
'"N.-h"d on the part of the Anglo
Indians a definite feeling of super
'oritv over those of pure Indian
blood.