The Northwest enterprise. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1931-1952, 1939-10-06
T. John Wood
Digesting
The News
Of the World


M. E. Church, a large gathering
was on hand to pay tribute to the
Rev. Fred A. Hughes, who, after
four years of service to the commu-
nifty through his church, is leaving
the city. The reception was an inn
pressive affair, attended by people
from all walks of life; for Rev.
Hughes, I have been told, is "a
man of the people" I have known
the minister only short time, con-
sequently I have been denied the
advantages of his teachings and
the opportunity of working along
with him.
By Church clubs and men pro-
minent in the community affairs,
many compliments were paid the
pastor and his family, but most
significant were remarks made by
the pastor himself. These remarks
were to the effect that the speaker
had enjoyed, among other things,
the opportunity of working with
and in behalf Of the young people.
That the A.M.E. pastor Is much
interested in youth movements is
attested by his confession that so
determined Is he to keep young
himself that he is given to brush
ing his hair in the same direction
as that of the younger people.
1t is indeed good to find among
the elders those who have hopes
for the younger generation, for
most Of the old guards have de-
cided that the youth of today is
disipating and swinging its way
into hell. Indeed, some of the old
sters contend that the young peo-
pie have no respect for the tradi-
tions or efforts of their forefathers.
Fortunately for youth, we find
among us at times men with vi
sion who are broad enough to un-
derstand that the youth of today
has as much right to ambition and
originality as that granted those
of yesteryear. Such a man is the
Rev. Fred A. Hughes, and although
we are proud of his promotion, we
are somewhat reluctant to see him
leave.
It seems 60 me that we should
have learned long ago that the hue
and cry about youth going to the
dogs, (which bobs up every few
years. is a bit of wasted motion.
For the world, with time, moves
on, yesterdays youth becomes the
adult of today, who asks the same
question, what can be done about
our young people?"
Let us look at the youth of 1881
because that was the beginning of
a crime era in which youth was
very much involved, especially
robbery. Statistics show that
youth of that day robbed because
finding employment was almost a
human impossibility. This unem-
ployment situation was created by
the mothers and fathers whose con-
Germ about the future never
reached a material boiling point,
and I shudder to think what would
be the lot of the young people to-
day had not the N. Y. A. stepped
in and placed on the shoulders of
Americas youth the guiding hand
that should have been placed there
by the mothers and fathers who
were booming future citizens to
hell.
Il TcIuSC W uciACNC thdb SAO JOoSAA
of today is worse off morally than
was that of years ago. Our fathers
robbed the Indians of their coun-
try and in many cases set the
Indians against the settlers: Today
the sons provide for them places
to live. an education, legal protec-
ton and compel respect for their
social and economic rights. Many
fathers Of years gone by worked
human beings as slaves; today
their sons pay them for work as
free men. Years ago the saloon
keeper was virtually the "1aw'
in his community. Today the sons
regulate in an effort to make de-
cent the liquor traffic. In years
gone by the family skeleton" was
kept in the closet, but the sons and
daughters of today hide nothing
Continued on Page Two)