Jackson advocate. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1939-current, 1944-09-23
Is Mister And Mistress The Reason?

What has been the subject of bewldered and amazed
conversation among Negro citizens of Jackson for the past
several weeks the withdrawal the support given the
William Johnson Bethlehem Center by the local Commun
H Chest because recent report of its work the director
referred Negro people Mister and Mistress
pears to have been substanated in the statement of the
Chest Committee, of few days with respect to the
Forthcoming campaign in which the agencies to receive
support the Fund did not include the William John
Center This for the withdrawal of the support
of the Center having already been established as fact
in number of meetings of Negro and NegroWhte groups
interested in its present and future activities and main
tenance.
That calling Negro people Mister and Mistress by
the director the Center appears to be the main
for the withdrawal of the support of the fund leaves the
Negro people of the city bit amazed and greatly bewld
cred not be of much Importance relates to
the future existence and work of the Center but the
picationS inherent in such precedentthat such may
become rigid policy, in the city, generally speaking
in the future than has been true in the past with respect
not only to the work of such social and welfare agencies
but its whole pattern of life and relationships
ates to races-appears gigantic colossal Hercuean and
generally nsurmountabe aside from being the source OF
many and great difficulties and contradictions Before
errng to any of which, it to point out what
has developed in other sections of our beloved Southland
this question of calling Negro people, Mister and
."Mistress"
Over in the great State of Virginia where the star
of the Confederacy to its greatest ascendency and
shone with its greatest briance where the Army OF
Northern Virginia at Charlottesville at Spotsylvana at
Bulls Rum Manassas in the Wilderness at Gettysburg
added greatness to the words vaor bravery and sacrifice
where the greatest of the great of the Confederacy Cen
erals Robert E. Lee Stonewa Jackson Jeb Stuart long
street Pendeton Wade Hampton tasted the greatness OF
victory until defeat left it's deepest wounds where General
Lee the symbol of everything noble in the South and its
spent his years seeking through education to nsl
into the youth of the South his magnificent Idea and con-
vcton that nation should seek to the signs of civil
stre-Virgnius Dabney-a great southerner editor
of the Souths and the nations greatest
has urged edtoray that Negroes the South when prop
err be called "Miser and Mistress simple matter OF
Christian democratic and enlightened conversational inter
between human beings as 1urtner eIoft 10 re-
from the bosom of the South the strangmg ranco
of the Civil War.
Far from being always denotaton of honor and the
recognition of a distinctive personality some time may
be the case with respect to Negro calling folks Mister
and Mistress is part of the diom of speaking in
stercourse and the than anything else
distinguish boy from in the case of address,
Mister. while Miss and Mistress applied to the
female may be used to distinguish girl from woman
but always let folks know whether the object to
which either may be applied is married Or that
she is single and therefore still in quest of the flal at
tachmen which the address, Mistress is generally sup
posed to signify.
feet of the age transcending address of Boy and Girl
the confusing and conradctng mental reaction IN dis
pensing such Jim, BILL, Jack and Mary
of the oft mis-apped titles of Preacher Reverend
Elder and Professor and the disqueting implications
of blood relationships contained the address of Uncle,
"Aunte", Grandma, and Grandpa when applied to a
Negro
Naturally to get rid of the developing and enlightened
tendency the part intelligent people everywhere to
refer to Negro people where proper Mister and Mis-
tress, it will not only be necessary to withdraw public
eeeosynay support from such social and welfare agen
where the practice might be nduged but to make 1t
all encompassng and statewide and of hold to the
stranglng of the civil which its leaders sought
to dspe there ought to be law passed. to such
teachings from system of education the structure OF
our statutes and laws thereafter make it fine of not
less than $5000 five years the state prison. BOTH
for anyone found guilty of calling Negro Mister or
Mistress" .+a