The guardian. [volume] (Boston, Mass.) 1901-1960, 1950-05-13
EDITORIAL
HONORS DUE

HONORS DUE
~ 70 comparatively recent period Boston had not
developed the almost fricionless intergroup relations
Mch grace LIE IN the Hub today Even in the early years
OF the current century there was continual and widespread
display OF racial and religious bgotry The Irish the Jew and
cooed citizens were either ridcued Disseminated against
IN employment or disseminated against places of public
resort such as theatres hotels and restaurants and in the
renting OF stores and houses
Inc Irish organized politically and squeched in large
measure the hostility toward them The Jews were openly
caricaured on the STAGE but all that abruptly stopped when
they got control of practically all Boston theatres in
aooluon TO acquiring prominence and influence in the citys
commercial enterprises The coored element with little
headway in business and little money had to depend on
agitation OF their grievances achieve the volume
u hDertylovng democratic sentiment which later found
concrete expression in the passage of laws designed to
crush discrimination wherever shows venom in public
The lingering remnants of color prejudice in Boston
and the state formidable hangovers from the slavery
which existed here in the seventeenth and eighteenth
centuries and abolished only the state constitution
was adopted around 1900 Even after the close of the Civil
W" tNorn US serarate school for coored children It
was located in Bosons West End; and incredible as the
on was largely fostered
Dy colored citizens themselves They commended that the
e4eil m~ny Of whom the offspring of new
arrivals from the South would be afraid to attend the
pubic schools which open alike to all children How
ever because of the expense of maintaining the separation
and also because the proposition segregated education
was repugnant to the principles of liberty and civil rights
- o~.ss of the Garrison Phillips and Sumner stock
succeeded in closing that school and getting the colored
send tie nearest public school in the neighbour
hood as.is the prevailing custom
The indignation of school children was as is well known
but minor phase of the md-nneeenth century Abolition
st movement which had Influenced public thought so pro
foundry that Massachusetts among the first states to
send troops in aid Of the Union cause With slavery abo
shed the crusade of the Aboltionsts not end 1t took
form drive for the extension of freedom every effort
put forth in later years for better human relations especially
IN this state has had the active support Of members
scendans of the original an-sayery forces They gave
support to the group of colored champions of civil rights
who came to the front at the turn of the century.
Small in numbers, those so-named modern Abolition
lists waged unremitting and unconproising fight
civil liberty when public opinion not with them And
they rumphed in long series of The great
advance achieved by them til notable because of
the tremendous difficulties which confronted them Apathy
and anagonsm abounded Since then fortunately, there
has been great social change Now Cvil Rights" is
most issue throughout the United States and in the u NJ
Many of the Modern Abolitionsts have gone to "the
great beyond" It honor their memory that meeting
HYMN OF PRAISE TO HEROES-wil be held in the
Twelfth Baptist Church. Sunday night May q. Let all
show gratitude for the labor and srcrifce e tlo
women who helped nightly in making Boston and the
state the least prejudced area in the nation.
They must not be forgoen their work must go Just
last year there eruption of racial injustice in Boston
Although quickly suppressed the clee.y demon
the need constant watch for outbreak of bias and
readiness subdue it. Graduaism suggested in the handl
ing of prejudice siren Turing passivy and
agement to reaction It may be many years before the
pattern of life in the Commonwealth will be shaped and
directed by better breed Of all citizens and
YOUTH bas-free whose everyday behavior everywhere will
exempfy correct social decency Progress cannot wait on
the slow regeneration The gains already for human
raons strengthen the conviction that through continued
bosterng of civil rights sentiment and the operation of
pertinent laws we at least and earlier date purge
PRACTICE