St. Paul recorder. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1934-2000, 1954-08-06

4 prohibiting ulbCflHliudLiOttf "OuI1
confide on the phone, please
don't send me any Niggers."
Much was made recently over
mldwestern department stores de-
cision 10 hire Negroes. but II was
q matter Of common knowledge on
one side of town, that Negroes
had been employed by the firm
for years.
The adherence TO the one-drop
formula has created thousands Of
"Peolas," some Of whom willingly
accept the lot Of their minority
blood, and others who grow 30
weary Of the Illustrations and In
conyenienees IL creates, that they
pass in self defense.
Take the case OF a pretty red
haired Wave, Karla steine. who
was employed as a receptionist OF
the chaplain at the Jacksonville,
Florida, Naval Training station.
To save explanations and embar-
easements, she adopted the policy
Of Immediately informing pros
pectiye suitors that she was col
ored and proud Of II. Even then,
she had difficulty making them
believe her.
The DR. Albert Johnston family
OF Lost Boundrles fame lived In
quiet white respectabllity in
Keene, New Hampshire. until their
secret became known, and al
though for a while they were for
given, the fact that there was a
trace Of black blood in their
veins was not entirely forgotten.
Eventually Or. Johnston was sep
arated from his Job Mt the hospi-
tai, and one of their soHs, sudden
ly finding himself a Negro, has
not yet been able TO readjust to
his new racial status.
Cross Over the Bridge
To demonstrate how crazy Is
the whole idea of labelling this
mixed-up race, in the US, whites
al well as Negroes pass back and
forth across the color line at will
For some inexplicable reason,
dark-hued peoples such as Fill
pinos, Latin Americans and Arabs
escape the discrimination and seq
regation suffered by Negroes who
are far fairer OF skin. So all
brown-skinned Negro need do Is
To don turban and robe and
assume an accent, and presto. he,
too. has crossed over the bridge.
Perhaps the most pubIlcized
such hoax perpetrated on the
white South was carried out by
the Rev. jesse Wyman Route OF
New York few years ago when
the little Lutheran minister went
10 Mobile TO visit his brother At
Washington, ID. c., he changed in
to an Eastern getup. assumed a
Swedish accent and was accorded
all the dignity OF visiting oriental
potentate. The white Chamber o.
Commerce entertained him. He
was shown through factories ana
housing developments, and high
officer of the Mobile police de.
partmont took him on a tour {
headquarters Said the officer.
III a Negro gives any trouble w
just knock him down"
Rev, Route stopped at the city's
leading hotel and was accepted in
the finest downtown restaurants
When he asked n white headwaiter
what would happen II a Negro
came in to be served. the waiter
replied. mo Negro would dare
come In herci"
Lynn Hope Moslem musician,
found that when travelling in the
South, he need only say that he
is an Arab, TO be Immediately re-
cognized as white, When he and
hts Moslem orchestra, wearing
their turbans, are told. I'VE don't
serve eolored people here" they
simply say that they are not
Negroes, and almost invariably
they receive courteous treatment,
on the other hand, Pulitzer
Prize winner Ray sprigle, a white
Pittsburgh reporter, caused quite
sensation when he revealed his
experiences living as u black man
for one month in the South, With
only one or two exceptions, these
men were able TO fool both races
by merely proclaiming or seeming
10 be what they racially were not
Need For Race Tags Ended