St. Paul recorder. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1934-2000, 1954-07-30

he would be, and his congenia
pushed dinner ahead to chat ab
The Supreme Courts decision
oatlawing segregation in the pub
lie schools In DIR, Johnson's opin-
ion lis the most important ma.
tional mandate in civil rights
since the Emancipation Procia-
He sat back easily and drew
from rich background In race
relations work. Having witness
scd white girl. Mary Howard,
receive a masters degree from
Fisk University this year. and
having observed the genial man
ner In which white and Negro
students associate In Fisk's Race
Relations Institute during the
summer. Or. johnson thinks there
Is ample proof that race relation
ships can be worked out when
proper attitudes are manifested In
the classrooms.
Benefit 10 Nation"
Assaying the effect OF the
Supreme Courts decision, DR.
johnson says that the Negro
minority will benefit by this fur.
Their release from restrictions OF
segregation but that the nation
will benefit vastly more by It's re-
lease long overdue from posi-
ton Of acute moral and political
untcnability."
II was uncomfortable to DR.
johnson that any other decision
by the Supreme Court was pos
sible unless there may have been
some highly cautious political
compromise which he did not cx-
pect.
More formidable than any other
human force compelling the logic
OF the courts decision, DIR. John
son believes. Is the 'irrepressible
current OF present-day history
with its increasing accent upon
human rights"
Anything less. than what the
court decided in the present state
Of the nation and the world. he
thinks, would have been "a tragic
Reputation OF one distinctive
moral principle that gives mean
ing 20 our Constitution, our frame
work OF government, and the guild
ing star OF our way OF life, We
need this now even more than ar.
mics and our great wealth."
Formidable Problems
Or. Johnson says that 1t would
have been IAN ultimate insult to
the South to imply by any limited
Interpretation Of the national con
ception Of citizenship. that its
people were incapable OF compre-
hending or obtaining national
standards. or that they would not
accept the responsibility for en-
forcing our most fundamental
constitutional principle.
THE South, he says, has re-
sponded in every real test present
ed by the court. from the grand
father clause TO the white primary
and the issue Of segregation In
higher education"
a first social implication OF the
courts decree. Or. johnson says,
viii be differentiation of the
separate schools states" into
segments In respect TO the nature
Of their compliance with the de-
cree This win be a significant
first step, he says. in the "disin-
tegration Of the Solid South"
Meanwhile. he said, there would
be problems Of formidable charac-
ter accompanying the transition
period
II has become obvious, DR..
Johnson says. that the states hav-
ing the largest Negro population
proportions will show the most
resistance 10 the courts decision
He believes that an alternating
factor where Negro populations
are large will be the tendency Of
segregation to follow the patterns
Of racial housing already estab-
hshcd.
He Is aware that indignation has
meant the loss Of jobs for Negro
teachers at the college level. But
he believes the situation might be
far different for elementary and
high schools at which levels he
says there In a very serious short
age OF teachers; throughout the
South. ut is not likely that there
can be very much economy In dis
missing competent. Negro teach
ers, whatever the Indignation pro-
cedure," he says.
Because OF long years Of social
and psychological isolation for
both white and Negro teachers II
viii take time for them TO develop
sympathetic communication II
will also be necessary TO educate