Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1963-08-04
BY WALTER WURFEL
Star staff writer

Star Staff Writer
while adults Of both races in
Prince Edward County Va,
fear to push reopening Of the
county's public schools, the Ne
gro children are taking the
lead In that direction.
Negro youths fortunate
enough to win scholarships for
study outside the Southside
Virginia county have returned
home this summer to lead the
peaceful demonstrations now
underway in Farmville, the
county seat.
There are white citizens who
vehemently oppose the local
Segregationists' four-year-old
decision to halt public educa-
ton and with in impending
racial Indignation. From time
to time they have taken timid
steps toward reopening the
schools.
Fear ReprisaIs
But in each instance the
threats Of social and economic
reprisal have made most of
them back off.
Some have recanted and en-
dorsed the segregationist atti-
tude that keeps white children
in the private Prince Edward
Academy and denies all oppor-
tunity for free public educa-
ton to the county's 1,725
school-age Negroes.
A very few others, like DIR.
c. Gordon Moss, dean Of the
local Longwood College, stick
to their beliefs that all the
county's children should be able
to attend public schools. These
individuals have had no sue
cess.
IntegratiOnist Isolated
DR.. Moss is a native Vir-
ginian who married a Farm
vile girl and settled perma-
nently in the county-seat town
in 1914. His outSpoken support
Of integrated public schools
has brought near isolation
from the towns social life.
Local segregationists have
made repeated, but unsuccess-
full attempts to have him re-
moved from the staff Of Long,
wood, a State teachers college.
Dean Moss now sends his
teen-age son to a school out
side the county where the
youth will not suffer the hos
tile jibes of his fellow students.
The dean calls the local Of
ficals-who are appealing q
Federal court order that the
public schools reopen - the
most determined group of peo-
pie I've ever SEEN"
Calls Negroes Placid
BY contrast, he says, the
local Negro adults are the
most placid Negroes any,
where"
Negro complacency is largely
a result Of economics, he says.
since most Negroes work for
white men and fear loss of
their jobs. Farmville mer-
chants told last week of two
colored laborers who were fired
after they took part in at
tempted kneel-ins at white
churches the previous Sunday.
Another white citizen who
has been unafraid to speak
for reopened schools is Calvin
Bass, a former college profess
sor turned dairy farmer.
To be for public schools
brands you as an about in
tegrationist," he comments
"As in all highly-controversial
things, the middle ground gets
awfully narrow"
Mr.. Bass sat on the lawn
beside his house discussing
with a reporter things he
couldn't talk about on the
party line telephone. One of
these subjects was an effort
that he. Dean Moss and about
rs other Prince Edward Coun-
ty men made three years ago
to- organize support for re-
opened schools.
Met After Dark
The two men tell this story
OF the unsuccessful effort:
Fearful Of discovery by local
segregationists before they were
well organized the men met
after dark at a lakeside cabin
more than 20 miles from Farm
vile. This wooded locale earned
for the group the name Bush
Leaguers," which still sticks to
the men who took part.
The morning after that sup
posedly secret meeting all the
Details were out. Local mer-
chants who had attended were
visited by friends who told
them their stores would be boy
cotted If they didn't quit the
Bush League"
= Others received threatening
I. telephone calls.
!. Az a hurriedly-called meet
/. ing that night. most of the
Bush Leaguers" said they were