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Sthool Spurs” Racial Amity The Southern Succeas Story—IX ——- This is the ninth in a series of- one of ihe nation’s outstanding | economic ‘developments, the comeback in the southern states, In gathering ‘material for these stories, Mr, Eubanks traveled into every section of the South. Fie Correspondent of © Tae Cirristien Science Afoziior ; Moanteagle, Tenn. Practical methods of solving racial problems are being sought at the Highlander Folk School here high atop the beautiful Cumberland Plateau. Southern whites and Negroes are being brought together in realistic fashion. And these whites and Negroes’ are going back out into the region ta preach that racial harmony is possible, Fo they have tried to learn fro. r U By Bickneli Eubanks - daily experience that the diffe whieh now seem insu LILES nountable can be overcome. The visitor to Highlander s iitle in the physical plant of the avlisul that icoks especially ex- pe-imental. He notices buildings oa. simple, beeutiful design (they | + ce designed by Carl Koch, Coounbridte, Mass. architect). A Cov school for maantainccr chil- ¢ cn ard a disrary are the only t « buildings which suggest it is a school,” wir Acvsenied by Hill Folk But Myles Horton, who founded ; this unique institution, points to, the scheo]’s record of seeking to} lift the veil ef suspicion and fear) throughout the South. Mr. Horton, hinself a native of Tennessee, ¢x- piains that He has had to. over-) coe suspicion and threats to get. ihe school where it js today, Now, tt bog hecs accepted by the moun- taincers, and many’. southerners: eay Vi Siiliag LO aur its suc- | cess, Lode Cath “it really is -hard to describe just What the schoo! is,” Mr. Hor- ton says. “You just can't type it. It’s neither one éhing ner another,. but. a eombination of many. things.” <8 . The -cpetating. policy of the ‘school ts quite asmole. it accepis adult students s2nt by various.¢t- r ganizations td en age in trot [ ecninare om some current prob- “7 orton explains. “We dof't ease nt the type of ~ tdliow loth” at What they are Ieaders 9 labor questions. He’-had been “We want only leaders,” . i iER FIN Ie ee 3 One ‘of ‘Mr.’ Hortoh’s “tavorite | stories is ‘ofa ‘southwestern oil union local head: who came to the school to attend. a seminar on sponsored by his local. Mr. Horton leatried that the oil worker wa a jeader of the Ku-Klux in his home town. “T didn't say anything to him at first,” Mr. Horton explains. “But you can imagine his surprise when he found his bunk mate was a Negro. He was ‘quiet for .two. 6r three days, but you could se® he wes getting réady to boil over.” ~ Finally, Mr. Horton says, the oi) worker came to him = and claimed he had been “tricked.” “T pointed out to him that he , had had our folder explaining what the school was and that he had had plenty of “opportunity to find out what the school was before he came.” Leader Quit Klan . He shouted that he still #lt he had been tricked, and that was going home. Mr, Horton told him hd would have a job of explaining |; tl do, because pictures of him edting with Negroes already had en sent to his local. . The oil worker stormed out of the building. For several days he thought hard. All this time he continued ta’ attend the discus- sions, ate with the rest of the group, and: continued to reom with the Negro. Hé began to see that his be- lisfs had been based on miscon- eevtions, Mr, Horton says. “He didn't know what to ex- pect.when he got back home, but we had shown him through the simple method of bringing him into contact with Negroes that he had been wrong,” Mr. Horton says. wo Coe “There is a sequel to this story. This oil worker went home, and shortly after he got back a rival union tried to raid his local. ried to persuade this man to join them and carried on the at- tempted raid on a racial basis. But the oi] worker defied them, Pitched in, and defeated the rival union. He is now one of the town’s oustanding leaders and a strong adsccate of-equal rights.” . And. he has quit the Klen, Mr. | Horton adds. Founded in 222 _ Hizhlandsr still hres its “foes. Although it fs chartered by the State of Ten -cssee as an .educa= tional institution, there are these’ who clajimit is not truly a school. ‘But the meuntain pers point to the day school, which has beers-been*to wl th URMATION COANTAINGS "Mary “McLeod. Bethune, | i Henderson, Aubrey Williams, Dr.!from people pretty close to the and Federal iBrass roots ofthe South. - neighboring | __ 2 r an | | ~Bostow, 3/8/57, their children. And “nearby coa’ miners, whose contact~witi the Aiievive~ip . r financed r many individuals, including Mrs. Franklin D., Roosevelt. Hie ex- plains that most of the contribu- ig limited, can cite. bene- fits they have gained from Hishlander,.... .. The schog] has an imposing ‘list of sponsors, including Dr. John Dewey, Clifford J,, Dur. ni Reinhold Niebuhr, Judge J, Waties Waring... The school was founded in 1932 when Mr. Horton and a friend sold the idea to Dr, Lilian W. Jehnson ‘of land azout 200 acres ef land—all. run down, ‘The friend soon leit, but Mr. Horton kept on. - ‘ From the first the school has been under attack. Even labor unions eyed the school with some suspicion. But when Mr. Horton held the first CIO school in the South, the working men began to aise, =: change their opinions. Farmers'Welcomed ©..." & : 2 ‘In fact “Mr. Horton has turned much -of the direction of | the lechoo! itself over to an adfistant, therine Winston, and i§ con- jeqirating his efforts to brikg in- 'distrial. workers and farmays of the South c'ocer together, °. ut Mr. Horton.is not being overoplimistic. He-- realizes that |: the southern traditions of separar rimove overnjgt, Fre still és ecnfient of thé ulime’e ramove! of thice ¢iMerences, in spite a stac-s on his fcnocl const nt cn southern poiitical ‘rom many eaters, 0. FG se. Le In answer to. cherzes that he is.trying lo ‘stir up trouble in the South, >this. young dicating Memphis. Dr.jghem all, for Johnsen gave them a_ building ' symbols showing . ‘The scheal ‘welcomes: farmers.” : prejudice or discrimi Von of raccs, are .too strong : southerner, tiers by.the Scoré-—_. orton says his school {s by contributions iro:n Lions come in small amounts, in- to him that they come He has letters by the score from people all over the Soutn who huve attended session at Highlander. He is pleased with to him, they are he is on the right road. Perhaps, though, he fs proudest of a letter he receivec from a- Negro fertilizer worxer in Mississippi, who wrote: “T ean say for myself this is the first time that I have had : chahce to dwel) together will white and, colored friends ir unity. If the whole world hac this unity, it would not be an: trouble for us to go to the poll and vote. Neither would there b- ior. u Klux Klan, or hate campagn: , . We would have peace] in ead of hate, tolerance insjea ee | discrimination and préjudite. peepee tel ; i i So fad “points to his” school’s statement |" . of purpcse:' * “We reafirei our faith in de-1 mocracy as a goal that will bring ‘dignity . and: freedom to ali; in t encompassing human rela- AML ects A cal activities. °° - “Democracy to us membership in the human family entitles ali.do freedom) of democracy ag an expanding con- 7 c tions from the smallest com- |. munity organization to interna: _ Monat" ptryretueby cand perenne : nomic, goefal, and, “politi-7. r A © [4 a means ‘that 7 "wee chts to a livelihood, educatipn, |: Hs and religion, to equal + ahd healt: to.equal,o > z0rturgiy ol the community: and to eofal/: a te, com in the ‘cvlciral E ‘atvess to public services... .” ‘ CHRISTIAN SCI ENCE Moawiter, SEARCHED wemnemens Tae