Crawfordville High School Student Newspaper Featuring Essays on "The Segregation Issue," May 1954

Segregation in education--Florida

Educational equalization

African Americans--Education

Segregation--Public opinion

School integration--Public opinion

This student newspaper contains student reactions to the U.S. Supreme Court's Brown vs. Board ruling earlier that month, which declared segregated school unconstitutional. Reactions range from outright opposition to tempered acceptance of the ruling. Segregation essays appear on the first and last pages of this issue.

Crawfordville High School (Crawfordville, Fla.)

State Library of Florida, Vertical File

1954-05

newspapers

eng-US

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Postwar Florida (1945-1968)

Crawfordville (Fla.)

Wakulla County (Fla.)

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Education And Libraries

Crawfordville High School (Crawfordville, Fla.)

The Segregation Issue (On May 17,1954, the Supreme Court of the United States stated the segregation in southern public schools was unconstitutional according to the 14th Amendment. The Excerpts of the essays below indicate the varied reactions of the social studies classes, and are presented not for their pro or con arguments but merely on how well their positions are stated.) No, I don't want to go to school with negroes, but I feel that we in the south are prejudiced. WE have been brot [brought] up, you might say, to hate negroes. I feel this is wrong because after all they are human beings just the same as we are. I think that actually negroes are probably as good as we are even tho [though] they are never given a chance to prove it. We think of the negro as being about the nastiest thing on earth, yet we don't usually thing this of people from other parts of the world. In the first place they can't help being black and they can't help being here. Nontheless [Nonetheless], if we were in the same school together there would be lots of friction. People who have been separated all their lives, when thrown together don't just start getting along. Since I was reared in the south, as most others, don't care for negroes, but still if I allow myself to think things thru, I realize that they are people too and should be treated as equals. Again I say I don't think it is right to hate them, for we are suppose to love our neighbors as ourself, even if it is hard to do. I hate negroes and I am not going to school with them. You can have all of them, but don't give any of them to me. The idea of colored people coming to white schools does meet with my approval, and probably they don't want to come either. Yet, they have no more faults than we have, and isn't America a free country. Shouldn't everybody share equally in a public function? (Con't.) Surely God thinks as much of someone with a black face as he does a person with a white, red, or yellow face. There'll be all difference shades in heaven. If we can't get along with the negroes down here how can we expect to get along with them in the next world? Yes, it'll be sorta [sort of] bad to eat across the table from one, but who do you think prepares the food you eat in public restaurants. They're certainly not all white. I do not want to go with them to school, but if I have to, I will. A good education is more important to me than who sits in the classroom with me, and they deserve an education too. I don't think the negroes and whites should mingle together. If the good Lord had wanted them to be together he would have made them the same color. If they come over here and I stay in school, I will just make the best of it. Last year in Kentucky we had one colored girl in our class. She did not learn anything. She was just there. No person can truthfully say negroes smell, cheat, steal or do other things in our school because we never have gone to school with them so we don't know. If a negro fights in wars for his country he should have the same rights as any other citizen. Yes, I would go to school with negroes if I had no other way to get an education. If negroes start going to the same schools with us here in Florida, all I can say is: Georgia, here I come. (Continued on the last page)

The Adventures of Martie and Melvin by Mary France Pelt Melvin and I are two mouse colored mice. WE live together just inside Mrs. Whitton's room in a little hole in the wall. Last week we decided to explore the school a little. First of all we went into the biology lab. And it so happened that Mr. Hughes was looking for two mice. Both of us were trying to get out as fast as we could but some smarty pants had shut the door so we ran up under his desk and waited until the bell rang. As soon as I heard it ring I started for the door and of course Melvin followed. How we got out I don't know because we were almost trampled to death with people changing classes. After we got out we went down to Mrs. Evans music class. The junior Chorus was trying to learn the songs that they were supposed to sing at the music festival. Melvin and I went over and sat behind Herman Whaley and Benny Shields and started singing. Mrs. Evens did not see us but you better believe she heard us. Although she thought it was Herman and Benny. She told them to shut up and when they didn't she made them both go to the library and write two hundred times, "I will not make noise in music." After the music class was over decided that our stomach was getting empty. So we made our way over to the cafeteria. We went back to the kitchen where Mrs. Forbes and the other ladies were cooking. I saw a package of cheese and motioned with my tail for Melvin to come over. We were almost full when I fell over a glass. Mrs. Forbes came running over to see what was wrong. When she saw what it was she grabbed the broom and ran after us. Boy, did we get out of there. Next we went to the library, Mrs. Enfinger had just told Donald Duggar and Dural Baker to be quiet. Finally I decided to go over and get on the bookshelf, when all of a sudden Miss Templeton stepped on my tail and of course I squealed. Mrs. Enfinger thought it was Donald and Dural and got real mad. The bell had just rang and everyone was going to sixth period. So we started back to Mrs. Whitton's room before she locked us out. And instead of going to her room we went into Miss Johnston's room. She screamed at the top of her voice, "Mice" and jumped up on her desk and of course everyone laughed. So we ran out of the room and headed for our own. The next morning when I woke up someone was banging on the front of our hole with their foot. Then I heard a voice saying, " You come out of there, you good- for-nothing mice. I know you ate up those papers I worked so hard to grade." So then I woke up Melvin and told him that we would have get out of the school before everyone turned against us. The next hour we found ourselves over at Strickland's Store. We slipped inland keeps all of his meats and things that had to keep cold. Melvin started nibbling on a piece of cheese while I got to the sausage and boy, oh, boy, was it hot! I ran around in circles trying to find water. And finally ended up in the drink box. Fortunately Mr. Townsend came up to get himself a drink. I grabbed ahold of bottle and held on for dear life. When he saw me he dropped his bottle and had to get another one. After we left Strickland's store we were walking along the street when all at once some cat came running after us. Just as we started running Christine Sarvis, who is much afraid of cats, came walking down the street. When she sees the cat she runs into the drugstore screaming, "Help! A Cat!" The cat turned around to see what was going on. Of course we had a chance to leave, so we did. During that one day we had about five or six cats to chase us. One of them was even making sandwiches out of Melvin until I made a face at him. He turned Melvin loose to chase me and we both got away. By the time the second day was over, Melvin and I were ready to go back to school. Of course we had to be very careful not to go exploring on the week-ends and holidays, ********* Miss. Fisher: Doc, what is the College of Cardinals? Doc Mathers: It's a finishing school for baseball players.

The Crawfordville School War by Dannelly Oaks It was cold, foggy night in the year 1722.The lost Creek garrison, commanded by captain Hal Leddy, was expecting an attack from the savage Crawfordville High school students. Lt. Paul Hughes was commanding the cannon which was manned by Corporals Bill Moor and O.Z. Revell when all at once out of the black forest flew a black board eraser which hit him squarely between the eyes and killed him instantly. The eraser had been shot by Scout Arlyce Posey who was determined to get the Lieutenant out of the way. Corporals Moor and Revell snatched up their pieces of chalk and began to fire into the darkness. No sounds were heard and nothing else happened so the Corporals buried Lt. Hughes after reporting his death to Capt. Leddy, who was greatly shocked. After everyone had settled down and gone to sleep in the garrison, two dark shadows skulked thru the darkness and the fog and silently captured Cpl. Moor in his sleep. No one missed him until Cpt. Revell went to his bedroll to wake him. When he discovered he was shaking an empty sack he reported his companion missing to Capt. Leddy, who said, "Run 20 laps." Then Capt. Leddy formed a search party of Privates Roberts, Fisher, and Miller to look for Cpl. Moor. After searching for an hour they found him hanging by his neck in the tree. He had been scalped and there wasn't a hair on his head. They knew Indians were fascinated by red hair. Pvts. Roberts, Fisher, and Miller buried him nearby. Then Capt. Leddy and his patrol returned to camp. Late the next night the attack came and chalk was flying all over the place while erasers exploded in the darkness. Cpl. Revell and Pvts. Roberts, Fisher, and Miller were killed by flying chalk and erasers. Sergeants Emfinger and Gertz were seriously injured. The attack had been so sudden that the garrison was overwhelmed and wiped out except for the captain, who fought bravely until he was captured by Henry Mae Forbes. Early the next morning the captain was shot with chalk until dead, and then made to swallow a football, basketball, and baseball. All the Crawfordville students rejoiced after this war, and extracted a treaty from the defeated of NO MORE SCHOOL. OLD SMOKEY A Poem Dedicated to Its Faithful Few By Diana Council On top of old Smokey Overlooking the school The fellows know how to follow the rules. The fellows don't smoke Past the schoolhouse door Because they might leave An ash on the floor. They know Mr. Hughes because of the broom He's many times used With a mighty big boom. But sometimes old Smokey Turns into smoke The boys who did it Here's what they wrote: Once we set fire With a whole lot of flames To old Smokey hill Can you guess our names? A Not So Hot Hotrod By Elaine Paulk I've had some pretty rough times since I first came into the world 20 years but lately since Tom purchased me, I've really through it. Tom bough me so he would have a way to get back and fourth to football practice, but it turned out, I had ten or twelve boys packed into me every evening besides Tom. On one particular night I really had an axle scared off me. I was running down the road a pretty good speed (especially since there were twelve boys in me that day) when a cow ran right in front of me. Now Tom and all the rest of the boys knew that I had been having pains in my breaks for the past week, so when that cow ran across the road in front of me. It sure gave us all a scare. Little Billy Moore who gets panicky at the least little things, gave out a blood curdling yell that would scare the tires off a Cadallac [Cadillac]. Brave Wayne Arnold, trying to sooth him, said, " Keep calm, son, we'll be alright if we don't get killed." In the meantime Tom was twisting my wheel something awful. I swerved to the right and barely missed the cow. (Continued on the next page).

A Not So Hot Hotrod (Cont'd) That's just one of the awful things that has happened to me, but since Tom had my sick brake tended to, I've been quite well. Tom has also done some beautifying to my body and with all the pretty decoration smoothest hotrod in town. ******* IF I WERE BENNY SHIELDS FOR A DAY By Peggy Strickland My name is Benny Shields: I go to Crawfordville High School. I would like to tell you about myself and some of my adventures last Tuesday. Mother called me down to get dressed for school, but I wouldn't get dressed because I felt so bad. Anita, my sister, then came up after me. She said that mother was coming up with a switch. Boy: Did I get up fast! I put on my dungerees, which I've worn for two weeks and my nasty shirt. My socks get to smell so bad, so I them every three weeks. My breakfast consist of 6 eggs, 4 glasses of milk, and 7 pieces of toast to eat along with a pint of syrup. I haven't got time to eat anything else because the busdriver is blowing his horn. Just before I go to the bus, I see if I have a supply of spitballs and rubber bands. As I get on the bus I look for my Substitute girlfriend, Sue Tucker. But, I think, "Oh, my goodness! I'm so much in love with her 'till I forgot she doesn't get on yet." She lives in New Port. Well, finally we get to C.H.S. The tardy bell rings and do I ever get to my special seat in our homeroom in the auditorium fast. Mr. Leddy, one of our homeroom teachers, is in a good humor this morning. The bell rings again and I go into my troublesome subject, geography. Mrs. Roberts, my teacher, is always getting on to me for doing something wrong. My next subject I get behind Lillian Miller, my real girlfriend, to pull her hair. She says she doesn't like me but I know she does. Third period class Mr. Leddy teaches the 7th and grade boys physical education. You have to be particular what you do in his class because he doesn't want anyone folling [following] around. I have him for the next class too, and he teaches me first- aid. We are studying artificial respiretion [respiration] now, which isn't hard at all. The whole class waits in suspense until 12:30 when we go to lunch. who? This man has eyes as green as grass, His face is full of freckles, He mows his hair with cutlass, the kids he sometimes heckles. ************ Cattle come from Cheyenne, Pepper comes from Cayenne, Tulips come from Holland fair, I wish my teacher would go there. ************ Black hair like a welcome mat, five feet tall, no more than that, teaching English, making rhymes, Missplessed words... a hundred times! Football boggles, golfing drives, Jitters like a case of hives, Scoreboard conscious? Not at all! When you're down you sure can't fall. *********** She teaches me geography, taught my mama math, and many she's straightened on the history path. She's taught our families for many years, taught us laughter and nursed our tears. Written by Sue Tucker, Mary Frances Pelt, Ernestine Spears *********** After lunch we go to science which Miss Templeton teaches us. We all laugh and play and have a good time on her class. But---- we work too, don't get me wrong! Math is the sixth period class. and I hate it. I don't like school anyway. When the bell rings, out of the room I fly to the bus. ************ Charles Langston: I wonder why I have so much electricity in my hair? Mrs. Whitton: It could be attached to a dry cell. Janice Tucker: The man I marry must be brave and courageous Hugh Langdale: He'd have to be. Indiscreet: The place where kids shouldn't play.

The Segregation Issue (Continued from the first page) It seems that the Supreme Court has finally made that decision everyone was expecting. The fact that the negroes and whites will be going to school together really doesn't matter to me because of their color. I really don't think color matters in any case. It's more or less the mixing of social standards that I don't agree with. If negroes start to school here they will lower our standards because they are not as neat as we are. If we abolish segregation and negroes go to school with us we might have a good football team for a change. I do not know why people say people of the Supreme Court are radical because they said that segregation had to be abolished, I always thought that a radical was a Communist, and it is the Communist who are always saying we don't have democracy because we keep negroes out of our schools. So I think that the Supreme Court is not radical at all, because the "Communist" decision that they have taken away from the main argument the Reds have against us. And if we don't want other countries to criticize us we had better let all Americans citizens into all public places. If negroes come to school with us they will be let out of the most important social affairs. They'll never get loads in the plays or operettas, or be chosen as class officers. The negroes who tried to play football and basketball probably wouldn't get along with the coach if he is white. So I think we are better off right where we are, giving the negroes a chance in their kind of school under their kind of teachers and giving us our chance the same way. If negroes start going to school with us I'm going to quit. Even if the Declaration of Independence does say that all men are created equal that doesn't make me want to go to school with a negro. I may never have to go to school with them but I know my children and grandchildren will. So if they go to school with the whites I'll put my children in private school or they won't go at all. If God wanted the negroes to go to the same school why did he make them different colors? If negroes get an education they'll try to overrule the white race. You already see them driving big Cadillacs while the whites are driving old beat-up cars. When this law is put into operation there will be a big war between the whites and blacks. Before we go to school with negroes Florida should out from the Union and have bring them over from Africa. They were pushed off on us and we had to take them. I don't think we should take orders from those negro- loving Yankees, so let's fight! Well, I don't mind going to school with colored people, because they are God's people, and if you can't get along with them down here how in the world can you go heaven, because all kinds of people will be there. I don't believe in marrying them but that's altogether different from going to school with them. They have to fight for our country, so how about letting them share our rights with us. I can't understand how those judges on the Supreme Court could make such a decision with eight of them were Democrats. I don't see any point incondeming the Supreme Court for its decision. They had to base their argument on the Constitution which was written by our ancestors and Ratified by all the men appointed to the Supreme Court by our presidents had to be approved by congress, and congressmen to amend the Constitution or just shut up remember it is our duty as American citizens to uphold the Constitution, not to try to go around it. Even if Negroes go to school with us we're a lot better off in our country then if we were in another one..... Russia, for instance. When we brought negroes over from Africa as slaves, they didn't ask to come, so we might as well face the problem that all have to live together in harmony, because we certainly can't send them back.