Issue Number:12

Date: 10/21/1933

p. 01, c. 03


The Spirit of Typitown


Typitown, as we have mentioned before, is a little city that reminds one very much of Charlottesville, that is to say, each town has about the same Negro population and about the same type of inhabitants. Typitown boasts of quite a few churches which means, of course, quite a few ministers. The large percent of domestic workers makes Typitown a lucrative field for small business men and also professional men.

Like most small towns, Typitown does not have regular civic leaders, that is; men and women who devote their time and talent chiefly to civic work. The citizens are always willing to boost a plan for community betterment, but their type of work makes it inconvenient for them to actually start a civic program. So, the ministers, the doctors, public school instructors and business men realize the importance of community organization. They also realize that since this type of work and that the responsibility of leadership is too great for the masses the task is theirs to accomplish. The ministers know that by virtue of the sway that they hold over their congregation, that members would follow whithersoever they may lead. Consequently, Typitown ministers boost community organization plans from the pulpit. The instructors in public schools feel it their mission to teach citizenship, loyalty and organization to the child and extend their influence to the home. Thus, they outline the many advantages of such a movement through composition work, essays and in Patrons' meetings. The professional men agree to address in turn, the various organized social groups and bring to their attention the necessity of organization placing before each one a common cause, because they know that nothing will make a person feel a brother's need anymore than a kindred spirit. The business men display placards and slogans encouraging organization.

All told, Typitown today, so much like our littly city has an active civic League, not because the leaders are high-pressured workers, traided for the purpose but because the masses are broad enough to support leaders who realize their capability and the full meaning of unselfish service.