Successful Visit

By last week the Rev. A. Ritchie Low, of Johnson, Vermont's United Church, had completed his novel experiment, having 81 Negro children from Manhattan to spend a fortnight's holiday in homes of white Vermont families (TIME, July 24). He had also received over 100 letters about it from interested strangers. One correspondent in nine disapproved, but the Vermonters and their visitors agreed that the experiment was a huge success.

Few Vermonters have had much to do with Negroes. In East Fairfield (pop. 475), only one child in the vacation Bible school had ever even seen one. But the Vermonters' native xenophobia was rapidly overcome by the little black visitors' good behavior and good nature. They lived and played with their hosts' children, were well behaved at table, did not suffer from shyness or homesickness, were soon calling their hosts "Uncle" and "Aunt," sometimes "Mom" and "Pop."

Local churches held mixed parties for them. The white children had been well coached on interracial manners. When one let slip the word "nigger" her sister snapped: "Now you stop that! You know what Ma said about saying words like that!"

Typical comments of the hosts:

P: Miss Aura Richards of her nine-year-old guest Ruby Long: "I liked her more than some up here."

P: Mrs. Warren Waldo, wife of Bakersfield's minister, of the visitors: "If my own youngsters act as well away from home as they did I'll be satisfied."

Typical comments of the guests (now back in Harlem):

P: Ronald Newsome: "I would rather live up there."

P: Milton Sawyer: "Never did like many white people, but now I love 'em."

Says Pastor Low, who hopes other churches will try his experiment: "The Negro is not a problem to be solved but a human being to be understood."

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