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Collection Number: 03816

Collection Title: James McBride Dabbs Papers, 1914-1980

This is a finding aid. It is a description of archival material held in the Wilson Library at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Unless otherwise noted, the materials described below are physically available in our reading room, and not digitally available through the World Wide Web. See the Duplication Policy section for more information.


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Size 15.5 feet of linear shelf space (approximately 7,000 items)
Abstract James McBride Dabbs (1896-1970) was a white professor of English at the University of South Carolina and Coker College, Presbyterian churchman, writer, civil rights leader, Penn School Community Services trustee, Southern Regional Council president, and farmer of Mayesville, S.C. He also worked with the South Carolina Council on Human Relations, the Fellowship of Southern Churchmen, the Committee of Southern Churchmen, the Council on Church and Society, and the Delta Ministry. The collection consists of correspondence, writings, subject files, administrative records, and other materials that document Dabbs's professional involvements and interests, including his leadership roles in civil rights councils, religious organizations, and other groups. Almost all of the papers date from 1923 to shortly before Dabbs's death in 1970. Topics include observations on social and political issues of the day (especially in the American South), concerns about racial inequalities and segregation, Dabbs's opposition to the House Committee on Un-American Activities, and Dabbs's own life and religious beliefs. Most writings are drafts are of books, articles, addresses, short stories, poems, and other writings by Dabbs, and most correspondence is between Dabbs and fellow political and religious group members, publishers, and readers of his articles and books. There is light and scattered correspondence with prominent authors, activists, and historians, including Anne Braden, Sarah Patton Boyle, Hodding Carter, Isabel Fiske Conant, Paul Green, Myles Horton, George Mitchell, Eudora Welty, and C. Vann Woodward, among others; some writings by others; and a few photographs of Dabbs's university and church colleagues.
Creator Dabbs, James McBride, 1896-1970.
Curatorial Unit University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Library. Southern Historical Collection.
Language English
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Restrictions to Access
No restrictions. Open for research.
Restrictions to Use
No usage restrictions.
Copyright Notice
Copyright is retained by the authors of items in these papers, or their descendants, as stipulated by United States copyright law.
Preferred Citation
[Identification of item], in the James McBride Dabbs Papers #3816, Southern Historical Collection, The Wilson Library, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Acquisitions Information
Received from Edith Mitchell Dabbs of Mayesville, S.C., 1971-1977, and from the Guilford College Library in December 2018 (Acc. 103508).
Sensitive Materials Statement
Manuscript collections and archival records may contain materials with sensitive or confidential information that is protected under federal or state right to privacy laws and regulations, the North Carolina Public Records Act (N.C.G.S. § 132 1 et seq.), and Article 7 of the North Carolina State Personnel Act (Privacy of State Employee Personnel Records, N.C.G.S. § 126-22 et seq.). Researchers are advised that the disclosure of certain information pertaining to identifiable living individuals represented in this collection without the consent of those individuals may have legal ramifications (e.g., a cause of action under common law for invasion of privacy may arise if facts concerning an individual's private life are published that would be deemed highly offensive to a reasonable person) for which the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill assumes no responsibility.
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Processed by: Elaine Kaye Lanning, July 1981

Encoded by: Jessica Sedgwick, March 2009

Revisions: Nancy Kaiser, January 2019

Diacritics and other special characters have been omitted from this finding aid to facilitate keyword searching in web browsers.

Since August 2017, we have added ethnic and racial identities for individuals and families represented in collections. To determine identity, we rely on self-identification; other information supplied to the repository by collection creators or sources; public records, press accounts, and secondary sources; and contextual information in the collection materials. Omissions of ethnic and racial identities in finding aids created or updated after August 2017 are an indication of insufficient information to make an educated guess or an individual's preference for identity information to be excluded from description. When we have misidentified, please let us know at wilsonlibrary@unc.edu.

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expand/collapse Expand/collapse Subject Headings

The following terms from Library of Congress Subject Headings suggest topics, persons, geography, etc. interspersed through the entire collection; the terms do not usually represent discrete and easily identifiable portions of the collection--such as folders or items.

Clicking on a subject heading below will take you into the University Library's online catalog.

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expand/collapse Expand/collapse Biographical Information

James McBride Dabbs (1896-1970) was a white professor of English, Presbyterian churchman, writer, civil rights leader, Penn Community Services trustee, Southern Regional Council president, and farmer of Mayesville, S.C. He also worked with the South Carolina Council on Human Relations, the Fellowship of Southern Churchmen, the Committee of Southern Churchmen, the Council on Church and Society, and the Delta Ministry.

1896 Born 8 May, Mayesville, Sumter County, S.C., son of farmer Eugene Whitefield Dabbs and Maude McBride
1916 AB, University of South Carolina
1917-1919 United States Army Field Artillery
1918 Married, 11 May, to Jesse Clyde Armstrong; children: Maude Elizabeth and Carolyn McBride
1919-1920 Director, Farm Life School, Vass, N.C.
1921-1924 Adjunct and later assistant professor, University of South Carolina
1923-1930 Intermittent graduate work in English, Columbia University
1925-1942 Professor, English Department, Coker College, Hartsville, S.C.
1933 Jesse Clyde Armstrong Dabbs died, 6 November
1935 Married, 11 June, to Edith Wells Mitchell; children: James McBride, Dorothy, Richard Whitefield
1942-1970 Farmer, writer, and lecturer; lived at Rip Raps Plantation, Mayesville, S.C.
1947-1952 Chair, South Carolina Council on Human Relations (member, board of directors, 1957-1963)
1955-1963 President, Southern Regional Council (member, executive committee, 1963-1970)
1957-1963 Member, executive committee, Fellowship of Southern Churchmen
1964-1970 Chair, board of trustees, Penn Community Services (member of the board, 1957-1963)
1970 Died, 30 May, Rip Raps Plantation

Memberships:

Awards:

Books:

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expand/collapse Expand/collapse Scope and Content

Letter from Julius G. Coyne of Newland, N.C., to James McBride Dabbs, opposing Dabbs's integrationist stance, 2 February 1963 (see Series 1. Correspondence, folder 24)

Letter

The bulk of the papers consists of correspondence, writings, subject files, and administrative records relating to the activities of James McBride Dabbs, a white English professor, churchman, writer, civil rights leader, Penn Community Services trustee, Southern Regional Council president, and farmer of Mayesville, S.C. Almost all of the papers date from 1923 to shortly before Dabbs's death in 1970. Papers document Dabbs's professional involvements and interests, including his leadership roles in civil rights councils, religious organizations, and other groups. Topics include observations on social and political issues of the day (especially in the American South), concerns about racial inequalities and segregation, Dabbs's opposition to the House Committee on Un-American Activities, and Dabbs's own life and religious beliefs. Most writings are drafts of books, articles, addresses, short stories, poems, and other writings by Dabbs, and most correspondence is between Dabbs and fellow political and religious group members, publishers, and readers of his articles and books. There is light and scattered correspondence with prominent authors, activists, and historians, including Paul Green, Eudora Welty, Anne Braden, Sarah Patton Boyle, Myles Horton, Hodding Carter, Isabel Fiske Conant, C. Vann Woodward, George Mitchell, among others; some writings by others; and a few photographs of Dabbs's university and church colleagues. Note that all letters are not in the correspondence series; some are included in subject files which Dabbs himself created.

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Contents list

expand/collapse Expand/collapse Series Quick Links

expand/collapse Expand/collapse Series 1. Correspondence, 1912-1974.

About 600 items.

Arrangement: chronological.

This series is comprised chiefly of letters written to Dabbs about his writings and speaking engagements, his integrationist stance, and his involvement with religious, college, and civil rights groups. Many letters are "fan mail," praising his writings, as well as "hate mail," prompted by Dabbs's civil rights activism and writings in the 1940s-1960s. Responses to Dabbs's public opposition to the House Un-American Activities Committee are included, especially in the 1961 correspondence. There are scattered letters from prominent authors, activists, and historians, including Paul Green, Eudora Welty, Sarah Patton Boyle, Myles Horton, Hodding Carter, Isabel Fiske Conant, C. Vann Woodward, and George Mitchell, among others. These letters include discussions of the lives, writings, and beliefs of these individuals. Letters from pastors and religious leaders are common, as are letters commenting on the treatment of African Americans, especially in the South. There are occasional copies of letters Dabbs wrote to fellow writers, association members, friends, admirers, and groups. Note that letters from members of groups to which Dabbs belonged may also be found in the subject files.

Folder 1

1912-1922

Folder 2

1923-1924

Folder 3

1928-1929 and circa 1920s

Folder 4

1933

Folder 5

1934-1935

Folder 6-7

Folder 6

Folder 7

1936

Folder 8

1937

Folder 9

1938-1939 and circa 1930s

Folder 10

1940-1941

Folder 11

1942-1943

Folder 12

1944

Folder 13

1945-1949

Folder 14

1950-1951

Folder 15

1952

Folder 16

1953-1955

Folder 17

1956

Folder 18

1957

Folder 19

1958

Folder 20

1959

Folder 21

1960

Folder 22

1961

Folder 23

1962

Folder 24

1963

Folder 25-26

Folder 25

Folder 26

1964

Folder 27-28

Folder 27

Folder 28

1965

Folder 29-30

Folder 29

Folder 30

1966

Folder 31

1967

Folder 32

1968

Folder 33

1969 and circa 1960s

Folder 34

1970-1974

Folder 35

Undated

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expand/collapse Expand/collapse Series 2. Writings, 1914-1972.

About 1100 items.

Arrangement: by material type.

This series includes various types of published and unpublished writings by James McBride Dabbs. Drafts of Dabbs's book-length manuscripts, articles, and public addresses constitute the bulk of the writings. Poems, short stories, and plays date from his student and teaching days in the 1920s-1930s. Starting in the mid-1930s, Dabbs devoted his energies to writing non-fiction prose. Also included are Sunday school lessons, book reviews, letters to editors, course notebooks, teaching notes and exams, diary entries, and other writings. For a comprehensive bibliography of Dabbs's published writings, see folders 682-683 of these papers: "James McBride Dabbs: A Life Story," by Thomas L. Johnson.

expand/collapse Expand/collapse Subseries 2.1. Book-length manuscripts.

8 items.

Arrangement: alphabetical by title.

Drafts or partial drafts of Dabbs's five published books; of his proposed dissertation in English at Columbia University, "The Poetic Experience," which was not accepted; and two unpublished manuscripts, "The Poetry of Life," and "Religious Values in American Life." Correspondence with publishers about most of these works is included in Series 4. Subject files, under their respective titles.

Folder 36-40

Folder 36

Folder 37

Folder 38

Folder 39

Folder 40

Civil Rights in Recent Southern Fiction

Folder 41-49

Folder 41

Folder 42

Folder 43

Folder 44

Folder 45

Folder 46

Folder 47

Folder 48

Folder 49

Haunted by God

Folder 50-58

Folder 50

Folder 51

Folder 52

Folder 53

Folder 54

Folder 55

Folder 56

Folder 57

Folder 58

"The Poetic Experience"

Folder 59-67

Folder 59

Folder 60

Folder 61

Folder 62

Folder 63

Folder 64

Folder 65

Folder 66

Folder 67

"The Poetry of Life"

Folder 68-74

Folder 68

Folder 69

Folder 70

Folder 71

Folder 72

Folder 73

Folder 74

"Religious Values in American Life"

Folder 75-85

Folder 75

Folder 76

Folder 77

Folder 78

Folder 79

Folder 80

Folder 81

Folder 82

Folder 83

Folder 84

Folder 85

The Road Home

Folder 86-95

Folder 86

Folder 87

Folder 88

Folder 89

Folder 90

Folder 91

Folder 92

Folder 93

Folder 94

Folder 95

Southern Heritage

Folder 96-104

Folder 96

Folder 97

Folder 98

Folder 99

Folder 100

Folder 101

Folder 102

Folder 103

Folder 104

Who Speaks for the South?

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expand/collapse Expand/collapse Subseries 2.1A Book-length manuscripts (Addition of December 2018).

3 items.

Acquisitions Information: Accession 103508

Drafts of Dabbs's writings.

Box 31

Southern Heritage

Who Speaks for the South?

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expand/collapse Expand/collapse Subseries 2.2. Articles and essays.

About 500 items.

Arrangement: alphabetical by title.

Articles and essays are chiefly drafts that Dabbs submitted to publishers. There are also scattered outlines and earlier drafts that differ substantially from finished products. Articles are about religion, desegregation, war and peace, southern life, college teaching, and other issues.

Folder 105

"Acceptance of Grief"

"Adventure and Peace"

Folder 106

"The American Character"

Folder 107

"American Gifts to World Order"

"The Art of Worship"

Folder 108

"The Baby and the Bird"

"Background of the Present Church Problem"

Folder 109

"Balance Wheel for the Nation"

"Behind the Sit-down Strike"

Folder 110

"Beyond the West"

Folder 111

"Beyond the West, the World"

Folder 112

"Blow Hot, Blow Cold"

"Blue Danube Fantasia"

"The Blurred Mirror"

Folder 113

"Bombers Over the South"

Folder 114

"Call to Stations" (two versions)

"Campus to Cornfield"

Folder 115

"Can Christian Education be Liberal"

"Carolina Mirage"

"Challenge and Response"

Folder 116-117

Folder 116

Folder 117

"The Child Begins his Adventure"

Folder 118

"A Christian Economic Order"

"The Christian Liberal Arts College"

"Christian Responsibility in the Race Issue"

Folder 119

"The Church and Race Relations"

Folder 120

"Church Member and Citizen"

"Cloistered Views"

"A Cloud Like a Man's Hands"

Folder 121

"The Coming Adventure of Peace"

"A Community Challenge to Church Members"

Folder 122

"The Common Man"

"Conference on Metropolitan Planning"

"Country Album"

Folder 123

"The Culture-religion of the South"

Folder 124

"Democracy and the Christian College"

Folder 125

"Detachment of the Liberal Arts College"

"Distance Lends Enchantment"

Folder 126

"Dividends on Disagreement" (two versions)

Folder 127-128

Folder 127

Folder 128

"Economic and Spiritual Freedom" (two versions)

Folder 129

"Edna St. Vincent Millay: Not Resigned"

Folder 130

"Ecumenical Man"

"Education: For What?"

"Enchanted Landscapes"

Folder 131

"Epilogue"

"Every Day Religion"

"Every Man in his Place"

Folder 132

"Expecting the Dawn"

"Experiences with Truck and Tractor"

"Fair Weather Religion"

Folder 133

"Faith as Vision"

"Faith for Today"

"The Faith that is in Us"

Folder 134

"The Farmer's Place in Society"

"First the Kingdom"

"Flight from Time"

Folder 135

"A Footnote to the Niebuhr-Graham Discussion"

"Foreword"

"The Forgotten Message of Sin and Salvation"

"For Those Who Would Live"

Folder 136

"Forward with Christ"

"Freedom of Thought in the South"

Folder 137

"Freedom Under the Law"

"Freshman Special"

"From Kindness to Christian Love"

"Gentlemen Cry Peace"

Folder 138

"Give Sorrow Words" (two versions)

Folder 139

"God Winked, But that was Yesterday"

"Going to Win the War"

Folder 140

"Golden Centuries"

"Gospel Dynamics"

"Greater Love Hath No Man"

Folder 141

"The Happy Moments"

"Heaven's First Laws"

Folder 142

"Henry David Thoreau: the Adventurer as Economist"

"He Stands at the Door"

Folder 143

"High Road to Heaven"

Folder 144

"Homeric Morning"

"Homespun Town"

Folder 145

"The Household of Faith"

"How to Make a Living on the Farm"

Folder 146

"I Believe"

"The Image of Society in Factory and Farm"

Folder 147

"I'm Going in for Scholarship"

"The Impossible Profession"

Folder 148

"I'm Going Home"

Folder 149

"The Industrial Way of Life" (two versions)

Folder 150

"Integration: North and South"

"Into the Hands of God"

"Into the Modern World"

"In That Dawn"

Folder 151

"I Resign"

Folder 152

"Iron Curtains for Vistas"

"Ironies of '55, Southern Style"

"Is a Christian Community Possible in the South?"

Folder 153

"It's Up to You"

"John Hervey Wheeler"

"John MacMurray's Dualism"

Folder 154

"Land's End"

"Last Call for Preachers"

"Last Stronghold for Segregation"

Folder 155

"Leaves of Chaff"

"Let's Make it Our War" (two versions)

Folder 156

"Let's Talk, it is Not Day"

"Let Them Find God"

Folder 157

"Life: the Lost Adventure"

"Life: Strangely Familiar"

Folder 158

"A Little Lifting Up of the Heart"

"Long Ways from Home"

Folder 159

"Lost Raptures: a Nocturne"

"Lost World"

"Manners into Morals"

Folder 160

"Man's Situation in the World" (two versions)

"The Man who Lays Absent"

"The Materials of Worship"

Folder 161

"Means without Meaning"

"Men Called to their Jobs"

Folder 151

"Men Need Understanding"

Folder 162

"Miracle in the South"

"My World and our World"

"The Nature of Poetry"

Folder 163

"The Need for an Educated Ministry Today"

"The Negro as a Liberal"

Folder 164

"No Room for Prejudice"

"No Time for Tears"

Folder 165

"Now is the Time"

"Too Busy is Better"

"On Growing Old"

"On Happiness"

Folder 166

"On Hating Our Enemies"

"Only as We Love Shall We Succeed"

"Our Faithless Generation"

Folder 167

"Our Kingdom for a Hobby Horse"

"Our Larger Language"

Folder 168

"Our Lost Souls"

"Our Neighborhood, the World"

"Our Wasted Powers"

Folder 169

"Out of Nazareth"

"Outposts"

Folder 160

"Part-time Professor"

Folder 170

"Peace with a Purpose"

"The Piazza-culture of the South"

Folder 171

"Play-acting"

"Play the Man"

"The Plight of the Preacher"

"The Poetic Life of Jesus"

Folder 172

"Poet, Priest, and Prophet"

Folder 173

"The Poetry of Life" (two versions)

Folder 174

"Power, Politics, and You"

"Prayer for Revival"

"The Preacher as Specialist"

Folder 175

"The Problem of the Church Today"

Folder 176

"A Purposeful Peace"

"Rebecca Reid"

Folder 177

"Reconciliation: Southern Style"

Folder 178

"Relatives of Faith"

"A Religion of Leisure"

Folder 179

"Religion without Poetry" (two versions)

Folder 180

"Resonances of the World"

Folder 181

"A Responsible Freedom" (two versions)

Folder 182

"Responsibility of Business"

"Revivalism Today"

Folder 183

"Reisman's Lonely Crowd" (two versions)

Folder 184

"Robert Frost, Poet of Action" (two versions)

Folder 185

"Robert Frost and the Dark Woods" (two versions)

Folder 186

"The Sacred Pattern of Southern Life"

"Salem which is Peace"

"Salvation Now"

Folder 187

"Shall the Church Enlist?"

"The Showdown in Poker"

"Silver Shadows"

Folder 188

"A Simple Faith"

"A Simple Gospel"

"Social Equality: Red Herring or Reality?"

Folder 189

"Something There Is"

"Some Remarks on the Sit-in"

"The Soul's Sincere Desires"

Folder 190

"Southern Agriculture"

"Southern Challenge"

Folder 191

"Southern Churchmen, Fellowship to Committee"

"The Southern Negro as Southerner"

Folder 192

"The South's Confused Desires"

"The South's Creative Moments"

"The South's Edge in the Race Problem"

Folder 193

"The South's Unique Opportunity" (two versions)

Folder 194

"Spiritual Lag in the Modern World"

"Spiritual Freedom in the Socialistic State"

Folder 195

"Star in the West"

Folder 196

"The Stern Sweet Pace of Life"

"Still Riding on Air"

"Talking Our Way Out"

Folder 197-198

Folder 197

Folder 198

"The Teacher as Poet" (two versions)

Folder 199

"Thank God for Mr. White"

"Their Greatest Need"

Folder 200

"Thin Air"

"This Fearful World"

"This is Easter"

"This Man and this Woman"

Folder 201

"Thoreau and the Last Frontier" (outlines)

Folder 202

"Threads of Gold"

"Three Words from the South"

"Too Far from Home"

Folder 203

"Tornadoed Atlantics"

"To the White Citizens of S.C."

Folder 204

"Totalitarian Drift" (three essays)

Folder 205

"Toward Christianity" (two versions)

Folder 206

"The Tragic Paradox"

Folder 207

"The Truth of Tragedy"

Folder 208

"Turn of the Tide"

"Under the Slopes of the Andes"

Folder 209

"Up from Segregation"

Folder 210

"The Uprooted South"

Folder 211

"The Virtue of Necessity"

"Walk Lightly Among the Wolves"

Folder 105

"We Come Now to Easter"

Folder 212

"What Price Ignorance?"

"What Religion Means to Me"

Folder 213

"What's Happening to Southern Courtesy?"

Folder 214

"Whatsoever Things are Lonely"

Folder 215

"What's your Game?"

"When Moth and Rust"

"Who Speaks for the South?"

Folder 216

"Why so Hot?"

"The Wicked Flee…"

"Work and Play"

Folder 217

"The World is All Before Us"

"A World to Live in"

Folder 218

"Yes Men"

Folder 219

"Your Life Hangs Upon Your Language" (two versions)

"Youth and Religion"

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expand/collapse Expand/collapse Subseries 2.3. Addresses.

About 200 items.

Arrangement: alphabetical by title.

Addresses are transcripts, drafts, outlines, and notes pertaining to speeches made to civic, church, and college groups. Frequent topics include religion, southern life, and desegregation.

Folder 245

"Acquit Yourselves Like Men" (two versions)

Folder 246

"The Aim of Education"

"Allegheny County Council on Civil Rights"

Folder 247

"Beyond the Appalachians"

Folder 248

"Beyond the Potomac"

Folder 249

Brotherhood Week address

Folder 250

"By God's Grace, the South"

Folder 251

"The Changing South" (two versions)

Folder 252

"Christian Response to Racial Revolution"

Folder 253

"The Church and Race Relations"

Folder 254

"The Church and the World"

"The Civil Rights Movement in the Light of Christian Teaching"

Folder 255

"The Clearings"

Folder 256

"The Commonwealth of Kentucky"

Folder 257

"Confederate Raid Across the Ohio"

Folder 258

"The Courage to Be"

Folder 259

"The Culture-religion of the South"

Folder 260

"Education for Civic Democracy"

Folder 261

"Education for Civic Participation"

Folder 262

"Equals in Courage"

Folder 263

"Fearfulness is Faithlessness"

"The Fraternity in the Field of Human Rights"

Folder 264

"Freedom to Belong"

Folder 265

"The Ghostly Past"

Folder 266

"A Good Mind for our Hearts"

Folder 267

"The Grace of God in Individuals"

Folder 268

"The Grace of God in the South"

Folder 269

"How Far can we Segregate?"

Folder 270

"How Far from Home?"

Folder 271

"How to be a Southerner"

Folder 272

"Human Relations in the South"

Folder 273

"Human Relations in the South: Problem and Possibility"

Folder 274

"Ideals Are a Sin, Alice"

"The Immorality of Segregation"

Folder 275

"In That Dawn"

Folder 276

"Legitimate Demands on High Schools"

Folder 277

"Let Us Think of Greatness"

"Love, Justice, and the South"

Folder 278

"The Man Across the Table"

Folder 279

"Man, Men, and God"

Folder 280

"Massive Support for Southern Liberals"

"The Minister and Social Change"

Folder 281

"The Mission of the Church in the South"

Folder 282

"The Moving Finger Writes in Mississippi"

Folder 283

"The Myth, the Movement, and the American Dream"

Folder 284

"A Negotiable Southern Heritage" (two versions)

Folder 285

"The Negro as Southerner"

Folder 286

"The New Image of the South"

Folder 287

"New Images for Old"

Folder 288

"North and South Together"

Folder 289

"Northeast by Southwest"

Folder 290

"Not my Sister, Not my Brother"

Folder 291

"One Eye on the Future"

"Our Early Experiences Together"

Folder 292

"Our Shadowy Politics"

Folder 319

Outlines for speeches, 1924-1930

Folder 320

Outlines for speeches, 1931-1932

Folder 321

Outlines for speeches, 1934

Folder 322

Outlines for speeches, 1935-1939

Folder 323

Outlines for speeches, 1941-1942

Folder 324

Outlines for speeches, 1944-1947

Folder 325

Outlines for speeches, 1948-1951

Folder 326

Outlines for speeches, 1952-1957

Folder 327

Outlines for speeches, 1958-1959

Folder 328

Outlines for speeches, 1960-1961

Folder 329

Outlines for speeches, 1962-1963

Folder 330

Outlines for speeches, 1964-1965

Folder 331

Outlines for speeches, 1966

Folder 332

Outlines for speeches, 1967

Folder 333

Outlines for speeches, 1968-1970

Folder 334-335

Folder 334

Folder 335

Outlines for speeches, undated

Folder 293

"Panel on Segregation vs. Desegregation"

"Past into Future"

Folder 294

"Person and Institution"

Folder 295

"The Piazza Culture of the South" (two versions)

Folder 296

"Ponder the Tone"

Folder 297

"The Possible Bridging"

Folder 298

Presidential acceptance speech: Southern Regional Council

Folder 299

Radio sermons

Folder 300

"The Role of the American Church During the Last Century"

Folder 301

"The Role of the Preacher in the Struggle for Integration"

"Rooted Ideals"

Folder 302

"Some Aspects of Southern Culture"

Folder 303

"The Southern Church in the Racial Crisis"

Folder 304

"Southern Heritage and Human Relations"

Folder 305

"The South's Attempt to Substitute Love for Justice"

Folder 306

"The South and the Nation"

Folder 307

"The South, the Nation, and the World"

Folder 308

"The Stone the Builders Rejected"

Folder 309

"Structures of Grace and Evil"

Folder 310

"The Sacred Soil"

"To Define Love"

Folder 311

"To Establish Human Relations"

"Toward Christian Communication"

Folder 312

"Unemployed Youth"

Folder 313

"United Church Women and the Schools in the Present Crisis"

"Virginia's Summer Skies"

Folder 314

"The Vulnerable South"

Folder 315

"The Web of Life"

Folder 316

"Where the Birds Are"

Folder 317

"Who Speaks for the South?"

Folder 318

"Why I, as a Christian, Believe in Desegregation"

"The Widening Gap"

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expand/collapse Expand/collapse Subseries 2.4. Other writings.

About 400 items.

Arrangement: alphabetical by type of writing, then by title or year.

Other writings by James McBride Dabbs include columns, editorials, letters to editors, Sunday school lesson outlines, poems, short stories, plays, book reviews, course notebooks, teaching notes, diary entries, and various fragments. Letters to editors were addressed primarily to South Carolina newspapers, 1935-1968. Through these letters, particularly one in April 1944, Dabbs first made his liberal civil rights stance known. There are also outlines of Sunday school lessons Dabbs delivered to a men's class at the Black River Presbyterian Church in Mayesville, S.C., from 1944 to 1963. Titled paragraphs were probably written in the 1960s as newspaper fillers. Poems were written while Dabbs was in graduate school and during his early years as a college professor and are chiefly final drafts with some notations of journals to which poems were submitted. Plays and short stories appear to have been written during Dabbs's early Coker College days as he experiemented with various forms of writing and actively participated in campus life.

Folder 354-355

Folder 354

Folder 355

Book reviews

Folder 380-382

Folder 380

Folder 381

Folder 382

Clippings collected for writings

Folder 678

Diary entries, 1922, 1938 (formerly volume 36)

Folder 230

Fragments and unfinished writings: A-B

Folder 231

Fragments and unfinished writings: C-F

Folder 232

Fragments and unfinished writings: G-J

Folder 233

Fragments and unfinished writings: K-N

Folder 234

Fragments and unfinished writings: O-Q

Folder 235

Fragments and unfinished writings: R-Si

Folder 236

Fragments and unfinished writings: Sl-Sy

Folder 237

Fragments and unfinished writings: T-V

Folder 238

Fragments and unfinished writings: W-Z

Folder 239-244

Folder 239

Folder 240

Folder 241

Folder 242

Folder 243

Folder 244

Fragments and unfinished writings: Untitled

Folder 369-371

Folder 369

Folder 370

Folder 371

Letters to editors: Published

Folder 372

Letters to editors: Unpublished

Folder 383-384

Folder 383

Folder 384

Note cards (samples)

Folder 352-353

Folder 352

Folder 353

"Paragraphs"

Folder 356-360

Folder 356

Folder 357

Folder 358

Folder 359

Folder 360

Plays

Folder 336

Poems: A-B

Folder 337

Poems: C-E

Folder 338

Poems: F-H

Folder 339

Poems: I-L

Folder 340

Poems: M-N

Folder 341

Poems: O-Q

Folder 342

Poems: R-S

Folder 343

Poems: T

Folder 344

Poems: U-Z

Folder 345

Poems: Untitled

Folder 220

Short columns and editorials: A-C

Folder 221

Short columns and editorials: D-F

Folder 222

Short columns and editorials: G

Folder 223

Short columns and editorials: H-L

Folder 224

Short columns and editorials: M-P

Folder 225

Short columns and editorials: Q-R

Folder 226-227

Folder 226

Folder 227

Short columns and editorials: S

Folder 228

Short columns and editorials: T-V

Folder 229

Short columns and editorials: W-Z

Folder 361

Short stories: "And Ready to Roll"

Short stories: "Big Business"

Folder 362

Short stories: "A Charm Against Disaster"

Short stories: "Cool and Collected"

Folder 363

Short stories: "In That Dawn"

Folder 364

Short stories: "Longing to be a Jonah"

Short stories: "Love's Geometry"

Folder 365

Short stories: "The 'Manual' Revised"

Short stories: "The Mastery of the Pines"

Folder 366

Short stories: "Miss Meadows Scores"

Folder 367

Short stories: "Us Needs Action"

Short stories: "When a Man Loves"

Folder 368

Short stories: Untitled

Folder 346

Sunday school lessons, 1944-1945

Folder 347

Sunday school lessons, 1946-1947

Folder 348

Sunday school lessons, 1948-1949

Folder 349

Sunday school lessons, 1950-1951

Folder 350

Sunday school lessons, 1952-1963

Folder 351

Sunday school lessons, undated

Folder 664

Notes: Course notebooks from Columbia University: "19th Century Prose," 1924 (formerly volume 22)

Folder 660

Notes: Course notebooks from Columbia University: "American Literature, 1870-1920" (formerly volume 18)

Folder 674

Notes: Course notebooks from Columbia University: "Aesthetics of English Poetry," 1929-1930 (formerly volume 32)

Folder 669

Notes: Course notebooks from Columbia University: "The Beginnings of the Romantic Movement," 1924-1925 (formerly volume 27)

Folder 671

Notes: Course notebooks from Columbia University: "Contemporary American Novelists," 1925 (formerly volume 29)

Folder 672

Notes: Course notebooks from Columbia University: "English and American Poetry," 1929-1930 (formerly volume 30)

Folder 667

Notes: Course notebooks from Columbia University: "History of the English Language," 1924-1925 (formerly volume 25)

Folder 670

Notes: Course notebooks from Columbia University: "Introduction to Medieval Literature," 1924-1925 (formerly volume 28)

Folder 675

Notes: Course notebooks from Columbia University: "Literary Criticism," 1929-1930 (formerly volume 33)

Folder 662

Notes: Course notebooks from Columbia University: "Materials and Methods of Poetry," 1923 (formerly volume 20)

Folder 663

Notes: Course notebooks from Columbia University: "Modern Drama," 1924 (formerly volume 21)

Folder 665

Notes: Course notebooks from Columbia University: "Robert Browning," 1924 (formerly volume 23)

Folder 668

Notes: Course notebooks from Columbia University: "The Renaissance in Europe," 1924-1926 (formerly volume 26)

Folder 661

Notes: Course notebooks from Columbia University: "Selected Writers," 1923 (formerly volume 19)

Folder 673

Notes: Course notebooks from Columbia University: "Shakespeare," 1929-1930 (formerly volume 31)

Folder 666

Notes: Course notebooks from Columbia University: "Significant Contemporary Books," 1924 (formerly volume 24)

Folder 676

Notes: Course notebooks from Columbia University: fragments (formerly volume 34)

Folder 659

Notes: Course notebooks from University of South Carolina: English IV, 1914 (formerly volume 17)

Folder 680

Notes on conference on missionaries, undated (formerly volume 38)

Folder 677

Notes: Public lectures of Dr. Burton, 1920s (formerly volume 35)

Folder 679

Notes: Personal notes, 1950 (formerly volume 37)

Folder 373

Teaching: Examinations

Folder 643-658

Folder 643

Folder 644

Folder 645

Folder 646

Folder 647

Folder 648

Folder 649

Folder 650

Folder 651

Folder 652

Folder 653

Folder 654

Folder 655

Folder 656

Folder 657

Folder 658

Teaching: Grade books, Coker College, 1925-1926, 1941-1942 (formerly volumes 1-16)

Folder 374-375

Folder 374

Folder 375

Teaching notes, 1921-1922

Folder 376

Teaching notes, 1922-1924

Folder 377

Teaching notes, circa 1940

Folder 378-379

Folder 378

Folder 379

Teaching notes, undated

Folder 385

Other writings

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expand/collapse Expand/collapse Series 3. Penn Community Services, 1956-1970.

About 2000 items.

Arrangement: alphabetical.

This series is comprised chiefly of administrative records of Penn Community Services of Frogmore, S.C. During the 1950s and 1960s, Penn was a center for civil rights debates and conferences and a sponsor of community improvement programs in South Carolina. Dabbs served as a trustee from 1957 to 1970, as chair of the board of trustees from 1964 to 1970, and as chair of the nominating committee. Records include board of trustees correspondence and minutes, financial statements, committee reports, and program development plans and reports. Some of the materials relate to day-to-day operations of Penn Community Services, such as property ownership and personnel actions. Newspaper clippings, press releases, and printed attacks and defenses of Penn and its programs are also included.

Folder 386

Advisory board

Folder 387-388

Folder 387

Folder 388

Attacks and defenses

Folder 389

Beaufort County News

Folder 390

Board of trustees: Correspondence, 1964-April 1966

Folder 391

Board of trustees: Correspondence, May 1966-1967

Folder 392

Board of trustees: Correspondence, 1968-September 1969

Folder 393

Board of trustees: Correspondence, October 1969-May 1970

Folder 394

Board of trustees: Minutes of meetings, 1960-1961

Folder 395

Board of trustees: Minutes of meetings, 1963-1964

Folder 396

Board of trustees: Minutes of meetings, 1965-1968

Folder 397

Board of trustees: Minutes of meetings, 1969

Folder 398

Board of trustees: Minutes of meetings, 1970

Folder 399

Bylaws

Folder 400

Committees: general

Folder 401

Community Development Program, 1964-1966

Folder 402

Community Development Program, 1967

Folder 403

Community Development Program, 1968

Folder 404

Community Development Program, 1968 annual report

Folder 405-406

Folder 405

Folder 406

Community Development Program, 1968 annual report (exhibits)

Folder 407

Community Development Program, 1969

Folder 408

Community Development Program, June 1969 second annual report

Folder 409-411

Folder 409

Folder 410

Folder 411

Community Development Program, June 1969 second annual report (exhibits)

Folder 412

Community Development Program, November 1969 final annual report

Folder 413

Community Development Program, November 1969 final annual report (exhibits)

Folder 414

Community Development Program: Brochure

Folder 415

Community Development Program: Evaluation

Folder 416-418

Folder 416

Folder 417

Folder 418

Conferences and consultations

Folder 453

Correspondence: Miscellaneous, 1961-March 1965

Folder 454

Correspondence: Miscellaneous, May 1965-1966

Folder 455

Correspondence: Miscellaneous, 1967-1970

Folder 419-420

Folder 419

Folder 420

Director's reports

Folder 421

Directory: Board of trustees and program advisory board

Folder 422

Executive committee: Correspondence and memoranda, 1965-1970

Folder 423

Executive finance committee: Correspondence, 1964-1967

Folder 424

Executive finance committee: Correspondence, 1968-July 1969

Folder 425

Executive finance committee: Correspondence, August 1969-April 1970

Folder 426

Executive finance committee: Minutes, 1960-1964

Folder 427

Executive finance committee: Minutes, 1965-1969

Folder 428-431

Folder 428

Folder 429

Folder 430

Folder 431

Financial appeals: Foundation

Folder 432

Financial appeals: Individuals

Folder 433

Finances, March 1963-April 1964

Folder 434

Finances, May-November 1964

Folder 435

Finances, December 1964-April 1965

Folder 436

Finances, May 1965-April 1966

Folder 437

Finances, May-December 1966

Folder 438

Finances, January-April 1967

Folder 439

Finances, May-December 1967

Folder 440

Finances, January-April 1968

Folder 441

Finances, May-October 1968

Folder 442

Finances, November 1968-April 1969

Folder 443

Finances, May-November 1969

Folder 444

Finances, December 1969-March 1970

Folder 445

Finances, April-May 1970 and undated

Folder 446

Financial statements, 1961-1963

Folder 447

Financial statements, 1963-1964

Folder 448

Financial statements, 1964-1965

Folder 449

Financial statements, 1965-1966

Folder 450

Financial statements, 1966-1967

Folder 451

Financial statements, 1967-1968

Folder 452

Financial statements, 1968-1969

Folder 459-462

Folder 459

Folder 460

Folder 461

Folder 462

Nominating committee

Folder 463

Peace Corps and Vista programs

Folder 464

"Penn News"

Folder 465

Personnel

Folder 466

Personnel committee

Folder 467-469

Folder 467

Folder 468

Folder 469

Policy committee

Folder 470

Press releases

Folder 456-458

Folder 456

Folder 457

Folder 458

Printed reports

Folder 471-472

Folder 471

Folder 472

Program review committee

Folder 473-474

Folder 473

Folder 474

Program review committee: Minutes

Folder 475-476

Folder 475

Folder 476

Project proposals

Folder 477-480

Folder 477

Folder 478

Folder 479

Folder 480

Property

Folder 481

Public relations committee

Folder 482-483

Folder 482

Folder 483

Quarterly reports

Folder 484-485

Folder 484

Folder 485

Search committee for director

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expand/collapse Expand/collapse Series 4. Subject files, 1922-1972.

About 3200 items.

Arrangement: alphabetical.

This series includes correspondence, committee reports, financial records, minutes of organization meetings, research material, newspaper clippings, and printed reports reflecting Dabbs's political, religious, educational, and writing activities. Several folders contain correspondence with publishers about articles, poems, and book-length manuscripts he submitted and with church, college, and civic groups about his addressing their meetings. "Fan mail" and correspondence with publishers about specific books are filed by book title. Organizational records are of the Southern Regional Council, South Carolina Council on Human Relations, Fellowship of Southern Churchmen, Committee of Southern Churchmen, Council on Church and Society, Delta Ministry, and other civic groups to which Dabbs belonged. Research material that Dabbs collected is in files with titles such as "Freedom of Thought in Southern Colleges" (which contains correspondence between Dabbs and professors at southern colleges and universities about the issue of freedom to comment on desegretation events) and "The economic effect of the racial struggle." Most of these subject files were created by Dabbs himself; the remainder were created during the processing of these papers.

Folder 486

Alabama Council on Human Relations

Folder 487

Alcoholism

Folder 488

American Friends Service Committee

Folder 489

Bibliography: Race situation in the South

Folder 490-491

Folder 490

Folder 491

Board of Christian Education, Presbyterian

Folder 492

Braden, Carl: Case, 1961

Correspondence, clippings, petitions, and other materials related to Carl Braden's United States Supreme Court case. Braden was investigated by the House Un-American Activities Committee and imprisoned for helping an African American family buy a home in a racially segregated neighborhood in Louisville, Ky., which was dynamited soon after. Includes correspondence with Anne Braden of the Southern Conference Educational Fund, who organized a petition, for which Dabbs as an initiator, for clemency on Carl Braden's behalf.

Folder 493-495

Folder 493

Folder 494

Folder 495

Chaflin University

Folder 496-497

Folder 496

Folder 497

Christian Action Conference

Folder 498-499

Folder 498

Folder 499

Civil Rights in Recent Southern Fiction, Southern Regional Council

Folder 500-501

Folder 500

Folder 501

Coker College: General

Folder 502

Coker College: Palm Awards

Folder 503

Coker College: Student recommendations

Folder 504-506

Folder 504

Folder 505

Folder 506

Committee of Southern Churchmen, 1963-1970

Folder 507

Conference lists, 1958-1969

Folder 508

Correspondence with publishers, 1922-1936

Folder 509

Correspondence with publishers, 1937-1941

Folder 510

Correspondence with publishers, 1942-1961

Folder 511

Correspondence with publishers, 1962-1969

Folder 512-518

Folder 512

Folder 513

Folder 514

Folder 515

Folder 516

Folder 517

Folder 518

Council on Church and Society

Folder 519

Daughter Maude's prayers and Dabbs's analysis of them

Folder 520

Delta Ministry

Folder 521

Economic effect of racial struggle: Clippings

Folder 522

Fellowship for Racial and Economic Equality (FREE)

Folder 523-524

Folder 523

Folder 524

Fellowship of Southern Churchmen, 1950-1963

Folder 525

Field Foundation

Folder 526

Field Foundation: "The Southern Project"

Folder 527-528

Folder 527

Folder 528

Financial and legal records: Publishers

Folder 529-535

Folder 529

Folder 530

Folder 531

Folder 532

Folder 533

Folder 534

Folder 535

"Freedom of Thought in Southern Colleges," 1958-1959

Includes letters from professors of southern colleges and universities describing their impressions of the impact that the 1954 Brown v. Board of Education Supreme Court ruling had on freedom of thought in their institutions, as requested by Dabbs for an article he was writing for Commentary. Also included are newspaper clippings, reports, articles, and notes related to this article.

Folder 536-538

Folder 536

Folder 537

Folder 538

House Committee on Un-American Activities

Includes articles, pamphlets, clippings, and other materials on the HCUA, especially regarding a 1960 propaganda film made by the HCUA, "Operation Abolition," about demonstrations against the HCUA organized by student groups in San Francisco, Calif.

Folder 539

Koinonia Farms, Inc.: Newsletters, 1957

Folder 540

Lectures: Wide World Lecture Bureau

Folder 541

Little River Funds

Folder 542-543

Folder 542

Folder 543

Miscellaneous clippings

Folder 544

Miscellaneous printed material

Folder 545

Miscellaneous writings about Dabbs

Folder 546

NAACP

Folder 547

National Urban League

Folder 548-549

Folder 548

Folder 549

North Carolina Council on Human Relations

Folder 550-551

Folder 550

Folder 551

On the Southern Liberal

Folder 552

The Palmer Course

Folder 553-554

Folder 553

Folder 554

Personal records

Folder 555

Reviews of Dabbs's books

Folder 556

The Road Home, Christian Education Press

Folder 557

Rockefeller Foundation

Folder 558

Eleanor Roosevelt's dinner in honor of Southern Regional Council and Dabbs

Folder 559-560

Folder 559

Folder 560

Segregation and integration: Clippings and reports

Folder 561

Societe Europeene de culture

Folder 562

The South: General

Folder 563

South Carolina Council on Human Relations

Folder 564

South Carolina Council on Human Relations: Finance Committee, 1953-1956

Folder 565

South Carolina Council on Human Relations: Finance Committee, 1957-1958

Folder 566-567

Folder 566

Folder 567

South Carolina Council on Human Relations: Finance Committee, 1959-1960

Folder 568-571

Folder 568

Folder 569

Folder 570

Folder 571

South Carolina Council on Human Relations: Finance Committee, 1961

Folder 572

South Carolina Council on Human Relations: Finance Committee, 1962, 1964

Folder 573

South Carolina Council on Human Relations: Finance Committee, 1965

Folder 574

South Carolina Council on Human Relations: Finance Committee, 1967-1968, 1972

Folder 575-576

Folder 575

Folder 576

Southern Heritage: A. A. Knopf

Folder 577-584

Folder 577

Folder 578

Folder 579

Folder 580

Folder 581

Folder 582

Folder 583

Folder 584

Southern Heritage: Letters

Folder 585

Southern Regional Council: Attacks and defenses

Folder 586

Southern Regional Council: Bylaws

Folder 587

Southern Regional Council: Correspondence about council speakers

Folder 588

Southern Regional Council: Development Committee

Folder 589

Southern Regional Council: Executive Committee, 1951-1964

Folder 590

Southern Regional Council: Executive Council, 1966

Folder 591-596

Folder 591

Folder 592

Folder 593

Folder 594

Folder 595

Folder 596

Southern Regional Council: Executive Council, 1967

Folder 597-600

Folder 597

Folder 598

Folder 599

Folder 600

Southern Regional Council: Executive Council, 1968

Folder 601-606

Folder 601

Folder 602

Folder 603

Folder 604

Folder 605

Folder 606

Southern Regional Council: Executive Council, 1969

Folder 607

Southern Regional Council: Executive Council, 1970 and undated

Folder 608

Southern Regional Council: To United States Senate on tax-exempt foundations

Folder 609

Southern Regional Council: Lillian Smith Award Committee

Folder 610

Southern Regional Council: Miscellaneous

Folder 611

Southern Regional Council: News releases

Folder 612-618

Folder 612

Folder 613

Folder 614

Folder 615

Folder 616

Folder 617

Folder 618

Southern Regional Council: Reports and papers

Folder 619

Speeches: Announcements

Folder 620

Speeches: Invitations, 1949-1961

Folder 621-622

Folder 621

Folder 622

Speeches: Invitations, 1962

Folder 623-624

Folder 623

Folder 624

Speeches: Invitations, 1963

Folder 625-626

Folder 625

Folder 626

Speeches: Invitations, 1964

Folder 627-629

Folder 627

Folder 628

Folder 629

Speeches: Invitations, 1965

Folder 630

Speeches: Invitations, 1966

Folder 631

Speeches: Invitations, 1967

Folder 632

Speeches: Invitations, 1968-1970

Folder 633

Student human relations activities

Folder 634-635

Folder 634

Folder 635

Voter education project, 1966, 1970

Includes press releases, reports, and other items.

Folder 636

Voter registration project: Reports, 1962, 1965-1966

Folder 637-638

Folder 637

Folder 638

Who Speaks for the South?, Funk & Wagnalls

Folder 639-641

Folder 639

Folder 640

Folder 641

Writings by others: Poetry

Folder 642

Writings by others: Other

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expand/collapse Expand/collapse Series 5. Other materials, 1930s-1980s.

About 30 items.

This series includes clippings, printed materials, photographs, books about James McBride Dabbs, and other items.

Oversize Paper Folder OPF-3816/1

Clippings

Topics include the South, segregation, the House Committee on Un-American Activities, and "The Coming Red Dictatorship."

Hand drawn chart by Dabbs about "influences on love"

Folder 682-683

Folder 682

Folder 683

Johnson, Thomas L. "James McBride Dabbs: A Life Story." Ph.D. dissertation in English, University of South Carolina, 1980 (formerly volumes 40-41)

Folder 681

Martin, Neal A. "The Library of James McBride Dabbs: An Inventory," in The Axis, Francis Marion College, 1979 (formerly volume 39)

Image P-3816/1

Photograph: Reverend Joseph A. DeLaine, circa October 1955

Image P-3816/2

Photograph: Jean Peresenigi, August 1958

Image P-3816/3

Photograph: Reverend Claude W. Warren, November 1958

Image P-3816/4

Photograph: Board of trustees, Chaflin University, circa 1965

Oversize Paper Folder OPF-3816/1

Printed materials

Includes a printed compilation of news articles written by southern college students in response to race riots at the University of Mississippi in 1962, printed by the Southern Regional Council; a February 1961 issue of "The Student Voice" by the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee; and a review of Who Speaks for the South?

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expand/collapse Expand/collapse Items Separated

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