Segregation's End

As Georgia's Governor Talmadge said yesterday, the Supreme Court's decision abolishing segregation in the schools is without a legal precedent. But it has ample precedent in the public opinion of the majority of the country. The Court's decision yesterday was not a reversal, but a reflection of a national trend that has become increasingly noticeable in recent years.

It represents the legal recognition of a very simple fact: segregation is as outmoded as denying the vote to women. The Second World War and the recent Korean conflict only served to hasten what many people considered inevitable. "Separate but equal" has never been more than a written phrase, and the Court has finally ruled that it can no longer be used as the foundation of a second-class citizenship. That yesterday's decision is more than merely an opinion of individuals is shown by the unanimity of a body whose majority in the recent past has been fundamentally conservative.

Obviously, the opinion is only a starting point. Much more difficult will be the social problems raised in its implementation. The Court deserves great praise for not immediately ruling on a deadline when segregation must cease. It has wisely provided a cooling off period in which the South can look realistically at the changes that will eventually come. During the next few months, the issue will receive more and more discussion until every ramification and subtlety can be aired. And the final test will come only through practice. The important thing for now, however, is that segregation has been stripped of all its legal supports.