The Petal paper. [volume], April 04, 1957, Image 1

About The Petal paper. [volume] (Petal, Miss.) 1953-19??

Image provided by: Mississippi Department of Archives and History

                
I i l
s
I_ , iH
East Side
-By P. D.
It is certainly hoped the following revelation will
not offend my good friends Rabbi Charles Mantinband
and Rev. Aubrey Smith.
Aubrey Smith, who lives just two doors down the
street from me, is pastor of the Parkway Heights Meth
odist Church in Hattiesburg. When television doesn’t
- interfere with it on Sunday evenings, my four year old
daughter, Karen, attends Aubrey’s Church. Recently she
cornered Aubrey as follows:
“Awbur,” she wanted to know, “how come you don't
go with me and Mommie and Daddy down to the Svna
god to church?”
Aubrey didn’t reply immediately, so Karen contin
ued ‘/Now, Awbur, the Radio don’t keep us half as long
as you do. And, Awbur, he don’t make near the noise
you do!”
Frankly, I’m not real sure what Aubrey told Karen,
but I think h^ agreed with her!
--;—1
r' I’d like to express my sincere appreciation to some
thing over 200 nice persons who wrote to me as a result
of an article in the March 21st issue of THE REPORTER. ;
I
written by A1 Vorspan of New York. I regret having not j
answered each letter. I wanted to, but this is a one man
operation and time just wouldn’t permit, I’m sorry to say. i
But, believe me, I’m deeply grateful to each person who
took the time to sit down and write . . . and especially j
am I grateful to those who took the additional time to
write out a check for a subscription. Golly! I love ’em!
And, of course to A1 Vorspap I’m sincerely and deeply
grateful for his interest and effort.
One day last week I was reminded of something
which I knew, but had forgotten. And that was the fact
that during the latter days of the war there were thou
sands of German POW’s in this area. Well, let me quote
from the note I received: “Before World War II was over
some German soldiers were sent South to work as war
prisoners. The German soldiers were guarded by Negro
soldiers of the U.S. Army. The German prisoners were
allowed to eat at will in Southern hotels; the Germans
uniform
of the United States Army. Yet they were denied the
privilege of eating in the same hotels with the POW’s.
Therefore, hungry American soldiers were forced to
guard enemy soldiers who had full stomaches.”
I mention this only because I’ve been trying to de
cide which was costing all Americans the most, the mone
tary or psychological loss as a result of discrimination. „
But, then, how can anyone measure what happens to a
person when so treated? But I believe someone is suffer
ing an untold loss . . . and I think it’s every last one of
us who call ourselves Americans!
Oh, well, the Lord giveth . . . but He sure must get
mighty damned tired of it! I know I would.
With the exception of an occasional invitation to
leave the state, I don’t receive too many, but last week
I got one to top any yet to come from any source. It read:
This is*an invitation to attend a Conference on Christ
ian Faith and Human Relations on April 23-25th. Your
expenses will be paid pending strict adherance to the
(Continued on Page 2) l
Letters ^
March 30, .1957
Mr. P. D. East
Petal, Miss.
Dear Mr. East:
The first reference I saw of j
you and your paper was in a1
complimentary subscription of j
the Caroline Isarelite and it was ;
sufficient to whet desire to know
more of you,
A mutual acquaintance of ours i
saw a letter from me in the Com- j
mercial Appeal, Memphis, re- j
cently and said he was sending j
it on to you, and true to his word j
in his appreciative letter he has j
sent me also the booklet of re- j
prints of your editorials in the
Petal Paper. This I have read j
avidly from cover to cover. My I
first comment is “thank God for
a man of true courage.”
When the Gray Amendment J
was proposed and the campaign I
for and against its adoption in \
Virginia was in progress, I pitch
ed in and wrote letters against j
to the Richmond Times-Dis-1
patch, engaged in a radio forum j
in Danville, and preached in my !
pulpit there at the First Christian |
church, trying to give an interp- j
retation of the spiritual signifi- j
eance and values of the issue in-;
volved. I weathered the storm j
for awhile, even receiving a vote I
(unanimous) confidence from the j
official board.
A second campaign of lieing and |
vindication against me in whihcj
I was called a Communist and a I
S.O.B. so undermined my wife’s
nerves that I felt it necessary to
resign. Anonymous phone calls
did the trick.
I came here last May first and
soon was in the fight again when
hoodlums rioted in Sturgis and
Clay, nearby towns, I thunder
ed against the mobs from my
pulpit on two successive Sun
days. My felow-pastors delived
their souls. The community is!
pretty well informed as to where
we stand. Thns far there have
been no untoward repercussions
against us. We anticipate dis
turbances next fall when inte- j
gration is - legally scheduled to j
go ipto operation. We are pi'e- ;
paring for that.
I hardy know what to think
about preachers generaly in the
South. It will be recalled that a
generation ago the pulpit was j
called "the coward's box", pri- j
marilly because evangelists at- ]
lacked personal sins and sinners;
with savage glee. Now I fear that j
the pulpit is "the coward's box" j
for another reason: it is saying j
nothing about the greater sin of
Segregation in the light of the
essential Christian gospel. Tak- j
ing refuge in silence is bad e-,
nough. but I observe that some j
preachers are conforming out,
of fear oi their positions as min- |
isters. This is even worse of j
course in my book.
As a Southerner, born and
reared, I agree with all you say
about the wickedness of Segre
gation and, I may say, that I
have never accepted in silence
the claim of the White Supre
macy fanatics. It has always been
abhorrent and repugnant to me.
Most cordially yours,
Harry M. Wilson
Pastor Moranfield
Christian Church
From L• Turner, Teacher—
Concerned
As vve gaze out across the curving surfaces of the world, our
eyes are confronted with a* spectacle, both strange and dismaying
It is a frightening disorder, which has caused people to become
agitated, feverish, and convulsing unmistakably toward some cosmic
climateric. And concerned with men the world over; are these the
labor pains of final renaissance, to bring forth at long last the glor
ious day of universal liberty, when men of all races will achieve
the golden splendor of freedom?
The complexity of the world trends today is placing a tremen
dous responsibility on the leaders of the world. These trends are
not being animated because of certain groups or races, but because
of the advancements due to man’s ability to expand his domain
The trend today is the ability of men and nations to be given
world recognition as leaders among a torn and disorganized people.
The “subdued masses” have begun to rebel against the leadership by
which they have lived so far. These “masses” constitute the people
of minority groups which make up three-fifths (3 5) of the world
population.
The international situations of today and yesterday has caused
great concern to the American people, and especially to the American
leaders. The unrest abroad has given the leaders of the western
hemisphere grave concern as to what kind of status the “people of
color” must have to insure peace of mind and a place of recog
nition. The menace of communism has caused America to realize
the position it must play in this torn world.
The greatest contributing factor to a serious recognition of the
“cries” of the “people of color” is the infringement of communistic
ideals into the minds and hearts of those who are still wanting and
asking for human satisfaction, which is the ultimate goal of all men.
As a result of the rapidity by which thfs force has grown, the nations
which foster democratic principles have lowered the barriers, but
they are still too high. This action has necessitated the will of dem
ocracy now, if ever. We here in America shall persue through every'
discouragement to make these princples and ideals real.
Unfortunately, the first principle on which our constitution is
based has not been,realized by minority groups. The hop that these
groups would accept these standards have vanished, as a result,
there is sad disillusion and disarray. All who consider our foreign
affairs ask with anxiety; what is now the goal; how, in so much
tangle ana turmoil, can peace oi mina ana ireeaom De securea;
which is the exactness of a democracy?
My purpose is to give some account of how I view this scene,
the nature of the crisis, and the prospects of democracy now,
America’s position, the motives for its actions in the face of these
issues. The human crisis today is not primarily a material one, it
is a crisis of the mind and spirit. America’s mastery of natures by
products, and control of physical powers has advanced beyond itself
internally, this has tended to agitate in the face of these internal
problems. It is the*duty of America to seek solutions, to the im
mediate and practical situations which lie around this central theme.
In my reasoning, such situations as the relationship that exist
between individaul race groups in this complex society, the conflict
between national and International loyalties, and the wide diver
gence in thought and outlook amongst people living in different
localities of the world, and under varying systems of society. It is
on this level that America must seek an immediate solution to the
crisis if the democratic principles which it fosters are to prevail. An
impartial outlook on the world conditions today demands an eiMct
ness of democratic principles by America because of its position in,
world affairs. There is a lively danger in the complexity of the'
situations that concern the peoples of the world.
Some may fear that events are sweeping mankind towards un
known and perhaps catastrophic ends. They doubt their ability to
control or direct their destiny. This sense of politicaal fatalism is a
climax of the “fever” from which the world is suffering. It weakens
the instinct of leadership. It opens the door to those forces which
pray on the moral weaknesses of men and reduce the individual to
servitude. These doubt and fears are multiplied by the pace and
tension of modern life. Democracy means many millions of inde
pendent opinions. As a result, it makes the task of influencing and
guiding public opinion a difficult task for those who are called upon
to lead. Traditional common beliefs, long held loyalities and the
ties of race, interest, history; these are the forces that bind men
together in individual groups. But in the modern age many of
them have been torn or loosened -by war and the strains of economic
change.
Some of them have been discarded altogether, and in their places
are new voices, new adventures, new ideas. The task to blend these
millions of opinions together is a formidable one, yet that is what
has to be done by America now. For the enemy stands at the door,
ready to take advantage of any discord, playing upon the lonely
and isolated minds of men. Today the grim enemy is Communism.
It has assaulted on the European countries and made a “success”
in the Russian Satellites. In the Dark Continent of Africa, the Negroes
have begun to rebel against their European master. Today Africa
is inflamed with racial unrest. An English newspaper remarked that
in Northern Rhodesia where 24,000 Native copper miners went on
strike: the first time that a major African Union has managed to
bring its members to the point of using industrial force. It added
that: clearly a new power has arrived in Africa whose potentialities
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