Newspaper Page Text
—-
NORTHERN NEGRO RIOTS
Leadership Was Out Of Touch With The
BY ELLEN WAIN WRIGHT
The same week that the Reverend Dr. Martin
Luther King came, by Invitation, to see the mayor
of New York on a "peace mission," the New York
Times, in a small but selective poll, had found
that Harlem Negroes considered him the most ef
fective leader they had. The poll was printed, but
not taken, after several hot and steamy nights of
street rioting that "made Christians" of all the
middle-class communities, white and black, and
caused a certain amount of despair among respon
sible Negro leadership.
Miss Wainwright is a free-lance write rand edi
tor in New York City. A member of Catholic and
non-sectarian inter-racial groups, she shares the
widespread concern for the moderate Negro lead
ership.
mm
cops.
the despair of the Negro leadership in these terms:
there is not only an absence of dialogue between
the Negro poor and the affluent white society,
there is precious little—and not very reliable
at that—contact between the Negro leaders and
the dispossessed, unaffiliated, drifting, and unem
ployed Negro mass who float about at the very bot
tom of the social and economic scale.
What caused the despair was the growing and
depressing realization that the leadership was out
of touch with the very people who had taken to the
streets with bottles and cries of, "Let's kill the
SOMETIME during this week there was also a
meeting ; among Negro writers, artists and in
tellectuals. Mr. James Baldwin was not there. He
was, in fact, in Europe from where he had lately
issued an extraordinary statement that Negroes in
the North had been hoarding weapons for years
— "...for only one purpose: that's the day of un
avoidable bloody conflict."
But those who were at the meeting described
THE REASON for this lack of contact—an ex
tremely dangerous and frightening break between
mass emotions and responsible and orderly direc-
tion--is largely due, it was held, to the white es
tablishment’s cavalier treatment of the Negro
leaders’ legitimate demands, such as a civilian
review board to investigate charges of police
brutality. This had diminished the influence of the
moderate Negro leaders in their communities.
This remark was made by Mr, Clarence B. Jones,
who is Dr. King’s legal counsel in New York.
But the most startling remark of the evening
was also made by Mr. Jones, and backed by some
of the others. He forecast eventual cooperation
between Dr. King and Malcolm X, the Black
Nationalist Leader, who is himself racist and ex
treme, Malcolm, said Mr, Jones, "could engen
der the same feeling in the Lumpenproletariat as
Dr. King does in other classes of Negroes."
If Dr, King and other moderate leaders come
eventually to the conclusion that their way does
not produce results, if their leadership is threat
ened by their inability to show their people con
crete progress, the whole nonviolent movement
may go down the drain. The nonviolent movement,
as it has been constantly pointed out, depends on
the white man to accomplish the main job of racial
justice.
OF COURSE, Mr. Jones does not necessarily
speak for Dr. King, and Dr. King has, on nume
rous occasions, proved the depth and the patience
of his Christian vocation. Still, it is something to
think about.
Keep that in mind and then think of it in connec
tion with the day when Negroes will realize how
much more effective it might be to riot in the
neighborhoods of their enemies instead of their
own ghettoes.
If the Negroes can't be saved, then neither can
the whites. It has also been widely claimed by the
rioters and others that they were making use of
the excuse of "extremism in the defense of liber
ty," so recently extolled.
YOUR
PRIZE-WINNING
NEWSPAPER
of Atlanta
HVTY Y FTIW
YK U YjYjYcj Y YIy
ii
NG GEORGIA’S 71 NORTHERN COUNTIES
VOL. 2 NO. 31
ATLANTA, GEORGIA
THURSDAY, AUGUST 6, 1964
$5.00 PER YEAR
CARDINAL EXPLAINS
^ RELEASE NEXT WEEK
\
‘Little Council’ Would Be
Symbol Of Collegiality
ST, LOUIS (NC) — Bernard
Cardinal Alfrink said here his
proposal for a central commit
tee of bishops to consult with
the Pope would be a "constant
sign* of the collegiality of bis
hops with the Pontiff,
tervlewed during his stay as
a guest of Joseph Cardinal Rit
ter of St, Louis. He later spoke
to 1,000 persons at St. Louis
University. He stopped here and
in Washington, D.C., during a
brief U. S. visit.
ment after celebrating one of the
parish Masses at St. Louis
cathedral, the archbishop of
Utrecht in the Netherlands re
viewed several topics of his
concern.
The Dutch Cardinal was in- SITTING in his guest apart-
Archbishop’s
Notebook
The graying, distinguished
64-year-old prelate said his
proposal for a central commit
tee of bishops was meant to be
a "little council" with the Pope.
Pope Reveals
Encyclical’s 3
Basic Themes
Death has taken a fellow Georgian, a woman of charm,an artist
with an authentic grasp of the South. Miss Flannery O'Connor died
Monday, August 3, at her home in Milledgeville.
THE PROPOSAL was discus
sed during debates on the col
legiality of bishops and Cardinal
Alfrink admitted authorship of
the idea, "I was the first who
uttered this idea," he said in
clear English, "but many oth
ers have spoken for it now."
Miss O’Connor, in her short stories and novels, served the
cause of the supernatural by a working knowledge of the secular
that an older generation would call "uncanny." Although she lived
in one of our smaller towns, and indeed, on a farm at its outskirts,
she had a sense of modernity that was immediate. After one of her
talks on the novel to a Georgetown University audience, Richard H,
Rupp defined Miss O’Connor's view of the Catholic artist and
craftsman at his lathe:
The central committee should
not be called a "senate" or
"parliament," he said, be
cause such words carry the im
pression of a democratic body.
CASTELGANDOLFO (Nc, -
The title of Pope Paul’s first
Encyclical is "Ecclesiam
Suam" (His Church), and could
be subtitled "The Paths of the
Church."
will be exhortatory rather than
doctinal in nature, since he
doesn’t want to anticipate the
declarations of the Council.
The Pontiff revealed at gen
eral audience here that the
document, dated August 6, Feast
of the Transfiguration of Christ,
will be released next week.
It will deal with three prin
cipal aspects of Church, he
said, its conscience, its re
newal and its dialogue with
world.
’The Catholic novelist must have an unfailing
ear for dialogue and an unblinking view of
the physical scene. He must see the world
clearly, and see it redeemed. He must
render both fact and mystery."
Those who have read The Violent Bear It Away t and her short
stories, found a world that was often violent and apparently repul
sive. To doctor it, to render it ’pretty’, to have the tale "come
out right" would have been a falsification. Miss O’Connor, who
wrote in a telling manner of sin and grace, was incapable of such
falsification. She had humor and perspective and a fine sense
of mystery. But she scorned the novelist’s tricks of shock for the
sake of shock, as she scorned sweetness for the sake of sweetness.
‘THIS IS not a question of
democracy," he explained, "but
would be an organ to act as ad
visors and consultors with the
Pope," Such a body should be
truly representative of all the
bishops, probably with a maxi
mum membership of 100. "It
needs to be representative, with
the whole Church represented,"
he stressed.
A major benefit if such a body
were formed, said the visitor,
would be as "a constant sign of
the collegiality of all the bis
hops with the Pope as succes
sors of the apostles."
ANTI-NAZIS HONORED
A Catholic priest and two
Catholic laymen who led re
sistance to Hitler within
Germany during World War
II are among eight anti-
nazis honored on a new
series of eight German post
age stamps. They are:
Father Alfred Delp, S.J.,
(top) editor executed for his
writings, Feb. 2, 1945; Count
Claus von Stauffenberg,
(center) a leader in the as
sassination attempt on Hit
ler, killed July 20, 1944 and
Sophie Scholl, student leader
at University of Munich,
executed Feb. 22, 1943 for
resistance efforts.
The Pope said the Encyclical
Editor To Speak
To Newmanites
WASHINGTON (NC) — Philip
Sharper, editor of Sheed and
Ward publications, will give the
keynote address on the emerg
ing layman at the annual Na
tional Newman Congress to be
held in Milwaukee, Wis„ start
ing Aug. 31.
Pope Paul explained the sec
tion on the conscience of Church
will deal with its spiritual path
or what nourishes Church. The
chapter on renewal will deal
with the Church's moral path or
the ascetic, practical and can
onical steps of Church, he re
vealed.
ARCHBISHOP PAUL J. HALLINAN receives a Scroll of Honor
from the National Medical Association at its 69th national con
vention held in Washington, D.C. Dr. W. Montague Cobb of
Washington, D. C., incoming president of the association, made
the presentation.
MEDICAL GROUP
The chapter on dialogue will
deal with the Church’s Apostolic
path, he said, without dealing
thoroughly with urgent modern
problems. He said it will ex
amine peace, relations between
Christianity and economic life,
the Church's dialogue with the
profane and Godless world, and
its dialogue with the Separated
Christian Churches, with all the
clergy and faithful.
MILLEDGEVILLE REQUIEM
Daniel Callahan, editor of
Commonweal magazine, and
Michael Novak, also associated
with Commonweal, will be other
speakers at the six-day meet
ing.
Presents Scroll
To Archbishop
She was deeply concerned with the truth of her people and their
actions. She treated them with the tools of homeliness and humor.
But she followed them relentlessly until they faced the Kingdom.
It was not "the dark city, where the children of God lay sleeping."
It was God immediately present to his people, and it was the bur
den of many of Flannery's characters to make that presence
known.
She did it through the grotesque, "the freaks, and the ignorant,
the crazed and the Innocent," as Dr, Rupp put it. And when she
visited the Home for Incurable Cancer patients, before writing the
preface to Mary Ann, she was asked by one of the Sisters "why I
wrote about such grotesque characters, why the grotescjue was mv
vocation". Another guest supplied the answer by reminding the
Sisters, * It’s your vocation too,"
Collegiality of all the bishops
"will be stated" by the Second
Vatican Council, Cardinal Al
frink said confidently, ’The
text we have is very good,"
he said, speaking of the schema
submitted to the council Fath
ers.
Flannery O’Connor Dead
HE POINTED out the differ
ence between * theological" and
"social" collegiality.‘Theolo
gical collegiality means all the
bishops, with not one excepted,"
he said.
Probably it is the vocation of us all. But Flannery O’Connor used
a medium, unlike preaching and nursing, that is authentically Cath
olic. We have forgotten the artist in the application of the works of
mercy, probably because the artist writes (or draws or sings) be
cause the creative urge is greater in him than in the rest of us.
Our South and our Church are poorer because of the death of this
fine young writer. But we are confident that the Judgment decrees
include the artist as well as the mother, the nurse, the worker in
social needs: "Whatever you did forthe least of these, you did for
Me."
This is the principle which he
expects to see ratified by coun
cil decision. His central com
mittee proposal would be an ex
ample of the "social collegia
lity, which shows all the bis
hops are brothers, all have
needs for the labors of their
brothers, all are connected by
a collegiality of love, of inte
rest, of help and of assistance."
One of America’s foremost
novelists and short story writ
ers, Flannery O'Connor, 39,
died Monday in Milledgeville,
where she lived with her mother
on their farm, Andalusia. Miss
O’Connor had been ill since
childhood with a bone ailment,
but followed an active career of
writing, painting and corre
spondence with friends in this
country and in Europe. She had
entered Baldwin County Hospi
tal on the Wednesday before her
death. Msgr. JosephG. Cassidy,
P.A., V G., pastor of the Cathe
dral of Christ the King, Atlan
ta, offered the Requiem Mass
Tuesday in Sacred Heart
church, Milledgeville.
national fraternity for women
in journalism.
May God grant her eternal light and life, the reflection of which
vas her great contribution to our world.
(Oaf 4
IT IS this same "social col
legiality" which is shared by
the priests and the bishop within
the dioceses, he said. Such an
idea of the presbytery of the
ordained, said the cardinal,
"should be present in all dio
ceses. It is in fact present in
ARCHBISHOP OF ATLANTA
CONTINUED ON PAGE 8
Miss O’Connor was the author
of two novels, "Wise Blood,’’
which appeared in 1952 and has
since been re-issued, and "The
Violent Bear It Away," which
was published in I960, A col
lection of short stories, "A
Good Man Is Hard to Find,’’
appeared in 1955 and an addi
tional collection, ’’Everything
that Rises Must Converge" will
be published next year. At the
time of her death she was work-
MARY FLANNERY O'CONNOR
ing on additional short stories.
Mary Flannery O’Connorwas
bom in Savannah March 25,
1925, the daughter of Regina
Cline O’Connor and the late
Edward Francis O’Connor. She
attended Peabody High School,
Milledgeville, received an A.B.
degree from Georgia State Col
lege for Women (now Women’s
College of Georgia, alsoinMil-
ledgeville) and went on to do
graduate studies, earning a
Master’s Degree from the State
University of Iowa. She also
studied at St. Mary’s College of
Notre Dame University.
WASHINGTON (NC) —Arch
bishop Paul J. Hallinan of At
lanta received a Scroll of Honor
from the National Medical As
sociation at its 69th annual con
vention here.
The organization of pre
dominantly Negro physicians
cited the Georgia prelate for
desegregating Catholic hospi
tals in the Archdiocese of At
lanta.
"The National Medical As
sociation applauds your firm
leadership in the application of
Christian principles to hospital
practices in the Catholic hospi
tals of Atlanta," the citation
declared.
birthplace of the National Medi
cal Association. We are proud
to present you our Scroll of
Honor."
The presentation was made
by Dr. W. Montague Cobb of
Washington, D. C. t incoming
president of the NMA.
SHE RECEIVED a Ford Foun
dation fellowship in creative
writing in 1955 and held a grant
from the National Institute of
Arts and Letters. She won nu
merous literary prizes, includ
ing the Kenyon Fellowship in
fiction, the O. Henry Award and
the Brenda Award of the Atlanta
Chapter of Theta Sigma Phi,
MISS O’CONNOR’S devout
Catholicism had a strong in
fluence on her writing in the
view of most critics. Her books
and stories were concerned with
people of the South, many of
them of the type often referred
to as "poor white trash." She
was particularly concerned with
characters who felt themselves
to be "prophets," compelled to
preach, yfet in conflict with
themselves.
"IN THE two short years
since you have presided over
the Archdiocese of Atlanta you
patiently impressed upon your
communicants that a Catholic
hospital, because it is Catholic,
must reflect the full teaching of
the Church, not only in works
of mercy and charity, but in the
demonstration of social jus
tice," the NMA citation contin
ued.
OTHERS honored by the as
sociation included Asst. Sec.
of State G. Mennen Williams,
Oscar Ross Ewing, former ad
ministrator of the Federal
Security Administration; James
Farmer, national director of the
Congress of Racial Equality:
Sen. Jacob Javits of New York,
Andrew Thomas Hatcher,
former associate press sec
retary at the White House; Dr.
James Madison Nabrit, Jr.,
president of Howard University;
Ren. Adam Clayton Powell, Jr.,
of New York and Roy Wilkins.
Theologian Dies
"On March 19, 1963, by your
order, the Catholic hospitals of
Atlanta were desegregated. In
1964 you fell seriously ill but
stated that you were proud to be
a patient in the only integrated
hospital of the city.
"We rejoice in your re
covery and hail your spirit as a
symbol of the new Atlanta. May
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (NC)—
Father Gerald Kelly, S.J,, 61,
moral theologian and writer,
died in a hospital here (Aug, 2),
He was stricken with a heart
attack July 2 while teaching at
Rockhurst College here. Father
Kelly was the author of several
books and a number of articles
dealing with the moral aspects
of medical, surgical and hospi
tal practices. His first book,
"Modern Youth and Chastity,"
published in 1941, was trans
lated into several languages
