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PAGE 4 GEORGIA BULLETIN THURSDAY, AUGUST 4, 1966
diocese of Atlanta
SERVING GEORGIA'S 71 NORTHERN COUNTIES
Official Organ of the Archdiocese of Atlanta
Archbishop Paul J. Hallinan
Chris Eckl
The Rev. R. Donald Kiernan
The Rev. Leonard F.X, Mayhew
Publisher
Managing Editor
Consulting Editor
Associate Editor
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The Chicago Riots-Telling And Showing
:j;i (Reprinted From Commonweal)
2699 Peachtree N. E.
P. O. Box 11667
Northside ^Station
Atlanta, Georgia 30305
Member of the Catholic Press Association
and Subscriber to N. C. W. C. News Service
Telephone 231-1281
Second Class Permit at Atlanta, Ga.
U. S. A. $5.00
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Foreign $6.50
Published Every Week at the Decatur-DeKalb News
The opinions contained in these editorial columns are
the free expressions of free editors in a free Catholic press.
Only One Church
For Each Street
Why should there be a
Catholic church building on
one side of the street and a
Lutheran church building on
the other? Why not share the
same premises and organize
their use according to the
needs of the respective two
communities involved?
These questions were ask
ed by Father George H. Tav-
ard, A.A., a member of the
Vatican Secretariat for Pro
moting Christian Unity, in
Columbia, a Knights of Co
lumbus magazine published
in New Haven, Conn. He con
ceded it would take time and
that intense spiritual prep
aration would have to be car
ried out before the buildings
could be shared.
And that’s not all he sug
gested. He also favored the
training of priests and min
isters in the same seminar
ies. He wrote, “Thekindof
fellowship among priests and
ministers which today is
achieved at the cost of many
efforts and many suspen
sions of judgment, and which
sometimes causes outsiders
to wonder and gossip, would
arise spontaneously from the
experience of having been
trained and having studies at
least partly in common.”
It’s not too hard to ima
gine the reaction of some
pastors and parishioners
who are proud of their church
plants, but this idea of Fath
er Tavard is worth repeat
ing. And what he says about
the seminaries sounds par
ticularly sensible. Now who
is going to take the first
step?
More Than Just Talk
. . » .. . •» •nfittrwr e>*tc our pftirrop'ftiri AnniVilOD .iflflMlT
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The Atlanta Alderrhanic
Board has created a special
committee to survey the up
dating of city services and
facilities after being warned
that racial unrest is grow
ing in sections such as Vine
City.
The board is also going to
estimate the costs and de
tails of organizing a human
relations commission to act
as liaison in racial matters.
Both steps may help grow
ing Atlanta avoid riots that
have occurred in other cit
ies, but they are still only
stop-gap measures. A great
deal of money, a change of
attitude and an enlightened
policy of long duration will
be required if the city is
going to prevent the moral,
social and economic de
struction of the slum dwell
ers.
Vine City is a harsh slum,
and it takes more than talk
and better garbare collec
tion to get rid of harsh slums.
***
Sing, Brother, Sing
“Sing lustily with good
courage. Beware of singing
as if you were half dead, or
half asleep, be no more afraid
of your voice now, nor more
ashamed of its being heard,
than when you sung the songs
of Satan.”
These words were written
by John Wesley in 1761 as
part of his preface to a col
lection of hymns “for the
use of the people called
Methodists.”
Methodists have found that
the problems of congrega
tional singing appear to
change little through the cen
turies so that is why Wes
ley’s admonition was re
printed in the new volume of
The Methodist Hymnal.
The Methodist leader also
advised; “Sing modestly.
Do not bawl. . .sing in time
. . .take care not to sing too
slow. . .above all, sing spir
itually.”
Not bad advice for people
called Catholics in 1966.
Is That ‘Fair’ Bo?
Republican gubernatorial
candidate Howard H. (Bo)
Callaway has told a televi
sion audience that although
he has opposed civil rights
bills, he has been “totally
fair” with Negroes.
He said he believes the
Negroes will vote for the
GOP this year in Georgia,
adding that Republicans can
raise the standards of Ne
groes and whites better than
the Democrats.
There are some other pol
iticians who claim they have
been “totally fair” to the
Negro, including Gov. George
C. Wallace of Alabama and
Gov. Paul Johnson of Mis
sissippi. It must be nice to
receive such fair treatment,
but we haven’t heard any ex
pressions of gratitude.
• They Didn’t Say Much
During Dr. Martin Luther King’s im
pressive Freedom Rally held on July 10
at Soldiers’ Field in Chicago, an inci
dent took place which all the reporters
there witnessed but none bothered to men
tion in the stories filed on the event. Be
cause of a security goof in the otherwise
well-run press box, four Negro boys from
a west-side gang managed to crash the
party and were suddenly in the midst of
the assembled representatives of the press
radio, and television, calling in rather
loud, insistent voices for attention.
What did they say? Not much, according
to the notes I jotted down at the time:
“We came up to tell these reporters about
what Black Power is,” they announced,
“what it really means.” They stayed to
argue noisily with the Rally's public re
lations staff for a chance to talk. “We
want to tell it like it is,” they said.
“Let us on that thing” - pointing to a
radio microphone. “We want to tell itlike
it is.” As a matter of fact, they did get
on the radio for a moment, but found
themselves suddenly struck dumb with
stage-fright. Showing, they said, would
be better.
It seemed not really worth mentioning
at the'time. In spite of the presence of
Black Power counterpickets and the fact
that the turnout for Dr. King was only
about half of his announced expectations,
the atmosphere at the Rally was almost
optimistic-or if not that, at least strongly
One Sunday last month I was assigned
to give a talk on the Georgia missions
at St. Peter’s Church in Danbury, Conn.
During my 17 years
as priest I have only
had this assignment
on four occasions,
but each occasion
brought with it new
experiences, pleas
ant memories and
good' friendships. 6;
My first assign- F r. Kiernan.
ment was about a
year after 1 was ordained. It was to a little
church almost on the Canadian border.To
send a priest up there would be more ex
pensive than what the collection would
amount to. Monsignor Moylan, who was
then administrator of the Diocese of Sa
vannah-Atlanta, told me the situation and
then asked if I would “do the honors”
while on vacation.
Before arriving about midnight, I had
a slight auto accident in Binghampton,
N.Y. and was delayed. I called the pastor
but the only thing I remember was his:
extracting a promise that I would put my,
car into low gear going down the mountain
which approached the town.
When I did arrive at the town I rea
lized why he had extracted the promise.
His assistant, who had been a priest for!
hopeful. And why not? The whole program
shaped up as Dr. King’s answer to those
who advocate-or even allow-violence to
achieve Negro rights.
Dr. King was more than eloquent: he
spoke the truth temperately and reasonably
and drew his greatest applause from the
largely-Negro audience when he denounc
ed Negro separatists who promote hatred
of all whites. “There exists a substantial
group of white Americans who cherish
principles above privilege and who have
demonstrated a will to fight with the Negro
against injustice.” And then to great
cheers he called off the roll of those
white people who have died in the civil
rights struggle - James Reeb, Schwerner
and Goodman, Mrs. Viola Liuzzo-and
one who almost died, "Father Morrisoe
of this city.”
Floyd McKissick, director of CORE, put
in an appearance and talked far more mo
derately than he has lately on other oc
casions. He defined Black Power purely
in economic and political terms, leaving
the impression that he would be shocked
at the suggestion that Negroes engage in
anything more violent than a selective buy
ing campaign. Even though it was not pos
sible to take him completely seriously in
this, his appearance at the rally was en
couraging. Tt gave the impression that yes,
what we liad suspected all along was cer
tainly correct: Dr. King is the strongest
personality in the rights movement and
perhaps in the end he would prevail over
McKissick, Carmichael, and the rest by the
strength of his personality alone.
only four weeks, had lost his life the pre
vious week on this steep hill.
The occasion was also the pastor’s
25th anniversary. In addition to my sermon'
on Georgia, he asked ms to talk about his
anniversary. I guess he was real pleased
because he gave me the whole collection--
$147. Monsignor Moylan had not expected
that much. When I returned to Savannah,
he had already received a check for the
collection and h& , greeted. rpq_wj.th, this
. , question, ‘'What did you -do.up these, put
" a guff in the peopte’s back?”
About 1954 I went to the Church of the
Resurrection on 159th St. in New York.
It was a larger church, by far, than the
one on the previous assignment. At one of
the masses, I looked out and was real
surprised to see my own mother in the
congregation. After Mass, and feeling quite
pleased, I asked my mother how I had
done. “Well,” she replied, "You’re not
quite Fulton Sheen yeti’
Ansonia, Conn., was my next assign
ment. The family did better this time.
At one of the masses, I looked out over
the congregation and again saw my mother,
plus my brother from Boston and my sis
ter from New Jersey. When the pastor saw
all of those out-of-state-license tags on the
cars outside of church he thought he really
had a noted preacher on his hands. He
asked all of us in for breakfast. After
• A Stand By Cody
Perhaps the most encouraging develop
ment during the Rally, however, was the
statement of what amounted to a new and
firm stand on civil rights taken by Arch
bishop John Patrick Cody for the Arch
diocese of Chicago. Because Bishop Cody
was out of the country, his message was
read by Auxiliary Bishop Aloysius
Wycislo. It set out a number of specific
steps that had either just been taken by the
Archdiocese or were soon to be taken.
Among these were the insertion of fair
employment clauses in all diocesan build
ing contracts; the planning of new, low-
cost housing developments under Church
sponsorship; and the initiation of a new
employment program to create 7,000 new
jobs in cooperation with other Churches
in Chicago. Bishop Cody also supported
Dr. King’s Freedom Movement with a pas
toral letter read from diocesan pulpits
on the morning of the Rally.
In all, it was a jubilant, rather than
a defiant, crowd that marched out of Sol
diers' Field that Sunday afternoon, along
a route cordoned off by police, and on to
an empty City Hall where Dr. King taped
the Chicago Freedom Movement’s list of
35 demands to the door. The demands,
most of which have to do with open hous
ing and the improvement of educational
and economic opportunities for Negroes
in the city, are reasonable and in no way
excessive. If this is not the prevailing
opinion, it is certainly the prevailing opin
ion among those who have actually read
the demands. These include the editors
breakfast, he said it was not his practice
to have a Communion breakfast but since
it was the largest collection he had ever
taken up he thought it best to celebrate.
Of course, this sort of redeemed my
preaching with my mother.
Then I went to Danbury last month.
Over the years it has become more
pleasant to drive to these places, but
expensive too. All of the toll roads up
north, though convenient, arebothersome.
'Tt cost |7.ltf ET tolls'tp^rive up K toTSdn-
necticut.T guess some day thaifsomeone
will come out with a credit card for tolls.
Good grief, another number to remember!
Letters To
The Editor
Bulletin Lacks Local
News, Reader Claims
EDITOR:
Each Friday I receive the GEORGIA
BULLETIN and each week it is most
annoying not to find but one or two ar
ticles pertaining to our diocese. Why can
we not have news of our priests, sisters
and lay people? Our schools and churches?
I would like to know what parishioners
of Christ the King or Sts. Peter and Paul
are doing. Who has a daughter entering
the convent or who had a baby. Who
married recently or who entered college
or won a scholarship.
If the BULLETIN continues as it now is,
I will not subscribe. An increase of even
a dollar per year would gladly be paid
if the paper had more news of die people
of our archdiocese in it. Will you not think
seriously about making the BULLETIN a
true Catholic family paper?
MRS. GERTRUDE JONES
COLLEGE PARK
Thanking Fr. Hein,
And Other Priests
EDITOR:
We members of Holy Spirit Parish would
like to publicly thank Father Hein and all
the priests who guided our "Operations
Understanding.” Never have we partici
pated inamore sensitive and helpful series
of discussions. These showed us how to
bring the true spirit of the Liturgy into
our daily lives. Is this not the essence
and goal of Christianity?
During the Mass in the home and the
eight following guided classes, public and
private worship, social awareness, end
Christian love were discussed.
We would urge all to givs serious con-
sideration to forming similar neighbor
hood groups to share this wonderful ex
perience*
MRS. W. J. BRENNAN
MRS. JOHN L. BROWN
MRS. HOWARD L. JONES
MRS. C. R. LaBUDDE
MRS. DAVID McAULEY
MRS. ROBERT SCHILLER
MRS. WM. TENGSTROM
MRS. BETTY LANE
MR. & MRS. BARNEY CROSS
MR. & MRS. DAN IE L PONG IN IE
of the two Field-owned newspapers in town,
the Sun - Times and Daily News,
which strongly supported the demands in
editorials that followed their publication.
A meeting took place the following day
between Dr. King and Mayor Daley, a meet
ing that surprised everyone by going quite
suddenly sour. The Mayor became defen
sive and keptinsistingafterwardinapress
conference that Dr. King simply did not
appreciate what Chicago (that is, what
Mayor Daley) had actually done for the
Negro. That night at a Negro Baptist church
on the west side, Dr. King had an audience
walk out on him. He had lost great face ’
in the Negro community, and those pre
sent chose this way to demonstrate it to
him. And the next day, Tuesday, July 12,
another group chose another way to de
monstrate it-and Chicago’s west side riots
began.
• Reluctant Officials
Officials were reluctant in the beginning
to call them riots-and for good reason.
For one thing, they had started over noth
ing at all, or nearly that. On a very hot
day, kids in one of the poorest sections
opened up a fire hydrant to cool off,
just as kids do in cities everywhere.
This is against the law. The two police
men who came to shut off the hydrant
were more abusive than they needed to be.
(“How come when you standing on a cor
ner and a cop wants you to move, he has
to curse you and talk mean and tough
and call you nigger?” one boy asked
me.) The kids answered the abuse with
stones and bricks lying close at hand, a
few older ones joined in, and then a few
more, and the show was underway.
Two things stand out most clearly about
these riots, two things that make them
different from any others that have taken
place in Chicago. First of all: the ex
treme youth of those who took part. From
the beginning, it was the children who kept
things going-gang boys inflated with the
machismo of the disadvantaged, goaded by
irritation, boredom and a sweeping, un
focused resentment against all authority.
They broke the windows of white shop
keepers and threw anything that was handy-
rocks, bricks, or bottles filled with gaso-
line-at the police. As one police ser
geant put it, “This isn’t a riot it’s a
juvenile uprising!”
prrrrol’‘=*rf’t fwTSHTffnOOf ' >(3R1 ?3’I?1t
' T " t war'-ssemiy?'this? “ l lhfe , 'filft3''hpf , ead
more quickly than any other the city has
known, and they covered a greater area.
In less than 24 hours the whole west
side had gone up-an area of some 600
square blocks. And on the night fighting
between rioters and police was most in
tense (Thursday, July 14), it was far hea
vier than the rest of the country-and the
rest of Chicago-then realized. One con
firmed estimate put the number of shots
exchanged at one corner alone in the Lawn
dale section at 1,000. In all, two were
killed, 30 wounded, and hundreds, injured.
• Stopping The Riots
What stopped the riots was the Na
tional Guard, and nothing else. Dr. King
and his people worked almost without
sleep for three days and nights, trying to
cool things - with aboslutely no success.
Finally, with desperation apparent on both
sides, Mayor Daley met again with Dr.
King and agreed to three altogether new
demands-sprinklers on the hydrants, more
swimming pools, and the beginning of a
police review board.
None of these, of course, has. anything
to do with the real cause of the riots.
What did cause them? Not as Mayor Daley
charged, the presence of Dr. King and his
staff in Chicago (when he talks of
"outsiders” who come in to stir things
up, he sounds-and even looks-like a South
ern sheriff).
The west side caused the riots. Out
there are all the symptoms of the disease
known as poverty, all too familiar by now
to require enumeration. As rapidly as the
riots spread over the whole misery-
ridden west side area, they did not spread
to the older Negro ghetto on the south
side. Why? Because there, where Martin
Luther King’s influence is far greater,
Negroes live who have at least attained
a certain minimal level of economic re
spectability. Their problems can be talked
about. But on the west side they seem to
have decided that showing is better. It
may take more words than Dr. King has to
persuade them otherwise.
GEORGIA PINES
On The Road For The Missions
— By R. Donald Kiernan '