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AS WE WERE SAYING v f ' 'J . tt , 'V> , v ' ,* • • ■»- '-v' ’ * v Stout Shout - s •>. By ROBERT E. SEGAL (A Seven Arts Feature) There’s no point in destroying the type in those New York ads p r oc 1 a i ming “Steve Brown couldn’t take a public school driver training -course; the law locked him out” and “Rosa Or tega has trouble with reading; but you can’t give her any help.” The ads were intended to marshal support tar voter acceptance cxf the proposed New York State Constitution, with repeal at the so-called Blaine Amendment riding along. But the Empire State’s voters thundered down the revised Con stitution, 2% to 1, thanks largely to the determination of political and church leaders to give paro chial school aid a free ride—a stubborn thrust that backfired. The people didn’t buy that just as they didn’t buy the maudlin and misreading ads proclaiming that Steve Brown and Rosa Or tega were locked out of all sorts of benefits for children because their parents chose not to send them to public schools. The ads can and probably will be used again. They were in the best tradition of the ad writers’ sell by the stout shout. And even though many people found them misleading and confusing, they most likely will be dusted off and put to work later on. For Amer ica’s unending quarrel over sep aration of church and state seems p re-destined to breed that kind of emotional buncombe. Over and above the thousands and thousands of dollars spent by Citizens For Educational Free dom and other protagonists de termined to smash a hole in the wall of church-state separation, the state of New York is said to have pu,t some $10,000,000 into* the effort to produce the revised state constitution. No Constitution al Convention had been held since 1938. Through a good portion of 1967, the convention worked at the almost impossible job of try ing to give New York State a document geared to the 21st Cen tury instead of the late 18th. Governor Rockefeller, who seemed at election time caught between his desire not to anta gonize Catholic voters and his strong wish to put through his $2,500,000,000 transportation bond issue (which did win eventual voter approval), put the matter well at the start of the conven tion thus: “We are increasingly an urban society—a society bristling with demands for schools, housing, roads, mass transportation, rec reational health and social serv ices. We are a society Whose pro- ductivity and vast growth place heavy burdens on our national resources — our waters and the very air we breathe.” Indeed, had it been possible to separate repeal of the Blaine amendment from the rest of the proposals, New York undoubted ly would have accepted the new charter arid would thus have ef fected judicial reform, put forth a program of tremendous im- improvement in the field of con servation, lifted some of the onus on, welfare costs, nailed down the principle of “one man, one vote,” advanbedi civil rights, made it possible for government to join with private enterprise in pro viding more hospitals and meet ing other pressing human needs, and made headway in protecting the beleaguered consumer. Not the least of the gains would be the grant to tuiy citizen of the right to bring suit to test the con stitutionality of any statute. This pressing issue now seems destined to be settled at a federal level, thanks to a recent Supreme Court assurance. But regardless of the impres sive array of pluses developed by the New York Constitution re writers, the drive for capitula tion on the fundamental issue of permitting taxes collected from the public to be used for religi ous indoctrination threw a huge shadow over the documents. Say ing this will bring cries of fury and outrage from some of the groups favoring the use of pub lic funds for parochial education; but it needs to be said again and often. The Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of Amer ica, Agudath Israel of America, the heavily Catholic Citizens For Education Freedom, end a Negro group known as Citizens United For Repeal of Blaine all have every right to stump the countryside demanding tax funds for sectar ian projects; but the fracture of a principle of conscience to achieve any end—.including the highly laudable abjective of re ligious education — is a grievous Mistake, certain to haunt our pos terity. The casualties of this race far public funds for parochial eduoa- the easy way to park at the Atlanta Airport... Let Valet Parking park for you. Just stop at the Valet Parking building on the right as you approach the terminal and pick up an attendant. Drive to the upper level ramp, a porter will unload ahd check your bags, and you enjoy the convenience of no-walk parking Our attendant will take your car to the insured protection ot Valet Service. When you return, check in your parking ticket at the lower level Valet Parking Booth and your car will be delivered to you by one of our courteous attendants. Next trip, enjoy this deluxe service and eliminate carrying luggage and the search for an empty parking space. Enjoy no-walk parking with— AIRWAYS SERVICE inc. atiaAta airport ^ THE SOUTHERN ISRAELITE tion could be not only our public schools, so greatly needed now, but also the fortresses ot new in ter-faith understanding* labori ously built after yean of exper imentation. 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