The Farmville herald. (Farmville, Va.) 1957-current, 1958-09-19

fHlT treatment eX XYA AN
ccpt the bottom *
layer, then when -
Won who have = - -
been fortunate all DIR. Foreman
these years slip into that bottom
layer you viii discover there was
not so much justice as you thought
In Mark Twain's story The Prince
and the Pauper" the prince thought
everything was smooth and fine.
but when he changed places with
the paupcr and looked at things
from the scamy side, he could not
find justice anywhere.
Who they are
So-called justice which only Id
vidcs the spoil with the strong" and
leaves no share for the weak, Is
only so-callcd 1t is precisely the
persons who cannot fight for them
selves. the little people Withou,
votes, the unimportant people. the
forgotten and obscure, those who
live and die in the shadows. it is
precisely these whom a true and
Christian justice VIII not forget
The strong viii get their share ana
more besides II they can get by
with IL. 1t is the weak who need
protection and defense.
The Bible lines them up for us.
~ n i..t -,
look at. Here is the poor man who
needs a loan and (as everybody
knows) viii never be able to pay IL
BACK. Here are the people SO poor
that they cannot buy food. but
have 10 live On the wheat they pick
up from somebody clse's harrce'
field. the grapes they pick ofi sotrs
landowners vines. Here is the
family uprootcd wanderers on the
job. Here arc the nameiess. face
less people totally obscure. for
whom history has no name except
in the lump the muliitudes." "
Here arc the sick people too poor
to have a doctor, here is woman
some doctor has made poor. Here
are the people in prison. here is
bcggar shivering at the back door.
What they need
or course, such helpless people
need not have been so helpless il
perhaps society had been different
~ organized, or II there had been
better laws. Such desperate situa-
tons ought to be prevented in the
first place. to be sure. For example
it has not been a lifetime since
there were beggars on all roads
The tramp and the hobo were com
mon sights. Now how long is it
since you have seen a tramp? How
many beggars do you know by
sight? The reason why we have
fewer beggars now even in a de-
preston than we used to have even
in times of prosperity Is partly due
to the fact that the man who lost
his job in hard times used to have
nothing; now he draws unemploy-
ment insurance. Prevention of pow
erty is much easier than curing it..
Nevertheless, with all the proven
ton we have the wit and the cour-
age to provide, we still have the
problem cases, the hopeless and
helpless ones.
Forgotten Folk
It Is not only individuals who
have rum into personal hard times
who need help, but whole groups
and classes Of people in trouble,
need more help, more fair treat
ment, than they usually receive.
There are, for example. the people
in the mental hospitals Of Amer
lea, a half million OF them at .
recent count. Unless your state
10 a most unusual one. such pa
tents in your state do not have
nearly enough doctors, nurses.
attendants, or attention. Then
consider that for every patient
who can get into a mental hospital.
even the undcrstaffed, overcrowd-
ed ones we have, there are num-
bcrs of others who cannot be adj
mitted What is being done for
these people by your church, your
community. your state? Or con
slider juvenile delinquents. or adult
lawbreakers on parole. Does your
community ignore these bottom
rung derelicts, or does it do any
thing to help them, or to prevent
their being derelicts?
BIASED on outlines copyrighted by
tho Division Of Christian Education.
National Council Of the Churches OF
Christ in tho U. s. A. Released BY
Community Press Servicet
POLIO ON RISE
The United States Public Health
Service. noting an upturn in polio
cases. urges persons under 40 who
haven't had polio shots to get then
at opce.
Dr. Leroy e Burney. United
States Surgeon General. announced
recently the week ended July Is
marked the first time this year thai
the number of paralytic cases had
exceeded those for the COMPARABLE
week in 1857. The total was 50, the
highest for any week this year, and
compared with so for the like week
last year.