The Lexington advertiser., 1963-05-30
by Rev. Duncan M. Gray Jr.
St. Peterss Episcopal Church
Oxford

by rev. Duncan M. GrdY Jls
St. Peterss Episcopal Church
Oxford
The first thing we can do
is to face up TO Our own guilt
in the situation. You and /
didn't go out there and throw
the broken bricks and bot
ties. You and I didn't go out
there and fire the guns. Yet
you and I. along with every
other Mississippian, are res
ponsible in one degree or an
other for what happened. For
we are responsible for the
moral and political climate
in our state which made such
a tragedy possible. Maybe
you and I didn't do much to
create this climate, it is GER
tainly evident that we did
all too little to dispel or
change it. The things that
we have left undone which
We ought to have done
should bother us every bit as
much as the things which
we have done which we
ought not to have done" The
decent, respectable, and res
ponsible people of Mississippi
have failed, when events like
those of last Sunday night
can take place within our
state.
But true repentance means
more than just remorse. We
must now give our all to sal
vaging the situation; to
bringing order OUT of chaos.
peace out of strife. We must
accept the fact that the color
Of persons skin can no
longer be a barrier to his
admission to the University
of Mississippi. I would hope
that. as Christians we would
accept this because if is just
and right whether we like il
or not. But if we are not yet
able to do this. at least we
can be realistic enough and
patriotic enough to accept
this as the law of the land.
I. for one, look to the flu
ture with faith and conf
dence. I am convinced that
most of the decent and res
ponsible people of the Ok
ford university community
have learned the lesson we
must learn from last Sun
days madness. And from the
statement of those 127 Mis-
sissippi businessmen released
last Tuesday it is apparent
that others have learned al
so. The fact that manv other
Mississippians have not, and
that many of our political
leaders are still making every
effort to keep them from
doing so should only spur us
on to better and greater ef-
forts. Bv Gods grace, some
real good can come out of
this tragedy. and it is up to
YOU and to me to see that 1t
does. @
Even more serious than tho
threat to the University IS
the threat to our nation and,
our system of government
posed bv our continued de-
fiance of the federal courts
and the federal government.
No government is perfect.
But sincerely believe. as !
am sure. you, do, that our
system of government in this
country comes closer to pro-
viding the Christian ideal of
freedom and justice than any
other system vet devised by
the mind of nan.
So. then. il is as a Christ
ian. as well as an American.
That / want to see this svs-
tenn preserved. But we can
not long survive as a coun-
try if everv state is free to
decide which federal laws
she will obey and which she
will not. We found this out
100 years ago. and most OF
us thought the issue was SET
tied then.
We know there are good
laws and bad laws, good
court decisions and bad court
decisions; and. fortunately,
under our system of govern
ment. we are free to protest
the ones we don't like and to
take every legal means to
repeal or reverse them. We
do not have the right to defv
and disobev the law when 1T
IS established and in force.
Tn irving to do this. we have
hroueht upon ourselves the
threat of anarchy, and. as
Christians. we cannot and