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Vol. 8 Issue 15…Dedicated to the Dialogue on Race…April
15, 2005
Nothing
But Stones
By Ella
Wheeler Wilcox
I think I never passed so sad an hour,
Dear friend, as that one at the church
to-night.
The edifice from basement to the tower
Was one resplendent blaze of coloured
light.
Through broad aisles the stylish crowd
was thronging,
Each richly robed like some king’s
bidden guest.
“Here will I bring my sorrow and my
longing,”
I said, “and here find rest.”
I heard the heavenly organ’s voice of
thunder,
It seemed to give me infinite relief.
I wept. Strange eyes looked on in well-bred wonder.
I dried my tears: their gaze profaned my grief.
Wrapped in the costly furs, and silks,
and laces,
Beat alien hearts, that had no part
with me.
I could not read, in all those proud
cold faces,
One thought of sympathy.
I watched them bowing and devoutly
kneeling,
Heard their responses like sweet waters
roll
But only the glorious organ’s sacred
pealing
Seemed gushing from a full and fervent
soul.
I listened to the man of holy calling,
He spoke of creeds, and hailed his own
as best;
Of man’s corruption and of
Adam’s-falling,
But naught that gave me rest:
Nothing that helped me bear the daily
grinding
Of soul with body, heart with heated
brain;
Nothing to show the purpose of this
blinding
And sometimes overwhelming sense of
pain.
And then, dear friend, I thought of
thee, so lowly,
So unassuming, and so gently kind,
And lo! a peace, a calm serene and
holy,
Settled upon my mind.
Ah, friend, my friend! one true heart,
fond and tender,
That understands our troubles and our
needs,
Brings us more near to God than all the
splendour
And pomp of seeming worship and vain creeds.
One glance of thy dear eyes so full of
feeling,
Doth bring me closer to the Infinite
Than all that throng of worldly people
kneeling
In blaze of gorgeous light.
First
Annual Stone Mountain Poetry Festival
People
from all walks of life and from all cultures write poetry. In 1996, the Academy of American Poets
designated April as National Poetry Month "for the purpose of increasing
access to, and appreciation of, the art of poetry." These are also great
goals for the First Annual Stone Mountain Poetry Festival, which will be held
April 29 - May 1, 2005. Coinciding in part with National Poetry Month, the
Festival will celebrate the ethnic and cultural diversity that has come to
Stone Mountain over the past decade.
Scheduled
for several venues in greater Stone Mountain, including Kellogg Library and ART
Station, the Festival will feature metro Atlanta-based poets performing in a
range of engaging creative styles from slam and spoken word to free verse
readings. Poets Yohannes Sharriff, Karen C. Thames, Kemi Bennings, William
Harris, Pamela Plummer, Tanzania Nevels, Renita Walls, Betty Hasan-Amin,
Cherryl Floyd-Miller and Festival organizer Felton Eaddy, among others, will
continue an age-old tradition of reading and reciting poetry to live audiences.
For
additional information about the First Annual Stone Mountain Poetry Festival,
please contact festival organizer Felton Eaddy at (404) 292-9996 or email globalart@aol.com.
Ella
Wheeler Wilcox (1850-1919)
Ella
Wheeler was born November 5, 1850, in the village of Johnstown, Rock County,
Wisconsin. Her parents, Marcus H. and Sarah Pratt Wheeler, moved the family to
Westport, where Ella Wheeler grew up. Prior to her birth, Wheeler's mother, who
believed in pre-natal influences, spent months memorizing books of poetry; she
believed her child would be a writer. Once born, she encouraged the little girl
to write. By age eight, the young prodigy had written her first prose and
rhyme, and by age 14, Ella Wheeler had published a piece of prose in the New
York Mercury.
After
high school, Wheeler spent one term at Madison University. She dropped out to
concentrate on writing and other pursuits that did not include trying to master
mathematics, which she believed to be a "holy horror." Wheeler wrote
beautiful prose and poetry that possessed great public appeal. She found buyers
for a few of her poems, but the financial returns for her efforts did not
materialize until after 1880, even though she was widely known and loved by
many readers.
From
1865 - 1875, the Wheeler family supported the prohibition movement. Many of
Ella Wheeler's earlier verses were in support of total abstinence and in
opposition to booze, its makers, and its venders. Fifty-six of these were
published in "Drops of Water." In "Shells," Wheeler
published another 119 poems for a total of more than 175 poems written before
age 23.
On
May 1, 1884, she married Robert Wilcox, and the couple moved to Connecticut. In
1887, their son died shortly after birth. Childless, the couple traveled
extensively and met many great leaders in the USA and abroad. A talented
musician, Wilcox had trained her soprano voice and played the mandolin. The
couple also dabbled in mysticism and believed in reincarnation.
Wilcox
possessed an uncanny ability to state the most complex of human problems with a
few words. In the verse below, she shows an appreciation for the need and
beauty of diverse religious faiths, while recognizing the danger of adherents
of any one faith considering it the only true one for all humanity. Steering
her readers away from the dangers of divisiveness, she simply stresses the
basic core of all faiths: "So many Gods, so many creeds, So many paths
that wind and wind, When just the art of being kind ...Is all this sad world
needs." Daily, Wilcox practiced "the art of being kind;" it was
her religion.
Along
with Frater Hubbard, H. Spencer Lewis, and J.K. Funk, president of Funk and
Wagnalls Publishing Co., (publishers of the Literary Digest and the Standard
College Dictionary), Wilcox established the New York Institute for
Psychical Research, forerunner of the American Rosicrucian movement. Wilcox was
appointed its first Supreme Council, a position she held until her death. Ella
Wheeler Wilcox died October 30, 1919 in Short Beach, Connecticut. (Sources: www.crcsite.org/Wilcox.htm and www.library.wisc.edu/etext/WIReader/WER0109.html)
Engel v. Vitale (1962): Establishment
Clause
The
First Amendment to the US Constitution states, "Congress shall make no law
respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise
thereof..." Throughout the nation's history, the Supreme Court has
generally served as a check on efforts by men in government to impose their
beliefs on others.
On
April 3, 1962, the Court heard arguments in Engel v. Vitale. At issue was the
constitutionality of the following twenty-two word prayer: "Almighty God,
we acknowledge our dependence upon Thee, and we beg Thy blessings upon us, our
parents, our teachers and our Country." Composed by the State Board of
Regents of New York, a governmental agency, the prayer was to be used in the
public school daily opening exercises. It was part of the Regents
"Statement on Moral and Spiritual Training in the Schools."
On
June 25, 1962, the Court handed down its opinion. Writing for the 6-1 majority,
Justice Hugo Black stressed that it was not prayer but an "officially
prescribed prayer" that was being condemned. Although participation in the
"prayer-exercise" was voluntary and the prayer was characterized as
nonsectarian, the Court declared its use an infringement of the establishment clause.
Justice Hugo Black warned that in this country it is not the business of any
government to compose official prayers for any group of people.
Many
churchmen and politicians condemned the Court's ruling, warning of a judicial
activism that imperiled the nation's religious heritage. Even members of
Congress expressed concern and introduced a variety of proposals to amend the
Constitution. None of these efforts succeeded. Of course, that has not stopped
efforts to weaken the establishment clause.
Monkey
Business
In
January 2004, Georgia's School Superintendent Kathy Cox had the word
"evolution" removed from the state's teaching standards. According to
Cox, "evolution is a buzzword that causes a lot of negative
reaction." After a firestorm of criticism from teachers and others, Cox
reversed that decision.
A
group of Cobb County, Georgia parents represented by the American Civil
Liberties Union (ACLU) brought suit in federal district court against the
school board. The suit alleged the use of a sticker in biology textbooks that
warns "evolution is a theory, not a fact" violates the First
Amendment. US District Judge Clarence Cooper concurred ordering the stickers
removed. With an appeal of this ruling in the offing, this and similar cases across
the country are likely to reach the US Supreme Court eventually.
In
other states, primarily Southern and red states like Georgia, where
conservatives enjoy majorities in state government, the teaching of evolution is
on the 2005 legislative agenda. This assault on science in the classroom raises
serious questions about where the US is headed, and it does not bode well for
public education and the future welfare of the nation's citizens.
Between
fundamentalists that wish to bring creationism to the US classroom and
"intelligent design" theology, which also seeks to replace evolution,
the US is rapidly becoming scientifically illiterate. Trends in International
Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) show students in Asian countries
typically outperform US students in mathematics and science. With US
corporations outsourcing jobs to literate persons in these countries, the
downward trend in science and mathematics proficiency and the upturn in
outsourcing portend a lower standard of living for US families.
Apparently,
the religious right failed to learn a valuable lesson about literal
interpretations of the Bible from Clarence Darrow's brilliant cross-examination
of fundamentalist leader William Jennings Bryan in the 1925 Scopes "monkey
trial." In the process of pushing the biblical version of creation in lieu
of science, the right appears willing to move the US backwards. Caught in the
crossfire, rather than improving the quality of our children's education and
their prospects for the future, this monkey business could well thrust them and
the nation into the Dark Ages.
God's Mandate
In
the lead up to the November 2004 elections, a bellicose Rev. Jerry Falwell
bragged that evangelical Christians controlled the Republican Party and the
fate of presidential candidate George W. Bush. Representing the largest
Republican Party constituency, evangelicals believe war in the Middle East and
their support for Israel will help bring about the rapture, end times for mankind
on Earth. As true believers, they will be transported to Heaven; others will
suffer Hell on Earth.
These
evangelicals, of which George W. Bush professes to be one, feel called to do
their part to bring on this apocalypse. Given this mind-set, there is not much
sense in protecting the environment for future generations. Why should the
Heaven-bound be concerned that Republican policies are destroying the dollar
and the US economy? Moreover, of what value is Social Security when true
believers need not worry about old age or retirement?
Not
all Christians buy into the war and destruction necessary to accomplish the
evangelicals' rapture. Rather, they believe protecting God's creation, Earth,
is a moral issue. In a strongly worded statement called God's Mandate: Care for
Creation, the National Religious Partnership for the Environment, an alliance
of Catholic, Protestant, evangelical and Jewish organizations, warned the White
House and Republicans in Congress that there are limits to the support they can
expect from the religious community.
Signed
by more than 1,000 religious leaders, God's Mandate effectively puts the White
House on notice on issues such as global warming, toxic emissions from
coal-fired plants and its lack of emphasis on conservation. For more about
God's Mandate and the national effort to prevent George W. Bush and Congress
from rolling back and opposing programs that care for God's creation, visit www.ncrlc.com/GodsMandate-pr-web.html.
The
Dark Knight-Batman/White Ninja/Zorro will be twelve in a matter of days. He has
big plans to celebrate the occasion. When asked for comments on this milestone,
the Dark One/Ninja/Zorro proudly proclaimed, "Soon, I will be grown!"
Disgruntled feels:
Fleeced! It came as
no surprise that the author of the infamous memo that suggested the fight over
the removal of Terri Schiavo's feeding tube "is a great political
issue..." is a Republican, just like congressional leaders Senator Bill
Frist and Rep. Tom DeLay. For them, the Schiavo tragedy is just another way to
raise funds and keep the division going. Divisiveness is a good Republican
fundraiser. The more divisive the issue, things like school prayer, vouchers,
privatizing Social Security, tax cuts for the wealthy, etc., the easier it is
to fleece the mindless minions that flock around these issues. Easily
influenced and fleeced, they even proclaim to see "a culture of life"
in war and death.
Disgruntled says: The Republican leadership has
threatened to end the Senate filibuster in order to assure confirmation of a
small percentage of George W. Bush judicial nominees that have been deemed
radicals by the Senate minority. The proposed change is so drastic that it is
referred to on Capitol Hill as the nuclear option. These are ominous times. As
congressional leaders plot ways to lay waste to legislative traditions to
appoint judges that past the Bush litmus test of strict construction of the
Constitution, sitting judges are being threatened with impeachment or worse for
issuing rulings Republicans dislike. Recently, in a videotaped speech for a
conservative conference discussing remedies to judicial tyranny, Rep. Tom DeLay
warned, in speaking of the Terri Schiavo case, "the time will come for the
men responsible for this to answer for their behavior." With the recent
shooting of a judge in Atlanta and the slaying of a judge's husband and mother
in Chicago, the tone of DeLay's statement was indeed ominous. Some may even
consider it a threat.
Disgruntled wants to know: An avalanche of ethical missteps by
Rep. Tom DeLay has members of his party concerned that he will cease to be an
effective leader going into the mid-term elections of 2006, if the allegations
of impropriety persist. Even though DeLay has sought to distance himself from
previously close associates that are now the targets of Justice Department
criminal investigations, particularly longtime friend lobbyist Jack Abramoff,
DeLay cannot rid himself of the stench of corruption. There is a cancer on the
Congress; its name is DeLay. Does Congress possess the intestinal fortitude
necessary to remove the malignancy?
Mailbox: E-mails, Faxes & Telephone Calls
E-mail
www.guardian.co.uk In an opinion piece in the
New York Times, John Danforth, a former senator and US ambassador to the United
Nations, writes: "Republicans have transformed our party into the
political arm of conservative Christians." His broadside against the party's
rightward shift in recent years appeared to crystallise growing unease over the
increasingly political nature of religion in public life in the US - prompted
by the public feud over the fate of Terri Schiavo, the severely brain-damaged
woman who spent her 13th day without food or water in a hospice following the
removal of her feeding tube. That affair has split the US right, and in recent
days Republicans have tried to distance themselves from the controversy because
of negative public reaction.
Email
www.truthout.org/ The Savage Carnival By John
Cory...America has become a savage carnival of freak show religiosity and
circus clown politics. Let's call them what they are: Ghoulish Obscene
Panderers. How else to describe Tom Delay and Bill Frist, et al., as they crawl
into bed with a brain-dead woman to pose for a political Polaroid? If Bill
Frist is the paragon of compassionate-conservative medicine in this country, it
is no wonder the GOP wants to do away with trial lawyers and medical
malpractice awards. I mean, if Dr. Frist can diagnose via video, surely we can
all be diagnosed and healed by touching the magic screens of our televisions,
powered by the celebrated and all knowing all-powerful Dr. Oz and his media-evangelists,
cured through Our Lady of the Sacred Cable Cathedral and the Holy Order of St.
Arbitron, all included in our monthly satellite and cable subscription fees.
Better than national healthcare. God is good.
Email
www.raptureready.com "The rapture is a racket,"
writes Barbara R. Rossing in her recently published book The Rapture Exposed:
The Message of Hope in the Book of Revelation (Westview Press, 2004). Rossing,
a New Testament scholar and an associate professor at the Lutheran School of
Theology at Chicago, maintains that the Rapture is a fraud of monumental
proportions, as well as a disturbing way to instill fear in people.
"Whether prescribing a violent script for Israel or survivalism in the
United States, this theology distorts God's vision for the world." Rossing
writes, "The Rapture voyeuristically glorifies violence and war. [...]
This theology is not biblical."
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