Atlanta Daily World

Once More The Church Leads Off

EVERY great epoch in the history of this country got its momentum from some form of a renaissance.

This country was so constructed that in order for the type of government it sponsored would have to be generated by the people. A free government must exist by the consent of the governed. Anything less is worse than the old form of governments that our fathers escaped for a new try out in an unknown wilderness.

A government that pretends to be a free government with and by the consent of the governed and then counters this great mission with class government for the classes and by the classes and on the face by various subterfuges eliminates certain citizens from primaries on the question of color, can never come into the heritage of its objective.

The great World Baptist Alliance will go down on record as being the first organization of its size to walk into this section and occupy and lay down the challenge to establish that tolerant relationship by which the country and the world can lift heads above the turbulent waves now submerging our people and our civilization. Under the leadership of Dr. James H. Rushbrook, that mighty English leader and head of the Baptist World Alliance, the church leads off in the right direction. It struck a chord that will sound around the world. Those who came here from countries where there is a government controlled press, radio service and everything else marveled at our protest of those conditions in the face of objectionable signs being placed at public meeting places directing colored brethren of the same Christian faith to accept humiliating insults.

The church has been known of old to lead those challenges questioning the system of justice and social practices toward minority groups. The church has brought about such pressure for reforms as to result in great world and political upheavals. The church worked many years in an effort to crush the system of selling human beings into slavery. It fought for the citizenship of ex-slaves and spent its life in a struggle for prohibition. The church began our first permanent efforts for the education of the freedmen.

The church hasn't forgotten its prestige and its former power that turned the tide of fate and registered on the rostrum of time those movements for good.

The church once more asserts itself in a crucial beginning to bring about better standards for all the people. That beginning must be carried on and accelerated by those groups affected. There should be no let up until the terrible barriers have crumbled beneath the mighty stroke of mighty men.

Let other churches join in the great movement. The men of state largely comprise the church membership. If the church gets the right sentiment in these men our political and economic tolerance will take care of themselves.

"It is the priest that corrupts the people and not the people corrupting the priest."