Dublin Core
Text Item Type Metadata
Text
Hirst Christian Church
(DISCIPLES OF CHRIST)
NORTH CLEVELAND AT SOCIETY AVE.
ALBANY, GEORGIA
RALPH LYNWOOD SMITH, MINISTER September 12, 1966
CHURCH OFFICE: 436-1054
PARSONAGE: 432-2108
Mr. Ivan Allen, Jr,
City of Atlanta Court House
68 Mitchell Street,S.E.
Atlanta, Georgia
Dear Mayor Allen,
My wife and I were in your campaign. headquarters on the night of
your first election as mayor of Atlanta. We gave you our support.
You have more than lived up to the expectations that we had in you
as @ person and your administration. As you can see by the address,
We are now serving in Albany, Georgia. Our hearts remain in Atlanta
and we hope some day to return to serve again.
Your recent heartache and frustration over the sudden outburst of
violence is also ours. Your courage to enter the areas of trouble
and attempt to minister to the people is most compassionate. We deeply
appreciate your stand for law and order and at the same time justice
for white and black. Please keep your faith and remember the poem
by Kipling "If you can trust yourself when all men about you doubt
you" ( misquoted), "You will be a man my son.". Mayor Allen you are
indeed a man,
I wish that I had an easy answer. I wish that you did. You said
that we needed to build better cities. I agree but even more basic
we need to build better people. All of this is an inditement of the
Church and our failure to become what God intended us to become.
Parents, teachers, everyone of us is involved or should be and should
have been.
My prayers are with you, your family, your administration, and with
the friends as well as enemies of your basic principles of government.
They are sound and only imperfect as each of us as human beings are
smperseen Ay have my respect and support.
ely fo He 35
He
Please perdon the appearance of this letter...today I am my
own secretary.)