FINAL FROM THE PEN OF KEN WRIGHT: HATE MUST GO

I cannot think of a better way to conclude this three-part feature honoring the memory of my father A. Kenneth Wright (1899-1952) than by publishing one of his columns written for the Chatham Daily News, April 12, 1948, on the subject "Hate Must Go". In truth, the content of this piece would easily stand up in today's world.

Ken often went to bat for people who had previously written letters of concern to the newspaper. In this particular case a woman from Dresden had taken the newspaper to task for publishing an editorial that ill-advisedly took liberties with the people of Germany with memories of WW2 still fresh in minds of everyone. I have reproduced a well-preserved copy of the protest letter in the body of the text that follows. 

I'll let Ken take it from here.

This seems to be a confusing time when the minds of people flit from one emotion to another. Many times people's emotions are in direct conflict with others.

Ken Wright

Likewise, editorials, letters to the editor and spoken opinions all seem to reflect contradictory emotions. 

History too is given to the same trend. Once the menace was Napoleon. Before that there were other races under the leadership of their respective Ceasar and Hanniabis. In modern times we had the Japanese Emperor, the Kaiser, Hitler and his Italian friend Benito Mussolini.

In the first world war, Italy was looked upon as a friend and ally. In the recent conflict Italy was the enemy.

When Napoleon menaced the world, Blucher with his stout Germans, came in that eventual morning of Waterloo and joined with the British who had held against the French all night. When Blucher and his Germans arrived that morning, Wellington's spontaneous and historic words have echoed down through the centuries -- "The day is won gentlemen, let the whole line advance." Thus Napoleon went into oblivion and Blucher and his Germans were looked upon in high favor, to say the least.

Now we have Joe Stalin. We keep fingers crossed.

It would seem in the light of the good and evil in all races that it is not the "people" that peace-loving Christians abhor but those leaders who rouse emotions of hate in the hearts of men.

This, I believe is what our correspondent from Dresden meant in her brief remarks regarding an editorial that appeared in the Daily News.

The newspaper takes it for granted that everyone understands that as a race, any given nation has good and evil among its people, just as we ourselves have. It is those who gain office and misguide their people that the world condemns.

Our letter writer from Dresden is right when she intimates that as long as hate is the ruling emotion in the hearts of people there can be no peace.

We realize this fact and obviously the United States also realizes this, otherwise they would not pour such huge sums of money into stricken Europe, including Germany.

Ironically, the ugly head of the viper Hale has reared itself even in the United States...White against Black.

However, it is not expected that this will be allowed to unseat the Statue of Liberty. The spirit of Lincoln still exists in the USA and all men must and will be accorded the same freedoms very soon. This must come. It has been too long delayed since Lincoln's Geddysburg address.

It is this "choosing up of sides" business into nations with national ego, with ambitious programs of aggression, that has always gotten the world into trouble.

As we approach Good Friday, we should be reminded that only the Christian way will lead to peace, in our own hearts and in our own nation, and with those over whom we have been given victory by unavoidable force of arms.

~~ Ken Wright