Oregon daily emerald., January 21, 1970, Page 3, Image 3

ONLY ONE MINOR INCIDENT occurred Wednesday at Huntington Shingle Mills,
as trucks edged their way past pickets.
Shingle mill trucks
scatter picket lines
By LES BLUMENTHAL
and BILL BUCY
Of the Emerald
Trucks continued to roll through picket
lines at the Huntington Shingle Mills in
Springfield today.
The only incident of the day came in
the late afternoon when a driver of a
logging truck leaving the mill refused
to slow down finally stopped and jumped
out of his cab to confront the pickets.
Springfield police quickly moved in and
escorted the driver back to his truck.
Immediately after the incident eight ad
ditional police showed up, bringing the
total at the mill to 14.
Pickets complied with the request of
Springfield Police Chief Pierce Brooks to
let the trucks through the line, and a doz
en logging and Reed Fuel trucks edged
their way through the picketers. Picket
ers gave way grudgingly with many near
accidents with the trucks.
Brooks had talked with Bill Perrin, a
representative of the shingle weavers and
asked him to allow the trucks through.
Brooks said he was there to “keep peo
ple from getting hurt.” He also talked
with Alvin Reed, owher of the Reed Fuel
Co., and other drivers, asking them to
come to a complete stop before driving
through the picket line.
According to Pierce it is law that a vehi
cle must come to a full stop before enter
ing a public thoroughfare.
Picketers kept complaining that the
trucks were not stopping before leaving
the mill. Several times trucks entering
the mill had to be directed through the
line by Springfield police.
About 65 student picketers joined mem
bers of the Shingle Weavers Local 2777
about 12:30 p.m. in support of a six
month old strike by the union.
University students had worked with
the strikers in November and returned
Monday for the first time in over a month.
Reed allegedly attacked Bill Harris, a stu
dent picketer, Monday, but Springfield po
lice report that no charges have been
filed.
Student picketers claim the University
buys fuel from the Reed Fuel Co. Le
land Lorrange, director of the Univer
sity physical plant, said he had not seen
any Reed trucks, but if they were deliver
ing to the University they would not be
from the Huntington Mill. He explained
that Huntington produces cedar chips, and
the University burns sawdust.
A1 Davis, a sub-foreman at the physical
plant, said that the University buys fuel
from Reed, Rexius, Knight and Workman.
He added that most of the fuel now is
being bought from Knight Fuel Co.
Student picketers said that they would
return tomorrow.
Clergymen
update opinions
of campus life
A group of clergymen left campus Tuesday with
an updated and, for some, very different view of
the University community.
The 22 clergymen from around the state were
the second group of religious leaders to attend a
series of four conferences sponsored this year by
the campus Cooperative Christian Ministry (CCM).
The men spent two full days talking with per
sons on campus about rapid changes taking place
at the University and the role of the ministry in
this “revolutionary age.”
In various sessions the men attended classes and
spoke with administrators, faculty, counselors and
other University personnel and various students
including student government representatives and
minority groups.
Tuesday afternoon, the clergymen summed up
some of their views and discussed the role of the
church on campus.
A major topic of concern was what some de
scribed as a “vacuum” between the curriculum of
the University religious studies department and
the CCM programs.
Several of the clergymen were critical of the
department’s attempts to “build academic re
spectability by remaining non-value oriented.”
Bob Peters “CCM staff member, described the
department’s aims as studying religion “in a plural
sense, as a discipline.”
Father Patrick LaBelle, CCM staff member, said
he was shocked during recent talks with depart
ment personnel who said the “University shouldn”t
be involved in value orientation.”
“The University classes are full of value-oriented
statements, taught by value-oriented people and
responded to by value-oriented students. If the
whole University is value-oriented and yet religious
studies remain non-value-oriented, students are
sure to become bored with these classes, regardless
of how good the teachers are,” said Fr. LaBelle.
The clergymen talked of various courses which
could and are being made available to meet the
needs of students. Peters explained the value of
'-—T
SEARCH in enabling the campus ministry to take
part in initiating courses, such as the class this
term on “theology of Human Sexuality.”
Peters also discussed possibilities for a class
on “theology as it relates to the draft” which he
said administrators had objected to at its first
proposal because “it was too directly applicable.”
“If the department of religious studies just be
came interested in these types of classes, they
wouldn’t be able to find enough classrooms for
the interested students,” commented Fr. LaBelle.
However, Peters further explained that the
campus ministry’s “major discontent is not with
the department of religious studies. Our convic
tion is that faith must be acted out and we must
work to find out how. The religious studies de
partment isn’t our major stumbling block.”
Yet other clergymen suggested that the non
value oriented religious studies classes are what
people come to associate with the church.
When questioned following the summary ses
sion, Earl Gibbs, Christian Church clergyman from
Springfield, and Thomas Tweedie, Presbyterian
minister from Klamath Falls, spoke about their
experiences during the two days.
Thomas said he observed that “the University
teaching staff is in a very difficult situation in
this period of transition of attitudes. It is a
problem for them to know what groups they can
talk to.”
He added that he noted how the idea of “priva
tism or letting a student do his own thing often
moves into non-involvement and a ‘no-hope for
the future’ theology. But we’re looking to the
youth to be involved,” he said.
Thomas said his talks with students had helped
him “gain a more thoughtful view of the radicals’
position.” “They’re saying what we’ve been saying
all along, only in a different and more forceful
way,” he commented.
Both men expressed enthusiasm for the coopera
tive efforts between ministries in the conference.
“I think this is a preview of things to come with
all ministries working together,” said Gibbs.
Several of the clergymen expressed disappoint
ment in the SEARCH course, “Can Man Survive?”
they attended Monday night.
Thomas said although he was much in favor of
the class purposes, “I was amazed at the demean
ing attitude of leaders to students.” He said he
was disappointed with the leaders “herding the
students through emotional factors without real
presentation of the facts.”
CLERGYMEN CITED "vacuum" between Cooperative Christian Ministry and the University religion
department .at,Thursday.coofereOW- ....
Theologian attacks
Protestant racism
JOSEPH
I I
WASHINGTON
By BOB DePRATO
Of the Emerald
White Protestantism has been
construed into color prejudice,
remarked Black Theologian Jo -
seph Washington to some 100 lis
teners Tuesday night in the EMU
Ballroom.
^ “An irrational color prejudice
is inherent in Protestantism,” said
Washington, speaking on “Black
and White Folk Religion" in the
first of three lectures he will de
liver during the University’s an
nual symposium on religion.
Washington, professor of reli
gious studies and dean of the
| chapel at Beloit College, Beloit,
I Wis., will deliver a lecture on
I “Black and White Power Fail -
I ure" tonight at 7:30 in the EMU
Ballroom.
*oik religion, according to
Washington, is the manner in which people interpret their religious
loundations in everyday actions and beliefs.
American Black folk religion came about as a reaction to the evils
of White falk religion, Washington observed. He said these evils are
found in “an elective affinity between Protestantism, capitalism and
color prejudice.”
The visiting Black theologian said this was developed through
slavery. He emphatically exonerated the earliest Black slave trad
ers, northern African Muslins followed by southern European Cath
olics, for the development of color prejudice. Instead, he put the
blame squarely on northern European Protestant slave traders, and
added that much was done to perpetuate color prejudice in colo
nial America.
“Both the Islamic and Catholic slavery traditions provided that
slaves could become (religious) brothers,” said Washington. “In the
Protestant slave tradition, developed in the 15th and 16th centuries,
there was no such allowance for Blacks to become brothers.”
A capitalistic impetus for slavery was provided in the doctrines
of Calvinism, said Washington.
“A man who succeeded through capitalism gave an indication that
God had elected him for salvation,” Washington continued. “Slave
trading was a profitable part of capitalism.”
In colonial America, Washington sarcastically commented that re
ligion was given to Black slaves to keep Blacks “obedient, loving,
cheerful, kind, and proud of their masters.”
“But this didn’t always work,” he quickly pointed out, noting the
occurrence of several slave uprisings that showed Black rejection of
the institution.
The American revolutionary period, accompanied by the rising
prominence of deism, Quakerism and a high regard for fundamentals
of freedom, justice and equality, prompted a Black awareness that
Washington termed “the first heroic movement of the Blacks in pur
suing freedom, justice and equality.”
“What emerged,” Washington added, “was a movement strongly
dedicated to obtaining freedom, justice and equality.” He said this has
been the leading characteristics of Black folk religion ever since.
Prejudice in the White folk religion, said Washington, is due to
“the deepest dimension of man, the irrational. It is in this dimension
that the holy and demonic are found. One may believe here that he
is engaged in the holy, whereas in reality he is engaged in the de
monic.”
Fundamentals of the White and Black folk religion are so contra
dictory that the two cannot hope to merge or indefinitely exist side
by side, Washington said.
Conflict that will destroy one or the other is inevitable, he con
cluded. He remained uncommitted on which force of folk religion
will ultimately prevail.