Letters to the editor

The road to unity Dear editor:

“O sing unto the Lord a new song; sing unto the Lord, all the earth” (Psalm 96:1).

Before the demonstration in support of Confederate monuments last Saturday morning, a prayer service, led by the Rev. George Sanders, was held at St. Mary of the Springs Catholic Church. From every part of Arkansas, ministers and priests, worshippers and representatives of the Judeo-Christian tradition gathered to pray for unity and peace in the community of Hot Springs and on behalf of all humanity. Thankfully, our prayers were answered through the considerable efforts of the police, fire department, hospitals and support of the state government.

Bishop Anthony Taylor delivered a homily that morning, directing our hearts and souls to appreciate and love all peoples, despite our divisive political and philosophical differences. That is no simple request, considering the belligerence and animus which have recently infected civil, moral and ethical behavior throughout our country. Yet that message is the central principle of the Bible and the Gospels. It is internalized through the love of God, Who is the source of all blessings.

Dostoevsky wrote: “If there is no God, then everything is permitted.” That includes evil. But as the psalmist attests: “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, For Thou art with me” (Psalm 23).

Singing to God, praying for clean hands and a pure heart, puts us on the road to redemption. We continue to sing the same hymns in our churches and synagogues, but every time we sing them with sincerity and love in our hearts, we are restored anew. Let us continue to sing and pray together in the days and years to come. Rev. CB Baker, St. Luke’s Episcopal Church Rabbi Richard Chapin, Congregation House of Israel Rev. David Fleming, Grand Avenue United Methodist Church Rev. David Moseley Sr., pastor, First United Methodist Church Rev. Gregory Nettles, pastor, African Methodist Episcopal Church Rev. George Sanders, St. Mary of the Springs Catholic Church Hot Springs Fellowship of Clergy

Preserving the worst? Dear editor:

The front page of the Aug. 19 edition of The Sentinel-Record carried a picture of what I term “Fort Dumpster.” The presumptive taxpayer-funded barricade protecting the private memorial to the “common soldier,” as the president of the local chapter of United Daughters of the Confederacy (UDC) described Confederate Square. In that same edition, Catholic Diocese of Little Rock, Bishop Anthony Taylor announced a Multi-Faith Prayer Service at St. Mary of the Springs Catholic Church to coincide with a planned demonstration by a group calling itself the Confederate Square Group, on behalf of protecting such monuments.

In describing the history of Confederate Square, UDC officials say a campaign to erect the memorial began in 1907 when a Mrs. J. Davidson Smith moved from Alabama and noted that Hot Springs was the only major city in Arkansas without a Confederate memorial. Again, according to the UDC history, it took until 1934 to raise the money, acquire the ground from the city and erect the monument. Meanwhile, in 1913 and 1922, as the Confederacy’s daughters were striving to raise money from white society, two black men were lynched on the site.

Interestingly, the lynchings were not mentioned by the United Daughters of the Confederacy in their version of history. So the question is rightly repeated: In having public rallies to preserve the myths of “The Lost Cause” and protect Confederate memorials, are not the advocates actually preserving the worst aspects of America … slavery and Jim Crow? Not to mention treason. Steve Rittenmeyer Hot Springs Village

‘Stuff the Bus’ success Dear editor:

United Way of the Ouachitas wishes to thank our community for helping us “Stuff the Bus!”

On Saturday, Aug. 5, the United Way led volunteers in collecting donated school supplies at area Walmart stores for local school districts: Cutter Morning Star, Fountain Lake, Hot Springs, Jessieville, Lake Hamilton, Lakeside and Mountain Pine school districts. Not all of the school districts provide supplies to their students as school begins, but even in those districts that do, backup supplies are needed for the rest of the year.

In total, 6,941 packages of school supplies were collected, with an additional $2,143.24 in cash donations. United Way continues to collect supplies to share with area districts to ensure that all of our kids start school equipped with the supplies they need to be ready to learn.

Thank you to everyone who helped make “Stuff the Bus” a huge success! Jane Browning Executive director United Way of the Ouachitas