DALLAS CHILDREN APPLAUD
A November 24 Reuters dispatch from Peking received prominent display in the American press as a telling example of “Communist mentality."
According to Reuters, "Authoritative sources said school children here applauded yesterday when they were told of the death of Mr. Kennedy, who had been represented to them in Peking propaganda as the world's wickedest man,"
The, New: York Times singled this out for an ironic headline: "Peking Children Applaud, 7
Although it cannot be approved, of course, the action of the Chinese children is understandable in view of the American blockade of China, American support of butcher-dictator Chiang Kai-shek: and the maintenance of the Seventh Fleet in the Taiwan Straits as a permanent military threat, Chinese children have been taught that it is patriotic to hate the imperialist foe as personified by whoever is in the White House,
On the same day that Reuters put this story on the wires, a Dallas minister, the Rev, William A. Holmes delivered a bitter sermon, | stating that "the spirit of aasassination" had flourished in the city for some time, | -
Among the examples he cited was the clapping and cheering by fourthgrade children in a public school when their teacher told them of the assassination. of President Kennedy. -
The childrents action, said the minister, mirrored the intolerance learned from their parents.
This intolerance, of course, is the poisonous racist variety which white parents spoon-feed to their children in the South. Dallas babies were taught to hate Kennedy as Enemy No. 1 because he favored civil-rights legislation, however weak, and had even. brought out the troops to protect a lone Negro student "integrated" at the hitherto Lily-waite University of Mississippi.
In a taped television interview in Dallas November 26, the Rev,.-Holmes repeated what he had told his congregation on Sunday.
Even before the interview was over, such a flood of protest poured into the station that the police decided to take the minister and his family secretly to a friend's home and then to put guards at both resin. dences, The guards are to be maintained indefinitely.
He Williams, a school principal, denied the truthfulness of what Holmes had said, According to Williams, the children did not cheer when the assassination was announced, He said that an order was read over the public address system telling the children to go home at once but witheut telling them why. They may have cheered at the announcement to go home, "as any child would."
On November 27 eleven other Methodist ministers issued a statement endorsing ‘the Holmes sermon.
"We can document times over the exclamations of approval by school children at the death of President Kennedy," they said in the statement. , "We believe they reflect home and community attitudes of disrespect for the office of the Presidency and for duly constituted Government authority.
"We believe the Rev. Holmes correctly assessed the situation. We affirm that he does not stand alone, and add our voices to his appeal,"
‘At Perkins School of Theology at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, the faculty of thirty-five passed a. resolution unanimously ~— endorsing Mr, Holmes's_ sermon. 7
‘Miss Joanna Morgan, of Lake Highland. Junior High School, said that those who cheered were in a small minority, Other teachers had told. her of similar cheering.
"Goodie, goodie," one child was reported. to have said,
The indignation in Dallas over what the minister said did not concern the truth or falsity of the facts but that he had dared speak about them. One housewife said vehemently: - _ a
"No matter whether there is eny truth in what he said or not, he had no business ‘saying it before a nationwide television audience, u
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