THB CATHOLIC WORKER 8ub•cr1pt1ons Vol. XXXIV No. 10 DECEMBER, 1968 2lc Per Year Price le Thomas Merton, Along the Trappist Nisqually 1915-1968 ' By ROBERT D. CASEY By DOROTHY DAY The fall fishing season here in the State of Washington opened with an A year ago Thomas Merton was send­ almost inevitable confrontation be­ ing out his Advent-Christmas letter tween the Indian tribes, who were ex­ and elling of the death of three close ercising their Treaty rights to earn a friends by heart attacks. "Both were living by fishing their rivers, and the about my age," he wrote. "So if I sud­ State, which ls attempting to regulate denly follow their example I will be this troublesome ethnic minority out the last. "ne n h.- surprised." He was of existence by destroying their eco­ fifty-three years old when he died. On nomic basis of survival. Although the Wedne&day, December 11, we received a Indians catch cmly five per cent of the telegram from the abbot, telling of his annual take of salmon, , most of the death. We had no details of his dying recently enacted legislation, all in the from the New York Times that morn­ name of "conservation," seems to be ing because we had an early edition aimed at them and not at the com­ which ran only his prepared obituary. mercial fishing interests, which main­ I t was from a later issue of the paper tain expensive, efficient, and well paid that we learned the details. I felt cer­ lobbies in the corridors of the State tain that it was indeed a heart attack legislature-playing a game the In­ which had caused him to fall against dians don't even know the name of. a standing electric fan in the monas­ A new, and potentially dangerous, tery in Bangkok, which in tum fell upon development is taking place in the him, burning him severely. He had ar­ ranks of the Indian youths serving in rived in Bangkok a week before to at­ the arm!!d forces. (They are dispropor­ tend a meeting of Roman Catholic tionately represented there, because monks who had gathered to discuss very few Indian lads are deferred for monasticism in the Far East. any reason. During World War II, the All of us at Tivoli and at St. Joseph's Indians used to say that "if you can , House of Hospitality on First Street in see lightning and hear thunder, you're New York were shocked and saddened in.") Some of the young braves, home by the loss of this friend of the Catho­ on furlough _from the killing in Viet­ ic Worker and of the peace movement. nam, have determined not to go back He had been writing to us since the to the war in Asia until they have Fifties and we had published a great finished fighting tor the rights of their · number of his articles. Ever since he own people here at home. wrote Seven Story Mountain, which was Here are excerpts from a public ·dec­ published in 1948 and made the best laration made on October · 13th by seller lists, he was kept busy by his P.F.C. Sidney Mills, a Yakima and abbot, writing more books and essays. Cherokee Indian who served in the The N'ew York Times said of him that 36 East First Army for two years jl.nd four months he was a writer of singular grace about I By JACK COOK and was critically wounded1 in combat the city of God and an essayist of pen­ in Vietnam: To Dan Kelly, etrating originality on the City of Men. monium every morning to an apprecia­ My first obligation lies with the He had become a Catholic in 1938 and Allenwood Prison Farm, tive audience. To those too timid to Allenwood, Pennsylvania· Indian people, firhting for their joined the Trappists at Gethsemanl ask for seconds, he says: "Let me put lawfnl treaty rights . and in in 1941 and lived at Bardstown, Ken­ Dear Dan: a head on that bowl of soup." Wong, serving them, in this firht, in any tucky, first in the monastery and then Remember the classic faux pas I made stem and brusque, ls effective coun­ way possible. The defense of the as a hermit on the property. A few when last I used this column as a pri­ terpoint, and Fred Lindsey takes up Indian people, and their chosen <Continued on page 6) vate-public letter to Jim Wilson, who the theme downstairs, where he enter­ way of life ... is more compelling was then where you are now: in Allen­ tains the troops with his burlesque rou- than any duty to the U.S. military. wood Prison? I addressed him in the tines. · I renounce, and no longer consider salutation as "Dead Jim,'' not "Dear Th~nk you, thank you! There are other themes, of course: myself under, the authority and Jim"; and to this day we do not know Louis Prinz, who along with Italian the jurisdiction of . the United "I am of so rrateful a disposition," whether the original error was in my Mike, Brother John, Jimmy the Indian, States Army. St. Teresa of Avila once said, "that copy (which ls missing) or simply a and others, regularly works on the sec­ I have served the U.S. In a less I can be bought with a sardine." fan ta st l c fluke on the part of the ond floor, told me he knows more than Much more than a sardine have we printer. compelling struggle in Vietnam and a few Bowery men who come in not for will not be restricted from doinr received these months. Happily Perhaps, gverzealous in my effort to soup alone but to meditate in those in­ working in our new headquarters at identify with Jim in prison, I subcon­ less for my own people within the tervals of silence following raucous dis­ United States . • I have given 36 East First Street, we rejoice in sciously gave a name to his s~ate of cord. And the curtain rises and falls enough to the U.S. Army and now the central heating and hot water, mind at the time. I hope and trust on the lilting greeting and farewell of and the fact of our all beinr under that it is not your state of mind. I choose to serve my people. My de­ our Scottish Mary Gallagan. cision is further influenced by the one roof for the first time since our prefer to regard such events as that Of Prisoners old house was bulldozed out of ex­ 'painfully poignant salutation as meta­ fact that we have already buried istence by the city. For all who physical mysteries and leave it at that. I am rather glad, I must admit, that Indian fishermen, returned dead helped us make a down payment and A week or so ago, shortly before 10 my sentencing and time (mid-January; from Vietnam, while other Indian accomplish all the repairs, we are o'clock when we serve our soup, bread, probably at Allenwood) postdate the· fishermen live here· without protec­ deeply grateful and beg God's bless­ and tea, it was discoverP-d tl:)at we had ' upcoming "action" on th~ part of t~ tion and under steady attack from ings on them. And to ·au those who no tea. ambitious Peace ·Movement at Allen- the power processes of this nation have answered our appeal for help Being short of help that day, we wood on the 20th o! December. I un­ and the States of Washin(ton and to make some beginning of paying could not send anyone out for some, so derstand it is to be another "celebra­ Oreg~n. · off our bills which accumulated we reluctantly took the cups from the tion of life" thing, complete with Joan I will not be amonr those who while we were usinr all the money tables. At that moment the nuns who Baez and Freedom songs. draw pride from a past in which I that came in for repairs, we beg God regularly donate bi:ead and cake to us Besides making prison officials up­ had no part, nor from a proud to outdo them in renerosity a hun­ arrived, and, you guessed it, in one of tight, the probable consequence more heritage I will not uphold. we dredfold. If you have received but the cartons was a pound and a half of rigid routines, there are other objec­ must rive of ourselves today-and an inadequate note of acknowledg­ excellent tea. tions. I would delight, were I in prison, I for one will not be content to ment, please excuse us-the work And of our soupline let it be said, as · to be sung t0 and made to feel good; but have women' and children fightinr is piled hirh and half the house is I still maintain about the old Latin I would be depressed as hell, were I in in my stead. At least, I will be down with 'flu, being more comfort­ Mass, that it is a work of art from be­ prison, to be singled out, sung to, and " among them-at least, they will ably sick than they would have'been ginning to end. There is something of made to feel holy. not be alone. six months aro, thanks to the new the artist <as Pat May says) in John So blessed, how would I face this After Sidney Mills made his decision place.