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Ninety Days Inside The Empire: A Novel by William Appleman Williams

Communion

Page 44

The bells were joyous and very soon people were jostling each other with happy neighborliness. He watched the Navy come in: they were in whites, but scattered themselves according to orders from Mr. Hank and Mitch. The white townspeople, less sure of themselves, even the Quakers, bunched up together. According to plan, Mitch was in civies and took a rear seat so he could watch the door. Marsh began to feel the balcony move in a murmur as the other sometimes faithful joined him.

Then the bells stopped and Thomas caught their last note, dropped it into a chord and moved into the chorus of "When De Good Lord Sets You Free." His left hand worked a light but insidious back beat. The congregation began to hum, the lovely rise and fall of the melody punctuated by the occasional run words. The choir filed in from both sides, sat down and hit it hard. Thomas increased the volume on the back beat.

"Big Black Nigger

"You shall be free....

"Want my pork chops and my chitlins, too....

"Talk about it, you shall be free....

Marsh was moving gently with the others, squeezing his hands together in half-time in that quiet clapping that moved the air without a sound.

"Fightin Nigger! Den-a

"You shall be free....

"Shout and study,

"You shall be free!"

Then his eyes caught, and his mind began to file, the names of the men in power and their agents. He quickly made all but four, one of them young who looked sour and kept fingering his tie. He hoped Mitch or Mr. Hank or Griff could place them. The choir and the congregation came to their feet as The Reverend entered from a side door and came down into the well at the end of the center aisle.

-- Lord, please help me do this right.

"We are here through the Love and Grace of The Lord. Let us hold hands with our neighbors and thank God."

A full minute of silence. Einstein or no, that is a very long time. You either prayed or wished you knew how.

"Amen."

"God be praised."

"Amen and Hallelujah!"

Next, without a seen signal, he and Thomas hit the first note of "In Christ There Is No East or West," and the next lines filled the church and were heard even throughout the neighborhood.

"...In Him no South or North, but one great fellowship of love throughout the whole wide earth.

"Join hands, disciples of the faith, there is no East or West, whate'er your race may be!

"Who serves my Father as his child is surely kin to me."

Two women came forward from the choir and flanked The Reverend about six feet away on either side. He stepped back and spoke the call:

"Let us pray for all sisters and brothers who suffer any troubles."

Thomas opened an almost whispered set of gentle rolling chords as the women began to sing to each other and to the congregation; one contralto, the other soprano.

 

"For the hungry and the homeless, the destitute and the oppressed."

"For the sick, the wounded, and the crippled."

"Who is weak and I am not weak?"

"Who is offended and I burn not?"

"For those in loneliness, fear and anguish."

"For those who face temptation, doubt and despair."