Letters to the editor for July 6

North treated South cruelly

A number of people in South Carolina think the Confederate flag represents racism and hate.

When President Abraham Lincoln approved the order that Gen. William T. Sherman should go through Georgia and South Carolina burning crops and looting homes, hundreds of wagons full of furniture and other items were shipped to the North. Some people in the North think that their antiques were left to them by their ancestors, but we know they were stolen from the South.

President Lincoln was hoping the Southern soldiers would stop fighting and go home. Civilian women and children should not be punished during a time of war.

When the Northern soldiers were in Georgia and South Carolina, they would confiscate all chickens, pigs and cows, leaving nothing for the Southern families to eat. As they were leaving the farms after burning the homes, some even killed the mules in the field so the people would have no means to raise a crop.

Some people in South Carolina teach their children to hate the Confederate flag even though they know nothing about the history of the flag. We need to stop all hatred in South Carolina.

Relations are improving

Seeds of tolerance have been planted in York County. Some have germinated into acts of kindness between the races and between generations. I can attest to several. Let me explain.

Often, I use a cane when walking. Two weeks ago I drove my new auto to a local service station to add wiper fluid. As I entered the station two young black men spoke and held the door open for me. After my purchase, two other young black men spoke and held the door open.

All were in their 20s. One offered to carry my purchase, about 10 pounds, to my car. I thanked him but declined.

I had never raised the hood on the new car. Taking the manual from the glove box, I tried to figure out how to do this. It was unlike any other hood latch I’d seen in 70 years of driving.

A black college student fueled his car at an adjacent pump. Noticing my frustration with the latch, he offered to help. He worked it out, much to my relief. Driving away, he called “Happy Father’s Day.”

By this time other young black men had gathered to watch me perform the next task: Pouring a gallon of fluid from a heavy container into a one-inch-diameter pipe a foot below the spout. First, how to open the container with arthritic hands.

With determination and with five sets of eyes watching me, I managed the task without spilling a drop. With admiration, the young men offered congratulations. I blushed.

Fast forward two weeks. Returning to Rock Hill from Tryon, N.C., I stopped at McDonald’s for ice cream and coffee. When I fumbled for change in my pocket, the waitress called “no charge.” When I asked her to explain she said that a young black man had just paid my tab. As he left, he called out, “Happy July 4th.”

I was dumbfounded and watched as he crossed the road and climbed into his freight rig. As he drove away, did I hear him call out, “High-yo, Silver, away”?

Relations between the races are improving. I pray that we of white skin are doing our part.

This story was originally published July 5, 2015 at 6:26 PM with the headline "Letters to the editor for July 6."