N ARTICLE
in a recent N.Y. Times referred to a phenomena that has arisen universally as "The Woodstock Nation". Since I have resided in Woodstock for over 30 Years, perhaps a word or two about life and experience in the "Woodstock Nation" would not be amiss.
They may serve to prove that the "Woodstock Nation" is no chimera.
My first experience with a hippie was several years ago when I invited a long-haired youth to spend a January night in my "Prophet's Chamber", rather than risk his life in a blanket on the church grounds. Over a cup of coffee this youth quoted Kahil Gibran and other such writers. Next morning he remarked, on seeing my building project (I was only 82 years old then), "Father, you need help." That was a gross understatement! Well, Frank stayed with me, worked with me and later on brought some of his hippie friends. This beginning started my life in another world -- a world that I had long sought in holy Mother Church. Sharing with these youths my home and life I learned first hand of their hopes and aspirations in this crazy, confused world -- the world rubber-stamped with "In God We Trust", a sad slogan to try to cover hypocrisies.
Recently the N.Y. Daily News referred to me as the "Hippie Priest" to the chagrin of many friends of my former "respectable" years. Yes, these years were duly approved by the Establishment. For had I not been in Holy Orders for 60 years and married some of the Vanderbuilts and others of their strata? But I had grown weary of my church confreres who in many cases pray to God on Sundays and prey on their fellow men the rest of the week.
When one is four score years, one is apt to look for results -- results that are exemplified in a "way of life". And what a "way of life" the establishment had surrounded us with: murder styled as militarism, greed unbounded in our Capitaliatic "way of life" etc. Little wonder then that modern youth rebelled! But they rebelled in a Christian way, by as far as humanly possible, having no part of the iniquity foisted upon them by their leaders.
One gets very tired, too, of so many of these "nice" people condemning the hippies for their style of hair or their clothing. But have these "nice" people ever asked why?
Even in Woodstock, the Hippie-opolis of America, dubious methods and measures have been adopted to cast approbrium. On many of our store doors we find signs reading "No Bare Feet". Our local city council works overtime enacting laws outlawing the hippies.
For the past summer our Mountain Church in Woodstock has been filled to capacity, with crowwds standing outside. The great majority have been hippies. Not only do they attend church on Sunday but they take care of our extensive grounds. During the summer a large pavilion was erected on the church grounds, the work being done entirely by hippies. This pavilion is used for social gatherings and meetings. The beautiful hand hewn beams of the structure were given by one of the editors of a famous national magazine.
A question frequently asked me is, "Do hippies use drugs?" I might answer truthfully, "Perhaps some do". But I must add that drug using is but a drop in the bucket compared to the liquor in general use in my youth when much of the world was half drunk much of the time and totally drunk half the time.
Many hippies grieve over the barrier between them and their parents. But the hackneyed phrase "Problem Children" might be a defense mechanism of Problem Parents!
Most hippies are idealistic. They have grown up in a world vulnerable to nuclear explosion now and population soon. Hence, they condmn militarism, materialism and competition and glory in life, nature, love and individuality. Most of the hippies with whom I have conversed are not concerned with theological bickerings. Tney have found that many Chritians are not willing to fraternise with the "underworld" as Jesus did and they seemingly make little effort to know its suffering or its point of view. So many hippies wish desperately to recall America to its traditional goals of freedom and justice for every man.
Perhaps hippidom is still a "stance". Charles Reich, a Yale law professor, recently stated "There is a revolution under way. It will not require violence to succeed, and it cannot be successfully resisted by violence. It is spreading with amazing rapidity, and already our laws, institutions and social structure are changing in consequence. This is the revolution of the new generation."
The long shadows of my 85 years have been enlightened by the close personal relationship I am having with countless hippies. They convince me that at long last the Kingdom of God is coming among men.