Letter to the Editor from South Shelby Student and Clarence Resident, Hannah Mason

July 28, 2018

Editor,

"A house divided against itself cannot stand" was once said by Abraham Lincoln. President Lincoln had to deal with the division when he first became President. Our country was once divided into two sides, who both had different perspectives of how things should be. This led to America's bloodiest war, The Civil War. This war divided communities, neighbors, and even families. Division does not find any solutions, it only destroys. In our very own community, we see division.

This war about Prop. 1 is tearing our community apart and many people are letting hatred in their hearts and it is consuming them. With the hatred growing in each other, we forget we are neighbors and in the Mark 12 30-31, Jesus said, "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. The second is to love your neighbor as yourself." There is no commandment greater than these.

If this proposition passes, not only will South Shelby struggle to recover, our towns too will be destroyed by division and hatred. In our community we need to not let hatred overcome us, but let love overcome us, so we can stand united together as a family and save our towns.

Sincerely,

Hannah Mason

Clarence, Missouri

South Shelby Graduating Class of 2020