Laboratory

The little white frame Congregational church at Staffordville, Conn. (pop. 1,000) is the only Protestant church in town. Most of its 75 members--Italians, Poles, Czechs and some Yankees--work in the nearby button and belt factories.

This week almost all of them, including the postmaster and factory officials, turned out to hear their new pastor preach his first sermon. The Rev. Roland T. Heacock, 56, Connecticut-born graduate of Yale Divinity School ('24) and World War II Army chaplain, was looking forward enthusiastically to his new post. "The whole country is interested in better race relations," he said. "We have a wonderful opportunity here to be a laboratory." Dr. Heacock was deeply aware, of course, that there are not many other churches like Staffordville's, with a white congregation and a Negro minister.

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