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The Campus Mirror Published by the Students of Spelman College, Atlanta, Georgia During the College Year VOL. v. NOVEMBER 15, 1928 Number 2 SPIRITUAL INTERPRETA TION OF A GROUP OF NEGRO MELODIES A group of Negro melodies formed the subject of a series of chapel talks which Mr. Howard Thurman, instructor in Biblical lit erature gave, beginning Oct. 15. He gave the religious message which these spirituals brought to Negroes a long time ago and the religious message they bring today. The singing of the spiritual preceded its discus sion each morning The first was, “We Are Climbing Jacob’s Ladder." After Jacob’s dream in which he saw a ladder reaching from the earth to the sky, he awoke and was convinced that God was in the place where he was. Mr. Thur man said that the people who first sang that song had a past filled with a wide variety of tragedy, a present both crushing and de moralizing, and a future most uncertain. He spoke of the advantages and disadvantages of day-dreaming. Sometimes we day-dream because we have not the courage to face the present, while at other times it is the only thing that keeps the spirit alive, that keeps people from suicide. “We are climbing Ja cob's Ladder and every round goes higher and higher.” The second melody discussed was “My Soul is a Witness.” Creators of these songs felt their kinship with the Hebrew chil dren. “A witness,” he said, “is one who tes tifies to what he has seen and known. The more personal the knowledge, the more sig nificant it is. “Each one should know for himself that God is real. Far back in the years the same thing was shared that is be ing shared today. Don’t think that you are being peculiar—that you are being different from the Hebrews who have lived deep lives in the past, he added. “In the life of these do 1 make my appeal, ‘who will be a wit ness for my Lord?’” “Everybody Talking ’bout Heaven Ain’t Going There." This spiritual contains the same truth today that it contained one hun dred years ago. Mr. Thurman brought out the fact that this spiritual originated in the time of slavery, when the slave said, “There must be two heavens—one for the master and one for me. But that cannot be, for there is only one God. Oh, I know. The master is having his heaven right now, and I’m having my hell; but later on I shall have my heaven and he, his hell." This spiritual suggests that people who live un der pressure—who live in a master-slave re lationship find it almost impossible to be honest with each other. "The Blind Man Stood on the Way and Cried,” has to do principally with human suf- (Continued on Page 5) AUTUMN ON OUR CAMPUS By M. A. Dunn “Who hath seen the winds?” Its unseen presence blows the red, brown, and golden leaves, swirling over the campus. Occasionally a leaf from one of the evergreen trees will fall too, chased by the wind. The men rake the leaves into piles and before they finish one part of the campus, the other part is lit tered again. All winter the breath of the West wind blows the leaves helter, skelter over the campus. This is Autumn. PRESIDENT OF BOARD OF TRUSTEES VISITS SPELMAN To see Mr. Trevor Arnett, President of the Board of Trustees of Spelman College, on the campus during the week end was a pleasure, and to hear him speak in Chapel Monday, Oct. 22, 1 1928, added much to that pleasure. Having expressed his usual happiness to be at Spelman, Mr. Arnett stressed the point that we should try to do just a little better the things that we are doing. He used an illustration from Paul’s trial before Agrippa. When Agrippa said. “Almost thou persuadest me to be a Christian," Paul said, ‘‘I wish you were not almost, but quite what I am.” “Some students,” he said, “are almost good students, but there is a difference between almost and quite. It would be much better to do a thing entirely than almost.” He added that many people almost succeed. In conclusion he said, “Don’t have almost in your character. Have a complete fulfillment of what you are trying to do. MISS AMELIA NJONG- WANA TALKS AGAIN ON AFRICA On Oct. 12, 1928, Miss Njongwana gave her second talk on Africa. Some people think that if they go to Africa they will be friendless, but this is not true. She stressed the fact that you can find friends if you go to Africa. Miss Njongwana said that in parts of Af rica there are entire groups of people who have never attended school, and that she spent much time trying to learn about such people and also trying to encourage them. Sometimes instead of going to school, a child has to tend the cattle or do something else less attractive. The Africans have not fully realized that it is quality and not quantity that really counts. Miss Njongwana worked three years among some untaught people before she re ceived any salary. She reported that unless there are at least thirty pupils in a school and an average attendance of twenty, the Cape Colony government does not pay the I salary of the teacher. After she had begun J to receive a salary she worked seven years j for thirty-five dollars a year. Spelman students are anxiously waiting to hear more about Africa. SMITH - SPRING - HOLMES ORCHESTRAL QUINTET On Tuesday, Nov. 6, the Smith-Spring- Holmes Orchestral Quintet gave a program in Howe Memorial Chapel that delighted the audience. They gave selections from Braham, Liszt, Mendelssohn and Victor Herbert, also some of Mr. Smith’s and Mr. Holmes’ own com positions. Mr. Smith and Mr. Holmes are both versatile; the former played the trom bone, the saxophone and the basset horn and the latter played the saxophone, flute and cornet. One of Mr. Smith’s delightful encores was his famous composition, “Sorter Miss You.” Miss Graff, an accomplished violinist, thrilled the audience with her rendition of the andante and allegro vivace from the “E Minor Concerto.” The Spring sisters are both talented; Mis> Lotus Spring is the cello soloist and Miss Coyla Spring, the reader, soprano and pianologist. There were solos, readings and ensemble numbers, making the program varied and de lightful. The audience gave hearty applause and the artists were generous in giving en cores.