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CAMPUS MIRROR
3
Third Annual John Hope
Lecture
In commemoration of Dr. John Hope,
a national leader in education and an
international leader in other phases of
life, who served Morehouse as its Pres
ident for twenty-five years and the At
lanta L Diversity System as its first Pres
ident for seven years, the John Hope
Lecture series was inaugurated in 1938.
The lecturer this year was Raymond
Gram Swing, the internationally known
news correspondent and radio commen
tator. He has been honored by Oberlin
College, which he attended, with the
degree of Doctor of Letters. A newspa
per worker since 1906 both in America
and abroad, he is well informed on world
affairs. He is the author of Forerunners
of American Fascism and How IT ar
Came. At various times he has been
foreign correspondent for outstanding
American newspapers. He has the dis
tinction of being the only American com
mentator on American affairs of the
British Broadcasting Corporation. His
news talks may be heard Monday
through Friday nights at 9:00 over the
Mutual Broadcasting system.
Taking as his subject ‘"The Choice of
Freedom,” Mr. Swing suggested two
choices which may he made ami which
are being made today. If one believes
that there is in progress a world revo
lution which will result in good for all.
he chooses the freedom that Hitler offers.
“ ‘Inevitable’ is the most dangerous word
today. It is defeat before expenditure of
effort.” From the idea of inevitability
develops the thesis of revolutionary de
terminism. Revolution, which is the
transfer of power from a smaller to a
larger number, is liberative and therefore
good. The Nazi movement is claimed
to be such a world revolution. I his
thesis Mr. Swing attacks. To consider
tlie National Socialist program to be lib
erative from its economic aspect is erro
neous. for its temporary solution of un
employment is but a subordinate step
ping stone to the construction of a war
machine which is not revolutionary but
gives power to the few. There is no free
dom allowed in social life: although a
German officer and his German chauf
feur now eat together; the German
and the Jew do not. The freedom of
speech and writing and of worship and
the right to protection by impartial law
and to a voice in the government, privi
leges which the German people once
possessed, no longer exi>t. Personal
freedom has been sacrificed for racial
supremacy. Power has been transferred
from the many to the few. for the power
and freedom which the Germans are now
gaining once belonged to the whole
(Continued on Page 7)
Institute of Socio-religious
Affairs
The seventh annual Institute on Socio
religious Affairs was held at Paine Col
lege, Augusta. Georgia, the week-end of
November 29 to December 1. It was at
tended by some sixty delegates from
nine colleges: Wesleyan. Shorter, Bre-
nau, Duke, Emory University, Gammon
Theological Seminary. Spelman and
Morehouse Colleges. The Spelman dele
gates were Vivian Alexander, Julia Al
len. Merle Christian, Dorothy Stalnaker.
Helen Nash. Mildred Maxey. Rae Jami
son, and Jean Warren. The faculty rep
resentatives were Miss Jenson and Dr.
Loos. The conference aimed expressly
to better interracial relations and to pro
vide opportunity for discussion of some
of the pregnant problems of today in the
light of the Christian faith.
Dr. and Mrs. Eugene W. Lyman were
the main lecturers, as well as the im
portant leaders of the conference. Dr.
Lyman, formerly head of the Department
of Philosophy and Religion at Union
Theological Seminary, author of The
Meaning of Truth and Religion, and one
of the best informed men in the United
States in the field of psychology and re
ligion, delivered the conference lectures
on Friday evening and Saturday morn
ing, namely “Christian Essentials for a
Faith” and “The Problems of Evil.” His
wife, Mary Ely Lyman, also an author,
having written the Hazen books, Jesus
and The Christian Epic, spoke Saturday
evening on the subject “Personal Reli
gion in Times Like These.”
The discussion groups used these lec
tures as a basis for their discussions
organized around the theme, “A Faith
for Today.” The groups, five in number,
discussed faith in connection with vital
institutions and phases of life of real
interest today. The group subjects were:
Group I, “This Faith and Personal Liv
ing;” Group II, “This Faith and the
Church;” Group III, “This Faith in Re
lation to the National Government;”
Group IV, “This Faith in Relation to the
World Community;” Group V. “This
Faith and Economic Security.”
The Conference had a social side also.
On Friday night the delegates met each
other at an informal tea in Mary Ellam
Hall. Saturday afternoon afforded an
opportunity for playing games and learn
ing folk dances in the large gymnasium
at Bethlehem Community Center.
On Sunday morning a period was de
voted to student expressions. It was very
informal, and the students expressed
themselves spontaneously, hut it was of
great importance because in that short
space of time the success of the entire
Conference was determined. The stu
dents took stock of those two days
Dr. James Francis Cooke
Visits the Campus
On Sunday. December 1. 1940. it was
the extreme pleasure of the Spelman
Music students to sing for Dr. and Mrs.
James Francis Cooke. Dr. Cooke is the
editor of the Etude magazine, a com
poser, and a writer of music histories.
He was a lifelong friend of Theodore
Presser, a pioneer in American music,
the founder and president of the Theo
dore Presser Publishing Company, and
the founder of the Presser Foundation.
Dr. Cooke is now the president of the
Presser Publishing Company. He came
to Atlanta for the dedication of the
Agnes Scott Music Building.
The Spelman Glee Club, Morehouse
Quartet, and an improvised mixed choru-
sang 17th and 18th century German and
French songs, spirituals, and Christmas
Carols; also Alma Stone, pianist, Spel
man. '40, and Vernon McClean. violinist.
Morehouse, ’43, played for Dr. Cooke.
To the students Dr. Cooke expressed fa
vorable comments on not only God-given
voices but also choral techniques.
Dr. Compton Lectures
At the invitation of the Georgia School
of Technology. Spelman, Morehouse, and
Atlanta University students and faculty
members attended a lecture given at that
school on December 5 by Dr. Arthur
H. Compton, distinguished physicist and
Nobel prize winner. His subject was
“Physics Looks at the Future.’ At the
close of his lecture he entertained ques
tions from the audience. Spelman stu
dents in attendance were Sadie Sims.
Beverly Washington, Mary Stamper,
Helene Bryant, and Annie Roland. Dr.
Compton will be remembered as the fir>t
John Hope lecturer at Atlanta Univer
sity, speaking in Sisters Chapel in No
vember. 1938, on the subject, “Science.
Religion, and a Stable Society.”
which they had spent together and ex
pressed what the experience of mingling
and exchanging ideas had meant to them.
In a manner so sincere that it was com
pletely disarming, they, each in a differ
ent way. expressed a thankfulness for the
experience of the Conference and a fer
vent determination to carry to their re
spective campuses something of the com
mon feeling of understanding, of sympa
thy, and of goodwill that permeated and
bound all those who were there in a
deeper and finer friendship.
Paine College is to he commended for
fostering this close interracial relation
ship among students, and it would he
well if more colleges would take pattern
after it.