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PAGE TWO
CLARK PANTHER, NOVEMBER-DECEMBER, 1949
The Clark Panther
A Journal of College Life Published from September to June
By the Students of Clark College, Atlanta, Georgia
A promoter of school spirit by encouraging projects and efforts
among student groups and individual students.
A medium through which an opportunity is provided for students
to obtain experience in newsgathering, reporting, book-reviewing, edi
torial, and creative writing.
An instrument for fostering friendly and constructive criticism
of campus activities.
DAVID CHARLES COLLINGTON
Editor-in-Chief
HULEY B. DODSON WILLIAM STANLEY
Associate-Editor News-Editor
Daughtry Thomas.
Fred White
Harry Atkins
Lillian Graves
Evonne Abel
David Stanley
Alfred Wyatt
Fred Ross
Julius Conway
Feature
Art
Sports
Fashion
Society
Poet
Circulation
Advertising
Photographer
REPORTERS: Lorenzo Jones, Delores Arnold, Juanita Taylor, James
Woodard, Rose Ward, Marie Young and Yvonne Abel.
TYPISTS: Lois Richardson, Annie Burts, Ruth Paradise, Kathryn Shan-
nell, Rueben Dawkins, Hazel McGill, and Alverta Bryant.
Helen Thomas and Marion Brown Staff Secretaries
ADVISORS: J. F. Summersette, Darwin T. Turner, Franklin S. Jones.
THE GIFT OF SILENCE
He knew that it would avail nothing.
Can you present that gentle silence with no trace of smugness in it,
not a shadow of “I could answer this if I wished; but you wouldn’t under 1
stand it?” No hurt in it but a silence that is filled with vision and good
will?
It is one of the great gifts—to know how to be beautifully silent.
The endearing memorable silence of a good listener—the revelatory
silence of two people who love each other, sitting silently together, when
understanding of each other wells up in the quietness, and life and they
themselves grow clearer—but most wonderful of all, that soundless
place which mystics know, that secret place where revelation comes to
them without words, where the voice from the heart speaks to them
unaudibly but with words imperishable and clear.
It does not matter what method you use. It matters only that you
have found the value of stillness and made a place for it in your life—
even if it is only the silence of a good listener, muteness in the presence
of anger. If you can learn to keep this disciplinary silence, you are
on your way to finding the deeper silence out of which comes revelation,
guidance, your true self. You need not have religious belief in order to
meditate with great resulting benefit. It is an attitude of receptivity—
what does it matter whether one calls the sender God or the will-to-live,
the will-o-know? If your need is great, you have already called out to
the Unseen, whether you know it or not. And Someone somewhere hears.
Such is the plan of Love.
Two thousand years have gone by since Love was made form and
lived on the earth. And yet we have not learned to love. Still we bring
to this Christmas season unbelief and hatreds and fears—a long pro
cession bearing dark gifts, throughout the years. Can we not like those
three wise men, travel across the desert of waste that is in the life
and heart of every one of us and kneel in spirit before the One altogether
lovely and undefilable who dwells within us eternally newborn—no mat
ter what our lives have been—and lay at His feet gifts of reenwed
faith, of deep thankfulness that He is.
Make room fir silence in your life, give it its way. It is the secret
of successful living, of the happy heart. Once aagin Silent night,
holy night, and may the deeper meanings of silence be ours.
A step or two ahead of us is a time' when we shall hear over and
over, in churches, on the radio, singing in the street, chanting in our
memories, “Holy night, silent night.” It brings to us a feeling of peace—
pleasant, soothing. But to what depths of our being it would go if some
time during this Christmas period we should close our eyes and go in
spirit to that night two thousand years ago!
Holy night—our spirit kneels before its significance. Silent night—
our faces lift to the quiet stars, marveling at the destiny of this night.
Softly above our heads we hear the singing of the angels, we stand
among the startled shepherds and tremble at the miracle; and far off,
silhouetted against the spreading light, we see three men riding across
the desert—only three out of all the world who saw and believed, who
rose and followed the star to Bethlehem.
Out of what deep silence must the voice' have spoken to Mary
announcing the incredible thing that was to be. In what profound still
ness she must have pondered it, alone. All the miracles of the world are
enacted in silence: the shining of the sun, the blossoming of the
flowers, the coming of love, forgiveness in a heart, awareness of God.
Make room for silence in your life, give it its way in you, it is the
“secret place of the Most High.”
There are, of course, many kinds of silence, not all of them good.
There is a silence that is ungiving and surly, incasing you as if in a
hard shell. Nothing lovely or good can pierce through it and reach you;
you are as insulated from love and joy, from all the beenfits of God,
as if you were stone. An enemy silence. Pray it away.
Then there is the muteness which comes from discipline, the kind
which you impose upon yourself when you want to say angry things.
Perhaps someone has pricked your ego; or perhaps you are the kind of
person who habitually says sharp, sarcastic words because that makes
you seem witty or because you are unhappy and you “take it out” on
people. And now you are learning to discipline your tendency by impos
ing silence upon yourself when such impulses come. That is a valiant
silence, a high battlefield where your inner self, your great self, fights
with light against the darkness and wrath of your little, so difficult and
disappointing self.
And I mean fight with light and not Spartan repression. If you merely
repress the retorts you want to make, they may go down into your
subconscious and crop up later as some kind of chronic sickness or
even in some act of violence. Fight with the light of silence that has a
prayer in it, if it is no more than a cry out to the Unknown, “Don’t
let me sink to this!” Or call on your sense of humor—it is an actual
presence in you, one of your angels. Call to it and then take a moment
of silence to see things from that angle. Remember that “it is not good
for man, the great potential, to have stored within him bitterness and
fear and the sadness of injustice—hiding joy from him like an unholy
mist.”
Even if it is a righteous anger, such as Jesus knew with the money
changers, give yourself a few seconds of silence before you speak and
let the words come with point and with might because you have given
your inner, deeper self a chance to speak. One man who lived constantly
before the public, almost never answered quickly. He seemed to go away
some place inside of himself and listen; his eyes, though wide open, were
the eyes of someone listening intently to a voice which none of the rest
of us heard. And then his answer would come, profoundly wise, pene
trating, often witty, always beautiful in form, free of extraneous words.
Take time to listen for the inner voice—it will speak words that
astound and comfort both you and your listeners.
Then there is the silence of not telling all you know; of not telling
your plans or aims or dreams before they have been fulfilled. Not only
does it build about you a lovely quietness, an inner tranquility and
strength, but it also teaches you not to waste your secret power by
letting it flow out in words instead of ip deeds.
And there is the superb silence which Jesus knew when He stood
before Herod and answered not a word, when He stood before Pilate and
was silent. No word of vindication; can you keep silent at such a time
and let the future vindicate you? No answering of questions, because
A Yearbook For
1 9 5 0 ?
By
DAVID C. COLLINGTON
There has been much said concerning the feasibility of pub
lishing a yearbook for 1950. Some of us are ready to jump
to conclusions or merely take for granted that we will have
an Annual this term. This is a rather hasty generalization to
arrive at when there appears to be no inclination on the part
of the students to assume any of the responsibility involved
in getting out such a project. The average student here has
but a vague notion of the cost of an annual and would scorn
the so called “high price” requested of each student in order
to insure a successful Panther.
It has been a policy of the institution to produce an annual
each year that would be a pictorial symbol of the activities
and life here at the college. In doing this the school has suf
fered a tremendous financial loss in the 1948 Panther. Again
this year the administration seems to lean towards support
ing an annual that would equal yearbooks of most American
colleges and universities. This can only be accomplished
through the cooperation of the entire student body. You as a
student must push as well as back the drive for the 1950
Panther.
The student council has accepted the responsibility of han
dling the financial obligations and effecting coordination be
tween the Panther staff and the student body. Now your duty
as a student is to support and cooperate with the council in
such endeavors as seem necessary in order to have your annual
here by May 15.
Before plans can be formulated 600 contracts must be signed
by members of the student body signifying intent to purchase
a yearbook. If you are to remain in a stage of indolence, then
you have failed in your cause and the effort of the council
has 1 been lost. However, it is quite clear that if you don’t
have a copy of the annual reserved your chances of securing
one after they have been published are doubtful. Many stu
dents have the tendency to wait to see the annual, then decide
as to whether or not they would care to have one. To be safe,
if I were you, I would contact a representative of the student
council and sign a contract at once. Annuals will be purchased
only for those who order one.
CHURCH SCHOOL
Clark College Church School has
been having very stimulating and
interesting meetings since the be
ginning of the school term under
the leadership of its director, Rev.
S. M. Weeks.
The Church School has success
fully completed two of its six proj
ects for the school term, with the
third to be completed in December.
The executive committee extends
to each of you a very cordial invi
tation to attend Church School on
Sunday mornings, and Mid-Week
devotions on Wednesday evenings.
The committee would also like
to express its appreciation to each
member of the Clark College fam
ily for helping to make the Church
School program a successful one by
having supported it by your attend
ance.
From all of us to all of you, a
very Merry Christmas and a Happy
New Year.
Marvalina R. Bell.
POET’S CORNER
MY LOVE
My love for you, my darling,
Is like a never ending song
Is that daring?
But, sweetheart, I know I’m not
wrong.
It’s strange my darling, for me to
say,
That I thrill at your very touch,
My dear, it’s just my way,
I love you much too much.
Never reject my love, sweetheart,
For surely I would die,
Say you’ll always love me, and we’ll
never part,
Is this so much to ask, if so, why?
People laugh at these lines,
I hope you won’t do the same,
They and you wil soon find,
That I am as sincere as my name.
It’s not a good poem, I know,
Trite, it may seem,
But it’s only to show,
That you are my hopes and dreams.
—Lilile Bell Brown
WINTER MEETING
Winter is such^i bleak time of year,
But meeting you darling, brought
me cheer,
Dear, in my heart you started a
flame,
And there, it shall always remain.
Friends say it won’t last forever,
However, my love will never, ever,
Know the thought of losing,
Unless, my dear, it’s of your choos
ing.
Every phrase you utter is written
in my heart,
Say you’ll love me, and we’ll not
part,
Surely, you know that this is true,
For I show it in everything I say
and do.
To some, winter is dull, cold and
dreary,
But with my love for you, I am
never weary,
Your love has brought me,
I am as the thrush of spring, happy
and free.
—Lillie Bell Brown
MRS. RODHE
CHAPEL SPEAKER
Mrs. Burget Rohde of the World
Christian Council spoke to the stu
dent body on the aims and objec
tives of this Christian movement.
Mrs. Rohde, a world traveler and
a native of Sweden, is affiliated
with the International Youth Chris
tian Movement.
The speaker expressed her
thoughts on the media of interna
tional relations and understanding,
and showed very clearly that be
cause of accelerated progress the
world- is becoming smaller; hence,
the basic differences between coun
tries are only minor.
Relating the problem of our
world conflict she emphasized that
people who live in this world are
both guilty and responsible for
what is happening in our world to
day. Through the Student Christian
Council Mrs. Rodhe called for the
seeking of God with the same equal
authenticity that we pursue other
values of life.
Asking for united spiritual wor
ship, she set forth the challenge
that faces every Christian today:
“To give to the world the Gospel,
and the love and hope that it needs
for future fellowship, ethnic under
standing, and world peace.”