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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.”