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CLARK PANTHER, JANUARY-FEBRUARY, 1951, ATLANTA, GEORGIA
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 individiml 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 actiivties.
HAROLD A. HAMILTON, Editor-in-Chief
William Breeding — Sports Editor
Ernest Pharr, Charles Teamer . Circulation
Alexander Adams — - Photographer
Advisors Darwin T. Turner and Franklin S. Jones
Democracy's
By Carter Lowe
We have alighted upon a new
year which marks the turn of
events in a half century. Now, we
are at the crossroads between vic
tory and defeat. The past year has
been one of chaos, tension and fear;
however, it has been one in which
the Democratic forces of the world
have won great diplomatic victor
ies, but the greatest victory of all
is slipping slowly from our grasp:
the victory over the ideological
enemy—Communism.
The Democracies of the world are
at the crossroads. They must de
cide to fight the Communist ideol
ogy, which threatens world peace,
with a better ideology. If the
Democracies fail to do this they
can assure themselves that a shoot
ing war will not solve the problem
and be a working formula for world
peace.
The past year has brought us
closer to grips with Asia and far
ther away from a peaceful settle
ment with the greatest power in
Crossroads
the Asiatic hemisphere, China. The
past year has brought the Ameri
can peoples in an undeclared war
against the Chinese and Korean
Communists. This undeclared war
is bringing the world nearer to a
conflict which will engulf the peo-.
pies of the world in a shooting war
that will result in total destruction,
privation, and the lack of respect
for human dignity and life. History
has proved the inadequacy of a
shooting war in an attempt to gain
ultimate victory and peace, but on
the other hand the history of the
world has proved that an ideologi
cal victory is the victory that will
remain as long as man remains.
This can be seen when we look
at the victories of Christianity in
a world gone mad. It can be seen
when we look at the victory of
Gandhi over the gregt power of
England.
The Democracies of the world are
at the crossroads. They are at the
crossroads between peace and war.
The past year has brought us
closer to both.
Students And The
Student Council
William Breeding, President
What good is a mansion to a
king if he insists on living in a
tent? Of what value is the radio
for your daily news if you rather
listen to the gossip from across
the fence? Answer these questions
and then maybe I’ll understand our
action toward certain issues. I real
ize there is a saying that Rome
wasn’t built in a day and I’m aware
of the fact that it takes time to do
anything constructive. But when
opportunity presents itself I don’t
believe in waiting on time.
When we returned to school in
September we were doubtful of the
validity of Student Government.
We didn’t think the faculty would
allow us any voice. This has been
proven an untruth because the fac
ulty has worked wonderfully with
us. They have given us the go-
ahead signal on practically every
thing we have requested but we
are still waiting on a swift breeze
to come and push us along. Allow
me to relate one incident to you.
For example let’s take Play-Night.
What do the words “play-night”
mean to you ? How do you interpret
them ? Last year we didn’t have the
privilege, remember ? What has
happened to it this year? Well here
is a brief account of what hap
pened. We wanted to change the
name from Play-Night to something
else. I’ll admit that a certain phase
of the night’s activities should be
allotted to dancing. After all there
are not enough games to keep ev
erybody busy, but we could have
made a true period of recreation
out of this time. Instead of coming
down in the “Rec” and participating
actively or passively in the few
games we had we stayed in the
dormitoi'ies. The majority of the
students who came down were
Freshmen and Sophomores. A sa
lute to them. I imagine the Junior
and Senior, students considered the
games too much on an elementary
level for their participation. But
didn’t we have the power to create
our own games, didn’t we though?
Sometimes staying around a place
too long can give one the wrong
complex.
So that is how it goes. We
started out well; your Student Gov
ernment has worked and is still
working. The faculty has cooper
ated and helped us in every re
spect. The only one to halt our
progress has been YOU. Surely ev
eryone won’t have the same deter
mination to accomplish his objec
tives but surely there are a few
who are willing, able and inter
ested. You are the ones to whom
we look and direct our plea. With
out your hand we’ll' go down a
third time and drown. We don’t
want that, now do we ?
Don’t just sit back and criticize
the Student Government and Fac
ulty without looking at yourself
first. If you can’t help us go for
ward please don’t jeopardize our
progress like a Monday morning
quarterback in a smoky restaurant.
Come into any Student Council
meeting you desire. We meet every
first and third Monday at 1:00
o’clock, in room 206.
' - " / i
LETTERS TO
Clark College
Atlanta, Ga.
Mr. Editor:
Complaints! Complaints! and
more complaints, all I hear is com
plaint. I see no reason at all for
such gripe. We asked for a func
tional study body. It is our fault,
Mr. Editor, that we have reason to
make so many complaints.
I’ve always heard that together
we stand and divided we fall. It
seems as if we have fallen.
I hope the next student council
will promote programs in such a
way as to persuade the student
body to awake from the state of
lethargy that it is in now and has
been in for such a long time.
I am by no means throwing
stones at our present student gov
ernment, but we all do know that
the proper cooperation has not been
extended by- faculty and by the stu
dent body.
There is a great and grave dis
tance, it seems to me, between our
present student council and the fac
ulty. I doubt that they are ac
quainted with each other.
Here’s hoping that next year will
bring peace and happiness to our
complaining students.
(Signed) A Senior
KKK’ers
May be Human
By Fred II. Ross
A secret operative (a man who
is a taxidermist in the stuffed
brown shirt division of a leading
Washington museum) assures us
that, the Ku Kluxers are human be
ings.
This comes as a distinct disap
pointment to most of us, of course,
but science is science and its con
clusions are often true even when
they appear to be most unlikely.
Even our secret operative was
somewhat bewildered by his con
clusion though he does admit that
a good possibility of error exists
because he has had no experience
with subjects who seem to think
that summer head wear consists
of pillow cases.
But if the taxidermist is right,
the human race is a notch or two
lower in the scale of evolution than
we have been led to believe. In
deed, it may now be possible to
demonstrate some overlapping with
one or two species of monkeys.
About the only bright spot in
the picture is that there are com
paratively so few Ku Klucks. This
scarcity may well be a clue to their
peculiar behavior, for their support
of the poll tax and other restric
tions based on discrimination indi
cates that they are afraid of most
human beings.
It’s no wonder, then, that the
Klucks have so little regard for
most Cathlocis, Poles, Jews, Ital
ians, Negroes, and other foreign
ers. The simple fact is that they
have little regard for anybody—
even the eighty per cent or so of
the native white Protestants in the
South who are also deprived of
their voting rights by the poll tax.
Thus we, as human beings, need
not feel so bad about the taxi
dermist’s findings. The hatred to
ward the rest of the human race
that so inspires the Klucks only
proves that most human beings are
pretty normal.
It proves, too, that the Klucks
are a part of that lunatic fringe
that was personified, not so long
ago, by Hitler and Goebbels. About
the only way in which they differ
from these predecessors is that
they speak a different language—
but there can be no doubt that the
poison that they spew is the same.
Still, they are human beings and,
since they are, we know that there
must be a method in madness. In
love with their own ignorance, im-
THE EDITOR
Clark College
Atlanta, Ga.
Mr. Editor:
Why is it that when time for
final examinations, a certain group
of students make it hard for others
by procuring illegal examinations?
It is not fair to the student who
spends night after night burning
midnight oil for examinations. I
am by no means putting the blame
on any one group.
If one set of students receive
these examinations why can’t we
all? Then there would not be any
need for studying and we’ll all stay
ignorant together!
I think the knob should be turned
tighter on this matter.
May I add that it is not the
students fault that they get the
examinations before the designated
period. I know one particular ex
amination — two as a matter of
fact — that did not get out of the
bag.
(Signed) An Interested Student
Fred Ross.
Ed’s Note: We agree, Mr. Ross,
something should be done. What
would you suggest?
pelled by the drive to keep them
selves in power, encouraged by the
Big Industry Boys who are resist
ing unionization in the South, they
are trying to prevent the rest of
us from educating ourselves and
our children. It is their hope that
they can keep us from making
our government truly a govern
ment of, for and by the people.
In short, they are afraid that
the human race will evolve to a
point where they will become the
missing links.
A Scroller's
View
By Richard E. Byrd
Since the beginning of the school
year in September, numerous for
ums, or “pow-wows,” have been held
trying to fathom the reasons for
discrepancies in the social life on
the campus. Multiple suggestions
have been made, but no conclusion
has been reached. Please consider
these items from the Scrollers.
Open your hearts and mind to
the attempts of others to be
friendly. Perhaps your misinterpre
tation of the meaning of pride pre
vents your encouraging the friend
ship of others. Do you have a
friendly smile and word for every
one, or do you think you and your
group are the “supreme beings”
on the campus.
Don’t be narrow-minded. One
must always prove himself out
standing by what he does, and not
base his assumptions of greatness
on what he thinks he can do. One
of the best ways to determine the
weaknesses of a family is for each
individual to have a self-examina
tion. You will find that there are
many things that you thought
wrong until you made an analysis
concerning right and wrong.
Have you tried to make a friend
today? Do you always wake up on
the “right” side of the bed with
a smile for everyone, or do other
persons get stepped on because you
and yours are disrespectful and
without any interest in your fel
lows. Even though one should ad
here to one’s view he should not be
dogmatic and non-flexible in his
views.
Friendship is one of the most
valuable assets a person can have.
Think about it. Make it your busi
ness to make a new friend every
one. Start with me. It isn’t hard to
make a friend. Just say “hello” to
everyone you pass. Would that be
too much to ask?
The Importance
Of Being Earnest
By Harold A. Hamilton
The title of one of Oscar Wilde’s
dramas, a social satire, is, “The Im
portance of Being Earnest.” When
I first saw the title I immediately
concluded that this play must con
cern—as the title stated—the im
portance of being earnest (adj.).
Not until later did I learn that
Wilde’s “Earnest” was a person.
Nevertheless I found that he was
really talking about the quality or
virtue of being earnest.
A great many of us are guilty
of insincerity and sometimes it is
sickening to hear this pretentious
type speak.
There are several types of the
pretentious individual. Some are
the “Shucks, anybody could do
that” type. This type is usually
of average, maybe above average,
intelligence. He has, through his
braggadocio qualities, gained some
reputation among near-sighted per
sons who gullibly believe every
thing he says. The “Shucks, any
body could do that” type is defi
nitely one for you to watch, for
he will disillusion all your hopes.
He will consider insignificant any
achievement you conceive to be
“pretty good.”
Then there is the superficial,
“town crier” type who knows all
about everything and is anxious
to let the world know that he
knows everything. This type has
the typical characteristics of all the
artificial personalities of which I
speak. He may be classed as the
“All-Around” of the species. He is
characterized by his boasting, his
indifference and nonchalance to
matters which really are signifi
cant. He thrives on his exaggera
tions, loves to tell of his exploits
and boasts at length of anything
he has done. He is the type of
individual who leads one to inquire
whether he is bragging or com
plaining.
All these individuals are not dan
gerous to you if you have an un
derstanding of “human nature,”
but if you’re easily influenced stay
away from this fellow—though his
fame be widespread. Form opinions
not on hearsay, but on observa
tions; for the statement “action
speaks louder than words” is a true
one. Judge an individual not by
what he says he can do, but by
what he does. Be not the sympa
thizer of those who relish on mak
ing jokes of another person’s lim
itations.
Sincerity is, of all the virtues,
the most important feature of good
character. Insincerity shows a lack
of it; insincerity shows also super
ficial wisdom, but underneath there
inevitably lies deceit, jealousy, and
sometimes malice.
SALARIES UP
The U. S. Department of Labor
reported recently that the salary
levels of the nation’s top scientists
are considerably lower in colleges
and universities than in either gov
ernment or private industry. Earn
ings are highest in private industry
not only for the entire group of
scientists but also for those in each
group, in every scientific field, and
in every region of the country.