Newspaper Page Text
Page Four
CLARK PANTHER, NOVEMBER, 1953, 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. individual students.
A medium through which an opportunity is provided for students
to obtain experience in news gathering, reporting, book-reviewing, edi
torial, and creative writing.
An instrument for fostering friendly and constructive criticism
of campus activities. ___________
Ernest M. Pharr, Editor-in-Chief
-» Glendora Patterson, Associate Editor
Elridge W. McMillan, Assistant Editor
J. F. Summersette, Advisor
W. T. Robie, Advisor
Walter Willis, Jr Religious Editor
Anne Reida McKoy, Bertha Gholston,) Reporters
Alfred Dockett, Eileen Jonas )
Betty Jean Snype Literary Editor
Samuel Rosser, Harold Wardlaw, Robert Daniels. .Circulation Managers
Virginia Wilson, Yvonne Southall Staff Typists
Willie F. Kelsey, Betty Green, Ida Baugh ‘Copy Readers
E. M. Pharr...: Make-up
E W. McMillan Exchange Editor
Yvonne Southall Secretary to Editor
Member of Intercollegiate Press (IP)
Ernest M. Pharr
A Delayed Welcome
Gracing the campus of Clark College this year are 261 prospective
degree-seekers. This column calls a “time-out” from other pertinent
problems of the day to bring them a delayed, but wholehearted, wel
come to the doors through which have passed some of the finest people
we know—Clarkites. It is my hope that all your fears of college life,
prior to coming here, have been completely erased and that you have
successfully integrated yourselves into the wholesome values of Clark
life.
Kwamena Dougan
Movies About Africa
It is a great insult to me, and in fact, an unpardonable offense, to
call me an African. When I was coming to the United States, I proudly
called myself an African, but now, all the fire of my boasted pride is
gone—is quenchen. This is the satanic work of the movies!
Africa is misrepresented by the movie world! Now, Africans are
known all. over the States as barbarians who eat the flesh of human
beings—who sleep in holes and on tops of trees. Some of the ill-
informed American Negroes refuse to accept the basic facts that their
ancestors ever had an y dealings with the Great Continent of Africa.
But, are they to blame when the money-making world is continually
harping on the brutal nature of the Africans? On the other hand,
should the colored race also allow the white race to promote their
welfare at the expense of the African? The whiter ace is always ap-
pressing and asserting her superiority over the colored race through
the movies. Only the worst and wild natures of African life are shown
to the general public.
One day, I went to see the movie, “White Witch Doctor.” It was
altogether interesting to those who know nothing about the modern
Africa. To me, it was very annoying, challenging and provoking. There
was not an atom of truth in it. A beautiful, charming, well-refined
young white woman went to the so-called dark continent as a nurse.
All the Africans in the pictuer hjid the queerest human appearances
imaginable.
The contrast was too great! As it is an accepted fact that all days
are not equal, real human beauty must not belong to this white lady
alone. The men were completely naked except for the small straws
which were tied around their waists. They lived in tents with dirty
surroundings and unhygenic atmosphere. They used all sorts of dirty
materials of medicines such as the eye of a crow, tails of reptiles and
the like to cure their sick. The white nurse used modern scientific meth
ods and medicines! The life of the Africans -was nothing but. the basest
and the most barbaric. My dear reader will but faintly fancy my feel
ings, my anger, the breaking of my proud heart when only the .worst
of myself was being laid bare to the public.
“Good name in man and woman, dear my lord
is the immediate jewel of their souls.
Who steals my purse steals trash; ’tis something, nothing.
’Twas mine, ’tis his, and has been slave to thousands;
But he that filches from me my good name
Robs me of that which not enriches him,
And makes me poor indeed.”
On any college campus, there are many things to divert one’s atten
tion from his or her studies. Clark is no different! There are many
activities to which we may tie ourselves—tie ourselves so completely
that we forget the thing which we came here for most—EDUCATION.
We have a tendency to place our extra-curricular activities above every
thing else and become so tired from this type of participation that we
are unable to adequately place our minds on our books! Every student
should participate in some activity, but it should be one to which he
or she is best fitted and not one that we enter for social prestige or
much-desired popularity. Know your limits! Many students can do a
variety of things with their versatility unlimited and many cannot.
Realization of your limitations can go a long way towards the fulfill
ment of your educational and social objectives.
The first few months of life in a new environment is a trying one.
Here, you have been compelled to make new acquaintances, adjust
yourselves to new methods of teaching and abide by college regulations.
I hope that your transition from high school to college has been one
of tremendous success. With a little more than two months behind you
and your first college mid-term examinations, a thing of the past, you
should know just where you stand. Even though you made an “A”, the
educational process does not stop just there. Improvement of bad
grades, as well as good grades, is a “must” if you are to survive the
complex society of which we are a part.
The majority of Clark College students prepare for the teaching
profession. However, many go further to specialize in other fields by
doing graduate work. As one teacher said, “regardless of Talmadge
and his proteges, integration is coming.” The Negro teacher has
expressed fear of this integration—wondering what will happen to his
job because he knows he is not prepared to ably teach members of both
races. There is coming a day when all teachers will be selected for all
schools, not on skin pigmentation, but on what he knows and the ability
to spread what he knows! The time to prepare is now! While social
and extra-curricular activities, give us that degree of well-roundedness,
they will not acquire that all-important job for which we are pre
paring.
Again, I welcome you to these halls of study and hope that your
tenure at Clark is most successful—that you will be inspired to greater
heights in the educational world and that you will be “relieved and gay
when you have put your heart into your work and done your best.”
This Problem of Juvenile Delinquency
A major cause for alarm in the United States today and one to
which newspapers, committees, juvenile courts and the public are giving
much attention is the problem of juvenile delinquency. One cannot pick
up a newspaper today without reading of the increasing number of
beatings, holdups, killings and destruction of public and private prop
erty by teen-agers.
No truer words on this matter were said than those of Marion
Jackeon, sports editor of the Atlanta Daily World when he stated: “It
seems to me that any nation with the ingenuity to fashion the atom
and hydrogen bombs would have similar time to research, the problems
facing its young. There have been probes of religion, communism on
the campus, four percenters, mink coats, books, Communists, etc., but
only every ten years a conference on youth problems.”
There was a time when sandlot athletic events and other things
saw kids playing street against street or one section of the city against
another. Through the lack of parental supervision, this has been to a
great extent superseded by the kids’ organization of gangs for the
purpose of looting, robbing, mugging, beating and tearing up property.
Somewhere into play came men from the underworld who found that
these teen-agers were just what they needed for perpetuation of
crime—kids who had a lot of vitality and didn’t give a hoot who they
hurt, just so someone was backing them up with a promise of the
(Continued on page five)
Anne Reida McKoy
A Freshman’s Views of Clark
During my senior year of high school, the social, educational, and
religious life of many colleges were related to me by representatives
of the various colleges. After careful observation of all that was said
and done, Clark College became my final decision in reference to
continuation of my education.
After making this choice, many thoughts and questions arose in my
mind. First of all, I thought, how will I be able to stay away from home
so long? Are the instructors mean? Are the students friendly % Was the
movie of Clark merely propaganda? Most of all, was the food well-
cooked and the meals well planned?
These questions, I know, arose in the minds of many students who
were going to leave home for such a long period of time. For all of
these questions, I knew there was only one way to find the answer-
through actual experience.
Soon after I was accepted for entrance, a freshman guide wrote to
me and told me about the warm and friendly atmosphere that prevailed
at Clark. I then knew that I was a member of the family and long
after reading her letter, 1 thought about the friendliness that seemed
to be enclosed in that letter.
As the time neared, 1 began to pack my clothes and make the other
necessary preparations for college. At the train station, I was reluctant
about leaving an old life and entering a new one, but was consoled by
the fact that my relatives were soon coming to visit me and that, in a
few months, I would return home for the holidays.
Arriving in Atlanta, I found a freshman guide at the station to
meet me and was soon at Clark College. From the first moment that I
stepped on the campus, its beauty thrilled me. Soon I met the instruc
tors and the President, after being assigned a room and finding a swell
roommate.
While my first .few hours were ticking slowly away, the “newness”
of my surroundings was still with me and I became lonely. However,
orientation week cured that due to the fact that we were so busy we
had no more time for loneliness. It was from listening attentively to
the various speakers, Clark officials and freshman guides that I learned
some of the standards and values of Clark.
I found out that religion plays a very important part in the lives of
college students and education should be our main purpose for attending
college, but for that degree of well-roundedness we should associate
with others for harmonious living. In becoming orientated, I realized
that as loyal Clarkites we must uphold the religious and moral stand
ards of the College and that these standards must not be violated.
After a few weeks, I found the answers to all my questions and
realized that my fears were groundless. What has impressed me most
are the Christian values that Clark has endeavored to instill in the
hearts of her students. It aims to refine young men and women—
teaching them to uphold the high ideals of the institution at all timps
and places.
Now that mid-term is over and we as freshmen have some idea as
to what our academic standing is, we can capitalize upon our errors
and make great improvements toward success and realization of our
educational goals.
We have relished in the success of our football team, applauded,
wholeheartedly, at the entertaining cultural programs, revered in the
chapel, vesper and church services, rejoiced in our academic achieve
ments and angered in our failures.
With two full months of college experience behind us, we look for
ward to achievement of greater heights as this year and other years
progress in the “Sands of Time.”
A College Student
Prays.. . . •
By Walter Willis, Jr.
We Thank Thee, Our Father, 'for
those periods in our lives when we
have the opportunity of turning
our thoughts from ourselves and
our insatiable wants and desires,
to the blessings Thou hast so gra
ciously given and the supplied
needs we already have.
Forgive us for our proneness to
“feast” and celebrate rather than
“feed” and give Thanks. May'we
do more in the way of fostering
the happiness and advancement of
all within our. fellowship circle—
forgetting, the price and pressing
toward the goal. . u*
Dear Lord and Father ; 6f Man
kind, bless all those, who have
embraced this institution for .an
other year’s study and those who
are eXRen'epCing their first year of
College' fife at Clark. .Guide ,each
of us in the Paths of lfighieflus-
ness as we prepare for life on the
outside. in a. w.orld of ■ corruption,
conflicting ideologies and:warmon-
gerjng..nations.
Bless all those who shared in
the observance of. Thanksgiving—
and “Thanksgiving” may if have
been for ; all. AMEN.. ■. . ,1:'
Line Cutting
It is abhorring to note the
actions of some of our students
when - the hands of the clock
reach those half-hours which
signify meal time is here.'--
We continuously and, with
same degree of biggety, cut the-
chow line' of students moving-
to be served. It is true that the-
-line; is- slow -and many of us
have next period classes or oth
er important places to gd.-'May
be, something can be worked
out on this matt.eir,' but does it
necessitate our cutting' of the'
line?' We think it looks big in
the eyes-Of our fellow students
—that if shows' courage to do
something no'One else 'does be
cause the’ others feel it' isn’t
proper or because they are
afraid of someone catching
them who is, seemingly, watch
ing for the abusers. Actually,
it shows that we have sotne
“matured adolescents” at Clark.
These “line-cutters” usually
look for one of their friends
who is already in-line, and they-
walk, sneakingly, to- the - point
where their friend is- in order
to move further.Jut-the lirfe.-If
no friend is available, they cut
anyway—hoping that- the per
sons they move in front'of ; Will
say nothing and if they do, they
will be usually greeted with
harsh words or’given"' the han
dle of “tattletale.” Maybe we
are tired of the “sing-Song”
concerning how college students
should act, but it is a good seif-
mon! Line-cutting may be- the
: ga,ng- a PP r oved thing to do, but
it certainly is not representa
tive of a calibre of people who
are supposed to know how to
handle themselves in the ihstan-
taneous demands of any: situ
ation.
Many of us do this type of
thing continuously and : rt- has
drawn the unfavorable ‘ atten
tion of others. Please, students,
let’s not cut the chow line!
ABSENT-MINDED PROFESSOR
Editor Pharr’ ' hastily accused
someone of borrowing without
permission his blue jacket. Aftef
a week, had elapsed and nq jacket,
lie offered a reward. Samuel Ross*
er> Nimrod .Reynolds and-'’Philip
Hood told him where his jacket
was; In the barb'er shop where he
had left it! i