Newspaper Page Text
TWO
THE CLARK PANTHER, MAY, 1954, 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 newsgathering, reporting, book-reviewing, edi
torial, and creative writing.
An instrument for fostering friendly and constructive criticism
of carngms 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 i
Kwamena Dougan
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
And What Shall You Do,
Southern States?
Kwamena Dougan
Attributes of A True Friend
Love is Divine. And friendship which is the expression of love
through the actions and expressions of God’s creatures is also divine.
It is always the aim of lovers to practice ideal friendships; but this
high state of friendship is seldom reached. This ideal friendship unites
two souls so completely that they reflect the unity of spirit and its
divine qualities.
To be loved, one must love first. This is a divine law. It is through
what one puts ; n this bargain of friendship that determines the real
wealth of the lover. Our love should, in short, embrace all God’s crea
tures, but among all these we must have one special lover.
i have always admired young women. But at the same time, they
are the creatures I fear most in the world. Women are attractive, charm
ing, soft and loving. There is nothing in the world that could equal the
love of a woman in real love. Her soft voice and gentle looks are the
sources of inspiration to the dejected man. Her divine kiss will disperse
all the worries in the world. All the happiness and even the very life of
a man is in the hands of his lover. What then will be the fate of such
a man when his girl fails to provide this? His fate is only deplorable.
A woman is very poisonous if her love is false.
It is, therefore, very essentia] that the real qualities in a person
should be known before real friendship could be established. Friendship
should not be influenced by an outward limitation such as the relative
position of people. It should be quite natural.
True friendship consists of being mutually useful, in offering one’s
friends good cheer in distress, sympathy in sorrow, advice in trouble
and material help in times of real need. Friendship consists of rejoicing
and glorying in the good fortunes of our friends and sympathizing with
them in adversity. A real friend gladly foregoes his selfish pleasures or
self-interest for the sake of a friend’s happiness, without counting the
cost. It is only when tire seeds of jealousy, selfishness, and distrust are
grown in the intercourse of friendship that the lovers seek the down
fall of each other. But the greater our mutual service, the deeper the
friendship.
Many times during our courses of study we have encountered that
of history and have accepted this course for what it is never thinking
too much about it because it does not have as much meaning as it
would if the events had happened during our time. High Noon, Monday,
'May 17, provided us with the moment of one of the most historic de
cisions of our time—one which our children, grandchildren, etc., will
read in their books long after we have departed this prejudiced-rack -
ed nation, for it was on the aforementioned date that the United
States Supreme Court outlawed segregation in the public schools.
The decision, prompted by the NAACP’s successive handling of trio
cases coming from Virginia, South Carolina, Delaware, Kansas and the
District of Columbia, placed the stamp of unconstitutionality upon
school systems in 17 states where segregation is mandatory and others
where it is permissive. As expected, it drew unfavorable comment from
many of the states concerned—and the cry of Georgia, led hv Governor
Talmadge, was heard loudest. On the eve and morning after the
decision the newspapers hit the stands with screaming black headlines
displaying Georgia’s displeasure with the decision. “Segregation to
continue”, a “plan for permanent segregation of the races” and calling
of the Supreme Court’s decision as “low politics” were only a few of
the howls issued by displeased government and school officials.
Only the death of a close friend, complete wiping out of
the human race or destruction of something very dear to me could
have brought more mental degradation to me than those headlines.
After eighty-nine years of continuous hammering, pleading, fighting
and elevation of ourselves from the status of slavery to that of the
present-day, we are still not accepted by many narrow-minded, godless
people. Sometimes I wonder how people such as Governors Talmadge,
Byrnes and Shivers came to be made “in the image of God.” Those
headlines were like trip-hammers—beating out the prejudiced message
that “you are Negroes, you’re next to nothing and we shall never
accept you as fellow Americans.”
Those hammers hurt, but there is consolation—and to an over
whelming degree—in the fact that here an important step has been
made—that we have a strong leg to hold upon with the decision and
that the long-weakening and rotting leg of segregation in the public
schools has taken its first step into quicksand.
Some of these states will comply with the ruling while many will
try to fight it, even though the ruling does not end segregation at
once. There will be more hearings, more court-fights, more bitterness
and more screaming, trip-hammer headlines while broadminded people
call for the same calmness of emotion and saneness of mind in order
to avert violence and a possible re-creation of the Civil War in the
same manner as they are now. There will he more hours of long delib
erations to avert violence, and there will be more mental pain inflicted
by the prejudiced, the cowards and the strong.
our leaders are trying to accelerate the death of school segregation
are openly bellowing, “we want segregation.” They are the people who
are afraid of their jobs—who don’t know and know they don’t know
how to instruct pupils in the manner in which they should have trained
themselves with the full realization of the aims of education upon
them, instead of their aim—the drawing of that check! If these people
don’t know their fields and subject-matter, shame on them! I have no
respect for any of the advocators of the “we want segregation” move
ment, white or colored. One is just as un-American as the other when
a people are said to be Americans, but are denied the same rights
that other Americans enjoy. They can say that we aren’t ready for
integration, but we cannot get ready for a thing unless we have first
experienced it. Student teachers must now have nine weeks of labora
tory experience at some school before they can be issued a professional
teacher’s certificate; a swimmer must have, at one time, entered the
pool for experience in order to be a good swimmer. And so, school
segregation must be outlawed and integration experienced if we are
to ever be as the excuse-makers say, “ready for it.” Segregation in all
its forms is the only thing that many of us know! It is three hundred
and thirty-five years past the time for us to know complete integra
tion! (The first Negro slave was brought to America in 1619).
Our minds and hearts must be opened by gome great power to erase
the prejudice and narrow-mindedness the eayth has known for much
too long. Yes, Mr. and Mrs, Southerner, the Jeg to which you have for
Then, too, a true friend does not delve into the personal business of
his associates for the mere purpose of seeking information to spread
malicious gossip and to bring uncalled for frowns by other people upon
the friend who has lost his social standing through the machiavellian
cunning of one whose one-sided talk has swayed the minds of those who
are (1) anxious to hear such talk in order to spread more and (2) those
who are unable to weigh the issue for themselves. We must always
remember that personal affairs are things that many people are sensi
tive to and do not appreciate the diffusion of other people into their
affairs unless genuine, confidenital advice is desired by the person.
Jesus had many followers because of his unsurpassed service to hu
manity. It is therefore very necessary for friends to be prepared to help
each other at all times.
With these words, 1 bid each of you adieu while extending best
wishes for a prosperous summer with the hope of returning to Clark
with indigenous motivation for success in our classwork. To those who
are of the graduating class, I hope they will make as much or better
a success of life on the outside as they have of life at college. May we
spread our friendships, not only this summer, but always, in making
the world a place of beautiful symphonic harmony.
Luther Stripling
An Attitude of Defeat
A defeatist attitude is a disas
trous thing for one to possess in
this perplexed, modern-day society.
Such an attitude has been known
to deprive many persons of suc
cess while others have decided that
they “can’t do it” at the very last
moment when they have almost
reached the fulfillment of their
goal.
In many of our classrooms to
day, we find a great majority of
our students possessing an atti
tude of defeat. This is highly con
spicuous in almost every class that
one might visit during the day.
This is a trait that has developed
over' a period of time. I feel that
it has developed because of two
major reasons: (1) the superiority
of other students and (2) the lack
of confidence in one’s self. There
are others, but these two impress
me as being most outstanding
where we are concerned. An inci
dent to illustrate my point oc-
curred one day when I was about
to enter my locker. There were a
group of young men just leaving
a class. They had just received
some test papers and were some
what peeved and pessimistic about
the results they received. They
were saying that in this class there
was a young man who always “set
the curve” in this particular class.
He could, at a moment’s notice,
answer any question directed to
him by the instructor. These young
men said that they didn’t even try
to get their work, because of the
fact that this young man would,
get all of the highest marks. So,
it was evident that these young
men had given up.
As the poet said, “In the world’s
broad field of battle, In the bivouac
of life, Be not like dumb driven
cattle, Be a hero in strife.” These
young men gave a good example
of the attitude of a defeatist. In
stead, they should have tried to
give the other person some com
petition. One should always feel
that whatever someone else can do,
he can do also. This is not true in
all cases, but generally we find it
true.
Suppose our president was one
who possessed the attitude of a
defeatist. Would there be a great
Clark—Second to None? Suppose
our athletes would have had a de
featist attitude. Would we have
emerged victorious this past sea
son? The answers can only be NO!
When things don’t seem to go
so well, we should smile and don’t
envy those who seem to succeed
with more rapidity than we. We
should always remember that for
every cloudy moment, there is a
m'dnight moon above, and there is
always a blue bird of happiness if
one will only say, “I CAN.”
so long clung in order to bar us from those things which are rightfully
ours, is crumbling into dust to be forever buried in quicksand, slowly
but surely!
And What Shall You Do, Southern States?
A College
Student Prays
By Walter Willis, Jr.
We thank Thee, Our Father,
that thou hast been with us in
all worthy undertakings over
the past four years. Thou hast
been true to Thy promise that
we can do all things through
Christ who strengthens us.
Without Thy guidance and help,
we feel sure that the goal which
now appears in view would
have never been reached.
We thank Thee for this insti
tution, Clark College. May its
motto, “Culture for Service”,
forever be our inspiration. We
thank Thee for parents with
out whose help College attend
ance for us would have been im
possible; our teachers who in
spired us to do our best when
we were satisfied with second
best: and those persons, agen
cies and foundations that have
invested in our lives through
the means of scholarships and
loans.
We pray that commencement
for us shall not mean gradua
tion or the end. May our quest
for knowledge understanding
never cease. And though college
shall mean for some of us an
end of our formal education and
training, may we remember
that “education is a life long
process.”
We thank Thee that Thou
hast taught us that our sphere
of appreciation and understand
ing should not be limited to our
Fraternity or Sorority, or
group, but to their group, their
Fraternity, their Sorority.
Bless those whom we leave
behind. Inspire them as Thou
hast inspired us, by the visita
tion of Thy Spirit. Give us the
assurance that Thou art with us
now, as in the past. In His
name we pray. AMEN.
Religious Services
Highlight College
Life
Playing an important role in
College life, especially in a church-
related institution, are the Reli
gious Life Activities which were
greatly accentuated this past year
at Clark under the directorship of
Reverend George Tate.
Highlight of the year in Re
ligious Life was the inauguration
of Mid-Week Formal Worship
Services. Inauguration of this
service was prompted due to the
inability of non-resident students
to attend the College Vespers and
Morning Worship on Sunday, and
at the same time to strengthen
the over-all religious program.
Conducted each Wednesday morn
ing, the Service found invited
speakers from the city and stu
dents in the Department of Re
ligion here delivering the ad
dresses.
Another feature of Religious Ac
tivities was the inauguration of
the Fellowship of Faith and Ac
tion which enjoyed tremendous
success by many interested stu
dents. The meetings were held
each Sunday evening in the resi
dences and featured speakers and
pane! discussions.
Students were highly commend
ed for their participation and con
duction of the Mid-Week Prayer
Services in which organizations,
clubs and individuals brought
forth some interesting and inspir
ing services. The Vesper and
Morning Services accentuated the
Religious Life in the manner typ
ical of past years. The Usher’s
Guild, consisting of male and fe
male students, provided voluntary
usher service for the activities.
Music was provided by the De
partment of Music,