Newspaper Page Text
Page 6
The Panther
December 13, 1978
The
Smallest
Star
By Aileen Fisher
The stars looked down with
shining eyes
Upon the sleepy Earth,
They knew a secret, a surprise,
About the Christ Child’s birth:
“Tonight will be the night,”
said one.
“At midnight,” said another.
“The Child will be the Father’s
son
And Mary will be His mother.”
The smallest star blinked
twice, and sighed:
“But how will people know
Where He is born?” The world
is wide—
He’ll be too small to show.”
“They’ll have to search,” a
planet said.
“We have no way of telling.
They’ll have to search each inn
and bed
And barn and town and
dwelling.”
The little star, the least of all.
Looked earthward with a sigh.
“I’d like to help,” it said. “I’m
small
But I can go and try.”
The others chuckled, “You?
Ho, ho!”
And shook with merry
laughter.
“You are so small you’d hardly
show.
Hung from a stable’s rafter.”
The smallest star, whose heart
was large,
Fell down and down through
space,
And as it fell a mighty charge
Of brightness filled its face;
And as it fell it grew in size
Because of its compassion ....
It blazed so bright to earthly
eyes
The other stars looked ashen.
And so the smallest star of all
Came down to show the way:
It stopped above a humble stall
Where Mary’s infant lay.
It made a sign above the hill
Where Bethlehem lay
dreaming,
And there it lingered, bright
and still,
While worshippers came
streaming.
See'Midnight Express"
By Gloria Johnson
Panther Reporter
Singer Patti LaBelle dropped in at WCLK during her
recent visit to Atlanta. She is surrounded by Music
Director A1 Felker, 1., and Announcer Charles Lamont.
(Photo by Jerome Gwinn)
4 Wine-Sellers’ Actors
Get Loud Applauses
By Beverly A. Quarles
Panther Reporter
“What the Wine-Sellers
Buy,” written by Ron Milner
and directed by Joan W. Lewis,
was recently performed by the
Clark College Players. This
week-long production was
viewed and great knowledge
was attained. The play’s plot
focuses on a black family liv
ing in a large city in the
present era.
Kenny Leon, acts out the
part of Steve Carlton, with
energy and enthusiasm. Steve
is a high school boy who has
goals of soon becoming a high
school graduate, remaining a
respectable citizen, and mak
ing an honest living.
Steve is influenced to change
his views, because of the pimp
and hard times presenting
themselves. He is an only child
who is fatherless and has only
a mother to help him survive.
His mother works very hard to
take care of them.
Nevertheless, she becomes ill
and is really not able to work.
When she is eventually laid off
and there is no means of sup
port, Steve begins to feel res
ponsible. He realizes that his
mother is ill, not getting any
younger, and knows they must
survive, and that he is also the
man in the house.
Edgar Ward very con
vincingly plays the part of
Rico, a well known pimp, who
also lives in the house with
Steve and his mother. Rico
begins to talk to Steve and tell
him that it is time that he stop
CATALOG of COLLEGIATE RESEARCH
Over 10,000 listings! All subjects.
Send NOW for this FREE catalog.
(offer expires Dec. 31,1938)
Send to: COLLEGIATE RESEARCH
P.O. Box 84396, Los Angeles, CA. 90073
acting like a boy and begin to
take on the responsibility of
making the way for him and
his mother.
Unfortunately, since Rico is
a pimp, he influences Steve to
join his style of life and seek
out survival in illegal and
unethical ways.
Steve was influenced to stop
attending school, become a
pimp, and encourage the little
lady whom he loved to begin to
use her body in order to make
the dollar bill. Rico had con
vinced him that the white man
cares nothing about blacks
and that it is highly impossible
for blacks to attain and
achieve in his system. In ad
dition, Rico made Steve believe
that legal and ethical manners
of survival were unrealistic
ways of thinking.
So after being convinced by
Rico, Steve insists that his
lady use all of her bodily
talents in order to survive. In
the process of becoming com
pletely converted into a full
fledged pimp, Steve starts to
trip out on some drugs given to
him by Rico. While tripping
Steve finally realizes that
Rico’s way of survival leads
only to dead ends. And these
means would allow him to gain
nothing more than a wasted
life and death.
This play ends with great
intensity and a powerful mes
sage is conveyed. The play has
a true-to-life impact and is a
reality within itself. It was a
worthwhile evening spent.
“Midnight Express” is,
excuse the corniness, a very
heartwarming story and is
highly recommended for adult
viewing. The star of the movie,
Brad Davis, who portrays
Billy Hayes, should receive an
Dscar nomination for such a
magnificent performance.
“Midnight Express” cap
tures the terrible ordeal of Billy
Hayes’ incarceration in a
foreign prison. Based on a true
story, it tells of his capture,
conviction, and imprisonment
in a land different from the
land of the Red, White, and
Blue.
During the 70’s in Istanbul,
Turkey, Billy Hayes was
arrested for the possession of
hashish and sentenced to four
years in prison. During those
four years in that enlarged rat
hole, where prisoners were
beaten and tortured primarily
on their feet, Hayes was
exposed to homosexuality and
the practices of theTurks, such
as stabbing a person in the
behind as a means for revenge.
He became friendly with
three inmates. One was
obsessed with the need to es
cape, which Billy was against.
Another was a cat lover and
the other was a homosexual.
Though this wasn’t a very
good combination to have as
friends, they all helped him
greatly to survive in a place
Forum to Jazz Up
Holiday Spirit
The Jazz Forum of Atlanta
announces its annual Jazz
Christmas Party at its
December monthly meeting,
featuring jazz vocalist Cathy
Jackson, pianist Ken
Freeman, trombonist Charles
Pagcano and other celebrated
musicians on flute, bass and
drums. The meeting will be
held Dec. 13 at 8 p.m. in the
Community Room of Colony
House at Colony Square.
So to jazz up your holiday
spirit... be sure to attend the
Jazz Forum of Atlanta
meeting. Free wine,
refreshments and eatables will
flow. A donation of $5 for non
members is requested and as
always the public is welcome.
For information contact
Sharon Gatto or Jackie
Roberts at 436-5123 or 921-
3478. Free parking is
available.
EVERGREEN
MCAT-DAT Review Course
LSAT Review Course
Take the courses
Individually in Atlanta
in 3 to 5 days
P. 0. Box 77034
Atlanta, GA 30309
phone (404) 874-2454
that you might like to visit, but
would hardly want to live in.
With only 53 days left in his
sentence, Billy received the
news from his lawyer that the
court had decided to change
his sentence to a 30 year term.
He was to be used as an exam
ple for those who might want
to commit the same crime.
Since his homosexual friend
had completed his term, ne
only had two friends left.
Together they found a thin
place in a wall in the prison as
a source of escape but it was
discovered.
For those who stray away
from movies that are highly
bloody, this movie only had
one scene that may have left
its viewers a little drenched
with blood. Billy killed his
worst enemy in the prison.
During this combat, Billy bit
out his enemy’s tongue. This
undoubtedly left his enemy in
a speechless position.
Because of his brutal killing,
Billy was sent to an insane
asylum. His girl friend visited
him in the asylum— a very
touching scene, and gave him
a photo album. Inside the
cover of the album was some
money for his escape to Greece.
What happens after that
makes for interesting viewing.
“Midnight Express” is playing
at the National Triple, Old
National Hwy and 285.
Cecily Tyson
Portrays
Harriet Tubman
Black actress Cecily Tyson
will play the title role in “A
Woman Called Moses,” the life
story of Harriet Tubman, a
black woman born into
slavery. NBC will air the
memorable film on Dec. 11 and
12.
Ms. Tyson’s superb acting
and the exciting soundtrack
put together by Van McCoy,
Coleridge Perkinson and
Charles Kipps are expected to
add even more dynamism to
the already noteworthy sub
ject matter. The film is
produced by Ike Jones and
Michael Jaffe.
Gov. George Busbee and
Mayor Maynard Jackson will
proclaim “Harriet Tubman
Days” in the state of Georgia
and the city of Atlanta, respec
tively.
Paying too much for < i
Auto Insurance?
Call 755-4529
West End Mall
(next to
Sunshine Dept.)
Or Call 394-7707
1
Specializing in
Young Driver Rates