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Page Seventy
THE MAROON TIGER
A Criticism Of Criticism
Oliver Jackson, ’28
This dissertation is motivated by an apparent
inclination, on the part of the vast majority of
Negro students to criticise intemperately—to
compose judgments of “hot air,” so to speak. Let
it be understood at the outset, that there is no
design herein to foster or condone malicious or
cavilling.
From time to time opportunity presents itself
to some embryonic literatuer, to write a critical
resume of some production or presentation, gen
erally of an artistic or literary nature; and some
times, perhaps, a scientific treatise. He immedi
ately wades into his task, which consists for the
most part, in a clever juggling of phraseology;
and when he has finished he has done no more
than waste a quire or so of perfectly good paper.
In our vernacular, the finished article is not worth
one farthing.
Let us assume that we have a composion at
hand—an appreciation of the recent appearance
of Mme. Splotski (imitation of a Russian name),
our final observation, after summing up all that
our critic has to say, (consummate skill, most
pleasing personality, perfect breath control, etc.)
is that Mme Splotski is monarch of all she sur
veys. The recital by Mme. de Smythe next month
envokes the same stereotyped adjectives which
our critic seems to reserve as stock ones. Then
on the former lady’s return engagement we have
the same appraisal of her work which really re
duces criticism to ridiculous absurdity.
Criticism of art is not an easy thing at all. The
critic should be as free from prejudice toward
any type as is humanly possible. Who would ex
pect constructive criticism of a concert of Ger
man Lieder from a dyed-in-the-wool believer in
bel canto? The fiends of uncanny technique will
agree in pronouncing Heifetz and Kubelik mas
ters, while the lover of ravishingly beautiful tone
will contend for Elman and possibly Zimbalist!
but the majority will hear Kriesler combine tech
nique and tone to put across the message of an
artist and acclaim him king. Besides his open-
mindedness the critic should have more than a
fair knowledge of the subject that he is to dis
cuss. He should have a criterion by wihch to
make all judgments and by all means he should
to be able to analyze and synthesize the subject of
his sketch. The tendency towards pendantry
should give way to a nice choice of words, not
necessary complex.
Now we have not intended to discourage the
complimentary criticism where the same is due;
nor do we propose to have anyone merely picking
flaws and ■ offering no panacea. The greatest
teachers sometimes compliment their students
when the latter are sober minded. Read the art
columns of our greatest publications and you find
almost nothing other than complimentary re
marks for great men and women who have “arri
ved.” But they aren’t called supreme.
Pope, it seems, was of the opinion that he who
criticized defectively commuted a misdemeanor
many times greater than he who writes defec
tively. Let us be discreet in our criticism and
make it really worthwhile—a genuine appraisal,
in our estimations of a work for its own merit;
not the mere setting forth of highly exalted quali
ties falsely; nor the most debasing depictions
imaginable, but an expression of genuine worth
and merit as it emanates from our own souls.
War On Malaria
F. E. McClendon, ’27
In order to cope with the age in which we now
live, it is obviously necessary for us to conserve
man power and to increase the physical and men
tal efficiency of the populace at large. But, rav
aging diseases are playing havoc with human be
ings, are lowering vitality and are wielding such
a debilitating influence upon us that our situa
tion has become a precarious one.
The logical question that arises in our minds
is how may we eradicate such detrimental agen
cies existing among us? In view of the fact that
we are entering the season in which malaria is
usually so pronounced and causes such an as
tounding loss of man power and millions of dol
lars annually, and in the light of the fact that,
while we are considering when to begin, it is often
too late to act, the writer would have us stdy
this disastrous disease, start an early fight on
malaria and consequently wage war on the Mos
quito.
A brief discussion of the life history of this
human parasite, the mosquito, will enable us to
better understand how we are affected by malar
ia, and at the same time bring about such reme
dial measures that will check very greatly the
onslaught of this dreadful creature.
The malarial organisms, plasmodium malariae,
has two life-cycles; one a sexual cycles, which
develops in mosquitoes, and the other asexual
cycle, which develops in man.
In the first case, the sexual development of the
malarial parasite within the body of the mos
quito requires a comparitively short time to com
plete its process, usually from eight to ten days.
The migrating cell which is produced by fertili
zation effected through the union of a male and
female cell penetrates the stomach-wall of the
mosquito and builds a cyst. Further develop
ment goes on and eventually tiny filaments which
are produced get into the lymph system of the
entire body of the mosquito. Finally, these fila
ments reach the mouth parts of the malarial mos
quito and, when the mosquito bites a human be
ing, it injects this poisonous substance into his
system. It is at this stage where the asexual
cycle commences.
The infected organism which has entered the
blood-stream of man finds its way into the red
blood corpuscles. Here is becomes ring-shaped
and is found to be amoeboid in movement. The
parasite lives at the expense of the red corpuscle,
continues to develop and, at this point, preys so
destructively that it breaks up the red corpuscle.
Then, the spore, a germ, enters the blood-stream