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THE MAROON TIGER
Pape 3
^be SVegro College Community and £ife
By James A. Hulbert, ’33
After four years of supposed study and contact with
professors supposedly possessing breadth of minds fav
orable with their degrees and positions, the college gradu
ate emerges into a world not so alien after all to his
world of books and classes. With his diploma he must
face practically the same problems that he has already
been concerned with, but on a larger scale and a more
intense fashion. For, indeed, the college is a sheltered
community, a small world within a world but embracing,
similarly, problems of law and government, of disci
pline and justice, of health and sanitation, of democracy
and autocracy, of failure and success. Herein the forces
of honesty, truth, loyalty, honor, merit and all the oppo
site qualities must be contended with—even as outside
the college walls. Herein, one may rise by his efforts
or fall because of his sloth. A million other problems are
present that give the lie to the old-timers who conceived
of graduation as “going out into life.’’ Doubtless, most
Negro students are extremely intimate with life long be
fore commencement day.
Graduation speakers used to delight in hypnotizing
young hopefuls of the class of into a feeling of ex
cessive self-assurance and sufficiency. An ailing old
world awaited patiently the day of June when a
class would rush forth to cure it of its divers diseases.
How inane is such an idea today. It is an ignorant grad
uate, indeed, that has this notion, and such an institu
tion that turns out people with the “world wanting to
be conquered” conception is most assuredly sending them
“out into life”, and into a painful reality and hideous
truth as well. Modern industry and business are flooded
with men with degrees, and have jew places in these years
of depression to assimulate older and more experienced
men. This year again thousands of young men will face
disappointment and disillusionment in the realization
that there are almost no jobs open, no channels of occu
pational absorption for graduates with only the bache
lor degrees.
How does the Negro graduate fit into these hectic and
soul-crushing conditions that prevail? The answer is that
he is a very bad fit, or, rather, he doesn’t. Notwithstand
ing the truth that the same questions which agitate him
are likewise agitating the white graduate, he is a victim
because of his race, traditionally persecuted and despised,
and henceforth the one to suffer more in the depression.
But he cannot blame his people altogether for his pre
dicament. The fault lies not altogether in his stars, nor
in the fact that he is an underling, but, to a great ex
tent, in himself—in his own weakness, lack of thought,
his laissez-faire outlook on everything in general.
This indolence of our Negro intelligentsia which is on
the same plane as the proverbial care-free, happy-go-
lucky native of our lower brethren, in spite of the false
culture and easy sophistication which it displays, is
traceable in its first stages in college. Negro students are
amazingly lax and even cowardly when there is need for
action. They whine about injustices, they “beef” noisily
in “bull” session, attacking everybody, panning the ad
ministration, and present wordy solutions to every prob
lem imaginable. Yet, they are often silent and indiffer
ent when some important issue is at hand, calling for
constructive thought and direct attack.
Recently, on this campus there was an example of
student indifference that will throw light on attitudes,
generally. The verdict of death passed on Heywood Pat
terson, first of the boys tried in the celebrated “Scotts-
boro Case”, sent a thrill of shame and dismay through all
of America, decent Amer>n Resolutions were passed in
condemnation, petitions r 1 telegrams of protest poured
into the court of the Alabama town and into the office
of the President of the 1 ed States. On that day this
writer did not hear a single group discussing the trial
or its outcome; a terrible " ’d deliberate miscarriage of
justice. There was a quesi'on in his mind whether many
even knew that the case vns being tried. Such an event,
so fraught with significance for our group, seeminrly,
would have incited spo ’eous and eager discussion,
possibly a meeting or a "-um, One telegram from the
orient bodv would h
taken a stand, ineffectual
be. Yet. on the very mo -
fraternities were engagin
’’ us on record as having
s it might have aopeared to
' of the sentence, the campus
In a heated and crooked poli
tical battle to control the various offices and positions
of the several student
A college is primaril
partment, be it class, ch;
ment or sports, it grows
portion to student inte
factors are extremely in
can successfully govern i
sideration of them. But i,
its students. Whatever de-
>el, library, student govern-
! progresses largely in pro-
1 cooperation. These two
ant and no administration
hape anything without con-
■ c fa 'tors are negligible, if
there is no positive force of student opinion then there
are no grounds for con 1 or is there development
of either institution or individual.
How can graduates ... oetter their home com
munities when they have contributed nothing in their
college community? Many subject themselves to their
daily tasks assiduously a .J when teachers award them
high grades, usually inaccurately and often erringly, they
pat themselves on the bacK and glow in the warmtli of
self-satisfaction. Yet, if required to give a single origin
al idea, a single intelligent reaction our friend oi the
“dean’s list” often is found to be sadly deficient. And
all he can possibly offer when he finishes his education
is his degree, his honors, his worldly-wise air,sans ideas,
sans initiative, sans originality, sans enthusiasm, suns ev
erything. Naturally the Negro graduate in many instanc
es is a perfect flunk-out in this exacting world, which,
unfortunately in the final analysis, doesn’t care a hoot
for scholastic honors and fraternity pins.
Dad: “Son, do you know that when Wilson was your
age he was at the head of his class?”
Son: “Yes, sir; and when he was your age he was
President of the United States.”
All Modern
“Will you marry me, dearest?”
“Certainly. Companionate, trial, 0r fight-to-a-finish?”