Newspaper Page Text
November 29, 1953
Page 3
THE MAROON TIGER
LITERARY NOOK
by RICHARD JOHNS
People and Poetry
The emergence of poetry from
a people bears the significance of
hope for that set of people, for
the poetic experience is a trans
lation of this same experience in
to a dream. Social conditions,
the achievement of social justice,
and the mitigation of suffering of
vast sections of our world popu
lation demand no less regard
from poets than the spiritual food
hey may have to offer.
Truth and a realization of re
sponsibility of the individual to
society are necessities of primary
importance to the world. It is
therefore important to note the
poetic techniques used by the va
rious modern poets to this end.
In the West Indies, where agri
culture is the main stay of the
people, there is an inevitable
tendency towards the examina
tion of the situation in terms of
the reality of a growing Nation
alism which is inseparable from
the various phases of the cultur
al life. The following poem is an
attempt to give a picture of a lo
cal West Indian situation.
IN THE SICK LAND
Perhaps in the sick land shall
rise again
Weeds for a spectre of light.
Perhaps the cane’s blood will
sweeten
The sea of tears misery poured
In all these years of struggle.
On this wire of time
Are strung our deeds, ,
Curses and paternal sins,
And when we look and see
Pity for live,
A voice half creates
An echo in the mind’s ear
“Some better luck for us”
Seme beter luck.
For years our fingers have dug
Keyholes to crops in the earth’s
door,
We have dried the starch in
Sunpails of heat,
And our backs—
The sun cloak wrapped us.
They have left for us
the gospel of their time,
Their withered faiths,
Their final glory
Stitching patches
for some pattern in our hearts.
They have hewn from primal
woods
huts that saved their shoulders
From win and rain.
They whose near ceremonies
crammed
To their'heaven’s top the last
season
Of their dying world.
We must hear them
For from the hollow sleep of
a drum
Beats a former echo in the night
Beneath those valleys
Where the moon sketches.
Within the valley’s wall
In the vague slum the moon
scribbles
Drips the doom of the dawn.
Not when shadsw scramble
across cliffs at evening,
Not when streams strangle weeds
for songs,
Remembered is the prompt past
Of blood, the story of a Bloody
Bridge,
Only it’s time to sing now
Not to dance, to look, not to want.
For we are dumb to tell them
How of their sins our love is born
How of the deep fervour that
drove
Their foes we have a limb to fight
Not to go down damned before
REFLECTIONS
LET'S DO IT NOW!
By LILLIE McKINNEY
Almost every college student,
however hazily, envisions himself
after college as a person of solid
values, of great worth in the
sphere in which he lives and
works. He is the one who is to
make the difference in the lives
of those about him. The future,
however, is indefinitely remote,
and he is during his college years
so engrossed with living in. the
“eternal now” that his future en
deavors are set to sail on a “Slow
Boat to China.” When question
ed in regard to his contribution to
society, he wears the expression
of a martyr and says that lime is
the saddest word in the English
language. The air of refined idle
ness is his favorite prose.
Little does he realize the value
of using time wisely now as a
means of accomplishing some of
the things proposed for the fu
ture. He is concerned with triv
ial matters which will not prove
to be resourceful experiences for
the individual expects to make
his presence felt in useful service
or leadership. His habits of pro
crastination consumes more of his
time than he realizes. Those late
hour sessions (10:30) where the
diversified subjects are the “do
ing” at the Saturday night dance
or movie, what so-and-so was
wearing, the quarrel with the
“better-half”, and those “not-to-
be-personal-but” questions con
cerning matters not to be divulg
ed to the pigeons of the trees;
those “jam sessions”, and those
“jaunts” to the library for the
“sole purpose of studying” de
prive us of valuable time for do
ing something constructive.
How can this course of action
suddenly produce the person he
envisions himself to be in the
future? What miracle will dis
solve the physical distractions,
mental preoccupations and emo
tional obstacles so prevalent in
the daily environment to which
he succumbs?
Participation in constructive
and meaningful activities such as
clubs and campus organizations
which have a well developed pro
gram will have a direct and help
ful bearing on his future. Al
lowing for some frivolity, these
activities provide pleasurable as
sociations with people and at the
same time prepare the. student
for the glorious future he envis
ions. It is noted that employers
emphasize the importance of ex
tra-curricular participation so vi
tal in the development of your
characteristics of concentiousness.
Employers will often hire an in
dividual of average ability whose
college experiences include a
worthwhile experiences above
the student with a superior scho
lastic ability, but whose learning
has not included situations pro
viding for broader human rela
tions.
For the purpose of eliminating
habits of procrastination, the stu
dent neds to exert the will to ov
ercome the inertia which has
been responsible for his trivial
activities. Will-power is a force
that cannot be imposed from
without. The individual must
himself determine upon the
course of action which will bring
desired results. Once one takes
the first step toward throwing off
Tnental inertia, the rest becomes
much easier. To become a person
whose life is guided by solid val
ues and who can assume great
responsibility, the student must
exercise his determination to get
started now! X
an “Atom God”
As they went down before a
granite god.
R. E. John.
THE BOOK NOOK
By G. T. Johnson
THE CHAIN IN THE HEART
By Hubert Creekmore
Random House. $3.75
The moment a reader opens
this book he is aware—if he
knows nothing about the book
previously—that this is another
book on the age-old race problem
as it affects the Negro generally
in the nation as a whole and in
the South in particular. He can
see from the outset that here is
a group of people who are subor
dinated to a larger group of the
opposite race.
Mr. Creekmore, a native Missis-
sippian, probably knows the Ne
gro in the South. He attempts to
show how three generations of a
Negro family, the Murchisons,
rose evolutionally, from a spirit
ually-subjected generation right
after salvery to a restless genera
tion striving to be emancipated
from such ignorance and hatred,
and finally to a generation of the
beginning of hope and under
standing and free from ignorance.
The author strives to show, I
think, that ignorance and hatred
can be abolished if one attempts
hard enough; and that freedom
and understanding should come
from the hearts This he strives
to do in this novel, his third.
The reader, however, inevita
bly comes across much dialogue
and immorality that can be quite
jolting—especially when he has
paid particular notice to the ex
cellent characterizations, the ex
cellent and unusual scenes, and
the wonderful description. Thus,
one gets the impression that tru
ly this is an excelle it novel—but
.not in the hands oT Mr. Creek
more. One feels as if the charac
ters would be wonderful—with
their joys and disturbing difficul
ties—if they were not made to
talk by the author.
After one has read this book,
one does not know whether Mr.
Creekmore has disturbed him, in
sulted him, or cultivated his
thought.
TOO LATE THE PHALAROPE
By Alan Paton
Scribner's $3.
This novel is concerned with
social problems but not on a large
scale. However, one finds that
this novel is more, much more, in
tense than the author’s first novel,
Cry The Beloved Country. Every
thing centers around one man,
Pieter Van Vlaanderen, a young
police lieutenant and football he
ro in a small Transvaal town.
The entire story is told by an
aunt of the young police lieuten
ant. Most of the characters are
Afrikaners— the descendants of
the Boers. The language of these
people sways as if it were guided
by music and metaphors as meta
phors throughout the book leap at
the reader.
(
Pieter, the idol of the town, has
a wife, Nella, who is a very good
wbman, but somewhat frigid.
Thus, he suffers because of this
incompatability. The author, how
ever, makes this aspect of the
book more intense—by creating
Stephanie, a young Negro wom
an. In his (Pieter) needs he
turns to the woman, knowing that
this is one of the most unpardon
able sins that he could commit.
Thus, we can expect suspense
throughout this book which is too
realistic and strange to be labeled
“fiction.”
Pieter is of a distinguished
family, an ideal husband, a father
(Continued On Page 8)
PERSONALITY PORTRAIT
by GEORGE JOHNSON
Mr. Louis W. Sullivan, who
hails from Blakely, Georgia, was
quite an outstanding student be
fore entering Morehouse in the
fall of ’50. The president of his
junior and senior class, he also
was a member of his high school
band — working himself up to
president of that musical organ
ization. Mr. Sullivan, or “Der
Kopf”, as he is sometimes called
among intimate friends, was not
only active in extra-curricular ac
tivities, but he also managed to
accumulate an average high
enough to place him as salutator-
ian of his class.
Louis has not suppressed his
love for extra-curricular activities
since entering Morehouse. A sen
ior, he has accumulated an en
viable scholastic average of 3.65.
He has not only been a member of
the Student Council for three
years, but he is also a member of
Beta Kappa Chi Honorary Scien
tific Society; a lay-member to the
Executive Council of Alpha Phi
Alpha Fraternity, a member of
the Alpha Rho Chapter of the
same Greek-letter organization on
our campus; the president of the
Glee Club, and a member of the
band. He was also a member of
the Advisory Committee for two
years, and the student chairman
of the Program Committee during
his junior year.
Unlike his father, who is a well-
known undertaker, Sullivan plans
to study medicine next year at
Meharry.
So, you see Whitman was
wrong—if he had such a man as
Louis Sulivan in mind when he
wrote “Democratic Vistas.” Mr.
Sullivan does not only have “na
tive personality”; he also has a
high intellect that makes him
stand out.
BARBER, TEAL
CHATARD, TOP
DEAN'S LIST OF 61
On Wednesday, November 23,
Dr. Franklin O. Forbes, Head of
the Physical Education Depart
ment, addressed the student body
on Honor’s Day. This list is
based on last semester’s work,
second semester 1952-1953. To
qualify a student must carry a
minimum of 12 semester hours
and maintain an average of B
or above with no grade below
C. The* 5 following list includes
the enviable sixty-one.
Alfred, Dewitt C., Jr.; Ander
son, James; Anderson, John W.
R. ; Bacon, William L.; Barber,
John; Brummell, Joseph Eugene;
Bryson, Henry; Campbell, Fin
ley C.; Chatard, Peter Ralph;
Covington, John R.; Davidson,
Ezra C., Jr.; Dotson, Robert Carl;
Essien, Etim Akan; Ferguson,
Harold Millard; Fisher, Winder
Everett D.; Floyd. Authur, Jr.;
Foster, Henry Wendell; Gibson,
Frank W.; Glenn, Barnabas W.;
Goodman, James Authur; Gore,
William Ira; Guy, William V.;
Harrison, Ira Enell; Henderson,
Perry A.; Hill, George I.; Hutch
inson, William Day; Jackson, Wil
liam A.; John, Richard; Johnson,
George T.; Johnson, Judson G.;
Jones, Robert K.; Jordan, Louis
James; Kennedy, Ezekiel Leon;
Marable, Marion S.; Mimms, Ron
ald Lescor; Moore, Howard, Jr.;
Mullins, Harold; Oufler, Herbert
S. ; Owens, Major; Pinkney, Char
les W.; Pitts, Frederick D.; Rals
ton, Fred Charles; Randolph, Har
old Leon; Sanders, John W.; Sul
livan, Louis Wade; Taylor, Oli
ver, Jr.; Teal, James S.; Thomp
son, Paul Frederick; Tuggle,
(Continued On Page 7)
LOUIS WADE SULLIVAN
“It is native personality, and
that alone, that endows a man to
stand before presidents or gener
als, or in any distinguished col
lection, with aplomb — and not
culture, or any knowledge or in
tellect whatever.” — Walt Whit-
Perhaps the word “personality”
to different people means differ
ent things, but whenever it is ut
tered on our campus in connection
with someone whose picture ap
pears in the MAROON TIGER,
one immediately thinks of one of
our own students who has been
outstanding in some area of ■en
deavor.
This month is not unlike any
of the other months, so far as a
“Personality Portrait” is concern
ed. But it is quite unique from
the standpoint of possessing an
individual whose varied accom
plishments qualify him by any
one’s criteria to be the personal
ity of the month.
A Philosophical
Plan Of Life For
Morehouse Men
Every man should devise for
himself a workable philosophy of
daily living. Such a plan was de
vised by Benjamin Franklin, who
found it to be of great benefit to
himself. So I suggest, to you this
program, which is to rest on five
foundation stones:
1. WORK, skillfully and joy
fully done.
2. COURAGE, based upon
faith in yourself.
3. KNOW-HOW, knowledge of
the best technique.
4. COOPERATION, ability to
work with others and to gain
their support.
5. ENTHUSIASM, the radi
ance of God’s spirit working
through you.
To bind together these founda
tion stones there must be a strong
cement which will flow when one
comes to be in tune with the In
finite Force.
Having tuned in on this Force,
the next step is to join with God,
and come over on to the affirm
ative side of life, to think affirm
atively, to act affirmatively, and
to live affirmatively.
From this step it is a simple
move to come to have the feeling
of “Reverence for Life” and thus
to affirmatively become a protec
tor and an extender of life in all
its many forms.
To give a color to personality
one must have an all pervading
Loyalty to some cause, or purpose
to which enobling duty can be
rendered.
t
Thus spoke Kendall Weisiger in
October, 1953, to the students in
Chapel at Morehouse College.