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Page 2.
The Maroon Tiger
October 10, 1963
Immorality and
Today’s Youth
By Sheba
Today, everyone from housewives and ministers to
psychiatrists and sociologists hurl the allegation that
college students now are less moral than their pre
decessors, These same groups share the general atti
tude that “campus morality” has hit an all time low.
Birmingham
This expression of senti
ment by the Spelman and
Morehouse Student Go
vernment Associations in
undertaking the Recreation
for Reconstruction project
proved sufficient enough
to raise nearly $300 for the
racially tom City of Bir
mingham, Contributions
for this worthy cause were
in the amount of $295.98.
Plastered over tabloids, news dailies, and magazines
of varying descriptions can be found - along with the
civil rights struggle, Laotian crisis, and test ban treaty -
vehement polemics concerning the immoral “don’t give
a hang attitude” of youths. Wild parties and narcotic
sex stand out boldly as the two most illustrative ex
amples of campus immorality. Of course, a writer here
will harp on smoking, while a writer there dwells on
the consumption of inebriating fluids by under-age
siblings.
In all seriousness, however, I submit that the alle
gation of “immorality” is a catch-all whose definitive
and substantive depths no one has really scraped. Like
wise, the castigation against youthful frivolities is essen
tially an indictment of society in general and not just
of young people in particular.
Rarely are we able to read an intelligent treatment
specifically pinpointing and subsuming which human
activity is immoral and which is not. Just what is
morality? After having attended many lectures and dis
cussions supposedly designed “to get at the nature” of
morality, I am still left with much ambiguity as to its
meaning. Not yet have I met any valid explanation or
interpretation. Somehow it always seems to be enveloped
within a Christian aura. Must this necessarily be?
If so, then is it safe to assume that non-Christians are
not bound by laws of morality, if there are such? These,
then are questions which beg satisfactory replies and
which no one takes time to consider.
To move on, some say James Joyce's ULYSSES is
immoral. I feel that it has more than reasonable li
terary pretentions to say the least. Some relegate
Thomas Lanier (Tennessee) Williams to the class of
immorality. Again, in my humble, unlearned opinion, he
writes realistically. If one accepts the popular notion that
sex and frustrated southern women are immoral, then he
is automatically led to the absurb conclusion that life
itself is immoral. For, these women are a part of life,
are they not?
Basically, it seems, this obsession with morality
or the lack of it is deeply roated in the Puritan tradition
which permeates - sometimes unknowingly - our total
being. Puritanism with its strict emphasis on “other
worldliness” not only stifles individual initiative but also
lessens, by its ever-present charge of “immorality”,
man’s appreciation of beauty be it sensual or spiritual.
Not denying my Christian upbringing, I dare say that
Puritanism warps our society as it leads us to believe
that anything not spiritual is immoral.
The avowed Puritan distaste for sensual or aesthetic
enjoyments still reigns supreme and vestiges of it re
main today as subject matter in parental teachings and
“culture” which is fed students by most Southern Negro
colleges. Furthermore, introduction of alternative moral
outlooks, for example, those proposed by the ethical
teachings of non-Christians, spiritualists and secularists
alike, are frowned upon by this narrow society of ours.
Senior at Drew
University faculty. In addi
tion, a program of tours,
seminar activities, and
cultural events will be de
signed to take advantage of
the metropolitan area.
Chartered bus transpor
tation will be provided to
and from the campus.
Seminars will meet twice
a week in a building near the
United Nations in the city.
The elementary seminar
involves an on-the-scene
introduction to Interna
tional Relations for stu
dents from any concen
tration who have not had
basic work in the subject.
The other seminars will be’
geared to more advanced
work in international or
ganization for those stu
dents who have had intro
ductory studies in interna
tional relations.
McKinney is participat
ing in this program on a
pre-arranged policy . be
tween the two colleges. He
will be enrolled at More
house and registered at
Drew University for pur
poses of the semester on
the United Nations. He will
be housed along with other
participating students in a
comfortable dormitory on
the Drew University cam
pus and will participate
fully in the extensive ex
tra-classroom program
of the College of Liberal
Arts. (For additional in
formation about this pro
gram, admissions, quali
fications, etc., see Dr.
Kennedy, the Morehouse
College campus coordina
tor for the semester on the
United Nations Program.
Crossroads
From this tradition has evolved society’s disapproval
of drinking, smoking, petting, necking, and even dancing.
But does society completely reject these so-called
“vices ?” According to Madison Avenue, it doesn’t. Note,
if you will, the voluminous advertisements literally beg
ging you to “smoke refreshed” or “sip the thinking man’s
drink” or “dance the twist on company X’s new vinyl
tile floor”. So it appears that there are sundry lures
competing to make un-sophisticates more sophisticated.
Perhaps our society should awaken to its long overdue
task of harmonizing its practices with its ideals. The two
have been incongruous for eons, or so it seems. Maybe
ethics will eventually catch up with conduct or vice versa.
However, now is the time for the adult society to cease
pointing the accusing finger at youth, attributing to them
characteristics and desires they themselves have mani
fested. Rather, it should work assiduously in home,
schools, and the community to really determine the
meaning of morality in its infinitude.
Surely, in all fairness, I could no end without admitting
that some youths do steal, and lie, and cheat. But some
adults do too. So, if it is immoral for one group then the
same standards should apply to the other. Applying this
standard, then, would lead us to the fact that college stu
dents are no different in their thoughts and actions from
their adult counterparts, and they are no less moral,
whatever that means.
ual task was to build a four-
room block house and a
football field (this consist
ed of cutting down palm
trees, clearing the land,
etc.). The educational
background of the group to
which I was assigned was
noteworthy. The group con
sisted of eight American
whites, three Negroes and
one Canadian and repre
sented some of the finest
schools in America, such
as M.I.T., University of
California, Smith College,
Mt. Holyake College, Stan
ford University, and More
house College.
The group participated in
many panel discussions
with the citizens of Mom
basa. The group was also
fortunate in that we met
most of the political lead
ers of Kenya. In fact, the
group had the opportunity
to become very acquainted
with the political, educa
tional, and economical
Some Words About
Student Responsibility
by SG'A Prexy, Paul Walker
One of the primary con
cerns of every Student Gov
ernment President at
Morehouse should be the
role of the student or,
more specifically, student
responsibility. And as pre
sident, I am very concern
ed with this problem.
We students often speak
of the injustices, ineffi
ciencies, and inadequacies
of the administration and
faculty. I have no doubt
that these accusations are
in some cases valid. For
example, the Personnel
Department has often been
called inadequate and in
efficient. I agree. The said
department should help to
solve students’ problems,
not to help create them.
Why must a man be moved
two or three times before
he gains access to his per
manent room assignment?
Why must a man when in
wrong be approachednega-
structure of the country.
I would like to express
my most sincere apprecia
tion to the faculty and stu
dent body of Morehouse for
enabling me to be a part
of such an experience. I
would also like to say that
Operation Crossroads
Africa is one of the great
est experiences of which
one might hope to be a
part. The greatness of the
experience lies not in
learning about the African
culture, nor in learning
something of the country’s
political, eco-socio struc
ture. The richness of the
experience lies, rather, in
(1) living in a foreign cul
ture, experiencing cultural
shock and the adjustment
to it; (2) engaging in group
realtions, thereby learning
to act not for one’s own
private interests, but for
the betterment of the group;
and (3) working, eating, and
living together, black with
white, without racial dis
cord, so that one learns
not to think in such terms
as Negro, African or white,
but instead thinks in terms
of the individual.
These are but a few of
those experiences which
made the trip such a gi
gantic success. Space does
not permit me to write fur
ther; however, I should like
to end this article by say
ing, “Betty, Malty, Jan,
Chris, Mary, Juanita, Jim,
McLeod, Bill, John, Jerry,
and Jim McAuley -
Thanks!!!”
tively and expected to
respond positively? Must
he be more mature in such
a situation than the one who
is there to guide him ? Who
is in fault? I do not know
specifically. But ulti
mately, the Personnel De
partment is the area
wherein these problems
lie. What are the solutions
to these problems ? This is
to say that if there are pro
blems, and in this case
there are, one does not have
to know the answer to them
in order to know that they
exist.
My point is that every
one at Morehouse, in order
to make this institution
what we say it is, has re
sponsibilities—the Build
ings and Grounds Depart
ment, the faculty, the Ad
ministration, and, even
more so, the students.
These responsibilities
must be met.
Students are justified in
complaining when com
plaints are in order—when
someone has failed to as
sume the responsibility re
quired of him. Are not
faculty members and
others justified, therefore,
when they complain in re
gard to our reluctance to
assume our responsibili
ties ?
We have a problem of
cheating which stands
among other problems as
segregation does to other
current U. S. problems.
At this point, students have
a responsibility, for what
shall it profit a man if he
would gain all A’s and know
nothing ? I know the ills
of cheating. I humbly speak
with authority, for I have
cheated. I regret that I must
say this, but I must
must say this, but I must
be true to myself. But in
spite of my cheating, I
was fortunate to have rea
lized that I had lost. I can
never replace the time nor
education lost in the act
of cheating without sacri
ficing time needed else
where. I realized the
problem soon enough. Will
you?
My plea is for an honor
system—a system where
by one is placed upon his
honor not to cheat, but to
give of hi s best to his
studies. I realize that this
system would not solve all
problems of cheating
—whether they be line cut
ting or stealing; but it would
help. Ultimately, we must
have a desire not to cheat.
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