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Page 3 Morehouse Tiger January, 1968 FRESHMAN FOCUS Robert T. Smith, III This is the second in a series of articles that should better acquaint the administration and student body with the freshmen — their ideas, activities, and problems. Ceasar Williams, Freshman Class president, has asked that I print his plea for all class members to pay their dues in full to the treasurer before the party in February. The theme of the party is "Freshman Follies." Those who have paid their dues will enjoy the live entertainment free with their guest. Others will be charged admission. PAY YOUR DUES. The following replacements were announced by the president. Bryant Hawkins will replace Calvin Butts as chairman of the action committee. Michael Rogers will replace Tyronne Holt as chairman of the publicity committee. Michael Scott will replace Maseo Sloan as Chairman of the freshman social and cultural affairs committee. In addition to these groups being reorganized and reactivated, the coordinat ing committee has promised to meet regularly with the Freshman Class of Spelman. Members of the Freshman Class have proven themselves on the football field, on the basketball court, in the pool, and, more recently, on radio. Weekly on Tuesday nights at eight o'clock on WSB Radio, Edward Billups represents Morehouse College as a panalist on "This Is My Religion," a program on which religious officials, usually a rabbi, priest, Unitarian minister, and canon (of the Lutheran Church) are bombarded with questions from young minds concerned with topics ranging from birth control and Vietnam to Christianization of interplanetary beings. Both Rindy Buggs and Waltina McElroy, first and second attendants to Miss Freshman, wish to express their deepest gratitude for making the homecoming activities a memorable occasion. Rindy, of Pasadena, California, likes to accompany herself on the guitar; and Tina from Macon, Georgia, likes to read and meet new and interesting people. Reflections . . . PUSSYCAT OR TIGER? Robert T. Smith, III Conditions here at Morehouse aren't quite as bad as we think. Most of the ills and problems have been presented to the faculty and administra tion to work on and try to solve, and as Mr. Finley Campbell said in an impromptu speech to a Tues day morning chapel gatherin, "There's no need to get upset or violent over your problems. Be stoic." Mr. Campbell discussed four evils of the institu tion. A tutorial system should be set up, especially for freshmen, on an inter-dorm basis. Secondly, there should be a place where students may freely discuss academic and classroom problems with an administrative head who will listen and let them finish before,quickly running them out of the of fice. Next, Mr. Campbell suggested that living con ditions be improved for students. Lastly, in addi tion to the necessity of solving these problems, intellectual initiative must be present among the students. True enough, registration, classroom counciling, and living conditions, to name only a few, may seem to make one think that "ole Morehouse” is still in the first century of growth, but work is be ing done to bring about a speedy relief and carry Morehouse into a fruitful second century. THE MISSION Harvey B. Smith, Jr. Our mission is one which requires unyielding toil. There must be no compromise, for this only eats Away at Our manhood. MANHOOD! MANHOOD! MANHOOD! Our very being as a people is at stake! Don't tell me of this morbid thing called amalgamation As the ultimate panacea! There will always be "niggers" as long as you persist Upon such a futile idea! The Black mission which we have embarked upon is the Total antithesis of this foolish concept! There will never be a worthwhile amalgamation! There can only be CO-EXISTENCE, and AWARENESS OF SELF Precedes this! Dig yourselves, brothers and sisters. CALL IT CHEESE Ben Wright My friend Alexgy and I were seated at the table; it was spread with bread and cheese and wine - that was plenty in those days. Solace was slouched in a far corner against the wall. She said very little and hardly moved an inch; she smoked a lot and gazed occasionally about the small, crowded room. Solace. I had just written a story and I wanted my friend Alexgy to hear it. The story was not yet titled; it was about a backward country that gradu ally became maddened as it was exposed to a great luminous light. I started reading the story to my friend. He turned and looked at Solace. She gave Alexgy a mysterious smile and walked slowly to him. I continued to read. By now Solace had reached Alexgy; she ran her fingers coldly through his course, curly hair. I read on. Solace said nothing. My friend gazed into her eyes. I continued to read. As I neared the end of the story, Alexgy put a piece of cheese into Solace's mouth. When I was done I said to Alexgy, "What shall I call it?" He was not listening. I asked again, "What shall I call it?" Alexgy smiled. "C'est fromage," he said. "Call it cheese." REVIEWS A VICTORY FOR PURLIE? Benjamin H. Wright, Jr. Purlie Victorious, a very funny play by Ossie Davis, was the second offering of the Atlanta — Morehouse — Spelman Players, and received a receptive opening-night audience on December 4, 1967, at the Fine Arts Building, Spelman College. The play takes place in the cotton plantation country of the Old South, and although the time is the recent past,it is rather difficult to determine whether or not Purlie Victorious is actually a re flection of pre-Reconstruction days and or a com mentary of the present. "Being colored can be a lot of fun when no body's looking" is one of the funnier lines from Purlie, and the action of the play centers around the funny incidents leading to the attempt of Purlie Judson to outsmart Ol' Cap'n Cotchipee. Purlie Victorious Judson (Robert Moody) is a self-ordained minister who is reminiscentof Sinclair Lewis' Elmer Gantry. Purlie, like Elmer, is specta cular, bombastic, and great at the art of harangue — in short, he is a con man. Cap'n Cotchipee (Hannibal L. Penny) is the per fect image of the Great White Father. He has all black folk in debt to him for sundry reasons, and REVIEWS - A Victory for Purlie? (Cont’d) has not yet accepted the fact that the days of "cotton-pickin' darkies" are gone with the wind. Gitlow Judson (Cula Jackson) is the ever-endur ing Uncle Tom who indirectly takes pride in perpe tuating white superiority. Charlie, Cotchipee's son (Phillip Kimball), represents the white liberal. Juanita Nason gave a funny, but warm inter pretation of Lutiebelle Gussie Mae Jenkins, Purlie's "Zulu Queen." Missy Judson, the wise old colored women, was played with great feeling and sincerity by La Tanya Richardson, thus achieving the best performance. Despite the fact that director Richard D. Don nelly has a sound play and a fairly good supporting cast, he failed to score a victory for Purlie. Robert Moody was amiable, but weak in the title role — he lacks the strength, vitality, the flamboyance which are all essential to Purlie's character. The setting by Luis Maza was flexible and could easily be moved about, but was abstract, cold and austere. Therefore, the lighting by Dan Kennedy and the costumes were the only material devices adding to the effectiveness of the play. PURLIE VICTORIOUS - - ROLLICKING FUN GALORE Edward Roger Billups After the presentation of the not-so-splendid In Splendid Error — a well-written historical drama, but not as equally well-acted — we were handed the rolicking, hilarious comedy and satirical farce on white and Negro life in the plantation country of the South. Purlie Victorious. It was presented by Spelman's drama department, under the direction of Mr. Robert Donnelly. Purlie. written by the noted actor and play- write Ossie Davis, was as great a box-office smash as a Broadway play and as superb as Gone Are the Days in its celluloid presentation. With the Atlanta — Morehouse — Spelman Players' ren dition, we had a fantastic audience success but a flop in the casting of major roles, in the direction of a badly-choreographed "flight scene," and in the snail's-pace action in Act I. The skillfully constructed sets of Luis Maya (formally of the Pocket Theater) and lighting by Dan Kennedy gave us a picture-perfect look at the cottonland of the South, but alas, all that glitters is not gold. Robert Moody, as Purlie, is not quite as forceful and profound in his philosophies and preachings as we would expect him to be, but he carried the weight of the play rather well with mus cle strain only occasionally showing. La Tanya Richardson — as Missy Judson, Purlie’s sister-in- law — developed an excellent character onstage,be ing strong, deeply religious, and stern-willed. She balanced the hard-task with just the right helping of quipping humor. Miss Richardson is a fine act ress and we hope to see more of her. Another talented member of the cast was Cula Jackson as Gitlow, Purlie's "Uncle Tom" brother. Mr.Jackson has created a character reminiscent of the comic style of Godfrey Cambridge and gives us the perfect Uncle Tom character — wide grin, rol ling eyes and all. However, Mr. Jackson does have a bad habit of back-bending and overplaying at times. Another standout in the play is Hannibal Penny, an actor who has created some fine roles in his work with the players, including the two roles he created for the previous production. Mr. Penny developed for us Ol' Captain Cotchipee, the villain of the play and owner of everything and everybody in the county. As a man who "loves his nigras," Mr. Penny does a splendid job raving across the boards sprouting his authority (at times carrying the "old, old" bit a little too far), but please, please, please, Mr. Penny, couldn't you have for gotten that you were once aScot in Macbeth and at least have tried for the "deah ole Southern drawl?" Gloria Curry, Danny Ware, Robert Garcia, and Phillip Kimball all do excellent jobs in their sup porting roles. And then there was Lutibelle, Purlie's Ethiopian Pearl, whom he had brought from Alabama to im personate his late cousin, Beatrice. Ossie Davis in writing the play has provided us with a witty, sharp, and often biting dialogue. In fact, the sub ject was so good that if the actors only spoke the lines the play would still be as funny. The point I'm trying to make is that Juanita Nason (bless her heart), who plays Lutibelle, did just that and therefore her characterization was accepted. Luti- belle's shy, innocent, confused, and flustered characteristics are played by Miss Nason with child like ineptness. While watching her perform (?) we get the notion that she is rehearsing a kindergar ten skit. We do watch her SPARK in the second act and then die out. A line in the play .best de scribes Miss Nason's performance perfectly: Lutibelle: Aunt Missy, sometimes I wish I could drop dead — for a little while! So did we, Juanita, so did we! But don't fret. Talent is there and Mr. Donnelly has shown us that he is a capable director in his production of the play and the skills he used to pull that spark out of you. Purlie Victorious was a marvelous theater expe rience and the AMS players provided us with a sparkling performance that will long be remember ed by its audience. The United Negro College Fund would like to publicly thank the following companies for their support in the U.N.C.F. drive. CARSON FURNITURE COMPANY Complete Home Furnishings Top Brand Names 300 MARIETTA STREET, N.W. 524-4391 REEDER & McGAUGHEY, INC. Wholesale and Retail Athletic / Team Equipment "SPECIALISTS IN SPORTS" 50 BROAD STREET, N. W. 522-8757