Newspaper Page Text
February 1, 1979 Page 4
The Maroon Tiger
MARDOTl
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
CHA RLES E. MA PS OX
ASSOCIATE EDITOR
RONALD PETTA WA Y
ASSOCIATE EDITOR
ROY HAMILTON
NEWS EDITOR
REGINALD SCOTT
ENTERTAINMENT EDITORS
KEITH HARRISTON
DA VID MORROW
FEATURE EDITOR
MICHAEL STEWART
SPORTS EDITOR
WALTER PARISH
BUSINESS MANAGER
VINCENT D. McCRAW
MANAGING EDITORS
JOHN VEALS
ARLIN MEADOWS
CHIEF COPY AND PROOFREADER
DAVID B. THORTON
CIRCULATION MANAGER
JEROME WALKER
PHOTOGRAPHY EDITOR
ALFRED PELERS
ART AND GRAPHICS EDITOR
daily j. McDowell
CONTRIBUTING EDITORS
RODNEY THAN TON
TIMOTHY BOD DIE
RELIGION EDITORS
CHRIS HA MLIN
VINCENT SMITH
OFFICE MANAGERS
JOHN SOUTH A LL
JAUN DUNLAP
On Rev. M. L. King, Jr.
by Samuel Machett
Concerning Reverend Dr. Mar
tin Luther King, Jr. there is very lit
tle else that can be said that has not
already been voiced by countless
others. We are all familiar with the
grandeoise of the man and have felt
at one time or another the impact
of his greatness. However, how
many of us, as students of More
house, look to Reverend King as a
personal source of inspiration and
motivation? Please bear with me as
1 refect upon scripture passages
taken from Genesis. “And they
said one to another, behold,, this
dreamer cometh. Come now there
fore, and let us slay him, and cast
him into some pit, and we will say,
some evil beast hast devoured him:
and we shall see what will become
of his dreams.”
What will become of the dreams
of Martin Luther King, Jr. — our
dreams? While it is within your
power -and mine, what will we
allow to happen to the dreams?
There is, as the scriptures point
out, a beast among our number
who seeks to devour us all. This
beast, however, as many of us are
inclined to constantly believe is
not, in all cases, the white man.
Rather the beast that appears to be
continued on page 5
Let Freedom Ring
By Christopher M. Hamlin
1 totally agree with Dr. King that
we should let freedom ring from
Stone Mountain in Georgia and
Lookout Mountains of Tennessee.
But freedom should also ring from
third floor Gloster Hall.
The (the administration) told
students:
A. No offering of any kind
could be collected in the Martin
Luther King, Jr. Memorial
Chapel.
B. No tickets could be sold on
the premises for any event that was
not to take place in the Martin
Luther King, Jr. Memorial
Chapel.
As a student, 1 have seen both of
these “laws” broken.
The fashion show that was spon
sored by the women’s auxiliary
sold tickets from the ticket booths
of the chapel. On “Motivation
Night” (January 14. 1979), an
offering or donation (which ever
you prefer) was collected. Was this
suppose to happen?
On February 20, 1978 when the
Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial
Chapel was dedicated, Dr. Gloster
delivered a rambunctious speech
telling everyone what the chapel
stood for and what type of pro
grams would go on in the chapel.
Gregory Griffin, who was seek
ing the office of president of the
Student Government Association,
stated that Morehouse College has
a great advantage by having such
an extraordinary chapel. He prom
ised gospel and many other con
certs. So far none of these have
been a reality. It is to my under
standing that the Atlanta Philhar
monic Chorale was to be in concert
in Sale Hall, but that didn’t fall
through and the concert was
postponed.
It’s time for freedom to ring
from Morehouse College. We the
students put up with poor sanita
tion conditions, poor housing con
ditions, lack of communication
between the administration and
the students, and many other
things that make us the students of
Morehouse College NOT FREE.
Before we attempt to clean up the
streets, let’s clean up the HOUSE.
Should Jan. 15th Be
A National Holiday?
by Charles E. Mapson
Editor-in-Chief
President Carter supported the
movement to have Martin Luther
King, Jr.’s birthday declared a
national holiday, in his speech
upon accepting the Martin Luther
King, Jr. Non-violent Peace Prize
at the Ebenezer Baptist Church on
January 14, 1979.
I agree fully that Martin Luther
K.ing. Jr.’s birthday should be
made a national holiday along with
Lincoln and Washington’s. I can
not. however, say that it is best to
do so. Because 1 am selfish and
somewhat an advocate of Black
Power, 1 believe January 15th
should be a holiday. But since I am
also able to reason and wonder. I
am disturbed by what may be the
outcome.
For many long years, through
out many tough trials and over
very tempetuous seas Dr. King had
inherent in his ministry ideals of
justice, equality and brotherhood.
If his birthday were set aside, the
entire nation would have to cele
brate it by remembering what he
did and what he tried to do.
I fear that the nation is not ready
for that. It might soon become just
another day off. Instead of think
ing about King the nation might
take the opportunity afforded by
that day to sleep longer, get drunk,
do the week’s washing and other
things.
The birthday of Dr. King should
be a feast day. Families should get
together and celebrate his life
along with the many dreams he had
for us. Dreadful visions appear,
though, when 1 pause to reflect
upon what happened to the other
holidays. They all became Mon
days and the true date was lost to
oblivion. So we celebrate Lincoln's
birthday not on February 12th but
on the 11th, 13th, 9th or what ever
day Monday is. Thus Dr. King's
birthday will be celebrated on the
Monday before. That’s bad, but its
done so the weekend will be longer.
Hopefully Dr. King’s birthday
will somehow be celebrated and
preserved.
Thoughts
Kingly Encounters
by Charles E. Mapson
Editor-in-Chief
Had Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. been destined to be yet living, he
would have celebrated his 50th birthday on January 15, 1979.
All of the students of Morehouse College remember that dark day
in April of 1968. I can recall very vividly the life of the man whom I
idolized as a young student. 1 can remember when he came to
Newark, New Jersey and the Mount Calvary Baptist Church on
March 27, 1968.
1 was not allowed to miss school to see him because my father felt
that King’s work would be in vain if we missed school and the educa
tion that it afforded us. Though I did not get the chance to see him I
was promised that when Dr. King returned in two weeks 1 would see
'him. I patiently awaited the chance to see the man whom 1 admired
and respected so much. Often I was caught up in deep debate with my
more militant associates who called Dr. King an “Uncle Tom” and
even more humiliating names.
I had hoped to meet Dr. King in 1967 at the commencement exer
cises for my brother at Morehouse but he could not be there to say
the benediction as he was programmed to at Morehouse’s centennial
year’s commencement and Dr. Benjamin E. Mays’final one as Presi
dent of Morehouse. .
With every hope I possessed I awaited the second week in April.
On the morning of April 4, just one week after King’s visit to Newark
I went to school knowing that I only had one more week to go.
While watching “I Love Lucy” my attention was diverted by a spe
cial news bulletin. “Civil Rights leader Martin Luther King, Jr. has
been shot on the balcony of the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennes
see.” I conveyed the word to my parents and instantly, the house
became silent. We all sat glued to the set.
Could Calvary’s hill have been as dark as it was in Newark when
the word came that Martin Luther King, Jr. was dead?
Had 1 the power to stop the bullet, 1 would have made sure his trip
to Memphis never occured. Had 1 the healing powers of Jesus, I
would have made Dr. King my Lazarus and raised him from the
dead. But Dr. King said that he didn’t mind. He was not worried
because he had been to the Mountaintop and seen the promised land.
The coming of the glory of the Lord had been revealed to him.
So why did we weep? Why did we mourn? Why did we riot? Why
did we, burn? That man, Martin Luther King, Jr. lived a fruitful life
and had his life been lived before the elders of the church decided on
the books in the Bible, 1 am sure there would have been a book after
Matthew, Mark, Luke and John called the Gospel According to
Martin. Between Paul’s letter to Timothy and his letter to Titus there
would have been King’s letter from a Birmingham jail.
May we never forget this Morehouse man par excellence, this
drum major, this prince, this soldier on life’s battlefield.
If you have any feelings about the life of Dr. King or what his life
meant to you personally, the Maroon Tiger would like to hear about
them. Write: Letters to the Editor
The Maroon Tiger
Morehouse College
Atlanta, Georgia 30314