Newspaper Page Text
January, 1967
WOLVERINE OBSERVER
Page 3
My Frugality Time
by George Rocker
I recently read a novel, titled “Blues People" by Leroi Jones
who teaches literature at New York's new school. Mr. Jones is
a past winer of the John Hay Whitney Fellowship for poetry
and fiction. Mr. Jones has published a volume of poetry, preface
to a 20 volume “Suicide Note,” and two plays, “Dutchman” and
“The Slave,” winning the 1963-64 “Obie” award for the best
off Broadway Production.
In the novel “Blues People,” which I recommend to all stu
dents attending Morris Brown and perhaps students of the Atlanta
University Center, the author wrote about the Negro’s early strug
gle for assimilation as non-Americans. Jones tells how the white
man would listen, and was impressed by songs of their native
American slaves, which the white man regarded as “incompre
hensible” or “unintelligible.” At any rate, Jones’ novel can be
called a storyville concerning the black man and the white man,
as musicians who are leaving the mainstream of jazz, and how
many jazz musicians are changing the basics of the jazz reper
tory from blues to the wider harmonic possibilities of the thirty-
two bar popular songs. Jones touches upon musicians as nar
cotics users, and how many young Negro musicians elate the
irony of being thought wierd or deep by white Americans was
as satisfying as it was amusing. Mr. Jones emphasizes the all
important evolution in Afro-American musical form (which had
completely vanished during the middle forties), has occurred
again, and in as much the same manner that characterized many
other changes within the tradition of Negro music.
Surprisingly, he considered the musical form basically a Euro-
American one, the large (sweet) dance band, changed by the
contact with Afro-American musical tradition into another vehicle
for that vehicle.
This is a very worthwhile book of entertainment for the jazz
lovers. A book of historical origin of jazz (music) for music majors
in college. The book contains vital information of the many jazz
artists of today, such as; Miles Davis, Gerry Mulligan, Dave Bru-
bett and his band, John Coltrane, John Lewis, Kenny Clarke,
Gene Ammon, Elvin Jones, Thelonius Monks, Lester Younge,
Louis Armstrong, Ray Charles, Art Blakely, Bix Beiderbecke (first
white jazz musician), etc.
“Blues People” has won such acclaim as the real attempt to
place jazz and the blues within the context of American social
history, moreover it represents one of the first efforts by a Negro
writer to examine the relationship, and certainly one of the most
exhasutive by any. “Blues People” is American musical history;
it is also American cultural, economic, and even emotional history,
It traces not only the development of the Negro music which af
fected white Americans, but also the Negro values which affected
the white man, so quotes the “Library Journal.”
When It Rains,
Why Look Bad???
Hi Students, again this is me,
Rosa C. with a timely question
as to what should we wear when
it rains. Do you look as pretty
as you do on other days when
it rains, or do you use the rain
as an excuse for torn up rain
shoes, a wrinkled raincoat, um
brellas and rain hats that date
way back when? One of the
most common and unattractive
things we see often is the plastic
rain hat. Some of these plastic
rain hats look like shower caps.
The accordion-
pleated hat can
be worn invisibly
and still serve its
purpose if it is
covered with a
pretty silk scarf.
— Too-big, see
through raincoats and enormous
odd-shaped, torn up umbrellas
look bad and are awkward. It
really makes a rainy day look
drearier to see all of these
things. A small, trim umbrella
is just as useful as a large one,
and is much easier to handle.
Appearance is just as important
on rainy days as it is in fair
weather. We must be careful not
to just throw on anything when
it rains; but to take time to look
as best we can on a dreary,
rainy day.
On this campus, there can be
found every type face there is—
heart-shaped, trapezoid shaped,
round, square and oval. It seems
possible at some time or other,
that one might wonder just how
she is to wear her hair, and just
what style is considered correct
for her type face. The heart-
shaped face needs to be slimmed
down at the forehead and fulled
out at the chin line. The best
way is to let the hair come
straight on both sides of the
forehead, taking off at least an
inch of its width, and then let
ting the hair curl out very fully
just as it reaches the chin.
The trapezoid shaped face is
narrow at the top and broadly
squared at the chin. To take
away from the width of the chin,
the hair is curved softly over it.
The round face needs to avoid
curl above the chin line; below
that you can have a much curl
as you wish. Hair that curves
loosely down over the cheeks
camouflages the roundness of
the face.
To round off a square-shaped
face, a hairdo with deep full
bangs is best. The rest of the
hair is worn long and rather
straight.
The oval is the ideal-shaped
face with its high beautiful brow
completely bared as it should be.
This face can tend to look too
long and hollow at the cheeks.
To avoid this, there should be
some curl or fullness at the
cheeks.
With these ideas in mind, a
young lady knows exactly what
style she is to wear, and this
should take the wonder out of
just what hair style to ask for
at the beauty salon.
Letters to the Editor . . .
Dear Editor:
May I comment on the remarks about cheating which were
printed in the last issue of The Observer?
To refresh memories, the approving comments went some
thing like this:
Cheat if you need to in order to pass. It's okay if you don’t
get caught. Nothing in the world is honest, and cheating is one
of the lesser problems.
Three of the seven comments condemned cheating, giving the
stock reasons:
It isn’t fair to those who work hard. It reveals weakness. It
ignores and defeats the purpose of school.
Not one of these comments is new. The division of opinion
merely reminds us that solidarity in morals does not exist. One
comment, however, prompts me to respond because it reveals clear
vision of the human situation and, at the same time, blindness to
the possibility of integrity.
The man who wrote that “nothing in the world is completely
honest” understands the fact that we are all caught in the process
of fooling ourselves and others, whether intentionally or not. We
hide from reality because we fear slapped faces and skinned
knuckles and brick walls.
But does the realization that we delude ourselves persuade
us to surrender and give in to faking, to throw a drape over reality
and live a cheap imitation of life? Cheating is one of the many
white flags that signal this surrender to delusion.
Imitations are cheap as ever.
The alternative is expensive. But whenever reality shatters an
illusion, a man may see the alternative: the possibility that whoever
he is and in whatever situation he is, he can pick up his life and
live it.
Ann Harrison
Crime and Punishment
by Nathaniel Sheppard, Jr.
How often have you picked up a newspaper and seen a head
line like “MAN KILLS TWO PEOPLE IN DARING HOLDUP
ATTEMPT” or "SERVICE STATION ROBBERY-MURDER
SUSPECT APPREHENDED AFTER DARING AUTO
CHASE”? Most likely these people are sentenced to death by our
courts, and most of the time we go along with the courts’ de
cision and forget the matter. Have you ever stopped to evaluate
our system of dealing with those who break the law? After giving
the matter some conscious thought you should be cognizant of the
fact that these methods (electric chair, gas chambers) are just
as bad as some of the primitive methods used in the past. This
is supposed to be a modern era wherein modern concepts rather
than modern methods should be sought and used.
The really amazing thing is how our courts can set themselves
up as such highly illustrious bodies omnipotently deciding who
lives or dies. The courts don't seem to realize that capital punish
ment actually boils down to nothing but legalized murder. In their
attempts to defend capital punishment they will invariably say
that by abolishing capital punishment we encourage more dis
respect for the law in that people tend to be less frightened of
a jail sentence as they are of the death sentence. A highly de
batable issue, isn’t it?
Let us hope that as time passes, those in position to do so
will abolish our present day methods of dealing with those re
sponsible for serious crimes and obtain more humane ways.
Self Made Trap
by Irwin Culpepper
If you are a constant patron of the Morris Brown Co-op
(Snack Bar) this is well and good, for the co-op is located on
campus for the students’ enjoyment.
The co-op serves as a place for a supposed brief period of
relaxation, as stated in the Student Handbook of Morris Brown
College. But it seems that the privilege of having a snack bar
is being highly abused by students who are and should be aware
of neglecting to spend only the time necessary to eat. chat a while
and go on to class or to the library or some place of study where
he or she can accomplish the prime objective of acquiring an
education.
There are many who break the rule but hurt themselves more
than anything else. These students I would say have misplaced
values and should think seriously for a moment to consider which
degree is best, a B.S. or B.A. degree in the area of arts and
sciences or a degree in “Cardology” or “Co-opology.”
I am not stating what I have and shall say as a joke, but
seriously, hoping that those who are violating this rule are
putting themselves in a self-made trap shall in turn see their errors
and remove obstacles which they themselves have placed before
a necessary and most beneficial education. And that those who
haven’t fallen into such an alluring trap shall take heed and not
do so.
I’m wondering if the purpose of the new student union build
ing being completed at this moment will be defeated by students
who unconsciously fall prey to a deck of cards or the friendly
voices of constant associates. You should ask this question in
earnest and be objective in your own personal answer. Are you
also wondering? Shall you be trapped by none other than yourself?
3n iflcmonam
WE MISS YOU
We the members of the Mor
ris Brown College family ex
press our sorrow over the loss
of our dear classmate and
friend, Victor Beal. He departed
this life on January 2, 1967. We
will miss your smiling face and
pleasant personality among us.
We will remember you always.
Dear Editor:
Problem: Parking
by Virgil A. Carr
Presently at Morris Brown
this year there is an automobile
for every two students. This in
itself is no problem but parking
these cars is. Morris Brown Col
lege is just not providing ade
quate parking facilities for all
its student drivers.
During the holidays while all
students were home enjoying
themselves, the city of Atlanta
Parking Bureau banned parking
on Vine Street. After several
student protests no action has
been taken to allow parking on
the one-way street which is lo
cated right between the heart of
Morris Brown College.
This writer offers two pos
sible workable solutions. (1)
Allow parking on both sides of
Tatnall Street. (2) Convert Uni
versity Place to a one-way and
allow parking on both sides,
thus Vine. Street can remain a
no parking street.
Whether this problem is
solved depends upon the student
body personnel concern and in
volvement.
News from
Kappa Alpha Psi
by Don Graham
The first formal meeting of
Kappa Alpha Psi fraternity for
the year 1967 was held on Sun
day, January 8th.
We the brothers of Kappa
Alpha Psi are expecting a very
prosperous school year. We
have planned many activities
which we hope you. the student
body will enjoy.
Our plans for the year 1967
are as follows: annual Split
Level Dance, and our “Guide
Right Program.”
TTte brother. Beta Delta
Chapter was honored to be in
vited to a birthday party held
by the alumni chapter on Sun
day, January 8th. The party was
a big success.
We, the brothers of Kappa
Alpha Psi wish all the students
of Morris Brown College a hap
py and prosperous year.