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EDITORIALS
What Lies Ahead for us
by Jeanette Cason Goff
What Morris Brown Must Now Mean To Us
School has been in ses
sion for about six months
now; and finally here comes
the first edition of the stu
dent newspaper.
Many of you may be won
dering why it took so long.
I shall attempt to explain.
It does not take a pro
fessional journalist to rea
lize that a newspaper can
not run effectively as a one-
man (in this case, one-
woman) operation. Newspa
per work is very tedious
and requires a division of
labor that is of utmost im
portance.
For years on this campus,
getting a dedicated and
hard-working staff has been
a problem.
I have tried to be as ob
jective as possible in seek
ing reasons why students on
this campus do not work with
the school newspaper. To
begin with, I cannot over
look the fact that a college
which does not offer a major
in journalism is sure to
have some problems in gett
ing a good newspaper staff
together. On the other hand,
I have noticed that students
are interested in seeing a
History is a very curious
thing, but then so are peo
ple.
No one knows what part
of history society will give
Lyndon Johnson.
For years now, each de
cade has had its heroes in
the traditional sense and,
society has always preser
ved a place or made one for
them in history. At this
point, I think society has
been outwitted by its stan
dards. The sudden death of
another one of its heroes
has posed a grave question
indeed. What part of his
tory will Lyndon Johnson
dominate?
Well, this has left a lot
of questions in mind. Al
though Lyndon Johnson ex
celled by far, better than
any president in the field of
Civil Rights, I don’t think
they’ll give him this honor
because they gave this to
Martin Luther King some
years ago.
Now, let’s see. What
about the great peace-mak
er? No, they are still hold
ing that spot for Richard
Nixon.
What about the great em
ancipators? No, they gave
that one to Abe Lincoln.
The ideal president? No,
that was George Washing
ton.
For a man who did so
much, the world will never
be able to award him justly.
I consider myself fortunate
to have lived during the time
of Lyndon Johnson. I’m for
tunate because I witnessed
newspaper out every month,
but are not willing to help
labor for the product.
Thus, the only conclus
ion I can come to is that
students on this campus are
just not interested in the
student newspaper.
The student newspaper is
the organ to bridge the com
munication gap on campus.
This newspaper is not
“mine,” it’s “ours.” It is
important that each per
son realize the Wolverine
Observer is the newspaper
for the entire student body.
Every Morris Brown stu
dent pays for this news
paper through his activi
ties fee. So, that means
whether this paper comes
out every month or not, you
are still paying for it.
Stop cheating yourselves.
Many of you have worked
on your high school news
papers and are familiar
with newspaper work. So,
get up and get involved.
My summer reporting
experiences with the At
lanta Constitution has pre
pared me to serve as your
editor; but all that does
not mean anything if there
is no staff to work with me.
the very speech Johnson
made before Congress when
the Civil Rights Bill was
introduced. I’ll never for
get those last words of his
speech as they rang through
out the senate room with so
much sincerity. “We are
going to pass this bill even
if it takes all summer,” he
said as he stepped from the
podium engulfed with praise
and choking with sympathy.
(Believe it or not, they pas
sed It).
I’ve often wondered how
a man like Lyndon Johnson
was able to stand his
grounds. I’ve also wonder
ed how and why society be
trayed him in his last
years of the presidency when
he was trying to carry out
his job and straighten out
what was done by other
administrations.
«
It wasn’t easy, but John
son fought to the end. Even
when he left the White
House, he was still senti
mental and concerned about
peace and about this cor
rupted society.
In an interview with Wal
ter Cronkite, Johnson said
he “tried” and what more
can you ask of anybody?
As far as I’m concern
ed, Lyndon Baines Johnson
was the American Presi
dent, and while History is
puzzling it’s brain as to how
he will be remembered, I
suggest, they forget it. For
get it because Johnson
wasn’t pushing for any big
prize. He was pushing for
humanity and he’ll be re
warded format.
There’s a new educatio
nal institution in Atlanta
which is offering univer
sity-level courses to all
people with curiosity-mo
tivated intellects.
On the comfortable, yet
small, grounds of this pro
posed Mecca of academics
are imposing physical faci
lities, numerous mental
hurdles, not a few recrea
tional outlets, a vast num
ber of educational aids and
enough unexploited research
opportunities to make this
campus a true gem.
Added to these mundane
and more observable as
pects is the spiritual his
tory of a people; church, and
a lasting ideal. Within the
confines, but not necessa
rily pent up inside, of this
cultural center are the
living ancestors of a stormy,
often hidden, frequently
misunderstood, artifically
tainted, but nevertheless
exceptionally strong tradi
tion, the Afro-Americanhe
ritage.
This last but most impor
tant pillar of strength which
supports the foundation of
this wonderful new univer
sity, is made up of people-
the women who operate the
school, the instructional
staff that leads the way,
and the student body that
promises to fulfill its com
mitments as time passes.
It is the one thousand
plus proletariat of this
academic framework,
which, while cementing all
elements to complete cohe
sion, has pledged to work
for the people who have
made this life possible, the
school which has opened it
self to their needs. Here
they will prepare for a fu
ture of greatness, of sa
crifice, of hard work of
mastery, of destinies. The
Afro-Americans which this
new university plans to spew
upon the earth will be doers,
will cut through the tangles
of racism and prejudice,
will turn big business over
to it’s humane side, and
will make social sciences
centers of truth and under
standing. The graduates!
will challenge an ignorant
and selfish government, will
fight to establish their right
of existence and wil 1 ex
plore new possibilities whe
rever they may lay.
There was great neces
sity for a university of this
sort, and now a rather loose
alliance has borne a recon
ditioned, strong, and po-
by M. W. Benton Jr.
sitive force. The energy to
drive this machinery will
come from a recharged and
recommitted faculty, des
tined to make veracity and
concern its standards.
Those of us who are wel
coming the coming era call
on this resource to exploit
its own potential, as we
call on the student body
to drain the faculty. We
see a cooperations with
and a new respect for the
library and the librarians
efforts, for the adminis
tration and their trials and
for the efforts of our ground
crew.
Fortunately this new in
stitution is using older buil
dings, buildings once abus
ed which now, like aged
and priceless wine, will be
cared for and loved by their
users. Once there was an
era when there existed no
respect for property, when
grass, though shown off,
was nevertheless trampl
ed, when chairs, tables and
curtains were ripped off: but
a new day is dawning on a
new institution of higher
learning.
I, for one, am proud to
go down in history as a
founder and builder of At
lanta’s newest institute.
From where I sit I see a
light rapidly approaching
from the far end of a tun
nel, and the light announ
ces: Morris Brown Is Here!
The Wolverine Observer is in
dire Need Of Reporters,
Layouts Speciality, Typist,
Cartoonist
WE NEED YOU
THE OBSERVER STAFF
Editor-in-Chief Jeanette Cason Goff
Associate Editor Calvin Freeman
Sports Editor . . • .John T. Fisher III
Cartoonists ...... .Michael Williams and
Alfonzo Shelby
Advertising Manager Cleon J. Day
Reporters Sharon Rice,
Cynthia B. Glascoe, Frank Harkness Jr., Pamela
Barksdale, Gwendolyn Raly, Kathy Witherspoon,
Yasmin Y. Roberts, Angela Y. Dennis, Michael
D Jackson, Carolyn Craft, Valerie Bryant, Diane
White, Wanda Willis, Glenda P. Willis, Samuel
French, Mallard Benton.
Typists Beverly L. Hill and
Christine Jackson
Advisors . Dean Charles
Easley and Mrs. Sara Wheeler.
History and Lyndon Johnson
by Calvin Freeman, Associate Editor