Newspaper Page Text
VOL. 2. NO. 1
SPELMAN COLLEGE, ATLANTA, GEORGIA
November 11, 1960
MOREHOUSE DOWNS CLARK 10 to 0
THE SIT-INS
By Joycelyn McKissick
It has been said that the pre
sent “Sit —In” demonstrations
were started when four freshmen
from the Agricultural and Tech
nical College in Greensboro,
North Carolina were refused ser
vice at a local dime store. How
ever, the history of the first “sit-
in” was recorded in the thirties.
The most recent ones began in
1958, first in Wichita, Kansas and
later in Oklahoma City where
Barbara Posey led the very first
successful “sit-in. The latest wave
of “sit-ins” was spontaneous
and had its beginning in Gre
ensboro, North Carolina. At the
time of the “sit-in” on March 15,
even the four freshmen were un
aware of the significance the sit-
in would play in history. After the
initial move students of Durham,
3
Raleigh, and Winston-Salem,
North Carolnia moved with force
and organization. From North
Carolina the protests moved to
South Carolina, Virginia, Tennes
see, Florida, Alabama, Georgia
and Texas the “sit-in”
spread all over the United States.
Even in partially intergrated
areas sympathy protests began.
The demonstration then develop
ed into picket lines, stand-ins,
kneel-ing, Since last February,
lunch counters in eighty-seven
cities and eleven states have been
successfully integrated.
In Atlanta there was a need for
organization of the student pro
testors. Because of this need,
the Committee on Appeal for
Human Rights was founded in the
spring of 1960. The committee is
composed of representatives from
the University Center which in
cludes Clark, Spelman, More
house, Morris Brown, Atlanta
University and the Interdenomi
national Theological Center. The
purpose of the committee is to
seek freedom, equality and jus
tice for all peoples. The burdens
of injustice and human indignity
are heavy and whatever the com
mittee accomplishes will play a
great part in lightening this load.
Not only will the load be lighten
ed for Negroes in Atlanta, but
for Negroes throughout the South
and the Nation.
The philosophy of the Commit
tee on Appeal for' Human Rights
is that of Non-Violence! Non-
Violence is not a philosophy for
the coward for it calls for the
>
willingness to suffer, to be humi
liated to be cursed, to be kicked,
and to be arrested. On the other
hand, it is not for the martyr. If
you believe in non-violence, and
in equality for all, and if you
think you can withstand all kinds
of abuse, then your place is on
this committee. Much action has
been taken by the committee since
its first meeting. Picketing, Sit-
Ins, and Kneel-Ins have been
planned and executed. With the
help of publicity by handbills,
radio programs,, and panel dis
cussions, these demonstrations
have got response from the
entire public, but not enough.
This year the committee has be
gun functioning with a new de
termination to seek total inte-
INSIDE COVER
(Impressions of Rehearsal of
SPEAKING OF MURDER
Recently, I attended one of the
first rehearsals of Speaking of
Murder—a melodrama— by Au
drey and William Ross, 'directed
by Baldwin W. Burroughs. At
tending the rehearsal was quite
an experience—the set unfinished,
the actors unaccomplished. The
dialogue, though, was effective,
cleverly timed, and wisely season
ed with real humor.
Based on the eternal trangle,
Speaking or Murder is a typical
Alfred Hitchcock play. However,
a fourth person is brought into the
main conflict. The story unfolds
during a weekend with a young
widower recently married to a
Hollywood actress, his newly ac
quired wife, his housekeeper, and
the extortionist. Complications
form when a “friend” discovers
the housekeeper’s secret and at
tempts to blackmail her. The ac
tion then begins and moves rapid
ly toward the climax.
There are few characters. They
are consistant throughout the play
and are clearly differentiated in
dividuals rather than sterestypes.
Miss Annabelle, the somewhat
heartless housekeeper, is in love
with the master of the house. She
does not appear to distinguish be
tween good and evil, right and
wrong.
Mrs.Walworth is a very amus
ing character who provides the
humor for the play. Elegant in
the art of being threatening and
nasty in a“nice” way, she is a
blackmailer thinking mainly of
herself and how to increase her
bugetary account. She is a per
fect lady in a dual performance.
Both women are “cool” and cal
culating” portraying personalities
whose minds click a mile-a-minu-
te. However, one woman is schem
ing for favor of a man, the other
for financial benefits.
Both actresses make one feel
as if she were living the parts
with them rather than merely
looking on. I was captivated by
the performances in rehearsal of
both Miss Annabelle and Mrs.
Walworth.
In order of appearance, Ricky
Ashton is played by William King;
the role of Connie Barnes Ashton
is played by Artie Allen; Janie
Ashton is portrayed by Anita
Thomas; Herman Elon Hughes
plays Charles Ashton; Betty John
son plays Miss Annabelle; and
Andrea Perry Jackson is Mrs.
Walworth.
Director Burroughs handles his
players superbly. Hhe holds an
amazingly tight rein on Mrs.
(Continued on Page Four)
WWMMWmmWWVWMWWWM
Mrs. Louise Johnson Eagleson
VMIUWWWMUWWUVWWVVIAM
Spelman Daughter Dies
Mrs. Louise Johnson Eagleson,
instructor in the biology depart
ment of Spelman College and
Grady Memorial Hospital, died,
after an illness of several weeks,
on Saturday, October 8, 1960.
Services were held at 3:00 P. M.
on Tuesday, October 11, 1960 at
the Friendship Baptist Church of
which she was a member. The
opening prayer was offered by
Father Warren E. Scott, the Col
lege Minister. Facts concerning
Mrs. Eagleson’s life were stated
by Dr. Albert E. Manley, the col
lege president, and the ritual con
ducted by Dr. Samuel Williams,
pastor of Friendship Baptist
Church.
Mrs. Eagleson was a graduate
of Atlanta University High School.
She atttended Ohio State Univer
sity for one year, then transferred
to Spelman College, graduating
in June, 1945 with a major in bio
logy and minor in history. She
later received the M. S. Degree
from Atlanta University.
On March 16, 1940, she was
married to Oran W. Eagleson,
who is at present the dean of
instruction at Spelman College.
For a number of years, Mrs.
Eagleson taught biology at the
David T. Howard High School in
Atlanta, and in 1957, she joined
the biology department at Spel
man College
This past summer, Mrs Eagleson
went to Woods Hold, Massach
usetts, to attend the science ses
sions there, but was forced by ill
ness to return home after only a
brief stay
Survivors include her husband,
Oran W Eaglson, their daughter,
Gwendolyn, a junior at Spelman
College, and other relatives.
ONE WAY
There’s more than one way to
win equality. And the National
Association for the Advancement
of Colored People is one of the
best ways to fight for such a
cause. I need not detail the
areas in which the N. A. A. C. P.
has pioneered > for they are far
too numerous. But a striking ex
ample of the N. A. A. C. P.’s work
is found in its relationship with
the recent student movement,
for the N. A. A. C. P. took the
responsibility of providing legal
aid for the 1500 student arrested
in the “sit-in” demonstrations
(March 15). In this and in many
other ways, the N. A. A. C. P.
has fought unceasingly for first-
class citizenship for the Negro,
since its origin in 1909.
There’s a great difference be
tween first and second-class citi
zenship. This difference, a feel
ing of inferiority ; is applied not
only to individuals but to a race.
This difference must disappear,
and for this reason the N. A. A.
C. P. should mean more to you
than just another organization.
Its goals are far-reaching to the
extent that it is concerned with
the strengthening of democracy
in American and with leveling seg
regation barriers in all areas of
public life.
Membership helps to enlarge
your economic and cultural op
portunities and to refute anti-
American propaganda abroad by
correcting racial injustice at
home. It helps protect your civil
rights, and above all your mem
bership helps to make America
truly “the land of the free’. I
cannot urge you too strongly to
join and work with your local
chapter at home and with the
campus chapter at Spelman.
O
MEET MISS JOHNSON
By Mary Gardner
Who is our dean? What does
she represent? Where is she from?
What does she expect from us?
These are among the few ques
tions that have been raised by
many of the Spelman students
who are filled with curosity about
our ew dean.
After hearing these same ques
tions repeated day after day by
so many students, I was motivat
ed to seek the answers to some of
these questions. I found more
pleasure in the priyilege than I
anticipated.
Our dean’s name is Miss Mer-
cila Johnson. She is, of course
the attractive young lady that
drives the green convertable a-
round the campus and wears the
pleasant smile. She is easily re
cognized for her personality
sparkles. She represents diginity,
intelligence, manners, accomplish
ments, profession, and woman
hood. She is a well rounded in
dividual. All of these outstand
ing qualities make her fitting for
the position that she holds here.
One could not find a better leader.
Coming from a large family in a
small town in Virginia one would
NEWS FORM OTHER
SCHOOLS
Do you like to keep up with
what’s happening at other schools
in the country? If you do here is
some information from The Inter
collegiate Press Bulletins that
may interest you.
“At the University of Southern
California the goal of student leg
islators is to form an “Academic
Partnership” resolution. This re
solution will allow students to be
active on committees dealing with
academic affairs.
The student representatives
would be placed on such com
mittees as the Curriculum Com
mittee, the Scholarship Standards
Committee, and the Advisement
Committee. The students would
also be consulted in the making
of academic and extra-curricular
policies which would affect them
and the university.
“To be ulaced o nthese commit
tees the student would have to be
nominated by the Student Gov
ernment Association and ap
proved by the president of the
university and the faculty. Only
those students who have main
tained a good record and have
shown that they can make mature
decisions would be considered for
positions.
The president and the dean of
students of the university are as
sured that by establishing this
Executive Committee, they can
attain their objectives. Many have
great confidence in this new era
of student-administration relation
ships.
Now we jump across the coun
try to Davidson College, Davidson,
North Carolina. The Dean of the
Faculty there favors an unlimited
cut system and feels that upper
classmen especially should be
given this privilege. He thinks
that if such a system were initiat
ed students would become more
responsible fo rtheir education
and would fundamentally change
their ideas toward learning.
This system would also chal
lenge teachers. Instead of teach
ing students who were more or
less captives, they would have
classes of genuinely interested
students and would therefore
have to really be on their toes.
The professors and students would
be a team, with both sides trying
to learn.
“Some people probebly think
that students are not mature
enough to have such a liberal
system, but one way to help them
gain maturity is by giving them
responsibilities. The Dean feels
that learning would be more
meaningful if it were achieved
through individuals desire”.
How do you feel about the
systems these two colleges wish
to initiate? Let us have your
opinions and criticisms. Who
knows, maybe someday Spelman-
nites will have these privileges.
r^wv.'WVVvwvvvtstnA/vwvvi/i/'
SUPPORT
THE S. S. G. A.
Homecoming! Homecoming! Homecoming!
MOREHOUSE COLLEGE TIGERS
SATURDAY, NOVEMEBR 19, I960
(Continued on Page Four)
(Continued on Page Four)