Newspaper Page Text
May 15, 1963
THE SPELMAN SPOTLIGHT
Page 3
A NO SIR^lPi t EXPECT TO
ORA R* A -44EV,)AN jHOW' DO you
SP&LL GRA?>fMTET>?* '
Con The Earth Support So Many People?
About the time the new Amer- ' JJU ~ M : TT c
ican nation was taking shape, a
young Englishman discussed with
his father the possibilities of ever
realizing the ideal society on the
earth. Would there ever come a
time when there would be
enough jobs and food and the
necessities for all the world’s
people? This young man present
ed his views. Although the pre
vailing opinion had been that
somehow production would catch
up with demand, street urchins
still roamed the alley ways and
lanes of London, their parents
apparently unable to care for
them properly, the state impotent
to help. How was there ever
going to be a means, this young
man reasoned, when population
would increase in a geometric
progression 10, 100, 1000, and
production in only an arithmeti
cal progression 10, 20, 30. If the
problem were bad now it would
be much worse in the decades
and centauries to come .This
young man is known to us as
Malthus and he drew these con
clusions over 150 years ago.
The writings of Mathus created
a sensation among the sociologists
and economists of the time when
(they were first published in
1798, but only in very recent
years has there been any general
concern about such possibilities
and even now few people realize
the implications.
Death rates have been de
creased all over the world in
recent decades by antibiotics and
other achievements of medical
science. Most people argue that
a decrease in death rate is desir
able, but a decrease in birth rate
can be disastrous. To quote the
United Nations estimates (ob
tained from p. 9 of Population
Perspectives by Phillip M, Hau
ser, Rutgers University Press,
1960) the expected accelerated
rates of growth would give a
world population by 1975 of 3.8
billion and by the year 2000 of
6.3 billion. Can the earth sup
port so many people?
If this growth continues, there is
actual danger of insufficient
space on the earth to provide
even the absolute essentials for
the people in the short period of
200 years. The immediate danger,
however, is being unable to
maintain and raise the living
standard—especially among the
under - developed nations. The
sheer numbers of people would
defeat all efforts to expand the
world economy fast enough to
provide for them. Ironically
enough the greatest population
increases are occuring and are
expected to occur among the
very nations least able to provide
for these increases — mainly
Asian and South American na
tions. .
Let’s' bring this a little closer
home. According to an article
College Editors' Conference
Proves Warmly Stimulating
in the current issue of U. S.
News and World Reports, the
actual birth rate in the U. S.
is down compared to the figures
of the last ten years. The over
all population is on the increase,
but the U.S. economy is expected
to expand to meet the needs, at
least, as well as previously.
The trend now is toward more
and more urban and suburban
communities, that is, self contain
ed communities where people live
and work, play and seek all
needed professional service. In
other words the small towns are
being transplanted inside the city
limits. Strictly rural communites
are on the decline.
The U.S. as a whole is in no
immediate economic danger from
over-population. Businessmen are
already planning for the expect
ed increase in births in the late
60’s when the post war babies of
the mid 40’s begin having babies
of their own. That overpopula
tion in the U. S. is not imminent
does not mean for us to all go
out and have big families; for po
pulation will remain in check
only as long as parents have only
as many children as they want and
can afford to take care of. Birth
control methods are available
for those who seek them. The
U. S. population is on the in
crease. About 1% per cent a year;
but the economy can handle it
as long as natural resources are
sufficient.
There is an important implica
tion in foreign aid which we
should not overlook. Can the U.S.
accept the moral responsibilities
of exporting medical know-how
and supplies that cut down on the
death rate in under-privileged
South American and Asian coun
tries without also exporting facts
and information and supplies to
cut down on the birth rate? The
overcrowded situation that may
occur is sure to add to and in
tensify the already acute econom
ic problem, and make it even
more difficult to feed, clothe, and
educate the people. If technology
and industry could finally catch
up, how long will the raw ma
terials last? 50? 100 years? How
about living space itself?
Science is optimistic concerning
future sources of raw materials.
Present sources of oil and coal and
even industrial metals cannot last
The Fifth International Af
fairs Conference for College E3i-
tors held in New York last
month was attended by over 200
newspaper editors from colleges
all across the nation. Its theme,
“A Free Press for A Free World",
signified the feelings the edi
tors had in regards to their news
papers.
Held in the Overseas Press
Club and sponsored by the Read
er’s Digest Foundation and the
United States National Student
Association, the Conference em
phasized the need for a free and
unbiased press. Divided into six
areas of discussion—Africa, Eu
rope and the USSR, the Far East,
Latin America, Nuclear Policy
and Disarmament and the United
Nations—the editors then pro
ceeded to talk over the problems
confronting the United States in
these areas.
Such emminent journalists, Dan
Kurzman, Arnold tBeichman,
Leon Dennen, John D. Rockefel
ler IV, Ben Grauer, Jules Berg
man, James H. Sheldon and Dr.
Marguerite Cartwright partici
pated in the seminars.
Student leaders from Indonesia,
South Africa and Malaya were
present to speak on the problems
confronting the students in their
countries, while two U. S. editors
—Sidna Bower of the University
of Mississippi and Melvin Meyer
of the University of Alabama —
told of problems that were con
fronting them on their campuses.
Among the leading dignitaries
speaking were: Sterling Fisher,
Executive Director of the Read
Today’s Colleges
(Cont’d. from Page 1)
to them, by administrators or by
society.
There are three sources of re
pression which come from within.
One source is that which comes
from fellow students; another is
that which comes as a result of
poor relationships between stu
dents and teachers; and a third
repression is that which comes
from administrators either to tea
chers or to students. The first of
these, pressures from fellow stu
dents, though very significant, is
often overlooked.
There are many ways in which
a student or a group of students
can pressure the academic free
dom of a fellow student. One way
er’s Digest Foundation; James A.
Wechsler, editor of the New York
Post; Thomas C. Sorensen, Dep
uty Director of the USIA; Robert
Considine; Malcolm Pilduff, as
sistant Press Secretary to the
President and Edward Mare Bar
rett, Dean of the Graduate
School of Journalism of Colum
bia University.
Many topics were discussed, the
most frequent being the New
York and other big city news
paper strikes and how to bring
the international news to the
college student. Mohammed Shu-
hue Sa’aid of the National Union
of Malayan Students made this
point plain to the editors. He
pointed out that the average
American student was not well
versed enough in national and
international affairs as the aver
age foreign student, especially
those in the new and so-called
“underdeveloped” countries of
the world.
Also brought out dn the con
ference was the fight that John
Shingler and his National Union
of South African Students is
waging on South Africa’s policy
of Apartheid. This tied in with
the policies of racial segregation
that were discussed by a panel
composed of Sidna Bower, Neal
Johnston of the University of
New Mexico and Melvin Meyer.
Miss Bower was presented with
a special award for her cour
ageous stand during the conflict
on the campus of Ole Miss.
Beginning next year the SPEL
MAN SPOTLIGHT will also be
represented at the conference for
college editors.
J~^erhapA ru ^Jirne
You should have been there! We
had a frollicking good time.
There were eats, dancing, naps,
snakes, sports, insects, conversa
tion, and fun galore.
The Sunday School Picnic was
one of the few activities where
both students and faculty could
let down their hair on a common
ground. To see Mrs. Moreland on
the see-saw or the merry-go-
round, to see Dr. Manley hit that
single, to see Mr. Hurlbut com
pete in the swings were once in
a lifetime treats.
It was heart-warming to see
Mrs. Chivers sit down with dif
ferent groups of students to have
a friendly chit-chat. The rapport
between faculty and students was
on an even keel. To reiterate, you
should have been there.
Perhaps more faculty and stu
dents will “find the time” to be-
together on our next gathering.
D. M. M.
Letters To The Editor
(Cont’d. from Page 2)
seekers as the Pittsburgh Public
Schools notice. I hope so! And
I am glad to note the Editor’s
emphasis on interchange of news
and ideas throughout the Center.
What about interchanges with
other colleges and universities
here and abroad?
Power to your pens!
Faithfully,
Isobel M. Cemey
is through discouragemet and dis
illusionment, the type of press
ure which often comes to the in
coming freshman that they are not
prepared to meet the hopeless
struggle which exists in college.
They assure them that their high
school backgrounds are insuffi
cient to meet the new challenge.
These types of students create
pressure upon academic freedom.
At the beginning of this school
year a freshman asked me if I
would be willing to help him
fill out his schedule. I found this
a very difficult task for every time
we came to a section of the sched
ule, he would pull a book out of
his shirt pocket and thumb
through it. Then he would shake
his head and sadly say, “I don’t
want that course, I don’t want that j This type of reputation, however,
because the land will not always
have enough space.
Let’s get back to the point Mal
thus had at the start. Even if the
world is somehow saved from
wholesale poverty some child
somewhere will still be ragged and
unfed. This problem has always
free to examine critically the
curriculum placed before him.
Unfortunately the pressure upon
academic freedom from fellow
students does not end with fresh
men; but, rather, begins there.
The very social order of many
colleges present pressure upon
academic freedom because they
tend to isolate those who dare
think independently or study cri
tically.
The most drastic and vivid
pressure upon academic freedom
from fellow students is that of
academic dishonesty which cre
ates an atmosphere of urgency,
an atmosphere of deceit, an at
mosphere where students strug
gle to survive, and where students
struggle for vain glory, rather
than the acquisition of knowledge
or the valor of new ideas. Because
of this, academic dishonesty and
academic freedom cannot co
exist.
A second source of pressure on
academic freedom from within an
educational institution is pressure
which comes as a result of poor
relationshhips between students
and teachers. Whenever the re
lationship between students and
teachers becomes such that stu
dents are not free to examine cri
tically, to study independently,
and at any time to doubt or ques
tion the validity of subject mat
ter transmitted to them, then that
relationship constitutes a press
ure upon academic freedom. Tea
chers value highly their reputa
tion for failing the majority of
the students who come to them.
teacher.” Finally, I asked him
what was in the book and I found
that in his book he had notes
from a lecture given by an up
perclassman in which he had been
warned against every course in
his schedule. This student was not
creates a type of atmosphere in
which students strive to please
the teacher rather than for an un
derstanding. This type of atmos
phere creates the type of students
who strive to commit to memory
(Cont’d. on Pbge 10)
been with us. And it seems to me
much longer (in terms of histori- | the only sure remedy is preven-
cal time). According to Profiles j tion. Technology may remove a
of the Future by Arthur C. Clark, | skilled man, but such a man can
atom fusion may be an important
source of power — hydroelectric
power cannot be depended upon
to supply more than a small part
of the need. It may someday be
possible to extract minerals from'
the sea, from the rocks and clay.
The other planets and the moon
be re-trained for a similar job.
An idler will hardly be chosen
for this training. Parents should
support children and to do this
they themselves should have re
ceived training. See that every
child has a skill and a will to use
it. If parents do not do this some-
might be sources of these mine- | one should. As responsible citizens,
rals. Plants from the sea as sourc- | we should have no more children
es of food and organic raw materi- i than we can support and educate,
als are perhaps valid predictions; 1 Joan Andrews
From The Editor's Chair
It was a strenuous campaign, but it stirred the heaits
and the minds of our sisters. It was a hard decision to make,
but the choice had to be made. It was a tedious task to count
all of the ballots, but the results were tremendous. Out of this
traumatic experience came an earthshaking resu.t Betty
Stevens is the student body president for 1963-64!
Betty won over a worthy opponent—someone. who is
very much like herself. Caroline Nicol lost by fifty-five votes
from a total of over four hundred and fifty votes. One of
the largest voting populations in Spelman’s history turned
out Friday, May 3, on election day to cast their votes for
one of the two strong-willed, intelligent, dynamic, capable
candidates running for president. .
The interest which the student body showed m the election
was a heart-warming thing to witness. It is hoped that the
new SSGA officers will be such adequate leaders that (1) tor
the next election, no faculty members will contribute directly
to the conduction of the election, (2) there will be practical,
constant procedures in the constitution which govern student
activities, (3) Spelman takes firm steps forward with our
modGrri times.
Let us not concern ourselves with the petty details of
who lost, for all candidates were deserving ones. Rather,
let us join hands to make this a better community m which
to live ’ D.M.M.