Newspaper Page Text
December 17, 1963
THE SPELMAN SPOTLIGHT
Page 3
AESTHETICALLY SPEAKING
Sunday, December 1, 1963 was
not only the first day of December,
but the first day for a new thing at
Spelman College: Sunday afternoon
jazz sessions. When I reported on
the session that was held in Read
Hall a couple of months ago, I said
that I hoped it wouldn’t be the last.
It wasn’t. Abby Hall was pleased
(and honored) to present The Billy
Mitchell Trio, featuring Billy on
piano, Fred Robinson on bass and
Leroy McCloud on drums. To say
the least, it was a beautiful set! The
bassist, I found, was very outstand
ing, especially in his solo work. Billy
was in good form. I seemed to de
tect a tinge of Ramsey Lewis and
Les McCann in his playing. This is
not to say that he lacks originality,
for he definitely does not. This is just
to say that his style shows an ap
preciation for these two artists,
whether intentional or not. The tunes
were wide in range—from very mel
low ballads to uptempo numbers. The
ones that I enjoyed most and which
in fact seemed to be well-accepted
by all the listeners were “Delilah”
(a favorite by Ramsey), “God Bless
the Child” (a standard which will be
remembered from the great lady,
Billie Holiday), and “The Shampoo”
(a very earthy and soulful thing done
recently by Les McCann). This last
tune is something I think McCann
himself would have dug by this group.
A shot rang out. All was hushed.
The sentiments of the world were
expressed in the voice of a young
girl who prayed silently . . .
. . . “Please, God, don’t let him die.”
Oh, God, in my small way I pray
To you to spare this man.
Him I have not touched, yet his
hands
Upon my shoulders have rested.
Him I have not seen, yet his eyes
Upon my face have gazed.
Son of man
Father to man
Brave, Learned
Wise, Young.
Yet, in the spring of my years, I
know
That I am not the fit judge of
Thy mercies,
And so, Dear God, if die he must—
Let me live to remind the world
Of all he did,
Of all he was,
And of all he wanted for men
like me
In this confused world.
—Amen, Amen.
Marsha Goodwin
Vincent Suitt, a freshman at More
house, sat in on piano for three tunes,
one of which I’m pleased to say, he
composed for your scribe. It has been
tentatively named “Tune for Joanne”
and is a rather uptempo thing with
sudden changes back and forth from
4/4 to 3/4 waltz rhythm. His other
two numbers were “Exodus to Jazz,”
made popular by Eddie Harris and a
very boss tune which has been found
to be a favorite here, Art Blakey’s
“Moanin’ ”.
The set closed out with the group’s
favorite tune, “The Masquerade is
Over,” which they have arranged in
a faster tempo, as opposed to the
ballad sound usually heard.
Undeniably, this group could go
places! This is The Billy Mitchell
Trio.
OLD AND NEW: ALWAYS GOOD
Midnight Blue—Kenny Burrell (Blue
Note 4123)
Any Number Can Win—Jimmy Smith
(Verve 6-8552)
The Bridge—Sonny Rollins
My Favorite Things—John Coltrane
Chris Cross—Thelonius Monk (Colum
bia 2038)
Never Let Me Go—Stanley Turren-
tine (Blue Note 4129)
Interaction—Art Farmer (Atlantic
1412)
Basie is Our Boss—Frank Foster (Argo
717)
Ann Graves
The Institute of
European Studies
Application periods for three full-
year study programs in Paris, Vienna,
and Freiburg, West Germany, for
U. S. undergraduates opened Mon
day (Nov. 8), three months earlier
than usual.
The Institute of European Studies
announced in Chicago that students
have until June 5, 1964, to submit
formal applications for the 1964-65
programs. The application period was
opened earlier because enrollments
for the spring 1964 programs in Vien
na and Freiburg are filling up rapid
ly, Institute officials said.
The Paris Honors program allows
qualified liberal arts students op
portunities to study in their major
fields at the University of Paris and
other schools in Paris. Six weeks of
intensive language training before
classes open help to prepare students
for courses, which are taught only
MIRACLE WORKER
IS HIT HERE.
“The Miracle Worker” by William
Gibson, as presented by the A-M-S
Players, proved to be moving, emo
tion-laden experience. Basically, the
theme revolves around the determin
ed, courageous efforts of Annie Sul
livan to teach a deaf, blind child,
Helen Keller, to feel, to come alive,
to be an ordinary person, able to
grasp the meanings of objects and
of ideas. This feat, the miracle, as
developed in the play is designed
to sustain a highly emotional involve
ment of the audience throughout the
performance. This involvement was
fully realized in the Players’ produc
tion, for the actors developed suc
cessfully the empathetic effect for
which the play was designed. In
every scene the audience felt Helen’s
blindness, groped as she groped,
staggered and stumbled as she stag
gered and stumbled, and sensed per
sonally the frustration of her teacher
and her family.
As the story goes, her mother’s
love was the greatest obstacle Helen
had to overcome. Andrea Frye and
Cecelia Perrin (alternately) created
a bond with the audience in their
portrayal of the tortured, devoted
mother. Despite this obstacle and the
hopeless, cynical, unknowing outlook
of Helen’s father (Daniel Grady, Joe
Perry) and brother (J. K. Haynes,
Handy Withers) Annie Sullivan, the
miracle worker, superbly portrayed
by Adrienne Lanier fights on.
The long drawn-out process of
getting Helen to recognize objects
and to repeat sounds is tedious. It
may well have been tiring had the
actors not displayed a marvelous
ability for producing continuity. In
helping Helen to overcome her prob
lems, Annie Sullivan, formerly blind
herself, is beseiged by recurrent
memories of her beloved brother,
Jimmy who died in an asylum where
they had lived as children. In help
ing Helen she overcomes her own
weakness. The emotional intensity
produced as Helen consciously
thwarted Annie on every hand could
be sensed by the audience. Indeed,
as Annie was exhausted, so were we
—but “Helen’s napkin was folded,
even though the room was a wreck.”
This scene evoked thunderous ap
plause. The empathy was great.
Orchids to Helen (or Terrie—one
could not separate the two). She ful
ly comprehended the magnitude of
her role. Her tantrums were very
real indeed and the quality of her
acting was believable and highly
commendable. At times one found it
hard to believe that Terrie Axam
in French. Enrollment is limited to
B-average juniors and a few outstand
ing sophomores.
The Paris program is under the
direction of a professor of the In-
stitut d’Etudes Politiques, a part of
the University of Paris.
The Institute’s “European Year”
program at the University of Vienna
offers a choice between German—and
English-taught courses in history, po
litical science, literature, philosophy,
psychology, economics, fine arts and
other fields, plus intensive German
language instruction and opportuni
ties to take regular German-taught
courses in the university. Applicants
need not have had German, but must
be juniors or sophomores with at least
C-plus averages.
“Das Deutsche Jahr” at the 500-
year-old University of Freiburg, in
Germany’s Black Forest, is conducted
for juniors in political science, history,
literature, philosophy, educational the
ory and psychology. It offers complete
integration into a European universi
ty, together with about one hour of
tutoring for every hour of class. All
courses, of course, are conducted in
German. Applicants must have a B
average.
Each program includes two field
trips in western Europe with Insti
tute lecturers. A folder describing the
programs is available from the In
stitute of European Studies, 35 E.
Wacker Drive, Chicago, Ill.
Joanne Merry
Lullaby to John, Jr.
Rock-a-bye my baby boy,
On my bosom nest,
Beg that I might look on you,
As you gently rest.
Wish that someway I could know,
Of the man you’ll be,
Daddy’s gone, your future lies,
In the hands of Mommy.
You can’t know what pain it is
Suppressing thoughts of hate.
You’re just learning how to love,
You’re naive to aches.
Tomorrow you will ask again,
Pointing towards that door,
When’s my Daddy coming home?
Again I’ll say, no more.
No more my child, no more he comes,
Ah, be you but a tot,
And yet each time you ask for him,
You break your Mommy’s heart.
One day my son you’ll understand,
What death does to the soul,
But I need strength to bear with you,
Less in my youth, I’m old.
Rock-a-bye my baby boy,
The Lord will be our guide
He’ll help us bear our crucifix,
With dignity and pride.
Rock-a-bye my husband’s son,
Little chip you be,
This land will know another man
Named John F. Kennedy.
THE BOOK SHELF
by Jeanne E. Terry
The holidays are on their way
bringing with them fun and good
times. To add a little diversity to
party days it is wise to add a few
reading days. The Common Market-
Today and Tomorrow by Micheal
Shanks and John Lampert, while not
an exciting novel, provides a store
of facts and insights into some of our
country’s economic problems. It is an
introduction to both the structure
of the Common Market and its im
plications for the future. It is divided
into three parts. In the first part the
history of British relations with
Europe since the war and those forces
which have compelled Britain’s lead
ers to come to terms with the new
Europe are analyzed. The second part
describes the institutions of the Com
mon Market, how they work, what
the future stages of European inte
gration are likely to be, and what
the Community’s effect has been on
the people of the Continent—as busi
nessmen, politicians, workers, and
consumers. In the third part answers
are provided to questions about the
relations between such a community
and the outside world. The authors
present a clear and concise develop
ment of their argument which makes
this book an ideal guide to Common
Market policy. Micheal Shanks is in
dustrial editor of the “Financial
Times” (London) and John Lambert
is a journalist for Agence Europe, a
specialized agency reporting daily on
the Common Market.
So that you can look your best
over the holidays why not read Art
In Clothing Selection by Harriet T.
Mcjimsey? This book was written for
was indeed a sighted child.
The play ends with the purging
of the audience’s mounting hopes and
frustrations at Helen’s efforts. Her
first attempt at the word, water, is
silently mouthed by every playgoer
in the house. Directed by Dr. J. P.
Cochran, this production was by all
standards the best executed play
since Shakespeare’s Othello which
was presented in 1961.
Other members of the cast were:
Le Andrew Naves, Edwin Cerney,
Gailyn Axam, Tony Axam, Marilyn
Bartel, Carolyn Wright, Barbara
Lynd, Susan Ross, Berlyn Chatard,
Miltona Jones, Hildegunn Brekke,
Vertie Woodard, Larry Geer, Giles
Edwards, Al Trotter.
students interested in understanding
more about the techniques of se
lecting becoming and appropriate
clothing. The information on the
world of fashion is formulated on
fundamental principles which do not
change despite changes in styles and
fashions. The information ranges from
the significance of clothing and good
taste to wardrobe planning and pur
chasing.
No. 10 Downing Street is an in
teresting excursion into the history
of a house. This house is now the
official home and general head
quarters of Britain’s Prime Ministers.
R. J. Minney, a British biographer,
is author of the book. He has written
a genealogy of the prime minister-
ship, taking No. 10 as the vantage
point from which he sees the intrigu
ing progression of men and events.
The story begins in the days when
Whitehall lay in marshy fields out
side London and continues to the for
mation of the Macmillan government.
He tells of the construction of the
house by Sir George Downing, a
graduate of Harvard College in 1642
who returned to England to become
an unscrupulous agent for both Com
monwealth and Restoration; of the
“indispensable” Walpole and the men
who followed: the Pitts, Wellington,
Peel, Melbourne, Disraeli, Gladstone,
Lloyd George, and Churchill. NO.
10 has seen ministers arrive with high
ambition and leave in tragedy and
disgrace. The house itself provides
a setting not only for the delibera
tions and decisions which changed
the maps of the world, but also for
the little known, often fascinating
sidelights of English politics. Its
biography provides fascinating read
ing.
SNCC News
(Continued from page 1)
successful attempts to integrate have
been made since July. McDonald’s
local manager, Robert Knight, ob
tained a temporary injunction which
enjoins two SNCC workers, the Pine
Bluff Movement, the Arkansas State
NAACP, and the Black Muslims from
“engaging in, sponsoring, inciting and
encouraging stand-ins, sit-ins, or from
picketing” the diner. Despite Mc
Donald’s refusal to desegregate, most
lunch counters in Pine Bluff are in
tegrated.
Wanda Waples
The Spelman Spotlight Staff
Extends to the
Student Body, Faculty and Staff
Warmest Wishes
for a
Merry Christmas
and
Prosperous New Year
Attention Debators!
First Meeting of Students Interested
in Debate Will Be Held
Monday, January 6, 12:30 P.M.
Room 103 Giles
Mr. Melvin Drimmer, Sponsor