Newspaper Page Text
April, 1967
THE SPELMAN SPOTLIGHT
Page 3
Founder's
Day Events
1%
I Hope This
Phases" You
by Barbara Pyatt
Dr. Walker before her lecture
JUBILEE
“How I Wrote Jubilee” should be the title of the auto
biography of Margaret Walker Alexander, for indubitably, the
agony and ecstasy engendered in her assiduous research of
twenty-five years most obviously symbolize the deep yearnings
of her soul and the outward manifestations of their fulfillment.
Mrs. Margaret Walker Alexander, the wife of an interior
decorator, the mother of four children, and an instructor at
Jackson State College in Mississippi, first began to write her
book in her mind. As a child she listened to the stories about
the Civil War and about her great-grandmother as told by her
grandmother. At nineteen, while a senior at Northwestern Uni
versity, she felt compelled to begin putting something about
her mental book on paper. She used the theme of the Civil
War as the subject of several of her class assignments. Her
research carried her up and down the Mason-Dixon Line
scrutinizing every conceivable detail.
Some of the twenty-five years were harder than others.
Having children while writing, teaching, going to school, and
running a household were very difficult. In her speech at Spel-
man, Margaret Walker cited the six months her family stayed
in North Carolina so that she could have the advantage of the
Southern Historical Association and the seven year block when
she had to put the book aside for desultory domestic matters.
The book was finished while she was studying at the Uni
versity of Iowa for the Ph.D degree. The book was completed
April 19, 1965, one hundred years after Appomattox, and her
final oral for her degree was taken on May 20, exactly one
hundred years after her great grandmother had been freed
from slavery.
“I was determined to be a writer,” she told us, “so that I
could paint a picture of my world.” When she had finished
speaking, the audience realized that they had been privileged
to receive a keen insight into the essence of a meaningful life.
Joyce Young chats with the Singing Priest, Rev. Ian Mitchell
What a difference a Cap and Gown make!!!
Rev. Wright glances at our “No Parking” signs
SPOTLIGHT Publishes FOCUS
At the beginning of the school year the editor of the Spot
light told her staff that in addition to printing ten issues of
the Spotlight we would also print a literary magazine. Some
one might ask, “Why should the newspaper sponsor a literary
magazine?” The answer lies within the fact that the Spotlight
has always provided a kind of limited outlet for creative lit
erary ability. We felt that the poems and other forms of ex
pression printed in our paper were very worthwhile and ought
to be encouraged. In February, the scouting for literary work
began. The work came in slowly at first, and it seemed that
we wouldn’t have enough material, and then it seemed to be
coming from everywhere. Our only regret was that we were
unable to print all of the excellent work that was submitted
to us.
Our initial problem — that of finding enough material —
was solved, but we were soon confronted with another prob
lem. The Spotlight’s allotment of funds simply was not ade
quate to meet the expense of printing the magazine in addition
to the monthly newspapers. We were determined, however, to
have a literary magazine, and we took our case to Dr. Manley
who very graciously consented to give us part of the money we
needed.
In 1963, Dorcas Boit edited another literary magazine. In
her editorial she expressed a hope that the 1963 magazine
might not be the last or the only one; she hoped it might be
come an annual or biannual publication. Four years have
passed since then. We wish that the literary magazine should
become a continuing tradition on our campus; we wish that it
should have its own funds and staff; that it should set and
maintain high standards so that the artists and writers among
us might have something to aspire to. We hope that somehow
this dream will become a reality in the future.
“Man! Nothing don’t phase
these Spelman College girls—
except partying and playing
cards.” A young man made
this observation in my pres
ence about a week ago. Do
you think it is a hasty gener
alization? Perhaps it was hasty
and it is a generalization, but
the terrible thing about it is
that it applies to a tragic ma
jority of us. And if you don’t
believe it just stop and think.
Think of all of those quickies.
(For the benefit of non-play
ers and those who know it by
another name, a quickie is a
game of whist that starts after
dinner and ends at bedtime.)
Think of your shrugg of indif
ference when that “nut”
brought around that petition
about “conscious objects or
something like that.” Think of
last week when Mr. Jacks
passed back that last test
paper, the one you failed be
cause though you knew about
it in advance, you were just
too “sleepy” to study. Think
about April 10th when that
girl asked you if you were go
ing to Margaret Walker’s lec
ture, and you said, “Who’s
she?” Then when the girl told
you she is the author of
Jubilee, you asked, “What’s
that?”
We’ve all noticed the apathy
around here. We’ve even apa
thetically laughed at it. Sadly,
though, it’s not a laughing
matter. We are all in general
too apathetic (and this applies
to not only Spelmanites, but
to all of us in this center).
We’re apathetic about aca
demic and intellectual affairs;
we’re apathetic about life.
The shrugs of indifference, the
all-time “quickies,” the party
ing, the “It don’t phase me’s”
will soon take us all on a
toboggan ride that bypasses
life if we don’t take stock of
ourselves and do it NOW.
We live in a community,
one in which there are people
who need our help. In your
spare time lend a hand. The
stuff of life is commitment,
and this commitment not only
demands us to avoid harming
others, but more important, to
help others. The first step in
any of these areas is TO
CARE; to let it “phase” you.
PEOPLE, LET’S BREAK
THIS APATHETIC HOLD
ON OUR LIVES. It’s fright
ening to think of what an
empty shell a person is when
he or she doesn’t care. To care
and do something because of
it is a mark of achievement.
I hope that very soon, we’ll
all stop and think over the
achievements we’ve made. And
hope that we’ll be able to say
more than, “Me and my
roommate just ran 7 Bostons!”