Pug-e Two
THE BENNETT BANNER
JANUARY, 1943
THE BENNETT BANNER
•'Anything Worth Redding, We Write"
Ten Cents A (^opy $.75 a pei- Subsci'iption
Editor-in-chief VALENA E. MINOR ’4 3
EDITORIAL STAFF HEADS:
Music Editoi':
MAXINE LAWSON. '43.
Oi’ganization News Eclitoi'
DOROTHY DEVAUOMN, ’44
Fashion pjditor
CARMEN WILIvETTE, '45
Circulation Managei-
EDITH BISHOP, ’4G
Business Manager
MARaUERITE POPE '44
Adviser
Advertising Managers
MYRTLE BROWN, ’45
GLORIA .lACKSON. ’43
HEI.EN HORTON, ’44
Typists
FRANCES FONVEILLE, '43
VASHTI WARREN, ’44.
DR. FREDERIC JACKSON
EDITORIALLY SPEAKING
perior race”. But stand up for your rights — and stand by those
who do stand up for your rights if you can’t stand up for them
yourself. Let there be unity within the race . . . don’t drag your-
.self down. Agreeing with those who persecute you doesn’t lighten
your load. It only makes your persecutor that much more con
temptuous of you. The next time you’re in a similar situation,
think twice before you sniggle . . . and then be PROUD to be a
Negro!
T’m proud that Pm a Negro ... I see with the eyes of a new
America. An America where ‘‘equality” is not a black word on
a white page but a black race living in harmony with a white
race — for the greatest good to be obtained for all.
Charlotte ?
Guess this is my stop . . . excuse me, please . . . you’ll see hun
dreds more like me, Hitlerites — maybe they can make Amer
icans out of you yet! Good bye.
—V. E. M.
THROUGH THE EYES OF A NEW AMERICA
■ Hail cohorts of Hitler! You brandish your swasitika most effec
tively. No, no, my “friend”, why do you turn to look at your neigh
bor? Pm talking to you, that’s right ... to you “loyal, upstanding
American defenders” — lo you “champions of liberty” — “the
light of the world”. You, dear compatriots, are the most obvious
evidence of fifth columning'Pve seen in a long time. Yet you rest
smug assured of the fact that no F. B. I. can ever harm you. Irony
. . . how funny!
Now here we are all together on a rather crowded, inter-city
Southern bus. The bus wasn’t crowded when I got on in Greens
boro ... so I complied with your Southern tradition of segregation
—coy name for such a diabolic practice! I sat in the rear section of
the bus but NOT on the back seat. (Don’t think that because I
sit where your laws say Negroes shall sit that I agree with those
laws — but why should I be rediculously futile in my contempt
for such prejudices when big organizations like the N. A. A. C. P.
are handling them legally?) Anyway, I sat peacefully in my seat
for several miles — the bus began to fill up. It was around six
o’clock and workers commuting from the larger cities to their
homes in the neighboring villages were getting on the bus. The
back seat was crowded too . . . every seat in the bus was soon
laken . . . except the one next to me. There was yet one white
person left unseatd. Did she sit next to me? why don’t be silly—
of course she didn’t. Pm a Negro. She nobly but lurchingly stood
-i.vTv &reuud and ,arrfy..--Rcd the look of the-dying martyr v'-ho refsued
to sacrifice her ideals to the expediency of the situation. Pm
afraid my sense of humor is rather distorted for I was extremely
amused . . . the seat next to me was still unoccupied and it wasn’t
hurting me! But my amusement soon turned to unfathomable
anger. At the next stop the bus driver came back and asked me
to relinquish my seat and sit on the back seat. Realizing I was
in the South I started to comply ... I turned and counted those
already there — six — six already in a place meant for five. If 1
went back there I’d have to stand up or some fellow would have
to sand up and let me have his place. Why should I comply with
the driver’s request and leave a VACANT seat? So instead of
moving I started talking. You close by heard what I said. You
marvelled at my diction — at the fact that I didn’t split verbs—
that I knew what I was talking about. Pm afraid the average
Southern white is too prone to think of all Negro womanhood
as either potential or actual Aunt Jemima’s — I startled
you didn’t I ? Do you remember w'hat I said ? Polite but to the
point, wasn’t it — and I kept my seat! Too bad the lady didn’t
accept my invitation to sit BESIDE me. Pm a great believer in
this American equality I seem to have read so much about in
history books and editorials.
Now it’s almost time for me to get off of this bus. Since the
Htrle episode, you’ve resorted to an old device — you ve talked
about me — and oh! how you have LOOKED at me. More than
once while I seemed to be deeply engrossed in my “Reader’s
Digest”, I heard murmurings about “that uppity n r ’ and
“that’s what them schools turn out”. You fear my intelligence.
You’re afraid of my ability to handle imposing situations with
a level head . . . don’t be afraid ... all 1 want is that equality that
!)oys my color are donning the khaki for. Just think it over, you
staunch Americans, why should I give up my seat because I m
a Negro and a white woman doesn’t care to sit by me? Some of
you are quiet — I can tell that you are thinking . . . thinking how
many more there must be j'ake me. Perhaps you go a little deeper
into the problem and ask yourselves the why of the whole preju
dice issue. If you ever thiak about it seriously, you’ll be on my
side ... if you ever free yourselves from the shackles of bigoted
decades of Southern precedent, you ii wonder how you ever per
mitted yourselves to be so narrow ... so much for you, my
friends”, I’ve started yon thinking.
jSfow — I address this to a. couple of you on the back seat . . .
why did you giggle when i was talking to the bus diivei? Aie
you content to be shuttled about like common baggage put
v.herever there’s room? But then I cant be too ciitical of the
attitude you take. It’s ingrained in you — this fear of the su-
"Mary Had a
Little Lamb''
WHAT TYTK OK l‘t7rS I'O
IJEXXKTT (illlLS HA\ K.'
Pets! Pets! Pets! There’s no end
to them ai'ound here but let’s oroivse
around a bit and see who has what
and why,
Jean Robertson owns a queer
little specimen of a panda which she
fondly calls “Furlough” in honor of
one Co:'poral Simmons who .gave
the panda to her as a Christmas pres
ent while he was on a furlough. Just
to get an idea of how Furlough
looks, we might say that he is a
typical panda—all black and white
—except for two stripes on his
left arm. You see, ‘'Furlough” is a
corporal too.
Helen Horton and Bettie Wade,
room mates in Jones Hall were quite
confused when both got pets and ^
wanted to name the pets after their j
pi'esent boy friends. The names of j
the boyfriend only happened to be ;
Jimmie in both cases. So with a little |
careful research work, they found ;
out that both of them had once had j
■‘Carls” tor boyfriends — so they |
compromised. Helen calls her little j
red horse with white mane of w’hite |
yarn and white hoofs, Jimmie, and j
Bettie calls he blue elephant with I
l)ig brown eyes, Carl, all of which j
only serves to show that two heads '
really are better than one! |
Kathleen Chisolm has quite an
interesting little creature—Edgar,
a mouse whom she named after a
boy friend because he has large
ears just like the mouse. Edgar,
however, is more than a pet to Kath
leen! she uses him to frighten all
the girls in Jones who are afraid of
mice. Now' is that nice Kathleen?
Beulah Cooper owns another inter
esting pet — a green owl with yel
low eyes who she refers to as “Ches
ter.” Chester has a seat of honor in
the window of Beulah’s room and al
though Beulah says that she isn’t
superstitions, she always keeps him
in her window tor good luck.
Betty Joyce Carter’s black and
white teddy bear, Frederick, Is the
sweetheart of all the Jones Hall
girls. Frederick, like most of the
other pets, was named for Betty’s
boyfriend and was also given to
her by the real Frederick, Then
there’s Valena Minor’s ''‘Rennais-
nace” a teddybear, which appeared
on the scene the last day of Cecil
Carey’s recent visit!
Nancy Pinkard’s little baby fac
ed rabbit Is one of the cutest yet.
Of course he was given to her by
the one and only Robbie after whom
her lettuce eating pet was named,
Annie Ruth Mutts also owns a pink
rabbit whose ears are as long as
his body. In fact, the little rabbit
is all ears.
By the way of dogs, we have
Olivia Wright’s “BoUunk” and
Joan Perkins “Donnie”, “Bohunk”
as described by Olivia is “some gray
with a red mouth.” He was named
after a campus dog whom she loved
so much that when she found that
she couldn’t have him anymore she
1
Book Lover's Club
Sponsors Second
Birthday Dinner
At 6 o’clock Thursday, evening,
January 28. the Wilbur F. Steele
dining hall was the scene of the
revival of the Bennett tradition of
birthday dinneis. The Book Lovers’
Club had charge of the evening’s pro
gram and Carol Carter, ’4,5, emceed.
She extended the welcome to all
guests and particularly to the IMrth-
day guests, those members of the
student body and faculty liorn dur
ing the months of November, De
cember, and January. Gloria Di\,
such a birthday guest, made the re
sponse saying the graciousness the
hostesses showed would, like birds,
flutter back to them.
The Mellodeai's made their debut
before the Bennett family with their
arrangement of “I'll Piay for You”.
The Mellodears are: Priscilla Brown,
'4 6; Gertrude Anderson, ’45; Ver-
melle Wniliams, '44.
Gloria McCottry read the horo
scope for the three months. Quite
a catchy horoscope too- - - writt-en-
by Pi-ecious Copening in verse form.
After each month’s horoscope was
I'ead the Mellodeai-s sang a synco
pated “Happy Bii'thday.”
President Jones intrcduced the
guests individually and gave a word
of appreciation for the splendid man-
nei in which the dinner w'as run off.
He called on Helene Jacobs, Janu
ary gi'aduate and ex-president of the
Student Senate, to say a few words
of farewell. Miss Jacobs expressed
the depth to which she appreciated
bii'thday dinnei's and added that
other schools, too, had inauguai-ted
the custom as a part of their social
life to bring the campus family
closer together.
Dr, Jones then announced that
another member of the Bennett group
was leaving and that he would like
to have a word from her. The mem
ber was Mrs. Dorothy Hamilton,
Jones Hall matron, who was leaving
for overseas service with the Red
Cross. Mrs. Hamilton’s word struck
everyone with their simplicity and
sincerity . . . “always keep your love
for one another” was the climax of
her speech.
Spirit I'an high among the group
and a good bit of spontaneous grou])
singing, i-anglng from the redlcu-
lous to the sentimental, took place.
The festivities ended with the tra
ditional singing of the “Alma Mater.”
KALEIDOSCOPE
While we chat a bit this even
ing, let’s delve into the Bennett out
look.
First and foremost, students,
don’t you agree with the old Philoso
pher that we’ve had some excellent
speakers heie during the last month?
There were Dr. Vernon Johns, Rev.
Shelby Rooks, Dr. Rollln Walker,
Dr. Roy A. Burkhurt, and our own
Mr. William A. Banner. If you got
what they put over In their messages,
then you really have the basis for
a workable philosophy of life.
And thei'e have been some very
good programs, too; Mr. Gatlin's
clarinet recital on February 7; Mr.
Suthern’s monthly organ recital dur
ing Mid-week Vespers; the Modern
Dance Group! All excellent examples
of intramural talent.
Now a word about scholarshii) .'. ,
it was a gratifying experience to
hear so many of the girls names
called on the Dean’s list the other
moi'ning in chapel. But what of those
whose names w'eren’t called. Does
that mean that they are total fall-
iires? No, of course not! I think,
Dean Morton, you said a very ap
plicable thing when you said that
everyone was proficient in some area
. . . and that at that particular time
the grades weie an Indication of pro
ficiency in only one area . . . that
perhaps in other areas others ex
celled. Those marks were not meant
to spell defeat to those who did
not make them — nor were they
meant to spell haughtiness to those
who received them. Each girl is still
expected to strive for her best per-
■'oi'mance.
We are now entering a new se
mester — as Woody Herman says,
”Be Not Disencouraged,” studes.
Th:s time let’s make the Dean’s
1st so long that he’ll have to take
1 WHOLE chapel hour to read It.
Rem* nibevItt’s 4o. ,ow - ■—
It was a thoughtful gesture on
the pai't of the Jones Hall girls to
'jive Mrs. Dorothy Hamilton a fare
well party on such short notice of
her impending departure. The w'hole
episode was an inslprlng one—the
nobility of the venture upon which
Mrs. Hamilton is embarking, the
emotion she .expressed upon leaving
Bennett, the sincere feelings of those
she left behind her. God speed. Mrs.
Hamilton .... God speed!
As President Jones says '“We’re
always so glad to have the girls'
mothers visit us.” Mrs. Wade, Mrs.
Atkins, Mrs. Kennedy, Mrs. Artis,
Mrs. White, Mrs. Bethea, Mrs. Stew
art, and all the rest of you who have
been with us — though our happi
ness was reflected from the happi
ness of your daughters, we’ve been
happy just watching you go about
our campus. May all our mothers
have the opportunity to stay with
us on the campus for a few days
IS you have done and radiate more
of such happiness to other girls. W'e
ai'e sorry that several missions have
been prompted by sickness but it is
our sincere hope that Fanny Stewart
and Wlihelmlna Bethea will soon
be back with us.
DANCE OROri>
(JIVES Fl'TJi LENGTH KK( ITAL
(Continued From Page One)
effervescent combination of all the
latest modern swing steps — even
down to the Pepsl-Cola'!
i Music was furnished by Thora
i Kelly, at the piano, and the Fresh-
' man Choral ensemble of five voices.
j just bought herself a little procelain
j Bohunk. Donnie is a shaggy black
I Scottle — almost lifesize, Joan
won't say why he is called Donnie.
P. S. Why not ask Sara Harris? ,
Condolences to Louise Lew'is—
she has it! Measles!
Thanks for your cooperation In
helping the local ration board get
out those 10,000 oil and fuel ration
books. It was a big job, wasn’t it?
But you DID It, and now that It’s
over don't you teel just a little more
patrlotl '? Why sho’.
Remember, let's give Bettie Wade,
I our new Student Senate president,
I
j our full coopration. There’s many a
p;ol)lem to be settled by that organl-
(Continued On Page Four)