PAGE 2
THE DECREE
OCTOBER 25, 1963
ACULTY
ORUM
B Y JOHN s. DAVIS
As I start my second
year of teaching at North
Carolina Wesleyan, I am
again surprised by the
lack of participation in
collegiate activities by
the general run of Wes
leyan students.
Last year (my first)
I noticed the same faces
everywhere I turned.As
a Music professor, I ne
cessarily spent a lot of
time in the Music Wing
of the Gymnasium. The
first faces Ilearned were,
of course, those of my
students. Passing through
various Music classes in
the Music Wing, I was
surprised to see the same
faces in the Chapel Choir
as in the Band. Later in
the Fall, as I got around
a bit more, 1 dropped in
on a few rehearsals of
the Wesleyan Singers...
same old faces. Or same
bright, fresh, new faces,
if you prefer. I was in
charge of the Wesleyan
Chamber Singers, and
what do you know? The
same people were clam
oring to take part!
I’m sure you all will
make some disparaging
comment to the effect that
“all Music Majors do
stuff like that” or"Music
Majors are required to
take easy subjects and
all they have to do is
practice all day” or even
“What do you expect from
nuts that major in Music,
anyway?” Well, I’m not
speaking about the Music
Majors, although a more
dedicated bunch of stu
dents I’ve never run in
to. I’m speaking about
all Wesleyan students,and
their seeming lack of in
terest in anything other
than apathy. (How can you
be interested in apathy?—
don’t ask me!)
As the year progress
ed, I seemed to meet the
same students lurking
behind every tree, be
neath every rock. Not just
in musical endeavors, but
in everything in which
students are encouraged
to participate. “Once Up
on A Mattress”...cer
tainly the best musical
(if not the first) ever per
formed at vVesleyan...
Cast and crew almost en
tirely chosen from per
forming groups on cam
pus. Student Government
....you could pick the
names from the same
lists. One-Act Plays....
same faces. Fraterni
ties...how do you expect
a fraternity to be chosen
as the best group on cam
pus if the members don’t
participate? “The Chin
ese Wall”...same faces,
just a bigger group of
them. The campus under
ground newspaper “The
Other Side”....isn’t the
editor the same bearded
wonder we saw working
on those plays?
This year. I’ve already
seen it’s just more of the
same. With but few ex
ceptions, the cast and
crew from “Mattress”
has been transplanted to
“Little Mary Sunshine”.
The editor of this news
paper is a vVesleyan Sing
er, an ex-Chapel Choir
member, member of Nu
Gamma Phi, tried out for
Chamber Singers, was a
student member of the
Religious Life Commit
tee last year. The roman
tic lead from “LSM” was
also the romantic lead in
“Mattress”, played two
parts in the one-act plays
last year, sang (and sings)
in Chamber Singers, was
in Chapel Choir, Wesley
an Singers, wrote for the
Decree last year, etc.,
etc.
You may guess what
my gripe is. Wesleyan
has well over six hun
dred students. If you made
a rough total of everyone
participating in campus
activities in the last year.
I’ll bet you’d find about
50 names recurring con
stantly...,in everything.
My question...where
are all the rest of you
hiding?
My comment....come
out and DO something!
It won’t hurt!
Perspective
By; JEFF SHELTON
Amid the barrage of
campaign attacks on hip
pies, Yippies, New Left
ists, “love,” etc., it
would be wise for the
more prudent voter to ex
amine the issues very
closely. In varying de
grees all three candidates
are focusing the center of
this nation’s problems on
a small, multi-variate
group of radicals; the ha
rassment of the Big Three
(and V-P candidates) in
creases their vehemence
against those radicals.
But is what the Big Three
are saying valid, or has
a convenient scapegoat
become available to the
politicians for use in this
crucial campaign?
America (although not
alone) has had a number
of persecutions of “bo
gey men” in its history.
Phenomena such as the
Know-Nothings and two
full-scale purges of
“Commies” during the
Red Scares come readi
ly to mind as examples of
how W.A.S.P.s sought to
project national disunity
and suspicion onto a small
minority. Of course,
though this poses a larger
question, the Negroes and
Jews may also be cited.
I oday, during this period
of doubt about Vietnam
and turmoil in the ghet
tos, it seems and is much
easier for the average
American to yell “Com
mie!” than to re-examine
his values. Not only Mr.
Wallace, but all three
men, either subtly or
openly use this time-test
ed technique of “Red
baiting.” It seems espe
cially ironic that Mr.
Humphrey, co-founder of
the ADA, would utilize
this tactic, but that’s
just an indication of the
shortness of public me
mory...
At any rate, as the
voters, especially the
young ones, attempt to
make a decent choice on
November 5, it would be
well for the electorate to
realize that the Big Three
are directing just as
much, (if not more), of
their pitches to our un-^
thinking natures as to our
thinking ones. Of course,
there is really nothing
wrong with this, unless
somebody gets hurt in
the process. And before
you say that facism
couldn’t happen here,take
another cold, hard look
at Chicago....
SORE and
DEAN
(Continued from page 1)
he wasn’t asking the group
to disband, but to keep
lines of communication
open, because S.O.R.E.
wasn’t doing anything
wrong as a group. Be
fore he left, he pro
mised to get lines of com
munication open between
S.O.R.E. and the admin
istration.
Discussion followed,
and it was clear that the
ranks were divided.
Everyone saw the fi
nancial problem S.O.R.E.
might present to the
school, but it is also true
that no matter where they
might meet, theiractivi-
ties, even as con
scientious individuals,
would remain con
troversial. Therefore,
choosing between organi
zational life and death,
S.O.R.E. took the ob
vious choice, setting its
next meeting for Monday,
October 21.
‘^HARVEY”
Now Playing At The
TANK
THEATER
LITTLE MAN ON CAMPUS
IT
"(HE (REASON I'V\ LATE" Fl^OM FTE.
THE HAIR. PRIER. RpWW IN TH LOCKER ROOM."
Editorial
It should be pointed out in the controversy sur
rounding some Wesleyan students’ participation in the
boycott of selected Rocky Mount businesses that those
students involved in the boycott are a very small mi
nority of the total student body at Wesleyan and that
the actual boycott is primarily a project of the Negro
part of the Rocky Mount community. The students
involved are, of course, only following the dictates of
their conscience in trying to right what they feel to
be a social wrong.
Further, almost all of the students participating
actively in the boycott participated equally actively
in helping to build the sand-bag dam and in helping to
man the pumps to allieviate Rocky Mount’s water
shortage. In both cases, their motive has been the
same: interest in the community and involvement in
its affairs.
That one application of this involvement in the com
munity pleases the community while another apparent
ly angers it is regrettable; and yet the students ought
to be able to expect to be allowed the same freedom
of conscience in one issue as in another, for their
sense of civic duty applies just as much in one case
as in another.
No students of our acquaintance want to beard the
lion of conservatism in his den; rather they want,
without offense or militancy, to make our commun
ity “a better place in which to live.”
PATRICK HENRY
“Is life so dear, or peace so
sweet, as to be purchased at
the price of chains and slav
ery? Forbid it, Almighty
God! I know not what course
others may take, but as for
me, give me liberty, or give
me death!” Speech in Vir
ginia Convention, St. John’s
Episcopal Church, Rich
mond, Virginia
(March 23.1775)
PUBLISHED WEEKLY BY WESLEYAN STUDENTS.
OPINIONS PUBLISHED DO NOT NECESSARILY
REPRESENT THOSE OF WESLEYAN COLLEGE.
Official Student Newspaper of
North Carolina Wesleyan College
EDITOR........ Ed Smith
BUSINESS MANAGER... Tom Mowbray
ADS MANAGER.... .....John Hinnant
CIRCULATION MANAGER Jim Price
OFFICE MANAGER ..Julie Robinson
EDITORIAL ASSISTANT Keith Feelemyer
PHOTOGRAPHER Baxter Smith
Business Address: Box 3146, Wesleyan College,
Rocky Mount, N. C.