PAGE TWO
THE CAMPUS ECHO
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 31, 1957
MAN BEHIND THE SCENES
Every organization has a valuable man behind the scenes,
whose duties are to coordinate, regulate, and work for the good
of the organization.
President Eisenhower has such a man in his organization
who has been very valuable recently. This workhorse and po
litician is Attorney General Herbert Brownell. Brownell has
been responsible for many of the recent civil rights achieve
ments in the Republican administration.
Attorney General Brownell engineered the appointment of
Earl Warren to the Chief Justiceship of the Supreme Court.
He was instrumental in getting the long delayed Civil Rights
Bill to the floor of the Senate. Although the bill had a lot of
the sting clipped from it, Brownell was still the most valuable
lobbyist it had.
More recently in the Little Rock crisis, Brownell/was
blamed for sending Judge Ronald Davies, an Eisenhower-
Brownell appointee, from North Dakota, to settle the inte
gration issues that had piled up the Federal Court docket in
the Arkansas district.
After the Southern Governor’^ conference (Hodges, N. C.,
Clement, Tenn., McKeldin, Md., and Collins, Fla.) with the
President about the Little Rock crisis, Eisenhower was ready
to accept the promise of Faubus to take over, but reversed his
decision after a conference with Brownell.
A good man behind the scenes is worth his weight in gold.
Mr. Brownell must be worth a million to Ike.
Last week President Eisenhower with regret accepted
Brownell’s resignation.
Bessie Gibbs, asks: Was
NCC’s Freshman Orientation
Program Beneficial to you? If
so, in wbat way?
Lillian Finley, Nelson, Vir
ginia: I think it was very bene
ficial to me. The exams given
showed me my weak points
and my strong ones. Orien
tation helped me find a major
in which I hoiie to excel.
Linwood Davis, Beaufort:
Yes, I was greatly benefitted
by Freshman Orientation
week. The programs and acti
vities sponsored give one the
feeling of being wanted and
needed in the college commim-
ity. Some of the activities were
a little dull, but they helped
a great deal.
Adam Williams, Goldsboro:
Freshmen Orientation helped
me in various ways. The acti
vities of the first week were
related in some way to college
life. Some of the many ways
I was benefitted were by (1)
the Inspiring talk by Dr. Elder
(2) Adjusting to college life
(3) further understanding of
the operation of the library
and (4) meeting new friends
and faculty members.
Emily Mills, Jackson: To me
the Orientation program pro
vided additional information
which should be necessary
throughout college life. It
helped in getting me adjusted
to that which is to be expected:
the environment and the re
sponsibilities of a North Caro
lina College student.
Betty Snipes, Durham: NCC’s
well planned Orientation week
was very helpful to be me be
cause it enabled me to make
many new acquaintances and
better adjust myself to col
lege life. During Orientation
Week I also became familiar
with the faculty.
Doris E. Rice, Garysburg:
Yes, I was — and I feel that
every freshman should have
been benefitted by Freshman
Orientation Week.
The activities that were plan
ned and carried out for our
benefit proved to be a valuable
aid in becoming adjusted to
our surroundings, instructors,
and in some respects our duties
here at North Carolina College.
BOOK REVIEW
Novel On Classical Subject Wins Wide Acclaim
By Theodore Gilliam
SPUTNIK - NOW WHAT!
What happens now that Russia has proved herself to be
a step ahead of the U. S. in technological, particularly inter
planetary, achievements? This is the question which has
shaken the whole western world and has thrown the U. S. into
a state of panic.
It is evident that when Russia launched its inter
planetary missile, Sputnik, a few weeks ago, the govern
ment of the U. S. was caught napping. While the United
States was occupied with the disturbance created by
Governor Orval Faubus in Little Rock, Arkansas, Russia’s
Sputnik bounded into space, taking with it a particle of
the technological and military prestige with the U. S. has
maintained for more than a century.
A short while after the launching of Sputnik, the Syrian-
Turkish conflict developed, forcing the United States to
abruptly turn her attention away from internal affairs and
cpncentrate her efforts toward foreign policy.
Heretofore, the United States has been highly esteemed
..by tlie Western World mainly because of its supremacy in
military research. But what effect Russia's head start in the
race for the ultimate weapon will have on the countries of the
world is something of which no one is certain.
No longer can the U. S. afford to sit complacently by
and hold its prestige in its lap, especially now that its
supremacy is threatened by the rising power of the Soviet
Union. For the sake of long-lauded Democracy, the U. S.
must turn its efforts from the operation of government on
the basis of expediency to a government based upon moral
principles. A stronger adherence to the Constitution of
the United States is of the utmost importance. At the
same time a boost in military research is needed. Only
through these channels can the U. S. maintain its respect
ed position in the world.
Roving Reporter Finds
Opinion Varies On Orientation
The year 1956 was a good one for novels.
Scores of novels achieved literary signficance,
and not a few vied for top place on the best
seller lists. For a while one book seemed to
gain momentum on the lists, then it suddenly
dropped out of the race. That book was The
Last of the Wine by Mary Renault. Though it is
an eloquent and deeply engrossing book, its
subject (the Greek world din-ing the Pelopon
nesian war) minimized its popularity with the
reading public.
The Last of the Wine reconstructs ancient
Greece in the last stages of the Peloponnesian
war. Athens had gained indisputable prom
inence as the leading center of culture of the
then existing world. The Athenians realized
their position and sat back in smug complacency
while Sparta prepared for the
usurpation of Athen’s power.
Having successfully vanquish
ed their nearest antagonists,
the Athenians devoted their
time to practicing for the
Isthmian games and perfect
ing their various arts. So
crates, in spite of his drabness
and ugly features, held youths
enthralled in the street with
T. E. Gilliam his quest for truth and beauty.
Then came the shocking news of the
Spartan’s destructive excursions on Attica’s
mainlands, and the Athenian complacency
was disrupted. Too late, the Athenians real
ized the power behind the Spartan forces,
for Alcibiades (escaping trial in Athens for
allegedly destroying public statues of gods)
had gone to the Spartans whom he aided
in the siege of Athens. After some rather
drawn-out battles on land and sea (which
Miss Renault describes beautifully) the
Athenian democracy was replaced by an
oligarchy under Sparta’s supervision.
No longer could the Athenians pursue the
perfection of the arts, for the economy was beg
gared by Sparta’s destruction of vast lands,
crop^ and hSuses. Many aristocrats, | who had
^ I
never done a day’s work with their hands, were
forced to earn their living. Many were killed.
The dream of democracy, however, never
wavered in the hearts of the Athenians. They
fought admirably to the end to retrieve and de
fend the freedom they lost.
Against this background of turmoil is laid
tthe story of the growth and thoughts of
Alexias (fictitious), a young Athenian of
good birth. Under the influence of Socrates,
Alexias developed with Lysis (half fictiti
ous) a friendship founded upon the prin
ciples espoused by Socrates in Plato’s
Symposium. Their relationship is handled
with amazing frankness and delicate under
standing. In Alexias’ association with
Socrates, Miss Renault describes rather
intimately a host of Socrates’ well-known
followers Including Plato, Xenophon,
Phaedo, Alcibiades, and Kritias.
Miss Renault had before her an enormous
challenge ,and yet she met it with seeming grace
and ease. All “the glory that was Greece” and
part of the shame is unfolded on the pages of her
book. Perhaps her greatest achievement is her
characterization of some of the “immortal”
Greeks, especially Socrates. Somehow Miss
Renault’s Socrates, whether correctly or in
correctly drawn, has a ring of truth about him.
The depiction of Socrates’ famous contempor
aries, though cursory in some cases, is, never
theless, remarkable, for she brings to life men
of whom we know little. The description of the
Isthmian games cannot be rivalled for real ex
citement. All the sweeping panorama of the
Greek world during this chaotic period is re
told in slightly poetic prose.
Miss Renault’s sources of reference included
many Greek writers. For her description of
Socrates, she says that she leaned more toward
Diogenes Laeritus’ description. The book, how
ever, evokes very much the spirit of the Sym
posium. Although the story is one of an ancient
age, there is a warning to today’s democratic
thinking peoples: complacency is the surest
invitation to usurpation of the basic freedoms by
which we live.
Letter To Editor
Dear Editor:
This letter comes with a two
fold purpose: to bring to the at
tention of our students the work
being done through NAACP on
other college campuses and to
encourage students and faculty
members to assist me in the or
ganization and maintenance of a
working NAACP chapter here.
As I recall all the things I
learned and heard at the recent
Charlotte NAACP meeting—^the
magnificent contributions these
colleges chapters are making—I
could not help but think of the
plans which I have for our chap
ter at NCC.
Our goal for the year is mem
bership of the entire student
body and the majority of faculty
members. In my opinion, there
should be at least three Negroes
in NAACP to every White Citi
zens Council member.
The progress of other college
chapters will inspire, not dis
courage, Us here at NCC. We
shall progress with the help of
all students and faculty mem
bers. I look forward, therefore,
to having a “full house” at our
first meeting on Saturday, Nov.
9, in the Moot Court Room of the
Law School at 10:30 a.m. At
that time, the purposes and goals
of NAACP, as well as highlights
of the recent convention, will
be discussed.
I can think of no student here
who can not contribute in some
way to the success of the local
chapter of NAACP. May I assure
each of you that any constructive
work you may do will be appre
ciated by NAACP and by Ne
groes throughout America.
I depend upon the students
and faculty members of the col
lege to join me in tl;ie fight for
freedom.
Iris T. Grant
THE RAZOR'S EDGE
By Elnora Joyner
While young Negroes in some
parts of our country are escorted
to classes by federal troops, the
questions arise in the minds of
some—What is the reaction of
the Negro college student to the
present struggle of his race for
integration? Is he concerned?
Does he feel a personal responsi
bility toward his race and to
ward his country? If these ques
tions were answered on the basis
of the actions of the North Caro
lina College students, the an
swers would hardly make ua
proud.
The attitude of the North
Carolina College student is one
of complete inertness. He reads
the newspapers, listens to the
telecasts, and says to his room
mate: -“I hope ‘they’ will hurry
up and do something about that
integration stuff.” It never oc
curs to him that he himself is an
intricate part of the “they” to
whom he assigns the job of do
ing something about integration.
Little Rock is just a place on
the map to him and the people
there are no more real to him
than the characters in the movies
which he crawls up the back
steps of the segregated theaters
to see.
The North Carolina College
student is content. He has finish
ed his high school education, he
does not have to worry about
being barred from white schools.
It does not matter to him that he
represents the “brain trusts” of
the coimtry or that he is the fu
ture teacher, voter, and parent.
He has no convictions that will
keep him from patronizing se
gregated places of entertain
ment. And he dare not suggest
to his classmates that they re
frain from attending segregated
entertainment centers for fear
that his classmates will think
him queer.
Thus, onward he goes, con
cerned only with his personal
needs and hoping that by the
time he graduates “they” will
have done something about inte
gration.
CamP“s®Echo
Member
ASSOCIATED COLLEGIATE PRESS
The CAMPUS ECHO, official student publication at North
Carolina College at Durham, is published monthly during the
regular school year. Subscription rates: $1.50 per school year.
Second class mail privileges authorized at Dtirham, N. C.
SIGREDDA RICHARDSON Editor
PERRY R. LEAZER Managing Editor