April, 1927
THE UNIVERSITY STUDENT
Page Five
MUSIC AND ART
By W. W. Jones, ’28
Drifting to the varied portions of the
universe one never conies to the place
where sounds are not heard. The wild sav
age enjoys the rhythmic beats of his tom
tom; while lower still in the animal king
dom we have the croaking and neighing
of beasts, unharmonious, with imperfect
undulation, yet it is the means by which
that feeling for sound is satisfied. This
longing is present in all rational beings
and represents tenderness in feeling, pity
and love which are only aroused by strains
of music.
The famous Williams Singers appeared
in recital March 18, 1927, in the University
Auditorium. The seats were all taken and
all listened to a well rendered program.
The participants demonstrated their abili
ties as singers. Each one seemed to have
had a voice that flowed as the water of a
brook and the collection made an influx
that was colorful. It is through these kind
of organizations that we can see those in
herited qualities which are known to be
had by the members of the Negro race.
On the evening of February 27, 1927, the
Lampados club, which is situated on the
campus of Johnson C. Smith University
and connected with Rho Chapter of the
Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, gave an inter
esting programme in the University Audi
torium. The programme represented the
varied talents which are connected with
this club. It was more than interesting
to listen to the collection of pieces ren
dered.
The morning chapel services are helped
by the orchestra which participates in the
musical side of the meeting. The orchestra
is conducted by Mr. James T. Young. Mr.
Young is a pianist with a bright future be
fore him.
Dr. Howard Odum will give a lecture in
the University Auditorium, April 15, 1927.
The title of his lecture is: “The Negro
Sings a New Heaven and a New Earth.”
The Lyceum course has been very in
teresting this year and promises to even
bring more next year.
THE WHYNESS OF LESSON STEAL
ING.
D. A. Costner, ’27
ENTRANCE TO JOHNSON C. SMITH UNIVERSITY
GYPS OPINION
By Z. A. Dockery
If I were to ask why students steal the
responses would be legion. Some of the
“whys” would be false statements, some
plausible and valid.
Probably some of you say that pupils
get a joy out of stealing. Perhaps some
of them do; anyway stealing is done.
Where shall we lay the blame? Sometimes
the pupil is all the blame, and again the
teacher may have a share in the guilt.
Some teachers are lax, some others are ex
cessively rigid. Both laxness and extreme
rigidness give rise to unfair means. Some
pupils are ambitious; some are vindictive;
some pupils have no sense of honesty; they
mean to “get by” by foul or fair means.
Some stealing is the result of laziness or
dullness.
Many pupils see their fellows obtain good
marks by “riding,” and perhaps the teach
er in charge makes opportunities for steal
ing; at such times those who are weak fall
into the habit of following the line of least
resistance.
Some “sheiks” and “shebas” can not give
their full support to social activities and
at the same time prepare lessons. Hence
they resort to cheating their way through
the courses of study.
If the pupils steal there is a cause for
it. Find the cause; remove the cause and
stealing will disappear.
I do not condone any kind of stealing. I
have only hinted at some of the causes that
I have known to produce the effect. Wheth
er one is in the grades, high school, or pur
suing a higher education, the end will in no
wise justify stealing grades. I admonish
every seeker of knowledge to go by the
way of concentration and study. Why seek
an easy road to education. There is none.
Where are your accusers? If no other
has condemend you, neither do I. Go to
work and steal no more.
Smith Vs. Shaw.
Shaw University in a game of base ball
here with the Smith Bulls only furnished
them with a “green pasture and still, cool
waters” upon which to sharpen their spikes
and steady their eyes for the real game
to be played here Easter Monday. It was
easy work for Pitchford to hold the Bears
to two hits and two runs while the Gold
and Blue had eight tallies added to her
fame. And “Rudy” says the pennant
swings nearer his group. And no wonder!
with a million dollar infield and a billion
dollar outfield, and a batting line-up with
no little end. Why, the German mark
would double its value if they would give
China a two to one bet on the Easter Mon
day game.
=|! *
Smith vs. Livingstone.
Livingstone? Let’s see! Well, with Hayes
second to no pitcher in the State and Ellis
having no equal on the mound, Yokely and
any other twirler Livingstone has will meet
his Waterloo in trying to defeat the old
Smithonians on Easter Monday. My ad
vice is, have a plenty of balls on hand.
Manager “Rudy” says he has the best and
his word is law.
Howard-Lincoln vs. N. C. State.
I wonder why Lincoln and Howard desii'e
to leave that beautiful stadium in Wash
ington and come all the way to Durham,
N. C., to play a game of base ball and at
that in a mud hole. State and Howard did
play this game several times. Now State
lies dormant while Lincoln takes her place.
Just the name, Lincoln-Howard, will draw
a crowd in foot ball; but when it comes to
base ball there remains yet as many years
to its perfection as it took them to devel
op a foot ball classic on Thanksgiving.
Now, why not State and Howard. The
folks of Durham would be proud of their
school then; and if there is any commer
cializing she comes in on one end. Don’t
let the “big hat” blind you to the real
value of the game.
And Smith invites you all to come and
see a real game of baseball—to see the
real base ball classic of the South.
Feast and Fail.
They drink wine and praise the gods.
In the same hour came forth the fingers of
a man’s hand and wrote upon the plais-
ter of the wall; Mene, Mene, Tekel Uphar-
sin Thou art weighed in the balances
and art found wanting.
Some Professor remonstrated with some
of the students about banqueting and “big
timing” in general when the tuition was
due and probably holding some out of class
es.
I wonder how many of the “feasters” saw
the “hand writing on the wall.” I wonder
how many were guilty and how many were
falsely accused. I wonder if the Professor
sees that the trend of the modern student
is to pave the path leading to the tower
of knowledge with flowers of pleasure. I
wonder again if his upbraiding was the
interpretation of the writing the many
saw. Just wondering. No doubt all their
days are numbered. Some will be wanting
when the final weight is taken. The mass
does not think, but follows the thought of
the few; and we grant The Few will not be
wanting.
The road that leads to the shrine of
knowledge is strewn with thorns and
snares and these cannot be swept aside
with a broom of gold.
Geo. Butler and the “Y.”
The deeds of Geo. Butler of the Senior
class, are not to pass unnoticed before the
readers of these lines. The Y. M. C. A. is
grateful to its many friends for just such
deeds as these. And especially is it grate
ful to him for his loyal service and con,
secrated aid in operating the moving pic
ture machine. There is neither silver nor
gold to pay the price at which the favors
are valued. But such as we have is given
to his honor.
Presbyteries and Ministers.
This season of the year is witnessing the
gathering of many Presbyterian ministers
and their churches in assemblies known as
Presbyteries. Many of these have just
closed their sessions in various places.
Some of these ministers are smiling over
success and are reaping the joys of faithful
toil. There are others like the man of one
talent—they only returned what was giv
en them last year. During the Workers’
Conference here last winter, one minister
bared the faces of these “Board Babies”
that take a field, sit down and cry “gimme”
for the next twelve months.
The Presbyterian Church requires a
man to have four years college training
and then a thorough drill in theology. In
most cases they begin his aid in the third
year High School and carry him on out.
.“^nd in many cases the little aid has become
a habit and they still sit and wait for a
salary from the same source, still holding
their hands for more.
I believe the Church is better without
this kind of man. He lets the people get
the habit and then are willing to remain
dependent upon the unseen hand to feed
the one that breaks the bread of life.
The church remains empty, the people par
asitic and the minister, instead of realizing
the glory and honor to be found in the
shadow of that great dome of success, he
suffers the pain and anguish of retroces
sion. And still we “woof” when told as a
race we are not independent.
Professor McMillan vs. the South’s Con
servative Views.
“The Charlotte Observer” for April 10
can'ied an account of the attack of Prof.
Lewis K. McMillan, of Shaw University,
upon the Jim Crowism existing in the Uni
versity.
The faculty of Shaw is composed of col
ored and white instructors. Prof. McMil
lan, a Negro tutor, has raised the curtain
upon the black, ugly fare of what he calls
“the embarrassing and humiliating condi
tion under which the Negro members of
the faculty work. He has uncovered the
same ugly face and flayed the same mean
condition that was flayed and bared at
Fisk some time ago. And it is usually hid
behind the thin, poor disguise of what
President Peacock terms as “the conserva
tive conditions here in the South.”
Prof. McMillan is braving the storm and
flaying the monster that many Ngroes have
longed to uncover. As instructor at Shaw
University, an institution for his people, in
Old Testament Literature, he was no doubt
embarrassed by what he termed “the prac
tice of Jim Crowism and segregation.” .
And there is every rason to believe tha#
Prof. McMillan has really stepped on th
“peddle,” because Mr. Broughton, an ati-
torney in Raleigh, a member of the Board
of Trustees and legal adviser of the insti*
tution, also in full sympathy with “the oOBi*
servative views in the South,” has adviMd
his immediate discharge.
There is every reason, on the other hand,
to doubt that this legal adviser and trUB*
tee of Shaw, advised the investigation of
“the embarrassing and humiliating condl>
tion” that has quickened the spirit and in
sulted the ideals of Mr. McMillan.
If Prof. McMillan’s being a Unitarian
has opened his eyes to such conditions, then
let all the “Negro members” be joined to his
belief. If his being a Unitarian put him
“out of harmony with the ideals of the
University,” only since he s ripped th :
dragon of segregation in this NegrO' school,
than the ideals of Shaw, “which is strictly
a Baptist institution for Negroes,”-must,
be below the common ideals of ^ the h odem
Negro in general. ‘ '
The modern Negro looks upon theSc con
servative views here in the South” as
Christian society looks upon any f rm of
crime. They reflect the same idea tlia. -us
born under the appalling sound of rumb
ling shackles and moanful cries of the
slave—the idea of superiority complex. Mr.
McMillan says further that “the students
likewise feel the sting of the insult.” And
they are surely not Unitarians in faith
or creed. But they are Unitarian in that
they believe in the oneness of the races
of men; Unitarian in that they hold the
welfare of the Negro members of the facul
ty to be upon equal basis with that of the
whites.
How prudently most men remember
themselves into nameless graves while only
now and then one or two will forget them
selves into immortality.—Wendell Phillips.