FAGE TW©
THE CLARION
^NUARY 13, 1961
(xoodbycf Uncle Tom
llie past two years have been difficult in many
parts €f the South — and shocking to most of the
ilBSt of the world. They have not forgotten Little Rock,
M^emphis, and now there is New Orleans and the Uni
versity of Georgia. But, as in all times of transition, we
must adjust, accept, and continue.
Many of us are unconcerned with this problem of in
tegration because it has not touched us — it is not
vital in our concept of life. This is not a problem that
■w^e can relegate to the top shelf and forget; it is not
s problem that can be settled within the courts, nor
burning crosses, nor with violence, nor with loud
and angry voices. It can never be settled thus, because
(Jod created the Negro, just as we were created. He
\(Las created to walk in dignity, and because of this
dignity abhors any and all proscriptions placed upon
him because of race and color.
Man has many innnate needs — hunger, thirst, fa-
tigxie — and strives to maintain an environment that
will provide for these wants. But the Negro must wait
tcntil he reaches a “colored” restaurant before he can
-fulfill his hunger.
We are ra'pidly approaching adulthood — we will
marry, have children. If we allow this problem to con-
finue, keeping our nation, our government, our
ischools troubled with the turmoil what future can we
«xpect? It is quite obvious that unless people under
stand the basic issues, millions of Americans will
grow up believing that racial conflict is inevitable,
many will, ap*proiaCh maturity with a warped sense
if whati Anierica and democracy are, or with a de-
featist attitude about what such a society can do ■—
socially, religibusly, politically.
We are not pre^^ed to yield any precious rights.
We. should be pressed to consider this problem and
possible to yield some 'points of tradition and cus
tom. As a colle^, . Brevard has failpd to nresent
basic issues of this conflict. The r.LARTON could
have brouGrht both the nesrative and affirmative issues j
to our attention: various oreranization could — and
sffiould have broilwht the facts into an open forum
Tjrithin theiriselves. If this contrbversial issue is pre
sented cie^rly-and ptr*aifrh+:-forwardlv. students will
lie more apt to evab^Me thpir nncoTisrir>ns ■hierat'chv
of valuee. It is our re«ponsiV>i1itv to oiir^elvps to evalu
ate our startdaTdS, to see which we really value most.
"Qur contemporary world is like a stream, rushing
rapidly to the sea, 'picking up debris at every turn —
doubly so after e.vei^ storm, and earrying it rapidly
ward. Some disi’nteoTates. Pome reaches the sea,
and this gradually builds a delta at the mount of the
-TiVer.
We are ieach a stream, contributing our individual
I«irt to life — society, call it what vou will — and if
ve carry the debris too far — if we allow these
Thates” to block the free movement of the stream, it
•can cause a floor of irreparable damage.
There will be no “brotherhood by bayonet”; but
the time is here for all people, teachers, ministers,
lawyers, businessmen — all people in rower to work
Inward a solution that will be the b«st for all neople.
It is time to appeal for an integrated spirit in human
ity — so that no one will be forced to forecro public
education, the rieht to vote, the right to buv in a
Store, or worshi?p in a church; so that no one, in Macon
County, Georgia or elsewhere will have to say: “I
atm too old to be beaten up again.”
‘Te//
Them^’
The Clarion Staff
Editor-in-Clue€ Vandalyn Brown
Associate Editor Gene McGaha
Business Manager Becky Sigmon
Exchange Editor Bartbara BaJlew
Feature Writers JcJm Goins, Mary Ann Brown
Hiotographer Reid Griffin
Staff Wrilbeffs and Typists ___ Biiddy Greene, Soisi Hodges,
I AJlce B'amMn, Carol Chaplin,
I Firan Jaquette, Saira Whit^
I mdire, Jerry TfflUoteon, Shelba
I Jleiam McKee.
The old man with the long
white beard and the flowing gray
robe picked up his scythe and,
with slow, faltering steps, moved
over to his rocking chair. It was
almost January 1, 1961, and he
had a task to perform. He some
how had to leave with a child—
a baby—the knowledge of the
way to fulfill the tremendous
responsibilities that would be
left with him.
The old man searched his tired
mind for the proper words. He
knew that the advice that his
predecessor had given him
would no longer be adequate. He
sighed as he thought of the way
these responsibilities had been
handed, from year to year, from
an old man to a baby. He knew
that new advice had been given
each year, for the world chang
ed so rapidly and the men them
selves had to change to keep up
with it.
He looked over the Earth with
dim eyes that squinted to see
the things he knew were there.
' That town in the southern part
of America — the people there
v/ere throwing stones at children
with dark skins. They threw
bombs, too, at the houses where
these children lived.
And that small country was
slowly being consumed by the
dictates and laws of the com
munist party. In some parts of
this country, the freedom to
worship as the people chose had
already been taken away. Soon
it would be like this over the
entire country.
Then the old man looked at
the Earth as a whole — billions
of money - and power - mad,
neurotic children who had never
grown up.
But the time was drawing
near. It was almost time for the
old man to greet the rosy-
cheeked, sparkling-eyed baby
v/ho would, in the short space of
a year, be as old as the man now
awaiting the child’s arrival.
Again the old man squinted
his eyes and searched the uni
verse. Finally he saw a place
where children played with joy
ful abandonment and intelligent
youth ever advanced their know
ledge. He saw adults who were
living to advance the freedom
they had and adults who were
giving their lives to gain free
dom. He saw hope and faith and
a chance for a Brotherhood of
Men under the Fatherhood of
God. The place was called
Earth.
At the stroke of midnight, the
door opened and the baby came
in. The old man showed him the
sights he had just seen and mus
tered his last bit of strength
to whisper, “Keep it this way.
Make the people understand
what they have and how easily
they can lose it.”
Wedding bells rang over
the holidays for the follow
ing: Mrs. S. W. Brown, for
mer Anna Williamson; Mrs.
G. G. Steppe, former Nancy
Norlander; and Burnitte
Babb.
Thoughts of such were
brought to mind and finger
of these girls: Alice Barnhill,
Pat Lindsay, Eleanor Trout,
Mary Jo Warr, Dianne Wal
lace, Cathy Herpich, Cathy
Cox, and Barbara Cranford.
Best wishes in the days to
come. (We all envy you.)
Fun? Jimmy Smith thinks it is - soraelimes.
But having fun is hard when you can’t walk. You can't reach
things. You can’t climb good. You can’t go where other kids go.
Oh, you can push yourself around the house if you’re lucky enough
to have a makeshift go-cart. But how far can you really CO when
you’re bom with a defective body?
Jimmy’s too young to think about that, yet. But grown-ups should.
They should know that medical science is working harder than
ever before to build new lives for thousands of children born with
serious birth defects. They should know it is the goal of the NEW
MARCH OF DIMES to discover why birth defects happen in
1 out of 16 births, and to keep them from happening.
That s a big job. It will take knowledge, trained hands, hard work
and money - the same ingredients that produced the poho vac
cines. It takes the kind of help yoti give, when you say **Yes” to
the NEW MARCH OF DIMES.
... m M m
When You're Alone
By Vandalyn Brown
“It is so easy to be afraid,”
she said, and then she closed
her eyes and starting rocking
very slowly. She stayed in this
position for so long that my
thoughts strayed from our con
versation to the reason I was
here. This old woman had always
been the person who, above all
others, could help me regain
the proper perspective when
things didn’t go the way I
thought they should.
Now, in my habitual way of
thinking my troubles were much
worse than they really were, I
had come to her feeling that
the world — MY world — had
ended. And it seemed to me
that she had failed me this
time. She was talking about be
ing afraid, when I wanted her
to say, “Do this, don’t do that.”
Then she smiled and said, “I
only wish a person could have
the wisdom that comes with age
v/hile he is still young. When one
reaches my age, it is so easy to
see that life must be lived if
anything is to be gained from it.
It is, of course, much easier to
merely exist, but it is impossible
to only exist and be happy.”
Again she paused, as though
the things she was now telling
me were the most precious
things she had ever learned.
“It is easy to drift from one
experience to another, giving
nothing. But when you are my
age, and have nothing, you will
see that petty spites, selfishness,
and fear of being hurt have
made you miss life. You must
give of your love, your humor,
your understanding. You must
fearlessly grasp new experiences
and live every day as well as you
can. It will be hard, because life
brings sorrows and disappoint
ments as well as joys and hap
piness. But with true living
comes the strength to meet
these.
“I cannot tell you what to do,
even though I know you are
more confused than you have
ever been. You must find the
answer in your own heart. Jus
remember that it is easy
afraid, but you will gain
from living.”