March, 1955
THE
PILOT
Page One
EDITORIALS......
THE VALUE OF REBELLION
By JOHN ROBERTS
Our civilization exists and advances through the
j efforts of people who have the courage to_ rebel. Not
only do these daring leaders rebel against tradi
tion, but they go a step further by proposing some-
i thing better to replace discarded methods and ideals.
I It is dangerous and tragic for a person to get
the idea that he has found the best method for
I doing a thing or that his ideals and standards are
perfect. By the time he lets this notion settle into
his head he is already far behind the times. Like
Alice in Wonderland, each of us must “Run as
I fast as we can in order to stay where we are.”
I In the Ante-Bellum South, many strategic towns
I failed to grow and finally disappeared because the
I railroads by-passed them. The same could very well
be happening now to towns that are by-passed by
! airports.
In like manner many a young person who shows
contempt for his old-fashioned parents is already
blindly accepting things as they are with no thought
: of changing them.
; Rebellion does not mean destruction of existing
' forces. Rather it means supplementing or replacing
j them with better and more current methods.
I What would our life be like if some Edison had
not wondered if there might be a better light than
the kerosene lamp ?—If some Morse had not wonder
ed if there might be faster communication than
the pony express?
What will it be like in the next century if some
one does not wonder if there can be a better calen-
' dar?—Better methods of photography?—Better un
derstanding among men?—A greater knowledge of
the will of God?
Yours is the opportunity. As college students
you have the inside track in meeting this chal
lenge; long lives ahead in which to work—superior
minds—strong bodies—freedom to explore—. Only
one thing is lacking in this list, and you must sup
ply it. That is the will, the desire to do something-
with your life. The challenge is set. The obliga
tion is clear. The answer is up to you.
Staff of Pilot
Editor - in - Chief
1' Mary Philbeck
Assistant Executive Editor — Betty Staton
' News Editor — Bobbie Oxford
Assistant News Editor — Deree Mayberry
Associate Editors — Sara Ballard, Literature; Mac Hill, Sports;
Richard Plyler, Religion; Lib Moore, Activities.
Editorial Assistants — Joyce Stevenson, Beverly Ward, “Phil”
Henderson, Donnis Philbeck, and Gay Fisher.
Photographer — Bill Sitton
BUSINESS DEPARTMENT
Business Manager — Houston Wease
! Assistant Business Manager — Louise Gladden
I Circulation Manager — Hugh Wease
i. General Staff — Charles Starnes, Bill Kiser, Jo Ann Bridges,
and Joyce Stephenson
I Advisory Board
i Mr. John Roberts Miss Kathryn Copeland
Critique
By JOHN ELLIOTT
We are a lazy people. The majority of us are content to sit
and let our civilization crumble and decay. There are no specta
tors for we all participate. Either we are among the determined
few, who devote themselves to sustaining humanity, or we
are just so many sheep bleating lazy approval to whatever
command is given us. Our society is steadily growing multiple
chins and is ever increasingly forgetting the fine art of saying
“no” to corruption. This disease is not always easily recogniz
able for its destruction is on the inside, where we think. It is
taking its victims not from the adult population but from
among us, the youth. The only preventive is integrity and
a keen sense of values, the ability to discriminate. The only
cure is education. I am not speaking of the education one
gets from the absorption of so many facts, but an education
in the process of analytical, accurate, uncompromising thought.
Our plight is the result of not knowing what is junk and what
is treasure. We misinterpret weakness for strength, and
strength for weakness.
The current trend in musical composition offers an effective
illustration of our deficiency. For the purpose of personal
introspection, what would you prefer if you turned on the
radio for music? If you are in the majority, you would give
a resounding approval to “Your Cash Ain’t Nothing But
Trash,” the “Annie” songs, or “Hearts of Stone." If there is
any margin of merit in any of this “moral degeneration with
a rhythm,” the dissatisfied listener is a hopeless victim of
unfanthomable obscurity. Any measure of attention to the
so-called lyrics of these products of our “Shake, Rattle, and
Ro'l” era will bring immediate consciousness to their decadent
stench. Suppose you learn for yourself, if you don’t already
know, what sect makes this noise. Check their illustrious
biographies for achievement. Investigate their scruples for
moral aspiration. Listen to “Wallflower” for a message of
Godliness. Venture into the philosophical caverns of “Tweedle-
Dee” for a guide to Christian character. These sordid sounds
have nothing to give but further perplexity, further perversion
to our faculties of discrimination. The manufacturers of such
as the above are using the “art” of music, an art that should
be employed for the most refined expressions of our loftiest
experiences, as a front for a base sensationalism.
Perhaps I should have used the official classification for
this combination of wild rhythms and loose words at the
outset. The name is as cheap as the content, “Rhythm and
Blues.” No single influence today is doing more to twist the
thinking of our youth. The situation is becoming steadily
worse. Only those who patronize it can eliminate its grotesque
effects. Radio stations are saturating their program sched
ules with “Rhythm and Blues,” for they think such is neces
sary to gain an audience. The condition seems to be re
ciprocal for if we patronize these sounds with our requests,
we hear more of them. For each candidate who is initiated
into ths -Ko-Ko-Mo Clan,” there is another demand for
these “orgy overtures.” He becomes a source of consumption,
and makes the business more successful. As a result, the
destruction of character has become an industry in America.
It is a flourishing business for local merchants who peddle
this trash and for so-called musicians who manufacture these
plastic garbage heaps. Only we, the potential listening victims
can administer inoculation for this fastly spreading epidemic.
Only the intellect can preserve us. Only keen, discriminating
thought can prevent otherwise inevitable decadence.
If you doubt the extent of this disease, spend one Saturday
night at an urban teen-age dance and observe the behavior.
Be a spectator to the effects of our “Rhythm and Blues.”
There are those who, of course, would shrug it off and say, “well
that’s just a part of growing up.” The question is: “Is it
growing up or growing down? The attitude would be different,
probably, if the participants were members of our family.
Seems, we have learned to sneer at anyone, king or clown
who suggests a few hours inspection of Beethoven. As a thing
to do, its “highbrow,” its “pedantic,” its “square.” Yet
Beethoven and his monumental companions must have some
thing, for their greatness grows every year. They turn the
light on for many who would otherwise grope along in spiritual
blindness forever. And I dare to challenge Ruth Brown and
her trade companions for a contribution to man’s salvation
such as has been made by the masters. I forecast that there
(Continued on page 3)