Page Two
STATE TEACHERS COLLEGE NEWS LETTER
Friday, November 30, 1950
NEWS LETTER
Published Monthly by
STATE TEACHERS COLLEGE
NEWS PRESS CLUB
Elizobeth City, North Corolino
STAFF
Editor-in-Chief Carroll Rodgers
Associate Editors Nellie Drew,
Luther Trotter
Literary Editor Martha Booker
Sports Editor Joshua Crumm
Society Editor Alberta James
Art Editor Edith George
Exchange Editor Isaac Battle
Columnist Myrtle Borden
Typist Herman Horne
Photograher Rufus F. Underwood
Reporters Doris Flood
George Clarke, Winnie Durante,
Evelyn Hodges
Adviser E- C. Mitchell
Significant Theme for
Education Week
With the world in its present state
of turmoil, no better theme could be
chosen for American Education week,
November 5-11, than: “Government
of, by, and for the People”. Students
of education in school and colleges
all over the country have discussed
and perhaps demonstrated what it
means to live in a country where “the
people rule”, where the people divest
that right to rule with their properly
chosen representatives, rather than
liaving it wrested from them by pow
er-mad demagogues.
Following the general theme, spec-
tial themes were selected for each day
of the observance: Moral and spiritual
values; responsibility of the citizen;
meaning of the ballot; urgent school
needs; and freedom’s heritage.
Thus, our leaders of tomorrow have
a grand opportunity of availing them
selves of a rich experience in the
working’s of our system of government
and in the roles they must play in pre
serving the American ideal.
This, too, is an opportunity for Mr.
and Mrs, Average Citizen, If each of
us will demonstrate, by some act of
cooperation, the understanding and
faith we have in the American ideal,
American Education Week will re
main a part of us throughout the year.
Practically the whole world today
looks to America for guidance. She
must, therefore, rededicate herself to
the tasks of citizenship and take a
greater interest in affairs of state, for
an educated populace is our assurance
of good government. Lack of interest
is an invitation to disaster.
Straighten Up,
My Friend
Say, Bub, what’s happening at
S.T.C.? Let’s each of us search our
selves thoroughly. By that I mean,
let’s look into the mirror and analyze
our thoughts. We are sinking, mate.
Our school spirit is as fathomless
as the waters of the blue Pacific.
Do you understand what I mean, bub?
I mean, we seem to be running around
in circles. We have reached the point
where we think everybody is against
us, and we go into our shells like
lowly turtles that have no alternative.
Let me tell you something, chum;
we have to hold our heads high, take
things in stride. This is a changing
world. We arc forced to accept things
and go along with the progressi\e
group or falter and be Icf^ as the
hermit, by the wayside grasping as
a drowning man will for the last straw
that will support him. But there is
a silver lining behind each cloud, re
gardless of how dark that cloud may
appear to the naked eye.
I do admit that each of us sincere
ly believes that our troubles, regard
less how large or how small, are al
ways worse than those of the fellow-
man of ours. Let’s be cognizant of the
fact that we are more fortunate than
those desiring the tenure of a period
of college. Let’s strive to stick our
chests out, dig into our reserve of en
ergy and ambition, and go forward
with the knowledge that the time we
spend here and the education that
we acquire will make a better world
for generations of our own flesh and
blood that must surely come.
To My Fellow Students
War is the cry of men to whom civ
ilization has lost its value patterns.
They find solace in ruin and destruc
tion. Their illusions have become bet
ter disillusions so there is no alter
native except a tragic end.
There are cries among men today,
here at this institution, who can find
nothing in life, and the thought of
time spent here seems in a way mean
ingless, A, E, Hau^man wrote:
Oh, never fear man, nought’s dread
Look not left nor right:
, In all the endless road you tread.
There’s nothing but tlie night.
Very dubious wasn’t he, fellow stu
dents? Just as some of us here are
when it comes to acquiring and retain
ing subject matter so that we can re
ceive degrees, become beter em
ployed and display what we have
learned to the community at large in
order to make this world a better
place in which to live.
Tlie preceding thoughts, fellow stu
dents, are thoughts of the weak. The
weak cannot survive, Tliere is no
place in society for those that cry and
weep and “sing the blues,” Civiliza
tion is too far advanced for such.
Wake up men! Let’s face reality. We
cannot sur\'ive unless we become
strong, for the strong always dominate
the feeble. No task is too great for
the man that has the will to do; he
has to apply himself, and in the words
of an anonymous poet:
When things go wrong, as they some-
timss will,
And the road you’re traveling, seems
uphill
When life itself get you down a bit.
Rest, if you must, but don’t you quit.
Life is queer with its twists and turns,
As all of us sometimes learn
And many a failure turn about,
When he would have won, had he
stuck it out.
Good luck to you, all fellow stu
dents, let’s stcik it out. We owe that
much to our families, our commun
ities, and to ourselves.
SNOWWHITE?
During the time of the French Rev
olution, when the montli* in France
were named Thermidor, Floreal, Ni-
vose, etc. Sheridan proposed to ex
tend tlie innovation to the English
language, beginning with Januar\’, as
—“Freezy, Sneezy, Breezy, W'heezy,
Showery, Lowery, Flowery, Bowery,
Snowy. Flowy. Blowy, Glowry,
The Great Delusion
During the last few years of our
experience and memory, we have seen
in America the most rapid increase in
the standard of living the world has
ever known. This is why we should
be sure that our system of free com
petition and industrial development is
sound. We have seen what it produc
ed. We have seen what it can do.
We have seen our friends and neigh
bors profit by it.
How can anyone who has witness
ed all of these developments, start
ing with the great home improve
ments of modern plumbing and elec
tric lights, and followed by the re
cent development of the automobile,
airplane and radio, believe our system
is fundamentally wrong?
Behind the “Iron Curtain” the ma
jority of the people do not enjoy the
luxury of these modern appliances.
They do not enjoy the luxury of these
modern appliances. They do not even
enjoy the luxury of free thought,
speech and religion. Free competition
and industrial developmsnt cannot
thrive in a country that employs po-
lice-state methods,
A country patterned after our own
would undoubtedly have to follow our
methods and vise our system in order
that it might gain a stature similar
to ours in world standing. It would
need a strong centralized government
to foster enterprise. It would need ad
vanced schools to turn out capable
leaders. It would need freedom to give
it decent and respectable citizens.
No American should suffer from the
great delusion that any form of sta-
tism which promotes the dictatorship
of the few, instead of the initiative
of the milLons, can produce a hap
pier and more prosperous society.
—Roland Bowser
Inquiring Reporter
Martha Booker
This tim? the qaestion is directly to
our Freshmen.
Q. What do you like best about
dormitory life since you have been at
State Teachers College?
A. Ruth Privott.
Since I have been a freshman at
State Teac’iers College my thiie has
been very well spent with studies and
rec;eational activities, but the greater
happenings are in the dormitory. It is
very exciting to be away from hom?
witli hundreds of girls. On a whole,
dormitory life is doing much in help
ing ms to adjust myself to living with
many people and still remaining a
wholesome individual.
Elaine Brown:
Dormitory life is fine. Since I have
been here I have made many new
friends. I find it very easy to study
because if 1 need any help I am with
in reach of it.
Doloris Brewington:
I love the rooms. Everything is so
convenient. The conditions for study
ing are fine. I have al.:o enlarged my
circle of friends.
Ruth Hemby:
I can say only one thing. Every
thing is fine. Dormitory life far ex
ceeds anything I ever imagined,
Margie Anderson:
Dormitory life is everything I ex
pected, I especially enjoy the com
pany of all the girls.
Evangeline Forbes:
I like the convenience of everything
and the friendliness of all the girls.
First Speaker of the Year
Mr. N. V. McCullough proved his
ability to speak well when he appear
ed before the student body and spoke
on the subject, “A Full Life At Your
Command,” or “Know Thyself.”
Mr. McCullough made it known
that our age is not the birth of edict,
“Know Thyself,” but that as early as
five hundred years before Christ, the
philosophers suggested that one know
himself, and it became their common
decree. Continuing, he emphasized
that there is no need to be without
vital information about yourself, for
this can be got by the proper
study of English through which a
proper study of mankind is made, re
vealing his hopes, ambitions, successes
and failures—his relationship with his
fellow man, his environment and his
God.
To help one become aware of and
familiar with the many sides of' man
I that enable us to better know our-
seluves, since our actions, thoughts,
emotions and ambitions are similar to
those who went before us, literature
is important. The reading of num
erous books or intellectual abilities
will not give this knowledge, but con
stant tests to make sure that O'ls is
progressing, not regressing should be
undertaken. The combination of these
will bring about an understanding of
mankind to himself.
To read intelligently, appreciati\e-
ly, and meaningfully one must be
aware of words and sentences in t'le
English language. Anyone who th'ows
away the tools which are necessary for
the English language is throwin-» away
the opportunity to fulfill and enrich his
life—the opportunity to know himself.
Unless he strives for the preferable in
our English communication, he will be
like the dullard who never reads
books, who never makes decisions for
himself and who is always “hanging
between, in doubt to deem him;elf a
God or Beast,”
What Is School Spirit?
Many persons or students do no/
have school spirit because of t’le fiut
that they fail to know the real msr.n-
ing and value of it. It is more or ess
innate; no one touches it; no one sees
it; yet it is there.
School spirit is the interest one has
in a given institution of learning, the
attitude toward its programs or acti
vities. It is that inward feeling that
makes one think that no task involv
ing his school is too hard for him to
tackle. It is the willingness of the in
dividual to cooperate with the student
body in losses or wins in any activity
in which they participate. It is the
sacrifice or giving up of one’s privi
leges to help the institution. The per
son who has school spirit is energetic,
taking leading roles for the benefit of
his school. He strives to preserv'e all
of his strength so that it may be ef
fectively used to improve existing con
ditions, whatever they may be.
This intangible feeling for an insti
tution makes the students conscious of
the necessity of having it, and he lets
this feeling motivate his every action
in supporting the activities of his
school, not for himself alone but for
, students yet to come.
—Lessie M. Cooper