THE DECREE
OCTOBER II.
Editorial
“ITe have met the enemy, and he is
us.
A need for change has
been recognized by all
the elements of our pop
ulation, but the prime
question in this national
election is: what kind of
change, and in what di
rection? Many changes
are advocated, but the
common characteristic of
all of them, and perhaps
the reason that none of
them can be ultimately
satisfactory to the ma
jority , is that they are
programmatic changes;
that is, mere additions to
or changes of programs
for strengthening police
forces, for farm support,
for urban renewal, etc.
The conclusion could
thus be supported that the
needed change is struc
tural, rather than pro
grammatic. A structur
al change in a society
would be one in the form
of government or in the
relative status of the ele
ments of the society. Cien-
uine structural change
has not yet been envision
ed by any except the rad
ical and reactionary ele
ments of the population,
for the changes needed to
save the power of Amer
ica are so far-reaching
that only the radical or
the reactionary could
imagine them. One hopes
that the change would be
radical rather than re-
actionary^
Thus, the problem for
most Americans is that if
the change does not come
their society will destroy
itself, but if it does come
their way of living will be
out-moded; so that, as
Walt Kelly wrote, "We
have met the enemy, and
he is us,” for we will not
change our society, but we
must.
Bruits Organize
The Bruits Literary
Club held its second
meeting of the year Wed
nesday, September 25, in
the faculty lounge. Offi
cers were nominated and
elected. They are: Head
Bruit Bonnie CullomjAs-
sistant Head Bruit Joyce
Homan; and Secretary-
Treasurer Ann Thomas
Gill. Program plans were
discussed and will be
voted upon at the next
meeting.
The Bruits extend an
invitation to all English
majors and other students
interested in the humani
ties to join the literary
club at the October meet
ing, Tuesday, Oct. 8, at
6 pm in the card room.
Perspective
By: JEFF SHELTON
A few weeks ago the
students here received a
communication from the
SGA concerning a month
ly assembly program. In
part, it read: “In accord
ance with the Dean of Stu
dents’ philosophy of
“freedom with responsi
bility,” these assemblies
will not berequired.How-
ever. Dr. Wilde has
threatened* to enforce a
required assembly with
fines for absences if par
ticipation is not close to
100%.” Apparently, we
have here a graphic il-
Hillbilly Poem
There was a hillbilly His onspring had scales
named Hollis, and prehensile tails.
Who used snakes and And voted for Governor
frogs for his solace; Wallace. -Playboy
Parents ’
(Continued from Page 1)
his teachers were not a-
vailable for his parents to
meet, one faculty mem
ber, Dr. Davis, said he
“met more parents then
than all last year.”
Parents’ Weekend in
cluded an open house in
all classes Saturday,open
house in all dorms and
fraternities, a soccer
game and a fashion show
Saturday afternoon, a
banquet and faculty re-
ACULTY
ORUM
By CORBITT B. RUSHING
One of the benchmarks
of the Wallace campaign
is the pitch that there
isn’t a dime’s worth of
difference between his
two opponents. Shooting
from the lip at every
opportunity, the bantam
Governor pounds on this
theme - and admittedly
to the delight of an in
creasing number of A-
mericans, rednecks and
white collar.
But the truth is that
there is a wide diver
gence in the political pos
ture of the Democratic
and Republican parties -
a wide gap in philosophy,
practice and perform ance.
It is not necessary for the
voter to choose the Wall
ace alternatives: the ir
rational, racist politics of
frustration as opposed to
tweedle dum - tweedle dee
major party politics.
In the area of the bas
ic thrust of governmental
power there is a funda
mental gulf between Rich
ard Nixon and Hubert
Humphrey. And this dif
ference is wide enough to
accommodate the rational
American voter. If a per
son thinks that the proper
role of government is neg
ative, that the essential
problems that beset our
polity can best be sol
ved at the individual and
private level, he is re
flecting the traditional
and Nixon Republican
view. If, on the other
hand, he feels that gov
ernment has a positive
role in producing the bet
ter life, that societal
problems have largely
out-grown individual and
private economic solu
tions, then HHH is his
boy.
For example, here are
a few major areas of
governmental activites in
which there is basic and
significant dispute in the
major par^y camps: For
eign Aid, Medicare,War
on Poverty, Model Cities
and Uroan Renewal, Ci
vil Rif hts, Public Hous
ing, Pent Subsidy, Tax
Policy, Food and Drug
Supervision, Labor Reg
ulation, and Agricultural
Parity and Commodity
Support. In each of these
areas there is an affir
mative and a negative -
a Democratic and a Re -
publican position.
To give George his due,
he is partially correct in
assessing a monetary dif
ference between Hubert
and Richard in the area
of control of the public
schools. But the differ
ence is not one of lOO
but of over $1.5 billion.
Mr. Nixon has stated
(strictly for sub Mason-
Dixon audiences) that he
will not use the threat of
curtailment of federal
funds to local school sys
tems to coerce compli
ance with HEW guidelines.
Humphrey would seeming
ly continue the practice,
unless there is a volun
tary compliance with the
equal protection clause of
the 14th amendment and
that day is not yet in
sight.
In the field of law and
order - the hot issue of
the campaign - Mr. Wall
ace has a point: there
isn’t too much difference
between the two major
parties. In fact. Mr.
“A Dime’s
Worth Of
Difference”
Wallace might even have
grounds for a plagarism
suit - both Richard and
Hubert are trying to
steal his thunder. Yet
there is an important dif
ference in the position of
the Republicans and Dem
ocrats and in that which
George is preaching. That
is, both major candidates
talk about Law and Order
with Justice and the Gov
ernor still expounds the
philosophy of running
over anarchists who
“lay” down in front of
his car. (Lately he has
talked of maiming rather
than killing such folk).
On Viet Nam both re
spectable candidates
realize that the war must
be brought to an end via
a political solution. HHH
has the unenviable task
of defending the Admin
istration and at the same
time appealing to the Mc
Carthy camp with at least
a “softer” line than Mr.
Nixon. Wallace is totally
lost on any issue outside
the domestic scene.
In this election year,
as in all others since
1820, the voter does have
a legitimate choice be
tween two opposing polit
ical parties. No matter
how you slice it, the al
ternative of an American
Independent (Wallace)
party is the same old
option of the single issue
politics we have seen in
the past - Know Nothing-
ism. Abolition, Green
back, Free Silver, Pro
hibition, etc. Only this
time the single issue boils
down to nothing but ra
cism of the very worst
ilk. And it merits noth
ing but contempt.
Weekend^ ,
ceptions Saturday night,
and a worship service
Sunday morning.
Parents came as far
as 1,200 miles to attend
Parents’ Weekend. Dr„
Cordts, Director of De
velopment, said that over
1 /3 of the parents of the
student body attended,
with the Freshman class
understandably having the
largest percentage. One
student called it “one of
the most exciting week
ends since I came here
two years ago, because
the students showed re
spect for their parents
and pride in their campus
and what they’re doing.”
Dr. Collins thought that
the student planning,
sponsorship, and parti
cipation made the parents
feel wanted and welcom
Dr. Cordts saw the week
end as something the stu
dents were able to organ
ize successfully, where
as the administration
would not have had half
as much success, espe
cially for a first time a-
round. Everyone agreed
with Dean Wilde’s state
ment that there is “no
question about” Parents’
Weekends becoming a
tradition, and Dr. Cordts
said it is one of which
the “students deserve to
be proud.”
will be in the spring. When
asked about the necessity
of paying $2.50 for a ban
quet ticket. Dean Wilde
said some parents did not
think the charge was e-
nough and suggested that
in the future the school
charge $5.00 for a ticket
covering the entire
weekend. Although one
student regretted (?) that
lustration of what the
Dean really means when
he talks about “freedom
with responsibility.” i
think that on this campus
as elsewhere, it is time
for an assertion of student
power. But how can this
power be manifested?
If one grants that ra
cial elements at Colum
bia, Berkeley, and else
where went too far, one
can still not invalidate the
entire concept of student
power, since the militant
approach is only one of
several alternatives.The
need everywhere in high
er education is for anew
orientation: the student
should not be a slave to
the grade and therefore
to the professor; he
should not be treated as
an adult only when he
knuckles under to every
administration whim, but
at all times. It is well
for us to remember that
when universities began
the students paid the pro
fessors and could get rid
of them at any time. Is
the complete reversal we
have now really wise, or
are our colleges and uni
versities just factories
for impersonalize, “but
ton-down” minds?
Sturgill
(Continued from Page 1)
leyan, Mr. Sturgill was
on the faculty at Green
Mountain College in Ver
mont, where he appeared
in several of the college’s
productionso Mr. Sturgill
received his Bachelor's
Degree from William and
Mary College, where he
achieved membership in
Delta Psi Omega, a na
tional honorary fraternity
of the dramatic arts,for
his participation in col
lege dramatics.
Also representing
Wesleyan’s language de
partment is Miss Rilla
Carter, who will serve as
one of the rehearsal pia-.
nists.
Mr. Michael K. Grind-
staff will design the sets
and serve as technical
director for the produc
tion, while Mr. Anthony
Dingman will direct and
choreograph the entire
showo
(1 955)
-m -m -m CAMPUS FLIC:
Uklahoma
Fred Zinneman’s film version of Rodgers and
Hammerstein’s first musical stars Gordon Macrae,
Shirley Jones, Rod Steiger, and Gloria Graham, with
excellent choreography by Agnes DeMille.
This film, appearing on campus tonight, was first
screened in 1955.
Offi(„^al Student Newspaper of
North Carolina Wesleyan College
EDITOR........ Ed Smith
BUSINESS MANAGEkr.’.°'.".!*.]!.*.'.'!.*Tom Mowbray
ads MANAGER..... .. . ..John Hinnant
CIRCULATION MANAGER Jim Price
OFFICE MANAGER ..Julie Robinson
editorial assistant Keith Feelemyer
PHOTOGRAPHER Baxter Smith
Business Address: Box 3146, Wesleyan Colleg6
Rocky Mount, N. C.