Newspapers / North Carolina Central University … / Jan. 30, 1954, edition 1 / Page 2
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JANUARY S», 1954 THE CAMPUS ECHO PAGE TWO EDITORIAL . . . Southern Merchants And "Negro Money" The “Wall Street Journal” of January Fourth, carried two articles which reported a pron )unced effort on the part of Southern merchants to develop what was termed a big potential” in Negro patronage. , , , The articles not only related ii. cidents which have war ranted this new trend in selling to the Negro but also went so far as to offer advice for dealing with the Negro customer. It seems rather apparent that some of the business men of the sunny south have finally given basis to the philosophy that “they can’t do with him, nor can they do without him” as far as the Negro is concerned. It also seems that although the Southern white man finds it physically and socially un healthy to sit beside, live near, or come in contact with the Negro, he has suddenly discovered that the Negro’s money spends also and will not be called counterfiet because some of the Negro’s color has rubbed off on it. Better still, perhaps, the southern business man has finally become alert to the fact that the Negro has money-period. Among the “hints” offered to the southern salesman on how to obtain some of this newly acceptable Negro money were such condescending suggestions as “Be friendly, **Don’t pigeon hole him into any class,” ^ „ him ” “Treat him as an important individual, Don t call him’darky,” “And above all, don’t ignore him.” Obviously, by virtue of the mention of such stereotyped procedure, it is clearly evidenced that the sign on the cage has been changed from “Don’t feed the animals,” to “Feed the animals care- fully.** .... There is, however, an even more important indication in these articles. The Negro Southern merchants who have been confident and complacent in the fact that they ex pect to receive the majority of the Negro trade, will have to «xercise extreme concern in the future. They must reahze that with possible integration pending, their business will no longer be solely judged by the color of their skin or the racial group which they represent but by the type and grade of product, service, and consumer appeal they exhibit. The new competition will also mean that once the white merchant has sold to the Negro, the benefits of the Negro money will rarely, if ever, again be enjoyed by the Negroes but will pro ceed into the coffer of “big business” in which Negroes have little stake. The implications for Negro dealers and consumers are ob- 'vious ^Negro businessmen must become more attentive to their duties and obligations as businessmen in order to com pete on an equal basis with other businessmen. And Negro con sumers must guard as never before against exploitation. Book Review: Xaine Mutiny BY W. SHERMAN PERRY War stories, like murder mys teries, are usually a dime a do zen. Considering how many bat tle yarns are published yearly, it is seldom that one rises above mediocracy. Herman Wouk, however, has written a book about World War II that is su perb. For three years “The Caine Mutiny” has remained on the best sellers list, thus gaining the reputation of being the most popular American novel to be written in recent years. Herman Wouk has not at tempted to write about all of the major events of the Second World War. Many vsrriters, in trying to cover too large of an era, have ended up with a work of mass confusion. Mr. Wouk has concentrated his story to the action that the USS Caine, a United States Navy Ship, saw in the Pacific after the bombing of Pearl Harbor. By limiting his story to a particular phase of the war, a congruity has, been obtained that permits the reader to follow events of the war with out getting a migrane. Many readers of The Caine Mutiny will say too much ob scene language is contained in this augrst novel. These critics are demented. The Caine Mu tiny is a tale of war—it is not a lyrical poem about dandelions or skylarks. To delete the so called obscenity would definite ly detract from the realism and the naturalism of the novel. Too, it would disrobe the crew mem bers of the U.S.S. Caine of much of their robust charm. The Caine Mutiny is not only a brillant record of what life aboard a ship in time of war is like but it is also a magnificent physchological study of the crew who man the U.S.S. Caine. The most complete and accurate personality analysis is that of Lt. Commander Phillip F. Queeg, who is commander of the U.S.S. Caine. Commanding Officers, as rule, are not respected. Queeg was intensely disliked and su- perflously respected. By the use of Article 184 in the Navy Regu lations, a Mutiny was success fully evolved on the T^.S.S. Caine which'^orcefully relieved the commanding officer from his duties. Of course this is a court martial offense, but in this parti cular case it was also a wholly ustifiable offense, for Lt. Com mander Queeg is one of the cleverest paranoic vilUans to emerge from the World War 11. The section of the book that is now well known as the court martial scene is ' classic. No where in modem AmencaH. literature will one find a trial that surpasses this one. Long af ter the rest of the book is for gotten, the court martial scene will loom vividly in the minds of those who read it in the book, hear it by the Charles Laughton group or see it in the motion picture. Herman Wouk, in writing The Caine Mutiny, has become a li terary rage of our day. Because of this popularity, pwple are comparing Wouk with other contemporary Uterary giants on the American scene such as Faulkner and Hemingway. It can be said now that Herman Wouk will stand on his own two feet and come out near the top T-egardless of what novelist he is compared with. Mr. Wouk, I salute you. Student Government At Impasse Peering Through The Bird’s Eye BY" Seniors Of Distinction 1 have become aware that I have not recently made any mention of the activities of the women in the Senior Dormitory. This has not been intentional at all. Rather, the senior women are such fine examples of what college women should be that quite often we accept their ac complishments without c o m- ment because we expect great things of them. However, I think that they are indeed outstanding, and in the future, I shall make sure that BONNIE” m-iv-j'-ji—n-n-JvJgf they are duly recognized. Snow Puppies It is really a shame that a per son could go all the way through high school and be accepted in college and still harbor inclina tions toward adolescence. Such seemed to be the case with the “gentlmen” who were snow balling the young ladies in their dormitory doors during the last snow-fall. Some of our male stu dents even went so far as to bury young women in the snow With whom they were not even acquainted. But as is often said. Camp^^^^Echo NORTH CAROLINA COLLEGE AT DURHAM Member Plssocioted Cbll©6*crte Ptgss The problem of an unsigned constitution which is now con fronting the Student Govern ment Association has been liter ally hanging fire for the last two years. A proposed constitu tion was submitted to President Elder and the chairman of the Stud!;nt Welfare, Coi^ittee^in 1951 but was not accepted be cause of certain “ambiguities”. At present, Elliot Palmer, SG prexy, and his committee on ob jectives have not only the pro blem of the unsigned constitu tion with which to deal, but the original problem has now ex panded to include the conflict ing and, at some points, xmde- fined powers of the Student Government Association and the Student Welfare Committee. Mr. Palmer and his committee have become stymied in their endeavors to improve the consti tution so that it may be signed, and at the same time protect the interests of the students. It appears that there are no powers in which the Student Government Association is gran ted original jurisdiction. Rather, all activities of the Student Go vernment are subject to invali dation by a decision of the Stu dent Welfare Committee. For example, the Student Govern ment President saw the necessi ty of having a prescribed me- NORTH CAROLINA COLLEGE AT DURHAM The 'CAMPUS ECHO, official student publication at North Carolina College a Durham, is published nine times during the academic year. EDITOR — YVONNE SCRUGGS BUSINESS MANAGER IREDELLA IVffiETZE MANAGING EDITOR W. SHERMAN PERRY .EXCHANGE EDITOR BERNICE SAWYER nZTeditor ::;;:: .:::' ™mY cmtoN . sE^ARf'™.''.::::::::::::::::: '■ '• '■ ' '• '■ '• '■ ’ ■' cl“ o”a ^■CLERICAL ASSISTANT JAMES RAILEY reporters 'Margaret Battle, Barbara Broadnax, Alberta Coor, Alfred Fisher, George Griffin Jeanette Green, Ernestine James, Rose James, Mary Mebane, Betty Redding, Emma Bullock, Evelyn Wilder, Frank Sowell. TYPISTS Juanita Thorpe, Florence McCall CIRCULATION STAFF Jekeline Blacknell, Carolyne Self “Play with a puppy, and he’ll lick your face.” Probation List Blues I have heard some complaints around campus about the pro cedures which some teachers follow when they receive their probation lists. Frankly, I am definitely not in favor of the practice of posting these lists. After all, it is the business of the individual and his guardians as to whether he is getting full value for his time and money, and we here in college are en tirely too old to be shamed into doing what is right. However, those who didn’t quite make the grade, put forth more ef fort this time. “When at first you don’t succeed, try, tr”, BY YVONNE SCRUGGS thod by which all student body queens are to be elected, set up a committee to formulate these methods, and presented the bill to the Student Congress. The Student Welfare Committee felt that the case of queens came in its jurisdiction, set up its own committee and informed the student govermnent that what ever decisions they arrived at would be accepted only as re commendations and not as the final student regiilation. First of all, the Student Gov ernment Association has asked that it be placed in a position on the administrative chart direct ly in line to the president of the college. The president of the college feels that all powers must be delegated from some one, and that a committee con cerned with student welfare should delegate these powers to the Student Government. More over, the Student Welfare Com mittee, appointed by the presi dent of the college, has outlined in its handbook, published in 1950, all of the powers which the Student Government had out lined in its unaccepted constitu tion. The Student Government As sociation feels that two-thirds vote of the student congress and two thirds vote of the student body are enough to amend the constitution, If there were one. The Student Welfare Committee has suggested that all amend ments be approved by this or ganization first. of the student social calendar. There exists quite obviously either one of two things; either the Student Welfare Committee has never really been approach ed about the flexible line of der marcation between its own juris diction and the Student Govern ment’s jurisdiction, and there fore has had no occasion to clearly define its general claims; or there is a subtle undercurrent of doubt, re; the sense of respon sibility or just plain sense of the NCC students. The latter is probably the least accurate since it definitely does not con cur with the policy of student self-direction for which North Carolina College is supposed to be noted. From all indications there are three means by which this situa tion can be rectified. 1. Mr. Palmer coiild rely on the complacency of the students and dump the entire mess, un signed constitution-plus, in the lap of the next president. This could mean that the students wovdd ultimately have no need for a student government asso ciation, since it would be com pletely symbolic. 2. The Student Welfare Com mittee could revert to the au thority vested in it by its al ready accepted hand book and refuse to relinquish any of its claims on student activities. This is somewhat hypothetical since they are, in all probability, in accord with Dr. Elder’s pro gram of student self-direction. There are no disciplinary cases, even of minimum gra vity, which are any concern of the Student Government under the present set-up, and there fore there is no need for the stu dent judiciary. Any arrange ments made in the Student Gov ernment office by one organiza tion for dates and the use of B. N. Duke Auditorium, can be ne gated in the office of the presi dent by another organization. Therefore, the SG Organization cannot even be classified as the headquarters for the regulation ’( 3. The Student Welfare Com mittee and tile Student Govern ment Association could meet and discuss the conflicting claims, .agree upon individual powers and spheres of jurisdic tion, and thereby, revise the con stitution so that it can be signed this year. This appears to be the most effective approach, since all parties concerned must real ize the sensitivity of the situa tion. Good judgement, and fair observation and recognition of this problem will also aid in the alacrity of its solution.
North Carolina Central University Student Newspaper
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Jan. 30, 1954, edition 1
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