Newspapers / North Carolina Central University … / Dec. 20, 1961, edition 1 / Page 2
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Page Two THE CAMPUS ECHO Wednesday, December 20, 1961 Camp'^s0£^.f,o ffoiUft '.t gWf iiw Member ASSOCIATED COLLEGIATE PRESS PRESS The CAMPVS ECHO, official student publication at North Carolina College at Durham, is published monthly during the regular school year. Subscription rate, $1.50 per school year. Second-class maiJ privilege authorized at Durham, N. C. WILLIE HALL HAROLD FOSTER JEAN NORRIS Editor-in-Chief .Managing Editor Advisor Christmas? Bah, Humbug This is indeed a strange season of the year. Commercial estab- lislmients are spending millions erecting gaudy “Christmas” deco rations. Citizens, fully equipped with false smiles and false happi ness, rush about buying Christmas gifts. Citizens who wouldn’t ordinarily say hello to a passerby now bombard the holly-scented air with “Merry Christmas” greetings. Ministers stand before their congregations and impress upon them the cliche, “Peace on Earth, good will towards men.” The season’s strangeness comes from the fact that it is mythi cal—derived from a myth. To many this myth—the birth of Jesus Christ—is extremely simple. It is the story of a baby, Jesus Christ, who was born of a virgin mother in the slum area of Bethlehem. This baby, according to the story, is somehow a “mortal but is yet” the “son of God.” The main purpose of this “son of God” garbed in human flesh is to save man from his “original sin.” Since this miraculous babe, according to the modern calendar, was born on December 25, hence the celebration of his wondrous, divine birth. This is, as we have previously stated, a mythical season based on a myth. The myth the Christmas season is based upon is so absurd that even the most ardent believer of the Christian ethic cannot believe it literally! To even imagine that a sun millions of miles away could single out the planet earth and direct a beam towards it, much less single out a stable on the planet and shine starlike above it, makes the myth a highly complex one. To imagine that a babe born of poor parents and is a human, the son of God, and somehow is “God,” complexes the matter even further. Another aspect of the “simple” Christmas story clouds the issue even further. The man of this controversy, Jesus himself, never wrote anything—either for or against a claim to divinity. Says Crane Brinton in his book Ideias and Men: . .. did the historical Jesus claim to be the Son of God, a GodI himself? Christian theologians . . . had grave difficulties in the formative years of the Church in solving satisfactorily what came to be known as problems of Christology. In the three Synoptic Gospels, as they are called, the narrative accounts of Matthew, Mark, and Luke, and of course in the much more^ metaphysical account of the Fourth Gospel, that of John, Jesusi is reported as using many phrases that cry out for theological explanation—“Kingdom of God,” “Son of man,” “my Father,” “Son of God. . There are those who admit that Christmas is based upon a myth but who declare that the essential idea of Christmas is valid—that of “Peace on earth, good will toward’s men.” This is the idea toward which our idealists claim the world’s population should strive. We agree on this fact but sorrowfully admit another. As long as men exist upon the earth, there will always be a conflict in ideas, con cepts, and other things. This, then, makes the idea of “Peace on Earth, good will to wards men” one which is an unattainable Utopian goal. Consider ing that Christmas is a myth based upon a myth, and that the basiq idea of Christmas is wholly unattainable ,we give you our philoso phy of Christmas. Charles Dickens summed it up nicely in his “A ^Christmas Carol”-—“Christmas? Bah, Humbug!” Participate For Real "Peace On Earth” Of all the “good tidings” being throwm around at this time of the year, we find only one of significance and worth pondering “Peace on Earth-Good will toward men.” Just what does this tiding imply? Certainly not that there is peace on Earth and/or a kindly feeling between members of the hu man race. It emphatically implies that there should be peace on Earth and benevolence between members of the human race. Perhaps the term is used at this time of the year because it was started in the time of Jesus Christ when there were many oppressed groups of people who had been de-humanized by the wealthier groups of people and since his birth is now being celebrated. For shame that we have to wait until the time of the year that people are observing the birth of this man Jesus to use the term; it should be preached throughout the year. Jesus didn’t wait until his birthday to start using the term, he preached it year-round: in fact we doubt if Jesus had time to cele brate his own birthday—he was too busy engaged in the work of teaching people how to live according to the way his father had proposed. Today the NAACP has adopted this tiding as their official Christmas message. Since Jesus was successful in using the term maybe the NAACP will be also. How? With your help of course; when you go home for the holidays instead of participating wildly in Christmas festivities take part in picketting, boycotting, and protes ting the injustices to Negroes in your community. Only when we stop participating in the commercialization of Christmas and other holidays and start actively participating in movements to raise the Negro from his present social status will there be “Peace on Earth— Good will toward men.” —HAROLD FOSTER LETTERS Praises NCC Dear Editor, This is a belated thank you note for making it possible and [profitable for me to address your students on the occasion of your “Education Week Obser vance” on the subject of “Educa tion in Russia Today.” I wish you to know that Dr. Taylor, Dr. Hughley, Mr. Simp son, and Dr. Charles E. King, the Head of your Nursing School, and the Director of the guest house made my visit a very pleasant one. I should also like you to know that I was deeply impressed by the decorum, courtesy, and genuine interest shown by your students, which speaks much for the academic atmosphere of your college. Please convey this appraisal to your students and faculty. I regret only that I could not convey to them other as pects of life in that country. Harry W. Roberts Head of Department of Sociology Virginia State College Time To Act Dear Editor, I was looking through some masterial concerning North Carolina College and came across a very interesting book let entitled “Careers.” On the first page of this booklet is a letter written by North Carolina College’s beloved President, Dr. A. Elder. In this letter Dr. Elder states: “The College is equally well noted for the friendly and co operative spirit which exists on the campus and for the program which ,is designed especially for educating the “whole man” for the important and responsible tasks of meaning for living in today’s complex world.” I would like to ask the Presi dent or anyone else in the ad- crricc UOMBN ofSiodei^j OfM/IMOS OiRECrwW Gei ooHa here w/-th ihdi Mckeilf miSTMASf BAHU ministration, “where is that friendly and cooperative spirit that is supposed to exist on this campus?” My understanding- of the word cooperative is work ing jointly to obtain the same end. In this case, the adminis tration would be working toge ther to obtain that program for the education of the “whole man.” Why must we be made to sit every Monday morning and hear someone tell us how to make baskets? Most of these forum programs amount to just that. Why can’t we have a say about who would be best suited for us? Must Dr. John and Dr. Tay lor have all the say so? Something is wrong. We are reaching that program level, as far as academics are concerned, at a slow rate, but at a much faster rate than that of social QUIZ TIME TEST YOUR KNOWLEDGE QUIZ 1. The doctrine that the world tends to become better and that man has the power of aiding its betterment is (a) anarchy, (b) meliorism, (c) pessimism. ' 2. The famous painting “Mona Lisa” was done by (a) Leonardo da Vinci, (b) Rembrandt, (c) el Greco. 3. In the Iliad the character whose death motivates Achilles to return to battle was (a) Agamemnon, (b) Creon, (c) Patroclus. 4. The well known musical work The Messiah was composed by (a) George Frederick Handel, (b) Johann Sebastian Bach, (c) Wolfgang Amadeus Mo zart. 5. The quotation “Whoso loveth instruction loveth knowledge: but' he that hateth reproof is brutish” is from (a) Shakespeare, (b) The Bible, (c) The Koran. 6. In household arts Chipen- dale is (a) a food, (b) a type of fabric, (c) a type of furniture. 7. In logic, reasoning from a known principle to an un known, from the general to the specific, or from a premise to a logical con- cliision is known ks (a) de duction, (b) induction, (c) reduction. 8, Since the beginning of the space age, with the launch ing of its first Sputnik on October 4, 1957, the United States has launched 55 Satellites into earth orbit as against a total by Russia of (a) 70, (b) 13, (c) 45. 9. In forming the possessive of brother-in-law, one should write (a) brother- in-law’s, (b) brother’s-in- law, (c) brother-in-laws. 10. Football is a game traced back to ancient ■ Rome, but it took definite form in the lOOO’s in (a) Russia, (b) Norway, (c) England. QUIZ ANSWERS 1. (b) Meliorism. 2. (a) Leonardo da Vinci. 3. (c) Patroclus. 4. (a) Geore Frederick Han^ del. 5. (b) The Bible (Proverbs: 12:1) 6. (c) A type of furniture. 7. (a) Deduction. 8. (b) 13. (New York Times, Nov. 12, 1961, E7) 9. (a) Brother-in-law’s. 10. (c) England. Sources of information: Web ster’s New Collegiate Diction ary. The Iliad, by Homer; The Bible, and The Basic Everyday Encyclopedia. program. However, all the fault does not lie with the administration. Part of this lag is due to the complacency of many of the stu dents. The Student Congress has not lived up to its purpose for the past three years. Mr. Lyn wood Walker can’t accomplish anything without the help of the students. The Student Congress is as good as wo make it. We have channels to see that action is taken. Let us see why we never receive reports from our Congress. Like, what major bill have they tried to pass for the student’s sake? We must be heard and we can, with the total cooperation of the student body. Let’s get to gether and do something con structive instead of placing our faith in isolated talk. Gerald Galloway Weathers Suggests Christmas Gifts By Virginia Weathers What will it be to cheer you best beau this Christmas? For the women’s gift list there are blouses and sweaters of the limestone green and crystal white colors. They come in several styles and range in prices from $4.95 to $10.95. Gloves are always nice to re ceive. One can find leather, knitted, and cotton ones, from prices $1.95 to $5.00. The popular knitted hats make nice gifts for the lady. They range in price from $1.50 to $2.75. Sports shirts and sweaters are always enjoyable gifts to men. These items may be found in many styles and colors. Prices start at $7.95 and run to $14.95. Leather gloves with fuzzy lining are quite popular with the male sex. The prices—$3.50 to $7.75. Lyceum Series February 15, 1962 Robert Murill Metropolitan Opera Tenor March 7, 1962 “Midsummer Night’s Dream” Players, Incorporated April 12, 1962 Martina Arrays Soprano
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