SCARLET AND BLACK

Friday. April 9. ms

 

Scarlet and Black

GRINNKLL COLLEGE
Grinnell. law:

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USINESS MANAGER
ASSOCIATE EDITORS

FEATURE EDITOR .

SPORTS EDITOR ,
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Micro—Musings

There was a lot that could have been editorialized
about this week There was the search for a new college
president, the Viet Nam situation, men's off-campus
housing, the psychological services offered at Grinnell,
the meaning of Easter, proctors, the new student govern-
ment, the U. S. space program, the proposed new wo-
men’s dormitory, the faculty tenure system at Grinnell,
civil rights, the 1965-66 school calendar, and Waldo
Walker’s retirement from the administration.

It was an interesting mingling of topics —- local,
national-world, and universal. It seemed like a good
time to create some new terms, so we named these three
editorial topics micro-problems, macro-issues, and
mega-concerns, respectively. After creating these
names, it seemed appropriate to editorialize about these
various topics, thereby concerning ourselves with even
another topic, which we won’t bother to name here,

To get started, it should be pointed out dust the
5&3 has at times been accused of not liberating its
readers’ minds from parochial affairs (micro-prob-
lems). Our defense is that our rambling on macro—issues
or mega~concerns would be an unimaginative extension
of the academic method of second-hand research com-
plemented by often- useless insights

The concern of the S&B is with first- hand gath-
ering of facts on Grinnell 5 current micro problems and
presentation of our research and of our consequent pro-
posals. This type of editorlal should have mole mean-
ing for both the reader and the writer.

The 3&3 will continue to present a broader View
of the macro-world than is manifested in Grinncll,
Iowa. This view is certainly more dramatic, Our Selma
issue is an indication at our desire to present macro-
and mega-viewpoints.

But we think that our editoiial opinion is most
constructively ielt' in the world of Grinnell micro- prob—
lems Editolializing is among the few practical efforts
that can be made in our micro- -world dedicated to mega»
concepts of macro- maybe.

Fly That By One (time Time, Fellows

To the Editor: sis the answer? Is this tauto-

We have been disturbed byllo ? As Gilbert twllted in The
the current trend toward in- M ado:
unity — the irrelevant gobble, “ ‘Is it a Weakness of intel-
degook presented by what we lect. Birdie?’ I cried.
know are Seminole minds. ‘Or a rather tough wol‘m in
Based an the prosuppositioniyour liule inside?’
that. this fine, liberal arts iii-‘ With a shake ol his poor litr
stitution should produce scholr tlc head he replied,
arly, gentry minds instead of ‘Dh, WllloW, filwllluw,
crec, g dilettanti, we wish lowl’ "
more time were spent on this Should we remain oblivious
than the fuzzy-minded thinking to the cries of wild birds? No,
or :1 few, The rapid:mlneled we shouldn't. They are our
bourgeoisie have been small friends. But everyone should
shopkeepers mo, Recent court precn. Perhaps here lies the
dealslons have shown that crux of the problem.

How deep can superliciallly Aves
end banality go? How high is James R, Klezke
the sky? As Thoreau chirped, Rein ii, Sara]
contemplating VV‘cIlClBll’ “Sixth1 Peter I. Stuben
pliciLy! simplicilyl” Is Mime-i Wade r. Stevenson

litWil-

By Carl Otis Gray

Meenng LcRoi Jones should be like meeting your
conscience in a dark alley: you should expect knives
entering your Spirit and soul-blmd spilled and
smeared in your brain. You picture a smug self
satisfied superhipsler oozing hate with his every
syllable. It’s all a pleasant letdown to confront the
soft. spoken but articulate angry young man on his
own terrltory.

I bumped into Jones as I Walked out of a movie
theater in New York; he was on his way in a con-
ference wilh some ABC bigwigs. Efficient and
businesslike despite his Greenwich Village garb he
scribbled his address and told me to get in touch
with him.

When I finally found my way to his East Village
home overlooking the scenic Bowery, l approached
with some trepidation — an Iowa college kid about
to meet the very controversial Mr. Jones. Expecting
to be dazzled by the sun god himself, 1 knocked,
waited and entered as Jones motioned with it free
hand, holding the other to a telephoned ear.

This is LeRm Jones, author <7! The Toilet, The
Dutchmln, The Dead Lecturer and a number of
other works including a book on jazz and a partially
finished twentyvvnhlme suicide note. Amazing. This
is LeRoi Jones, anathema to white liberals and
conservatives alike, voice of an impatient Negro
population, member of the school of hip young
artists who are changing the temper oi the Amer-
ican cultural scene.

I had heard about his weekly sessions at the
Village Vanguard with his White Liberal Stampers
and I had read a personal statement of his in some
avanbgarde magazine and 1 was not prepared for

Ed. Note: The following in
letter from John Larson, ’54,

Chapel tor a mass meeting which
proved to be one at the most

Shades of Gray

[9 Roi

the amiable, good humored person with whom I
found myself shaking hands.

“Where is Grinnell? What's it like?” he asked as
I introduced myself and the tellow students with
me. Lacking the time and the energy to answer
his question with the care and accuracy them it
demanded, I gave him the college catalog treat-
ment and dismissed it. Maybe he wasn't satisfied.

I asked him the questions that have crept mm
almost everyone’s mind alter seeing or reading
his work —- “Do you mean it?" And emphatically,
“Yes!" was my answer. His own personal theories
of the theatre demanded the blood bath — and
besides, What Negro in America doesn't mean it?

His show The Toilet, has closed in California be-
cause of charges of obscenity or something else
some authority iigure saw fit to call objectionable.
Jones smiled and said it would open again.

The Dutchman and The Toilet have upset. offended,
and challenged more whites than Howard Taubman
and Walter Keir, the New York drama divinitles,
could ever have imagined. They are the hard-hit-
ling expressions exploring a new perspective in die
anger of the American Negro. Both are staged dis-
sections of the oppressed and offended minority in-
dividual, baring the seething passions that in»
escapahle intercultural conﬂict elicit. Both are what
has been needed for some time.

As We left he showed us some of his Ian mail,
a letter from a what could only have been a former
white liberal suggesting that Jones flush himself
down his own toilet. It occurred to me that what
the suggestion itself needed was a lime more of
that Toilet paper because it was obviously encrusted
with three hundred years worth of shit!

lon Larson

Another Trip To Selma

vented all but Jeff and Mike from
going. the remaining space was
our

who recently accompanied
two Grinnell students to Sel-
ma, Alabama.

meaniugiul experiences of
four days in Selma. The most
frightening moments came the
next morning as we naively
headed for the downtown section
to buy him and were confromcd
by local whites who were intent
ion roughing up any “nigger lov~
tranquility as you approach oulmg w”. my mud my me"
'nghway 22 a Winding back road hands on Luckily we wele only a
lrecummended by veterans return» short distance from the boundary
‘mg to Chicago after being shot at y of the New section and were
on the main road. It was not with-1““e m rem" _
out lear, however. that lefl Bum T° ”we 93°11 0‘ “‘9 ”Per"

lences of our slay would take up
“am- "We “0‘7““ 3““ I 51”” too much of the 5&8‘5 valuable

made our way mw Selma m “The space and perhaps bore the read-
Clea! Blue Heap,” our Nebraska Iers This is not the purpose bl
license plates obviously aware“! 'lhis article as 1 am sure lhe 5&1;

After reading 101- weeks about
ytlie violence in Selma. Alabama
lone is astonished by its outward

 

sing under the burden of a oi eacli days events. It is hoped,
thousand pounds of food gatheredlinsread zhar this effort might in
jointly by Catholic Jewish and some small way “sell” the idea
1P1 otestam groups In Chicago- lol givmg a pan of youi life to the
We were able to make u safely Cause for human dignity.
in Brown's Chapel and unload the After graduation in June, Iwent
load which was used in feed turn» to work as a social worker in a
dies and demonstrators, residentlal treatment center furl
We were not even iiuished unr emotionally disturbed children.
loading when “Jim” asked if we Unfortunately this facility was
had a place [0 stay. He replied to iorccd lo close December 15th due
,our negative answer by insisting‘to lack of funds. 1 found 1 could
‘ihat we be his guests and imme- make more money driving a
dimer proceeded to lake us ro truck than as a lab technician or
his home There Jim's wife and teacher and therefore be able (0
two daughters practically fell over start med school sooner. SD 1 be
one another trying [0 make us came the only delivery boy in [he
colnfoi'.table It seemed however lclty of Chicago with a college de-
lhar the family income of $750 a gree The Idea of a trip :0 Selma
week dd not keep the panlly lull lwas born out or frustration and
so we proceeded to go grocery llller meaning'essness of lrudlng
shopping. my time for dollars. SD i quit my
While we were gone 350 demon» job and called Roger Eldridge
strators had been arrested fol" The plan was to load the mud
lmarching l0 lhe mayor’s house,‘muru number or interested 61 n
‘and me area had been sealed off. ,‘ ncllians imo my 1953 Pontiac sca-
Finally the blockade was lillcd , tlon wagon and go to Selma. when

 

‘and we wcre able in relui'ii lo llie mkl‘lel'ln exaiils and apillllv plan

The Springs 0f the Heal) were 53% reporters gave thmough accounts,

l

 

lseemingly prohibited this.

‘ lives

used to haul a lhoussnd pounds of
food.

The meaningfulness and sense
oi accomplishment experienced
during those four days far out»

weigh that of the previous ten
mumhs us‘ a Grinnell graduate.
Last June 1 had seriously consid-
ered working full time in the
movement but $3500 in education
loans and personal commitments
II the
decision were mine to make acain,
there is little doubt but that I
would be in Alabama today.

So as an alumnus who has EK-
perienced the work day world
and the feeling of being a very
small part of the Civil rlElllS
movement. 1 appeal to Gilnnell

‘students to give serious consider

atlon to giving a part. at their
to [his Worthwhile and
meallingtul cause. Whether for a
week, a summer, a year, or more,
your contribution to the struggle
for human dignity Will give you
a sense at accomplishment not al-
talnable in other pursuits regard-
less of how glamorous or matter
ially rewarding they might be.
The battle of Selma is far from
won. When the voting hill passes,
the tedious task of registration re-
mains, For that reason, there will
be summer projects in Selma and
throughout the South this sunl~
mer, Work is noW being done in
the planning and organization of
thls project and thousands of colr
lege students are needed. It is mv
hope that many Grinnell siiidenls
will seriously consider giving up
a year of their time not "1 me
pursuit of fame and fortune bur
in the pursuit of the eventual dl-
talllment uf lustice for all men.

 

