Page Two SCARLET AND BLACK ' April ll. I969
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talk of the town

EDITORIALS

Censorship is a “Four Letter” Word

Turner’s (ear campaign, instigated to clean up and punish the minds and hearts
of the obscene younger generation, has iinally reached the Scarlet and Black. The
Newton Daily News, the printer for the Sim, refused tcl publish a direct quote irom
a Black Panther discussion made in a pllblic speech held at Grinnell, which contain-
ed a “four letter” word. (Actually it has 12 letters.) The printer can be held libelous
Ior printing ObscenitiesY and for this we respect his Stand. However, why should this
he thought an obscenity?

Unlortunately, due to the high level of energy expended in lowa over decency,
the Newton News ls more sensitive than it need be about what is actually obscene,
It appears that outside forces have tremendous power to create such tear, which
results in reducing freedom of expression.

Iowa’s ianatic desire ior decency smacks oi the McCarthy era, when wltehrhunts
for communists were conducted in the name of freedom, but resulted in the destruc-
tion of tllat freedom. The Newton News has reason to be sensitive for they can never
be sure that their paper won’t be the next “witch" prosecuted in the name of de
cency.

This kind of censorship is a frightening phenomenon, for free communication is
being threatened in the name oi goodness and motherhood, something hard to iight.
one or the newspaper’s tunctions is to make clear what is happening in society. The
changing approach of the Black movement and the changing expression or Black
attitudes, ior example, are very much what is happening, and as such the press must
communicate that. Language, the medium (or much or what is happening, must be
properly represented. This is not done {or the sake of sensationalism, but for an ac-
curate expression or today’s reality.

The 5&B‘s censorship is inexcusable because it is obstructing expression that is
vital to the news. It is inexcusable because the statement Censored was not obscene.
It is inexcusable because it is Closermindedness parading as righteousness. it is in-
excusable because lt ls indecency disguised as decency. It is obscene. SK.

When Enough is Not Enough

Last Monday, the iaculty took an important iirst step toward terminating the
presence of the military on campus by passing a resolution to discredit ROTC,
starting in September, 1970. The resolution passed, but we must stress the iact that
the issue was not resolved.

The iaculty in eiiect declared ROTC incompatible with Grinnell College only ior
reasons or educational philosophy, while the moral question implied in the resolu-
tion was disappointingly skirted. This is not. only a passive fiddling around while the
city burns, it is also, by virtue ot the iact that Grinnell’s military appendage still
provides the world with potential corpses and/or killers, an active fueling at those
fires. i-low painiully insuiiicient it will be to say when our boys have killed and
died, "Ah yes, but Grinnell gave them no credit ior their training.”

The second resolution, which provided for 3 committee to re-examine the entire
relationship at ROTC to the college, seems a result of the intellectual‘s inability to
take direct action, The power and goals oi that committee are also disturbing: They
could recommend to reverse the action that has already been taken, or recommend
to completely remove ROTC irom the campus. But the necessary evaluation
of ROTC should already have been completed. Action is necessary. Procrastination
in the form at this committee is an unfortunate statement oi Grinnell's lack of what,
in less iortunate circles than our own, might be called “guts."

Both situations make it imperative that students and concerned human beings
maintain an active interest in the matter,

Let’s not be satisﬁed with haltrmeasures that are so Weak they could be
reversed in a months time. Let's not let this week's iaculty action assuage our
consciences, We must not let It be said that in The Time Of The Bombs, Grinneil
College calmly erected a few defensive parasols gaily decorated with colors of intel-
lectual sell-satisfaction. The issue has not been resolved. We hope that no one on
this campus Will be content unlil it. is resolved, and Grinnell's complicity Wlth the
military comes to an end.

Sorry . . . But, Why Hide?

Last Friday’s iaeulty meeting was surreptitiously attended by a noniaculty,
outside investigator, Tlle 5&8 would like to iormally apologize to Mr. Wall and
the iaculty ior lhis less than straight-lorward action. We realize it was contrary
to the principles ot tree communication and understanding, the goals oi the news
paper, and studentriaculty relations. We hope this action will not lessen any trust
or desire to communicate that may exist between students and faculty,

There is no justilication tor a lack oi communication between elements on our
small campus. For that reason, although our uninvited attendance was wrong, the
closed nature of iaculty meetings which necessitated this action is also wrong.
Complete understanding cannot be gained when the important debate that the
iaculty does occasionally engage in cannot be heard by interested students.

The taculty certainly should not have anything to hide train students nor should
it be made so uncomfortable by the presence oi students that it is unable to express
its opinions treely. it this is the case, then perhaps the presence oi students would
be a good teaching device to assist iacnlty in developing poise in public speaking
and /or honest expression.

The iaculty cannot expect to remain on their pedagogical pedestals when dealing
with student ailans by closing the door on students seeking reasonable under-
standing. A step toward improved student-faculty communication, consisting oi
one opening oi faculty meetings, would be a step toward a more balanced relatlon—
ship between student and iaculty. The pedestal is not an effective position lrom
which to either teach or be taught. s. K.

L .

BENI, NEPAL

0n the white peaks the wind curls
up the snow,

Blows solar prominenccs, ieaihers,
rolling smoke,

Plumes of snow flowers.

Far below the black river rushes
through jungle cllasms

,

 

Where men strive Wlth the monsters
0' heat and dust,

or sun, oi sweat and burning ilesh.

But here are bllltcrcups,

And his growing in candlesticks oi
hillsides.

MITCHELL KAMEN
Oct. 17, 1966, NY. Times

By FREDRICKA NELSON
on the top of my head, a few things
that we love about lowa, inllowed by the
story of our caster Sunday picnic to red
rock damr loved things and people:
douald kaul’s excellent Writing for the
register, which hits the soul lightly out
of the existential dilemna with humor
and broadly ranging interests; the way
early spring days are only born aiter
long, grey mornings that we share with
pains; the dairy queen's wildrmountain-
blackberry malts and chocolate dipped
cones that are back in season.
scott and niki stopped by the apart-
ment aiter lunch sunday and we started
to plan where to go for our excu n.
being a native of the state is a great
advantage in planning picnics, since
sometime in your past you visited a dit-
ierent park tor each special summer
holiday. there's memorial day, father’s
day and coincident tamily birthdays,
the tourth oi iuly and hot august sun-
days when you have got to go swim~
ming or die. just last spring a group oi
us who lived in and around pine tree
(now trench house) took a bus down to
lieomah state park, to get there you
go down 146 to cskaloosa and take a left
in iront oi the town newspaper building,
which is recognizable by its english halt
timbered top story. keomah is approxi-
mately ten miles out of town and there
are road signs to help you iind the
place. it was drained last year and i‘m
not sure it the water is back up yet, but
the camp sites are heavily forested and
hilly — in general very tine and pri-
vate.
since we had Visited keomah before.
we decided on red rock dam for last
aunday. there was some debate be-
tween pallsades kepler, which is some-
where near cedar rapids, and red rock,
but the afternoon had a good head start
on us and we chose the latter. red rock
was written up in the Sunday paper
a iew weeks back, but i’ll go over some
at the important facts again, mostly
because its a curious thing to see
countryside become a huge lake from
one Summer to the next. i have an aunt
and uncle who live in knoxville, about
thirty miles south or newton, and we
drove through the area While the state
built the bridge and roads to skirt the
anticipated water. that part of the state
is all hills and Oak trees With high
slopes and deep gorges that cut across
the iarm land. red rock is just beyond
monroe to the south and the drive up
interstate so to newton, where you turn
south towards monroe — knoxville - etC.,
is iast enough to make in an hour or
two.
the bridge is notable because it's
super long and now takes you across
the middle of the lake. last Sunday We
came in trom pella and ended up across
the water and east of the bridge. we
weren't sure Whether We would find the
whole place ior a while, but just out-

The Scarlet & Black

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side of town we found ourselves en-
gulied by Sunday drivers presumed to
be on their own ways to picnic. , . ,
we had Visions of crowded ﬁelds and
picnic tables or families every ten
Ieet. the tralfic became very heavy
atter a conspicuous fork in the road
and began to resemble rush hour on
the freeway, with cars going but no-
where and all lined up bumper to
bumper.

strange . . . strange . . . strange we
all said, and being perverse to begin
with took the other fork and turned up
B marked dead end. we wanted to ﬁnd
some woods, near the water if we
could, but we certainly were not going
to sit in a car for two hours to get
there. dead ends that you can't see the
end of come in handy at times like that.

we followed the road to its end, which
perched with a iarm and cemetery
high above the lake. there were a iew
people decorating graves and no pic-
nickers in sight so we stopped and Im-
loaded. below us we saw recently
washed over shores with rows of trees
that hadn’t been submerged protecting
them. the scene was rustic and perfect
with high grasses and driitwood; gulliea
and pebbles and stones being our
things.

down . down . . . down and over
little hills til we come to a spot com-
plete with logs and kindling for a tire.
building big tires gives a good ieeling
of accomplishment and making log
benches and tables, even for the
meagerest feast, is delightful. we had
a good lunch after our labours, laid
around in the Sun and iinished the day
with an exploration to i'nd “the" ideal
campsite ior iuture visits.

the next time will be a whole week
end in the Wllds — a wonderiul way to
spend spring in inwa,

Ingllam all Brecht

Last Thursday night, Bob lngham and
assembled troupe provided my Modern
European history class with a dramatic
presentation oi Bertolt Brecht and his
role in the theater 0i Weimar Germany.
it was an enjoyable and intellectually
stimulating experience, the sort or hap-
pening which should not be so infrequent
at a college of Grinnell‘s curricular pie
tensions.

Assisted by Mrs. ingham, Miss Penny
Reed of the Milwaukee Rep, and ”Our
Own" Maunena Carter and Ken Hicks,
ingliam read from Brecht’s poetry on
the theater — verses charging electri-
cians, stage hands and actors to know
what they’re about and why — and then
presented a number ot briei excerpts
lrom Brecht's work, including a prelude
to the Juliet balcony scene which ended
with the bellyrbuckling laughrer oi the
audience.

Whether joined together with loving
care or bound tightly by the enthusiasm
oi the participants, the program had a
charming unity and a meaningiul thrust
which obviated the need {or proscenium
arch and gel-tramed lights. it was as
Brecht would have Wanted it, but not
beyond the criticism or local tyros like
Betts who iouud the introductory poetry
too long and read in a tone too matter-
oHact and not matterrolrtheater enough.

But why quibble with peripheral mat-
ters when the center oi the Arena Stage
was so wellroccupied with dramatic ac-
tivity that justitied brecht's beliei in the
purpose and value of theater oi instruc-
tlon.

Raymond Belts
Department oi History

ED. NOTE: This “intro-curricular"
study on Brecht is just the type or in-
terdisiplinary co—operalion which could
go tar in revitalizing the academic ai-
mosphere or this school. '

J ,. ..

 

