Friday, November I7, I961 SCARLET AND BLACK Pogo Thin ONE DEGREE OUT OF THREE HUNDRED AND SIXTY or LIFE IS DERTAINLY UNDEBTMN EBY PAUL JONES Alter two months at writing about creativity and rule philoso- phy, i find that now 1 have nothing more to say. As tar as I’m concerned, 1 have asked all at the questions and given as raw of the answers as I intended. This is the end. But in all honesty, there is one more thing that has to be sald, That is: [don’t know what‘l'm talking about, It's a iairly shocking realization, but it’s true. i really don’t know anymore it I'm saying what needs to be said. I suppose that l should explain. Sitting at the Longhorn the other night, I realized that when 1 leave here, 1 will not leave with an education or “education” as such, but rather with I Grinnell education, something radically different from "education." Granted, Grinnell is judged by external sources to be one of the “best" liberal arts schools in the country, but merely by vir- tue of its being a ”school", it is not education in general. What it does present ls a fairly specific mode of a certain kind One con- clusion to draw from this is that I don’t really know what “edu- cation" as such is; I can not get outside of my conditioned way of looking at things. But another conclusion, and a far more devastating one in terms of the purpose of my writing a column in the newspaper, in that, having once considered creativity and rule philosophy to be the most important and allrembracing concepts about which 1 could talk, 1 now don't know if that’s true anymore, What 1 don't know is the answer to the question “What is there left to know?" That is, what is there to know which I don‘t already know about knowing? Don't mistake this for a claim to omniscience, it is exactly the contrary, a claim to ignorance, and an ignorance which is, to a large extent, fostered upon me by many sources: parents, teachers. Grinnell, language, everything. To speak meta- phorically, how many degrees, out at the iull circle of the three hundred and sixty degrees of what there is to know, do i now recognize? Maybe one degree at the whole circumierence. Arid l doirt really know how to get outside at that one degree. The ontortunate thing is that 1 know that I will fight this con- ditioning for the rest oi my life, and i don't kllow why i should have to. What i am getting at, and it's an old horse to beat, is that, yeah baby, Grinnell is narrow. But not just in the sense that it’s llity miles tram Des Moines, l.e nowhere, but that it is thou- sands and thousands oi miles from being what it should be, a liba eral education, miles irom a sense that a liberal education is not an end in itseli, but merely a steppingrstone to the future search for usable knowledge, not just the acceptance oi what is now call< ed knowledge. A prolessor told me that what this realization has done ior me IS to liberate me, not libcralize me. ln one sense this is true; it has given me the opportunity to ilght like hell to get as tar away from the ‘idea' or Grinnell education But telling me that I’m liberated doesn't tell me a damned thing, actually. What am 1 free to do now? l don't want to spend die rest oi my lile fighting against an idea, but rather ior ideas it my mode oi conditioning will ever let me see beyond what i am now conditioned to see. So 1 ask: is creativity a Worthwhile problem in the “real world”? is rule philosophy in its broadest sense, i.e., ethics, is real problem? i don’t. know anymore. Who does? TRUTH BEAUTY, CROSSETT . , THUGYDIDES TAKES TIME In four and a half years, John Crossett (Classics) has suc- serve as an example. Every occurence of the word in Thu- cydides was noted, its lorm and llllllIIllllIIllllillllUlIItlltlllllllllllllIIIilllillltllllllllillllllll NEWS BRlEFS lllllllillllllilllllllllllllllllllillllllillllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll APOSTLE PRIZE The establishment of the H, George Apostle prize in phys- ics at Grinnell has been an- nounced by President Leggett. The $200 prize was estab- lished by Dr. Apostle, Steele professor of mathematics and a member of the college faculty Since 1948. Awards at $50 will go to tour phystcs majors who have “demonstrated a superior pro- iiciency ln mastery ol subject as well as in independent abil- ity for and interest in re- search.” The recipients, who will be selected by the physics depart- ment, will come from the grad uating classes or 1968, 1969, 1970, and 1971, r r LENOX AT CARNEGIE The Lenox Quartet will make its New York City debut as a piano quartet at a November 19 concert in Carnegie Hall. The program consists oi the Piano Quartet in G minor, Opus 25, by Brahms, String Quartet in B-ilat, Opus 168, by Schu- bert, and String Quartet No. 4, by Bartok. Firmly established as one of the nation's finest quartets, the Lenox is the only contemporary group which functions as both a string quartet and piano quartet. organized in lost, the Lenox has been in residence at Grin- nell since the fall of 1962 and has played extensively in both the United States and Europe The group has presented nu- merous other concerts ill New York City, but will be making its initial appearance at Car— negie l-lall. EMERITUSI DIES Cyrus w. Perkins, 84, died at his home in Houston, Tex., Oct. 25. He was a Griliilell professor emeritus of German. A native of Canada, Professor Perkins studied at the Univer- sity of Vienna (Austria) before taking his B. A. and MA. de- grees at McMaster University in Toronto in 1910 and 1911, respectively. In later years he took further graduate work at the Universities of Chicago, Breslau (Germany) and lowa. He taught at Coe College in Cedar Rapids from 1911 to 1944 and at Grimell, where he was also assistant to the president, from 1944 to 1948, when he be came proiessnr emeritus and moved to Texas, where be con- tinued to teach until full re- tirement in 1960. A STUDENT OPINION SELF-IMPUSED SEDBEGATIDN? NAME WlTHHELD BY REQUEST Talking to Mr. Randall Morgan, Chicago Area Civil Rights leader, at Encampment gave me some new insights. l preier to remain anonymous because i want what i have to say to be judged on its own merits, not on my personality. i am white. I have noted increasing concern among both Negroes and whites on campus over the increased membership in what 1 will call the Negro subculture. This is a group of Negro students who have “opted out” or the rest of Grillnell's society. They have chosen to stay within their own group exclusively. Wily is it distressing to the onlookers mentioned above that this group prefers to eat together, walk together, talk together, dance together, and generally spend time together exclusively? This exclusion of the White world is self isolation with carelul signs, rituals, slang, and other cultural elements. It is just as evil a form of discrimination as that which these students probably experience in reverse in their home towns. Of Course, in saying all this, I realize that this Subculture is not unique to Grinnell. It is the transplantation to this campus oi the Negro subculture from which these people come. Neverthe- less, its existence is not good, and there are several points which were elucidated in encampment that we should remember. We all recognize the background which is so important here. The Negro in America is withdrawing into his group all over the nation. This withdrawal is necessary partly tor the discovery ct identity and self-respect. And, of course, we cannot expect a Negro coming to Grinnell to drop out or what is probably the most im- portant thing the American Negro is doing right now. We cannot ask him to become white for eight semesters, Race betrayal is not the answer. Some people feel that the relatively Sudden growth of the Grin- nell subculture (it has become an active force in the Negro com- munity in less than a year) is due to the increased numbers of Nee groes at Grinnell, 1 leel that it is more likely because oi the above national movement. There is some significance in the greater number of Negroes here. however The larger the number, the wider the variety nr backgrounds. This variety makes it more likely a greater per- centage ot Negroes here will come lrom highly prejudiced environ. ments, will be persons careiully socialized in total segregation, persons totally unpracticed in interacting with whites. We must also keep in mind the courage it takes for a Negro to come to a predominantly white school like Grinnell. There is certainly less prejudice and discrimination here than in some other parts of the nation, but the Negro knows he will encounter prejudiced individuals here and will experience some discrimi- nation. Aitending a Negro college is an emotionally easier way to get a college degree. So, the white students here must remember that Negroes, because of the nature of this country’s hypocrisy, must enter Grinncll with apprehensions. These apprehensions are not immediately dispelled by good will. We operate on an artificial level here, and few of us quickly reveal our true selves. When one drunk person reveals repressed prejudice to a Negro, think tor a minute how quickly the Victim would lorget all the many seemingly non-prejudiced contacts he has had, One such incident suggests widespread repressions oi the same kind to the person who is unsure how he will be treated in the iirst place. Such dISlllilsionment is possible because of the white commu- nlty's failure to provide positive and concrete Ieaiiirmatlons or our desire for a genuinely nah-prejudiced and non-racially-oriented Grinnell society. Quiet acceptance or the nonrracial point oi view leaves the unsure Negro, when conironted with very subtly-hidden prejudice, manifested in situations when the barriers are down, to assume this repressed prejudice is the dominant pattern, It is not my purpose here to suggest how we, the white stu- dents, can concretely reaffirm our commitment to an integrated society at Grinnell. 1 leave suggestions to others. 1 reel, however, that if we are aware that what we are doing now is not enough, occasions to maniiest our feelings will arise, and this awareness will lead to action. Step Up To Headquarters For: ceeded in translating the open» lng paragraph oi Thucydides' work on the Peloponneslan War. It he lives long enough, Cros- sett hopes to translate the first twenty-two chapters of the work (about ten pages). About titty people attended Crossett’s report on his research Monday night. Each word in Thucydides' iirst paragraph was painstakingly checked; its use and implications carerully de lineated, Cmssett's translation ol the word “disturbance" may use studied. Even the use made of “disturbance" by claSSlcal authors before and after Thu- cydides was deciphered. Final- ly (or perhaps primarily), Cros- sett considered the moral im< plications or the word, Thucydides has been dropped from tlle Humanities course in what Crossett terms the “pious” hope that Histories will pick it up The work represents our iirst example or an attempt at “objective" history, said Cros- sett. - “TH: ms. mm or a. mo. mi in...“ autumn“... K. Oji, Special Representative at the math. “to... .. in 11.5., n, in. mowing W mun/runny, ocTomsR 24, 1967erIm': Commis- HLOUSES ‘ SKIRTS 5 to. pump... in. harm swwexs - msss an, i... up... n .. “chunk m 9 attachment." in a...” r. r... r... mu... .i...c..i...no,~unvm.h. tempting to leave Hie Republic oi Bi- alm.‘ The judges commendation For a line mpy n! this reads: 'Typr'clzl- current issue a! NA- ,yrnn.....i , noNAI rrnrw, ,. p... cm, in r :5 5i, mum. 1001b GR'NNELL N EWTON JD‘S RESTAURANT VIZVI Main TUESJSaL 5 to ID pm, Sunday—Noun to lo p.m.