THE SILENT SOUTH
BY CAROLEE WOOD
PART THREE
Ed. Note: This is the last in a
series of articles on The Silent
South. The Collegian is grateful to Carolee Wood, for her contribution.
The South has been silent. The
Southern Negro has been silent,
but more and more, he is protesting his condition as a second-class
citizen. The lunch—counter sit-in
movement, spontaneously spreading all over the South, shows a
courageous spirit among the youth.
It is a part of many beginnings,
which have been a long time in
coming. One hundred years from
, this movement may have become relegated to one sentence in
a history book—if there are any
history books then—but the impact, the educational value of
these sit-ins will have had far-
reaching effects. Many eyes will
have been opened to realize that
the "windowjess, shabby grey
building" is, indeed, used as a
school building for children.
Non-Violence
Non-violence as a method of
protest is an amazing accomplishment. James Lawson, the young
ministerial student expelled from
Vanderbilt, explains well this philosophy: to the truly non-violent,
an individual must lose his hostility. This is not an easy thing
to do; and the religious aspect is
apparent. Hostility would otherwise be bound to occur under fire
of insults, pushing, cigarettes
burned into hair and neck, or high
pressure water hoses. This devotion to purpose, under the guid-
Letters To Editor
ance of Christian principles has
resulted in the non-violent, peaceful demonstrations. True, there
has been violence, instigated by
hoodlums and rabble-rousers. The
amazing fact is that these demonstrators have maintained their
fight without retaliating with
force. This in itself deserves our
recognition and admiration. Indeed, the nation can not have
peace as long as our fellow men
are denied the rights which are
as much theirs as they are ours.
No Exit
In the long run, there is no
exit: from our own inner beings,
from each other, from the nation,
or from the world as a whole.
The South cannot secede from
civilization, as Josephus Daniels
put it so very well in commenting
on the proposed plans to close
public schools. Neither can it be
silent any longer. I do not wish to
be a part of what has been called
the silent generation, and there
are many ways of not being silent.
Noise does not have to be involved at all and violence must
have no place. With the disappearance from the reins of the
old-time state leaders such as
Earl Long of Louisiana, and the
advent of men like Governor Le-
roy Collins of Florida and Senator Kefauver of Tennessee, the
South will have a chance, under
enlightened leadership, to advance,
not back-track. But all areas of
life must be awake: from the
average middle-class ostrich to the
educated educator. This question
has social, legal, political, and
moral facets, all of which must
be dealt with. Instead, the silent
South MUST rise again, rise to its
responsibilities. The silent South
