The Optimist (Abilene, Tex.), Vol. 67, No. 28, Ed. 1, Friday, April 25, 1980 Page: 3 of 23
twenty three pages : illus. ; page 11 x 8 in. Digitized from 35 mm. microfilm.View a full description of this newspaper.
Extracted Text
The following text was automatically extracted from the image on this page using optical character recognition software:
nooQg)?(issams
A-3
tfr
Racism housekeeping 'Bolero9 prompt responses
Senior's sentiments
To the Editor:
Almost every Friday for the past five years
I've gotten and enjoyed the Optimist. One of
the most enjoyable parts has always been the
"Letters to the Editor." (They're right up
there next to Rolando's cartoons and the two-for-one
Whopper coupons.) With graduation
time fast approaching I thought I'd better
write my letter.
As all humans are prone to I .have brief
moments of (in my opinion) inspired thinking
on all the many issues raised by the Optimist
and the "Letters" but believe it or not when I
finally got up the guts to write "the letter"
they all took a hike. That's the breaks!
(Anyway it's amazing ' how often my in-
spirations have already been voiced by
someone with gooder grammar and better
speling.)
Now that I've said nothing let me close by
saying thanks to Becki my parents ACU the
Optimist and most of all God. These four
years I've squeezed into five have truly been
blessed.
"Life's too short to look at the dark side so
smile and look for the positive; it's there if
we'll just open our eyes..." Unfamous quote
that'll never make Reader's Digest.
"But grow in the grace and knowledge of our
Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be the
glory both now and to the day of eternity.
Amen." (2 Peter 3: 18).
Terry Cagle
Cultural prejudice
To the Editor:
I am disheartened to learn of the cultural
racism that is overtly exemplified on our
campus by blacks.
Upon reading the letter by John Saboleh my
heart fell because being black myself and
realizing that there are so few of us here it is
absolutely appalling that this type of behavior
does exist and has reached this magnitude.
One of the tragedies of life.. .is that there are
individuals who feel that the only way to foster
confidence in themselves or a reasonable
facsimile of such is to ridicule those who are
different from themselves. These individuals
neither know themselves or where they come
from.
This degenerative attitude is not limited to
any particular race or group of people but it
always looks uglier when the other person is
the perpetrator.
you
ftJD&flfe
You have reminded us that it can and does
exist within the confounds of one race. This
has been proven by these incidences and
others no doubt that have gone by un-
mentioned. Do not become discouraged because it will
not be the last time you are faced with
behavior that is contrary to mature adulthood.
Take courage and continue to be who you are
because in a society where imitators and
plastic faces are the norm it is refreshing and
encouraging to know there are those who are
not afraid and are proud to share their real
selves.
Ken Morrison
Janitorial grievance
To the Editor:
I am referring to the majority of professors
here at ACU. It seems that if one has a doc-
tor's degree this gives one the right to forget
one's Christianity and walk all over anyone
especially Housekeeping or as the professors
put it "the janitors."
It seems like no matter how good of a job one
does the professors always find dust
somewhere handrails chair legs window
ledges etc.
Now if I weren't a member of the Church of
Christ and worked for Housekeeping and was
treated the way the professors treat the
workers I wouldn't have anything to do with
the Church of Christ. It seems that everyone j
expects miracle work out of Housekeeping
but we never see any miracle pay.
The majority of "the janitors" do their jobs i
but the main problem is with faculty and
students. If the faculty would enforce the "No :
Food or Drinks" allowed in the rooms or at i
least put them in the trash and not wash the j
carpet with Mr. Pibb "the janitor" would
have time to dust those handrails. But faculty
and students just don't have the discipline.
We are Housekeeping not personal maids.
We as janitors are to take everything on the
chin so we are told. Or (we're told) "Well
that teacher just had a bad day."
That still doesn't give them the right to take
it out on "the janitor." Teachers have
legitimate gripes sometimes but they can do it
in a Christian way.
Randy Ervin
Housekeeping Supervisor
Morris Center
Misused music
To the Editor:
I do hope the comments on "Bolero" by
Ravel were meant as satire and not to be
taken seriously. If my memory of music
history serves me correctly Ravel did not
write "Bolero" with the intention of it soun-
ding erotic; nor was it originally written to be
performed as a classic although many enjoy
it as such. Rather it was merely a study of
intensity using a very basic theme (homework
for a music theory class).
By the way are you condemning Beethoven
as well? Remember that Beethoven's "Ninth
Symphony" was the theme to the movie "A
Clockwork Orange" which was originally
rated X.
Let's not forget about the overture by
Wagner that was in "Apocolypse Now." These
other great classics have a beat too. Perhaps
we should start preaching against all forms of
instrumental music (sarcasm not to be
taken seriously )..
I have enjoyed listening to "Bolero" since I
(continued on page A-4)
It's a dog's life for people without the love of Christians
By DALE ROBINSON
Optimist Staff
When I was younger and our family went
away on vacation I often envisioned coming
home to an empty house or worse yet no
house at all. I found out later that my parents
had similar worries; would the neighbor next
J door keep the grass cut
the garden watered and
B the mail picked up?
Vk h We never knew what to
W7 m expect when we returned
XyrTmy except for one thing. We
V t could always expect 'Lady'
(P to come running up to the
gate wagging her tail
ready to pounce on us once we set foot in the
yard. Unlike people at times "Lady" was
always glad to see us. '
I suppose she isn't much different from most
dogs in that respect. It'sno wonder that a dog
is often called "man's beat friend." Ironically
animals are often better companions than
people.
For that reason a number of animals in-
cluding dogs cats cows horses and pigs are
used therapeutically today. Recently ABC
News reported that 15 percent of the children
in the United States are emotionally distur-
bed. Researchers found that giving these
children the responsibility of feeding and
caring for farm animals significantly in-
creased their emotional stability.
A number of retirement homes across the
nation also are using dogs and cats for similar
purposes. Even a corrections facility in Ohio
allows certain inmates to keep pets. Prison
officials observed that the numer of inmates
having suicidal tendencies dropped a
staggering 80 percent.
In all of these instances these animals were
not only a recipient of care and affection but
they also responded with a mutual sense of
affection and acceptance toward their
masters. These findings just reinforce earlier
findings that man's two basic needs are to love
and be loved.
Almost from birth we seek answers to our
own identity and value. "Who am I?" "What
am I worth?" Unfortunately too often we
underestimate ourselves by looking in the
mirror or focusing upon external standards
imposed by society. And more often than not
we go away not able to feel good about our-
selves. Countless people today are hurting from
these feelings of rejection and insecurity. The
number of people whose only sense of identity
and self-worth comes from caring for a dog or
cat is tragic.
As Christians we have a great message to
share because Jesus accepts us for who we
are. His acceptance of people puts life on a
higher plane calling us to live as he did for
people. And living for people is ultimately the
basis for self-worth and fulfillment.
"M
Upcoming Pages
Here’s what’s next.
Search Inside
This issue can be searched. Note: Results may vary based on the legibility of text within the document.
Tools / Downloads
Get a copy of this page or view the extracted text.
Citing and Sharing
Basic information for referencing this web page. We also provide extended guidance on usage rights, references, copying or embedding.
Reference the current page of this Newspaper.
The Optimist (Abilene, Tex.), Vol. 67, No. 28, Ed. 1, Friday, April 25, 1980, newspaper, April 25, 1980; Abilene, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth91997/m1/3/: accessed May 3, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Abilene Christian University Library.