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VOLUME X WINTER, 1967 NUMBER 2
THE REBEL
ART PORTFOLIO
A Learning Process, by James Weaver 15
CONTRIBUTORST NOTES 36
EDITORIAL 3
ESSAY
The International Balance of Payments Problems of the
United States, by Michael J. Conley 21
FEATURES
Interview with James Gardner 10
Photographic Essay, The Presence, by Graham Rouse 23
FICTION
Of a Horseman, by John Cameron Weber 4
POETRY
Poems by Bettie Adams 9
PeleTs Good-bye, by Gail Lucas 30
Widow Woman, by Gail Lucas 30
Verses to My Family, by Worth Kitson 31
W. B. Yeats, by Worth Kitson ae
REBEL REVIEW
Reviews by Ronald Watson, Pat Wilson, Pam Honaker,
Brenda Hines, and Bettie Adams 32
COVER
By Don Dunaway
Contests sponsored by CHI OMEGA and DELTA SIGMA PI
THE REBEL is published by the Student Government Association
of East Carolina College. It was created by the Publications Board
of East Carolina College as a literary magazine to be edited by stu-
dents and designed for the publication of student material.
Contributions to THE REBEL should be directed to P. O. Box 2486
E.C.C., Greenville, North Carolina. Editorial and business offices are
located at 300 Old Austin Building. Manuscripts and art work sub-
mitted by mail should be accompanied by a self-addressed envelope
and return postage. The publishers assume no responsibility for the
return of manuscripts or art work. Copyright 1967, THE REBEL,
P. O. Box 2486 E.C.C., Greenville, North Carolina.
Agpociate Editor
Managing Editor
AAsistant Editor
ft Editor
f i. Editor
,Book Review Editor
+ fsPoetry Editor
}
bey Fiction Editor
oExchange Editor
#aculty Advisor
Staff
RONALD WATSON
Bettre ADAMS
Henry TOWNSEND
Peccy TAYLorR
Don DuNAWAY
SAnDY THOMAS
PAMELA HONAKER
BRENDA HINES
BILL Rurty
CaryoL WRIGHT
Ovip Pierce
Davin Crorrs
ALAN MERRILL
Pat WILson
EDITORIAL...
THE U.N...T0 BE OR NOT TO BE
When I was eight or nine years old, my friends
and I decided to build a clubhouse in my back-
yard. We started building in the first part of June,
and by July we had one of the finest clubhouses
that we had ever seen. For the rest of the summer
we played happily, and even though we suffered
some setbacks such as a leaking roof, we man-
aged to overcome them and appreciate the club-
house even more. But when the end of summer
came, the neighborhood bully came back from his
vacation and had a great idea"that we should
move the clubhouse to his backyard. Since he was
the biggest and oldest kid around, no one dared
to oppose him, and we dutifully tore down our
clubhouse and transported the materials to his
backyard. Before we could start building, however,
the bullyTs mother came out and said that we
could not build anything in her backyard.
An analogy to the present United Nations di-
lemna can be discovered in the preceding anecdote
without unduly straining oneTs imagination. Par-
ticularly in our part of the United States, one
hears over and over such phrases as oGet rid of
the U.N.,� oThe U.N. is run by the Communists,�
and oThe U.N. has never accomplished a thing.�
Because of a oleaking roof� people are ready to
tear down and destroy the accomplishments and
progress of the U.N. in the past twenty years with-
out having any idea of how to rebuild it or even
whether or not we can rebuild it.
_ Perhaps the problem lies in the hopes and con-
fidence that the American people placed in the
United Nations. Most Americans probably con-
ceived of the U.N. as a super-world government
that would automatically solve all problems of
mternational proportions with a solution which
would be just, firm, and final. The only catch here
is that most Americans felt that whatever the
United States wanted would be just, firm, and
final; or, to phrase it more bluntly, the United
States would always be right. When other coun-
tries decided that the United States was not al-
WINTER, 1967
ways infallible, the American people began to lose
faith in the United Nations. And it was not long
before people began advocating withdrawal from
the United Nations.
Just what would happen if the United States
did withdraw from the United Nations? Undoubt-
edly, the United Nations would crumble, or cease
to operate effectively if the United States with-
drew. No organization of the scope of the United
Nations can hope to operate without the resources
and influence of the richest, most powerful nation
in the world. And without that nation exerting its
influence, the world would soon be a hodgepodge
of conflict and war. Such mass chaos would dis-
rupt the economy of the United States, increase
the likelihood of more troop commitments, and
give many nations a freer hand in pursuing policies
that would not be in the best interests of the
United States. In short, the United States would
be in far more serious trouble without the United
Nations that it is with the United Nations.
If tearing down the existing structure will not
work, then the only thing left is to strengthen that
same structure. Such a strengthening can be ac-
complished in many different ways, and a person
can choose his own, depending upon his political
ideology. The important thing to remember, how-
ever, is that America is not in a world by her-
self. She can no longer remove herself from the
activities of the world and not expect to become
involved in the consequences of the acts of other
nations. And only through the United Nations is
there any hope to control consequences that could
be harmful to the U.S. or to the entire world.
The United States has a responsbility. The time
has now come to cease the emotional responses to
every action that goes against the best interests
of the United States. Instead, the United States
needs to accept its responsibility and become the
mature leader of the world that it should be. Only
through the United Nations can such leadership
be earned.
Cobb was guilty"that was understood from the
beginning. As sure as the cold winter was ap-
proaching, he had killed Buster Lambert and left
his body on the plains. That was a fact. It was the
trial that was wrong. Two of the boys rode into
town with LambertTs lifeless body thrown over a
saddle horse. They stopped in front of the sheriffTs
place, where they found a waiting, curious crowd
that had already heard. of the black deed. Jackson,
the sheriff, asked for the details and after a long,
useless discussion that led to nothing, somebody
remembered the fight between Cobb and Lambert
the night before last. So Jackson organized a posse
and rode over to CobbTs ranch, where he fired a
few shots at the posse, decided it was over and
came out, guns first, then hands up. That was
that. He was guilty and had obviously admitted it
4
John Bf) ol - a
FIRST PLACE:
CHI OMEGA
: LITERARY CONTEST
@
when he fired at JacksonTs men.
Although no one actually said so, there was an
uneasy feeling about the trial. It was there from
the start, as if a bad stain would be left when it
was over. Not that the killer didnTt deserve hang-
ing. Even if he hadnTt shot Lambert, he probably
deserved it. Cobb was the most hated man in the
territory. He was a half-breed and a bully, and
the memory of what the Pawnee did to the earlier
white Kansas settlers was still an important thing
to remember. There were some who believed Cobb
was a good man. oHadnTt he helped Luke Johnson
when the freezing snows wiped out everything
Johnson had?� they asked. oHe needed Johnson.
He was going to go in business with him to save
his own place,� his accusors replied. oDoesnTt he
have a wife like your own and a child who plays
Tue REBEL
with yours?� his defenders had stated. oHeTs still
a half-breed, and a killerTs a killer.� That was the
truth"as simple as the folks who kept it.
So Cobb had some good in him. So what! Hang
him"it wouldnTt be the first time Blithe, Kansas
had hanged a citizen at the end of a rope. It would
do more good than harm. ThatTs what they said in
the HorseTs Snort Saloon that morning. The snows
would soon be back and the ranchers were in town
to stock up on provisions for the winter. The snows
were at least two weeks away, but it was good to
be ready, just in case.
Cobb was safely in jail where he belonged. It was
Slade who, in the saloon, asked about the trial
and, when he learned that the circuit judge from
Wichita wouldnTt arrive for weeks, suggested that
the trial be held that day. Slade hated Cobb more
than any of CobbTs accusors. It was said that there
had once been something between Cobb and
SladeTs wife. But that was just gossip and not to
be taken seriously. The good people of Blithe
would never stoop to gossip. oAccuse and hang,
yes"but gossip, no,� Jackson had once said. He
lived with his people and thought he understood
them, but Jackson had a habit of fooling himself.
He prided himself on the way he could face the
Kansans and influence them when the need arose.
So when Slade and some stirred-up ranchers
marched over to the jail and asked Jackson why
they couldnTt try him right away, Jackson did
what he could to change their minds. oItTs not fair.
He should get the same protection of the law that
anyone else would,� the sheriff said. oWe donTt
have the proper facilities to try him now. Anyway,
we donTt know how to run a trial.�
But after JacksonTs argument, someone pointed
out that the snows were coming, and everyone had
to get back home to prepare. Then Jackson said,
oThe snows are weeks off still, and the trial can
be carried on perfectly well without the ranchers
around.� Slade stated that every rancher who
knew and loved Lambert should be in town after
the trial to pay his respects to Lambert by
owatching the skunk hang.� So Jackson gave in,
like he should have done in the first place and, as
Slade put it, osaved all that precious time.� Jack-
son set the next day for the trial.
The next morning was bleak and there appear-
ed to be snow in the sky. But that was ridiculous,
so the trial proceeded. It was held, naturally, in
the Snort SaloonT, and although it was only Tues-
day, the bar was closed, not out of respect for
justice, nor to keep the jury from getting drunk,
but because the owner of the place, Albert, decided
that he didnTt want to have anything to do with
Winter, 1967
it. That was where the problem was. The trial was
kangaroo, and no self-respecting man would be
there. So when the jury and judge were selcted
before the trial, it was obvious that Cobb wouldnTt
stand a chance.
ThatTs how it went. The judge was honest
enough, but he didnTt know anything about law
and was elected by a show of hands. There were
only five jurymen selected, and all were ranchers.
Every man in the courtroom was pitiable, but
none so much as Cobb. He knew his fate and
uttered not one word through the entire ordeal.
No one saw the killing, so there were only two
kinds of witnesses"the ones who were with the
posse when Cobb fired his guns and the character
witnesses, all against Cobb as if he were the devil
and they were his victims. Luke Johnson wasnTt
there. He had been dead for two years.
For six hours they cut the man, and when the
jury was asked to convene, there was no need to
do so, and the sentence was passed. Cobb would
hang sometime the next day.
At four oTclock, Albert was persuaded to return.
The bar was opened, and the satisfied seekers of
truth began a revel that lasted until early morning.
Only the people on the other side of town were
protected from the blasphemy of the men in the
saloon. They heard nothing except the bark of a
dog here and there and the wind that had risen
from the north, slight but noticeable"and then
the sound of a horse, the slow, steady, hollow
sound of a horseTs hooves on a ground that had
suddenly hardened, and the whinny of a horse in
an air which suddenly chilled. No, it was more of a
whine, or even a cry. Then the hooves stopped,
leaving a silence that was more conspicuous than
the hoofbeats, and the people had to look out of
their windows at the horse which made the un-
familiar cry. The curious people saw nothing out-
wardly strange when they looked. A man on a
horse, nothing more. He wore an old brown jacket,
an older black hat and a torn bandana around his
neck. He was nothing but a bearded cowboy, an
ordinary drifter on a worn black horse, and both
were common sights to be seen. The man was
ugly, but familiar, the kind of face everyone had
seen before and would probably see again. There
was nothing in his eyes, wisdom or perhaps
warmth or maybe hate. The horse was aged, but
proud. It was a sight that should have given the
observer a feeling of relief, but it didnTt. The sight
of that common cowboy and his tired horse was
as strange and frightening as the cry that had
aroused the citizens, who were busy forgetting
about the spectacle down the street.
The rider and his horse were steadfast and
the manTs grey eyes scanned the town with a fiery
scorn. He sat motionless and no one that saw his
eyes could release himself from the visual demand
that the stranger forced upon them. Finally, the
outsider and his steed began to move. The pound-
ing hooves were louder than before. But now they
affected more than the ear. Now they chilled the
very soul until the nameless horseman was out
of sight and sound. Then there was quiet.
By early the next morning, the slight, northern
winds had increased, and it was still dark with
only a trace of light in the east, when the first
flurries floated to the earth. The snow increased
and within an hour the plains were covered. It was
the unusual brightness that stirred some of the
men in the saloon, who had been there all night.
The young boys of the town had already found
the premature snow, and their shrill cries spread
the news as quickly as the snow fell.
Charley was the first to wake. He nearly rolled
off the table he had been lying on the night before.
Slade was on the floor near him and was slowly
aroused when Charley stood up. Charley and
Slade had been friends for two years. While Slade
had more influence with the ranchers, it was
Charley who was the older of the two. Slade was
young and hot-headed, and Charley had saved
Slade a number of times from his foolish actions.
But now Charley had made a mistake. He didnTt
want to go along with Slade, but the men were
behind him, and Charley was influenced by this.
Staggering to the window, Charley stuck his head
out in the cold air, and the whiteness drilled his
red eyes for a moment. It was not until he realized
what had happened, and what was happening, that
he noticed the vague outline of a man on horse-
back in the snow. He strained his eyes, and his
heart tore at his throat when each detail of the
stranger began to fall into place. Charley rememb-
ered that he had seen the man before and was
even more staggered when he remembered where.
oSlade, come here, hey, Slade!�
Slade arose slowly holding his head from the
impact of the previous night. oWhat the hellTs the
mater with you?� he mumbled. oIs it time for the
hanginT?�
oNo, not yet, and there might not be any hang-
ing!�
oWhat are yaT talkinT about, Charley?�
oLook out that window, Slade. Quick!�
oWhat for"?�
oJust do what I tell you, Slade.�
Slade groped his way back to the window, and
Charley stood aside as Slade looked out.
6
oGood God, Charley, itTs snowinT!�
oNot that, what else?�
oWhadayamean, what else?�
oThe man, damn it, Slade, the man
oThe man? What man? What are yaT talkinT
about?�
Charley shoved Slade aside and looked himself.
It was snowing harder now and it was more dif-
ficult to see, but not so difficult that Charley
could see that there was no one there. The man
was gone. Charley stiffened and then, with a
pensive look, walked to a chair in the corner of
the room and sat down.
oWell, Charley, what man?�
oSkip it, Slade. I was mistaken.� Charley held
his head in his hands.
oYou got me up with my head the size of a
melon and had me walk to that window to see a
bunch of"� he stopped himself.
oSorry, Slade, I guess I was still drunk.�
Slade didnTt hear that, he was already on some-
thing else. oWeeks, Charley,� he said, oIt wasnTt
supposed to snow for weeks!� Slade faced Charley.
oCTmon, we gotta get these bums up and hang the
half-breed before weTre snowed in. Gotta get back
to the ranch.�
Charley just sat as Slade began shaking and
kicking the men. It was a short while later that
all the men were up and marveling at the blizzard.
There was a rope tied in a noose hanging from
a lantern which one of the besotted cowpokes had
placed there earlier. As Slade pulled it down, Jack-
son walked in, brushing off the snow. He had
thought of what was to be done and was annoyed,
not at losing a prisoner; but of the report he would
have to make and the questions he would have to
answer when the judge arrived. He was also ir-
ritated by several people who stopped by that
morning to talk about the snow, as if there were
no hanging today. But he had sensed that they
were afraid of something. Some of them had men-
tioned about a stranger seen riding around. oSome
stupid malarky about this maverick being dif-
ferent,T he thought. He was perturbed. Today
there would be a hanging as a result of a trial that
shouldnTt have happened in the first place, and
everyone was concerned over an outsider they
never saw before.
oWell, Jackson, you gonna join our little party
this morninT?� Slade sneered, handling the rope.
oSlade, you sure you should use that thing to-
day?� asked Jackson, looking at the rope.
oWhy, sheriff? You afraid of a little blizzard?�
oSure, Slade. ItTs not fit out there to hang a
dog.� Jackson was mincing and Slade knew it.
yp?
Tue REBEL
oYou ainTt changingT your mind about this, are
yaT, sheriff?�
Now Jackson spoke in a lower tone. oYou know
that trial wasnTt fair, Slade.�
oWhatTs the damn difference, Jackson. The in-
junTs guilty, ainTt he?�
oHeTs not an Indian, Slade. HeTs not even a real
half-breed.�
oAll right!� Slade was shouting now. oAll right,
Jackson, you listen! You had your chance to stop
the trial yesterday and you didnTt want to, re-
member? We have the law on our side! We had
our little trial and itTs over! Finished! Under-
stand?� Then he leaned toward Jackson and talk-
ed softly in his ear, oAnd thereTs nothinT you can
do about it, mister!�
Jackson could say nothing. He was unable to
look Slade in the eye. And then he knew something
he hadnTt realized before. He was afraid of Slade
and Slade was dominating him. He was telling
Jackson what was to be done. Now he knew that
Cobb would be hanged and Jackson was helpless.
He wanted to say something, but he had to think.
Slade was already moving toward the door with
the rope clutched in his hand, his men behind
him. Jackson was dumbfounded. The door was
opened and the wind became paramount"the
wind and the sound of a horse.
oWho in their right mind would leave a horse
out in a blizzard?� queried one of the men.
oLetTs go!� shouted Slade ignoring the question.
He stepped out of the saloon into the white fury,
where everyone lost sight of him. By now the
brightness of a morning snow was replaced by the
veils of a raging blizzard, and Slade was gone. No
one ventured after him because the men were
afraid. None of them had ever known such a storm
as this. The men watched until the wind lashed
at their faces and then they retreated back into
the building.
Charley watched the men return. He was the
only one who remained away from the storm. The
silence of bewildered men hung over the room.
Now they could only wait for Slade. Their leader
was gone and they could do nothing without. him.
They waited only fifteen minutes for Slade, who
walked in half-frozen. It took an hour for the men
to warm the man. By that time the day had turn-
ed to darkness, although it was still morning, and
the blizzard showed no signs of slacking. Slade
had little to say except that a man on horseback
had approached him and whirled him around so
that his sense of direction was gone. It took him
a while to find his way back to the ~Snort.T All
the men were safe, the jurists, the judge, Slade,
Win TER, 1967
Charley, Jackson (who had drunk a great deal in
the past hour) , and Albert, who lived in the back
and figured a blizzard was no reason for a business
to go bad.
Until the storm died, there would be nothing to
do but talk. One of the men wanted to know more
of the invisible stranger who had knocked Slade
over. Slade had no idea, and said that he had
never really seen him. No one in the bar room had
seen him. Then Jackson, who with Charley were
the only one who had remained quiet, said that
it was probably the same rider who had frightened
some of the townfolk earlier.
It was then CharleyTs turn to break his own
silence. oI know who the rider is,� he stated sullen-
ly.
oWhat?� asked Slade, as if he never heard
CharleyTs voice before.
oThe man, the rider, I know who he is,� Charley
repeated.
oWell, now, Charley"just how do yaT know
him? YaT ainTt even seen him.�
oT saw him, Slade, this morning, remember? He
wasnTt there when you looked.�
oCharley you're drunk!� announced Slade, then
wondered if perhaps Charley did know something.
After all, he had been quiet for a long time. oAll
right, then. Who is he?�
oT donTt know his name or even if heTs a who.�
oHuh?�
oHe may be a what or an it. Yeh, I think heTs a
thing.�
oCharley, are yaT tryinT to say that man ainTt
human? CTmon,"do yaT know who he is or not?�
Slade was impatient, and Charley wouldnTt tell his
story to an impatient man.
oListen, Slade, listen real good because ITm only
going to say this once.� Slade remained silent as
Charley slowly gathered his thoughts. oTwo years
ago, I was in a town about five-hundred miles
from here. I donTt even remember the name of it,
but I was looking for a place to settle. I was
tired.� Charley asked for a bottle and poured some
of the whiskey into his shot glass as he continued.
oLike I said, I wanted to stay there. It was a nice
little place. But it had faults, mainly the people.
There was a stockade in the center of town. The
Indian wars were still on, and they used it to hold
the Pawnees who were captured. Well, one day a
couple of buffalo hunters brought something in
worth a hell of a lot more than buffaloes. They
had with them a young brave named Little Fox,
who was big stuff. He was the leader of a band of
Indians who were right in the middle of an up-
rising. What a prize he was! Well, they threw him
if
in the stockade with the rest of the redskins.
That was a stupid thing to do. He immediately
stirred them into a rip-snortinT dance that had to
be the noisiest, wildest sounding thing ever to hap-
pen in that place. It sure as hell scared the living
daylights out of the whole town. Everyone was
afraid of an attack anyway, so all the men grabbed
their rifles and went to the stockade to quiet those
yailing redskins down.� Charley paused for an-
other nipper and then stared down at his glass.
oThere was a panic, and every Indian in the place
was shot down except Little Fox.�
Several men nodded their heads in recognition of
the town and established that the place was called
Red Rock.
Charley continued, oThey were going to hang
Little Fox, just like we were going to hang Cobb.
They dragged him out to a tree, fixed a noose
around his neck, and put him on a horse. Just then,
from out of nowhere, this man rode up to the tree
and stayed there looking at the crowd. He had a
gaze that paralyzed the whole mob. Not one per-
son raised his hand to slap the pony out from
under the boy, except one man who pushed others
aside to get to the pony. He defied this stranger no
one had ever seen before by slapping the back of
the pony.�
oSo the boy hanged after all,� thought Slade
aloud.
oNo,� said Charley.
oYou said he slapped the pony didnTt you?�
oYes.�
oWell, then he hanged, right?�
Charley glanced from man to man with an ear-
nestness in his face that showed them that he
wasnTt a liar. oThe rope broke and Little Fox fell
to the ground unharmed. Then they put him back
in the stockade.�
oWhat did the stranger do?�
oWell, he gave the man, the one who had hit
the pony, the hardest, cruelest, most vicious look
I have ever seen on any manTs face. The next day,
the man had left town, scared to death.�
oGod,� swore Slade. oAnd this man, or what-
ever he is, is the same rider?�
oThe same man, the same horse, the same face,
the same torn bandana around his neck.�
oAnd I suppose he brought the snowstorm with
him, too.�
oNo, dust, he brought dust with him to Red
Rock. The most blinding dust storm I have ever
seen.�
On any other day, CharleyTs story would have
been impossible. But not on that day. Every man
in that room believed what Charley said, even
8
Slade, who was so obsessed by the idea of hang-
ing that he refused to admit it.
oMy god, Charley, a damn miracle man who
goes around Kansas savinT redskins is too much
for me to stomach.� Slade reached for AlbertTs
rifle which was leaning at the end of the bar.
oHold it, Slade, where are you going?� demand-
ed Charley.
oITm gonna kill me a ghost, Charley! ITm gonna
show you whatTs real and what isnTt real!� Slade
had the rifle and headed for the door.
oSlade, why are you determined to hang that
half-breed?� Charley yelled after him. oIs it be-
cause of your wife?� He had to stop Slade some-
how.
Slade stopped and turned. oWhat did you say?�
oT asked you, Slade, if it was because of your
wife?�
Slade gave Charley a savage look, oYou damn
"� and turned back for the door.
oSlade, wait!�
It was too late; Slade was outside and the how-
ling, vicious wind engulfed him.
The wind was finished and the snow had stop-
ped falling. Charley, Jackson, and Albert stood
looking down at a rifle in the snow. oHe grabbed
a bad rifle,� Albert said. oIt probably misfired on
him. It does that once in a while.�
oI guess the hangingTs off, anyway,� Jackson
assumed.
oItTs a good thing,� said Charley. oNow he
wonTt stay long.�
oHe'll stay?� asked Albert.
oFor a while, to remind us of what we almost
did.�
oWhat is he, Charley?�
oT donTt rightly know. I have an idea though. I
donTt think heTs good. I think heTs some kind of
hate. Our hate. I dunno, maybe we created him.�
oWhat about Slade?� asked Jackson.
oOh, heTs probably gone, running away. ThatTs
what I did.�
oWhat you did?�
oYes, thatTs why I left Red Rock.� The trio
began heading back to the saloon. oYou see, Tm
the one who hit that pony under the Indian, and
ITve never forgotten the look that rider gave me.
I never will. I thought about it for two years.�
Albert and Jackson were startled. oWill you
stay in town with the horseman here?� they asked.
oT will. I wonTt run anymore. Maybe he'll leave
if I can face him.�
They all thought of Slade for a moment, and
then went into the HorseTs Snort where Albert
bought a round of whiskey.
THe REBEL
BETTIE ADAMS---
Let me lie in the leaves
With my knees in the air,
My hands flat on a tree root over my head,
My kneesocks making funny marks on my legs,
My hair spread on the ground and leafy.
I feel the pulse of something pushing through
the earth against me;
Something that tickles,
Then cuts my skin,
Grows into my body.
Something like a perfect melody
That makes me die with its perfection.
Something like a beautiful man
Who makes me want to worship life.
A man and a melody?
I am a child.
I must shake the leaves from my hair
And leave.
SECOND PLACE:
CHI OMEGA
LITERARY CONTEST
WinTER, 1967
A calm night.
A gentle man.
He pulls my hair
Trying to make it reach the ground.
He pulls me
Trying to make me as tall as himself.
He pulls life
Trying to make it fit him.
ITm learning to pull too:
My hair plays in the leaves,
And my ears catch the hoofbeats
Of horses made from cloud drops.
To pull"to fit him"to be long.
ItTs a day for flowers and unicorns"
One daisy and a hornéd beast.
The stem in my hair
And my legs crushing and caressing his muscles.
We'll ride through the brandied hills.
The dancing girls will shout with me;
Their hair is golden and mine merely brown.
No matter"my unicorn carries me down to the
temple,
And I fall to worship myself
For I am alive and the world is fair.
My daisy turns to stare at me
With a lazy eye among the yellow
And laughs at my unconcern for my prayer.
I rise and mount and ride again.
No more"the dream is mine for dreaming,
And my unicorn too fast for you, dear.
One daisy and my hornéd beast
And a ride of leaping yellow.
Interview with
JAMES GARDNER
10
On January 18, 1967, members of the REBEL
staff interviewed Congressman James Gardner,
the newly elected member of the House of Repre-
sentatives from the Fourth Congressional District
of North Carolina. We found Mr. Gardner person-
able, frank, and not one to mince words. While
it is true that the Honorable Mr. Gardner is a
freshman Congressman, his views are valid not
only because of his being a Republican in a tradi-
tionally Democratic area, but also because he is
an example of the growing number of young men
that are found in politics. The interview as print-
ed here deals solely with the United Nations. (The
words printed in italic letters indicates a member
of the staff speaking.)
I suppose the first question that we will ask
here is what is your personal feeling concerning
the United Nations? Do you have any ideas about
it? Should the United Nations be phased out or
lessened in importance? Should it be strengthen-
ed?
I really donTt know that there is a Republican
position on the United Nations. I think everyone
who is intelligent has thought about why we have
the U.N. and will agree in the final analysis that
it has served a purpose in the world. I am sure
that, had it not been formed in 1945, there
would be dire need for it today and there
would be a U.N. of some sort. The problem we
have with the U.N. is an organizational problem
because it has changed greatly over the years
since it was originally formed. For example, the
people now paying ten percent of the finances are
represented by two-thirds of the vote. This is a
tremendous imbalance that we have now in the
U.N., and, as you well know, this has come about
WInTER, 1967
because of the emergence of a number of new
small nations, particularly in Africa and in that
section of the world. Again, the problem we face
is one of organization. We need to go back and
not phase the U.N. out, but we need to strength-
en it. There are a number of ideas and problems
that have been brought about in the last few
years. There has to be a greater balance between
voting rights and financial rights. There have been
plans along the line of voting that are based on
national product, population, and contributions
to the U.N. The principal thing that I find in
the U.N. today, as far as our interests are concern-
ed in the United States, is the fact that without
our financial aid, there would be no U.N. We have
always paid in any circumstance, whereas this is
not true of the Russians and the French and of
various other countries who paid only when it
suited their interests. I think we are in a position
today, and no other country in the world is in this
position, to make demands on other nations in
the U.N. and to make it absolutely clear that we
will only participate in the future on a fair
and equal basis. For example, we will not pay our
dues when it concerns an issue like the Congo and
allow the Russians not to pay theirs and allow the
French not to pay theirs. Everyone will have to
pay, although paying will not always suit the best
interests of the U.S. However, if we are going to be
part of a world organization which has done good
in many areas, then I think we have got to be
willing to accept some things that possibly on the
surface might not be to the best interests of our
country. I am speaking strictly as far as the U.N.
is concerned. I do think the U.N. serves a definite
purpose. In the world of today, with the tremend-
ous capabilities of the nuclear weapons, we have
to have a world body to maintain peace, a world
body constantly investigating new ways of obtain-
ing permanent peace.
In a way you are rejecting the ultra-liberal
stance that says oRegardless of what happens, we
should totally accept everything that goes on in
the U.N. and censor Russia or France for non-
payment� and at the same time you are rejecting
the ultra-conservative stance that does away with
the U.N. oItTs of no use.�
Yes. And I particularly want to dwell for one
second on the latter. With the capabilities of de-
struction in the world today, I donTt think there
is any way that the U.S. can take the position of
isolation, that we will be strictly concerned about
the U.S. and its capabilities, and forget the rest
of the world. We are in a very unique position,
whether we like it or not, in having to maintain
11
peace throughout the world. Viet Nam is a
fine example. Korea is another fine example.
I think we also have a responsibility as the lead-
ing nation of the free world to constantly seek out
any possible avenue of maintaining a permanent
peace in the world.
Times have changed. We are not thinking about
1945, when we sat over here far removed from
the war. The Russians and the Chinese in the near
future will have the capability of destroying the
city we are sitting in right now, Washington,
D.C. I think this country has come far in a few
short years, has progressed too much to see it all
destroyed because we refuse to sit down and in-
vestigate and do everything that we possibly
can to find some permanent solution to the world
problem of disarmament. I want to make it
absolutely clear at the same time that we should
maintain the firmest possible military position,
that we should in no way endanger the safety of
the U.S., and I think this can be done. I think
we can remain strong militarily. We can keep up
the advancement on our weapons. But I think, at
the same time, that thought and money and time
and effort should go into trying to sit down with
our adversaries and work out some lasting peace.
This is where the U.N. comes in. This is the body
that should be responsible for carrying out this
job. As I said before, I think the problems in the
U.N. today are internal problems. With the em-
ergence of new nations, we have gotten an im-
balance that needs to be brought back into line.
Who else carries a bigger stick than the U.S.?
If we sit down with our fellow countries and make
it clear that we are not going to accept the type
of U.N. organization that we have today, they
will have to listen to us. As long as our position
is a fair one, I donTt think anybody will have any
complaints.
Again, do you think that our statesmanship has
been as firm in the U.N. and in the world, in fact,
as it should be?
I do not. I attended a briefing of the State De-
partment yesterday, and Secretary of State Dean
Rusk was in charge of the briefing. The fact is
that that I have been a very strong critic of USS.
foreign policy. I think we have made the same
mistake and are making the same mistake in Viet
Nam that we made in Korea, that we made in the
second World War, that we made even back in
the early 1930Ts. To this respect, I think the Am-
erican position is clear to other countries through-
out the world. I donTt happen to like what Charles
DeGaulle is doing, for example. I canTt criticize
him because his sole purpose is to build a strong
12
France. He is a Frenchmen. This is his job and his
responsibility. I think also there is some validity
in the thought that DeGaulle has lost faith in the
American position. He is not exactly sure in his
own mind what the US. will do in case of an at-
tack on Europe. You can go back and you
can cite prime examples of where we have failed
to act. Those examples strengthen this argument.
We have never gained anything by having a weak
position. I think in the late 1930Ts, when Hitler
was overruning Europe, that President Roosevelt
made it absolutely clear in speech after speech
that America would not become involved in
European conflict. In a famous speech in Madison
Square Garden in 1939, when he was getting ready
to run against Mr. Wilkie, he said that there
would be no American boys fighting on the battle-
fields of Europe. I think Hitler, Mussolini, and
the Japanese interpreted this to mean that under
no circumstances would the U.S. be pushed or be-
come involved in this conflict. Consequently, they
started running completely all over Europe.
This forced the U. S. finally, after Pearl Harbor, to
come into the war. In 1949 in Korea, when Presi-
dent Truman said this, I think the North Koreans
interpreted this to mean that again, under no cir-
cumstances, would we become involved in Korea.
Consequently, they crossed the seventeenth
parallel, and we were involved in another war.
Here we are again in Viet Nam, and I donTt think
the North Vietnamese, or the Russians, or the
Chinese think in their own minds that we want to
win this war. We are certainly not doing every-
thing that we could. ItTs hard for me to understand
in my mind how we can say that this is a major
war, a major American involvement, and that we
want to win this war, while we continue to trade
with the Iron Curtain countries. There will be a
bill coming up this session of Congress to greatly
increase our foreign trade with the Communist
bloe nations"Yugoslavia, and a number of other
countries, even the Soviet Union. These very coun-
tries who are receiving American foreign aid dol-
lars in a very large amount are trading with the
North Vietnamese. They are trading in military
weapons that are being used against our American
soldiers. Traffic goes in and out of Haiphong on
a daily basis. We do absolutely nothing about it.
We are fighting a war in Viet Nam today with one
hand tied behind us. I think that if I were Ho
Chi Minh, I would interpret this that the US.
doesnTt want to win this war. Consequently, it can
go along forever. I donTt understand our position
in Viet Nam today. I heard Mr. Rusk say yester-
day, and I heard him say it before, that the Am-
Tue REBEL
erican position is to convince these men and other
Communist leaders that we will not tolerate agres-
sion on the part of Communism. It is our job
and our responsibility to stop it, and yet here we
are involved in the same type of conflict that we
were involved in Korea. There is no pur-
pose in winning this war. As General MacArthur
said years ago, the sole purpose of a war is vic-
tory and yet we donTt find this today. We are
faced with severe problems of morale in Viet Nam.
We are losing pilots and having to extend the tour
of duty of our pilots because our loss ratio is so
great. We are losing very expensive planes. We are
losing, most of all, men. We are hitting targets
that I donTt think are strategic targets. And this
is not just one freshman Congressman saying this.
General Eisenhower has said the same thing. Gen-
eral Curtis Lemay has said the same thing. Senator
Richard Russel, Chairman of the Senate Armed
Forces Committee, said the same thing. Congress-
man Mendall Rivers, Chairman of the House-
Senate Armed Forces Committee, has said the
same thing. Yet our top leadership is still moving
along the same path of building up the total com-
mitment of American troops without doing every-
thing we can do to end the conflict. So I think that
we are in a weak position and that the North
Vietnamese interpret this to mean that the war
can go on for many, many years.
Do you think that the U.N. could be used
effectively to end the Vietnamese conflict for our
own purposes?
No, I donTt think this could be today. I really
think that SEATO could be more effectively used.
This is another very gray area as far as the US.
is concerned. We have signed pacts with the
SEATO members; we have signed a similar pact
with the members of the Western Hemisphere.
And yet, in SEATO, for example, where there are a
number of nations involved, we are carrying nine-
ty-nine and one half percent of the lead in total
number of troops and particularly in financial aid.
I think President Johnson, when he went over to
Manila to meet with the fellow SEATO members,
should have made it absolutely clear to them:
oLook, certainly we belong to this pact and we
will carry our share of the responsibility, but you
fellows have been here for a free ride and the
free ride days are over. You have got to commit
troops, you have got to commit financial resources
to this effort in Viet Nam and help us.� We are
in a position to make demands on people and yet
we donTt do it. We just dole out American tax dol-
lars in an almost endless rate; we make almost no
restrictoins whatsoever to any country. And yet
WintTER, 1967
when there is a conflict somewhere, as in Cuba, in
Viet Nam, in Korea, we always find that the U. S.
is carrying the ball. Not ninety-five percent, eigh-
ty-five percent, but about one hundred percent of
it. I think this is wrong. As far as Viet Nam is
concerned, I think we ought to put tremendous
pressure on the fellow members of SEATO to
ante up any of their share of the responsibility.
Do you find it encouraging that South Korea, a
country that was saved by U.N. intervention, has
sent the most troops, other than the US., to South
Viet Nam?
This is not only encouraging, but interesting in
that these people have experienced before what
we are now going through. I think they fully
realize the consequences involved. Had the U.N.,
which was principally the U.S. at that time, not
come to the aid of South Korea, there would be
no Korea as we know it today. It would all be
Communist.
What are your own solutions to the Vietnamese
problems?
First, I think we ought to tighten the screws on
North Viet Nam. We ought to make it ab-
solutely clear that the U.S. is going to end this
war and any war that breaks out in any other
country. We are the strongest military power in
the world first of all, and there is no need to be
ashamed of it. We should meet our responsibility
head-on. I am not talking about dropping nuclear
weapons. I am talking about items like cutting
off foreign aid to any country dealing with the
Communist nations or with North Viet Nam. I
am talking about putting a military quarantine
on the port of Haiphong and hitting strategic mil-
itary targets in North Viet Nam. If we do all of
this I think you will see a change in attitude, not
only of the North Vietnamese, but also of the Red
Chinese who are heavily involved and of the
Russians.
When I mentioned the U.N. helping in South
Viet Nam, perhaps I should have mentioned that
I was speaking of an area other than the military
one. Do you think that the U. N. could help eco-
nomically to bring Southeast Asia a measure of
stability? For instance, if the-U.N. just equalled
the amount of economic aid that the U.S. puts into
Southeast Asia in the form of hospitals, and sta-
tions, and economic recovery plans do you think
that this would help?
Yes. Right now I think it would be impossible
to expect any military aid on the part of the U.N.
They very definitely could assist in the economic
development of this part of the world.
13
Return
A Yellow swirl smeared
Across the girlTs black Sweater"
Yellow scarf held fast, as they scoot,
Rushing at the still air...
of th ec Placid like the slow growing plumule
Of the bean.
Smiling, riding,
Sto | ©E m | cats r On the brown, on the white,
Onward sounding against the earth,
Thundering on a ground of leaves"
Smiling yellow, (it seems) ,
At the white sky.
A thing ahead,
Twelve oTclock Deadwood,
Galloping, Like a black bone,
A white and a brown one- Two feet in diameter,
Deciduous ; Across the width
[ree stretching over them- of the path.
Wooded path.
The brown one,
mm ° :
'wo riders, The white one stop.
One on a brown one, The smiles sober.
One on a white,
A female on the white one,
Male on the other. Time,
The cruel sadness
Of the Pinching hour,
Both the people, Pinching their unsmiling
Wearing each a black sweater Teardrops
And blued pants- Into smears,
and boots that were shoed them. Upon the whetted
Leaves of eternity.
Sharp upon the pinch
Of one hour"
1 o'clock.
Unsaddled,
The back of the white one,
The brown one,
Racing upon the race ground.
Day, lighted, MICHAEL POSEY
The heartwood silver,
And spotted
The white sky with the yellow petioled
To darkness of grey twig.
The girl smiling,
The boy smiling back at her,
Riding"fast!
14 Tue REBEL
5
Learning
Process
Art Portfolio
by
James Weaver
In my prints, I have been more concerned with
the processes inherent in the medium of print-
making than in the subject matter itself. Since the
subject matter is not overtly obvious, it functions
as an element of design for breaking up the picture
space.
The most important thing about my prints is
that they illustrate the learning process that I
have experienced. The process of learning tech-
niques found in printmaking and my being able
to control this process have been the main factors
of the work. The techniques would be useless to
me if I could not control them; therefore, knowing
what will happen if I add a certain texture in an
area has made my work faster and easier.
At this point, all the plates I have begun have
been different. However, I do not set up a prob-
lem and then search for its solution. The primary
aim I have in beginning a new plate is, for ex-
ample, to experiment with a new texture or a
texture that I can control in a different way.
Winter, 1967
Kiss
16 THe REBEL
s
Stolen Covenant
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JacobTs Ladder
Tue REBEL
WInTER, 1967
ude
THe REBEL
20
THE
INTERNATIONAL
BALANCE OF
PAYMENTS PROBLEM
OF THE
UNITED STATES
BY
MICHAEL
J.
CONLEY
FIRST PLACE:
DELTA SIGMA PI
BUSINESS ESSAY CONTEST
Winter, 1967
The United States balance of payments prob-
lem is both simple and complex. It is simple in
that it is relatively easy to understand the problem
and its causes; it is complex in that it is difficult
to find solutions to the problem. This problem
has been the serious concern of two administra-
tions. Just as one means of easing the problem has
been found, another factor has shifted enough to
wipe out any gain. As I will show later this seems
to have been the case for the year just ended.
A deficit in any one year would probably be
devoid of any serious harmful effects. But the
United States has been running a balance of pay-
ments deficit for fifteen out of the last sixteen
years resulting in a steady loss of the United
StatesT gold reserve and a weakening of confidence
in the United States dollar by many European.
Both of these consequences deserve careful atten-
tion.
At the peak in 1949, the United States had
approximately seventy percent of the worldTs gold
supply. This was an abnormal amount due pri-
marily to the dislocations created by World War
II; thus there was little alarm when this
amount began to shrink back to a more normal
condition. But what has caused alarm is the sharp
drop in the gold reserve beginning in 1957. At that
time the United States had 22.9 billion dollars or
fifty-nine percent of the world supply. Now the
United States has less than 14 billion dollars, or
less than thirty-five percent of the worldTs supply.
Why has this come about? Simply because we have
been running a balance of payments deficit with
the Western European nations enabling them to
purchase our gold. Of course, not all the claims
against the United StatesT gold have been pressed.
If that unlikely event ever occurred, we simply
would not have enough gold to pay everyone. But
a more likely danger is that we might not be able
to meet a strong series of foreign claims and still
maintain the gold reserve required by law to back
up United States currency.
The second threat ties in with the first in that
a loss of confidence in the United States dollar
caused by a continuing balance of payments de-
ficit would certainly result in a further loss of
United States gold. But the harm would be more
serious than the inability of the United States to
back up its currency. For a serious dollar crisis
would result in a damaging blow to the prestige
of the United States. William McC. Martin, Chair-
man of the Federal Reserve Board, has stated
that oif the financial standing of the United States
21
declines, the power and influence this country
yields in world affairs . . . inevitably will decline
as well.� Already there are signs from around the
world, particularly from France, of a loss of con-
fidence in the United States dollar. President De-
Gaulle has advocated the replacement of the
United States dollar as the worldTs monetary
standard.
What are some of the causes and methods of
solving the balance of payments problem? I will
first examine some of the major recognized causes
and then look at some of the suggested remedies.
Finally, I will evaluate the current situation in
terms of any gains achieved. There is a general
widespread agreement among economists regard-
ing the causes, because the major problem areas
can readily be identified by examining the data of
international monetary flows.
A major area to consider in discussing inter-
national balance of payments is the balance of
trade, a comparison of a countryTs imports with
its exports. The United States has been running a
favorable balance of trade, and this has prevented
its balance of payments deficit from growing much
larger. However, the favorable balance of trade
has been reduced as increased technology in
foreign countries has enabled them to compete
more effectively in the American market and more
recently as inflation in the United States has
reduced the competitive position of American
goods in the world market.
From the preceding paragraph, we can see that
both inflation in the United States and increased
technology abroad are causes of the problem. Lack
of trust in the dollar has also been mentioned
above as a contributing factor. Two other causes
merit attention. Government spending abroad in
the form of military and economic aid and in
the form of troops stationed abroad contributes
heavily to the problem. In order for the govern-
ment to continue this spending without creating
a serious balance of payments problem, the bal-
ance of trade must be favorable enough to offset
the spending. As I have pointed out, however, due
to other factors the balance of trade is no longer
increasing in favor of the United States. This
would seem to indicate that the government
should consider very carefully its programs of
foreign aid. Indeed, many senators have suggested
this problem as a reason for a reduction of Am-
erican troops stationed in Europe.
Other causes that should be listed are foreign
trade barriers against American goods. These re-
strictions are being lifted in many cases through
trade negotiations. Finally, heavy investment by
22
American firms in foreign countries in order to
obtain a higher yield must be listed as a major
cause of the problem. This becomes more acute as
investment potentialities appear to be limited at
home.
Professor Paul Samuelson of the Massachusetts
Institute of Techonology lists twelve possible
methods of dealing with the problem; some of
course appear to be more practical solutions than
others. First of all, we could appeal for increased
technical productivity in the United States. In-
creased aid for research might help the problem
in the long run. Secondly, we can stress the in-
creased sale of American exports abroad. Of course,
foreign nations will be applying the same strategy.
Also, as previously mentioned, we can urge a
further reduction in foreign restrictions against
American goods. Furthermore, we can ask our
allies to assume a larger share of the burden of
defense and foreign aid.
The next suggestion would not be a popular one
to put into effect. It advocates depressing the
American economy in order to reduce the demand
for imports. This action might, however, lead to
adverse effects, such as stimulating American in-
vestment abroad. The next possibility is a depre-
ciation of the dollar compared to foreign curren-
cies.
Other methods would be a requirement that
those who receive our aid must purchase their
goods from the United States and a reduction in
the amount of money tourists can spend abroad.
Both of the above suggestions have been put into
effect. The next suggestion was also adopted by
the Kennedy Administration. This involves re-
strictions placed upon American investments
abroad. The suggestion that we return to a pro-
tective policy would probably have unfortunate
political consequences. We could also attempt to
solve the problem through a manipulation of our
interest rate structure. The final suggestion is
that we can anticipate an inflationary rise in the
economies of our primary trade competitors.
There are some signs that this might be occurring
in Western Europe.
Mainly because of the change in the balance of
trade, the balance of payments situation became
more serious for the United States in the year
just ended. The war in Vietnam, by increasing
domestic inflation and by increasing military
spending abroad, has created additional stress. It
will be necessary therefore for the governmentTs
economists and the members of Congress to care-
fully examine possible remedies for the problem
and to enact the most promising.
THE REBEL
nd
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The Presence, a space and time painting by
Lynda McNeur, art consultant for the United
Presbyterian Board of Christian Education, is an
arrangement of abstract paintings which take the
viewer on a vicarious journey through life. Photo-
grapher Graham Rouse has managed to captivate
in his photographic essay, the uncertainty, puzzle-
ment, and deep study that The Presence provokes
in all its viewers. As Lynda McNeur said, oThe
viewer is invited to pass quietly thru the exhibit,
allowing himself to become involved with the
colors, shapes, lines and movements of the paint-
ings, as well as to give himself up to the move-
ments suggested to him by the arrangement of
the paintings in relation to each other.�
The photograph on the preceding page involves
a multiple printing technique and captures more
than any other photograph the essence of The
Presence, according to Rouse. The photograph on
the opposite page is of artist Lynda McNeur; all
others are of various aspects of The Presence.
24
SHAPES,
LINES,
MOVEMENTS...
Tue REBEL
Sa
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5)
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Tue REBEL
oT
WINTER, 1967
Tue REBEL
WinTER, 1967
THOUGHTS
30
SECOND
by
GAIL
LUCAS
PELETS GOOD-BYE
The mountain trembled and spewed clouds of
smoke
Pele sent flares almost to heaven
The earth shook as though with a chill
Ravines appeared in solid earth
With a magnificant fiery force the guts of
The voleano vomited over the side
And the blood of the mountain gushed straight up
And slowly, slowly ran after the green below
There was stillness
A muted cry deep within the earth became a
Bellow of pain and then the mighty roar of a
colossus
When it reached the mouth
There was only the black stench of nothingness
WIDOW WOMAN
the shattering silence of peace after void
and darkness and war
cannot withstand a sigh
and the copper rain keeps tapping
on her window
but still she waits
forever waiting
never to know
always to remember
her thin arms holding his old cloth overcoat
as she would her first-born
(now nestled in a tiny coffin)
staring at copper rain and hearing
explosions of hatred and shrapnel
and the sound of a tank crushing the insect-bodies
of dead soldiers
and a thousand, thousand times his
dying scream faintly scratches
the shadow of her brain
but still she waits
having confused hope with his old cloth
overcoat
THe REBEL
LONGINGS
VERSES TO MY FAMILY
Being ever mindful of a youthful skin
And the necessity of such for BeautyTs sake,
I seek a balm for lines about a mouth from which
Harsh words escape in times of tangled circum-
stance.
The gentlest people"
Those who find a very real enchantment
In first blooms born of forgotten bulbs,
Who so rejoice in childrenTs tiny hands and special
faces,
And gather with great pain and personal expense
across the tears
Heavy bits of wisdom given easily to family and
friends"
These gentle ones, whose loves are tall and strong
and know
No human end, are those most wounded by the
words
Which somehow fashion arrows out of thoughtless
innocence,
Swords out of careless pique.
Being kin of such,
I seek a balm for lasting lines I get about
This mouth so full of carelessness
That words and arrows manage to slip out across
This most-loved landscape of my home.
We all must be so mindful of our skin .. .
Winter, 1967
W =.B. YEATS
Strong and violent fingers have the words
Of this manTs poetry, some dreadful fascination
In their catching one another, clinging, interwoven
Fingers of words;
Poetry constructed of various epiphanies, all deny-
ing
Explanations from the intellect;
Symbols begotten of the dawn...
Strange how one man, a simple organism on the
whole
At his disposal only those same words in any
hardbound dictionary,
Calls forth so easily the piercing golden note
Sounded out by some angelic vigilante posted tall
and watching
Deep within the workings of the world;
Announces and unfurls so carefully
Each ancient and reluctant truth.
Strong and violent fingers have these words,
Tracing out delicious epitaphs
On virgin regions of the soul.
WORTH
KITSON
31
REBEL REVIEW
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THE MODERATES LOSE AGAIN
South West Africa, The Last Pioneer Country. By Thomas Mol-
nar. Fleet Publishing Corporation, 1966. pp. 156. $4.00.
It has become fashionable in our country to
write from one of two viewpoints: the ultra-liberal
or the ultra-conservative. Unfortunately for the
reader who, on any topic, likes to base his decisions
on objective facts and analysis, there seems to be
very little material written in this manner. South
West Africa, The Last Pioneer Country written by
Thomas Molnar is no exception.
Mr. MolnarTs stance is a somewhat typical ultra-
conservative one in that he denounces almost
every country or organization in their attitude to-
ward South and South West Africa. While it is true
that Dr. MolnarTs views on Africa are in a distinct
32
minority, and that, if for no other reason, his book
would be valuable as an opposite viewpoint, his
somewhat dogmatic conservatism weakens his en-
tire argument. Dr. Molnar seems to have fallen
into the age-old trap of sensationalism, a trap
which he is quick to point out as one being used
by the ultra-liberals in their viewpoint. What Dr.
Molnar does not seem to realize is that an objec-
tive approach to any problem will convince far
more people than any emotional approach. The
dogmatic person of either extreme is already con-
vinced that his position is right, and no amount
of argument in any form will persuade him other-
wise. But the person who does not belong to either
extreme is far more likely to be convinced by an
appeal to his reason; an appeal to his emotion
Tue REBEL
will most likely send him running in the opposite
direction. Of course, if Dr. MolnarTs purpose was
to give faith to the ultra-conservative, he did his
job well. However, this reviewer does not think
that the purpose of a man as intelligent as Dr.
Molnar was such. Hence, if his purpose was to
persuade the moderate, then Dr. Molnar failed
miserably. Even though much of what Dr. Molnar
says is undoubtedly true (one does wonder how
a country such as South Africa could be guilty of
all that our liberal press accuses her of) , his exag-
geration, and continued attack on the United
Nations will convince very few that he is correct,
and his attacks on the United States will win him
few friends from that quarter.
From a journalistic viewpoint, South West
Africa, The Last Pioneer Country is very well
done. Dr. MolnarTs vivid descriptions of the Afri-
can landscapes and his clear language make the
book very readable and enjoyable. And he states
his position openly: the United Nations and the
liberals are wrong in their position on the apar-
theid policies of South Africa. If he had not made
the same mistake as those of opposite viewpoint
so often do, he may have convinced more people.
RONALD WATSON
CHEERS, TEARS,
AND
SILENCE
When the Cheering Stopped. By Gene Smith. New York: Time
Reading Program Special Edition, 1966. pp. 295. $1.45.
Millions cheered him in Paris. The king gave
him a state dinner in England. oWelcome to the
God of Peace� said banners in Italy. Everywhere
he traveled men, women, and children hailed
Woodrow Wilson as the savior of Europe. He was
the leader of America, and America had gone to
war to make the world, as Wilson had said, osafe
for democracy.� He was in Europe to negotiate a
peace treaty with the leaders of the various coun-
tries, and while there he promoted his idea for the
League of Nations.
But back in America his plans for a world peace
union were thwarted by American politicians who
did not want the United States responsible to or
involved with European powers. The wild cheer-
ing stopped, and Congress began to fight over
WilsonTs dream. Refusing to compromise or accept
Winter, 1967
the revisions Congress wished to make, Wilson
decided to take his fight oto the people,T and
left for a cross-country speaking tour.
It is at this point that the main portion of
Gene SmithTs When the Cheering Stopped begins.
In a well documented and researched book, Smith
concentrated on the story of Woodrow WilsonTs
last years. Though Smith does tell a little of Wil-
sonTs earlier life and his activities prior to his
illness, SmithTs main interest is in WilsonTs last
years as President. After his minor stroke in
Europe, Wilson taxed his health to the point that
he suffered a complete physical breakdown dur-
ing his speaking tour of America and was confined
to his bed in the White House.
Historians often wonder who really ran the
country during the last part of WilsonTs adminis-
tration: the President or his wife. Smith leaves
that question for the reader to answer, butT he
gives a detailed, almost day-to-day account of
what happened in the White House while Wilson
lay in LincolnTs bed, partially paralyzed and hid-
den from the world outside the White House. The
author relates how Mrs. Wilson, wanting to pro-
tect her husband from those who opposed him,
was careful to keep bad news and unfriendly
politicians out while digesting daily news into
small doses and feeding them to the President.
Very few people were allowed into the sickroom,
and then, Smith says, were only alloted a few
minutes of the PresidentTs time. Various branches
of the government sought WilsonTs advice or con-
sent on matters, but were either ignored or re-
buffed. Even some of WilsonTs former closest aides
were not allowed by Mrs. Wilson into the sick-
room. His Vice President was never consulted,
and, according to Smith, when his cabinet tried
to hold meetings without him, one of their mem-
bers was fired. When Wilson left the White House
in 1921, his party had been defeated at the polls,
his administration revoked by the voters, and his
League defeated by the Senate. His health con-
tinued to fail him, and he died in 1924.
Writing on a facet of WilsonTs life never ap-
proached in such depth, Smith gives a poignant
portrait of Woodrow Wilson and those around
him. But his portrait is also a lesson to modern-
day America. When the Cheering Stopped shows
how a country could be run by a paralyzed man
and his wife and doctor. In the days when a
strong President as well as an informed country
and Vice President is important, SmithTs fascinat-
ing account becomes frightening when one realizes
that it did happen once and could possibly happen
same PAT WILSON
33
ADVICE, oART,�
AND
MORE ADVICE
Not Quite Posthumous Letter To My Daughter. By Caitlin (Mrs.
Dylan) Thomas, Little, Brown, and Company, 1963. 174 pages.
One hundred seventy-four pages of advice from
oneTs mother is a difficult dose for any eighteen-
year-old, but Caitlin ThomasT Not Quite Post-
humous Letter To My Daughter is, admittedly,
not average advice from the average mother to
the average daughter. The not-so-typical counsel
Mrs. Thomas gives her own eighteen-year-old
ranges from oWatch out you donTt marry a pen-
niless no-good bum� to oTake it from me, if you
wish to live with a man in harmony while you can,
there is no other way but play-acting.� Included
in the letter"indeed, dominating the letter to the
point of deserving a separate reprinting"is Mrs.
ThomasT not-to-be-taken-dead-seriously handbook
of etiquette in which she discusses the Art of
Conversation, the Art of Dancing, the Art of
Cooking, the Art of Dressmaking, the Art of
Beauty, the questionable Art of Hairdressing, the
Art of Elegance, and the Art of Behavior at a
Party. The last-named section features a series of
acidly satirical portraits of the various types of
party-goers a girl can expect to meet and deserves
forewarning of: the pervert, the decadent, the art-
ist, the sculptor, the guitarist, the provincial, the
gentry, the journalist, the colored people, the pap-
pagallo (who merited ten pages!) , the intellectual,
the dipsomaniac, the fanatic, freaks and eccen-
trics, the neurotic, the psycho pedlars, the pro-
fessional man, the dentist, the police, the lawyer,
the butcher, the baker, and the candlestick maker.
If the portraits are tedious to list they certainly
are not so to read, for Mrs. ThomasT canny wit,
irreverence, and blatant scorn seldom fail to lift
her out of her own verbosity.
The Letter is both highly personal and authen-
tic, a sincere attempt on the part of one who has
obeen thereT to communicate with someone who
evidently has not. For the same reasons, Mrs.
ThomasT writing is highly colored as well as color-
ful, laced with cynicism as well as with calculated
humor, and deftly sarcastic as well as warm and
34
authoritative. Her role as a mother (for that is
her main role by her own admission: oPerhaps my
greatest wrong was putting you children before
Dylan�) found itself overtaken more than once
by her instinct as a writer: words seemed to come
more easily than advice on several occasions. Mrs.
ThomasT trying role as a wife was, sadly enough,
left in third place, so that the book is of practical-
ly no use to the reader who is simply curious about
her curious life with the curious Dylan Thomas.
Mrs. Thomas and her husband share certain
things as writers: their common fascination with
the sounds of words, a degenerative effort in Mrs.
ThomasT work since the confused and cacophoni-
ous syntax is an unfavorable reminder of the
peculiar and unbearably beautiful music of her
husbandTs verse; also the incessant use of imagery
(even where imagery was forced and a bit hokey
in Mrs. Thomas, work, something which almost
never occurs in DylanTs poetry) .
Punctuation, the reviewer hopes, was ordered
by Welsh custom and not by Mrs. ThomasT whim,
for it was, if not excessive, at least misleading.
Semicolons and commas seldom find themselves
in such in- and out-of-the-way places in standard
American"or even British"writing.
Perhaps Mrs. ThomasT real role in the book was
simply that of observer and reporter, for one is
continually stumbling over poignantly phrased,
simply asserted ouniversal truths,� or whatever
the popular phrase is for such gems. Short and
sweet though they were, they were close enough
together to merit the bookTs lasting appeal, especi-
ally to girls the age of the addressee, when the let-
ter actually is posthumous.
DEAD FAIRIES
AND
DEAD BOOKS
The Dead Fairies. Richard Danen. The Armadeus Publishing Co.
Cambridge, Massachusetts. 451 pages. $5.95.
PAM HONAKER
The name of my book is The Dead Fairies. It
was written by one R. Danen who, if not before,
is surely a dead fairy himself by now. Or at least
a dormant fairy who has lost contact with every-
thing but hysterical plots, pseudo-intellectual
themes and weak characters. One wonders in
which fantasyland Mr. Danen abides if he believes
the general public will read his book with any
enthusiasm. In other words, The Dead Fairies is
a brilliant example of unstimulating trash that in-
sults the intelligence of any man of the street.
Tue REBEL
Anyway, back to that plot. I assumed the book
had a plot. I was told it did, at any rate. Had I
not been told, I would never have guessed. Boy
meets girl, boy gets girl pregnant and eventually
marries girl. Later, boy and girl get a divorce and
each go on their merry way. ThatTs the plot,
gentle readers, and anything simpler one could
not ask for. Perhaps Mr. Danen is alias Dr. Suess.
If Mr. Danen is Dr. Suess, and who can really be
sure that he isnTt, then it is sad indeed that it took
him some three hundred pages to divulge this un-
resting action to his readers"if he has any read-
ers. The action is presented to the readers through
a series of letters"a form so worn that even Anne
Frank tired of it. These letters, unfortunately, are
all slightly short of intimate"~My darling, my
life, my bride,� and give one the uneasy sensation
that he is illegally prying into someoneTs love life
and will surely be sought out and shot at sunrise.
So, to be euphemistic, the plot is bad. How
about the characters? Earlier I called the char-
acters weak, but I think wnsuwbstantial is more
descriptive. The characters have no definite char-
acter. For example: oYou call me lazy, apathetic,
and lethargic, even though I am working very
hard to become a good teacher and a better-
educated person. Obviously, what I represent has
no value in your eyes. The only times you feel
love for me are when you do not see me as I really
am"you love a ~Wild DuckT illusion, not me.
Therefore, I will destroy your illusions, because I
want you to love me as I am, or not at all.� No
one with character would put a stamp on a cliché
like that.
The theme unfortunately is more distressing
than either the plot or the characters. One un-
known creature was quoted as saying that The
Dead Fairies ois more than a story: and it is more
than a scientific study. It is a statement of faith"
a statement of faith in the value of Truth in a
world in which truthfulness often seems to be
disadvantageous; it is a statement of faith in
humanity, in spite of the frailty of human beings;
and it is a statement of faith in the ancient Judeo-
Christian teaching that love is the only satisfac-
tory solution to life.� Now thereTs imagination. In
fact, this one review has more potential in the
literary world than any of Mr. DanenTs ideas.
If Richard Danen represents our current Amer-
ican writers, if he does, and I see no recent proof
that he does not and if the book in question is as
it boasts a opsychological drama�, then we should
all chain ourselves to the ignorance tree before
books like The Dead Fairies do it for us.
BRENDA HINES
Winter, 1967
ONE WHO GOT AWAY
Spur Line. By Thad Stem, Jr. Charlotte: Heritage Printers, Inc.
pp. 84. $4.00.
Spur Line is a collection of poems and short
prose pieces touching on and sometimes elaborat-
ing on everything from supersitition to the well-
known eccentrics found in all small towns. The
book is quite personal, and Mr. StemTs humor
and observations on small-town society are re-
freshing in their honesty and wit.
The short prose pieces following the poems are
often more interesting than the poems themselves.
As Mr. Stem says, oThe poems suggest certain
things and the prose explains certain things.� The
authorTs personal prejudices and ideas are reveal-
ed in his prose pieces, as in this comment, oIt
wasnTt until Mr. Nixon ran for, or from, the
Presidency that I realized that ~howeverT can be
a paper hoop-skirt, big enough to cover the world
and still not touch anything.� Mr. Stem also write
a humorous satire on war in which he imagines
armies that use wedding cakes for mortars, Mix-
Masters for motorized troops, and cherry pies for
bombs. Naturally, the Congressional Medal of
Honor is given only for acute indigestion.
Free verse is the style most prevalent in the
poetry, and Mr. Stem handles it quite well. He
plays with his words and creates imagery that is
stark and concrete. He speaks with realistic orig-
inality of subjects that have been oversimplified
in too many poems. Perhaps vitality is the best
word to describe the poetry, for one immediately
feels drawn into it and carried into the in-
volved allusions and satirical bounciness of the
lines.
Mr. Stem does not protest, or absorb himself
in self-pity, or hate the world, or find people ugly.
He stands back and observes, and loves, and
laughs, and feels. His comments are new, his topics
old. The reader feels that most people have missed
something somewhere along the way, not stopped
long enough to enjoy girls riding bicycles or the
sounds that trains make rolling over steel rails.
One notices a deep appreciation for life, a willing-
ness to live, and an imagination which makes
everything fun.
oThe sum of an era, or a life, is a fabric of
moments. History becomes moments. But there
are rare, exultant moments that could last life-
times, aeons, in fact. ThatTs the way it has to be,
although it hardly ever is because we have to try
to put the wind into a bottle. We have to try to
put a fence around the dew.�
BETTIE ADAMS
Contributors NOTES
This is Bettie AdamsT first contribution to The
Rebel. A junior English major from Oxford, she
won second prize in the writing contest.
Don Dunaway, the talented Art Editor of The
Rebel, is a new addition to the staff. He is a senior
art major from Greenville.
Brenda Hines, the second place winner of the
writing contest in this yearTs first issue, now con-
tributes a book review.
One of the most talented members of the staff,
Pam Honaker writes a book review for this issue.
Her outstanding poetry won first prize in a pre-
vious issue. Pam is a freshman English major from
Portsmouth, Virginia.
Worth Kitson, a junior English major from
Kinston, again contributes excellent poetry to The
Rebel.
A senior philosophy major from Plymouth, Gail
Lucas makes her first entry in the magazine.
The staff is sorry to say that Guy le Mare was
unable to contribute to this issue. It seems that
an outbreak of forest fires has made it necessary
for him to return to Gardiner, Montana.
Michael Posey, a junior from Greenville, makes
his first contribution to The Rebel.
Graham Rouse, a senior psychology major,
again contributes an excellent photographic essay
to The Rebel.
Ronald Watson, a book review contributor in
this issue, is the editor of The Rebel.
A senior from Salisbury, James Weaver contri-
butes an interesting art portfolio to the magazine.
He is majoring in graphics and commercial art.
John Cameron Weber is a senior history major
from New Jersey. A first contributor to The Rebel,
he won first prize in the writing contest.
THe REBEL