Page Two
THE BENNETT BANNER
November, 1957
THE BENNETT BANNER
Published Monthly By The Students of Bennett College
GREENSBORO, NORTH CAROLINA
Ten Cents a Copy
$1.00 Per Subscription
EDITORIAL STAFF
EDITOR Carolyn Brown. ’58
CO-EDITOR Yvonne Wynne, ’58
NEWS EDITOR Barbara Campbell, ’59
FEATURE EDITOR Delores Tonkins, ’58
EXCHANGE EDITOR Gladys M. FoHune, ’58
SOCIETY EDITOR Sonia Louden, ’58
PERSPECTIVE EDITOR Veronica Shipley, ’58
CIRCULATION MANAGERS Barbara Hammond, ’58
Wiilhemina Bundy, ’59
ART Emma Jean Blaekstock, ’58
Joan Didier, ’60
REPORTING STAFF Nancy Kirby, ’60
Juanita Spear, ’60; Hilda Harris, ’60; Gloria Brown, ’60;
Jean Sparrow, ’61; Linda Brown, '61; Margaret Bailey, ’61.
BANNER HIGHLIGHTS
Belle Tobias
WORK TODAY, THERE'S A TOMORROW!
As Indian Summer came on the scene, many other things
came with it, both beautiful and ugly.
The Russians launched “Sputnik” and caused international
concern. Valdmir Dudintsev presented to the public the “novel
that rocked the Soviet Union”, Not By Bread Alone. The Little
Rock school crisis persists and the Federal troops are still
there. Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip arrived regally in
the United States for a short tour and the Braves clinched
the World Series pennant for the year. Seemingly, the Asiatic
Flu is here to stay.
Contributions of great dimensions are being made each day
by people, who are working while the leaves begin to fall, and
the crisp cool weather settles around us.
But the ques(tion arises, are we as students going to sit
back and take in our stride the beautiful w^eather, contributions
of impressive importance and not make any progress towards
a contribution of our own? No, it is not for us to sit back and
relax, we should take advantage of these events and of crisp,
cool, fall weather as stimulants to motivate us to work. Work
today and perhaps we’ll read of our contributions, tomorrow.
The Editor
YOUR CARRIAGE, LADIES!
If a passerby were to inquire into the matter of why the
Bennett girls rush like escapees from a burning building every
day at noon time, he would be surprised to discover that these
“young ladies” are racing to “beat the limch line”! It is
evident that these rushers to lunch have no idea of how they
look; for if they did such mad-house capers would soon cease.
At 12:30 there is still a half-hour left to get from the Science
Hall to the Union Dining Room, so why the mad rush?
With the ever-increasing emphasis on cultivating and instill
ing the character traits of refined ladies into the Bennett stu
dents, it would seem that aU the time, effort., and interest is
trampled on and crammed down the nearest drain every time
the meal hour is at hand. There is no excuse such as: Well,
we’re hungry after taking lecture notes all morning; sweating
out a biology exam; or just plain concentrating for a few hours.
Ladies, this does not excuse you from the fact that as you
constantly ask to be treated like grown up yoimg women, you
must demonstrate that you are ready to be given such treat
ment. Your daily demonstration of rushing to your meals as
though you were hungry hounds leads onlookers to think
that either you have not been taught the proper thing to do, or
that, since you disregard the good manners you’ve been taught,
your parents’ money is also being trampled on and drain-di
rected.
Women must always be ladies at all times, even with scads
and scads of kaowledge; for regardless of your education, your
“lady-like” actions will always be sought after, and watched
closely.
It also comes to mind that no attempt has yeen made to fit
your carriage with the new atmosphere at the evening—din
ner meal. Surely you would not expect to go to a formal dinner
and find the prospective diners “all bunched up” before the
doors waiting to corral themselves into the dining room like
herds of cattle! Why, then, must you forget your manners
when the evening meal is at hand? Ladies, you have no excuse!
In order to be the refined young ladies that Bennett College
expects you to be, these areas of personal growth must be
checked on. and corrected; for this is yoia as you will appear
to outsiders—^this is “your carriage, ladies!”
Yvonne Wynne, ’58
EDITOR’S NOTE:
We ewlcome all letters and suggestions.
Send them to Box 104 or Box 538.
For our series of feature articles,
we are dighlighting some of the
persons who have been associated
tvith the college. These persons
were chosen in terms of unique
personality, contributions to Ben
nett, and the influence which hey
had on both faculty and students
while here on the campus. We are
greatly indebted to Mrs. Jones and
Mrs. Raiford for their help and
interest in this series.
Miss Belle Tobias, daiightep of
Dr. and Mrs. Channlng Tobias,
came to Bennett College as a
young and enthusiastic science
teacher. She had received the
Bachelor of Science degree from
Barnard College where she was
graduated Phi Beta Kappa, and
the Master of Arts degree from
Wellesley College. Upon the com
pletion of this work, she became
a research scientist in biology at
the famous science laboratory In
Woods Hole, Mass.
When Miss Tobias came to Ben
nett from her studies at Woods
Hole, she found little science
equipment. The laboratory was
housed in what was known as
the “ginger bread” house, which
had two rooms downstairs and
one room upstairs. This building
was made of handmade brick and
stood about where the Kudriks’
house now stands.
The anecdote is told by Mrs.
Jones that a freshman student
asked Ma Mac If she could go to
the bakery. This was a completely
puzzling statement to Ma Mac.
But she finally understood the
freshman was referring to the lit
tle quaint “ginger bread” house,
which in reality was the science
lab. It was to this building, with
a minimum of equipnient and
quite inelaborately fashioned, that
Belle Tobias came.
Miss Tobias was never heard
to complain of the inadequate
facilities with which she and her
students worked. It was a com
mon occurence to see her on most
any day with her students going
to the abattoir to get specimens
which could be used in laboratory
work. It is from her great love
of science, her skill, and enthus
iasm, that the Bennett girls be
gan their interest in science.
It may be said that her work ac-
coimts for the number of Bennett
graduates being in the field of
medicine or related areas. On the
basis of her fundamental work,
concern for scientific endeavor at
Bennett College has increased
through the years until the last
two classes of Ifreshmen have
made science high in their selec
tion of majors.
Intelligence, skill, and enthu.s-
iasm, were not the least of Belle
Tobias’ attributes. She is described
as having been very pretty and
one who attracted flocks of girls
as well as faculty members. She
had been married only a short
time to a Dr. Curtis, who worked
directly with George Washington
Carver, when she became fatally
ill: She knew that she would not
recover from this illness, but she
accepted her particular fate with
out crying or cringing. Although
she died early, her influence con
tinued.
In memory of her, the Tobias
family established the Belle Tobias
scholarship which is still awarded
annually to the freshman who
has made most outstanding im
provement during the year. Be
cause she was very much loved
on campus and warm in her re
lationship with both faculty and
student, the Board of Trustees
named a faculty cottage for her.
These things stand as tangible
memorials to Belle Tobias, but
her real spirit lives on, perhaps
in a less measurable manner, in
those she influenced.
Literally Tours ."
By Carolyn R. Brown, ’58
THE CHARACTER OF BLAKE
Just the other day as I thumbed
through the New York Times Mag
azine section, I saw an advertise
ment of crystal by Steuben Glass.
The advertisement was exactly
one page and on this particular
page was a beautiful bowl with
etchings of William Blake’s im
mortal lines from his poem The
Tiger. Included in the design of
this bowl was the original sketch
of Blake’s Tiger.
This inspired me to do some
thinking on one of my favorite
Romanticists. The more I read
recent periodicals, I discovered
that this year marks the bicenten
nial of the poet, artist, William
Blake.
Blake was born in London on
November 28, 1757. His education
was based on his early drawing
abilities, and he attended an art
school, as well as the Royal Acad
emy. Blake was a precocious vis
ionary. At the age of four he
visioned God putting his head to
the window, and a few years later
he returned from a walk saying
that he had seen a tree filled
with angels.
The poet, artist holds an unusual
position in literatiu-e. His poetry
is towering, mystically imagina
tive, and deals with lofty religious
and philosophical plans. His con
temporaries and others have la
beled his literatiure as that which
is highly symbolic, and filled with
visions. The Old Testament was
the prime source of his imagery,
he took suggestions from Biblical
stories and elaborated on them.
Blake was obsessed with the con
flict between good and evil. The
illustrations which accompany his
works depict angelic innocent
faces, along side faces of mon
strous wickedness.
Blake is classed as a romantic,
as this is the era in which he
wrote. But the perfcannance he
gives exceeds ordinary romantical
elements. He paints the beauty of
the twilight in sheer poetic verbal
fashion in “To the Evening Star,
he could touch all the poignancy
of human experience in such a
tmy poem as The Ply. The same
poet who framed the sweet simple
lines of The Lamb, also framed
the lines:
Tiger, Tiger, burning bright
in the forest of the night
What immortal hand could frame
thy symetry?
Blake was extraordinarily gifted
as a painter, poet, and visionary
and seized the pictoral element of
an idea, whether simple or sub
lime, and transplanted it into the
sensuous language of his deeply
religious, though unorthodox mys
tical genius.
Song of Experience, and Songs
of Innocence treat similar sub
jects from the contrasting- view
points of a matiire man and of a
child, as the titles imply. The
collections are short, clear, filled
with power and depth and unfor
gettable phases.
He .was thought of as a “half
crazed” and “prophetical fool”
diu-ing his time but Wiliam Blake
is recognized as being first in
ranks of the British artists of all
time. Lest we forget this man,
whom nature so generously en
dowed with the remarkable gifts
of design, line, color and lyrical
design, and shut him out of our
minds? No, to read his poetry and
to gaze upon his illustrations,
leaves one in awe and spellbound.
The poetry and illustrations of
Willifim Blake are found in The
Thomas P. Holgate Library, here
on our campus'.
Twenty Years Of Her Best
By Deloris Casimere
Most of us are familiar with Mrs. Hattie Raines Staton who
directs the laundry on our campus. Mrs. Staton has given
outstanding services in this capacity since she was first given
the keys to the Laundry by our late president. Dr. David D.
Jones, over 20 years ago.
During these many years, she has seen numerous changes
come about and has seen many persons come and go, both
faculty and students, some of whom are now famous.
Mrs. Staton recalls that when first she came to Bennett,
the Chapel, Reynolds Hall, The Science Building, The Student
Union, Holgate Library, Merner Hall, Barge H^l, and other
structures had not yet been built, and our now beautiful cam
pus was hilly and bare. Only four other members of the im
mediate Bennett Family have been with us since those days.
Through the years, former members of the Bennett Family
have expressed their appreciation to Mrs. Staton though cards
and letters, especially at Christmas time. Since she is now
so close to us here, we too often forget the great contribution
she makes daily to our comfort and to our enjoyment of cam
pus Ufe, not only in her official capacity, but as a confident
and advisor to many of us.
As a general word of advice to the student body, Mrs. Staton
gives her motto: “Always do your best.” Throughout her long
and faithful tenure, Mrs. Staton has exemplified this motto,
and it is one which we would aU do weU to follow.
/6e Ljoutseb, lOhftv wouVe/ become^
d kvej (n-leris^ec^responsiye/ person^
tfou can) relax and rea lly be, (^pursel^