PAGE TWO
varoon and gold
Tuesday, November 24. 1959
Maroon And Gold
Entered as second class matter at the
Post Office at Elon College, N. C., under
the Act of March 8, 1879. Delivered by
jpail, »1.50 the college year, 50c the
quarter.
EDITORIAL BOARD
Bobby Lawson Editor-ln-Chlef
Jimmy Elder Assistant Editor
Doris Faircloth Assistant Editor
H. Reid — Alumni Editor
George Best Staff Photographer
Luther N. .Byrd Faculty Advisor
TECHNICAL STAFF
Phillip Sexton Printing Advisor
Carl Owen — - Printing Advisor
Bobby Bennett Press Operator
REPORTERS
/immy Jones Lafayette Willdns
Michael Duncan .... Roger Suddith
Carolyn French Sam White
Keith Dennis - Darrell Moser
James DiPerna Rex Moser
Robert Dnim Kenneth Rogers
Oliver Gilliam Richard Whittenton
Cecil Wright
TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 1959
GOOD ENGLISH HELPS
Most people in the United States speak
the tngUsh language. Some of them do it
superbly, others do it poorly. The fact that
one cannot speak eioquenUy is „o excuse
for speakmg slovenly, and without good
grammar. It is sheer joy to hear one who
uses the native langijage skillfully The
writer of ancient Proverbs said, “A word
fitly spoken is like apples of gold in pic
tures Of silver.” Not a bad sentence itself
when beauty and imagination are consid-
ered. and it cerUinly carries literal truth
10 be able to say exacUy the right word
to use the various parU of speech correct
ly and to speak a sentence that can be un-
ders^od by all listeners—that is something
worth long and tedious effort.
It is useless to try to teU people the way
!h ‘hat is » bungled
whn meaning. A leader
who does not take the pains to speak coi-
rectly need not be surprised if inteUigent
people do not listen. Kids figure that if a
person does not know his language he may
not know much eke, and that if he does
not care to learn he may not care much
for people.
Good English Is useful in all relation
ship? of life, and it is an essential for those
who urge people to live right—the speaker
must speak right or his opportunity fades
In proportion to his mistakes. Good Eng
lish helps. It is enjoyable; and it tells
something of the character of the person.
EXTRAS ARE IMPORTANT
Many times here at Elon College and
upon other campuses all over America,
there are persons who kick and criticize
extra-curricular activties, and there are
others who just as strongly support and
advocate such activities.
Many persons argue that the extra-cur
ricular activities, while good and quite val
uable, require too much student time and
exert too much pressure on the student
body. Still others argue that there are too
many activities of a minor nature, but in
most cases that should be left to students
of each institution to decide.
An editorial from the DAILY KANSAS,
the University of Kansas, treats the sub
ject.
"Undeniably, there is a trend toward
specialized learning and away from the
lii)eral education which moulded our fa
thers. De-emphasis is one of the most pop
ular words on college campuses today.
College students concentrate on facts.
Their knowledge is narrowed by special
ization. Those activities, one considered
essential, which help round students into
broad, personable adults, are slipping from
the scene," the editorial said.
Likewise,** It continued, "those courses
which were the foundation of the liberal
arts education no longer receive the atten
tion they once did. Education is geared to
the specialist who is only interested in
devouring essential facts.”
The result, at best, is unsatisfactory. Few
educated men walk from the graduation
stage these days—men whose knowledge
enutled them to the respect and company
of all classes of society.
Today, we produce men, narrow in scope,
who function apart from the world. They
are experts in their Individual fields, but
lack training in human understanding
needed to establish rapport with other
members of society.
We would reject, then, thinking behind
a general movement to restrict students
to academic pursuits.
Activities, certainly, have their place in
■an intellectual atmosphere. They perform
a valued service in helping produce the
well-rounded graduate who understands
himself and his community as well as his
profession.
on
campus
By
BOBBY LAWSON
The average student, it has been said
is usuaUy on the look out for something
for nothing. He goes to class and expects
to be fiUed to capacity with enough ideas
land answers (which he usuaUy repeats in
,a parrot-like manner) to pull him through
his courses.
Then he blames the instructors and pro
fessors if he fails to pass. In short, he
becomes angry with someone else for his
own failure.
n it rains and the ground in the park
ing lots and around the campus becomes
muddy, he says. “Mr. Editor, why don’t
you write a piece In your paper?
If he fails to find the choice parking
Bpace, he says, “Why don’t you write a
piece?” Of course, the parking problem is
enough to drive anyone to distraction.
If he thinks that the Business Office is
cheating him out of some money, he im
mediately says, “Why don’t you write a
piece?’’ Even though the paper is not the
place for writing such, he still wants it
printed; when what he should do is go
talk to Mr. Butler. I am sure that he will
be glad to tell you why each charge is
made.
If the creamed potatoes served in the
cjifeteria happens to have lumps in them,
he wants a piece written about the cafe
teria.
If he oversleeps an3 misses a class and
wakes up to the fact that a quality point
will be deducted, he wants a piece written
about the cut system. I think that we should
be pleased with the system of just taking
la quality point instead of getting an "F”
on the course. Some colleges give F’s for
unexcused over-cuts.
If the school spirit wanes or the athle
tic teams flop, he wants a piece written
about that. Yet, he may be the reason the
school spirit and the teams are so poor.
As a matter of fact, I am not saying that
Dur football team is a flop, because I think
(we have a very good team. Even though
our team’s record is not a success in terms
of winning, I still would like to say, “Good
show, old sports!” We might not have won
all the games, but our Fighting Christians
have been in there battling aU the way.
I only wish the students could have made
as good a showing in attendance as the
team has on the field.
If he doesn’t like the conditions of the
dorms, he says, “Why don’t you write a
piece?’’ I would be glad to write a piece
about it if he has already talked with
the proper person and still nothing is done,
then is the time to write a piece and not
before.
• • * • *
The Best For Last
Not many mon'hs ago we had a very
■talented young lady to speak to us in cha
pel. I had heard so much about her that
I actually was looking forward to a chapel
program. When she was introduced, I
knew that she was going to be an excep
tionally good speaker. Then my hopes were
shattered when she made such a bold
statement in her opening paragraph. I
can’t remember her direct words, but the
idea sticks out. She said something to the
effect that she had saved the South to visit
last, or until she could better understand,
or was more educated on our problems,
Man, I’m telling you, she really threw
mud in the faces of some of us true South
erners. But what she meant to say was
that she saved the best for last, and by
this I mean the best part of the country.
Apart from this statement her spaech was
very interesting and to the point.
I will agree that the South does have
a few problems that are not found in the
North, but that Is only because some of
the problems have come down here.
• * • • •
What’s Cooking At Elon
Take about 400 pounds of potatoes, wash
well and dump into a potato peeler. Re
move from peeler, slice and cook in 18
igallon of boiling salted water until done.
Add several pounds of butter and a gallon
or so of cream, then beat to a smooth con
sistency. Sounds as if someone is going
■ to eat a few creamed potatoes, doesn’t It?
Well, we do eat them at the rate of 400
pounds a day.
According to Mrs. Wooten, dietitian,
creamed potatoes are Elon students’ fav
orite vegetable. Her statement is not based
on guesswork, but on the actual count of
student servings each day. Some students
are under the impression that there is a
state law inquiring the cafeteria to serve
creamed potatoes once each day, nut this
is a misconception. She remarked that
when over 50 per cent of the students who
eat in the dining hall choose potatoes, it
is only logical to assume that someone
likes them. How about that!
The Story From the Beginn ing ...
Of Plays And Playmaking At Elon
“All the world’s a stage, and all
men and women merely players;
they have their exits and en
trances; and one man in his time
plays many parts, his acts being
seven ages.”
So said the Bard of Avon, and
history proves that 'tis only
human to love make-believe and
to be interested in plays and the
stage. Such interest dates back to
the Greeks, and such interest has
long been present at Elon College.
Few records have been found
concerning dramatics at Elon Col
lege before the 1920’s, but the
students were interested in plays
and the malting of plays in that
earlier period, although work in
that field was usually referred to
under the name of “Expression”
and not “Dramatics.”
As early as 1913 Miss Ethel
Clements was listed on the faculty
as “Director of Physical Culture
and Expression,” and there were
ten members of the Expression
Class. Two years later Miss Bessie
Urquhart was Instructor in “Ex
pression and Physical Culture,”
and there was a Dramatic Club
with no less than twenty-three
members. One of the members
was Oma Utley, now Mrs. Oma
Johnson, who retired only last year
as Elon librarian.
Societies Gave Plays
The first definte records as to
plays date back to 1920, when the
three literary societies sponsored
plays. The Philologian Society, a
men’s group, presented “She
Stoops To Conquer;” The Psiphel-
ian, a women’s organization, pre
sented “The Princes;” and Clio,
another men’s group, presented
“Nathan Hale,” a drama in four
acts. The 1921 annual tells of
the Phelia Dramatic Club, which
sponsored dramatic activities. Its
president was Essie Mae Truitt,
who that year became Elon’s first
May Queen.
There is no record available for
1921-22, but the college year of
1922-23 again saw plays presented
by the three literary groups for
campus entertainment. “Betty’s
Last Bet,” a farce comedy in three
acts, was presented by the Psi-
phellan Society; Over Here,” a
drama of American patriotism
was given by Clio; ana “Drift
wood,” a drama in four acts, was
presented by the Philologian
EDITOR’S NOTE
This is the first of a two-part
feature on student dramatic ac
tivities on the Elon campus,
compiled after extensive re
search by a former editor of the
Maroon and Gold. It tells of the
beginning of Elon stage plays
nearly half a century ago and
brings the story down to the
late 1930’s.
* * •
Society.
A new literary society was
formed in 1924, called Psykalean,
which staged a mystery comedy
late in April of that year, en
titled “Am I Entruding.” During
tUs same year the Psiphelian So
ciety presented “The Lady of the
Library,” and Clio offered “The
Hut.” The Philologian Society pre
sented a variety show as its dra
matic contribution for the year.
Four Plays In 1925
Four plays were presented dur
ing the 1924-25 college year,
“Come Out of the Kitchen” was
given by the Psiphelian Entertain
ers; “The Charm School,” a de
lightful comedy, was presented by
the Psykaleons; “Dulcy,” a three-
act comedy, was given by Phi-
ologian Society; and “A Regular
Scream” was the offering by Clio,
It is interesting to note that Wil
liam B, Terrell, later an editor of
the Maroon and Gold and present-
day president of the General
day secretary of the General
Alumni Asociation, was a mem
ber of the cast lor “Dulcy.”
The season of 1925-26 brought
four additional plays, all by the
literary societies. The Philologians
gave “A Marriage of Convenience”
on November 26, 1925; the Psyka
leons presented “The Whole
Town’s Talking,” a three-act farce,
on January 18, 1926; the Clios gave
a drama, “The Dust of the Earth,’
on February 26, 1926; and the Psi-
phelians presented “The New
Poor,” a three-act farce, on April
3, 1926.
During the 1926-27 term the
four literary groups gave pro
grams, but there was no record of
real dramatic offerings. The Ma
roon and Gold for that per
iod reveals that the Dramatic Ex
pression Department, under the
direction of Miss Emily Johnston,
took over the stage activities, and
partial files reveal that the only
plays given were “The Patsy,” pre
sented on December 9, 1927, and
“Second Childhood,” presented
May 23, 1928 to a large crowd.
The records for the seasons of
1929, 1930, 1931 and 1932 are
scarce, and there is no definite
record of student stage work, al
though there is a mention in the
Maroon and Gold of the presenta
tion of “Boomerang” by the Ex
pression Department on March 1
1929.
Dramatic Organizations
A newly organized dramatic
club, the Playmakers of Elon Col
lege, made its appearance in 1932
and on December 6th of that year
the group presented “You and I”
a comedy in three acts, as its
initial performance. This was un
der the direction of Miss Virginia
Fitzhugh. Other offerings by the
Playmakers that year included
three one-act plays, “The Delicate
Child,” “Lima Beans,” and “The
given that year was “PoUy With A
Past,” but complete data was
lacking.
The Playmakers failed to re
main active for long, and the Ma
roon and Gold in the fall of 1934
carried a story of a reorganization
for dramatic activities. The story
stated that "realizing the need of
an active dramatic organization on
the campus, a group of students
under the direction of Miss Floyd
Childs met in September, 1934, to
reorganize the inactive Playmakers
of Elon College.”
The story stated that “at the
'first meeting the name was
changed to the Elon Players.”
First officers of the new Elon
Players included Rebecca Smith,
daughter of Dr. Leon E. Smith,
who was named the first president
of the group. Other officers of the
Players that first year were Dick
Kimball, of Manson, and Marcell
Adkenhausen, of Cincinnati, Ohio.
On November 22nd that year
the Elon Players gave their first
performance. It was “Her Hus
band’s Wife,” which was presented
in Whitley Auditorium. The sec
ond performance of 1934-35 came
on March 21, 1935, when a bill of
three one-act plays was presented
The bill included Christopher Mor-
ley’s "Thursday Evening,” Susan
(Continued on Page Four)
The Chatter Box
By DORIS FAIRCLOTH
That time to which we all have
been looking forward for months
has finally arrived. Cars are
already loaded for the long,
much-awaited trip home. Once
again dear old Elon will be quite
deserted for a week, with only
a handful of student remaining,
these students being the one*
who are too far from home to
make the trip in this short time.
So they much remain within
these ivy waUs until a better
and more lengthy vacation per
iod.
I’ve heard that many of our
“Yan'kee people,” overcome with
unbearable homesickness, are
chancing the long trip home.
This homesickness was accentu
ated by their discussions of pre
vious Thanksgivings at home;
the turkey dinners added to the
closeness and contentment of the
families brought together by this
event, v
Thanksgiving is a perfect time
for being at home with one’s
family. Besides the vacation per
iod affording us this opportun
ity, it gives us an extremely wel
come chance to depart from the
textbooks that mean so much to
us but of which over a period
of time we have grown rather
weary. But, as the saying goes,
“absence makes the heart grow
fonder,” and I’m sure that our
absence from these books will
make us much fonder of being
absent from them.
There is one very homesick
Northerner in West dormitory
that we are praying will be able
to go home for Thanksgiving.
She seems to miss the sports
that are common to her part of
the world, and has been traip
sing up and down the halls in
her ice skates; I understand that
she sometimes endeavors to
sleep with these skates on. It
has been suggested that all girls
on the lower floors be wary, for
if this person happens to walk
in her sleep one night and cuts
a figure-eight out in the hall,
they may have a visitor drop
ping in.
The football game with Le
noir Rhyne on November 14 put
an end to Elon's ’59 football
season. As we all konw, the loss
es were many. But the football
squad undoubtedly gave us a
show for the money, and they
were fighting at their very best •
every minute that they were on
the field. The question as to why
they lost may be answered by
the fact that though the play
ers are very good, they have had
little experience in working to
gether as a team. We may rest
assured that this same team
next year will stUl have and
show forth its fighting spirit
and will have the added exper
ience to make them a winning
team.
The Elon College Christmas
dance, which is one of the big
gest dances of the school year,
is just around the corner. Plans
are being made for this dance,
which is to be held on Decem
ber 12 in McEwen. The danc
ing will be taking place On the
second floor, and refreshments
will be served on the first floor.
Because of the success of the
reception that followed the
Homecoming dance, another is
being planned for the Christmas
dance. This dance is to be strict
ly formal, with the women wear
ing floor-length formals and the
men wearing tuxedos (no dark
suits).
It is hoped that everyone will
participate in this event, and
that it will turn out as well as
did the Homecoming dance. So
fellas and girls, drag out your
tuxedos and formals and start
working on that “special one!”
It’s up to you to see that we
have a great Christmas dance'
It seems that the campus
men’s care about the parlors in
West Dorm has begun to slip
a little. Cigarette butts, some
of them stm burning, iiave been
found scattered on the rugs in
and right outside of the tele
vision room. Such as this is w-
actly what has caused the men
to be kept out of the dorm be
fore 5:00, and, if it continues,
they wiU probably be prevented
from coming in at all for any
length of time. Let’s hope that
this won’t continue, for the sake
of the women as well as that of
the men.
Best wishes to all for a safe
trip home and a very happy
Thanksgiving!
'twixt
and
between
By
JIMMY ELDER
Elon College is in the midst of prepara
tions for an evaluation of aU phases of
the college’s aZtivities under an insutu.
tional self-study program, a program which
is essential in the long-range plannag and
progress of the college.
The investigation and the solutions found
in this self-study program will vitally af
feet every student and faculty member
indeed the entire college community For
this reason, it will be a good thing to mate
a brief examination of the institutional
self-study programs which are conducted
in so many colleges today.
First of all, what is a self-study program?
Dr. John Forbis, of the North Central As
sociation of Colleges and Secondary
Schools, defines it as:
"A Cooperative venture which seeks to
determine in a comprehensive way where
an institution has been and is, in terms
of its purposes and ways of achieving tliem'
where it should go vrith new objectives
and activities in order to serve more effec
tively those folk who have a stake ia it-
and how it can best get there.”
Why, then, is the institutional self-study
so important to Elon College at this time’
The reason is obvious, and the import
tance of the study cannot be exaggerated.
Periodically, the accrediting committee o(
the Southern Association of CoUeges and
Universities visits all schools within its
large area in order to evaluate the facilj.
ties and the academic structure of the
various Institutions. Needless to say .that
if Elon Ollege, which presently is ac
credited, lost its accredited status, the re
sults would be calamitous. The degrees
which so many of us are struggling for
would be virtually worthless, and it would
be a great financial strain on the college,
among numerous other serious consequea^
es. Because institutional self-study is such
an essential part of the preparation for
laccrediUng, efforts on the part of the facul
ty, administration and students cannot be
lightly regarded.
The members' of the Student Affairs Com
mittee, consisUng of both students and
faculty members, has been assigned the
task of examining and evaluating tiie stu
dent personnel program on the campus.
In this evaluation the committee must seek
to answer such questions as follows:
What have been the significant achieve
ments of the student personnel program
in recent years? Describe and evaluate tiie
facilities for supervision of student hous
ing, Describe the provisions for health and
medical care. Are they adequate for present
and future needs? What organizations or
activities draw public attention to the in
stitution? How does each of these contri
bute to the development of the student in
terms of the institution’s purpose?
If he nature of the school permits, do
student or student committees participate
in the formulating of institutional policy
decisions or in suggesting changes of mod
ification? If so, what are these procedures?
Describe the adequacy of the physical fac
ilities for the student personnel program,
such as gymnasium, health center, student
activities building and playing fields. Eval
uate the orientation program.
It s apparent from these questions that
the task of the Sudent Affairs Committee
is no easy one, that its responsibilities are
not small. The students on the committee
are expected to speak frankly and hon-
stitution? How does eaih of these contri-
expected to recommend solutions and new
ideas in the long range planning program.
Indeed, it is an opportunity for the stu
dents to participate in the formulation of
policy and in the evaluation of present
conditions.
It speaks well for Elon College that it
is examining itself in the light of present
'Conditions and that it is preparing new
plans and policies and programs which
will serve the college for many years t«
come.
In the Centennial Edition of the Burling
ton Daily Times-News on 1949 appeared
'an article about Elon College setting fortb
a 20-year, 8-point long-iange program for
the college. Only ten years have elapsed
since then, and all eight points in the pro
gram have come to fruition. New objec
tives must now be set and must be sought
with renewed vigor and unfailing opti
mism.
BORROWED BRIEFS
The besrt way to save face is to keep
the lower half shut.
♦ * * ♦ *
Father—The parent who gets his daugh
ter off his hands and then has to get his
son-in-law on his feet.
» • * » »
The big noise at the office is the little
squeak at home.