FIRST CIVIC MUSIC
FIRST CIVIC MUSIC
OCTOBER 25
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OCTOBER 25
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VOL. XXI.
WINSTON-SALEM. N. C., FRIDAY. OCTOBER 18. 1940.
Number 5.
FROSH ‘WELCOMED’ AT COURT
“FELLOWSHIP OF
STUDENTS” NOW
COMPLETE
A preview of Sophomcre Court
was held at five o’clocic Monday
afternoon on the athletic field.
There were the Freshmen—a scar
ed, quivering mass of humanity
awaiting the orders of their super
iors. Engulfed in tremendous flan
nel night gowns, no make-up, cold
cream, and hair platted in numer
ous pig tails, they sat on the
ground and answered the roll call.
Armed with toothbrushes and var
ious containers of soapy water,
half the Freshmen . massaged the
steps of the gym until they were
spotless. The other half of their co
horts were turned out to graze on
the hockey field. They had to pick
grass with tweezers, to fill a pil
low case. From the side lines, it
looked as though they were WPA
workers. All Freshmen caught not
knowing the “Worm’s Prayer”
had to crawl down to the 50 yard
line like a worm.
Taking advantage of leap year
were Veda Baverstock and two
other chums, who were proposing
to Mr. Holder and two of his
friends. At one point, Veda served
as a target for Mr. Holder; but
not for Cupid’s darts! The climax
of the events proceeding dinner
was Faith Fromhold’s noble at
tempt to steal a smoulch from Mr.
Holder. There are few, very few,
girls who would need that much
threatening.
And even at dinner there was no
rest for the weary. Among thi;
toasts, was one for the Kappa Sig
mas and the Betas at Da idson
But of all the things, the worst
was making two poor kids chug-a
lug glasses of buttermilk. Mashed
potatoes were eaten with the fing
ers. The most classic remark was,
‘ ‘ Phyllis Trout, wipe that face off
your grin!”
In a deep prevailing solemnity
Ceil Nuchols opened the formal
session of Sophomore Court in the
Old Chapel. Adair Evans was sent
enced to measure the distance com
pletely around the Old Chapel with
a sausage. The last report showed
that it was approximately 769 sau
sage lengths around the room. Dra
ma reached its zenith when two
Freshmen acted as if they were be
ing kissed. Faith Fromhold made a
short speech about her smoulch
with Mr. Holder. Said Fromhold:
“I enjoyed it very much. It hardi
ly lived up to my expectations.”
Paine demonstrated how she plans
to march in May Court, while
Avery spoke on the “essence of
Feminine Sophisticalion, ’ ’
Among the imitations presented
was one of Dr. Anscombe by Nor-
mie Tomlin. An added attraction
was one by Sophomore, L. D. Mil
ler, of Mrs. Downs.
The most amusing act of the en
tire Sophomore Court was the story
told by six Freshmen in series, of
“She Met Him at Claud’s.” Much
subtle and unconscious humor real
ly hit various members of the au
dience. It was purely unintentional,
but it was far more than merely
amusing to some. The rebound of
some of the remarks was terrific.
SwzzaiirK* WilliH a haii«i wHoii
she told of the girl’s refusal of
cigarettes and beer—after all, she
was a Salem girl. And ... on pic
tures being made . . . later shown
at school,
Sammy Pou put on the most re
vealing act of all—a real strip
tease. She was load out on the
stage and blindfolded. Without her
knowing it, a screen was put in
front of her, and the order was
given to “Strip!” She did, was as
sisted into a blanket, then the
screen was removed before the
blindfold was taken off.
The final speech of the evening
was made by Catherine Traynam
on the favorite fraternities with
which several Salemites were affili-
(Continued On Page Four)
N. 0. - S. C. NURSES
ENTERTAINED AT
TEA WEDNESDAY
Wednesday afternoon Salem Col
lege and the local chapter of nurses
joined in having as their guests for
tea members of the District of
North and South Carolina Nurses’
Convention of which Mrs. Charles
Noel of Durham is president. Other
guests were red cross and hospital
supervisors. Salem felt honored that
such a distinguished gathering was
interested in visiting our campus.
Our guests were particularly inter
ested in coming here because of
the pre-nursing course offered by
the Salem science department as
part of the curriculum of the new
Bowman Gray Medical School. Miss
Maynard took pleasure in showing
the visitors our infirmary which the
nurses commented upon as being
an unusual institutional infirmary.
Tea was served from 4:30 until
6:00 in the Old Chapel with head
nurses serving and about fifty
Salem students being present to
show the nurses the college cam
pus.
BLACK JACK DAVY
BROUGHT TO CHAPEL
Salem students were highly en
tertained at expanded chapel on
Wednesday morning by a rendition
of old folk ballads and folk songs
given by Dr. and Mrs. I. G. Greer
of the Baptist Orphanage in Thom-
asville.
Accompanied by Mrs. Greer on
the piano and dulcimer, Dr. Greer
interpreted and sang three types of
ballads: the spiritual ballad, the
folk ballad and the folk song.
As a spiritual ballad he sang
“Way Worn Traveler.” Illustrat
ing the folk ballad group, he sang
“The Golden Willow Tree,” a 13th
century ballad and “Billy Grimes,
the Lover.”
In the folk song group Dr. Greer
was accompanied by Mrs. Greer on
(Continued on Page Two)
GOODBYE, JO.
As much a part of Salem as
Moravian cookies and ‘ ‘ the
square”; as indispensible . to
Salem as its rules and its meals
three times a day; as loved by
Salem girls as ‘ ‘ the Candle
Light ’ ’ and ‘ ‘ Strong are thy
Walls” — this is the little girl
who for the past two years has
not been still one minute she
has spent sitting in. front of the
desk in the office at Main Hall.
A vote of thanks goes to her
from the students for her re
markable unselfishness, for her
cooperation in every possible
thing, and for the splendid way
she has represented the school
during her years as campus sec
retary here.
The best of luck and please
come back soon, Josephine
Whitehead!
LIHDLEY WINS
CRAVEN CONTEST
In the ad writing contest spon
sored by Craven’s Store this week
Sarah Lindley won the cash prize
of $5.00 and Flora Avera won sec
ond prize which is $3.00 in mer
chandise from the store.
All girls who submitted copy in
the competition will receive a gift
if they will call by the store this
week, Mr. Craven, who was verV
much pleased with the cooperation
and enthusiasm, announced.
FIRST PLAY OF
YEAR GIVEN
The Freshman Dramatic Club had
as its regular Wednesday meeting
a short one - act play in the Old
Chapel. Normie Tomlin, president,
was in charge of the program.
The play was a comedy about a
small town in England about 1860.
When the new doctor, the first elig
ible male in fifteen years, came to
town all the ladies of marriageable
age suddenly developed an illness
of some sort. They seemed greatly
chagrined when it was discovered
that he was married already, and
had six children. However every
one was happy when it was an
nounced that the regiment was to
be stationed in their own little
town.
The cast was as follows: Miss
Charlotte, Marylin Medearis; Miss
(Continued on Page Four)
OLD CLOTHES?
Don’t forget what was said in
chapel Wednesday, by the Jay-
Cee representative. Put all
clothes laid aside for Bundle
Day in Miss Lawrence’s office.
They w'ill bo called for Sunday
afternoon. Quote: “What you
ccnsider your worst may become
somebody’s best.”
TRORBORG TO BE FIRST
CIVIC MUSIC ARTIST
Kersten Thorborg, famous Swed
ish contralto, and the first artist
on the civic music program for the
year knew from earliest childhood
she wanted to be a singer. Both her
parents were musicians, and her
father, who had been denied an op
eratic career, was anxious that his
daughter have all the opportunities
he had missed. Madame Thorborg’s
childhood recollections are of late
afternoon choir rehearsals and con
tinual voice practice. At home in
the evenings, her mother played
the piano while her father, her two
brothers and she sang four part vo
cal harmonies. This quartet still
functions when Madame Thorborg
returns to Sweden on vacation.
Kersten Thorborg sang her first
operatic role at the Royal Opera in
Stockholm with another unknown,
a Norwegian soprano. The two did
not meet again until 1936 at the
Metropolitan Opera House. Here
Flagstad and Thorborg sang in Die
Walkure.
Gustav Bergman, Thorborg’s hus
band, gave up his own carecr to
become his wife’s coach, accompan
ist, business manager, and (she
says) most feared of her critics.
Thorborg and her husband travel
around filling concert and opera
engagements eight months of the
year, and spend the rest of their
time at home in their medieval
Swedish peasant farmhouse on the
River Dal, where they ski, hunt and
ride horseback. Their other mutual
enthusiasms include bridge, tomato
juice, strong coffee, and the stage
sliows at Radio City Music Hall.
Mme. Thorborg will be in Win
ston-Salem Friday night, October
25, for her concert.
STUDENTS TO ATTEND
GREEN’S PAGEANT
Leaving in the afternoon at two
o’clock for Fayetteville, thirty his
tory minors and majors plan to at
tend Paul Green’s musical play,
Highland Call, story of the Scotch
settlements in North Carolina. A
committee consisting of Sue For
rest, Nancy Chesson, and Libby
Sauvain will decide between the
tentative dates, Wednesday, Octo
ber 30, and Thursday, October 24,
according to the convenience of the
majority of the girls. They request
that the fee of fmir dollars which
covers the transportation and the
ticket to the pageant be turned in
to them by Monday, October 21.
The group will leave in the after
noon on a chartered bus, eat din
(Continued on Page 4)
IMPRESSIONS
BEFORE MME. UNDSET
DEPARTED
2:00 Wednesday afternoon ... lab,
waiting on third floor of main hall
... a yard-high stack of books on
the table beside me to be auto
graphed if ever she came back from
lunch ... the prospect of a car
filled with bags and with her leav
ing lit Sr.lO . . . tlio tloor oponnd
... she slowly walked in, went to
her bag and handed me the thick
blob of text of her Tuesday night
lecture ... in the period of fif
teen minutes the following excerpts
were transferred to my notes from
hers.
. . . We are all conditioned by the
ancestral stock we sprang from, by
the environs we grew up in and by
our social background ... to say
that the Icelandic sagas are the
creation of the Nordic race genius
is a fallacy — the sagas are the
work of individual authors who
are scholars as well as artists, like
the most famous author — Snorre
Sturluson . . . old German culture
was really illiterate—conversion of
the people of North Europe to
Christianity changed that . . .
' What qualities make the old
sagas still alive and vivid^—t hey
are dated, yet immortal — the ro
mantic idea that these stories are
monuments of the Viking spirit is
merely just that—a romantic idea
...The conflict between a man’s
inoluuitionH *on-
victions, between the claims anil
conventions of his environment and
his own consciencc is really a main
motive in almost all the Icelandic
sagas ... In the groups of old
stories is found a composite volume
of traits and conditions necessary
for creation of literary works with
power to survive through the cen
turies . . . Louis Mumford said:
‘Men are individually nothing ex
cept in relation to that greater
reality, man; man himself is
naught except in relation to that
greater presence we call divine’
... It is true—all great works of
creative imagination are imbued
with the conviction that men are
interesting only in that relation
... And the fact that we did be
lieve in the relation of human be
ings to a greater, divine reality
determined our view of man’s pa
thetic endeavor, of the tragedy of
his frustrations, even of the com
edy of his undignified or ridicul
ous antics . . . we enjoy when we
recognize our common humanity
jiikI our Ht’iijso of on
superhuman power in them . . . wo
can see the jest in their funny
stories, when they agree with our
sense of the ridiculous: the trick
ster tricked, the conceited man-
animal going down flop in the
mud . . .
Works that stand as landmarks
of civilization are much more
books of humiliation than religion
... they are saturated with the
feeling of man’s frustration, of the
world’s being out of joint, of a
heritage forfeited and. of a Para
dise Lost . . .
2:30 Wednesday afternoon . . .
twenty full pages left untouched
.. . who knows those pages might
have been another Paradise
Lost . . .
UNDSET TELLS OF
WAR AND NAZIS
A first interview and the person
to interview being the greatest in
ternationally known novelist was
not the happiest sort of a combina
tion.
When Mme. Sigrid Undset came
into the room she looked like her
picture—a rather tall woman dress
ed in black, with greying hair
which was parted in the luiddle
and drawn down over her ears.
When we told her we were from
the college newspaper, she asked in
a friendly fashion “Oh, you have
a college paper?” She then said
that schools in Norway were day
schools because the people were
afraid that the children would be
come uncontrollable if they were
put into boarding schools.
With her ‘ ‘ brave, sliju smile ’ ’
Mme. Sigrid Undset sat and talked
with us. “My first trip to Ameri
ca,” she said, “And the country
is so beautiful, but so lar^e. ”
Leaving Norway last April because
her ideas were not the same or in
accordance with Nazi ideas Mme.
Undset went first to Sweden,
through Siberia and then to Ameri
ca, arriving here August 6. Coming
with Mme. Undset was her young
est son, who is a Sophomore at
Harvard. Her eldest son was killed
fighting for Norway. Wistfully she
said that so far as she knew her
home in Lillehammer was still oc
cupied by her housekeeper.
Her first real smile came across
her face when Mrs. Bordon Harri-
man’s name was mentioned. “She
was most friendly to us.”
When the German invasion into
Norway was mentioned Mme. Und
set’s face became an expression
less mask and with half closed eye
lids she said .sadly, “I can’t go
back; but I want to go back, of
course. Nor can nations ever go
back home to what they were.”
‘ ‘ One can only hope that Eng
land can win the war,” she said.
“Norwegians never let their hopes
and emotions oi^crrule thair rea
son, ’ ’ she said. ‘ ‘ But we all realize
that Norway can never go back to
the status quo; the old Norway is
gone forever.”
“We can only wait and pray
that G-ermany will be worn out by
a long war,” she said hopefully.
During her interview Mme. Und
set spoke distinctively and with
understandable English. Until she
smiled heV face was a mask—there
seemed to be a wistful longing for
homeland which, she said, “is the
most beautiful country in the
world. ’ ’
Mme. Undset learned to speak
English in England, hor favorite
country—‘ ‘ oven the London fogs.’ ’
She said that in America it is eas
ier for her to understand Northern
people than those in tho South.
We thanked her for her inter
view and she smiled and said
“Thank you; I enjoyed talking
with you.” Her face was a mask
again and she became silent.
FRENCH BRIDGE
PARTY GIVEN
Le Cercle Francais held its first
meeting of the year Thursday eve
ning, October 16, in the recreation
room of Louisa Wilson Bitting
Building.
In the form of a bridge party,
all of the meeting was conducted
in French.
Besides its monthly meetings tho
French Club is sponsoring a short
French play to be given in Chapel
November 8 in an attempt to pro
mote interest in the French lan
guage and, more particularly, in
the French Club at Salem.