Page Two.
THE SALEMITE
Friday, April 9, 1943.
Published Weekly By The Student Body
of Salem College
Member Southern Inter-Collegiate Press Association
SUBSCKIPTIOX PRICE - $2. A YEAE - 10c A COPY
Editor-In-Ohief ..
Associate Editor
Associate Editor
Make-Up Editor
Ceil Nuchols
Bobbie Whittier
-Katherine Manning
Mary T. Best
EDITORIAL AND FEATURE STAFF |
Music Editor Margaret Leinbach
Sports Editor Joy Flanagan
French Editor - Lib Bernhardt
Mildred Avera
Margaret Bullock
Rosalind Clark
Ethel Halpern
Barbara Humbert
Frances Jones
Senora Lindsey
Sarah Merritt
Lucille Kewman
Peggy Nimocks
Mary Louise Rhodes
Dons C. Schaum
Julia Smith
, Nancy Stone
Helen Thomas
Katherine Traynham
Margaret Winstead
Kathryn Wolff
Lois Wooten
BUSINESS DEPARTMENT'
Business Manager Mary Margaret Struven
Ass’t Business Manager Mary Elizabeth Bray
Advertising Manager Betty Moore
Circulation Sara Bowen, Ellen Stucky
9 Jieand 9t 'Wo4f>
^\^lat we really wish we had the worst is time to improve our mind
. . . we ain’t even had a chance to read one of our last five New Yorkers.
A lamentable state of affairs! . . . Seriously though, we found Edward
Weeks one of the most adorable creatures to hit the rostrum in our
four years of attending the lecture series . . . that 4:30 from Wash-
*
ington got us! So we are now planning to apologize to Dr. Willoughby
about them next two papers, and go on to The Seventh Cross . . . we’ll
most likely wind up on one, too!
And while we’re in the Department of Culture, we’d like to tell
Margaret and Lib and Marian that we enjoyed listening to their original
compositions more than anything at all . . . it made us realize what
a truly big asset the School of Music is. Furthermore, we were tremen
dously interested iji Lacy Lewis’ graduating recital . . . even if we did
have to go all the way up to Memorial Hall instead of tuning in to
WSJS whilst munching crackers in bed.
PLEASE READ THIS EDITORIAL?
WE’RE MAKING HISTORY ‘
—ARE YOU IN IT?
‘ ‘ 48 Axis Planes Smashed. ’ ’
“Reds Beat off German Attack.”
‘‘Meat ‘Black Market’ Plot Revealed.”
■‘R. A. F. Raids Rail Station at Rangoon.”
“U. S. Cargo Vessel Sunk in Atantic.”
“Chinese Hit Far Behind Jap Lines.”
“Congressional Budget Slash Recommend
ed.”
“U. S. ‘Suicide’ Crews Raided Italian
Bases.”
“Allied Ship Losses Heavy.”
“Reds (Charge ilany Civilians Slain by
Nazis.”
Are these lines familiar? If not, they
should 1)6; they are headlines from recent
daily newspapers. Or aren’t you interested in
such events? Have you heard the phrase “De
hydrated News”? Yes? Well, so have we.
But we wonder if you have ever read more
than the paragraph headings-—“In the Pacif
ic,” “Li-Russia,” “In Africa,” “In Europe,’
and “At Home.” We have a “stinking sus
pieion” that you haven’t.
The staff reporters pursue the arduous tasks
of scanning the daily newspapers, scouring
through the latest Time, and jotting down
notes as Kaltenborn edits the news (Why must
he talk so rapidly?) — hut is it worth while?
We hope so, because we feel that we should be
awai-e of something more than who won the
last election or what plans are underway for
the next party. Dehydrated is an effort to give
you a brief awareness of the world outside in
most condensed manner possible—it doesn’t
take but a moment of your time; and it will,
at least, spare your thinking that General
-Montgomeiy was a Civil War hero.
—K. W.
Stunt night was also a glorious escape from the term papers re
ferred to in paragraph one ... we hand the show over to Jennie Jenkins,
Lois Wooten, Mary Lib Allen, and Betsy Casteen; to Peggy Nimocks, El
len Hearn, Paul Revere Duval and Genevieve Frasier; to the flash light
people of the Junior skit; to Coco and the chain for the Seniors . . .
and to all the participants, a hearty thanks for the memory.
The fourth distraction to an otherwise pursuit of education was
Hitchcock’s “A Shadow of a Doubt.” We personally found it one of
the more artistic things to escape Hollywood in quite some while; but
there was always that deus ex machina ending ... we SAW him get
her right over the tracks and then fall off himself. Clumsy . . . that’s
what it was!
And now we can’t stand it any longer . . . that the-room-mate-is-
washing-her-hair-in-the-basin-what-would-happen-if-I-held- her - under urge
has swelled up in us again. FVankly, if spring vacation doesn’t get the
blaze on here, we suspect that there won’t be any but the very fittest
surviving ... ho hum; and you have such a pretty throat!
Que pensez-vous d’avoir une chambre ou nous, les etudiantes de
francais et tous ceux qni s’interesse a la langue frangaise, pourrions avoir
toutes notres reunions et nos causeries? Koi, je pense que e’est une
bonne idee. Peut-etre scrions-nous plus interessees a assister aux re
union mensuelles et aux causeries i nous avions uue place a nous. Nat-
urellenient, nous desirous un lieu agreable ou nous pourrions nous amuser
lire les livres journeaux, et revues franqais, ou causer. Cette chambre
serait une ri'traite pour les etudiantes de fran^ais. Mais attendez—il
faut beaucoup de travail pour realiser ce songe—travail et d’esprit et de
mains! Voulez-vous bein travailler? Je crois que celles qui ainient
vraiment le fran;aiH desireront prendre partie a ce projet. X’aimerez-vous
pas a dire: “Venez chez les fran^aises?” Peut-etre pourrions-nous mettre
projet en train de se realiser eette annee et avoir notre rendez-vous
])resque pret pour I’annee prochaine. Essayons! Qu’en pensez-vous?
DEAR RULE-BREAKERS
Last week we had a great emotional riot
which broke the vacation-thirsty student body
into at least two camps: those of us who ob
ject violently to the lowering of Stee Gee by
underhanded play, and those of us who seek
an end whatever the means. I am one of the
violent objectors, and what I haye to say is
not meant to condone what has been done or
to try in a Pollyanna way to salve wounded
prides—1 am rather appealing to those of you,
like myself, who force Stee Gee from the ped
estal on whicfh we place it in our minds. I
speak to those of us who have “exhausted all
possible means of (adverse) criticism without
mercy, while failing to consider ourselves.”
We, you and I have adopted an I-didn’t-
get-enongh attitude which Avould, if unchecked,
make for' something of an anarchy. We have
taken freedom to mean license—thinking that
we each are young Thoreaus. And we have
destroyed oui' I'ight to expect the Council to
maintain the honor system w'hen we would not.
Our student government is, after all, what we
make it; its officers can be no more or less
than we allow; and its honor can, after all,
be no more worthy than we who uphold it.
—ANOTHER SINNER.
WHO WAS ABE?
Here ai'e some facts gleaned from the poll which appeared
in the New York Times last Sunday. Seven thousand college
students in 36 colleges over the nation were subjected to the
test on U. S. History; not more than 58 answered any of the
questions correctly. We suggest you check yourself on your
own factual knowledge, and see if you agree with La Guardia,
who says w'e’re going to pot.
Of the seven thousand questioned only 25% knew exactly
who Abe Lincoln was—foi- his contributions to the nation’s
welfare, the answers ranged from “preventing fast day”* to
heading of a Reconstruction Committee in the South after the
Civil War.
The question as to which presidents were assassinated re
ceived such answers as: “every fourth,” “Lincoln, and it’s a
good thing, tool” or names of any famous character, whether
he be president or no.
In the l)ig question asking for the occupation of famous
important men, such boners as: Rockefeller—oil “ma^^iet”;
William James—a baladit; ’ Roger Taney—a ganster; Carl
Schurz—a Nazi agent; Roger Williams—a movie star.
, Franklin Roosevelt was said to contribute to the nation
the moral that an invalid is not lost. Thomas Jefferson was
thrown in as founder of the Saturday Evening Post, founder of
the Salvation Army, and father of the Monroe Doctrine.
50% of the students failed to know whom Andrew Jackson
was. Many thought he was Stonewall Jackson, father of the
Constitution, founder of the N. R. A. and the W. P. A. Many
of the same students thought that Jefferson Davis was Presi
dent of the United States.
Of the powers granted Congress by the Constitution, less
than half could name two powers and only 45% could name
four freedoms granted by the Bill of Rights. Five hundred
students manufactured such as freedom from want and from
fear. One thousand said w'e had the rights' to vote, to go to
school, and to work specifically granted.
A few years ago a student announced that
she did hope next year’s editor would express
a few ‘opinions’ other than her own. The SA
LEMITE is not, of course, the place for retali
ation to personal animosity; and I hope that
none of you will misinterpret this editorial.
I am not writing indefense of myself, because
I don’t need to . . . the three editorials I’ve
written this year (October 2, January 15,
ilarch 26) are defense enough to prove unde
niably that the only expressions of my own
‘opinions’ have been pleas for student thought
and guarantees that student thought, regard
less of what it w'as, would be printed as long
as I remained editor of this paper. I am writ
ing, however, in defense of the SALEMITE and
her future editors.
The SALEJIITE during the past few years
has fought a hard battle for freedom of the
press. We are now printing any editorials
that stem from either the students themselves
or from their suggestions. Our policy is 'not
any of the things we editorialize about . . .
indeed, we frequently disagree with them . . .
but our policy is simply to maintain our right
to speak as the student voice dictates. If you
feel that we fail to represent a cross-section of
student opinion, then that’s your fault . . .
you have the same opportunity to state your
ideas as had, for instance, the student who
advocated extension of the smoking privilege.
Now “I Heard It This Way” is not an edi
torial ; it is merely another reflection of our
policy to encoiu'age freedom of speech . . . just
as our features are. It is no more to be asso
ciated with the editorial policy of the SALEM
ITE than is “My Day” to be associated with
the administrative policy of the United States.
I, unfortunately, happen to write “I Heard”
. . . but I write it as a columnist, not as an
editor.
I am going into all this because these
misunderstandings have resulted in petitions
to put the SALEillTE election into the hands
of the student body . . , and. subsequently, to
give the students a chance to choose whose
‘opinions’ they shall read. I have tried in, the
preceding paragraphs to prove that you stud-
ents have nothing to gain by these petitions,
because you don’t read the editor’s opinions
at all . . . you read your own opinions, if you
want to. You have, on the other hand, a great
deal to lose by success of the petitions.
New'spaper editing is an incredibly difficult
job and who is not. Your vote, therefore,
is too intricate to describe here but which you
might be able to conceive of if you stop and
look at this finished newspaper as a whole . . .
how did it happen that there is exactly the
right amount of material to cover four pages?
how was the material converted from the re
porters’ copy to the SALEMITE? how is it pos
sible that there are comparatively few mistakes
in spelling and punctuation and grammar?
how do the headlines happen to vary in size
and retain balance? Few of you realize the
importance of these technical matters . . . and
few of you are in close enough contact with the
staff to know w'ho is capable of handling the
job and who i snot. Your vote, therefore,
would necessarily be based on the candidates’
personal popularity; and most of you realize
that popularity is the least important qualifi
cation for an editor. Only the staff can really
know who is easiest to work with, who is most
dependable, who is original enough to keep the
paper fresh and alive and interesting, who can
accept the tremendous responsibility, and who
has the perseverance to keep going week after
week. And only the staff, after all, has to
work under whomever is elected editor . . .
won’t you let them, then, determine their own
organization I
—THE EDITOR.