Oct. II, 1946.
THE SALEMITE
Page Five.
Waiting List At Salem
It takes u.s back years and years,
to Salem’s beginning.
The “Salem Boarding Seliool” be
gan with ten pupils. There was not
Tooni for more in the emergency
quarters which had to serve until
a house could be built for the school.
I If there had been more room there
.would have been more pupils, many
more perhaps, for even then Salem
liad a waiting list. When the school’s
building—our present South Hall
without its third story and its north
end—was completed twenty girls
and three teachers moved into it,
and before the end of that year there
were forty-one girls living in it.
The following year there were fifty-
five, and within the next few years
the number rose to a hundred. A
hundred girls, living, eating, sleep
ing, attending classes, doing their
piilno practice, in South Hall as it
■was then! Xo one was comfortable,
and the school authorities, who had
not expected such a state of things,
undertook to reduce the attendance.
That was not easy, for there was
still a waiting list, a bigger one
than before. Besides, would-be pa
trons frequently bundled their
daughters into coaches or mounted
them on horses and thus l>rought
them to Salem, traveling for days
over unimaginably bad roads, with
out any advance notice or so much
as a by-your-leave. To refuse girls
brought thus was embarrassing and
did not conduce to good relations
with patrons of the school. Various
circumstances, some of them relating
to the War of 1812, made further
building impossible at that time
(history does indeed rpeat itself),
find the trustees were driven to the
expedient of inserting in the few
newspapers then existing in this
and other Southern States an un
precedented advertisement, asking
that parents do not bring or send
their daughters to Salem, “there
being no prospect of the probability
of their admission in the present
year.” Those who already had per
mission to enter their daughters
were earnestly requested not to avail
themselves of the permission for
the time being. And would patrons
be so good as not to resent the
notice.
Whether or not there was resent
ment we arc nowhere told, but the
waiting list continued. In the years
that followed it fluctuated. Some
times it was short, and there were
times when it dwindled almost to
the vanishing point, only to lengthen
again. By the year 1830 the school
was crowded to its utmost capacitj^,
and the waiting list was growing so
long that many would-be patroms
despaired of getting their daughters
into Salem and took them elsewhere,
sometimes not w'ith the best grace.
Some left their daughters in private
homes in town in the hope that
places for them in the school would
be found later on.
Old and yellowed letters preserved
from those days contain urgent re
quests and arguments from patrons
who thought themselves entitled to
special consideration. A South Caro
linian from Chester, having been
informed that he wo.uld have to
wait until late autunin to place his
daughters in the. school, protested
ought to be accepted
earlier because **it will not do to
take children from the South to
that cold climate in the fall or
winter.” From Chester to Salem! A
former Salem girl brought her
daughter as far as Salisbury and
left, her in a school there because
she learned that her Alma Mater
was Ml- wrote that she was
greatly prepossessed in favor of
Salem and was, moreover, “unwill
ing to risk my Daughter’s Health
in so unhealthy a place as Salisbury.”
A gentleman of Alabama wrote some
what indignantly:
“From the very liberal patronage
your School has received from Ala
bama, we feel that we have some
claim on you to mabe something
more than exertion to provide^^ or
the reception of our daughters.
Yes, Salem’s waiting list is tradi
tional.
(The above article, “Waiting List
at Salem”, was written by Kr- ^en-
hold who has been engaged all
summer in research on early days
at Salem. It is hoped that the re
sults of Wenhold’s research will
be published. We shall await eagerly
further stories of early days at
Salem-
The Editor)
Snyder Heads
Campus Men
By Anne Dungan
“Brooks F. Snyder—Interview”
the assignment board glared forth
at me. When the full impact of these
words hit, my knees began to shake.
Interview!!! Imagine me asking
Brooks F. Snyder, President of the
Men’s Organization of Salem, a lot
of questions about his college life.
It wasn’t bad—in fact, if all
subjects are as nice and friendly as
this one, interviewing would be a
wonderful profession.
Although Brooks wouldn’t say
much about himself, it is easy to
tell from his conversation that the
boys here at Salem know how to
pick their leaders. He has already
smiled when I asked him the name
made many plans for this group. He
of the organization. “We were
talking about that yesterday,” he
said, “but so far, the most sophis
ticated name we can think of is
just Men’s Association of Salem.”
This organization has had only two
meetings, but plans are being made
for social gatherings with the faculty
and students . . . “and we’ll have
at least one business meeting a
inonth,” Brooks added.
Salem is Brooks Snyder’s second
fling at college. He was stationed at
the University of Wyoming for eight
months of his “three years, three
months, and three days’ of .service
in the army. “We lived in a new
girls dorm, private rooms and every
thing,” he informed me. “Boy, wo
sure hated to leave.”
So you se«. Brooks feels right at
home around this school. He is a
member of the Freshman class and
likes the w’ork. However, he and most
of the boys think it’s hard to get
down to studying after being out
of school for so long. As for his
future college life—“I’m planning
to attend Carolina’s School of Com
merce after leaving Salem.”
Brooks and all the boys are W’ork-
ing on “some type of party” for the
Salem girls. He says the boys like
the girls and want a chance to meet
and know them better. Look at the
picture above ... do I hear any
objections?
Kodak-Films
Printing
Developing
Enlarging
ONE DAY SERVICE
Salem Book Store
I
The ANCHOR Co.
The Photographic
Department
DIAIi 6126
2nd Floor
Daye Daums
On Salem
By Louise Dodson
To every gold-digging girl (that
couldn’t be a Salemite) we present a
money-ed male, Anics Daye, Jr.,
treasurer of the Men’s Association,
lie is already accustomed to the
jingling of the coins. From the time
of his graduation from R. J. Rey
nolds High School in 193(5, until
he entered the army in 1942, Anies
worked for the Hanes Knitting Mill
in the payroll department. He is
now majoring in accounting. He has
all the training for a reliable treas
urer, boys!
Anies served in the army for four
years. He was in the European
Theater in the 76th Infantry Divis
ion as a battalion clerk. For meritor
ious service he Teceivcd the Bronze
Star.
Anies likes Salem. He said he had
exported the teachers to ignore the
men completely in classes, but that
they are given very much attention
(from the teachers, of course) and
“it’s such a surprise to be treated
so swell.” As a freshman, he says
he had his share of “ratting”—re
ferring to the hugging he received
from the freshman girls on back
campus.
Anies greatest out.'ide interest is
dramatics. In high school he was
active in the Dramatics Club. Since
then he has taken part in the Little
Theater of Winston-Salem. His lar
gest role, he said, twisting an im
aginary mustache, was that of the
villain in “The Curse of the Ach
ing Heart.” He is continuing in
dramatics at Salem and is secretary
of the Salem Flavors.
Academic Dean
Reports Change
The Academic Dean has announc
ed an important faculty regulation
passed last June. At the end of
each semester, students are required
to have passed a certain amount of
semester hours. This year it is
necessary to change that regulation
to this effect: freshmen must pass
sixteen semester hours, and six must
be of merit grade. Sophomores,
juniors, and seniors must pass eigh
teen hours, nine of which must be
merit.
If after nine semester hours of
work Qn her major subject, a stu
dent is not doing work of C grade
value, she forfits her right to major
in the department.
Miss Farrell
Joins Staff
Miss Mary Farrell has accepted
by wire the position of secretary
to the Academic Dean. Miss Hixon
is awaiting a letter for further con
firmation.
Miss Farrell, of Greenville, South
Carolina, is the daughter of a former
president of Salem’s Alumnae As
sociation. In 194.3, she was graduated
from Averett Junior College in Dan
ville, Virginia. Since then, she has
been working in Greenville.
Coeds Have
Informal Party
The male students held a smoker
in tlie club dining room Tuesday
night so that they might become
better acquainted with the men on
the faculty. Thomas T^ansou, J. B.
Self, Jr., and Dallas Cline composed
the committee which planned the
get-together.
The smoker proved to be loads of
fun, and the faculty as well as the
students joined in the fun whole
heartedly. Dr. Vardell started the
ball rolling by taking the piano
over and giving a short concert.
After Dr. Vardell’s performance,
Mr. Peterson led the group in sing
ing. A few games were played anl
the men did a lot of talking. Punch,
cookies, and salted nuts were served
later in the evening.
This tall, slim brunette says the
“brightest part of Daye” is the time
when a girl passes. At Salem he finds
ecstasy.
VISIT THE
CAVALIER CAFETERIA
AND GRILL
in the
Reynolds Building
We Have A Pull Line Of
SPORTS WEAR
It Is Worth Your While
At Popular Prices
KAUFMAM’S
Comer Fourth and Cherry
COHEN’S
Ready To Wear Shop
Be Sure To Visit Us Early
West rourth Street
Stop by for some of our delicious cookies on
the way back from the movie.
20th Century
Bowling Alley!
Welcome to Students and Faculty
of Salem College and Academy.
Form Your Bowling Parties
and Come Often.