May I. 1948
THE SALEMITE
Page Seven.
Sophs Score
Victory
On- Monday the sophomorea took
the juniors by storm in a game that
gave them a 14-7 victory at the end
of five innings of play. Gloria Panl
pitched to LilUan McNeil for the
sophomores and Bet Epps pitched to
Bitsy Green for the juniors.
In the very first inning of play
the sophomores pounded in four runs.
Jane White hit a tremendous home
run and Gloria Paul, Lyn Marshall,
and Eula Cain also scored. The jun
iors failed to score in the last half
I of that inning but came up in the
second inning with three runs—by
Kell Penn Watt, Carolyn Taylor, and
Jeanne Dungan. Lyn Marshall scor
ed the only sophomore run in the
third inning; Bitsy Green scored the
Only junior run in that inning. At
this point the sophomores led the
juniors by only one run, 54, but a
break was bound to come. In the
first half of the fourth inning Fran
ces Gnlesian, Jane White, Gloria
Hnl, Lyn Marshall, and Eula Cain
each brought in one run, bring up
the score to 10-4. The juniors failed
to break—with the exception of Oar-
'*lyn Taylor who slammed the ball •
• . . to left field for an easy home
^n. In the first half of the fift^i
'lining the sophomores led by Fran-
Gnlesian, Jane White, Gloria
^*nl, and Eula Cain, brought in
^ns enough to make the score, 14-5,
'nd to leave little hope for the jon-
''>rs who were at bat last. In the
'^t half of the last inning Bet Epps
'>id Peggy Watkins scored, after two
'''Its had been made.
The following is an excerpt from
a talk made by Miss Jess Byrd en
titled “Trends In American Kovels
1940-47”.
I have placed the new novel Bain-
tree County by Ross Lockridge, Jr.,
with the group of historical novels,
though the author himself says the
book evades definition. In his words
Baintree County, “though based on
historical research is not a historical
novel” but “an epic novel,” “a
complete embodiment of the Ameri
can myth”.
Whatever the type, this book, win
ner of the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
award and January Book-of-the-
Month Club is being widely read.
There is certainly much more reality
in this epic story of nineteenth cen
tury American life than in the other
historical novels of the past decade.
It follows the type in being exces
sively long and rambing. In its 1060
pages there are said to be 52 sub
plots.
The hero of the story is 53-year
old Johnny Shawnessy, and the story
is set in Roundtree County, Indiana.
The book, an imitation of Joyce’s
Ulysses, covers one day in Johnny’s
life from 6 a. m. to midnight on
July 4, 1892. But the story covers
48 years in Johnny’s subconscious
mind. Through flashbacks, the
author leads his hero on an odyssey
through election campaigns in the
1840’s, the battle of Chicamauga,
the burning of Atlanta and Colum
bia, to a Washington Theatre when
Lincoln was assassinated, to middle
west revival meetings, to the centen
nial exposition of 1876 in Philadel
phia, to New Tory in the 1870’s—
to name a few of the 52 sub-plots.
The constant shifting back and
forth in time is annoying to the
reader. The author picks up and
lays down various strands of his
story over and over. For example,
the events of the 4th of July in
1859 run through the whole book.
One event of that day was the foot
race between Johnny and Flash Per
kins. The author starts this story on
page 168, drops it, picks it up again
and again, but we do not discover
who won the race until page 909!
Lockridge also uses a strange de
vise for tying chapters together.
Every chapter ends with an incom
plete sentence. The first word of
the next chapter, usually capitalized,
completes the last sentence of the
proceeding chapter.
The three chief characters offer
variety: the hero, Johnny, a dream
er, idealistic, lover—a combination
of Romeo, Thomas Wolfe and Abra
ham Lincoln; the materialistic and
shoddy politician, Senator Garwood
Jones, a satrical picture in the man
ner of Sinclair Lewis; the slightly
bawdy wit, the scoffer, the intellec
tual “Perfessor” Jeremiah Webster
Stiles, who is a combination of So
crates, biblical Jeremiah, Casanova
and Mark Twain. The Professor
can quote Shakespeare or elope with
the preacher’s wife with equal faci
lity. We follow him with mingled
amazement and delight from his first
appearance, “his thin frame shaking
with soundless laughter” until he
swings on the midnight train, wav
ing his Malacca cane.
The style of writing is varied and
uneven. Highly effective simple
narrative is interspersed with long
philosphical disgressions in the man
ner of half the American writers
who have ever lived, but most of all
in the manner of Thomas Wolfe. I
am a great admirer of Wolfe’s rhap
sodic and impetous style, but I think
his style is like Carlyle’s, a part of
the man, but not to be imitated.
The author himself describes the
style in the quack phrenologist to
Johnny; that he would “say
oratorically” what he had to say;
that he would be “both fluent and
copious, even redundant and ver
bose.” There is a close imitation of
Wolfe in the symbols of the river,
the train; and in the long philoso
phical passages about life, love, and
the promise of America.
The book is obviously too long.
The characters, certainly Johnny, do
not entirely come to life, though the
Perfessor comes near it. The style
is often too imitative and too ver
bose. The author tried to do too
much—no one book can embody the
whole American myth. Yet to me,
this is a very remarkable book for a
first novel.
Pierrettes
Elect Head
A new feature will be added to
graduation next year.
The Pierrettes at their meeting in
the living room of Bitting Tuesday
night mapped out plans for the com
ing year, which included the election
of new officers, the selection of the
number and types of plays to be
produced, and plans for the establish
ment of an honorary dramatic soci
ety for the recognition of outstand
ing work.
The officers voted in for 1948-49
are as follows: Betsy McAuley, pres
ident; Eleanor Davidson, vice-pros'
ident; Bettye Belle Sheppe, secre
tary-treasurer; and Peirano Aiken,
reporter.
At the suggestion of Mrs. Rond-
thaler and with the unanimous ap
proval of the club, it was decided
that the Pierrettes will present a
Shakespearean play in the May Dell,
as part of the graduation exercises
next spring. This event used to be
an annual custom at Salem, and it
is thought that its revival will be
enjoyed by the whole college, as well
as by the Pierrettes. The play will
be selected and cast before school
closes, so that the actors can learn
their roles during the summer.
In contrast to the Shakespearean
drama, two other productions will be
given: a modern American play, pro
bably a comedy, and a one-act work
to be entered in the state contest at
Chapel Hill.
Frills Frolic; Byrd Gives Revieiu Of “Raintree County
Skirts Swirl
by lone Bradsher
Suddenly it’s Spring! Suddenly
it’s May Day! Another May Day
to go to early morning chapel out-
of-doors, i Another May Day tO' go
to the wotiderful pageant in the
Dell, and to the dance in the Gym!
From the moment it first turned
warm Salemites have been anticipa
ting tonight. Term papers and Com-
prehensives will fade away. Dates
and dresses will take their place!
Perhaps as you enter the Gym to
night, you’ll see Marilyn Watson
with Ben Massey. Marilyn’s dress
is of pink dotted'swiss that has ruf
fles up the back of the skirt!
Claire Craig (just pinned to Frank
Wood!) will be wearing a flowered
cotton print.
For Bill Myers, Benny Manley
wants to wear her blue marquisette.
The dress is off-shoulder and trim
med in pink and blue flowers.
Tootsie Gillespie, (dating Hall Tur
ner) is wearing lavender taffeta. The
bodice is caught in soft folds that
trail out to the hem.
In white organdy over blue taf
feta will be Beth mttreU. Her date
is Harry Babcock.
Nancy Duckworth is wearing
marquisette that has an outstanding
blue rhinestone belt. She’s dating
Chet Hawkins.
Over having their picture taken
(don’t forget) will be Betty Beck
and Don McPhearaon. Betty is wear
ing an orchid chiffon dress with a
bouffant skirt.
Sophie Bowen and Bill Mitchell!
Sophie’s dress is aqua marquisette
that has a lace top trailing into
points over the skirt.
Betty McBrayer, dating Sonny
Woodson, is wearing ice blue mar
quisette.
For George Thomasson, Mary
Louise White is wearing pale green
taffeta.
A tiered skirt—white dotted swiss
with red dots—that’ll be Joan Hass-
ler with her date, Ed Brown.
Two strapless dresses! Peggy Wat
kins, with Jack Divers, is wearing
blue marquisette strapless: and Peg
gy Sue Taylor is wearing a white
dotted swiss strapless for Bernard
Johnson.
They’re engaged! Lib Price and
Charlie Wentz! Lib is wearing green
and white organdy with a bouffant
skirt.
And—suddenly it’s all over! An
other May Day gone by—But it was
fun!
•• ' /■
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