December 2, 1960
Page Two
IC vjOo. Ou Col Ie5e ) burl’
"VH is IsnM" ujha.'f I hoxi
THE SALEMITE
iThanksgiving And Christmas Vacations Create
Numerous Items For Campus Conversations
Is Your Prospective In It’s
Proper Proportion?
‘I’ll be home for Christmas; you
I can count on me . . Thus Johnny
Mathis sings throughout the dorms,
and Christmas comes to Salem once
again.
But before Christmas came
Thanksgiving and, by the looks of
everyone Monday morning, it was
a ‘‘fabulous vacation”. New York
was invaded by many Sfelem stu
dents, including Nancy Peter, Ann
Cunningham, Helen John, Saudi a
Sheets, Craig White, Trisha Weat
hers, Julia Jones, Carol Threatt,
Betty Pope, Judie Moore, Sue Ran-
dak, Ellen Rankin, Sara Weatherill,
Jette Seaar, Nancy Hackbarth,
Sally Tyson, Joy Coneway, Peggy
Brown, Anne Jewell, and Jane
Thompson. It was a trip they will
be talking about for a long time—
1 strict hotel rules, “great” room ser-
Novel Depicts
Child Education
THE CHILD BUYER is an ex
amination into American public
education, particularly that of the
gifted child. The novel is in the
hear I hearings before an investi-
committee and its author
John Hersey, has not been so angry
vice, plane reservations that fell
through, rides home complete with
wrecks (those Maryland police!),
cussing cab drivers, meetings under
the Baltimore clock, wonderful
aunts and uncles who got us into
nlavq and the U. N., television atj No, the young man explained. “Go
3:30 a.m., the Village at any hour.
The juniors enjoyed it so much
they’re already planning a trip to
Nassau for Spring Vacation! And
Becky Boswell keeps repeating.
I’m going to New York for Christ
mas !”
Barbara Edwards and Lynn
Robertson had a nice vacation too
—they’re now flashing beautiful
diamonds. And Sheena Warren got
pinned the week before the holi
days.
South Dorm is happy—“Popular
Patricia” now has her own tele
phone ! And Sisters is worried
about their plumbing—Edie Geitner
flushed her high school ring down
Student interests and problems, this is I gating
much about at Salem. We get very absorbed in the little dai y j
nroblems and irritations, and we lose perspective -we canno pg portrayed the horrible
P - ... ■ ..1? 4-v.rt iconoc This weeh has been | Jews of ’Warsaw
his novel THE WALL.
These hearings are conducted
in
the girl he was in love with had
told him to go to her father. The
boy’s friend did not understand why
the boy was disturbed—she had
given permission for him to ask for
her hand in marriage, hadn’t she?
to Father, she said, and she knew
that I knew that her Father was
dead; and she knew that I knew
what a life he had led; so she knew
that I knew what she meant when
she said “Go to Father,”
The self-appointed Lily Pond
Committee held a very important
meeting Wednesday afternoon.
Chairman Dr. Lewis, members Ann
Moore, Betsy Hicks, Louisa Free-
mon, Frances Bailey, and Mr.
Hampton were aided by Mr. Cur-
lee, Mr. Yarborough, and Nancy
Muse as they cleaned out the lily
pond. They bailed the water out
with buckets, shoveled out the
leaves, cleaned the sides and lily
the john. On the same day she ^ pad boxes with soap and bath tub
see the relative importance of the issues,
a good example of this loss of perspective
The students were upset about The curt little love notes from ^
Jack White about using tape on the wa ^ small New England town because
us pay damages for the tape (some of which has been on wissey Jones, an agent for a
walls for years) was irritating, and from the student point research corporation, engaged in
view a simple reminder and a request not to use the tape would defense work, tries to buy a
have been more tactful and effective. After all, we know that gpjid with an abnormally high IQ
the administration is right—tape will damage the paint and Once lus victim is decided upon
,• 4.1 loo+oi. r.11 tbp wall the agent sets about securing him
sometimes the plaster on the wall. i in a manner that is subtle, corrupt
Then on Wednesday night after attending a lecture by heartless. Ten year old Barry
Arthur Schlesinger at Wake Forest, the “tape on walls prob-Lg ^he child his comipany wants and
lem suddenly shrunk back to its proper gnat-like portions, needs, so he does not hesitate to
When our perspective includes events that occur “beyond the bribe and 1 a t e r intimidate his
sauare” then suddenly the whole issue seems to be a rather family. Since the boy has always
Xa’nd inaisniflcnj altho.sh .o-i,alias problem to 'V«-r ,'h bft
about. I a price. Finally, in the name of
Why did Mr. Schlesinger’s speech have this special effect? patriotism, the towm is stirred to
Perhaps it is because he too is connected to the supposedly violence, the child’s home destroyed,
Ivorv Tower, unrealistic college world. He is a professor, but and he is charged with immorality
• there is no shrinking from the larger and deeper world prob- In the course of the hearing
lems into a mass of small immediate problems. Hr. Jones confides to the Commit
^ . tee that his company needs brams
His concern is with the United States’ over all economic, I jf^j. defense work and suggests
idealogical and military—competition with the Soviet Union, bluntly that they will be used as
His concern' is with having defenses that have a large enough raw material which will be pro
relative margin of strength over those of the Soviet Union that cessed by surgery and drugs. Before
we can make diplomacy and eventually effective disarmament the hearings are over
possible. Ills concern is with the creation of a New National htimmoned are brought around to
Peace Agency to focus attention on the technological problems ! ^markable female teacher, who
of clii 6ffcctivG (listirni&niont iiispcction systGUi, irlis conCGm isj-^ boy^s inspiration in science
vv'ith raiigo effects and with deep, complicated problems, jxhe boy is too young to understand
Now admittedly we do not have the power or the knowledge the full meaning of his predicament
to offer suggestions on ways to help solve some of the world’s '
problems as Mr. Schelsinger has done, and admittedly the prob
lems here on campus are the ones that we have to work with,
broke four window panes! Must
have been a Monday.
Mary Ann Brame is excited over
practice teaching. She had a good
class one day and now declares
she’s going to “teach adjectives for
the rest of my life”. Dr. Africa’s
term papers on the election are
driving everyone mad, but Miss
Byrd’s freshmen are happy because
their term papers are in.
Logic class added a new idea to
campus recently—Dr. Stewart was
illustrating that English sentences
could have several logical meanings,
but that we understand what is
meant because we know the person
speaking. She used this story: A
young man was very upset because
brushes, then refilled the pond.
We’re all watching Louisa, sure
that she will come down with no
thing less than pneumonia from
wading in the mush barefoot.
The Salemite staff wishes we
would get as many “Letters to the
Editor” as Mr. White is getting in
response to his notices of Novem
ber 28 regarding the placing of
tape on the walls of dorm rooms.
For the sports-minded — Salem
tied Wake Forest in a Hockey
game this week, 2-2.
“I’ll be home for Christmas; you
can count on me . . .”
And Salemites are counting the
days before Christmas vacation—
only IS more to go!
brain
washed’.
Before the story ends, the author
, , , , 1 .Li ■ I takes some wide swipes at our pre
and to try to solve-that is always better than ineffective com-1 educational system as well as
plaining to each other. But just how important is the problem investigations, school
of to tape or not to tape when it is compared with other things: |boards dominated by politics, poorly
VVe think it is the comparison of a mite to an elephant. Let paid teachers, and society domi
us keep our perspective large enough to include both. Inated by the status symbol.
Mr. Hersey feels his thesis is
I very important. His compassion
I and sensitivity regarding hurhan
suffering, mental or physical, is
great, indeed; and his terse journ
alistic prose lends itself eloquently
to pleading his cause. However, the
characters in this novel never seem
to come alive as human beings. The
[ device of hearings is unusual, but
it is also impersonal and artificial
I The characters come and go from
the witness chair and we have the
■feeling of being detached spectators
and not participants in this dra
|matic story.
THE CHILD BUYER is high on
2r list and hai
Published every Friday of the College year
BY THE Student Body of Salem College
OFFICES—Basement of Lehman Hal! — Downtown Office—414 Bank St., S.W.
EDITOR Mary Lu Nuckols
BUSINESS MANAGER Sara Lou Richardson
Printed by the Sun Printing Company
Subscription Price—$3.50 a year
News Editor — Becky Boswell Managing Editor ... Elizabeth Lynch
Associate Editor Susan Hughes Cartoonists-Eloise Upchurch, Bugs Bran-
_ _ r» don, Catherine Eller. ,
eature itor . eggy rown Manager Becky Chappell | present best-selle
Copy Editor ...Ellen Rankin circulation Manager .. Donnis Mauney I been the subject of many contro
Headline Editors—Alta Lu Townes, Susan lay-out Editor Becky Boswell I versial reviews. One issue of the
Ray Kuykendall and Madge Kempton. Faculty Advisor Miss Jess Byrd [New Republic carried five separate
Asst. Business Manager ... Nancy Peter Photography Editor Betsy McFate reviews by specialists, and each
Managing Staff-Mary Jane Crowell and Managing Staff Wanda Cervarich presented a different point of view.
Rooney Nelson , . ^ Sarah Wills Although the current educational
^ Typists Ginger Ward, El,se Vitale situation has been used as the
Feature Writers — Felicity Craig, Liz Wil n i i
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
son. Bugs Brandon, Cynthia Randolph,
Jerrine Fuller, Mary Ann Brame, Nikki
Althouse, Rooney Nelson, Janet Yar
borough, Susan Hughes, Becky Shell,
Dean Major, Nancy Peter.
it is really our total
y I society that iMr. Hersey is crying^
Jane Peele, Dot Grayson, Betsy Hicks,
Ann Moore, Liz Smith, Betty Lo'
Creech, Kit Foard, Page Bradham, Kay 1
Long, Ann Romig.
Proof-Readers Ann Moore, Liz Smith
out againsfi a society soft toward
moral issues and social responsi
bilities.
Beyond The Square
By Dean Major
Do YOU know what NSA is? Although a brief summary of
the purposes and activities of NSA was presented in the first
1960-61 issue of the Salemite, few of us seem to realize what
this organization is or even that Salem is a member of such
a group. “NSA—what’s that?” is the puzzled reply, of most
Salemites to any news of the group.
However, the National Student Association is OUR organi
zation—not that of the faculty, Legislative Board, or any other
small group. Because it is ours, it is important that we ex
amine NSA more closely, that we understand why we are affili
ated with NSA and how valuable this affiliation is to us. Right
now an investigation is being conducted by Student Govern
ment to determine the worth of NSA and the value of our
belonging to it. No investigation, however, can be complete
without the interest and cooperation of all of us. Student
Government wants your opinion.
In conducting this investigation, the committee has received
correspondence from several schools recently withdrawing from
NSA. Although reasons for discontinuing membership varied,
several common complaints appeared:
1. NSA seems to have a vague overall program and to lack
specific benefits for member schools.
The policies of NSA have been very lenient concerning
communism; indeed, NSA has been accused of being a
“red front” organization. It has been discovered that
adult advisors of NSA were formerly affiliated with
Communistic organizations.
Benefits derived from NSA do not compensate for the
expenses paid out.
NSA speaks for the majority, not regarding the
minority’s feelings.
NSA’s liberal, indeed, violent, stand on integration and
sit-down problems disagree with the policies of many
Southern member schools.
NSA deals more with national and international pro
grams than the problems of the individual campus.
However, even those schools withdrawing recognized the
many worthwhile aims of the NSA. NSA does offer many
benefits to its member schools, including opportunities to dis
cuss certain problems with students of other colleges; valuable
"esouree material in the form of pamphlets and other publi-
’ations; and opportunities for student growth and development
of responsibility not only in college life, hut in the nation and
the yoHd. In addition, a recent investigation by Congress
found NSA to be innocent of Communist affiliation.
These are only a few of -the pros and cons of NSA member
ship. Are we receiving enough benefits from NSA to warrant
our eontmned membership? How can we answer this question
unless we first know something about NSA?
problem, your responsibility. Shall Salem
withdraw. Visit the NSA display table in the library on your
way to the browsing room or the stacks I Help Student Govern
ment in its investigation by giving your opinion 1