Page Two
THE TWIG
April 5, 1946
Newspaper of Students, Meredith College
Member
Pissociated GoUe6iote Press
EDITORIAL STAFF
Jewell Eatman Editor
Florine Olive Managing Editor
Elizabeth Davis Associate Editor
Mable Summers Associate Editor
Ruth Franklin Associate Editor
Marilynn Ferrell Feature Editor
Frances Wallace Photo Editor
Elizabeth Sawyer Columnist
Betsy Jean Holt Music Editor
Ruth Martin - Sports Editor
Reporters—Ruth Hall, Ann Hood Hughes,
Norma Cartwright, Hilda Austin, Barbara
Shellsmith, Stella Lassiter, Mary Alice
Turner.
Typists—Myra Teague, Jerry Miller, Olema
Olive, Jean Trentman, and Bette Linney.
BUSINESS STAFF
Martha Hamrick Business Manager
Mary Martin Advertising Manager
Alice Delbridge Circulation Manager
Frances Watkins..Ass’t Circulation Manager
Members of Business Staff—Margaret Wil
son, Emily Hine, and Doris Moore.
Entered as second-class matter October 11, 1923,
at postoffice at Raleigh, N. C., under Act of March
t, 1879. Published Semi-monthly during the months
of October. November. February, March, April and
May; monthly during the months of September,
December and January.
JfHsplaced Emphasis . . .
The theme of the plan and work be
ing attempted by the student body as
a whole the past two weeks and espe
cially of the leaders and two specific
groups working for and with the stu
dent body was voiced by Mary Jo Clay
ton at one of the recent night meetings
when she set forth the idea that empha
sis should be on principles, not rules,
that character is formed through posi
tive acts not through discipline. The
object should be to instill the principles
in a girl so that when she leaves here
and is no longer bound by a rule, she
will continue to bear in mind and carry
out these principles and ideals. Rules,
regulations, and restrictions are neces
sary. We would not advocate throwing
away all rules. Girls learn by guidance
from rules. This fact is one reason that
rules must be stricter for freshmen.
But after this guidance, girls should be
encouraged to make more decisions for
themselves. Girls grow more in making
their own decisions than in having their
decisions made for them by force. Col
lege is a preparation for life, and in life
one is not continually told what to do or
forced to meet situations by rules. The
changes and recommendations that the
students have formulated these past
weeks have been with this idea in mind.
The committees have emphasized the
idea or reason for something. Some girls
here now are so subdued by rules that
they fail to see the reason or principle
for living in that certain way. So much
emphasis has been placed on the rules
that the thing many girls would like
most to do after graduation is to walk
down Fayetteville Street without a hat,
stay out until 1:00 o’clock, or go to the
show without hose. If we, the students
of Meredith College, will be content to
live under rules that are merely dis
ciplinary, we have failed in attaining the
fullest measure for which we came.
When we graduate, we will leave behind
us these rules. What will we take with
us? This idea of taking the emphasis
off of rules was that by which the com
mittees, leaders, and students as a whole
have been working.
Subscription rate, $2.00 per year to students.
Alumnae membership associational fee $2.00, of
which $1.00 covers a year's subscription.
Thought for the day . . .
We ought to obey God rather than
men.—Acts 5:29.
Committees Cannot Succeed
Alone . . .
As Jonathan Daniels reminded us re
cently, it is not the tired who rest and
fall into complacency. Surely it was the
tired who continued ceaselessly to work
during the recent examination and re
organization of student government.
The Committee of Seven, the Commit
tee of Eight, and the Student Council
met nearly every day for several hours.
Separately the members of these groups
worked, studied, and planned for the
presentation of recommendations to the
students. It was this same group who
presided and explained changes at the
open forums. Several nights, however,
there were not enough members of the
student body for a quorum, and no busi
ness could be transacted. The same
ones continued to work, but the com
placent yet complaining remained sit
ting in their room not even interested
enough to attend the meetings. These
girls who did not feel enough loyalty
or responsibility as a member of the
student body to devote just 45 minutes
of time each night toward correcting the
very things that they rebel against have
no basis for complaint! Each girl in the
student body who feels dissatisfied or
inclined to gripe should reflect whether
she has made an honest effort to change
that situation. Will we continue to live
under outdated inconsistent rules be
cause each girl did not feel enough per
sonal responsibility to join in united
effort to help bring reasonable changes?
A few tired committees cannot shoul
der the work for us. They alone cannot
bring us the things we desire.
All Talk—No Action . . .
The recent Study Body meetings,
among other things, have brought to
light and magnified a situation which
for many years has characterized a
girls’ college—that of hearing and dis
tributing news by the “grape-vine
method.” The Student Government
Focus Week truly presented the situ
ation as a vitally important social prob
lem on the campus, for students re
ceived perhaps more criticism for that
issue than any other.
Obviously no one stopped to consider
what damage her uncontrolled tongue
could do. But, because the chief topic
of “campus talk” concerned the efforts
of the students to gain a more livable
set-up at Meredith, many girls let them
selves fall into the group classified
“all talk — no action.” Then the rumors
flew fast and furious. Some started tak
ing privileges which were then not in
effect. Some felt that because we were
asking for a few changes, they could do
as they pleased—go without hose or
socks, wear kerchiefs to class. Just lit
tle things they are in reality, but large
things in principle.
There were words used, words un
complimentary to the situation. You
called it a “revolution,” a “new regime,”
terms that connote hatred and mis
understanding.
The trouble with the grape-vine is
its limitations. It starts with the wrong
person or persons and finally reaches
the right ones, only too late.
Such talk can gain nothing nor get
us anywhere.
Letters to the Editor
To the Editor:
For some time I have been wonder
ing why, with all of Meredith’s musical
talent, we preface all of our school en
tertainments such as dance concerts and
plays with only squeaking chairs and a
general hum of conversation.
Where is the orchestra which has
been practicing for nothing as far as I
can see? We don’t require perfection
in a performance or even difficult pieces,
but I believe it would help create a
pleasant atmosphere for the perform
ance, whatever it may be, and also offer
experience to the players.
Why not play while we enter chapel
once in a while under a student con
ductor if it is inconvenient otherwise?
It seems to me that the student body has
expressed its delight over every musi
cal program we have had rendered us
in such a manner as to have flattered
the worse fiddler in school if there were
a poor one here. We would love to hear
more of our glee club and choir and indi
vidual performances.
Of course, we are proud when they
travel to various clubs and towns to play
and sing for others but we would like
to hear them ourselves, and without
having to rush from dinner to catch a
few bars of them on the radio.
I know it is fun to practice just for the
fun of playing and singing together, but
we don’t mind your practicing on us,
and more than likely we won’t even
realize it is practice.
Lib Sawyer.
When spring comes around do you
ever leave an unfinished term paper to
stare out of the window at nothing until
visions of you in wonderful places do
ing wonderful things play on the stage
of the window sill? Or do you some
times want to lie flat on your back in a
field of green grass and watch ants in
their confused and frustrated business
run to and fro in such contrast with the
cool maneuverings of the stately clouds
which elucidate a perfect peace? Or,
do you feel sometimes that you must
dig in the earth with your fingers and
plant things in the dirt and watch them
bud and blossom and grow?
Then are there times when you know
you could make that man so happy he
would burst because he couldn’t hold
his happiness? Or perhaps, about sun
down you get the unexplained and over
whelming desire to walk and walk and
keep on walking straight into the sun
set until you enter a new, fascinating
world, and a complete existence?
There comes the feeling too, that
buildings should be closed for the dura
tion of summer, for they are such a
waste of weather; that the feel of a hot
sun softly beating on one is worth more
than hours of theorizing on the art of
relaxation, or an afternoon walk, worth
more than countless lessons in nature
appreciation.
These are all symptoms of the thing
called spring fever—But when you get
that good ’ole lazy feeling; when you
just don’t care if you never lift a finger
again, and, much as you fear the con
sequences, you have no alternative but
to let the world get along as best it can
without you, then you can be certain
you have a definite case of spring fever.
Well, that is the advanced stage in
which this writer is at present, so here’s
hoping you understand why I just can’t
put down another syllable.
Results from Polls
Dear Editor:
All year the student body as a whole
has been complaining about the rules
and regulations and restrictions at Mere
dith. We have not appreciated the fact
that we have been treated and look upon
as “immature” individuals who need
strict rules to guide us through our
four-year stay here. We have not rel
ished the idea of attending a school
that is “25 years behind time” as some
one said in the student body discus
sion one Thursday night. We have
thought that the students at Meredith
should have more freedom and be
allowed to make a few decisions for
themselves. We have felt that if our
parents considered us mature and intel
lectual enough to let us leave home for
the sake of further education we should
be judged so in the eyes of the academic
leaders. We have thought about a lot
of things we should like changed, and
we have expressed our opinions about
them.
One day in Chapel, we heard from a
group of our student body that we, as
Meredith students, could do something
about the situation if we worked to
gether—note that—and present our re
quests in a fair, polite way. We were
offered various suggestions and the stu
dents voted to handle the situation
logically. You know what we did—
committees were elected to study our
system as it is now and offer suggestions
which were to be voted on by the stu
dents, the Student Council, and the Fac
ulty Committee on Student Govern
ment. We also voted to meet every
night for a week and discuss and vote
on these measures.
The committees have worked ex
tremely hard. We and future students
of Meredith will be indebted to them
always. The Student Council has worked
hard. They have met every day to vote
on requests the students passed the
night before. Cooperation has excelled
in these two groups and they have dis
cussed and voted on exactly what the
students have been complaining about
all year. But where have the students
been for the past week from 10:00-10:45
p.m.? Where has our Cooperation gone?
How can we expect these committees to
continue to meet, bring forth recom
mendations for us to vote on when we
are not there? How can we be so blind
as to think that they can be interested
in new rules when the students aren’t
there to back them up? Every night
last week students were sent from the
auditorium to go to the halls and
“remind” the students of the fact that
they should be in the auditorium to
support their beliefs; every night girls
were sent to knock on doors and go out
in the court and tell the girls that there
wasn’t a quorum and to please make an
effort to come to take part in the discus
sion and reorganization of our present
system.
We cannot sit back and expect new
rules to be showered upon us. We have
to stand up for what we want, other
wise we deserve nothing. We are the
students; we live by these rules; we
have not supported unitedly the student
body meetings. Will we be united in
an effort to see that these recommenda
tions that the student government and
study body passed will be carried out?
Lucye Norville.
SMOKING
DO YOU SMOKE? Yes
1. Freshmen 20
Sophomores 46
Juniors 17
Seniors 13
Unclassified 6
No Blank
84
50
68
55 1
20
Total
104
277
1
HAVE YOU SMOKED IN
RALEIGH
WHILE YOU HAVE BEEN HERE
AT MEREDITH?
2. Freshmen
18
85
Sophomores
52
47
Juniors
20
61
4
Seniors
14
53
2
Unclassified ..... .
11
15
115
261
6
DO YOUR PARENTS DISAPPROVE
OF YOUR SMOKING?
3. Freshmen .
52
43
T
Sophomores ....
30
63
Juniors .
31
42
10’
Seniors
301/2
361/2
3
Unclassified
14
10
2
1571/2 1941/2
26
‘ One of these “don’t know.”
One “question.”
” One “question.”
DO YOU WANT
SMOKING AT
MEREDITH?
4. Freshmen ...
46
52
4"
Sophomores .
63
27
5’
Juniors
42
41
2’
Seniors
35
34
Unclassified
17
9
1*
203
163
12
One of these “doesn’t matter/^
One of these “immaterial.”
One ‘ question.”
* Not especially.
ALL THINGS CONSIDERED. DO YOU
THINK IT WOULD BE
WISE
TO
ALLOW SMOKING AT MEREDITH’
5. F'reshmen
. 51
48
3’
Sophomores
. 71
24
1’
Juniors ....
49
33
2’
Seniors
37
31
1
Unclassified
18
8
226
144
6
1 “Perhaps.”
* “Wouldn’t matter.’
’ “Uncertain.”
RESULTS OF THE
DANCING POLL
1. Do you dance?
No
Yes
No Answer
Freshmen
75
27
1
Sophomores ....
84
14
Juniors
69
17
Seniors
46
24
No classification
20
4
Total
294
86
1
2. Do you disapprove of dancing?
Freshmen
17
85
1
Sophomores
6
97
Juniors
7
74
Seniors
10
60
No classification
4
21
Total
44 337
1
3. Do your parents disapprove of danc-
mg?
Freshmen
211^*
4"
Sophomores .
9
87
Juniors
151/2*
7214*
2*
Seniors
12
56
1
No classification
4
22
62 314
(Cont.inued on page five)