October 24, 1952 THE TWIG Page three Adventure and Exeitement Characterize Trip to England Any topics discussable may be discussed here, and you can By MARJORIE BLANKEN SHIP Last summer many Meredith I girls were reminded of the never know what will crop up friendship and interest the fac- in this corner. Everyone is set- ulty has for them when they re tied into a something that is ceived postcards from the three callpd routine and the campus Meredith teachers who were whirligig is whirling. My brain traveling in England, Miss was wmrling the other night—Lvlary Lynch Johnson, head of I suppose you’ve run into this the English department; Miss problem, too. In an earnest at- Norma Kose, Professor of Eng- tempt to make some sense out of iish; and Miss Leslie Syron, some confusing scenes of Shake- Professor in sociology. The speare, I read and re-read while postcards contained enough for my industrious roommate under- eign flavor to transplant took the task of assisting two *Vieredith girl’s mind for a few music education students. Here’s minutes to the land of Dover a sample of the composite my cliffs, towering spires, ruins of brain formed from the prattle | medieval castles, and charming and print: “Now what news?” “What flat is after G?” “Barbara, where are you?” The muffled voice of my suite- mate came back, “In the closet.’ At this point the hall door opened, admitting the head ol Lib, who airly remarked, “Sh I’m in love!” and withdrew again Chesire cat fashion. The con versation resumed. “How do you spell browsing?” “No ‘z’.” country villages. When the faculty members, together with Miss lone Knight of Chapel Hill, embarked on an Irish freighter that carried Mem first to Nova Scotia and Men on to Dublin, Ireland, they oegan an 88-day adventure that ;arried them over a great part of Ireland, England, Shd Scot land. When most of us think of traveling abroad, we think of it in terms of a pleasant — but “She^ gave us sixteen of the expensive — dream. However, things.” ;he faculty members disproved I don’t think there are that | chese former ideas of traveling abroad with the accounts of T . 1 , 1 , j i. ou 1 I their own economical trip. soLS^lMin"^ ^fljSr^^llte King h’^®'’^ baggage consisted only of Richard! being iSected. died.'®l““ '=“8 apiece, “See there? She’s got ’em too!” T want a coke when some body goes for ’em.” many. [Because they were “traveling on a shoestring,” they hiked much of the time and were thus able to see much of the natural, unspoiled beauty of the English ‘A flat minor. One, two, and countryside that escapes most a half.” “G. I got it.” “Well, are there seven flats in the minors?” tourists. Many of the nights were spent in youth hostels and with Lnglish countryfolk. “That is except for one twist UA j V. n i+iof fate Mat added immeasur- “And you shall say indeed it Uiy ^ our summer,” Miss Rose he time . • • added quickly. “We were pasa We talked about seances Lng through the small country history today lets have one. gf Somerset on our way I looked up, gravely an- see a fifteenth century nouncing, “Got to get this king church at Stogursey. The day killed.” was hot, and having eaten our My roommate announced, standard lunch of bread, cheese Got to write a letter.” and tomatoes, we wanted to Then the seance-instigator stop for tea. As we passed down agreed ’“Oh, well, we don’t have the street a woman stuck her a card’table anyway.” bead out of a window and in- This ended one of many epi- vited us in for tea. • This, in it sodes in the study life of 221 self, was amazing, but there Yagn. yet a greater surprise. We When and if you are con- had not been there ten minutes fronted with such a situation, before our hostess, who had re grin and bear it. It really is fun. ceived her Ph.D. from Heidel- A serious note: Busy signs berg University in Germany, aren’t used frequently, so please offered us the keys to her win- respect them when they are. ter home in Hampstead Heath La solon de Senoritas Swan- in London. We all agreed that zey Wells has come out of any suppositions we had heard mourning. Chaunticleer, their about the English people’s parakeet, died, but now that being cold and unfriendly were time has lessened their sorrow, certainly squelched by this in they are planning to get a new cident.” bird. His name will be Phoenix, They had no set schedule, but in order that he may be eternal, rather chose to travel at will. As I flendishly scribbled mar- Sometime these excursions led ginal notes beside passages of them to well-known tourist Henry IV, I came across several spots such as Stratford, Dick lines which I’m sure Shake- gns’ home in London, and Saint speare intended to be lifted Martin’s church in Canterbury, from his ponderous volumes and Other times they traveled placed in The Twig as a per- through little villages made sonal word to you. Here’s one: famous in the poetry of Words- The happiest youth, receiv- Lvorth and Coleridge that re- ing his, progress through, | mained untainted by the last What perils past, what crosses to ensue. Would shut the book and sit collection of poems that will him down and die.” deflnitely appeal to you. I’ve I can see him now grinning | included a sample for proof: through his goatee, (or what ever it is) and chortling to him- few centuries. In these rem nants of a past era in England, many of the peasants cottages with their thatched roofs and brilliant beds of tuberous be gonia resembleR those printed on our childhood picture puzzles. Most these villages equalled the quaint charm of Clovelly, a town that allowed no vehicles and employed donkeys to carry wares up and down the steep, narrow cobblestone street. “Standing on the terrace at Windsor castle and looking across at the spires of Eton ris ing near the river Thames was one of our most impressive memories,” Miss Syron recalled. Because some of Eton was bombed by Germans aiming, no doubt, at Windsor Castle, the contrast of the old and the new brick is quite interesting. Al though Eton was not in session, we did receive an insight into the school boy’s life at Winches ter. There, the boys living on campus are required to wear black academic gowns. The other students living in the Master’s Houses wear straw hats with ribbons differentiat ing the class standing. We saw the dining hall just as the square, scrubbed boards were being placed in preparation for the evening meal.” When asked about Oxford and Cambridge, Miss Syron an swered that Cambridge, because of the quiet calm and the small town surrounding it impressed her much more. “Oxford was somewhat of a disappoint ment,” she said. “The busy town of 40,000 people intrudes on the peace of Oxford, the university is made up of many separate colleges, it is necessary to pass through heavy traffic before entering the seclusion of another cam pus.” The tour held personal high lights for each in the party. For Miss Johnson, one of these high lights was renewing a friend ship with Mrs. Thompson, the housekeeper of James Barrie’s home in Kirriemuir, Scotland. Miss Johnson particularly en joyed the trip down to Land’s End, the southwestern point of England. The beautiful area, which develops into England’s majestic white cliffs, is rich with the folklore and legend of King Arthur. Another highlight of the trip for Miss Johnson was visiting Saint Martin’s Church in Canterbury, which contains many Roman bricks, and the shrine of Thomas aBeckett. For Miss Syron, one of the most beneficial points of the T H E R E 5 117c IN THE AIR m By BETTY MILLER Music is in full swing now. From 7:30 in the morning until 10:00 at night, you can hear pianos and voices competing— with the organ coming out on top every time. The tea which Sigma Alpha Iota gave the new students turned out very nicely. The stu dents who couldn’t come really missed some delicious punch. We asked Mr. Pratt to help us wash the dishes afterwards. He said he would if we’d go teach his piano lesson. When we agreed to teach it, he backed down very quickly, though. Here’s a definition I read in the Instrumentalist which you might try on Miss Weyer: Opera: Where a man gets stabbed in the back, and instead of bleeding, he sings. The MacDowell Music Club, under the leadership of Estelle Waller and Mr. Pratt, has be come affiliated with the Music Teacher’s National Association as a student chapter. This is probably the only chapter in North Carolina. Miss Axworthy made the recommendation last Wednesday night at the monthly club meeting that they join, and everyone voted to accept it. After the business, those present were treated to a half-hour of Debussy’s music. Those of you who weren’t there, come and join with me next month. Saturday night the Albeneri Trio opened the chamber music series for the year. This Trio is supposed to capture every audience by a perfect perform ance. According to a folder issued by the Raleigh Chamber Music Guild, even people who consider Chamber Music high brow and esoteric will like this trio. By the time this issue comes out, we’ll know whether to agree with the folder or not. The next group in this series is the Alden Quartet, which is scheduled for November 8. May be the Albeneri Trio will have made you like Chamber Music so much that you’ll be at the Alden Quartet. Who knows. . . . trip was the visit in London to Toynbee Hall, the oldest settle ment house in the world and the forerunner of America’s Hull House. “Although my field is sociol ogy > I gained a great deal of knowledge of English literature by traveling with the three English teachers,” Miss Syron laughed. “I was not in favor, however, of their poetic desire to see the sunrise on the Thames when I heard that the appointed hour for getting up was four o’clock. However it was well worth it when we saw a regi ment of colorful guards pass along the embankment. An other unique experience we had an hour later that morning was visiting Covent Garden, a Lon don market, already bustling with trade for flowers, fruits, and vegetables.” Miss Syron’s interest in sociology also pre vailed in Winchester. “While the othgrs were busy admiring the spires of Eton from Wind sor Castle, I was trying to fig ure out where the Mudlark FORMER STUDENT SPEAKS AT BUSINESS CLUB MEET The Tomorrow’s Business Women had a successful meeting this month with Miss Barbara Todd, a recent Meredith grad uate, as the speaker. Miss Todd entertained the group with her talk on the enjoyment and the advantages of being a business major. Helpful advice about getting along in the office was given the students. June Eller, club president, recognized Miss Nellie Ellison as the new sponsor for the organization. Edith Bradley, program chairman, served cokes and cookies during the informal discussion which followed Miss Todd’s talk. All business students departed with anticipation for the beginning of their business careers. could have entered the forbid ding chambers of Queen Vic toria.” Miss Syron was also in terested in the Roman light house, Pharos, which is located (Continued on page four) self, “And if they don’t believe | it, wait till exam time.’' Have you heard anyone men tion Dorothy Parker’s book. Not I So Deep As A Well? It’s a riot, and it’s good to read at odd times during the day. It is a' Resume Razors pain you; Rivers are damp; Acids stain you; And drugs cause cramp. Guns aren’t lawful; Nooses give; Gas smells awful; You might as well Live. Home Ec. Club Enjoys Weiner Roast The special emphasis of the Home Economics Club this year is to be on the home. With the motto, “Foundation of Stone,” the club plans to think of the various aspects of family life which make the home a real “Foundation of Stone.” For the month of October, the theme has been family social life. In keep ing with the idea of “Hearth Fires,” the first meeting was held at the chinmey on October 3. Laying aside all the cares of the day, the members donned their jeans to roast weiners over the open Are and to enjoy potato chips, slaw, doughnuts, and tea. As darkness began coming on, everyone gathered around the Are in true family fashion to sing together some old song favorites. FRESHMEN SEE RAY OF HOPE THROUGH MAZE OF TESTS • o By BETTY HOCKADAY “What is it with these tests?” A slang expression, yes, but so typical of what is constantly uttered around Stringfield and Third Vann these days. Now that we freshman have been completely orientated into the Meredith way of life, we are discovering that tests, unfor tunately, form a very definite part of it. Needless to say, we had the first round of the dreaded “brain busters” last week. No matter where you were on campus, you must have seen a biology book with a worried ex pression behind it, or religion notes popping out wherever two or more freshmen were to gether. And let’s not forget history! “Were Sophocles and Socrates the same person?” seemed to be a favorite cry, coupled with the usual blank expression. The halls were echoing, also, from the practicing feet of the folk dance students It’s safe to say, I think, that any Spaniard, Frenchman, or Ger man would have shuddered at the treatment given to his lan guage during this time, but we believe that practice sometimes makes perfect. If the music stu dents still have that dazed look in their eyes, it’s only because triads have proven a little too much for them. Now about English and math. ... I think most freshmen would say, “Let’s not go into that!” and you cer tainly couldn’t blame us. You just try writing a few thousand English themes and algebra problems a week, along with an occasional test, and I dare you to say that you still get eight hours of sleep. In spite of all the frightful nightmares we’ve had concern ing big red “F’s” most of us freshmen are beginning to see a ray of hope. There are seniors at Meredith, we’ve discovered, so we know there’s a chance for [us.