Humber ^Oj. *"
HIE GRAPEVINE
.^ril 1, 1937
THE HONOR SYSTEM: Tc tlie distre.ss of many of our miscreants, the-
question of an Honor Systme has come up. Eiery "jirpteste* were, voiced
from many quarters at first, but we hope and-believe that the',nhief
opponents of the. System are beginning to’ see their folly. The-
objection most people offer is that we will have to comply to so-many
petty and unimportant rules such as underclassmen drinking coffee at
night in the absence o*f the teacher, or being out of one’s room at
eleven minutes past ten, or keeping one’s radio onMater, than 10:30.
Hell, what of it? Rules are rules and must be obeyed;-they aren’t
made tp be broken.. Besides,' if we really have -an Konoj* System, many
of these ;seeraihgly^ unimportant rules will be - abolished and we will
be permitted to use our own discretion concerning most of them.
Perhaps we of this class will not see the abolition of these lesser
bones of contention, but. we feel, confident that if we: hplp the Honor
System to a,successful beginning, next year is'bound to bring more
and more freedom to the girls. . .. .
’’■.Veil”, I am ashamed to repeat it, say some of the Seniors,
’’iiVhat do we get out of it? It v/ill only mean tightening the screws
of discipline for us with no hope of a blissful future of liberty.”
•' yJhy shouldn’t we endure a month or two of hardship, if you would call
it so, vdien the good of the future is at stake? Some of us may have
sisters or relatives coming up here whom we would like to see more
blessed than we, unless we 'are of jealous natures. We can’t wait
till next year’ to start it, to try It; if we are to have an Honor
System at, all, it must be an efficient, smooth-working one \diich can
be handed over to the girls of next year as a precious chapter of
trust and freedom'.
”0h very well," is the reply, "but what of smoking? You know-'
no Honor System .can possibly work until smoking is.permitted here."
We-can’t even consider that, .All of J-ou knpw some older person whom
you love, or respect who is violently opposed to it. To them, it is
a moral issue, and if it were, permitted at-Sainh Hary’s then. the. end
of the world might Just as, well come, *.bout that, we can do nothing
at present anyway, , But what^we can do is show our,own - strength of
will in abstaining from cigarettes here at school,. It is dangerous,
and you know it,. Nobody but a. fool or a madman, vihats to burn pp the
school and everyone in it. If you smoke, you.will.just have to be
content' to wait till y6u go out with friends. Heaven loiows, every
one gets out enough. Think of the Sunday slips piled up on Hiss
Davis’ table, , . . .. • - - .
To those vdio .still say,”Ch, It. won't work! It couldn’t," but
grurablingly agree to abide 'by it, let me paint in. glowing colors the
picture of Saint Mary’s to be; Absolutely'no supervision by the
teachers at any time, absolute trust in one another, absolute depend
ability, rules wherewith one can use one’s own discretion. Absolute
honor and almost total'freedom will belong to the Utopian Saint Mary’s
of the future. , , .
Specious reasoning? Perhaps, But if you will examine the
premises carefully, then donsider the conclusiap, you cannot fail to
see hov; logical they a'll. are. If you refuse to be converted, then
we condemn you as being grossly dumb or monstrously selfish. You
brand yourself as a weakling who does not feel she has strength of
character to’ abide by a' few little rules. Consider the Honor System
in the illumining Light of the Future, we beseech you, be convinced
of its worth, and, show the. whole, world your ability to put it over.
r.S. Only twenty-sj-x girls refused to 'cooperate and they said
they would not report people* If they abide by it and everybody else
does too, 'there will be ho'need for it. The Honor System, can’t faill
At 11 o’clock Easter Service, the new marshals--lo Pope, Patsy Jones,
Ann Shook, Vuin Dawson, and Mh'ry Jane Yoatman, solemn and trembling,
led the Ohapel lines in for the firet time, Cn their faces you
could‘-read what was going on inside them; they were trying , to be
■ grave and not look like they v;ere going to be sacrificed at the altar;
they tried to be pleasant, and not have a broad grin spread all -over
their faces. In spite of their fears, all ’cent .we]l, and we wish
for the marshals a continued success.
’'Tiat is t- responsible for the sv/eet dreaics of so many girls, on 2nd
floor Heat Wing? Surely nobody spilt any perfume.
’.’/hat prep recently cleaned her room for the first time since September?
The reason, so wo are told, vreis because the roommate went on a strike.