THE BELLES OF ST. MARY’S
November 12,1954
I '■'
Editorials
School Spirit Isa Complex Term;
Once the Meaning Is Grasped, It’s Simple
Does it matter to you if our campus is trashy?
Do you care whether or not the Sigma’s or Mu’s win their contests?
Do you support school dances?
Do you take pride in reading or helping to publish your school pub
lications?
Are you conservative about spreading your gripes oif campus?
Do you participate wholeheartedly in extra-curricular activities?
In other words, do you have sdiool spirit ?
_ A direct, personal approach is used here simply because the subject
IS a direct, personal subject. You and only you can bring about school
spiiit. Quite frankly, school spirit is hard to define, for it’s a kind of
abstract thing; yet we can feel it, hear it, and see it. In fact, the reign
of this spirit is the most noticeable attribute a school can offer. Possess-
ing and sliowing school spirit adds far more to the beauty and reputation
of a school than having a luxuriously furnished parlor and hallway does.
Any furniture manufacturer can make our surface appearance good, but
only a very special manufacturer can produce that quality that gives our
underneath appearance the warmth, the appeal, and the dignity a school
such as St. Mary’s deserves.
Ilie aspects of participation and self-sacrifice that constitute school
spirit are delicate when being undertaken, but once achieved, they be
come the firm foundations on which St. Mary’s may rest. These aspects
are ])resented to us daily in various forms.
Shall I go to my class meeting or go smoke a cigarette?
Shall I go to the YRC meeting or go to the little store?
Shall I write my article for a publication now or wait until one of the
editors comes after me?
A^either do these inquiries stop on the first question. Suppose you do
decide to take the former action. To what extent are you going to give
of yourself ? Some people feel that they are doing their duty by merely
attending meetings, etc., or by simply writing their assignments. Ho,
indeed, that’s only the beginning! School spirit requires willingness to
attend, then interest enough to act, determination enough to attain the
very highest goal in the particular field, and above all pride in what
you’re doing.
St. Mary’s is not the faculty’s school or Dr. Stone’s school; it’s ours.
It will be what we make it. The job of maintaining the high ideals
St. Mary’s has stood for and has exemplified in her past is' a big one. We
are equal to the task, but are we equal to the challenge the task offers ? In
preparing assignments, in upholding the Honor Code, in keeping the
rules of the Hall Council, school spirit is the key that will open for us all
doors of opportunity and worth.
M. G.
Belles Implores Students to Abandon
Barbaric Behavior During Concerts
dust between us girls . . . It’s funny how girls of our sojdiistication
and maturity so willingly subject themselves to criticism and ridicule
as children or juveniles. The fact has been known for centuries upon
centuries that women glory in making favorable impressions, that they
naturally prefer to maintain a secret air of superiority. Well, if we’ll
all admit these feminine motives, how come we continue to allow our
selves to be associated with the dirisioii over bad conduct at civic music
concerts i Where is our j)ride i
Xo sight could be more hypocritical than a grou]) of well-dressed,
demure, cultured-looking girls who, under cover of darkness, assume
the behavior of barbarians. I’o ])eople who go to civic music concerts
to hear and enioy the program, we appear as uncivilized as any cannibal
who ever licked his chops. The discouraging part is that the people who
notice ill-manners once remember them time and time again. One quick
impression lasts forever.
1 his Tuesday night St. Mary’s is confident that each of her girls will
undertake to abolish once and for all, all causes for future criticism
from public, faculty or student sources who think St. f^klai-y’s girls are
ill-behaved. ' M. G.
Late Library Rules, Demerits Appall Students
Belles feels that it would have been much fairer if the librarians had
confronted the students with the new library rules at the beginning of
the term instead of eight weeks later.
The students tremble at the thought that the desire to hold authority
to issue demerits (as set forth in item one of the library rules on page 1)
may become contagious among the faculty.
The library has obviously progressed in everv aspect in iiast years
Avithout the use of demerits. WHY HAVE THEM XOW?
A. X.
''Weehends-That^Are^Not^Week^ends^^
Editorial Gains Student Praise
Dear BELLES,
I wholeheartedly approve of the
editorial printed in the last issue of
Belles. I have heard some misinter
pretations of the point the article
was trying to convey. Obviously,
the readers who believed the goal of
the students is to get unlimited
week-ends missed the point of the
article. The editorial merely advo
cated discretion and reasonable
clemency on the part of the teachers
in assigning papers and very-lengthy
assignments for Saturday or Mon
day so that students taking a week
end, an e\?ent which occurs only
twice a year, can get enough rest
before they leave to enjoy the week
end. Last week-end I spent twelve
hours preparing work for one class
on Saturday. This meant that I
had to scrimp on the time allotted to
the other subjects.
Is it so unreasonable to implore
our faculty to make heavy assign-
rnents so that they are due some
time during the middle of the week ?
Or, if teachers prefer a Saturday
deadline, the solution to our prob
lem I’ests in the act of merely assign
ing the papers more than two days
ahead of the deadline. I have heard
many a student cancel a week-end
engagement because of one of these
sudden assignments. I make a per
sonal plea, which is substantiated by
the general opinion of the student
body, to please give time-consuming,
grade-influencing assignments so
that they are due Tuesday, Wednes
day, Thursday, or Friday or give
them far enough in advance to allow
for adequate preparation.
A Senior
Dear BELLES editor,
I sincerely approve of the edi
torial that came out in the last issue
of the Belles. If the faculty would
only realize that it is not more week
ends that the students want, but not
as much homework to hand in for
Saturday, the students would be
eternally grateful.
Last week it took me ten hours to
prepare my work for one subject.
Therefore, I did not have time to
prepare my other lessons for Satur
day. Please, teachers, have a little
mercy on the girls who take one of
their very few week-ends and want
to enjoy it instead of having to think
about all the work they have to do
before they leave on Friday and
after they return on Sunday."
A Student
Slump vs Up-Straight
Little Miss Slump
Sat all in a hump
In a heap that looked only so high.
Xo one could see her.
Much less want to be her
As she cried, “What a wall flower
am I!”
Little Miss Up-Straight
Sat looking quite sedate
Holding a lovely bouquet.
Up came Miss Slump
Drooping all in a lump
And frightened Miss Up-Straight
away.
Dear M.G.,
May I commend you on your ex
cellent editorial in the Belles.oi Oc-
' tober 29. I am convinced that youi’
convictions about excessive work
over the week-ends are the senti
ments of the entire student body and
that the improvement of this situa
tion is pertinent to the maintaining
of school spirit, and, in general, a
good attitude.
There is no need for further elabo
ration on the subject, as you hai'C
already covered it thoroughly and
well. But may I say too, that we
are not trying to get out of any
work. It’s just that we students are
still very young, and a little fn"
and relaxation over the week-ends
plays an important part in broaden
ing our educations just as om’
studies do. When we have so muen
work assigned over the week-end, h
is impossible to leave here and, at
the same time, do well on our assign'
merits. If we study all week and
all week-end too, would we not be
come a little stale?
It seems that by your editorial
our problem has aroused the syni'
pathy and understanding of at lea®*
one member of the faculty. It ba‘
been the rule to have our weekv
tests on Saturday mornings. Wb^
the fact that we students were pnob"
ably not doing our best work o’l
r. , , , , q,js
Saturdays was brought out,
faculty member very condescending
ly moved the test from Saturday
a weekday. He even admitted tba
he had not even considered the idn®
that we might do better work
we were not excited over leaving
the week-end or over a big date.
by this example we can hope tba
by the situation being brought t®
light other members of the fac'd I
may do likewise. We would ’
grateful.
Perhaps to some the idea that
do get excited over the week-end
a weak and frivolous excuse,
as I mentioned, we are young,
ill young people such a feeling °^
excitement and anticipation is
man nature. It cannot be s"P
pressed.
Thank you for bringing our P’
lem to light.
A grateful and liopef"^
studeiif-
The Belles
OF ST. MARY’S
Published every two weeks
school year by the student body
St. Mary’s Junior College. pg.
Entered as second class mattei
cember 7, 1944, at Post Office,
X. C., under Act of March 3,
Subscription
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