North Carolina Newspapers

Talent Wanted—^Reporters,, Columnists, Feature Writers. See Maroon and Gold Editor MAROON AND GOLD For Maroon and Gold’s Season’s Greetings— See Editorial, Page 2 VOLUME 28 ELON COLLEGER N. C., FRIDAY, DECEMBER 10, 1948 NUMBER 6 Mustachioed Ed Nash, as Detective Rough, soothes fngniened Jeanne Parks, “Gas Light’s” Mrs. Manningham. Librarian Announces Books About South On Display Players To Present Mystery Drama IRC Delegations Visit Conferences In Raleigh, G'boro Three Elon College students, members of the campus IRC, last week traveled to Raleigh to at tend the Ninth Annual Student Conference, sponsored by the American Friends Service Com mittee of the North Carolina Council of Churches, Meetings were held at St. Augustine’s Col lege. The students are Baxter Twjd- dy, IRC president, Marshall Mace nad Miss Doris White. They were accompanied by Mrs. D. J. Bow den. The theme for the conference was, “The Christian Answer to Commifnism.” Talks were made by the Rev. Carl Key, Samuel uel R. Levering, Quaker peace leader from Virginia, and the Rev. John M. Swomley, Methodist minister. An on-campus IRC meeting, held last Monday night, featured a discussion whose topic v.'as ■“China: Which Way?” Leading the discussion was Henry Wentz, asisted by Herman Smitli. Next Monday, Dec. 13, an IRC delegation from Elon will travel to Greensboro to meet with the IRC chapter of Greensboro Col lege. A panel of two students from each club will participate in a discussion entitled, “Should the U. S. Give Military Aid to Na tionalist China.” A challenge and appeal to all students to read the books on the South whch will be placed on a special table in the library was issued this week by Mrs. Oma U. Johnson, librarian. Mrs. Johnson, in referring to these books, mentioned the Sept. issue of “The Southern Packet,” a monthly review of books pub lished by the Park Memorial Li brary of Asheville, N. C., and list ing in a recent issue, all the best books published about the South. These books consist of poetry, drama, biography, economic and cultural studies^, history, travel and description, the folk tradi tion, and negro culture. Of the 96 books listed in the re view, the library has approxi mately 41 and have ordered 16 others, Mrs. Johnson says. Tliese books, written by both Northern adn Southern authors, will be placed on a table in the library where they will be easily accessi ble to all students interested in the facts, about the South and public opinion regarding it. Along this same line Mrs. John son said the last Sunday’s “News and Observer” contained in its book review section an article on a new book, “Development of the Southern Sectionalism 1819-1948” by Dr. Charles Sydnor of Duke University. In his book Dr. Syd nor attempts to remove section alism from the United States and gives many interesting and im portant facts about the South. This book will also be obtained by the library as soon as possible. Students Will Fete Orphans At Xmas Party “The best day of all” for 72 chil dren at the Christian Orphanage will be Friday, Dec. 17, when Al pha Pi Beta fraternity and the stu dent body sponsor for the second time a Christmas party in Whit ley auditorium at 7 p. m. Alpha Pi initiated the party last year. It was such a success that the frateirnity hopes to make it an annual event, according to Bob Bowers. At the party the eight fraterni ties and sororities on the campus present two bicycles—one to the most deserving boy and the other to the most deserving girl at the orphanage. Selection is made by orphanage officials. Students, faculty, and various campus clubs made last year’s par ty a success. Each child’s name was drawn from a box placed in the bookstore and the child was presented with a gift. This year the names were • all taken two weeks before the party. Gifts, piled hig!i under a huge Christmas tree, are distributed by Santa Claus himself to the ex cited youngsters. Screams and giggles of joy are heard when a football or a crib complete with doll is unwrapped. Refreshments are pased out by members of Alpha Pi after the gifts and bicycles are presented. The student body and public are invited to attend the Christ mas party. Mooney Chapel over flowed with spectators last year, necessitating the use of Whitley this year. Stage Crews Who Reap Small Glory Necessary To Success On Stage By BOB WRIGHT When the curtain rises on the Elon Players’ production of “Gas Light” next week, you will see a cast of only five characters per forming on the stage. On the ba sis of their performances you will judge whether or not you enjoy the play. To many people the players are the whole production. However, before these five acl- ors can enact their role's, it is nec essary for many people to work many hours to give them a setting in which to perform. The first impression an audi ence has of a play is the view of the set which is revealed when the curtain rises. That impres sion is most important. The set seen by the audiehce is tiie re sult of careful planning, atten tion to details and a great deal ot work. Mrs. Elizabeth Smith, director of the Players, in practically ev ery instance has to re-design the setting of the play selected for production to make it conform to the limitations of the stage in Whitley Auditorium. There is an ever-present concert grand piano about which each set must be built. The right color must be select ed for the flats, because color is most important to the mood the play seeks to create. The various appointments about the setting must be in harmony with the main color. When the time comes to trans fer the set from paper to the stage, work starts in earnest. Car penters, electricians, painters, all are needed before you see the fin ished product. Someone must see that all tile properties needed for the players are on hand and in the proper places. For the past two weeks a large group under the direction of Bill Hopkins and Mrs. Smith have been working hard on the setting for ‘Gas Light.” The flats to be used in this production have been sorted out, they have been painted, repairs have been made, and,.when needed, new flats have been built. Ever since “Gas Light” went into rehearsal a search has been going on for items to dress the stage, and for properties which will be correct in every detail. Those who have been working on the “Gas Light” set are: Rob ert Walker, Delores Willis, Lou Tuck, Nash Parker, Jane Huff man. Jackie Wentz, Ray Johnson, Billie Greene, Tony Ferrar, and Stage Manager, Bill Hopkins, When the final curtain rings dov.n, these people will not be be hind the footlights receiving ap plause. They will probably be gathering up properties, return ing the make-up to order, making plans to “strike” the set, or, the more fortunate may be in the au dience participating in the ap plause. When the house lights dim, and the footlights come up; when the curtain rises, and you settle in your seat for an interlude in the never-never land which the the ater creates, do not take for granted the setting in which the actors perform. It represents a great deal of time and effort. Elon Drama Fraternity Now Eligible For Nationol Rank Mrs. Elizabeth R. Smith, direc tor of the Elon Players, has re ceived word that the Elon College chapter of Delta Psi Omega is now eligible for advancement to mem bership in Alpha Psi Omega, na tional honorary dramatic frater nity for accredited colleges and universities having active dra matics organizations. Commerce Club Holds Xmas Party Tonight In Society Hall Tonight at 8 o’clock the Com merce Qub is having a party in Society Hall, and plans call for a loading of the Christmas tree with gifts for the Orphanage chil dren and electing a “Snow Queen” from the department of business administration, according to an announcement coming from Wil liam P. Wilkins, president of the club. The Commerce Club began its year’s activities wTth a party sev eral weeks ago. Last week it brought to the campus a popular speaker, Charles Stone, of the Burlington TUmled States Employment Ser vice Office. Mr. Stone spoke on job opi>ortunities today, the ser vices his office is prepared to of fer to college people, and the ad vantages of college training in the business world. With the cooperation of the club, Wilkins says, Mr. Stone will soon offer on the campus a testing program designed to determine abilities of students to hold cer tain types of jobs. Later in the year there are to be field trips into industry, visits by speakers and other social events. Membership in the club at pres ent is about 50, according to Wil- kms. Any student is welcome to join. Other officers of the club are: Ireland Upchurch, vice-president: Marjorie iJrinkley, secretary; Dal ton Harper, treasurer; and James Widenhouse, parliamentarian. UNC Chancellor Decries Educators' Attitudes Chapel Hill, N. C. — (I.P.) — Taking as his thesis that “some college values are caught and not taught,” Chancellor Robert B. House is of the belief that good i teachers have something of their personality, beliefs and the gen eral attitude toward the world to give to their students but that in too specialized education tliis gift is lost in the snuffle. The University of North Car olina educator declares “colleges and universities have been indif ferent or timorous about the per sonal culture, the social adjust ment, and the spiritual conviction of teachers. They have frequent ly employed rudderless teachers to guide students. The result is cultural, social and spiritual drift on the part of students. “We are aware of this drift in our colleges and universities and are seeking a remedy in ‘general education,’ a quality we desire in both students and faculty,” he said. “But the approach is too exclusively intellectual. We will not solve the problem until we achieve in addition to stern dis cipline in subject matter a more vital personal enjoyment of cul ture.” Chancellor House stressed that “Great teachers are in relation to great teaching Kleals. If they pur sue the ideals I think they will bring them home to their students both directly and indirectly.” MRS. ELIZABETH SMITH Alpha Psi Omega has 235 chap ters throughout the United States, and is the largest departmental honorary fraternity in the coun try. A few of the other colleges and universities having chapters of Alpha Psi Omega are: Wash ington and Lee, Colgate, Rutgers, Wake Forest, and Lenoir Rhyne. Membership in Elon’s chapter^ of Alpha Psi Omega wiU be based on a system of points given for participation in all phases of the Players’ productions. Mrs. Smith states that several students are already eligible for membership, and that the end of the current season should find Elon College with a sizeable chapter member ship. The annual banquet of the Elon Players will be the occasion at which the' names of eligible stu dents will be announced. Suit able awards to those admitted to the fraternity will accompany the announcement. Christmas Pageant Will Be Given By Music Department The anhual Christmas pageant will be presented by the members of the Elon music department this coming Thursday, December 16, at 7:30 p. m,, in Whitley Auditor ium. The pageant is to be a sequence of several scenes beginning with our modern Christmas and turn ing back the pages of history, to find the Christ Child in the Man ger. The tableau will be enacted by members of the student body and faculty in full costume with au thentic scenery. Music, both modern and anci ent, .will be rendered by the Elon Singers. The songs, in the Christmas theme, will include “Silent Night,” “We Three Kings” and the more contemporary selec tions, “White Christmas,” “Toy- land,” and “Winter Wonderland.” Joining the Singers will be the German, French and Spanish Clubs, who will give renditions of Christmas carols in the respec tive languages. Campus Spanish Club Plays Yule Games Latin Style On Friday night, Dec. 3, a Span ish Club party was held in the basement of Dr. and Mr.s W. W. Sloan’s home. Festivities were planned in keep ing with the Christmas mood. Weiners were toasted over the flames of an open fireplace and washed down with a variety of li quid refreshments. After singing a number of Spanish songs, the group turned their attention to the main fea ture of the evening, the Pinata, a Latin-American version of the Christmas stocking. A Pinata is a large earfnenware vase, usually in the shape of some animal such as the iguana or turtle, painted in vivid colors. Filled with a variety of tidbits, the Pinata was suspended from the ceiling about six feet from the floor. Each member of the party was blindfolded in turn and allowed one or two swings at the Pinata with a stick ■ until it was broken, whereupon all the good ies cascaded to the floor to be pounced upon by the participants. 'Gas Light'To Show Twice, Tues., Wed. The Elon Players will ring up the curtain on “Gas Light,” the second production of their cur rent season, on Tuesday and Wed nesday, Dec. 14 and 15, in Whit ley Auditorium at 8:15 p. m. “Gas Light” is a suspense-filled mystery which kept audiences on edge during its long stay on Broadway and on all of its road tours. It scored another success as a motion picture, starring In grid Bergman and Charles Boyer. In the Players’ production of “Gas Light,” Jeanne Parks will portray the piteous Mrs. Manning ham, who is being driven out of her senses by the ruthless de vices of her husband. Robert Rub- inate will be seen as the suave, sinister Mr. Manningham. Edwin Nash, a favorite of Elon audiences, will play Rough, the detective who unravels the tan gled skein of mystery in the house on Angel Street. It is Rough who discovers why the gas lights go dim after Mr. Manningham leaves for his evening walks. Patricia Sanford, who will be making her first appearance be hind the Elon floodlights, wi>’ play Nancy, the provocative ma. in the Manningham househok who attracts more than casual at tention from Mr.Manningham. Joan TBolwell, cast in another fine character role, will play Eliz abeth, the Manningham’s house keeper. ‘ I' j “Gas Light” will be a distinct change of pace for the Players, and the play is a challenge to the dramatic talents of the cast. Re hearsals have been going smooth ly, and Mrs. Elizabeth Smith, di rector of the Players, states that the Elon Players will present one of their finest productions when the cyrtain goes up on “Gas Light.” The play is a costume drama which has its setting in the Victor ian period. In keeping with the Elon Players’ purpose of present ing the best theatre possible to its audiences, the production is being costumed by a New York costumer. Far from being a new play, “Gas Light” was a revival when it was produced on Broadway as “Angel Street.” It received in stant acclaim from both the critics and the theatre-going public. The Elon Players have chosen to pro duce this psychological mystery drama under its original name. Chicago U. Pre:xy Soys Student Criticism Needed Chicago, III. —(I.P.)— College professors should take a stand on subjects in fields like political science, “a stand which they can reasonably defend,” and “the uni versity itself should stand for something,” declared Dr. Ernest C. Colwell, president of the Uni versity of Chicago, in a recent criticism of “the limitations in education.” He added, however, that what professors and universities stand for should be open to challenge and debate by the students. Dr. Colwell also called atten tion to the sophisticated “don’t give a damn” attitude of many colleges and university students of the past several decades. He said this is in good measure the fault of the colleges and universi ties. It must be overcome if the United States is to assume posi tive leadership in world affairs. - ^ •‘"A fl'^1 -SW* Ai Patricia Sanford, as Nancy, the Mannlngahms’ maid, finds herself attractive to Robert Rubinate, the sinister Mr. Manningham.