Motto: “SAIL ON, SALEM” Vol. IV Winston-Salem, N. C., November 10, 1923 No. 9 ANNUAL HAT BURNING ON COLLEGE CAMPUS FRIDAY NIGHT SENIORS RECEIVE CAPS AND GOWNS FROM DR. RONDTHALER Seniors Receive Caps and Gowns from Dr. Rondthaler. The life of a senior is filled with important events, events made im pressive by their own significance and by the significance of any time honored custom. Senior hat burn ing is a quaint custom, but it is a ceremony which is loved and antici pated by every senior and one re membered fondly by every alumna. On this day every full-fledged senior is recognized, all her dignity be stowed on her. The cap and gown is worn with a new feeling because for the first time it has really been recognized and the true meaning olficially proclaimed. The hat burning held Friday night at Salem College was unusu ally original and attractive. The beautiful Salem campus, well illum ined, always presents a stage set ting of unusual charm. At one side, marking the entrance, was a white gate with the words, “Court of Knowledge,” written in gold above it. Miss Dorothy Dorough, of the Sophomore class, in white armor and carrying a shield and spear, guarded the gate and allowed no unworthy one to pass its portals. Three bonfires, two representing Freshman and Junior years with the center one for Sopho more and Senior year, cast dancing sliadows. Miss Edith Hunt, president of the Senior class, knocked loudly at the sacred portal and begged admission. Behind her stood the expectant Senior class, dressed in white and with the college emblems, a green bow, denot ing the Freshman year, a book for the Sophomore, a red heart for the Junior and a white paper hat, Senior symbol, to be cast aside if one proved worthy in the Court of Knowledge. The guard sternly questioned the ap plicant and bade her be gone until she proved worthy. Miss Hunt called forth four spirits, Diligence, Miss Mil dred Conrad; Ambition, Miss Helen Mitchell; Experience, Miss Inez Gold; and Responsibility, Miss Margaret Harris, representative of the four col lege years. Diligence led the class to the Freshman fire where they solemn ly cast aside their green bows and each spirit in turn divested the class • of their symbols, the book, the heart, and last, the hat. 1 Again, admission was begged and this time the worthiness of the ap plicants was well proven. “Enter with all joy!” the guardian cried, and in eager haste the white clad Seniors, each -accompanied by a sister class mate, a Sophomore, entered the sacred portals into the Court of -Ktowledgel where the king, Dr. Howard Rondthaler, reigned in ma jestic splendor with true kingly dig nity. Dr. Rondthaler presented each Senior with her cap and robe, a mark of distinction in any kingdom. After this impressive ceremony. Dr. Rond thaler addressed the Seniors and the audience, telling them in well chosen words the honor and significance of this time honored custom. Following the address, the Senior class sang the “Robing Song”, composed by Miss Margaret Hagan, an alumna of the college. The impressive exercises were closed with the Alma Mater by the entire company gathered there. The black robes and caps of the Seniors over their w'hite dresses, the flicker ing shadows of the ebbing fires, the beauty of majestic trees, painted an indelible picture on the minds of all. Prior to the services the members of the Senior class were honor guests at dinner. All the Seniors were seat ed at one long table. Little Miss Mar garet Vardell, class mascot, led the singing in the dining room. The Senior class officials are: Miss Edith Hunt, president; Miss Elizabeth Strowd, 1st vice-president; Miss Mary Pfohl, second vice-president; Miss Emily Moye, secretary, and Miss Pauline Wolff, treasurer. The Journal. SALEM COLLEGE RECEIVES AT TEA WEDNESDAY AFTERNOOfi Last Wednesday afternoon, at 4:30 Salem College entertained at tea the delegates to the state convention of the National Congress of Mothers and Parent-Teacher Association which met in Winston-Salem this week. The guests w'ere met on the portico by forty freshmen who acted as guides through Main Building and the Alice Clewell Building. The lobby of Main Hall was decorated with chrysanthe mums and ferns. In the receiving line in Main Hall, were: Mrs. Arther C. Watkins of Washington, executive sec retary of the National organization; Mrs. J. Frank Spniill, State President; Mrs. T. W. Davis, chairman of the en tertainment committee; Miss Lula Stipe, Dean of women of the College; Miss Minnie Smith and Miss Lucy Desha, representatives of the College faculty. Among the others assisting in the entertaining were: Misses Char lotte Jackson, Ruth Du,ncan, Helen Hall, Eleanor Chase and Kate Smith. Miss Bessie Leftwich was hostess in the library where the members of the Home Economics class served de licious .sandwiches, coffee, mints, and salted peanuts. From the library the students conducted the guests through the Alice Clewell Memorial building in the reception hall of which were ar ranged chrysanthemums and ferns. MR. LONG ADDRESSES HISTORY CLUB ON SUBJECT OF POLAND The regular monthly meeting of the History Club was held Thursday night in the living room of the Alice Clewell building. Mr. Harry Long, a Y. W. C. A. worker in Poland during the war, gave a splendid lecture on the history of this country, of which Americans are usually ignorant, and of the present day conditions. Germany has for many centuries played an important part in Polish history. It was because of her en croachments upon the western boun dary of the Slavic nation that Bolislar I was able to unite the many clans and attempt to force Germany to retreat. Casmir I became ruler in 1234 after many weak kings had been on the throne. Though he was a good ruler he greatly wronged Poland by en couraging the growth of a middle class composed chiefly of German Jews who soon obtained a financial hold upon Poland. Soon after this, Poland and Li thuania W’ere united into one large nation by the marriage of the rulers. Poland would now have progressed rapidly but for the appearance of the Teutonic Knight. Then came the in vasion of the Tartars in the thirteenth century. This horde of barbarians had swept from the extreme east and had now almost reached the heart of Europe. Many of the Slavs of today are of the Tartar type which is sim ilar to the Chines.e. During the fif teenth and sixteenth centuries there were constant wars. The Cossacks or farmers becoming dissatisfied with the gentry revolted and overran the southern part of Poland. Because of the interference of the Russian Czar to whom the Cossacks claimed they owed allegiance, peace was finally de clared. The Swedes then descended upon Poland and conquered everything except Czenstowa, a town in the southwestern part. This city is today the mecca of all Polish pilgrimages because story tells that “The Black Madonna”, whose picture is in one of the galleries, brought divine aid. In the eighteenth century the democratic ideas that were spreading throughout the world reached Poland. Kosciu- szko and othei* Poles' had aided America in her struggle against Eng land; the French Bourbons had been dethroned and the mob was in power. Poland also thought of liberty. She had a constitution and a diet but these were gradually overthrown be cause of outside interference. Valiant attempts were made to withstaind these three autocratic nations, which were her neighbors—Austria, Prussia, and Russia, but in the end they were victorious and Poland was portioned. Continued on page four MRS. KATE JOHNSON SPEAKS ON SUBJECT OF PUBLIC WELFARE Makes Appeal to Students. The Wednesday chapel service of this week was unusually enjoyable on account of the musical program and the interesting and inspiring address of Mrs. Kate Burr Johnson, State Commissioner of Public Welfare. The girls of the Glee Club under the di rection of Miss Desha sang the Te Deum. Dr. Rondthaler then introduced Mrs. Johnson, saying that she was the first woman to be intrusted with the administration of state charity. Dr. Rondthaler spoke of the signifi cance of her work that translates the kindliness and affection of a state into acts of service to helpless people of all classes wherever found within its borders. Mrs. Johnson in response to Dr. Rondthaler’s welcome said she was al ways glad to present the work of North Carolina in aiding its helpless people, and she was especially glad to speak in Winston-Salem where her public career began. Mrs. Johnson said she always dated her entrance into public life from the day that she got up and made a motion at the meeting of the Woman’s Club in Win ston-Salem. She said she was so hor rified at her own temerity that she had a nervous chill. She recovered and found no harm had been done so she has been moving things ever since and, as we know, she has been moving them in the right direction. Mrs. Johnson said that the ac tivities of the Public Welfare Com mittee of which she is commissioner, are carried out by five different bu reaus. The one that did the most in teresting and most helpful work was the Bureau of Child Welfare because it is immeasurably better to prevent mistakes of children than to try to remedy the mistakes of adults—a dif ficult task and one of doubtful out come. The Bureau of Child Welfare in this state has three distinct responsibili ties: the supervision of all care-taking institutions for children, the adminis tration of Mothers Aid, and the care and treatment of crippled children. By ruling of the state legislature poor widows and women deprived of the support from their husbands are given financial aid in rearing-their children. There are always more ap plications than the bureau is able to answer. One man wrote that he had one arm, one leg, and three children, and needed help; The bureau was compelled to refuse' his-request, but he wrote ag^aih^this time to intjuire if they knew a good woman who Continued bn' page three