Member Southern
Published Weekly
Intornationnl Collegiate
by the Student Body
Press .Association
of Salem College
Motto: “SAIL ON, SALEM” 4
Vol. IV.
Win.ston-Salem, N. C., December 1, 1923.
No. 12
DR. ALPHONSO SMITH SPEAKS
IN MEMORIAL HALL ON FRIDAY
Intere.stiiig- Statistics Re^^'ardiiig- State’s Place in
Literary Field
Oh I'riday evening, Xovemher
-■‘5, Dr. C. Alphonso Sinitli, Pro
fessor of Literature in the United
States Naval Academy, and autlior
ol the well-known work, entitled
What ('an Literature Do for Me,”
delivered an address in Memorial
Hall under the auspices of the
North Carolina library Association,
which, during the several days pre
ceding, held it-i annual convention
in Winston-Salem. The subject of
the lecture was, “The ' Most
Ominous Statistic that l-’aces North
Carolina Today.”
^Vs an introduction, Dr. Smith
briefly described the unusually
varied re.'.ources of the state; the
rank of North Carolina, not only
among her Southern neighbors, but
also among all the states that go to
make up the United State
America; and the
any
read-
a neg
s of
eager, energetic
responses her citizens have always
made to any suggestion bv which
■she might better herself
line whatsoever.
In only one ))articular—and that
because she is not /iware of it—is
North Carolina behind the remain
der of the states in any wortliwhile
endeavor. In the eyes of the
ing world, however, she is
ligible factor.
Literature may be classed UTider
t iree lieads: the newspaper, wliicli
corresponds to a single word, and
w lich contains a bare statement of
current happenings; the magazine,
(orresponding to the sentence, the
nrst reaction to and interpretation
*’ facts; and the book, or
nnislukl paragraph, the final inter
pretation by 'some person who has
spent months, or even j'ears, in con
templation of the subject, and
reached a definite conclusion.
North Carolina is singularly be-
lind in the matter oi newspapers,
t here are, in the state, twenty-six
■'lilies, with a circulation of one to
every thirteen persons. The cireula-
tiori average ol newspapers in the
iited States is one to every three,
jWHl Uiis lagging behind in North
aroliria can lie due only to lack of
interest in world events. History i.s
Jeing made over again and it is
oliligatory on North Carolini
world citizens
informed
f'let that
residents
t'Hre is very little international,
national, or even community mind
in the people; that while t'hev are
vaguely aware that the world ‘is, as
it Were, i,i a hospital, they are not
ans as
, to keep themselves
on world matters. The
one out of every thirteen
is asleeji indicates that
in North Carolina. Of the tow'ns in
which there is a population of more
than tw'O thousand, there are
twenty-seven which have no library
at all. The standard throughout the
country essential for an up-to-date
institution of this sort is one dollar
for each citizen; the amount appro
priated in Winston-Salem is
eighteen cents per capita, and
Winston-Salem leads the state in
the per capita appropriation for
libraries.
North Carolina has produced a
number of great writers, but if one
judged her patriotism bv her read
ing of these writers, one W'ould be
forced to conclude that she appre
ciates her own literary producers
to no great extent. John Charles
McNeill, the author of the little
volume entitled “Poems Merry and
Sad,” was dust in his grave before
a nure handful of copies had been
disj)osed of; seventeen years elapsed
before the first five thousand were
sold. Walter Hines Page, a native
North Carolinian, is a man who has
rcH-cted undying honor to his state
in the volumes containing his
■‘I.etters,” full of pathos, beauty of
style, ))crsonal charm, and historic
insight. A monument has been
erected to this great man in W^est
minister Abbey, and lists of best
selling books rank bis work as
second only to Papini’s “lafe of
Christ,” but only two hundred and
thirty-nine have been sold in North
Carolina. O. Henry’s fame sprang
up almost overnight. His stories are
now used in such universities as
Harvard as models in the art of
narration, and there are translations
into Spanish, French, Italian,
./a])anese, Norwegian, and Russian.
The state of Oregon, with its small
po])ulation of seven hundred thou
sand, spent ten thousand dollars in
otie year for the books of O. Henry
?nd W'alter Page. Connecticut’s
one million, three hundred thousand
j)co])le invested thirteen thousand
dollars in the same volume; and
North Carolina, the state which
prodiu'ed these two famous sons,
with its more than double number
of inhabitants, has bought only' six
thousand dollars worth.
COL. BLAIR SPEAKS
AT CHAPEL
SERVICE
Accounts of Numerous
Famous Acquaintances
THANKSGIVING A GALA DAY
AT SALEM COLLEGE
Sophomores Win Trophy in Basket Ball
The teachers of North Carolina
great measure, responsible
filled wit'i interest enough to
1^5 (luestion every morning: “How
is the world today?” and to seek
the daily newspaper, the answer
the
in
to j
query.
As to
stitute thj
magazines, which con-
advanee guard on the
line, one out of every eighty-
five persons in the United States is
1 subscriber to one of the twelve
|>est selKrs” in that line, while in
* orth' Carolina the average circula
tion is on to every one hundred and
thirty-eight. Practically, the same
condition exists in the realm of
books. This is illustrated by taking
account of the number of libraries
are, in a
for such deplorable conditions. An
:;ducation is no education unless it
connects with the present; unless it
has a keen and compelling interest
in current history. It cannot be
potently influential without such an
interest. N ative curiosity must be
ask' aroused and quickened. It is poor
draining which gives one an appre
ciation of the )>re-Victorian essays
Oi Addison and bis fellow-essayists,
and utterly neglects the modern
type, representatives of which are
found in the “Atlantic Monthly”
and other current magazines. In
structors emphasize the study^ of
lyric poetrv of former periods; the
short story, portrayed by Poe and
Hawthorne; the old time ballad of
England and Scotland, without
realizing—or if thev do realize it—
without emphasizing the fact that
O. Henry, the most brilliant short
(Continued on pnge thrae)
Colonel W. A, Blair, a member of
the board of trustees of Salem
College, was the speaker at the ex
panded Chapel service last Wed
nesday morning. The subject of his
add ress was “Reminiscences of In
teresting People that I have
Known.” In his address. Colonel
Blair gave a very realistic picture
to bis audience of the noted men of
his acquaintance. He represented
them in such a w'ay that they did
not seem to be men of a w’orld other
than ours but men who would be
attractive as personal friends. The
simple, humorous stories that he
told concerning them w'ill remain
for a long time in the minds of those
who heard the speaker.
In the verv beginning. Colonel
Blair said that he wanted his
audiiMice to realize that these friend-
shi))s were botli real and })ersonal,
and that only a comjiaitativelv short
time had elapsed since he met those
who took such a large ]>art in them.
In his iinassimiing way, (’olonel
I5lair also insistttd that it was
through no merit of his own but
merely by chance that his meeting
them liad ever occurred at all. Hqw-
ever, it takes no seer to realize that
the same o|)])ortunity might h;ive
been given to another with very
different and inferior results.
'I’he first class of people of whom
(Colonel Blair s])oke was composed
of business men. Among these were
the great financiers of modern
American business: John I). Rocke
feller and son, J. K. Morgan,
Andrew Carnegie, and James K.
Hill. Colonel Blair showed us that
while these men might lie brisk in
their business, they were very'
liberal in their contributions to
worthy causes, and were very
human at all times.
He next s))okc of his friends of
the stage. Here we find the great
Booth, the incomparable Sarah
Bernhardt, and the humorous and
quick-witted Joe JeH’erson. The
])icture of the young students act
ing minor jiarts in plays in order to
see the great actors was very
realistically and vividly portrayed
in connection wtih this part of the
address.
The si)caker said that he had
l)crsonally known every president
of the United States since (irant.
W'ith this ])ersonal knowledge, he
said that the two who to him seem
ed the strongest were Cleveland
and Roosevelt. Both had a very
keen insight into the ideas and
need.-i of the people of the country.
Among the orators, the first man
m(‘ntioned was the highly gifted
Ingersoll. His ability to speak on
almost any subject was shown, but
his address at the grave of his
broth(‘r was i)ointed out as especial
ly deserving commendation. Other
orators including James G. Blaine,
Gough, Connor, and Pugh were also
mentioned in the list of those who
were not only gifted speakers but
were often humorists as well.
The first name mentioned among
the great preachers was that of the
world-renowned Phili))s Brookes.
(Continued on paye four)
This year, for almost the first
time in the history of athletics at
Saalem, on account of the weather,
the class basket ball teams had to
play their final Thanksgiving games
in the gymnasium instead of on the
open outdoor court. Nevertheless at
2 :15, Thursday afternoon as many
spectators as could possibly' crowd
in the small space between the out
side lines of the court and the walls
of the room were gathered to watch
three of the most spirited and
closely contested basket ball games
ever plaj'ed at Salem.
'I'he room literally rocked with
cheers as the teams appeared on the
court. P’irst came the Seniors
decked out in their colors, red and
white, led by their mascot, little
Donald Pfohl. The Juniors follow
ed with their mascot, Sam E. Wel
fare, Jr., carrying their black and
red jiennant. Jane Rondthaler, ar
rayed in purple and white led the
Soi)homore team upon the field. But
the Freshmen deserve the prize for
showing the most originalitj' in
choosing a color scheme. Their
captain, FJla liaper, carried an
enormous basket, covered with yel
low crepe j>aper in which calmly
re))osed two black kittens whicli
seenu^d to take as a matter of
course the honor conferred upon
th(‘m of being asked to mascot the
team of ’27.
As soon as (iveryone had given a
rousing cheer for everyone else, the
■Junior and Senior teams, who were
to play the first half, ran to their
I>laees and the whistle blew for the
first toss-up. In spite of the fact
that the practises had all taken
place on the outdoor court, the
players readily ada])ted themselves
to the rather cramped conditions of
the gym, and played good clean
basket ball for fifteen minutes until
Dr. Rondthaler called time. The
Seniors had worked hard but had
not succeeded in making but tw’o
points while the .luniors had run
their score up to eleven. During the
next half the Sophomores and
Freshmen had the field. Although
the Freshman team was taller and
heavier, the Soi)homores were quick
and, sticking fast to their opponents
they fought with all their might.
First one team was ahead, and then
the other while the sidelines nearly
went wild as the scores mounted
side by side. Tall Mary Buckner at
one end and little Elsie Barnes at
the other eaeli seemed to have a gift
for sending the ball right in the
basket while the four centers ably
supported their forwards. At the
end of the half the scores stood
12-11. Then the Juniors and Seniors
came back on the field for their
final contest. Excitement ran high
as the Seniors gradually began to
raise their score, and it loooked as
though they would give the Juniors
a close fight, but those Juniors were
resolved not to be beaten after such
a pro])itious beginning and, since
they had the material to back up
their resolution, their score began to
climb along with that of their op
ponents. The Seniors got in some
excellent j)asswork but the oppos
ing forwards were sure throw's and,
whenever the ball reached the
hands of Polly Haw'kins, the goal
was as good as made. Thus the
victory flnallj' w’ent to the red and
black with a score of 17. 9. It
only remained to find out who
would be up against the Juniors in
the final game. The Freshmen and
Sophomores seemed to stand an
equal chance and each was resolved
to make the best of that chance.
The spectators literally held their
breath as the ball went with in
credible rapidity from one end of
the field to the other, through the
basket and back to the center again.
At last the Sophomore score reached
seventeen while the Freshmen stood
at fifteen, and for the last few
seconds no other goal was made so
that, when time was called, the vic
tory was with the team of ’26. If
the other games had been exciting
the last one between the Juniors
and Sophomores almost produced
riot along the sidelines. The Juniors
seemed at first decidedly the strong
er and the Sophomores had to work
hard for the six points they made
during the first half as against
thirteen points of their opponents.
During the last half the purple and
white reasserted its power and, in
spite of the hard fight put up by
the op))osing team they ran the
score up to twenty, winning the col
lege chami)ionship by a score of
20-1.').
The spirit of the games was the
true spirit of sport. Each team was
out for the fun of playing as well
as for winning, and each team was
desirous of fair play and a clean
wholesome game. The entire after
noon’s work was a credit to the
efficient coaching of Miss Charlotta
Jackson, Physical Director.
Promptly at (i:15 the volley ball
and basket ball teams led by Miss
Jackson and the guests of the even
ing, Dr. and Mrs. Rondthaler, Mr.
and Mrs. Heath, Bishop and Mrs.
Rondthaler, Miss Stipe, Miss Chase,
Mr. Higgins, and Mr. I.ong, the
referee, marched into the dining
room and took their places at the
long team table in the center of the
room. The Art Department under
the direction of Miss Rodgers had
taken charge of the decorations and
the dining room had become a
bower of yellow and white stream
ers. An immense fern was in the
center of the long table and smaller
ferns decorated the windows and
other tables.
Four girls sang the first two
stanzas of a Thanksgiving blessing
printed in The Salemite, and the
entire company joined in the third
stan;;a. During the courses the col
lege orchestra under the direction
of Laura Howell furnished music
which added greatly to the enjoy
ment of the dinner. After the first
cour:ie everyone joined in singing
“Sociability” led by Eloise Chesson.
At the end of the second course
Ella B. Jones, head of basket ball
who acted as toastmistress, intro
duced Dr. Rondthaler. He con
gratulated all on the games of the
afternoon and then read the follow
ing messages from various alumnse
and friends w’hose thoughts had
turned toward Salem as Thanks-
(Contimied on page three)