/7 Hemlnde/i
Between Thanksgiving and Christmas
thoughts turn to Santa Claus and presents,
Christmas trees and manger scenes. People
start humming carols to themselves and play
ing “Jingle Bells” on the glassware. AVe are
gay; we are happy. As imperceptibly as holly
berries redden in the winter, an appreciation
for the goodness of life and a spirit of wor
ship come over us. One opportunity" to pause
and plumb this feeling to its deepest meaning
is early morning chapel. Now that practice
teactiing is over, the seniors have time, and
the rest of us can afford to rise ten minutes
earlier. The inconvenience is small if we come
closer to the silvery infinity of goodness that
underlies and gives us Christinas.
Although we are required to use pen and
ink in most of our courses here at Salem, there
are certain courses in which a pencil should
be used—for instance, math and chemistry.
It’s a small matter, but we students are
asking for the installment of more pencil
sharpeners in the dorms, particularly the larger
ones. At present there is one sharpener in
Clewell and this is on the first floor. Now,
if you live on second or third floor, it’s annoy
ing at 2 a. m. to have to dash down to first
just to sharpen a pencil.
money.
3>eoA £diia^:
Your I. K. S.
^alemite
Nortk Carolina CoDrs
t Fr«»»
December 3, 194g
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by Joan Carter Read
Minor problems like 500 pages of parallel,
oral reports, club meetings and unexpected
company are a common occurance in my every
day life at Salem. But my greatest problem
comes every Tuesday night when I attempt to
Ai’rite my Salemite assignment. It wouldn’t be
so bad if I were not taking Advanced Comp,
at the same time and if the two did not stress
such opposite techniques.
The Play’s The Thing
As we have said, for certain subjects, a
pencil is necessary and one witli-.a point less
than an inch wide makes our work neater.
Perhaps if we could see Avhat we are writing,
we would not make our usual careless mistakes.
Our suggestion is a pencil sharpener on
each floor of every dormitory and one in the
basement smokehouses. The cost isn’t great
and the time saved will be quite worth the
P. S. D.
Since there have been several embarrass
ing occasions in which girls have failed to re
spond to invitations, either by accepting or de
clining them, the I. R. S. would like to remind
you of this social “must”. R. S. A". P. (repon-
dez, s’il vous plait, or please reply) is a re
quest which, out of courtesy and consideration
for the hostess, should be heeded within two
or three days after an invitation is issued. We
strive to keep you Emily-Posted.
by Fay Stickney
They sit and watch the curtain rise
In fantastic silence. Their wondrous eyes
And ears are filled with dubious things:
Weird life and weirder doom, the extravagant kings
Have times lacked.
This was no minstrel, bnt lives that could have lived
Had hopes, fate, and dreams walked hand in hand,
Had what they planned
Been what had happened.
Freed by phantom hopes and sounds.
They are no longer earthbound.
But, of far-off tunes they once knew.
By heart, through customs, they rise and mingle
With eternity.
No two prove to see the same
In any visage, or claim a single meaning
To a line—but each, for a quick moment.
Labels the scene, act, play, “mine:”
And, with a jealousy that grasps
Enjoyment till it must cease to be, .
Cries unknowingly, “Delay
The end, One minute more
Before I must return to life.
These dreams are sweet.”
In majestic finality, the velvet curtain falls.
There is still a profound silence:
The people drain the final moment dry of pretend.
They strain to drink their fill
Of fairyland, and then the world breaks in- once more,
They realize too soon who they are and hide disappointment
With a roar
Of earthly praise
Shattering the crystal cellophane of theatre.
Ill order to write a news article I must
omit all adjectives and details, while in Comp.
I have to include all these and a lot more.
There are all sorts of handy little books in
the library that give hints about writing news.
Their instructions say not to editorialize or is
sue your opinion, and never use frequent de
scription or floAvery phrases. To h'elp matters
along, my roommate is experienced and versa
tile ill the art of newspaper writing and con
stantly yells at me to cut out the adjectives,
be impersonal, consider the reader and all such
professional comments. Finally after I have
cut out all the parts that made the story mine
my roommate and the Salemite staff are partly
satisfied.
For a day or so all is fine, and I feel as if
I have accomplished a good piece of work
when my next Comp, paper is assigned. Quick
ly I outline the bare essentials of my idea and
proceed to write. All the details and amusing
incidents are omitted. Once again I feel satis
fied. Then along comes a well meaning friend
to remind me of the teacher’s continual harp
ing on her pet topics. These run along the
lines of cite lots of specific instances, make
the theme personal, envelop your own style and
personality into your writing; use the exact
adjective and give concrete details.
Schaum Likes Being Tall
Better Than Being Small
My work is shattered. Back I go to add
all the fine touches that beg for favorable com
ments. 1 even get confused on some technical
points. Commas are not a common occurance
in a new-spaper with the result that I never re
member when I am supposed to leave them out
and wdien I am supposed to put them in. 1
usually go in just the opposite direction and
put them in the ncAvs article. I discover my
error when my comp, paper is returned with
comments about comma faults and learning
the possesive ease.
by Betsy Schaum
Published every Friday of the College year by the
Student body of Salem College
Downtown Office-—304-306 South Main Street
Printed by the Sun Printing Company
OFFICES
Lower floor Main Hall
Look around and notice how many
tall people you see. All of us must
be fully aware of the fact that
people are much taller than they
used to be. As proof of this fact
the beds are longer than they were
in our grandparents’ day, even long
er now than they were when our
mothers were at Salem. The model
agencies call for taller models; the
average model toda}' is five feet
eight inches or more. And, as a final
proof, think how few average-sized
men today could wear a suit of
armor used in the days of knights.
Subscription Price—$2.75 a year
EDITOEAL DEPARTMENT
Editor-in-Chief Carolyn Taylor
Associate Editor Laurel Green
Associate Editor
Assistant Editor —
Assistant Editor
Mary Porter Evans
Peirano Aiken
■ ■ Dale Smith
Make-up Editors: Helen Brown, Betty Biles
Copy Editors: Joan Carter Read, Clara Belle Le Grande
Music Editor Margaret McCall
Editorial Staff: lone Bradsher, Tootsie Gillespie,
Ruth Lenkoski.
T3rpists: Janet Zimmer and Ann McConnell.
Pictorial Editors: Martha Hershberger and Jane
Kugler.
There are manyf' advantages in
being tall. First of all, you can
always “look down on people.” A1
though it may not be gracious, look
ing down is an advantage. When
you’re in a large crowd you can
always see over the people in front
of you. Then, too, think of the
discomfort of having to look
through the steering wheel to drive
a car. Many short people have to
do this, but I can see over the
steering wheel. Then in a movie a
tall person has the advantage of
being able to see over the ladies ’
hats in front of her. Most of you
know how annoying hats can be.
Business Manager
Assistant Business Manager
Advertising Manager
Joyce Privette
Betsy Schaum
Asst. Advertising Manager
Circulation Manager
A person who is tall doesn’t have
to stand up to serve soup at the
Betty McBrayer dinner table. Just the other day I
saw Dotty Covington standing up
to serve soup at her table. I just
Mary Faith Carson
Janie Fowlkes
sit and have no trouble at all with
my soup serving. (Of course, long
arms are a great help here, too.)
And just look how much easier it
is for a tall person to climb into
a first floor window. Watch a short
person try it sometime. A tall per
son can almost ^see in second floor
windows too, although it’s not
advisable.
I am convinced that my height
has saved me from an embarrasing
situation on a Salem-Waughtown
bus, that of falling flat on my face
when the bus lurches to the side.
Other passengers have been thrown
clear across the bus, but I can
avoid such a calamity—you see, I
can reach the overhead bar.
Once 1 asked a well known and world re
nown Kings Feature Syndicate writer for her
help on my problem. Her answer seemed
simple—combine both styles and you’ll really
have somethting. At last I thought Jhat my
frustrated existance was over. I was happy-
All my problems were settled. My career was
going to be saved. Comp, was not going to
be the fatal end of me, but merely the beginn
ing -of something bigger and better. Only it
didn’t work out. I couldn’t learn the key to
the combination. Everytime I attempted to
mix the two styles together I got in a mess
with both my teacher and the Salemite staff-
I was either too specific or else too brief and
wrote in topic outline fqrm.
Tallness comes in very handy at
other times too. Whenever a ceiling
light is burned out, I am elected
to put in the new bulb. And I also
have the privilege of placing the
star on the very tip top of the
Christmas tree.
Another time I was told that reporters
never made enough money to live on unless
they had pull. I thought that was just sour
grapes but discovered that it was all too true.
And I had no important contacts in this field
so that should have decided the end of that
aspiration for me. But you can see that the
bug still has hold of me.
There is one last advantage whicli
pertains to a subject dear to the
hearts of alLof us....dancing. A tall
person doesn’t have to look at her
date’s belt buckle or dance “cheek-
to-hipbone.” I can dance cheek to
cheek!
However fantastic these advan
tages may seem to you, they are
nevertheless true. I know because
I m five feet eleven and a half
inches tall.
I thought of trying to write magazine
articles as they seem to be a judicious mixture
of everything conceivable. Two attempts were
enough to cure me of this. It is true that the
Saturday Evening Post” sends the nicest re-
,lection letters imaginable but even so it
a discouraging attempt.
This situation has been going on now fo^
almost three months, and I am growing weary
oI my frustrated existance. Shall I give uP
my ideas and aspirations about journalism car-
^ launch into detailed paragraphs
at the slightest provocation? Shall I try to
convert the Comp, teacher to the synopsis
term? Any and all helpful suggestions will
be gndefully accepted.
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