Page Two
THE S A LEMITE
November 1 2, 195'j
!)d> J\^iAiah>e>.. •
It was gratifying- to hear and take part m
1h(. discussion that took place in chapel Tues
day. It was one of the most enlivened stu
dent body meetings that has taken place at
Sahun.
'i'hcre was much discussion on what is honor
and. what honor means as interpreted in our
constitution. The latter question received the
most attention; there are differing views on
tlie meaning of honor at Salem.
While the basic ingredient to any honor
system is the personal integrity of each in
dividual who wi.shes to uphold the system,
tliPTC irp other factors.
i'erhaps tlie fairness of those rules which
go into the body that is upheld by the honor
system is a factor.
T'he rule that says that a student’s over-
ni'dits are alloted according to her academic
standing, and the rule that states that a stu
dent may not have a car on campus until after
the spring r(>cess of her junior year may be
very unfair rules.
it is not a matter of honpr if a student
v.'ishes to take 30 overnights in one semester;
the honor only applies when the student takes
more tluin she has been alloted by her aca
demic efforts. It does not bring discredit on
Salem and others if a student wishes to bring
her car on campus.
Untold harm will result if the student
drinks within the metropolitan area of Win
ston-Salem, conducts herself in a most un
ladylike manner, and consequently throws her
rejjutation upon other Salem students.
. Uerhaps Salem would strengthen her aca
demic standing if she would allow students
moi'C social privileges and at the same time
tighten her academic regulations. No student
wislies to lose her place at Salem by flunking
out. But at the same time, no student will
study more than four hours over the week
end. If a Salemite has been informed that
her grades will determine whether she stays
at Salem or leaves, she will study.
Similarly, if a student has the approval of
her imrents for having a car on campus, and
the ])arents accept all responsibility for any
acciilents incurred while the student is in pos
session of the car, there is no dishonorable
reason why she can’t have that car.
As has been appealed to before, there is the
parking problem. Juniors, seniors, and faculty
should still be allowed this privilege first. But
if an underclassman wants to have her car
badly enough to pay for a downtown parking
spa(:e, she should not be called dishonorable.
Are these rules continually broken because
Salem students have no honor, or because the
rules are at fault?
®f)c Salemite
{Going Home
They brought my grandfather [
home this morning and put him in |
the long living room where I did
my practicing. They had to move.-
the piano to make room at the far
end of the room for the box he
was in. The room is always dark
and cool as it is today. I went in
with Miss Aida to help her with
the flowers she had brought. Miss
Aida had the flowers in a green
vase. The flowers were yellow like
the outside of my grandmother’s
house, and there were some green
things shooting up from the bot
tom of the vase, tall thin green
stems, like Miss Aida. The room
smelled sweet, because there were
flowers around the box my grand
father was in. The room was so
dark they had to put a candle at
each end of the box, so people
could see'the flowers.
My mother was in the room too.
She asked me if I would ilke to
look at my grandfather. I really
had wanted to look at him all day,
because I had never seen anyone
who was dead. I tried to act as
if I were doing it to please Mama,
so 1 said, “No,” at first, then went
over and looked. He looked just
as if he were taking a nap. His
bald head was just as shiny as the
day I left to go to Newport News,
two weeks ago. He had his hands
folded acrqss his middle. The only
thing different was his clean suit.
My grandfather always had spots
on his suit. Because he was not
careful about the way he ate, my
grandmother said. When I am old
I don’t think I shall be careful
either. I thought he looked happy.
Well, he should be. He was home
in his own living room.
I asked Miss Aida if she would
like to look at him. “I never look
at a person who is dead, she said
wrinkling her face. “I always like
to remember them as they^ were
the last time I saw them,” she
winked. She acts as if she has a
secret. I have one too. I am going
home.
I have another secret. My
grandmother said she would take
me to New York some day if I
would come back and stay with her
at least until Thanksgiving. I think
1 would like to go to New York,
but I must go home for a while
first. At home I can play when I
want to, not practice the piano be
cause we don’t have one, and any
way, 1 just want to-go home.
Maybe I’ll come back. I really
don’t want to, but until Thanks
giving is not long, and anyway my
grandmother will be lonesome. My
grandfather will not be here to give
me candy, but I guess I won’t
mind after I have been home with
my mother. 1 am going home.
“Peggy . . . Peggy.”
That is my mother. “Yes’m.”
“Dinner is ready.”
Do you want this piece of fig,
little ants, because if you do Pll
I put it near the door to your funny
[ pointed house. I am going home—
, I am going home—I am going home
! —home—home—go—ing home.
Letters To The Editor
Dear Editor,
%
Published every Friday of the College year by the
Student Body of Salem College
Subscription Price—$3.50 a year
OFFICES Lower floor Main Hall
Downtown Office 304-306 South Main Street
Printed by the Sun Printing Company
Editor-in-Chief __ Betty Lynn Wilson
Associate Editor Donald Caldwell
News Editor — Jo Smitherman
Assistant News Editor Nancy Cockfield
Feature Editor Bebe Boyd
Assistant Feature Editor ...Louise Barron
Copy Editor — Mary Benton Royster
Make-up Editor Nancy Gilchrist
Pictoral Editor Jean Currin
Music Editors Ella Ann Lee, Martha Thornburg
Editorial staff: Betsy Liles, Bobbi Kuss. Sally Reiland,
Freda Siler, Francine Pitts, Maggi Blakeney, Mary Anne
■Raines, Judy Williams, Beth Paul. Phyllis Stinnett, Beverly
Brown, Judy Graham, Sarah Vance, Kay Williams, Celia
Smith, Pat Ward, Ellen Summerell, Sherry Rich, Ann Mixon,
Kay Cunningham, Rachel Ray, Annette Price, Patsy Hill,
Ann Coley. Ann Knight, Sue Jette Davidson, Marianne
Boyd, 'Sandy Whitlock, Mary Mac Rogers, Sissy Allen,
Emily Heard, Sudie Mae Spain, Eleanor Smith, Pat Green,
Emma McCotter, Anne E. Edwards.
Business Manager Marguerite Blanton
Advertising Managers Diantha Carter, Emily McClure
Circulation Manager Ann Crenshaw
Faculty^ Advisor Miss Jess Byrd
Business staff: Diane Drake, Marilyn Stacy, Paulette Nel-
soji, S«lly McKenzie, Nancy Warren, Emily Cathcart, Carol
Cooke, Bunny Gregg, Melinda Wabberson, Marian Myers,
Mary Brown, Dottie Allen.
I am writing with regard to the i
letter in la.st week’s Salemite on j
the elimination of the Christmas
Dorm Decoration Contest from the
schedule of activities of that busy-
season. This action was taken by
an Evaluation Committee on
Christmas Activities.
This committee was composed of
six faculty and administration
members and six students appointed
by Dr. Hixson in view of their
representation of the variofis or
ganizations and jobs most con
cerned with and involved in Christ
mas activities on our campus.
At this meeting all of the many
and varied Christmas activities on
and off campus, plus the usual
organizational meetings were dis
cussed. They were put down in
“black and white” on a calendar
and it was felt that there were
too many.
In addition to the ever present
academic work, the unscheduled
dorm parties, “peanut” presents,
personal Christmas shopping and
addressing of Christmas cards,
buying of Orphanage presents and
tlie general hustle, bustle and ex
citement of the Christmas season.
From this “black and white” out
line the committee went on to dis
cuss in. detail the traditional and
major activities involving a major
ity on campus . . . the Christmas
banquet, the Senior caroling, the
Orphanage party. Senior Vespers,
the IRS Christmas Dance with
open house afterwards, the dorm
decorations contest, Pierrette play,
and the Home Ec. tea.
Off campus, “The Messiah”, the
Civic Music Concert, the Little
Theatre Play to mention a few . , .
all in the space of two and a half
weeks !
It was decided that perhaps there
would be a possibility of eliminat
ing some activities. Concentration
on fewer activities would result in
Here And There
UN: For nine talk-filled years,
the UN has attempted to work out.'
a plan for disarmament and the
prohibition of atomic weapons.
Russia has always halted the pro
ceedings by refusing any fool-proof
system of controls.
Last week India’s Menan pro
posed that there be- a world wide
stoppage of arms manufacture
while East and West worked out
both a disarmament agreement and
a complete ban on nuclear weapons.
Both Russia and the U. S. voted
to shelve it.
By M. A. M.
the success of the activity due to
more time and energy able to be
put on it and actually a more alive
Christmas spirit because “we
wouldn’t be worn out from spread
ing ourselves, thin on too many
things.”
With regard to the elimination
of the activity in question, the
dorm decoration contest, the fore
going reasons are given . . . and
more specifically these: The feel
ing was expressed that dorm deco
rations and a specific theme for-
them were “just another thing that
has to be done and is usually done
at the last minute with much grip
ing and no jneaning behind it.”
This feeling is probably more
apropos in regard to the upper
classmen. They have to think of
a theme for two or three years
and to be different, this year they
have to initiate a 19th theme which
has never before appeared on
Salem’s campus (6 dorm x 3)!
Secondly, there is the feeling that
“Christmas spirit expressed in dec
orations is not a contest to be
judged according to originality”.
. . . that Christmas could be one
time when the headaches and ten
sion of competition could be elimi
nated.
This contest has been sponsored
by the IRS in the past and it was
acceptable to the council that it be
eliminated. Recognizing the fact
that in general the festive spirit of
Christmas would be lost without
the dorms being decorated ... the
IRS will still promote the dorm
decorations, but will leave it up to
“you” with no stress in theme,
originality, competition; and with
the “Christmas wishes and New
Year hopes” that your “leisure
Christmas spirit”, instead of a con
test, will still bring us the spark
ling, tinseled green and redness of
Salem’s holiday atmosphere.
Sincerely, Bobbi Kuss
Instead, they agreed to renew
private disarmament talks by the
five leading atomic powers (U. S.,
Russia, Britain, France, and Can
ada), who met for six futile weeks
in Canada last spring.
Pakistan: Last week Pakistan
bloodlessly changed from an un
stable, pro-Western democracy to
a more stable, pro-Western mili
tary dictatorship. It seems that
when Prime Minister Mohammed
All returned home with $105 miD
lion in U. S. economic aid he was
(Continued on Page Three)
A wise woman, my mother, has said, “th
wages of sin are evil”. Bnt alas, the wagei
of my “sin” were not evil, b-ut merely bore
dom and disappointment.
Being a rather precocious child, at the ag
of ten I began to read heart-rending episode;
in love magazines. At twelve, I had progres
sed to historical novels. They always hac
their setting in the Eennaissanee and theii
heroine was invariably in various stages oi
pndress on the cover.
At fourteen, I had achieved the ultimate
with Forever Amber. I knew myself to be
educated in the afrairs of the heart. I was
as old as Juliet and was confident that Were
1 given a chance to float down the Nile in
Cleopatra’s barge, I would acquit myself ad
mirably. I was ready to take my place as a
woman of the world. I would drive men mad
There was, however, one small cloud hover
ing over my dreams which at times caused
me great pain. It was delicious to feel that
I had the mind of a scarlet woman, but I, to
my shame, looked like a healthy little girl
who would be quite willing to run minorj
errands for a dime.
I often had to console myself with a favorite
line from one of my novels, The Sultan of
New Jersey; “Marybelle’s engaging air of
sweet winsomeness added unbelievably to her
seductive charm.” AA^ith this qualification in
mind, T knew that I could drive men mad.
At last my chance came and I began to
date a boy in my math class. True, he was
hardly the hero type. In fact, kindness could
have only described him as puppy-like . . •
all feet and grin and shaggy hair.
I overlooked the fact that he was at least
two inches shorter than I was.
I told myself that Nell Gwynn had to start
somewhere. I played the role as best I could
hut Darry didn’t oblige. He didn’t grow faint
at the sight of me. He didn’t send me expen
sive gifts. And to my sorrow, he neither
fought my battles nor wrote me poetry. Still,
I was confident he would prove worthwhile.
He was the first man that I would drive mad.
I endured two weeks of misery for the sake
of my vocation. Darry threw snowballs with
little surprises, rocks, in the middle at me on
the way to school. He hid my bike. He put
pepper in my milk at lunch. He copied my
Latin and I did his math for him. But wonder
of wonders, he told my best friend, Mary,
that I was the most hideous monster that he
had ever seen. I knew then that I was driv
ing him mad.
One afternoon Darry and I went to a hor
ror movie and then to his house for dinner.
I felt (women always feel these things) that
this was going to be my night. I was going
to be kissed for the first time. I was going
to take my place with the women of history.
This was the time to drive my man mad.
AYe walked home, up on the porch, and
rang the bell. I leaned suggestively against
him and then it happened. As though through
a haze I heard him say, “May I?” ‘
My experiences in my beloved books didn’t
fail me. I heard myself say in the most dra
matic possible, tones, “Of course, please do.”
But alas, my dreams came crashing down
around my head. Darry had kissed me on
the cheek and patted me on the back at the
same time. Then, oh then, he wmnt whistling
down the street.
I went into the house and cried because the
books had lied. There had been no blood
pounding in my ears ... no fire in my veins
. . . the ground hadn’t even tilted. In fact,
I had been disappointed and bored.
Later over a peanut butter sandwich, I de
cided that I would be a lady scientist ■ and
drive men mad with their envy of my life
saving achievements.