December 3, 195|
-
9 KnaujL . . .
. . that takiii^^ a multitude of notes in all
classes hasn’t broadened the horizon as much
as I expected.
that if 1 listen carefully, notes are a
waste of time.
that class is more fun and productive
if I take part in the discussion.
that the old trite saying' ‘you get out
ccl'at you put in’ may not be so trite after all.
that no one thinks 1 am ridiculous just
because I admit my lack of knowledge by
asking a question.
that professors don t ask me to leai n
for their sake.
that I am more admired if I don’t al-
wavs conform to the mob attitude.
that being too much of an individual
will give me a radical outlook.
that every crisis I meet will prepare
me better to acceiit the next one.
that attending a concert relaxes me
much more than a bridge game.
. that \ am needed in some organization.
9 Bee . . .
. . . Christmas in the air when the sopho
mores conclude plans for the banquet.
. . Christmas in the air when the IRS
charms me with a poem that invites me to
the ball.
. . , Christmas in the air when the Student
Council has fewer and fewer meetings.
. . . Christmas in the air when the seniors
ask girls to page for them at Senior vespers.
. . . Christmas in the air when the ‘Y’ starts
asking us for gifts for the orphans.
. . . Christmas in the air Avhen Santa ac-
(|IIires an awesome atmosphere.
. . . Christmas in the air when Moravian
sta’-s begin to ajipear in doorways.
. . . Christmas in the air when the Choral
Ensemble practices Bach’s Cantata.
. , . Christmas in the air when the nativity
scime at the ])utz is wrapped in peace.
. . . Chi'istmas in the aii' when plans are
finished for the “Messiah’’.
. . . Christmas in tlie air when mainiig lists
begin to circulate.
. . . Christmas in the aii' when the merry
spirit ])crvades everything.
^alcmite
Hxtfc CaWnJiili Pn>*>
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*lt Is A Grievous Fault’
By Sandy Whitlock
(With apologies to “Bill” Shakespeare”)
Students, Professors, Salemites, lend me your ears
I write to support extra-curricular activities, not to abolish them.
The evil that these activities do is questionable;
The good is found in their products.
So let it be here at Salem. Noble Abolitionists
Have told you extra-curricular activities take too much time.
If it be so, it is a grievous fault;
Here, under leave of the Abolitionists
For they are wise and understanding people—
Come I to speak on behalf of extra-curricular activities.
Tliey are a part of my work, constructive and beneficial to me:
But Abolitionists say they are too time-consuming;
And the Abolitionists are clever people.
Extra-curricular activities are producing here, such things
As the Salemite, athletic competition and dramatic plays:
Are these things not worth the time?
The students learn drama in the Pierrettes, justice in student govern
ment, and sportsmanship in athletic games.
But time spent in these things should be spent in study:
So say the Abolitionists,
And Abolitionists are intelligent people.
You all read the Salemite and Sisht® and Insights;
They are created by long hours of industry attd patience.
Is the time they require not worth the final product?
Yet the Abolitionists say it is not.
And, surely, they are wise people.
I speak not to disprove what the abolitionists say.
But here shall I speak what I know:
If extra-curricular activities do take too much time.
It is because professors are not allowing for time to be spent
on such activities;
Or because only a few students are spending too much time in too
many activities.
If these conditions so exist and are not remedied.
Then I say, “Yes, abolish extra-curricular activities.
For neither the professors, nor the students recognize their value.
Then the Abolitionists, who are sagacious, will accomplish their aims.
There will be no dances, no annual, no newspaper.
Students will learn how to read and memorize more facts.
But no products will they create with these facts—
And the wise Abolitionists will be glad, for they know it is right.
When the time comes that the noble Abolitionists
Rid Saleni of extra-curricular activities because they take too much
time.
I will leave, not in defiance of the Abolitionists,
Rut because I do have the time to learn—
To learn to revise copy for publication, to organize group activity, or
to block movement in a dramatic scene—
And Salem will no longer hold this advantage to teach for me.
Here Am! Tliere
By Freda Siler
Ediior-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
son, Sally McKenzie. Nancy Warren, Emily Calhcart. Carol
Cooke, Bunny Gregg, Melinda Wabberson, Marian Myers.
Mary Brown, Dottie Allen.
UN; Perhaps the biggest news
last week was that of Andrei
Wsliinsky’s death. The Russian
representative in the United Na
tions, who merel}' said what his
superiors told him, died of a heart
attack at the Russian delegation
on the same morning that Premier
Mendes-France addressed the As
sembly.
The Russians withheld the an
nouncement of Visliinsky’s death
for two hours so that Mendes-
I'rance could make his speech.
There was other news from the
UN last week, too. The United
States followed up its talk of
".=\toms For Peace” with action.
.Ambassador Henry Cabot- Lodge
announced that the U. S. has al
located 100 kilograms (220 lbs.) of
fissionable material to be distri-
uted to atomic ‘have not’ nations.
None of it is weapon-grade;
tliat is, concentrated enough for
bombs, nor will there be enough
to build a bomb when it is divided
up. But it will be sufficient for
30 or 40 research reactors in that
many countries.
The next day Britain followed
suit and offered 20 kilograms (44
lbs.) of fissionable material for the
same purpose. >
INDO-CHINA: Not long ago I
reported that President Eisenhower
liad appointed Gen. J. Lawton Col
lins to go to Indo-China to help
save' the now free south from
Communism.
Last week Collins made a good
start, “1 have come out to Indo-
China,” he told a press conference,
“to take measures to save this
region from Communism. I have
come to bring every possible aid
to the government of Ngo Dinl^
Dum and to his government only.”
This was a direct warning to
the anny officers who wanted to
take over the government—a warn
ing which they heeded.
In northern Indo-China, however,
things were not going so well. It
has been confirmed that the Com
munists there .are disregarding the
Geneva agreement. The Viet Minh
has equipped two new armoured
di\'isions, despite the pledge by
both sides at Geneva not to re
inforce their armies in Indo-China.
: KOREA: Everyone knows by now
! that Syngman Rhee, the South
j Korean President, is a hard man
^ to deal with. He has proved it
again. Pie has been insisting that
the U, S, buy its Korean currency
at the “official” rate of 180-hwa'n-
to-$l while the free market rate
was S00-to-$l.
Tlie U. S. refused and in order
to get its demands put a ban on
U. S. petroleum supplies to Korea.
Only after buses were halted, fish
ing boats held in port, rice piled
up on farms for lack of trucks,
and 25,000 factory workers in town
were put out of work did Mr.
Rhee give in. He accepted a 310-
to-$l rate of exchange.
GERMANY: A public opinion poll
was taken on the popularity of
soldiers. Here are some of the
findings: 1) 76% of the people
think German soldiers best 2) 3%
I think Russian soldiers best 3) 2%
think Americans the best soldiers.
I However, 57% of the Germans
think that relations with U. S.
j troops are better than last year
and 71% want them to stay and
help defend their country.
Why? Because 1) “they’re
friendly” 2) “they don’t call us
German swine, any more” 3)
‘they’re polite on streets” 4)
“they’re not really soldiers at all
—in the German sense of the
word.”
By Mary Anne Raines
“Writp an article on Education for tli|
paner this week. You may take any aspect
That is what was typed on the yellow stri]
of paper that I extracted from my mailbox.
I groaned inwardly at the colossal tasj
which I saw confronting me. In six hundrel
■words I was to give my views on a term abn
which hundreds of books have been written.
Where should I begin?
“Education” is a word which has been bat|
died around by almost everyone who is ed’
eated enough to pronounce it. It k a worl
of praise uttered by its devoted servants, tli|
teachers; it is a word of cynicism tossei
lightly off the tongues of skeptics; it is
word of awe pronounced with reverence hi
the masses.
It has been dissected, inspected, and refleete
upon by hundreds and hundreds of peopL
It has been torn into pieces, chewed up, am
spat out into the faces of the public in th|
forms of books, pamphlets and lengthy di:
courses.
Just what is “Education”? It is somethin:
for which all of ns here at Salem are payin:
generously and few of ns are acquiring.
To many people an education is a gradi
handed in at the end of the semester, a note|
book crammed, full of the hastily scribble
utterances of a professor, or a diploma whic
is framed, hung on the wall, and rare!
noticed again.
We walk across the stage in Memorial Hall
we have our hand shaken, and we receive ;
diploma which we clasp to our breasts as i;
it is a precious treasure which some thief ii
the night will try to steal from ns. The:
smugly we sit back in onr seats and sajq “No^\
I am educated.”
“Ah, what fools we mortals be.” Someoin
once said that we are never really educatec
until we’ve read enough to realize how mueli
th'u-e is to learn and how little we realhi
know:
As a layman and not a devoted servant o:
the honorable teaching profession, I am abl
to freely, express my views on “Education’]
without fear of retribution from a critic teach]
er whose opinions differ from mine.
One of the amusements of my college day
is to walk into class a few minutes late and
see thirty heads bent over thirty notebooks
in which thirty hands, holding thirty pencils,
are busily scribbling.
I often wonder what thoughts wandei
through the minds of professors as they be
stow their profound thoughts on the tops of
heads. It is no wonder that it takes profes
sors a long time to learn the names of stu
dents. The professors never see faces, just
hair!
There is no more plaintive cry than this
from a student. “I’ve lost my notes! Hov'
can I pass that test tomorrow without my
notes ?”
It upsets me when I think of all the “Edu
cated” college graduates who are cast out into
the cold, cruel world, with nothing to depend
nuon except a pencil and a notebook. How
disillusioning it must he for them to apply
for a job and then be informed that they must
be able to think! What panic they must ex
perience at this unfair discrimination!
Perhaps I am being unfair in my accusations
'against those industrious notetakers. I realiz?
that notetaking is a necessary evil if one is to
pass a course.
Ah, now v,;e have it! The almighty grade!
The be-all and end-all of a student’s existence!
How man.v tears have been shed because of
yon!
What puzzles me is, when did the “A
cease to he a letter in the alphabet and he-
eoine a tyrant driving people to sit up until
four o’clock in the morning .to cram for a
test? At what point did it cross the d.ividm?
line between a s^^mbol in language and pass
into the position of an idol?
But it is to no avail to puzzle over the why
of grading. Grades are firmly established in
their exalted position 'as the rulers of “Edu
cation.”
Why worry about not being, able to thinks
We will always have our diplomas to prove
that we are educated. Let the professors
lecture on, believing that they are teaching
the scribbling students. Let ns buy^ boxes oi
(Continued no Page FiVe)