Page Two
THE SALEMITE
March 9
1956
/J Modedi P^ap,i>6>al . . . ArGURcl Til0 Sc|ucir6
It is a nu'lancholy object to those, who
walk throne'll this small campus, or enter in
the buil(liu’>s, when they see girls refusing to
attend lectures or discussions about world
affairs or religion, tossing the Salemite aside
with a (puick glance at “Of All Things”, ignor
ing basketball and softball games and prac
tices, rushing off to movies rather than at
tending plays on campus, and cutting on the
ladio to hear “Heartbreak Hotel” when sen
iors are giving their graduation recitals.
These girls instead of choosing to get the
most from their liberal arts education have
chosen to become more narrow, prejudiced,
and undiscerning in taste and appreciation of
tlie better things of life.
I think it is agreed by all parties that this
prodigious number of girls is a very great
grie> aiuie; and therefore whoever could find
a good, fair, cheap method of making these
girls sound and useful members of our society
would deserve so w'ell of the public as to have
Ins (or her) statue set up for a preserver of a
(UHUpUS.
As to my own part, having turned my
thoughts foi- many months upon this im
portant subject and maturely weighed the
several schemes of other projectors, I have
;dwa\s found them grossly mistaken in their
ideas.
ft is true that a Salemite, after refusing to
get a liberal arts education from college, and
refusing to get the most from her education,
may soon after graduation marry, and she
herself may live happily ever afterwards. The
fault with this plan lies with the forgetting
of her offspring, and the kind of atmosphere
in which they wdll grow. Marriage is clearly
not the solution to our problem.
One other scheme that has been proved
unuscfid was the idea of letting these girls
go out into the world to make a living. This
lias proved such a source of embarrassment to
the faculty and to the girl herself as she finds
herself sadly lacking in too many qualifica
tions that w'e will naturally refuse to accept
this as a solution.
It is my proj)osal that these girls be com-
])elled, for compulsion will have to be resorted
to at first until they discover how much
pleasure they ^vill have, at the beginning of
their senior y(>ar to form a group, composed
of other girls of similiar qualifications(?) and
that this group shall tour the United States
and foreign countries, talking with the other
students and young people of those places.
This plan has a two-fold purpose. Firstly,
by exposing our fello\v citizens and world
citizens to this group of frivolous, uncultured,
unconcerned, un-appreciative young women,
the rest of the wmrld would be so revulsed,
repulsed and disgusted that they would
thereby resohe never to let this happen to
them. Secondly, this group of girls, by talk
ing with other students who are interested in
people, world affairs, good literature, art, and
music, etc., would pick up a few ideas and
feelings that would be worth having. Then
having acquired these ideas they could leave
the group and take their places as sound and
useful members of our society. They could
thereafter be replaced by others who did not
profit by the fii’st purpose of this plan.
1 can see no objections to this proposal. It
is fair, pleasureable, and cheap (using tuition
money for traveling expenses), but I am not
so violently bent upon ray own opinion as to
reject any off(>r pro]iosed by any person which
shall be found e(jually satisfactory.
I profess in the sincerity of my heart that
1 ha\e not the least personal interest in en
deavoring to promote this necessary work,
having no other motive than the public good,
advancing the position of colleges and uni
versities, and relieving the present feeling of
being not needed and not wanted among our
l>resent recitalists, lecturers, actors, and edi
tors. 1 have no girls which T can give to this
plan, myself being almost out of college and
with no younger sisters.
(My respects to Mr. Jonathan Swift)
M. B. R.
By Jo Smitherman
In the spring a fuller crimson comes upon the robin’s breast:
In the spring the wanton lapwing gets himself another crest;
In the spring a livelier iris changes on the burnished dove;
In the spring a young man’s fancy lightly turns to thoughts of love.
(Robert Browning)
And in spring on Salem campus, that is, in the early spring,
Doors swing open and the lawn becomes a girl-bedecked, green thing.
And the techs (so tired of test tubes) through the window see the grass
And the philosophic prof philosophizing to his class.
And the art lab students vie for spots which best perspective lend
To the sprouting, greening campus coddled gently by the wind.
And reporters from the paper bring the cameras outside
Where the campus wheels are photographed against a landscape wide.
What goes on inside the classroom no one ever really learns;
For from there in spring, we know, each young girl s fancy lightly
turns.”
When the lights came on in the , for the third straight year. Shav
theater, I woke up to the indignant bck, by a. landslide vote of news
shouts of the woman sitting behind casters and writers, was chosen the
me. “Well, I never . . . Absolutely
the worst excuse for a movie . . .
I don’t see why in the world Benny
ever let them show a picture like
that . . . why, it’s not a tenth as
good as the Glenn Miller Story
. . . it’s an insult to an intelligent
person’s taste, such childish story
and . . . well!”
Behind “The End” and through
the transparent curtain that swung
together I could see Benny Good
man (alias Steve Allen and two
boys of varying ages) still doggedly
playing out his clarinet-proposal to
transformed - and-no-longer-a-musi-
cal-snob Donna Reed (Alice).
Incidentals:
The Man With the Golden Arm
had two good points: 1) the drum
ming background music (including
the striking beginning and ending)
and 2) Frank Sinatra . . . “unfor
gettable” (Time) . . . Even with
injured All-American Ronnie Shav-
lick (his broken wrist in a leather
cast). North Carolina State had no
trouble whipping Wake Forest in
the finals of the conference tourna
ment last week-end. In fact, Shav-
lick’s injury, incurred in the final
regular season game, probably was
the shove that the Wolfpack morale
needed to grab the championship
Atlantic Coast Conference’s Player
of the Year. Perhaps we should
elect injured Mr. Britt to some high
honorary station • • • Coming at the
Carolina in the next week or so;
The Rose Tattoo and Picnic . . .
People who are concerned with the
college lecturers have their fingers
crossed. If Senator Fulbright (in
Memorial Hall Tuesday night) gets
the enthusiastic reception given to
Bennett Cerf and Margaret Mead,
the Lecture Committee will have
done some remarkable choosing
. . . Most familiar sight on campus
this week; the nominating com
mittee members trudging to and
from Room 1 . . . Two more genial
officers could not have been elected
than those chosen in assembly on
Tuesday. Both Judy Graham and
Curt Wrikc, aside from the quali
fications which they have in abund
ance, are characterized by distinc
tive cheeriness that can be recog
nized campus-wide . . . Even hours
after it was over, nobody could put
into words the feeling and “know
how” with which Ella Ann Ljee
played her senior recital . . . Peo
ple are still wondering how Miss
Collett was able to keep from let
ting her secret out on campus be
fore it came out in the newspapers.
Beyond the Square
By Emma McCotter
United States: The biggest thing
in the news was President Eisen
bower’s announcement that he will
seek a second term. This is the
announcement that many Ameri
cans have been awaiting.
Now that the President has made
this important decision, he must
swiftly meet the problems that
have piled up high since his ab
sence from Washington. Foremost
of these is the growing apprehen
sion about the course of U. S.
foreign policy.
Russia: Last week at the most
important Russian Communist
Party Congress in years the kiSSS
members voted “yes” to the new
line to be followed by the party.
The new line is as follows: war
with capitalism is no longer inevi
table, but the “world-transforming,
complete triumph of Communism”
still is: Communist triumph can be
achieved in some states “by parlia
mentary means” instead of civil
wars. Therefore, they must rally
into popular fronts with the So
cialists to “capture” parliaments.
This is the line Communist Tito,
sometimes heretic, has been preach
ing from Yugoslavia; at home full
speed ahead on heavy industry and I
armament: all out on collectiviza
tion of agriculture, whatever the i
cost.
At tile Congress, Khrushchev,
dearly the nearest to being the
new “one man”, led the other bosses
in condemning “the cult of the one
man” and playing up the “Leninist”
principle of “collective leadership”.
The free world now confronts an
old enemy in a new guise and a
new place, and it will have to find
new responses.
Austria: Here Chancellor Raab,
who has advocated that Austria re
main neutral to her Western as
well as Russian neighbors, has had
to give in to his coalition Socialist
partners. Therefore, Austria has
announced that she is militarily a
neutral state, “but there is no neu
trality of spirit for us, and there
fore no neutralism”.
Simultaneously, Raab let it be
known that Austria had decided not
to accept Russia’s offer of a $20
million loan, but had agreed in
stead to accept an American loan
on the same easy terms.
England: A new nation — the
British Carribbean Federation—was
born in London last week as 16
delegates from the British West
Indies signed a list of agreements
over disputed points in its draft
constitution.
The agreement reached in Lon
don was the signal for Britain’s
Colonial Secretary'to introduce a
federation bill in the British Par
liament before the summer recess.
And it set in motion preparations
for the 1958 election of the first
legislature.
Such far-reaching agreement did
not go unmarked; the delegates
voted unanimously that, henceforth
the birthday of the new nation,
February 23, would be known as
Federation Day.
By Pat Flynt
The living room looked like the cover of
American Homes, a copy of which was lyinj,
on the old walnut drop leaf, a family
An arrangement of red mums rose against a
background of starched white organdy cur
tains. Mother sat in the wicker rocker. Daddy
in the wing chair. I sat on the hard, rounded
cushion of the love seat beside Mrs. Appleby
The fire burned brightly but sent out little
warmth. My toes were cold inside the new
;.,suede pumps with Louis heels. I wiggled
them inside the narrow, dark space at the end
of the shoes thinking they were not like sad
dle oxfords. Then I moved my arms in the
narrow space between Mrs. Appleby and the
cold, carved arm of the loYe seat.
I glanced out of the corner of my eye to
see if she had noticed. She was stuffed com
fortably beside me like the soft, round pillows
Mother plumped there every day. Her short
fingers caressed the carving as she followed
Mother’s chatter with eager eyes. Maybe that
was why they were called antique hounds, be
cause of those alert, anxious little eyes. Ro,
it must have something to do with the nose.
Hounds rely on their acute sense of smell.
The odor of cof?ee drifted through the door.
I sniffed and sighed. It must be almost re
freshment time. The visits followed an exact
pattern. I took the plate. Mother’s best old
china, and balanced it cautiously on one knee.
The dainty cup slid against the brick ice
cream. I jumped. How would I get coffee
stain off antique velvet? “It was black and
bitter and would probably keep me awake,
but I wouldn’t care because then she would
be gone.
The pastries that usually tasted tender were
dry and choking. I loved to eat them in my
room after school. If I were in my room now
I could be in jeans curled up in the blue chair
dreaming.
Mrs. Appleby stirred, interrupting my
thoughts, and I realized the visit was follow
ing the usual pattern. I rose mechanically
and followed the procession through the house.
Over and over she gushed “just lovely”,
“simply exquisite” as she touched some chair
or piece of china, or entered a room.
Her voice affected me like the meaningle>ss
tinkle of a player piano. I would, gladly give
her the “lovely old sandwich glass’ if she
woidd just go home. Her perfume was a
heavy, sickening sweet. 1 held mj' breath to
avoid its odor as she peered into my room.
The blue chair seemed to fade under her
gaze. My diary was alone on the table, andi
I suddenly felt my whole life being scrutinized
by those eager little eyes. When she said,
“Precious”, I could feel pigtail bobbing on my
back and a skirt above my knees.
I pulled myself taut from my eyebrow's to
the back of my heels and. followed them to
the door, making my Louis heels click sharply
on Mother’s polished floor. What if I should
accidentally step on her toe? I smiled at the
thought as she chattered her way out of the
door.
Salemite
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Editor-in-Chief
Fmily McClure
Associate Editor
Assistant Editor
Rnbe Boyd
Managing Editor
In Smitherman
News Editor
Feature Editor
^*roulation Manager
&usinie$s Manager
Ann Williams
Aisistant Feature Editor j
Copy Editor
Heads Editor
^obe-Up-Editof
Pictoral Editor J
Music Editors
Faculty Advisor Z I ~
Marii
..Martha Ann
Mariam
Sue Jette
- Pegg;
Ella Ann Lee,
Miss