Newspapers / Salem College Student Newspaper / Nov. 1, 1957, edition 1 / Page 3
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Nlnvember I, 1957 THE SALEMITE Page Three Flu... (Continued From Page One) Prejudice in hand, Sarah’s ten page letter from New York, and a smuggled box of rye thins and dried apricots, once more the girls in ward seven settled down for the morning work—waiting for lunch, by the way, did you know that with sore threats and bronchial coughs you can • still eat hot dogs and onions ? After this mid-day snack, the (ray of pink pills, aspirins, green antihistamine pills, and cherry- colored cought syrup was once more received by the sick ones. The afternoon lay ahead with naps first on the agenda and the promise of grapefruit juice if we slept soundly. After this time of rest the se cretive process of writing notes and waiting-for the requested candy bars hidden in p. j.’s began. Dur ing the four days there, ■ my p. j.’s were changed three times — ask Mrrv Boone how many ways you can hide candy. As the afternoon turned to dusk, the ch.ants for food were heard once more, but this time the re marks were, “.Please Miss Newlin,' can’t rny roomie bring me a ha.m- hur 'cr' a.nd coke from 'Harry’s.” However, needless to say, the iiieasc veent unheard and delicious foe:: from Corrin Refectory took ikirrv’s place. ;'\f;Ci tills last bit of food for I'm newt thirteen hours, can you nc x'-hat treat was next? You ed it—the tray of colored pills nigh syrup. Miss Newlin and Mrs. Fulp ■d away collected magazines. Hol der came , on duty as our night nurse. l,n ■: .1 much begging and plead ing, :m extra treat of cookies and fruii iuice was bestowed on the sick' Saleiriites by our night guardian. After the usual applications of medicines, the door closed behind -Virs. .Fowler and quet fell upon ward seven. —Jane Roston Broadway’s Fun, But You Can’t Beat The Bowery guc;-: :;n(! clear Mr:a Are you the sort that enjoys slumming it? Does the Bowery just fascinate y'ou ? Have you al ways wanted to cuddle little child ren, and do you overflow with the motherly instinct? Do you want to feel as though you’re doing something for mankind? Or can you be stereotyped as the adventurous, fun-loving traveler who is tittilated by New York City and its night sports. Well, shake! I’m just a little drop of all these things and I had the most exciting summer working in a settlement house on the Lower Fast Side (on the Bowery). 1 arrived in the Big City and was I taxied to the most horrifyingly I dirty and grimy section of town I wnere the driver, after giving me a long lecture on the dangers that lurked on that side of town, drop ped me. And there 1 was to stay for the remaining two months of my siiqimer vacation—in the capa city of “leader” to a group of 14 ve'T old iiivenile deliquent boy.s. I n-as scared! •• Ml' bedroom was a hole in the, '■■•ll ib'it oiir City Hcailh Depart ment 'zon'd have condemned for 'lol bccing enough cubic air space ior one person. It was furnished 'v>':i a rod iron pad that would 'Hit ; ny broken down bed on Fi'lem’s campus to shame, a lamp' I'.'hich was only used l.iy the rats it! the room as they- played tag running up and down its cord, a bureau which had no legs and tilted to such an extent that no thing could be placed on its top surface, and firnally, the cherished little tin box beside my bed which was instrumental in catching rats and was always filled to capacity. To add to my haven’s atmosphere, the room was painted a cool orange red! But m3' children would stand at the door of the “hell hole” and exclaim, “How beautiful—and is it all yours—ALONE?” And now I find myself back in room 201 South looking at the snapshots and odds and ends which remind me of this summer’s work with my thirty little affectionately named “snurdtails.” There are the itn forge table acti vity periods we had when I’d lose e.vcry bit of feminity I ever pos sessed in an effort to entertain a tribe of energetic wild Indians. I would find myself doing backends, splits, hcadstands, and flips—garbed in a dress. I was humiliated in the gym when we played softball and I was the only one w'ho couldn’t lilt the ball far enough .to break a 'vindo'W'’. Mj' nickname was Mickey Mantle! In the- swimming pool I became an innerfube upon which all the kids would climb and sit. It really wasn’t bad once I .ac quired the art of holding my brea.ih for tw'O or three minutes. I\'y activities planned for the group only neared absurdity in one 1 sjiect. When I, “country'girl come to town, Mayhew”, decided to show the boys New York City. We traveled around Manhattan; Green wich ' Village, Yankee Stadium, Bronx Zoo, Central Park, Pelara Rockefeller Center, St. Pat rick’s Cathedral, and the Empire Stale Building “en masse”. Since I’ve never had the innate ability to organize thirty frisky boys when they’re in a room ... I found it even more difficult to do as we traveled about on the subway, I soon found the solution to this problem was to take my seat on the subway and when the boys began to swing across the iasle and make monkey noises I’d get the most detached look I could pos sibly construe and pretend I didn’t belong. This was effective to a certain point, but I never could decide how to react when they would scream, “Look, Mary Jane!” —and tug on my dress hem. On and on I could go about the fun we had, the places we -vi'ent, and the things we learned from one another. But wlio can explain the heart-felt love you can have for such children ? Maj'be I can best explain with the following: “You say ymu want to work with people. That you feel a compul sion, almost divine, to give of your self, your love, your talents, to tliose people, mostly children, who are torn and gouged and twisted and often broken by the evil in the world, the hate and greed and passion and envy of the world. There is something vibrating in you to take a little boy fearful, ■ almost animal, contorted in spirit, writhing in the pain of his en vironment, crying in his loneliness and lack of love, something yearn- j ing to take this little boy, hug . him tightly, run your fingers ; through his hair, take his head in : your hands and look at him gently, I feeling the agonizing sorrow in I your heart, but feeling the love j there, too, and say, “No, son, no, j no, no. All the world is not like i the world you know. .There is a j world of light and beauty and love. : Let’s go to Central Park and look at the trees and grass and rocks and flowers, and maybe you and I can find this world, together, where people love, not hate, and where there is peace, not torment.” So you take him with his hand holding your hand and you go together.” And so my summer went by with josne’ and Angel and Delfin and Julio and Salvatore and Germinio and many others — And we went together. —Mary Jane Mayhew SEPARK MUSIC CO 620* West Fourth St. Music of All Publishers Phone 3-2241 WELFARE’S DRUG STORE AND GRILL Our Specialty “Fresh” Orange Juice, Grilled Sandwiches All Kinds Full Line of Drugs, Rx, and Cosmetics R.J. REYNOLDS TOBACCO CO., WINSTON-SALEM.N.C,
Salem College Student Newspaper
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Nov. 1, 1957, edition 1
3
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