April 25, 1958
V(4e Qn/eeUeii 0^
CdTnpus Conflicts Reviewed by Rdciyhew
Apathy, conformity, complacency — these three, but the greatest of
these is . , From the New England Renaissance on these over-used
words have been thrust at Americans. But the behavior of people
being what it is, the words have been used to no avail.
We, at Salem, will not be such conformists as to take Arthur Schle-
singer’s lecture to mind, and try to shake off our complacency with
Salem’s isolation. No, we are riot conformists at Salem. We wear our
shirttails out even though the IRS repeatedly a^ks us to dress neatly.
We sign nomination petitions with a complete knowledge of the pro
posed candidate’s qualifications and past record.
We are not complacent here at Salem. Each day we look for new
ideas in and out of our classes, in our discussions in the dorms. We
constantly question the decisions of the Student Government and the
administration, and sometimes even the faculty. Nothing goes unnoticed
past our half-lidded eyes.
We are not apathetic at Salem. We take a fervent interest in every
thing going on in the college, in the city, and the nation. We attend
all lectures anil look forward especially to chapel speakers. Sunbathing
can wait. We discuss; we argue; we think; if classes are dull, we
inject spirit to the lecture by pointed questions, rather than spend the
time doodling or writing letters.
Apathy, complacency, conformity . .. but the greatest of these at
Salem is conformity—intellectual conformity,
There exists on our campus the feeling that having brains is unnatural,
and that those who pursue intellectual achievement to its fullest are
trying too hard. We must always be careful to say “I know T flunked
that test.” or “I’m failing, but I’m having fun !” when actually we know
we made C or better on the test, and have no indication of failing. Why
is it undignified to be confident of what we can accomplish academically
and to realize what we set out to accomplish ?
The atmosphere of intellectual conformity is, for the, most part, the
result of our own complacency. If we are not being stimulated, fine; it
gives us more time to spend on social life. So we sign up for minor
courses thtit are simple, not difficult; and take up .tune that could be
spent to better advantage in major departments. We sign up for Senior
cooking—it will be practically impossible to learn to cook and plan meals
after graduation. We ignore mathematics; but we register for Personal
Finance because we want to know how to rnanag'e our affairs, regardless
of whether we have learned the discipline and logic that mathematics
offers. All that we need is a formula to follow in filling out income
tax forms. We take novel courses because we do not have the time
to read significant and popular books on our own; books we should
have read long ago.
Let’s bring scholarship back in style. Brains are more attractive
when they are being challenged and appreciated.
Dale Robertson, famed T.V. cow
boy—graced our fair square this
week. College girls were seen
hovering around Wachovia Muse
um’s entrance — autograph books
in hand. Reports declare him
“even more adorable off screen
than on.” Fie must have been
fairly handsome to get such a rise
out of my otherwise composed
roommate whom I found danghng
over the balcony of Mr. Snavely’s
“hock shop” screaming “Yoo-hoo,
Mr. Robertson, — Yoo-ooo-oooo!”
immediately I reminded her that
she represented Salem — and the
clamor ceased.
Anyone know the approximate
cost for a 30’ by 3’ walk way t Our
Dean of Students is in dire need!
Why, only last night I saw Mrs.
Heidbreder braving her way to her
auto—knee deep in mud. I’m afraid
if we don’t soon pave a little strip
of land we’ll find our Dean with
those ailments common to- Miss
Byrd during icy weather.
Another suggestion: could we by
any chance be given the right to
declare war on the cats around
the square?” I’d hate to see them
outnumber us-and from the looks
—they’re about to!
The girls in South are mighty
lonely. For months now we’ve had
regular serenades - from 10:00 to
2:00 NIGHTLY, compliments ot
Mr. Mueller and his best friend—
that organ. His music was con
ducive to study, sleep, accompam-
ment to seranades given by the
Kappa Sigs (Mr. Mueller - /o"
melodic strains almost drowned the
vocal group out)-and provided us
wifli good background music for
any mood. _
My but we’re a gregarious bunen,
Tt’s unfortunate, though, that in
many cases we’re selective in our
grouping - to the exclusion of
others and their feelings. I hate
to see “room drawing” turn into
the usual “rat race”-“dog eat dog
hustle for your own little closed
clans—but it looks like this is the
case in 1958. Attitudes of this na
ture could be understood if we
Academic Freedom:
Your Responsibility
Student Government has a pri
mary responsibility in. the pro
motion of a free atmosphere among
the students on campus. The gen
eral atmosphere of the campus
should be one that allowns minority
opinion, the eccentric idea, the un
popular speaker, and the militant
^e*u!buli: Oh QUo/pAl
LetterToEditor
dependent
After nibbling on a meal of greased bacon and thin strips of cheese
in the dinning hall, 1 fluted myself over to Memorial Hall and waited
for my usual intellectual stimulation—Chapel. While waiting, I picked
up an Uncle Remus third grade reader. (Ah, the educational department
is advancing their reading level, I sighed.) .
While I thumbed through the book, a series of girls dressed in rib
bons, bluejeans, short dresses, and Arabian pants made their w'ay back
stage. “Ummm !” I thought. “Seems that the girls have chapel today.”
I threw down my book, and using the organ s B flat key as a spring
board, leaped into one of the cracks in the ceiling. “This,” I thought,
“will have to be good”—1 had heard that the girls were not only
imaginative, but also original.
“Now where shall I run out.” I heard a girl shout.
“Oh, any place !” the director answered. “Why not with the scream
ing group. They make their appearance in the fifteenth scene!”
“What’s this! Fifteenth scene? I thought. “Could be Shakespeare.
But I’ve never seen any “screaming groups” run out in Shakespeare s
plays.”
The clock banged a loud one-forty and sauntering into Memorial Hall
was a procession of indifferent, gum-chewing girls. I watched the group
as they slumped in their seats, their arms thrown over the backs of
others. After a few announcements and a song, the program was under
way. A girl danced in a skirt pinned up to her knees, with pom-poms
in her hands. “This is the annual “freshnoir-Junomore” program, writ
ten and directed by the clever pens of the students of Salem College”—
and “brought to you by . . .” (Then this girl began jumping up and
down.) “Sano-flush, Sano-flush, brush your teeth with Sano-flush. It
flushes the dirt down the drain, and also flushes—” she paused, “YOUR
TEETH !” The audience let out a gale of laughter. I sat there in my
crack and began chewing on a chunk of plaster for my dessert.
A group of screaming girls ran across from the right side of the stage
.1 i.r. ..'l™ n —^-1 T -fin-tn-o /^iif
Dear Editor:
Mr. Schlesinger’s lecture on
i
April 17 was attended by a large
number of students. Regardless
of the fact that many of them at
tended because they were required
to, very few Salemites went to
sleep during the lecture—most of
them reacted strongly in one way
or another.
There were those who interpre
ted Mr. Schlesinger’s remarks about
complacency and lack of leader
ship solely as criticism of the Re
publican administration. This I
think was a mistake. For the most
part Mr. Schlesinger talked to us
about these problems as ones that
our generation was going to have
to face. Therefore, I thini that
each Salemite should have come
away from the lecture with a new
sense of her responsibility to take
advantage of her academic oppor
tunities here at Salem—to equip
herself with the tools with which
to do the thinking Mr. Schlesinger
was talking about. The lecture
should have stimulated each stu
dent to want to form the habit of
keeping up with current affairs.
Salemites should have understood
more clearly than ever that the
ring on the finger and the wedding
invitations already ordered are no
excuse, since the minimum amount
of responsibility one can expect to
have will be the proper use of a
vote.
Nancy Jane Carroll
to the left side. Bewildered, I tried to figure out for what purpose they
were in the show. But then my figuring was distracted as I watched
someone stroll down the aisle, leap across the front of the stage and
read a letter. “Dear daughter,” the letter began, I began to listen.
I liked letters. Flowever, while this girl was trying to read her letter,
a group of girls ranging from Charleston dancers, baby-carriage pushers,
Bobby soxers, hoods, and one Elvis Pressley annoyed me by making
noise on the stage behind her.
opinion. Freedom
upon each individual s attitude to
wards his fellow citizens. If stu
dents are guilty of bringing social
sanctions against a fellow student
for his unpopular ideas, they a!re
on poor ground to argue before
administrators, trustees, or state
legislatures in opposition to re
stricting campus freedom. A stu
dent government which fails to in
sist upon standards commensurate
with freedom in all student acti
vities cannot justify its usurpation
of time from the classroom on the
basis that student government is a
laboratory for democracy.
Nor can students ignore their re
sponsibilities to society in attempt
ing to maintain academic freedom
and student rights. Academic fee-
dom is integral to all freedom, for
freedom depends on the right to
choose among alternatives; and it
is in the pursuit of knowledge
through unfettered research and
the liberty to express one’s con
clusions that man’s choices are pro
vided. It is in exploring the depts
of reality and in the willingness to
express one’s conclusions that
man’s creative genius finds its
fruition.
Feeling then, that here is a need
on today’s campuses for students to
be challenged to ask what is aca
demic freedom, to define their own
position in the college, the United
States National Student Associa
tions sponsors an Academic Free
dom' Week.
-U. S. N. S. A.
^alemtte
Then, as he disappeared off the stage, on jumped what appeared to
be an infirmary, some Russians, actors from the ‘talkies,’ and a New
York night club! Now I was more confused than ever! And then, push
ing these people aside, was a wandering group of sub-way people yelling
and dashing on and off the stage. _
1 jumped from my crack to one of the side windows. I strained my
eyes at a sign. No. I wasn’t mistaken. This was Salem. Not Central
Grammar School. And cozily lying in the blond curls of the organist,
I began reading my Uncle Remus book while the program continued.
At least my book required more thought.
■—Tendrils
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Editor-in-chief Jean Smitherman
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Columnists; Sandy Shaver, Mary Jane
Mayhew.
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Typists Irene Noel, Joanne Doremus
Asst. Advertising Manager ... Lynn Ligon
lived on a huge campus where a
visit to your chums meant a long
hike. But as our school is ar
ranged, you can stand on back
campus and be in yelling distance
of just about anyone. Let’s see if
we can instill a little of that old-
fashioned brotherly love and con
cern for others—Instead of the
more evident “Let me see how far
I can get at the expense of others
and their feelings” attitude. We’re
a good group—and we ought to act
like it!
Hide your dimes everyone. The
never-say-die juniors are still after
your money. We have a consider
able sum to raise and we’re out to
get it by way of cake raffles, steak
dinners, refreshing cold tea, dough
nuts, and tepid coffee.
A brief review of the flicks finds
“The Brothers Karamazov” and
“Marjorie Morningstar” the likely
contenders for most of the Salem
ites. “The Brothers Karamazov”
is based on the Russian novel by
Dostozevsky. With this author’s
power of characterization — Yul
Brynner takes the lead role and
reproduces the same colorful and
high-strung Ivan whose existence
is an almost too melodramatic
struggle. Albert Salmi portrays
Smerdyakov—the savage and pa
thetic epileptic—and must be com
mended for his successful perform
ance. Maria Schell plays Grush-
enka—a savage and lusty young
woman who is loved by both Ivan
and his father. Around the rather
uncomplicated plot of a father-son
conflict—an entertaining movie is
produted.
“Marjorie Morningstar” is taken
from Herman Wouk’s book depict
ing the teenage days of this Jewish
girl, Natalie Wood plays the most
convincing (but never convincing
enough) role she’s ever played as
she gets her lip quivering down to
a minimum and proves to be a
fairly decent actress. Gene Kelly
supports her in his role as the
rogish small-time hero, Noel Air
man. This is also suggested as a
good flick—and one about which
you may squabble — the idealists
versus the realists—concerning the
plays ending.
A balcony of mixed expressions
was seen last Thursday night as
Arhur Schlesinger “pelted” us with
his- perceptive analysis of innumer
able topics ranging from educa
tional methods to Dr. Norman Vin
cent Peale and his “positive think
ing.” Particularly amusing to me
was Jane Carroll’s reaction as Mr.
Schlesinger proceeded with assault
on the Eisenhower administration.
There was a grumble of disagree
ment, but Nancy vehemently came
to the lecturer’s rescue as she an
nounced — “Even if he’s wrong -r
This campus needs more people
like him—who are willing to^ ex
press and voice what they think.
Congratulations, Nancy, that s our
problem in a nut shell.
Mr. Schlesinger’s expressions
were thought provoking. Th®
bland leading the bland” ( a fitting
play on words—to say the
and “a sticky togetherness (m
reference to conformity.) B'S
views on educational policies t e
offering of a child of superior m
telligence at the altar of social e
velopment, and the Repub ican
party’s “Muddles mess” (widenea
by the recession, inadequate or
eign policies, integration and its
repercussions) were perhaps me
with the greatest amount of oppo
sition—but his reasoning was wei
defined and his arguements wer
justifiable. .
Only once could one have que
ioned his reasoning (whether
agreement or not). He presen
his ideas on non-conformity
vague manner—leaving many "
the idea that he advocate e ^
formity for conformity s sa e.
will say “amen!” to Emerson s
quoted “A .foolish consistency
the hobgobblin of little mm
and “To be great is to be m ^
understood” — but^ never - co
accept non-conformity for i s
sake. With this, our discussm
will cease. The Lecture ® ^
Committee can only be
their selection. , , ,
-Mary Jane Mayhev