i
Page Two
THE SALEMITE
November
17, 1961
pness
Published every Friday of the Collcok year
BY THE Student Body of Salem Colleqe
OFFICES—Basement of Lehman Hall — Downtown Office—414 Bank St., S.W.
Social Events Attract Salemites
EDITOR: Ellen Rankin
BUSINESS MANAGER: Sue Parham
Printed by the Sun Printing Company
Subscription Price $3.50 a year
Aifociate Editor Becky Boswell
News Editor Anne Romig
Feature Editor: Kay Long
Headlines ... Susan Ray Kuykendall, Tish
Johnston, Marguerite Harris
Proofreaders . Connie Rucker. Mary Alice
Teague, Ginny Padgett, Joan Lukens,
Gee Gee Sapp, Liz Smith, Betty Lou
Creech, Patty Nash, Anne Gore,
Martha Jo Phifer
Typists Susan Feagin, Lyn Ball, Lynn
Hall, Nancy Griffin, Sue Humphreys.
Advertising Manager
Copy Editor
Managing Staff
Alice Reid
Ginger Ward
Wanda Cervarich,
Jean Pfiefer
Circulation Sheila and Sandra Smith
Connie Rucker
Asst. Business Manager Sally Glenn
Cartoonist Betty Black
Rewriters Liz Smith, Linda Wall,
Jane Raynor
Lay-out Editor Becky Boswell
Faculty Advisor Miss Jess Byrd
Photography Editor Betsy McFate
Editors Discuss Cut System
Thought Before Decisions
The faculty has given a vote of confidence to the student
body. By abolishing the present cut system, they have given
voice to their belief that Salem students are mature enough
to accept the responsibility of class atendance.
This motion places right in our laps the student responsi
bility we are always striving for. We cannot afford to fail
now.
If we fail at this, we will have failed not only the faculty
but ourselves. We will have proved we are not the mature
individuals we say we are.
The responsibility of class attendance now lies with us. It
is up to us to decide whether to go to class or to cut. If we
can realize that we are at college primarily for an education,
if we can see the difference between sleeping late or playing
bridge and going to class—in short, if we can not settle for
less than our best, then we will not fail.
* « «
It is Thanksgiving and the season gives us a moment in
which to pause and reflect on our many blessings. Perhaps
the statement appears to be only a song we’ve heard before
or another plug for a commercialized time. Yet Thanksgiving,
from its name, must be a time for reflection and evaluation.
In an era of crises in our world and even in our academic
set-up, the moment for decision is approaching. No longer can
we hesitate over our stand on world-wide issues; President
Kennedy has emphasized the point often. In the Salem com
munity, neither can we hesitate. Responsibility has been given
to us; the challenge has been issued.
Before we can act on any decisions, however, we must pre
cede them with substantial and intense thought. The thought
will grow from our thanks. When we know that which we
appreciate, we know more fully the actions to be taken to sup
port and continue them.
B. B.
Freshman Expresses Opinion
On Salem’s Honor Tradition
By Betty Lou Creech
Cold weather finally came bring
ing rain, colds, and big weekends
to many campuses; South CaroUna
-Clemson football game, U. N. C.—
Germans, V. P. I. Fall Formals,
State I. F. C., Davidson Fall Func
tions, and Wake Forest Greek
Week.
Bonnie Bean didn’t need to go to
any of the big weekends to snag
Bonn’s SAE pin. He came all the-
way from Yankeeland to see her.
Congratulations!
Want to join “Chubettes Anony
mous?” This fat group is having
a contest to see who will lose the
most inches and pounds before
Christmas. For more information
see Gay Austin, the organizer,
South is already full of sore mus
cles and ‘‘exercise happy” females.
Wonder who will win the prize ?
. Martha Still and G. G. Saunders
Sally
America ns Must Lose Idea
Of Complete Superiority
(Editor s Note: The Honor Evalu
ation Committee would like for stu
dents to know how other students
felt about signing the Honor
Pledge Cards this fall. The follow
ing Is the opinion of one student
who did not sign the card. Other
comments will be published periodi
cally.)
As a freshman, I signed an
affirmation of my honor to the Stu
dent Government of Salem College.
I feel an awareness, yet after sign
ing this pledge I know that a re
affirmation will not strengthen me
or my honor. I feel honorable to
the standards and ideals of Salem
now and realize my duty without
signing a personal card.
A major factor in the
weakness of our Honor Tradition
lies in the fact that freshmen lose
all faith in the importance of honor
through their close relationship
with the sophomores, who feel all
knowing and who feel they can
break a few rules and still be smart
enough not to be caught. The
sophomores tell a select few how
to get by the rules; the juniors are
By Linda Wall
When we think of “the American people”, we envision a
group of decent, moral individuals with a common belief in
freedom and democracy. We, the American people, tend to
think we are more decent and more human because we live
in the United States, a free and democratic country. But is
this idea a true one? De we ever consider the possibility that
“the Russian people” are human beings too?
To a beginning sociology student the concept of ethnocent-
rism is quite familiar. It is the concept that the beliefs and
ideas one holds are right and that one’s way of life is there
fore better than any other. Of course we all like to think we
embrace Truth and Reality in our lives; we like to believe we
are on the road which leads “to the best of all possible worlds.”
As we realize this normal tendency within us, we may begin
to see that the Russians are people too—people who think that
their ideas are the true ones.
Though they stand opposed to us and th»ugh their ideals
threaten ours, they are still human beings. To ignore this fact
may lead us into false thinking. One of the leaders of Ameri
can Protestant thought and dean of the faculty at Union Theo
logical Seminary, Dean Bennett, has urged us to look before
we assume attitudes of superiority. A thoughtful, liberal
Christian, Dr. Bennett warns Christians against thinking that
God is always on the side of the West and against turning
“the cold war into a holy crusade.” Viewing the nuclear
threat as “the most baffling of all our problems”, Dr. Bennett
states that the World War II bombings of Japanese and Ger
man cities marked the beginning of an increasing moral de
terioration in the thinking of United States citizens. The
temptation to think that damaging the enemy at a distance is
more moral than killing one of them face-to-face is a danger
to Western thinking. Because we feel that God is against Com
munism and all for Western Democracy, Bennett fears that we
are in danger of taking “a moral leap from the posture of
deterrence to the will to initiate nuclear war at some stage in
a conflict.” Is Dr. Bennett right? Are we in danger of think
ing that we are moral human beings and that the Russians
are crude animals?
If we are not ready to answer that question yet, we might
look at what Professor Hugh Seton-Watson, professor of Rus
sian history at the University of London, has to say. It is
his opinion that the bad things Khrushchev’s Russia does are
no more dangerous to us than the good things it represents.
A great mistake of the democracies, especially the United
States, he says, is “the feeling that, if people are good and de
cent, they can’t be our enemies, and, conversely, if they are
our enemies, they must be devils.” Professor Seton-Watson
warns us not to believe that the Russian people, because they
are Communists, lack moral strength. Like Dr. Bennett, the
professor is aware of the tragic paradox of human beings’ and
human affairs: “Very often the best opposes the best. It’s
what is good about our civilization that the Russian Com
munists hate and what is good about their situation that
frightens us to a considerable degree. They are dangerous to
us just because they have got a genuine moral strength and
are decent and rather admirable people.”
Let us now return to our question: Are the Russian people
really human? If a Russian moved into the house beside ours,
or if we met him on our travels abroad, we would probably
like him. We would certainly not call him
traveled to U. S. C. for the
which was a thriller — f|„i„
twisters and all.
Germans at U. N. C. attracted
Frannie McClain, Anna Transm,
Betty Cox, Cliffie Elder,
Smart, Sally Bacon, and quite
few other Salemites.
Anne McArver and Martha Ann
Martin Cooper enjoyed the many
activities at V. P. I. while Molly
Scarborough, Anita Hatcher, ^
King, and Betty Pope were
ing at State.
Davidson boys entertained
Kit
party.
Salem girls with
many
Brothers Four, a football
concert by the
game, and
after parties. Ann Sellars, Carroll
Roberts, Elsie Vitale, Nancy Kizer
Jo Hiergesell, Daphne Dukate'
Faye Herring, Karen Kelley'
Sandra Morgan, Boo Best, Betti
Norman, Mary Jane Harrel’l, Patty
Warren, Sheila Smith, Nina Ann
Stokes, and Robbin Causey enjoyed
he festivities.
Wake Forest parties with the
Catalinas and the Drifters drew
large crowds. Rockin’ and rollin’
to the music were Jackie Barker,
Nancy Umbergers, Mary Dabney
Henderson, Susie Johnson, and
Vnne Simons.
Professors should
tand why there
now under-
were so many
■Jeepy-eyed, dull students Monday.
After all, about 250 girls signed out
for the weekend.
As the pap e r went to press,
Eleanor. Quick, Joan Thrower,
Frances Bailey, and many others
were working all hours on last
minute details for “Taming of the
Shrew” presented Thursday and
”^riday nights.
With Thanksgiving vacation only
five days away, smiles and half-
0 a c k e d suitcases are numerous.
Girls are rushing to meet dead
lines—the heavy onslaught of quiz
zes and papers hasn’t slackened,
although practice teachers have
finished their work and seem to
have a bit of free time.
Have a happy Thanksgiving!
B00lf5
apparent
much more set m their pattern or human because be was a Russfau. Though we™tend^op'pos^
conception of honor. A senior feels to the Russian people and their theory of CommnLT and
perhaps an awareness again of the though we’ll fight them if the time comes, we can’t call’them
inhuman devils. Dr. Bennett and Professor Seton-Watson have
Its
meaning of honor and realizes _
influence upon her life “beyond the said that this is the greatest temptation and danger^ before
T 1 JJQ remedy for to hate the Russians because we think they’re immoral
" emphasize "ecause we are the decent, Christian Americans. For they’re’
square
such a
I know
cycle except
to
the Honor Tradition to students at »ot all Wrong, just as we aren’t; they’re not all’rieht iust as
.t' “R—” people and SeS
cans.
The ijuay is
unbearably long,
but I must deliver
this message to Qort.
Adversities will
not stay me -Prom
swift completion
of my appointed
round.
The stitch in
my side grows
intolerablef..PANT,.,
...Zeus! I'm
weary!
There at last!...
Gort stands yonder
awaiting,with
bated breath,the
scribblings upon
this stone.
0 noble Gort...
«WT...a message
for you.,.!
As for me,
I die.
Good
show,
old chap!
(Me Dies)
Damn
these
bulk-rate
advertising
Circulars!
Tales From A Troubled Land is
the most recent fiction work of
Alan Paton, South Africa’s leading
novelist and political spokesman, a
white, who is committed to the
cause of his country’s native races.
His novel. Cry The Beloved
Country, is generally regarded as
the most outstanding literary work
produced in that country. He is
also a writer of many political and
social works.
This book is a collection of ten
stories, mostly reflecting the
author’s experiences as the prin
cipal of a reform school, and deals
generally with young native delin
quents. Although segregation and
native oppression run as a leitmotiv
throughout the work, it cannot be
dismissed as written solely to fur
ther a cause. The human element
is dominant. His characters are
little people living in a society
functioning with two moral and
social standards, and their acts are
more often the result of confusion
than obstinacy. In individual situ
ations, these characters attest to
the personal qualities of love and
(Continued On Page Fotu)
Letter To
The Editor
I think the student body is to be
commended on the enthusiastic^ in
terest displayed during Religious
Emphasis Week. The student r^
sponse to Tuesday’s voluntary 5:00
Assembly seemed to be an encour
aging answer to the
“What do we really care about.
The continued interest shown at
the remaining sessions indicated
not only a high regard for the
stimulating speaker, but it seemed
to affirm the fact that Salem stu
dents DO want to put an emphasis
on religion I
Trisha Weathers