Page Two
What Have You Given?
Salemites! Tired of hearing the same old line? Well maybe if
you listen to it once, just once, and maybe even consider doing
something about it you wouldn't ever have to hear it again.
At Salem C. apathy is like the weather. Everybody talks about
it, but who does anything about it? Unlike the weather, some
thing CAN be done about the lack of interest here.
Why don't you look up from the bridge table, turn an ear away
from the stereo, wake up from your nap or pause in whatever it
is that you do when not studying or going to class and take a look
at yourself? Think about all the organizations on campus that
desperately need people to help them perform vital functions on
and off campus. Think then about how many of you have griped
about some phase of life at Salem.
Don't like the food? Talk to Susan Milner. She's the I.R.S.
representative in charge of making suggestions to the refectory.
Don't like the rules? Write a petition.
Don't like the way education is today? How many of you heard
Dr. Silberman, chatted with Dr. Chandler, discussed with Dwight
Allen?
Don't like the penalty system? On the day that the Honor Coun
cil questionnaires were due only 133 were turned in.
Don't like the long wait on election night? How many of you
signed the poster to be on the committee to study our method of
election and propose changes? Two people. People complain
about not knowing what's going on around campus. Why is it
that when we get the chance to voice our opinions and be heard
no one ever speaks out?
As for The Salemite, how many of you have griped about the
quality and amount of articles? What have you done to help make
The Salemite better? Have you ever contributed an article, a letter
to the editor or an idea? One, two or even five people can't do
it all.
All of the organization heads appreciate the cooperation they
do have, but it is still unfair that a few should have to do all of
the work. Sure it is hard for so many organizations to operate
on such a small campus, but less than half the students are in
volved in anything at all.
We don't have to have a newspaper on campus. If the majority
think it is a complete waste of time, it will be easy to stop pub
lishing. In the very near future The Salemite will be offering
several new columns of interest to the college community. Maybe
we can be of some value to this college.
Before the ivy completely covers you, react. Voice your ooinion.
J. P.
In a whirling fire of annihilation
In the storm of destruction
And deadly cold of the act of sacrifice,
You would welcome death.
But when it slowly grows within you,
Day by day.
You suffer anguish.
Anguish under the unspoken judgment which hangs over your life.
While leaves fall in the fool’s paradise.
The chooser’s happiness lies in his congruence with the chosen,
The peace of iron filings, obedient to the forces
of the magnetic field—
Calm is the soul that is emptied of all self,
In a restful harmony—
This happiness is here and now.
In the eternal rrioment of co-inherence.
A happiness within you—but not yours.
The anguish of loneliness brings blasts from the storm center of death ;
only that can be really yours which is another’s, for only what you have
given, be it only in the gratitude of acceptance, is salvaged from the
nothing which some day will have been your life.
Dag Hammarskjold, taken from Markings
Editor-in*Chief
EDITORIAL STAFF
Associate Editor
Cori Pasquier
Managing Editor
Laurie Daltroff
News Editor
Chris Verrastro
Assistant News
Clark Kitchen
Feature Editor
Chris Moran
Assistant Feature
-Dee Wilson
Art Editor
.—Barbie Pfiieger
Copy Editor . , . .. .
Anna Burgwyn
Cartoonist
- . -Marcia McDade
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Beth Wilson
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Billie Everhart
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BUSINESS STAFF
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Published by Students of Salem College
Printed by the Sun Printing Company
Subscription Price $4.60 a year
Member U. $. Student Press Association
Advisor Mrs. J. W. Edwards
THE SALEMITE
Friday, October 29, 1971
9 • •
Dear Salemite Editor:
It took no more “scientific” de
duction than that that an unscien
tific and soft-headed humanist could
muster to figure out that “the
venerable guru” being written by
Guru Edwards in his letter to the
editor last week was Guru Lewis.
As usual, I enjoy the exchange of
repartee: the more the points of
view, the merrier and the more en
lightening, both, of which compon
ents are valuable to a liberal educa
tion at a college such as Salem.
' Guru Edwards and Guru Lewis
agree on all important points. I
would go further, however, and say
that biology triggered the 20th cen
tury revolution in scientific thought
(followed by all disciplines, which
are unitary with “science,” the au
thenticated and basic study of
“reality”) since the late 19th and
early 20th centuries. The “emer
gent” or “creative” concept—now
developed most lately into General
System Theory of the world-re
nowned biologist L. von Bertalanffy
—appeared first in biology. Since
then, “classical” analytical and me
chanical science has been giving
way to the “new” holistic and or-
ganismic variety.
I would be careful about Hal
dane’s statement as proving any
thing: that science doesn’t influence
theology, or that Haldane is, ipso
facto, a “great” scientist — if the
statement does certify anything, it
. might be that Haldane was speak
ing as a great wit and w’ag, not to
be confused with his great “scien
tific” contributions. (I’ll admit that
it’s difficult sometimes for the un
initiated to know the difference be
tween ridicule and argument.)
Also, Guru Edwards and Guru
Lewis seem to be using different
conceptions of the concept “revo
lution,” which it might be instruc
tive to clear up. In a 1969 book
I’m just reading by the world-
renowned biologist von Bertalanffy,
I find the following:
“. . . At a time when any novelty,
however trivial, is hailed as being
revolutionary, one is weary of us
ing this label for scientific de
velopments. Miniskirts and long
hair being called teenage revolu
tion, and any new styling of auto
mobiles or drug introduced by
the pharmaceutical industry being
so announced, the word is an ad
vertising slogan hardly fit for
serious consideration. It can,
however,, be used in a strictly
technical sense, i.e., “scientific
revolutions” can be identified by
certain diagnostic criteria.
Following Kuhn (1962), a scien
tific revolution is defined by the
appearance of new conceptual
schemes or “paradigms.” These
bring to the fore aspects which
previously were not seen or per
ceived, or even suppressed in
“normal” science, i.e., science
Non-Budget
Happenings
Lablings—
Faculty members are speaking to
the Lablings at their meeting this
week. Dr. Buchanan spoke
on October 26 on air pollution.
Later on, possibly some time in
November, Mr. McCleod will give
a lecture.
Dansalems—
The Dansalems have no imme
diate plans for performance, but
are currently working on mobility
exercises.
Home Ec. Club—
The Home Economics Club will
send representatives to the State
Convention at Charlotte on Nov.
S & 6. The theme for the con
vention this year will center on
family life in the future.
For their November meeting, the
club will hear a speaker on an
Experiment in Self-Reliance.
generally accepted and practiced
at the time. Hence there is a
shift in the problems noticed and
investigated and a change of the
rules of scientific practice, com
parable to the switch in percep
tual gestalten in psychological ex
periments, when, e.g, the same
figure may be seen as two faces
vs. cup, or as duck vs. rabbit.”
In my contrite opinion, I believe my
brother and colleague Guru Ed
wards is using “revolution” in the
first sense, while I am following
von Bertalanffy and Kuhn. The
Kuhn book, by the way, is in our
library, and I recommend it highly
to anyone wanting to know more
about the “20th Century Revolu
tion” of thought.)
Not that I quote von Bertalanffy
as an “authority” : after all, the only
authority is the appeal to scientific
knowledge, tested by coherence
among its postulates and by ade
quacy of those hypotheses to ex
plain the wddest field of facts. I
quote von Bertalanffy wnth respect,
as a scholar w'ho has won the right
to respect through the democratic
process of sticking his neck out . in
world-wide publications, having it
chopped on by the greatest scientific
minds, and still coming off with a
growling reputation as a great bio
logist who is making creative con
tributions to scientific thought.
Speaking of “revolution” in the
more “scientific” sense of Kuhn, I
• would say, as many many others
have, that a revolution which started
at the turn of our century and has
been snowballing ever since, makes
the last great one of some three to
four centuries ago — the so-called
Copernican revolution (thoroughly
mixed up, mind you, with the Re
naissance and Reformation, i.e., with
the humanities and theology)—look
like a tempest in a teapot. I’m glad
that this new “paradigm” is being
taught so well in Biology 10, Chem
istry 10, and Physics 10. I’m cer
tainly trying to muddle through
constantly in all my courses, so as
to make them “relevant” (that most
popular word today), especially in
my course dealing with 20th century
literature, in my soft-hearted hu
manistic way.
Mike (the Venerable Guru) Lewis
With agape,
P.S. I’m afraid to reciprocate Guru
Edwards’ “lovingly,” because what
with the Womens and Gay Libera
tion Fronts these days, I might be
' misunderstood.
Dear Editor,
The informal meeting of the
faculty and students to discuss
faculty-student relations last week
had many good points even if the
results were not dynamic. If ft j',
nothing else, I think it achieve
one critical purpose: to take
initial step towards further disc^"'
sions which will, hopefully, tnaT
for better “faculty-student” atti'
tudes and relations.
This close relationship has been
and should continue to he ■
. . cin in;.
portant factor m making Salem at
tractive to prospective students j
hope that we won’t let this get
away from us.
'The discussion was a good start
for looking further into this area
Let’s keep this alive and see what
changes can be made.
Mary Salem
Dear Editor,
The student-faculty workshop last
week was summed up admirably by
one of the faculty members, who
said “I find this enormously frust
rating.” It was more than just
frustrating—it was a total flop. We
seem to have come together with a
common objective, to evaluate our
system of faculty-student relations
and to make suggestions for reform
if needed, but instead we became
bogged down in generalities—every
one sounding off and no one saying
anything. I left feeling that 1 could
no longer communicate with anyone,
much less a faculty member.
This brings up a most interesting
point. Somehow, during the course
of the conversation, the human be
ings at Salem were divided into two
distinct categories, with the students
on one side and the faculty mem
bers on the other. It sounded like
transcending the mortals into the
secret world of the gods (the faculty
members) would be the ultimate
trip for a student. It may take
four years, but that lu'cky girl
should and would find “the one” for
her, to guide her, instruct her, etc.
and so on. If she were lucky
enough, she might even find some
one with whom to experience “a
social relationship.” None of these
relationships, incidentally, were de
fined.
'What was equally as disturbing
was the total avoidance of some
thing which would have brought us
all to an important realization, and
which would have put us more or
less on the same level: that is, that
we are all human beings and in
evitably will get from a relation
ship what we want from it and/or
what we put into it, or we will move
on until we are satisfied and find
what we want. I hope, since we
of the various groups and panels,
did not hear from the majority of
students, that their silence indicates
their satisfaction.
Kathy Manning
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