Two
The Twig
May 1,1980
Offlcial Organ of The Student Body
of Meredith College
Edith Buohanan Editor-in-OMef
Salinda Perky Business Manager
Gaynelle Hinton,
Business Manager
Rodebta Royster iis«{$tant Editor
Anmb Simms Assistant Editor
Sarah Briqqs Managing Editor
Elizabeth BooMHouii..Jlfana£rini7 Editor
Blondib Morse. Managing Editor
Mary Bakber..Assist. Business Manager
Evelyn MoCall Art Editor
Reporters:
Edwina Martin Prue Choate
Josephine Lyles Lillian Aldridqe
Christine Johnson Mart Lee
Entered as Meond-clai* matter October 11,
1923, at PoBtoRice at Baleieh, N. C., under
Act of March 8, 1878.
Acceptance for mailins at special rat* of
postase provided for in Section 1108. Aat of
October 3, 1917, authorized Octol>er 11. 1928.
Subscription Prtce $2.50
EDITORIALS
It appears that the whole stu
dent body is talking of leaving
Meredith! But, of course, com
mencement is only around the
corner.
The word which seems to be
in constant use among certain
groups on the campus is “Kant.”
It’s too late now, girls! There
are only four more weeks.
The teachers must be pleased
at the rapidity with which the
students are at work again after
a holiday. It seems that they
recover more quickly at Easter
than they ordinarily do.
ORIGIN AND OLD CUSTOMS
OF MAY DAY
The May-Day festival is one of
the oldest of which we have any
record. Most authorities main
tain that this festival originated
with the Druids.
In their worship of the god Bel
the Druids made immense fires
upon the cairns on May first,
making merry with song and
dance.
The Romans welcomed the
first of May with a joyful cele
bration, and there is reason to
believe that this festival is of
a more ancient origin than we
find recorded.
It is also thought that the
May-Day festival is identical
with the Phallic festival of India
and Egypt, which in those coun
tries took place upon the sun
entering Taurus, to celebrate
nature’s return to fertility.
Whatever its origin may have
been, it grew out of the natural
joy and ecstasy of the masses
welcoming spring and its beauty
after a long winter. The very
nature of the festival suggests a
people joyous and happy at the
passing of winter.
The fact that May-Day has
been always the favorite festival
of the European peasantry, who
would be the people to suffer
most the hardships of winter,
seems to bear out this conten
tion.
In England the May festival
was one of the greatest and most
important events of the year.
A time of great revelry and re
joicing, when a king and queen
were chosen to preside over the
gay peasant dances. Green, be
ing regarded as a symbol of re
birth, was used for decorations.
It became customary in the fif
teenth century for the royal
family to have a May-Day din
ner served in the woods, and an
other old custom which was pop
ular for a long time was to wish
one’s friends “A Merry May,”
just as we say “Merry Christ
mas!”
The ancients- believed that
May first was the boundary day
between summer and winter, and
that on this day a war took place
between the two seasons to de
termine which would prevail.
It became a tradition to stage
a mock war between two people
representing summer and winter,
and somehow summer always
managed to win and was prompt
ly crowned King of the May.
In triumph he held aloft green
branches decorated with May
flowers and sang an old folk song
the thought of which seemed to
have been, “I have won, I bring
you summer.”
The branches and flowers were
later interpreted as the May
pole. At first a young tree was
cut down and decorated with rib
bons and flowers. This was set
up in the village and everyone
danced around it.
The Druids, Incidentally, wor
shipped the tree, and it is possi
ble that the May pole originated
with them.
Long before the time of
Charles I of England the tree
had given way to the pole. Huge
poles were planted, decorated
gaily with green and flowers.
Long streamers were attached to
the top, and each dancer held on
proudly to his or her ribbon.
In America May-Day was
never popular. A Puritan
preacher is quoted as saying, “If
Moses was angry when he saw
the people dance around a golden
calf, well may we be angry to
see our people dancing about a
post.”
Even now we think of it as
a celebration belonging only to
the schools and colleges, when
the prettiest or most popular
girl is elected queen.
There are a number of inter
esting old May-Day supersti
tions. One is that to bathe one's
face in dew before sunrise on
May morning is to have an ex
cellent complexion. Even Queen
Catherine and her ladies in
waiting “went out to seek the
May-Day dew bath.”
An Irish superstition was to
go forth at sunrise on May-Day,
gaze down into a well, and see
the reflection of one’s lover, mak
ing a wish. This superstition ex
tended to Scotland, and wishing
wells were built.
From all these customs and
traditions a beautiful festival
has come down through the
years which we hope may always
be cherished and celebrated with
simplicity and joy.
play, “Lady Windermere’s Fan,”
is to be given Saturday night.
May-Day comes Tuesday, May 6,
and after that it seems that the
calendar is entirely filled with
various sorts of activities. And
not so far away loom exams!
The senior exams are only three
weeks away, and after that
week, the rush of commence
ment begins. Practices of all
sorts are in progress at odd mo
ments, and everyone is collecting
costumes and accessories. What
fun it is to be in the midst of it
all!
SPRING PEP
Spring, with all its verdure
and freshness, has brought with
it an attendant spirit of renewed
activities here at Meredith. The
rush of the last few weeks of
school has begun again! The
gym has been the scene of busy
preparations for that most lovely
of spring festivals, which is al
most here — May-Day. The
classes are vying with one an
other to prepare dances worthy
of presentation before the Queen
of the May. The sophomores
have begun practicing for the
important event of carrying the
daisy chain, their final tribute to
their big sisters. The seniors
themselves, blissfully aware of
the glory of “senior privileges,”
and realizing, too, that the end
is fast approaching, are bustling
about, rounding up last-minute
details of studies and social du
ties. The splendor of spring, the
seriousness of study, the sense
of gratitude for the successes of
the past year, fill all our hearts.
And over it all is the mingled
feeling of love and gratitude and
loyalty for our Alma Mater.
Track Season Closes
With Class Meet Sat.
BUSY?
What a mad whirl is ahead!
Already everyone seems to be al
ways absorbed in last-minute
preparations for something. The
The track season will close
with an inter-class track meet
Saturday afternoon at 2 o’clock.
This will include contests in
broad jump, high jump, hurdles,
hundred-yard dash, javelin and
discus throws. Although track
is an entirely new sport at Mere
dith, it has been met with an
unusual amount of enthusiasm,
and Saturday will be one of the
big events of the athletic year.
Tryouts in tennis singles be
gan this week, and the tourna
ments will be played in the near
future. Baseball equipment has
arrived, and although it is too
late in the season to organize
regular teams, those who wish
to play may go out each night
after dinner.
Miss Iden Discusses Field of
Journalism
(Continuei from pag» one)
special branches of newspaper
work which often prove attrac
tive to girls aside from the regu
lar work of a reporter and city
editor. The advertising depart
ment and the activities of the
social editor or feature-story
writer hold opportunities in this
line. Special feature photogra
phy also offers interesting work.
Miss Iden's presentation of
her profession gave evidence
that she has experienced the
genuine call of printer’s ink, and
placed this work in a new light
as a definite calling for the con
sideration of college girls.
New B. S. U. Officers
Accept Office Regalia
(Continued from page m»)
candles unlighted, marched down
the left. They took their places
on the stage in two semicircles.
After the reading from memory
of the Sermon on the Mount by
Vida Miller, Dr. J. B. Turner,
pastor of the Hayes-Barton
church, led in prayer.
Marguerite Mason, president
of the B. S. U., told of the work
of the B. S. U. this year and chal
lenged the incoming ofiicers to
live up to the ideals and carry on
the purpose of the organization.
She placed the regalia on the
new B. S. U. president, Mary
Currin, and lighted Mary's can
dle, saying, “Even as I have re
ceived the light, so give I it unto
you.” After Marguerite's light
had been extinguished, Mary re
sponded, “Even so do I receive
the light and shall endeavor to
keep it burning.” She said that
she accepted the regalia of office
and the light of service “as a
sacred trust, a welcome respon
sibility, and a joyous privilege,”
adding that she would have to
depend upon the cooperation of
all and the “strengthening hand
of our Heavenly Father.” Then
she lighted the candles of the
general B. S. U. officers.
Alma Dark, incoming presi
dent of the Home Service Band,
sang, “I Would Be Thine,” after
which the presidents of the unit
organizations handed over their
regalias and lights to the new
officers, following the same
formula as the general officers
used.
Rev. E. Gibson Davis, pastor
of the Tabernacle Baptist
Church, delivered the challenge
to the newly installed officers,
emphasizing the seriousness and
the sacredness of the trust which
had been placed in their hands.
After this the officers sang,
“Take My Life,” as a consecra
tion hymn, and then marched out
singing, “Follow the Gleam.”
The newly elected general offi
cers of the B. S. U. and its unit
organizations are:
President of B. S. U., Mary
Currin; first vice-president, Vida
Miller; second vice-president,
Kathleen Young; secretary, Ore-
on Bostick; treasurer, Nelda Wil
son ; publicity director, Prue
Choate.
Director of Sunday School De
partment, Sarah Elizabeth Jenk
ins ; associate director, Anne
Harris; secretary, Annette Don-
avant.
President of Y. W. A., Mary
Lee; vice-president, Elizabeth
Stevens; secretary, Bessie Lee
Rogers.
Director of B. Y. P. U. Depart
ment, Velma Preslar; associate
director, Georgia Cowan; secre
tary, Gertrude Bostic; pianist,
Lucille Hamby; chorister, Alma
Dark; “pep” leader, Pat Aber-
nethy; reporter, Mae Campbell.
Leader of Home Service Band,
Alma Dark; assistant leader, Ar-
line Daniels; secretary, Minwal
Cates.
Leader of Foreign Service
Band, Lucile Ward; assistant
leader, Norma Lee Phelps; secre
tary, Rachel Price.
Manager of B-Hive, Pearl
Hodges.
Retiring heads of organiza
tions are: President of B. S. U.,
Marguerite Mason; director of
Sunday School Department, Em
ma Hartsell; director of B. Y. P.
U., Ruth Preslar; president of Y.
W. A., Kathleen Durham; leader
of Home Service Band, Mabel
Beeker; leader of Foreign Serv
ice Band, Gladys Blaylock; man
ager of B-Hive, Elizabeth Apple.
“Watch me shake this thing,”
said the elephant, coming to a
suspension bridge. — Wisconsin
Octopus.
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