Page Two
THE TWIG
February 12,1988
THE TWIG
STAFF
Fbasces Tatu.m Editor
Mart Jane LiNnt.nv 7i«si)ics4 Manager
Carolyn CntTciiKu ilssisfuiit Diiainess Manager
Business Staff
VlROI.MA Si'EKB SaIIAH POPR
Ruth McLka» Minnie Anne Forney
Hki.en Oaiivey EvEr.VN Lrviwe
Dorothy Lowdkiimilk
Mary Martin
Betty Paiiker
Katuleen Mioqett
Jessie Cubrin
Sadie Massey
DOROTUY Greene
BvEtYK Lassiteu
Annie Lee Tari.ton
.../IssoclaCe Editor
...Associate Editor
..Managing Editor
..Managing Editor
..Managing Editor
Cartoonist
Feature Editor
Typist
Typist
Reporters
Mary S’ikwaut
VmoiNiA Council
Iris Rose Gidson
Bebg Dickenson
CAROr.YN Anurews
Nora Binder
Jean Lioiitfoot
Geraldine Tuttle
Theresa Wall
Cora Burns
Mary Poster .
Ernestine Hobqood
Sara Hudso.v
Entered U9 Mc0nd*cld99 mntter Octobor 11, 1923. at Post Ofllco at tlalelgh, K. C..
under Act of Atarch 3. 19T9.
Aeceptancc lor ninlUng at special rate of postaee provided for In Section 1103, Act
of October i, 1017. authorized October 11. 1923.
SUBSCRIPTION PRICE *1.60
We Set It Aside
Ever since the Student Legislature, which was held last
fall in the State Capitol building, a few Meredith students
have been trying to Instill in other students and those con
cerned, an interest in debating. Those who attended the
legislative meeting realized very much their inadequacy of
knowledge and ability to participate intelligently in the dis
cussion of the various problems which came up before the
two houses at this student meeting.
We feel that Miss Bailey’s talk to the members of the
Phi society did much to create a desire iij those attending to
really do something about debating at Meredith.
And another big step in the direction of stimulating in
terest on the campus would be to sponsor some debating
meets. This week we were given an opportunity to sponsor
a neighboring college with its opponent in a meet. But the
invitation was turned down for the simple reason that we
are having a week of deeper spiritual thinking, and it might
be that some of us would neglect this meeting which is held
immediately after dinner, therefore the time element was
not part of the refusal, in order that we might attend the
debate. And what of it? Why wouldn’t we be justified in
missing just one of the spiritual meetings, if we felt we
couldn’t attend both, in order to broaden our outlook in
other directions? That is what is the matter with most of
us now — we have one-sided personalities and one-way con
versations. It is not as if we did not have the opportunity
of attending the religious talks every day in the week, twice
a day, besides personal conferences. And just because I
favor our sponsoring the debate does not mean that I am
not in favor of the religious meeting. That is not the point.
Everyone who wanted to attend both meetings or either
meeting, would do so whether they were scheduled for the
the same night or not. And it would not be the first time
we had two thing.s to attend on the same night.
You may say that it is probable we will get another oppor
tunity. No doubt we may, and again we may not, but we
ought to take our opportunity when we have it within reach,
and they don’t come every day. Whereas, we are supposed
to think spiritually every day. whether we have a week set
aside or not. If you haven’t been thinking spiritually a good
many of the day.s this year, you will more than likely find
it a hard task to begin next week.
We have the materials with which to be a progressive
college, but we are not making good use of them.
Instruction In Marriage
With increasing popularity, courses in marriage are being
installed in the institutions of higher learning in the United
States at the request of students. The University of North
Carolina offers such a course and students at N. C. State
College are now petitioning for a similar one to be included
in the State College curriculum.
Perhaps your first reaction to this innovation is that it
is a humorous situation. Whoever heard of being educated
to marry? But if you give the matter serious consideration
you will realize the importance of being educated to marry
as well as being educated to earn a living by another means.
While we are gradually relinquishing the idea that the
woman’s place is in the home alone, people are still getting
married. And they are not making as great a success of
staying married as they used to or it may be that it is just
easier to get out of a diffiicult situation than in earlier times.
However, no really thinking person can but admit the value
of acquainting persons with the problems of marital life
through educational channels. Granted that experience is a
teacher, it is not always a good one. Since a large number
of high school students marry it would not be a bad idea
to introduce a course of this type in the secondary schools.
Although it may be the primary purpose of the Home
Economics Department to train students to teach its prin
ciples, it also instructs them in the art of managing a home,
but there is no single course offered which would be avail
able to students in other departments desiring such infor
mation. Would it be possible to install a course in marriage
here similar to those offered in other colleges? Is it not
our desire to keep Meredith a progressive college?
Education for the Few
James B. Conant, pre.'iident of Harvard University, stated
that it i.- “highly probable that a diminution of the total
number of students in the universities of this country is
highly desirable.” This .statement was motivated by the un-
eniploymenl situation among university men. In reducing
the number of university students he advocates that only
the more.' capable applicants be admitted to Harvard, and
that the expen.ses of a limited number of competent students
who (It) not have sufficient funds be paid. This would neces
sitate an increase in the Harvard endowment which is now
.?14I.OOO,OCO.
It i.s evident that Pre.sident Conant is of the opinion that
only a limited number .should be allowed the privilege of an
education. Thi.s is in opposition to the democratic view
which is .supposed to be representative of our country: that
every boy and girl is entitled to an education. While it is an
impossibility for every boy or girl to have a college educa
tion, they should get as much as is offered in the public
schools, and the curriculum of the public schools should be
made moi'e technical, giving an opportunity to those who
cannot continue their education a means of earning a living
more easily.
If admission to colleges wore restricted to those who do
exceptional work, we would be barring from the professions
men and women who might prove to be among the most
efficient if given a chance. The basis on which the selection
would be made is not mejitioned but it is certain that high
school records alone are not sufficient. Those who make
good .scholastic records in high school do not always do out-
.standing and sometimes not even average work in college,
and on the other hand there are those who were only average
.students in high .school and are among the first to receive
honors in college.
Our system is far from ideal, but it would be still further
if we refused to keep the way open for competition in “all
higher planes of human achievement. Therefore, educa
tional institutions are debtors to brighter and duller, the
slow and the fast. Let us recall that Louis Pasteur’s first
efforts for a college education were a failure. One of the
latest to write of him says: “Brilliant as is the record of
those accomplishments, his biography is not the story of a
genius or a prodigy. It is the story of a plodder who was
always outdistanced in his school work by the bright boys
of the class. It is the old story of the tortoise and the hare.’ ”
The Passive Youth
I was very much impressed by an editorial which ap
peared in a recent issue of the Raleigh News and Observer
commenting on the fact that there are people in every gen
eration who think that the young are merely “dancing the
world to perdition.” The editorial continued with the state
ment that the probable truth of both the past and the pres
ent, so far as youth is concerned was better stated by Dr.
Alexander G. Ruthven, president of the University of Michi
gan, who asserts that ‘‘one of the serious problems we have
to face is the conservative thinking of our students. Some
how we must shock them out of the rut in which most of
them are traveling today, and prepare them to keep up with
social trends in a changing world.”
The dancing youth or the radical youth are not the ones
to be feared, continued the editorial. Those to be feared are
the “solemn, marching, accepting, amenable young who
march in the various shirt movements and devote their
youth to old violence, old brutality, to the old insensitive
and unimaginative attitudes and activities which they accept
without questioning from their elders who are by no means
necessarily wise or good merely because they are old.”
The truth of this s,tatement is one we must face. Look at
the young people about you. How many of them are really
forming any ideas about the situations going on about them
every day, and how many of them are just willing to sit
back and take what is handed to them, and they may not
even do that. They ai'e the drawbacks to progressive enter
prises ; we cannot go forward without thinkers. Even con
servative thinking is better than none, and I am afraid there
are only too many who do none at all.
FEBRUARY 14th
—By Sadie Massey-
STAMI=>S
«
I
I
i
Dot^s Dashes
By Dot Lowdermilk
I do believe I’ve acquired about
two more readers since the flrst
appearance of this column, be
cause at least five girls told me
they missed It tlic last time The
Twiu came out. That Is indeed
gratlfylngl Perhaps I'll have ten
by the time school is out in June.
I've been dashing around all
morning trying to convince Mrs.
Marsh and ''Crltch" that I should
not go on campus Cor choir cuts.
But I'm atrald that as a politician
I'd make a good atcnosrapher!
Seems that the latest fad is to be
on campus, wliat with 119 going
on after the holidays and 93 going
on this week. Don’t (eel bad if
they won't let YOU go on with the
rest of the girls. Maybe you'll
have a chance later.
Founders' Day was a tremen
dous success, according to all re-
OPEN FORUM
Dkah Eiiitor:
I guess the Open Forum is as
good a place as any to make an
appeal for a better standard of
scholarship among our girls at
Meredith. With a wholo new se
mester before us, and any neces
sary adjustments made by this
time. It looks as it we could all
bring our grades up with a little
steady work and not too great an
effort. I realize that we have a
very good percentage of honor stu
dents, perhaps more than the aver
age college, but I also realize that
at the same time we have a rising
number of failures. This latter
fact Is due to several forces—in
adequate preparation, laziness
sometimes, Indlfterenco, and often
Just thoughtlessness. In any event,
there Is room for grout Improve
ment, und I believe It should be
Ihe duty and pleasure of every
Meredith girl to do her part In
tills attempt, which Is both for her
inu>rovement und for that of the
college. Alter all, the chief object
of a college education Is to lit one
self to meet the problems of life,
an nim which can be achieved only
when tiiere Is a conscious effort on
Lite part of the student to put her
best into her work and got the
most posBible out of It. Lots of
things are really fascinating when
you get down to them. Try It and
see, and see also if yon don’t Ilnd
yourself learning a great deal more
with less worry.
Sincerely yours,
Jban LKiimooT,
ports. 1 think all of us are proud
of having lived In Stringfleld Hall
after hearing Dr. Spilman’s ad
dress. Did you hear the alumnae
broadcast? In my opinion, the
highlight of the program was Mias
Ida’s little speech. Incidentally,
when she first came In the broad
casting studio she remarked to
some of the girla that It surely
was a spooky place.
The Student Government recep
tion was quite a colorful affair,
with all the fair damsels coming
down the line beaming with pride
as they Introduced the handsome
young men who followed them. I(
YOU went. I’m sure you never
thought of your name being any
one of the ten that you were prob
ably called while going through
the line. Margaret Love intro
duced one boy as “Mr. Williams,’'
and I knew all tbe time his name
was "Mr. Hicks." We laughed
about the way everyone was get
ting the names mixed and started
talking about other things. Then
when I started to Introduce him to
Maxine all I could think of to call
him was "Mr. Williams,” and I’ve
known him for three years! I
think the girls enjoyed patting
their feet to the "Dlpsy Doodle"
more than any other number that
the orchestra played. "Bob
White,, and "Bel Mir Bist Du
Schon" or “My Dear Missed the
Train" or what have you were
also quite popular.
Dashea: A freahman received as
a gift a scarf on which was pic
tured the Big Apple. The name of
the dance was also there in capital
letters. Her father, a minister, no
ticed tlie capital letters and In
quired as to what that was on the
scarf. The freshman Immediately
replied, ‘‘Fruit, Daddy, Irult! ’’
. . . , Did you gala hear about Dr.
Lane winning a carton of Coca-
Colas which are given away each
morning on Slngln’ Sam’s pro
gram? I wonder what HER health
churt looks like now! .... And I
hear that Miss Little' has begun
negotiations (or getting her soci
ology class In the penitentiary—I
think, maybe, they're just going
over to look around, though.
Here’s something I heard at a
Scotch party the other night:
A Scotchman had to send a tele-
gntm, and not wishing to spend
moro money than necessary, he
wrote llko this;
“Bruises hurt erased afford
erected analysis hurt too infec
tious dead." Ten woi-ds.
The Scotchman who received It
immediately deolded It was:
"Bruce is hurt. He raced a
Ford. He wrecked It, and Alice Is
hurt, too. In fact, sbe’s dead,’
Nineteen words.
As We Go Out To Teach
-By ELIZABETH HENLEY-
I expect that when we, the mem-
lers of this year’s graduating class,
were little girls In the primary
grades, nearly all o( us had visions
of ourselves as future school
teachers. We knew then how to
teach school. Many of us even
knew exactly what dresaes and
hats we should wear In tbe class
room and how we should do our
hair. I know I did. I Intended to
have a yellow pleated skirt and a
bright red blouse and wear my
hair In big puffs on each side of
my head.
As we went on through high
school, many of us lost our ambi
tion to teach school; but many of
U9 kept It, and the visions we bad
of ourselves as school teachers
changed. We saw ourselves as
teachers of Latin, geometry, or
biology instead of Arst or second
grade teachers. And the dresses
we then planned to have when we
became independent were a little
more subdued in style and color
than those we had earlier wished
to own, and our bair was to be
bobbed and permanented.
But now the scene has changed
again. For those of us who have
tried to prepare ourselves to be
teachers, the time to begin Is
alarmingly near at hand. We are
not now so sure of how to teach,
and we cannot stop to plan our
wardrobes, or to give our hair a
second thought. Of course we
hope we will look all right la the
classroom: but the duestlon is.
What on earth wlil become of us
and of the pupils when we are the
teachei's? In the past few months
many questions have come to us
as prospective teachers which de
mand at least some tentative an
swers before we can formulate
anything of a teaching policy to
work on until experience In teach
ing shall have simplified the way
a little. Among these questions
are; (1) In what terms shall we
deflne success? (2) How does the
teaching profession rank? (3)
What are our specific obligations
as teachers? (4) How best can we
discharge these'obligations?
Those and many related prob
lems have come to us In, or as
outgrowths of, our courses In edu
cational theory. We have gath
ered many valuable Ideas about
them In these class discussions, as
well as from other sources, one of
the most fertile of which has been
a close scrutiny of our own teach
ers, past and present, to discover
how they as teachers affected ul
as pupils. Many of these have
made Indelllble Improaslons upon
our minds. Some of them we re
member for contributions of last
ing value which they have tur-
nlahed tor the culture ot our minds
or the formation of our charac
ters. Others whom we would for
get. If we could, we cannot help
remembering as retarding forces
in our lives. Perhaps these reml-
nlscencea of the Influences which
were brought to bear in our own
plastic years should be the moat
I'estralning and at the same time
the most stimulating considera
tion before us at the present time,
because It Is Inevitable that. It we
teach school, hundreds ot students
llko ourselves will live to look at
US Just as we now look upon our
own teachers, either to bless or to
curse our influence upon tlielr
llves.
Thus we see that the job we
have hoped to secure Is tar more
than a chance to work and make
a living; It Is decidedly a social
affair with tremendous social re
sponsibilities, but at the same
time pregnant with great poten
tialities. And this realization has
much to do with the answers we
make to these questions.
In our flrst problem, "In wh^t
terms shall we deflne our suc
cess?” there are certain inescapa
ble factors such as salaries and,
later, professional prestige, which,
of course must enter into our con
clusion. However, viewed In terms
ot our real duty, we see that these
factors are subordinate to our
proper function as teachers ot the
boys and girls who will make up
the society of tomorrow.
Much Is being said about the
rank ot school teaching as a pro
fession. We read that teaching
ranks very high In one country,
while it ranks comparatively low
In another. I once heard a young
teacher say that "teochers simply
do not count In the communities
In which they serve.” This state
ment sounded unfair, and I was
quite upset by It until I began to
analyze the situation. Now It looks
to me as If the Issue of how highly
the teacher is rated In the com
munity depends largely upon what
sort of teacher and what kind ot
person she Is. One glance at his
tory Is enough to prove that many
of the world’s greatest men have
been teachers. Socrates, Plato,
Mohammed, Moses, and Jesua
these and many lesser teachers
who were above or outside ot class
distinctions have forever dignlQed
the act ot teaching. Is it not up to
the teachers in a changed civiliza
tion to dignify the profession ot
teachfng?
Any attempt to analyze the ob
ligation ot the kind of teacher we
should like to be brings almost
staggering revelations. There
seem to have been so many sides
to all the finest teachers we have
had ourselves. I suppose anyone
would name as the flrst require
ment ot a good teacher, intellec
tual qualifications, of which the
most important phase is knowl
edge ot and ability to teach her
own subject. This, of course, is
fundamental; however, I have had
several teachers who guallfled ex
cellently In this respect, but who
seemed utterly lacking in knowl
edge of and appreciation tor any
thing outside of their own special
ties and who, being largely igno
rant ot the values of other fields,
took it upon themselves to speak
debasingly of them before stu
dents. The best teachers I have
evor had continuously correlated
tholr'own with other fields, and
thus brought out a joint appreoia-
tlon. Thus, tar trom detracting
from the subject In hand, they
enriched It Immeasurably.
Just as important as the act
and method ot Imparting Infor
mation, Is the encouragement and
guidance ot independent and orlti-
cal thinking. If we might In the
lower levels ot education, where
moat of us will be at'flrst, plant
the seeds ot thought along with
the seeds of knowledge, so that
the two might grow side by side, a
new Idea would be less like a dag
ger to our pupils when they meet
the currents ot thought, about
them in college and in later life.
It would then be easier for them
to analyze and evaluate former
convictions without losing their
guiding loyalties.
In thinking over ways of meet
ing these obligations, we have
mentioned some of the fundamen
tals ot the teacher's preparation,
namely; (I) a thorough working
knowledge of her own subject;
(2) versatility In other flelds, and
(3) those qualities ot mind which
tend to stimulate in her pupils the
development ot habits of critical
and abstract thinking. There re
mains yet to be discussed a very
important factor of the teacher’s
preparation, namely, a knowledge
of her psychological relationship
with her pupils. This element has-
perhaps received less than its
proper share of attention in the
study ot problems of learning up
until recent times. We cannot
here go into this matter at length;
but I think we should bear in
mind the fact that even the small
est friction between teacher and
pupn, If not wisely attended to,
may develop Into an antagonism
which so affects the pupil's state
ot mind that It Is practically im
possible for him to proflt by the
Instruction of the given teacher.
A look back at some of our own
teachers Is enough to furnish in
stances in which even the most
brilliant ot them have lost hold ot
their students by a habit of doing
or saying some petty or offensive
thing hi order to gratify their de
sire to “come back at" one of their
pupils. High school and college
students are acute readers of char
acter. If their teachers are trans
parent persons, or even it they are
not, no one Is quicker to see
through them than are the young
people who sit before them every
day, and a little fault looks great*
er to them in an otherwise great
teacher than It does In a less out
standing one. We wlio are still in
school are aware that students are
seldom as generous in their con
struction of a teacher's fault as
they are keen In detecting it.
While In a way this sItuat}on looks
a bit unfair to the teacher, still
the tact of It Is one we cannot help
facing, unless we are filling to
sacriflce all of the moral and much
ot the intellectual Influence which
we might otherwise exercise over
our pupils.
Though we are now wholly lack
ing In tbe experience which alone
can make perfect in teaching sub
jects, It may still be true that we
are now in a better position to
understand some aspects ot tbe
toacher-pupil relationship than we
will ever be again, by virtue of
the fact that while we are trying
to change our viewpoint to that of
the teacher, we are not yet re
moved trom the attitudes and
sympathtes that pervade campus
life. Perhaps now, before we have
come In oontaot with tbe thousand
petty worries ot the classroom, is
the best time ol all for us to see
a vision of teachers as custodians
In society ot culture and char
acter.