fmf two
THE TWIG
Importance of the Honor Code \AkU PavC-^6»S
Did you ever happ>en to think of what
Meredith would be like if we did not
have the honor code? Or what kind of
persons we would develop into if we
had never heard of an honor system—
at school or at home?
These matters and many others of the
same sort were brought out vividly a
few days ago when the student body
signed the honor code after a week of
talks on the subject of honor and
many private discussions. We were
brought face to face with the meaning
of it and our responsibility towards it
after signing.
Of course, signing a slip of paper
doesn’t mean that you haven’t previous
ly been following an honor code of
your own. It is simply a rededication of
a promise we had already made to
ourselves whether we realized it or not.
For most of us, it has been a way of
living ever since we can remember.
Certainly you were brought into con
tact with it when you entered Meredith
as a freshman or as a transfer. It may
have never entered your mind that a
fellow student wasn’t honest in his so
cial and academic activities. Suppose
the proctor system were in practice
while tests and exams were taking
place. Wouldn’t you feel as though you
were being treated like a child who
couldn’t be trusted? We would not only
have the proctor system in our acadeni-
ic work but it would mean that it
would carry over into our social lives.
The places we went, and those we
went with, would also have to be gov
erned by someone else.
If each one of us has our own honor
code—a code which we think is help
ing us to live a fuller, richer life, we do
not need to sign anything because it is
already there. We should be glad that
Meredith has given us such a heritage.
This honor system really works! And
it can continue to, if each girl will do
her part towards making it.
J. L.
J^tter^ to the Cditor
Significance of the Classroom
The loud jangling of the bell pro
claims the 8:30 hour and in a very
short time half the student body has
treked down the path to the classroom
buildings and settled down for class.
But are their minds really focused on
the class discussion? In far too many
instances they are not. The girl who
sits with jKjncil in hand and eyes fas
tened on the face of the professor may
be thinking about the topic under dis
cussion but it’s much more likely that it
is thoughts of Bill or John, a big week
end or some other unrelated subject
which claims her attention. She sits
there bored stiff for fifty-five minutes
simply because she won’t let herself
get interested in the class and she feels
just a little guilty about those other
thoughts. .
The same difficulty is present in the
preparation for these classes, home
work. Of course, many students just
don’t bother with it. Their time is tak
en up with more important activities.
There are club meetings, athletic prac
tice, and dates which can easily fill in
the hours left over from classes, if one
allows them to do so. May I ask which,
homework or activities, should proper
ly be used to fill up the time? Then there
are those whose consciences bother
them if they completely neglect their
homework. So they go through the pro
cess of preparing for each class. Dur
ing the time they spend in this process
one thought is foremost in their minds,
“I’ve got to get through in a double
hurry, so I can do something else. "To
read an assignment for the pleasure in
it is almost unknown to most of us. We
read it as quickly as we can so that we
can say that we read it. Have you ever
thought that some of those assignments
might be interesting?
Now let’s put the blame on someone
else, our teachers. Maybe the classes
aren’t interesting enough. One can’t
criticize an unoccupied mind for wan
dering. For instance, it is terribly hard
to keop one’s mind on a class in which
the professor lectures for the full hour
in the same sleep-inducing voice. A li^-
Iv discussion is necessary to snatch the
mind back from the forbidden thoughts
of Bill or John. The same trouble is
present in the homework problem. For
Dear Editor,
In our world today it is very import
ant that we as young women be in
terested in public affairs, particularly
in those that pertain to our national
and local governments. I think a very
good way in which to become ac
quainted with these affairs is through
our campus organization—the Student
League of Women Voters. In this or
ganization we strive to get a better
understanding of the policies and prac
tices of our national and local govern
ments and also to gain insight into some
current political problems. Through this
organization one may become a more
intelligent voter and a more enlightened
citizen.
One of the projects of the Student
League is sending a delegation and a
bill to the North Carolina State Stu
dent Legislature. Perhaps many of you
do not know about the North Carolina
State Student Legislature. It is made
up of student delegates from any col
lege or junior college in North Caro
lina, and it convenes in Raleigh in the
state capitol building each year for a
three day session. The Student Legisla
ture is modeled after the North Carolina
General Assembly as to proceedings and
law. Each college sends three dele
gates to the Senate, and the delegates
in the House are determined according
to the enrollment of the school. These
delegates occupy the Senate and House
chambers in the Capitol. From these
representatives the officers of the Legis
lature are chosen. Each college may
introduce a bill of state interest in the
Legislature. These bills are discussed at
great length and are then voted on. The
bills that are passed are recommended
to the North Carolina General Assem
bly for their consideration. The Legis
lature stirs up interest among the stu
dents that are interested in public af
fairs. Any student may attend the ses
sion of the Legislature and in doing so,
I am sure, would become more familiar
with the procedure that is used in our
national and local government. It is of
vital importance that we take advan
tage of this opportunity while we are in
college. The women of our world today
are no longer taking a back seat in af
fairs, but are entering into many activi-
(Continued on page five)
example, the assignment of excessive
memory work is not conducive to
eager preparation, because many stu
dents think it absolutely pointless
since they forget it soon. If we think the
trouble is in the teacher or her methods,
why don’t we make suggestions to her.
Maybe she is at her wit’s end to find
some way of getting her passive stu
dents to come alive.
We the students need to examine
the standard of values and maybe re
vise it a bit. Are we here primarily for
a good time with the hope that we
might absorb a little knowledge on the
side, or are we here primarily to get
knowledge and secondly to have as
much fun on the side as we have time
for after studies.
L. O.
Views From
Other News
ONE FOR THE DICTIONARY
President Dale Gramby of Salem Col
lege opened the 1951 term with the
definition of a college girl.
“Between the gawkiness of early ado
lescence and the dignity of full wom
anhood we find a delightful creature
called the College Girl. She comes in
assorted sizes, weights and ages, but
all College Girls seem to have the
same creed: To enjoy and profit from
every second of every minute of every
hour of the day; to delay doing class
room assignments and term papers; to
anticipate mail and forthcoming week
ends; to engage in bull sessions.
“College Girls are found everywhere
on the campus, and sometimes off—on
the floor, on tables, under tables, up
and down the steps, piling books here
and there, walking on the grass and
parked in automobiles.
“Mothers love them; younger broth
ers tolerate them; other girls envy them;
college boys glorify them; Heaven pro
tects them; and the faculty is divided
on the matter.
“A College Girl is Truth with polish
on its fingernails. Beauty adulterated
only by blue jeans. Wisdom with a scarf
around its head, and Hope-for-the-Fu-
ture once a fraternity pin appears.
“A College Girl is a composite—she
has the energy of a pocket-size atomic
bomb, the irresponsibility of an over
night guest, the curiosity of a cat, the
lungs of a dictator, the imagination of
a Paul Bunyan, the gullibility of a yok
el, the enthusiasm of an evangelist, the
fault-finding of a taxpayer, the friend
liness of a salesman and the ingenuity
of an inventor.”
The Maroon and Gold
Elon College.
3ooli
mg.
A TEACHER’S CREED
Ram it in, cram it in.
Children’s heads are hollow;
Slam it in, jam it in, '
Still there’s more to follow—
Hygiene and history.
Astronomic mystery.
Algebra, histology,
Latin, etymology,
Botany, geometry,
Greek and trigonometry—
Ram it in, cram it in.
Children’s heads are hollow.
Rap it in, tap it in—
What are teachers paid for?
Bang it in, slam it in—
What are children made for?
Ancient archaeology,
Aryan philology.
Prosody, zoology,
Physics, clinicology,
Calculus and mathematics.
Rhetoric and hydrostatics—
Hoax it in, coax it in,
Children’s heads are hollow.
Rub it in, club it in.
All there is of learning;
Punch it in, crunch it in,
Quence their childish yearning
For the field and grassy nook.
Meadow green and rippling brook;
Drive such wicked thoughts afar.
Teach the children that they are
But machines to cram it in,
Bang it in, slam it in—
That their heads are hollow.
Scold it in, mould it in.
All that they can swallow;
Fold it in, hold it in.
Still there’s more to follow.
Faces pinched, sad and pale.
Tell the same undying tale—
Tell of moments robbed from sleep.
Meals untasted, studies deep;
Those who’ve passed the furnace
through.
With aching brow will tell to you
How the teacher crammed it in,
Rammed it in, punched it in,
Rubbed it in, clubbed it in.
Pressed it in, carressed it in.
Rapped it in, and slapped it in.
When their heads were hollow.
Anonymous.
Oc October 5, 1951
' from the 1951
pss of Meredith,
'irley Bone, presi-
phuluv^ rs
'% Miss
Well, Rush Week is over—whew! Bu^
golly, wasn’t it fun? Congratulations
Smitty and you Phis! Both societies did
great jobs and are proud of their new
girls.
I guess the time has now come for
all good men to come to the aid of their
country. Does that seem irrelevent to '
the Meredith curriculum? Well—look
again and change a few words. Now is
the time for all good angels to come to .
the aid of the numerous tests we are
now having. Sound familiar now? And
does this? What was it that discovered
America? Shakespeare? No, Chaucer via
his pilgrimage to Canterbury—no, it
must have been—well, I can’t help it if
I don’t know. Why can’t there be tests
on bridge or canasta, or the latest
shows? Boy, then I could tell my folks
I learned something! Wouldn’t it be
wonderful if that system known as the
testing one had never been invented?
What a life—and especially with every
thing going on now.
By the way, have you been to the
State Fair? There’s absolutely nothing
like it! Teddy bears, dirt, rides, dirt,
shows, dirt, and more dirt. It sho’ is
fun, though.
Say, there’s an awful lot of hillbilly
music and loud calling going on. Oh,
yes, the Corn Huskin’ Bee is not far off.
So swing your “padner” and call those
hogs—^^ah ha! Let’s go!
And last, but not least, here is a con
tribution from one of the stronger sex.
“I think that I shall never see
A girl refuse a meal that’s free;
A girl with hungry eyes not fixed
Upon a cake that’s being mixed;
A girl who doesn’t like to wear
A lot of junk to match her hair;
But girls are loved by guys like me
’Cause doggone if I will kiss a tree.”
Mcmbcc
I^ssodded Gollei^dte FVess
EDITORIAL STAFF
Editor Jeanne Ramsey-
Associate Editors .....Beth Morgan, Doris
Perry, Bobbie Addy.
Managing Editor Joan Langley
Photo Editor Elsie Williams
Art Editor Sally Clark
Music Editor Shelley Millican
Sports Editor Ruth Ann Simmons
Columnist Betsy Cannady, Phyllis
Nottingham.
Reporters Allen Hart, Celia Wells, -
Lorette Oglesby, Katherine Waynick,
Nancy Brown, Ann Ipock, Dott Miller,
Linda Swann, Alyce Epley, Susan Rat
liff, Dot Helms.
Chief 'Typist Kathleen Chriscoe
Typists Katherine Sites, Martha Martin,
Mary Jane West.
Faculty Sponsor Dr. Norma Rose
BUSINESS STAFF
Business Manager Carlene Kinlaw
Advertising Manager Dot Thomas
Advertising Staff Allene Brown,
Bernice Limer, Shirley West, Margie
Stewart.
Circulation Manager Sarah Pate
Entered as second-class matter October 11, 1923,
at postofBce at Raleigh. N. C.. under Act of March
8, 1879. Published semi-monthly during the months
of October. November, February, March, April, and
May, monthly during the months of September. De
cember, and January.
The Twig is the college newspaper of Mere
dith College. Raleigh, North Carolina, and as such
Is one of the three major publications of the insti
tution—the other two being The Acorn, the literary
magazine, and The Oak Leaves, the college annual
Meredith College is an accredited senior liberal
arts college for women located in the capital citv
of North Carolina. It confers the Bachelor of Arts
and the Bachelor of Music degrees. The college
offers majors in twenty-one fields including music
art, business and home economics. ’
Since 1921 the institution has been a member
of the Southern Association of Colleges and Secon.
dary Schools. The college holds membershin in
the Association of American Colleges and the
North Carolina College Conference. Graduates of
Meredith College are eligible for membershfp in
the American Association of University Women
The institution is a liberal arts member of tte
National Association of Schools of Music.
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