Page Two
THE TWIG
January 19, 1967
Thirty Minutes a Day
Scene one: A typical Meredith student arrives at Jones Auditorium
at 10:27 on Monday morning, goes to her seat, arranges her coat collar
so that it will pad the back of her seat, and slips peacefully into dreamland.
At 11:00 she awakens (or is awakened by her neighbor), stretches, and
goes out into the morning rested and refreshed.
Scene two: An equally typical Meredith student arrives at the same
place at the same time, goes to her seat, opens her notebook, and catches
up on homework for that 11:00 class. After spending a fruitful half
hour, she proceeds to class, a happily prepared student.
Scene three: The third typical student arrives with the two previous
girls, finds her seat, and spends a gossipy thirty minutes conversing with her
friend about what a wonderful week-end she had, about Matilda’s
grotesque blind date, and about how she hates to waste time-in chapel.
Epilogue: (1) There are approximately nine hundred beds on its cam
pus, more than enough for each student to have the use of one whenever
she wants it. (2) Of the twenty-four hours in a day, if one sleeps seven
hours, goes to class for an average of three and one-half hours, and
spends about two hours at meals, one could conceivably get in more than
eleven hours of studying, which is certainly far more time than the
average student spends. (3) If a young woman cannot sit for thirty
minutes at a public program without carrying on a running conversation,
something has been omitted from her preparation for mature citizenship.
Thought for the week: Give chapel a chance.
MIH
Americans Abroad
Americans traveling in Europe are not exactly greeted with open arms
by welcoming natives these days. Granted, they are often greeted with open
hands by the native merchants. Open hostility may not meet the traveller,
but underlying feeling.s of dislike and suspicions arc often quite evident in
several European countries.
With more and more Americans, both young people and old, finding
the time and money to spend traveling, individual actions arc becoming a
stronger i^uence in determining the world’s opinion of the United
States. People have always had a tendency to judge a group by representa
tives of it, and this is especially true in this case.
On a continent where almost all of its cities display banners and posters
reading “U. S. Get Out of Viet Nam,” and where U. S. policies are
openly attacked, individual actions take on more significance. Dislike
of U. S. foreign policy added to one unpleasant impression made by one
American can determine a person’s opinion of the whole country.
Unfortunately these “unpleasant impressions” have many opportuni
ties to form. Many of today’s Americans abroad have the attitude that the
natives of certain countries are far beneath them and are to be treated as
inferiors. Of course such an attitude can be spotted a mile away. In one
case,'a “rich American" woman (expensive clothes, cigarette holder, and
all the outward signs) was watching a bullfight in Spain. When she
carelessly let her cigarette burn a hole in the sweater-shirt of a quiet
Spanish man seated in front of her, he turned around and with a pleading
look said in halting English, “Lady pay for?” With utter unconcern the
“lady” turned away, and mumbled to her companion something about
“dirty natives.” The whole U. S. lost prestige that day.
People who travel sometimes expect to find things in other countries
just as they have always been use to at home. They rarely find such con
ditions, so the ensuing complaints about everything from food to accom
modations arc another way that the natives get bad impressions of
Americans.
The attitude that “we’ll never see them again, so why does it matter”
seems to be common among tourists, but on tlie contrary—it may matter a
great deal.
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Exams are here again!
"lota Subscript"
By BETH PEACOCK
Mr. Bill Richardson of La Grange,
North Carolina, is a very generous
uncle. His niece, Mary Ann Whitty,
a Meredith art major, was attending
a party at his home recently when
he offered to loan her an original
Picasso etching.
Mr. Richardson acquired “Pour
Roby” through The Collector’s
Guild Limited of New York. Every
collector covets an original Pablo
Piscasso, who was bom in Spain in
1881 and has lived in France since
1900. Works of this incomparable
artist can be found in museums
throughout the world.
A short “blurb” found on the
back of this work reads, “This origi
nal etching ‘Pour Roby’ is a classic
example of Picasso’s genius. Apply
ing a precious quality to the limita
tion of line, he has captured the
character of a close friend.” The So-
ciete de Vertification de la Gravere
Internationale of New York and
Paris attests the authenticity of this
etching.
To be loaned an original Picasso
would seem to be an everyday occur
rence for Mary Ann, judging by her
demeanor. In talking with her,
though, one realizes the excitement
which she feels. Sharing the etching
with others is half the joy of “own
ership,” believes Mary Ann, who
hopes that each of you will have the
opportunity to see the work.
Professor Reviews REW Speakers Book
Coffer versus Killinger
(EDITOR’S NOTE: The foUowing
is a review of Dr. John Killinger’s
book, The Failure of Theology in
Modern Literature. This review was
written by Mr. Henry Coffer, assis
tant professor of religion, at the re
quest of the Religious Emphasis Week
committee. Dr. Killinger has writ
ten a number of books and articles,
and there will be a display of his
works in the library prior to Reli
gious Emphasis Week.)
Killinger, John. Failure of
Theology in Modem Literature.”
New York: Abingdon Press, 1963,
232 pp. plus index.
This book on the relationships be
tween Christian theology and con
temporary literature is by Dr. John
Kilhnger, the principal speaker for
Meredith’s upcoming Religious Em
phasis Week. Unlike so many
writers on thi.s subject, Dr. Killinger
does not take too much for granted.
When he introduces an author or
a title, he tells something about him
or gives a brief summary of the nar
rative. In this way his many literary
allusions are not lost on the reader.
This is a real strength, for it has
been this reviewer’s experience with
most books of this type that, unless
he reader has read almost everything
the author mentions, he is simply
unable to “get with it," a most frus
trating experience. Dr. Killinger has
spared us that and has created,
therefore, an interesting and excit
ing book.
His title is unfortunate and even
misleading, for it implies a negative
attitude toward contemporary litera
ture which Dr. Killinger does not, in
fact, have. The thesis of the book is
that contemporary literature fails
to reflect today’s best Christian the
ology in the way, for example, that
Dante’s Divine Comedy reflected the
medieval theology of Thomas Aqui
nas. Christian doctrines, where they
are mirrored in contemporary writ
ings, are often distorted or frag
mented. Any attempt to find a con
sistent Christian theology in today’s
artistic expressions is therefore
doomed to fall.
Dr. Killinger illustrates his thesis
by examining the work of several
better-known writers in the light of
particular Christian doctrines, in
each case raising the question, “How
i well is this doctrine reflected in con-
' temporary writing?” The doctrines
he uses as his standards of judgment
are: the doctrine of God, the doc
trine of Man, the doctrine of the
Church, the doctrine of the Sacra
ments, the doctrine of the Ministry,
the doctrine of Last Things, and the
doctrine of Atonement. In every case
the books he examines fall short of
an adequate artistic expession of the
doctrine in question. Modem times
have produced no Dantes.
It is Dr. Killinger’s title—and his
defense of it—which provides the
major “trouble-spot” in this book.
This reviewer finds It impossible to
agree with his insistence that a fail
ure to leflect a consistent Christiian
theology represents a “theological
failure” in contemporary literature.
For Christian or not, modern litera
ture has reflected the underlying
theological currents of our time. To
point out that these are un-Christian,
sub-Christian, only partially Chris
tian, or even anti-Christian, reflects
more upon the “times” than upon its
literature, One will grant instantly
that our times have produced no
great artistic expression of the Chris
tian faith. But one cannot ask the
artist to reflect something alien to
his times or to himself, as Dr. Kil
linger acknowledges in his chapter
on “The Christian Artist.” In this
sense, our contemporary writers ap
pear to have succeeded indeed, for
they give a keen, even a poignant,
expression to the theological prob
lems of our time; and, as fragmented
and distorted as It may be, they
have even presented to a large ex
tent the actual “theology” of our
times. Dr. Killinger is simply aware
of the fact that this is not a Christian
theology, then he should have stated
this in his title and called the book
something like “The Failure of the
Theology Implied in Modern Litera
ture to be Christian.” That is, in
any event, the real thesis of the book
One does not wish to leave a nega
tive impression on the basis of an
unfortunate choice of title. The
Christian theologian has the right,
indeed the obligation, to bring all the
critical apparatus of the Christian
faith to bear in his approach to litera
ture. He has also the right to hold
up the theological implications of
that literature to the penetrating
light of the gospel. He has even the
right to wish that there were better
expressions of the Christian faith in
(Continued on page 3)
Speaker for Directlois '67
Explains "How Uttle I Know"
By KAE FREEMAN
“Tell us, in 5,000 words , .. what
you have learned in your life time.”
to asked the editors of Saturday
Review of the philosopher-designer-
rchitect-author R. Buckminster Ful
ler, the keynote speaker for the
Directions ’67 Symposium planned
for Meredith in March.
Fuller’s answer: “I have learned
that man knows little and thinks he
knows a lot. ... I am the most
unlearned man I know."
To most laymen as well as schol
ars, though, Fuller’s resulting dis
sertation on “How Little I Know”
(Saturday Review, November 12,
1966, pp. 29f) contradicts this as
sumption.
One thing Fuller has evidently
learned is that it is foolish to ask
a man to write what he has learned
in 5,000-or-so words. He begins with
a satirical play on the prospect of
writing in that length “what I have
learned.” He issues forth “what I
haven’t learned.”
In the style of his writing, Fuller
seems to tell us not to accept blindly
the ways people have done things
and expressed ideas in the past.
Find your own expression! Fuller
makes up his own definitions to
words which Webster has already
defined. He uses nouns as verbs and
vice-versa. Every term he uses he
has made his own.
To the reader, though, who will bear
with his intentionally inane poetry
and puns and multisyllable words
making up twenty-seven-linc sen
tences, Fuller does tell what he had
learned and in so doing tells the
reader something he, perhaps, should
learn.
What has he learned? Fuller hits
several major points in his article.
(Continued on page 4)