The Belles of Saint Mary’s
The Belles
OF SAINT MARY’S
Published every two
weeks by the student body of
Saint
Mary’s School
Editor
. . . . Joyce Poavell
Exchange Editor .
Erwin Gant
Business Manager
. . . . Miss Kate Spruill
Faculty Adviser .
. . . . Mr. C. a. P. Moore
STAFF
VlKOINIA Tbottee
Page Gannaway
Ebwin Gant
Margaret Savindell
COBNELIA CLABK
Elizabeth Tucker
Maby Willis Douthat Horten se Miller
Gertrude Carter
Ann Seeley
Helen Kendrick
Laura Gordon
Rebecca Barnhill
Martha Kight
Julia Booker
Mary Savan Dodson
1938
Member 1939
Associated GoUe6iate Press
N. C. Collegiate Press Association
STUDENT LEGISLATUEE
The North Carolina Student Legislature met
October 27 and 28 at the Capitol to propose and
discuss bills of State and national importance.
These boys and girls seriously and intelligently
passed many bills of great value which will be
recommended to the State Legislature.
Seeing in this meeting an opportunity of
learning much of the law and parliamentary
procedure, the students entered into it by pre
senting bills which were fine because of the
thoroughness with which they had been pre
pared. This was not a juvenile assembly in
which the members dilly-dallied around .dis
playing a limited knowledge of parliamentary
procedure; it was not one that was run step by
step under the guidance of elders; but a capa
ble, orderly assembly where bills Avere proposed,
discussed, and passed by students^ themselves.
In a time when many older people still find
great pleasure in the old, old policy _of_ calling
all young people flighty and shallow, it is grati
fying to find such a group of young people
(who are not too far above the average)_ show
ing that although they are interested in fun
and pleasure, they are equally interested in a
knowledge of their gOA^ernment and are eager to
knoAV enough of its law to be able to take their
places in efficiently managing it.
The Belles salutes the Student Legislature as
one of the really Avorth-Avhile student organiza
tions of the State!
AND SO AUTUMN COMES
The prettiest thing on the camnus right noAV
is a certain maple which stands in front of
Smedes. Next to my favorite occupation of
studying, I like best at this season to seat my
self in a particular choice spot and,^ hiding
behind my school books, quietly admire Na
ture’s masterpiece.
Have you eA^er noticed this tree? It is east
of the front pathway and easily distinguished
because of superiority in size and shapeliness
as well as color. In groAving this tree, Nature
has taken an unusual amount of care to create
a perfect pyramid of leaves. She has rounded
out every branch and filled in every gap that
would detract from the appearance of her pet.
Having for many years taken extra pride in
making it grow taller and fuller than its com
panions, now she has not neglected it, but as
usual has made a special costume for it. Into
her freshest pot of golden dye has she dipped its
folds. With her richest copper threads has she
embroidered them. Of it she has made exam
ples to all the other trees.
It is at the signal of the maple that the sweet-
gum pauses in its day dreaming long enough
to don its fiery robe. The old oak stops its
musing to look around for a scarlet cloak. The
waltz of summer stops and the dogAvood ceases
her tripping to slip on her ball dress. Every
tree ceases its summer occupation to robe for
the fete. It knows that fullness will give way
to starkness, that line will predominate over
color (when Winter demands its leave); so
Avith every hue it can muster, the tree prepares
for the last celebration. Almost overnight Na
ture has changed the vestures of lengthening
youth to the most colorful gowns of life’s prime.
She intends a brief, brilliant gayety before she
plucks away the mask that hides the trees of
cold and wind. With the maple she warns
Avhite-haired Winter to prepare to clothe the
world in his colors. She tells him that the
other trees Avill begin to change. But while
they cling to an autumn youth, the maple takes
command of hill and valley and farm and wood.
The drippings of my maple’s paint are a re
flection on the ground.
The squirrels hastily scramble for nuts to
hide in caches from winter enemies. Birds,
long since tired of spring love, preen them
selves and gladly dart away from Northern
breezes. The flowers, long in hibernation, real
ize that their reign has fallen under one of
vigorous celebration, and determine to be even
more beautiful next spring while the sighing
grass reluctantly masks its brown face to ward
off Winter’s frosts.
But the squirrels are furious because I have
interrupted their vital Avork. As I shiver sud
denly in the gathering chill, I see the splendid
maple shake Avith rustling laughter at my pa
thetic attempts at sympathy. He knows that
as soon as I draw my sweater closer around my
shoulders and hurry into the building I Avill
forget the merrymaking of the outside realm in
my return to the drabness of human life.
AWAY FROM SKY AND SUN
A pug-nosed Dutch boy was escorting a fat
little American girl to the village dressmaker.
They left the road and took a short cut through
fields where the grass had turned to a deep, lush
green—the green which comes before a colder
sun and ice. Hidden amongst this greenness
the children found a strange building. It bur
rowed doAvn into the dark earth instead of
lifting itself up toAvards the sky and the sun.
“What is it for?” puzzled the fat little girl.
“An underground fort,” said the Dutch boy,
proud that he kneAV about such things.
“A fort?”
“Yes, some day the enemy Avill climb over
that mountain, and the soldiers here will need
that fort.”
They squinted their eyes at the distant mass
of rock and snow.
“But the enemy could not climb over that
mountain. It is too high.” The fat little girl
spoke Avith conviction.
Then they Avalked on towards the village.
Today the American girl wonders whether
her Dutch friend remembers that Avalk they
took across the fields when they Avere children.
The fields are deep green again. This year
will be different, though, for the colder sun and
ice Avill not come alone. There will be the
enemy, too, climbing over the mountain. And
the soldiers and people to whom the mountain
belongs will burrow, like the fort, away from
the sky and the sun.
TRAVELS WITH A GANT
Spokane, Wash.,
July 15, 1939.
Dbee Maw,
Well, Maw, we just got back from Canada.
We left Yellowstone Park about a week ago
and come up through Glacier Park to Calgary
where they were having a big Stampede, they
call them. These Stampedes are really nothing
but State Fairs ’cept there is a rodeo going on
instead of auto racing. They had a midway,
too, that had Glen Raven Mills awning all over
everyAvhere. I was sure proud to see all that
familiar cloth Avay up there. The rodeo was
lots of fun—just like the movies where cowboys
come out riding bucking bronchos and ride
after calves roping them.
These Canadians are pretty nice people.
They have pictures of the King and Queen all
around and of course the little princesses. One
fellow bought a whole set of china with the
pictures of the royal family and the British
flag on it. Some of them sure are ignorant
about the politics of the U. S., though, and they
thought pretty awful things about us, specially
the Southerners, but believe you me we set them
straight on it. Two or three people came up
to thank us for being nice to the king and queen
when they came to our country, and of course
we hadn’t done anything for them. But we
just told the Canadians how much we enjoyed
the king and queen and how flattered we were
that they had come to our country.
We went up to Lake Louise and Banff too.
That’s that nice place you showed me in the
Better Homes and Gardens one month with the
mountains and snoAV. Honest, Maw, I wish
you could see these mountains out here. I can
sure see how they got the name of Rocky, ’cause
they are so high and bare and hard looking—
not green at all like ours. But they are sure
pretty, specially in the afternoon when the sun
makes shadows on them, and in the morning
Avhen there are pretty colored light spots on
them. Banff is a whole lot like Blowing Rock,
’cept that there isn’t any laurel or rhododendron
and the mountains are not green.
I think I like Banff better than Lake Louise
’cause there is more to do. The hotel is much
prettier inside and out, too. Lake Louise is
nothing but the ritzy hotel and formal gardens
Avith millions of poppies all around everywhere,
a lake and three beautiful mountains way across
it, and hordes of classy people. There was a
big telescope on the porch that Ave looked
through to see drifts of snow. Well, anyway,
Ave went horseback riding on some nags up at
Lake Louise, only they call them mounts up
there. I guess that’s on account of the Moun
tains. My horse Avas so slow that he ahvays
let all the others go ahead, and as it had been
raining a feAV days before, I had mud all over
my face that the other horses had kicked up
Avhen Ave galloped.
On the Avay back over those mountains Avhen
I had a spell of sickness, I just felt as though
I was going through the nightmare part of
Avaking up from a lovely dream to reality. But,
Maw, I guess you wouldn’t understand. As
Paw ahvays says, us children inherited our
good grammer and our artistic tempers from
the Gants. Cacie is a disgrace to us, though,
for do you knoAv that she up and called the
trees aspirins instead of asprings?
Anyway, we are in Spokane now, staying in
a Catholic school where there are lots of young
Roman Catholics here for summer school.
They are all named Jesuits. They are sure
nice and have such lovely manners that if they
Averen’t studying to be Roman Catholic Fathers,
they would certainly be popular in the social
whirl. But we have to leave tomorrow for
Vancouver, B. C. (British Columbia). (I sure
am learning a lot about geography, being as
how I have learned all the names of the Cana
dian Provinces, Avhere before I didn’t know
there Avere such things.) I bought a new roll
of films to take pictures of Grand Coulee Dam. .
I have some good pictures of us and the places
we have seen, ’cept it is practically breaking me
to have to pay for all the films and developing.
Tell R. J. I hope his ringworm is better. I
know you hate for Eddie to have appendicitis,
specially since he just got over scarlet fever,
but then I guess you are used to nursing since
having to take such good care of E. J. with his
broken leg. Has your broken foot gotten Avell
enough to walk on yet? I felt kind of bad
going off and leaving you with no cook or nurse
and Agnes not there and all. Just sort of hint
around to Paw to stay whole in one Piece ’til
Ave get home so there will be at least one person
to greet us—home in September.
Hastily,
Erwin.