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Letters should be addressed to
the editor. The News, Chapel
Hitt dr Hillsboro.
ON YOUNGSTERS’
DANCING Cl ASSES -
To the Editor: ’ •
As one of the many organiz
ers of the recent panel discus
sion on the pre-adolescent child
in Chapel 'Hill society, I would
like to address some clarifying
remarks to those champions of
the long-time social - dancing
pattern in the community, whose
position, is perhaps well-repre
sented by the statement of Dr.
Alan Keith-ixicas (Letters to the
Editor, May 24, 1962).
first,, in regard to the panel
conducted by f>r. Robert Senior,
the Rev. LorerfMead, and Dr. Earl
Somers at the Institute of Gov
ernment, there was no intent to
exert pressure but rather to ex
amine already - existing pres
sures and to attempt to decide
in forum whether these pressures
were overplayed, underestimated,
or irrelevant in the lives of our
children. Unhappily the content
and feeling of the discussion
were characterized by attack
and defense of the existing sys
T tern, rather than by a more be
fitting exchange of concern and
opinion. —
The basic objection which
many of us parents have does
not at all concern itself with
the desirability of social-dancing
for our children,, nor with the
unquestioned excellence and pro
priety of the instruction. Rather
do we challenge the wisdom of
commencing this particular ac
tivity at the particular age set
by the local pattern. To do so
we believe is to fly in the face
of some intuitively - sensed and
scientifically based facts of life.
The discussion has degenerated
uselessly when one suggests ei
ther that early social dancing is
directly connected with hetero
sexual precocity or that raising
the age for mixed dancing will
automatically solve moral and
social problems of Chapel Hill
youth. Yet one would appear on
ly stubborn who' could not make
the connection between early so
cial launching and early social
jading; as one person asked at
the institute - forum; “Why
should the 12th graders enjoy
just dancing, if dancing is 5th
grade stuff?” ^ -
But for the psychiatrists a
mong us, ennui and progressive
thrills are not seen as so threat
ening to our children, as in the
interference which early social
programming represents. We
1 are here concerned with what we
oall the “latency age” (phis or
minus, age six to twelve). This
is the golden age of youth — it
Was intended this way, hormon
ally and socially — and it should
remain of the youth, by the
youth* and for the youth. “La
tency” is many things, but for
our concerns it can be said to
be: (1) that period of quiet be
tween the two storms of age 4
5 and of adolescence, a blithe
period of unconcern between the
conflicts of the family triangle
and sexuality; and (2) latency is
the time given-over to the ce
menting of masculine or femin
ine identifications.
We do not contend that medd- j
ling with the normal “rowdy
boy,*’ “sissy girl,” parent-ignor
ing attitudes of latency will pro*
duce juvenile delinquency, mis
anthropy, or homosexuality. But
interference with the normal un
mixed pursuits of this age group,
does, we believe, add unneces
sary emotional burdens to our
children and deprive them df
the great uncontrived (adult
free) world which Sigmund Fre
ud enjoined and Mark Twain
hallowed.
Locally, it is argued that un
less children start social danc
ing at the fifth grade level, the
task of teaching is made im
measurably more difficult, and
this would seem indisputable in
view of the sharp drop in adapt
ability from age ten to twelve.
The dancing ins'-ructor is expert
in this area, in theory and ex
perience, and she has every
right to establish technical
qualifications for ,, her pupils.
That the local system of social
dancing produces the desired re
sults in terms of poise, grace,
and general satisfaction not on
ly for parents but for most of
| the pupils as well is beyond
UNC students showing '
new art experiments
at Ackland galleries
The University Students’ Art
Exhibition is now open at the
Ackland Art Center in Chapel
Hill.
Selections from the various
courses offered by the art de
partment show how the student
progresses from beginning draw
ing, design and life drawing
through to painting, graphics and
sculpture.
This exhibition shows experi
ments with .combinations of me
dia. There are paintings that re
flect the many styles of contem
porary art from those with rec
ognizable subject matter to com
pletely abstract expressions.
The work is arranged in the
two small galleries of the Center
with the etchings from the coarse
in graphics hung in the hall of
the school.
The public is invited to visit
the exhibition Tuesdays through
Fridays, 2 to 5 p.m. and 8 to 10
p.m. Saturdays, 10 a.m. to 5
p.m. Sundays, 1 to 5 p.m.
Closed. Mondays.
Scouts are boosting
animal protection body
Boy Scouts, with the assistance
of Ed Cothran, and Y-Teens, un
der the leadership of Mrs. Al
bert .Register, are distributing
leaflets on behalf of the Animal
Protection Society this week. The
three agencies Are all members
of the Chapel Hill Community
Chest.
The leaflet promotes the Ani
mal Protection Society’s cam
paign against the abandonment
of pets by people leaving Chapel
Hill. It points out that each june
finds a number of strays added
to the city’s already too large
stray population when people
move away or go on vacation
and make no provision for the
adoption or temporary care of
these animals.
The Society’s advice: try to
find someone to adopt it or take
the unwanted pet to Vine’s Vet
erinary Hospital where a home
will be found. There is no charge
for the service, which is con
ducted by the Society in cooper
ation with the hospital, though
a contribution would be welcome.
The Society's address is Box
1304, Chapel Hill.
question. A host of grateful citi
zen# attest to the worth of the
institution lind of its * guiding
personage.
The quesion then becomes one
of values. (If each of us speaks
Only from his expert bias, the
community will hear the clamor
of contending voices but noth
ing else — the defenders of the
established system will call to
witness young and old who justi
fiably identify social dancing as
a cherished part of Chapel Hill
fife, while.the dissenters mar
shal! to their side Various gen
tlemen of the cloth or couch
who bring foreboding concerns.
K such an impasse eventuates,
it is not a transitory cause
irhich Stands to win or lose, but
Our children. This is serious bus
iness, and it deserves the pool
ing of unheated opinion.
Robert D. Phillips, M. D.
CHESTNUT RIDGE
HOMECOMING
The 21st annual meeting of the
Chestnut Ridge Memorial Asso
ciation and Homecoming will be
held June 17. The guest speaker
for the 11 a. m. Service will be
jby the Rev. Thomas Caldwell
Williams. The afternoon speaker
will be Dan Earnhardt. Memb
ers, past members, friends and
former pastors are cordially ia
Vited. . .... ,
HILLSBORO DANCE STUDENTS'as they participated re
cently in their annual recital at the Godwin School of Dance in
Dwrtaam. "A Day Out West" was the theme of the program of
these ffinst year participants: shewn left to right, Sandra SceCt,
daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Melvin Scott; Teresa Wright, daugh
ter of Mr, and Mr#. Donald Wright; Claudlne Walker, daughter
of Mr. and Mrs. Claude Walker; Cindy Stewart, daughter of Mr.
and Mrs. C. Stewart; and Marsha Cates, daughter of Mr. and
Mni.'ML L. Cates Jr.
To The People Of Orange County:
I appreciate sincerely your endorsement
.j- 1 r-- ... • 1 _ . ■t'''__;__
of me as one of the Democratic nominees to
the Orange County Board of Commissioners.
• • ’ \v
It has been gratifying to me to serve on
the County Board of Education, and I pledge
to all citizens of this county my continued de
.
sire to serve in their best interests if I am
elected in November.
\
Gordon Cleveland
You'llfind a complete selection of just the
sentiment and just the gift you've been think
ing of for that special person being honored.
'• ’ * f .
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