Page Two

THE COLLEGE NEWS

Saturday, September 26, 1959

 

THE COLLEGE NEWS

FOUNDED IN 1914
Published weekly during the College Year (except ‘ae
Thanksgiving, Christmas and taster holidays, and during examina-
tion weeks) in the interest of Bryn Marr College at the Ardmore
_...Printing..Company,. Ardmore, Pa.,.and. Bryn. Mawr College.
The College News is fully protected by copyright. Nothing that appears
in it may be reprinted wholly. or in part without permission of the tditor-in-Cnief.

- EDITORIAL BOARD

NE os ioc bok 465 dbs bo ebb bes debs ese Betsy Levering, ‘61
CONG BOOT civic cc eset cece eens arveccceeneeneecececrens Lois Potter, ‘61
PRIS GOT ook cc ic ces ceceeccewccessoereseesess E. Anne Eberle, ‘61
NS ee a ers rer rene Frederica Koller, ‘61
Members-at-large ........... 0c e eee Marion Coen, ‘62; Alison Baker, ‘62

EDITORIAL STAFF
Isa Brannon, ‘62; Yvonne Chan, ‘62; Linda Davis, ‘62; Sandi Goldberg, ‘62; Anne
Rassiga, ‘62; Grace Stevens, ‘61; Judy. Stuart, ‘62.

BUSINESS BOARD
Sybil Cohen, “61; Jane Levy, ‘59; Nancy Porter, ‘60;
Freiman, ‘61; Melinda Aikins, ‘61; Martina Souretis, ‘61.
Business Manager
Associate Business Manager

bs

Irene Kwitter, ‘61; Sue
‘60
‘60

Elizabeth Cooper,
Tina Souretis,

ee

Staff Photographer ....... ae ee E TP  ee Holly Miller, ‘59
OR AT eeer er re te oe Margaret Williams, ‘61
Subscription Manager ............cscsec esse ese ceeeveres Susan Szekley, ‘61
Subscription Board: Loretta Stern, ‘60; Karen Black, ‘61; Gail Lasdon, ‘61; Lois
Potter, ‘61; Danna Pearson, ‘61;. Lisa Dobbin, ‘61; Sue Szekley, ‘61; Elise
Cummings, ‘59; Sasha Siemel, ‘62; Doris Dickler, ‘60; Kate Jordan, ‘60;

Jackie Goad, ‘61.

Subscription, $3.50. Mailing price, $4.00. Subscription may begin at any time.
Entered as second class matter at the Ardmore, Pa., Post Office, under the Act
of March 3, 1879.

A Greeting And The Gallows

“a

 

. . you’re desperate to fly into any noose of the sun
that should dangle down from the sky.”

Like Thomas Mendip, we have hanging on our mind,
and perhaps yow'll forgive us a short causerie on the subject
before we come to the point, such as it is. Modes of execu-
tion have always seized the popular imagination: crucifixion,
which went out with the Christianized empire, but which
has pervaded the Christian era; decapitation, and the image
of the swarthy Moor with his Scimitar; death by guillotine,
that fiendish invention peculiar to the French. But in the
Anglo-Saxon world, hanging has enjoyed both popularity
and a three-way usefulness. Hanging has been a legal form
of execution, and is retained, in some states. In Dickens,
legal hanging is ugly and capricious; in Gay it is‘an occasion
for humor. Hanging has been, and, we note shamefacedly,
is the method of the mob. No Western is complete without
a lynching, and hanging is the symbol of racial hatred in
the South. Especially vivid is Satre’s tragic burlesque of
this situation in The Reluctant Prostitute, and the violence of
Faulkner. Finally, hanging is'a fairly common form of self-
execution, familiar in literature and history since the suicide
of Judas the betrayer of Jesus.

Hanging, then, has a legal, an extra- or quasi-legal, and
a suicidal function. With the' exception of shooting, which,
being swift and in a sense undramatic, has never found real
favor with the excited crowd, we know of no other method
of death that ericompasses these three functions. This vari-
ety makes hanging a fitting subject for an allegory. We
_ have been working up to an allegory, but its tone isso ad-.
monishing and its implications so grandmotherly, that after

we reveal it we shall have to reject it. Bryn Mawr has its |

executions: Legal gallows which operate upon the rare and
sad cases of academic lassitude and failure, or serious social
misbehavior; the extra-legal lynchings of the crowd—social
or anti-social.and extra-curricular activities taken in excess;
and self-execution, which is this ordered society, is almost
the only cause of the first two.

But we mean to welcome, not to warn. Christopher
Fry’s phrase is “nose of the sun”, and if there are nooses
hanging around to snare wnwary freshmen (and upperclass-
men), we believe that these nooses are really “of the sun.”
During freshman weeks you have had a concentrated fore-
taste of Bryn Mawr life. You have had innumerable teas
and parties, you have met the Haverford men en masse, you
have seriously considered your chosen subjects, and you have
just been confronted with the allures of the Big Six and the
News editor. The pace slows as you begin to live within an
academic schedule. You may believe that at scholarly. Bryn
Mawr everyone lives the life of an ascetic intellectual; you
probably want to escape from the overload of social and
extra-curricular activities which in some ways killed the

academic profits of high school, Nevertheless, you will soon
discover, like Oxonians who are said to. consider informal:

discussions the most valuable aspect of their education, that
real learning is incompatible with introversion, and that aca-
demic vigor can only survive in a community where a contin-
ual conversation is going on, and the conversation proceeds

_ _ logically. into vital activities.

 

 

  

. The News dangles its noose, as many other ‘Activities |colleges-.and. universities in the

almost as worthy. And now we greet you heartily, and per-
_ haps not mananndly 20:7 “hed J ac ccconla

 

Freshman Agonistes

by Lois Potter

Dear Mom,

T haven’t had time to write you
before, because we have all been
very busy, but I’m sure you didn’t
think I was dead. If I was dead.
somebody would tell you.

Bryn Mawr is very nice. There
are lots of girls here who have
neat clothes and who talk a lot.
They are called Freshmen. There
are also some girls who look a
little like human beings, only very
wrinkled, and don’t ever say any-
thing. They are called Upperclass-
men. There will be more of them
later. They are very nice, under all
that hair, and are always happy
to show us where things are, even
when they don’t know either.

Today we visited the Library.
It is shaped like a square dough-
nut, and the hole in the middle
is filled with grass and people
holding cigarettes. They call it the
Cloisters. There are lots of books
in the library, and some Profes-
sors are kept there in cages. I
hear they are quite harmless.

After we saw the library, they
took us on a tour of the Campus.
We saw Taylor Hall, which must
be a factory or something, be-
cause they say it’s where dough-
nuts and bluebooks come from. It
has a real bell in the tower and
four clocks each of which tells
a different time. When I was
there, one Upperclassman tried
to jump off the tower, but a
couple of friends caught her in a
net. She was the Manager of
Funiture Sale.

There are lots of residence
halls on Campus.-They are Gothic,
which means the plumbing isn’t
very good, especially on the top
floors. The food is English Gothic
too. Enough said.

The gymnasium is located inside
an old castle. We all wear green
suits so as blend in with the trees.
In winter, it is all white around
here (because of snow), so we
have to have gym indoors. They
try to hide us as much as pos-
sible when we have our gym suits
on.

There is also a Biology building
and a Geology. building, but my
feet hurt, so I didn’t go there.
They say both buildings are very
nice, if you like dogfish and rocks.
_ Last night we went to a Mixer.
A mixer is like a party, only more
confusing. One. Upperclassman
told me is was called a Mixer be-
cause by the time you came out
of one you are pretty well beat.
There were lots of boys, and even
more girls.
tellectual Conversation. Example
of Intellectual Conversation:

Boy: Hello, where are you
from?

Girl: New Hampshire, where are
you from?

Boy: New York, where are you

from?

Girl: I’m going to get some
punch,

Boy: Well, nice meeting you.

End of Intellectual Conversa-
tion.

Well, I must close now, because
they want us to go see something,
or meet somebody, or listen to
somebody, or something. I have
met lots of nice girls, but I can’t
remember any of their names.

Your loving daughter,
_ Amaryllis.
P. S. Please send my flashlight

SOON, because we have Fire

Drills at 2:00 in the Morning!

2 e
Notice

The Reverend David McShane,
Director of the Westminster Foun-
dation, will address the opening
session of the Bryn Mawr-Haver-.
ford Student Christian Movement
on Sunday, October 4, at 4 p.m.
in the Converse House of the Bryn
Mawr Presbyterian Church. As
head of the Westminster Founda-
tion Mr. McShane directs all the
Presbyterian work with some 19

We had lots of In-}

Philadelphia And Main Line Offer
Cultural Events of Variety, Quality

by Alison Baker

Campus commitments are liable
to become exceedingly pressing
through the year, but at some point
you might find it worth your while
to dodge them long enough to take
advantage of the many cultural
opportunities in Philadelphia and

|the Main Line area. Both of these,

Philadelpliia in particular, bristle
with music, art, theater, and build-
ings of architectural and -historical
interest.

‘The Academy of Music is the
center of musical activities. Its
main and regular attraction is the
Philadelphia orchestra, with Or-
mandy conducting, but aside from
these Friday and Monday evening
concerts, there are numerous visit-
ing groups, including the Metropoli-
tan opera. For folk music enthu-
siasts there are periodical concerts
at the International Club as well
as individual recitals and get-to-
gethers throughout the city.

Another series of classical music

FRSHMAN CURRICULAR
by Gretchen Jessup, *58

Ed’s. Notes This Poem is
almost @ tradition.
Freshman, year is butter brickle
Men are many and women fickle;
The term begins, and ere it ends,
One gathers lantern, tests - and
friends.

 

Dawns the era sophomore

With queries and philosomore, - -
Fewer facts than last year, true
But less is certain than one knew.

By junior year the pace is brisk

In clubs, one’s major, and untold
misc.,

While hearts once lost to chem’s
entrances

Are lost again on floors of dances.

All confidence and thought and

zest,

The senior strives. Who needs to
rest?

The cycle soon will stand com-
plete, - -

A glad grad moves on BA’d feet.

Upon a world prepared, one hopes,
For talents trained from trig to
tropes

(Discreetly veiled with charm and

wit) - -
Well, Freshman Years are always
It.

concerts, taking place at fairly
wide intervals, is that at the Rad-
nor High School. The performing
groups are usually small or solo,
and the comparatively small con-
cert hall makes listening and view-
ing much more intimate than at
the Academy. There is no admis-
sion charged, although contribu-
tions are welcome.

In the Philadelphia theater you
can preview all that later moves
on to Broadway in New York.
This means both the advantage of
more available tickets and cheaper
prices and the disadvantage of not
very easily being able to judge the
play beforehand through reviews.
On the whole it is worth taking
a few chances and taking in a few
plays.

Movie houses are scattered
throughout the city and Main Line
towns, and can be investigated jin
the Philadelphia Inquirer. In the
city, there are two foreign lang-
uage movie theaters, one German
and one Italian.

‘The Fine Arts Museum could
keep any museum- goer occupied
for a number of winter seasons.
It has a newly arranged section |
of Eastern art and architecture
which is of particular interest.
The permanent collection includes
-_painting, sculpture, furniture and
interiors from a wide range of
periods and localities, all very well
displayed. Occasionally films are
shown at the Museum.

Not far from -the Fine Arts
Museum is a smaller one; the Rod-
in museum, which has a very good
collection of sculptures. The Uni-
versity of Pennsylvania has a
museum of its own which features
ancient and primitive art and
sculpture.

For the scientist or interested
layman, there is the Franklin In-
stitute, witha planetarium and
demonstrations of various machines
and scientific phenomena.

The city of Philadelphia abounds
in houses and historical monu-
ments, but. those would deserve a
guide in themselves, and can be
quite easily located. :

On the whole, the best policy,
I think, is to keep eyes and ears
open for happenings in the outside
world of culture, and to glance on
the way between classes at the

 

Arts Council bulletin board in
Taylor, |

 

The Tea As A Lively Arh

Much tea is poured in he course
of a year at Bryn Mawr, and its
pouring fulfills countless and di-

verse functions. You are liable to
experience everything on campus
from Miss: McBride’s tea, overflow-

ing with delectable edibles and

gentile sociability, to a midnight
gulp snatched at the height of
exam preparation—tap water ting-
ed with a taste of soggy tea bag.
The other occasions, however, usu-
ally fall somewhere between these
extremes. The mere fact of the
beverage often becomes superficial-
ly unimportant, its presence giv-
ing form and substance to gather-
ings which otherwise might remain
hopelessly nebulous or entirely un-
convened,

First there are the official club
teas, massed at the beginning of
the year. Through the soothing
draughts of a tea cup, committee
heads try to lure the incoming
class to activity in behalf of their
special concerns and _ projects.
Stark and unclothed this end
would quite possibly attract but
few, but accompanied by the social
and comfortable note which tea
introduces it becomes a broad suc-
cess, in attendace even if not nec-
essarily in final result. In this
ease the purpose of the meeting

‘clothes the tea for those inclined:

to sociability but mildly averse to

with generally helpful and gregar-
ious instincts.
Then there is the small private

tea, an undisguisedly social event.
Here tea provides the necessary
formality for acquaintances to
progress from an occasional run-
ning salutation in Taylor to more
extensive communication. In these
perhaps much the same thing is
achieved as in a chat in the smok-
er, but there is nevertheless a dis-
tinctly perceptible difference. The
tone of a tea discussion takes an
entirely different turn from that
taken by one in the presence of
asphyxiating smoke clouds. Just
as the Rhinelanders’ wine contrasts
with the Bavarians’ beer and
moulds their respective characters
accrdingly, so the tea enforces a
note of lightness, and perhaps even
occasionally of elegant incisiveness
which would prove entirely incom-
patible with an atmosphere dead-
ened by smoke fumes. Luckily, the
effect of either is only temporary;
one smoker session doesn’t seem to
dull anyone ‘irrevocably for the
finer pleasures of tea.

Other teas fall perhaps more
accurately into the category of
“foods”, asin them the beverage
has ceded its preeminence in favor
of the accompanying cakes, sand-
wiches, etc. These teas fulfill a
very necessary function, in which

 

Greater Philadelphia area.
meeting is open to everyone inter-
ested.

 

idle chatter, and the tea clothes
the purpose of the meeting for

 

those having tio {individual drive but |

x
Ae

gluttony often proves the mother ~
of inspiration, and often not.

 

Continued on Page 6, Col. 4

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