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Page Two
THE MERCER CLUSTER
December 8, 1982
The Mercer Cluster
Published weekly by the students of
the fourteen schools and colleges In
the Mercer Uniyersity System.
George M. Sparks ...Managing Editor
Rabun L. Brantley......Editor-in-Chief
Associate Editors:
John L. Hackney Milton K. Wallace
Frank R. Nalls Julian P. Leggett
Giddens Wilkes A1 Jennings
Circulation
Julian P. Leggett .'.Manager
Benton Evans Hugh Awtry
Advertising
A1 Jennings Manager
Max Lassiter W. Cecil Dowling
Subscription Rates, one year, 91.60.
Advertising rates on request
MEN AND COLLEGE
MERCER CLUSTER’S OPI1NI ATED SERIES
“Too ninny men arc going to col
lege,” says President Hopkins of
Dartmouth in a statement to the stu
dents of his institution that has been
widely quoted, and commented upon.
“The opportunities for securing an
education by way of the college course
are definitely a privilege and not at
all a universal, right. The funds
available for appropriation to the
uses of institutions of higher learning
are not limitless and cannot be made
so, whether their origin be sought ip
the resources of public taxation or in
the securable' benefactions for the en
hancing of private endowments. It,
consequently, becomes essential that
a working theory be sought that will
operate with shme degree of accuracy
to . define the individuals: who shall
make up the group to whom, in
justice to .the public good, the privi
lege shall be extended, and to specify
those frpm whom the privilege should
be withheld.”
Various interpretations have been
made of,what President Hopkins has
said." If the Dartmouth President in
tends to convey the idea that there are
tod many trained men in the country,
he certainly has a mistaken one, for'
the “point of saturation” relative to
college trained men has not been
reached by fair. President Hopkins
suggests that some working theory
must be found, and yet he seems to
have no theory.' For a time at least,
we need not worry about ah overflow
of intelligence personages.
CLUSTER AND CRACKER
From Madon Telegraph.
The Telegraph in its first editorial
in regard to the negatively critical
write-up of Macon in the Georgia
Cracker, called attention to some of
thel supplementary facts about Macon
that need to be known by an outsider
before\he would have a basis for com
petent judgment. In this editorial,
we called attention to facts about the
New City Auditorium, the State Fair,
the Rose Society, the Washington
Memorial Library and the Sidhey La
nier birthplace. Well-informed and
public-spirited Maconites are under
the urge and necessity to bring forth
enough of the' facts about Macon to
enable outsiders to get a thoroughly
correct estimate of the strong points
as well as the weak points qf our civic
spirit, achievements, failures and
needs. Let this work go on.
The work started by the Mercer
Cluster in its current issue to do just
the opposite thing from that contem
plated ' and started by the Georgia
Cracker' (with Macon for the goat or
first victim), is a part of a program
that is very much needed not only in
Georgia, but everywhere. The Mercer
Cluster is to say the best thing it
knows and can find out or get anybody
to say about the cities of Georgia;
and to make its point stronger or to
heap coals of Are, it begins by a
complimentary write-up of Athens,
the home of the Georgia Cracker. If
the spirit is up to the fineness of meth
od, it is an assertion of the Christian
spirit that is even rare among Chris
tian institutions. Even the idaa stands
in such brilliant and happy contrast
to the method employed by the Geor
gia Cracker that the case is won even
before it is argued in court. While
people at home need to see and talk
over and correct their own faults, they
certainly have no right to go away to
do so until they have; done this; and
if they must talk about their'neigh
bors while any of the moats or beams
are still in their own eye, the 'only
decent and seemly thing is to say nice
things about them. A neighbor who
does this puts to flight a neighbor
who goes abroad looking for moats
before getting his eyes free enough
from beams to enable him to recog
nize a moat when he sees one.
As the destructively critical work
has started away from home about
home folks and the constructively
generous work has started at home
about folks away from home, what
are the next steps most becoming
of us ? In the first place, the brilliant
writer of the Georgia Cracker article
as well as Macon herself need to profit
by recent experiences and in the fu
ture attain to a more excellent spirit
and a right method. One must never
criticize anything adversely except
when a hope and an effort to make
it better,, or to protect the innocent
from going the wrong way. And
where the ideal spirit exists, it seeks
for the right, method. If we may
adapt an ancient teaching from the
highest source, when anyone has aught
against his community, let him go to
his community in the first instance,
and if his community hears him, the
good desired is achieved without any
home humiliation or bad feeling or
resentment. If the community will
not hear one with A program to make
it better, then' let - him get all the
home help he can and make the. effort
with this support., If. this should fail,
then the time has arrived to call for
the constructive help of everybody,
or as the Scripture puts it, to “put
the matter before the church,” or as
the newspaper would state it in mat
ters of secular affairs, to put the mat
ter before the public. Many a man
with a fine program, by failing to have
a method equal to his program, has
opened the way for attention to be
shifted from program to method and
from method to individual.
JUDGE FISH COMMENDED
The administration of Wm. Hansell
Fish as Chief Justice of the Supreme
Court' of Georgia has been a great
and splendid epoch in the glorious his
tory of this most exalted of the
state's tribunal
His career has been, marked with
learning, wisdom, industry, patriot
ism, 'fidelity and integrity.
The light of truth, right and jus
tice illumines his decisions, many of
which rank with the best and most
notable intellectual productions known
to Southern jurisprudence.
He shares with Lumpkin and War
ner, -and the others of mark and pow
er who have presided over the Su
preme Court, the unquenchable glory
of their genius, fame and hdnoh
As Chief Justice, he graced and en
nobled the highest bench in this com
nionwealfh. As Dean, he will adorn
and ex'alt Mercer University's School
of Law. His teachings -will shed lus
tre upon the ascending pathway of
this institution and its legal depart
ment..
The students, will become the bene
ficiaries of his wonderful treasure,
house of judicial knowledge, and the
recipients of the riches of his ornate
and classical learning. The elevation
of his mind will impart dignity to
their characters, and his shining vir
tues will cause high aspiration to
spring into strength and beauty
their hearts.
Among the many nobble achieve
ments that have signalised the prog
ress of the remarkable administration
of Rufus W. Weaver as President of
Mercer University.^none will yield
richer fruitage than the selection of
Was. Hansell Fish as-jMan of the
School of Law. *
John T. Boifeeillet,
Ctuun. R. R. Cons., of Georgia.
aaoootcic«oi3^xiaeKmxoxtcic^^
WATCH “MERCER” WIN
Style Headquarters
For “Mercer” Men:
A great tunny girls say “uo* at
first, tort, like phstsgraihqrs, they
know how to retouch their negatives
try to find his critic, and to get and
to profit by his point of view. This
palls to memeory another good story
to the effect that when Roosevelt gave
Some Western Legislature his opinion
of its personnel and their doings, a
Boston editor remarked that “we will
have to see how the Legislature takes,
it before we will know how badly it
needed it." To Macon's credit, she
has taken criticism quite well.
But more important that taking
criticism well is to remedy the things
that are capable of being criticised.
Macon at her best is one of the fair
est and most lovable cities anywhere.
Macon people at their best will com
pare favorably with any people at
their best. Macon, in common .With
other cities, has all kinds of room for
improvement. Most Maconites will
admit that we lack in a public spirit
that enables finest and quickest
achievement, especially along cultural
lines. As a Maconite has recently
expressed it, those who have the most
taste and the most generous com
munity spirit lack means to do what
they would like to have done, and
maily who have the means lack the
taste and the public spirit to do what
they could do. If we could just get a
marriage between our taste and ideal
ity and our means, we would achieve
notably.
* THE BETTER WAY
From Macon Telegraph.
Editorial space limitations ruled
out the concluding paragraph of the
editorial, Cluster and Cracker, in yes-
So far as Macon is concerned, the j terday’s issue. The program sug-
giving to the outside of enough facts gested was something larger than that
to enable outsiders to form a fair attempted either by the Georgia
and just estimate of our Btrong points Cracker or the Mercer Cluster. In-
as well as our weak points and needs stead of a one-sided write-up, of either
is only a small part of what is need- | the disagreeable or the pleasant
ed and what is worthy. The wise things that can be said about our
man, as Emerson says, instead of re- Georgia cities and communities, there
senting criticism, throws himself on should be write-ups telling the whole
the side of his critics. When a labor- truth and suggesting programs for
ipg man from Buffalo wrote Emerson immediate betterment as well as fu-
that his point of view was too far ture reform. While as a correspondent
removed from actualities to be a true says, it takes more courage to kick
philosophy for practical men, Emer- a friend in the back than it does to
son is reported to have said that tickle him in the face, and while those
when a laboring man talks, this way, who tell us uncomfortable truths may
it is worth while to listen to him; and be better friends than those who come
it is said Emerson, as sin old man, with messages of praise, it must also
made a trip all the way to Buffalo to be remembered that it requires some
virtue for the representatives of rival I
institutions to recognize the good!
points even in the other’s location. It I
must also be recognized that as brave I
a thing as it was for the Georgia I
Cracker to tell Macon heir lacks, k I
would have been even , braver to have I
started off by telling Athena her lacks. |
And as brave as. it yai in our youth
ful genius to tall su what he thought I
about us in a roundabout way, it would I
have been still braver to have told ual
directly. As The Telegraph tired to|
point out yesterday, anyone so bril
liant and capable as well as promising!
as Macon’s critic must come to s|
method equal to his genius.
What a fine thing it would be fori
Macon to get together and have not!
only Mr. Bernd but everybody else teltl
us the worst things that can be saidl
about us and at the same time point I
out to us practical and effective ways I
to make things better!' Let us alll
profit by recent experiences. Of couratl
the way^fer Macon to meet the criti-[
cism about the Library is to get busy I
and remove the causes of criticism; I
and the way for Macon to meet alll
just criticism is to get busy in ra-l
moving the basis for it. Inithe mean-1
time, nothing becomes us better than I
to take all well-meant criticism in ai|
admirable spirit. . •
For purposes of home consumption, |
of course, manly, intelligent criticism!
is much better than even merited I
praise. But for purposes of outside I
circulation, it is better to tell thel
whole troth than • to advertise weak!
points and . sore spots. To repeat,!
let’s have a program that includes and!
supplements the merits of both the!
Cracker idea and the Cluster idea. I
Let kicking go on where it is needed,!
and let healing oil and wine be applied!
where they are needed. If we are tol
improve, we need to know our weak!
points as well as our strong points,!
and we sometimes need to know our|
strong points that we may make theml
stronger. The severely critical atti-l
tude has its place, but things be com* I
one-sided when it occupies the whole!
field. The purely constructive at-[
titude has its place, but before one call
rightly build, he sometimes needs tel
clear the' ground and to find out when|
the building is most needed.
(Continued on page three)
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