Below is the OCR text representation for this newspapers page.

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) EXCLUSIVE AGENTS FOR SOCIETY BRAND CLOTHES NETTLETON A FLORSHEIM SHOES DOBBS I MALLORY HATS R. S. THORPE & SONS "MERCER” HEADQUARTERS XiaowiaoioioioicdoiaoK^^ Sale of Shirts 91.50 Collar attached, in all the wanted materials and regularly priced $2.00 Wool Sox 75c Dempsey Haberdashery HOTEL DEMPSEY Forsyth Mercantile Company , FORSYTH, GA. r : ■ • Dealers in Ladies* Ready-to-Weai - Fine Shoes Sweaters Dress Goods end I Lamar’s Beauty Skin Cream A disappearing, greaseless toilet cream that will keep your skin soft, clear and radiant. Color*—Flesh and White. Manufactured by J. B. RILEY DRUG COMPANY Macon, Georgia CRICKET GRILL AND LUNCH “A Better Flaee to Ear . MACON’S MOST POPULAR BAYING PLACE Owqed and Operated by Native Americans POPULAR PRICES—*M&AL8 We to 7*e A la Carta Harriet at AR Besara A Good Flaea to Taka or Matt a Friend 418 Cherry Street Opporite The Criterion