Newspaper Page Text
Oct. 5,1956
THE MERCER CLUSTER
Page Five
MU FRESHMEN
Sisters Travel Halfway
Around Globe To College
Probably one of the first questions that will enter your mind upon
meeting Kee Pin aad Wai Pin will be, "How and where did you learn
to speak English so fluently T" And these smiling, cordial sisters from
the Malay Peninsula, which projects from the Asia mainland into the
Indian Ocean and South China Sea, with half the world between them
selves and home, will tell you cordially, and smilingly, that they have
studied our language for eleven years in the Anglo-Chinese Girls’
School in their hometown, Ipoh, which is the capitoi of the Malayan
state of Perak.
To Kee and Wai Pin, Mercer has
long been a familiar name, and
when they arrived on the campus
just a few days ago, they had al
ready a surprising knowledge of
the Mercer way of life, because at
home in Ipoh they have a copy of
the 1952 Cauldron.
It was four years ago that their
family first learned of Mercer
when Kee and Wai’s older sister,
Chee Pin Cheong, at that time a
student in a Chinese university in
Shanghai, heard about Mercer
from one of her professors, an
American miasionary, and began to
make plans to come to Mercer.
Chee Pin, or “Pinny”, aa she was
known here, is now an accountant
in Washington, where Kee and Wai
visited her recently.
After a year and a half of pre
paration, including passports, X-
rays, vaccinations, and a lapse of
cooperation from the Foreign
Exchange Board, Kee and Wai
were ready to leave for America.
They left by plane from Singa
pore, the island entry port south of
Malaya, which is known as the Key
to the Far East, and after days of
flight, with stops in Saigon, Mani
la,. Guam, and Honolulu, they ar
rived in San Francisco on August
24. The next lap of their journey
took them across the nation, in
four days, to Washington, I). C.
for the long-awaited reunion with
Chee Pin.
Anyone, naturally impressed
with such fluency of speech in a
strange -country, would be curi
ous to learn more of the educa
tional ayatem in Malaya. This
conntrj, one of fhe greatest tJn
producer* In the world I* a pro
tectorate of the British gotern-
luent.
Ipoh, in thu heart of the tin-min
ing district, is the location of the
Anglo-Chinese Girls’ School, a
Methodist institution under the
authority of Britain. The school in
cludes three primary grades end
eight standard grades, at the com-
Tracksters
Begin Work
Ten cross country hopefuls are
huffing and puffing tlietr way to
ward Mercer's first Intercollegiate
alheletic contest. The first cross
country meet has been tentatively
set for the last part of October,
around three weeks from now. The
initial meet will be with either the
l ulverslty of Georgia or Georgia
Tech, depending upon schedule ar
rangements.
Besides two meets with Georgia
and the one with Tech, Coach Jim
Cowan's lcmg-wtnded meu have con
tests scheduled With Emory Univer
sity ,aud an Invitational at Bryan
University In Dayton, Tennessee
This year's adltion of the cross
pletion of which the student is re
quired to take examinations cover
ing from six to eight subject areas
including geography, mathematics,
Scripture, science, English, langu
age (Chinese or Malayan), diimiw-
tic science, art and advanced math
ematics.
This Senior Cambridge Exam,
which covers eleven years of
study, is sent to Cambridge Uni
versity in London to be graded;
and the success or failure of the
student who takes it usually de
termines the type of work she
will do afterwsrds.
The government of Malaya, al
though under British auspices, does
not have the colonial status that
applies to the nearby island of
Singapore. However, the citizens
of the Malay Peninsula are requir
ed to possess identity cards and to
have them always at hand for pro
tection. Kee and Wai tell us that
the Communists in Malaya are a
minority group who live deep in
the jungles, from which they rare
ly emerge, and that they are con
sidered as troublemakers with no
standard set of beliefs.
During fny talk with the Pin
Cheong sisters I was rather startl
ed to glance up and see that Wai
had been drawing on her face an
eerie mask such as one sees in
Oriental movies and drama, a typi
cal Chinese stage face, which she
laughingly explained to me. It was
designed to scare one of her neigh
bors in MKP! This led to an intri
guing discussion of Chinese cus
toms and traditions, as well as
those of the other nationalities in
Malaya—Indians, Europeans. Cey
lonese, and Eurasians. All of these
have their own customs, traditions,
holidays, and religions, with which
Kee and Wai are well-acquainted.
What do the I’in Cheong sisters
think of America? “We love it!”
And of Mercer? “Oh, we love Mer
cer too, and want to thank all the
kind and friendly girls, the faculty,
end Dr. Connell, who have done so
much to help us feel at home.”
BEAR TAILS
by Marty Ijiyfield
)
Well, not much water has gone over the dam since last week In
the way of spurts. We thought that Intramural tennis would be well
under way with an early start, but there seemH to have been a mix-up
in the signals.
Something about the independents being able to use Die freshmen
while the fratrnitles could not. Tbere may be more to this than meets
the eye. From what 1 have found out so far the fraternities boy
cotted more on a matter ^ principle than on the increased competition.
Here's hoping that It wlllall come out In the wash.
"To be or not to be, That is the question." It seems than an ex-
Mercer student, Andy Kosholt, is interesed In forming a tackle football
toam to compete with auch teams as the Warner Robins Rockets. Andy
told mu that he has a full back field but no linemen Any uf you pigskin
lovers who want to play some rough, tough football, see Andy.
In an effort to promote a better spirit In the freshman class and
place more meaning upon ratting, last year the sophomores Instigated
a pushball contest. As might be expected .all tbe spirit went out with
the leak In the pushball bladder. It seems to me, that this would be a
wonderful tradition to begin at Mercer or as it Is better known, Tatuall
Tecb. Every university that 1 know of Iiub some tradition; Georgia lias
its famous "arch ', Georgia Tecb always has its anuaul grudge game.
Why not add to this list Mercer's pushball game? Seems to me that
this would correct many of the blank spots in the Mercer ratting
program. Let's go President Dean and see what we can do.
My associate brought up last week about the absence of the horse-
hoe tournament In last year’s Intrsmural totals. I must agree with him
and ask the question, " what pigeon hole were he horseshoe stuck in?"
Has anyone seen those Tech fans that were giving up to 14 points
last week on the SMU game? Seems as if they have all gone into hiding
after last week's baseball type football score, 9-7.
Some non-Tech rooters have even gotten so bold as to bet against
Tech from now on. I wonder If they will do away with the old statement,
you should never bet against the Yanks and Georgia Tech, and bet on
the Dodgers? The Yanks won their pennant eaatly and the Dodgers
bad quite a struggle, so I'm betting on those Yanks. Maybe I'm Just not
bold enough.
Here's a note to the freshmen before closing. When pepfest time
comes rolling around, don't go running down thre to scream our team
to victory because the new fad is "cynical apathy toward emotional
school spirit.
Kee and Wai Pin
Lost 4 Starters
Mercer Baseball Squad
Looks For New Talent
b) Mart) Bayfield
With a record of 16 wins and six .losses for the 1955-36 season,
the Bear Baseball team, under Coach Claud» “Red Dog" Smith, Is again
looking forward to a good season.
The loss of four of his first Siring
Bears will put Coach Smith on the
lookout for some top players.
Bobby Pinkston, last year's cap
tain. Bud Culbert, Jerry Lisle and
hilly Smith were the four players
lost by the Mercer team. Returning
this year will be Gene llarrelson.
the captain for the coming season,
Billy Lee. Melvin Kenslow, Carey
Moore. Kenneth Crane, Dean Crane,
Furman York. Frank Worthy, Roger
Bolton and Darrell Fennell
The shortstop position has
piuugod Coach Smith for two years
and with the loss of Billy Sii'itli.
‘‘Red Dog” is again looking for
The outfield also needs more depth
and players for those positions are
also In demand.
The schedule will be about the
same as last year w’ith Georgia.
Auburn and Tech heading the list.
There is a chance that the Univer
sity of North Carolina and Furman
will be added.
Coach Smith has bis scouts post
ed with high hopes that they will
turn up the needed material
for the blank spojit ip the
lineup. Although it Is much too
early In the year to make rash pro
dictions, the Bears, with some ad
ditional talent, could have
Mercer Tennis Outlook
Bright, Says Mayfield
by Marty I.ayl'leld
Looking over the varsit. sports picture at Mercer this year, we
turn first to the tenuis courts Coach Mel Mayfield is all smiles about
bis team this year With five lelterinen returning to the Merrer Campus
and headed by the number one man Buddy Moore, he has a right to be
enthusiastic. Buddy Is expected to be one of (he ^outstanding tennis
players in the Southeast again this year
Other lettermen returning will be
Cat ter Smith. Bill Nash, Bill Cau
sey and Don Lash.
Another reason for the broad
smiles of Coach Mayfield is the
long list of bright prospects. They
Include: •Tommy Johnson, Class
tllAA doubles champion front Lan
ier High, Charlie Andrews, runner-
up In the Class A doubles from Way-
cross; Cliff Kenny who is a member
of the Forest Hills Tennis Club in
New Y'ork ; Bernard Garwood from
from Edison and Bill Jago who was
a champion basketball player in
high school.
Furman has been added to the
netmen's schedule and there is a
gootl chance that Alabama will also
he added.
Billy Belmont and Malvern Brown
were die only two lettermen that
were lost, hut with the array of
dt ptli that Coach Mayfield has.
things look really bright for the
Mercer netmen. This could be the
l>< st tennis team that has hit the
courts from Mercer in a long time.
Basketball
Practice Held
Coach Jim I owan would like
for nil students who hate enter
ed Mercer University this tear
and all students who hate not
gone out for basketball In tore,
who would like to try out for the
IPofl-oT basketball leant, to meet
him at the gym on October *th at
3:00 p.iu
l’mrtJcc for returning basket-
platers will begin on October
17th.
BOB and DON invite you to tune
in thi* Saturday and every Saturday
at 10 A M. to —