Newspaper Page Text
Page Two
THE MERCER CLUSTER
Oct. 12, 1950
Cluster Urges Students
To Vote In November
The American presidential election is a
massive and complex phenomenon. Every
four years the campigns to elect a presi
dent draw millions of Americans into ac
tion in support of their candidates and tens
of millions into the voting Ixtoths on Elec
tion Day
Voting is a privilege which we Ameri
cans should exercise through a sense of
patriotic duty. One must assume that, as a
rule, voting is an evidence of interest and
non-voting”an evidence of lack of interest.
However, in individual cases the rule may
not apply.
There are too many people who take a
negative attitude toward voting Some
seem to think that it is not so important
to vote when you know your party doesn'1
have a chance to win. Others think that so
many other people vote in the national
elections that it doesn’t matter if I vote or
not. Hut let us keep in mind that when you
do not vote the opposing party gains a vote
and your party loses a vote.
The average American, in so many
ways, neglects his obligation to his coun
try. He reads the papers and listens to the
news, then criticizes the action being taken
by leaders which were chosen by the Amer
ican public. So many of these critics are
unworthy to criticize because they did not
take the time to cast their ballot on election
day.
Provisions have l>een made for the vot
ing citizen away from home. The absentee
ballot makes it possible for these citizens
to vote and exercise the privilege bought
with blood of our forefathers. Though we
be many miles from home, for the price of
one three cent stamp and a little effort one
can obtain this absentee ballot and there
by express his choice of leaders for our
government.
We Americans are a proud people. VV e
believe that ours is the best of all countries,
the happiest and most virtuous of all so
cieties, the richest and most bounteous
of all economies. If we are to continue to
believe this, and we are, we must exercise
the rights and privileges granted us by
this society. Therefore, we urge you to be
not only a proud American but an inter
ested American as well, and on November
sixth cast your ballot for the candidate
of vour choice.
T. J.
STEED'S
Cluster
Comments
It'n good to see Willard back, lie missed the deadline last week,
lie was real sick. Got some bad fish in the chow hall on Notre Dame
day. (Friday) The main thing is that he is back in our happy little
family hik! has written a little autobiography for you good people.
********
It seems to me that the seniors are really getting a raw deal this
quarter. You know, no chapel. I have talked to quite a few members
of the faculty and to some of the administrative heads too, and they
all insist that attending chapel is a privilege and that Mercer students
are indeed fortunate to have the opportunity of spending an hour and
a half each wek in this cultural pursuit.
What 1 can't understand is, that if chapel is such a good thing, why
are the seniors being deprived of seats? It seems to me that the
seniors, because they have been here longest should have first and
not last choice of chapel seats.
The freshmen should not be allowed to attend chapel if there
aren't enough seats. Even the juniors should give up their seats
before letting the seniors sit unhappily in the co-op while all other
students are enjoying chapel. I would even go so far as to martyr
myself and offer my place to one of the seatless seniors.
One strange thing though. The seniors actually don’t seam upset
because they can't go to chapel. On the contrary, they appear to
enjoy missing it. I'll never understand seniors, not even if I live to be
an alumni.
Loss of P. E. Major
Endangers MU Sports
A good athletic program is a very es
sential part of any University. A body of
higher learning is not a “university” in the
American sense of the word if it does not
place emphasis on college sports.
Mercer’s sports program is in grave
danger because we no longer offet physi
cal education as a major.
Already we have lost a good athlete
because of this gap in our acdemic pro
gram and our chances of getting good pro
spects in the future have also Iteen en
dangered by this course cut.
If the powers will look back through
Mercer’s sports history they will find that
most of our outstanding athletes have
t>een physical education majors.
As the situation now stands Mercer
will have almost nothing to offer the out
standing high school sports stars who de
sire to study P. E. Many boys who are
good in varsity sports have plans to con
tinue their interests after they have gradu
ated. They want to be coaches, they want
to lx* gym directors, they want to work
with boys clubs, etc. If they come to Mer
cer they will not be able to do these things
because here they can not obtain a major
in physical education.
The students of Mercer are concerned
about this missing link in our academic
prog 'am l>ecause they realize that in the
future the basketball, baseball, tennis, and
track prospects will be looking the other
way when they consider a college.
The people of Macon are also concern
ed with this problem. Two of the sports-
writers on the local papers devoted their
columns to the sad situation here. When
the local folk express a concern for Mer
cer’s sports then it’s really time for us to
get on the ball.
Sports contribute heavily to the life of
any university and the curtailment of var
sity program could deal a fatal blow to the
university’s school spirit.
Because we have no football at Mercer
our school spirit is not what it should be
but all students enjoy the other sports in
which we field teams. Therefore, the
Cluster feels that Mercer should try to
progress in sports as well as in building
and scholarship.
H. S.
**••»•••
We have an editorial this week urging everyone to vote in the
voming elections.
A recent survey taken in several hundred colleges showed that
most college students are not only disinterested, they are uninterested.
We feel that you should exercise your right to vote.
The Cluster is not going to crowd the editorial page with partisan
politics because we feel that national politics cannot be adequately
covered in a college newspaper and therefore have no place in one.
Our only crusnde is that you send for your absentee billot
ami vote. . . .
Mercer Opinions
by Marty l.ayfield
(The question this week is as follows; Who will you support in
the^N'ovembor elections and why? I
Fred Hodges, freshman—I will vote for the Eisenhower admini
stration because regardless of how much I dislike Nixon, I dislike the
ticket of Stevenson and Kefuuver mote. Eisenhower is a fine mnn,
this he has proven by Ins obvious distaste for the slanderous smear
campaign used hv the Democrats. As for the government being run
by big business. I hope to lie a big businessman someday, and after
all who likes socialistic reforms.
Winston l.eonard, junior—I despise destructive criticism, and the
views expressed by Stevenson ami Kefauver have been this type criti
cism, directed, for mi plausible reason whatsoever, at the United States
and all phases of the present Republican administration. The Republicans
have held true to all promises made by them. Neither Stevenson or
Kefauver have the ability to faee the military crisis now impending,
and the military genius of Eisenhower plus his statesmanship are
the best the Amercian Democracy can expect.
Remember Your Cauldron Picture
Hetty Bryant, junior—In my opinion each voter ahold carefully
consider the individual running for office, and vote for the person
he thinks best suited for th job.
“Now where is Tommy’s picture in the
Cauldron?” Didn’t Bob’s picture go in?”
Every year when the Cauldron are distri
buted these same questions are asked over
and over. The answer lies here in some
thing that is happening in our school this
week. Because of carlessness or disinter
est many students fail to have their pic
tures made each year.
We, as Mercer students, are proud of
our school and all its activities. We want
this pictorial record of our school life to
lie complete but it cannot be without your
picture. Will your picture be the absent
one ?
J. W.
Mtrttx Cluster
MEKCBR UNIVEBAJTT. MACON. CBOROIA
OCTOBER 15>. IMS VOI ItME IT. NUMBER 1
Bruce Frederick, junior—1 like Ike because 1 believe in voting for
the individual, and not the party.
Max Ragland, junior—1 um in a state of emotional upsetness be
cause I am wondering what happened to the chaos the Democrats said
the Republicans had last term and the fruitility the Republicans say
they had.
Alice Tate, senior-- 1 shall support the Republicans because the
GOP candidates have not vacillated on th important issues at stake.
The President has shown himself qualified and his health is no longer
an issue. Futhermore, the opposition has heaped invective upon each
other too often in the past for a wise person to believe they are truly
united—in short—I like IKE.
Charley Andrews, freshman—1 shall vote the Republican ticket this
fall because I sincerely believe that it stands for what has made our
country great, American free enterprise. The Democratic party has
consistently led our country toward socialism, ranging from natural
resources to high farm price supports We need a government that is
interested in help the governed to help themselves, but not to pro
vide a socialistic life-line.
Sotiaty EAtUm 8h*r<jn Disk*. Abb* Girmr
Editorialist—Bill Nash. Tom Johnson-, Jacki* Walters
Sports writers—Alio# Porter, Martha Aaa Abbott. Ruth
Mows writers—Norman Bumso, Morton Borstte, Toad