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Pasre Two
THE MERCER CLUSTER
January 10, 1958
New Student Center
Is Big Step Forward
The; New Student Center is open and in business
and Mercer is the better fur it.
11 is hardly disputed the food is better and
it certainly is better Served. After the Civil War
army trays of tin used by suffering Sherwood
residents, it is perfectly easy to eat off plates.
I We almost fainted with ecstasy when we spied
the table for salad dressing.) What’s more, the
Kitchen looks like a kitchen where food for hu
man beings is cooked and made ready for serving
You can't argue with the space. There are
rooms upon moms (though empty) and yvhen
physic- classics clear out next year, there’ll In
still more room. And hate patience. The rooms
will he furnished. They will not stand empty and
useless in the years to come.
The Co-op hasn't been in business long enough
tor judgment to be passed. It is a bit of a dis
appointment' to see III. old booths and tables
that wobble oil all four b gs. But on the fact; of it,
even the Co-op is improved.
Don’t forget the convenience of your own
(personal and private) mail box. No more whirl
ing your dial to find your mail box empty. Now
you ion just look through the little glass to she
if there’s any there. Wonders will never cease.
Thus we close this salute to the Student Union
Building, long may it stand.
Looking Back 124 Years
Brings Dreams of Future
•The 1’ nivi* rsity. for Jesse Mercer
< 17♦*»!♦-1 SI 1 ), an eminent lu'ortfian and a dis
tinguished Baptist clergyman, was opened as
Mercer Institute on January, 14, 1833, at Pen-
field, Greene County. Georgia, with thirty-nine
students enrolled."
So reads the first sentence in the Mercer bulle
tin’s account of the early history of the institu
tion. Now 124 years have come and gone and the
little "theological and classical school” at Pen-
field has become a university with a liberal arts
college, a law school and a graduate school in
education.
The purpose of these few days is to celebrate
this growth, look back on it, and possibly take
a irlance at the future.
Mercer has jrrown. From dU students to some
1.300 is a hit of a jump. From a school intended
‘‘solely to train young men for the ministry”
(and they had to do part-time farm work at
that) to a school that turns out lawyers, teachers,
husinc.ssmcn and women, ministers and prospec
tive lawyers is another good leap. And the jump
from Penficld to Macon is no mean one in itself.
So there is cause for celebration. Mercer can
well cheer its 12"> years.
At the same time, a good look at the future
would do no harm.
Soniow hero in the haze of tomorrow is the
dream of a fine, swimming pool a dream that
may c\cn become reality. \n expanded curricu
lum can be Tv,t ,m the Things Desired list, too.
As ean'hiviu.T pay. for teachers and more of
them. A new. modern Administration Building
would certaink he in order. And while we’re
Spending these millions or so, let’s enlarge the
library and put in open stacks.
it's a Tittle till) much to expect these things to
e put into effect tomorrow or even the next
day. (ieorgia Baptists are already considerably
in debt for the Studen* Union and Humanities
Buildings.
But while we’re thinking about those 124 years
just past, we can look at the 124 to come.
tEljr jRerter Cluster
MfiRCttR UNIVERSITY. MACON. GEORGIA
I \NI ARY . iv.l* VOLUME :<s. MM HER 11
A I«A N M. WARR
Editor In-Chlof
BUDDY HURT
Monaflni Editor
BUD CAMPBELL
Biitnooa Monoffor
JULIA WILLIAMS
Au't Business Mfr.
Editorial Deportnnont: Executive Editor, John Kaufman.
Nrwi Editor. Mary Etla Clark: Staff : Hetty Bryant. Tommy
Holland, Norman Cavcndar. Jane Oliver, Ronnie Perry, John
Currie, Dot Thompson; Sporta Editor, Cliff Hendrix; Staff;
Gertrude Crouse, Sammy I^etaon, Furman York, Jerry Bray;
Society Editor, Charlotte Moore; Service* Department; Man
a^er. Jerry Dodd: Staff: AJan Smith, Jerry Pearce; Sec
retary. Roma Martin.
The Mercer Clneter la pa hi imbed weekly, excavt dartmf
holiday and exaaalnatlea porWda. by the atadeat Wady
ef Mercer University, Macon. Geerria. ander the authority
ef the Student Gevernaent Aaeariatien. It le written,
edited and published by the anderffrednete student body
of Morrer University. All oner edited opinions In It ero
the opinions of the stadent editors, and not nsrsaearily
the UnlTeralty's viewpoint. All letters te the edtter meet
he alined i naniea win he withheld ea reaaeet. Letters
do not nocaaaerlly reflect the policy of the paper er the
opinion of the edltere. Letters shonld not ho lender then
1M werde. Addrana all letter* te EdHor. The Marear
(Taster, Bex E. Mercer University, Maces. Gaergln.
MERCER OPINIONS
by Judy Ayres
The question this week Is: "What 1h your opinion of forma) mid
terms?"
Betty Fine, senior: "1 think formal mid-terms are a good thing,
because everyone needs to take stoek and evaluate what he has done
I don't believe that they should count any more than other tests Also
something should be done about teachers who don't give back mid-terms
and leave .the grades as a liuppy surprise until finals!
Vernon Turner, senior: "Mid-terms arc neeessary to the student.
They give the student an Idea of where he or she stands in a particular
course. I'll put it this way: Would you rather have mid-terms or just
finals like they have in law school?"
Donut Denton, junior: "I think that it is an unwise policy because
it tends to bring much mental stress and anxiety down on the student
These mid-terms also play a great role in the added materialization of
deficiency slips which cause added anxiety to students and parents
alike .”
Sue Mays, sophomore: "I see little sense in having mid-terms at
all because as It is the teachers either dou't toutit them any more than
a regular exam, or give them too late to he sent out as mid-term grades."
Dr. Johnson, Christianity professor: "If I had my way. we would
have one examination at the end of the quarter."
Bill Hagen, senior: "I think formal mid-terms are completely use
less. A much better system would be to have quizzes all during the quar
ter and do away with the formal mid-terms. Some people become fright
ened because it is a mid-term and do not achieve as high a grade as they
would if it were just an ordinary quiz '
Carolyn Haskins, freshmen: "If we have to hike mid-terms, it is
nice that they are announced, but 1 don't like any kind of test.”
Joe Mitchell, junior:' "If it wasn't for the mid-term tgsts, some of
us wouldn't start studying until the finals,”
ALAN WARR
An Unusual Family Indeed
one day and came upon an odd
My hostess had just been invited to an open bouse
1 was visiting in a nearby town
situation indeed
by a neighbor.
She explained that this family
had moved Into a new house and
were having the whole town in for
refreshments. Having been fully
cautioned as to their peculiar con
victions and habits, my hostess
and I started out.
immediately I was si rin k by the
modern architecture of the build
ing we were jo enter It was al
most square, and
eonstrueted en
tirely of eeinent,
brick and glass,
three stories
high.
"Isn't il a lit-
tle large for one
family?" I asked
A cold stare
Warr w;ih tin* reply.
Wo were (Tossing h parking lot.
especially laid out for the visitors
of the day, and 1 could see people
going here and there inside the
house.
I chanced a question. "Is THIS
the front door?"
"Oh. no." replied my hostess.
"There is no FRONT here. Doors
are on all sides. One simply enters
wherever hi* chooses.”
We wont inside. The door we
had approached was locked, as was
the second, but now we stood In
awe of a huge room. Its walls
were bare—just like the floor, and
the ceiling was two stories high
People were laughing and talk
ing everywhere. Most of them were
well-dressed, hut a few had torn
shirts and no shops. The latter,
my hostess explained, were tin
owner’s children
We 1 moved aeries a runway into
another part of the Jug house Here
we could see into a large court
yard
"A place for the children to
dance and play?" *
No. 1 was told The owner's cred
itors believe in strict discipline of
children. They should he thankful
enough that they can grow up iu
this wonderful house After all. if
they don't liki* if here, they can
go live with their aunts and uncles.
Ah we left the building, a grind
ing bulldozer was uprooting a tree
that had stood within three feet
of the door.
Why? So that another building
could be built there. Will this house
and the new building Join? No.
It will be a part of that structure
over there.
"Don’t you think that this fam
ily’s ability to build houses around
outside space to get. it inside is
ingenious?” my hostess asked
1 ran to my car and sped away
from the place But the big house
is still on my mind, and I never
met the owner.
MARTY LAYFIELD
A New Year
Christmas has come and gone with the old
unrest still here. The tree has turned brown and
the lights have been put away for another year.
The manger scenes arc stored in the attic and
the wrapping paper is in the trash. Even more,
the spirit of Christmas has been stashed for the
usual day to day philosophy of we mortals.
I can stand the storing of all
the material symbols of Christ
mas, but the return to the live
and let live theory hurts. Isn’t
it a shame that the peace that
passeth all understanding has
to leave with the aging of the
cedar tree?
Here we face the dawn of a
new year with a challenge and
a crisis greater than any we
Americans have ever faced. If ever we needed
the reconciliation of man to maker, it is now.
Only with a resolution to accept the challenge
with faith in Him aiul a complete surrender to
His will can we meet the challenge and overcome
the crisis.
The United States has many assets, but it also
has many liabilities. We face the challenge of
Soviet Russia qnd its ideology. Sputnik, and
ICBM. We face the challenge of the crisis in the
Middle Hast and in Europe. Our allies have be
gun to talk from many angles wanting our
knowledge of atoms wanting to talk with the
Russians. They have an out-the possibility of
being neutral in the turning crisis.
The time for leadership is now. We cannot
hesitate. For if we do, we fail. 1 make a motion
that we refuse to be the generation that our
elders claim. J.et's throw out the indifference they
say we have with the browning cedar tree. I^t’s
accept the Word that became flesh, and dwells
among us.
BUDDY HURT
A Meeting
At great personal risk, this column has ob
tained a copy of the minutes of a highly secret
meeting of the trustees of a small college in the
United States.
THE I’KESIDKNT: "With
that final order of business
then, we can close the meeting.
School policy will now be to
hold final examinations at the
beginning of the course rather
than at the close. I think that
is very satisfactory. And now,
if 1 hear a motion to ad
journ . . ."
Hurl MR. JASPER I*. WHITE-
SIDE: "I’d like to bring a proposal to the atten
tion of this body.”
THE PRESIDENT: “Yes?”'
MR. WHITESIDE: “I and a few of the other
trustees feel that this institution ought to have
a football team."
(Note: the records indicate here a silence of
several seconds.)
THE PRESIDENT (his composure shaken)]
“What ?”
OTHER TRUSTEES: "What?”
MR. WHITESIDE: “Yes. a football team. I’m
Mire many of the alumni would support us and
then, of course, there’s the students.”
THE PRESIDENT: “Oh, yes . . . the students."
MR. WHITESIDE: "1 hope this body will give
the proposal serious consideration. A football
team could pay for itself in time and . .
TRUSTEE X: "Indeed!"
TRUSTEE Y: “The very idea.”
TRUSTEE Z: "Harumph.”
THE PRESIDENT: "Really now, Mr. White-
side, 1 can’t see merit in your proposal. The
school has intercollegiate basketball, baseball,
tennis, golf, track and cross country.”
(A trustee has informed this column that fol
lowing this statement there was a brief, intense,
whispered discussion between the president and
an administration officer also present at the
meeting.)
THE PRESIDENT: "As I said, the school has
intercollegiate basketball, baseball, tennis and
golf. Then, of course, there is a well-rounded pro
gram of intra-mural athletics in which many of
the student body participate wholeheartedly and
with great enthusiasm.”
MR. WHITESIDE: “All the same, there is
something about a football game that is just
lacking in any other sport.”
THE PRESIDENT: “I can’t imagine what.”
MR. WHITESIDE: "Surely, there is . .
THE PRESIDENT. “No, Mr. Whiteside, Pm
afraid you are out of order. I shall have to ad
journ this meeting.”
MR. WHITESIDE: "But .
THE PRESIDENT: "The meeting is adjourn
ed.”
I jy field