Newspaper Page Text
Volume XLIII
MERCER UNIVERSITY, MACON, GEORGIA, NOVEMBER 9, 1962
Number 8
Law Alumni Oppose
Mercer Integration
The Mefcer Law Alumni passed a resolution opixising “the inte
ration of the educational facilities of Mercer University" at a stormy
meeting of the Law alumni last week. ‘
The resolution was passed after
ng Awarded
Certificate
I)r. Spencer B. King is the re-
•ipient of a Certificate of Merit
n the Georgia Division of the
ted Daughters of the Confed
eracy, it was announcer) this week
the MERCER CLUSTER.
The award given at the annual
onvention in Macon on October
reads, “for his contribution to
louthern literature and interest in
Jonfederate history."
King, chairman of the History
lepartment at Mercer said, “I am
■used to be the recipient of their
iwurd.”
lie has written books and pub-
shed essays on the Civil War and
a recent contributor to the En-
yrlopaedla Britannic*. Since De-
pm her, 1960, he has conducted a
I War column reguarly each
lumlay in the Macon “Telegraph-
Jews”. The UDC official^ bestow-
this honor upon King for his
utstanding work in the field of
nutliern History.
tarris Re-Elected
Dr Rufus Carrollton Harris,
resident of Mercer University,
been re-elected chairman of
le National Advisory Board to the
S. Veterans Administration on
(nation, employment and rehab-
tation programs.
Dr. Harris, who has served on
Ixiard since 1945 and been
(airman since 1958, was re-elect
to the post at a meeting it
'ashington, D. C. earlier this
pek
some heated debate by a 27-17
vote. No notice of the resolution
was given to the body prior to the
meeting. A motion to table the res
olution was voted on and defeated.
A protest to the manner in wfeteK|
the resolution was presented was
voiced by David L. Mincey, Judge
of the Macon Recorder's Court.
Mincey called the procedure
"denial of due process” and termed
such an action by a group of law
yers “shameful”.
Malone Shari**, introduced the
resolution which was signed by
Sharpe, Lee Grogan, Robert L.
Steed and Robert Barfield.
A motion to disband the Alumni
group was made following the
adoption of’the resolution, but was
ruled out of order hv the chair.
The meeting of the Law Alumni
was |>art of the annual I.aw Day
program held at the Walter F.
George School of I,aw.
Seminary Fracas
Stirs Faculty Here
Fourteen Mercer faculty members have issued a 500 word state
ment presenting their views on the "Message uf Genesis" controversy
involving Dr. Ralp}i H. Elliott. .
The statement was issued about two weeks before Elliott was dis
missed from his position of professor of Old Testament Christianity at
Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Kansas City, Missouri.
Since the dismissal, a spokesman
for the professors said that the fir
ing is viewed as a "grave threat"
to education in Southern Baptist
school*.
Choir Performs
For Convention
The Mercer Choir wil Imake its
annual presentation of Handel’s
"Hallejuah Chorus" for this year’s
Georgia Baptist Convention to be
held in Macon’s Mahle White Bap
tist Church.
Each year the choir presents the
"Hallejuah Chorus" and other se
lections to the opening session of
the state convention which begifls
on Nov. 12.
The choir will he directed by
Mr Milton Swenson and will also
sing "O Be .loyful All Ye Ijtnds"
by Gretchaninolf. and "How Love
ly is Thy Dwelling Place" by
Brahms.
JOHN W. F. DULLES
Dulles To Talk On
‘Alliance For Progress’
Mercer will host Mr. John W. F.
Dulles, of the University of Texas
next Thursday. Mr. Dulles, Profes
sor of Latin American Studies at
the university, will speak on "The
Alliances for Progress" at 4:00
p.m in 314 Student Center.
Mr Dulles, a son of the late
John Foster Dulles, is the author
of Yesterday in Mexico, a book on
the revolution of 1919-1936 in Mex
ico He is currently working on a
similar book about Brazil. Mr.
Dulles' authority on Latin Ameri
can matters stems from the fact
that for sixteen and one-half years,
prior to his joining the Texas fac
ulty this year, he lived and worked
first in Mexico and then in Brazil
as an executive in the ore purchas
ing departments of American
owned metal companies. As an ore
buyer, Dulles was required to
travel throughout the countries in
which he lived.
Dulles, and his wife helped to
deveop the Union Church of Mon
terrey and were interested in the
American School of Monterrey
while they were in Mexico.
Dulles has earned degrees from
Princeton. Harvard, and the Uni
versity of Arizona.
GRIFFIN B. BELL
ourts Rely
Dn Executive
or Power
Mi rcer alumnus Griffin Bell, as-
■iate justice on the U. S. Fifth
uit Court of Appeals said that
strength of all federal courts
pends upon the strength of the
cutive branch of government,
peaking before the 15th annual
w Day Bell stated that he felt
t the original division in the
eral government was wise. “The
■cutive department can simply
use to enforce court order*, and
lory records that this has hap-
«*d." he said, f
ic algo noted while tracing the
«ry of the American judiciary
he Supreme Court is the only
r < provided for by the Constitu-
All other courts are estab-
*d by Congrev and derive their
*er and jurisdiction from Con-
)r Rufus C. Harris, President of
tcer University welcomed the
Day gathering and told the
J P that the rule of law is “cen-
Army's Special Weapons
Defense Exhibit Set Nov. 13
cqien
The U. S. Army will
Ihree-dav showing of its /famous
chemical, biological and radiologi
cal (CBR) defense exhibit at Mer
cer University Nov. 13.
Lt Col. Robert L Pitts. USA,
professor of military science, an
nouncer! that the. exhibit will be on
view in the Connell Student Center
from 9:00 a m to 10:00 p.m. daily.
There will be no charge for ad
mission and trained CBR special
ists will be on hand to guide visitors
through the display.
The threat of chemical, biologi
cal and radiological attack and the
ways and means of protecting
against these weapons provide the
main theme of the exhibit, which
tral to social existence" and that
“it cannot be made to serve mere
ly as a means to elevate archaism
to a throne of respectability."
Thomas .1 Holmes, Director of
Development and Alumni Rela
tions announced to the audience
that "despite differences of opin
ion” among Mercerians, financial
contributions to the University this
year are above those of last year.
Glenn In D. C.
Miss Helen Glenn, dean of wo
men at Mercer is attending the
annual convention of the Southern
College Personnel Association in
Washington, D. C., this week.
Miss Glenn is Georgia member
ship chairman of the Association.
has been seen by more thaff five
million persons from coast to coast.
Colorful displays at the exhibit
will show how to survive a CBR at
tack through the use of equipment
artd procedures developed by the
CBR Agency for the Department
of Defense.
On display will be such items as
military and civilian protective
masks, tent like protectors for chil
dren too young to wear masks and
decontamination equipment.
S|x>nsored at Mercer University
by the Department of Military
Science, the exhibit will continue
through Nov. 15.
Dr. C. Dewitt Matthews, pro
fessor at the Midwestern Semi
nary commented this week on
the firing of Ralph Elliott by the
Seminary.
Matthews, speaking at Vine-
ville Baptist church in Macon,
told the congregation that many
of the people who feel strongly
about Elliott's book The Mes
sage of Genesis had not even read
the book itself, but had only
read something about it
Matthews, former pastor at
the Vineville Baptist church, said
that the many critics had so
“muddied the waters until now
the truth cannot be had.”
Elliott, he pointd out, will be
in Macon in April to conduct the
revival at the Vineville Baptist
Church.
Matthews has spoken many
timet' to Mercer students in
Chapel and delivered the ad
dress at commencment this past
August.
The spokesman for the group
also said that because any Mercer
professor’s name does not appeefr
on the statement it does not signi
fy acceptance or rejection of the
views presented. He said, "In no
sense of the word was any attempt
made to contact all of the univer
sity faculty and offer them an op
portunity to sign or reject the state
ment”
Following is a list of the profes
sors who signed the statement. See
page five for the complete text of
the statement.
James Y Holloway. Assistant
Professor, Dept .of Christianity
Harold L. McManus, Roberts Pro-
(Continued on page 6)
riu*t«r Photo by Chxrl«w (Jr
Mercer Students show how
Bob for Apple*.
Hepzibah Orphans Hosted
By Circle K Membership
The Circle K Club entertained
children of the Hepzibah Orphan
age at their home Wednesday af
ternoon. Twelve of the club mem
bers along with fourteen girlfriends
were responsible for the prepara
tion of the party. The Mercer stu
dents decorated the lunchroom of
the home in typical Halloween
fashion with hlack and orange
streamers ttlong with the traditional
pumpkin jack o lantern.
The party began at 3:30 when
the recipients, ranging in-age from
eight to twelve, arrived home from
school. Several games were played
Prompts
Firing
Dr. Ralph H. Elliot’s refusal to
voluntarily ban his controversial
book, “The Me—age of Genesis,'’
has caused his dismissal from Mid
western Baptist Theological Semi
nary.
Elliot’s book has been a center
of controversy among Southern
Baptists since its publication over
a vear ago Eliot's critics have
said the book violated Baptist
doctrines hy interpreting Genesis
as symbolic rather than literal
truth.
The firing came about two
weeks after a group of 14 Mercer
professors distributed a two-page
defense of Elliot and an attack on
elements of the Southern Baptist
Convention which have attempted
to have The Message of Genesis
banned and Elliot censured.
The faculty statement said in
part: “We believe that the freedom
to study and listen, and to confess
and obey the authority of Scripture
is a gift of God, not a prerogative
of any man or men. and that the
endeavor to circumscribe or re
strict this freedom and this au
thority is fraught with heresy.”
Elliot would not agree to a trus
tee demand to sus|>end further
publication as "a precautionary
measure to avoid a recurrence of
the recent disturbance."
Elliot said he would not volun
tarily halt, republication of his
book, but that he would do so if
the seminary trustees formally re
quested him to not republish
Controversy over the book re
ceiver! national attention in June
when a movement was started in
the Southern Baptist Convention
meeting in San Francisco to pre
vent republication of the book and
to fire Elliot. The Convention dele
gates defeated a motion to ban the
book but passed three resolutions
which while not mentioning Elliot
by name wen* directed to the doc
trinal conflict. One of the resolu
tions reaffirmed "our (the Con
vention’s) abiding and unchanging
objection to the dissemination of
theological views in any of our
seminaries which would undermine
such faith in the historical accu
racy and doctrinal integrity of the
Bible”
Students at Midwestern have
protested Elliot's dismissal and
presented the trustees with a pro-
Elliot |**tition signed by 70 per
cent of the 230 member student
body.
under the supervision of the Mercer
co-eds from the Educational De
partment. the most interesting one
being the apple bobbing contest.
While a few wen* shy, others dove
in "knee deep” for their highly
treasured prize t
After the entertainment refresh
ments were served. Popcorn, cokes,
and "Trick or Treat" bags full of
candy, gum, and other goodies, cli-
maxed the afternoon.
The Kiwanis Clubs of Macon
and Ingleside supporter! the Mer
cer Circle K Club.
PAD Initiates
The Fish chapter of Phi Alpha
Delta law fraternity recently held
the formal initiation of eleven
pledges in the Moot Court Room of
the Walter F. George School of
Law.
- N<*w initiates an* Robert Coop
er, Robert Coleman, Floyd Moon,
James Balsiger, Alexis Mattei, Jer
ry Poole. Jerome Strickland, Rob-’
ert Shipp, ames Rowe, Tylfr Evan*
and Richard Lea.