Newspaper Page Text
^Jlftacer Cluster
BOB HURT
MERCER UNIVERSITY, MACON, GEORGIA
November 6, 1964
BiU Dayton
Editor in Chief
Diana Denton
Managing Editor
Volume XLV No. 7
Bob Hurt
Executive Editor
robbery, anyone?
Ben Jordan
Business Manager
John Weatherly—Editor of the Chuter Review
Contributing Editors Anne Johnson, Katie Koellner,
Sam Oni, Edward Simmons, Jacob Beil, John Lough
Social Editor Sara June McRae
Associate Editor Davis McAuley
Copy Editor „ Bernard Lindsey
Sports Editor - Lamar Oglesby
Circulation Manager Joyce Davis
Advertising Manager Lee O’Brien
Den Mother Mary Beth O’Quinn
News and Features: Ellen Janes, Joyce Davis, John Lough, Bobby
Douthikfriin Johnson, Clayton Stephens, Charles Lewis, Faye Johnson,
Nancy Hendrix, Sue Evans, Toni Vissage, Nancy Barrett, Diane Wilder,
Charles Brooks, Anne Jo Hendrix, Daniel Sheffield, Helen Van Vlack,
Laura Castleberry, Julia Stovall, Slayton Shaw, Bill Pridgeon, Sherry
Meek.
Staff photographers: Jimmy Gibson, Bob Hurt, Gary Broadnax.
Proofreaders: Frances Hobbs, Walter Pharr, Mela Pereira, Cherry
Skinner.
Business Staff: Jimmy Hilliard, Joyce Davis, Mary Beth O’Quinn,
Nancy Barrett
Artist John Wires
Cartoonist ... LeRoy Young
A General Round Of Thanks
The national election is now decided, and the Mercer Cluster is
pleased to heave a great sigh of relief and return to normal, or rather,
to a bit less than normal, since we need to run a few four-page issues
to balance our books for those eight-page Clusters which carried campus
political thought this year.
All in all, it was a most interesting campaign for us. We received
more criticism for not endorsing anyone than we probably would have
received had we come out for one of the candidates in anything other
than personal columns. We were preached at (in friendly fashion)
for non-committalism by the Rev. J. Estil Jones in his sermons while
guest chapel speaker here, and we were told in not-so-friendly fashion
by GOP political speaker Frank Iszak that the Cluster was playing
along with the trends and forces which (if not stopped) will sell the
U. S. out to international communism within a decade. This was
all unquestionably exhilarating.
We wish to thank all of our political columnists for their efforts
in making the Cluster's political pages interesting. We especially wish
to thank Contributing Editor John Lough for writing the "Prayer for
Election Day” which appeared in this editorial column last week.
The Cluster thanks the local political organizations for their adver
tising, and we wish to thank everyone around for not having lynched
any members of our staff during any period, even the most heated,
of the weeks proceeding elections.
We thank President Harris for not having become angry with us
when the confusion of the season led us to make a few slips and errors
in judgment, and we thank the Cluster staff for functioning so well
throughout election-time. We are sure that they will continue doing
as well.
Ah, gone are the days when hood-clad crooks
matched machine gun slugs and ,38's with Pink
erton guards, and the floors of America's banks
ran red with the spoils of defeat
Few of today's college generation can re
member when robbing a bank was a hazardous
and sometimes -unrewarding enterprise. The
slovenly robber of the past who relied on luck and
violence is today as rare as a round TV tube.
Now sparkling branch banka, with dapper,
smiling managers, have the open-hearted look of
a neighborhood pub. No ugly bars to block the
view of the all-powerful customer and certainly
no shotgun-armed guard who might frighten folks
away. Even the gleaming, hygienic vault looks
friendly. x
And so, this is what the average bank rob
bery of today might be like:
It’s a Friday afternoon at a brand new subur
ban branch bank, almost dosing time. A pleasant,
well-dressed and deodorised college-aged hood
walks in and gets into a “full service” line. His
turn comes, and he says softly to the cashier,
“Pardon me, but could I please steal about
$40,000 in small, un-marked bills?”
"Oh dear," the shapely cashier replies with
a fawning smile, “I just haven’t got that much
cash right now. Perhaps Mr. Jones can help you.”
She presses a button marked “Bank Robbery.”
Moments later a genial young man with a tab
collar shirt appears and says, “How do you do. I
am Mr. Jones, assistant manager in charge of
bank robberies. May I help you?”
“Yes, thanks,” replied the bandit, now mildly
impatient. “If it's not too much trouble,
about $40,000 in small, un-mark ed bills.”
“Oh yes sir, no trouble at all. But might
suggest bills of a larger denomination. Such i
big sack might attract attention asd upset i
customer.” s -
“Large bills would be fine," said the croal
“and I don't mean to seem ungrateful, but cou
you hurry a little. I’m sure the traffic out
must be getting frightful.” >
“Surely sir.” said Mr. Jones, as a young ms
in a brown uniform brought the loot out in ]
sedate sack marked, “Compliments of Ferd Set
ings and Loan.”
“Here you are,” said Mr. Jones. “I took
liberty of calling you a cab. I notice the pofa
seem to be examining your stolen.car outside, i
it might be embarrassing if you left that
Just use the side door.”
“Oh, thanks greatly,” said the bandit as 1
signed a receipt for the money. “It's been a
pleasure doing business with you.” He strolls
out the side door, stopping long enough to pet
small boy standing beside his short-shorts-da
mother.
“What a nice man,” said Mr. Jones as h
dialed the number of the bank's insurance coai
pany.
And on the other side of town, a 48-year ol
bum stuck a pistol in the face of a liquor stoi
operator and' swiped 60 bucks from the css
register. As the bum turned to lmvp the buildiq
the sweating store operator blewlhe front of tk
man’s chest off with a shotgun blast.
SAM ON
democracy at work
It’s now all over. Two months of the bitter and
nerve racking campaign have finally come to a
close. The American people have again made the
great decision of electing a president. And now
both the elected and the electorate can heave a
sigh of relief and forget about it all—at least for
another four years.
And now that it is all over maybe the outsider,
without running the risk of being branded “Nosey
Parker”, can offer a dispassionate and non-par
tisan view on the campaign and the elections.
Right from the very beginning political observ
ers had predicted that this year's presidential
elections would be dirty and ugly. And at the end
both Americans and foreigners will agree this one
is perhaps the ugliest and the most disgraceful
political parody in the annals of these United
States.
The Cluster congratulates President Johnson's supporters at Mer
cer for their victory, and extends its best wishes to Senator Goldwater's
followers in their gracefully accepted defeat. And finally, keeping
in mind that this is a "Nation under God,” we thank Him and pray
that His guidance, help, and forgiveness will continue to bless The
States of America.
Letters To The Editor
Dear Editor: _ ... . . ...
In her comments last week concerning " ‘Thank you' notes to Mrs.
Osward,” Miss Denton has shown that a Cluster writer has the freedom
to violate even the most unrefined sense of good taste. Her statement
should offend any American, regardless of party affiliation.
Bob Hurt
Dear Editor
The party conventions actually served as the
foretaste of things to come.
The incredible way the various warring tactions
of the two major parties resolved their differ
ences makes the outsider wonder if any of the can
didates was really worth his salt This was par
ticularly true at the party conventions. Governor
Scranton to all intent and purposes had seemed
implacable to the very last minute, but he jolted
all those thousands of his admirers and support
ers by turning around to commend to this con
vention the very man he had so soundly condemn-,
ed and castigated. The Democrats, on the other
hand, managed to weather the storm of discon
tentment, rebellion, rivalry, and in the end to sing
in apparent unison, “Hello Lyndon".
The most disgusting part was the amount of
time, money, and effort which was needlessly ex
pended on sheer character aseasination.
It is not that the vital issues confronting the i
tion and the free world were not touched up
hut that childish name-calling and
mud-slinging were carried to unusual extremes-
almost to a point of no return. The outsider codt
not help hut wonder what the reaction of tl
world would be if the man who has been paint*
a* a “crook, a thief, a wheeler and dealer", tl
biggest phony, or a war-monger, an impulsive i
radical maniac, turned out to be the peopW
choice for president
That the smear, the charges and couota
charges has done untold damage and becloud*
the real issues is borne out by the cynical and di
graceful attitude of the people. It was report*
that one of the candidates was throughout tl
campaign the target of rotten eggs, while
others were booed down on several occasions. It I
consoling though that none of the several threat
on the lives of the candidates did materialise. D
outsider from a small, newly developing count!
where poverty is ripe, sees the 16 million dolla
which went into campaign expenses, as nothii
but extravagant waste. The propaganda materia
—the stickers, signs, posters, pamphlets, i
books, have served their deadly purpose and
would hope they would pass out of circulation, II
elections being over.
There is no doubt that feelings have been
and that the wounds will take time to heal,
then the American people can give and t
There is every hope that they will bury their hi
diets, forget their differences, and rally behind I
new president with unstinted support. This is t
mirable quality of the American system at gover
ment—the right to disagree without being dl
agreeable, democracy in action—-thank goods*
it works.
Miss Denton, in her frantic and sometimes pitiful attempt to gain
attention through crudity and absurdity, has finally passed the bounds
of common decency and good taste. It is a sad irony that in her artide
“Honor First,” she shows herself unwilling to apply this standard to
her own writings.
Jimmy Gibson
Mr. Bill Dayton, Editor
The Mercer Cluster
Dear Mr. Dayton: *
The social organizations at Mercer University are deserving of the
very highest commendation for their civic-mindedness in helping to
promote the Lamar Lecture Series this year. The Lamar Lecture
Committee hopes that you will publish this letter so that our gratitude
may be made public.
Dr. Thomas Clark, the Lamar Lecturer and himself the chairman
of a lecture series at the University of Kentucky, stated that it “takes
a sheriff and a posse to get students to come to lectures” at his uni
versity. At Mercer the committee had only to request the ■“
of the social organizations.
The reputation of the Lamar Series is growing in the academic
world, largely due to the printed lectures which are receiving reviews
in many scholarly publications. The local reputation will continue to
grow as long as we have students willing to help graciously in this
worthwhile cause.
Sincerely,
Benjamin W. Griffith, Chairman
Lamar Lectures Committee
R. S. Thorpe & Sons
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