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May 13, 1966
Jflterirr Cluster
Volume XLVI, No. 24
EDITOR IN CHIEF
Thomaa W. Lang
I DAYTON REPLIES
IF THE ALBATROSS FITS
WEAR IT
ASSOCIATE EDITOR
Diana Denton
BUSINESS MANAGER
Lee O'Brien
EXECUTIVE EDITORS:
William Dayton
Sandy Hairiaon
FEATURE EDITOR:
Suaan Walker
CIRCULATION MANAGER:
Bonnie Lawrence
ADVERTISING STAFF:
Sherri Clarke
TECHNICAL EDITOR: Reace Stanford
Rich Van Buakirk Frank Figuerea
NEWS STAFF: Lynn Oglesby, Mike Rlizzard, Kay Eubank, Shirley
Mitchell, Sam Oni, Reace Stanford, Terry Butt, Peggy Geren, Linda
Vaugn, Jacque Ross, Nancy Johnson, Sally Beggs, Nikki Deen, Mary
Middlebrooka, Peggy Malotte, Kathy Howie
HERE AND THERE
"THE BREAKS”
It has been rather forcibly brought to the attention of the Cluster
the the speed-breaks on the new street by Fraternity Row are so design
ed and consructed as to not only break speed, but also to endanger
the lower extremities of cars and even the necks of students so careless
or trusting as to approach them at too fast a speed (Would you be
lieve, even running?).
Such devices are unfortunate necessities for an area rank with
fast autos and even faster drivers, and we are among the first to be
grateful for their presence and the margin of safety thus afforded for
students walking or cars parked along the edges of the street. But let’s
face it! Some oversealous concrete-pourer went a tad too far, and the
barriers as they now exist may mean expensive breaks—as well as
brakes—for low-slung modern cars.
NEWS EDITORS:
William Wehunt
Stan Leopard
SOCIAL EDITOR:
Dave Wansley
SPORTS EDITOR.
Sandra Rich
Now that another prematurely ancient mariner
has passed on the traditional albatross (which
once I bore), we have heard a few words (in Tom
Lang's first editorial column last week) dispairing
the old bird. It seems to me that there really isn’t
much need to had mouth the albatross (much less
the Cluster’s name) under the circumstances.
Ever since editor Ralph Bass thought of calling
the Cluster editorship an albatross, several years
ago. the term has stuck and stuck with justice.
Having to put out a weekly college paper, even
with a good staff, is comparable to the plight of
Coleridge's mariner and I know only too well that
turning over the editorship is much like having a
dead albatross taken from one’s shoulders (former
editor Buddy Hurt thew his office key out the
window and went skipping down the hall shouting
"I'm free, I’m free”).
Lang talked about trying to give first aid to the
bird; but it's always been dead. He spoke of getting
rid of it; an editor ran call it something else, but
it’s still there and just the same as always. Now it
is possible to wear it with less trouble and more
grace than it has been worn in the past few years
—the editor can make his job easier by putting
out either a bad, haphazard paper or a well-staffed,
well-organized good one. Tom Lang says that he
is trying for the latter, and I think that he can
achieve it.
However, I don’t think that changing the Clus
ter’s name is any sort of magic formula or sped
which will abcradabra make the paper as good as
or better than it has been in its best years. To ths
contrary, changing the name after forty-seven
years would be a sign of genuine, gilt-edged defeat
ism, it seems to me. Lang’s first' issue was a good
one and showed more life than most past editor's
first issues; his editorial’s neat case was in many
ways disproved by the paper it appeared in.
The name Mercer Cluster commemorates the
book which made the university’s founder famous
in his own time, A Cluster of Divine Hymns and
Sacred Poems by the Rev. Jesse Mercer. The book,
popularly called “Mercer's Cluster”, was one of
the most widely used Baptist hymnals of the last
century. In perpetuating the name, Mercer has
one of the most original and most traditional news
paper titles in the country. We would have to look
long and hard to hit upon a better name; evca
after all these years, Cluster is fresher and more
original than “Mercer News,” “Orange and
Black", “Mercer Gazette” or other such usual
names could ever be.
Whether the Cluster is a good newspaper or s
bad one, whether the albatross is easy or trouble
some to bear depends upon the editor and his staff.
Last week's issue has all the earmarks of being the
beginning of a very good year. The Cluster has
had many good years before; I hope that the
Cluster will have a good year in ’66-'67.
TZeuiewt
by Bill Dayton and Clyde Hoover
'Mattress' Well Done, Platters
Concert (With Bugs) Goes Well
Is there anything that could be done to lower these—or to bring
the level of the adjacent asphalt up a bit?
"RISERS AND FALLERS”
About this time last year—and at least once thereafter—the Cluster
pointed out the need for some sort of stropping or edge to the risers in
the Audio-Visual Room of the Student Center. This room harborq ves
pers and various and sundry other meetings and lectures and, needless
to say, the clatter and clang of a student and chair who just “went over
the edge" do little or nothing for the tone of any such occasion, ami
even less for the students feelings (physical or psychological).
"A PENNY FOR YOUR CUPS”
Ah So, we dirst not sleep in the editorial department, per chance
we might miss something, or even have the proverbial wool pulled over
our far seeing eyes, and our diligence has proven fruitful . . . The cups
in the Co-op, which bear the "R.C." label, (no payola) don’t even cost
two cents, but as certain inveetigtators have found out, they are $.90
per 100 . . . Hmmmm . . .
A SALUTE
Last Sunday’s combination art show and jazz concert deserves
considerable commendation. We thought it a very pleasant affair and
hope that it will be emulated in the future.
Mercer students really do not hear enough of the music produced
by members of the student body and Mercer community; quite a lot
of jazz and other music, all of excellent quality, comes out of Mercer
but not enough of it is being heard by Mercerians. The garden alongside
the gym and Shorter Hall is an ideal place for informal outdoor concerts
and could well be used for such more often.
The same things are true of Mercer art, as the exhibit last Sunday
showed, the Mercer community, students and faculty members, can
and does produce many pleasant and worthwhile art works. They
should be shown more often. Again, the garden is a splendid place.
We hope to see many more afternoons like last Sunday.
STANSFELD-HAINES TEST
SET FOR NEXT WEEK
The Stansfeld-Haines General Knowledge Test will be given
next week at a time to be announced. Cash prizes are given for
the highest scores on the annual quiz sponsored by Prof. Anthony
R. W. Stansfeld of the Art Department and Prof. T. P. Haines of
the Department of Biology
Questions on the test cover every possible field from food to
ait to biology and history. Students interested in taking the quiz
should contact either Mr. Stansfeld or Mr. Haines.
The test, first given were 12 years ago, intended to perpetuate
the idea that “a broader range of knowledge brings more ‘security’
to Um members of a democratic society.” The test's original design
was taken from a mnilsr program at Oxford University in England,
where, on an unannounced date, a test on general knowledge is
given to all students and an award given to the winner.
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The Mercer production of
Rogers and Barer’s Once Opon
A Mattress well deserved the
standing ovation it received last
Friday night. The musical itself
is a pleasant one, the Mercer
set was splendidly rich and elab
orate (though almost too com
plicated for the rather lacking
Mercer stage facilities), the or
chestra played well and the cast
did a very fine job.
Touches such as the ballet be
hind the semi-transparent cur
tain added immensely to the
production and, like Gladys
Lasky's choreography, deserve
special commendation. Mr.
Layne, director and set-design
er, is to be credited with a very
fine creation.
The cast not only did the
leads, but did every role well.
Hugh Dukes as “Sextimus the
Silent” stood out with a remark
ably clever rendition of a very
difficult and complicated role—
his pantomines were excellent
and his voice in his one speech
sounded exactly as if he had not
spoken in years. Peggy Malott
as Winnifred did a lively and
merorable presentation, as was
perhaps to be expected. Ed Ba
con and Susan Wiseman both
sang and acted particularly well
and Sandy Harrison as the
Queen was splendidly talkative.
Jim McCallum as the prince,
Charles Russell as the minstrel
and Jimmy Newsome as the
jester also stood out in the ra
ther large cast.
The orchestra and musical di
rection (by Mr. Jack Jones)
were quite fine and completed
the list of components for an ex
cellent production.
In the past two years, the
Speech and Music departments
with their jointly produced mu
sicals revived the old Spring
Musical, a tradition of the early
'fifties. We hope that it will be
continued and that future years
will see many more productions
aa fine as Ones Upon a Matrass.
long and successful period of re
cording, the Platters are now con
centrating on the concert circuit,
and their concentration really
showed. Although the concert was
approximately thirty minutes late
in getting started, when it did,
everyone seemed to enjoy it.
It might be worthy to note that
the performance had “a few bugs
in it.” shutter bugs, electrical bugs,
and a large variety of real bugs. In
spite of the rather unusual setting
of the Chapel for the concert, audi
ence and performer enthusiasm ran
high. The group presented almost
all of their famous numbers to a
most receptive audience. Among
the songs presented were the fol
lowing: “Only You,” "Smoke Gets
in Your Eyes,” “Unchained Melo
dy,” “I Love You a Thousand
Times,” "Come See About Me,”
“At Twilight Time,” “If I Had A
Hammer,” “You’ve Got the Magic
Touch,” and a host of others. A>
an addition to their show, a pano
rama of dance routines from differ
ent parts of the United States
proved particularly amusing and
enjoyable.
The dialogue was generally clean
and showed a tremendous seme oI
humor since they were able to
laugh at themselves and at their
race. Aside from a couple of off
color jokes, they were delightful.
Attendance at the performance
was not as good as it should haw
been. Considering the concert as a
whole, the evening proved to be ex
tremely enjoyable. It has been a
long time since this campus has
seen such a fine group with suck
an excellent back-up band.
PIN-UP OF THE WEEK:
’ Mias Jeanne Kent, sophomore from Atlanta, beautifies ton
ns aha paaaa far M» Up af ton Weak. Jeanne fa n Frond, maja
member of the French Chk She plana to nan far Franah next
Willingham Chapel really “rock
ed out” last Saturday when toe
Platters came to town. After a
tog Europe. She's a ■ember of the Phi Mu sorority and was
by Phi Delta Theta fat The Miss Mercer Content. An hat
«ro eyes, weighs Ml, amd stands $ fast tad. ’ ~ r