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Beware The Benign
By David Sibley
In accordance with the current
ftaror over man's apathetic reac
tion to his fellow’s distress I find it
interesting to contemplate what I
consider to be one of its unique
ms. The generally aeeepted
cause, of course, is an innate desire
to remain uninvolved. If this is
truly acceptable, then the responsi
bility for the problem rests solely
with the innocent passerby. But af
ter an experience I had several
sights ago I have come to the con
clusion that the actual guilty party
is the one to whom the aid is offer
ed
Let me interject at this point
that the whole event could very
possibly be attributed to my invete
rate cowardice and unreasonable
cynicism, in which case this entire
article would have been better left
unwritten.
After nine straight hours of
grueling driving this past Sunday,
die last two of which were accom
panied by a strange grumbling in
the right front tire well, I was
struck by the fact that I very possi
bly might be riding on a flat. Sur
prisingly enough I was, but the real
coincidence was that the guilty tire
was located in my right front tire
well.
Immediately upon ascertaining
By situation I applied myself vi
gorously to the jack. (If you are an
xiously awaiting the punch line
here it comes. At this very mo
ment an ominous white Volkswagen
bus loomed up behind me. Out leap
ed a sinister figure dressed mys
teriously in a tan London Fog. Un
consciously fearing the worst, my
hand gripped the lug wrench vi
ciously and my only muscle coiled
for action. My fears were justified
with his very first words, “Could I
help you all in any way?” (The
"you all” is a justifiable reference
since I forgot to mention that I
was not alone. Though you would
probably not expect it of me, I was
accompanied by a young Mercer
coed.) Innocent as his greeting
may sound now, I immediately
perceived its full import This
stranger was intent on setting us
at ease, thereby enabling himself
to apply that age-old military tac
tic, “the element of surprise!”
As I said before, I was prepared,
thanks mainly to two immeasura
bly helpful years of RO.T.C. unbe
knownst to him. For this reason his
second ploy was equally unsuccess
ful. He mock-kindly extended an
invitation to my consort to rest in
the warmth of his bus with his wife
and children. I had underestimated
him though, for I was not aware
that he was adept in the art of "di
vide and conquer.” Although my
uninformed companion eagerly ac
cepted I knew I eras in no real
danger. She could always leap to
my aid should he resort to physical
violence.
And resort he dkf His vi
movement eras to stoop over and
pickup a brick. Understanding must
have flashed in my hawk-like eyas
despite the thickness of my specta
cles’ lenses since he immediately
offered it as a brace for the jack.
Realizing now not only the cun
ning, but also the savage ness of my
adversary I sprang into action. I
baffled him with rude comments,
and though he countered with po
liteness I administered the coup de
grace unexpectedly. I burst into
tears and swore that we had no
money, that the girl was a virgin,
and that I'd never tell anyone of
what had occurred. Visibly shaken
he stormed to his bus yanked out
the girl (here he finally betrayed
his true character), and screeched
off. Needless to say, we returned
triumphantly to Mercer.
Although all the evidence points
against it, there is a distinct possi
bility that I misinterpreted this
man’s actions. In which case it
understandable that he may never
again attempt to aid one of his
fellow men in distress.
W.F. George Law News
History of Law
Lectures Begin
The Walter F. George School of
Law at Mercer University announ
ced today plans to start in Septem
ber of 1968 a series at lectures on
the history of law.
The series of four to six lectures
will be given by Ralph H. Pharr,
chief judge of the Superior Court
of the Atlanta Judirial Circuit
Hey wiM be named the Henry Hall
Ware Lectures in honor of H. H.
Ware, Jr., prominent Atlanta at
torney and Mercer alumnus.
Judge Pharr is a recognised stu
dent of English legal history and
has studied legal systems of many
countries. He was a member of the
Advisory committee for the 1961
revision of the American Bar Asso
ciation's handbook. He has been
discussion leader in seminars at
universities and has lectured at bar
meetings in several states.
A Fellow of the American Bar
Foundation, Judge Pharr also holds
membership in the American Law
Institute, the American Judicature
Society and other professional so
cieties. He was a delegate to the
World Conference on World Peace
Through Law and attended the
World Association of Judges in Ge
neva, Switzerland, in 1967. Judge
Pharr has authorized for various
legal publications.
The man for whom the lectures
will be named is a former trustee
of Mercer University and a former
president of the Alumni Associa
tion. He is a member of the Presi
dent's Council and of the Alumni
Executive Committee. He long has
been a friend of Mercer University
snd has practiced law in Atlanta
since 1926.
SUPPORT
THE BEARS
tt. 1968
THE MERCER CLUSTER
WESLEYAN CORRESPONDENT
Fine Arts Festival Featured
With the thought of final exams soon to be over, the stu
dents and faculty are looking forward to the 17th Annual Fine
Arts Festival to begin on Tuesday, January 30.
Prior to this week of outstanding
lectures and concerts, Toshi Yoshi-
da, a Japanese painter and print-
maker, will demonstrate and lec
ture on the art of printmaking. His
who a-reV/
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Peuonality 7>eojiCe
MISS MARY ELIZABETH GROSS
The job: To write, layout, and "brainstorm” tor a magazine design
ed to acquaint Alumni with the Mercer of today. That magazine is called
THE MERCERIAN.
The man for the job: A woman. That woman's name is Miss Mary
Elizabeth Gross.
"Mag” Gross,
along with Lois
McKethan, co-
adits and pub-
liahes six times
par year THE
MERCERI
AN, a magazine
that must not
only serve as an
instrument o f
continued edu
cation for Alum
ni, but also must
be as attractive
as other maga
zines in the
home, with which it must com
pete. Since her arrival at Mercer
in July, 1967, Meg has shared with
Lois the responsibility for several
innovations that have strengthened
the magazine. At one time, a mag
azine of Alumni news only. THE
MERCERIAN has now been broad
ened to include profiles on interest
ing alumni, administrators white
paper reports from various univer
sity offices, more features on stu
dent thought, and articles on recent
trends in the field of education.
What was the job for Meg before
she became a part of the Mercer
family, that is, a Mercerian her
self? While completing her Art at
the University of Georgia, she
worked as a feature writer and wo
men’s editor on
the staff of the
University o f
Georgia RED
AND BLACK.
Later as Assis
tant Women’s
Editor and gen
eral reporter for
the Athens Daily
News, she work
ed on the devel
opment of her
two specialties;
features and hu-
man interest sto-
"MEG”GROSS
Attracted to Mercer by the op
portunity to do magazine work im
mediately after graduation, Meg
now keeps her office in the Alumni
House and has become a part of
the campus scene. When the maga
zine goes to press and Meg is af
forded an opportunity to take a
break from her job, she uses travel
as the context in which to pursue
her “outside interests” which in
clude photography, painting in
several mediums, scuba diving, and
camping.
Anyone with a desire to get to
know Meg better might take the
time to stop by her office, and pick
up a MERCERIAN.
talk is scheduled for Monday, Janu
ary 29, from 2 to 4 p.m. in the
Taylor Hall amphitheatre. An ex
hibit of his prints will be on display
that evening from 7 to 9 p.m. in
the Porter Gallery.
Open to the public, the Fine Arts
Festival will begin with a concert
presented by the College Music
Department faculty. This concert
is set for 11:90 am., Tuesday.
That evening. Max Gordon, pro
ducer of 76 Broadway plays, will
present a lecture entitled “Behind
the Scenes in the American Thea
tre,” at 8:90 p.m. in the auditorium.
On Wednesday, January 91, Ivan
Karp, director of the Leo Castelli
Gallery in New York City, will be
featured at 11:90 a m. in the Porter
Auditorium. Mr. Karp will present
a discussion of “Art Concerning It
self.” At 8:90 pm. that evening,
Walter Carringer, one of America's
leading oratorio soloists, will ap
pear in concert in the auditorium.
“Walt Whitman’s America,”
slated for Thursday, February 1, at
8:90 pm. in the auditorium, is the
subject of the dramatic program to
be presented by Alexander Scour-
by. Mr. Sccurby is a noted actor of
radio, television, stage and screen.
Joan Lippincott, an outstanding
young organist, will provide the fi
nal entertainment for the series on
Friday, February 2, at 8:90 pm. in
Porter Auditorium.
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The Right to Privacy
By Chris Greis
The following is paraphrased from an article by Justice
William 0. Douglas in the December, 1967 issue of Playboy
Magazine. I will attempt to reconstruct his expression of his
ideas.
The right to privacy, the most
cherished of the great American
traditions is fast disappearing.
Popular phrases like “A man's
home is his castle” are becoming
obsolete under the screen of a Big
Brother government
There is no stipulation in the
constitution for the individual to be
left alone. “The right to be left
alone” is not to be found in the
Bill of Rights, though it should be.
There are implied areas of pri
vacy in our beloved constitution;
every person has the right to his
own choice and exercise of religion
and no religious test may be given
as a public office requirement.
Freedom of speech and assembly
imply privacy, but they also imply
the freedom to associate, which can
be disasterous. A member of the
John Birch Society, for example,
could be denied a high ranking job
for this reason, and his leisure time
privacy would be certainly invaded.
Freedom of speech — an expression
of John Birch philosophies in the
case of our example — then, and
freedom of assembly — attending
the society's meetings — could con
ceivably become so downright dan
gerous as to be worthless. The Fifth
Amendment almost speaks for it
self. The right to stand mute in
court has a long history of protect
ing the guilty and harming the in
nocent in any number of ways.
The Constitution, then, leaves a
thin line of privacy to live on, and
this line is becoming thinner and
thinner, to the point of obscurity.
“Fifth Amendment Communist'',
a phrase coined by Senator Joseph
McCarthy in 1947, made the inno
cent man wrapped up in circum
stantial evidence a dartboard by the
press, prosecutor, and even the
jury.
A lady on government welfare
loses her monthly check when a
man is found in the house by a
midnight raid by investigators.
A Los Angeles man on the way to
the drug store late at night resem
bles a wanted man and is picked
up and held for vagrancy, while
they investigate.
Some magistrate courts convict
twenty men a minute of vagrancy,
some of the victims not realizing
the charge until they are found
guilty
Picketoers and platform speakers
are often arrested when their mes
sages are unfavorable to the au
diences "for their own safety”. If
the picketeer or speaker resists,
then he can be arrested for resist
ing arrest
A man applying for a govern
ment job sees a blank for race and
a blank for religious preference on
his application. Government ques-
tionaires probe the employee’s
marital and sexual relations, even
his reading habits. A government
man dressed as a telephone repair
man may drive up in a telephoone
truck and install a bugged phone,
and the employee waiting room
may be flanked with two-way mir
rors.
Truman initiated the highest au-
trocity in government probing in
his loyalty and security hearings.
How a man voted, the papers and
magazines he subscribes to, what
his friends are like, what his sex.
religious, and political beliefs are —
all are used as ideological tests on
the government's some 20,000,000
employees whose companies have
procurement contracts.
As one watches the government’s
continuing interest in the personal
affairs of individuals, and the thin
line of the right to privacy becom
ing too narrow to walk on safely;
on* is terrified of our dim, Orwel
ban future.