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Fractured Freud
by David Sibley
Being at a loss for a subject to write on this week (since
nay friend, the postal inspector, was recently sentenced to 20
years on a trumped up charge of invasion of privacy, and can
no longer submit letters to me) I thought I would reprint a
case study found crumpled up in the grass outside Knight Hall.
No doubt it was dropped by some Careless pigeon. Unfortunate
ly the beginning and end were tom off, but perhaps it will give
you some insight at least into the methods of psychoanalysis.
i’sycbolofiat: Now tell me. Aon,
ia you fantasize when you matricu
late?
Patient: Occasionally, yea.
Psychologist: And just exactly
what do these fantasies consist of.
Patient: Well, Doctor, they’re
never really too clear. I see many
«gue representations of authority
xfure me and I feel as if they
wanted to shaft me.
Psychologist: Mmmxn. Fixation
it the Fallacy stage.
Patient: Pardon me, Doctor?
Psychologist: Oh, its nothing
really. At a certain stage in child
hood a person becomes very sensi
tive to the genteels. If the person
grumes fixated at this stage he is
ikely to misjudge the character of
veil bred people. These represen-
ations of authority you spoke of
iqu.ite, in your mind, with just
uch well-bred people. Therefore
rou misunderstand their intentions
ind feel that they want to hurt
,ou.
Patient: Oh.
Psychologist: Of course I also de
ed a slight arachnoid reaction.
That is, the fear of many arms
eaching out to injure you. But
et’s try another angle. Have you
ver feared that you might have
lomo Sapien tendencies?
Patient: Hold on now, Doctor. I
na> be a little queer but I’ve never
lad any Homo Sapien tendencies,
itent or otherwise.
Psychologist: You'ra quite em
phatic about that. Perhaps there is
something you’re hiding even from
yourself.
Patient: All right, all right! ! I've
got to tell somebody 1 just can't
stand it any longer. My father
(pant, pant) . . my father and 1
had several Homo Sapien relations.
Psychologist: I see! And exactly
what comprised these relations.
Patient: Well . there was my
mother, of course. His wife you see.
And then there was a brother and
two sisters.
Psychologist: Very interesting
And you feel guilty because your
father and you had these relations
in common
Patient: Yes, yes I’ll never for
get it.
Psychologist: Its quite obvious to
me now that you are suffering from
a recessive-repulsive reaction. You
have an inordinate and subcon
scious fear that you are carrying
all the recessive traits from your
parents, while your brother and two
sisters received the dominant ones.
This creates an inferiority complex
which you over-compensate for,
thereby being repulsed by your re
lations. We must first of all rid you
of your fear of carrying all reces
sive traits and then it will be easier
to convince you that there is noth
ing really so unnatural about hav
ing Homo Sapien relations, even
with your father
The remainder of the interview was tom away at this
joint, but perhaps the more erudite of our psychology majors
»uld prescribe a proper course of treatment. I only hope that
he psychologist handling this case was successful, for I trem-
)le to think a person with such severe maladjustments might
)e walking free amongst us.
The Death of Spirit
There was a funeral in chapel
■st Monday. I usually laugh at
unerals and all the fools who are
Tying because someone else died
efore they got a chance, but this
ime I felt a little sad. Monday last
ras (he beginning of an end for
omcthing that was larger than one
ife. Yet there were those idiots up
« the platform that refused to let
be corpse rest in peace. They had
o lope, to call for some miracu-
>U8 resurrection that could never
ome They were disturbing weren’t
bey. as they begged for your help
»revive the dead, pleaded with you
> shout out those uncouth words
bat -tuck in your throat and they
ven made you stand up in front of
eery one else and affirm their sup-
ntition.
It was sort of like my father had
•= N -__ - -
died, except it was more like your
father had died. My father never
finished high school. They tell me
most of yours are college men,
many from Mercer. They were
buried last weekend and along with
them such outdated things as spirit,
energy and commitment. At long
last the worry about whether you
would be the only one cheering was
solved: no one cheered.
If you noticed the ghosts that
had once prowled the buildings of
Mercer wandering around this
weekend aimlessly, you might won
der what it is they are looking for,
and chances are you will never
know. You see we had a funeral ser
vice in chapel Monday. Reverend
Robert said the litany and the
choir answered HAVE YOU GOT
THAT SPIRIT? and the only
sound was the closing of the casket.
MACON FIRM DONATES
(Continued from Page 1)
Margholl Fvrnitoff Company, McK*mon 4
Robbins, Inc , fom Hutton Poanut Company,
Macon Fodoral Savings 4 Loan Association,
Mafoor and Company, Inc., Southern Boll Tolo-
phono 4 Tslograph Company, Pickling 4 Walk
•r. Dooms & Dtnnit. architects, iolk Foundation,
Anchr$on Chomical Company, Mr. Hugh H Hill.
Ivan Alton Company. Edwards Roalfy, Walt
hall Oil Company, McOarrity Sorvico Station,
Mylborry Market, Chorokoo Oodtt Inst
ance Company, Cagle Poultry and Egg Com
pany, Inc , Bob Ginn Company. Bor din Com
pany, Willingham Sosh 4 Door Company, Mr.
W B Shoarer, The Peoples Bank, Bearinas 4
Drives. Inc., Georgia Farm Bureau Mutual In
surance Company, Southern Press, Inc., Dunlap
Chevrolet. Matthews, Holliday, Couch, 4 Hollis,
architects, Drs. John Morgan and Loy Strown,
Bibb Manufacturing Company, Clifton 4 McNair
Davison Pa*pn Company, Frank Morgan, Hall,
Feravton & Ber^, architects, Howard Bivins,
Jackson Oldsmob'le Company, Jomes Aldrich,
Kohlmeyer A Comf>any, Macon Telegraph 4
News. Notional Cash Register Compony. Sam
lamback, Stephens Totnoll Saua f e Pharmacy,
William T Birdsong M D
SCIURIDAE
(Continued from Page 2)
connotations. Here, the shooting is
accomplished with the hunter’s
eyes rather than with any form of
firearms. It is for this reason that
there is absolutely no chance of one
killing or maiming one’s prey. Note
also, the inex|>ensive aspect of the
sjjort since np equipment is neces
sary in the pursuit and shooting of
Sciuridae. The question usually
raised at this |x)int is what jjurjiose
can there he in a sport which
claims shooting hut only makes use
of *he eye? I can only ask that you
forestall making a conclusion until
you have understood the finer
points of the sport
Being a sport of pursuit, shoot j
ing Sciuridae appeals mostly to |
males. The few females who have |
engaged in this activity are invari
ably ostracized by women and
found to be extremely undesirable
by men One interesting fact is that
the females who do become avid
hunteis are usually educated in
boarding schools or women's col
leges
The most important facet ol the
hunt is the locating of the^juarry.
Curiously enough, the majority of
Sciuridae are to be found indoors
and in public areas of congregation.
Unlike most small game who prefer
open areas and solitude, the Sciuri
dae prefer companionship and en
closure. Though it is assumed that
they are also present elsewhere,
and infrequent sightings are re
ixirted out of doors, the experienced
hunter will geek them indoors. Ac
cording to statistics they are found
most frequently in restaurants, bus
stations, train stations, air ports
and libraries. They are also quite
prevalent in classrooms but the
nature of seating arrangements
make them quite difficult to shoot.
The libruy offers the best hunt
ing ground since noise is at a mini
mum The most prominent charac
teristic attributed to Sciuridae is a
tendency towards skittishness if
they are aware that they are being
observed The silence of the library
atmosphere encourages them to
concentrate on some object and
they are less likely to be aware of
the hunter’s presence Should they
perceive that they are being watch
ed their first reaction is to hide
behind a limb. If this occurs there
is little, if any, chance that they
will reappear in that same environ
ment within several hours. Fortu
nately they are also noted for short
memory and though they may be
exposed one day. they will readily
appe ar there on another day They
may also be seen, even immediately
after lieing exposed, as they change
from limb to limb ascertaining the
hunter's whereabouts.
After locating the prey the hunt
er begins to stalk it. At this point
the ooject is to place oneself in
such a position as to have a com
pletely unobstructed view of the
animal This is not as easily ac
complished as it may sound As
was previously mentioned, the
Sciuridae is very sensitive to sound
and avoids, at all cost being seen.
It is, therefore, not only important
not to attract attention to oneself
by making noise, but also by not
making it obvious what one’s inten
tion is Needless to say, the moat
successful hunters are those ac
complished in the art of noncha
lance. Another hazard in maintain
(Continued on Page 6)
VESLEYAN CORRESPONDENT
Oceanographer to Speak
Roger Conklin, a prolific writer and television personality,
11 appear in Wesleyan's Porter Auditorium at 11:30 a.m. on
'Ursday, February 15.
Mr. Conklin, frequently a guest
J* k Paar, Mike Douglas, and
hnnv Canon, has chosen m his
v The Challenging World of
* r Space.” His lecture will in-
de a discussion of the rich and
hed treasures of tha ocean depths
4 how they can transform this
ln *t and the lives of its inhabi
tants
In his tenth year as director of
public relations at the famed ’’Sea-
quarium” in Miami, Mr. Conklin
has traveled for the organization
throughout the United States and
abroad, averaging more than one-
hundred television and radio ap
pea ranees each year.
SimiSINTXD Foe (NATIONAL AOVISTISINS SY
National Educational Advertising Services
.a ocviitON or
■ixosrs discsy aacts a ssavicts, wic.
»ao LAYingFior. yorh. n. y. 1001 t
February 13, 1968 • THE MERCER CLUSTER • 3
QCustez CjizC
This week’s Cluster Girl is Sally Farrar, A sophomore
ADPi from Marietta, Georgia.
Monstrosity
by Steve Holsenbeck
There is a monstrosity on this
campus. According to the Cluster,
it is a great and venerable mon
strosity which should be preserved
for posterity. If posterity is any
wiser than the Cluster, it will show
little gratitude for this concern.
This particular monstrosity is a
building. In order to justify the ac
cusation it is necessary to examine
what makes a bqjlding not-a-mon-
strosity. Prom a aesthetic point of
view a building should have beauty
A building is like a painting it has
a focal [joint, a center of attraction.
All other elements in the painting
submit to and support this central
theme. They are balanced in sym
metry about it. Any ornamentation
should be congruent with the whole,
be consistent with itself, and sup
port the central theme. The only al
ternative to an aesthetic viewpoint
is a functional one. A building
should lend itself to its purpose and
do this with the flexibility to ac
commodate growth and change
within this purpose One building
on campus defies both these cri
teria. This is the Administration
Building.
The first and most important
criteria for ait aesthetic viewpoint is
unity of design There must bo one
feature, one prominent point to
draw the beholder’s attention. The
Administration Building has not
one but three entirely different
spires, each drawing the attention
in a different direction, each hav
ing ts own flow of design. The ef
feet is that of viewing the building
in a carnival mirror
Unity is achieved only through
pursuit of a definite goal guided by
one hand. In the Administration
Building four entirely different ver
tide themes are evident, and at
least three dissimilar horizontal lay
ers are piled one upon the other
like slices from three different
cakes. Each of seven themes repre
sent the work of a different design
er, none predominating over the
others, but rather stifling any at
tempt of unity.
Even without unity, some semb
lance of a whole could have been
preserved through a balanced scene.
There is no balance however. With
no focal point around which sym
metry could have been achieved, it
is totally disregarded. All three
spires are of different height and
I the center one is ten feet closer to
one end than to the other. Hoof
lines, chimneys, ballustrades, trim,
ornamentation—al lnre skewn onto
a dozen levels with no reason or
harmony to their positions.
The very shape of the building is
really a nonsha|x\ It is a tangle of
bulges, wall, corners, curves, lines
flung wildly into the sky, lines fall
ing drunkenly towards the ground
There is no regularity at all in its
progress from bottom to top, front
to back.
Needless to say, little beauty
grows from such chaos. There is no
harmony nor rhythm in the struc
ture. There are instead curves in
the midst of straight lines, bluntness
on the tops of spires. The building
seems more to lx* tearing itself
apart, scaring itself, than attempt
ing to inspin- the Ix-holder.
The ornamentation adds to the
general chaos of design. It is just
clutter, lending itself to nothing,
enhancing nothing. It is junk, not
art; maybe a cast iron garden here,
certainly a prison fence there, hut
essentially meaningless hunks ot
painted metal.
So much for an aesthetic view
jjoint. The building has no redeem
ing social value there. The only
other possible criteria from which
to judge it is that of functionalness.
The most obvious flaw in this uj>-
proach is the amount of wasted
space. Practically the entire upper
half of the building’s total height is
completely wasted space, useful to
nothing but bats, chimney swifts,
and pigeons
The space that is accessable is so
chopjx-d up. so disordered that it is
hardly redeemed by its iu cessibility
The blatant irregularity of the
building’s shape forces its interior
design into a disorganized, ineon
venient arrsjv of ill-lit cubby-holes,
compartments, and closets. This it--
reguarity of design makes it in
flexible to change and unadaptable
to new needs
So the Administration Building
also fails the final criteria of good
buildings. It has no redeeming so
cial value. It is a monstrosity. If
preserved it should be commended
for representing so many errors in
design rather than for being of any
great beauty or purpose. The de
signers of the building should con
sider it a compliment that the pig
eons find it so attractive.