Newspaper Page Text
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.Mercer Cluster
February 8. 1971
News Briefs
Mayor Thompson
talks at Mercer
.by Marsha Matthews
article by Masters and/ Johnson
appeared to advocate sodomy,
an illegal act. The mayor also
declared the January issue of
the magazine obscene because
of an article entitled "The Act of
Love”.
In an question and answer
session following his speech, the
mayor commented upon
racism., prostitution, and
controversial campus speakers.
When questioned about his
opposition to Bernadette
students in the audience he
stated, "It is positively not true
that I am a racist."...I have
appointed more black people to
jobs than any other mayor.”
In explanation of his attempt
to keep his 12 year old son from
changing schools in obedience
to a court desegregation order,
the mayor said that he was
obeying the wishes of his son.
Thompson said that his son did
not want to leave the familiar
environment of his black
teacher and black and white
classmates. He said. "I did not
defy the court order. I was the
first one to sav we must obey.”
When the mayor was asked by
a student if he was aware of the
existence of Brown House, an
alleged house of prostitution, he
replied, "I can’t control it...I
used to think I could go in...
clean it all up. and have a
prayer, and it would be aL
right .” Thompson said that the
problem was not peculiar to
Brown House because "You can
have this type of activity going
on bicycles and roller skates. ""
He mentioned several local
motels and said, "Wt haven't
gotten to the Hilton because I’ve
just cut the ribbon down there . "
Pointing out the avenue of
flags, the mayor slid that
Macon was becoming a
patriotic center He said that
since Macon Police officers had
been wearing a flag patch on
their uniform for two and one
half years, not one had been
attacked . When a student
asked him why he was so
concerned with patriotism, be
atfanitted that his great grand
parents were related to Francis
Scott Key.
After the meeting in room 314
of the Student Center, the
mayor talked informally with
students in the snack bar
Macon Mayor Ronnie
Thompson told a Mercer
audience, “I think we are being
more liberal than any other
administration in Macon's
history." His statement was
part of a speech on censorship
delivered to a group of
education students on January
27.
Saying that public morality
was the concern of he state, the
mayor sought to explain his
portion in the light of recent
developments.
The former gospel singer
commented on bis recent
closing of a book store which he
described as a "wall to wall sex
supermarket According to
the mayor, police altered the
store, which had not opened, ir
search of a stolen cash register.
The officers immediately
stumbled upon "devices...
chemicals, machines, .and
pictures" which Tbolnpson said
embarrassed him and the
police.
“The Miracle Worker”
to be staged at Mercer
by Robert Goodeil
The Mercer University
Theatre Company will present a
play by William Gibson. The
Miracle Worker. February 10
through 13 at 8:30 PM. in
Willingham Chapel.
The play will be directed by
Mias Gloria Harrison, in
structor of speech and dramatic
art. Aasistant directors are
Howard Jordan and Wesley
Smith.
The leach ug actors and roles
are «n Hayes as Helen
Seiler. Peggy Blow as Annie
Sullivan, Chrisie Aunchbaucher
as Kate Keller, Mike Day aa
Captain eiler, Anne Johnson as
Aunt Eve and Charles Price as
Mercer students with iden
tification cards will not be
charged. Public admission is
one dollar per ticket’ Reser
vations will be available by
January 24. Tickets may be
obtained at the SGA office on
the second floor of Connell
Student Center
The mayor and polite of
ficials decided to confiscate the
materials in the book store. This
was done because, according to
the mayor, "This material in
everybody’s opinion was pure'
filth, trash, and dirt and should
not be placed before the
public.” The confiscation was
ruled unlawful, and subsequent
legal action forced Thompson to
return the most of the material.
Another phase of the mayor’s
battle against obscenity was his
recent confrontation with
Playboy magazine. After
consulting legal authorities, be
decided that the December
issue of the magazine was
obscene under Georgia law and
forbade its sale in Macon.
Mayor 3 Thompson said that it
was unnecessary to confiscate
any issues of the magazine
because it sold out immediately
after his announcement.
Specifically, the December
issue of Playboy was dedaxed
illegal by the mayor because an
Devlin, a radical member of
Parliament scheduled to speak •
at Mercer on February 16. the
mayor said, "I don't think Miss
Devlin has any business over
here We can get our native
grown revolutionaries...! could
supply Mercer with a lot of
speakers from the stockade
without the extra fee."
He described Jane Fonda,
who spoke here on November
17, as "confused" and said that
he agreed with her father that
she "ought to be in an in
stitution."
When confronted by black
18th Century Scholar
Professor Ricardo Quintana internationally known as an
eighteenth-century scholar, will speak at Mercer University in
the Ware Music Hail Lecure Room at 10o'clock ajn. Tuesday,
February 9. The public is invited to hear his lecture entitled
"Johnathan Swift and Lemuel Gulliver or Growing Up Absurd."
Professor Quintana, who is currently teaching at Florida
State University, was before his recent retirement Professor of
English and Chairman of the English Department at The
University of Wisconsin.
Editor of many studies of eighteenth-century writers, co
editor of English Poetry of the Mid and Late Eighteenth Cen
tury. author of numerous scholarly articles, he is best known for
his study of Swift entitled The Mind and Art of Jonathan Swi/t
(1936). He has also published Swift: An Introduction (19S5) and
Oliver Goldsmith: A Georgian Study (1967).
In 1967 he was one of the few scholars throughout the world
invited to speak in Dublin, Ireland on the occasion of the 300th
anniversary of the birth of Jonathan Swift. His lecture at that
time-as well as the lecture to be given at Mercer-dealt with
Swift’s Gulliver’s Travels.
While in Macon he and Mrs. Quintana will be the guests of Dr.
May F. McMillan, Professor of English and Chairman of the
Department of English at Mercer, at her home at 166 Rogers
Avenue. Dr. McMillan did her doctoral work at The University
of Wisconsin under the direction of Professor Quintana. He will
also speak to Dr. McMillan’s class in Eighteenth-Century
English Literature on Monday, February 8, at 11 o’clock, and
later that day he and Mrs. Quintana will be the guests of honor
at a luncheon given by members of the Department of English
N
Debate team
The Debate Team of Mercer University last weekend attended
a competition at West Georgia College in Carrollton. The team
posted a 3-1 record in its first day of debate. Mrs. Price, debate
coach, said the debaters "did very well... There were 43 teams
from nine states participating in the meet. Mercer was
represented by Bill Dodson. Ed Heath. Lynn Davis and Robert
Surrency. This weekend the team went to debate at the
University of Georgia.
Miss Mercer Pageant
Thij year's Miss Mercer pageant will be held April 8 in the
Willingham Chapel according to Circle K, which sponsors the
event.
Candidates (or Miss Mercer must have attended Mercer for
four quarters, not be or have been married, be a student in good
standing, plan to return to Mercer next year.
Names of candidates and their 110.00 entry fee should be sent
to Box 89 before Wednesday. February 10. Jim Owensby.
chairman of the entries committee says this year's pageant
"promises to be the best ever.”
Kappa Sigma
Kappa Sigma Fraternity has announced its officers for 1971 They
ar * 9 ra “! Masler; Mikc Shaw - C^and Procurator
Marshall Soullier. Grand Master of Ceremonies; Russ Cook Grand
nSS^G^d? HUm ’ Grand Scnb ' ; Fioyi WWW Alex
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