The Merciad, March 10, 1961

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Page TwoT h e ME R C I A D

v ^ ^ ^ ^ , ^ ^March, 1961

Pseudo - CollegiatesThe vast increase in enrollment in our colleges and uni

versities appears to be the most beneficial force in the American educational system. Unfortunately, some college studentsare degrading, rather than raising, our country's standards.

pA college education to them has become a "social nicety."Their vogue is to "befcollegiate/f Howfmany of us|have fi tourselves into this "pseudo-collegiate" world?

Th e pseudo-collegiates follow {definite rules and procedures. Their first |step in preparing for|college is to buy new

clothes, collegiate|clothes, that is. These include fur collars,pointed| heelsJ numerous kneelaocks, and|kilts, {plus othercollegiate accessories. Then they learn f to smoke and play

Ibridge. Immediately after their arrivalfon the campus, theypick out social seeker s! and form a collegiate clique. Withtheir so-called friends, they proceedfto join activities. SchoolfunctionsJhowever, are taboo. Frequent participation in activities initiated in collegiate hang-outs are the only ones allowed. Another important rule for pseudo-collegiates isftodate only fraternity boys. f|

I Now t o | consider the actual mannerisms of pseudo-collegiates. Their|laughter is expremely loud and much longer,of course, ^than necessary. Frequent "Oh, reallys" are heardinterruptingjtheir attentive (?) silence as theyfjisten to onespeak. An "affected tone" is a must, for their collegiate manner demands saying something intellectual.|Being able to exhibit knowledge is what the scholastic side of college, irrele-vent as it is to them, accomplishes. 3 | |

The pseudo-collegiates do not take their studies seriously. Boasting over low grades and laughing at professor's criticisms are characteristics common to them. When they flunkout, aslthey usually do, professors, school rules, assignments,and roommates are blamed forf heir failures. At no time arethe real reasons considered. f ft 5 %

H Although the pseudo-collegiates appear to be very humoro u s , they are pathetic. They not only do great|harm to themselves, but are a tremendous influence on their fellow studentswho represent the college, which, in turn, represents theAmerican educational system. 1 |

Gaelic Celebratin'And how should ye celebate St. Patrick's Day ? There are

many ways^and, as yet all must know,|the more animatedlywe celebrate the holiday, the more we imitate the spiritfof St .Patrick himself. Of course, we must all be rememberingfthatthere is a limit to our celebratin' . | | | | |

There must be a parade, at least New Yorkers think so.Why that City does more celebratin' than|Dublin itself! Withthe green line in the middle of Fifth Avenue, the HybernianSociety onlthe march* high schools, academies and universi-ties takin ' a firm representative stand in the parade, theroarin' of the bagpipes and the sight of the jiggin', the wholecity erupts with gaiety. I

Retreating^from|the pomp of parades, let us be takin' aglance at fthe traditional ways we here at Mercyhurst commemorate this feast. Well now, there's the wearin' o' th egreen. The nuns sprightly adornedlin their green bows andpins seem f o be sayin', "Surely, we should allfbe wearin'green."|And we can't be forgettin' the freshmen who can beheard in the lounges days before, practicin' and hummin' andsingin' of Irish melodies, preparin' to serenade the nuns ontheir way to breakfast. Aye, and a|wee bit can be said o' th e"gaelic" joviality that is mustered on the part o' our non-Irish cooks who prepare edibles of "green" delights. Yeknow what I mean, the green rolls, the green juices, the green

grapefruits, andfthe green desserts. All these contribute tomakin' Mercyhurst "a little spot o* heaven" on this St.Patrick's Day.i I

As ye can plainly see, there are a number o' ways ye cancelebrate this dayf But, to the question, "How should^wecelebrate St. Patrick's Day," there be no particular jjanswer.So . . . as one Irishman to another, celebrate it anyway ye'dlike! 1 §fe g I I

A* 0 Published Monthly

SSk THE MERCIAD.Slis |Mercyhurst College, Erie, Pa.

Co-Editors JL Anne Marie ^Lepkowski, Carolyn SchehrerAssociate Editor > - „ . Roberta DonahueAssistant Editors?. . -. -- Carol Xreh, Gail Gleason, Carolyn AndersonBusiness Manager „„. —~ _~ a— --^ - Gretchen StarkPhotographer ~~„ - „ « .,„ - ^.i Mary Jeanne FerreriContributors „ 4 £ .Reinette Boling, Liz Apen, Hosie Dickenson, Teddy

^ Knoedler, Mary Hammond* Ursie Scarvan, Elaine Curtis, Mary AnnBrennan, Kathy Lynch, Judy Young, Mary Costello, Kay Hebert, RitaCappello, Helen Bundy, Sheila Himes, Elaine Wycjik, Kay Dwyer,Karen Smith. Sondra Konkoly, Pat McMullen, Marietta Rizzo, MaureenFiedler, Julie Kuhner, Alice Welte, Judy Cook, Marilyn Lipchik,Nancy Nolan, Bonnie,Ozinskt Denise Dwyer, P at Bosworth.

• 1 ; i . . . , i / , .v

-A* WlSec Jt The Choice Of Divine Love

LKK"M ;

YOUR EDITORS CONGRATULATE: 1

. Ginny Gamble, Helen Bundy,I and Bonnie jMcGough for

then* supar-salemanship inin the "Skin of Our Teeth"

I campaign. |

If. . Judy Young f01$ her winningof the editorial contest.

rntrSister M. Brigid for her successful production of "Skinof Our Teeth." 1

Y O U R | E D I T O R S ! EXTENDSYMPATHY T O : &

. . . Alice Thomas on the {deathof her tether.

. .?. Claire McDermitt and DeniseMetier on the deaths of theirgrandfathers.

YOUR| EDITORS SEND BESTWISHES TO: Wjf

. . . Lynn Larocca with hopes forher speedy recovery.

YOUR EDITORS IREMINDK

. . . 'Hurst students of theirLenten obligations.

. . . t heat re! go-ers that the newPlayhouse season has begun.

. . . loungers to fortify leisurehours with interesting butpertinent books.

. . . sun-lam p addicts th at drugstores selljlotions.

. . . those who h ave been bitte nby spring fever, that moresnow is in the making.

. . . students th at much graceawaits them at Pridayinightdevotions.

YOUR EDITORS URGE:

. . . students to use the Saturdaynight library), privileges.

Nearly every girl dreams of the day when she will findher "Prince Charming". How often are her friends surprisedwhen the "Prince" really does come along. Frequently theyremark, "What does she see in him?" No matter what theysay, however, it makes no difference—he is the one. |

*The world is even more surprised when the f'Prince"turns out to be Christ Himself. This choice! really puzzlesthem! But if it is difficult to explain human love, how muchmore difficult is it to explain Divine Love. This response of ahuman heart to the invitation of Christ is the meaning of a

religious vocation—"Falling in love with Christ."While God in His loving Wisdom chooses some to come

to Him through the single state or through Holy Matrimony,others He chooses to be united with Himfdirectly here andnow.jThe question is often asked, "Why is theCReligious Profession not a sacrament as is Matrimony ? " Th e answer—it isnot necessary. The union between Christ and the soul, whichis symbolized by the sacrament* of Matrimony, is a realitywith those who take the vows of Religion. | SB

Human words can neverand joy — the "hundredfold"union of the soul with Christ.

express adequately the peacewhich accompany this direct

Only experience can understand.

—Sister tjHelen Jean

« »»

« •

students to attend} StudentCouncil meetings and partici

pate in discussions.u pp er c l a s s m e n n ot to"orphan" .ti their little sisters.

students 1 to take advantageof open lounges on Rriday.

Recipe For IgnoranceOf course you're a Catholic! Well, then, what do I mean?

I mean that you're an uninformed one. Y o u ! resent that, doyou ? Oh, I see. You say you know the commandments, the precepts of the Church, and most of the dogmas, the importantones anyway. Like the Trinity and the Virgin Birth. Andyou're satisfied with that, are you? Oh, I see—you sa y that'sall your theology courses taught.|Well, then, let me ask you aa few questions. For instance, can you defend some of theChurch's teachings tha t w ere attacked |du rin g thefrecentpresidential campaign?^ mean, can it really be immoral toinstruct improverished millions in artificial methods of birth"control" (why not just call it prevention) ? What about themorality of those birth control pills? And what is the Church'sreailteaching on separation of Church and state ?

You say you'd have to think a few of those over. Well,sometimes there jus t isn't time . If these questions stump you,you aren't doing credit to your Church. If youfhave no information about these topics, your ttieqlogy-classes are notto blame. T * f ffj

Rather, you yourself are to blame. You, a college student,have neglected opportunities which present themselves every

day in the Jvarious magazines? and books av ailable infthelibrary. Your intellect has been dulled by your misuse of leisure tim e. You have chosen,! for free-time reading, fashionmagazines and dime-store novels rat her than more inform ative Catholic periodicals and books, and in this "free-time,"you have made yourself a slave to ignorance. I §

A n O u n c e of E t c e t e r a To Golden KnightBylElaine Curtis

At fone endf, of the Shall, th e telephone rings

and the teakettle whistles—study hour is over.

Doors are thrown open, and the light spills out

into the dim hall. Steel heels click on the tile

floor as girls return from a meeting or a fconcert

or a basketball game.

In oneSroom a typewriter clacks {noisily. Nextdoor the radio plays the latest jazz number, and

from across the Ihall come the strains of Broad

way show music.

The lounge becomes a place of busy-ness.Cards j are shuffled, the chess board is broughtout, and the television's turned on. In a corner,hidden by smoke, three or four girls discuss thevalue of progressive education.

The activity of the evening has begun. For anhour, the dormitory hums with the sounds ofthings—things being done. Sometimes the humgrows to a roar, punctuated t by an impromptuparty, and sometimes it is lowered™ a whisper—like the night before a philosophy test.

Then, the volume is turned down, and thedoors click again, this time with] the click offinality. Soon after, ^ drawers close, clocks arewound, another day is marked off the calendar,and, at last, the bedsprings squeak. One by one,the lights go out,|and another day of doing endswith the respite of sleep. £

Long ago a|Golden Knight,

Up astride a charger white,

Conquered quite a hill of glass

Just to woo andfwin a lass.

This was all a fairyftale,

But that knight, he was a male,

And, spurred on by^fearless heart ,

Soon set out to prove his art:Making royal ladies swoon!

"Whether sun or whether moon,

Whether morning, whetherfnight,

If you handle lassies right

From your hand they soon will eat,

And they'll think it's quitega t reat ,"

So the knight went on to say,

Making conquests every day.

"This is all you gotta do -

Start right in and follow th rough ;

Like a princess, treat each one

Very nice, and don'tfmake fun

Of her castle, or he r school .

Follow well the Golden Rule.

Everything will turn out right,An d you'lllbe a GOLDEN KNIGHT."

Judy Young

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March, 1961 T h e M E R C I A D Page Three

"Second - Class Citizens" Seek Equity ™ m™ « *»• » Tnilav all AfAv f rin noi l

By Rita Capello

President Kennedy should al-

ter his proposed "federal aid to

educat ion"! bill to read "federalai d toindividuals for education."Fo r is it not true that the enddesired from this aid is bettereducated American students * an dnot simply better educated publicschool students? Kennedy him

self stated that our "twin goalsshould be: anew standard of excellence ineducation — and theavailability of such excellence toall who are willing: and able to

pursue lit."

Senator Wayne Morse, speaking this year to the senate onproposed federal aid, hit the proverbial nail on the head when hepointed out t h a t a problem of

• - - «• .- - «» «

Pending Education BillBy Mary CostelloOn February^ 20, 1961, Presi

dent Kennedy proposed toCongress a $5.7 billion pla n for ai d-to-education, designed, he says,as a "new standard of excellencein education" for "all who are

willing andable to pursue it."

The program inc ludes gran ts to

the state for building classroomsor raising salaries In publicschools at the discretion of the

individual states. In a three yearplan, a su m of $19.75 for eachchild in public elementary andsecondary schools is provided, increasing to $24.22 fper child, bythe th ird year .

Also included in a five-year

scholarship program which will

cost the government $577.5 million. The program off long- te rm,low-interest loans tocolleges anduniversities will be continued andwill cost about $1.3 billion. A similar loan program for construction of| college classrooms, li-

braries and laboratories will be

established at t the cost of $300million a year for five years.Total cost to the governmen t is

$1.5 billion. |

No distinction .has been madebetween public and private i in s t i tutions regarding college scholarships and loansf but, on the otherhand, no provision has been madeon the elementary and secondarylevels for any government aid to

private schools.

There Another Solution

For Distribution off Funds?By Maureen Fiedler

Th e ̂ federal ; aid bill before?! Congress proposes togive aid to theindividual attending the college of his choice; but we feel that freedomof choice must also be extended tolthe primary and secondary levels.Our proposal is not only constitutional; indeed, it is vital to the futureof American education. > j| | r c Apart from the so-called "theoretical reasoning" ofthe a rgumen tover constitutionality, the practicality of this aid is evident. I wonderwh a t the ̂ reaction of the American taxpayer would be if all privateinstitutions closed and suddenly shifted the cost ofeducating severalmillion more students over to the tax load of the American citizen.M But£how do we achieve equal aid for education without violating

our sacred doctrine of"separa t ion ofchurch and s ta te?" The?1 answer

is asold associety itself. Ed ucation is {primarily th e i nhere ntr i gh t of the paren t ; it isnot theright of the State, until entrustedto the S ta te b y | the paren t . If a

paren t then desires pr iva te ra thert h a n | public education for his

children, th is r ight of choiceshould be respected. Funds shouldtherefore be allocated to the fami ly ra ther than to a par t icula rtype of in s t i tut ion . | |

This idea of ai d to individualsis not new in thefAmerican scene.T h e GI Bill of Rights|now em bodies a similar plan for individual aid in the college educationof veterans, and the New YorkSta te Board ofRegents presentlygives scholarships to individualsto use inany accredited collegeor university. Why not Initiate a

similar plan on a national scale,and establish equality of opportun i ty in education for allj c i t i zens?

C E F O b j e c t i v e sBy Elaine Wujcik

The Merciad adds jits voice to

the Citizens for Educational Freedom Movement, a nonsectarian,civic organization! dedicated to

freedom of choice in education, topreserving t h e church - relatedschool, and to protecting the rightsof the students of these schools.

The CEP recently held its f irstnational convention inSt. Louis,and adopted a resolution callingupon President Kennedy tosupport only federal aid to educationprogram which would provide assistan ce! to ch ildren in tprivate

schools.T h e organization advocatesawareness of the injustice towardsprivate schools and a consciouseffort to make others aware.

church and state unity was notinvolved but rather "whether or

no t we are to make availableadequate school facilities for theboys and girls of the country."His ammendmen t to the billunder consideration, which wouldhave provided $150 million on aloan basis toprivate schools forconstruction purposes, was de-feated.

Another congressman, SenatorLausche of Ohio, startled at th einequity of the bill, proposed thatchildren attending private schoolswho are not given federal assistance, should not be counted inthe census taken to determinetaxes. This proposal, too, was defeated.

The problem boils down thento aquestion of classes: for thoseparents who desire and maintaina parochial school education fortheir children are considered;;firstclass citizens when it comes topaying federal, state, and!countyschool taxes. But when fit istimeto derive the benefits from thesesame taxes, they suddenly be-come second I class citizens.

How ironical that private

schools, founded early inAmerican! history, thus giving? stimulusto education, should now be neglected because of "unconstitutionality." This s i tuat ion! should!not be allowed to continue. In alltruth and fairness, federal aid,contributed by taxes from all andgiven to all,would achieve 5 it sultimate end —national excellence in education.

Schools FaceNew Dilemma

By Helen Bundy

T he nation'sj requirements forworld leadership and the de-

mands of citizenship "requirethe maximum development of

every young American 's capacity,"s ta tes President' Kennedy. Whythen , the pointed exclusion of

private felementary and highschools in regard to Federal aid?How can the President state theneed for "maximum development"of all U. S. children and, at t h esame t ime, j deny help toprivategrade and high schools?

One out of seven children,totalling 6,000 ,000 throughout thenation, attends private schools.These schools save tax payers over1.3 billion dollars annually. Butthe parents pay doubly to educatetheir children inprivate schools.Why can ' t they continue to do

so some ask? First because educa-Ition should not be aluxury a t ta in

able only by the wealthy. Secondly,•because the majority of parents in•this situation have large families

and moderate incomes, and willbe unable topay such prices.

Without violating;[the const i tution, all schools are subsidized byboth the state and federal governmen ts by being exempted fromtaxation. Furthermore, the constitution does not explicitly forbidallocation of funds toany religious institution. It merely statesthat "Congress shall make no lawrespecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof." This bill just may"prohibit the free exercise" of

religion by forcing private schools,to close their doors and turn allstudents tothe public school forlack of funds. What kind of freedom Is th is?

Today, all | over I th e [nat ion ,Americans are heatedly discussingthe proposed federal aid toeducation. Newspapers and magazines, radio and TV present thegeneral aspects of the bill.On this page, however, we ofthe Merciad emphasize the im-

portance of the other side—thatof the private schools. Theseschools, and many among themare parochial, have played a

major role in American educationsince colonial days. They toostand in need of provision againstmodern high costs and possibilities of higher taxes in ' theirpursuit of intellectual excellence.

Surrender ofRights Vs.

Fa I uConstitutionality''|By Kay Heber t

President Kennedy's proposedaid to education bill prohibitsthe allocation of funds to church-related schools because Kennedy believes that such actionwould be contrary tothe constitution of the Uited Sta tes .

However, ofour basic constitutional principles affirms that a

government may not "conditionparticipation in its benefits on thesurrender of constitutional rights."

In clearer terms, the federalgovernment cannot demand that'

a citizen relinquish one of his

fundamental r ights inreturn for

government assistance, such asallotments. It is this principlethat Kennedy's bill violates.

The Constitution of the UnitedStates quarantees? every American freedom of religion. But

when the parent, guided I by his

conscience, senrJs hischild to

a church -affiliated school, he

must surrender his claim to

federal assistance uv this area,

and is forced to shoulder the

entire burden of its cost himself.Thus, he ispracticing freedom

of religion, his basic right, at

the price of giving up his claimto ^participation in the benefitsh is i taxes should procure. Thisviolates his constitutional rightsas an American citizen.

When the government realizesthat education is the responsibility of the family, and t h a tfederal aid is justly given not toa system or a school, but to an

individual; when it recognizesthat fact .that freedom of religionis not an empty term, but a real

right which people must be permitted to exercise, when it Iswilling to aid all citizens by allocating funds to the individualto use for the education of hi schoice, then, and, only then, willthe government meet its re sponsibility to give aid| wherenecessary, and yet will have noneed to fear that it is violatingthe Consitution.

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