8/6/2019 The Merciad, Oct. 24, 1945
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October 24 ikj v Ae Jntrcuw \
EditorJean RoepkeH Assistant EditorsRuth E. Sullivan M/wpp^ f
Mary LIKinnerney
iwiiiFlI>Li ll ian W ri t e r 1 ^ I n u ^ I Barbara
Fleming
Art Edi tor _ Jean ErwinBusiness Editor Virginia WalshEditor ial
Staff J. Videtto, N. Fer raro , M. E. Pugh, S.Brigham, J. Wirges,
S. Melisz, B. Ahlgren, B. Norton, M.Mohr, H. Mart in , f *A r t
Staff R. Hitchcock, R. Morey, C. Schneider.Business Staff H.
Fabian, P. Fer ry, M. J. Masterson,D. Donate lli, M. Doyle. J m
f
A D VA N C E W HM tl N f t t L I TN O C O f l C , M ,
undoubtedlythe peoplesin prayerful
QfitJi ovie onscious.When we heard it, we cou ldn't believe f i
t! I t didn'tseem credible that our own Mercyhurst gir ls had no
pref-erence as to what type of movie they liked to see. Theyput on
a best dress; they don a new hat; they spraythemselves with Chanel
No, 5; ^their fingernails are
painted, and their hair is curled. They do all this fussing and
primping, whichvis, of course, expected from anywell-dressed
college woman ;fyet,|they make these fancy | t h e w o r l d a p e
a c ^ , i f happierpreparat ions only|to ride downtown to stand in
front of p i a c e . w e must practice Christ-the theatre and say,
with unaffected surprise, "Oh, is i a n principles at all times,
withthat what is showing." They then walk up to the ticket fait^
an( j tolerance.
We CAMSucceedFor most people Tuesday August 14, 1945 wasthe
happiest day of their l ives. Around the worldof the 'victorious
Allied Nations cheered and wept |_thanksgiving. The war was over.
The day for which we hadworked, waited, and prayed had come at
last.That was two long months ago. Since then, enthusiasm has
died.We have tended to forget how exuberant, happy, and
thankful
we were on the V~J day. To think that the long, dark, hours
ofanxiety, loneliness, and waiting were at last over! To realize t
h a tnot only would our friends and relatives be returning to us,
buttha t humanity at large? was again com paratively at re st!
Ourfeelings have changed since then* Already we >have begun
towonder how long it will be before we can buy nylon hose or anew
car. We $ complain because the whole country seems to bestriking,
or because a boyfriend hasn' t been discharged yet.But now that we
have blessed peace in our hands, are we goingto give it up so
easily, treat i t so materially? We wanted peaceso badly. Under
pressure we worked so hard for it . We wustn'tlet i t slip away
from us now by sitt ing down on the job.fWe can keep the peace for
which we gave so much only bycontinuing to work and sacrifice for
it . We must pray to Godjust as hard in peace as we
Leisure TimeIt seems that while e d jdisagree on many thin*
nearly all agree on the Jthat among the major tives of education is
that k ?as "activitiesworthy use ofUpon first
did in jwar. We must thankHim for the many blessings Hegave us .
We must pray for thesuccess of the United NationsOrganization just
as we prayedfor its formation. We mustthank God for being able
toutilize atomic energy, to make
l^efrante c
window, hand the gir l s ixty cents, and walk nonchalantly into
the theatre without any forethought aboutwhat they are seeing.A
good peace is just as hardto keep as a bad war is hardto win. It
requires infinite pa-And th at is th e po int! Th is is wh ere we
deviate f rom ! tience, hard work, prayer, andth e course a
well-educated Merc yhu rst wom an should sacrifice, if we work hard
intake. We are women, not silly adolescents. As women, we peace as
in war, with as muchshould think, and think like wome n; then a ct
accordingly, feeling and hope for a betterHe re at schoo l we hav e
been train ed to t hi nk a nd ac t as world, we can
succeed.Christians. Christian books are available to us in the
^library; our conversation is Christian-like; our academicsubjects
are taught to us from a Christian! viewpoint.Yet, in the
entertainment we seek, especially motionpicture entertainment,
wefseem|to forget our Christiantraining.
Because her bucking cart-muleShowed 'scant respect for asaint,
|Ther e rose from a ditch -nearMediaDe l Campo this complaint:
"Why do you treat me thus,dear Lord?I'd willingly shed my
blood,But I balk at the prospect ofmartyrdomIn this Castilian
mud."Smiled Christ "Thus do Itreat My friends,So must I thus treat
you.""N o iwonder, 'Lord," sighedTeresa I"No wonder! You have
sofew!"Alfred Barett S. J.
M. E.J Pugh. Jur njng of the Tassel
As long as Humphrey Bogart or Van Johnson stars inthe^movie we
^anticipate seeing, it makes no differencewhether or not that
^movie is dedicated! to un-Christianprinciples or to lewd^scenes
not fit for any decent-mindedperson to witness. We rationalize our
lack of aversion tothi s by saying, "B ut I would never do 'those
thing s, so,^therefore, %t can't harm me just to look at them."
Andthen we follow with that well-worn,funintelligible phrase,i"W.e
must be broad-minded about such things, you^know." Now,?we ask,
what kind of thinking is that? I tj isn't so much a question of
walking directly from theitheatre to imitate the actions of our
favorite movie stars.But these lewd scenes and un-Christian-like
principleswill eventually alter our Christian viewpoint.
Thefpro-cess is slow but sure. We begin to tolerate such thingsin
the world, and theyfare no longer repugnant to us asthey should be.
|That is why the Catholic Church is putting up sucha fight with
Hollywood producers to induce them to improve their motion picture
standards. That as why intelligent, Christian women like ourselves
should help in2 t h a t fight. Not until the producers are shown by
smallerbox-office receipts that America does not want theirtype of
pagan entertainment will they make movies thateveryone will feel
free to attend. Only then will ourobjectionable-irt-part movtes be
a thing of the past. Wecan help by giving a little forethought
before going tothe motion pictures Saturday afternoon. We must
actlike Christian women, not pagan children. We must thinkbefore we
act!
Let Him W inWhile waiting for a bus theother morn, I was
curiouslyeyeing the passing public whenmy eyes were drawn to a
ladwho sat alone, nervously crossing and uncrossing his
scrawnylegs. He was unconsciously staring off into space, and
occasionally would wipe cold perspiration from his brown brow,and!
would then bite into hisfingers as if to deaden somephenomenal
\pain. He was a lad
about 22; a ladlwho wore thegallant eagle ononis lapel. Hewas
another faithful son whohad done his duty."He had suffered, He had
wonA solemn peace forever more."Yes, he has suffered, buthas he, in
truth, won his peace?No, the horrors of war havemuddled
his-immature mind; hecan not see truth, which is thelight of the
world.How can he be helped? Bythe candles of Christianity,ou r
war-time .neurotics and un- jfortunates can be made to see.By love
and devotion to ourGod Almighty, they can gainnew hope, new
strength, andeverlasting happiness.God has appointed us, Christian
college women, to helpthose we love 4to carry Hislight to the blind
and to openunto them eternal peace.What can. we do? V isit
theBlessed Sacrament every evening. Since this is the monthox th e
Holy Rosary, we canbe in chapel * for the recitationof the Rosary
with our classmates. Remember, Our Ladywill intercede to her Son
foryou and for our returning he -roe's. ' fS . Melisz.
The academic cap is one ofthe most cherished symbols ofcollege
life. It designates itswearer as a student just asthe nurse's
uniform marks herprofession. By the turning ofthe tassel, the cap
traces thedevelopment of a college career.At Mercyhurst when a
Freshman dons the symbolic cap, shereceives, in return for a
pledgeof loyalty and love, all thatthe college has to offer.
Shebecomes a part 1of the school,sharing in its development
andsuccess. This is th e firs t of jfour steps towa rd th e final
|goal; it marks the beginningof real womanhood.The Sophomore,
advancingwith great dignity, has finishedhalf of her college
course. Shehas many memories to lookback on, but there is muchmore
ahead of her.When the tassel is turned tosignify the Junior year,
manynew responsibilities are added.To the Junior falls the pleasure
of being a "big sister,"affording her the opportunityof guiding and
helping somegirl who is Just beginning. Asan upperclassworn an, th
e Junio rassumes an even more activepart in the functions 5 of
the
school in preparation for herfinal year.
leisure tjJthought, 1^time in our present busy Ja-day world may
seem Jmuch out of place andserving of recognition, Jbusiest life
does and mus flsome leisure in i t The fastep, then, is to find it
1What to do with it becjthe second problem. Thislbe another way of
asking 2question, "Do you have a 1b y ? "
What do you do on a Jafternoon?' That will give]a clue. What do
you do 1waiting for the bus? Honyou occupy your time beMt ra ins
when making a jourajYou have, no doubt, heardthe young lady whose
tnjstopped for thirty mnues 1Albuquerque. She stepped fiher
Pullman, looked abou isvacant manner, and started.board the train
again. The pte r said, "Have you 1en ou gh of Albuquerque"Yes," she
said, "Towns are 1alike." That young woman fijed to see the classic
archture of the New Mexico staThe colorful baskets, moccablankets,
and potteries hedthe Indians for inspection wastedSupon her
unseeing JSince ^worthy use oitime is classed among the
jor objectives of educatio|is obvious tha t it is W*to con tribu
te Ho the indW"1improvement. It is not a Jnym for "killing tfoe*is
sinful. Sr. Mary &>
l e i s
SympathyThe faculty an d students,Me rc yh ur st College wish
Mtend their deepest syml*Dorothy Chimenti on the*"of h e r fa ther
and to ft*jGus taf son whose motlerecently.
The Seniors have resellgoal ; th i s ,s t ep is the c" 1tion of
th ei r college
lJview of their position. t1
10 rs have earned thew h f c Mother|pecial privilegesthem o u t
from thedents . F o r them the "* iwomen open doors 8 Uthem
precedence in al ^Such small attentionsedge n o t
superiority*deavor.But, a s always, irt*wished for i s attain*
bu i
t**1 ,r
sire reaches o u t fo*else. A s h e r collegeSO^Jw i n f lto a
close, she i s K^*ward to turning her Jher experience to c0
AChristian living i t t L /With reluctant jpy \* I
doffs her academic ^better to the tsoitor
Dear Editor, f V | A | 'I w a s just thinking of that excellent
courtesy P1 enJuniors put on last spring. I certainly wish th e F*
* s #have seen i t. They |would have learned that t|o re
n(Jclassmen's rights such a s passing out of Chapel ffr^ {ll,th
rough t h e cafeteria l ine firs t . There is enough fon e. 1 . {Of
course, I unders tand that t h e Freshmen are new. . mt ime t o
become adjusted, so I thought they'd cc e $tfIf t hey' re. in doubt
as t o wh a t t o do they should aSSisters ." Let 's respect t h e
rights of all upperclassme 1
8/6/2019 The Merciad, Oct. 24, 1945
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P age 4 ZheJiiercia9 O cto ber 24%$* tupark of'cHu,kt Clothes
Conscious
I t was a dark night , a mysterious night . Fog had set t
ledheavily and mixed with the dampmist from the river. The nightwas
gloomy, depress ing andfrightening. Al l was s i lent except for
the occasional?moaningof a foghorn from a far offlonesome boat .
Waves h i t thedock! with asound. | _ ^ ^
A tiny light seemed to approach the end of the dock. I twas a
dancing light and a mysterious fone. Who would he outon a night
like this? This wasa sui table a tmosphere for al most1- any
horrible crime, andwith th is thought J im put outhis cigarette and
continued toapproach cautiously. The manwas nervous; one could tell
thateven in the dark. He kept glancing around hurriedly as if
suspecting that someone was watching him. Jim clutched a seemingly
heavy bag , from whichcame pathetic cries like those ofa baby. He
reached the edge ofthe dock, l ifted the bag and wasjust about to
throwgit into thewater. No one could ever guesswhat he was about to
do , he reflected. But, no! He couldn' t dol i t . I t wouldkbe jus
t p la in murder. He couldn' t do it .
He turned and walked awayfrom the dock with his bag inhis hands
and as smile ong hi sface. "Let them call me a coward," he said to
the watchingnight , "Fll cal l the SJP. C. A.They'll know what to
do withthe kittens." M. Mohr
Now that our t runks are a l l unpacked and the wrinkles
havefallen out of the clothespin our vast Wardrobe, what have we
towear? In what is the up-and-coming college girl going to be
seenwhen she i s a t tending!class , ou t for a brisk walk, or
taking inthe town?
If you peek in or decide to |attend a class sometime, you
willfind girls bending low?over books. They will be clad in
jumpers
"Th e Reed of G od" tak es us " to the knees of our Mothwrites
Rev. Benedict Ehmann in The Catholic Cou H
queer, sappin g and blouses, skir ts and swe aters . The
{blouses look bright and K e y h o l e K m tt C T
These ThoughtsIn Mind f|For nine months of each i ofour college
years w e | are in aclassroom.'?We learn the difference between
constructive anddestructive criticism, the history of the decline
and fall of theRoman Empire, how to balanceth e equations? in Math,
theproofs for the existence of God,and the essentials of
homemak-ing. But our education is notcomplete. What do we do
theremaining three months?Those summer months are important factors
in the completion of our education, the formation of our character,
andI th e development1 of our personality.Many of us worked this
pastsummer in industry. By association with all types and classes
ofpeople we heard the variousview-points of others ; we exchanged
sideas ; we saw ourfaults and virtues, minimized orfc. magnetized
respectfully, in oth-| ers . In s hort, w e learned)' a litt le
about human nature .We realize better, now - t h a twhen we
graduate we are going to run into many an un
foreseen difficulty. We willgraduate as refined,
graceful,courteous, and well-educatedyoung Christian women. Wewill
step into a world of greed,nnthoughtfulness, haste, andadult
delinquency. Will we beready to face this world?With these thoughts
in mind,it is urged that we learn toknow people. Worjc witUphemon,
our vacations ao that whenwe step into their world we williibe able
to fstand bravely andfirmly for aliithe ideals whichwe hold dear. m
. iRoepke
cheery: they have .the drop shoulder line and deep arm holes.
Howdo you like those kimono sleeves,girls?? Jump ers run pre t ty
muchthe same, while skirts are de-cidedly?more tailored.Poor
"Sloppy-Jo" has left usagain; the rush on size 40sweaters is over
for a time.Note: do not push the sleevesup as if you were about to
startthe family washing. That i s definitely out. iOn walks about
the cam pus,the lit t le Eton caps act as acovering for the head.
Coats andjacke ts are along the military J-line, including, of
course, thewell-known P. coat. Shiny brightrain coats with matching
hatswere brought out for thei r in i t ia t ion during the past
fewweeks. I wonder why!
Make a visit down to the bus stop on a Saturday afternoon ifyou
want to see Mercyhurst at i ts best. There you will view thelatest
in smart suits and becoming dresses. As for the hats, theyare
truthfully hard to describe; their size depends upon the hairdo'*
chosen. The latte r might be anything from long, s t ra ight hai
rand bangs to hair t ied in a bun in the back. The gloves and
pursesare of matching or contrasting colors and add the finishing
touchto each ensemble. r-"The college clothes problem is no longer
a hit-and-m iss affair.The modern collegian chooses her clothes,
not with quantity inmind so much as quality. She wants colors that
flatter her andstyles that definitely "do" something for her
figure. She dresses
neatly and with care. Simplicity is her code word, for as we
saidbefore, the "Sloppy-Jo" days are gone forever. We hope! |f ' H
. Mart in
Cert-rt-TKtoutteThe station master heard a crash on the
platform. He ran outof his office. The express train was
disappearing rapidly, andamong milk cans and luggage sprawled a
young man. "Was hetrying to catch a train?" asked the station
master of a small boywho was standing near by, gaping
in)wonderment.*"He drd catch it ," said the boy, "but it got away
again."
Influence is a thing you think you have until you try to use it
.
Disgusted girl-friend: "T roub le| with you is th at you
haven'tany culture. Why, I ' l l bet you can' t even tell me what
Juliet saidwhen^she met Romeo in the balcony."Bright boy-friend:
"That 's easy. She walked up to him and said,'Honey, couldn' t you
have gotten seats infthe orchest ra ? ' "Mother returned from her
bridge party to be greeted gaily byyoung hopeful. "Mother, we've
hadjthe grandest time!\We playedpostman and gave abetter to every
lady on the street.""But where did you get the letters, darling?"
|"Oh, we found{'em in your trunk in the attic, tied up with
pinkribbon!" % | \ 1 \
* * *
Wife: "Do you believe in clubs for women?"Husband: "Yes, if
kindness fails/ 'Two hillbillies were driving along a co untry roa
d."We're coming to a large city," said one."How do you know ?"
asked the other."We're hitting more people," explained the
first.Head-On Collision:It's not difficult to meet expenses these
days; one meets|themeverywhere. %
and "Our
by Caryll Houselander is a beautifully simple convers 7tween the
author and the reader. In the introduction thsays, "A very great
many people stil l think of our Lady * ^one who would never do
anything that we do," The b v ^the humani ty of Mary{by
illustrating that just as she aP 7God," was filled with the
humanity of Christ, so the ^in us, "reeds of Qod^Jjsu pp lied with
the humaniuChrist in the Host.
This book is divided*four parts. Each of theseis divided into
several seckbe ar in g suc h simple titles"Empti ness," "The Lost
CMLady's SeeJFour beautiful poems are Jincluded in the book. They
J"Pastoral," "Wooden Bambi*"The Last Confession," and1940."
Th e sim plic ity of her stjjenables Ithe author to makereader
understand that "throSMaryJ of Na za re th Christborn again and
again in the idividual heart." The importof Chr is t in our
heartsbro ug ht to the reader in'statementas Christ was .pendent on
Mary during Advso to da y Ch ris t is dependson men. The author
says, 1modern world's feverish strutsgle fo r unb ridle d,
oftenlicensed, freedom is answenby the bond, enclosed helpljness,
and dependence of (TChrist in the womb, Christ!the Host, Christ in
the Tont]Thi s heart-to-he art chattwe en au th or and readercomes
even more intimatethe introduction of daily oce
e n c e s a m o n g roomntffriends, and families. Eachevery
dayjfrom the sign ofto the
'Tain't nice to "eavesdrop," Iknow, but you can' t blame agal
for t ry ing to get the low-down on the latest news-. Forinstance,
peeking through thekey-hole, I found out that Sandy Bersani pounded
a mean pi-ano at the Gannon dance. Andspeaking about that dance,
aswho isn ' t , we hear that CorrineBraun was sick in bed for
twodays afterwards. Those fellowscertainly must have knockedher for
a loop.We have a few new arrivalsth is year besides our
Freshmen:Elinor Keeler, Deneen Troglione,and Joanne Morrissey. They
tellme the la t ter was in i t ia ted wi tha bottle-capped bed one
night.How about i t , Joanne? And? wewant to welcome Dorothy
Greenwood backjon campus after herabsence. Which reminds me!
Da-jgnusia Telers ki {created quite asensation last week at her
musiclesson. I wonder how MotherMa ureen! enjoyed Danny's "clas-of
"Bell Bottom
y
Neglected child I to busy parents:f"Say, are you two giving any
thought to my character developm en t ?" n\ $ VjSaid the wife to
her husband as he sneaked in at three in themorning:^ v -"How did
the poker game turn out, dear ? sDid we win or did youlose?" W
sic vversiOMT r o u s e r s ? " JThere's news spreadin' that'
Jake" Jacobus i s handing) ou taddresses to her friends. She'sdoing
her best to make Mercy-jhurst well-known at Notre4 Dame. M. J.'s
doing all right,too, with the man she met atN . D. Is "Red" the
name ? Connie Schneider's mail box hasbeen getting a good dusting
recently what with those lettersfrom the Coast Guard. And Connie's
freshman namesake, Nancy , ^received a dozen yellowroses from a
"special" friendon her birthday. Must be thename! And speaking
aboutFreshman bi rthdays, there'vebeen five parties on first
floorso far. Those Freshies are grow-in' old fast, no? Peg
Dengate'sof age, too, now that she hasher driver's license all
legal 'neverything. What 's this we hearthat the long-awaited piece
ofpaper arrived only for Peg tofind out that the time limitwas up
and it had to be renew-.e d ? | But that 's not the onlytough going
around herelLet's welcomed back thosehard-working practice
teachers.D r. Relihan tells us that they'vedone a fine jobbut,
then, whatelse would we expect from ourhigh 'n mighty Seniors?
Now,let 's get back to those Freshies."Mike" Kurtz had the whole
biology class droolingand no tover micro-organismswhensh ewalked
down the drive with her 'Nav y| Lieutenant, but the Navyisn't the
only branch of servicethat rates at Mercyhurst. TheMarines are in
there pitching,too, in the form of Mickey Del-duca's handsome
brother. Mar*jorie Peck complains she can'tget her homework done
with Edaround. Sounds bad! We're wondering ! how Dotty Barry
andAnne Devine can concentrate ontheir work; they each have aring,
you know, sparkling fromthe third finger left hand.Which reminds
me! The keyhole is gettin' rusty so I'd better polish it off until
next; time.Pleasant listening I m :B . Fleming
I
o ffcro ss! upon risingthought before droppingsleep we are asked
to be one with Christ, "to allowto abide in us , to make]home -in
us, and graduaWbecome Christ's, to live in *as Our Lady did." ?
jThis book is truly in"00,a mong spiritual lwritingbreath-taking
jbeauty word is like a precious d*whose intricate cuttingto make it
more p e * *h
of members on theincreased. Your ^ \ /your poem, or y u r ^
Awill help in decidW V
1
i
As time goesA
n a m e b e l o n g s i n th e F\There's the ****'*out with that
orifl^
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