the merciad, dec. 14, 1945

Upload: themerciad

Post on 08-Apr-2018

217 views

Category:

Documents


0 download

TRANSCRIPT

  • 8/6/2019 The Merciad, Dec. 14, 1945

    1/4

    CkeM **f ^ i n e XVI, N o . 3

    era

    T h e N a t i v i t y S c e n e f ro m the S o p h o m o r e s P l a y w h i c h w i l l b e p r e s e n t e d S u n d a y , D e c e m b e r16 . L. to K. a r e : L u c i l l e V i t e l l o , ana n g e l ; J o a n n e K n a p p , the B l e s s e d V i r g i n ; M a r y Jo S m i t h ,S t . J o s e p h ; and Ann Nic f c um , an a n g e l .

    Ye O/c/eTraditions

    One n ig ht , b a c k in the e a r l ye*Js of Mercyhurst, s t r a i n s of[. jrosic c am e f lo a t i n g t h r o u g h the" i W s , as the g i r l s in t h e i r b a d sW d r e a m i n g of the e x c i t i n gp M t h e y w e r e to h a v e on t h e i rChristmas v a c a t i o n w h i c h s t a r t -R t h e n e x t day. The m u s i c be-p n e m o r e p l a i n , and c o u l d beExtinguished as C h r i s t m a s car-K D o o rs f l e w o p e n , and h e a d sWPeared as the s i n g e r s ap-proached. Now t h e y w e r e c o m -J * down the h a l l . It wa s the| * n i o r s , b r i n g i n g w i t h t h e m aI " ' " custom toM e r c y h u r s t . E v e ri**, onthe day b e f o r e v a c a -

    K on the S e n i o r s h a v e c o m eP ^ n g h the d a r k h a l l s , c a r r y i n gf'Bhted c a n d l e s and s i n g i n g toP'ryone t h r o u g h o u t thebuild-[.*.*n the l a s t few y e a r s , thefwiors h a v e j o i n e d the S e n i o r sI P "ringing t h i s t r e a t to thelm 0l ' m a k i n S It an u p p e r c l a s s -I P 0 1 Project. The c a r o l i n g is but to * t h e m a n y b e a u t i f u l cus-P> which h a v e g r o w n up w i t hBE* cUege.L "'other w h i c h a p p e a l s m o r eA ^ m a t e r i a l n a t u r e isthe de-

    t""* C h r i s t m a s d i n n e r w h i c ht h e h o l i d a y f e s t i v i t i e s .F Tu j e a r ' t wil l be g i v e n onLl v y ' D e c e m b e r 18. F i r s tt j t , aout t w e l v e y e a r s ago,[our88 s i n c e c o m e to beone ofmos t c h e r i s h e d c u s t o m s .

    B . A.

    Pkis

    True ChristmasSpirit

    P e r h a p s y o u ' v e o f t e n w o n d e r e d w h a t c a u s e s t h a t w a r mg l o w of h a p p i n e s s d e e p in y o u rh e a r t at C h r i s t m a s t i m e . M a y b e y o u ' v e f o u n d the a n s w e rf o r it, and m a y b e you h a v e n ' t .A M e r c y h u r s t g i r l w o u l d t e l ly o u t h a t it c o m e s to her f r o mk n o w i n g she has h e l p e d tom a k e a n o t h e r ' s C h r i s t m a s ar e a l C h r i s t m a s , by g i v i n g in-s tead of r e c e i v i n g .

    T h i s f e e l i n g is t y p i c a l ofe v e r y M e r c y h u r s t s t u d e n t . Int h e e a r l y d a y s of the c o l l e g e ,t h e g i r l s f e l t t h e y w e r e n ' t doi n g t h e i r s h a r e at C h r i s t m a st i m e . T h e y f e l t t h a t s u c h al a r g e n u m b e r of g i r l s o u g h tt o bea b l e to dos o m e t h i n g fort h o s e l e s s f o r t u n a t e t h a n t h e m s e l v e s . And so, t h e y c o n c e i v e dt h e i d e a of e a c h c l a s s a d o p t i n g a p o o r f a m i l y w h o s e C h r i s t m a s t h e y w o u l d try to m a k e.jierrier.A l r e a d y , s t u d e n t s inthe v a r i o u s c l a s s e s h a v e v i s i t e d t h e i rf a m i l i e s . S o m e t i m e , w i t h i n then e x t fewd a y s , the gir ls wi l lo n c e a g a i n v i s i t t h e i r f a m i l ya n d b e s t o w u p o n t h e m t h e i rg i f t s of f o o d , c l o t h i n g and t o y s .T h u s , in the h e a r t s of allwil l be t h o s e w i s h e s for a m e r r i e r C h r i s t m a s and a b r i g h t e rN e w Y e a r . M . D.

    6 * Moments in the Life ofOur Ladywodalists of M e r c y h u r s the ;

    L * e Paid t r i b u t e toM a r y onin e a s t of her I m m a c u l a t e^Dcenti Iot 1 , o o n in their presentationill* A T M 0 M E N T S IN THE| E Op OUR L A D Y .

    f Th e r,pr g ram o p e n e d w i t h anaction byD o l o r e s D i V i n -i z of Prefect of the S o d a l i t y .

    w e r e g i v e n in the form of p o e t r yb y the M i s s e s M a r y J a n e Mas-t e r s o n , M a r y , M o h r , M a r y E.P u g h , M a r y Lou P a r r e l l , M a r yD o y l e , J e a n B r a u c h , J a n e Den-n e y , S a l l y B r i g h a m , and M a r i eD e l D u c a . As a f i t t i n g c l o s i n gt h e A s s e m b l y s a n g the M a g n i f i c a t ,

    dlarta InJxcefefe J m

    A n d it c a m e to p a s s t h a t int h o s e d a y s t h e r e w e n t out a dec r e e f r o m C a e s a r A u g u s t u s t h a tt h e w h o l e w o r l d s h o u l d be en-r o l l e d .

    T h i s e n r o l l i n g was f i r s t m a d eb y C y r i n u s , the g o v e r n o r of Syr i a .

    A n d allw e n t to be e n r o l l e d ,e v e r y one i n t o his own c i ty .

    A n d J o s e p h a l s o w e n t up f romG a l i l e e , ou t ofthe c i t y of N a z a r e t h , i n t o J u d e a , to the c i t y ofD a v i d , w h i c h is caMed B e t h l e h e m , b e c a u s e hewas of theh o u s e and f a m i l y of D a v i d ,T o be e n r o l l e d w i t h M a r y his

    e s p o u s e d w i f e , who was w i t hc hi ld .A n d it c a m e to p a s s t h a t w h e nt h e y w e r e t h e r e , her d a y s w e r ea c c o m p l i s h e d t h a t she should bed e l i v e r e d .A n d sheb r o u g h t f o r t h herf i r s t b o r n son and w r a p p e d himu p ins w a d d l i n g c l o t h e s and la idh im in a m a n g e r : b e c a u s e t h e r ew a s n o r o o m for t h e m in t h e i n n .A n d t h e r e w e r e in the s a m ec o u n t r y s h e p h e r d s w a t c h i n g andk e e p i n g then i g h t w a t c h o v e rthe i r f loc k.A n d b e h o l d an a n g e l of theLor d s tood by t h e m and theb r i g h t n e s s of God s h o n e r o u n da b o u t t h e m : and t h e y f e a r e dw i t h g r e a t f e a r .A n d the a n g e l s a i d to t h e m :F e a r not; for, behold , I b r i n gyou good t id ings of g r e a t joyt h a t shall be to all the p e o p l e .F o r , t h i s day is bor n to youa S a viour , who is C h r i s t theLor d, inthe c i ty ofDavid

    C H R I S T M A S ' F E S T I V I T I E SB E G I N T O N I G H TPlay Presented Frosh Bring

    By Sophomores Toyland to LireA s C h r i s t m a s d r a w s n e a r ,

    w e f i n d the S ophom or e c la sspreparing for t h e i r a n n u a l c o n t r i b u t i o n toour Y u l e t i d e e n t e r t a i n m e n t .

    U n d e r the dir ec t ion of M issM i l d r e d C u r t i n , the Class of'4 8 is p r e s e n t i n g " C h r i s t m a s int h e V i l l a g e S q u a r e , " a t r a n s l a t i o n of H e n r i B h e m . It is thes t o r y of t r a v e l i n g g y p s y p l a y e r s who e n a c t the C h r i s t m a ss t o r y .

    C a s t Is C hosenThe c a st inc ludes , Joa n

    K n a p p as M e r c e d e s ; C o n n i e

    T r a d i t i o n has f ounded thesplendid oc c a s ion of the C h r i s t m a s p a r t y as the f i r s t and m o s ti m p o r t a n t f e a t u r e of the F r e s h m a n C l a s s . E a g e r to add t h e i rc o n t r i b u t i o n , the F r e s h m e n e a c hy e a r p r o u d l y g r a s p the oppor t u n i t y of pla ying hostesses tothe ent i r e c ol lege at th is a f f a i r .N o w , at l a s t , the n i g h t of thel o n g a w a i t e d Y u l e t i d e p a r t y ish e r e ; ande v e r y o n e at M e r c y h u r s t has d o n n e d not only f est i v e a t t i r e but also a f r ivolouss p i r i t .

    I t is c u s t o m a r y for the f e s t i v -MW i t i e s of t h i s g a l a e v e n i n g to be-

    S c h n e i d e r , J o s e p h a t ; M a r y Jo g i n w i t h apr ogr a m given by theS m it h , M elc hior ; Na n c y S m ith , S enior s inthe F oyer . F ol lowingS a r a ; L u c i l l e V i t e l l o , B r u n o ;a n d o t h e r m e m b e r s of theS o p h o m o r e c l a s s .

    This pla y wi l l be p r e s e n t e dS u n d a y E v e n i n g , D e c e m b e r 16in the sc hool a udi tor ium . TheS ophom or e c la ss at t h i s t i m ee x t e n d s a c or dia l invi ta t ion tot h e g e n e r a l p u b l i c . B . N.

    Dec 15Orphan's P l a yD e c . 16Sophomore PlayD e c . 18Christmas D i n n e rD e c . 19Caroling by Seniorsa n d J u n i o r sD e c . 20Christmas V a c a t i o n b e

    g i n sD e c . 25ChristmasJ a n . 1Feast of the C ir c um

    cisionJ a n . 6Vacation e n d s

    t h i s , the S enior s esc or t theS i s t e r s ofM er c y and f a c u l t y tothe a udi tor ium wher e the e v e n ing ' s a c t iv i t i es c ont inue . Ther em a in ing c la sses f ol low incolorful procession.

    W ith th is yea r ' s newly wonpea c e , the red and white dec or a t i o n s of the candj^yie t h e m ea r e espec ia l ly a ppr opr ia te . Ourthoughts seem tor e f lec t a newjo y andha ppiness tha t ha s beena b s e n t for sever a l yea r s . Thea r r a y ofbr ight l ights a m id theever gr een t r ees a dd to the uniquedec or a t ions a r ound us . In them i d s t of th is g l i t te r ing ha l l sea ted at sm a ll ta bles , isthe e n t i r es tudent body incolorful gowns,the i r f a c es br ightened by theglowing c a ndles . It is a b e a u t i ful pic tur e of "Toyland" an d thelyr ic s of C hr is tm a s C a r ols go tom a k e upap l e a s a n t e v e n i n g t h a twi l l wr i te i t se l f in the c or ner ofa c her ished M er c yhur st m em or y.

    R. E. S.

    Student Council Sponsors Party

    And th is sha l l be a sign u n t ovo u You sha l l f ind the i n f a n twrapped in swa ddl ing c lothesa nd la id in a m a n g e r .A n d s u d d e n l y t h e r e was witht h e a n g e l a m u l t i t u d e of thehea venly a r m y, pr a is ing God anas a y i n g : .

    Glor y toGod inthe highest,an d on ea r th pea c e tomen of

    Tom or r ow a f te r noon the boysa nd gi r ls f r om St. J o s e p h ' s Orp h a n a g e w i l l be g u e s t s of M er c yhur st C ol lege s tudents . Theo r p h a n s ' p a r t y is an a n n u a levent sponsor ed by the S t u d e n tCouncil with the c ooper a t ion oft h e s t u d e n t b o d y .M iss Joa n Wadlinger is g e n er a l c ha i r m a n of th is event . Thef ol lowing are c ha ir m en of v a r ious committees:.Lillian W r i t e r ,e n t e r t a i n m e n t ; D o r o t h y B a r r y ,food; Dolor es DiVincenzo andGloria McQuillen, gif t; and V i r gin ia W a lsh , r ec ept ion .Arriving by special bus, thechildren will be decked in the i rbest hol ida y f iner y and a nxiousto d isc over wha t is ins tor e fort h e m ,S a nta wi l l a ppea r in the a udi

    m a s s e t t i n g w i t h his bag la denwith ' sur pr ises for all good boysa nd gi r ls . Af te r the gi f ts ha vebeen d is t r ibuted the c hi ldr en inreturn wil l pr esent a pr ogr a mof poem s, m onologues , andsongs. Then thehostesses willor ga niz e ga m es whic h , when f inished , usua l ly pr ove tha t thee n e r g y ofour t iny f r iends outw e i g h s t h a t of the i r hostesses .The gr a nd f ina le of the a f te r noon will be a lunch served inthe lounge , after whic h the boysa nd gi r ls wi l l inva de the r oom sof the c ol lege s tudents .

    W ith the approach of e v e n i n g ,o u r g u e s t s will d e p a r t for hom e.Onc e a ga in the s tudent body wi l lhave a ha ppier C hr is tm a s knowing they ha ve sha r ed the i r b lessings wi th those who a r e less f or tunate. ' 3 Q U & C ,

  • 8/6/2019 The Merciad, Dec. 14, 1945

    2/4

    Page 2 Che MerchdX J M . Jnerc'uw

    EditorJeanne RoenkeAssistant Editors

    Ruth E. SullivanLillian Writer

    Mary I, KtnnerneyBarbara Fleming

    Art Editor - Jean ErwlnBusiness Manager - - Virginia WaUhEditorial Staff: N. Ferraro, H. Martin, J. Vldetto, S. Brlgham,M. Cummiskey, M. Dongatc, J. Fournier, M. Mohr, M. Push,J. Wirges, B. Ahlgren, S. MoHaz, B. Norton. 0. Plato.A rt Staff: R. Hitchcock, R. Morey, G. Schneider.Business Staff: D. DonatelU, M. Doyle, H. Fabian, M. Ferry,M. Masterson.

    Of b>iar Sklnes"And behold the star which they had seen in the east,went before them, until it came and stood over where thechild was. And seeing that star they rejoiced with exceedinggreat joy."Matthew 11:9-10

    T h e s t a r ha s a p p e a r e d o n c e m o r e . As l o n g ago itp i e r c e d t h r o u g h the b l a c k n e s s of n i g h t w h e r e the s h e p h e r d s w a t c h e d t h e i r f l o c k s , so a g a i n the s t a r s h i n e st h i s C h r i s t m a s . As l o n g ago it led the W i s e M e n to a d a r ks t a b l e , so a g a i n t h a t s t a r l e a d s men to t he g e n t l e S a v i o u ra s He b e c k o n s f r o m His low ly c r ib . Into the c o n f u s i o n ofa w or ld not yet at p e a c e c o m e s t h i s l i g h t of B e t h l e h e mb r i n g i n g new h o p e to the h e a r t s of men. On t h i s , theh a p p i e s t festival of the y e a r , the l i g h t t h a t s h o n e in thedis tant pas t g low s c le ar . This is the l i g h t of l i f e Chr is t .u p o n e a r t h .

    E a c h y e a r we c e le br ate th i s joyous s e ason in the t r ad i t ional way as our f a t h e r s did. The c a r o l i n g , m i d n i g h tM a s s , and a Chr is tmas t r e e toppe d w i th an a n g e l arest i l l a par t of the Chr is tmas sp ir i t . It is a f e s t i v a l forc hi ldr e n , the r e for e a f e s t i v a l for e v e r y o n e . For is t h e r eon e who d o e s not b e c o m e a c hi ld onc e mor e as the f i r s ts i g n s of C h r i s t m a s b e g i n to fill the a i r ?

    As "children" we f o r g e t our quar r e l s I We f o r g e t thep a i n s and g r i e f s and e vi l . Ins te ad , we e age r ly s top tol i s t e n to the v o i c e s of the h e a v e n l y c h o i r of a n g e l s asthe y s ing "Glor ia in Excelsis Deo." We fol low the s tarof the e a s t as it g u i d e s the s h e p h e r d s and W i s e Men tot h a t m a n g e r w h e r e the smi l ing Chr is t -Chi ld lays as le e p .We look to M a r y as she kne e l s ador ingly be s ide herChild. We r e al iz e that it is she who g i v e s us our happi n e s s w i t h her humble w or ds , "Be hold the h a n d m a i d oft h e L o r d ; be it d o n e to me ac c or ding to thy w or d.""And the w or d was made f l e sh and dw e l t among us ." We

    i t u r n to Jose ph s tanding at Mar y's s ide , pr oudly yeth u m b l y g u a r d i n g o v e r the w o r l d ' s m o t h e r and thew or ld ' s D iv ine Baby Br othe r and He ave nly Saviour .We gathe r Je sus into our a r m s and pr e s s him c lose ash i s w a r m t h e n v e l o p e s our he ar t s . Gaz ing upon th i s HolyF a m i l y , we h e a r the c omfor t ing voic e of God p r o m i s i n gthe pe ac e , me r c y , love , de vot ion , and k i n d n e s s for w h i c hw e so hunge r . The n we s top to t h i n k how fu l l of g o o d ne s s l i f e reall is, how ful l of kindne ss the world canbe , and how ins igni f i c ant are our t r ia l s in the sur e ands t e a d y l i g h t of t h i s , our re-birth.

    This Chr is tmas br ings w i th it a new happine s s ofpe ac e suc h as has not been experienced in ye ar s . Int h a n k s g i v i n g for Him and the ble s se d joys of C h r i s t m a sw e w i l l pause to l i s t e n to the Chi ld Je sus ' p le a:

    "A manger make your hearts thin nightBeneath the Christmas star's clear light."

    % berp jfterrp Cfrrtetmaaanti ai>appp Jieto $ear to %\\

    L/V/NG WITH MUSKDecember

    Each epoch of the world'shistory bequeathes to its successors, besides Its materialistic, possessions, a souvenirof its very soul. Part of thissoul is found in the musto ofthat period. In music, morethan in the other fine arts,ar e to be found the temperament and the spirit of a peoples. As a eonaaquenoo, wehave been given mustoal compositions of innumerable kindsthat are very significant Inour lives..

    Through the centuries, musichas developed from the samplemelodies of the primitive manto the more complex compositions of our present day. Wohave the lntelleotual, olassictype in Bach, the more expressive pieces of Chopin. In con-

    trait to the romantic melodiesof Brahms, Raohmaninofi gaveus his brilliant conoortoi. Griegleft us his charming sonatasand Strauss his lilting waltsea.In is Interesting to notloe thewa y In which mutio of thistype can affeet a person'smood, it plays upon the hearer's emotions, making thorn,at times, perhaps strongerthan when first experienced,Havent we all been elevatedfrom a depressing mood to oneof merriment simply by hearin g the rhythmic strains of afamiliar melody? What a power the musioians who composedtrue olassloal music from thebeginning of time have overour civilisation!Fe w of us realise what apart music plays in our Uvoi.

    Few of u , , M m ,0 Jwhat It means tfl J rmovies, radios, OOI\MK1would be dull and IIMM,,Jout music. Music keens Jmorale, arouses hesntlniitlons In us, helps to ?vivid Imagination, m,i Jfour Ideals, Alfred N O M 9us beautifully what nintic 1for us In his poem, "Thtlrel-O rgan";"Yes, as the music chinj

    Like a prlsmitlo vlui |It takes the light nnd JThrough all the uinmlj |[passiDissects the common rim,Of passions anil rrgrtuAnd gives the world 1 i f lof allThe1 colors It forgot*," 1

    Pen , In kand BindingsAfter Bernadette, the Storyof Lourdes, by Don Sharkeris a story of modern LourdesSituated In the Pyrenees mmm.tains In the southwestern corne r of France Is this Mtrnch(Jlty. A million pilgrims gotnere every year to pay horn-ag e to the Blessed Virgin. Attnough it is about modsn,Lourdes, Bernadette must civtor the story for It would litincomplete without her.

    In his book Mr. Sharkey describes the town in whloh Bernadette lived, some of its pasthistory, and the characteristics of the people. He tolls ofwonderful cures which havetaken place, not only of thebody but also of die soul, lietells how the merciful intercession of Our Lady of Lourdesbrought a miraculous cure to anEnglishman with paralysedlegs and to another manparalyzed from the waist down.

    Those who are not cured donot despair for a trip toLourdes is never made in vain.Everyone goes away filled withhope and a new feeling ofstrength.

    Mr. Sharkey tells of the controversy aroused by the nilra-

    The Singing TroopIt mayhave been the wind I heard among the trees tonight,Blowing against the frozen boughs above a world of white.O r did 'thero pass upon the air an angel-multitude?And did I hear the whirring wings among the winter wood?

    G re ek C atholic ChristmasI am a Ukrainian Greek Catholic. Our Chrlstmaa COM

    January 7. For us the Christmas Season Is also a very hoy Jhappy time.Advent brings us a very strlot fast luting until i 'luinimin Ijwhen we have but one meal, the Holy Dinner, eaten HMidnight Mass. It in the Holy Night and O reek CatholloHsacredly gather around their candlelit tables, a tradition Imdby our fathers from their European homelands. Solemn nflare said. The father of the family takes a mall loaf of htmlbread, and as he gives the mother and eaoh ohlld hla ihinfJblesses him and asks God to guldo him. Ths bread 1 thnfland wine Is drunkthis symbolisms Communion with (Iml. lidGreek Catholic Churoh Communion Is reoelved under thvawspecies.Aeqordlng to tradition, the Holy Dinner consists of 13 dishes. Meat, butter, eggs and milk are not eaten, Hutwecn Icandles Is a huge glowing brown hr-ond, homemade, with 9iiml mi ivy wreath upottfcaIN citlli'i! the "paiss," I*'*food that symbolliei fa4but Jit ' ""' "t en tiiiiny M'Night Is solemn, Everyoniltaste each foodthe flihjPloy rolled In oabbsga TjinilitiMlii'"the rest of the 18 '"l"1''pared in Ukrainian iffMruin in n oarols ait 1""moinorlan, sod and * " } !recalled, Legends are i* 'nil loo soon It Is time'"' *The Churoh Is beu"""Its evergreens, oandlellgs*ymanger, Acoordlng to to' VCathollo I'lliO Man '"'"yabout two hours sad *The entire oongrogstloiian aoappolla oholft n"

    Mass and saored ""hymns, The perish I) ?Jtlvely small, so the I1'1'olnts eaoh parlshoner ""'J,Knimlly wlshos hi"1 fhappy Christmas,Joy reigns I OhrlitjjBells ohlmei fsi' "friends gather foil

    clt'ii and their Investigation byscientists and the ourlous, Hepresents stories of the curstiand the uncured from the ttmoof Bernadette to our own day,and miracles of both the physical and spiritual order.

    In the final chapter, "ThoLiterature of Lourdes," Is of-ferod the critical evaluation ofall preceding writings on Bernadette and the shrine, Mr.Sharkey points out the errorsof fact which, willingly or unwillingly, were oommltted byFranz Werfel In his version ofthe Bernadette story.

    This book may be said tobo a "glorified but very satisfying guide," as easy to rendas It is Informing. J . Luts

    Je l l

    ftwhish lasts until the J*'.on January 21, the V j Jcut, HI. Nick visits i *" ^Uld'iilii' II

    Chrlstmsi' ^

    Is Heaven emptied of its folk,And have tboy sought ourllu.li

    its gateway wide and still,star and shepherds on a hill?

    If things were not so loud on earth, oh, I might hear the lowSweet music of tho song they sang one midnight long ago IAnd I might see the glorious troop, white flames upon the wind,And follow them, and follow them, were I not Heaven-blind.Oh, would I had wings to fly across the world with them,And hear them singing near ths eave outside of Bethlehem IThen might my eyas behold the K ing within the starlit shed,And I might kneel and warm my heart before the manger-bed.

    William V. Doyle, 8. 3.

    This IsCatholicSymbol of Religion* '^mThis Is one of the *MIn the United Stflt6* IO h eome l e ' " ' \j.\

    http://llu.li/http://llu.li/
  • 8/6/2019 The Merciad, Dec. 14, 1945

    3/4

    December 14 , 1M5 O e JJercLaDAND WING S APPEARED Page 3T l, e wind blustered into the vestibule as little Joe, after con-j .jumble tugging, opened the massive, iron door of St. Paul'sI Roman Catholic Church . Althou gh he w as in a hurr y to reachI h0I)ie on this cold night, he w as stoppin g to make a visit a s heusually did. Tonight w as spe cial, any way, since it w as Christm asI Eve. Joe couldn't forget Him th is n igh t of all n ights .j0e knelt down at the crib of the Baby Jesus. Covering hisI face with his hands, he praye d, "Swe et Babe of B ethlehem, comed " Suddenly, he heard a noise. It sounded like a baby cry[ but that couldn't be. There was n't anyon e else in th e church.I "Sweet Babe of." There i t was again. Joe l is tened carefully .I He stood up and looked towards the altar. The sound was comingI from there. Clutching his cap closely to him , he hesi tantlyI walked towards the so und . It w as a bab y's cr y. He w as sure ofi that now. It w asn't loud, but i t sounded very sad. His fe et tookI him beside the al tar an d ther e,bind the tabernacle , Joe saw

    a little form. This was the baby who was crying.I No longer afraid, Joe walkedthe child and peered questioningly into i ts face .I "What's wrong with you?"\ The child wiped awa y its'voice, "I wa nt to see BabyJesus."I Joe couldn't unde rstand all"He's righ t ther e in the.aib . What are you back herefor anyway? W here is yourmother?"I "I haven't got a mother. I 'mID angel."i "Go on, you can 't be an an g-You haven' t got any win gs,", reasoned. Joe."I know," answe red the child.;. ,crib. My win gs hav en 't grow non yet, and I can 't f ly." The

    more."But how did you ge t h e re ?"'The other an gels left me[here, because I wa sn 't bigenough to kneel beside the cribrwith them."I Joe was amazed. "You me anthose are re al a ng els downthere in the s tr aw ?" he asked."Oh, yes, didn't you kn ow ?"i; Joe solemnly shook h is he ad,put all at once rem emb ered

    himself. "Gee, don't cry. I stilldon't think* you're an angel , butjBl carry you down there any-[TOy so that you can see Jesus."

    The child smiled and held outIts little hands. Carefully, Joepicked him up and carried himto the crib. Before he laid himdown, the child raised its f ingers and touched Joe's cheek.I t made Joe embarrased , andhe was kind of clumsy when heplaced him beside the crib.When he did, to his amazement , he saw l i t t le wings beginto sprout on the angel , and ,before he knew what had happened, the child flew to thefarther corner of the s table . Hefolded his hands and, after onethankful look at Joe , remainedmotionless , s tar ing at the infant Jesus in the cr ib .

    Joe d idn' t know what e lse todo. So he began to pray oncemore , "Sweet Babe of Bethlehem, come and take b ir th inmy heart ." Then, a sound l ikemillions of voices singing, burstin his ears. Suddenly, his headwas out of his hands and hewas looking into the cr ib . Why,he had fallen asleep. He hadn' tseen the l i t t le angel a t a l l . Andyet, as he laid a coin in theof fer ing box, he thought hesaw the infant smil ing up ath im. Maybe, he hadn' t helpedthe angel af ter a l l ; maybe noone would believe him if hetold , but Joe knew in h is heartthat th is was one Chris tmasEve he would never forget . Joeknew he had given the Chris tChild a Chris tmas present farbigger than the l i t t le coin hehad dropped in the box. B. F l e m i ng .

    Jpally JsrigktarnsPSYCHO-LAB

    is an Ugly word,it is ugly, we do notwe could possess it.of us believe we areof prejudice because weare educated. We assume thatand education areof correct th inking.f u ' even the most intelligentF the most learne d may be.Prejudiced, for prejudice is ajudgment or an opinionwithout adequate examination or reason or evi-*ice. Most prejudices are held(Without the subject 's knowl-that they are prejudices.Moreover, so blinding is pre ju-I** that we often cannot see/_ for what i t i s . e v t n w h e n i t s* nature is pointed out to

    Several factors help us to^ " p r e j u d i c e s . A t t h e b a s e o f"* irrational attitude wo find*P-seated emotional , habi t ,* environmental patter ns. Ajudice may be conditionedexistence by prevailingnhr *' a n d oc * , l p a t t e r n s ,Wiminal st imulations , s tereo-

    O N PREJUDICEof our prejudices through ourown direct personal experience.Prejudice involves a fee l ingof superiori ty . We tend to se toff our own group from another in order to fee l superior .In such a s i tuation, we f indsuspicion, avers ion, re t icence ,reserveall designed to insurethe proper social d is tance. Prejudice also involves a feeling ofinsecuri ty . Much of whatpasses for race or color prejudice arises basically out ofeconomic competi t ion and cultural notions about superiori tyand infer ior i ty .

    Prejudices , as has been said ,are bui l t on a misunderstanding and inadequate knowledgeof the true facts . They may bedeliberate ly fostered by thepropagandist in order to conceal the truth for h is own personal gain.To be objective, to be trulyna t i o na l i n o u r t h o u g h t , w eshould invest igate our a tt i tudesand opinions , and gathe r factual evidence for and againstthem. We should get r id of that

    Campus Cut-Ups1. She is a senior dark

    haired and dark-eyed. A business major, she divides hert ime between the typing laband the Blue Room with hertwo f r iends.

    2. She's a freshie sporting anew fur coatmouton lamb!We hear that she and Pat Van-derveldt had quite a time inPit tsburgh during Thanksgiving vacation.

    3. A sophomore who squeezesher Chris tmas shopping in onetiny half-hour every Mondayaf ternoon. She greets "Art"from the bus window on theway home.

    4. What junior has as hermotto: "Everything is basicallythe two-step"? Oh yes , shedoes a beautiful imitation ofher former employer.

    5. A senior with a flare forshort hair is an efficient business major. In her spare t ime,we find her selling yearbookpictures .6. A junior who celebratesher b ir thday in la te Novemberowns the most elaborate collection of silver bracelets at

    Mercyhurst.7. A very pretty dark-haired

    PEACE ON EARTH TOMEN OF G OOD WILLDuring the past four Christmases we had dispensed with much

    of the glitter and tinsel that marked other years. Regardless ofthis, the celebration always had a double aspect in our countryjoy over the birth of Christ, and holiday joy that had littlerelation to the Nativity. The joy of having God with us issomething deep down ins ide of man, and nothing on earth canreach it.

    Even for those who remember that Chris tmas means f i rs t andforemost the remembrance of God's becoming Man, there isbound to be a note of sadness. For Christmas is always a homefeasta day when the family, all the family, should be togetheragain, just as on the f i rs t Chris tmas Mary and Joseph and theInfant Jesus were together.

    Our American boys are still scattered all over the worldonstrange southern is les and onhot desert sands, amid drearynorthern snows and at desolate outposts where war raged,on endless monotonous watersall of them dreaming ofChris tmas and perhaps a whiteChris tmas, too. Back home,there s t i l l may be the l ightedtree , and candles in the window; but there are servicestars in windows, too andgreat lonel iness in many homes.Now that peace is a gloriousreal i ty we pray that the Prince

    ABOUT ECONOMICS . . .y&uute ScUft. . .In my last column, I referred to Eric Gill's view that man istoday an economic slave, who has gradually, but surely lost inour machine age not only his ingenuity but his ability. Hispersonality has become markedly warped as a result of the wayhe is compelled to work. Man is no longer himself 1 He has beencaptured by the claws of industrialism. And Gill advocates hisrelief.In the Preface of IT ALL GOES TOGETHER Mrs. Gill aptlysums up her husband's philosophy of the workman's freedom:"freedom to work responsibly, freedom to do that work for whicha man's nature best f its him." We must remember that this wasnot only his personal point of view; for Plato defined justice andfreedom as the liberty "to go about business that is properlyone 's own by nature ."Today, man, helplessly subject to industrialization, has becomedivorced from creative activity. As a civilized man he employsmechanical techniques; as an industrialized man he is no longera cultured mancultured in the sense that he has acquired ataste in the intellectual and aesthetic. He is civilized only in thesense that he has advanced materially in arts and sciences. Thecommon man is be ing prevente'd from being himself. "For inmechanized industry all the creative work is confined to the inventor of the machine; the operators become as automatic as themachines they tend." Instead of giving him more time tocultivate himself, this mechanized age simply enables man tobecome more and more mechanized and unlike his nature. Gillsays the labourer "has been reduced to being merely instrumental,a tooth on a wheel , a sent ient part of the machinery." The art is t"is reduced to being a mere designer." A century ago, for example, the artist designed thedress. But he also raised thecotton, wove it, cut and sewedit. Now, in our factories, dozens of persons do work on thesame dress. When it is f inishednot one of them can claim itas his own work of art. Unfortunately, it lacks individuality!It is unm istakably stamped withthe mark of industrialism."Why," asks Ananda K. Co-omaraswamy in the Introduction to Gill's book, "does thechain-belt operator, like achain-gang prisoner, countingdays until bis time expires,watch the clock impatiently?Because when he is at work heis doing what he likes least,and in this matter of wantingthe day to be over shows thathe is still human after all! Inhuman, because it is inhumanto have to work unintelligentlyand irresponsibly for one's living; human, because anyonewho has to support his familyby work he detests ought tobe discontented. I have seenworkmen carpenters andpainters , in a 'backward' so cietywho neither watched a

    clock nor 'punched' it; menwho were not paid extra forovertime, but who insisted onworking overtime . . . becausethey lived their work so muchthat they could not bear to laydown their tools . . . They werenot working for a master, butdirectly for a consumer; theywere the manu-facturer himself."In former days the proverb,laborare est orare, was true;and should be true today.Quantity, not quality; amount,not individuality; accuracy andprecision, not simplicity: theseare the aims of the capitalistand industrialist of today. Industry is not really concernedwith the personal and socialfulfillment of man; for the industr ia l is t man is but anothermachine in the production ofgoodsand no more. Man isno longer man the individual.The air of the modern age isfurther denounced by Cooma-raswamy. "Work; is prayer:yes, but only when our work isvoluntary, not when it is economically determined. There isno true prayer under compulsion! He prayeth best who lov-

    utappijDolores

    DiVincenzoJ e a n E r w i nJeanne RoepkeMary LouCostanzoMary Agnes

    CulhaneCatherine

    GustafsonHedy KlanLee PizzoDorothea SmithGerry Baker

    JjirtiweufRita BrockeRachel BrownGerry Farre llKathleen

    LeehanM a r g a r e t

    SommerhofColette

    CrawfordRosemarieRatejcjyk ,__Audrey Ring

    L Joan Thacker

    freshman. She was chosen Promqueen at Academy High School.8. This sophomore Chem m ajor is super on piano boogie-woogie. 0 . Pizzo

  • 8/6/2019 The Merciad, Dec. 14, 1945

    4/4

    'Deem. Santa:I h a v e so m u c h to ask of y o u ,t h a t I t h o u g h t i t w o u l d be w i s et o pu t my r e q u e s t in e a r l y . Ih o p e t h a t y o u w o n ' t be k e p t toob u s y a n d t h a t you w i l l f i n d t imeto f i l l my order.P l e a s e b r i n g a n o t h e r " T e d d y "f o r the M a r y L o u ' s (Blum'.e andC o s t a n z o ) . I t ' s a w f u l l y h a r d for

    t h e m to s h a r e one. L e n d P a u la s p e c i a l p l a n e w h i c h w i l l t a k eh i m d i r e c t l y to R i t a Gutman'sh o u s e for C h r i s t m a s . J o a n n ;Morrissey w o u l d l i k e th e b o o kt i t l e d " T h e V o i c e L e a r n s D a n c i n g . " J u s t s i m p l e r e q u e s t s ar eB a r b F l e m i n g ' s and D a n u s i a ' s .T h e y ( p u r e l y as truH m u s i c i a n s ,o f c o u r s e ) w o u l d l i k e a c o p y ox" I ' m J u s t W i l d A b o u t H a r r y . "G i v e Ann M o h r and Phyl Johela s e t of t o o l s a n d a b o t t l e of g l u e .L e a v e a m a g e f l u t e for ttoseM a r i e R o t h ; w i t h t h i s she canc h a r m th e m i c e i n t o s o m e onee l s e ' s r o o m .D o l o r e s J a c k s o n w o u l d l i k e

    s o m e t h i n g P r i v a t e n a m e d Joe.F o r Lib F i t z g e r a l d . s o m e t h i n gg a y ! How a b o u t a gob n a m e dR a y ? L o o k i n t o Tay S c h o t t ' se y e s and you can see t h a t al ls h e w a n t s for C h r i s t m a s is thep r e s e n c e of t h a t c e r t a i n fellow( T o n y ) . For M a r g W a c h l i , Luc i l l e V i t e l l o , G e r r y B a k e r , andC e d y B a u m b e c k the new b o o k" H o w Q u a l . C a n Be F u n " w o u l db e i d e a l . To J o a n L u t z l e a v e at i c k e t to all P i t t b a s k e t b a l lg a m e s (and t h a t ' s no M a l a r -k e y ! ) . A r r a n g e an a u d i t i o n att h e " M e t " for C a r o l R e y n o l d s

    The (jaskion Plate Confidentially

    Over a C o J c