Page 26 - TheGoldBug1967-68

PAGE" ntE GOLD BPG NOVEMBER 17, 1967 _ . Because None of Us Know .•, Whether or Not.•. Somebody Up There? It Will Be Our Lost During the next year and a ~1l!, the GOLD BUG will run articles written by an Army draftee. He is slated for Viet Nam ROTC AND WMC in the spring. It is hoped that this column will give an accurate picture of what a man goes throngh in service to his country. ED. One need not be a pactnst nor Kids at college have no way of to bes ln somewevs I'm lucky, There antt-army, and much less need one knowing about this kind of ure, It's are married men here, guys with east aspersions ontheproudtradl- entirely different. There'S a lone- wives and !dds. They're the ones tfon of the ROTC program at Wes- liness about being awaytrom home that are really hurting., They've got tern Maryland to have serious rnts- that -1 don't think ean be compared to leave them behind. It's aterrible glvings about the required nature to being away at college. Espeeially responsibility. of the eadet corps on our campus, here waiting to go to Vietnam. And This place is dIsmal. They've Of tate, the eompulsory charaeter espae1ally as Christmas ap- asked us all to make out wUls,and of chapel,assemblles.andeoncerts ~ proacbea, We all sit here, and there are dozens of Insurance men was again rather rsditally ques- slowly the Christmas spirit begins eombing the battallonforbusiness, tioned. to appear. Snatehes of Christmas At times we all feel like we've been Whatever else you may conclude, music, gift ads, little bits of de- written off. Youjust don't know how you have to admit thai the sehool corations in some stores. And here lonely it can get, far away, faeing is moving In the direetion of ue- we are .. All of uswiththesame,in- danger, and feeling nobody really er-altzatton in this area. Andwhat- cessant thought. "What about next knows or cares about any of it. ever else one eould say about these cnrtstmasv' We all know, sure as There's just nothinggoodtodo. events, one would have to say that hell~ that not all of us are going tc Any good thing just reminds me of they are of more educational and be here when the Christmas season .home and makes me feel worse.U's eultural value and more approprt- comes again. And the onesthatare all a monstrous drag. But I guess ate to the liberal arts than ROTC, left are going to be 10,000 miles there's no way to really convey it 1 assume that it Is legitimate as away from loved ones and home. well as oners dutyto questton sacr-. There's an urgeney about gettlng through words. You've gct to Itve it, ed cows-strom- chapel to ROTC. And I'm sure some of your readers home, not just beeause1t'sChrist- will. Then they'll know. When I get Is not this ROTC requirement mas, but because none of us knows to Nam, I'm going towrite sort of a a skewing of our values as a liberal whether or not it's going to be his arts institution and a violation of It Is true, given the idnd of draft ment aecording to the Christian last. The unit that oeeupied uus diary for you. This letter really our consctence es a cnurcb-retated system In vogue since 1945 and the eonsctence ••• rnanormese sttua- very barracks is now In VIetnam, isn't anything, but maybe it wIll eollege? Is this one of the "moral present national emergency, that Uons members of the Methodist and last week had 11 killed. No one give you some teeas.r'veuever feU and spiritual values" we want our most young men.fcr per sonallv ad- cnurcn have the authority and that I had anything I wanted people torgets that for long. 1 am like about, but uus Army can students to internalize? Do you not ventageous and understandable rea- support of their church," (D1s~ everyone else. I'm seared. Ina sit- to know from find it anomalous that each of the sons, would choose to take ROTC cipllne of the Methodist Church make you feel so alienated uation Uke this you nave racts to normal soeiety that I kind of feel mttttary aeademies requires in college and for institutionally 1964) face. and 1 guess It's part of being to expound on my ideas. chapel and some church-related expedient reasons tt may be wise, The College has been very oo- a man that you reaUze how it's going the need colleges require ROTC? Could this for us to provide the oPrl&1iunity. operative with ev.ny case known be an uneasy allianee between God But would we not also be true to to thlswriterinwhiehastudentpet- and Thor? our heritage if we to provide eaeh itioned after arrival here to be re- The extent to which we have un- ineoming male student with infor- Ueved of the requirement on the eonseiouslyeapitulatedtosucham- mation about conscientious objec- basis of conseience. But could the btguitywasthepreseneeofthemU- tion to war since thls is also a options be elearly presented to itary eseort in our academic ChrIstian posltion and since the freshmen men before they arrive? procession at the CentennIal Con~ Methodist Chureh officially states Do theyknowtheaUernaUvestowar vocation. To a sensitive observer, in itsDlselpllne, "We ask and elaim and military service whleh are nothing eould have been more in~ exemption by legal processes from bona !ide and aceeptable toehurch congrous than the singlng of "A all forms of mIlitary preparation and"'government? Mighty FortressisOurGod"C"Dld or service for all reUgious con- IT ROTC is to be a reality here, Ulysses we inourownstrengthconflde ••• ,It sclentlous objectors •• ,We re- could we phase into a voluntaryun1t ete.) to the tuneo! M~l rlfleshead. cognize the right of the Individual Ing the procession. to answer the eall of his govern- as. we begin our seeond eentury? How are we to understand these --;-------:,---:--.------::_--:---___:_--:-: by Suzanne Pratt two mutually contradictory sym~ turn on, tune in, etc.: boIs? I am sure this was an over- Every so often, there Is a film phasis and theme just as the author "=lttlng ,,",,"'00 An Open l'\To':~e0'1 Resl'gna':~n In whICh sex Is used as a means intended it. Whether by useofpic~ "gh' and '" 1,-1 f,(,t... (,l,(I to some kind of protocal, but it is and not an end; in which talent torlal humor or visual analogies an example of how fuzzy things have takes precedence over prettiness; and abstraet illustrations, the im- become. by Ellen Von Dehsen 10 which elarity is preferred over ages chosen are always imagina- Another expression ofthesubUe Dear Mom and Dad I guess you wonder why I haven't writt~n well you modish obscurity. Ulysses is such tive and in harmony ,#ith the gen- dominance of the miUtary here is see I've decided towlthdraw you know drop~outof everything and take my a film. Even though taste and vir- eraltheme. found in Commencement. Since the own direction beeause it was all so put-on. tuoslty are extremely importantin Despite the sensational promo~ men are eommissioned at a public Maybe everyday you compose a letter like this in your mind but you thIs film, the reputation which lion whieh was boundtoaecompany m1lltary ceremony prior to eom ~ never get to sign it beeause you have to go to elass. You sit around and Joyee has receIved for his convo- this film, the fuaUonwith sex and think about it thoughandlatelyyou'vebeentagging "whys" on everything mencement, is this aeademicfunc- luted obscurity mlj.kes the elarity nudity of which both Joyce and the tion the appropriate plaee for re- you do. You think baek to your high sehool guidanee counselor who padded its most strildng asset. fUm-makers have beenaecused,is pUition of this act? you with eollegel eatalogues andfedyouaeh1evement tests and college In following the actions of Leo~ in fact similar to that of a Greek (And, pray tell, why do our beauty boards for four years. Words like "active" and "honorary" stiek in your pold Bloom for a single day, the seulptor. Happily, the eUectisof- queens at Homeeomlng have to be mind a lot. sensUiv1ty of his humdrum, the ten simllar. The treatment of sex eseorted by men in military uni~ And you remember when you wanted to quit Girl Scouts in the sIxth melancholy of his memories, th{ may be humorous or elegiac, but form? Would not a,pla1nordinary grade and your father wouldn't let you because he said it wasn't right individuality of his fantasies, tht it is always relevant and meanIng~ business suit serve as well?) to quit what you've II1ready started. Youthink about him looking over your fUm succeeds ,in capturing the pa- ful. grades and asking why the "C" and itwas never a good enough reason to thos of his private Ufe in his own By the use ofadisereetprologue Dublin, as well as the unmistak- introducing the film, we are warned The Man Was There ~~!;.you didn't like the eourse or that "C" is a good hell1thy average able universality of his pleasure that no boundary distinctions be- by Ellen Von Dehsen Your thoughts go baek to a friend eillingyou up and asking if you got and pain. tween the worlds of reality, fantasy A spectator stood at the Side- accepted yet. She was all excited about the colleges she'd seen and spent In transferring any work from and memory have been established lInes and watehed the Terrors a lotoftimetalkingaboutthe eampusand the dorm and the girl she knows one medium to another, the work and memory have been established. stomp over Drexel. Heleanedfor~ who goes there. ttseU almost invariably sUffers. ThIs is not true. Thankstoseveral ward expectantly when they lined And you realize how comfortable things are for you here and of all the Perhaps even here, Joyce or his avant-garde fUm makers e.er- up for the play and never lost money and time being spent. Your're at least half the time happy with disciples might elaim that Uber- tain conventions have been ea1:ab~ sight of the ball until it Wll.S smo- what your're doing but you ean't help wondering about complacency and ties had been taken. But the theme I1shed so that amUdly sophisticat~ thered by struggUng bodies five the matter of course. You want to stop sipping down cireumstances and of the novel was enhaneed by the ed audience can translate these id- yards later. When the touchdown start chugging life. To reaeh out and suffer another's suffering, bear new medium. Because of Joyce's ioms into meaningful dimensions was scored his pride soared with another's wrath, wrestle another's struggle. But yourememberthe maze constant emphasiS on the eltact ofUme and reaUty_ the kiek, his hands withdrew from you eamethrough and the walls of support and you know you c&!l't just run environment surrounding his cha- The tone of Ulysses is such that pockets to tell them ''Wellkeit,we out without breaking them down. And you don't want to see them crumble. racters, the novel lends itself to it neither jamsitssymboUsmdown like it!!", his eyes glanced up ad- You don't wanttolorsakewhathasbeengiven, you don't want to burt what exact pictorial representation. In our throats, nor Is it held in the miringly at the erowd singing "Win is lOVed. dealing with the all~important tight fist of obscurity untlI we, Western Maryland." A few stu- So maybe you start Climbing over them instead. Maybe you start from soliloquies of Stephen and Molly as half-starved with frustration, are dents noticed him standing down where you are and build up and out and under with the bricks and blocks well as Bloom, the camera has ut- ready to nip Us fingers for a bite there and were struck for a mo- and dirt around that you are lucky to have. Maybe you need then to get Iltzed flash-backs and vastland~ of clarity. Instead, perspective ment by President Ensor's enthu- to other places where there aren't any or where the walls are too thick. scapes to enhance and wustrate and meaning are held openly, but you wonder why 1 haven't written well you ~1 the poetry of Joyce's p~s, In passively In the hand, easily a.c~ ~~:mhi~~ ~:~e~= ~~a:;e~: Ma~~ y:~~~:: It~~~s all cases, there seems to be a pa- cesslble to anyone with a tam for ,all,r;.¥ '~~~" ramount ef1'ort to ma1zda1n~e em:- .it. game, , \ see I'Ve,been\~~i~