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THE VOICE OPMERCYHURST

jL&ufXtTiiSCHOOL SPIRITIN ACTION

Pub lished at M ercy hurs t College,) Erie, PennsylvaniaVOLUME VI DEC EMBER 1934 NUMBER 13

( Bishop^ ^

^The CelebrationO f Christmas

I We have come a long way sincethe first celeb ration of His glo rious birthday. I say "glorious" because, no ma tter how beautifulother celebrations may be,I theynever seem to compa re with theone we are herald ing for anoth ertime. | The bir thday of Jesusbrought joy, wonder, and awe tothose who journeyed from afar tosee the Child who was later t o effect the redemption of mankind.After that f irst bir thday, therewas no great celebration for manyyears. How, then, did the joyousChristmas-tide come to play suchan important part in each year ofour Christian lives?Christmas is of Catholic origin.It received its . name from Christ-mass, I the mass celebrated in honor of the Nativity. Its adoption asa festival of Christianity is a ttr ibuted to Pope Telesphorous in thesecond century. For many years,it was a movable feas t and wascelebrated variously in Apri l, inMay, in December, and in Jan uar y.In the fourth century, St. Cyril ofJerusalem was bordered by PopeJulius I to investigate and learnthe true^birthday of Jesus Christ.The result of Cyril's exhaustive researches was the fixing of the dateas December twenty-fifth . Theprincipal auth ority for this wasthe "census documents jfbroughtfrom Titus to Rome" and placedin the Roman archives . By thePope's decree, this date was established in the Roman Church. Andbefore the close of the fourth century, the date seems to have beenuniversally accepted. ,Christmas is a festive seasoneverywhere in Christianity!and ismade a joyous occasion in manydifferent ways. In our country thecrowded streets, the gayly tr immedstores and markets, the sparklingChristmas tree , the chimney SantaClaus, the interchange bf gifts an dgreetings, and the services in thechurches are all sugg estive ofChristmas.In Great Brita in, Christmas isthe season when scattered familiesare reunited; when tender memories and old| associations are revived | and renewed; whenl friendgreets friend in cheery friendliness. The Royal Family a ttendsthe church services as a customarypart of the day's festivit ies. InAustralia, we are reminded of OldEngland|by J th e! roast beef andplum puddinglon the table and thedecorations of holly and mistletoe.To Germany we owe the Christmas tree , Santa Claus, and thepreservation of some of the finestof the old Christmas customs.Christmas in Germany fas a homefestival in the fullest sense of thename. The tree is the central object of the German home celebration of Christmas. I t stands as anemblem of the season. "Die Mutter" tr ims the Christmas room.On Christmas eve, at six o'clock,| the ringing of a bell is the signalto open the door, and the tree is| (Continued onJPage 2) j ^

Of n e V]i s]i ts|M e|rcy|h|u!rst(EJjrahttagi j 1934

+8SHO OPHISTICATED Christmas Spirit,m Glittering in your blasfc way,With modernistic tre es land such, |How cleverly you deck the day! I l lSophisticated Christmas Spirit 9H69All done up in cellophane,! H9JJHHYou really can't disguise yourself, BThough you try with might and main.

Good plum pudding sold in cans,Telephoned greetings and printed cards,Santa Claus in an aeroplane, |Christmas cheer jboughtlby the yards.All dressed up in grown folks' clothes.^Travelling under an assumed name,Any one would surely knowYou're Merry Christmas just the same!

Martha Myer, '35. -

CHRISTMAS L I F EA Letter That Has I tsJ Compensations

FACULTY NEWS CHRISTMAS FANTASY

Dear Mary,When I was six years old, SantaClaus was one of the most realpersons I k new. He f lived; helaugh ed; he brushed snow fromhis red shoulders; he stamped hisshining black boots; he|beamedand laughed stall .more. I. . lovedhim: lu s whiskers-; his soft; roilybody; his almost finvisible beltthe only indication of his waist-line . But though I did not realizeit then, I loved mostly tha t forwhich he stood. The happiest daysof my childhood were the Christ-mases between my fifth and ninthyears. Everything about the season thrilled me. I loved to see thecarloads of fir trees driven intothe city; I iloved to be convoyedthrough toyland in one of the largedepartment stores; to drop pennies in the tinkling tambourines ofSalvation Army solic itors; to worknow and then sneaking a tasteof the pastewith red and greenpaper in school, making a calendar for mother .

I need not : te ll you that thestory of Bethelem fascinated me.I never tired of hearin g it. Myhappiness took root in the happiness of the Blessed Virgin: Shehad Christ and Joseph and so,too, now that Christmas had come,had I. The account of the poorshepherds, so cold and alone on ahill above the city, was to me themost pitiful par t of the story, theonlyfpart tha t held a tear.^Andthen, night of nights, ChristmasEve ! My restlessness! Of courseI realized that if I went'gto sleepimmediately, Santa would like itbetter , land come sooner. Yethow could onefpossibly sleep whenone's imagination was working"overtime and when one's eyes refused to close!

But, Mary! You cry: "Enough!Such reminiscing is painful oh,so painful." And I ask you "Why ?Because it can never be aga in? "And you answer: "Because I .jjbelieved unreservedly in somethingnon-existent. He lived for me,San ta Claus did. A nd then hedied. Like so many of my happinesses, he was steeped in the tar

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fMother IVf.T Borgia, Dean, andSister Mary Alice, Registrar, attended the Convention of theMiddle St ates Association of {Colleges held at the Chalfont-HaddonHall Hotel a t At lant ic! City fromNovember 30 to December 2.The Reverend James M. Powers,Professor of Philosophy, spent theThanksgiv ing holidays with hisparents in Oil City, Penna.; MissRuth Whalen, in Cleveland, Ohioas the guest of Miss Mary Timon;Miss Gertrude F orness, a t herhome in Edinboro, Penna.; Professor John A. Donatelli, with hisparents in Scottdale , Penna.Sister M. Pierre spent Thanksgiving vacation in Pittsburgh inthe intere sts of the biology depa r tment .

Sister Mary Esther and SisterM. Francesca, both off the secretarial department, were in Toronto , Canada, during the Thanksgiving vacation!) attendin g variousmeetings of commercial teachersin the Gregg College there.Sister M.i Agatha, head of theLatin department, was in Cleveland, Ohio during Thanksgiv ingvacation.Mary Gerard Trageser , '38;-o-:-

A CHRISTMAS GREETINGFROM MERCYHURST|I nth enameof Mercyhurst College,the faculty andthe administra tionextend to the alumnae, to the studentbody, to our friends, toall our benefactors, | t o allmankind in Christ's universe,without exception of|race, creed

or private conviction, unreservedly and with the deepestsincer ity, hear tiest bestwishes for a MerryChristmasand aHappyN e |wY e a r JMercyhurst College,Mother Borgia, Dean

The sky is a blanket of theblackest velvet upon which are arranged the var ious groupings ofs ta r s whose* twinklingJbrilliancebathes the surrounding countryside in a glow soft and mysterious.Reflected from the stars, and likebits of light, are the crystals seenin the broad white blanket droptdown by Nature upon her worldand upon the objects - "nrade^ byman bridges, buildings, roadways, cities and towns. One has,indeed, grown up with the idea ofChristmas. Even so, there seemsto be at this time an atmosphereof the supernatural that cannotbe , and is not, desecrated, an atmosphere that is holy and peaceful with more than just earthlyreasons. The footsteps of travelersfall quietly as the crystal studdedsnowfall deadens the sound. Fromsnow-drenched dwellings, mansionsand cottages (now th at HE isabout to come to us, there is littledifference between wealth andpoverty) , there shine friendlyl ights to mark the way for*thosewho, like the, wise men year s ago,are following the star. Wreathesand trees and yuletide decorationsgive the touch of gayety whichseems to be everywhere needed,which satisfies our pagan J selves,which surrounds our child-likehearts with festa l signs: the outward expressions of an inward joy.Children are excited as, withsparkli ng eyes and little n erve-tensed bodies they await the coming of Santa and his gifts, thegifts that Bobby and Johnny andMary and Sue want. Suddenly, thestillnesses broken by the sound ofmusical bells'; sleigh bells. Theautomobile has not yet done awaywith the old, old love of the sleigh,particularl y as a par t of Christmas Eve. Then, as the ^watcherlooks at the scene around him, hehears faintly in the distance "Deoin excelsis"|and, more perhaps tohis understan ding and appreciation, "Peace on earth and good willtowards all men." Reverently, thepilgrim bows his head. As thebells ring out their invitation tothe midnig ht service tha t doeshonour to Christ, the Infant King,he passes through | the doorswhence issues a holy andmoving music and, together with

The Rt. R vannonl Is

.MarGuest

On] Bishop's ay There are -moments,! there aretimes, there are foccasions Hn th elives oft all of us when we arekeenly aware .of a sensible joy, ofa real happiness, of a deep gratification which! appeals integrallyto our-Jwhole being. Such? a moment, such a time, & such an occasion was presen t to all of uswhen, on the afternoon of Wednesday,^ December 12, 1934, His Excellency, the Most Reverend JohnMark Gannon Bishop of the Diocese of Erie and Chancellor of Mercyhurst College, paid us the honorof a visit. His Excellency was received in the College foyer wherehe was introduced by the Reverend James M. Powers and wherethe student body hen paidi ts re spects to him. After the reception,Miss Martha M yer, 35, welcomedth e Most{Reverend ^Bishop in thename of Mercyhu rst. In word swhich held both sincerity and honesty, she expressed, in lovely fashion, what eachspne of us had it inher heart to say! Folio whig is apart of Miss Myer's welcomewhich found an echo in all of us:"Bishop's Day at Mercyhurst hasbecome a part of a growing tradition. It is the first real gala dayof the year, a day when eyes arebright and hearts are upliftedwith the joy of festivity. Whenlast you visited us, we were watching the leaves outgrow their curlybabyhood, and Spring was abroadsetting|her house inMorder. No wyou come again, when we havelong since looked our last on theflowers of a year ago. Though theseas have been between us sincegraduation|time and this visit , welike to think that you re turn withthe feeling that, simply and surely, this is home; we like to feel,too, that you would {rather spendyour days undei these than anyother skies." The program of enter ta inment was as follows:Address Martha Myer.

(Continued on Page 3)the Three Kings, he presents hishumblest and greatest offering, prayer . Yes, i t is ChristmasEve : hallowedf in the memory ofall of us, re turning yearly to uswith a more vernal f reshness. Outof love and ,respect for Christ,the tiny Being from Whom we^re-ceive so many graces and blessings, foes find friendship, andfriends know friendship better.Homes throw out a welcome tostrangers, hear ts are f illed withfraternal companionship, andmerry-making is heightened forman has again found Christ whowas born to encourage a discouraged world. Gently falls the snowas he who has adored at the Cribwalks light-heartedly into thenight, and snow-capped homes andsnow-laden trees bid him "MerryChristmas1 ' and "God speed youwell." K

B. Banner, '85

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Pag e Two THE MERCIAD DECEMBER.I1931Published monthly!by the s tudents of Mercyhurat CollegeAddr ess all commun ications to M >

THE MERCIAD i IMercy hurat College | | 1 Erie, Pennaylvania'/ Su b scr ipt ion Rates ' K i& ^^ ; ^ S B WTnONE DOLLAR THEIYEAR^t 1B11S I I MERCIAD STAFF H | ^ ^ p ' ? ^ ttX

?* Editor-in-Chief Beatrice BannerAssis tant Editor-in-Chief Kathryn Harr in g to nBusiness Manage r ! Katharine ReiserExchange Editor 1 . Anna McGrathI ASSOCIATE EDITORS ^ ^ ^ ^Jane Conner Catherine Ega n Martha M yers j ^W innie O'DellRuth Eichenlaub Inez Bello tt i Iva Kreider Ruth HeadleyMary L. Burd Ruth Gordon Marge ry St . Law rence! v jMar ie Di llo n Leo n a McAl l i st e r r S fe i f lSTAFF REPORTERS | f l | mEdith Regan M ary M. Lynch BerthalM cAllis ter | | SFIELD CORRESPONDENTSSusan Neiner | Mary t L. O'Donnel

r ~ " " ~ "

This Day Is Born lA SaviorWe hail the coming of Christmas, sweetest of all greatfestivals. And, surelyuit is with loving hearts, and soulsnewfired with faith, and energies revitalized that we turn tothe Crib which enshrines the highest, holiest hopes and longings of the uman spirit. Here is God Himself made Man tosave us.i Here is Infinityof Itself all overpoweringcladinfthe tenderness of Infancy to still our fears and banishthe paralyzing awe of majesty; to throw an aura of peaceover our aimless bickerings; to woo and win our world-tornhear ts to the Love tha t means the achievement of all forwhich life to us is given. It lis no passing sentiment thatturns our thoughts and our hearts to the Child of Bethlem.It is no mere fashion of this world, which passeth away, thatbrings us to our knees with kings and shepherds whereheaven 's glory shines on heaven 's God and reflects a pur eradiance from the faces of the spotless Mother and her gracious Guardian. No, it is something far more solid than emotion, and far more enduring than fashion or caprice, whichcalls to ourlhearts and souls, summoning them, with morepressing authority than tft&t of imperial Augustus, to be^cnrrolled in Bethlehem for the Lasting City of our allegiance.

Nor is it a matter of wonder that our response to the callof Ch ristm as should fill us with love and kindness andthoughtfulness and generosity. Christmas brings out the best|in us. And this is so, because, if we take the meaning of Christmas deeply into our being, we are actually livingat our best. Before the Christmas Cr ib we stand face to facewith Reality. Here we see, as nowhere else, the meaning ofhuman life. Here we realize, as in no other place, the end andaim of our existence. To look upon the Face of the Child whoisvalso the Creator and the Redeemer lis to lose all sight ofnon-essentials. In this blessed Presence, we count no morethe darkness of the night throug h which we come to Him;nor the coldness of a sleeping world; nor the hesitancy of theyears that are to be; nor the hardships of a sometimes toobitter ly indifferent world. F orgetful of mer e comfort, wefind delight in the poverty of a barren cave; forgetting pride,we take abounding joy in the company of uncultured workmen kneeling with us to adore; forgetting envy, we shareour exultation with all mankind :|and remembering whyChrist!was born, we know ail once the ^helplessness and thehopefulness which is the hidden fear and courage of everyhuman breast. Which of us, coming so to our Savior, canlonger find a place in mind or heart for selfishness and sensuality; for overpowering dreams of worldly greatness anda notablejpublic career; for plans and ambitions that allurethe spirit only^o starve and shrivel it in mortal futilities?Ahj nothing worldly, nothing unworthy can steal! away$theheart that has known the embrace of the Infant Savior,|thehear t that cannot but realize, in that|ecstasy,|the glorioustruthlthat eternal life is to know the one true God and JesusChristfWhom Helhas sent.

* j > ' j sThose of us who understand the meaning of th^Crib, whohold the Truth, made fervent in souls by the thou ght ofChristmas, must not allow the feast to pass without a strongrenewal of essential loyalties. As|we sing theJ advent*of|theRedeemer, as swelling hearts and surging voices greet Hiacoming to our earth, we must|be mindful of thosehvho sleepuncaring* for |His Birth and of those who, even now, haveclosed fast against? Him^the inhospitable doors of the world'scaravanserai. Shall it be said that, because of us, He cameunto His own and they receive^ Him not? Shall it be said thatour* lack of devotion, of prayer, of the sacramental life has

kept Him out oflhearts that cannot know Him without the CHRISTMAS L I P Euntiring ministry of lives steadfastly tru e and truly steadfast?It must not be so. Here at His Crib we pledge Himflove enduring. Within His little hands we place our own, promisingwith living faith, ever to stand fast in His law, ever to renderHim the service of pure, devoted, upright lives which will winfor us (and, oh, for countless others that we cannot know!)an eternal Christmas of ever-unfolding joy. B. Banner, '35SODALITY NEWS T H E C E L E B R A T I O N O P

CHRISTMAS \fljjf One of the most impressive ceremonies conducted by the Sodalitythis year ? was held Saturday, December 8 . New members areffor-^nially received into the organizat i o n * ev ery y ear o n th e Feas t o fthe Immaculate Conception. The^solemnity of the occasion was fel tmost of al l when the new membersmarched down the aisle to placeproses on the j Blessed Virgin 's ^altar, and when Father James Powers , ass is ted by Father Flick,pinned on their robes > the officialsodali ty medal. The services in thechapel were followed by Communion breakfast in the s tudents 'd ining room. In addit ion to Mercy-hurst sodalis ts , there were presentrepresenta t ives from five parishsodali t ies of Erie. The tables wereattractive ly decorated with fal lflowers , and at each cover therewas an appropriate p lace card .

Miss Egan, prefect of the Sodality, extended a welcome to thebreakfast and made an appeal forthe organization of a sodali tyconference. Miss Mildred Dotter-wich, prefect of the seminary Sodali ty , gave a short?talk on theopportunit ies of -semina rians forfurtherin g Catholic action. M issCatherine Durkin , '36, spoke interest ingly of the work of the Catholic. Evidence Guilds of^ London.Besides giving a detai led accountof [.some of the activ i t ies of theseGuilds , she also made mention ofthe fact that there is a movementon foot to in troduce these Guildsinto the United States .

Lastly , Father John M. Flick , ofthe faculty oi St . Mary 's College,North Eas t , Pennsylvania, addressed the sodalis ts . He spokelofhow Chris t ha d come to th isearth among other reasons to remedy the lo t of i woman; ofhow the Church has ever sought,from the day of her inst i tu t ion, toelevate woman to the place befi tt ing the mother and companion ofman d of how, ne xt to the Church,the 3 grea test s ingle influence forgood in the world is wom an; ofhow, in order that we might havean ideal after which to I modelourselves , Jesus gave us His Immaculate Mother. The followingexcerpt from his address is sogood that one cannot let i t gofun-printed: "Continuing the work ofher Founder, the Church holds upMary to b e th e INSPIRATION o fman and the IDEA L of woman.The modern woman has not beencontent with j the freedom givenher but has usurped l ibert ies notin tended for her. It is up to you,the women of to-morrow, to bringwoman back again to her rightfulplace. In order to bring th is about,i t is necessary to be true to God,to be true to ourselves , and to betrue to our neighbors . God, looking down on the world , sees youin trainin g, as i t were, for tomorrow when the circle of yourinfluence wil l be enlarged. Hewatches you who, l ike the prudentv i rg in s of| the gospel , are layingup s tores of o i l so that the lamp ofyour l ives wil l ever burn with thetrim tapers of sancti ty and science,leading al l to Him Who is theWay , th e Tru th an d th e Lig h t . "

_ -Catherine Egan ,* '35

lehem. Before the "presepio ,"

(Continued from Page 1)revealed in al l the glory of i tscandles , sweetmeats , and gifts .There is then se t , for leach one inthe home, a special table. On thelast n ight of the year, the tree isgenerally fl ighted- for the las tt ime and, after that , the childrenare permitted to p lunder i t .Chris tmas in Holland is of part icular in terest . At midnight onChris tmas eve, in al l the towns andvil lages , the men, in varied costumes, meet in the principalsquar es,} chanting* the "Glor ia inExcels is ." A large s tar, in whichthere are several candles l ightedand shining as though one, ismounted on a pole. As the longprocession, chanting the "Gloria,"marchesSslowly along, the s tarcasts i ts radiance in the dark andwinding s treet .

Chris tmas | in Italy centersaround the church. There are generally no gifts ; and there is noSanta Claus in Italy . In al l the Roman Catholic churches there is fareproduction of the s table of Beth-asthis crib l is {called , the mothersgather and urge their l i t t le ones torecite their hymns of praise to theMadonna and Child .France has fel t the influence ofthe -customs of a foreign countryin the development of her Yule-t ide. In 1870, the famous old Cathedral of Notre Dame was made thelscene of the German celebrationsof Chris tmas, and theyfleft apermanent impression on France'scelebration of the Chris tmas season. In th e so uthern ^provinces ofFranc e, there is the custom ofblessing the Chris tmas ilog whichis then placed upon the fireplacein front of the table where thefamily is to d ine. After d inner,there is a h earty chanting of"Noel 's" unti l midnight when everyone goes to Church. In France, theChris tmas feast ing las ts for threed ay s .Chris tmas Eve in Belgium isquite unusual . Children of al l agesgather at a certain place. Theyare then separated in to divis ions.Each divis ion, dressed in i ts d ist inctive garb , forms par t of alovely pageant which movesthrough the s treets to the musicof orchestral harmo ny and thechanting of the carols .In Roumania, the blessing of theDanube is th e C hris tmas ceremony. At the close of the rel ig iousservice by the rivers ide, a smallwooden cross is thrown into thew a t e r .In Serbia, the burning of theYule log is an ancient custom. Asmall log is burned for each member of the family . A roasted pigthen furnishes the feast .Each race , each /n a t io n th a t V i sa part of Chris t ianity has developed i ts own customs in regard tothe celebration of Chris tmas day.And through al l th is variety thereruns the spir i t of Chris t ^bringingus together and in sympathy?withone another as 'no other event inthis world has ever done. The l i t t leChris t Child brought with Him, somany centuries ago, joy temporalas well as joy eternal .Iv a iKre id er , ' 3 5

(Continued from Page 1)of tru t h or fact an d died!And so I ask you: why can'tth ings be what they appear to be?Wh y,; every day, m ust I discoverthings for what they are? Whyinevitably , must they appear sostark and be presented in such atake-i t-or-leave-i t fashion ? Is thereanything in^life as lovely as one'simagination paints *i t? As oneyearns for i t to be? People speakof the age of disillusion in a person's life. This period cannot belimited to the few years of adoles-ence. I t seems to go on unrelentingly, killing young buds of happiness which burst forth only long| enough to give the black, barej t ree | of life a promise of beauty.These buds frizzle and drop andgare trampled in to the hard groundof reali ty . What has one left? Only> a skeleton, a leafless, sap-less treeon which, I assu me, onefr is ex-Ipect ed to p in art ificial buds and| leaves, made by one's self. I' mexpected to do that. Some seem tohave succeeded. Others appearnever to have been troubled. Perhaps they are the real epicureansof life. They scoff at disillusionand revel in reali ty . And I wonder:are they born with th is genius ordo they acquire i t"?

My dear Mary! Your words areso unlike yourself, the self I knowand see. Perhaps I can help yourecover your wonted, good-humored self. If Santa has dwindledfor you, think, Mary, of how theinfant Chris t has grown. If theworld!has brought i ts d is i l lusions,th ink of how much more Heavenis freighted down with promise.And perha ps, Mary, the fault isnot al together the world 's or l i fe 's ;perhap s the fault is yours , also ,that*your outlook is focussed onva m rshea"ii iusions an3?* takes notfrom them its proper lesson. Wasnot fthe poet ' s outlook more sanewhen he wrote that "we know notwith wh at scope God builds theworm"; when he said that " thoucanst not s t ir a flower withouttroubling of a s tar" ; when he saw,with piercing insight , tha t "Onegrass b lade in i ts veins Wisdom'swhole flood contains" ; when hecalled pain "Queen of Calvary,holy and terrib le, ANOINTEDPain"? And if the scientis t candraw lovely colors out of theblackness of coal dust, will you notbe somewh at asham ed of yourown a rt which can dr aw onlybleakness out of the lovely hues ofl ife? Surely , $by reacting as youare to the experiences of life, youare being borne along the tributar y s tream of g loom which wil lon e day J mee t thei gulf of I emptiness . If you find thin gs in life"stark" , you may be assured thatyou are not d iscovering them forwha t they are ; i f the th ings ofl ife are not as lovely as you yearnfor them to be, you may be cert a in th a t youi have fal len shortof their secret ; and if the age ofdisillusion is much with you, thenyou need to be disillusioned of yourdisillusion for this (if you willpardon the j p lay on words) is theonly illusion of life: disillusion.

As I began with the Chris tmasseason, so shall I end with i t . Itis an anniversary offcsuch universal delight to all of us, so full ofsuch g l a d ! t id ings as meet ourneed, tha t I know you will* dropyour mood of melancholy , that Iknow you will jo in hand and heartand j voice in a fellow ship whichsings "Te Deum" unti l the soundof i t reverberates against thera f t e red sk ies .A Merry Chris tmas to you,Mary: a Chris tmas full of Chris tan d San ta C lau s .Mary Lou Burd, %

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DECEMBER, 1934 THE MERCIAD Page 3CACK LINGS FROM THEROOST W.

December . . . winds, ice, snow. . . and still th e "R ooste rs" c utthrough the elements to seek thepleasures of the Roost. It may beof interest to those who enjoy thecompany of mice that several ofthese pets make sallies into the"joint," scamper hithe r, thithe r,and yon, and throw the Roostersinto confusion. After all, mice haveno business in a chicken-coop.Charter members still occupychoice chairs. Non-regulars usuallyarrive too la te . and must share astraight and hard bench withfriends until some oneldecides sh ewill face the winds ag ain. I hearthat a certain Freshma n had"big fun" and was "tickled happy"over Thank sgiving vacatio n. Infact, I think "big fun" was had byall. Some of the Roosters, whiledown town Satur day, observedthat it 's "Spat" weather in Erie, , . get it? I can't remember thename of the girl who broke intoa doughnut and almost deafenedher neighbor withjthe noise. Sincethe exit of the cats, hot-dogs havebeen added to the menu andthat's a warning for Pal. Fishsandwiches have been served twiceat the Roost on Friday nights :some seemed to prefer them tofried eggs and Lak e fish. Andothers anticipate dinner for all atthe Roost one day. Diets are popular among the boarders theoretically; will-power simply breaksdown when the aroma*of ham-burgs and hot-dogs greet the olfactory organs: Miss Whalen'sculinary art*is too much for merehumans. Speaking of food, it is ru-kmored that Miss Whalen will servewaffles and pancakes after Christ-^mas. And there 's another placedfor pennies!! . & 4r On^Tuesday^vernng, November^27, the Merciad sponsored a combined business meeting? and par tyat the Roost for members of thestaff: twenty-two were present.The food disappeared on the int ake ,and with great glee. It is hopedthat Merciad parlies will become atradition, that t he y w i l l make fo reven Ibetter cooperation amongstaff members, and that they willbe an incentive toward^Merciad en deavor for those who have not yetcontributed! toward tmaking ou rpaper a success. As for future festivities, we might say that we areanticipating a delightful party a miscellaneous pa rty sponsored by the 0 . | G . A. sorority atthelRoost, Friday, December 14.W Ruth Eichenlaub, '36

: - o - :SOPHOMORE THOUGHTSThanksgiving vacation over,followed by a period of recovery,class-mate greetings, the class-room,%nd, at last, an earnest effort to delye into deep study.gAndthen we are disconcerted by theblithe intruder^who llooks into theroom and says : "How can you everwaitifor the Chr is tmas Par ty?"And that puts an end to "thinking" ! and puts | a beginning tothoughts of Christmasjred an dgreen colors, gifts, and vacation.Predomin antly, one is con-cerned,^ of course, v/iih SantaClans. But, looking a little fartherinto the distance, one aees examinations looming most unpleasantly. Beyond that,;* there is theProm, and^hat^takes the s t ing

outfof looking intofthe future/ Itis going to the "bestest prom": weare planning to make it so. Weare planning right now; and weare so busy that we can stop forjust a moment only, and in t h a tmoment jWe wis h|you all a MerryChristmas! :;- | I InealBellottf. W

ALUMNAE / LETTERW$$KBm Mercyhurst College

B K B H & Decernber, 1934Dear A1umnae, WNtifSSmBIt's the Christmas season, again.You can imagine, if you will delve|back into your days at Mercyhurst,how avidly we are taking advantage of every minute that offers|itself for shopping. One has wholelists of names to be remembered;one has-such short purse-strings!That's a handicap that we feelsure was yours also. One thanksGod, therefore, for the Wool-worth's of the fbusiness section -for them, and the next best shopping districts. Those of us who areseniors are |glad, of I course, thatChristmas is soon to be with usagain. But the thought comes tous that with the going of Thanksgiving vacation and the coming ofthe Christmas holidays, there willbe left just one more vacation inour college years: Easter. And after that, only a fewweeks later,our college days will have beenended: and then, we come amongyou. College years do indeed!havetheir hardships and the ir petty

difficulties; but, after all, they areat Mercyhurst, at least sheltered years. One .hears so manygloomy, depressing rumors of theouter world th at, even thoughMercyhurst were not such a lovingmother, we should be hesitant, beeven reluctant, to greet our graduation day. |But the thought, thedaily news, of yourselves, carryingon so courageously, doing so well,so splendidly in your various fieldsmakes the future that muchbrighter and gives us 'hope t ha twe , who are mothered by the sameschool, will not be overwhelmed,that we will accomplish somethinga l s o ^ , i *v j J " ?. j . ZjfBaek in December 1929, the first

Merciad was published. Done up inglazed paper, twelve pages! thick,glittering with cuts and advertisements, which I must I have{gone along way toward makin it a financial I success,'.ill was a pretentiousissue. Barbara Wilbert, '30, who,judging from the Icartoon, musthave felt* the weight of I the Merciad as though of the whole world,was the editor, j Her I associateswere Marg aret Harri s, 1 '30, GraceMcBride, '30, Nelle Guilfoyle, '31,Elizabeth H amburg er, '31, MadelynHall, '32, {Mildred Bird, '30. andBianca Surgo, '80.'{None of theseis with usf any {longer. And] thepleasant thought str ikes the present Merciad staff that it would beafreal privilege to Jentertain th emembers i of the first |MerciadStaff, if they will one day conveneat Mercyhurst. f # JSfa ISome of^you have written to usin November, others of you havewritte n to us since the n. Thismonth we havefheard^from SisterMary Andrew, '34, of Fort Smith,Arkansas , jMargaret Cantelupe,

'30, of Parrell, Pa., Helen Huether,'31, of Sharon, Pe., Helen Walding-er, '32, of Erie, Pa., Madelyn Hall,'32, of Cleveland, ofiio, ElizabethHam burger, '31, of Erie, Pa., Dorothy Cronauer, '34, Jane Turgeon,'32. It has been goodfto hear fromyou, and you can't imagin e howgood. It is our purpose here to recall for you the days and facesand places and happenings of yourown college years. And when youwrite, you do the same thing forus . You can hardly know howquickly the news th at Mary orFrances or Anne has written racesdown the bhalls; you can ^hardlyimagine the glow or the 1>rlghttalk of the faculty at mention of

your names; you Scan hardly suspect the tenderness or , the J longtrain of I the reminiscences calledup by j the letters you | write. Wear e I.sincerely glad] to hear fromyou; we are most curiously glad toread the things you have to saywe even take the liberty of passin g your j letters I on 5 to formerfriends of yours; and, because weare human, no less, we are pleasedto read of your interest in and approval, of this letter. It may bethat in some colleges it mould bemere pretense, mere pose < to |, express affection * for the M alumnae.We are thankfulsthatfit^is not soat Mercyhurst. And^our love foryou takes on a redoubled glowwhen you write to us and^tell usof yourselves. Mercyh urst's eyesand ears and heart are always opento your letters, to all the joys andsorrows fthat go to make up theircontent. Once again, we ask you towrite often, to write, not| just today, but many times throughoutthe year.The Christmas Party is to beheld Tuesday, the eighteenth . Inaccordance with a tradition whichyou yourselves established, no excuses will be accepted from absentees as a matter of fact, welook for none, so interested doesevery one seem to be in the affair; and the Merciad will be distr ibuted that night. So you willpardon us, this once, if we hurryaway to press.

Our wish for you is that Christmas and the New Year will fillyour hearts

8/6/2019 The Merciad, December 1934

4/4

Perje 4 TH E MERCIAD DECEMBER, 1934JUNIOR JOTTINGS ALUMNAE NEWS A BLANKET FOR HIS CRIB

With apologies {for improving onWill Rogers, "I know even lessthan what I read in the newspapers . . . Catherine Durkin,th e winsome miss from England,granted an interview to the Times. . . And did you see the smilingface of class p resident, Marie ; Dil-lon, in the same pape r? . . .Wonder why there were so manysmudgy eyes W ednesday beforeThanksgiving? . . . I t wouldn 't bebr idge , would i t? . . . I l lnesscaught up with Burnette Ricken-baugh and Muriel Lehm an lastweek, and Nancy Stackhouse spentThanksgiving in bed . . . We wishsome one would discover a newway of arrangin g the coats inCamelot . . . Jun iors ! ! ! collectyour old phonograph records if youwant a radio in the Day-Hops'room . . . Bye* the bye, does anybody! know of th e wh ereabouts ofthe missing Snickers? . . . Gray-ce Marie Souders is always absenton Sunday afternoons. She wouldnotibe attending Vespers? . . .We wonder why all eyes on the buswere turned toward Eleanor De-

Veaux on a certain Thursday . . .Is Harry, Bobby McEvoy's man?. . . Natalie Frye is a sure guidefor the institute . . . What is thestriking resemblance that JaneUprichard bears to Eve? . . .Things we like: Lib Montgomery'sred, corduroy jacket . . . Susan'sfried egg salad . . . Ginnie Meh-ler in burnt orange . . . Ourschool r ings when we get them. . . And now tha t the holidaysare on our heels, Merry Christmasto our class, and from our classto all other classes.f $fo. W inifred|0'D ell, '36:-o-:PEN PORTRAITSPerhaps they don't seem to bethat to you: if they don't, then youwill never guess about whom I amwriting. If you like these, I cangive you more. If you guess these,I ' ll make them harder next time.For obvious reasons, the writer 'sname is withheld.

*Do you recognize this one? . . .tall and slender . . . blondish . . .carries, herself well . . . hai r always waved just so . . . rathe rstand-offish to look at but fun toknow . . . is quite the college girl. . . has a boy friend at N. D. ( itmight be North Dakota!) . . .my^idea of the word "svelte."Or this? . . . a J small, slenderbrownette . . .quiet . . .inclined tostreaks of giggles < . . has adouble- b arrelled name . . . does-not go fn for sports not evenRoosting . . . self-sufficient . . .fr iendly as they makeJthem.And who do you think thismight be ? . . . s tudious . . . da rk,curly hair . . . wears glasses . . .f lashes |a ^friendly smile at youeverytime she gets a chance . . .beautiful brown eyes . . . regularfeatures t and a nose fwhich makesme envy her furiously . . . rarelyseen in the upper halls . . . oftenfound in the library.You'll never guess this one!.&; . She's of medium height, wellbuilt . . . one of our dark brown-ettes . . .likes Roosting and bridge. . . has most expressive hands. . . the divinely ordained gift ofga b . . i a Ismile that's more abeam than a smile.

I ll give you one hint. I havedrawn four portraits for you:each one is of a member of a different class . . . Can i. you tellwhich is freshman and which issenior. Loads of luck!By the way I 'm in a generousmood, or I wouldn't tell you thisthree of the girls described thist ime have the same first names.

Once more the time has come togossip about you, our belovedAlumnae. Even though you haveleft Alma Mater to fill other stations in life, you are not forgotten. AIbeautiful memory that willnever fade is rooted in the heartof Mercyhu rst. This column is endeavoring to prove to you that wedon't forget you. Here goes if or afew more interesting jottings.Kay Barre tt, '33, has joined thestaff of the Emerg ency Reliefworkers in Erie. We know tha tKay will be an efficient and reliable;'member of the organization.We are aa little late in announcing the wedding of Rose Beckman,'30. Our wishes, late also, bu tnever I ceasing, are that you willalways have happiness, Rose!"Dibbie" W ilbert, '33, is secretary for the G. I . Corporation inErie. She also pays weekly visitsto Mercyhurst where she is takingsome post graduate work."Peggy" Blair , '33, seems to beenjoying her teaching in CorryHigh School. IffKay Ryan, popular senior of'30, is now teaching commercialwork in Dubois High School.Helen Cummings, '30, is secretary to a law firm in Indiana, Pa.She recently spent a week-end inErie and paid Mercyhurst a visit.Alice Dolan, '30, was with her.Alice Summers, '33, Presidentof the Alumnae, is all worked .upover the idea of an Alumnae weekend at Mercyhurst. I t is to takeplace some time after Christmas.The exact dat e will be decidedlater. Come one; come all; andhelp make it a real event.,1Mary Ellen^ Wilb ert, '29, a ndMaureen Brewster, '30, a re stillteachers in the Oil City\HighSchool.Jean Shannon, a Freshmanfofth e Class?of '31 , was married?; toJohn Green, April 26, 1934. Sheis living in DuBois, Penna., acrossthe street from Sarah Brown, '35.The jErie Alumnae^ give a voteof thanks to Theresa A'Hearn reher school spirit in getting themtogether and off to an early startat a bridge held at Mercyhurst, Saturday, November 17,1934. If, lj

Ruth Wilbert Roland, '31, who,this last June, was the first girl tobe made a bride in the Chapel?ofChrist the King, jghas moved infrom her summer home. She isnow residing on Beverly Avenue.She extends an invitation to youall. M"Ginny " Dugan, '33, has a secretarial position in Pittsburgh, Pa.Rose Mary DeibelJ McLaughlin,who w as married December 28,1933, is, according I to all reports,very happy in her home in LongIsland.The week of Thanksgiving va -vation, I Theresa A'Hearn, '31,Helen Huether, ' 3 1 , | "Cle" Dris-coll, '32, and Helen Waldinger,'32, attended the Pitt-Notre Damegame in Pittsburgh."Tete" McBride, '30, has a splendid position as secretary for thePennzoil Refining Company,^inOil Ci ty , iPa . f tMargaret Burkhard, '30, is wearing a diamond on the proper hand.Margare tICante lupe , '30, has anexcellent position as a secretary

in Cleveland, Ohio.i "Casey" E gan, '3 1, has followedmatrimonial inclinations and married Dr. Clarence C. McMarin. Shelives in a model home in Cochran-ton, Penna.1 W e join|with "Santa ," in wishing you all a very Merry Christmas, jg-Susan Neiner, '80

I suppose that you as well asI;- have, ever since you can remember, made, with loving careand tender devotion a crib for theChrist Child. If you made yoursas I made mine, you built a sturdyframe or perhaps a more delicate,more elaborate one of prayers,Masses, or Communions. Then youadded carefully chosen pillows andmat tress es and finished with acovering for the Babe. My newdiscovery is the covering. Not thatI haven't always had some robefor the Child, but this year I havemade it differently.My idea for a new kind of blanket came from $ the newest fadamong the ladies, this fad whichhas touched a few of us as well.It's the suddenly rediscovered devotion to the knitting needle andthe crochet hook. Because I am alittle more familiar with the crochet hook, I decided th at thi sChristmas I would crochet a blanket for the little Jesus. Just asall handwork is fascinating so Ifound my new project interestingme more and more as it grew [beneath my fingers.Hundreds of tiny stitches wouldbe needed for my blanket. What,I wondered, shall I use ? Suchthreads and yarns as the HailMary and the Pater Noster willbe too heavy, too cucumbersomefor the work I have in mind. Ifear that using such thick threadI shall tire too quickly and fail toreach my objective. And then theinspiration came to me! Gossamerthreads, delicate, light, yet warm,easily handled, strong and true assteel when banded together: verily,perfection for my use!Aspirations! Ejaculations! Thesemust be woven with infinite carefor the materialization of my ideal.And so it is that, with Decemberhalf gone, I have nearly completedmy blanket for Jesus. I have woven it with no consideration of design, following only wh ere m yfancy led. Yet as I look at thenearly finished piece I see tha twhat it lacks in symmetry of design it gains in color.I have not confined myself toone color but Shave chosen everycolor of the rainbow. Shall I tellyou where I found my colors?Naturally my predominant color isthe snowy whiteness of the Babeof Bethlehem; mingled with thisare the gentle blue of the Madonna, the brown of Joseph, the purpleof kings, the red of martyrs, thegreen of the workers in the vineyards of the Lord.Does the idea please you? Whynot surprise the Babe with a truly

modern gift upon His birthday?I An na McGrath, '35: - o - :

AlFRESHMAN'S DIARYNovember 15. My goodness!Wh at won't they think of next,these educators? . . . Intelligencetests. . . attempting to write someunheard of language . . . funnyli'l figures to match up . . . guesswe all passed . . . anyhow , theRubicon is gone, and we're stillhere .Novem ber 14. Scenes fromShakespeare: the Freshmen go" supernumerar-. . Lady Mac-beths and Juliets ran rampant for

a few days . . . rumors 5 of a fewnightmares caused by the sleepwalking scene.November 23. Upper-classmenoverheard giving thank s, andnot only because of the approachof Tha nksg iv ing | . . . Reason?Freshmen autobiographies completed, finished, ended, o r wh athave you . . . Freshman p arty at

high-hat . . . alsoie s" (you guess)

the Roost: by way of aftermath,one might! say . . . to the accompanim ent of chocolate cake andcoffee.December 3. Mercyhurst9again. .. , gay greetin gs! . . . snatchesof talk . . . marvelous vacation,and all tha t . . . and now, backto work, with three cheers forI mean, weeks till Xmas.December 4. Our first glimpseof the campus really snow-covered**. . . trees in stark outline againstthe lowering sky . . . snow scenes. . . a dignified upper classmanlosing her balance, as well asher dignity . . . and another redskin Jbit the snow! . . . severalyearnings for sleds and snowmen.

December! 8. iFeast of the Immacula te Conception . . . beauti ful day for Sodality reception . . .solemn ceremony . . . roses to OurLady . . . M ass . . . candidat esreceive medals. . ."Brunch" servedlate r . . . delightful talks . . .Father Flick of Northeast on"Imitation of Mary." { December 11. Heard injthe corr idors : Timetf. . . any day beforethe Christmas Part y . . . Place. . . any hall':. . . Play ers . . .any Senior, Junior, and Sophomore. . . Dialogue: Senior "Say,what are these Freshmen so elatedabout. They walk around the hallswith a "cat that ate the canary"expression; and whenever we comearound, they might as well beclams, for all the information!weget" . . . Junior "Yes, that'strue. When you ask them, all youget is J 'Can 't tell' and off theydash" . . . Sophomore: "Why I ' llbet I know what it is. Now, think,you two! Don't know? Why, ofcourse! The Christmas Party.

Now, get set, i girls . . . WeFreshmen are going to give, positively, a honey of a ChristmasPar ty , and we H ^begin vacationwith a bang . . . So-0-0-0-0, getset! I 'M I I Edith Regan, 3'38

EXCHANGES

: - o - :CLUB NEWS

Th e Philomeletic ClubMother Pierre 's Philomeletic Clubdoes this month say "How do youdo " to this column for the firsttime. I ts f irst meeting of the yearwas held Thursday, November 22in Room 9. The election of officerswas as follows: President, Margaret" Mullaney; Secretary, NatalieFrye; Treasurer, Sister M. Cecilia,C. P. P. S.The meeting was brief and alldiscussions were limited strictly tobusiness. As regards dues, amonthly ta x of ten cents permember was decided upon. MissMullaney explained that all thosemembers who attended every meeting would be exempt from onequestion on any of Mother Pierre 'sexaminations which is something, no matter how you look atit. JThe M. S. C. C. (Mercyhurst Sociology Clipping! Club) h as been"hard at it" since last we heardfrom them. At the last meeting,many clippings were turned in;and an entire period was devotedto a discussion of the sociologicalproblem of feeblemindedness.

B | U YC H R I S T M A S

S E A L S

Holy Cross students {have theirtr ials of a Saturday!morning, it'sa very consoling thought to thoseof as who have tried so hard somany, many Saturday mornings tocatch those elusive "40 winks" tofind that others have difficultiesgreater than ours. Would you liketo be awakened at some ghostlyhour by the sour notes of a buglin the hands of a tremulous amateu r? If anyone takes me up onthis idea, I'm sunk! :It has been suggested that a f inancial report of all dances be included in the columns of the NotreDame Scholastic. Does that ideaappeal to you as a system to beemployed here?

In St. Mary's Collegian we havediscovered a column called "TheInquirer." Each week one questionis formulated, is stated, and answers are then set forth by several members of the student body.The questions are not confined tostudent activities alone but rangethrough a variety of subjects andchoose for Idiscussion whateverseems most opportune and mostperplexing. I t is an entertainingcolumn; and instructive as well. Itis edifying to know that there areschools where the studen ts arewilling "to think aloud for thebenefit of their fellow-members.

If every student at Mercyhurstwould read and profit by the editorial in "The McAuleyan,"|themonthly magazine of Mount MercyCollege t | Pittsbu rgh, a great dealof work might be lifted from thealread y too heavily burdenedshou lders of school officers andclub leaders. The article, which*istitled "Irresponsibility," is one singularly applicable to you andlme.Here's a definition we garneredJ from the La Salle Collegian.Child:a |stomach entirely surrounded by curiosity.It seems that one of the facultymembers at La Salle College gavehimself away when he mentionedhis "six-months term in the StatePenn." He tried to cover it up bysaying he was giving a course ins tudy there .&* -Anna McGrath, '35

E L PF I G H T

T U B E R C U L O S I S

The O. G. A. Sorority had itsregular monthly meeting on Tuesday, November 20, in the thirdfloor social room. At this meeting\ plans were made fori a miscellaneous party to be given at theRoost, Friday night, December 14.The President appointed the following committee: Kathryn Harringto n,; decorations; Marion Summers, refreshments; MargaretDean, entertainment. Admissionwill be by ticket. It is anticipatedtha t the committe will make theevening a pleasant and successfulone. After the business meetingMiss Jane Conner presented theguest speaker of the evening, Mrs.F . Gruber of Academy HighSchool. Her subject, "Some Diffi-I culties of the Beginning Teacher,"was most interestingly delivered.After her addres s, Mrs. Gruberanswered! questions asked by themembers of the Sorority. At theconclusion of a delightful eveningof business, refreshments wereserved in the kitchenette.The Merciad Staff held an informal business meeting and partyat the Roost Wednesday evening*

[^November 27 . Mr . John A. Dona-telli, faculty adviser, was presentand discussed the Merciad a n dsome of its problem s. Refreshments were served, and the members played bridge a very pleas-ant evening, indeed. This columnwishes you a most happily tiringvacation.i iRuth M ae Headley, '86