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THE SKYSCRAPER HistoricDecember COLLEGE ORGANIZATIONS So much attention is given to the Christmas festivities in the month of December that as a rule little is thought of the historical significance of the month; yet some of the most momentous events in the annals of America took place in this last month of the year. It was on a bleak December day more than three hundred years ago that the sturdy Mayflower dropped anchor off the New England coast, and our valiant Pilgrim Fathers, mount ing the cold sides of Plymouth Rock, fell upon their knees and blessed ye God of heaven, who had brought them over ye vast and furious ocean. The original date was December 16, but when the calender was revised it was changed to the 22, which day was first commemorated as Forefather's Day in 1769, and since then has been especially observed in New England. For almost six decades December played her usual rdle of putting the finishing touches to the years as old Father Time checked them off his list. Years of struggle and achievement they were. The Colonial Wars, the French and Indian Wars, and numer ous other conflicts had been met, and the colonists had been victorious for the most part. But the question of the mother country loomed ahead of them. It was not until the passage of the Stamp Act and the Townsend Act, however, that the storm seemed imminent. The Boston Massacre fol lowed close on these acts of taxation, and three years later, in 1773, on the night of December 16, the trend of affairs reached a climax when fifty Indian-garbed king-defiers, instigated by Samuel Adams, the Palinurus of the Revolution, boarded three English ships that lay in the Boston Harbor and emiptied three hundred and forty chests of tea into the ocean. The effect was dynamic. The news spread like lightning and the dissatisfaction of years found an outlet in the terrific storm which followed. In the midst of the great War of Independence, the finger of history points to the Christmas of 1776. The patriot cause was at lowest ebb. New Jersey was held in the firm grasp of the British. Congress had fled to Philadelphia, and the British were so assured of success that Cornwallis was preparing to take ship for Eng land. The retreating American army, under Washington's able guidance, had been safely landed on the western bank of the Delaware, while some 1200 Hessians, under Colonel Pall, were stationed in Trenton on the oppo site side. The outlook was dark. It was bit ter cold, and the men were discour aged, but Washington's courage was undaunted. Judging wisely that the festivities of the holidays would unfit the enemy for defense, he determined to recross the Delaware and attack the Hessians at Trenton. As the first stars began to twinkle from a clear sky on that cold Christmas night, the little army of 2400 men began their struggle with the ice floes and the rapid current. They reached Trenton early on the CLASSICAL CLUB HAS NOVEL PARTY Greek maidens, tall and beautiful, with flowing robes and simple sandals, found their way into Room 204 on Monday afternoon, December 14, and won distinction among the members of Eta Phi Alpha, the college classical club. No, they were not a reincarna tion of the ancient heroines, nor were they the shades of the ladies of Troy come to haunt the diligent Greek scho lars. They were but the pledges, nothing more. For two weeks prospective members of Eta Phi Alpha wore little Greek lamps designed on cardboard and stamped with the club's insignia, and, having performed The Labours of Hercules as their tasks of probation, they were eligible for membership. After reading the results of their final test, papers prepared upon myths in modern settings, the pledges were cordially received by Mary Lally, the president of the organization, and the meeting adjourned amid compliments upon the new members' originality in dress and composition. Refreshments were served in the Santa Claus Tea Room, a special feature of the Christmas Gift Shop festivities. Gift Shoppe Sale Preludes Holiday What an array of alluring things greeted our eyes, from 12:30 until 9:00 o'clock, in our gymnasium (who would have recognized it?), on Monday, the 14th, when Mundelein engaged in her first Christmas Gift Shoppe Myriads of delightful, artistic, and novel articles claimed our attention on all sides. The seniors were in charge of a fascinating novelty and fancywork booth, in which were displayed an amazing array of beautiful em broidered articles, laces, linens, pil lows, and many other really lovely gifts. Many of the loveliest of these were donated by the convents of the Sisters of Charity, B. V. M., through out the city, and were sent as gifts from Mount Canmel, Dubuque. Rivaling the seniors in articles of artistic design, was the booth of the Art and Commerce Departments. Here were quaint silhouettes, beautiful placques, paintings, tooled-leather arti cles, Mexican nut bowls, and many other attractive novelties. There was a realistic zoo exhibit with gingham dogs and calico cats, and even a great white elephant. Next door to the menagerie was the little girl's delight and the big girl's, too the doll booth. A veritable wonderland of dolls it was, Irish colleens, demure French dolls, and even a college senior. Bingo was the game of the day, and here the juniors held court, with Santa's pack and novelty prizes as added attractions for their booth. All these were, we might say, a feast for the eyes, but very important were the booths which supplied more substantial feasts. There was the artistic Ye Lolly-Pop Shoppe of Art Club Visits Famous Studios An unassuming brown stone house in Elm Street was revealed to the members of the Art Club as one of the greatest shrines of art in Amer ica today, when they visited the home and studio of Mr. Joseph Birren on December 5. Mr. Birren is the founder of the Art Institute Alumni Associa tion and is its honorary president. The students were especially interest ed in his tactile style of painting, which has won him international renown. The Art Club representatives were greeted by Mr. and Mrs. Birren, who showed them through the studios, ex plaining many things of interest to youthful artists and telling the stories that went with the various pictures. When asked about his tactile method, Mr. Birren explained that it is a raised effect which makes each object stand out distinctly from every other by creating the illusion of a three-dimensional scene. It is achieved by building up the outstanding fea tures of the picture with paint of almost the same tone as that to be used on the surface. The most striking illustrations of this manner of presentation were found in his painting of an apple tree in New Mexico with a typical adobe house in the background, and in an Illinois spring landscape. A painting of the oldest stone bridge in America, which was reproduced in the Chicago Sunday Tribune last year, the famous Ipswich Bridge, was noteworthy for its historic significance and for the expert blending of color and exquisite brush work. Mr. Birren showed the students some sketches executed during a recent trip to France, Italy, and Spain. Among them were two lovely pictures of the Vatican gardens, a colorful one of St. Mark's in Venice on the day of a procession, and a very inspira tional painting of the entrance to the Pantheon in Rome, the oldest building in Europe in continuous use. The giant marble columns of this former temple of Jupiter are shaded to a cool, deep lavender, significant per haps of the members of the Italian royalty whose bodies repose within. After the exhibit, the student party went downstairs, where tea was served. Here, too, were a number of interesting works of art, notably an informal water-color sketch of a Car dinal seated on an old wooden chair, his robes of state spread out about him. This portrait was done by the artist one Sunday morning before a procession, while he was a student in Paris. With the close of the after noon, the tall, dignified, kindly artist and his wife received the grateful thanks of the students, who unani mously agreed that it was one of the most enjoyable and instructive after noons they had ever spent. CHEMISTRY CLUBS SEE STEEL MILLS The Mundelein and Loyola Chemis try Clubs visited the steel mills of the Inland Steel Company at Indiana Har bor, on Tuesday, December 8. The Reverend Thomas Egan, S. J., dean of Loyola University, the Reverend John P. Morrissey, S. J., professor of chem istry at Loyola, G. M. Schmeing, M. S., professor of organic chemistry at Mun delein, and two representatives of the Mundelein College faculty accompanied the group. The students left the adjoining cam puses of the two schools at about eight o'clock in special buses char tered for the trip. Groups Of students joined the party at Adams and Wabash and at 79th and Jeffrey Streets, and at about ten o'clock the merry party of scientists reached their destination. Since the mills were operating only during the morning, it was necessary for the students to make the trip rather hurriedly. The preparation of iron ore to be made into steel, an operation in which the ore is heated to a high degree in a blast furnace, was the first process which they wit nessed. The molten iron was then allowed to flow through a narrow trough to large tanks which were set on trains. The second step in the milling 'process was that of heating pig iron by a process known as the open hearth, in which the metal is heated in a shallow crucible by a gaseous fuel, carbon in this instance. The open- hearth furnace consists of well-spaced brick chambers through which fuel and air are easily drawn. The interested group next proceeded to the rolling mills, where they saw large blocks of red-hot steel being flattened and broken into bars about three feet in length. Last of all was the thorough inspec tion of the chemistry laboratory. It is in this laboratory that all impurities and alloys of steel are analyzed by efficient chemists. Thus a most interesting trip was brought to a close, and the students returned to Chicago with a new enthu siasm for chemical science in all its forms. Juniors Entertain For Senior Class . . the sophomores, which lured many to morning of December 26, and the battle jt8 peppermint-stick arbor to purchase was over in three-quarters oif an hour, giving the Americans a decisive vic tory. Side by side with the Star of Bethlehem on that dark December morning, there arose for the American people the Star of Liberty, that had seemed so near its setting, but even now was mounting toward the zenith. The December events thus far re corded have led to brilliant success and achievement, but the December of 1799 brought an event which sad dened the hearts of all our land the death of George Washington. Successive Decembers brought new situations and in the close of the year 1823 another figure rises on the horizon of our history, steady, thoughtful, stern, a man capable of preparing and enunciating the Monroe Doctrine. And the end of another December found the stand of the American people on the colonization question clearly de fined. Meanwhile our country, too, had ex tended its territories, and in our fa mous final month six of the greatest states were admitted to the Union Indiana in 1816, Mississippi in 1817, Alabama in 1819, Texas in 1845, Iowa in 1846, and our own state of Illinois in 1818, on December 4. It is a great month, December, and a beautiful one in spite of, or perhaps because of the cold and the frost and the snow, and we like to think that our country has achieved great things in the month in which the Savior was born. any kind of candy desired. Then, commanding the center of the green- and-red-and-silver gymnasium, were the most tempting cakes imaginable. Nearby was the marmalade booth, which boasted jellies and jams to arouse the envy of any housewife. And below stairs was Santa's Tea Shop formerly the cafeteria where amid bewitching surroundings of silver and snow one could order any refreshments listed on a menu which displayed the portrait of Santy himself. Many of the students and their friends were reluctant to leave our Christmas bazaar with its gay and charming things, but all events, how ever pleasant, must come to an end, so there remains now only the vision of holiday festivity which was created for our Christmas Gift Shoppe. (Continued from page 1, column 4) the assistant director of the Historical Society gave a brief resume of the contribution of Marquette to the his tory of France and America. The Reverend Joseph A. Reiner, S. J., for mer dean of Loyola, gave an informal but significant address, bringing a personal and modern idea to the fore. Mundelein, with Vera Carson as delegate, had the honor of placing the wreath on the second statue. The in terest and attention of the students, despite the bitter cold and the long ride, was impressive and promised well for the advancement of further religious celebrations in the future. Mundelein-Loyola Have Live Debate Resolved: That The United States Should Adopt a Compulsory Planning Board for the Major Basic Industries, was the question for debate between Loyola University and Mundelein Col lege on Wednesday evening, Decem ber 2. The subject has been a point of much discussion in economic gather ings, since it is a proposed remedy for the much advertised depression. Add to this fact the enthusiasm of opposing teams and the result is an exciting contest that would have been difficult to judge. Leonora Stahr, the chairman, intro duced the speakers, Sallie Agnes Smith, Ruth Tangney, and Mary Agnes Tynan, upholding the affirmative side of the question, and James Yore, Louis Tordello, and James Rafferty furnish ing heavy opposition. Contending that a national contract of industry would smother individual ism, the negative stressed agriculture as a spoke in the administrative wheel of the affirmative and therefore con- eluded that the proposed change could not work. The affirmative showed that a change was vitally necessary and im portant. Both teams offered construc tive material on this current important question. No decision was rendered, the audience writing a criticism of each speaker instead. The Mundelein Debating Club is looking forward to future forensic tilts of as interesting a nature. The social room was the scene of another lively gathering on Thursday evening, December 10, when the jun iors entertained the seniors at bridge. With the added incentive of attrac tively wrapped prizes, the players bid judiciously, with the consequence that when the scores were reckoned Vera Carson and Virginia Fischer received the prizes, and Eleanor Joyce was awarded the door prize. Refreshments of sandwiches, cake, and candy marked the close of the evening's program, but the spirit of friendliness between the two classes, and the growing affection for all college functions which pro mote wider acquaintance between stu dents of each class and the faculty, added another link to its chain. Seniors Enjoy Bridge Party The seniors held the third of their delightful bridge parties on Monday evening, December 7. This one was in the Model Apartment, and Marion Young and Margaret Gavin, who were in charge of the affair, heralded the approaching holiday season by having a gaily decorated Christmas tree sur rounded by individual gifts for each member of the class. The prizes, donated by the seniors, were awarded to Vera Carson and Margaret Han- rahan. Foreign Costumes Appear in Contest As gay as any international cos tume convention was the doll contest conducted by the Home Economics Department of Mundelein College. Friday morning, December 11, the entire department gathered to judge the contributions and, difficult though it was to choose a winner, the gold ribbon was awarded to a tall, Titian- haired boudoir doll, in a gown of green organdy ruffles, which had been entered by Helen Horan. Noticeable among the dolls rated highest were those in foreign costumes, with their bizarre colors, a sweet baby doll, and Raggedy Ann, who flaunted her tatters, proud of her originality. Equally important was the sixteenth- century dandy who stood gallantly beside a Civil War belle, on this gay morning when a laboratory was trans formed into a toyshop. Contestants were ranked upon beauty of workmanship, neatness, and method of display. Entire ccstumes were sewn by hand, the students applying their seamstress knowledge to the dainty outfits. All of the dolls were contributed to the doll bazaar booth and will help to delight some happy child this Christmas. Cecilians Give Monthly Recital Mundelein's music-lovers gathered in the rehearsal hall on Thursday after noon, December 10, to attend the third of the monthly Thursday musicales. The selections offered were: Sonata in D Major Haydn Allegro con brio Largo e sostenuto Presto ma non trappo March Wind MacDowell Ruth Hottinger Calm as Night Bohm The Wind Speaks Grant-Schaefer Mary Margaret Brady Aunt Dilsey Sees Othello.. .Dickerson Kathryn Walsh Polonaise, Oip. 26, No. 1 Chopin Elizabeth Gorman Slumber Song of the Madonna. .Head Snow Flurry Grinnell Mildred Martinez Mother Would Learn to Drive. .Wilson Pauline Duzeski Children's March: Over the Hills and Far Away Grainger Emer Phibbs and Antoinette Tornabene These pleasing little recitals are gaining added popularity with every performance. They do their part in improving the musical and dramatic taste of our students, and the students who have taken part in them deserve special praise and commendation. Students Take Pre-Medical Tests Cudahy Hall, Room 213, Loyola University, was the scene of the pre- medical examinations on Friday after noon, December 11, at 3 o'clock. Gene vieve Dooner and Margaret Scannell, who hope to enter Loyola Medical College next September, were Mun delein's representatives. Professor George M. Schmeing, M. S., kindly offered to assist the students in pre paring for the aptitude test, the gen eral nature of which was the relation of all the sciences to medicine. The examination was the one prescribed yearly by the Association of American Medical Colleges and has an admirable reputation for being difficult. Economist Speaks To Commerce Club Mr. O. P. Decker, of the S. W. Strauss Company, addressed the stu dents of the Commerce Department on November 20 in the science lecture room, choosing for his subject The Depression and Finance. Mr. Decker gave a clear explanation of the causes of the depression as well as a prediction of possible future de velopments in the economic world. While Mr. Decker was careful to say that he did not know whether the bot tom of the depression had been reached, the audience left with the im pression that we were at least very close to the bottom and could expect an upward turn by March, due par tially to the normal seasonal advance. His statement that those banks and industries which have weathered the storm to date are in a sound condition and that economic conditions will be better in the future because of the elimination of the marginal producer, gave a gleam of hope for those who have sacrificed and suffered much dur ing these trying times. The speaker also touched upon the work of the National Credit Associa tion, a newly-formed organization com posed of bankers of the nation who hope to effect a liquidation of frozen assets. Mr. Decker is convinced that this new project will prevent further bank failures and will assist in the recovery of business from the present depression.
title:
1931-12-18 (3)
publisher:
Women and Leadership Archives http://www.luc.edu/wla
creator:
Mundelein College
description:
Student newspaper for Mundelein College
subject:
Newspapers
subject:
Religious communities--Sisters of Charity of the Blessed Virgin Mary
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Students
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Universities and colleges
subject:
Women's education
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Mundelein College Records
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English
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Mundelein College