Oberlin College - Hi-O-Hi Yearbook (Oberlin, OH)

Page 16 text:

' F kk: - ' a , ,1Harmonious Cacophon 5 . 5' ABOVE: Practicing diligently at a Steinway, Bernie Lemoine prepares for his senior recital, climax of a Conservatory career. RIGHT: High noon in the lobby of the Conservatory: Mr. and Mrs. Warner contemplate the dissonant transition between morning and afternoon for the Oberlin musician. TO To some the Conservatory symbolizes an over- specialized education. To oth-ers it represents a gigan- tic stone music box from which emanate cacophonous sounds come spring. But to those enrolled in the department it means four years of Work in a job of inspiration. Those who prctice, cramped in the four walls of the practice rooms, or those who resolve the complex harmonies of theory into a tight, mathematical struc- ture, try to express the freedom and spontaniety of man in the language of music. To the music the stu- dent of the Conservatory mllst apply long hours, a deep intelligence, and a patience which allows con- stant repetition of the last trill until it yields perfec- tion. It is Work With few moments for that smoke on the steps of the Conservatory during spring. But it is a discipline, an inspiration, and a life for each of them.

Page 15 text:

Of Bluebook-haunted berlin Students Or he thinks of that thoughtless couple across the table who chuckled over their ,Review on the night before a vital philosophy blue book. If he closes his eyes, the senior can also bring to mind the multitude of dogs which have sneaked by forbidding barriers to stir up raucous laughter among the study-ridden students. The hounds' only rivals were the children Who, screaming outside the windows, occasionally injected a note of joy into the chilly rationality inside. By the time he reaches his final year, the Oberlin student is sure he has paid enough quarters for late reserve books to own half of the half-million books on stock. He has fought daily battles to maintain his place at the funnies section of the Plain.-Dealer, warding off the bulk of the football team determined to read the sports section. His most tumultuous struggles have been with himself, straining every muscle to keep his eyes focused on Plato, while the entire Building and Gro-unds Department erects a towering superstructure to change a light far over his head. A thousand facts learned, a thousand drinks of water, a thousand smokes before the metal relief of Andrew Carnegieg inspiration mixed with desperation: This is what the library means to the Oberlin student. RIGHT: Mr. ake Albri ht of the Carne ie Library staff defies the tempo of J g g modern times, as he dreams of a thousand weary faces passing by. BELOW: Dawn in the reserve room of the library: Bill Mcllrath trips in where angels fear to tread, a blatant manifestation of anti-intellectualism on the Oberlin campus.

Page 17 text:

Confused, dismayed, senseless, the Oberlin student gropes for the meaning of life at the Art Museum rental collection-50 cents, please. m i-eifwle To indict the United States for its mass culture is to overlook, perhaps, the careful discrimination expended by students in selecting pictures from the Art Museum's rental collection. Days of perusal preceded the moment when the robe was dropped and the final strug- gle for art began. A mild Rubens por- trait, the quiet of a Breughel landscape, a peaceful Rembrandt etching is torn from its place of rest, carried under the arm, and placed solidly on a dormitory wall for one semester's enjoyment. Craving for Food and Culture Into the fifteen minutes before dinner are compressed moments of intense activity for the Oberlin Male. If all proceeds on schedule, the time allotted should be adequate-five minutes for a shower, five minutes for shav- ing, and five minutes to get dressed. It is the contingencies which undo the late dresser- the severed shoelace, the collar without but- ton, the water turned cold, the frozen bike lock. ln the habitat of the Oberlin Female, the five-minute bell reechoes down the halls in maidenly shrieks of ohrnygosh, ALREADY! Then there is no place at a Washbasin, no clean socks in the drawer, and the hairbrush is under the bed again. How does she manage to descend the stairs at 6:14 clean, radiant, Well- groomed, poised? It's the Oberlin woman's secret-except that Eve knew it too. By 6:15 every men's dorm on campus is drained and hollowg clinking silver and light laughter sound in the dining halls. And at 6:19 the late dresser arrives, panting, and is dragged into the kitchen, flexing his raffle muscles. Clean, radiant, well-groomed, poised, the Oberlin Female prepares to face a greasy pork chop and a pile of limp string beans.