University of Miami - Ibis Yearbook (Coral Gables, FL)

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“And you. Bill Diamant. What will you read?” Prose, choppy prose of satiric humor. “But you stretched the point. Bill, it sounded forced.” “Oh, I though it was good. “You, William Reich, are you going to read?” “I’ve read once at a Snarks meeting. What more do you want? Pass me by.” Rita Smith has done it. She's had stories published. And her soft southern voice reads a story of idealized musicians. “But they do speak that way,” she contends, “I write about them the way they are.” “Too educated . . . hard to believe.” “But they are. They are. “Well. let’s get on. How about you. Eddie?” And RosenofT reads. The same old words sound new and amazing woven in patterns of musical prose. Atmosphere. Dialect and atmosphere, and rich, new worlds. “My horse, Rinaldo . . . athletes ivith muscles, flex, flex, flex . . . ami the noose-liver.” “Form, Eddie, form!” “My style is my own.” There’s no disputing, so now a poem from Justice. Don begins . . . Myriads of symbols, impressions, epigrams, tigers, ami towers. “But what does it mean?” “Do you mean it to say . . .?” “Think for yourself. I won’t tell.” Lester Moore sat quietly and hardly read, he and Herbie Glazeroff and Barbara Nehlctt. “What’s become of Buggy?” “Cohen, you mean? He’s in the navy.” “Remember the sonnet he wrote about being alone on a ship’s deck at night?” Barkas clears lib throat and in his public voice begins his poetry, or stories Love and melancholia. A delicate, blonde beauty Mr». Lawrence. Dr. HaUtoad. Mi « Merritt. Mr. Beal, Dr. Tharp and Mr. Kochberqer. all member of Engli h faculty are eilent for picture. raptures, and passions of love. Disillusion! “Good. Hal. good. You’re getting better. Must have been fun. Autobiography, of course?” “No. no.” lie grint . hut inside you continue to think. Dotty reads poems, short, crisp, journalistic thing. on the ocean and life. hy is the world, why am I? etc”. Renee, Morley, or Greenfield, or Judith, what will you read? Ambitious plays? Your latest theme? Or a modest poem? “Room for improvement, but you’re on your way.” “Rewrite, rewrite, rewrite.” If there’s still a minute, I’ve a poem or two, and it isn’t feminine. It’s on sweat and guts. “Not your medium, you’re not at home here. “But I won’t he feminine.” “It’s ten o’clock.” “Can I take you home?” “Sure.” “Good, we’ll stop for a beer on the way.” --MARGERY STARK 29

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SOMK SPEAK IT So they WENT: Scotty Mason to war, Miss Margaret McKenna. J. Ralph Murray, and Gordon Laurie Thomas just went. Into the Mulish department, for one semester, came Trustee Virgil Barker, also lecturer in art, who delighted blase students with clever quotable remarks. Camps till divided into pro-and anti-Tharpians, depending on whether you meant the man or the professor. Mrs. Natalie Lawrence of the sweet low voice read Shakespeare to charmed classes, while her office companion. Mrs. Mary Clarke, wondered if freshmen ever grew up. Out of the library came K. Malcolm Beal and from the journalism department came Simon Hochbcrger, teaching a few stranded classes. Bushed ami harried Miss Mary B. Merritt found that in addition to her other multitudinous problems, she must needs continue to teach English. And Dr. W illiam L. Halstead continued to amaze students with his light whimsy in elec- tive courses and his tough, academic attitude in those which arc required. Reduced in number, the English department could still claim personalities who made underclassmen want more or murder. Winter Institute wasn't this year, and neither was English Honors. It just occurred that they both dissolved into mists, probably because of the war. But the Snarks (named for the mythical half-snail, half-shark) were very much alive. If you don’t believe it just listen to this record (impressionistic of course, hut how else would you describe that nebulous body?) of a more or less typical meeting of the writers’ honorary: “Who'll read tonight? W ill you start. Rodney Winfield?” Poetry of sense and movement. Poetry of richness and rhythm. “Read it again. Color and vihrance. “You’ve got something there, hut .. “One word was wrong. “. . . break in the rhythm . . .” “Rewrite, rewrite, rewrite.” Front row: Noblott. Smith. Mr . Lawrence. Stark. Levin. Greenfield • Back row: Reich. Diamant. Winfield are Snarke.

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Philosophers Dr. Kaplan and Dr. Barth flank Dr. McMastor of tho Religion Department. ATTI WKn TO THE TIMES What started out to be a course in Religious Biography this year got beautifully side-tracked sometime during the first semester and turned out to he the University’s first and only offering on “Religion and Post-War Reconstruction. Originally, the course was a study of the lives and works of great religious leaders of the past, hut this year Dr. McMastor extended the subject to include the great leaders of the present-day world and their doctrines. Using the seminar method, students mulled over the results of the National Study Conference on a Just and Durable Peace, Pope Pious Xll's seven point peace plan, the five point peace plan of the Jews, and President Roosevelt’s four freedoms. Sometime during the semester, each member of the class selected a current hook on a religious topic to review for the class, and 30 later presented it as a personal gift to the library. Over a thousand hooks on religion and related subjects have been added to the library in that manner during the past five years. Speaking on “The value of maintaining individual differences in religion as a basis of brotherhood. a trio of speakers from the National Council of Christians and Jews addressed the group during Brotherhood Week in February. The speakers were Rev. A. W. Gottschall, southern regional director of the council; Rabbi Solomon Goldman of Chicago; and the Rev. Father James A. Greeley of Augusta, Georgia. More than once outsiders tiptoed in to attend special sessions and to become a hit dogmatic about the subject of tomorrow. Usually the area of agreement reached was the same: international cooperation and union. Seeking the student’s answer to the (portion. “What part should religion play in the world of tomorrow? members of the Hurricane Round-table decided in a discussion before the post-war planners that education is needed for tolerance. Included in the forum were: Jane Mack. Rebecca Jackson. AI Adler, George Bersntcin. and Jake Watson. Two other courses in religion were offered: Biblical Literature which is an introduction to the Old and New Testaments with a study of the Apocrypha and Comparative Science of Religion which considers all religions from an historical, scientific viewpoint. Every so often people would “happen into” religion class . . . people who bad lived in the Amazons, eaten roast jungle fowl, met African chieftains, won high Greek honors, etc. Wherever they came from, they eventually came to lecture to Dr. McMasters’ classes. “During the five-year history of the religion department, students have been eager to learn the truth about religion, and the classes have always been well attended,” says Dr. William MeMaster, professor of religion.