College News, 1927-01-12, Vol. 13, No. 12

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College News
VOL. XIII.   No. 12.
BRYN MAWR  (AND WAYNE). PA..   WEpNESDAY. JANUARY 12,1927
Prficl
10 CENTS
MILWAUKEE TREATS
MODERN PROBLEMS
Majority   Favors  Equality   bi
Races, Supports Wars, but
Denies  Capitalism. .
CYNICISM v   IS     VICIOUS
Seven hundred colleges and universi-
ties and fifty nationalities were repre-
sented at the N'ational Student Confer-
ence held in Milwaukee from December
28 to January 1. These four and one-
half days were the result of two years
planning on the part of the joint council
of the Y. M. and Y. W. C. A. and were
as full of interest and information as
they could possibly be The speakers,
men of national and international renown
�combined to make this conference one of
the most significant of its kind.
The theme for the entire time was
"What Resources lias Jesus for Life ;n
Our World." a subject which was devel-
oped from day to day by concentrating
on one particular phase or "Cycle."
" Modern Conditions Obstacles |o Faith.
The first Cycle was "Can God be V
<cessible to us. and How?" Dr. Reinhohi
Xiebuhr summed up the conditions of the
�modern world, and showed how they
stood in the way of faith. "Cynicism."
"he said, "is the true enemy of religion'
AVe are so taken up with the worship of
power, comfort, sex and nationalism, that
-we have little time for anything finer.
"'The price of belief in Cod is to detach
yourself as much as possible from the
type of civilization that this is. and sec-
it as a whole."
The other side of this question was
-presented by Dr. Henry Sloan Coffin,
who showed the similarity between our
-world and that qf Jesus, and how Jesus
overcame the barriers in the way of
religion by using the time honored means,
the church, the Bible, prayer, in new
�ways.
CONTINUED  ON  PAGE  4
RUSSIAN FOLK SONGS
THRILL TAYLOR AUDIENCE
Alwyne     and      Saslawsky      Present
Varied  Programme.
On Monday evening the second of the
.-series of Bryn Mawr concerts was held
in the chapel. Mr. Boris Saslawsky,
tar it one, and Mr. Horace Alwyne. pian-
ist, assisted by Mrs. Saslawsky. Mr.
Stopak, and Mr. Borodkin, gave us a
-very delightful evening. The pro-
gramme, though a Ihtle long, was espe-
cially interesting because h represented
the best of  many  schools of   music.
The Bach Fantasie and Fugue, played
at. it was, revealed great mastery of
technique, although of the first group
we enjoyed most the Rhapsody in F. flat
l>oth for the composition itself and the
artist's touch and interpretation. The
German songs were all beautiful, but
Mr. Saslawsky was in his element when
lie sang five Russian FoTk Songs, each
one expressive of a different character-
istic Russian nyjod. The quiet beauty of
the  Prayer:
"Give. me. O Lord, of thy blessings,
for I am yonng and fair; let my vibrant
voice rise to the hazy dome of the sky;
let it ring over the dewy soil and reach
all  human 'kind.""
and the humorou6 merriment of the
"Merry Danube" were sung with a
genius for interpreting the Russian ex-
tremes of feeling. The same spirit and
brilliancy characterized the playing of
Mrs. Saslawsky, Mr. Stopak, and Mr.
Borodkin. Mr. Alwyne''s playing of De-
bussey was exquisite. In the work of
l.iszt. the dialogue between Saint Fran-
cis and the birds was charmingly real-
istic, the twittering and flattering of the
birds on the high register of the piano
lieing answered by the deeper voice of
Saint Francis which works up to a
beautiful chorale, played with strength
and dignity and contrasting with the
lightness  of   the   dialogue.
Mr. Saslawsky ended the programme
with a group of songs, the loveliest of
which were the two French ones^Jt*
nim and Mr. Alwyne. and also'to The"
tiro other artists we are much indebted
-.    CONTINUED. ON  PAGE  6
WILLA CATHER ON "THE
NOVEL"
Miss Willa Cather will speak on
"The Novel" at the Ann Sheble
Memorial Lecture on Thursday
evening. January l.'l, at eight
o'clock   in   Taylor.
Her   latest   novel.   The   Profes-
sor's    House,  -was    published    in
l !>�.�:,.      She   published    her    first
novel.   April   Twilights,    in    1903.
In all. she is the author of eleven
novels, among the   best known.of
which are One of Ours, the Pulit-
zer prize novel of  1922, and  The
Lest  Lady.    Miss  Cather  started
her   literary   career   as   a   member
of    the    staff   of   the   Pittsburgh
Daily   Lender.     From   1906   nntil
1013  she was  an  associate editor
of  McCIure's  Magazine.
MYSTERY MAN
PRESERVES SILENCE
Strange      Resemblance      Be-
tween Coolidge and Spokes-
man Noted.             0
HAS  VERMONT  ACCENT
Who   is   the   White   House
PREFER PARNASSUS
TO PROSAIC PAOLI
W. P. Eaton Advocates Great
Open Spaces as Aid   �
to "Lantern."
FINDS VERSE TORTURED
I sit. with the December "Lantern" on
my desk, and wonder why I was per-
suaded into reviewing it. It seems to
have so little connection with me, to be
so much the expression of a life I do
not know�for I never attended a wom-
an's college. Even if I had. would I
know any better? "Three on the Cam-
pus" makes me doubt it. There seems
to l>e no bridge across the sunderini;
ilood between '07 and '27. This sketch
has interested me more than anything
else in the * magazine, however. Its at-
titude appears as fresh and honest as its
technique is bewildered. (Of course, I
may be all wrong about the technique.
It "may possess the technique of "Ulysses."
though to me it seems to have none at
ajl.) And I wonder, if three Har.vard
elders should go back and live a week in
the Y'ard, whether their presence would
create so much resentment, or result in
so few sympathetic contacts? Of course,
fathers are afraid of their sons, and
mothers are never afraid of their daugh-
ters; that may explain much. But sons,
too. have come a shorter distance along
the road since 1907 than daughters have
�because they started far out front.
Probably now, however, they are in the
rear. The girls went past about 1924,
and will probably stay there, if they can
learn to give up singing college songs,
and naming automobiles.
"When Hounds Go By." of course, is
an  excellent  piece  of   description, clear.
CONTINUED <>N  PAOI �
WHAT ARE WOMEN AND
SONG WITHOUT WINE?
Sophomores Stage  Volsteadian
Montmartre.
If the gatherings of the true Apaches
in their smoky dens under the embank-
ments of the Seine surpass in wickedness
'he Sophomore dance in the gym last
Saturday night, they cannot equal'it in
gaiety. Apache costumes, if they d<> not
rvake for personal beauty, offer infinite
varieties of lurid color, and unlimited
possibilities of motion. So although the
antique bottles scattered gracefully on
tables were empty of all save suggestion,
the dancers tossed themselves aboiir^with
almost alcoholic violence, and even the
French posters on the wall and the long
crepe paper streamers above swayed
drunkenly back and   forth.
For once the gym did not look like the
gym. Atmosphere hung thick under the
low ceiling. In one corner crowds wit-
nessed a tavern brawl; in another loaded
dice clattered on the floor; innocent
Mimi. clinging to the arm of her Albert,
gazed wide-eyed at the antics of Kiki;
and the absinthe addict with death in his
hollow eyes, reeled out the last measure
on the edge of the grave; while over all
the heavy scent of perfume and paint
stirred the most stolid soul with Gallic
madness. To look devilish was the
�crTfefioii m*7uCT�mm, -,ni never has pres-
entation been more convincing.
CONTINUED  ON PAOI  4
spokes-
man.' Who appointed him? Haven't
these question* ever perplexed you.-as
well as Senator Reed, when you read
your morning paper? Haven't you
ever wondered what the Voice of
Coolidge looks like in the flesh ?
Well, I have seen the Voice of
Coolidge. I -have heard the Silence
of Coolidge. addressing the Washing-
ton correspondents in the bi-weekly
audience the spokesman grants them,
When we all shuffled into the round
green room I was overcome by sur-
prise. "Isn't it extraordinary." I said
to my sponsor, "how much the spokes-
man   looks like Coolidge?"
"Y�8," he replied, "many people
have remarked that. Perhaps it is the
constant association which makes
them resemble each other."
It really was amazing, for if I had
not been told beforehand, I should
never have believed that the figure
which stood behind a great desk and
waited for the class to assemble was
not Coolidge himself. At any rate,
the President seems to value his Voice
very highly; there was a secret serv-
ice man standing by the desk and look-
ing as if he expected us to kidnap the
spokesman.. You have to admit, it
would be very embarrassing for a
President to lose his Voice. I won-
dered if Coolidge sent that gilt Twis-
tum toy on the desk as a Christmas
gift to his Voice, as Alice used to send
letters to   her left foot.
More curious still, when the spokes-
man began.trit was with a Vermont
accent. "This is carrying servility too
far." I said to my friend. He smiled.
'Not so many years ago the White
House spokesman had an Ohio ac-
cent."' he  said,- quietly.
CONTINIKD OH   PAOI 2
MIDNIGHT BLAZE NETS LOSS
OF $45,000 IN PAINT SHOP
THE NEXT TO THE LAST!
T'-i. is the next to the last mis-
spelled word contest! Don't miss
this chance for a prize.
f The winners of the last compe-
tition are E. Morgan, '2S;^E.
Baxter, '.10. and M. Bunch. ':t0.
The rules are on another page
of   this  issue.
Cash prizes to winners:
, First prize ........$�; (m
Second prize......11.00
There are a number of mis-
spelled words in the advertise-
ments throughout this issue of
the Coi.i.kck N'kus. Here are the
rules to be followed in compel-
ing for the prizes:
I. On a sheet of paper write:
1.   The names of the advertis-
ers in whose advertisements
you find the misspelled
words.
2.   The misspelled \Cords.
::. Correct versions <>t the mis-
spelled words.
2   Give yoor answers to M. Gail-
laid.  Pembroke  West, by six
1'.    M.    Monday.   January   17.
The   names   of   the   prize-win-
ners will appear in the next issue
of  the   News.    Every subscriber
to  the   N'kus   is   eligible   for   this
contest.
Board members are ineligible.
li
"PLATO PRECEDED
ME," SAYS DURANT
Excludes   Jesus   and   Spinoza
from List of Ten Greatest
Thinkers.
VOLTAIRE    A    LINCOLN
ART CLUB CRISIS PASSED
First Time Bryn Mawr Students Have
Run and Financed a Class.
Specially contributed by \ ina Perm,
president   of the Art Club.
A crisis in the development of the Art
Club has just been passed. The clas*
met on Saturday morning, January 8,
on the to]> door of Taylor Hall among
the uprooted desks of the studio. .Mr.
Young and the officers of the Art Club
felt that the time had come for the
members to make a definite decision. On
what basis should the class continue, if
at all? It seems that the art enthusiasts
ave not realized their full responsibili-
ties. To be merely a member and pas-
dues  is not enough.
It was voted that those who felt they
could not share the burden implied in
pledging themselves to "Stick" by" the
club were asked to resign. Only two of
those present withdrew their names, not
because they were out of sympathy, but
liccause they were unable* to attend the
classes. The rest agreed unanimously to
continue next semester and establish the
basis   for   a  permanent  class.
To do this, a committee consisting of
Helen Tuttle. '28; Isabella Hopkinson.
"80, and Nine Perera. '28, were chosen
to form a constitution to be presented to"
the class for approval on W'ednesday.
February 2. at 7.30 in Room F, Taylor.
Movement to Endow Department
The Publicity Committee will meet
soon. Incidentally, if any students hap-
pen to be personally acquainted with
editors, communicate with N. Peren.
since their influence might be invaluable.
A struggle is impending, for the endow-
ing of a department is no small.item.
However, there is something unique in
our position, and perhaps the public will
be interested in our enthusiastic project.
For the first time at Bryn Mawr. we art
actually running a class and finadcingl.j*ij^��se
ourselves.
CONTINUED ON THE SIXTH  PAOE
Jesus, Buddha and Spinoza were
.Miiong the great figures left out of the
category of the Ten Greatest Thinkers,
which Mr. Will Durant, author of The
Story of Philosophy, expounded in Tay-
lor last Friday night, under the auspices
of   the   Speakers'  Bureau.
For Mr. Durant set himself the cri-
terion of the men who through their
thinking, not through their actions, emo-
tional appeal, have had the greatest in-
lluence on   humanity.
Confucius  First  Great  Philosopher.
Confucius was the first, not because
he was the founder of a religion, but
because be was a moral philosopher
preaching a system of ethics. He taught
the Chinese to use their intelligence as
a first step towards attaining world
peace�it was only an accident that a
religion grew out of his teaching.
"Wedding truth and beauty, as they
have never been married l>efore or since.
for beauty is rarely truthful"-�Plato
dominated the mind of Europe for 2000
years. It is curious that only the took*
of Plato which he intended for the peo-
ple, his efforts at popularizing philos-
ophy, remain. "In this. Plato was my
predecessor,1' declared .Mr. Durant.
Aristotle   Dominated   Middle   Ages.
Aristotle's case was exacUy the oppo-
site�only his technical books, his notes
for lectures, have survived, and even
then we know of ninety-nine books of
his. His systems of thinking dominated
medieval   philosophy. .
Rome produced no original thinker's,
so the next man admitted to Mr. Du-
rant's group was Thomas Aquinas, whom
Iv accepted "under protest," l>ecause.
while he recognized that Aquinas has a
tremendous influence, he felt that most
of his philosophy was wrong. He is
still the philosopher de rigueur of
Catholicism, and his books embalmed a
whole millennium of human thought.
Modernity  Begins With  Copernicus.
Copernicus, a voice out of Poland,
produced the greatest revolution in all
human thought by proving that the
earth, which Aquinas held to be God's
footstool, is only a drop of mud ih the
M~Wnity began with him.
for man was left to his own resources
Bryn    Mawr    Firemen    Risk
Lives Amid Fumes and
Flaring Flames.
STRONG  WIND DANGER
4         ___________
(Specially contributed by h'rederico de
Laguna.   1927.)
Less than ten  hours after the college
closed for the Christmas vacation, there
broke out   the   first   terrible   fire  on   the
campus since the davs of the now legend- ,
ary Denbigh blaze.    The long, one and a
half-story   building  back  of   the   varsity
tennis courts, which contained the college
paint,  carpentry   and   upholstery  shops,
was wrecked bj flames which raged from
about !�.::o until well after midnight. The
lire  was  not   discovered,  however,  until
16 o'clock, when the whole northend of
the building, the paint shop, was blazing
to the skies.    Mr. J. Foley. superintendent
of building, first noticed a disturbance in
the electric lights, and in going out of his
house to report it to the   Power House,
caught  sight of the flames, and sent in
an alarm to the B. If, Fire Station.    At
the  same time. Joseph  Graham, a night
watchman at Taylor Hall, discovered the
fire, and a second  alarm   was given by
Eugene Sullivan.   While the college siren
l/Atrieked   a   belated   warning,   your  cor-
respondent    and    most    of    the   college
faculty were running to the scene, think-
ing   that   Low   Buildings   was   on   fire.
Great relief was experienced when it was
discovered that this was not the case. Al-
ready the flames were shooting from the
windows   and   from   an   enormous   hole
in the roof, and were spreading rapidly
to the tops of the pine trees nearby. A
strong   wind   was   blowing   towards  the
college garage which  stands only a  few
yards away.
Laurels Go to Fire Department.
Too great praise cannot be given to the
Bryn Mawr Fire Department. This squad
of volunteer and unpaid men. under the
able direction of hire Chief Albert Par-
sons, broke all records in reaching the
spot.     The   alarm   was  given   at   10.05,
CONTINUED  ON  PAGE  4
KNULLEN VOYDE MAKES
, BEAU GESTE AT LAST
Prominent
Proposes
CONTINUED ON THE SIXTH   PAUK
Princetonlan
Peace.
To -the F.ditor,
Bryn Mawr College News,
. Bryn  Mawr,  Pennsylvania.
Dear   Madam:
Through a curious piece of ill-for-
tune, and I was never the kind to keep
cool with Calumny, I am in receipt of
a third-hand rumor that copies of my
child: A Book of Lamplight, were re-
ceived, sold, and proceeds devoted to the
building of a Bryn Mawr Summer
School. Madam, this is an outrage
against my better nature and my intelli-
gence. While it has always l>een a ques-
tion in my mind whether Bryn Mawr
girls should be allowed to go to college
at all, I am positive that they should be
kept out of  Summer  School.
The vandalism committed against my
profit is quite another thing. Of course,
you realize that we eminent authors,
trom Voyde all the way down to Vol-
taire, work for infamy, not for gain;
that our relations with the publisher are
organized on a financial margin about as
wide as   a  shoestring.
My book in Princeton was energet-
ically advertised. It was "the child of a
I rain of a child;" "the aristocrat among
Christmas presents, the Christmas pres-
ent ajnong aristocrats;" it was "like a
toothbrush, there should be at least one
in every family." Kven a "one-armed
telegrapher with the itch wasn't too busy
(0 read it." And when a young lady,
OB seeing an advance copy of my book,
exclaimed "How unique!" the author re-
plied indignantly: "Madam! I never
nigued  in   my  life."
However, a profit ;i r�tjiiyjj']..... honor
savc in  its own country.* At  Princeton,
CONTINUED ox PAOI 4