College News, 1927-12-20, Vol. 14, No. 10

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e G o 11 e g e N e.^8
VOL. XIV.   No. 19-.
BRYN MAWR   (AND WAYNE),  PA..   TUESDAY, DECEMBER20,1927
I:
PRICE,   10 CENTS
M. BARKER STARS
IN CRADLE SONG
Quiet    Scenery   and    Acting
Contribute to Convent
Atmosphere.
DIRECTED    BY    HUPFEL
Varsity Dramatics' performance olThe
Cradle Song, by G. Martinez Sierra, on
Saturday, December 17, had a high de-
gree of excellence unusual in a college
play. It was felt by every one to have
been a fortunate choice, since almost all
the parts were for women, and since the
simplicity of setting and action gave
scope for artistic achievement.
The scenery, quiet grey cloister walls
with rounded arches and* stained glass
windows, was particularly effecrive; and
the grouping of the characters were care-
fully arranged so that every moment the
stage presented a pleasing picture.
Contrasting   Leads  in  First   Act
In the first act, the glimpses of home-
life in a convent were amusing, and
charming; and the action as well as the
Nuns moved smoothly. Caroline Crosby,
as the Prioress, mingled dignity with
sweetness; her voice had a pleasing re-
straint. All the voices were good, which
added a great deal to the beauty^of the
performance. The Vicaress, Cicely
Hamilton, with her biting criticisms and
"May the Lord absolve me from mal-
ice!" attitude contrasted admirably with
the patience of the Prioress; her acting
all the way through was consistantly
good. The group of Novices were well
cast and characterized, although Sister
Marcella overdid her part to a certain
extent.
By far the best piece of acting was
Margaret Barker's interpretation of
Sister Joanna of the Cross. It was a
very difficult part, but she saved it from
sentimentality, and provided each act
with a highly emotional ending. Her
scene with Theresa had a lyrical quality
of pure poetry.
Years  Unmarked by  Make-up
The contrast between the first and
second acts was not so marked as it
might have been. Only the principle
characters gave any indication that they
CONTINUED  ON   PAGE   3
"v.
I. Q.'s and Scholarship
Compared; Results Vague
Esther Crane, of Goucher College,
writing for School and Society, presents
some very interesting data about the
value of Psychological tests. She com-
pares the Bryn Mawr tests from the
classes of 1924, 1925, 1926, 1927 and
1928, with the Academic records of the
students.
"Such comparisons," she says, "are
not particularly helpful for individual
predictions when a particular student
has tested high in a Thurstone test
all that can be judged on the basis of
the limited data here presented is that
thdfc are about six chances out of ten
that she will stand in the upper half
of her class, about three chances out
of ten that she will stand in the lower
half of her class, and less than one
chance in ten that she will withdraw
from college without graduating. On
the other hand, when a student has
tested very low in a Thurstone test,
all that can be judged on the basis of
such data is that there are about two
chances out of ten that she will stand
in the upper half of her class, about
six chances out of ten that she will
stand in the lower half and two chances
out of ten that she will not graduate.
Such prediction is of no value in giv-
ing educational guidance to an indi-
vidual student. Moreover, if a college
is able to admit all the applicants who
meet its requirements, it would doubt-
less be unwise to exclude those stu-
dents who are lowest in the psycho-
logical tests, on the basis of these
findings; but if a college is unable to
,' admit all the candidates who meet its
requirements, then it might find some
value even in a psychological test
which gives no better predictions than
CONTINTJBD ON  PAOB   8
Poetry Excels Prose in
Conventional Lantern
Specially    contributed    by    MillicEnt
Carey
Neither insensitive critic nor supersen-
sitive reader could characterize the De-
cember Lantern as decadent or precious.
The tone is serious, personal, even .moral.
For the most part, the stories a$e straight-
forward, and the poetry is conventional
in theme and form.
The prose in the number has little to
mark it as interesting or significant. Miss
Salinger's story of a college graduate de-
ciding between duty and ambition has
some vividness, especially in the depiction
of Natalie Brent's thoughts, but the dia-
logue is forced, and the reversal at the
end entirely unmotivated. Nil Dcspcran-
dum gives a good picture of a man hav-
ing stage fright, but again the end is un-
satisfactory�almost childish. A Man of
God has some nice description and a sit-
uation which offers possibilities. How-
ever, the expository method is diffuse
and unsatisfying, and the situation does
not quite come off. Miss Wright's essay,
Carpe Diem, is pleasantly seventeenth
century in tone, but, for modern taste,
self-conscious in style and labored in its
marshaling of quotations. The best
piece of prose is Miss Phillips' The
Daily Round: a sketch of a real person
living a real life. The style is straight-
forward, and the detail is extremely
vivid�in short, this "slice of life" is suc-
cessfully cut.
The verse is more interesting than the
prose.    In one or two cases, the prosody
CONTINUED  ON  PAGE  3
Oxford Summer Course
England in Nineteenth Century
to Be Studied in All Its
Aspects.
1897 DEDICATES
NlW COMMON ROOM
Fireplace,  Book  Shelves  and
Organ Fijnd to Be
Memorials.
SINGING      ^AS      GOOD
"A visit to Oxford, residence in a col-
lege, lectures by many eminent men and
women, discussion classes, sight-seeing
parties to Oxford's most famous colleges
and to neighboring places of interest�in
short, the experiencing for a brief space
of all that is best in an Oxford student's
life�this was for the first time made
possible to American women of limited
leisure and means in 1926. A two and
a half weeks' Summer Vacation Course
was organized by the Women's Societies
of Oxford, and proved .so successful that
it has been decided to hold another such
course, for American Women Teachers
and Graduates, in 1928, from July 6th to
27th.
"The subject will be 'England in the
Nineteenth Century: 1815-1900.' Each
morning there will be two lectures, short
series having been arranged on literary,
historical,   political   and   scientific  topics.
Will See Historic  Spots
"Students will be lodged in the Wom-
en's Colleges, where they will have the
opportunity of meeting some of the
Tutors, who will be in residence as in
term. Every effort will be made to pro-
vide as many glimpses into typically
English life as possible. We hope to
make the students acquainted with
English music, folk-dancing and singing;
they will drive to Stratford-on-Avon, for
a performance of one of Shakespeare's
plays by the well-known Festival Com-
pany ; to Sulgrave Manor, the ancestral
home of the Washington family; and to
other places of interest in the neighbor-
ing country. They will be shown Ox-
ford's own architectural treasures under
trained guidance.
"A limited number of places will be
reserved until May 1st for students who
intend to enter upon the work of teach-
ing jfl-'-the Secondary Schools in the au-
tumn  of   1928.    L
CONTINUED  ON  PAOB  4
No Smoking!
The Executive Board of the
S e 1 f-Government Association
wishes to point out that students
are never allowed -to smoke
within the jurisdiction of the As-
sociation, except in the places
expressly stated in the rule. The
fact that a student is visitirtft or
staying at home makes no dif-
ference in regard to this rule. Y
-------------------------------------------&*.
On Sunday afternoon the Common
Room in Goodhart Hall was dedicated
by the class of 1897. The room was com-
fortably filled with alumnae and under-
graduates, most of whom were seeing
it for the first time. Miss Mary Camp-
bell, who was president of '97 for four
years, gave a short talk in which she
told the story of the giving of the Com-
mon Room by her class. "The class,"
she said, "made the gift hoping that we
would find rest and comfort there. It
was Katrina Tiffany's inspiration that
it should Ik our gift on the occasion of
our 30th reunion, last year. On March
11th Mrs. Tiffany died, after only a
week's illness, just before her first com-
mittee meeting. Due to the generoqs r*i
sponse of everyone, the class has been
able to carry on her work.
"The gift is being dedicated to three
members of the class: To Mildred Min-
turn Scott, 'who died in 1922, the book-'
shelves and books are dedicated, as an
affectionate tribute to the kingdom of
her mind. The class hopes to give new
books every year; in each one there is
to be a bookplate with Mrs. Scott's name
on it. A^part of the fund for the in-
stallation of the organ is dedicated to
Lydia Foulke Hughes. One of our
earliest and fondest memories is the
sound of her beautiful voice singing
"Who Is Silvia?" The mantle and fire-
place are given in memory of Katrina
Tiffany, to keep alive her flaming torch
that never will die down. The whole
room, indeed,  is a symbol of her  pres-
CONTINUBD  ON  PAGB  4
1
God Is More Real to the
Rahabs Than the Ruths
"Tonight instead of a Christmas ser-
mon I am going to give you a pre-
Christmas sermon," said Dr. Henry
Sloane Coffin, speaking in Chapel on
Sunday, December 18. The genealogy
with which the New Testament starts is
usually a sticking point, he said, but those
for whom the first gospel was written
had an interest in ancestry. Several very
interesting characters appear in the long
line of Christ's ancestors. One, who
seems queerly placed in the list of saints,
was Rahab, a jaded habitue of Jericho's
underworld. She espoused the religion
of Jehovah from fear, but, although her
morals were abominable, her faith was
superb. Another interesting character
was Ruth, whose words to Naomi form
the classic utterance of fidelity. For her
religion was merely part of her family
obligation; Jehovah was thrown in with
her mother-in-law. Ruth was a direct
contrast to Rahab in every way yet she
also was in the communion of saints.
Ruth had much faithfulness and little
faith, Rahab had little but faith. The
interesting contrast is their difference in
religious experience. Rahab progressed
through religion to morality, Ruth
through morality to religion; Rahab
had the maximum belief and minimum
conscience, Ruth the minimtun belief and
maximum conscience, and yet they both
had the same end as faithful and devoted
wives. They both entered the Kingdom,
but through diametrically opposed doors.
God is far more real t^j the Rahabs of
the world, gripped by passions and domi-
nated by fearful destructive forces as
they are, than to the Ruths. The Rahabs
have experienced God; He has rescued
them and is the most obvious fact in
their lives. The Ruths, on the other
hand, live with God as unconsciously as
they breathe air. The Rahabs make more
selfish demands on God and say "Hide
me, Savior." The Ruths ask of God
only in order to help their Naomis. God
has no preference but takes whatever is
alive spiritually and uses it for His
service.
"The   Ruths   and   the   Rahabs    find
it    hard    to    understand    one    another,
CONTINTJBD ON  PAOB  8
Barnes Wanted
The May Day Committee
4 wishes to remind the students to
bring back from vacation lists jjf
names of people to whom May *
Day invitations may be sent.
This mailing list is to include
the names of all th^ people
whom the student body believes
would be interested in receiving
information a^out the program
anjd the organization of May
Day. We are asked to co-oper-
ate by furnishing all possible
names,' whether or not we be-
lieve that they may be included
OH  the  lists, anyway.
GLEE CLUB GIVES
VARIED PROGRAM
Committee Chosen
"Woman   in   the   Moon"   Only
New Play�Sixth Still
Undecided.
The May Day Committee has been
working steadily on the organization of
the executive side of its work. The
latest announcements from headquarters
include the names of Mr. King's advis-
ory committee, and the tentative list of
plays to be given; this last information is
subject to change without notice.
Mr. King's committee includes three
members of each-class; its function is
a systematic effort to learn of all possi-
ble dramatic abilities in the college.
Many are probably latent, and need only
a certain amount of encouragement to
spring forth in the full glory of their
hidden possibilities. The members of the
committee from the class of '28 are Pa-
lache, McKelvcy and Hupfel; from the
class of '29, Fain, M. R. Humphry and
B. Humphries; from the class of '.10,
Barker, Wickes and Bigelow; and from
the class of '31, Drake, Burroughs and
Turner.
Try-outs in January
On Thursday, January 5, the first try-
outs will be held. During the following
weeks they will be held on Mondays,
Tuesdays and Thursdays. People are
not being asked to try out for definite
parts, but, rather each person is to be
tried in a certain type of part: no one
is to be overlooked when once the vigi-
lance committee begins its college-wide
canvass. "When the tryout lists are
posted it is most emphatically hoped that
all people who know of any possible
ability on the part of a friend, wiU re-
port it either to Miss Applcbcc or to a
member of the committee. The'May
Day Committee wishes to stress the fact
that May Day is for everybody, and is
not merely the production of a few com-
mittee members!
List  of  Plays Compiled
The Undergraduate Board and the Ad-
visory Committee are going to meet very
soon to discuss plans for the organization
of next semester's work. Until their
plans are completed this tentative list of
plays must stand: Robin Hood, Pecle's
Old Wire's Tale, The Midsummer
Night's Dream and the Mumming Play
of 5"/. George and The Dragon. Thi.-
will be "the third May Day on which
The Old Wife's Talc has been given.
The other plays mentioned above have
been given on every May Day since their
inauguration. The mumming play is to
be given on the green this year to repre-
sent an told English fair. The mum-
ming plays were always given by the
people on festive occasions and they are
not dramas in themselves. The new
play to be given this year is Lyly's
Woman in the Moon, which was sug-
gested for production by Dr. Horace
Howard Furness, Jr. The -committee
has done a great deal of reading and
thinking on the subject of the sixth play
to be given; Mr. King has suggested As
You Like It, but, as yet, no definite con-
clusions have been reached.
Last May Day nine plays were given,
and they were so arranged that it was
impossible to see all of them during the
two days' performanc*f Consequently
only six are to be give/ this year. Every
one in college will have some part in one
of these productions, except for about
200 people who will perform upon the
green. The part played by this group
will be described in a future article.
Under  Mr.  Willoughbys  Di-
rection Difficulties Were
Surmounted.
M.    qpSS    SINGS    SOLO
(Specially Contributed by HotACE
Ai.wyn)
Last Thursday evening the Glee Club
gave its Christmas Concert, whjch takes
the place of the usual Gilbert & Sullivan
Opera in the May Day year. This will
probably be the last Concert to be given
in Taylor Hall and formed a fitting and
excellent conclusion to Taylor's years
of usefulness in that connection.   �
There was a large and very enthusias-
tic audience and the Glee Club on this
occasion set an entirely new standard for
itself, not only in the point of view in
the program presented but in the de-
gree of excellence of the performance.
Mr. Willoughby is to be congratulated
most sincerely on the splendid work he
has accomplished in so short a period
as eight weeks, with a chorus, the per-
sonnel of which changes every year,
many of the members having had little
or no former experience in a cappella
singing. Now such an excellent begin-
ning has been made in attempting works
of such value and difficulty as Palestrina,
Purcell, the English Madrigal School,
etc., it would be a great pity if the Glee
Club were to rest on its laurels with this
concert and not make the Christmas
Concert an annual event. This would
not entail in any way the giving up of
the May performance of Gilbert & Sulli-
van (in other than May Day years) but
would form an important addition to the
cultural value of music in the College.
The experience of taking part in the per-
formance of great music, such as Pales-
trina or Bach, adds something to a stu-
dent's intellectual development which is
of very real and lasting worth, a worth
which educational institutions all over
the country are slowly beginning to rec-
ognize at its true valuation. While the
importance of hearing great music has
been greatly recognized, the recognition
of the equally great importance of taking
part in it has been of slower growth. It
is thus that the student is made to be, in
Wagner's phrase, "a partner in the be-
coming," and it is unbelievable that any
student   with   the   slightest  capacity   for
CONTINUED  ON   PAGB  2
Women Have Influence
in Improving: China
"The political and military confu-
sion in China, combined with the
breaking down of the railroads and
other minor difficulties with which
that country is now impeded, is apt
to make us feel down-hearted and dis-
couraged as to the future of those mil-
lions, struggling for what they think is
freedom."
"But there arc certain conditions"
said Mrs. Wood speaking in chapel ort
Friday, December 16, "which are prov-
ing tremendously advantageous to the
people of China."
Size of Alphabet  Reduced
The first is the interest of the peo-
ple in doing away with the thousands
of characters, which people of the low-
est classes must learn before they can
read a Chinese newspaper. The youth
of China, realizing the necessity of
spreading education, have- devised the
following plan: a thousand of the most
useful characters of the language have
been picked out for general informa-
tion. Newspapers and books are pub-
lished which contain only the specified
thousand characters, and which have,
thereby, accomplished a great deal in
spreading information throughout the
country.        >                               �
While this plan is a considerable
step in advance, it is only temporary.
Eventually. China will have to leave her
well-loved classical* characters and
turn to a Romanized alphabet          j
The second advantageous move-
ment  is  the  tremendous  influence  of
CONTINUED  ON  PAOB S