College News, 1930-12-17, Vol. 17, No. 09

              The College News
VOL. XVII, No. 9
WAYNE AND BRYN MAWR, PA., WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 17, 1930
PRICE,   10 CENTS
'- - ~<
Biography and Novel
Discussed by Maurois
Utility of Novel and Biography
Is    to    Help    Us    to
Know   Ourselves.
BIOGRAPHY   IS   POPULAR
{Specially ci'ijtril'Hirtl by Gertrude
Mocotee. "31.)
There are several question.-, that arc
brought up by the study of the novel
mil biography; why one reads novels
and biographies; why one writes them,
and whether trie methods of writing
them are the same for both.
One of the answers t>> the first ques-
tion is that our life docs not satisfy
'is. Our primitive ancestors had a
much fuller existence. They had
Stronger emotions because of the forces
�>f fear and lumper, more adventures in
real life. In time of war, novels and
biographies are scarcely' ever written
because, then, life is full of excitement.
We are avid for adventure, but we are
creatures of society, and therefore we
fear them. We are not courageous
nough to face the consequences of
them. We turn for <Mir adventure to
novels and biography. Their charac-
ters substitute for us with their own.'
One of the useful sicb-s of novels and
biography is that they give us the
idventurc refused ns ill real life.
Another answer to the, question is
that life is difficult and complex. When
we are young, we are disturbed by
our own emotions. \\c need to know
that others have been like us, have
felt the same things. Older friends
who might tell us do not dare to ex-
pose their feelings on the subject. One
never entirely knows even one's best
friends, one's parents, one's husband
or wife. It is only the novelist who
dares to say ever) thing, because he
thinks that, in speaking through his
characters, he is not revealing himself.
It is the same tiling for the biographer.
In their works the readers seek them-
selves. The utility of novels and biog-
raphies is to give ua the power of
knowing ourselves.
Time, while wc arc living in it, is
lost. The only means of recovering
time, of fixing it so that wc may* look
at it. is art. This i< the third reason
for the existence of novels and biog-
raphies.
Relative Importance of Novfel and
Biography
Which is the more important and the
more useful, the novel or' the biog-
raphy? Since the war, biographies
have become more widely read. There
has been a mass production of them.
A new group of readers has sprung up,
to whom history is new. We are pass-
ing through a period of disturbance;
the questions of the day are how to
avoid another war or another revolu-
tion. To solve this question we ask
how others have solved ft in the past.
History and biography answer this for
ns.
Biography is a form of history which
emphasizes the importance of the re-
nnrkable individual. We have need of
this; because of the progress of indus-
try and science we have come to con-
sider men only as parts of a great ina-
�hinc. The individual is the important
rhing.^and biography has restored the
.aluc of the individual.
Bat there are also arguments in
favor of the novel. It is clearer than
the btognfphy. The subject of a biog-
raphy is* a real and complex person;
one thinks one understands his char-
acter and suddenly he has slipped away.
The characters of a novel do not slip
away; they are simpler than in real life
because the author constructs them.
In the field of the novel they have be-
come more and more complex but still
rcniain simpler than people in real life.
Another advantage of the novel is
that it can study the depths of human
thought, the subconscious. The stream
of consciousness method is impossible
in biography.
Therefore though biographies have
become popular recently, the novel is
CflNTINUBD ON   THK  THIRD   HU1
Lewis Browne tq Speak
Mr. Lewis Browne will-lei -
turc under the auspices of the
Undergraduate Association on
Tuesday evening, January 6. Mr.
Browne lias become widely
known since the publication of
his volume on comparative re-
ligions. 'This Believing World,"
which was published in 1926. A
book published the year before
"Stranger Than Fiction," a his-
tory of the Jews, also entitles him
to recognition as an author and
a religious authority, since it has
been accepted as u classic in its
held. In 1927 "That Mm
' ..fine." ;i splendid biography ot
the German poet, came out. His
latest book is ""The Graphic
Bible,''   which  has   been  running
serially in newspapers through
out the country. The great sue
cess of all these books may be
accounted for by the accuracy
of the scholarship which they rc-
_VflV by the humanity of insight
with which problems are probed
and explained and by the in
cisivc clearness and brilliance of
their language.
The subject of Mr. Browne's
lecture in (loodhart will be "A
Morality for the Intelligent," in
which the contemporary revolu-
tion in morality is to be dis-
cussed in respect to its origins,
historical parallels,, and possible
consequences. Radical and con-
servative theories on the subject
will be introduced and an at-
tempt will be made to indicate a
way out of the ethical chaos of
_ our time.
Report of Curriculum
Committee Outlined
English, Science and Philosophy
or Psychology Recommended
As New Requireds.
EXAM PERIOD TOO BRIEF
l Specially contributed by Margaret
McKelvy. '31, chairman of the Under-
graduate Curriculum  Committee.)
The Undergraduate Curriculum
Committee is composed of ten mem-
bers, appointed by the Student Council
and the old and new chairmen. In
most cases the vice president of the
Undergraduate Association acts as
chairman of the committee, while the
president holds an ex-Mlicio position.
This year the committee is made up of:
Chairman:   Margaret   McKelvy.
Ex-officio:  Helen Bell.
1931: Caroline Thompson, Dorothea
Jenkins, Elizabeth Bacr. Sydney Sulli-
van.
1932: Virginia Butterworth, Gertrude
Woodward, Elizabeth  Pleasants.-
1933: Hester Fay, Anna Walcott.
1934: To be appointed after Christ-
mas.
The report handed in to the Faculty
Curriculum Committee this fall is sum-
mari/ed as follows:
The committee ^recommended that
the number of required units be re-
duced from five to three�that is, First
Year English, Science and a choice
between Philosophy and Psychology.
No change in the language require-
ment* was suggested.
It was recommended that we return
to the old mid-year schedule, as the
present one was felt to be too short,
since extra work will be given in those
courses that do not have examinations,
and the schedule allows for only one
day of preparation beforehand, in place
CONTINUED ON TUB FOURTH PAOH
High Honors
In the rating of the Junior
groups last year in Nancy, dur-
ing their year in France, first
place was won by Sylvia Mark-
ley and third place by Louise
Howland.
Undergraduate Immaturity
Responsible for Overwork
The question of overwork, said Mrs.
.Manning speaking in Chapel last Thurs-
day morning, December 11, is a peren-
nially interesting one. Two factors she
believes make it difficult for faculty
and students to agree on this .ques-
tion: first, the constant pressure in
this country to be lining many things at
once, and, secondly, the immaturity of
the American college student.
Many students subordinate their col-
lege work to something they consider
rrtftre important: for examukv-"coming
out." hockey, or football. To accommo-
date (hem sum,- of the men's colleges give
what are commonly known as "gentle-
men's courses."
The immaturity of the average college
freshman is the result of the limitations
of the American preparatory school. His
background is not as complete as that of
the English and continental student nor
is he familiar, as they are. with books
written for adults. Perhaps he is as
ready to think for himself but obviously
he is not as ready to cover ground.
Nevertheless much ground must be cov-
ered : the college must give him a proper
perspective before specialized research
work can be sanely done.
Stories 'of students studying eighty
hours a week and of Biology students
who read chapter one but were quizzed
on chapter two wrung her heart, Mrs.
Manning said.. Practical suggestions for
alleviating the strain of quizzes and re-
ports will he welcomed by the faculty,
shc^added. The former, although a neces-
sary part of college work, - might without
disastrous effect be reduced in number.
The undergraduate curriculum committee
s making a study of the comparative
time spent on various courses and will
be glad of data from students as to the
proportion of-their studying time taken
up by each of their courses. Evidence
that would seem to show that work was
more evenly distributed this year, how-
ever, than before is the fact that com-
plaints of overwork were made before
Thanksgiving, a strange phenomenon
this.
Dean Manning concluded by giving
practical advice to those who complain
of too much reading. If you can't get
through the reading do as much as you
can but make an effort to read faster.
The ideal plan is to draw up a working
schedule allowing plenty of time for
study, sleep and exercise and then to stick
to it. One must learn to use judgment.
In planning orte's time so as to get the
work done and yet not wear oneself out.
One should learn, if one's schedule is too
heavy, to choose what are the most im-
portant things to be done. The graduate
students it seems have learned this les-
son for they never complain of overwork.
It is an evidence' of immaturity in the
undergraduates that they do not know-
how to plan their work for themselves.
Varsity Players and Cap and Bells Present
Uneven Performance of Mediocre Shaw Play
Sensitive and Intelligent Designing of Sets and Brilliant Work of
Ethel Dyer Are Otstanding Features of Joint Production.
Competent Acting in Minor Parts.
UNPLEASANT     EFFECT     CREATI
BY    SHOUTING
{Specially contributed by l>r. Stefben
.1. Hcrbcu)
The innovation of joint dramatic
productions took place two winters ago.
so there was no element of novelty in
the ratting of "The Devil's Disciple."
which opened Friday night in (lood-
hart Hall. On the contrary, there was
a standard of judgment which had been
established by the two earlier perform-
ances. In one way, this was a mis-
fortune to the company, for their ef-
fort* were inevitably to be compared
with the splendid production of "The
Constant Xyniph" and therefore with
work of unusual excellence. Any such
comparison would be unfavorable to
this year's play, but the Conclusions
would be completely just.
In the first place, the choice of ve-
hicle. "The Devil's Disciple," was not
the best; indeed, in many ways it is a
very bad play. The absurdities of the
last scene of Act III need not be em-
phasized.. It would .require more than
genius to make those mutations con-
vincing, nor would much be gained by
the labor. Though the plot be hack-
neyed and stupid enough, many of the
lines are surpassing in their bathos
and outworn jesting. Surely irony at
thV expense of the general staff and
the war office is hardly worth per-
petuating. What the play does possess
is a wealth of individual scenes vir-
tually made to order for the major ac-
tors, and upon them the success of the
production depends.
The   sets   contributed   no   little   part
Harold Bauer to
Be Pianoforte Soloist
The third concert in the Bryn Mawr
Seriei will be a pianoforte recital by
the famous master pianist. Harold
Bauer. Born near London in 1873, of
German-English parentage, Mr. Bauer
lirst entered the musical profession as
a violinist, until, at the age of nineteen,
he turned to the piano, which hence-
forth was his chosen  instrument.
He first came to tffc United States
in 1900. being the first pianist who
sought to popularize Brahms' piano
music in this country.
He is one of the few musicians tu
be decorated by the French Govern-
ment, who have, made him successively
an officer of the French Academy, an
Officer of Public Instruction and a
member of the Legion of Honor. He
has edited and revised some important
works, and, besides standing in the first
rank as a soloist, he is a highly accom-
plished ensemble player. As a pianist
he has always been noted for his won-
derfully sympathetic interpretation of
the music of Brahms, Schumann and
Franck,
Choir Gives Varied
Christmas Program
Carols and a Spiritual Combined
with Bach and
Handel.
SINGING   ^ENTHUSIASTIC
The Carol Service of the Bryn Mawr
League was held on Sunday evening, De-
cember 14, in the Music Room. Prayers
were led by the Reverend N. B. Groton,
and selections of Christmas music were
sung by the choir under the direction of
Ernest Willooghby.
The program united the spirit of won-
der that characterizes both the "English
Traditional Carol" and the "the Negro
Spiritual," with the grandeur of Handel's
Messiah and Bach's Christinas Oratorio.
But the simple balladry of the carol may
charm, where an equally skillful inter-
pretation of classical music fails to sat-
isfy. So it was that the choir's har-
miiiiization of the carols, though imper-
fect at moments, seemed delightful and
altogether fitting, but the shouts of exul-
tation in the excerpts from the two
Oratorios seemed harsh and unrestrained
rather than rich in tonal quality. The
choir met with difficulties in the Handel
and Bach not only because of the con-
trapuntal technicalities, but because an
Oratorio is intended for a full choru> of
men's as well as women's voices. Also
the introduction of both the piano and the
organ in the last Chorale of the selections
from the Christmas Oratorio only de-
tracted from the total effect.
The solo part in The Ueicjordshirc
Carol was rendered quietly and with clar-
ity, but the soloist, J. E. Polachefc '34,
did not seem quite sure of herself. The
Recitative from The Messiah, sung by
S. Zezen, '31, was brilliant but over-
exclamatory. As soloist in There's a
Star in the Baal Miss Zeben skillfully
caught the strange ecstasy of the negro
spiritual.
The choir may have failed on certain
� .iVTINIIBD ON TUB FOURTH  PAU*
to the impressions of the audience and
helped to compensate for some of the
grosser inenjiiudfl/ They were de-
signed with sensitivity and understand
ing. fornung excellent backgrounds for
the grouping of the players. The
handling of the cast on the stage, par-
ticularly in the ensemble scenes, was
beyond criticism. Visually, the per-
formance was a delight.                <*
But why should the ears of an audi-
ence, which was already predisposed
toward the company, have been af-
flicted with the incessant and offensive
rant and yelling that marked every
act? Seldom have the rightly abused
acoustics of Goodhart been forced to
respond to such tasteless shouting and
mouthing of lines. Where the respon-
sibility for this lies, one can but sur-
mise, but it lies heavily. Miss Zeben,
we know, possesses an unusually lovely
vuice_and.it was with a distinct sense
of shock that one heard her forcing it
into an unintelligible roar. Similarly
the atrocious delivery of Mr. Kdgar
at the end of Act II and of Mr. Fields
in Act II should not have survived
rehearsal.
The 'Devil's Disciple' Makes Most of
Part
In other respect., the acting was
of a high order, Mr. Gray in the title
role made the most of his part, and
any lack of conviction may be charged
to Mr. Shaw rather than to him. Mr.
Edgar as the Reverend Anthony An-
derson distinctly overplayed his biggest
scene at the ond of Act II, but com-
pensated for this in the rest of his
acting. The less important parts were
well cast and well done. Perhaps
those of General Burgoyne. the Ser-
geant and the simplest member of the
Dudgeon family will remain longest in
the memory of the audience.
The most impressive work was that
of Miss Dyer as Judith Anderson. It
has been a pleasant privilege to see
her |"-rii"finances � through three sea-
sons and to watch her acting develop-
ing in maturity aud competence. As
Judith, she got every bit out of. the
part, playing the role with restraint
aud yet with all the warmth that it
needed. Similarly Miss Hobart as
Essie made the most of her role, but
it was one that offered small^oppor-
tunity for individual effort.
The whole performance, in retro-
spect, was well set, competently
handled by the technical staff and dis-
turbingly acted. There were moments,
indeed, sustained passages of thor-
oughly satisfying playing interrupted
by ei|nall> disappointing episodes. It
wa_Njin indifferent play unevenly pro-
duced. It is to be hoped that there
will be further joint productions with
the Cap and Bells Club of Haverford
ind that greater success will reward
the work of the two groups.
The cast was as follows:
Mrs.  Dudgeon..................Shcema Zeften
Kssie  ..............................Virginia  Hobart
Christy Dudgeon....Herbert Clough. Jr.
Rev. Anthony Anderson,
George  B.  Edgar
Judith   Anderson............F.thel  C.   Dyer
Lawyer Hawkins.
Lockhart  Ammerman
Titus Dudgeon............Hyde W. Ballard
William Dudgeon............R. W. Colomy
Richard Dudgeon......John H. Gray, Jr.
Sergeant  ........................Philip E.  Truex
Major Swindon....................Harry Fields
General Burgoyne...'...........W. M. Maier
Mr.  Brudenell, the chaplain,
J. B. LaDue, Jr.
Dudgeon Relatives: Miriam Dodge,
Emma Paxson, Eleanor Stonington.
Emily Smith, Mabel Mechau. J T.
Golding and E. G. Upeitz.
British Ofikers: T. S. Brown. E. G.
Loomis. Jr., C. Bancroft and M. Tel-
ler
/