College News, 1935-02-27, Vol. 21, No. 14

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The College News
VOL. XXI, No. 14
BRYN MAWR AND WAYNE, PA., WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 1935
t'opyrlRlit  BUVX  MAWR
COLLEQK    NEWS,     1916
PRICE 10 CENTS
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Mrs. Piccard Relates
Story of Air Flight
'B.    M.   Alumna    Accompanies
Husband In Investigation
Of Cosmic Rays
STRATOSPHERE REACHED
Goodhart, Feb. 25.�Mrs. Jean Pic-
card, Bryn Mawr alumna, and wife
of the famous stratosphere flier, Dr.
Jean Piccard, lectured simply and en-
thusiastically on her husband's work
and on the epochal flight which they
made together as co-workers in 1934.
She has ascended higher into the air
than any other woman and has gath-
ered important data on the nature of
the cosmic ray, which she and Dr.
Piccard hope to be able to harness for
practical use, even though precisely
what it is cannot be determined any
more than the precise nature of elec-
tricity.
Although her husband was born in
Switzerland, ami taught and studied
on the Continent long before he came
to the United States as an assistant
professor at thte University of Chi-
cago, Mrs. Piccard is an American
both by birth and training. She took
her degree at Bryn Mawr College,
while President Thomas was still in
office, and she remembers as a symbol
of the spirit possessed both by the col-
lege and Miss Thomas, a time when
the president, walking by her, said, "I
do not walk so fast as you who are
young; do you go on ahead." That
was what Miss Thomas always de-
sired, that others should go on ahead
even where she could not; and this
is the goal towards which Bryn Mawr
has aimed, that it should enable others
to go on. In arts and literature, the
purpose has been accomplished, but
not yet in the field of science.
After her graduation here, Mrs.\
Piccard studied chemistry at the Uni-
versity of Chicago, where she met Dr.
Piccard. Upon her marriage with
him, his scientific life became hers un-
til on his greatest experiment and
flight she could act as pilot, first mate,
and crew for him.
To make the construction   of   the
stratosphere balloon   more  clear  and
logical to the audience, Mrs. Piccard
first showed on the screen pictures of
Continued on Page Five
News Try Outs
The College New* announced
the beginning of its regular
spring tryouts for Freshmen,
Sophomores and Juniors who
wish to compete for positions on
the Editorial Board. There are
five or six regular positions
open and there is especial need
for a music critic, and for a
Sports Editor. Anyone inter-
ested should come to the Netve
office in Goodhart at 6.00 P. M.
on Thursday, February 28.
Women Write Novels
With Natural Talent
Sheila Kaye-Smith Says Women
Are Receptive Rather Than
Creative
NOVEL HAS FOUND PEAK
Day Letter Received
On 1932 Big May Day
(The following is a day letter re-
ceived Saturday, February 23):
Editor of College Newt  -
I am sailing within ..our for some
months abroad or would' write to you,
but I have just heard from alumnae
in New York that May Day, the most
beautiful pageant in America, is not
being given this spring because, in
the opinion of Mrs. Manning, as print-
ed in the College News, there is no
director sufficiently experienced at
hand to organize it and this when you
have in Mrs. Chadwick-Collins the
greatest director of any May Day
This is always a tremendous under-
taking because there is l:ttle money
and you cannot have any deficit and
because there is not unlimited time for
rehearsals and yet every detail is
judged by critics of pageantry which
has reached such a state of perfec-
tion as if you had all the time and
money needed. Every May Day has
its own difficulties and at one time in
11)20 these seemed to me unsurmount-
able, but you always 1"" through them
and if in 1932 there was confusion it
can be understood with an extra
Shakespearean play and no Miss Ap-
\ plebee for the green and so a new di-
rector of the green to be trained. And
oven the green in 1932 was unsur-
passed and with the financial situation
as it was and to have no deficit in
1932 was a triumph of organization.
Mrs. Collins took all that went before
and added her own in the perfect co-
ordination of every detail so that all
who know acknowledge she produced
the perfect May Day and all future
ones can only aim to equal  that of
1932.                         ��
Maud  Skinnkr.
(Mrs. Otis SkinneK )
Goodhart, Feb. 21. � "Women are
naturally associated with art, yet man
has been the leader and often the sole
performer in art through the ages,"
said Miss Sheila Kaye-Smith, who
-spoke here recently on Pioneer Wom-
en Novelists. Why is it that women
have not kept up with men in this
field? It is not the fault of men that
they have achieved more than women.
Perhaps the best answer is that wom-
en are more realistic than men, and
are receptive rather than creative.
Novel writing came closest to their
particular talents and inclinations and
women have been leaders in this field
from the very beginning. They have
brought new blood and fresh ideas into
novel writing and have done just as
*ood work as any of the men.
The first novel was written by Sam-
uel Richardson. Fiction had been
written before, but there was no at-
tempt made in such stories to show
character or analyze emotions. Pamela
was the first appearance of a form of
fiction which was something more than
a pure adventure story. It is a kind
of collection of letters, which are suffi-
ciently connected to show the develop-
ment of character and plot. The book
was meant to be an example of the
art of letter writing, but Richardson
decided to improve the minds of his
readers as well as their epistolatory
style. The theme of the story is one
that is bound to meet the approval of
all women readers. If only a woman
is clever enough she can have a man
on her own terms, instead of his.
Ilichardson's readers were carried
away with the book. They said it
was the morality of it that pleased
them, but the real reason is some-
thing far more subtle. It is his sym-
pathetic treatment of womfli that won
him so many admirers, and it is not
surprising to find that most of them
were of the fair sex.
Women began to imitate Richard-
son's style. Not many of them came
anywhere near him in excellence, hut
some very good work was done. Only
one American woman, Charlotte Ram-
sey Lenox, began to use this type of
fiction writing. She went to England
as a girl of fifteen and married then-
very unhappily. She earned her liv-
ing by translating and by writing nov-
els. The Female Quixote is her only
remembered book. She was quite well
known in her time and was feted by
Dr. Johnson on one occasion. From
1750-1800 there was a flood of novels
Continued  on  Page  Hour
Greek Play Chorus Announced
It has been definitely decided that
the Racchai of Euripides will be put
on at Commencement time for the'
benefit of the Million Dollar Fund.
Mme. Sikilianos will direct the play,
and there will be a chorus of fifty
people, which will act as the protagon-
ist of the play and will be stressed
in importance more than is customary
in the usual manner of putting on
Greek plays. The following is the cast
of faculty, alumnae and students who
will take part in the chorus: Mi.ss
Petts, Miss Fisher, A. Allinson, '37;
M. Bedinger, '36; S. Bright, '36; L.
Gratwick, '37; A. M. Graves, '37; M.
Haas, '37; M. Honour, '36; M. Houck,
�37; F. Porcher, '36; E. Vall-Spinozu,
'37; M. Askins, '36; L. Dickey, '37;
J. Grant, '38; F. Lewis, '38; E. Mor-
ley, '36; L. Steinhardt, '37; A. Reese,
�36; E. Webster, '38; M. Winternitz,
'38; E. Newton, '38; F. Taggart,
'32; D. Seelye, '38; J. Baker, '35; B.
Cole, '38; M. Jackson, '37; V. Jussen,
'37-; H. Mayer, '38; D. Naramore, '38;
L. Stengel, '37; A. Waldenmeyer, '36;
A. Woodward, '36; G. Franchot, '35;
E.   Lyle, '37; M. Archibald, '37; B.
Allen, '38; C. Aaronsen, '38; E. Bing
ham, '36; E. Bock, '36; A. Crenshaw,
'36; M. Flanders, 37; M. Peters, '37;
I. Seltzer, '37;   E.  Van  Auken,  '35;
F.  Van Keuren, '35; H. Wickcrshain.
'36; M. Anderson, '37; M. L. Eddy.
'37; A. Edwards, '37; G. Fales, '38;
M. Kidder, '36; B. Lautz,'37; R. Levi,
'37; E. Mann, '38; P. Mahship, ':!<!:
H. Ott, '36; E. Putnam, '36; J. Lewis.
'38; E. Hansell, '36; H. Harvey, '37;
C. Taylor, '38.
Amusing Plot, Clever Dancing, Good Set
Contribute to Success of Freshman Show
In  Spite   of  Lack  of   Unity,   Slow   Tempo,   and   Slight   Plot,
Spirited Acting, and Finished Dancing Are Acclaimed
in National Recovery Act
ACTING INDICATES SMOOTHNESS AND CONFIDENCE
An amusingly fantastic plot, effect
ive sets and clever dancing made The
National Recovery Act set a new high
in Freshman Shows. The degree of
confidence and smoothness shown by
the actors was quite remarkable for
the type of entertainment. Although
the plot was slight and the dialogue
dragged at times, most of the show
was amusing and quite well-done.
Huldah Cheek, who wrote, directed
acted and sang in it, is highly to be
congratulated.
National Recovery Act is the Btorj
of the women from the Peola June
tion Old Ladies' Home who, acquiring
by force the necessary money from
the Junior League, go to Florida in
search of Ponce de Leon's Fountain
of Youth. There they find not only
the fountain but Ponce himself, a
most charming gentleman. Having
been served the elixir of youth in
Dixie cups, they divest themselves of
gray hair, rheumatism, and squeak)
voices to become young again. Aftei
two years, Lucy Snodgrass .. nd Mamit
Botts, the two rivals of the Old La
dies' Home, have become Elaine Love-
lace and Prudence Hopewell, respect
ively, and are both campaigning furi-
ously for the presidency of the United
States. Elaine wins, and makes Prn
the commander of the Army aud
Navy. Both of them compete foi
Ponce's affections, only to have hi in
won at last by the head of the Junioi
League. All of Which would tend In
prove that it's the perennially young
what gits the White House, but the
League what gits its man.
The plot, though amusing, was not
sufficiently   unified;   the   rivalry   for
Goodhart Hall,  Feb. 20.�The  Pro Ponce seemed too often to be dragged
Works by Americans
End Pro Arte Series
Grunberg,    Piston,    and   Smith
Rendered in Well Balanced
Performance
TECHNIQUE     FAULTLESS
Arte Quartet brought its scries of
chamber music to a conclusion with a
program -composed entirely of music
by  American    composers,    including
in by main force, instead of developing
early and building up. The dialogue
was, on the whole, very clever, and tin
individual speeches were amusing. Yei
works by David Stanley Smith, Wal- several times, as in the first scene.
tor Piston, and Louis Grunberg. This'and, again, in Elaine Lovelace's lines
series has been presented every Wed- ] in the campaign scene, the tempo war
nesday and Sunday for a month ; too slow, and the lines stood out a>
through the generosity of Mrs. Eliza-j separate entities, rather than as foun
beth Sprague Coolidge, who is one of dations to any central point. In the
the greatest patronesses of music in j first scene, the actors seemed to be re
America. Throughout the series the,citing pieces rather than talking to
Quartet has met with increasing en-!one another. This may have been part-
thusiasm and approval from the audi- ly caused by the fact that the dia
ences,   which   have   increased  as  the logue was in verse: rhyming lines an
the scene in the office in the White
House, where she sat surrounded by
militant secretaries, and her entrance
in the Gardens in the last act, as a
red-coated grenadier invading a scene
of frivolity, was very amusing.
Grace Fales played the part of Lucy
Snodgrass and Elaine Lovelace with
much enthusiasm, but in neither case
did she do justice to her role. As
I'iucy, she was too extravagantly ami
artificially coy; as Elaine, she made
the lady far too much of a caricature,
and her gestures were forced.
Falvia Pittroff made an attractive
Ponce, but her role was not empha-
sized enough to g^ve her an oppor-
tunity for a great deal of acting. Rob-
bie Hoxton's portrayal of Dr. Bush-
man was hilariously amusing. Her
staggering entrance in the first scene
of the second act, carrying her port-
able laboratory, and her tentative love*
scene with Mrs. Whistlebury, stand
out as two of the funniest moments of
the show. Mary Walker and Mary
Whalen, as two Junior Leaguers, play-
ed their parts with much ease and
naturalness. Mary de Wolf, clad in a
negligee, pink bed-socks, and a lisp,
made the most of a small part. And
may we congratulate Ellen Newton, as
a guide, for her nonchalance in prop-
ping up a wayward palm tree in the
second set?�she almost convinced us
that that is one of the usual duties
of a Florida guide.
The settings, designed by Alice
Shurcliff, were excellent down to
smallest details. That for the first
scene�the Old Ladies' Home�with
its "God Bless Our Home" sign, its
wheel-chair, and dull gray background
was particularly good. That for the
White House gardens was artistic and
glamorous. The lighting was quite
adequate; it was very good in the
Florida set, and effective in the Blue
Rhapsody dance. Betty Bryan is to
be commended for her attractive and
Continued on  Page Three
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Infirmary Fee
The .Veto* calls attention to a
mistake in the account about
the Infirmary fees last week.
There is to be a decrease ami
not an increase in the infirmary
charge of the present year. The
charge is at present $6 a day
after a student has spent four
days in the infirmary. This is
to be reduced to $4 a day for the
remainder of the present year,
after which the new statement
of fees goes into effect.
group verified its splendid reputation
both here and abroad.
The Quartet, composed of Alphonse
Onnou, first violin, Laurent Halleux,
second violin, Germain Prevost, viola,
and Robert Maas, violincello, is re-
markable not only foi; the individual
talent of its members, but also for
their fine interpretation and the ex-
quisite finish of their work as a whole
which can come only from long years
of musical association. They are
known particularly as exponents of
the modern composers of all nationali-
ties, and have earned from their su-
perb renderings of recent works the
gratitude of all who are interested in
the future of music. Their playing
of the works of all periods of cham-
ber music has been almost faultless
throughout the series.
This last program was the first not
to contain at least one work of the
better known older composers, and
probably for that reason was the most
interesting as well.as the most fitting
concluding program for the artists to
have performed. The difficult techni-
cal problems of these new, and in, the
case of Grunberg revolutionary com-
posers, were overcome with perfect
ease while the spirit of their works
was excellently" maintained. The Pro
Arte group seems to have a very
strong feeling for the work of the
moderns and for this reason is an
almost unsurpassed performer of their
works in the quartet form.
The first number on the program.
Quartet in C Major, Op Tl, by David
Continued  on  Page  four
apt to affect the unaccustomed in thai
way.
The acting of everyone was remark-
able for its lack of self-consciousness
or nervousness; no one seemed upset
or awkward, and everyone appeared
to be having a grand time. Sylvia
Wright as Prudence Hopewell (nee
Mamie Botts) gave us a consistently
amusing satire of a tweed-suited, su-
perlatively efficient generalissimo. Her
stride, her voice, her gestures were
all in keeping.    Especially  good was
^College Calendar
Thursday, February 28. Mr.
A. E. Newton on The Develop-
ment of the English Novel.
8.30 P. M.    Deanery.
Friday, March 1. Class Swim
ming Meet. 4.00- P. M. Gym
nasium.
Saturday, March 2. Varsity
Basketball Game with the Phil-
adelphia Cricket Club. 10.00
A. M.    Gymnasium.
Sunday, March 8. Mr. Tho-
mas Whittemore OB The M"
saics of Santa Sophia. 5.00
P. M.    Deanery.
Sunday Evening Services
conducted by Rev. Frederick K.
Griffin. 7.15 P. M. Music
Room.
Monday, March 4. The Mal-
lory Whiting Webster Memorial
Lecture: Dr. Nellie Noilson on
Medieval Forests. 8.20 P. M.
Goodhart.
Dr. Neilson Will Discuss
Mediaeval Forest Laws
Professor Nellie Neilson, who is to
speak in the Music Room on Monday
evening, March 4th, is one of the most
distinguished of Bryn Hawr Alumnae
and an outstanding historian in Amer-
ica. She wrote her Doctor's disserta-
tion at Bryn Mawr, taking as her sub-
ject the Economic Conditions in the
Mediaeval Manors of Ramsey Abbey.
It proved to be an Introduction to
the theme which since then has often
claimed her attention: the local cus-
toms of England.
It is well known that the common
law of England was based on custo-
mary usages, welddd together and de-
veloped by the practice of the King's
courts. Professor Neilson had de-
lighted in the study of customs which
�scaped this unifying process and
which remained as primitive islands in
the enveloping sea of common law. She
has also discussed the usages of the
King's courts in learned studies of
huge court rolls and selective "Year
Books."
Recently she has turned her atten-
tion to mediaeval forests in England,
mapping their boundaries and eluci-
dating the mode of life which was
characteristic of them. The topic is
of general interest because of the body
of forest laws that ,dexeJoped from
the King's unlimited use and control
over certain forest areas in England.
The forest laws deal with the contro-
versies between the peasants and the
nobles over the disputed boundary
lines and over hunting privileges.
Dr. Neilson's lecture at Bryn Mawr
will be on Mediaeval Forests in Eng-
la ml. and the colltge will thereby en-
joy her account of the forests before
anyone reads it in print.