College News, 1935-05-15, Vol. 21, No. 24

              The College News
VOL. XXI, No. 24
BRYN MAWR AND WAYNE, PA, WEDNESDAY, %1AY 15, 1935
Copyright  BRYN  MAWR"
COLLEGE    NEWS.    J935
PRICE 10 CENTS
Ancient American
Maya Civilization
Highly Developed
Dr. Sylvanus Morley Illustrates
Temples, Pottery Excavated
In  Yucatan
Bacchantes Rehearse
MAYA KNEW ONLY USE
OF FIRE, AGRICULTURE
Goodhart, May 13.�"We estimate
the achievements of a civilization or
of an individual by the "scratch" each
makes, by what each has done with
the things with which they started;
and if considered In this way, the
Maya developed the highest civiliza-
tion of ancient America." These were
the introductory words of Dr. Syl-
vanus Morley, director of the Chichen
Itza project of the Carnegie Institu-
tion at Washington, who gave an il-
lustrated lecture on The Maya, The
Most Brilliant Civilization of Ancient
America. In man's progress from
barbarism to civilization five very im-
portant discoveries have been made:
the use of fire, agriculture, the train-
ing of domestic animals, metal tools,
and the wheel. The Maya knew only
the first two of these, and if we will
compare him with an old-world man
of similar conditions, we must go back
to the Neolithic period. The achieve-
ments of the latter man are far in-
ferior to those of the Maya, and Dr.
Morley demonstrated this with slides
of Maya carvings, pottery, and build-
ings.
The work of the Carnegie Institute
has centered in the heart of the old
and new Maya empires, which are
situated in Yucatan and the northern]
part of British Honduras. The earli-
est objects which have been found are
two jadite figurines, one of a man
with a bird's head and the other con-
taining a full man's figure and some
glyphs. They are dated in the eighth
Maya cycle (each cycle covers 800
years), and were probably made in
150-160 A. D. In spite of the thick
jungle growth, which can support only
the chicory industry, many ancient
town sites have been found. One of
the oldest is at Uaxactun. It was
found in 1916, and has several mono-
liths dated in the eighth cycle, the
Continued on  Pane  Four
Glee Club Surpasses All Past Successes
In Production of "Pirates of Penzance"
� Photo by Chas. M. Clark.
Members of chorus and cast of the Bacchae of Euripides rehearsing
for performances to be given June 2nd and 4th.
Bacchae Presentation
Follows New Methods
The Bacchae of Euripides is being
given in a new manner, far removed
from the conventional methods of pro-
ducing a Greek tragedy in English.
It is being directed by Madame Sikeli-
anos (Eva Palmer, Bryn Mawr, 1900),
who organized the famous festivals
at Delphi. Her production is distin-
guished by the treatment of the chorus
as an active medium for dramatic ex-
pression and by the use of a scheme
of musical modes belonging to the an-
cient tradition of the Greek Orthodox
Church. The chorus will have a share
in the performance almost equalling
that of the actors in importance and
dramatic interest. The actors are
using a straight prose translation of
the play, adapted so that their lines
can be spoken in the simplest and most
effective  English.
Fifty undergraduates are taking
part in the play; they are divided
into groups of ten, each with a Leader.
These groups dance and sing the dif-
ferent choruses of the play, making
a separate pattern for each of them
that sets the tone for the action and
intensifies the tragedy. The possibili-
ties for expression are endless in the
types of dancing and the interplay of
the various modes. The only musical
accompaniment will be a flute, which
Continued on Page Pour
Amateur Music Need
(�  Verified By Science
Catherine Bowen Says To Play,
Sing For Oneself Is Better
Than To Listen
SIX AMATEURS PERFORM
Many Enthusiastic Stags, Attractive Men
Crowd Spring Dance With Festive Gaiety
A Paradox! A most ingenious para-
dox! A dance that was a success and
at the same time was not a success!
Let us unravel the mystery. The
Spring Dance on May 11 was general-
ly, if not universally, considered "sim-
ply swell'' and yet it is our firm belief
that in the future all the Bryn Mawr-
tyrs who attended this dance will be-
take therriselves for similar diversion
to the corner of Broadway and 42d
Street at the rush hour. In fact, we
are sure that New York would be
preferred, because one would then be
equipped with heavy shoes and per-
haps even an umbrella. All of which
is to suggest that future dances
would be better with a little less of a
throng. With the large attendance on
Saturday the whole affair resembled
more an athletic contest with the
prizes going to those with the sharpest
elbows and the calmest nerves, than
a charming social evening where one
met everyone else's friends and got
nicely acquainted. We hear that a
search is being made on campus for
suitable "maenads," who will lend
their wild wiles to the Greek Play;
we suggest that the directors engage
a few of the floor committee and
others who were seen in the gym-
nasium, with hair flying, arms flailing
and eyes remarkable for a maniacal
glare. The maenads finally chosen
might pretend to hunt for the one de-
sirable male among the thousand or
so at the dance; we are sure that they
would thus secure a perfect effect of
complete dementia.
We can say with perfect truth that
this year's  dance was a grand  suc-
cess, that the gymnasium looked bet-
ter than ever ' with its spring gar-
ments, that the orchestra was excep-
tionally good, that the refreshments
were excellent�and sufficient, thanks
to the committee�and we could go on
indefinitely listing the advantages of
this particular affair. We can only sug-
gest that it might be made less of a
scramble by having the numbers lim-
ited or the space increased. We do not
at the moment see how either could be
accomplished unless the fencing room
were used for the overflow or the num-
ber of the tickets kept at a fixed
minimum. It would be a great pity to
deprive anyone thus either of her ath-
letics or her simple pleasures, but it
seems as if something must be done.
Program dances are in favor at
many college dances; Bryn Mawr
might well experiment along this line.
Such an innovation would do away
wfch some of the horrors of hopeless
hunting which wears down the morale
of stags and escorts (female in this
case) alike. Or possiblj the men could
be induced to wear coats of different
colors. Then we should be able to
beg our roommates to cut in on that
"tall Princetoh boy in purple'* and it
would make everything much easier.
After these digressions we turn to
the pleasanter task of congratulating
all those who prepared the way and
of thanking all who in the course of
the evening helped to make the dance
the undeniable success that it was.
We have seldom seen a more attractive
group, both male and, female, and we
intend to spend our summer looking
forward to (and training for) the
next .Bryn Mawr dance.    .
Deanery, May 12.�"Music without
a Ticket," the title of Catherine
Drinker Bowen's lecture, reveals the
kernel of her convictions about music,
to which she has also given voice in
her book, Friend* and Fiddlers. That
these convictions are not merely thco-
j retical was shown in the selections
played by the amateur musical group
| in which she takes part.
It is Mrs. Bowen's belief that it is
far more fun to play and to sing than
to listen to others do it, and that the
wide cleavage which exists between
professional and amateur music is
much to be regretted. Her position
is strongly in defense of amateurs;
she is interested in urging more peo-
ple to take part in musical organi-
zations like her own, which she has
gathered together from among her
friends and which subsequently play-
ed in the course of the lecture.
Two hundred and fifty years ago
the word "concert" had a meaning
quite different from it,s significance to-
'day. A "consort of viols" meant a
group of people who gathered together
to play their viols informally. Through
the ages people have realized the
pleasure obtainable from making mu-
sic. David, Plato, Pepys and Ruskin
are only a few examples of those who
have been aware of the pleasure to be
gained thereby. In Elizabethan days
everybody sang and played, � sheet-
music was even passed around the ta-
ble after meals.
Today, music can be cultivated for
fun in clubs, schools, churches and
homes. A great many people like to
play for their own pleasure in spite
of the easy access we have to profes-
sional music by means of the radio.
One should play in order to learn
to play and read the great masters
rather than to give concerts. Owen
Downs, a contemporary music critic,
agreed at once with Mrs. Bowen when
she told him of her conviction that "it
is more fun to be inside a "bad quartet
than outside a good one." For just
as the impulse to talk, shout, and weep
is universal, so is the impulse to play.
There is a new science of aesthetic
measure  which  attempts to measure
the physiological  impulse and  vibra-
tion which causes us to beat time, for
Continued  on  Pa*e  Five
Excellent Details Of Scenery, Lighting, and Costumes Combine
With Splendid Cast, Chorus Singing for Spontaneity,
Finish  Throughout   Performance
XGNES   HALSEY   SINGS   LEAD   WITH   PERFECTION
(Especially Contributed by Laura
� Richardson, '29)
The annual Glee Club performance
can always be counted on for a popu-
lar success, but this year's production
of The Pirates of Penzance hit a new-
high mark. Not only has the leading
lady, Miss Halsey, a soprano voice
which surpassed any expectations for
an amateur performance, but also the
production as a whole had great spon-
taneity and finish.
Particularly noticeable in this re-
Albert Einstein Praises
The Late Emmy Noether
(Reprinted fxom  The New York-
Times)
To  the  Editor of   The   New     York
Times:
The efforts of most human being!
are consumed in the struggle for their
daily bread, but most of those who arc.
either through fortune or some special
gift, relieved of this struggle are
largely absorbed in further improving
their worldly lot. Beneath the effort
directed toward the accumulation of
worldly goods lies all too frequently
the illusion that this is the most sub-
stantial and desirable end to be
achieved; but there is, fortunately, a
minority composed of those who rec-
ognize early in their lives that the
most beautiful and satisfying experi-
ences open to humankind are not de-
rived from the outside, but are bound
up with the development of the indi-
vidual's own feeling, thinking and act-
ing. The genuine artists, investigat-
ors and thinkers have always been
persons of this kind. However incon-
spicuously the life of these individuals
runs its course, none the less the fruits
of their endeavors are the most valu-
able contributions which one genera-
tion can make to its successors.
Within the past few days a distin-
guished mathematician, Professor
Emmy Noether, formerly connected
with the University of Gottigcn and
for the past two years at Bryn Mawr
College, died in her fifty-third year.
In the judgment of the most competent
living mathematicians, Fraulein Noe-
ther was the most significant creative
mathematical genius thus far produc-
ed since the higher education of wom-
en began. In the realm of algebra,
in which the most gifted mathemati-
cians have been busy for centuries,
she discovered methods which have
proved of enormous importance in the
development of the present-day
younger generation of mathemati-
cians. Pure mathematics is, in its
Continued on  Page  Four
Change in Schedule
Dr. Bernheimer's course in
German Art will be given as a
free elective, counting for one-
half unit. Advanced students
in"History of Art will be able
to take the course and receive
one unit of credit by doing ad-
ditional reading. The hour for
the course will be decided later.
The course in Social Anthro-
pology is scheduled to meet
Tuesdays and Fridays at 10
A. M. and Wednesdays at 3
P. M., instead of Mondays, Wed-
nesdays, and Thursdays at 10
A. M. as formerly.___________
College Calendar
Wednesday, May 15, 4 o'clock:
Tennis match with Swarthmore
College. 8 o'clock: Scavenger
Hunt.
Friday, May 17: Last day of
classes.
Sunday, May 19, 7.30 o'clock:
Music Walk. Outdoor Chapel
Service.
Monday, May 20: Examina-
tions begin.
Tuesday, May 21, 5 o'clock:
Deanery. Lecture-Recital on
The Modem Russian Compott < -.
by Mr. Guy Marriner.
Saturday, May 25, 8 o'clock:
Gymnasium.    Square Dances .
Saturday, Juoe 1, 6 o'clock:
Bacchae of Euripides.
Sunday, June 2, 8 o'clock:
Goodhart. Baccalaureate serv-
ice.
Monday, June 3, 6 o'clock:
Bacchae of Euripides.
Tuesday,  June 4,  4
Wyndham    Gardens.
Party.
Wednesday, June 5, 11.30
A. M. goodhart. Presentation
of Degrees.
o'clock:
Garden
spext were the scenes with full chorus,
the usual weak spot of amateur op-
erettas. The grouping was natural
and constantly shifting. The gestures
were wide and free, and had little of
the awkward, set effect generally to
be expected of amateurs. The Pirates
were a colorful,, lively, and extremely
credible crew, and the Major-General's
daughters, an animated and beguiling
"bevy of beautiful maidens."
The obvious pitfall of the show Was
the taking of mens' parts by girls.
The strain on the voices of the men's
chorus Was most noticeable, but for
the most part, the soloists skirted the
difficulty. Miss Ripley as the Pirate
King amply made up in characteriza-
tion for her lack of basso profundo.
She swashbuckled appropriately, but
did not overdo it. Miss Park's Ser-
geant of Police was done to a turn,
a masterpiece of understatement and
suggestion? Miss Lord's Major-Gcn-
eral likewise avoided the hazards of
overacting, and she negotiated the dif-
ficult patter songs and more sustained
lyrical solos equally well. She was
uproariously applauded, and deserved-
ly so, for her characterization was
one of the high spots of the evening.
Miss Morse, as Frederic, was a really
handsome hero and did a first-rate
performance vocally.
None of the women's parts ap-
proached Miss Halsey for musical ex-
cellence, both in difficult florid pas-
sages and lovely lyrical solos; hj�l�
Miss Shepard, as Ruth, contributed a
real contralto voice, round and full in
tone, a quality sadly lacking in voices
at Bryn Mawr, where the tendency
in singing in a low register seems to
be towards a sort of athletic-song
timbre, harsh, strained, and unnat-
ural.
Praise must also be given to the
girls' chorus. � To this reviewer, the
quality of tone seemed to be a great
improvement over previous perform-
ances. The high notes were sweet
Continued on  Page  Four
Art Club Shows Promising Work
The Bjjrn Mawr Art Club held an
exhibition of its work last week-end
in the Common Room. The display
included plaster and plasticine heads
and figures, as well as paintings and
charcoal drawings; it represented
what the Club has done this year
under the direction of Miss Agnes
Yarnall, a Philadelphia sculptor.
The Club has been meeting for two
hours every Saturday morning in the
basement of the gymnasium, where it
works from male and female models.
Owing to a lack of clay, most of the
figures are destroyed at the end of
each class; those that are considered
the best of each pose are cast in plas-
ter. During the week students also
work independently.
The pieces in the exhibition were
chosen primarily for the creative abil-
ity that they manifested, rather than
for any photographic realism. The
model provides a point of departure
for individual creation, and does not
serve merely as a figure to be copied.
Since few of its members have ha3
previous teaching, the Art Club feels
that it has made great progress under
Miss Yarnall's supervision. Although
the work is still far from technical
perfection, it contains the creative
germ, and should be judged not only
for what it is, but alsolUtor what it
was intended to be.         r*
The Club hopes that by giving a
display of its products it will make
Bryn Mawr feel the need of an or-
ganization of this sort. In most col-
leges, the art classes are officially rec-
ognized, and doubtless the new library
wing will make practical art more
practical here, since there are plans
to have a regular course in this line.
Until that''somewhat distant monjent.
however, students are urged to take
more interest in U�e Art Club.
1