College News, 1937-01-15, Vol. 23, No. 12

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VOL. XXIJI, No.  12
BRYN MAWR AND WAYNE, PA., WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 15, 1937    brCyTmawrRcoSlleE|e!:>';�37     PRICE 10 CENTS
Museum Job Demands
Specialized   Education
Miss Mongan States Applicants
Should Have Background
In Fine Arts
INCOME   IS   NOT   LARGE
Common Room, January 11.�Per-
sistence and training are the primary
needs of the would-be museum worker,
according to Miss Agnes Mongan, Di-
rector of Drawings at the Fogg Mu-
seum in Cambridge, Mass. In a field
already crowded there is nevertheless
room for the person who has a spe-
cialty and concentrates on it.
In choosing a subject for speciali-
zation, the student should have an eye
to the branches of museum work which
contain the greatest opportunity for
women. The publicity, education and
financial departments and the library
staff offer possibilities, as well as the
technical end, which includes chem-
istry, photography and other lines of
special training. Administrative jobs
are also available to women, but ow-
ing to the small number of posts there
are few chances of getting one.
� ** A student, whether or not she has
chosen a definite field for research;
should include certain essential sub-
jects in her training. In addition to
a fine arts background, she should
have as many languages as possible,
French, German, Italian, perhaps
Latin and Greek, and if she is very
enterprising and has a particular in-
terest for future study, Sanskrit,
Arabic or Chinese. The Fogg Mu-
seum and the Newark Museum now
give one-year graduate courses in mu-
seum work, which discuss the routine
jobs and details of the field. In 1936
the Carnegie Institute offered a series
of interne fellowships at the Brooklyn
Museum which eventually led to per-
manent positions. Abroad special
training can be had at the Courtauld
Institute, a branch of the University
Continued on PagA Three
FOUR ARTS COMBINED
IN WAGNERIAN OPERA
Deanery, January 10.�"An opera,
for Wagner, was a single organic
unity," said Miss Florence Fraser in
an introduction to her dramatic re-
cital of Die Meistersinger Sunday
afternoon. It was a unity made up
of four arts: literature in the libretto
sculpture in the gestures and poses of
the actors; architecture in the scen-
ery, and music as the main quality
which blends in with the other three
to form a perfect whole.
With this opening comment Miss
Fraser renewed for her audience the
delightful setting of sixteenth century
Nuremberg with its guilds, its bottle-
glass windows and happy festivals.
Then, fitting the principal characters
into the setting, she played the leit
motifs which were characteristic of
them and which were to appear again
and again in the progression of the
opera. She played the spirited song
of the Meistersingers, the light, airy
theme of David, the young shoemak-
er's apprentice, and the more sedate
theme of the poet-philosopher, Hans
Sachs. With her real feeling for the
music, she made the audience actu-
. ally see the characters living in the
enchanting German village.
While she played the music she ex-
plained the story iri her own words,
re-creating the humor and the beauty
of each part of the well-known opera.
In a little over an,hour she placed
the whole meaning of the opera be-
fore her audience. Her ability' to
play the piano with precision and ex-
pression, as well as her imagination
in describing the characters, the scen-
ery and the plot, made the recital not
only informative-but very real. To
make an audience appreciate an opera
without a stage and actors is a great
achievement which Miss Fraser suc-
ceeded* in accomplishing.
�^ Miss Fraser will give the same re-
cital at the Cosmopolitan Club in
' Philadelphia, and it is highly recom-
mended to those who missed the op-
portunity of hearing her in, the Dean-
ery.                                           M. H.
COLLEGE CALENDAR
Thursday, January 14.�A. S'.
U. Tea. Common Room. 4.30
p. m.
Friday, January 15.�T. S.
Eliot recordings will be played.
Music Room.    5 p. m.
Monday, January 18.-^M id-
year examinations begin.
Dr. Robert M. Ogden will
speak on Naive Geometry in Art.
Deanery.    4.15 p. to.
Friday, January 29.�Midyear
examinations end.
Tuesday, February 2.�The
second semester begins.   9 a. m.
Wednesday, February 3.�\n-
dustrial Group Supper. Com-
mon room.    6.30 p. m.
Thursday, February 4.�Shan-
Kar and his Hindu Ballet. Good-
hart.   8.30 p. m.
Saturday, February 6.�Rad-
nor dance. Common Room. 9
p. m.
Sunday, February 7. � Dr.
John W. Suter will conduct
chapel service.
Monday, February 8. � The
first of a series of lectures on
The Nature of Man. Dr. Hel-
son.    7.30 p. m.
European Dictatorships
Have Become Religious
Mrs.   Chapman   Advises   Definition
of Democratic Liberties
Common Room, January 7.�Euro-
pean dictatorships as religious and
philisophical appeals to their peoples
were discussed by Mrs. Mildred Chap-
man, recently returned from study in
Geneva, before guests cf Mrs. fan-
ning, which included members of the
International Club. Mrs. Chapman
urged that we learn to define to our-
selves exactly what our liberties mein
and that we prune our society of its
weakening aspects in order to preserve
it from the spiritual imprisonment
which many foreign countries are suf-
fering. For them both the individual
and society have vanished and only
the nation remains.
Propaganda in dictaiorshipt is in-
escapable, Mrs. Chapma 'saidr Mein
Kampf is the German bible. Books
and discussions in schools center about
the dictator. German children are lit-
erally taught to regard Hitler as a
*\Jesus, in the love and self-sacrifice
he feels for his people." Even sci-
ence and knowledge are no longer for
human good. "We do not know or
recognize a truth for truth's sake or
science for science's sake," announced
a German professor.
The Russians, according to a French
author to whom Mrs. Chapman re-
ferred, regard their government as
the victory of natural order over the
anarchy^of capitalism, whose sin lies
in the exploitation of man by man.
Their dictatorship is regarded as a
period of purification; their class, the
proletcriat, are the chosen people who
have the mission of spreading* the
truth, and their high priest is Stalin.
It is only this incentive which has
made bearable their suffering and the
completion of their five-year plan in
four years.
Italian nationalism is very like Ger-
man, but it emphasizes state rather
than racial unity. Mussolini believes
that victory comes to the spirited.
European nations, as a whole, are
lined up according to whether they
are "haves" or "have nots." Consid-
eration of justified demands of these
"have nots" would be a move towards
peace, Mrs. Chapman feels. However,
the problem which faces democracies
of cooperating with Fascist nations
is difficult because the latter have no
morality regarding treaties.
Hellenistic Influence
Found in Judaic Art
Choice of Oriental Types Shows
Assimilation May Have Begun
In   Near   East
CULMINATED   AT    DURA
Music Room, January 7.�Jewish
art in Roman times employed Greek
motifs to give a' new meaning to Ju-
daism, Dr. Erwin R. Goodenough said
in a talk on Jewish Art in the Roman
and Byzantine Periods. Dr. Good-
enough is Professor of the History of
Religion and a Fellow of Jonathan
Edwards""College at Yale University.
Within the last fifty years, Dr.
Goodenough stated, Hebrew art of the
early Christian age has been discov-
ered in Rome, Malta, North Africa,
Palestine and Dura that shows strong
Hellenistic influence and which seems
to indicate a new feeling not characl
teristic of Judaism as we know itl
In Roman catacombs, clearly ^Jewish
by the inscriptions, peacocks, common
in Hellenistic funeral art, winged
victories and cupids have been com-
bined with the native Jewish designs
of the seven-branched candlestick, the
Torah-shrine and the palm-tree. In
Malta, besides the catacomb art, a
lamp has been found decorated with
an altar and two snakes, the symbol
for the Lares of a Roman house, and
the  familiar Jewish  candlestick.
The Jewish assimilation of Hel-
lenistic motifs probably began in the
East, because the pagan types of de-
sign chosen are for the most part
oriental in origin. The eagle, com-
,non in the Jewish art of this period,
is an eastern symbol, as is the lion's
mask, examples of which may be seen
on early statues uf the sun-god of
S>iia. '. The zodiac' which was widely
used in Babylonian art, also appears.
This art, which symbolizes the true
Judaism, culminates at Dura in'the
synagogue built in 245 A. D. Here
Bacchic motifs and a picture of Or-
pheus with his lyre are combined with
Old Testament stories to form a
highly intcllectualized and conven-
tionalized narrative. An interpreta-
tion of this narrative shows a new
mystic feeling in the Jewish religion
which explains the use of Greek art
forms. The pagan motifs, which are
completely abstract, are chosen be-
cause of some slight analogy to Jew-
ish stories, and are adapted to Jewish
ideas no matter what their implica-
tions. For example, Orphic hymns
mention the "throne of God"; ac-
cordingly, Orpheus with his lyre sym-
bolizes the dream of Moses about oc-
cupying God's throne, without regard
to the polytheistic connotations of
Orpheus himself.
DR. GOLDSTEIN SPEAKS
Dr. Kurt Goldstein speaking in the
Deanery on Saturday, January 9, on
Cortical Functions explained the lapse
in abstract thinking as dtoe"to lesions
in the frontal lobe of the brain.
After working with patients in New
York and Germany, he has foufcd that
such lesions only allow concrete
thought. The sufferer can do no
thinking without a definite object
stimulus.
Reserve   Room   Book
Clean-Up Under Way
Princeton     and     Yale     Addresses
Printed in Economics Book
Through the combined effprts of the
Library Staff, students *nd- high
school girls, over three hundred books
in the Reserve Room ha"ve been
cleaned.
Work started on Tuesday, January
5, and it is hoped all -the books on
reserve will be finished before the
semester is over so that those of the
second semester may be done as soon
as they come up from the stacks.
The workers are chiefly girls from
Radnor, Lower Merion High School
and Shipley School, who are here six
days a week for about three hoursv
The money>o pay them is coming out
of theydfudent assessment of fifty
cents per person.
The girls have started to look over
the books in alphabetical order and
are now on the English books, which
are the worst of all.
Each book is gone through page by
page and checked when finished, so
that any new markings may be de-
tected at once. Some have so much
writing that it is impossible to erase
it and the book must be discarded.
However, only five or six of these have
been found so far. As the girls go
Continued on P**e Four
NEW HISTORY COURSE
Miss Robbins is giving an advanced
course in Modem English Hisfbry
next semester, probably meeting Mon-
days, Tuesdays and Wednesdays at
nine. The hour can be changed if
it does not suit students who wish to
take it.
Ballet Shows C6smos
As Seen by Hindus
Uday Shan-K;ir firings Dancers
To. Goodhart After Triumph
Here  and Abroad
PRICELESS VOLUMES
ON VIEW IN LIBRARY
A valuable exhibition of the Li-
brary's rare books are now on view-
in the New Book Room. Many of
them date from the middle eighteenth
century and are priceless in value,
being irreplaceable.
All the books have been waxed ac-
cording to a method obtained direct
from the British Museum and are in
a special book-case and on the table.
A few years ago plans were drawn
up for. a special book-case to house
these precious books which would
grant maximum visibility and great-
est protection from dust and moisture.
Such a case in the New Book Room
would guarantee the continual and
permanent showing of the Incunabula
with perfect safety. However, as
there are no funds available at pres-
ent, this necessary addition to the
Library  must  be   postponed.
Social Economy Major
Supported by A. S. U.
Clothing,  Food to be Collected for
Spanish  Loyalists
Common Room, January 8.�Fash-
ionable as it is to exist glumly in pre-
exam weeks, A. S. U. members an-
nounce the introduction of a comic
(as well as a humane) spurt in cam-
pus affairs. Next Thursday faculty
and undergraduates are invited to tea
in the Common Room, provided that
they come equipped with one piece of
old clothing or one article of canned
goods. The collection is for the
Spanish government.
It was also decided that the chapter
would evidence its support of the
movement for a social economy major
by writing a letter to the Curriculum
Committee.
Announcement was made of a dance
to be held in Philadelphia by local
A. S. U. groups on February 5. Tick-
ets may be obtained from Mary
Dimock, 4   Pembroke  West.
Bertha Goldstein, '38; Helen Hamil-
ton, '39, and Agnes Spencer, '39, re-
ported on the National A. S. U. con-
ference which they attended in Chi-
cago. Miss Spencer emphasized the
aim of the A. S. U., that "it shall
be as broad as possible�a liberal or-
ganization spread throughout schools
and colleges," supporting "democracy
and peace."
She further stressed the need for
solidarity with organized labor which
is a force responsible for public
schools and many other progressive
measures. In this connection she
urged affiliation with relief work and
the realization of the evils of "scab-
bing" during strikes.
Miss Hamilton presented peace
measures which were discussed, such
as the improvement of the Peace
demonstration in the spring and the
continued^ attack on R. O. T. C.
through the Nye-Kvale bill which is
shortly to come up_ before Congress.
A more detailed report of the con-
ference will be found in last week's
News.
References for "Man" Lectures
Reference books for the series of
lectures on "The Nature of Man,"
which, will be begun by Mr. Helson
on Monday, February 8, at 7.30 P. M.
are being placed in the Carola Woeris-
hoffer Room.
ALTERED   REPERTOIRE
After a triumphant procession
through Europe and Asia, Uday Shan-
Kar and his Hindu Ballet have re-
turned to America in a new reper-
toire of solo ant group numbers,
which they will present in the Audi-
torium of Goodhart Hall on Thursday
evening, February 4.
In spite of changes wrought by both
time and intent, the performance has
retained the exotic beauty and ex-
treme delicacy which characterized
its former presentation in the United
States. The'opening Sunday in New
York-was attended by a capacity audi-
ence which was loud and insistent in
its demonstrations of approval.
Madhavan, a dancer new to the
company since its last engagement in
America, --add*? according to John
Martin, ofi^ne Times, a "vital kind
of nervous energy and an earthier
temperament," to the "subtlety, no-
bility and serenity of Shan-Kar."
The dances themselves contain the
coi'e of the cosmos as perceived by
the Hindu for thousands of years.
They deal with love, the gods, reli-
gious ritual and the soil, and are pre-
sented against the rich pageantry of
traditional costumes and orchestral
music.
Tickets for the performance are:
For the College�Front section,
11.50*, Back, $1.25.
Outside�Front section, $2.00. Back,
$1.50.
BtelcUhV (unreserved and for col-
lege only), $1.00.
SYSTEM OF REQUIREDS
IS APPROVED BY DEAN
Miss Fiesel to Spetik Jan. 19 * �
The Linguistic Discussion
Group will not meet this week
but will hold its next meeting
Tuesday, January 19, in the
Deanery. Miss Fiesel will speak
on Some Problepu of Transla-
tion.
Music Room, January 7.�The tra-
ditional system of required courses in
as small a college as Bryn Mawr is
a distinct advantage, Mrs. Manning
stated in chapel as her personal re-
action to the current controversy on
required courses. Most people will
agree, she feels, that the requireds, as
they stand now, give undergraduates
and alumnae certain common angles
of approach.
The best kind of required course is
obviously one of general interest. A
science, for instance, gives the stu-
den^an idea of the scientific method
as a whole arid of deductive reason-
ing. Its second requisite is that it
should leave some kind of permanent
impression. Little is remembered of
a general history course unless
branches of it are later studied in
detail. On the other hand, literature
is retained more accurately without
being followed up because it often has
a personal emotional coloring at-
tached to it. For this reason require-
ments in literature have an advantage.
Finally a required course should have
freshness and give the student a new
milieu in which to move. The charm
of first-year philosophy, which is
rarely studied in school," consists in
its novelty. English literature is in-
cluded in the preparatory school cur-
riculum and, though given more fully
in college, is not as fresh a subject
as philosophy. Yet there is- reason
to believe that in time English litera-
ture as a required course can be given
with new angles.
MR. FENWICK RETURNS
FROM BUENOS AIRES
Mr. Fenwick returned on January
8 from South America, where he has
been attending the Peace Conference
as a delegate. On his return trip he
flew from Buenos Aires across to the
lowest coast of the continent and then
up the crest of Andes. The flight
took frve days, and was "thrilling."
Mr. Fenwick hopes to be able to give
a talk like a "Current Events" either
this week or next about this flight
and about the work of the conference.