College News, 1939-03-08, Vol. 25, No. 15

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The College /News
Z-616
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VOL. XXV, No. 15
BRYN MAWR AND  WAYNE,  PA.,  WEDNESDAY,  MARCH  8,   1939     w&WSg&*flgg�Elffim     PRICE 10 CENTS
League Meeting
Probes  Phases
of Social Work
Growth of Volunteer Work
Described by  Miss
Newbold
RECREATION NEEDED
FOR    MAIDS,    BLIND
Goodhart, March U. � The Bryn
Mawr League sponsored an afternoon
conference to give people interested
in various branches of the League's
work a chance to discuss some of
their problems with authorities on so-
cial wprk.
The conference opened with a short
talk  in  the music room by Florence
ewbold on volunteer work. After
this, the group broke up into smaller
units for the discussion of more
specific problems. One group was
concerned with adult education, an-
other with recreation and the third
with the Blind School.
Miss Newbold talked about the need
for volunteer workers in the present
system of social work and gave a
brief history of how social work
grew. The first social legislation
was the Elizabethan Poor Laws
which were passed in 1621. Social
work on an organized scale began in
the U.S. in New York City in 1877
when the School of Social Work was
founded. This was entirely volun-
teer aid, more or less on the Lady
Bountiful idea. The professional then
came into the field, attempting to root
out that idea and the volunteer was
looked on as # a nuisance. Now the
volunteer and the professional are in
harmony, each recognizing the value
and place of the other in the scheme.
The volunteer must have something
to offer, must be willing to accept
supervision, willing to try new things
and, most important of all, must be
dependable. The volunteer is the in-
terpreter of the social agency to the
community and vice-versa.
The group w,hich was interested in
adult education listened to Peggy
Wood describe methods jn which
workers' education has been carried
out. She declared that this education
shoaW be more active than passive�
discussion rather than classes�and
that students should help workers in
constructively solving their problems.
Miss Howe discussed the changed
conditions of the maids on campus.
There has been improvement .in their
wages and housing. Since the negro
race has never had much leisure time
and now hire more, it is important
that they be taught how to use their
time. Plays,, singing and classes are
Continued on Pace Five
Students To Benefit
By Hospital Insurance
Faculty Committee  Views Plan
Which Will Include Services
Of Staff Surgeon
,K faculty committee has been in-
vestigating various plans of hospital
insurance which can be used by the
students next year. The Associated
Hospital Service Plan of Philadelphia
was considered for the college and the
faculty have already joined the
group. However, since this plan does
not include the services of a surgeon
during sickness, but covers only hos-
pital expenses, it has bean rejected as
unsuitable for the studjmts' purposes.
Mrs. Manning feels that most bene-
fit would be derived from the insur-
ance in the case of appendicitis, and
therefore it is profitable to adopt a
plan which would provide for the
services of a surgeon. These benefits
are found only in a hospital insur-
ance plan which originated in Boston
and which is being successfully used
at Vassar. The annual premium of
$15 is slightly higher than that of
the Associated Service Hospital Plan,
but the services include medical at-
tention from a staff surgeon of the
hospital as well as hospital expenses.
The patient is entitled to a semi-pri-
vate room in one of the recognized
hospitals of the association or is al-
lowed a certain percentage of the rate
on a private room. The insurance can
be transferred to apply to hospitals
throughout the country, although the
students will join the group in Bryn
Mawr.        *
The faculty committee had hoped to
arrange for the students to use the
hospital insurance by the second se-
mester, but in trying to find the most
suitable plan there have been a num-
ber of delays. The plan which de-
cides to adopt will be presented be-
fore May, however, so that it can be
used in  1939-40.
A. S. U. Urges Support
For    Social    Legislation
Student   Body   Asked   to   Endorse
Human   Rights  Roll  Call
(Specially contributed by E. Di-
mock, 'il.)
The A. S. U. is launching Thursday
the Human Rights-Roll Call asking for
broad student and faculty support
for a legislative conference to be held
next December. The A. S. U. does not
intend to sponsor such a conference
aloi;e, but is urging other student
groups to join with it in the" actual
preparation. The objective of this
conference is the formation of con-
crete proposals for liberal social
Continued on Paste Six        *
Early Editions of 'News' Oppose Limited
Cuts, Support Suffrage, "Beauless Club"
The College Newt originated in
1914, primarily, we suspect, in order
to join in the war over cuts which
was then being waged. The day when
the faculty were addressed as "au-
gust," by the Philistine is now past;
instead, they are sharply reprimanded
by the News because they refuse to
state their reasons for supposing that
cutting should not be left to the ma-
ture discretion of the student. The
News holds editorially that under-
graduates want to study and that
when education becomes subject to
compulsion it has lost - its purpose.
The faculty, Jiowever, remained adam-
r   ant and cuts were limited.
A sidelight on the fray comes a
few weeks later. A letter from a
student to the News wjrffis under-
graduates to attend chapel regularly,
for if they do not, the faculty will
make a rule about it.
Reflections from the war came to
the News almost weekly, in the form
of lectures by eminent scholars such
as George Macauley Trevelyan, and
also letters�in both French and Eng-
lish�from alumnae and others.    By
1916 students were thernselves active
in organizing Red Cross urfits, knit-
ting socks and collecting money. The
question of "preparedness courses"
came up, and after much deliberation,
the faculty decided that, among
others, "a course in farming which
Dr. Gray has offered to give," would
be acceptable as a substitute for a
regular course.
After the war, political feeling still
ran high. The "Hoover Club" in 1920
had 85 members. The elections of
1920 gave rise to a Four Party Rally,
at which Dr. Fenwick, characterized
by the News as "a hot Democrat,"
eulogized the League and Woodrow
Wilson, whUe Dr. Crenshaw told stu-
dents to vote for Eugene Debs.
An undercurrent of feeling about)
the orals appears almost every spring
and fall. In 1920, the News sadly
reports that 66 per cent of those re-
taking the German oral failed.
Several of the contestants were might-
have-been graduates of the class of
1919.
^-Snorts figure largely�in quality as
wellaV-quantity. We reproduce a
___L_ponUnuefl on Pace Four�,�.��
COLLEGE CALENDAR
Saturday, March 11.�Riders
to the Sea and A New School
for Wives.   Goodhart, 8.30.
Sunday, March 12.�Dr. Doro
Levi will speak on Ndtive Ele-
ments in Etruscan Art. Dean-
ery, 4.30.
Monday, March 13.�Violin
^recital by Marjorie Edwards.
Goodhait, 8 30.
Tuesday, March lb.�Current
Events, Mr. Fenwick. Common
Rt>om, 7.30. Dance Recital by
Miss Josephine Petts and her
group.   Gymnasium, 8.30.
Thursday, March 1&.�Phi-
losophy Club meeting. Com-
mon Room, 8.30.
Saturday, March 18.�French
movie, Les Perles de la Cou-
ronne.   Goodhart, 8 p. m.
Monday, March 20.� Judge
Florence Allen will speak on
The Constitution and Labor.
Goodhart, 8.20.
Tuesday, March 21.�Current
Events, Mr. Fenwick. Common
Room, 7.30. Hampton Dance
Group.    Goodhart, 8.30.
Wednesday, March 22.�Judge
Florence A^en wffi speak on
Democracy and the Constitution.
Goodhart, 8.20.
Science Club Hears
Talk On Descartes
Cartesian  System Described in
Relation to Later Math
By   Miss   Lehr
Common Room, March 6.�Margue-
rite Lehr of the mathematics depart-
ment discussed the historical signi-
ficance of Descartes' Essay on Geom-
etry at a meeting of the Science Club.
Her presentation was, she said, of
such notions as would occur to a
mathematician working on the essay.
Miss Lehr showed how the minimum
assumptions we have made in mathe-
matics by the end of a year of algebra
and geometry are different from the
common basis in Descartes' time.
In trying to discern the importance
of this work by examination of it
alone, Miss Lehr stressed the neces-
sity of distinguishing between the no-
tations we assume today and the dif-
ferent meanings in use in 1637.
Before Descartes' time, algebra and
geometry were quite separate studies.
Although negative numbers have been
used to some extent, in terms of debt,
in India six centuries previously, the
influence of Greek mathematics and,
possibly, the prevalent awkward forms
PlaVerS    ClUD    PlanS        �* nation, postponed this treatment
in Europe until the seventeenth cen-
tury.
Descartes' explanation of his
method, -which is, Miss Lehr said, as
good today as it ever was, proceeded
as follows. You must first consider
your problem as done and name all
the lines that enter into the final con-
The cause of the Theatre Workshop struction.    From this write down Ultf
possible relations among the parts.
You must go through these relations
in the order which seems logical until
you find two ways of saying the same
thing. This, says Descartes, will be
called an equation.
rers Club Plans
Two One-Act Plays
Haverford W�H Fill Male Parts
In Modern Dramas by Synge
and   Kilpatrick
will receive additional support next
Saturday when the Players Club pre-
sents two one-act plays, The New
School for Wives by John Kilpatrick,
and Riders to the Sea by John Synge,
under the direction of. Eleanor Em-
ery, '40, and Pennell Crosby, '41.
Haverford is supplying male talent
and Malcolm Smith, who should be
Tamiliar to those who saw him play
Nicola in the Bryn Mawr and Haver-
ford production of Arms and the Man
earlier this year will have the leading
juvenile role in the Kilpatrick play.
Sara Algood, a member of the Ab-
bey Players, has indirectly contrib-
uted by making recordings under the
supervision of Miss Henderson, of the
part of Maurya in Riders to the Sea.
These recordings are being used to in-
spire the Bryn Mawr production.
As in recent similar presentations,
the scenery for the plays will be kept
fairly simple with realistic properties
and a box set. Vivi French, '42, who
plays Catherine in the Irish play is
learning how to manipulate the spin-
ning wheel borrowed for this occasion
from the Cottage Tea Room. To give
the production added authenticity the
choir will be used for keening.
MARJORIE    EDWARDS,
VIOLINIST, TO PERFORM
FOR  WORKSHOP   FUND
j. On Monday evening, March 18,
Marjorie Edwards, 16-year-old violin
prodigy, will give a recital in Good-
hart for the benefit of the Theatre
Workshop. Miss Edwards is a Cali-
fornian, and gave her first recital in
San Francisco three years ago where
she was enthusiastically received.
� She became known in the East when
her teacher, Kathleen Parlow, was
brought to Pittsfield to take the First
Violin Chair in the South Mountain
Quartet. Miss Edwards' parents felt
that it was so imperative that she
continue with the same teacher that
they moved East with her where her
p|aying�was the sensation of the $erk-
shire Music Festival.
At a subsequent recital at Town
Hall in New York the talented young
violinist was acclaimed by both au-
dience and critics. The tour which
she is now on is her first; her other
performances on it have justified the
words of Albert Spalding, who said
of her, "I consider her unusually
gifted. She shows qualities of heart
and imagination in her playing, added
lo_a remarkable facility^!!----------------
Fritz Kurzweil,
Austrian Pianist,
Appears Here
a
Varied     Program     Includes
Selections From Bach
To   Prokofieff
Continued on  Page Sli
GALA   DEANERY   PARTY
INCLUDES FIRE EATING
AND SLEIGHT-OF-HAND
Deanery, March 1.�The evening of
fun for faculty and students given by
the Deanery Entertainment Commit-
tee began with a gala dinner, then
passed through a stage of magic mixed
with gate prizes of candy for the
tickets with_the lucky numbers and
ended, more "eofiventionally, with
bridge. The magic consisted of sword
swallowing and sleight-of-hand tricks
while the dinner had most excellent
food and the bridge, the usual four
suits.
The two magicians were amazing.
So that we might appreciate how
great an art sword swallowing is, a
short technical history was given tell-
ing how the art had begun with fire
eating. The latter skill was handed
down by word of mouth for genera-
tions until finally man so perfected
the art that he could even swallow
swords. One of the magicians then
took some flaming Blue Sunoco and
ate it with evident relish, advocating
this particular brand of gas-for any
interested In trying the feat.
More remarkable yet, the other man
swallowed a twenty-three-inch sword
which probably sets a new mark in
the history of this art. Part of the
necessary training, said the per-
former, are stretching exercises and
special diets so as to elongate the dis-
tance from the throat to the bottom of
the stomach.
The next feat, a combination of
-numbers and sleight-of-hand work,
was good but not good enough to es-
cape detection by a group of eminent
Bryn Mawr biologists. Besides this
trick the magicians made red thimbles
appear from nowhere onto their hands,
cards turn up unexpectedly and ropes
b� cut off yet never be shortened. All
was done by only a few gestures and
one or tw6 words in Pali. After these
tricks the guests settled down to cards.
No rumors of the magic being carried
over to this field have been heard of,
except the usual prejudicial opinions
stated in the heat of the bridge
struggle.----------,--------------�-�i--------
Deanery, March 5.�Dr. Fritz Kurz-
weil, an Austrian pianist, gave an ex-
tremely interesting piano recital in the
Deanery Sunday afternoon. Musical
temperament and adequate technique
combined to make the event a real
treat, and all but overcame the dis-
advantage of a poor piano. He se-
lected compositions from Bach to
Prokofieff, which, while they did not
attempt to depict the development of
music, gave the listeners a profitable
glimpse into various methods of com-
position.
Emphasis was on the shorter type.
With the exception of the "Pa-
thetique" Sonata, the selections^gi^ve"�
us quick but memorable impressions
of the different composers. First an
organ prelude, arranged by Busoni,
presented Bach jn a somber, majestic
mood. It progressed slowly, giving
the effect of compressing tremendous
emotional powers into simple outlines.
Then came Beethoven's "Pa-
thetique," which, perhaps more than
any other of his early works, shows
the individuality which was to^ rise
to epoch-making proportions. Dr.
Kurzweil's interpretation! did not
shine in comparison with ivtya Hess's
recent performance of it here; al-
though he did justice to its spirit one
did not feel that he had made it his
own. At times more nioderate tempo
would have been more satisfactory.
Next he played ap Intermezzo by
Max Reger, a composer not well
known here, but greatly esteemed by
the younger generation in Germany.
The composition was full of sound of
the impressionistic variety, yet closely
woven � in emotional content. The
Brahms Intermezzo in E flat major
and Rhapsodie in the same key were
beautiful in a more" solid way. The
Intermezzo suffered less from the pi-
ano than did the more vigorous
Rhapsodie.             "�
Both here and in the four Chopin
compositions heard next the pianist
Continued  on  Page  Five,
Rents to be Raised
In Language Houses
French,   German   Halls   Considered
Successful Experiment
Music Room, March 23.�In Chapel
Mrs. Manning discussed the revised
plans for residence in the French and
German Houses. She feels that the
houses have proved one of the most
successful experiments ever made at
Bryn Mawr, both from the standpoint
of teaching the spoken language and
that of actual enjoyment. The col-
lege feels, however, that residents
should be chosen for a full year and
that the tentative quality in regard
to the holding of rooms be given up.
To make up the deficit in room
rents and to pay for instruction,
$1,696 have been expended on the
French House alone. To avoid the
necessity of having the college budget
bear this expense, it has been decided
that every student shall be charged
an extra 50 dollars. Mrs. Manning
feels that it is only right that this
deficit should be made up by those
students who are benefiting by the
extra instruction and attention; how-
ever, exceptions will perhaps be made
in the case of certain students who
cannot afford this.
The students favored for residence
in the language houses are upper
classmen, majors in either language,
or those with special ability or need.
Mrs. Manning urged that all applica-
tions be iikuIc a- soon as possible with
�ither Miss Gilinan, Mr. Diez, or Mrs.
Manning so that the lists may be tm-
tatvely drawn up during the sprng
vacation------.---------------------.�r-------1�