College News, 1943-10-21, Vol. 30, No. 04

              The college News
VOL. XL,  NO. 4
ARDMORB and BRYN MAWR, PA.,   THURSDAY, OCTOBER 21, 1943
Copyright.TnMMsaf       PRICE  10 CENTS
Btyn Miwt Collxur, 1943
Russell Discusses Use of Inference
In Life and Verification of Physics
Physical Relation Between
Actual and Perceived
Presented
Specially Contributed
By  Lilias   Swift,  '44
Goodhart, October 19. If physics
is true, how is it known, and what
must be known in order to infer
it? This question was examined
by Mr. Bertrand Russell in his
third lecture on the Postulates of
Scientific Reasoning Tuesday eve-
ning:. Accepting certain physical
laws, he showed that a connection
does exist between the physical
object and that which is perceived,
and that from this the laws of
physics may be inferred.
Mr. Russell indicated that he
favored the empirical interpreta-
tion, that knowledge can be in-
ferred from perception, over the
present idealistic tendency which
is derived from the Leibnitzian
theory of parallelism. He accept-
ed the truth of physics, as meant
by those theories which are gener-
ally accepted by physicists. Broad-
ly, these are the causal laws of
matter and motion, and the con-
cept of the limit, which apply to
macroscopic phenomena.
To support the hypothesis that
knowledge can be inferred from
perception, Mr. Russell minimized
the difference between mind and
matter. Defining a mental occur-
rence as one known without infer-
ence, he said he believed the real
confusion lay in the use of the
word space. If one says that a
percept is "what happens when I
see or hear something, or other-
wise believe myself to become
aware of it through the senses",
space itself is a percept and there-
fore mental. But there is also the
space of physics which cannot be
perceived.
There is a rough analogy be-
tween the two kinds of space, but
it does not always hold, Mr. Rus-
sell pointed out. The distinction
must be made that the percept of
anything outside the percept of
the body is in perpetual space,
Continued  on   Page  6
Scientific Inferences Rest
On Testimony, Analogy,
Memory
Specially Contributed
By Marion Kirk, '44
Dalton, October 15. Instances of
probable inference in practical liv-
ing were discussed by Mr. Ber-
trand Russell as the premises of
scientific knowledge, in His lecture
last Friday. In this second lec-
ture in the "Postulates of Scienti-
fic Method" series, he distinguished
substantial inference from math-
ematical as being a product of the
analysis and intellectualization of
animal immediate inferences. The
phenomena of the belief in perm-
anence and the reliance on mem-
ory, testimony and analogy Mr.
Russell found to be independent
sources of knowledge which must
be assumed before any scientific
inference is possible.
Very close to the animal reac-
tion (when a rabbit sees a fox and
runs) is the development of the
human reliance on the permanent
as expressed in language. This is
Continued on  Page 5
Large Registration
For War Activities
Reported by Alliance
The War Alliance Registration
Day for the drafting of manpower
on campus showed excellent re-
sults. 425 people registered to
contribute hours to some form of
war work.
Ann Fitzgibbons, head of the
Alliance's war courses, points out
that this year the emphasis is on
actual work, not on training, as
previously. Some of the more
necessary courses such as First
Aid and Nutrition will be given
however. Registration for both of
these courses falls just below the
minimum level of 20 people in each
�course, but it is hoped that there
Owill be further registration for
(both the Nutrition and the First
Aid so that the courses can be
given.
Off Campus
Off-campus volunteer jobs which
were most popular in the registra-
tion were USO work, ration board
work, and the work in the cafeter-
ia of the Bryn Mawr Hospital.
About 20 people signed up for cafe-
teria work and at least three
people from college are already
doing this work in the Hospital
Continued on Page  3
Annual League Drive
Will Open Tomorrow
Tomorrow heralds the beginning
of the annual Activities Drive of
the League. Elizabeth Horrax,
chairman of the Drive, aims at a
minimum of $7.50 per student,
and a total of $3800 for the col-
lege as a whole. The Drive will
last a week and thermometers in
Taylor will record the donations.
Hall meetings will be held to-
morrow night in each hall to ex-
plain the activities of the League
and to distribute pledge cards. On
the back of these cards students
will be asked to write their par-
ticular interests in the League for
future reference.
m Phoebe Stevens, president of the
League, is the Hall Representative
for Denbigh, Doris Braman for
Rockefeller, Rebecca Wood and
Charlotte Binger for Pembroke
East and West respectively, Lois
Post for Radnor, and Elizabeth
Horrax for Wyndham. The Mer-
ion and Rhoads representatives
have not yet been chosen.
Of the total of $3800, $1200 will
go to the Bryn Mawr Summer
Camp, $1200 to the Hudson Shore
Labor School, $500 to the Players
Club, $500 to the Refugee Schol-
arship Fund, and the remainder to
the  maintenance  of  the  League.
Highlights of Summer's Sojurn in Mexico
Described by Neustadt, Reiner and Nixon
By Mary Virginia More, '45
"The big thing about Mexico
that struck me was what wonder-
ful values everyone has," exclaim-
ed Marian Neustadt when ques-
tioned on her stay there last sum-
mer; while Frances Reiner, who,
along with Marian, was a member
of an Experiment in International
Living group of five girls, remark-
ed upon how mannerly and warm-
hearted Mexicans were. Virginia
Lee Nixon, who spent the summer
studying at the National Univer-
sity, commented on their versatil-
ity.
Provincial Town
Frannie and Marian lived with
Mexican families in the rather
provincial town of Morelia, popu-
lation about 35,000, while Nicky
stayed in a lawyer's home in Mex-
ico City. Marian's family includ-
ed five children�her "brothers
and sisters"; in Frannie's family,
there were eleven.
In the mornings informal lang-
uage classes were held at the ho-
tel for members of the group. All
had separate interests�Marian
studied singing and the guitar,
and Frannie took lacquer lessons.
Volcano
On one occasion they decided
to accompany their Mexican
friends to a new volcano. Their
train departed from Morelia at six-
thirty�by custom. There were
no signs of time tables; the train
which came from Mexico City was
very late�also by custom. All
those waiting settled down to
drinking cokes and playing rum-
my. "Coke and coke advertise-
ments are every place," said Mar-
ian, "and the craze for rummy is
unbelievable."
Progressing from the train in
an ancient Ford, the travellers
were met by horses and approach-
ed to within three miles of the
base of the volcano, where" they
could feel the heat from the
sparks, and hear the noise and ex-
plosion. From 4 A. M. to 7 A. M.
they watched the red glow disap-
pear with the  approach of dawn,
and the' tall columns of smoke.
On the return trip they sang
for seven hours without stopping.
"Mexicans have the strongest
lungs I've ever seen in anybody,"
said   Marian  admiringly.
Attitude Toward  Girls
"If the men like you at all,"
Frannie commented, explaining
the custom of Gallos, "they seren-
ade you from two to four. Their
reaction to American girls is that
they are too boyish�they have so
little make-up, and don't display
themselves to full advantage.
While some of the girls are envi-
ous of the American girls' free-
dom and chances for education, the
Mexican men are jealous of their
position and do not like a girl to
know too much."
Mexico City
"Tradition in Mexico is a power
to be reckoned with, as is the pat-
riotism and nationalism," Marian
stated. She added: "I think we
learned to like the people more
than anything." Their close as-
sociation with their culture and
the general atmosphere of antiq-
uity hold great charm. "But you
feel they've been left behind . . .
Mexico doesn't grow equally at all
�there is a great difference be-
tween town and country."
Continued on Page  5
Rhythmic Vitality of Art Described
By Chan in Chinese Culture Lecture
Calendar
Friday, October 22
Lantern   Night   in    Cloisters
at 8:00.
Saturday, October 23
Lecture   by  Wing-Tsit   Chan
on Heaven and Man in Chin-
ese Religion, in Music Room
at 8:30.
Tuesday, October 26
Current Events by Mrs. Man-
ning, Common Room, 7:15.
Lecture  by Bertrand  Russell
on  Perception  and  Causality
in Goodhart at 8:15.
Further Cooperation
With B.M. Requested
ByHaverford'sNEWS
Haverford, October 14. A com-
bining of staffs was proposed by
the editorial board of the Haver-
ford News to the board of the
College News at a meeting held at
Haverford last Thursday. The plan
was brought forward as the basis
of further cooperation among the
three colleges at Swarthmore, Hav-
erford and Bryn Mawr. An invita-
tion had been extended to the edi-
tors of the Swarthmore Phoenix,
but they were unable to attend.
Newspaper Cooperation
The plan presented by Haver-
ford for cooperation with the
College News is as follows:
Each newspaper would cover
events of mutual interest to both
campuses by exchanging reporters
each week. In this way many ac-
tivities otherwise unpublicized
would be made known to the stu-
dents. Valuable experience would
be gained by reporters working on
papers with different organiza-
tions. A joint business board
would be established, thereby in-
creasing the amount of advertis-
ing in both papers. The editors
of the three papers would meet
once a month.
Using their own effort as an ex-
ample, the newspapers would ad-
vocate further combination of ac-
tivities on the three campuses.
Haverford criticized the attitude
of Bryn Mawr students and facul-
ty toward the established plan of
cooperation.
Plan Not Approved
The College News did not agree
with the  Haverford  News on the
Continued on  Page  5                   i
Unusual Perspective Used
To Portray Life Force
Of Nature
Elections
The Senior class takes pleas-
ure in announcing the election
of the following officers:
President, Mary Sue Chadwick.
Vice   President,   Mary   Stewart
Blakeley.
Secretary, Mary  Hemphill.
Song Mistress, Nancy Scribner.
The Junior class takes pleas-
ure in announcing the election
of the following officers:
President, Jerry Beal.
Vice    President,    Mary    Jean
Hayes.
Secretary, Lois Post.
Song  Mistresses,  Sue  Coleman
and Lydia Gifford.
An analysis of Chinese painting,
dealing especially with its vital
portrayal of nature, its relation to
the arts of calligraphy and poetry,
and its correlation of the roles of
both artist and observer was pre-
sented last Saturday by Mr. Wing-
Tsit Chan, Professor of CMnese
Culture at Dartmouth College.
This lecture entitled "Rhythmic
Vitality in Chinese Art" was the
first of Mr. Chan's series of lec-
tures on "The Spirit of Man in
Chinese Culture."
Nature
Contrary to the opinion that
Chinese Art has been dominated
by nature, Mr. Chan stated that in
landscape painting, which is the
crowning point of Chinese art,
there has been rather a depart-
ure from the traditionally conceiv-
ed nature. Chinese painting is an
affirmation of life, utterly devoid
of the idea of escape, and it has
turned to nature as a subject for
art because she harbours the
larger meanings of life. But in
representing her, he pointed out,
the Chinese make little use of nat-
ural colors, or of light and shadow
detail, or, most strikingly, of per-
spective. The geometric dimen-
sions of scenes and the exact rela-
tions of objects do not occupy the
landscape painter.
, Vitality
The Chinese artist does not in-
sist on physical likeness in his
work, but seeks to portray the vi-
tality and essential movement of
his scene. He sees reality moving
and changing before him and he
tries to catch the vital force un-
derlying the altering forms. Thus,
said Mr. Chan, the painter realizes
that since the shape of his moun-
tain changes from glance to
glance, his own artistic perspec-
tive must change. Mr. Chan ex-
plained that the concept of "rhy-
thmic vitality" is found in the ear-
liest branches of Chinese Culture.
It is original with China and per-
meates all forms of her art.
Literary Quality
Chinese art has been narrowed
down to the three forms of paint-
ing, calligraphy and poetry, the
last two forming the basis of art.
These have been especially devel-
Continued on Page  5
La Casa Espanola Endures Growing Pains;
Conversational Difficulties Prolong Meals
By Alison Merrill, '45
La  casa  espanola   was   a   very
quiet place in the first week of its
existence.    Hidden   away   on   the
first floor of Radnor, eleven girls
crept around avoiding each other, |
and, not being awfully sure of how
to say, "Please   pass   the   Brown j
Betty" in Spanish, didn't eat quite
enough�or worse, ate steadily for
half an hour to avoid any painful |
conversation.    Pantomime reached
great    heights   and   the   "college
reach"   exceeded   the    bounds   of
propriety.
A typical conversation went
something like this: First Span-
iard: "Es posible que borrow su
toothpaste?" Second Spaniard:
"Si, usted es welcome to lo, pero
no can find'lo en mi trunko." First
Spaniard: "Que will I do? Es
necessario que I brush mis teeth."
There were, of course, excep-
tions. Two Seniors had spent the
summer in Mexico and the very
speed with which they could "hab-
lar" was disconcerting. They were
aided and abetted by Miss Nepper,
instructor in Spanish and warden
of the Spanish House, Miss Zulu-
eta, the new instructor in Spanish
from Madrid, Ampara Gomez from
Costa Rica, and Barbara Baer,
graduate student in Spanish. Sit-
ting at two tables in one end of
Radnor's dining room, the Span-
iards tried to close their ears to
the chatter of the fourteen Fresh-
men who this year disturb the
solemn and intellectual air of the
Continued on  Page  S