College News, 1943-10-28, Vol. 30, No. 05

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The college News
VOL. XL, NO. 5
ARDMORE and BRYN MAWR, PA.,   THURSDAY, OCTOBER 28, 1943
Cuprri �hi. TnmiH of
Bryn M�wr C�ll�g�. 1043
PRICE 10 CENTS
Russell Explains
Perception's Link
To Physical Laws
Interaction of Observation
Theory Induces Law
Of Physics
Goodhart,   October    26,    1943.�
The transition from the realm of
"common sense" percepts to the
realm of physical laws was dis-
cussed by Bertrand Russell' in his
lecture on "Perception and Causal-
ity" last Tuesday. He dealt with
the geometry of space and time"
where an ordered relative was giv-
e nand discussed contiguity and
compresence   in   relation   to   this
subject.
Physics maintain certain "com-
mon sense" assumptions, he point-
ed out, and physical laws are de-
rived from the interaction of ob-
servation and theory. Perceived
relations of objects often corres-
pond to their physical relations.
Mr. Russell exemplified this in the
case of the heavenly bodies. When
considered as they appear, two co-
ordinates are needed to locate
them in the visual field, but a
third is required to locate them in
their distance from the earth. This
Continued on  Page  4
Underlying Precepts
Of Chinese Religions
Interpreted by Chan
Goodhart, October 23. The three
religions of Confucianism, Taoism
and Buddhism are now followed in
China as parallel or conflicting re-
ligions, but as one folk religion
which combines and overshadows
Buddhism and Taoism and ante-
dates Confucianism. The underly-
ing principles of this folk religion
were explained by Mr. Wing-Tsit
Chan in his third lecture on Chin-
ese culture entitled "Heaven and
Man in Chinese Religion."
Chinese religious life is com-
posed of two levels�that of the
ignorant and that of the enlight-
ened. Since the faith of the ig-
norant is based on primitive be-
liefs, it is destined to decline, so
Mr. Chan dealt only with the faith
of the enlightened. Its fundamen-
tal precepts are that religion is a
sanction of ethics, that it consists
in fulfillment of human nature and
that religion is a realization of
natural reason.
Because religion is a sanction
of ethics, said Mr. Chan, heaven
is believed to guarantee moral
law. The Chinese, therefore, be-
lieve that they will receive punish-
ment or reward from heaven im-
mediately after an act and not in
the next world. The ritual of sac-
rifice to ancestors and spirits has
been perfected under this principle.
Such worship extends human re-
lationships by developing respect
for humanity; and this extension
is the essence of religion. Sacrifice
to ancestors is important because
it makes man remember his origin
and that his purpose is to serve
heaven and earth, thereby engen-
dering esteem for government.
This emphasis on ethics is the rea-
son for the lack of interest in
theology and the connection of re-
ligion with secret societies.
Weird Manipulations of English Language
Produce Daluistic Boners on Spanish Orals
By Alison Merrill, '45
The odd and assorted knowledge
of a college student and her weird
manipulation of the English lan-
guage are a continual source of
amazement to the reading commit-
tee for those dreaded ordeals, the
Orals. This fall's Spanish Oral
yielded bits of futuristic thinking
reminiscent of Dali, an unbeliev-
able ignorance of slang, a certain
aptitude for coining words, and
wild, wild imaginings.
The greatest difficulty on the
Spanish Oral seemed to come from
the English word flapper, distinct-
ly underlined. One frustrated as-
pirant spent all-too-many of her
precious minutes searching for the
word in the Spanish dictionary,
convinced that it was an obscure,
archaic foreign noun. Another
equally confused candidate defined
a flapper as a "young bug."
A poor gentleman named Hum-
bert, "un periodista antipatico,"
was described as a "periodic anti-
pathetic," and whatever a "periodic
antipathetic" may be, we leave to
you.   Humbert may also be a "col-
Racial Discrimination
Discussed by Thomas
At Student Assembly
Philadelphia,   October   24�"Op
pose the Japanese-American situ-
ation on the West Coast, and post-
war military conscription if you
wish to preserve civil liberties,"
urged Norman Thomas, discussing
Civil Liberties in America, in his
address to the Students' Town
Meeting of Philadelphia at Amal-
gamated Center, 2115 South
Street, on  Saturday afternoon.
Stressing the violation of the
Bill of Rights in the President's
Executive Order of February 19,
1942, forcing evacuation of all
Japanese-Americans from the
west coast, Thomas stated that
this order "is a complete denial of
Continued on Page  3
210 Bryn Mawrites
Asked to Give Blood
Continued on Page  i
Common   Room,   October   20:�
Under the auspices of the War Al-
liance, Donald Lippincott of the
American Field Service and Mrs.
Evans of the Speakers Bureau of
the Main Line Red Cross spoke
about blood donation last Wednes-
day evening in connection with
Bryn Mawr donation day, Novem-
ber 13.
Telling his own experiences in
the American Field Service, Mr.
Lippincott described the dire ne-
cessity for the dried blood plasma
in the combat area.
Mrs. Evans told the details of
blood doning work. For the week
of November sixth to thirteenth,
the Red Cross Blood Donation
Service will be given over to the
village of Bryn Mawr, with the
last day, the thirteenth, assigned
to Bryn Mawr College. If it is
not possible to come Saturday, ap-
pointments can be made for an-
other day in this week. Any girl
over eighteen can make an appoint-
ment for the blood doning, but if
between the ages of eighteen and
twenty-one, she must get a writ-
ten consent slip from her parents
or guardian. Bryn Mawr College
has guaranteed at least 210 girls
but expects more than that to
come.
umnist with antipathies." Like
Westbrook Pegler, perhaps?
There was great confusion over
a girl of Paris who had just tak-
en out an overcoat (sacarte el ga�
ban) which she had already rele-
gated to the bottom of the closet
among the bottles of camphor. In
one misguided version, this girl
had put "bolts in the bottom of the
armory." Or, in a faintly Dali-
istic manner, she had "searched
for the clock I had already regu-
lated among the bottles at the
bottom of the closet."
Apparently there was some
trouble with the lighting in the
same passage, for one poor female,
confronted with "yo no podia ver-
me para peinarme," reported, "I
could not see to give myself a
pain." Less barbarically inclined,
another said, "I couldn't see to
paint myself."
Calendar
Friday. October 29
Bertrand    Russell,    Induction
and  Analogy, Goodhart Hall,
8:15.
Saturday, October 30
Wing-Tsit Chan, The Chinese
Attitude    Towards     Science,
Goodhart Hall, 8:30.
Sunday, October 31
R. W. Erdman Harris, Music
Room, -7:30.
Tuesday, October 2
Mr.  Herben, Current Events,
Common Room, 8:15.
Wednesday, October 3
Wing-Tsit Chan,   China   Be-
tween   the   East   and   West,
Goodhart, 8:30.
Lanterns Exchanged
In Traditional Ritual
The Cloisters, October 22:�
Threatening skies and impending
rain did not prevent Bryn Mawr's
Lantern Night ceremony from
taking place on the traditional
third Friday in October. The Clois-
ter parapets were crowded with
upperclassmen and guests, who as-
sembled to watch the Sophomores
hand green lanterns to the Fresh-
men.
Few changes were made in the
form of the ceremony. A group
of 40 Freshmen were chosen to
form a choir. These marched
through the center arch after the
others had gone out the side arch-
es�the reverse of the pattern fol-
lowed last year.
The Freshmen firmly established
their reputation as a highly musi-
cal class by their moving rendition
of "Sophias Philai" and later of
"Loch Lomond" under Pembroke
Arch.
The fact that each Freshman
did receive a green lantern is a re-
sult of hard work and chance, for
since the war lanterns have be-
come unprocurable. Alumnae rose
to the occasion by forfeiting six
or seven. Last year's Seniors con-
tributed 65, and many undergrad-
uates   donated   theirs.
Mr. Chan Advocates
Increased Knowledge
Of Foreign Countries
By April Oureler, '46
"It is inevitable that the view-
point of the American student will
be broadened to include the
whole world," said Mr. Wing-Tsit
Chan, when asked his opinion of
the general idea of an Interna-
tional University. "Your present
system of education has degener-
ated into trivialities. When I see
a Boston institution giving a
whole year's course in gift-making
�even when I see a whole year
spent on the Victorian period of
English poetry�I cannot see how
you can ever expect to reach a
broad enough outlook to be able
to establish a world understand-
ing."
Analogy
Accepting the analogy of China
as a seventy-year-old man, exper-
ienced but with much still to learn,
of Europe as middle-aged, and
still discontented, and America as
an upstart and a young scientific
genius, Mr. Chan pointed out that
it is still possible to establish be-
tween them a common meeting
ground. Men of all ages can lis-
ten to a concert, and although
each hears with different ears, and
each has a different appreciation
of it, there is still a common en-
joyment. Each can be educated
to understand the other equally
well in political matters. "After
all," said Mr. Chan, "there can be
Continued on Page 3
Council Proposes
Common Treasury
For Organizations
Associations Retain Separate
Budget Under One Joint
Treasurer
Denbigh Team Triumphs in Hockey Contest
As Rhoads' Cheerers Battle Bravely to End
By Carol Ballard, '45
- All roads lead from Rhoads when
Jessie Stone gets her cheerleaders
organized and Denbigh is the op-
ponent. On Sunday afternoon the
paths to the hockey field swarmed
with Rhoads boosters, forming a
long line that might have looked
like some giant snake to a poor
herpetologist trapped in Taylor
Tower, and proclaiming their al-
legiance with huge letters pinned
on their backs.
The on-lookers thronged the
banks, their numbers swelled by
male fans who wanted to know
what this game of- field hockey
was all about. The sartorial
splendor of the crowd, dressed as
it was in cap and gown, was too
much for one camera addict who
turned his back on the field where
a life and death struggle was be-
ing decided, and insisted on taking
pictures of the cheering section.
The waving of colored banners by
the Rhoads well-wishers added to
the excitment. One such banner
consisted of a stuffed pair of light
blue bloomers with a pair of black
stockings attached, kicking garish-
ly in the breeze. Black and blue,
the Rhoads colors, had been picked
with an eye for the very realistic
results of the game.
The playing was quite as spirited
as the cheering. The fact that the
ball was controlled for the most
part by Denbigh, who made 5 goals
to Rhoads' 3, was explained quite
satisfactorily by one Rhoads' mem-
ber who said, "It's those people
who have no respect for nation-
ality, people who come from othep
halls to play for Denbigh. Rhoads
was proud of the lack of extran-
eous matter on its team. Denbigh
lay the claim of their 5-3 victory
to the fact that Andrew Alan
Grant was rooting for them. So
even the wailing and moaning and
tearing of hair in the Rhoads'
cheering section could not save the
day.
A plan for a common treasury
for Self-Gov, War Alliance, Un-
dergrad and the League will be
submitted by the Undergraduate
Council to the college. The pur-
pose of the change is to attain
more efficiency and integration.
Each organization will have a
separate budget administered by
a single treasurer.
Under the new plan, the man-
agement of funds will be made
easier by eliminating the ineffic-
iencies and difficulties' of loans
from one organization to another.
The distribution of dues on Pay
Day will be more even, coming on
either the first three, or all Pay
Days. It is hoped that dues will
be reduced by this method. At
present they are estimated at 50
cents per person for Self-Gov,
$1.50 for the Alliance, $3.50 for
Undergrad. The Athletic Associa-
tion and the League are to con-
tinue with separate accounts, but
the latter will come under the
common treasury next year.
Allotments
According to the proposed plan
each organization presents a bud-
get at the beginning of the year,
and is alloted a certain amount of
money from the common fund. If
at any time an organization finds
that it needs more, the Council
will be consulted about the prob-
lem, the decision resting with
them. The treasurer, nominated
this year by the Council and a
nominating committee from the
Junior class, is to be elected by
the college. If the plan goes into
effect a Sophomore nominating
committee will select candidates-
each spring. The present treasur-
ers of each organization will be-
come Sophomore representatives
of the boards and the secretaries
will deal with the bills and pre-
sent them to the common treas-
ury.
If discussion in the halls leads
to approval of the plan it will go
into effect tentatively for this
year. Because of the difficulty of
drafting such a proposal into the
constitutions for each organiza-
tion, the plan cannot be made per-
manent until voted on next spring
after a trial period.
Defense
We want to help, but � our
hands are tied. Lend or rent
us your sewing machine so that
we can make kit bags for the
Red Cross! Please contact Ellen
Ustick, Pembroke West.
If anyone can go to the ra-
tion board in Bryn Mawr from
2:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. on any
of the days not filled�sched-
ules posted on bulletin boards
�please contact Ann Fitzgib-
bons, Rock.
. Vurs^yAJjas j. .Have you tak-
en Standard First Aid this
year? Join the class beginning
on Tuesday night, November
2nd, at the Gym. Sign up with
Ann Fitzgibbons, Rock � im-
mediately.
The schedule for the Bryn
Mawr Hospital is also posted
in the halls.