College News, 1945-04-18, Vol. 31, No. 22

              The College News
VOL. XLI, NO. 22
ARDMORE and BRYN MAWR, PA., WEDNESDAY, APRIL  18, 1945
�S^BSK-cJBSrifi.   PRICE 10 CENTS
Development of Russian Culture
Described in Simmons' Lectures
Westernization of Russia
Under Peter, Catherine,
Traced
Good hart, April 11. The work of
* Peter the Great and Catherine the
Great in eliminating the back-
wardness of Russian civilization
during the seventeenth and eight-
eenth centuries was described by
Dr. Ernest Simmons in his lec'turej
on "Russian Civilization and the
West". This is the second in the
lecture series on Russian Civili-
zation and Thought being pre-
sented by the class of 1897.
Through the application of
western methods, Peter remodeled
Russia in commercial and military
fields, raising her to the status of
a first-class power. He studied the
military, commercial, industrial,
and scientific institutions of the
West at first hand and hired for-
eign experts to introduce them to
Russia. However, his reforms in
no way affected his despotic poli-
tical system. Peter needed men of
practical knowledge for military
and civil service and therefore
made elementary education com-
pulsory for the upper classes. His
reign was "a period of preparation
before Russia could absorb Euro-
pean culture and thought," pointed
out Dr. Simmons.
In Catherine's reign the influ-
ence of western culture caused
Russia to become intellectually
conscious and to develop a "cul-
tural cosmopolitanism," explained
Dr. Simmons. Western manners,
literature, art, and thought were
introduced. At first, the new Rus-
sian culture was purely imitative
of that of Prance and England,
but an intelligentsia was growing.
In the nineteenth century came
the full flowering of Russian cul-
ture with a national language, lit-
erature, art, and music. This was
the Golden Age of Russian poetry
____   and novel.
Although   Catherine   the   Great
encouraged   this   cultural  enlight-
Concinued on  Page'4
Ineffective     Opposition
oOffered in  Russia
To Czars
Goodhart,   Monday,   April      16.
"The fatal inertia which possessed
the masses of educated Russians"
towards any active part in a revo-
lutionary change of Government,
was emphasized by Ernest J. Sim-
mons as the dominating trait of
Russian thought in the nineteenth
century. "Towards Revolution" was
the topic of the third in a series
of lectures on Russian civilization,
in whicbW)r. Simmons traced the
development of all philosophical
thought in Russia before the ad-
vent of Marxism.
Ever  present in   the  autocratic
Czarist regime was the sustaining
Continued on   Page  4
Nason Supports
Dumbarton Oaks
At Mass Meeting
Lower Merion High, April 11�
"We have before us perhaps the
greatest chance in tfiis century to
determine the course of the world
for war or for a constructive
peace," asserted Dr. John W. Na-
son, president of Swarthmore Col-
lege, at a mass meeting about
Dumbarton Oaks at which Miss
McBride presided.
President Nason said that we
are on the eve of a momentous in-
ternational conference which
should, as Commander Stassen
puts it, "prevent war of any con-
sequence for the next hundred
years." The question before us is
whether or not, by human insight
and goodwill, we can establish an
international political organiza-
tion which will maintain peace.
Although we must bear in mind,
Continued on Page 4
Joe Breaks Previous Silence
To Tell of Ghostly Encounters
by Louise Gorham '47
"If I were to tell you the story
of my life, I'd be in the penitenti-
ary in two minutes," chuckled
Joe, a familiar figure to many
who burn the midnight oil. One of
a procession of night-watchmen
all, curiously enough, named Joe,
he retains the distinction of look-
ing like a combination of Mr.
Pickwick and a leprichaun who has
been guarding the campus for
thirty-six years. This is the first
time he has allowed us to probe
into his past, and while he hinted
at a varied career, Joe refused to
reveal his life before coming to
Bryn Mawr. He confessed to a
poor memory, saying, "the only
thing I can tell ye is stories."
Perhaps one of the most inter-
esting things about Joe is his firm
belief in ghosts and the spiritual
world. He insisted that he had
felt ghosts hit him or throw water
on him, and had even seen them
on campus. In his anxiety to per-
suade his listeners of their exist-
ence he cited numerous seances
he had attended where the spirits
were undoubtedly present, one of
them even going so far as to give
Joe a message which, believe it
or not, got him a job in a Phila-
delphia shipyard. He affirmed that
due to their unchanging character
they are more real than man, and
that they were even then listen-
ing to our conversation. His sin-
cerity and the hazy light of the
smoker produced an atmosphere in
which even the skeptical inter-
viewer was prepared for anything.
In addition to his noctural du-
ties, Joe is also an avid reader.
Although his motto is to take
nothing seriously, he expressed a
preference for poetry, especially
that of Robert Burns, and works
on plant life and animals. He has
spent a fortune on books, and be-
lieves in learning all through your
lifetime. In fact, to his mind, the
man who never went to college
should spend twice the tuition on
reading matter. Lectures are also
a favorite pastime with him. He
would go anywhere to hear a
speaker, no matter what his sub-
ject, or in lieu of. that he/likes "to
get the drift in the News!
SwarthmoreCast
Plans to Produce
W. H. A udenPlay
The Ascent of F6, Wystan Hugh
Auden's verse play, written in col-
laboration with Christopher Isher-
wood, will be presented at Swarth-
more College on Thursday, Friday
and Saturday evenings of this
week. Tentatively- scheduled to
play in New York, it has been de-
cided to have the production only
at Swarthmore, due to war-time
travel restrictions. On Thursday
night students will be admitted
free.
The theme of the play, original-
ly tragic, has been changed to an
optimistic satire which seems to
move on two levels. According to
Mr. Sprague, The Ascent of F6 is
one of the most significant of the
experiments in reviving poetic
drama, and he compared the tone
of the play to that' of Hamlet.
The poet himself has a walk-on
role of a monk in the production.
Faculty and students of Swarth-
more college have joined to form
an excellent amateur cast. Among
the principal actors is Vivi French,
a recent graduate of Bryn Mawr,
who plays the role of Mrs. Ransom.
The rest of the cast is as follows:
Michael Ransom�Edward Tripp.
Snobbish    Lady    Isabel    Alwyn�
Enid Hobart.             f
Blimpish   General�Lucius    Shero,
College Registrar.
Lord Stagnatle�Luther Mansfield,
Professor of English.
Brainy   Cabinet   Member,    James
Ransom�Earle Caesar.
Mountaineers�Vaujghn   Chambers,
Robert Alfancre^ Frank Lyman.
Abbot of Monastery�Robert Gil-
key.
Announcer�Howard  Sahar.
College Features
Sherlock Holmes
Friends of Sherlock Holmes and
admirers of his creator, Arthur
Conan Doyle, will have a real op-
portunity to learn more about the
great detective at the Haverford
College Library during the four
weeks ending May 5. Dr. How-
ard D. Snyder, Chairman of the
English Department at the Col-
lege, has made arrangements with
the Rosenbach Company, world-
famed book dealers, to place on
exhibtion the most sensational
volumes from Conan Doyle's own
criminological library, which the
company owns  intact.
Most of the manuscripts, maps,
books, pamphlets and association
items on display are the property,
of Haverford College, acquired
largely by gift from members of
the Baker Street Irregulars, al-
though some are borrowed through
the courtesy of nearby libraries
and  individuals.
The Baker Street Irregulars, a
group interested in Sherlockiana,
have produced some diverting
pseudo-scholarly articles to prove
that various fantastic ideas con-
cerning Holmes are true. These
articles, slyly poking fun at the
ponderous scholarship of learned
journals, are based on the as-
sumption that Holmes was a real
detective, that Dr. Watson actu-
ally wrote the stories, and that A.
Conan Doyle was merely the lit-
erary agent. One of the best
known Irregulars, and most gen-
erous contributor of rare manu-
scripts and books to Haverford,
is   Christopher  Morley.
Shaw Production
Called Overdone,
Uneven in Tempo
by Rosina Bateson '47
Roberts Hall, April 14. The per-
formance of Shaw's Arms and the
Man, produced by the Haverford
Cap and Bells Club and the Var-
sity Players- Friday nighf was un-
fortunately reminiscent of an 01-
sen and Johnson orgy. Handicap-
ped by an audience .which was in
the mood for a three ring circus,
the production was redeemed
slightly by the acting of a few
individuals.
Heavy-handed Caricature
TShe most obvious faults of the
production were its unevenness
and the general tendency towards
over-acting.' The total^ effect was
one of heavy-handed caricature,
and not of quick, light humor. The
satirical plot, which should have
been handled in a less dramatic
Continued on   Pace 4
College Unites
In Service for
Pres. Roosevelt
Academy Treats
British Problems
Of Post-War Era
Need for Faith in Future
Stressed by Speeches
And Prayer
"Relations between Great Brit-
ain and the United States" was
the topic under discussion at the
third session of the meeting of
the American Academy of Politi-
cal and Social Science, Friday,
April 13, at the Ben Franklin Ho-
tel. William L. Batt, vice chair-
man of the War Production Board,
presided at this meeting open to
college students, and the speakers
were Dr. George Soule, an editor
Of the New Republic, Dean James
M. Landis of the Harvard Law
School, and Mr. Michael Wright,
counselor of the British Embassy.
Dr. Soule discussed Britain's
economic problems, particularly
in reference to the United States.
British trade and British tariff
policy will depend on two things,
Dr. Soule said: the adoption by
the United States of something
resembling the Bretton Woods
proposals to deal with fluctuations
in the exchange market, and con-
Continued on Page 4
Glee Club Plans
Secular Concert
In place of the usual Gilbert
and Sullivan production, the Glee
Club plans to give a gay secular
concert which will include popu-
lar music from Porgy and Bess,
as well as British, Hungarian and
Austrian   Folk   Songs.
For the first time the Choir will
do away with their black angel
robes, and don pastel skirts and
white blouses. This concert will
be given for the college on Sat-
urday, April 28, and will be free
of admission for all.
High points of the program in-
clude "The Galway Piper" and
familiar selections from The Gon-
doliers, with a duet by Posey John-
son '47 and Franny Binger '48.
Soloists for the selections from
Porgy and Bess are Ann Matlack
'47 singing "It Ain't Necessarily
So" and Benjie Beckwith '46 sing-
ing "Summertime." In the inter-
mission Bessie Evans '46 will play
the piano.
Goodhart, April 13. "We have
come together this morning from
_every part of the college to pay
tribute to President Roosevelt. We
meet in sorrow and anxiety."
These words, spoken by Miss Mc-
Bride, as she opened the college
assembly, expressed the emotions
of all those present at the memor-
ial service for President Roosevelt
held at noon on Friday.
Not only had President Roose-
velt been a leader of vision and
strength, Miss McBride pointed
out, but he had been a symbol to
people all over the world "of the
force a democratic nation could
exert against the powers of fas-
cism and nazism."
Doctor Rufus F. Jones con-
ducted the brief service of prayers,
and a panel' of representative
speakers spoke briefly * on the
meaning of the nation's crisis, and
the hope to be held for the future.
Mr. Charles J. Rhoads, chairman
of the Board of Directors of the
College, and Dean Grant and Dean
Taylor reviewed .the late Presi-
dent's life and achievements, and
emphasized the importance of
faith    in the new administration.
Representing the student body,
Patricia Behrens, '46, head of the
Undergraduate Association, ex-
pressed the feelings of uncertain-
ty and fear which struck so hard
at the undergraduates, the major-
ity of whom had never known any
other president.
She went on, however, to point
out that despite the understand-
able shock and fear, the youth of
the nation must build on the firm
cornerstone left to us as a heri-
tage by President Roosevelt. It is
she concluded, our responsibility
to impress on the youth of other
nations that his ideals of democ-
racy will continue to grow and
develop.
The Bryn Mawr choir sang
Mozart's "Ave Verum" and Co-
mendi's "De Profundis". The ser-
vice closed 'with the hymn, "Oh
God our help in ages past, our
hope for years to come."   �
_____^   -----------------"         ._,
B. M. Stage Guild
Defines Function
A recent increase in activities
and membership has led the Stage.
Guild to offer in its now Consti-.
tution a definition of its function
as an integral part of campus dra- *
matic activities. The Constitution,
which states that the Guild-offers
its services as stage technicians to
any dramatic organization, is a
codification of the work of the
Guild.
The activities of the members
include the construction of sets
and the arrangement of electrical
equipment, costume designing, and
the handling of all properties. A
Guild member acts as stage mana-
ger and coordinates all the techni-
cal work on any production of such
organizations as the Players. Club.