"You Didn't Bring An Umbrella?"
Sixty-Ninth Year
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3DAY, FEBRUARY 26, 1959 NIGHT EDITOR: JOAN KAATZ
'Atheists Are communists'
-The New Texas Claim
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NEW ISM-"oathism"-seems to be sweep-
ing the country. Perhaps the biggest ab-
dity of all came this wee from Texas, where
slators are charging that teachers in statef
i private schools are teaching atheism and
s, are probably Communists.
Zep. Joe Chapman of Sulphur Springs, Texas,
der of the pious lawmakers, is proposing that
instructors take an annual ath affirming
elief in a Supreme Being. His reasoning is
they don't believe in a Supreme Being they
uld not be allowed to teach."
I have a suspicion that a great number of
eists are Communists," he added.
HE SITUATION is reminiscent of the famous
Tennessee Scopes trial many years ago,
en John Scopes taught his students evolu-
n, thus opposing Tennessee law. And as the
nessee lawmakers did, the. Texan legislators
now ignoring one of the prime purposes of
education . . . to learn to question theories
I ideas so as to draw one's own conclusions.
the instructor who illustrates to his students
various philosophies about the existence of
d gives the student a frame of reference for
own conclusions. In practice, the teacher
>ws the student the ideas of earlier thinkers,
what to believe.
reaching in this manner maintains separa-
n of church and state. But. Rep. Chapman
in effect would remove this barrier. In essence,
he suggests that each instructor must profess
a belief in God as illustrated by a church before
he is qualified to teach. Actually, this should
have no bearing on the caliber or manner of
teaching.
BUT PEQUALLY outrageous is the attempt to
attach the Communist tag to atheists.
Although Rep. Chapman and his cohorts pro-
fess to have a list of names, nobody seems to
say whether the list is of Communists or of
atheists or of Texas instructors! It looks like
the lawmakers are carrying a big stick, making
a lot of noise, and in effect will be able to prove
very little.
The problem is not, however, whether they
can prove anything at all. More likely the pro-
posed bill will succeed in getting the usual
irrational, emotional support from many who
are easily aroused by such an issue. Behind this
there may be an unexplainable fear that stu-
dents will be corrupt and insecure if they do
not believe in God.
The Texas action may be just another link
in the growing chain of loyalty oaths and other
"security pledges" which governments are at-
taching to recent legislation. This new "ism" is
rapidly growing. The fad should be stopped
before it envelops the whole country.
-JOAN KAATZ
AT LYDIA MENDELSSOHN:
'Barber of Seville'
Not Close Shave
LAST EVENING, a blue ribbon audience composed mainly of Pi Phi's,
Martha Cookies, Joint Judic chairmen and rushing counselors heard
one of the best opera performances ever to invade the usually bleak
premises of Lydia Mendelssohn.
From the. hilariously idiomatic translation to the fantastic cos-
tuming, "The Barber of Seville," (or 'Il Barbiere" as the Romans say)
was a first rate collection of singing, acting, and what have you. '
Best voice belongs to John Zei, the Barber himself. He somehow
managed to keep up the rapid-fire vocal line which is not easy in
Italian; usually impossible in English.
Robert Denison (Bartolo) and Willis Patterson (Basilic) divide the
acting honors; both have adequate voices although Patterson lacked
volume occasionally.
JANET AST turned out to be a remarkable Rosina, in spite of
the elaborate vocal configurations which amused Rossini and nine-
teenth-century audiences, but usually serve to only deplete the world
of sopranos.
Millard Cates lacked the spirit usually associated with Count Al-
maviva; although his performance improved with the onset of Act'
III, an impossible duet with Bartolo providing the comic highlight of
the evening.
Special mention must be made of Muriel Greenspon, a singing
actress who made more of the minor role of Bertha, Bartolo's house-
keeper, than many of the principals made of theirs.
For this performance, most of the side seats down front were
evacuated, so that the orchestra could overflow the miniature pit into
the wings. This provided us with a stereophonic effect with a big bass
drum off right and a grunting bass viol or two off left. Aside from
an unsteady start, the orchestra was in fine fettle, especially during
the act III storm scene.
.COSTUMES AND SETS were again excellent; this has become al-
most traditional in these productions. But a prize for translation must
go to Virginia Card who inserted some curious lines into the pro-
ceedings. At one point, the pompous Basilio describes the Count as a
"real bird dog."
Since it seems to be an uncalled-for intrusion upon the campus
consciousness for ,a reviewer to praise everything without damning
something, it should be sufficient to say that the mean temperature of
the theatre may have reached the critical point shortly before ten.
Air conditioning, anyone?
-David Kessel
THOMAS MANN:
Portrait of a Genius
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LETTERS TO THE EDITOR:
Affiliate Warns Against Hasty Choice.
Even the Boy Scouts?
BOY SCOUT helping an old l dy across a
street in Warsaw has become a sight too
ourgeois for the Polish government. Camping
rips are training grounds for capitalist guerilla
orces, and patrol meetings, gatherings of coun-
er-revolutionaries.
Though there are still as many old ladies as
efore in Poland and the outdoors is still as
nviting as ever, there will be no more Boy
couts availing, themselves of traditional Scout
otivities. The Polish government announced
his week integration of the Boy Scout organi-
ation into the general scheme of Party con-
rolled youth groups. The purpose is, according
o the Premier, thae further education of Polish
'outh.
In carrying out the order, certain changes
will be made in the Scout tradition in order to
fulfill its specifications.
The Scout law will probably be altered slightly
to read "A Scout is trustworthy to the Party,
loyal to the State, helpful to the oppressors ...
and revent only to those whom the State
desires:" Scouts will "be prepared" to be op-
pressed, to be denied liberty, and to lose all
individuality. They will do only good turns for
the State.
Though the sincere aim of the Polish govern-
ment may be -the indoctrination of its youth,
the real reason is perhaps found elsewhere.
Perhaps the Communists couldn't stand the
sight of young boys helping other people or just
enjoying themselves.
-PHILIP SHERMAN
TODAY AND TOMORROW:
yAwkwardE Prrangemen
. ;,By WALTER LIPPMIANN
CHEC DEMANDS for the immediate appoint-
ment of a new Secretary of State arise, so
seems to me, from an incomplete analysis of
he situation. The heart of the matter is that as
ulles has administered the office under Presi-
ent Eisenhower, no man can replace him
.uring his lifetime. Whatever his nominal role,
e it as titular Secretary of State or as senior
ivisor to the President, the first authority in
reign policy will be his and no other man can
xpect to exercise it.
The situation in which we find ourselves is
nique in modern American history. For no
resident has ever before delegated to his Secre-
ry of State so -much power over the issues of
ar and peace. This power, though it has been
elegated by the President, has in fact become
eeply connected with the personality of John
oster Dulles. It cannot easily be disconnected
om his personality, and there is no other man
whom the President can now delegate it. A
ew man will be subject to Dulles's actual views,
r to the views attributed to Dulles by those
ho believe they know all that is in his mind.
nce a man has exercised such a vast power
or such a long time, he cannot readily put it
side.
N ONE WAY or another, therefore, a way will
have to be improvised by which for the time
sing Dulles retains the final responsibility in
he great decisions. It is an awkward arrange-
lent. But in the circumstances it is at the,
resent moment the best that is possible.
It could not be eured by appointing an out-
der, say Henry Cabot Lodge, McCloy, or Gen.
-ruenther. For they would be as subject as is
bristian Herter to the over-riding authority
f Dulles. In addition, they would need long
tonths of schooling in the work of the Depart-
lent of State before }they could hope to ad-
inister it. What we must look for is a working
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Editorial Staff
RICHARD TAUB, Editor
ICHAEL KRAFT JOHN WEICHER
litorial Director City Editor
DAVID TARR
Associate Editor
ALE CANTOR ............... Personnel Director
EAN WILLOUGHBY .... Associate Editorial Director
arrangement between the White House, Walter
Reed Hospital, and the Department of State-
the arrangement to last as long as Dulles be-
lieves he can play his part and does not decide
on a total retirement from public life.
It is quite true, of course, that at first it is
hard to imagine how this hybrid arrangement
would work out if we come to the Foreign
Ministers' meeting which the Allies have pro-
posed to Moscow. But it is not impossible to
imagine it if we take a matter of fact view of
the Foreign Ministers' conference. Had Dulles
not\been stricken, have we any reason to sup-
pose that much could come of a meeting be-
tween him, who has political power, and a civil
servant like Gromyko, who is not in the highest
ranks of the Soviet rulers?
A true negotiation over the ultimate issues
of war and peace need not be a spectacular
public encounter as in Geneva in 1955. But
negotiation about the ultimate issues of war
and peace mustbe at the "summit," that is to
say among those who have the final power of
decision. This means that the negotiation must
be with Khrushchev, not with Gromyko, with
Macmillan, with Gen. de Gaulle, and with what
we may call the regents who exercise the legal
powers of President" Eisenhower and the per-
sonal powers of Secretary of State Dulles.
I IS AGAINST the background of these con-
siderations that we can most fairly think of
Macmillan's visit to Moscow. The visit was de-
cided upon before Dulles became ill. But now,
that Dulles is ill, it is most fortunate that Mac-
millan has been able to go to Moscow. For while
in the technical sense he is not there, as he
has said so many times, to "negotiate," it is
exactly the kind of communication which he
is now having with Khrushchev which must
come first if there is ever to be a successful
negotiation.
Indeed, it would be necessary to have such
communication even if the Kremlin had ac-
cepted at once the invitation to a Foreign
Ministers' conference. For the Foreign Min-
isters' conference would have little prospect of
success if no understanding is reached first at
the summit of the great powers.
There is no use trying to guess what Mac-
millan will come home with. But, judging from
the reception he has had from Khrushchev,
he is likely to come home with the clearest and
the most reliable picture that the West has
yet had of what is negotiable and how.
To the Editor:
THE prospective soroity
member:
Right now you are deciding
whether or not to join a Greek
letter society. You are seeing so-
rorities at their best.
Frankly, on a big campus like
Michigan, a small living group is
advantageous. A sorority offers a
"home away from home," a place
to belong. As you work with girls
on projects such as /Homecoming
etc., you develop close friendships
with some of your "sisters." The
same advantage exists in small
groups such as cooperatives or
dormitories.
However, there is another aspect
to consider. The subject - racial
and religious bias. If you do not
concern yourself with the "right
and wrong" of discrimination, go
right ahead and pledge. You will
never have a conflict. To be en-
tirely fair, let me point out that I
know of at least five sororities on
the Michigan campus to which
Jewish or girls of non-Caucasian
background belong. It is safe to
assume that these groups contain
no bias. This is not true of all.
SOME SORORITIES have bias
clauses and some do not. You will
not be told of this until the day
you pledge. So about the only way
you can tell is to observe the mem-
bership. Even this is not a fool-
proof guarantee. The fact that a
house contains a girl of Jewish
background does not mean that
there is no bias against those of
other minorities.Furthermore,
there need be no official'bias clause
for discrimination to exist. Preju-
dice is instilled in the minds and
emotions of people, and it needs
no rationale. It is institutionalized
on the campus in two ways-segre-
gated housing and social ostracism.
Let me illustrate with examples.
The test of a sorority's attempt to
put their ideals of "truth" and
"justice" into practical meaning
is in selection of new members. It
only takes five or six girls with
influence in a house to convince
those sitting on the fence that-
they would not care to live with a
girl of another race or culture.
(Unless somebody speaks up in
opposition.) If this situation pre-
vails, any thinking person will
soon discover a conflict within
himself. Though desiring to abide
by the will of th majority, he
will find that he cannot accept
anti-Semitism and racial discrimi-
nation for himself as an individual.
On the surface, it is easier to go
along with the group. Be quiet and
retain social approval. However, if
you feel that discrimination is be-
hind the times and without reason-
able basis, you will feel compelled
to state these views at the expense
of popularity.
In regards to social ostracism.
I know one house in which a girl
dated a boy from India. Because
some of the girls felt that this
might "hurt the house's reputa-
tion," they just ignored her. In
addition, she was told by the presi-
dent that "when you join a group,
you conform to the wishes of the
other girls. If they feel that this
would not look good for the house
on campus, you should not date
this boy." Again to be fair I know
alone" on many issues within the
house.
Whatever you do, never conform
to the thinking of the house if you
do not first examine both sides of
a campus issue and make up your
mind as to what is right. That is,
do not decide on a campus issue
by saying "I am a sorority girl.
What is best for the house?" Make
up your own mind.,It's up to you.
-Mary Morrow
A senior affiliated woman
"en. Marshall . .
To the Editor:
N A SYNDICATED column, pub-
lished in the Sunday edition of
the Daily, William S. White writes
that in- 1945 Gen. George C. Mar-
shall was sent to China to "put a
stop, as best he could, to a civil
strife and to put somehow a united
China into the field against the
Japanese." I would like to remind
your readers that General Mar-
shall was not sent to China to stif-
fen Chinese resistance to the
Japanese, who had surrendered
four months before the General
arrived in China, but in the hope
that by arranging a cease-fire be-
tween the Chinese Nationalists and
the Chinese Communists and
bringing the two protagonists to-
gether into a coalition government
he could save the Nationalists from
impending defeat and bring about
the creation of a unified and rea-
sonably strong China that would
be able to fill the power vacuum
left in the Far East by the defeat
of Japan. It was a courageous,
mission, as noble as it was futile.
-Donald Gillin
Visiting Lecturer
Dept. of History
(EDITOR'S NOTE: the following
correction was sent by. the United
Features Syndicate but was received
too late: "Marshall went, as a repre-
sentative of the President of th~e
United Statestand as a good soldier
going into a place he did not know.
Hispurpose was to put. a stop by
agreement to civil'- strife between
Nationalists and Communists in
China. His fear was that this strde
and the resulting chaos, if long
continued, would eventually benefit
only the Russians as land-hungry
neighbors of vast China.)
Religion . . .
To the Editor:
THE COMMITTEE on Studies in
Religion and the Department
of English deserve particular
thanks for bringing Prof: John
Crowe Ransom to the University
for his lecture on "Religion and
Poetry." Not only Prof. Ransom,
but his subject matter held a
great significance for the Univer-
sity community. I believe this
significance can be summarized
by two points. First, he was ad-
mittedly favorable towards tradi-
tional religion in his presentation
of his topic, and second, Prof.
Ransom was not- a theologian, or
a spokesman for an organized re-
ligious group, but he was a literary
man, and he was attempting to
show the connection between the
literary world and that of religion.
It seems to ime that individuals
biased towards traditional religion
are rarely invited to speak on this
campus, unless they - are theolo,
gians or religious leaders of their,
particular faith. #And it also ap-
pears that most of the courses
concerning religion offered at
Michigan take a critical attitude.
It's certainly true that a critical
attitude is needed on occasion
when examining religions and re-
ligious belief, but it is also true
that such an attitude is only half
the story, that much can be said,
and Prof. Ransom did say much,
in favor of traditional religion. Of
course, if one looks hard enough,
one can find a course or two which
treats religion in the light of re-
ligious tradition and belief, and
does not treat it skeptically, but
such a course and such an. ap-
proach are indeed rare.
But Prof. Ransam's second sig-
nificance seems even greater than
the first. Prof. Ransom was not
a theologian, nor a religious phi-
losopher, but a literary critic and
author. The essential aim of his'
lecture was to show'the similarities
between religion. and 'poetry; and
not to emphasize their differences.
It seem that this interrelationship
between the beliefs of religion and
the disciplines of literature, phi-'
losophy, political science, and
other fields is something which is
rarely stressed in the University
community. Instead, religion is
viewed as an isolated belief system,
fair game for destruction by psy-
chology, philosophy, or whatever,
field wishes to tackle it.
While returning from Prof.
Ransom's lecture, I recalled part
of the inscription over the en-
trance to Angell Hall: "Religion,
morality and knowledge being
necessary to good government and
the happiness of mankind." I
couldn't help but feel that .the
connection between religion and
knowledge has been largely neg-
lected at the University of Michi-
gan.
--Richard Parmelee, '61
THE LAST YEAR OF THOMAS
MANN. By Erika Mann. Farrar,
Straus and Cudahy. New York,
119 pages. $3.50.
THERE is about this book, "The
Last Years of Thomas Mann,"
a quality which reminds one of
those charming and sometimes
moving letters persons write to
the London Times when a friend
or acquaintance has died. "May I
add my tribute to the vivid per-.,
sonality and achievements of ..
they so oftenbegin. Erika Mann's
memoir of her father's last year-
episodic and personal-is much in
that manner. As she says at the
very beginning: "I wish to talk
about him-just that-about him,
his plans; The story of his last
year, the record of his last -days
and hours.".
For this is no critical study nor
an evaluative biography, but the
memory of the last phase of an
intimate friendship between a
highly perceptive daughternand
her genius father. It is a portrait
for which we may be grateful, for
every contemporary memory of a
great man, if it is told ,with
honesty and understanding as this
one is, has a value for all men.
How much we should like to know
the details of Shakespeare's last
year or those of Euripides!
Yet this is not a book without
an immediate meaning or purpose.
There is a theme which informs it
-that of the peace and joy or, as
Miss Mann prefers, the grace,
which comes as the result of a
life which has fulfilled itself. Miss
Mann recalls thather father once
said to her when they were living
in California: "When one is old
and due to die, there is so much
that oppresses one. A great cloud
of anxiety and melancholy over-
shadows my latter days." And
often he repeated Prospero's
words: "And my ending is de-
spair." But, in actuality, his
wasn't. That is what this book is
about.
S* * *
THE PERIOD covered here is
from August 1954 till Thomas
Mann's death in the same month
of the following year. It was a
time of continued productivity for
the novelist and one also of travel
and honor. -He was correcting the
galley proofs of "Felix Krull,"
working on an essay on Chekhov
and one on Schiller, beginning a
play about Luther's wedding, writ-
ing introductions and tributes and,
always, letters. And he traveled
almost continually in his last year.
Two events of that year-one in
Stuttgart and one in Lubeck-are
of particular interest in revealing
Mann's reconciliation with Ger-
many in those his final months.
He was asked to deliver an address
in Stuttgart in May at a celebra-
tion in commemoration of the one
hundred and fiftieth anniversary
of the death of Schiller. There he
met President Heuss of West Ger-
many-and after his speech, "Fried-
rich Schiller in Love," the audi-
ence rose, people wept, and others
wrote to say that they had been
won over after having "believed
him quite incapable of being fair
to Schiller's genius."
Later in the same month he re-
turned to Lubeck, his birthplace;
and received the Freedom of the
City in the Council Chamher wher
in June was the type of occasion
he did not look forward to, but he
had said on his fiftieth birthday
that one should "keep the feast
days as they fall" His birthday
was indeed a feast, a feast of
honors-a doctorate, presents from
nations and individuals, a visit by
the President of Switzerland, and
so much mail that it was sent in
bags from the post office. But the
most moving tribute was that of
his friend and favorite conductor,
Bruno Walter, who crossed the At-
lantic to give a Mozart concert
especially for him.
And there is one incident con-
nected with Mann's birthday
which will be huniorously appreci-
ated by anyone who has, been
amazed or perhaps irritated by the
variety of knowledge in his work.
Erika relates that her father loved
clear stones and had always want-
ed a-ring with a flawless stone of
green. On'his birthday the family
gave him one. set with a tourma-
line. Mann was delighted and went
into town to get it adjusted to fit
his finger. When the jeweler asked
if he was satisfied the novelist be-
gan to explain how the stone came
into being. "The salesman blinked
in bewilderment. It was clear..,
that he had never considered the
possibility of learning about stones
from a customer."
In Holland in July, where he was
vacationing after having been
honored by the Dutch government,
the Queen, and the University of'
Amsterdam, Mann complained of
a pain in his left leg. It was a
thrombosis and he was flown to
Zurich for treatment. For a time,
he seemed to be recovering. At this
point Miss Mann includes a remi-
niscence which is the one im-
portant flaw in this memoir. t
concerns an hallucination she had
had fourteen months before that
her father was dying. The whole
episode is told inv far too much
detail and serves only to shift the
focus of the narrative from her
father to herself.
On August 12, 1955 Thomas
Mann died painlessly of what the
autopsy report called arterioscler-
osis. Speaking of his death and
last year his daughter says:
"Death was gentle with him, and
the last year of his life was illumi-
nated and warmed by grace-the
same that filled his 'Joseph,' that
crowns 'The, Holy Sinner,' and
that was at last vouchsafed to him
because he was true and had ful-
filled himself." This book is evi-
dence that after his exile and an-
guish Thomas Mann experienced
a qualified homecoming and a
measure of peace.
-David Lowe
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