Sixty-Ninth Year
-- EDITED AND MANAGED BY STUDENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN
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Editorials printed in The Michigan Daily express the individual opinions of staff writers
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NIGHT EDITOR: SUSAN HOLTZERTUESDAY, MARCH 3, 1959
"Uh iluh --I'm Getting Worried About Inflation Too"
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AT THE MICHIGAN:
Poor Pennypacker
Packs Paltry Punch
"IFIE REMARKABLE MR. PENNYPACKER" is rather difficult to
describe. By no definition, Aristotelian, Websterian, or even Mil-
lerian, could the film be called tragedy. Neither could it be called
tragi-comedy. Nor comedy, farce, burlesque, satire, pantomime, harle-
quinade, melodrama, puppet show, burletta, drama, or entertainment.
The main thing -- no, the only thing -- remarkable about Mr.
Pennypacker is the fact that he has singularly fathered seventeen
children. While married. To two different women. At the same time.
And Mr. Pennypacker lives in Philadelphia and Harrisburg - alter-
nately, a month at a time - not in Salt Lake City. He believes that
"the whole marriage pattern As medieval ritual." Sadly enough for
the film, the director does not.
Perhaps it is all best considered part of the Darwin Centennial
celebration. In addition to his other activities, Mr. P. is president of
Science vs. Humanities:
The Need for Examination
IN MANY RESPECTS, men now are the same
as in any other age. Yet in today's world
there are also attitudes which are startlingly
different.
Every era has its own philosophies, emphases,
and fads, and these influence even the most
uneducated. The lowest serf in the Middle Ages
cbuld not help but be conditioned by the
churchs' prevailing emphasis on the afterlife.
The loiterer on a Detroit streetcorner cannot
avoid awareness of the draft.
A little over a year ago the Russians pin-
pointed this era's alias... SCIENCE. Everyone
recognizes it and bows to it, but no one seems
to know how to handle it. What Whitehead
stated in Victorian times holds:
"A scientific realism, based on mechanism, is
conjoined with an unwavering belief in the
world of men and of the higher animals as
being composed of self-determining organisms.
This radical inconsistency at the basis of mod-
ern thought accounts for much that is half-
hearted and wavering in our civilization."
WHAT WILL the scientist do with his power
of atom and IBM? educators ask. Give him
some human values, fast, they say, introduce
him to men's finer aesthetic perceptions. On the
other hand, the hardfisted practical men be-
moan the aesthetes' academic veil which will
not allow them to see the implications in facts
and figures and man-made moons of today's
world.
Prof. Fred G. Walcott of the education school
recently urged educators to "drop the old and
foolish bickerings about the competitive values
of science and the humanities." Oversimplify-
ing, he said, "The two are really one in spirit.
They offer two roads for man to the same
cultural goals - 'to know himself and the
world'."
An old cry, an old fight. Unfortunately, edu-
cators seem to think it has already been settled
by introducing science into university curricula
and balancing it with distribution requirements
in humanities.
\ As taught now, the sciences at the universi-
ties have vocational value, producing fine chem-
ists, physicists, astronomers, engineers. Fortu-
nately, some of these people also have some
appreciation of fine arts and great books. But
even the "magic" of distribution requirements
cannot blend for well-distributed students ideas
of scientific law and individual spiritual experi-
ence. They do not answer . . . what does science
tell us about the universe in which we live? the
origin and nature of man? the source and
sanction of morality? the beginnings of reli-
gion? the forces of cohesion and disruption in
society?
MAYBE THESE questions can never be an-
swered, but they are crucial to this age
and an attempt should be made. Looking for
the balance the questions imply, the Univer-
sity's curriculum committee is now examining
distribution requirements.
Extended and more detailed requirements are
proposed. While such plans arrange for chem-
istry and great books, they leave the big ques-
tions up in the air. The science versus humanity
is a crucial problem which should be given
academic examination in courses like philos-
ophy of science and history of science.
-NAN MARKEL
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CAPITAL COMMENTARY:
Washington's
By WILLI
Coming-of-Age
AM S. WHITE
All's Calm, but Not Bright
THE STATE of Michigan apparently doesn't
have enough problems to keep the Legisla-
ture busy if last week's "work" can be taken as
any indication. The state is deep in debt and
cannot meet its financial obligations: the legis-
lature must pass new revenue raising measures
to avoid complete financial chaos. In addition
the group must act on the same old problems
they meet every year, such as state university
budgets and other appropriations of all kinds.
It is thus very refreshing that the chief prob-
lems under consideration in the house last week
were almost escapist in nature. One bill, intro-
duced by Democratic Sens. Harold M. Ryan and
Charles S. Blondy of Detroit sought to hold up
University and Michigan State University ap-
prop*tions until the two schools agree to
televise their annual football game across the
state. The two senators probably think of this
measure as promoting public service but fail to
recognize that the televising of games rests not
with the universities but with the National
Collegiate Athletic Association.
BY FAR THE MORE interesting proposal is
that by Rep. John J. Fitzpatrick (D-De-
troit). He propostd a constitutional amendment
which would require the big three state univer-
sities to file with the. Legislature detailed ac-,
counts of revenues and expenditures. Univer-
sity officials report they make these figures
available each year ,to legislators now, but Rep.
Fitzpatrick claims that in his nine years in
the House he has seen only one such account
and that one he obtained this week.
He. also claims that University financial fig-
ures can lie, and he says his proposal will see
that they don't. The detailed financial account-
ing he desires is already published by the
University, and thus his proposal, unless he
desires more information than he has claimed,
seems needless. That the measure was defeated
by one vote was an encouraging sign, but sup-
porters will try to bring the proposal to the
House floor again this week, hoping to finally
gain enough support.
Both of these measures seem to be founded
on state legislators' lack of information. The
University's appropriation, if the Legislature
finds time to create new revenues so the Uni-
versity has an appropriation next year, is far
too serious a concern to be linked in the same
sentence with the ridiculous television require-
ment. It is possible for any legislator with five
minutes of free time to discover that the Uni-
versity cannot, by NCAA rules, televise a game
simply because the state asks it.
Publishing financial statements, already float-
ing around Lansing in some quantity, seem to
make the Fitzgerald proposal unnecessary.
IT SEEMS OBVIOUS that the men in Lansing,
who in four months will be the proud owners
of a $110 million state debt, have far more
serious matters with which to concern them-
selves. In a normal session appropriations take
most of the legislators' time. This year the
additional task of formulating a new tax meas-
ure must be met before appropriations can even
be considered.
One must admire the calm with which the
Legislature is meeting their crisis. One would
hope their attitude is, in fact, one of calm
rather than lethargy which has the same symp-
toms.
--ROBERT JUNKER
WHAT IS the truly significant
news from Washington? It is
not the posturings of those seeking
petty, mean, personal political or
party advantage for the Presiden-
tial electionyear of 1960. It is not
the running debate over "spend-
ing" and "saving," though this is
not unimportant.
And it is not even the fact that
the world may be approaching the
ultimate war over the .,determina-
tion of the Russians to drive the
Western Allies out of vital German
positions bought long ago with so
much Allied blood.
No, none of this is the real news
from Washington. And though
only a happy fool could describe
the real news as good news, it may
fairly be called decent news-and,
in its way, actually heartening. It
is this:
* * *
WE HAVE reached, in this crisis,
a political maturity that we have
not known before, in this genera-
tion at least, in any time of such
peril. Indeed, there are grounds
to suspect that this new maturity
-an obvious adulthood among our
leaders and perhaps even among
most of our citizens-may actually
be the true "conformism" of 1959.
To be sure, there is softness in
that conformism. And it may be
that among some there is too great
an interest in the country club and
too little in the country. But it
begins to look possible that this
is one of the comparatively small
prices we have paid for the larger
political maturity that is ours.
For if too many people are over-
relaxed, far fewer than in the past
are over-tense. If fewer dreams are
being dreamed, far fewer witches
are being burned. Never before, in
any comparably menacing hour in
this century, for example, has na-
tional discussion over what ought
to be done so free of the "either-
or" mind. (This was the mind that
used to want to call the police or
the FBI when the negighbor dis-
agreed).
* * *
AND WHILE it is a' fact that we
have little politicians seeking to
forward themselves by dividing the
country on shrill and relatively
minor issues, the wonder is not
that there are so many of these,
but rather that there are-so very
few. And the higher wonder is that
they have had such piddling suc-
cess.
Many believe the Eisenhower
Administration to have been weak
most of the time. This correspon-
dent, for one, has been so con-
vinced, and he does not take back
this conviction. But the Eisen-
hower Administration, in these
days, deserves the support of every
American willing to put- his coun-
try above himself, his ambitions,
and even his no doubt far superior
ideas as to how things really ought
to be run.
And the Eisenhower Administra-
tion is receiving just that kind of
support, particularly from Con-.
gress. For if the Administration
has not been strong in the past,
it surely is strong now in its cold-
war policy as we as a nation look
in anxiety but in resolution across
the region of the Rhine. It is not
impossible that some of this new
strength is being drawn from a
nation now showing itself to be
grown up at its core, if a bit
squashy and'dipsy-doodle around
the edges.
And even if one thinks the Ad-
ministration is still not as strong
as it ought to be, Congress is
hearteningly and almost amazing-
ly strong - the Democratic side
and the Republican side alike.
*, * *
NOBODY HEARS now the ill-
thought and irresponsible Con-
gressional backseat clamors - do
this, don't do that, turn this way,
veer that way - that the whole
country heard from the Capitol
when inescapable decency was re-
quiring us to stand up at last
against Hitler. Better yet, nobody
hears now- from Congressional
floors voices imputing treason to
honorable men for differing views,
as we all heard from those forums
in the Korean War.
The crackpot far-right wing has
gone. from our national political
life. A remnant of the crackpot
left wing is still around, but it
amounts to little any more. In a
word, the earnest opinion of one
reasonably skeptical political writ-
er is that every man in any genu-
inely responsible place in the Ad-
ministration and in Congress is
doing his duty and accepting his
responsibility, including the re-
sponsibility of self-restraint, like
a man.
This, then, is the news from
Washington.
the Darwin League, which passes
out booklets proving that the
chief of police is descended from
an ape. As one of the young
Pennypackers is about to marry
a minister's son-a minister's son
completely unlike any minister's
son of song and ribald fable -
a wonderful opportunity is pre-
sented to rehash several of the
century-old points in the science
vs. religion clash. Time has some-
what dulled these points.
THE AUDIENCE should be
rather leery of the show from the
moment that Mr. P. answers one
of his children's questions, "So-
ciologically speaking . . .," for
they should realize that the film
is trying to Say Something. Some-
thing sociological, perhaps. At
least an attempt at philosophy -
but a rather peurile attempt. Ex-
ample: "Morality is merely a
matter of geography. In the
orient, a man is permitted as
many wives as he needs, but is al-
lowed to drink no alcohol. Here,
a man can have only one wife, but
all the alcohol needed to remedy
the situation." The Message of
the movie is - in addition to a
dramatization of the imperturba-
bility of the American Home -
that philosophy has no relation
to reality: "Philosophy is one
thing - but nine motherless chil-
dren are another," Obviously.
Charles Coburn made the film
for money, certainlyenot for art;
Clifton Webb is clearly not the
superior comedian in this film
that he was as Lynn Belvedere in
"Sitting Pretty." Dorothy McGuire
tries to give depth to asvery thin
role, and occasionally succeeds.
As an unpolished but cultured
pearl, however, David Nelson -
as Henry, oldest son in the Har-
risburg household - is well worth
watching.
"The Remarkable Mr. Penny-
packer" is remarkably dull. How-
ever, it is in technicolor, and the
short is in Cinepanoramic France-
scope.
-Fred Schaen
AT THE CAMPUS:
(Oncle'
Enticing
"MON ONCLE" the Jacques Tati
Eastman color entry which
is the current tenant at the Cam-
pus Theater is far and away the
most enticing comedy of the cur-
rent season and easily one of the
most charming and delectabale
films the French have sent across
to us in many a year. Blending
the art that is pantomime with
a devastating comment on the
contemporary wrold of automa-
tion, the producers of this offer-
ing have brought forth a'motion
picture of universal appeal which
will definitely emerge as one of
the all-time triumphs of the
cinema.
The primary reason for the
grand success of "Mon Oncle"
may be summed up in two words:
Jacques Tatim Although his gal-
lant buffoonery which. is irresist-
able appears to ' be primarily
Chaplinesque in technique, the
brilliant clown manages to bring
to his role a quality that is typi-
cally Tati and reminiscent of the
delightful gentlman we met a few
years back in "Mr. Hulot's Holi-
day."
* . *
THE BEST examples we have
of this brilliant clown's humor
occurs in the scenes where Tati
discovers himself to be the victim
of some minor misfortune of life
The black expression which covers
his face and curls his mouth is
not solely a pathetic glance of the
Chaplin sort but rather an ex-
pression of delicious, innocent be-
wilderment which is typical only
of the artist Tati. This is espe-
cially noticeable in a downright
hilarious sequence in which Tati
is helplessly wandering about an
ultra modern kitchen and inad-
vertantly breaks a glass which he
thought to be made out of a pneu-
matic material as a water pitcher
or something of the sort.
Amazingly enough, there is no
slackening of pace in "Mon Oncle"
once it is established within the
first few minutes of the film.
One side-splittingly funny se-
quence follows another in rapid
sueessinn and the high noint of
AT THE STATE :
*S. Freud
Out West
THE WILD and violent days of
the Montana gold rush in the
1870's are vividly re-created in
"The Hanging Tree," whith was a,
local remedy for the lawlessness
that plagued the ant hill-like gold
camps. However, fear of hanging
from it does not stop the violence
that is in store for the film's prin-
ciple characters.
A Swiss girl, Maria Schell, and
her father have immigrated to
America, when life becomes too
hard for them in their native
country. Together, they cross the
continent for the rugged Montana
frontier, but their plans for happi-
ness end in tragedy because Miss
Schell's father is killed in a stage
coach robbery; after which she
almost dies of the shock and ex-
posure. She is nursed back to
health by Gary Cooper as Joseph
Frail, frontier physician.
Dr. Frail seems to have pre-
dated Freud since he exerts equal
concern for Miss Schell's mental
as well as physical recovery frofi
her traumatic experiences. Need-
less to say, much transference
takes place.
One majo' hindrance to his
successful therapy is Frenchie
Tark, Karl Malden, a strange mi-
ture of good and evil, kindness and,
cruelty. As he was the one who
found Miss Schell 'after the rob-
bery, he feelsshe ought to reward
him with something more and the
platonic friendship she offers him.
* * *
THE FOURTH main character
is a screen newcomer, Ben Piazza,
playing a troubled young man who
is saved by Cooper from the angry
mob that is chasing him because
he has stolen some gold from Mal-
den's claim. In return for this
Piazza becomes Cooper's bondsman
and through his servitude he
learns to become a useful, produc-
tive member of society.
The dewey-eyed radiance ex-
hibited by Miss Schell as Elizabeth
Mahler is simply overwhelming.
Her masterful skill at characteri-
zation is revealed, facet by facet,
as she progresses from scene to
scene. PShe is able to convey Eliza-,
beth's helplessness when she is
temporarily blinded in a remark-
ably convincing manner as well as
her dogged determination to suc-
ceed in the new world.
As usual Gary Cooper does an
excellent job at being tall, silent,
and noble and is able to rise above
the platitudes the scriptwriters put
in his mouth.
The place of honor at the end is
reserved for the picture's breath-
takingly beautiful scenery. Even
though the gold may be out of the
hills, Montana's natural magnifi-
cence more than makes up for the
loss.
-Patrick Chester
DAILY
OFFICIAL
BULLETIN
The Daily Offclal Bulletin I An
official publication of The Univer-
sity of Michigan for which The
Michigan Daily assumes no edi-
torial responsibility. Notices should
be sent in TYPEWRITTEN form to
Room 3519 Administration Build-
ing, before 2 p.m. the day preceding
publication. Notices for Sunday
Daily due at 2:00 p.m. Friday.
TUESDAY, MARCH 3, 1959
VOL. LXIX, NO. 107
Lectures
Lecture,tHistory Dept., 'Hitler's At-
tack on the Soviet Union," Gerhard
L. Weinberg, asst. prof. of history at
Kentucky University. Wed., March 4,
4:15 p.m., Aud. A, Angell Hall.
Concerts
The Baroque Trio will present a con-
cert of the music of George Frederie
Handel in the Rackham Lecture Hail
Tues., March 3, 8:30 p.m. The Trio,
Nelson Hauenstein, flute, Florian Muel-
ler, oboe, and Marilyn Mason, harp-
sichord, will be assisted by Elizabeth
Grotegut, soprano, and Harry Duns-
combe, cello.
Academic Notiees
Scholarships, College of Literature,
Science, and the Arts: Applications for,
scholarships for the academic year
I ra On ioh .i" Pm 177(1 Aht
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LETTERS TO THE EDITOR:
More Comments on Libraries, Oaths
INTERPRETING THE NEWS:
Russia Backs Down
By L. M. ROBERTS
Associated Press News Analyst
THE WESTERN ALLIES appear to have won
a major victory in their effort to talk Soviet
Russia out of a crisis over Berlin this summer.
Nikita Khrushchev, in accepting suggestions
for a Foreign Ministers Conference to discuss
German issues, may only be zigging back from
last week's zag, when he brought East-West
relations to a screaming pitch by his belligerent
statements and cavalier treatment of British
Premier Harold Macmillan.
From the beginning, he has insisted that
there should be negotiations over his plan to
give Russia's share of control over Berlin to,
East 'Germany, including Western power access
to their Berlin garrisons.
The inference has been that his plan for
unilateral junking of the Potsdam Agreements
would be held in obeyance if there were Summit
negotiations. Now he has agreed for the Foreign
Ministers to start them in April, and let them
run for two or three-months.
Instead of demanding a 28-nation peace
conference, he now asks only that Poland,
Czechoslovakia and the two Germanies be rep-
resented. A strong hope but not a definitive
demand for a subsequent Summit Conference
is expressed, according to first readings of the
note.
If the Foreign Ministers should develop any
agreements-which the West considers highly
unlikely-there would, of course, be no objec-
tions to a Summit Meeting to put the clincher
on them. That has always been the order of
procedure desired by the West. And even if
there are objections because of lack of agree-
ment, such a meeting is in the cards anyway.
IN THE BACKGROUND of yesterday's devel-
opment there is, however, the unclear situa-
tion regarding Moscow's intentions toward the
East German puppet regime. The question is
whether, with a conference impending or under
way, Khrushchev would go ahead with his plan
for a peace treaty with East Germany, presum-
ably including sovereignty over communications
between West Germany and Berlin.
He might, as a contribution to the war of
nerves, do just that, but privately prevent inter-
ference with Allied convoys. To turn East Ger-
man inspectors loose on the convoys would be
t r +iha , t ahvn+nf a nandr ei'rn +-n +ha
To the Editor:
I HAVE read with interest Mr.
Harrell's letter in your column
regarding students' behavior in
the undergraduate library. I too
have been somewhat disturbed at
this selfish practice of "saving"
seats when they were sorely need-
ed by other students. Although I
have now graduated and the
problem no longer concerns me, I
do have a suggestion to pass along
to the students rather' than their
waiting for the library to take
some drastic step.
On arriving at the library on a
crowded night (and when isn't it
crowded?) and finding these os-
tensibly "reserved" seats, why not
just sit yourself down at one and
push the books, gloves, scarfs, etc.
to one side. When and if the mys-
terious owner appears just give
him or her a "so what?" look, or
if he ventures to say anything
(which I don't think will happen)
perhaps being politely told a few
facts of life will straighten him
out.
I think thit solution is very
simple and straightforward and
not embarrassing to the other
student unless he chooses to make
it so. In fact, I tried it a couple
of times myself, and it worked like
a charm. On one occasion the stu-
dent appeared and quietly with-
drew his effects without a word,
seems to be that against "oath-
ism," as described in The Daily
(Feb. 26).
It is granted that an idea can
be taken to extremes, and in the
case of the loyalty oath for teach-
ers, this could develop; but there
are some basic values of such an
oath. The recent statement by
Texas legislator Joe Chapman
that "atheists are Communists'
has been taken out of context and
blown up into a big headline (as
is too frequently done) which per-
verts the basic idea of his pro-
posal.
Behind Rep. Chapman's state-
ment is the recognition that edu-
.ation is the most powerful social
influence in the world, and for
this reason powerful nations have
compulsory education.
The purpose of compulsory edu-
cation is not "to learn to question
theories," but to give a basic
framework of accepted theories
from which ideas may be evaluat-
ed. It is needless to say that even
with this basic knowledge people
can be easily swayed with an in-
complete presentation of facts.
- ~ - -4
THE BASIC question at hand is
whether teachers, because of
their powerful influence, should
be allowed to introduce ideas or
incomplete information about un-
accepted ideas which the student
is not nrenared to handle. The oh-
strains them from acting in such
a way as to jeopardize their posi-
tion.
A belief in God, as in the pro-
posed oath, need not be "as illus-
trated by a church," but as con-
sistent with a nation that writes
on its currency, "In God we trust"
and in its pledge of allegiance
"One Nation, under God." It seems
appropriate that such a nation
would require basic knowledge
which is consistent with its phil-
osophy.
s-Parker Beebe
Reflection . .
To the Editor:
WAS IT accident or design that
the editorial "Atheists are
Communists" (February 26), dis-
cussing the demand from Texas
lawmakers for teachers to take
oaths of belief in a supreme being,
was followed by "Even the Boy
Scouts?" discussing the Polish gov-
ernment's enforced "integration of
the Boy Scout organization into
the general scheme of Party con-
trolled youth groups"? Both ac-
tions it may be noted purport to be
concerned with insuring the prop-
er education of youth.
Anyone who is inclined to cham-
pion the cause of the Texas law-
makers might well reflect on this
prophetic juxtaposition. Attacks on
individual freedoms invariably be-
gin with the most vulnerable
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Editorial Staff
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