Seventy-Sixth Year EDITED AND MANAGED BY STUDENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN UNDER AUTHORITY OF BOARD IN CONTROL OF STUDENT PUBLICATIONS ulbright - A Question of udgement Where Opinions Are Free 420 MAYNARD ST., ANN ARBOR, MICH. rntb W93 Prevail NEWS PHONE: 764-0552 Editorials printed in The Michigan Daily express the inidividual opinions of staff writers or the editors. This must be. noted in all reprints. SATURDAY, MAY 14, 1966 NIGHT EDITOR: MEREDITH EIKER Summer Orientation: Meet the Rat Raee NEARLY EVERY University student can remember those two hectic summer orientation days when tours, tests, and meetings all ran together in a confusing blur and finally ended with a sigh of re- lief and fatigue. And no wonder. One look at the time schedule, in which every minute is ac- counted for, is convincing proof that the orientation program is designed for auto- matons, not humans. AT 7 A.M. ALL are expected to appear for breakfast, to be greeted by smil- ing orientation leaders who will stick with them through the day, shepherding them across campus, through endless lines where they will be fed rolls of red tape to compensate for a half-eaten lunch. The typical schedule, for example, ex- pects freshmen women to suddenly ap- pear at the UGLI for "Information Sourc- es" from the Health Center and then on to Harris Hall or the Women's Pool at the same time the literary' tour is sup- posed to end. Nevertheless, the schedule must be followed. Even the recreation period is closely timed so that the freshmen can be taken, group by group, to the basement of the Union to bowl one game. UNIVERSITY administrators are the first to admit, even to the freshmen themselves, that the University isn't real- ly like this, and that more is done in those two days than is usually done in a regular week during the semester. It seems that a lot of the confusion and rushing around that is done in the present system could be alleviated by simply extending the orientation program over a period of perhaps three rather than two days. By doing that the freshmen could move at a more relaxed pace, get better ac- quainted with others in his group and enjoy his walks across campus without having to worry about the orientation Editorial Staff CLARENCE FANTO.Co-Editor CHARLOTTE WOLTER .... .............. Co-Editor BUD WILKINSON................... Sports Editor BETSY COHN ...... .......... Supplement Manager NIGHT EDITORS: Meredith Eiker, Michael Heffer, Shirley Rosick, Susan Schnepp, Martha Wolfgang. The Daily is a member of the Associated Press and Collegiate Press Service. The, Associated Press is exclusively entitled to the use of all news dispatches credited to it or otherwise credited to the newspaper. All rights of re-publication of all other matters here are also reserved. Subscription rate: $4.50 semester by carrier ($5 by mail); $8 two semesters by carrier ($9 by mail). Second class postage paid at Ann Arbor, Mich. Published daily Tuesday through Saturday morning. leader disappearing ahead of him with his fast Michigan walk. More unplanned free time would give the freshmen an opportunity to explore the campus on his own or in small groups, for no one ever learned his way around by continuously following someone else. BY MERELY EXTENDING the time of orientation, then, and perhaps adding one or two social get-acquainted activi- ties, summer orientation could be made an enjoyable first college experience, not a time set aside to dispense with neces- sary red tape. And, there seems to be no reason why this could not be done. Jack Petoskey, director of orientation, pointed out that finances would be no problem in chang- ing the system. However, he said he thinks the present system is adequate for the time being. If this is done, the attempt to "reduce anxiety" will not have to be replaced by a feeling of overwhelming confusion and uncertainty about what has actually been accomplished. WITH THE PRESENT system about the only thing the incoming freshman has a chance to really become acquainted with is the University's bureaucracy and its peculiar symbol, the student ID number. --SUSAN SCHNEPP 'Wait Wait' YESTERDAY President Johnson signed into law legislation to provide $12.1 million to finance a rent subsidy program and $9.5 million to finance a national teacher corps (these as part of a $2.8 bil- lion appropriation to help finance var- ious federal agencies through the last few weeks of this fiscal year). Both programs will act as supplements, one to help provide decent dwellings for low-income families and the other to train teachers to aid in the education of students from poor families. Although these appropriations are a step forward they still leave something to be desired. Appropriations have al- ready been made to continue the rent subsidy program through the 1967 fiscal year, but no plans have been made for the teacher corps beyond this year. If Con- gress acts as slowly as it did in appropri- ating the first money (it took them al- most a year this time) these needed pro- grams may die for lack of funds. AT THE SIGNING ceremony the Presi- dent commented that some "would have us wait before launching the Teach- er Corps ... Oh, just wait, wait, wait." These are our sentiments exactly. --MARY WOLTER "The Senate Foreign Relations Committee Viet Nam Hearings . . . speak for themselves. They show elected representatives of the American people prodding officials of the Executiverbranch of our government for answers to difficult questions of national policy. They gave the opportunity for distinguished former govern- ment officials with special knowledge and background to present their views and submit those views to critical examina- tion. They provided the Ameri- can people with the raw material upon which they must base their judgment of the efficacy of na- tional policy in serving the in- terests of the people of this nation." IN HIS UNYIELDING attempt to bring what he calls "reason and restraint" to the discussion on the war in Viet Nam, Sen. J. William Fulbright has endured the loss of the friendship of the President, some measure of contempt from his fellows in the Senate, and some scattered accusations that he was hindering the progress of the war by questioning its premises. But, worst of all, much that Fulbright has done over the past few months has been largely ig- nored by the very officials who make the most crucial decisions affecting the war, and who seem to have become more and more insulated from criticism of those decisions. The emergency demands of war, and the resentment felt by a powerful administrator when he is challenged seem to be defeating Fulbright's efforts. THIS IS nothing new, however, in American policy making. Unlike the intellectuals in other countries, the American intellectual com- munity has historically been frus- trated in the political arena. This is especially true in the area of foreign policy planning, despite the fact that the most prestigious men in Congress have sat on the House and Senate Foreign Rela- tions committees and their knowl- edge of the subject is rarely doubted. Nevertheless, men like Fulbright will cling stubbornly to the belief that their function in foreign pol- icy planning is a necessary part of the democratic process and the operation of our government. Ful- bright expresses the belief this way. "That is what democratic gov- ernment is all about. If the American people as a whole, in speaking through their elected representatives, do not have the capacity to know what is good for them in the larger theater of world relationships, then we should abandon the democratic system." THERE ARE various opinions on this question, many of which suggest that democratic means are, perhaps, not the best way to manage foreign policy, especially in the modern world where quick decisions on complicated matters are often necessary. First, there is the question of secrecy. The CIA and the Depart- ment of Defense are not the only governmental organizations that operate under security conditions. Many diplomatic meetings, discus- sions, in fact, a great deal of our communication with foreign gov- ernments is informal and, there- fore, as is the nature of informal conversation, unknown to the gen- eral public. This is not to say that some control is not exercized. Agree- ments and decisions made by dip- lomats are done in accordance with the broader outlines of for- eign policy that are visible to the general public. Obviously, though, this leaves a lot of room for per- sonal prerogative, and there is little doubt that it is exercised. THEN, THERE IS the question of expertise. Those in the execu- tive branch - of government will argue that only their officials, specialized in and responsible for specific areas of concern, are able The Associates by Carney and Wolter to make competent decisions. It is also argued that they have access to information not available to others (the question of secrecy again), who would agree with their decisions if they were "aware of the facts." Fulbright's hearings could be construed as evidence to support this argument, for he called on a so-called expert himself in the person of former Ambassador George F. Kennan, the man who first formulated the policy of con- tainment, as a critic of the federal government, yet neglected to call on Southeast Asian scholars who had not been involved in govern- mental policy making for that area. It seems that even Fulbright knows that the best support for the validity of his criticisms is not the opinion of the professor expert in foreign relations, but rather, one of the government's own men. WHATEVER one can say in answer to these arguments for the validity of our foreign policy, and the necessity that it be made by executive decision, most exchanges on the matter dissolve into charges of "undemocratic" by opponents of the decisions, and "lack of in- formation" by the decision makers. But, perhaps, Fulbright has found a concrete way to answer the critics of democratic decision making, and, at the same time, give the American people at least part of the information they need or want in order to judge for themselves. No one has released the Neilsen ratings for the Foreign Relations Committee hearings on our policy in Viet Nam. It is estimated that they were quite high. A book re- printing transcripts of the hear- ings is selling briskly, indicating some measure of interest, if not approval. Also, it was obvious to those who viewed the hearings that the of- ficials who testified for the gov- ernment's position were not un- comfortable about their views, but were instead uncomfortable about the fact that they had to explain them to the committee and to a large television audience. In other words,-it was more lack of practice than lack of conviction. IN ADDITION to making the democratic process more immedi- ately evident to the public, the hearings demonstratedone of Ful- bright's strongest points. "On national issues of this kind, decisions do not turn upon available facts but upon judg- ment. There is no secret infor- riation or magic formula which gives Presidential advisors wis- dom and judgment on broad policy but which is not avail- able to the intelligent citizen." No new startling facts about the war were revealed in the hear- ings, nor were any great scandals of government mismanagement of the war or of impending disaster for United States troops. Even the data which the officials de- clined to discuss publicly for se- curity reasons was not particularly crucial to the understanding of the administration's position. WHAT WAS REVEALED was a somewhat archaic view of world politics, clinging tenaciously to precepts first laid down by Allen Dulles, still oriented to the best of all possible United States' worlds. What was also revealed was that the difference between this view and Fulbright's is one of judgment, and, as Fulbright pointed out again and again, the policy judgments presently being followed are not working too well. But Fulbright, despite a tem- porary victory of words, in all likelihood is destined to be frus- trated again in the attempt to inject the thinking of the intel- lectual and the general public into policy making. No matter how serious the defects in its policy, the tremendous power of the United States and the men making foreign policy decisions will allow them to escape somehow unscath- ed even from this involvement (and probably the next few), and, in the final analysis, that is the most important criterion. * * * THURSDAY NIGHT, Sen. Ful- bright attended a Democratic fund-raising dinner at which President Johnson spoke, address- ing "my old friends-and some members of the Foreign Relations Committee." The jabs taken at the hearings were numerous, with the President saying, "You can say one thing about those hearings- although I don't think this is the place to say it." Through it all, J. William Ful- bright sat unmoved until the ban- quet had ended and left, quietly. Whatever comment he could have made in answer to those jabs was unnecessary. He had obviously al- ready made his mark. EARLIER THIS WEEK Koh Tai Ann, a student from Singa- pore touring the United States offered in an article on this page to answer any questions either about her country in general or. university life there in particular that our readers cared to ask her through letters. As we have not received many letters in answer to her column, we would like to extend the invi- tation once again. Koh Tai Ann has been involved in student gov- ernment and publications on her campus and is particularly in- terested in questions of this na- ture. One of the reasons she is touring this country is to observe student organizations, so that she can return to Singapore with ideas to help groups on her own campus. TO GET A BETTER perspective of American campuses she must be able to talk to many students: that means you, our readers. y I Rimbaud: The Wanderer as Visionary By DAVID KNOKE Special To The Daily PERHAPS IT IS not at all amaz- ing that from the time man first began singling out individuals of his tribe for adulation and emulation, the wanderer has held a special place in the hero's pan- theon. Stretching from the Odys- sey of the Mediterranean world to the beat cult of Kerouac, man- kind's folklore is full of tales of travels and sufferings, of dark strangers who passed briefly in the world, to serve penance like the god Apollo with broken feet in the house of Admetus. THE MYSTIQUE of the wan- derer, free of home, family, loyal- ties and responsibilities is an at- tractive remnant of a nomadic 'life, seen through the tinted glasses as a Huck-Finnish idyll to those straightened and domes- ticated by an urban, time- conscious existence. And, when the vagabond could sing eloquently the joys of his seemingly care-free life, his life became surrounded with apocry- phal anecdotes. The wanderer be- comes the crafty Ulysses plotting his way back into his birthright; he becomes a Zorba of the flesh, a Faust of the intellect, a Buddha of the spirit. Or, in the case of Jean Arthur Rimbaud he becomes a tragic, mis- understood figure. THIS YEAR marks the seventy- fifth after Rimbaud's death of cancer at the age of thirty-six. So recently alive, so much a phe- nomena of the industrial revolu- tion, this French poet's turbulent life is almost impossible to sep- arate from the legends which sprang up in his wake. A prodigal visionary, ranking with Raymond Radiguet and Thomas Chatterton as one of the few genuine child literatuers, he transformed French lyric poetry and influenced all modern literature to some extent, yet gave up an attempt at a literary career at the age of nine- teen. Following in the path laid out by Charles Baudelaire, Rimbaud sought to create a literary form in which the artist does not re- main isolated from his communi- cated experience. Rather than the Wordsworthian "emotions recolect- ed in transquility," the Baudelaire- Rimbaud style-most noticeable in the Symbolist movement which sent out its roots to all literary schools of the late nineteenth century-is a cri de coeur from the artist's personal agonies, a quest to wring some grain of beauty from the sordidness of the ugly civilization. RIMBAUD'S POEMS, none pub- lished in his life, range from the pornographic scurrility of an in- secure adolescent intending to shock his elders to the supreme command of lyric resonance of a mature man with twice his age and experience. Rimbaud's poetry returned to the Ronsardian sim- plicity of sound of the fifteenth century, protesting the artificial conventions of the Parnassian school dominant in the 1860's. scholarship, avidly devouring shel- ves of books and annually carrying off his school's prize for Latin verse. He fled home at 17 from a domineering straight-laced mother to the wicked Parisian capital, where he fell into a homosexual relationship with Paul Verlaine, leading poet of the Parnassian movement. Rimbaud actively sought a life of depravity,nhoping through drugs, squalor and abomination to create a "derangement of the senses" by which he would be- come the mouthpiece of some di- vine force of the universe. Rim- baud rejected the' Catholic God of his upbringing-Verlaine used to jest that the boy genius grew lice in his hair to throw on passing priests-but his search for God was one of the urgent quests of his life. In a way that made him ob- noxious and misunderstood by his older, sophisticated contempor- aries, Rimbaud was vigorously moral in his fanatic sense of mis- sion, in his insistence upon a sweeping of hypocrisy and cant from art, in his search for rele- vance in life which caused him to burn his manuscripts, and wander across Europe, Arabia and Africa as an outcast, gun runner and slave trader. FOR RIMBAUD the choice be- tween God and Satan did not remain clear cut. In his halcyon days he thought to emulate God, to usurp his place; but two years later, he returned to his ancestral farm to write his valedictory "Saion en Enfer" (Season in Hell) and recant of his previous follies. He was the one who delved in magic and the occult, who wrote the sonnet giving colors to vowel sounds (spawning a literary cult after his disappearance from Paris), but now he would seek the simple life of innocent Negroes in the kingdom of Ham: Here on the Briton shore the city lights pierce the night. My trip is finished; I'll leave Eur- ope. Hot air will burn my lungs; lost climates willtan my skin. I will return with limbs of iron, a somber skin, fierce eye; by my countenance they will judge me of a fierce race, I will have gold. How ironic from his return 18 years later, a penniless, obscure explorer, his leg amputated for carcinoma of the knee and himself dying by minutes. IN THE CLASSIC SENSE of the descent into Hell, Rimbaud be- comes the redeemer, chosen from his people to blaze a path to the greater glory. He now rejects the fame of the artist, seeks a God whom he can love without losing his personal freedom, and vows to live like one of the common beings he once despised. The transformation of Rim- baud's attitude from adolescent egocentrism and masocho-hedon- istic pursuit of sensuality to a sense of community and social involvement is little remarked upon. It passes notice probably because Rimbaud's later actions continued to be an individualist's wanderlust, but minus the frenzy of his youth; and because he turn- ed his back on poetry with this last prose work of his. THE STRUCTURE of the book, however, shows the influence of the historian Michelet (whose theories also influenced Marx). An avid reader of Michelets works in his childhood, Rimbaud evolved his idea of the poet's function as a man of action from Michelet. He came to view this role. as a step along the evolution of man- kind. The lowest of these was poetry; the next was the rule of humanity wheresreason was supreme; the highest step, which Michelet be- lieved the nineteenth century was entering, was the civilized age, the age of prose, in which universal love and compassion was supreme. THE TRAGEDY of Rimbaud was that after his descent into Hell he turned his back on his natural mode of expression, poetry, and tried to resolve everything upon a purely action basis. His final vision of the ascent from Hell, his arrival at the jour- ney to the end of the night found him weak and spent in the light of a morning star. Glancing upward he saw the light of a siiver star, like the heavenly messenger of hope that appeared over Bethle- hem so long ago: From the same desert, from the same night I raise my eyes to the silver star, forever, with- out which do. not move the Kings of Life, the three magi- heart, soul, spirit. When will we, across grave and mountain, salute the birth of new work, the new wisdom, the flight of tyrants and demons, the end of superstition, to celebrate-the very first!-Christmas upon the earth? I A11 '/j}' el 'I f,{ ",'I 4 " .Sr',.~. .*4. BORN origins in Rimbaud OF OBSCURE peasant the northeast of France, early evidenced signs of A Penicillin, the Atom and Hybrid Corn Collegiate Press service (EDITOR'S NOTE: This is an interview with Grant Swinger, chairman of the board of Break- through Institute and chairman of the newly-created Center for the Absorption of Federal Funds. Written by D. S. Greenberg, it appears in the March issue of Science Magazine.) . DR. SWINGER, what is the Center for the Absorption of Federal Funds? A. It is an organization created by a consortium of several in- stiutions, for the purpose of sur- veying preliminary steps toward a fresh look at some of the more vexing problems of research, edu- cation, and society. Q. What are some examples of its work? A. I'll be happy to tell you, but A. Well, the center staff mem- bers have resolved the conflict between teaching and research, Q. How? Q. How? A. By doing neither. Q. I see. Then what do they do? A. They confer, they comment on each other's past papers, they travel a good deal. There is no shortage of activity. In fact, the pace is cruel. It is just that our people don't want to get into the classic dilemma of having to choose between the classroom and the laboratory or library. Q. WHAT ELSE does the center do? 0. Well, it is doing some pre- liminary work toward the develop- ment of new programs, procedures, and goals for our member in- st~itutions. It would be set aside for traveling members of the center and the associated institutions. Q. Yes. A. AND WE ARE also looking into the establishment of the first $1-million chair at any university. Q. A million-dollar endowment? A. No, a million-dollar salary, and that would be for 9 months. The resulting publicity and pres- tige for an institution witch such a chair would be simply farastic. Q. The salary would cover only 9 months? A. Yes, to provide opportunifves for consulting and travel in t b summer months. Furthermore, ou,, preliminary investigations suggest that, to maximize the prestige, the recipient should have neither teaching nor research duties, and much for each decision he renders. The advantage to the university, of course, is that it does not have to make a permanent commitment, any may return the dean at any time, which, in effect, is what now goes on anyway with many major appointments. Q. I see. A. We also have an assortment ofre lated services, such as Rent- a-Fellow, if an institution is un- able to fill the fellowships that it has available. Q. ARE THERE other activities of the center? A. Yes, for example, we are de- vising new types of tests and examinations. The most promising development so far is one in which the student is furnished with, let's say, 25 footnotes, and is required Africa in the morning for a con- ference on Space, the Atom, Par- ticle Physics, and the Emerging Tribe. Q. How long will you stay? A. Oh, it's just for the after- noon. I have to be in L.A. the next day for an international con- ference 'that will be attended by about 200 persons. Q. On what subject? A. As far as I know, a topic has not yet been selected. Q. DR. SWINGER, this may be a delicate matter, but how can these activities be justified to the public authorities? A. Oh, I think that an examina- tion of the ristorical record shows that we are well over that hump. But the advice of our Committee on Research and Publications is tha if fliA lflc'*flfC'fl1flicp tpv c. 4fq