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Editorials printed in The Michigan Daily express the individual opinions of staff writers
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THURSDAY, OCTOBER 4,1962 NIGHT EDITOR: GERALD STORCH
PROPOSED SPEAKER POLICY:
New Bylaw Violates University. Precepts
Professional Theatre
Faces Challenge
W ITH THE arrival of the Association of
Producing Artists to the University com-
munity, a link is being established between the
professional theatre which Broadway audiences
know and the often bland, mediocre fare to
which Ann Arborites are accustomed.
APA brings with it the skill and polish of
performers who have had long tenure on
Broadway, as well as in theatres across the
country, movies and television. On the whole,
their names are not, to the average reader
of "The New York Times" drama section, es-
pecially well known, but they bring with them
experience, dedication and the ideal of artists
commonly known as "art for art's sake."
The last attribute is a trite phrase for a
scarce commodity. Today, on Broadway and
off, the performer must be concerned with a
myriad of factors which may hamper or aid
his performance: technical workers, producers
and directors, getting and keeping an aud-
ience, and, most important, obtaining the
financial backing to put on a show.
The repertoire group, which composes the
APA, 'solves many of these problems. It is an
"organic unity," according to artistic director
Jaywling
THE CITY OF ANN ARBOR is making money
again, hand over fist, as the jaywalking dol-
lars roll in.
Those dedicated servants of public justice,
fondly known as the cops, wait with nonchalant
smiles as you peacefully cross a street with
no moving automobiles in sight, and then
they make out a dandy little ticket worth $1
($2 after three days) to the cause of civil or-
der. The reason? The pedestrian light was the
wrong color.
Now, I have no great gripe against being
generally protected by my avowed friends, the
neighborhood policemen. My mommy always
told me that they would take care of me when
I was lost, and I believed her. But I find it
downright insulting when it is assumed that
an inanimate lighting fixture knows more about
the movements of vehicles.along a street than
I do. My mommy also taught me always to
look up and down both ways before I crossed
a street. I find it preposterous that the fair
city of Ann Arbor should seek to replace my
mommy's infinite wisdom with the automatic
blink of a traffic light, and then have the auda-
city to charge me good money (which happens
to belong to my parents) for choosing to obey
her instead of it.
MOMMY ASIDE, I resent being deprived of
freedom of will, particularly since I take
reasonable care to base my actions on an ac-
curate appraisal of the facts of traffic, motion.
After years and years of crossing streets, I hon-
estly believe that I know how. My mommy
doesn't worry about me any more. Why should
Ann Arbor?
Ann Arbor obviously has faith in my eye-
sight, because it. has generously set out traffic
lights for me to perceive. I maintain that if my
eyes can be trusted to see Ann Arbor's traffic
signals, they can likewise be trusted to see the
thunderous bulk of a vehicle bent on my de-
struction.
If I want to risk my life, I respectfully sub-
mit that that is my business. I would like to
be permitted to mind it. And I wish the Ann
Arbor police would devote themselves to more
serious business, before I lose my respect for the
law altogether.
-MARTHA MacNEAL
Ellis Rabb; it is a self-contained unit, in which
each part works for the good of the whole.
It's financial worries, the "angel" every pro-
duction must have, are solved by the University,
which is supporting it until the APA becomes
a self-supporting unit, through ticket sales. The
three-year contract, easily breakable by either
the University of APA, nevertheless provides
a security which actors seldom have.
IT IS THIS security which allows APA the
privilege of attempting "art for art's sake."
The company does not have to be primarily
concerned with their next performance or
their next audience. By selling season tickets,
and by having a fairly secure contract, they
can concentrate on the art of acting. They
do not have to primarily be concerned with
selling their play choices or with presenting
gimmick productions. Instead they can con-
centrate on doing the most competent job
they can.
However, the future does not loom all rosy
and perfect for APA, or for the entire Profes-
sional Theatre Program, for that matter. The
Schnitzers' pet project will have to undergo
the test of a community which has long been
considered a cultural center and will have to
perform up to expectation, for they are pro-
fessionals and not to be patted on the head
and excused as might the Ann Arbor Civic
Theatre.
The town's dowagers and some students, who
in the past have been sufficient to support
Ann Arbor's theatre, now will have to be sup-
plemented by a larger audience who will attend
a greater number of performances than before.
The general concensus, however, is that the
more good theatre there is, the more audiences
will become accustomed to attending the
theatre. Eyentually, Ann Arborites and students
will go to the theatre as normally as they would
to the movies, the Professional Theatre staff
hopes.
IN THE meantime, however, APA-as well as
the rest of the Professional Theatre Program
--will have to prove itself. The first selection
of plays is well chosen, at least as far as var-
iety. The combination of George M. Cohan, a
young British writer named Whiting, play-
wright-in-residence Baldridge, Henrik Ibsen
and eighteenth century Richard -Sheridan is
certainly smorgasbord.
The academic value of this program is un-
questionably worthwhile. One of the Profes-
sional Theatre's main goals is to supplement
the cultural and academic offerings of the
University. What better way is there than
actually seeing a Shakespearean play to under-
stand the play in its fullest. In this aspect,
APA is invaluable to the University.
ON THE national level, the coming of reper-
toire theatre to this University means a new
beginning for theatre throughout the country.
In the United States, the arts are not govern-
ment subsidized. Actors, playhouses and play-
wrights are left to fend for themselves and in
many large cities, including New York and
Chicago, the number of theatres has sharply
declined.
Movements such as Tyrone Guthrie's theatre
at the University of Minnesota, the Phoenix
Playhouse, and the University's Professional
Theatre Program bolster theatre in this coun-
try, bringing it to areas of the United States
which previously saw only summer stock, tour-
ing companies or community theatre.
APA, and companieslike it, will act as a link
between Broadway and the whole outer realm,
in this country so often on the far, black edges
-MARJORIE BRAHMS
By ROBERT SELWA
THE REGENT'S proposed bylaw
on outside speakers violates the
ideals it sets up.
The proposed bylaw cites the
"obligation of the University to
be a free forum for ideas." The
University should "foster a spirit
of free inquiry" about "a wide var-
iety of issues" with the views ex-
pressed being subject "to critical
evaluation." This is fine, and the
bylaw even goes so far as to
establish a Committee on Public
Discussion to arrange to bring
speakers "with a wide variety of
viewpoints" to the University.
But then the limitations begin,
negating the ideals to which the
Regents have just dedicated the
University. "Restraints on free
inquiry," the proposed bylaw con-
tinues, "should be held to that
minimum which is consistent with
preserving an organized society in
which peaceful, democratic means
for change are available.,.*.
"The speaker must not advocate
or urge the audience to take ac-
tion which is prohibited by the
rules of the University or which
is illegal under federal or state
law. Advocating or urging the
modification of the government
of the United States or of the
State of Michigan by violence or
sabotage, is specifically pro-
hibited."
The bylaw holds the sponsoring
organization responsible and "sub-
ject to the prodecures and penal-
ties applicable" if the above pro-
vision is violated.
* * *
AT FIRST glance this may not
seem to be precensorship. There
might seem to be some distinc-
tion between preventing a speaker
from presenting an idea, and giv-
ing out punishment after the idea
is presented. This distinction was
made in Old England, on the
thesis that all ideas should be pre-
sented once, but that once is
enough if the idea is supposedly
dangerous.
T h e distinction persists in
Western civilization in matters of
libel. The law does not prevent
a libelous statement from being
made, but then the person or in-
stitution responsible is immediate-
ly subject to prosecution if the
libelled party desires. The law is
now constituted like this on the
premise that the fear of subse-
quent punishment in most cases
will prevent a libelous statement
from being made. In short, sub-
sequent punishment will provide
a suposedly voluntary but actually
coerced precensorship.
When the threat of subsequent
punishment is applied to the
realm of ideas and opinions, the
same type of supposedly volun-
tary but actually coerced precen-
sorship results. And this is what
the proposed new bylaw consti-
tutes: a facade of voluntary pre-
censorship coerced by the threat
of punishment. It is like telling
a soldier that unless he refrains
from criticizing the food, he will
be forced to wash the dishes.
THE PRECENSORSHIP is ex-
ercised in particular on speakers
who would advocate the overthrow
of the government. This is nothing
new. It goes back most directly to
the Alien Registration (Smrith)
Act of 1940 but also goes back to
the sedition acts of 1917 and 1798.
In all three instances, the legisla-
tion was directed toward prevent-
ing (in the words of the Smith
Act) any person from advocating,
advising or teaching the duty, ne-
cessity, desirability or propriety
of overthrowing or destroying any
government in the United States
by force or violence or by assasin-
ation of a public leader.
In each circumstance the legis-
lation was the result of a war at-
mosphere; today it is the Cold
War with the Communists that
spurs maintainence of the Smith
Act and enactment of a bylaw
that in essence prohibits the ad-
vocacy of violent overthrow.
American history bears out two
well known examples of when ad-
vocacy has lead to serious trouble
-neither occurring at the periods
of hysteria that sprawned restric-
tive legislation on speech. The ex-
amples are Shay's Rebellion, 1786-
87, and the assassination of Presi-
dent William McKinley in 1901.
* * *
IN 1786, the Massacusetts legis-
lature adjourned to evade the pro-
tests of discontented farmers.
Popular discontent resulting from
the economic stress of the period
then erupted at village meetings.
Crowds turned into mobs as the
idea of overthrowing the govern-
ment caught on. The rebellion was
put down with bloodshed by the
state militia.
In 1901, 28-year-old Leon Czol-
gosz, a half-demented malcontent
according to W. A. Swanberg, at-
tended a lecture given by Emma
Goldman, the anarchist. This lec-
ture inspired him to shoot the
President. McKinley died a few
days later.
But even in these two circum-
stances, repression of the advo-
cacy of violently overthrowing
the government would not have
done much good. If thengovern-
ment would have tried to suppress
the farmers from expressing their
opinions, the rebellion might have
erupted more quickly and more
violently. If E m m a Goldman
would have been prevented from
urging violent overthrow, Czolgoszo
in his tortured frame of mind may
have decided by himself to domas
he did. The idea could still have
come to him from the anarchist
literature he read; and even if all
governments throughout all his-
tory had: suppressed all anarchist
speech and literature, the idea still
could have originated for Czolgosz
within himself.
Shay's rebellion could have been
prevented not by suppression of
the advocacy of violent overthrow
but by courageous confrontation of
this idea and the conditions that
led to its fomenting, confrontation'
avoided by the cowardly legislators'
of Mass'achusetts in 1786.
* * *
WHEN THE University takes on
the role (as it has since 1920) of
the suppressor of the idea of vio-
lent overthrow, it becomes as the
Massachusetts legislators, fleeing
from discussion and debate. Fur-
thermore, the University in effect.
tells students and faculty:
"We can't trust you to hear all
ideas. You are so weak and easily
misled that if someone told you
to overthrow the government by
violence, you just might do it. So
we must protect the government
from you by preventing you from
WILLIAM HOWARD TAFT
. .. banned by 'U'
hearing in public on campus the
idea of violent overthrow. We
must draw limits to the scope of
your intellectual inquiry, f o r
while you may be able to read
the idea and not be moved by it,
you are sufficiently unstable to
fall for it when it is spoken."
A. ban is a deed of di trust. It
signifies a lack of confidence by
the University in the faculty and,
students whom it has so carefully
selected as the most intelligent to
teach and learn here. The Uni-
versity is being hypocritical not
only with its own ideals ("this ob-
ligation . .. to be a free forum for
ideas . . . to foster a spirit of
free Inquiry. . .") but is also being
hypocritical in regard to its ad-
mission standards.
* * *
WERE THE issue merely that of
permitting for the first time a
Communist to speak on campus,
the situation would not be so
grave, for Communists have come
to Ann Arbor and have spoken
to mass meetings of students off
campus many times. But the issue
is far more than this: it centers
around the deed of today's Re-
gents in putting in new words the
same old ban that past Regents
have maintained for 42 years, a
ban supplementing restrictions be-
gan in 1914. Consider these state-
ments:'
1914, the Regents: "The use of
Hill Auditorium for free discussion
of all topics is not now necessary
nor expedient."
1916, the Regents: "Speakers
shall preserve an attitude of strict
neutrality in regard to the present
European situation."
1920, the Regents: "The use of
Hill Auditorium may be granted to
student organizations for lectures
or addresses .. . under guarantee
that during such addresses there
shall be no violation of recognized
rules of hospitality, nor advocacy
of the subversion of the govern-
ment . ..
1935, President Alexander G.
Ruthven: "Perversive activities of
a few professional agitators" will
no longer be tolerated and "per-
sons responsible for organizing or
conducting meetings contrary to
this rule will be dealt with
promptly and vigorously."
1949, the Regents: "No address-
es shall be allowed which urge
the destruction or modification of
government by violence or other
unlawful methods, or which advo-
cate or Justify conduct which vio-
lates the fundamentals of our ac-
cepted code of morals."
IS IT unique for a University to
prevent vistors from advocating
the violent overthrow of govern-
ment, when it has already pre-
vented a former President of the
United States, William Howard
Taft, from discussing the League
of Nations? No, it is not unique-
and the proposed new bylaw could
be used to punish any organiza-
tion that brought a follower of
Henry David Thoreau to advocate
his ideas of civil disobedience
("The speaker must not advocate
... action . . . illegal under fed-
eral or state law.").
The Regents justify their re-
straints in the proposed bylaw as
"consistent with preserving an or-
ganized society .in which peaceful,
democratic means for change are
available." This repudiates democ-
racy in the name of democracy;
free inquiry is no longer free in-
quiry when it has limitations.
There is a contradiction in saying
that freedom of inquiry must be
restrained in order to be main-
tained, for it is no longer main-
tained when it is restrained. Fur-
thermore, an organized society re-
mains organized through the pow-
er of the state to prevent unlaw-
ful action, not through suppres-
sion of ideas, which only results
in martyrdom and a greater spirit
of rebellion.
4. * *
IN AMERICA, the democratic
process has made possible the
maintainence of order, while abor-
tions of that process -- as with
Shay's'Rebellion-have resulted In
the disturbance of order.
If the Regents would be true
to their excellent ideals of free
inquiry and critical evaluation,
they should drop from the pro-
posed bylaw, part 1A of section
8.11A which prohibits certain
kinds of ideas.. There should be
no barrier between any idea and
the University community.
I
I,
; i
Higher Edu c ao
In Missisbippi
-
.;
.
New Homeco
THE GALA event of Homecoming is seriously
ill if not close to death. If it survives it
will be through the work of the Union, the
League and this year's Homecoming chairmen.
In the last two years Homecoming has lost
close to $1,600.-There was poor attendance at
the all campus dance last year. The lack of
interest in last year's alumni picnic caused
it to be omitted from this year's schedule of
events.
In the ,past the Union and the League have
handled the administrative end of Homecoming
while Student Government Council has taken
care of the finances. However, this year the
Union and the League are taking care of both
of these responsibilities.
ROBERT FINKE, president of the Michigan
Union, and Margaret Skiles, president of
the Women's League, agreed that if Homecom-
Editorial Staff
MICHAEL OLINICK, Editor
JUDITH OPPENHEIM MICHAEL HARRAH
Editorial Director City Editor
CAROLINE DOW...... .......Personnel Director
JUDITH BLEIER ............... Associate City Editor
)min Format'
ing is highly unsuccessful this year that their
organizations would probably hand it back
to SGC.
However, certain optimistic observers believe
that Homecoming would still exist even if this
year's program is a failure. As one Union board
member noted, "Homecoming as we presently
know it would probably not remain; but what
would remain would be something which would
be greatly changed."
Homecoming has already been greatly al-
tered. The costly and ill attended all-campus
dance has been replaced by live entertainment
in Hill Aud. Following the program at Hill Aud.
will be two dances to be held at the Union. The
Homecoming committee has planned for a twist
band downstairs and an eight to ten piece
band upstairs. Many other innovations have
been introduced by the committee.
IF IT IS to be changed again, the new pro-
duct woulud raise the question of whether or
not Homecoming would be worth saving. These
questions would only have to be answered if
Homecoming was a failure this year.
If .attendance at their first mass meeting is
any indication, this year's event will not fail.
At this meeting, between three and four hun-
dred students showed up. They represented the
various fraternities, sororities, and residence
halls.
APA PREMIER:
Scandal' Superb,
Cast Excellent
FOLLOWING MONTHS of publicity consisting of rave reviews from
all Broadway critics, years of planning by the University, and waves
of expectation from the University community and the theatre world
in general, the Association of Producing Artists; prodigal child of
the University Professional Theatre Program, began its fall drama
festival last night at Lydia Mendelssohn Theatre with a performance
of Sheridan's "School for Scandal." Interest was exceedingly high to
see if this company could possibly live up to the reputation which
proceeded them. No one need have worried. The opening production
of the APA was, in a word, triumphant.
Displaying a cast of uniformly brilliant actors, the company
quickly dispelled the doubts of the staunchest of skeptics by moving
effortlessly through the intricacies of Sheridan's cbmedy of manners
in a production which dazzled the eye, pleased the ear, and evoked
gales of laughter from the opening-night crowd.
The star of the evening, fortunately, was Sheridan. "School for
Scandal," the finest comedy of manners between Congreve and Wilde,
is hardly a museum piece. But in the hands of this highly skilled
company, the extremely intricate balance of characters is maintained
superbly, and the play itself becomes not mustily amusing in the
academic sense, but down-right hilarious, exactly the result Sheridan
desired, in his day, and a tribute to the lasting brilliance of the play.
The set is tasteful and simple, one room changed to many through
use of swiftly moving backdrops, and stylishly sparse furniture ar-
ranged before our eyes by a staff of delightfully choreographed ser-
vants who efficiently order the set while they flirt, gossip, and spy.
IN A CAST where brilliant and established actors abound, one
is at a loss to evaluate the performances which deserve special notice.
All were excellent, and it is a tribute to the director and to
the cast that such a total feeling of ensemble can be attained by so
many actors of "Star" calibre. Anne Meacham as Maria, Enid Markey
as Mrs. Candour and Cavada Humphrey as Lady Sneerwell were
delightful and totally effective in comparatively minor roles, although
it was curious to watch Miss Humphrey seemingly pull slightly away
from the cast in the second act and into {a more personally oriented
melodramatic Lady Sneerwell. To have an actress of the calibre of
Miss Meacham playing a relatively inconsequential ingenue is a credit
to this company. Of the men, David Hooks' vigorous Sir Oliver Surface
was thoroughly consistent as were the performances of Keene Curtis as
Sir Benjamin, and Clayton Corzatte as Charles Surface.
Will Geer's Sir Peter Teazle was a wonder to behold. The role of
Sir Peter is almost always amusing, but hardly ever endearing.
Playing with his customary warmth and gusto, Mr. Geer delivers a
performance which must be cited as the final word on this character-
ization. Doing the most remarkable things with her face and hands,
and humming just a little distractedly, Rosemary Harris captivated
the audience with a light and airy Lady Teazle which gives definition,
development and pure delight to every line. The scenes between these
two distinguished actors were totally charming.
* * * *
FINALLY ELLIS RABB must be singled out in two capacities. In
his role of Joseph Surface he never really has an opportunity to take
'4
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR:
Asks Inter-Racial Space Twins,
To the editor:
IN THE realm of space tech-
nology President Kennedy and
the American people have an op-
portunity to perform an event
that will blazon the skies and
strike streamers into the dark
reaches of space more than any
scientific "firsts" of the Russians.
Times of a great national crisis
or rejoicing have somehow a way
of eliminating or reducing the
prejudices of the common masses.
It was at a time of crisis when
great naims andi traic places l ike
same capsule under the Gemini
(Gemini means twins) project, the
entire nation-young and old alike
--will be glued to the TV or radio,
breathlessly taking in every word
uttered and every development
second by second. It is then that
the common masses tend to for-
get their prejudices and accept
great changes.
* * *
LET NOT one kid oneself to
feel that it is not possible to find
a Negro astronaut as good as a
white one. All astronauts come
a white and the other a Negro..
Then all boys -and girls, men and
women, across. the country and
across the world, will lisp the
names of two Americans, one a
white, the other a Negro, all in
one breath without any prejudice.
And let there be an American
Negro astronaut in the team that
makes the first American trip to
the Moon. When the ends of earth
were pioneered, racial prejudices
were carried with it. But when
the ends of uncontaminated space
are "colonized," let racial pre-
A