Sly irigttPal Semet y-T bird Year EDrED AND MANAGED BY STUDENTS OF THE UNiVERSITY Of MICHiGAN UNDER AUTHORiT OF BOARD IN CONTROL OF STUDENT PUMLXcATON! Where Opinions Are STUDENT PUwjCATIONS BLDG., ANN ARBRp, MICH., PtiONE wo 2-3241 Tith Will Proeni" Editorials printed in The Michigan Daily express the individual opinions of staff writers or the editors. This must be noted in all reprints. 'URDAY, OCTOBER 5, 1963 NIGHT EDITOR: MARILYN KORAL "Harry, I Don't Think You're Going To Like This One Any Better" ~WOMEN& CHILDREN FIRST Superdog in Jail By Dick Pollinger L----------------------------------------------- .., 4 f~ . i V ~i i . t t . t1 J . V Oh Brave New World That Has Such, People in It rfWENTIETH-CENTURY men are con- stantly being told that "science is about to revolutionize your life!" Because this proclamation ,Is made so frequently and, for such trivial reasons, it has to a large extent lost its impact. But today this prediction is more mean- ingful than ever before. Within this cen- tury, we can expect scientific break- throughs of unpr cedented human sig- nificance - discoveries which will give men the power to control the basic nature of man himself. The direction of research in two scien- tific fields has especially significant im- plications. IN BIOLOGY, experiments with basic genetic factors such as DNA are bring- ing us closer to the day when the in- herited characteristics of future genera- tions will be under human control. And the controversial attempts to create life chemically put the day of "test-tube babies" not far beyond that. In psychology, researchers are discov- ering more and more about how to ma- nipulate behavior. "Within 30 years we will be fully able to engineer human be- havior," a University behavioral psychol- ogist told his class recently. Thus science is learning how to manip- ulate the two forces-heredity and en- vironment-which shape the nature of men. These forces, of course, have always been decisive, but they have always hit the individual more or less at random. Even the most determined parents do a relatively sloppy job of molding their children's minds. But wih these factors neatly identified, classified and ready to use, men with the right resources at their disposal will be able to manufacture just about whatever kind of humans they want. THE KNOWLEDGE which these re- searchers will yield is itself neutral: whether it becomes a curse or a blessing will depend upon how it is used. The frightening possibility is that these dis- coveries will be preseited to a world which is in moral chaos and woefully un- prepared to decide what to do with them. History isn't too reassuring. Atomic energy, for example, was a major scien- tific milestone-and whether the world will survive that particular discovery re- mains to be seen. Even so humanitarian a development as medicine has been a major factorin producing the population explosion, an equally grave threat to man's future. Aid the potential effects of the discoveries now on the horizon are much greater. THE EASIEST dangers to spot are the obvious evils. If, for example, at Hitler- like tyrant got a hold of these biological and psychological techniques, he could use them in some selfish and cruel way. Few will deny that such designs should be opposed. But this is an extreme case. As we move away from such overtly nasty possibili- ties, the question of whether a particular use for these techniques represents a tremendous humanitarian advance or an insidious evil becomes harder to answer. Knowledge of genetics, for example, can be applied to preventing disfiguring mutations. Fine. Why not take it a step further and prevent the birth of too-fat, too-thin, too-short and too-tall people? And then should we go all the way and turn out a whole human race of perfect specimens? If not, why not? What would we lose by doing it? THE BEHAVIORAL techniques present even stickier dilemmas. Psychology now attacks problems such as mental ill- ness by helping people adjust to their environment. Well, why not make the ad- justment asperfect as possible, by con- ditioning people- to want only what they can have? True, this would mean an end to progress, but with everyone happy, what other goals remain toward which to progress?' Perhaps the most staggering implica- tions of all arise from the recent discov- ery of "pleasure centers" in the brain. Experiments have shown that when, a certain part =of a rat's brain is stimulated electrically, the rat will seek this stimu- lation above all other rewards. He will perform any stunts he can to get this stimulation, even braving punishments he would never undergo to get food or drink. And if the stimulation is continued, he will pass up food and drink completely, simply lying there until he dies-presum- ably in a state of ecstasy. F THE FACTS suggested by these exper- iments turn out. to be real, this is a direct line to human happiness. So why mess around with indirect routes? Why shouldn't we all sit down, "plug ourselves in," and follow the rats' blissful example? After all, isn't happiness what we have been seeking? True, the human race would stop reproducing itself and die out, but so what? Those who are alive and "plugged in" would be happy, those who were never born would never know the difference. In short, as science gives us more and more basic control over our world and ourselves, we are driven to reconsidering our most basic values. And with such powers falling into our hands, we will find the answers which sufficed when such questions were merely academic to be inadequate. It is not enough to throw up our hands and exclaim "how hor- rible!" when we hear of "test-tube bab- ies" and engineered behavior. On the other hand, the smug assumption that this is simply "progress," and therefore wonderful, is equally dangerous. I AM NOT ready to propose definite answers to these questions. But clearly an acute awareness and widespread dis- cussion of them is needed. And this Uni- versity - where many of these monu- mental discoveries have been and will be made-is the place where the debate should begin. -KENNETH WINTER I I . I, Ia 0-0 NATIONAL STUDENT CONGRESS: Moderates Win Out at USNSA4 The Truth, The Whole Truth (EDITOR'S NOTE: This is the third in a series of articles by Uni- versity students who attended the Sixteenth National Student Con- gress last summer at Indiana Uni- versity. Raymond L. Rusnak Jr. is President of the Michigan Union and an ex-officio member of Stu- dent Government Council.) By RAYMOND L. RUSNASK, JR. Daily Guest Writer AT THIS YEAR'S United States National Student Association Congress a strange twist occurred. Student opinion changed as to the benefits of the University's con- tinued membership in the Nation- al Student's Association. Many of the people who last year advocat- ed the University's withdrawal are now actively working to improve USNSA, while some of those who argued to remain in USNSA are now talking of withdrawal. To understand this change, it is necessary to examine the two op- posing concepts of national unions of students. The first concept, and the more liberal of the two, starts on the premise that students are a class in themselves and as such there exists certain unique rights and privileges to which the stu- dent class is entitled. To obtain these rights they are striving to form a "student movement" to act as a political pressure group. This is the form that is taken by many unions of students in other coun- tries. THE MORE moderate of the two concepts recognizes that this type of movement may often be necessary in countries where op- position to the ruling forces is difficult, but in this country the same problems do not exist, for there are many avenues for dis- sent. The moderates feel that a student's role is not as a member of a homogeneous class, but rather is only in the form of a commit- ment to his intellectual develop- ment. Consequently,asea student he should only be concerned with e v e n t s outside the University which affect him directly as a student. Political expression on other matters is considered necessary, but this should be expressed through one's role as a citizen, not as a student, and there are many groups that one can join in this capacity, such as the Young Re- publicans, Youn g Democrats. Young Socialist Alliance or even then Communist youth organiza- tion. To the moderates, then, USNSA should become a forum of all opin- ions, for in fact, students vary too greatly in their ideology to have any one position on matters of a political nature. USNSA should concentrate on the areas that di- rectly affect students and student governments, for in these areas there can be consensus. WITH THESE TWO basic phi- losphies in mind, the question of why the moderates wished to withdraw from USNSA last year may arise. There are basically three reasons. First, a very astute group of politicians had gained control of the liberal group and, through this group,\the National that had not been considered by the whole body and to keep other legislation from the Congress floor. The third objection concerns the legislation itself. In the past, this legislation came to the floor in such great amounts that no Congress delegate could truly be informed on all these issues, and most delegates, having never dis- cussed issues of national.or inter- national concern, were incapable of any meaningful debate on any of the issues. This allowed a very few people to maneuver the whole Congress into views that were not representative. In addition, the controversial legislation came from committees which were invariably dominated by" students with vested interests, while the average Congress rep- resentative joined committees such as "Student Welfare." This often allowed the controversial issues to be distorted to a particular view- point. For example, the fact sec- tion of these motions usually was a set of half-truths only giving half of the picture. The necessary conclusions that were to be drawn from the fact section, then, could not be distinguished by someone unaware of the problem as being irresponsible, as they often were. * * * WITH THIS precedent in mind; what were the changes that made the moderates this year decide to encourage people to stay in USNSA? For one, the liberal lead- ership collapsed; consequently, without having liberal pressure applied, the delegates voted more moderately and the quality of the legislation was more responsible. In addition, the national offices, in setting up this year's Congress, broke the controversial 'areas up into more committees so that the liberals could not put all of their strength into packing one com- mittee and controlling its legisla- tion as had been done in the past. Perhaps the m o s t striking changes that took place at this year's Congress were the reforms that the national office suggested and the Congress adopted. Signi- ficant among these reforms were those that abolished the National Executive Committee and limited the number of items that could come before the Congress. These reforms do not make USNSA the representative type of organiza- tion that we would like it to be. But for the first time it is now in the position to bring about any additional reforms from within, a feat formerly impossible with the existing power structures. * * * IN ORDER TO bring USNSA back within the consensus of the group that it purports to repre- sent-the American students-it is necessary for the moderates to act now bef ore the radical ele- ments - liberal and reactionary alike-have a chance to rebuild their power., To this end, I have organized a group called the "Committee to Stimulate Interest in USNSA." It. is composed of 12 students, most of whom are student body presi- dents of their schools. These stu- dents geographically r e p r e s e n t most major areas in the United States. In the next few months they/will be writing to the student governments of the schools that have withdrawn from' USNSA and other large non-member schools urging them to reconsider joining USNSA, pointing out the reforms that have been made and the benefits of membership. They will also be offering their services as speakers at schools in their area. The initial reaction has been favorable, as evidenced by a letter I received yesterday from Greg Gallo, current USNSA President,. who said: "It pleases me that the group you contacted is of no particular political persuasion. To do the type of work you are setting out for the committee, it is crucial. that their commitment be to the, furthering of the Association as a forum of student opinion, and as a meaningful educational or- ganization, rather than as a platform for a certain political persuasion. I think that the group that you have brought together for this task is notable for its long-term commitment to the Association, and therefore should be able to do an out- standing job." This admittedly is just a first step but, along with additional re- forms from within, USNSA in the next few years will be able to meet its potential for serving the American college student. M Y SIXTH GRADE teacher had two unshakeable aesthetic postulates, from which all art proceeded: the most beautiful phrase in the English language is "cellar door," and the Coke bottle is an ultimate visual triumph. She died, unfortunately, several years before this country was ready for the truth of her viewpoint, and never knew just how close, she came. I tried to imagine how she would guide me yesterday, when I stop- ped at the University art museum to watch the hanging of the Pop Art show which opens next Wed- nesday. When I arrived, two very natty gentlemen were grappling with a vasty crate and only barely winning the battle. * * * "I'M SAMUEL SACHS and that's Bob Israel and we'll be with you in a minute," said one. "Mr. Sachs is the assistant di- rector of the museum," Mr. Israel allowed, "I just help. We're trying to unpack these paintings from New York." He attacked the edge of the crate with a hammer and crowbar. Around the room were paintings that had already been unpacked. One especially striking one was apparently a child's drawing of three people and a truck (actually entitled, I later found out, "Three Figures and One Bus") which featured the middle person expos- tulating "RARAVO," and which bore the legend "Tarzan" in an intricate and original lettering style. Next to it was a painting of five slices of pumpkin pie on an automat tray. Across the room was an ink drawing of three lead- ing collar styles, from a possible Van Heusen shirt advertisement. To one side was a pedestal sup- porting a flowered machine (full of gears visible through a little window) topped with a bronze bowling trophy, with another opening on the machine designed for a speaker, in fact encircled by a pair of lips on which were etched "FOOEY. " I waited anxiously to see what would be in the crate. * * * "THIS IS just a fraction of the exhibit," said Mr. Sachs, and gin- gerly unwrapped the first painting. It was done in black and grey oil and was divided halfway-down. One half was a mechanical draw- ing of a key in a lock. The other half showed a pair of feet and legs overprinted with the numerals 214. As it stood on the floor, the 214 was upside down. "I think it's upside down," said Sachs." 'No," said Israel around back of the canvas, "I think it must be right side up, look at the arrow back here." "Well, maybe the arrow is point- ing down" "But arrows never point down, besides, here's the title and date written in this direction. The artist wouldn't write it upside down."' "Well, that's not the way they showed it in the New York cata- log. A PRETTY SECRETARY came in and asked "Has 'Superman and Superdog in Jail' arrived yet?" "Well, it's here, but we can't get it until the University writes a check for the extra shippng charges. Put it on the list any- way," said Sachs. A gentleman with several large cameras introduced himself to us as a University Newt Service photographer, and after shaking hands all around, started slowly circling the room taking light meter readings. "Look at this one," said Sachs and plugged in a disassembled radio mounted on plastic with a motor which continually changed the station. "It's called WNYR-9, but we had to re-tune it to Ann Arbor stations, since we can't pick up WNYR, which is in New York. These paintings here," he gestured to three movie-magazine collages in electric colors, "are by Rosalyn Drexler, whouused to be a lady wrestler. But she has a good knack for organizing the canvas. I suppose I should explain that these paintings are part of our supplementary pop art exhibit. The primary exhibit was put to- gether at the Guggenheim and is travelling around the county. But it's an exhibit of just six artists, so we organized this one to show more fully what's going on in pop art. Both of them open Wednes- day. Here, look." He handed me a catalog from the Guggenheim show. The text, by the museum's curator, Gordon Alloway, offered the ,following trenchant observa- tions: Object-makers, like the produ- cers of happenings (often they are the same person), work to- wards the dissolution of formal boundaries and sponsor para- doxical cross-overs between art and nature . . . mass media figures are relished for their physical grandeur, for their pervasiveness . . . and for the drama of common intimacy they offer their consumers. n I asked Sachs to explain more about pop art. * * "WELL, for one thing, pop art is a reaction to abstract expres- ......w t' - 1 .r+i w ac .4 v "Exactly," said Sachs, "but it's more too. There is a dualism be- tween the parody and the use of mass cultural element as a part of a larger artistic expression. One objective is to make a real object look like a reproduction. Its a curious paradox between the real and the unreal." * * * JUST BEFORE the museum closed, I asked Carlos E. Clarke, the museum's carpenter, what he thought of the show. "Well . .. it's different, is what it is, actually it's fantastic, if you know what I mean." I asked which painting was his favorite. "Now I'm not much of an artist, if you know what I mean, and they all fascinate me, but I think that this one is my favorite," he pointed to the five pieces of pump- kin pie. "It'sa my favorite kind of pie, too." CINEMA GUILD: 'Grapes' "THE GRAPES OF WRATH" is a maddening film. It demands consideration as a serious movie, but the final achievement falls short of its aspirations. Ironically, the basic flaw is that it is too beautiful. Filled with marvelously expressive photo- graphy, it is a virtuoso perform- ahce by Director John Ford. But in the end it is a little too "pretty" Little feeling of squalor and des- peration is evoked. FORD HAS DONE a superb job in the studio of creating dark and brooding landscapes, upon which men appear as anonymous specks. The script by Nunnally Johnson is authentic, never falling into the cliched "hillbilly" style. The char- acters are well drawn and the acting competent. But it is too slick; we are not emotionallyin- volved in this desperate situation. The political message of the novel has been retained, surpris- ingly enough, but it has been sub- ordinated and muted. We are pre- sented with little people caught in a situation they do not com- prehend. Their plight is well ex- pressed by the dispossed farmer who cries: "Well then, who do we shoot?" But in only one scene are we emotionally involved in the Okies' plight. A labor organizer is brut- ally slain by the'Fascist-like police force employed by a peach grower who is paying subsistence wages. Tom Joad, the protagonist, kills the murderer in return and must flee. Fortuitously, he happens up- on a federal farm co-operative, which is a haven In a chaotic' world. The political lesson is clear and we are emotionally moved to accept it. THE GREATEST FAILURE of the film is that it runs five min- utes too long. It should have ended with Tom Jpad fleeing the government farm to escape arrest for homicide. The mood at this point is appropriately one of des- peration and doubt. Unfortunately, an anti-climactic episode is tacked onto the end and the final line is an optimistic "We're the people, we'll go on forever." The novel was a call to arms; the film is a sedative. DESPITE these flaws, "The Grapes of Wrath" is one of Holly- wood's finest productions. It stands as a beautiful film and one of the best adaptations of a novel. -Sam Walker LETTERS j to the_ I EDITOR To the Editor: I AM WRITING this letter in response to the editorial "Prize?" This intriguing disserta- tion on a-itomotive engineering is certainly worthy of a prize it- self-the booby prize. Though this gem, written in a humorous (?) and sarcastic vein, seemed to be ambiguous when I first read it, it seemed more so after a later perusal. Michael Harrah r e fe rs to "idiot lights," an unfortunate choice in terminology which has a number of possible meanings. The most common use of the term applies to the red warning lights which replace the oil and am- meter gauges on most newer cars. I assume he refers to the head- lights, though it is the parking lights which "one sees squarely planted in the midst of the grill- work of occasionally oncoming cars." IN VIEW of the significant work being done in the field of automotive lighting and safety (i.e., amber turn signals for bet- ter day-night visability no w v " 0 41 4 9, 9 9' I, ,U 9. 4 " !O M PRESIDENT KENNEDY'S optimistic ap- praisal of the course of the war 'in Vietnam following the return of the Mc- Namara-Taylor mission will be verified or disproved by history. It may abate, but is certainly will not silence, criticism. There are bound to be, in so tangled a situation as that in Vietnam, major dif- ferences of opinion not only about what we should do but also about how well or badly we are doing. About on key aspect of the Vietnamese situation, however, there can be no valid disagreement. The war in South Vietnam-no matter how judged-is a long-drawn-out war of at- trition, as, indeed, all counter-guerrilla or counter-insurgency wars are. In any such war, all authorities are agreed, a democratic gover'nment, if it is to have Editorial Staff RONALD WILTON, Editor DAVID MARCUS GERALD STORCH Editorial Director City Editor BARBARA LAZARUS.............Personnel Director PHILIP SUTIN............ National Concerns Editor GAIL EVANS ................ Associate City Editor MARJORIE BRAHMS ......Associate Editorial Director GLORIA BOWLES.................. Magazine Editor MALINDA BERRY.............Contributing Editor DAVE GOOD. ............ .....Sports Editor MIKE BLOCK.................Associate Sports Editor JIM BERGER...............Associate Sports Editor BOB zwINCK ...........Contributing Sports Editor hopes of ultimate victory, must have the support of an informed public opinion. The confusion, cynicism and frustra- tion of the American public about the Vietnamese conflict are by no means solely due to the nature of the Diem re- gime or its differences with the Bud- dhists. The public relations policies of both the United States and the Saigon governments have been, since the be- ginning, responsible for much of the con- fusion. The Diem regime, in common with nearly all Asian governments, operates in an aura of secrecy. Its answer to cri- ticism is more secrecy. But the United States government should be far more frank with its citizens. During the first part of the United States military build- up in South Vietnam both our public re- lations policies and personnel there were lacking in candor. Official policy, as re- vealed by a House committee, was delib- erately restrictive; essential facts were withheld, others distorted. It took some very high-level visits to Vietnam to cor- rect, in part, these initial mistakes. But, as recent events have shown, the United States government's accounting to .its people is still far from frank. Off.i- cial spokesmen do not hesitate to gild the lily, without providing facts to sustain their statements. The vital statistics of victory or defeat-the numbers of weap- ons captured and lost by both sides; the defectors from both sides; the casualties, and so on-are still "classified" in Wash- ington. Even the number of United States 9 AT HILL: Startling Trumpeting AL HIRT, Michigan's Band-Aid, was a heaving success at Hill Aud. last night. Those familiar with his playing through television and recordings were treated to two hours of startling trumpeting and happy entertainment. Without having to wade through an hour of Ed Sullivan's circus acts, the audience heard and saw the Al Hirt Sextet hop through: modern Dixie: "Swanee River," "Down by the Riverside," "South Rampart Street Parade"; run up bluesy ballads: "Make Love to Me,' "I Can't Get Started" and "Round Midnight; and sparkle with crowd, pleasers: "Holiday for Trumpet," "Frankie and Johnny" and a choreo- gravated "I Love Paris." * ~ * * EVERYONE IN the sextet soloed well: the drummer kicking and pounding in "Rampart"; the pianist mooding through Monk's "Mid- night" and cooking "Love for Sale"; the trombonist, Hirt's brother 7-U- -A c;A;" «c, .___, A + tjar na s e *Pnw #I U #I