THE MICHIGAN

DAILY

.. ,

_ , __

C 4r tytot t ater
Published every morning except Monday
during the University year by the Board in
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EDITORIAL STAFF
Telephone 492S
MANAGING EDITOR
Chairman Editorial Board
HENRY MERRY
FAN: E. Coorz, City Edit#
News Editor .............. Gurney Williams
Editorial Director .......Walter W. Wilds
Assistant City Editor....... Harold 0. Warren
Sports Editory ........r...oseph A. Russell
Women's Editor*..........Mary L. Behymer
Music, Drama, Books........ Wm. J. Gormnan
Assistant News Editor. Charles R. Sprowl
Telegraph Editor .........George A. Stantet
Cony Editor......... ....... Win. F. Pypet
NIGHT EDITORS
S. Beach Conger John D. Reindel
Carl S. Forsythe Charles R. Sprowl
David AS. Nichol Richard . Tobin
Harold U. Warrs
SPORTs ASSISTANTS
Sheldon C. Fullerton J. Cullen Kennedy
Charles A. Sanford _ t4
REPORTERS

king himself after he has become
finally resigned to his fate will
probably retire into semi-private
life and thus will end the last of
the reigning Bourbons.

AialWSE

i

'MUSIC AND DRAMA:

A
O
ac

Campus Opinion
Contributors are asked to be brief,
confining themselv.es to less tha. 300 '
words if possible. Anonymous com-
munications will be disregarded. The
names of communicants will, however,
be regardedras confidential, upon re-
quest. Letters published should not be
construe] as expressing the editorial
opinion of The Daily.
CAMPUS DRAMATICS
To the Editor:
Last June, the University brought'
to Ann Arbor a professional director
to investigate the dramatic situa-
tion at the University, and perhaps
recommend certain changes which
would help to clear up the tangled
+odds and ends which remained
after the Union Opera was thrown
into the discard. To date, his report
has not yet been released. The only
,step taken since then has been the
leasing of the former Mimes thea-
tre to Play Production, and it is
understood that this was not one
of the recommendations included
In the report.
Today there are three drama-
tic organizations on the campus,
Mimes, Comedy Club, and Play
Production, although the latter is
primarily a department of the Uni-
versity. In former years, there was
intense competition and jealousy
between the organizations. Mimes
had the only stage, and it was
charged that too high a rental was
asked by them in order to maintain
a monopoly of the campus trade.
Today, the theatre is leased to the
University, and in addition the
Lydia Mendelssohn stage may be
obtained. Yet the situation does not
appear to have improved.

w I S "
HERE .-
Yes, yes-good old Spring! Spring
always reminds me of something.
This time it is the fact that the
time is approaching for a coatless
shirt campaign. Anybody can wear
a coat but it takes a man with
enough to pay his laundry bill to
go without. Show them all that the
depression is not hitting you. Ex-
pose to the eyes of a gaping and
jealous world that you have a clean
shirt . . . . even if you haven't it
will be all right because people who
see you without a coat will auto-
matically think that you have or
you wouldn't be showing it like'
that.

Thomas M. Cooleg
Maorton Frank
Saul Friedberg
Frank B. GilbretU
R oland Goodmajn
Morton Helper
Bryan Jones
Wilbur J. Meyers
Eileen Blunt
Nanette Dembits
Elsie Feldman
1uth Gallmeyer
ilyG. Grime
c an Levy
orothy lagee
Susan Mancheste

Brainard W. Nie
Robert L. Pierce
Richard Racine
Jerry E. Rosenthal
Karl Seiffert
George A. Stauter
john w. -Thomas
John S. Townsend
Mary McCall
Cile Miller
Margaret O'Brien
Eleanor Rairdon
Anne Margaret Tobin
Margaret Thorm s on
Claire Trussell

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Advertising . .. .........Thomas M. Davis
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Accounts... ... .......T...homas S. Muir
Business Secretary..........Mary J. Kena
Assistant~s

Harry R. Begle*
Vernont Bishop
William Brown
Robert Callahan
William W. Davis
MilPa Hoisington
Noel D. Twrnet

ErIe Kigbtlinger
D)on W. Lyon
William Morgan
Richard Stratemehir
Keilth Tl Ier
Richard H. Hiler
Byron C. Vedder

Ann W. Verner
Marian Atran
Helen Bailey
Tosephine Convisse
Maxine Fishgrund
Porothy LeMire
Dorothy Laylin

Sylvia Mille
Belen Olsen
Mildred Postal
Marjorie tougi
Mary E. Watts
Johanna Wiese

TUESDAY, APRIL 21, 1931
Night Editor - HAROLD WARREN
A MONARCH FALLS
Last week, the world witnessed
the fall of one of the last of the
monarchs of any importance in the
world and incidentally the last of
a long line of Bourbon kings when
King Alphonso of Spain was forced
to leave the country in the turmoil
which followed the recent elections
there. He has also made it plain
from his retreat in Paris that it
was not an abdication and that he
will return to the throne of his an-
cestors as soon as it is possible for
him to do so in safety.
Some importance can be attached
to the fact that he fled to Paris
rather than to London where he
would have been welcomed in open
arms not only because of the family
ties but also because of the strong
monarchial sentiments of the coun-
try. Its probable result will be a long
series of intrigues in an attempt to
regain his royal throne.
For Alphonso because of his fore-
sight in financial matters is not a
royal pauper. Instead, he has to
his credit more than seventeen mil-
lions in Spanish gold in the vaults
of English banks and the resources
of most of the crown jewels with
which the Queen made a get-away.
With this monetary backing, he can
accomplish much which would
otherwise be impossible.
The reason for his choice of Paris
is clear. England, especially under
a labor government and the influ-
ence of Ramsay MacDonald would
not sanction for a moment any
royal intrigues against an estab-
lished government. The event of
the king's removal to London in
the future can mean only one thing,
the abandonment of all his regal
plans.
The dethroned monarch's great-
est hope seems to be that the re-
cently established Republic will be
as short lived as have been its pre-
decessors in Spain. While the
change is still so recent that little
definite information can, be ob-
tained, the manner in which the
new government was initiated
augurs well for its existence and
rather darkens the political horizon
of the last of the long Bourbon line.

The logical point in which to
centralize dramatics appears to be
Play Production, since it owns a
house, and can also give University
credits for work done there. A new
dramatic committee was appointed
last year, which was to approve all
shows, price of admission, dates of
performances, and other details of
production. This year the perform-
ances of the various organizations
have been bunched together; on
one night last semester, there were
three attractions at the same time.
It is admittedly true, that on a
college campus, even on one of the
size of Michigan, there can be only
a limited number of actors. These
must be parcelled out among the
various organizations so that each
may have its share of talent for its
shows. Yet the calibre of campus
productions leaves much to be de-
sired in some cases. As a first step,
we would suggest that a schedule
of performances be drawn up at
the beginning of the year to allott
an equal number to each organiza-
tion at dates far enough apart to
permit each group to have its choice
of actors. The only other alterna-
tive appears to be the dissolution
of two clubs, or a combination of
all three into one. In addition to
these purely dramatic clubs, there
are those groups which present
annual features, such as the Mimes
All-Campus Revue, the Junior Girls'
Play, the French Plays, and the
Hillel productions, to say nothing of
the professional appearances in
campus houses, such as those spon-
sored by the Oratorical Association,
the Women's League, and spas-
modic presentations of other groups
for a time in need of funds..Some
solution must be worked out. The
University cannot give the Lydia
Mendelssohn theatre over to cam-
pus productions, since it is owned
by the League; classes in the Mimes
theatre prohibit its regular use by
other groups; and the Hill auditor-
ium is not in the least adapted to
dramatic presentations, witness the
Passion Play. The dramatic com-
mittee has the task of clearing the
fog away and straightening things
out, if it is at all possible. Perhaps
a more limited number of produc-
tions each year might assist in rais-
ing the calibre and financial suc-
cess. The only other alternatives,
already mentioned, are extinction
or combination. '32.
INTELLIGENT PLATFORMS
(from the Daily Iowan)
Chairman John J. Raskob of the
Democratic national committee re-
cently touched a fundamental
wrong in the United States political
system when he asked that the
1932 Democratic platform be writ-
ten clearly and that no attempt be
made in it to straddle the issues
before the American voters.
It has become a seeming essential
to good political strategy to avoid
taking a square stand on political

SAVE MONEYt
JOIN THE COATLESS SHIRT I
CAMPAIGN and SAVE! ! ! Just
think! With no coat on, yout
haven't any pocket and henceE
can't very well carry a fountain
pen. There's $5 right there. Well,{
there you are . . . . no fountainI
pen. This also entails a saving inf
ink . . . . 15 cents a month or
more if you haven't got a room-
mate, and a lot of ill will avoided1
if you have. And then there is
the consideration that has prob-
ably occurred to you already that
you won't have to buy a coat.
Real savings for all!
Another thing about savings on
the proposition. You know how you
are always wearing out your coat-
sleeve at the elbows? You couldn't
do that if you didn't have it on now
could you? I should just guess not!
And what's more you won't be
wearing out your shirt by friction
against the coat either. You'll do
that by direct contact with benches,
necks, and the like. Efficiency . .
that's what. Always be efficient.
At the request of the producers,
I take this opportunity-and a
darn good one it is too-to state
that, in my opinion, Mimes's com-
ing production of "The Perfect
Alibi" will be absolutely the best
production of "The Perfect Alibi"
which has been given or is to be
given on the Michigan Campus
this month . . . . or is it next
month?
CONTRIBUTION
Dear Dan Baxter:
Concerning the entrance to a
4prominent campus building and its
f missing roof, may I have the pleas-
ure of informing you that there
won't be any roof until Hutchins
hall rises in all its glory-you can
ask York and Sawyer if you don't
1 believe me.
E May I add a word in praise of
- your consistently excellent material
in Toasted Rolls and sign myself!
Yours for more hot buttered Cre-
scents (adv.)
High Hat

FOR THE DEFENSEaI
A review of Jed Harris's produc -
tionofSheridanGibson'smcomed1
"The Wiser They Are" with Ruth,3
Gordon and Osgood Perkins at -
the Plymouth theatre, New York.
The intellectual fashion at pre-
sent (as represented by such writers'
as John Dos Passos) seems to be
to bewail the American theatre as
being meaningless in American
social life, an illegitimate hash of
foreign trends cemented together
by American money and initiative;
which is to say that the theatre
has successfully resisted the tre-
mendous socializing forces at work
on all the arts. To combat this con-
dition as everyone knows, the little
theatre movement took birth.
The whole thing seems to me to
be based on an uncritical assump-
tion that the theatre should be a
social force. Whether that assump-
tion is correct or not cannot be dis-
cussed here. I will say however that
it has no basis in the tradition of
the English theatre. The greatest
ages in English drama were not
active social forces in the sense
that the more radical critics would
have the theatre today. The great-
est age( I am using a critical com-
monplace until recently unchal-
lenged), the Elizabethan, did not
even use the then contemporary
England as subject matter. And yet
we consider the work great.
There is a need, or at least a place
today for an art using theatrical
method which would be socially
more than a refined reflection of
the age or pure imagination, a mor-
ally significant art in a way which
the theatre is not and never has
been. Let it take its place alongside
the theatre or replace it completely
finally, but at present at least the
drama cannot be criticized on the
basis of it.
I have made this digression be-
cause in the new intellectual fash-
ion "The Wiser They Are" would be
definitely bad, and yet on perman-
ent theatric standards it would be
at least passable, in the modern
New York theatre it is .quite excell-
ent.
A great part of this excellence is
of course because of its handling.
It is mounted well, directed intelli-
gently and acted more than ad-
mirably. It is the story of the re-
forms of the worldly-wiseman and
of the hard fall he took. Bruce
Ingram emerges from his delicately
roue existence, dismisses his mis-
tresses and falls in love with Trixie.
However he keeps his good man-
ners which is perhaps why Trixie
does not trust him. Trixie in mar-
riage keeps her charm which is why
Bruce does not trust her. So they
have a farewell dinner and then,
 leave on the Olympic and presum-
ably a very exciting life of eternal
standing before bedroom doors and
closets. It is an old story of course
but Sheridan Gibney always has
the right line and the right taste
to put it over. And he owes a great
deal to the cast. Ruth Gordon in
the part of Trixie is one of the few
actresses whom one goes specially
to see, aside from the play. Her
combination of gayety and inno-
cent brilliance (a person whose
instincts carry her through the
world triumphantly and without
any conscious plaining) place her
definitely in the front rank of high
comedy actresses. Osgood Perkins
as Bruce Ingram plays his part also
with fine feeling. He falls in love
in the most resigned and delightful

manner. The other parts are well
cast, with the exception of Julia
Hoyt as a languishing divorcee who
overplays her sadness and is com-
pletely dull. S. F.
THE PERFECT ALIBI
A. A. Milne, who besides his
efforts in the realms of sophisticat-
ed children's poetry has a consider-
able reputation as a playright will
 take his chances at the hands of
Mimes this week when his "Perfect
Alibi" is presented. The first per-
formance will be given tomorrow
evening. It will run through Sat-
urday. The box-office ticket sale
will start at nine o'clock this morn-
ing.
For some reason Mimes have not
thought tW divulge the names of
their principles. Whether this is to
be taken as a commentary on
campus dramatics or as a pure
accident remains to be seen on
Wednesday evening.
ABOUT BOOKS
Dorothy L. Sayers, creator of that

TYPEWRITER
REPAIRING
ill makes of machines.
ur equipment and per.
o n n e I are considered
nong the best in the State. The result
f twenty years' careful building.
0. D. MORRILL
14 South State St. Phone 6615

r

R


WATLING
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HAYES
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New York Stock Exchange
Detroit Stock Exchange
New York. Curb (Associate)
Dealers in
Investment
Securities
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for Clients
Mezzanine Floor
FIRST NATIONAL
BANK BLDG.
Phones: 23221-23222

0

.Mu

I

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F.- . I

,

Dear High -Hat:
If you want the brutal truth of
the matter, I do not believe you
nor do I intend to go ask York
and Sawyer, whoever they may
be. I am merely going-to believe
that the missing roof on the
entrance to the Law building is
an insult to the public eye, and
let it go at that.
As to your word in praise .. .
etc. I must confess I had some
difficulty in picking it out from
all the rest, but I have been forc-
ed to the conclusion that it must
have been "excellent"-'consist-
ently' didn't sound quite like it.
I also reached the unaided con-
clusion that you must have want-
ed to get that letter printed pretty
badly or you never would have
said anything as silly as that last
sentence before the one beginning
with yours. Dan Baxter.
0 * *

DAILY POEM
The first day after Spring Vaca-
tion-
See the pretty raindrops fall!
The faculty must have got the
wrong week;

It's

a fine world after all.
* * *

President Ruthven On The
Threshhold of
Perception
And so, to the soft sad music of
' the little birdies slittering tweepily
in t,-. + t-. Lc' rnitcirdpthe+lxc x inv nxtA ~r d -