THE MICHIGAN DAILY . SUNDAY, MAY l 1932 CI _ __ _ _, ..,,., i 4 1 1 21 r 4 - Ig vt Dail s 'ublished every mornig except Monday during the University by the Doard in Control of Student Publications. Member of the Western Conference Editorial Association. he Associated Press is exciucively entitled to the use forr ation of all news dispatches credited to ,it or niot otherwise ed in this paper and the local news published herein. ntered at the Post Office at Ann Arbor, Michigan, as second matter. Special rate of postage granted by Third Assistant aster General. ubscription by, carrier, $4.00; by mail, $4.50 fices: Ann Arbor Press Building, Maynard Street, Ann Arbor, gan. Phones: Editorial, 4925; Buriness, 21214. EDITORIAL STAFF Telephone 4925 MANAGING EDITOR Editor RICHARD L. T0BIN David u Nichou Edtr.............................DaiMNco Editor. . ........... ......Carl Forsythe ial Director .............Beach Conger, Jr. Editor .............Sheldon C. Fullerton n's Editor... ..............Margaret M. Thompson ant News Editor.............Robert L. Pierce to get the utmost out of a naturally dramatic situa- tion. There are a few scenes with real action, the most impressive of which is the cashiering of Dreyfus, but mostly the film attempts to depict a clash of ideas, not of personalities. The court scenes are recitations, and there are plenty of them. Isnriie Zola, who risked a great deal to defend Dreyfus, orates rather than acts, for instance. The picture also lacks mechanical unity. Transitions are too abrupt and direction too crude for one accustomed to American films. But withal there is something to see here, and certainly a good deal to think about. Without propa- gandizing, it does give an idea of the effect militar- ism can have on a country. By the way, if you intend to see the show, it would be well to review your knowledge of the case. A good understanding of the facts involved seems to be presupposed by the producers, though an excellent idea of the obscurity with which proceedings were carried through is given. R.A.G. , I.- NIGHT; EDITORS k B. Gilbreth J. Cullen Kennedy James Inglis Roland A. Goodman Jerry E. Rosenthal Karl Seiffert George A. Stauter I I !,JUlldC and IDRAM~A l W. Jones ley WV. Arnhelim ,aid F. Blanlcertz 'ard C. Campbell mas Connellan ert S. Deutsch I A. Huber Sports Assistanta John W. Thomas REPORTERS Harold F.ilute Lohn S. Marshall Roland Martin Henry Meyer Albert H. Newman E. Terome Pettit Prudence Foster Alice Gilbert Frances Manchester Elizabeth Mann Charles A. Sanfordj john W. Pritchard I Joseph Rerihan C. Hart Schaaf Brackley Shaw Parker Snyder Glenn R. Winters Margaret O'Briea Beverly Stark Alma Wadsworth Josephine Woodhams n Carver e Collins Crandall Feldman BUSINESS STAFF Telephone 21214 RAR2LES T. KLIN ......................Business Managet ORRIS P. JOHNS N.....................Assistant Managec Department Managers vertising ............... .............Vernon Bishop dvertising Cotntracts ............................Harry R. Begley lvertisins ServiceB..r..........................B on C. Vedder iblications ...... «........... ... ........William T. flrovn. counts.. ......................... Richard Stratemeh omens Business Manager ...................... Ann W, Vernor 1 Aronson ert E. Burnley Clark rt Finn na Becker mne lischgrund Gallmeyer lerine Jackson >thy Laylin Assistants Arthur F. Kohn Bernard Schnacke Grafton W. Sharp Virginia McComb Caroline Mosher Helen Olson Helen Schmude May Seefried Donald A. Johnson, Dean Turner Don Lyon Bernard H. Good II helen Spencer Kathryn Spencer Kathryn Stork (lare Unger Mary Elizabeth Watts NIGHT EDITOR--ROLAND A. GOODMAN SUNDAY, MAY 1, 1932 O ur Sappy Condiion 'HE faults in modern American civilization -which Professor Oldfather paraded in his lec-1 re- Friday afternoon are, we admit, grevious .es. But they are nothing new to us. Mencken s been displaying them gleefully for the last cade. Though he is eminently correct, the sitor from Illinois certainly is not original in is. We might quarrel with his choice of mater-E s, but it must be conceded that, as he said, the untry's cultural condition is serious if even one stance of the Americana sort exists.1 It is with his conception of the cause of ?.his< appy" condition, and with his proposed solution at we would quarrel. So far as is feasible, the ucated classes have asserted themselves. The1 untry does have "a sincere and fearless criticismc iich will frankly tell simpletons that what they e writing is slush." These fearless critics havej fused to accept the "slush." It has continued to -culate because the simpletons subsist on each1 her. The simpletons refused to be reached by1 e educated classes, and there is no way short of gte force to make them listen. A college educa-. n is no ladder to scale or ram to batter down' ch a wall of indifference. It is only by deliber- e overstatement, such as Professor Oldfather's e recognize his purpose and do not censure him this), that even the educated can be induced give attention and think. How, then, can onet :ure the attention of persons who read nothing t the daily papers and attend no amusement but e movies, both built to their taste? The fault in modern America and the reason r the difference between our culture and that of tiquity is the difference in social structure. In small country such as classical Greece, whose :al population never exceeded one million and is divided into small states, with a racially" mogeneous population, a closely and sympa- etically integrated intellectual feeling was quite ssible. The teacher was not a person who had' ntact with his pupils for only part of the day,. e days a week, half the weeks of the year, until' ey had reached an average age of 16 years; butt :her was an honored master or friend with whom eas were to be discussed throughout a lifetime.1 iowledge and literature were limited, though ofl high order. Thus learning and practicing at ide did not preclude comparatively complete' ltural achievement, such as is impossible to" yone today. Distractions were fewer and not sof ailable, and most of literature and art, together1 th competent teachers, were close at hand. Aj an with leisure was naturally inclined to employ1 properly. We might almost state the differencej tween Greece and America in these terms: the -eek knew where and how his teachers lived;! e do not. The teacher is less influential in American e, and our nation of 120,000,000 persons is not j .nit. Until we -can accomplish a state in whichj ucation is not only free but continuous and in-I ise; in which it is human and sympathetic, ther than mechanical and impersonal; in whicha ucation is not consecutive with. but co-existent th making a living-not until then, can we bring nerica to a respectable cultural level. And alll e professional teachers of America, even if they? as sincere and intense as Professor Oldfather, nnot change the results until they remedy the' use. MON AMI TEDDY by Professor Warner Forrest Patterson The Cercle Francais, in the Department of Ro- mance Languages of the University of Michigan, presented, on Thursday evening, April 28, its annual play, the twenty-sixth in its long series of classical and modern plays. Instead of giving a double- header of two shorter works, as in 1930 and 1931, the Cercle chose this year a light comedy, offering a full evening's entertainment, "Mon Ami Teddy" by MM. Andre Rivoire and Lucien Besnard, first performed in Paris on the twenty-ninth of April, 1910. In lieu of staging the annual play in May, as had been the custom, the Cercle decided to heed the repeated re- quests of the Modern Language section in the Michigan Schoolmasters' Club and to offer the annual play at the time of the state meeting, so that more than the local audience might be present. By thisk change of date the "Bureau du Cercle," composed of Helen Hawxhurst, "Presidente," Burnette Bradley, "Vice-Presidente," Jean MacNaughton, "Secretaire," Sylvia Goldstein, "Tresorier," and M. Charles Koella, Faculty Director, won sincere gratitude from French teachers in the state, who were thus enabled to attend the Thursday night performance. Mon Ami Teddy, without being a great master-! piece, is a pleasant and amusing play, with a number of parts offering an interesting opportunity for char- acter acting. The chief farce role (played by Madeleine Meloche), that of the ambitious and amor- ous Mme. Roucher, widow of a former president of the Republic, whom she had elevated to that high office by unremitting energy, is one especially pro- ductive of merriment. Miss Meloche showed talent as an actress, especially in the first scene of straight farce. Her more serious bits were not invariably convincing. Only second in comic interest to the role of Mme. Roucher is that (played by Hart Schaaf) of M. Didier-Morel, the ambitious deputy, who finds the middle-aged "Mme. la President" so much more inspiring, politically and otherwise, than his young wife. Mr. Schaaf had imagined the part well and lived it consistently throughout the play, giving a really praiseworthy performance. About these two farce characters centers the satire, a significant element in the play, of French republican institutions and the undistinguished personalities which demo- cracy often thrusts to the very top of the social pyramid. Further bits of political and social satire are contributed in the treatment which MM. Rivoire and Besnard give to Bertin ( played by John Rub- sam), the vain young diplomat and career-man, more in love with himself than in love with love in general or with Mme. Didier-Morel in particular. Mr. Rub- sam's stage presence, voice and French accent all were commendable. The irony with which Mme. Roucher, M. Didier-Morel, and M.-Bertin are por- trayed goes deeper than the surface mockery, amus- ing though it is, which the French authors indulge in at the expense of the modern young girl (Mathilde. played by Elizabeth Gribble, Francine, by Sylvia Goldstein, Juliette, by Helen Mason, Yvonne, by Jose- phine Talbot). Miss Goldstein was notably success- ful in endowing her minor part with vitality. Mr. Joseph La Cava, as D'Allone, the witty young carica- turist, cousin of Mme. Didier-Morel, despite a tendency to overact, carried off the juvenile honors by his well sustained and most engaging comic verve. As interesting dramatically as the comic roles and very important to a plot depending on the emotional states of a misunderstood and unhappy though very charming wife, who ultimately finds where her happiness lies, are the straight parts. Mr. Paul Brauer played the title-role of Teddy W. Kimberley, represented by the authors as an aggressive but clever and most sympathetic (in both the English and French meanings of the word) young American, who reassorts the mismated personnages about him with satisfaction to all concerned. The part is subtle and difficult, beyond the powers of an inexperienced actor. Mr. Bauer made a sincere effort to project the role, but was unfortunately miscast. A character rather than a straight part would have been a better medium for his talents. Miss Norma Cove inter- preted the role of Madeleine Didier-Morel, wife of the deputy, a part of much emotional variety, making very considerable demands upon its interpreter. Miss Cove rose, in several of her scenes, to real dramatic effect, but even her best moments were marred by lapses of memory. These lapses were altogether too frequent and prevented this actress from achieving the success that her pleasing presence, agreeable and flexible voice and good command of the French idiom warranted. Her courage in going on with the role, although indisposed at the time, showed excellent sportsmanship. Had she been well her acting would undoubtedly have profited. Mr. Robert Hogg as M. Verdier, Mme. Morel's aged father, did an estimable bit of character acting. The minor roles of Corbett, Dominique and "un domestique" were filled by Messrs. Clarence Hammond, Cyrus Sturgis and Guy Whipple in a wholly satisfactory manner. Mr. Hammond was notably successful in giving individuality to his few lines. His evident abilities as a comedian would have seemed to indicate him for a more important role. To stage an amateur play with actors varying in experience is always difficult and the difficulties in- crease very greatly when a foreign language vehicle i}i - , ,t - A _q%( nr" -%-- oE-aE a mfWL . Rftu