T RE MICHIGAN DAILY TUES [ICHIGAN DAILY . v.4 id, - j Published every morning except Monday during the University year and Summer Session by the Board in Control of Student Publications. Member of the Western Conference Editorial Association and the Big Ten News Service. ': 4sgsodiited Q o1tpirtc rts _ = 1933 Atiio~wI - wvwi!) 1934. MEMBER OF THE ASSOCIATED PRESS ['he Associated Press is enclusively entitled to the use for republication of all nes dispathces credited to it or 'ot otherwise credited In th3 paper and the local news publisied herein. All rights of republication of special dispatches are reserved. EEutered at the Post Office at Ann Arbor, Michigan, as second class matter. Special rate of postage granted by Third ANSistant Postmaster-General. Subscription during summer by carrier, $1.00; by mail, $1.50. During regular school year by carrier, $3.75; by mail, $4.25. Offices: Student Publications Building, Maynard Street, Ann Arbor, Michigan. Phone: 2-1214. Representatives: College Publications Representatives, Inc., 4G East Thirty-Fourth Street, New York City; 80 Boylson Street, Boston; 612 North Michigan Avenue, Chicago. EDITORIAL STAFF Telephone 4925 MANAGING EDITOR.......THOMAS K. CONNELLAN EDITORIAL DIRECTOR.............C. HART SCHAAF CITY EDITOR ......................BAACKL.EY SHAW SPORTS EDITOR.................ALBERT H. NEWMAN WOMEN'S EDITOR.................CAROL J. HANAN RIGHT EDITORS: A. Ellis Ball, Ralph G. Coulter. William t. Ferris, John C, Healey, George Van Vleck, E. Jerome Pettit. SPORTS ASSISTANTS: Charles A. Baird, Arthur W. Car- stens, Roland L. Martin, Marjorie Western. WOMEN'S ASSISTANTS: Marjorie Beck, Eleanor Blum, Lois Jotter, Marie Murphy, Margaret D. Phalan. REPORTERS: C. Bradford Carpenter, Paul J. Elliott, Courtney A. Evans, John J. Flaherty, Thomas A. Groehn, John Kerr, Thomas H. Kleene, Bernard B. Levick, David G. MacDonald, Joel P. Newman, John M. O'Connell, Kenneth Parker, William R. Reed. Robert S. Ruwitch, Arthur S. Settle, Jacob C. Seidel, Marshall D. Silverman, Arthur M. Taub. Dorothy Glee, Jean Hanmer, Florence Harper, Eleanor Johnson, Ruth Loebs, Josephine McLean, Marjorie Mor- rison, Sally Place, Rosalie Resnick, Jane Schneider. BUSINESS STAFF Telephone 2-1214 BUSINESS MANAGER.............W. GRAFTON SHARP CREDIT MANAGER ............BERNARD E. SCHNACKE WOMEN'S BUSINESS MANAGER............ .:...................... CATHARINE MC HENRY DEPARTMENT MANAGERS: Local Advertising, Noel Tur- ner; Classified Advertising, Russell Read; Advertising Service, Robert Ward; Accounts, Allen Knuusi; Circula- tion and Contracts, Jack Efroymson. ASSISTANTS: Milton Kramer, John Ogden, Bernard Ros- enthal, Joe Rothbard, George Atherton. Jane Bassett, Virginia Bell Mary Bursley, Peggy Cady, Virginia Cluff, Patricia Daly, Genevieve Field, Louise Florez, Doris Gimmy, Betty Greve, Billie Griffiths, Janet Jackson, Louise Krause, Barbara Morgan, Margaret Mustard, Betty Simonds. FRESHMAN TRYOUTS: William Jackson, Louis Gold- smith, David Schiffer, William Bardt, Jack Richardson, Charles Parker, Robert Owen, Ted Wohlgemuth, Jerome Grossman, Avncr, Kronenberger, Jim Horiskey, Tom Clarke, Scott, Samuel Beckman, Homer Lathrop, Hall, Ross Levin, Willy Tomlinson, Dean Asselin, Lyman Bittman. John Park, Don Hutton, Allen Ulpson, Richard Hardenbrook, Gordon Cohn. NIGHT EDITOR: WILLIAM G. FERRIS 'Experts' Leave Sludge In Ann Arbor Water*.. IF ANN ARBOR WATER was fil- tered, enough sludge would be taken out of the water from the Steere Farm wells every three weeks to cover over a field one acre in area with a layer three feet thick! ' This is sludge that is not at present removed from the water which passes through Ann Arbor- mains. Although the water from the Barton well is not as bad as this, and the Montgomery well is better yet, Ann Arbor finds it necessary to use the water from the Steere Farm wells, poor as it is, because of the inadequacy of the present system of supply. The Daily looks forward to seeing some action on the question at the next Council meeting Monday night, We are in an absurd position. Faced with two alternative methods of improving our water supply system, we are kept from any improvement at all because local legislators cannot decide which of the two proposed methods is preferable. We have been patient. Forced, in most homes in the city, to install two systems of plumbing because of the hardness of the city water, forced to unnecessary expenditure in water-softeners and repairs to plumbing corroded by the water, it is remarkable that we have not been aroused to in- sist upon action before. About one year ago, Ann Arbor conducted a loud campaign for a better water supply. Some favored the plan for the use of the Huron River as a source of supply. Others protested the un- suitability of such a plan, asked for a softening plant for the present system. The loudest of the voices were those of laymen who were not in a position to recommend either system. But, basing ,their opinions upon popular prejudice alone, these 'experts' prevented any ac- tion at all from being taken, for without them the council could have had the question decided solely by technical expeyts. After all, it makes little difference to Ann Arbor citizens where their water is from, if the water is of acceptable quality. Let us not make this mistake again. We all agree that we want and we need better water. Let us agree to permit a technical body appointed by the City Council decide how much im- provement shall be made. Musical Events presence at his performance of these three great Beethoven works has two aspects: You will hear a true and devoted interpretation of the sonatas, with the result that you will be a new person; and you will be supporting a project that is de- serving of your utmost approval as a citizen of the campus, the Albert Lockwood Memorial Scholar- ship, being raised in the interest of attracting young musicians here for study. The first. two sonatas are comparatively fa- miliar. The Pathetique ws produced at the time that Beethoven first realized hisadeafness. The heart-filling melodies, comforting and reassuring, that are found in both Pathetique and Appas- sionata, embody a fundamental human need, con- solation, reconciliation. The Hammerklavier is "brilliant," and difficult as a concerto . . . making demands upon instru- ment ,performer and listener. We can savour to the full the heroic strength and noble tenderness of the opening movement . . . and can be seized anew with the conviction that we are hearing Beethov- en's most luscious piano scherzo." The Adagio typi- fies "fearless resignation," says von Bulow. And then comes the titanic 3-voice fugue. The problem that arises in connection with the Hammerklavier, casting aside that of technique, is the making the extreme registers of the piano sound, without blur or without shallowness. "Beethoven was too much impressed by the new piano, which he could not hear, to consider fully its limitations." This sonata is seldom performed. If you look in music for the equivalent of "I lift mine eyes unto the hills, whence cometh my strength," you will find it in Beethoven. PIANO GRADUATION RECITAL In Review MARY SPAULDING put a good foot forward last night in her graduation recital, proving her hard-earned self control, her musical taste, her agile technique, and her comprehension of what she was doing. Her program was fortunately un- hackneyed. She has a comprehension of the whole, which gives a continuity to her work; she was inclined to be reserved rather than outpouring; she has a felicitous sense of tempo, for the most part, pro- ducing an effect of extra strength; her Chopin, which, with the Bach, was highly successful, found suavity and continuity in her interpretation. Her audience gave her a well-deserved hand. -S.P. Campus Opinion Letters published in this column should not be con- strued as expressing the editorial opinion of The Daily. Anonymous communications will be disregarded. The names of communicants will, however, be re- garded as confidential upon request. Contributors are asked to be brief, confining themselves to less than 500 words if possible. COMEDY CLUB, "LITTLE LOVE," COURAGE, AND SUCCESS To the Editor: In a recent editorial you very generously con- gratulated Comedy Club for taking Vincent Wall's comedy, "Little Love," on the road during Spring vacation. This, as you stated, was the first road show to be put on by a Michigan organization in five years. Beyond, that, it was the first such ven- ture for Comedy Club, I believe. Let me join you in congratulating the Club, for it was certainly an experiment that warrants praise, and I was equally gratified to hear that the trip was a financial suc- cess. BUT - and I cannot be too insistent on this point - your editorial did not do full justice to the occasion. You ignore, or forget, perhaps, that it was an original play written by a University stu- dent and in producing it Comedy Club is fulfilling something absolutely essential to playwriting, and something that should be an established part of every dramatic organization on campus. Since the establishment of the Hopwood Awards -and the prize money in the drama division is of considerable proportion - the need for an experi- mental division of the theatre has been evinced. Both in and out of the playwriting courses of the University, plays of importance are being written. The publication of the Michigan Plays in book form is another of many situations on the campus that has stimulated those who write for the theatre. Yet, and this has been the deplorable part, no organization has thus far fulfilled what is essen- tially a part of playwriting, and what should be an integral part of all dramatic organizations, and that is: the production of the original plays. On this score Comedy Club is to be lauded for its pre- sentation of Mr. Wall's "Little Love," which won a major Hopwood Award last Spring. The business of writing a play is never, can never, be complete until the play is presented before an audience. Until that time the playwright can- not tell what situations are possible on the stage, what lines the actors will be able to mouth, and what happens to dialogue when it comes to life and walks about the stage. So it becomes impera- tive for the playwright to work hand and hand with the theatre, for her is writing plays to be seen, and not merely heard. Completion does not come until his plays, brought to life by the actors, are pre- sented to a group of people gathered for the specific purpose of entertainment. I am assuming, of course, that the play deserves production. The empty fact that someone "has written a play" is far from a good reason for producing it. I am positive, from what I know of the script of Mr. Wall's comedy, that it will afford an interest- ing evening, as interesting as the witnessing of creative work ever is, which is interesting! Shall we join in congratulating Comedy Club for this venture into the most vital and difficult phase of the theatre. -A Playwright. The Theatre aS, - - --- -- "WITH BANNERS FLYING": ITS BEARING ON THE FUTURE EDITOR'S NOTE: This article will be followed tomorrow with another writer's opinion. By JOHN W. PRITCHARD HAVING CLOSED a five-day run, the Union Opera committee is now sitting back and counting the gate receipts, while the campus is wondering what "With Banners Flying" was all about, and how it tallied with the tradition of five years ago that it sought to revive. Nobody sup- poses that the opera was all bad, and many people are vaguely under the impression that it was rather good - especially the last three performances. which almost reached the standard of mediocrity. Nevertheless, it would be exceedingly difficult to find anyone who would state flat-footedly that "With Banners Flying" approached the excellence that was to be expected, and most opinions would place the show somewhere in the debit column. My own judgment is that a single performance of the opera started with a bang and ended with scarcely a weak fizzle; and because I wanted to see a swell show, uproarious enough and enter- taining enough from all standpoints to set a worthwhile tradition on the pinnacle where it should be maintained, I am taking up The Daily's space for this post-mortem. Primarily it is to be pointed out that the original conception was a good one, which might have been elaborated into a show of whole value. Also, the dialogue was well written, and individual roles were handled with unexpected dexterity. The music was somewhat bathetic, but one or two of the numbers were received with great acclaim. There were, however, five errors - and these were so important that they upset the show and made it - what it was. First and foremost, the direction (courteously so called) was hopelessly incompetent, and apparently lacking in sincerity of effort. Sec- ond, the music was badly spaced. Third, the chor- uses were scarcely trained at all. Fourth, the elab- oration of the original conception lacked unity and coherence. And finally, there was lacking that intangible essence that is the height of necessity in the revival of a tradition - spirit. If I may, I shall elaborate for a few lines on this matter of spirit, because it is a term easily misunderstood. I do not mean the virtuous sort of spirit, the idea that the dear old alma mater exacts our all, which we should surrender with willing hearts. I am speaking of the sort of spirit mani- fested when a group of seniors get together and say, "We haven't got a lot of talent, but we have a good idea, and if we work like hell and stick together on this thing we can put it over with an explosion that will resound from here to any point you want to specify." But there was (to appear- ances, I insist) no suspicion of this sort of feeling. Rather, those connected with the show intended, it would seem, that the opera should be laughed at, as well as the campus follies that the opera satirized. Now, what should have been remembered was that the opera is a tradition, and no vital tradition has ever been known to coast along on its name as such. It must be kept moving by recurring impetus, newly applied during every moment of its existence. Because this spirit appeared to be lack- ing, "With Banners Flying" suffered. The direction? It was an illustration of what happens when a director doesn't know what he is doing, and doesn't seem to care too much. Giving Mr. Peterson credit for a normal amount of intel- ligence - and I fancy he has rather more than that --I presume that he understands, among other things, the very elementary necessity of keeping the background cast occupied in some fashion, preferably in a focal manner, while the primary actors are reading their lines. Yet, almost nowhere in the show did the supers seem to know what to do with themselves --or the leads, either, when they weren't working. This was true both in speaking and in musical sequences. The result was an effect, not of moving comedy, but of drab concert work; there was almost an impression that the entire opera, instead of merely the first scene, was satirizing an Honors Convocation. The rest of the directoral errors can be passed over, for they would occupy pages to chronicle; the fact that there were good points in the opera dependent on direction - for example, the excellent Union Ball- room scene - somewhat mitigates the impression of directoral weakness until the critic reflects that even the good points were disjointed and had little relation to the show as a whole. Well, what does all this prove? Chiefly, it con- clusively demonstrates that many fundamental changes must be made in the method of organiz- ing the Union Opera in order to make it worthy of continuance. It should be recognized immediate- ly that a group of college men, picked at random, are unlikely to have the talent, or at any rate the technical knowledge, to produce a good show with- out aid from more experienced persons. The five- year hiatus between operas makes the current re- vival, in effect, a brand new project. May I sug- gest that, for a few years at any rate, until the opera gets on its feet as an established University institution, the Mimes organization do its work in close contact at every step with the University Theatre Committee? Allow the Theatre Committee to have almost omnipotent power in selecting a director of capability. Yield to that body's advice regarding the building-up of the show. Work ear- nestly and intently on the project, with competent guidance, and finally give the campus, in 1935, a Union Opera that will require no ballyhoo to con- vince audiences that the Opera is back again to stay. For it is a tradition of importance in many ways: it is a crystallizing point for alumni inter- est; its success will contribute largely to focussing state-wide attehtion on the value of dramatic en- terprise at Michigan; and it will provide a source of great entertainment, the high-spot in a year of theatre perhaps, for all of the University and Ann Arbor. "Village Wooing," and "O0n the Rocks". EUGENE O'NEIL: Ah, Wilderness. . ... EUGENE O'NEIL: Days Without End........... EUGENE O'NEIL: Nine Plays .. LENNOx ROBINSON: Is Life Worth Living........ SIDNEY KINGSLEY: Men in White.... . . . . . $2.50 2.50 2.50 4.00 1.25 2.00 1.75 2.00 1.50 1.00 1.00 O'CASEY: Within the Gates... . . . . . . DON MARQUIS: Master of the Revels........... KEITH WINTER: The Shining Hour... . GERTRUDE STEIN: Four Saints in Three Acts..... THOMAS: Uncle Tom's Cabin (A Dramatic Version) WAHR'S OOKSTORES State Street Main Street I'I IU BOOKS--a few itles of the BEST NEW PLAYS BE~RNARD SHAW.- "~Three Plays," "'Too Trite to be Good," The LAST MICNGANESIL t 1 o--f the Year! TODAY and TOMORROW Make Second and Third Payments at the Student Publications Building NOW 11,11 lllljljj 11111 1 1 11 11 1 111 P O W - Jg Ahead of the Season? We may be a bit ahead of the season, but it's really time now to think of summer and summer fashions. Of course, your first consideration will be to feel com- 4 MAY DAY To the Editor: Tuesday, May 1st, 1934, is a challenge to all students who are still American enough to demand their civil rights. ....,....-, :.:. . .....:. :::3k.