THE MICHIGAN DAILY WEDNESDAY, OCT. 28, 1936 Distributors of Cofle6die Wiest Published every morning except Monday during the University year and Summer Session by the Board in Control of Student Publications. Member of the Associated Press The Associated Press is exclusively entitled to the use for republication of all news dispatches credited to it or not otherwise credited in this newspaper. All rights of republication of all other matter herein also reserved. Entered at the Post Office at Ann Arbor, Michigan as second class mail matter. Subscriptions during regular school year by carier, $4.00; by mail, $450. REPRESENT D FOR NATIONAL ADVERTISING BY NationalAdvertising Service, Inc. College Pblishers Representative 420 MADisouAE. NEW YORK, N.Y. CHICAGO -: BOSTON SAN FRANCISCO LOs ANGELES * PORTLAND SEATTLE Board of Editors MANAGING EDITOR .................ELSIE A. PIERCE ASSOCIATE EDITOR ............ FRED WARNER NEAL ASSOCIATE EDITOR ........MARSHALL D. SHULMAN George Andros Jewel Wuerfel Richard Hershey Ralph W. Hurd Robert Cummins Departmental Boards Publication Department: Elsie A. Pierce, Chairman; James Boozer, Arnold S. Daniels, Joseph Mattes, Tuure Tenander, Robert Weeks. Reportorial Department: Fred Warner Neal, Chairman; Ralph Hurd, William E. Shackleton Irving S. Silver- man, William Spaller, Richard G. Hershey. 'Editorial Department: Marshall D. Shulman, Chairman Robert Cummins, Mary Sage Montague. Sports Department: George J. Andros, Chairman; Fred DeLano and Fred Buesser, associates, Raymond Good- man, Carl Gerstacker, Clayton Hepler, Richard La- Marca. Women's Department: Jewel Wuerfel, Chairman: Eliza- beth M. Anderson, Elizabeth Bingham Helen Douglas, Margaret Hamilton, :Barbara J. Lovell, Katherine Moore, Betty Strickroot, Theresa Swab. Business Department BUSINESS MANAGER..................JOHN R. PARK ASSOCIATE BUSINESS MANAGER . WILLIAM BARNDT WOMEN'S BUSINESS MANAGER .......JEAN KEINATH Departmental Managers Jack Staple, Accounts Manager; Richard Croushore, Na- tional Advertising and Circulation Manager; Don J. Wilsher, Contracts Manager; Ernest A. Jones, Local Advertising Manager Norman Steinberg, Service l4anger; Herbert Falender, Publications and Class- ilied Advertising Manager. NIGHT EDITOR: WILLIAM SHACKELTON Social Security And Pay Envelope Slips... WE HAVE COMMENTED in earlier editorials on certain flaws which competent students of public affairs (not par- tisan observers) have pointed out in the Social Security Act in its present form, particularly the danger of a huge forty-seven million dollar re, serve fund, and certain inadequacies in the se- lection of and payment to beneficiaries. As it stands, the Act is far from perfect; nevertheless, criticisms such as it is receiving in these pay envelope notices is calculated to have a certain political effect rather than to improve the pro- vision of the Act. These notices are circulated by the Republican National Committee in the pay envelopes of la- borers all over the country. 'Without even con- sidering the question of the legality of such im- plicit coercion of workers, withouttouching upon the ethical propriety of the use of such a medium for propaganda, without protesting against the obvious reason for the circulation of these slips now, several months before the Act goes into effect, still, without questioning any of these as- pects, we believe the circulation of these slips dangerous because the basis of condemnation of the Act in many of them is misunderstanding perhaps deliberate. Consider the following sample pay envelope slip, as quoted in The New York Times: PAY REDUCTION-Effective January, 1937, we are compelled by a Roosevelt "New Deal" law to make a 1 per cent reduction from your wages and turn it over to the government. Finally, this may go as high as 4 per cent. You might get this money back in future years . . . but only if Congress de- cides to make the appropriation for this purpose. There is NO guarantee. Decide be- fore Nov. 3, election day, whether or not you wish to take these chances. This isn't so much different from the out-and- out compulsion of Pennsylvania workers exposed by the New York Post, except in its subtlety. The basis of its criticism, implicitly, is that (1) this is a Roosevelt job; (2) a part of your wages are going to be turned over to the government; (3) whether you get it back depends on the caprice of the Congressmen; (4) if you vote against Roosevelt, you will have to pay part of your wages for old-age and unemployment benefits. No mention is .made of the fact that the employer will pay -an equal amount, that the employee is to receive benefits, that no matter which man is elected President, a Social Security program cannot be- financed without a deduc- tion of wages} any more than private insurance policies can be given away, These omissions are best answered- by rep- resentatives of labor itself. Perhaps in the fol- lowing excerpts of a statement by William Green, per month. These payments will begin Jan. 1, 1 942. "Because this is not merely an od age as- sistance measure, but instead a form of old age insurance, beneficiaries are required to pay a small percentage of their earnings, beginning Jan. 1, 1937, into a fund created by the Federal Government out of which future annuities will be paid. Employers of labor will be required to match the amount paid by the workers into this annuity fund ... "It provides a plan by which the worker is en- abled to help provide and create his own security for old age. Benefits will be paid him as a matter of right. The element of charity is elim- inated. The plan is a simple one. Summing up, it provides that wage earners in industry and their employers shall, starting with Jan. 1, 1937, begin to create an annuity fund out of which old age benefits will be paid the workers when they reach sixty-five years of age. It will be held in trust by the Federal Government. "Nothing could be offered as a more sure and safer guarantee of the protection of the fund than to have it held in trust and secure by the work- ers' own government. It is similar to the Retire- ment Act now in effect for government employes. The American Federation of Labor favored the enactment of this law. It supported it when it was passed by Congress. It provides for the pay- ment of old age benefits and enables workers to retire on an annuity when they reach sixty-five years of age. This is a form of legislation for which workers have petitioned and prayed for during many years. One fears that the severity of the Republican attack is directed against any unified Social Se- curity program. (It ought to be mentioned, by the way, that although these envelopes call the Act a perpetration of the New Deal, "Only 18 Republicans in the House finally voted against the measure; 77 voted for it. In the Senate only 5 Republicans voted against the bill, while 14 voted for it."-N.Y. Times). The Republican criticism is not constructive; it offers no alternative plan or program of fi- nancing; and the only apparent point in its pro- gram-that it shall be governed by the states themselves rather than by a unified national organization-is not convincing. THE FORUM Letters published in this column should not be construed as expressing the editorial opinion of The Daily. Anonymous contributions will be disregarded. The names of communicants will, however, be regarded as confidential upon request. Contributors are asked to be brief, the editors reserving the right to condense all letters of more than 300 words and to accept or reject letters upon the criteria of general editorial importance and interest to the campus. Made Some Mistakes To the Editor: Here is the best example of "Frosh Fog" that has reached my ears. Said member of the class of '40 leisurely slept through two periods of Physics Lab. and at 10 o'clock he went to a lecture that he ought to attend tomorrow. In- stead of going to Math the foolish frosh raced down to Waterman Gym and sat around in his sweat suit and wondered why no one came around. To top things off he went to the Union the same evening instead of attending his night English recitation. -Yay, '40. For Roosevelt To the Editor: Here are my reasons why I shall vote for President Roosevelt: 1. Because the Republicans did nothing for recovery. 2. Because President Roosevelt did everything for recovery-with magnificent results. 3. Because Governor Landon makes only promises of what he intends to do if elected President. There are those who think that recovery from the depression would have taken place without any of the legislative enactments under President Roosevelt. The answer to that opinion is: Of course, we might have recovered but it is equally true that we might not have recovered. In other words that opinion is a mere assumption. On the other hand we know for a certainty that as the result of the activities of the federal government in power, recovery has taken place. Why prefer an assumption to a certainty? And why not give credit to whom credit is due? There is a lot of talk and writing about spend- ing by the national government, and high taxes. But why object to paying high taxes when so magnificent a result has been achieved, namely, recovery from the worst depression the United States has ever suffered? As for spending, did we not, for instance, spend spend huge sums in Europe during the World War? Does Europe not still owe us $11,000,000,- 000? Even if the government had spent as great a sum, would the money not have been well spent in view of the great result achieved? One may well ask whether that far-off war in Europe was of greater importance to us than recovery from the depression at home. --M. Levi. On Housing To the Editor: The housing situation at the University of Michigan is bad. A great number of students realize this directly. Extreme crowding exists in many houses, making single rooms at reasonable prices difficult to find. Sanitary conditions are often surprisingly poor, as are heating, lighting and ventilation. This is due, of course, to the rundown condition of many houses whose owners have no funds for repairipg or remodeling. The cold, gloomy, attic room remains and multiplies, injuring the work of many and generally darken- ing their lives at college. BENEATH **** ****** IT ALL w By Bonth Williams HAVING but recently attended a meeting of the interfraternity council and listened to a ha- rangue which lasted for too long a time, a ha- rangue which was prefaced by George Cosper's motion to send the president of the council to the National Interfraternity convention prepaid, and then having sat in on a political caucus, my head is in such a fog that I submit for today's pearl, this epic by a man in a stupor. Gems from Purgatory: FROM out of the chaos which is neither heaven or hell I send to the waiting earth these memoirs of a life misspent, the tale of a soul chained in eternal darkness, living the life of a spider in a wine cellar, always sober, and tortured by the smell of stale liquor. Once I was a jour- nalist and now I am an immaterial nothing, which is about the same damned thing. And as I sit dreaming of the warm fires of hell, and fearing the cold purity of heaven, I have in- scribed into the darkness the awful thoughts which besiege me, and let these verses which follow be as my scratching in the ever-fresh con- crete of time. You who fear the torture of hell on earth, Hark to the mournings of a guy in the know, Better be something than nothing at all, Just a shadow cast adrift in limbo. I long for the days of sin on earth, I long for the stinking drunks of yore, I weep for the passing of better days, For the happy days I know no more. I sit and I weep, but And here the tale ended-Skole'. to the Limbo, so the tale ended. DEAR BOSS: it has often occurred to me as I sit through the night watches in my lonely corner of the waste basket next to your desk that if all the cockroaches had the souls of poets as i do and all poets had the souls of cockroaches as so many do that the world would be a much simpler place to live in because then we would all know how we really stand all of which reminds me that i saw mehitabel last night and she was staggering drunk again and i said to her mehitabel why do you drink so archie little frazzle of flesh she said i drink to forget to forget what mehitabel i said and she answered to forget that i am not all that a cat should be to forget . that i once was a lady and lived on cream and purred next to warm fireplaces i drink also she said to forget that i once was a queen of egypt archie little bug and to forget caesar and anthony and at this point mehitabel let drop a bitter tear. nothing adequate has arisen to take their place. Instead we have merely witnessed a scramble to substitute other houses for them. These houses are badly located and often fall far short of rec- ognized standards of health and comfort. For example, former assistant dean Wahr's report on housing shows that 900 rooming houses were ap- proved in 1927, but only 725 in 1934. Today it is worse. In short then, the University has grown in all directions, in buildings and enrollment- but housing facilities have declined. The University has long recognized the need of a permanent solution-dormitories for men and women at low rates. As early as 1921 Pres- ident Burton could say, "Every effort will be made in the immediate future toward the erec- tion of dormitories for men." His successors have echoed him in this. Dean Bursley recog- nizes the same need and has done what he can. Yet there have been no real results-no dormitories for men have been built. Why? To say the least, the problem is a complex one. It involves the appropriation of money. It is the responsibility of the Regents and the President to demand aid from the state. The Michigan State College, and the normal schools at Ypsi- lanti and Mount Pleasant have built dormitories with state funds. There has never been a genuine drive for dormitories and better housing by those who need them and suffer by their absence-the great mass of students here. When students have act- ed in the past, several cooperatives have been established. This is good and should be en- couraged and extended, but it is not enough, it is no permanent solution. We'see that the pro- posals which the university makes are not forceful enough, do not have the strength and vitality of a mass demand. It is this strong student mass, pushing an intelligent program year after year, that is needed. Such a drive would awaken the officials to our needs. TH IEATRE Theatre Versus Novel By JAMES DOLL Detroit Federal Theatre of the U.S.A. WPA work program, Mrs. Hallie Flana- gan, National director, presents IT CAN'T HAPPEN.HERE by Sinclair Lewis and John C. Moffitt. Staged and di- {Continued from Page 2) _i The Student Alliance "third-party" forum at night in the Union. will present a 7:45 p.m. to- Prof. 'H. J. 1 rected by William Beyer. Sceneryand enforced solely with the purpose of costumes designed 'y Sephen Nost- fogel. At the Lafayette Theatre. peventing fires. In the last five years, Regardless of success or failure the 15 of the total of 50 fires reported, or production of Sinclair Lewis' drama- 30 per cent, were caused by cigarettes tization of his novel by the WPA Fed- or lighted matches. To be ef- eral Theatre would be of great im- fective, the rule must necessarily ap- portance in the American theatre. rply to bringing lighted tobacco into And it is certain to be much discussed or through University buildings and for some time. The reasons are that to the lighting of cigars, cigarettes, it is controversial in subject matter, j and pipes within buildings-includ- was abandoned by the moving picture ing such lighting just previous to go- industry for reasons never completely ing outdoors. Within the last few explained, opens the second season of years a serious fire was started at the increasingly important govern- the exit from the Pharmacology ment-subsidized theatre--the first in building by the throwing of a still the United States. lighted match into refuse waiting removal at the doorway. If the rule The dramatiziation of a novel is al- is to be enforced at all its enforce- ways difficult. But in putting It ient must begin at the building en- Can't Happen Here on the stage, Sin- trance. Further, it is impossible that clair Lewis has attempted an almost the rule should be enforced with one impossible task. Dodsworth on the class of persons if another class of stage was episodic and halting, a play persons disregards it. It is a dis- of character, the idea in the novel not agreeable and thankless task to en- completely brought out. In the latter force" almost any rule. This rule novel character was inport;nt and against the use of tobacco within the interesting but the idea was the real- buildings is perhaps the most thank- ly important thing. In the drama- less and difficult of all, unless it has tization idea and character or surface the winning support of everyone con- interest are continually striving for cerned. An appeal is made to all per- uppermost hand. The idea comes out sons using the University buildings- only haltingly and at times with pain- staff members, students and others- ful naivete. The background of the to contribute individual cooperation possible social and economic condi- to this effort to protect University tions under fascism cannot be treated buildings against fires.' at all. And the steps by which the re- gime might be set up are almost dis- Teus t othC ner e of De regarded; their implication entirely request of the Conference of Deans so. The horror of th accomplished Shirley W. Smith. situation and its vast implications- I Notice to the faculty of the College so minutely explained in the novel- of Literature, Science and the Arts: are only a faint reflection of what The five-week freshman reports will they are in the novel. And all of the be due Oct. 31, Room 4, University characteristic biting satire and wit of Hall. E. A. Walter, Sinclair Lewis are lacking. One can Chairman, Academic Counselors easily imagine his disgust with the movies when they gave up doing a 1937 Mechanical Engineers: Will version, his desire to reach a larger you kindly report to Room 221 at audience. But it is questionable your very earliest convenience to fill whether reaching the audience is val- out a personnel record card. uable if they reached ineffectively H. C. Anderson. through a play which could not ex- plain his idea in the terms of the f Teacher's Certificate Candidates: A theatre. Early reports stated that he I special meeting of all students in the had written a new play freely around School of Education, College of Lit- the basic idea of the novel-had not erature, Science and the Arts and attempted to copy it literally. These Graduate School who expect to be reports were not accurate. He fol- candidates for the teacher's certifi- lows the tangled thread of plot as well cate within the next two years is as any play could. But that is not called for Monday afternoon, Nov. 2, enough. at 4:10 p.m. in the University High As to the idea of producing the play School Auditorium. Important prob- simultaneously in 15 cities at the same lems relating to the certificate will be time. I think the production by the discussed, application blanks will be Detroit Project proves that the idea distributed, and opportunities for was not a good one. It is way be- students to ask questions will be yond the abilities of the actors Mr. given. Beyer had .at his disposal. Some are Physical Education for Women: grounded in a style that most people Tests in archery, tennis, golf and thought passed out of the theatre a badminton will be given on Friday couple of decades ago. Others seem afternoon from 2 to 4 p.m. Anyone to have had little previous training or desiring to take these tests to sign experience. They have been directed up at the Women's athletic building. as well as they could be, I suppose, Swimming test will be given at the through the difficult tangles of the 1Union on Saturday morning from 9 script. They could have played it to 11 a.m. Those wishing to take this ntuch faster, that would have helped, test, are asked to report to the pool and they probably will pick up the at that time. tempo after a few performances. It _that__m is possible, too, that the play will i look better then than it did last night. University of Michigan Band: All So it will be discussed again here students mterested in enrolling in the later. first regimental band please report However, the production was far to Morris Hall Tuesday, Nov. 3, at and away better than last year's open- 5 p.m. Members of this band will be ing play, Liliom, both in direction and I given opportunity to "participate in ingpla, ilim, ot indircton ndseveral engagements during the cur- acting. But neither play should be eralyeagemF ntsrdringrton- done by this company at their present rent year. Mor isfurther informtion, stage of development. They need from 4 to 5 p.m. simpler scripts and scripts in which enthusiasm and energy can somewhat Cornelia Otis Skinner Program: take the place of technique. And in Miss Skinner will open the Oratorical any play they may do they need to Association Lecture series on Thurs- be disciplined into pace. The whole day evening at 8:15 p.m. in Hill au- company has a sincerety,-perhaps ditorium. Her program will include their greatest asset and it is a very numbers selected from the following important asset; one lacking in so list: many theatre organizations in Amer- Nurse's Day Out" ica today. They work with a certain "Sunday Driving" ensemble. One feels that the com- "An American Girl on the French pany is working together for a com- Telephone"'' mon end-not at cross purposes-but "Monte Carlo" they do not know how to make their "Paris after the Armistice" unified effortai because their meth- "The Vanishing Redman" ods and training nave been so differ- "Being Presented" ent. "A McFarlan will speak for the Social- ists, William Weinstone for the Com- munists, and Byron Heisse of Michi- gan State Normal College for the Farmer-LaborParty, Everyone is invited . Under the auspices of The Hop- wood Committee, Paul Engle, Ameri- can poet, will give a reading from his poems and discuss his poetry tonight at 8:15 p.m., in the Lydia Mendel- ssohn Theatre. Tickets are on sale at Wahr's; The Hopwood Room, 3227 Angell Hall; and The Theatre Box office. R. W. Cowden, Director. The Hopwood Awards. Alpha Nu Literary Society will hold its final meeting for tryouts tonight in its room on the 4th floor of Angell Hall at 7:30 p.m. Speeches should be from 3 to 5 minutes in length on any subject. All men students are eligible to tryout. Chemical and Metallurgical Engi- neering Seminar: Prof. D. L. Katz will be the speaker at the Seminar today at 4 p.m. in Room 3201 E. Eng. Bldg. His subject will be "Research on the Production of Crude Oil." Freshmen Glee Club: Important meeting, election of officers. All freshmen who joined at beginning of semester are urged to be present, 4:30 p.m., Michigan Union. The State Street Caucus of the Freshman Class will meet in Room 325 of the Union at 7 p.m. torhght for the approval of nominees for class offcers. All freshman men and women, both affiliated and independ- ent, are urged to attend. Scabbard and Blade: Regular meet- ing tonight, 7:30 p.m., Michigan Union. Room posted. Cercle Francais: The first meeting of the year will be held tonight at 7:45 p.m. in the Cercle Francais room on the fourth floor of the Romance Languages Building. It is very im- portant that all old members be present. Athena: Please note that tryouts will be held tonight at 7:15 p.m. in the Alpha Nu room, fourth floor of Angell Hall. All members must be present. All tryouts may secure in- formation through Grace Gray, phone 6923. Zeta Phi Eta: There will be a meet- ing tonight at 7:30 p.m. Room will be posted on League bulletin board. All members are expected to be present. Quadrangle: Meeting at 8:15 p.m. tonight. Prof. Arthur S. Aiton will speak on: The Spanish Crisis. Mimes: There will be a meeting of the Book Committee of Mimes at 4:30 p.m. this afternoon at the Union. Forestry Club: Meeting tonight at 7:30 p.m. in Room 2954 N.S. Prefor- I esters are urged to attend. Bring your dues. New York Students: A meeting of the proposed New York State Club, which is now in the process of or- ganization, will be held in the Michi- gan Union in Room 319 this evening at 7:30 p.m. All men and women students interested are invited to attend. Catholic Students and their friends are invited to attend a party tonight from 8 p.m. to 10 p.m. in the audi- torium of the Chapel. Faculty Woman's Club: The board will entertain the Newcomers Group at a tea at the home of Mrs. Edward H. Kraus from 3 to 5:30 p.m. this afternoon. Michigan Dames: Book Group will meet tonight at 8 p.m. at the League. All new Dames are cordially invited. Coming Events The Observatory Journal Club will meet at 4:15 Thursday afternoon, Oct. 29, in the Observatory lecture room. Dr. A. D. Maxwell will re- view the paper "The Determination of Orbits" by Paul Herget. Tea will be served at 4 p.m. The Peace Council will meet Thurs- day, 8:15 p.m. at the Union, Room 302, to complete plans for Armistice Day. Attendance is urged. Fraternity Independent Party, '40 Engineers: Will meet in Room 304 in the Union at 7:30 p.m.Monday, Nov. 2. DAILY OFFICIAL BULLETIN Publication in the Bulletin is constructive notice to all members of the University. Copy received at the office of the Assistant to the President until 3:30; 11:00 a.m. on Saturday. The scenery was not worked out for the quickest shifting or to help the director in his working out of the business of various scenes. It seemed to be getting in the way of the actors' and to hamper the director in his attempt to clarify a difficult script. It was often tasteless in appearance, lacking in design, and executed in the old-fashioned painted technique. The designer's problem was not easier' than the dramatist's or the direct- or's. One feels he has solved it least well in this particular produc-' A Lady Explorer) "The Calais-Paris Express" "Sailing Time" Tickets are on sale at Wahr's State Street Book Store. Please make your reservations as soon as possible. Academic Notices Psychology 31. Lecture Section I: For the examination today, stu- dents with initials A through Q go to Natural Science Auditorium, and those with initials R through Z go to 1025 Angell Hall. Bring 6x9 blue- tion. books. But however unsatisfactory the performance in actual accomplish- Economics 51: Rooms for the hour ment one cannot help feeling that the examination on Thursday at 2 are whole idea of the Federal Theatre is as follows: a good one and that will ultimately Aldrich and Simmons' sections,I head in the right direction. Much 101 Ec. of the best work in New York has Danhof and C. J. Anderson's sec- been of the very first rank, and espe- tions, N.S. Aud. cially the things of experimental na- G. R. Anderson's sections, 1025 A.H. ture. There is no reason why the Dufton's sections, 231 A.H. Detroit Project cannot in time be of Luchek's sections, 205 M.H. tremendous importance in the cul-- tural life of the city. Exhibition The party personnel will be chosen. All '40 Independents and Fraternity men are urged to attend because of importance of meeting. CALENDAR Annual Ann Arbor Artists Exhibi-