T H MICHIIAN DAILY THE MICHIGAN DAILY Federal Arts Projects: A $125,000,000 Investment For Our National Future Completion Of WPA's Cultural Program Depends On Popular Support Edited and managed by students of the University of Michigan under the authority of the Board in Control of Student Publications.I Published every morning except Monday during the university year and Sum= x B ession. 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 matters herein also reserved. Entered at the Post Office at Ann Arbor, Michigan, as second class mail matter. Subscriptions during regular school year by carrier. $4.00; by mail, $4.50. REPRESENTED FOR NATIONAL ADVERTISING Ea National Advertising Service, Inc. College Publishers Representative 420 MADISON AVE. NEW YORK, N. Y. CHICAGO OsTON Los AxeLs . SAN FRAtuCIS0 Member, Associated Collegiate Press, 1938-39 Editorial Staff Managing Editor City Editor Editorial Director Associate Editor Associate Editor Associate Editor Associate Editor Associate Editor Sports Editor.b Women's Editor .r - . Carl Petersen Stan M. Swinton Elliott Maranis . Jack Canavan Dennis Flanagan Morton Linder Norman Schorr . Ethel Norberg *Mel Flneberg * Ann Vicary . Paul R. Park Ganson Taggart Zenovia Skoratko J ane Mowers . Harriet Levy Business Staff Business Manager . Credits Manager . . Women's Business Manager Women's Advertising Manager. Publication Manager . NIGHT EDITOR: LEONARD SCHLEIDER The editorials published in The Mihigan Daily are written by members of the Daily staff and represent the views of the writers only. A Chance For Self-Government.. M EN'S COUNCIL, a half-hearted and poorly-organized attempt to effect some semblance of student government, has voted itself out of existence. With the reorgani- zation and reallocation of its functions, it is to be hoped that student self-government will re- ceive a new impetus and develop into an active progressive force. Its purposes vaguely defined in, the average student mind, its activity seemingly concentrated on the selection of new members who would per- petuate its tradition of inactivity, the Men's Council had somehow managed to keep a tiny spark of vitality alive. It was useless; failing in its function to dynamically provide the campus with student government. The powers of the Council have been delegated to the Union student staff and a newly-conceived Men's Judiciary Council which will direct and consider petitioning of candidates seeking poli- tical posts and take over the Men's Council func- tions in dealing with erring students. And, in many ways, that too is good. The Union staff has, in the past, shown an enthusiasm and in- terest in University affairs. The Judiciary Coun- cil should prove an effective aid. But they toe will be faced with a problem which has long con- fronted the campus: Do we, students at Michigan, desire govern- ment by ourselves? Certainly nothing in the past tends to show we do. The Student Senate, its powers limited to debate and the force of publicity which its resolutions win, has not assumed a lead- ing position. Many members ignore its meet- ings; many who should be interested do not even bother to run. It has fulfilled an important func- tion; it has made many think of problems which they never before even considered. But it has not been dynamic, powerful. Instead it has evolved ridicule from the average student-the student who will not run for it and who has not attended a meeting. The new student governmental organization, provided one is conceived by the Judiciary Coun- cil and weaned into maturity, must win a really important place on campus for itself. It will fulfill, without the stigma of political "deals" or other anti-democratic action, impressive functions. What those functions are will be de- fined when the new student government wins University approval and is set up. And when that will be no one can know. But establishment of the Judiciary Council, which will surely real- ize that constructive and wise fction on its part may open the way for additional delegation of power to undergraduates, and the new functions of the Union student staff both are moves in the right direction. They are an omen which may well presage revitalization of self-govern- ment on this campus. -Stan M. Swinton Civil Rights At Home - Attorney-General Murphy hit upon a truism that is- all too often overlooked, in his address before the Conference of Mayors and the Nation- al Institute of Municipal Law Officers. Urging the delegates to extend and foster the rights of citizens in their home cities, he pointed out that "the first battleground of civil liberties is the local communities." The guarantees provided in the Bill of Rights Ry ELLIOTT MARANISS To fair-minded men of intelligence, the test of any project is in the work it produces. It didn't take long, for example for Lewis Mumford to discover that the "Federal Arts projects are the salvation of the arts." Or for George Bernard Shaw and Eugene O'Neill to offer their plays to the government at extraordinarily low royalties because they "believed in the work of the Federal theatre." And to nearly every person who has read one of the writers' project guides to America; Robert Cantwell's enthusiastic proclamation that these books will "revolutionize the writing of American history and enormously influence the direction and character of our immaginative literature" does not seem to be an overstatement of the fact. Unfortunately, however, there are men in re- sponsible positions in and out of the government who are unresponsive to any claims of worth, and are agitating for the termination of the projects. It does no good to tell these men that the arts projects have given American culture its most vital impulse in the nation's history. To some of the single-minded politicos in Wash- ington it is useless to talk in terms of human rehabilitation, of a cultural renaissance, of the creation of a new relationship between artist and audience. They have clutched at the fact that the arts projects have cost $125,000,000 in the four years of their existence, and from that basis they have dragged out every dema- gogic cliche in their political hand-books-the time-tested slogans about balancing the budget, and the new bureaucracy, and the constitutional rights of the states to let people starve. But there is something far more profound be- hind these attacks on the projects. Basically they arise from an anti-intellectual, anti-creative attitude on the part of the attackers. They are frankly antagonistic to the development of great cultural movements. It is not too far-fetched to bring in the word fascist at this point: for the attitude of some of the men in Washington towards the arts projects is almost identically similar to that of Herr Goebbels. They are both fearful of sensitive, unfettered art production, and they both have the same disdain for an art that expresses the feelings of the people. Hatred for civilization, for mind, for sensibility or feel- ing that shows any degree of complexity or exhibits any connection with the great humanis- tic traditions-that is the truest mark of the barbaric mentality. There are men and women here, however, who are keenly aware of the significance of the attack on the projects, and have begun a spirited de- fense of them. Early this week 210 members of the Harvard faculty, 52 of them of professorial rank, signed a "Petition of American Teachers in Defense of the Federal Arts Projects." Among the Harvard signers were some of the most able men in the profession, including A. N. Hol- combe, H. M. Jones, S. E. Morison, K. B. Mur- dock, A. M. Schlesinger, J. M. Landis, C. Haring, S. H. Cross, W. Y. Elliott, D. W. Prall, A. P. Usher and W. J. Crozier. The statement contains a clear and concise presentation of the attack on the projects, as well as an account of their place in our national life. It is reprinted here in full because the writer feels that it should be made available to every person in the Uni- versity community: the universities of the coun- try must be the most advanced outposts in fos- tering and defending our national democratic culture. "It is now apparent," the statement reads, "that opponents of the present relief policy of the government propose to center their attack on the Federal Arts Projects. Attempts have already been made in the press and in Congres- sional investigating committees to discredit these projects on social and political grounds, and an effort to liquidate them altogether is about t' be made in the hearings before the Congressional committee now investigating the WPA. "The reason for these tactics is obvious. The Federal arts projects are the clearest and most characteristic expression of the policy of the government to give relief to the unemployed by giving work suitable to their experience and training. They are also projects which employ relatively few persons and which therefore can be assumed to have relatively few friends. They are, finally, projects devoted to art, which is held not to be a necessity of life and which the Americanypeople-or so the enemies of the pro- jects believe-will not trouble to defend. "The undersigned believe that these tactics should be opposed by all who concern them- selves with the defense of democracy in the present crisis. The surest defense of democratic institutions is the conviction of the citizens that life in a democracy is preferable to life under any other form pf government. That conviction rests upon the belief that a democratic govern- ment can assure its citizens a freedom of life, of enterprise and of access to the arts of civiliza- tion such as no other form of government can or will assure them. "The democratic government of the United States will hardly demonstrate its superior abil- ity to provide these advantages by adopting a program of so-called economy, which begins by curtailing or eliminating the government's one attempt to protect its artists and to carry a knowledge of the arts to the people." * * * The time has not yet come for a final evalua- tion of the Federal Arts Projects: they still have not completed the tasks they have set for them- selves. They are still experimenting with new tools, new methods. Some tentative judgments can be made at this time, however. The most important objectives have been attained: the WPA has discovered an American auience and that audience is being tutored; and the WPA has endowed American artists with a sense of belonging to their own country. These are by no means minor accomplishments. To help hope- less men and women find hope again, to serve the nation with a Vital native art, and to en- courage the impulses of audiences who wish to learn and to participate in this movement- that is an achievement to make the $125,000,000 so close to Congressmen's hearts appear to be the soundest investment for the future we have ever made. There is no dollar-and-cents audit that will ever compute the value of the educational work done by federal artists with the children of the American slums: the whole story of the federal arts projects will not be in until this generation of youngsters grows up with the memories of water-colors and drum rhythms underneath the darker and more unhappy mem- ories of its childhood.1, Some other obvious implications can also be drawn at this time. It is important to remember that even in good times it was no new experience for the professional artist to be close to starva- tion. In the specialized, competitive organization of our society, painters, and musicians must, in most cases, be cither panderers or conformists to get along. In performing an emergency work that had to be done, the Federal arts projects have uncovered an important cultural fact: if for a long time art seems to have no significant place in the nation's life it is quite likely to be some narrowing influence in the form of its civilization and not a failure of the artist that is to blame. For given the barest of holds upon economic security, American artists have re- sponded splendidly with an outpouring of writ- ing, music, painting and acting, showing fully their capabilities, their great ability-and occa- sional flashes of their genius. One consideration remains. Artists, perhaps, have no right to demand security before any other group in society, nor should they expect to be able to remain aloof from the main currents of American life. In this respect the employees of the federal arts projects have shown them- selves to be keenly aware of their place in our national democratic scheme. Federal actors, writers, painters and historians, are, as Hallie Flanagan says, "all actors in a larger drama, pioneers on the frontier against disease, dirt, poverty, illiteracy, unemplyoment and despair." They are one with thousands of men building roads and bridges and sewers; with doctors and nurses giving clinical aid to a million destitute men, women, and children; with workers carry- ing traveling libraries into desolate areas; with scientists studying mosquito control and re- forestation and swamp-draining and soil drain- age. In the final analysis, no theatre or literature is worth more as an art-form than it is as a life- form, and this has been the projects' greatest tri- umph. For whatever one thinks of the work pro- duced, there is no avoiding the fact that the government arts projects have produced a greater human response than anything that has been done in this country for generations. u eAA MEMBERS OF SPHINX, those gay junior marauders who tapped Monday night, witnessed an amazing sight in the Phi Delta house when they sought out Tom Harmon. It was after 1 a.m., and the Ace was thought to be abed long ago. But when the boys stormed into his room, there he sat, poring soberly over a textbook and apparently bewildered by the nocturnal visitation which had so rudely interrupted his pursuit of learning. But no less bewildered were the clansmen, who reluctantly separated Harmon from his books and trousers and subjected him to "the works." SPHINX wasn't operating at full efficiency i their latest forage for neophytes. Charley Hoyt had is- sued specific orders thatdtrack men were not to be maltreated, and there were no objections because Char- ley had just cause for complaint. Two years ago, Bob Osgood sprained an ankle or something during the Michi- gamua initiation, and last year Elmer Gedeon suffered an injured ankle in the Sphinx shindig. The night be-" fore, Elmer had clipped Elliot Ma- raniss on the chin for recalcitrant behavior, and believing in a fair ex- change, Maraniss clipped Ged with a heel, eliminating him from the Big Ten-Pacific Coast meet. B EAUTY- without-brains- item: Eli, the Beta's English bull which really won the 'Ensian beauty con- test last month, but which was dis- qualified when the editors of the yearbook took the contest seriouslyG and decreed Marcia Connell the win- ner, won't concede the physical su- periority of Rummy, the Chi Psi's Great Dane. Since Eli joined the Betas he has been involved in several scrapes with his gargantuan neigh- bor, and has always come off second best. Yet, when the wounds heal, Eli invariably provokes more trouble.1 Yesterday morning, he tangled with Rum once again and emerged fromt the battle with a lacerated shoulder which required two stitches and two large chunks taken out of his neck. Rummy got his mouth torn on Eli's jagged collar and can't drink for a few days. But Rum never was much of a drinker, anyhow. All of whichC arouses again the age-old problem of whether brains can ever be recon- ciled with beauty, or will Eli and hisf kind ever learn. .,*. * WE WITNESSED a flood of releasedr inhibitions yesterday as a wild- eyed student stood before the Senate ballot box in Angell Hall lobby, whichr was labeled, "What Do You Think of Your Courses?" He kept scrawling something hurriedly on little scraps1 of paper and pushing them into the box, his face becoming more relieved4 as he went along. Curious, we edgedi close enough to him to see the answer.1 He was writing, "They stink!" t THE UNIVERSITY, long in doubtf as to its exact status in the stu-c dent scheme of things, must havet emitted a voluminous sigh of relief1 yesterday when it read The Daily headline, "University Approved By Students In Poll." Now that the stu- dent has snapped out of his apathy long enough to vote on the matter, the apprehensive University official- dom may continue its administration with renewed confidence. . National Guard A waits C risis Situation Beconkes Ten'se In Harlan County HARLAN, Ky., May 17.-(AP)- Every National Guardsman in Ken- tucky has orders to be ready to move into the Harlan coal fields, it was announced tonight. Brigadier General Ellerbe Carter, placed in full command of the trouble zone late in the day by Gov. A. B. Chandler, at his press conference said: "Things have been pretty rough today, rougher instead of quieter. I want to tell you one thing, the situa- tion will be handled if it takes all the National Guard in Kentucky. The' others have orders to stand by." The Governor at the State Capitol said during the day he saw ready, if asked, to help bring about a settle- ment of differences between the Unit- ed Mine Workers and the operators. At Washington Secretary of Labor Perkins said a labor conciliator was being sent to act as mediator. The Governor also warned he would "make a show of force" to "prevent trouble." The Harlan County Coal Opera- tors' Association-with a membership of 42 mines in the county, employing upwards of 12,000 men-is the last (Continued from Page 2) West Engineering Building, and addi- tional prints may be had at $2.25 each. Senior Engineering Picture Commitee. Academic Notices Final Doctoral Examination of Miss Hsi-yin Sheng will be held on Thurs- day, May 18 at 2 p.m. in the West Council Room, Rackham Bldg. Miss Sheng's field of specialization is Physics. The title of her thesis is "High Resolution of Infrared Bands of Ammonia and the Vibrational Ro- tational Interaction in the Ammonia Molecule." Professor D. M. Dennison, as chair- man of the committee, will conduct. the examination. By direction of the Executive Board, the chairman has the privilege of inviting members of the faculty and advanceddoctoral candidates to attend the examination and to grant permission to others who might wish to be present. Final Doctoral Examination of Loy- al Frank Ollmann will be held on Thursday, May 18 at 3 p.m. in theI East Council Room, Rackham Bldg. Mr. Ollmann's field of specialization is Mathematics. The title of his thesis is "On Joining Finite Subsets of Planar Peano Spaces by Simple Closed Curves." Professor W. L. Ayres, as chair- man of the committee, will conduct the examination. By direction of the Executive Board, the chairman has the privilege of inviting members of the faculty and advanced doctoralG candidates to attend the examination and to grant permission to others who might wish to be present. June Candidates for the Teacher'st Certificate: The Comprehensive Ex- amination in Education will be given on Saturday, May 20, from 9 to 121 o'clock (and also from 2 to 5 o'clock)7 in the auditorium of the University1 High School. Students having Sat- urday morning classes may take the1 examination in the afternoon. Print- ed information regarding the exam-f ination may be secured in the School of Education office. Directed Teaching, Qualifying Ex-I amination: All students expecting toI do directed teaching next semesteri are required to pass a qualifying ex-I amination in the subject which they expect to teach. This examination will be held on Saturday, May 20, at 1 o'clock. Students will meet in the auditorium of the University Hight School. The examination will con- sume about four hours' time; prompt- ness is therefore essential. Zoology Seminar: Mr. James W. Moffett will report on "A Limnologi- cal Investigation of the Dynamics ofs a Barren, Sandy, Wave-swept Shoalt in Douglas Lake, Michigan" and Mr. Robert S. Campbell on "Vertical Dis- tribution of the Rotifera in Douglas Lake, Michigan, with Special Refer- ence to Submerged Depression In- dividuality" tonight at 7:30 p.m. in the Amphitheatre of the Rackham Building. Final Examination, German 1, 2, 31, 32. June 7, 2-5 p.m. German 1.- 25 Angell Hall. All sections. German 2.- 1025 A.H. Schachtsiek, Sudermann, Pott. West Lecture Physics. Willey, Ry- der, Diamond, Gaiss. 101 Economics. Philippson, Eaton. B Haven Hall. Striedieck, Graf. German 31.- C Haven Hall. All sections. German 32.- 301 University Hall. Scholl. West Lecture Physics. Diamond. 201 U.H. Wahr. C Haven Hall. Van Duren. 101 Economics. Eaton. 101 Economics. Philippson. 306 U.H. Reichart. West Lecture Physics. Gaiss. B Haven Hall. Graf. Psychology Master's Comprehen- sive Examination will be held Satur- day May 27, at 2 p.m. in Room -3126 N.S. Exhibitions Museum of Classical Archaeology: A special exhibit of antiquities from the Nile Valley, the Province of Fay- oum, and the Delta of Egypt, from early Dynastic times to the Late Cop- tic and Arabic Periods. Events Today Ann Arbor Independents: Lantern Night rehearsal, today, in the game room of the League from 4 to 5. 1939 Dramatic Season. Matinee today at 3:15 p.m. Philip Merivalel in "No War In Troy!" Only three more days to purchase season tickets. Save money by buying for all five plays. Mendelssohn Theatre Box Of- fice open at 10 a.m. for the coming U. of D. Meet will be discussed. Refreshments will be served. The Observatory Journal Club will meet at 4:15 this afternoon, May 18, in the Observatory Lecture room. Mr. Herbert R. J. Grosch will speak on "The Orbit of Jupiter's Tenth Satel- lite." Tea will be served at 4 p.m. Athena: Meeting tonight at 7:30 in the Alpha-Nu room. Election of ocicers. Scandinavian Journal Club: Will meet today in Room 302 Michigan Union at 4 p.m. " Fraternity Presidents: The Execu- tive Committee of the Interfrater- nity Council will hold its final meet- ing today. All house presidents are asked to submit any business by 3 p.m. on that date. The meeting for the election of officers will be held tonight at 7:15 in the Council Of- fice. All presidents are urged to .at- tend. The Men's Physical Education Club will meet tonight at 9 p.m. in the Michigan Union. New officers will be elected and club delegates will re- port on the recent Physical Educa- tion convention. The English Journal Club will hold its final meeting of the semes- ter tonight at eight o'clock in the West Conference Room of the Rack- ham Building. Professor Rice will speak oh "The Inflience of Me- chanical Inventions Upon the Future of Research." All who are interested are invited to attend. Archery Club: There will be a meet- ing of the Archery Club at 4:15 p.m. today on Palmer Field. Members are urged to turn in their score cards for the Telegraphic 'Meet. Zeta Phi Eta: All actives and pledges are reminded of the regular meeting tonight at 7:15 in the Portia Room. It is important that every member be present. Actives should plan on a few minutes for initiation practice, and pledges to make plans for Sunday's reception. Please call your president at 6755 if you cannot attend. Michigan Anti-War Committee will hold an open meeting at 8 o'clock to- night at Lane Hall. All interested in peace are invited. Coming Events School of Education Luncheon at the Michigan Union on Saturday, May 20, at 1 o'clock. There will be an all School of Education luncheon for Staff Members, Graduates and Un- dergraduates. Following the luncheon there will be an appropriate entef- tainment. Tickets are now on sale at the office of the School of Edu- cation. Swingout: Senior Swingout will take place Sunday afternoon begin- ning at 4 o'clock inafront of the 1- brary steps. The committee and senior class presidents will lead the march. In case of rain, proceed di- rectly to Hill Auditorium without marching. Chemical Engineers: The A.I.Ch.. banquet, terminating the year's ac- tivities with the- installation of of- ficers, will be held in the Union, Wednesday, May 24, at 6:15 p.m. Mr. McCarroll of the Ford Motor Co. will be guest speaker. All chemical and metallurgical engineers are in- vited. Notice of Union Elections: On Fri- day, May 19, will be elected in con- junction with the all-campus elec- tions six vice-presidents of the Michi- gan Union, one each for (a) the Col- lege of Literature, Science, and the Arts and the Graduate School, (b) for the Colleges of Engineering and Architecture, (c) for the Medical School, (d) for the Law School, (e) for the College of Dental Surgery, and (f) for the remaining colleges and schools, from the nominees as filed with the Recording Secretary by the Nominating Committee of the Michigan Union. Eastiern Engineering Trip- Banquet: All members of the trip who have not been notified of the banquet to be held Friday, May 19; at 6 p.m. in the Union, please get in touch with Bill Tibbetts or Kenneth Mudie im- mediately. Attention, Finnish students: The Suomi Club's annual spring picnic is scheduled for Friday evening, May 19. The group will leave Lane Hall at 7 p.m. In case of rain, the picnic will be held in the Upper Room of Lane Hall. The Graduate Record Club mem- bers have arranged the following rec- ord concert for Saturday, May 20: Bach, Brandenburg Concerto Num- ber Two; Mozart, Symphony Num- ber Thirty-one; Tschaikowsky, Ro- meo and Juliet Overture; Debussy, Afternoon of a Faun; Wagner, Fire Mune nmnip lnrui. nfh arcti DAILY OFFICIAL BULLETIN Publication in the Butletin is constructive notice to ali members of the University, Copy received at the officeof the Assistant to the President until 3:34 P.M,; 11:00 A.M. on Saturday. j' ItSems To -e By HEYWOOD BROUN I am beginning to wonder whether the two masked men who kidnapped George Palmer Put- nam may not have been a couple of Martians stranded after the late raid led by Orson Welles. 1 ' Mr. Putnam has said defin- itely that he was not a party to any hoax. Having known him for years, I am quite ready to accept that. But, of course, it is still possible that he was hoaxed against, al- though not personally hoax- ing. The west coast is great growing country for practi- author of that book, which I've forgotten, several days before the abduction occurred. Of course, a rational explanation may be offered. It could be said that a sincere Nazi would rather run the risk of apprehension for a crime than be caught reading the column of Mr. Wir- chell. At any rate, I am strongly of the opinion that George Palmer Putnam was fooled against his will and that many American newspapers over- played a story which may not be wholly authentic in spite of the undoubted sincerity of the man who supplied the details to his rescuers. And I think that such readiness to accept in- cidents which are something less than com- pletely nailed down is peculiarly dangerous in a jittery world. It isn't even good journalism in* piping times of peace. There used to be a word which was considered a kind of magic formula upon all copy desks. If anything less than a complete set of well-proved facts was in hand you merely found a convenient cal jokers. Newspaper editors, I believe, should be suspicious about news from any community which includes four Marx Brothers and one Ben Hecht. Frankly, I believe that George Palmer Putnam was taken in as well as kidnaped. He is the publisher of a book, the name of which escapes