PAGE SIX
THE MICHIGAN DAILY
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 21, 1947
PAGESIX RIDA, NOEMBE ~1,1H4
SEEK PERFECTION FOR INSTRUMENT:I
'Pencil' Enables Blind To Read by Sound
A recently perfected device may
soon make it possible for the blind
to read a book with a "pencil."
The instrument was demon-
strated here this week before en-
thusiastic delegates to a national
conference on Psychological Diag-
nosis and Counseling to the Adult
Blind.
W. W. Morris, representing the
University's Bureau of Psycholog-
ical Research, demonstrated to
delegates the amazing things the
new pencil can do.
Dedicated to the establishment
of "reading by sound," the "elec-
tronic pencil" utilizes the principle
of the photo-electric cell in trans-
lating the symbols of the printed
page into intelligible sounds.
The amazing instrument is rea-
sonably compact and easy to
handle, the "reader" needing only
to employ a large black plastic
stylus containing the photoelectric
cell. Other accessories are a stand-
ard hearing aid unit and a com-
pact battery case which also
houses an audio-frequency oscilr
lator.
The cell fixed in the stylus is
run across the lines of type, Mor-
ris explained, converting light pat-
terns into electricity by the well-
known process.
The impulses then are sent
along to the oscillator which con-
verts them into sound and brings
them to an audible level.
An individual trained to iden-
tify the sounds created by various
combinations of letters is thus
able to "read."
Morris termed the device as be-
ing in a state of technical perfec-
tion, but added that the prob-
lems connected with its use have
yet to be overcome.
The primary difficulty, he said,
SL Considers
Varied Issues
Return of Valuable
Movies Is Planned
Harvey Weisberg, president of
the Student Legislature, called at-
tention yesterday to a number of
issues which the organization now
has under consideration.
" Promise of action for the return
,. 'f motion pictures which are con-
sidered of present-day benefit to
students has come from the Legis-
lature's Cutural and Educational
Committee. Poll forms were sent
yesterday to student residences,
and tabulations of preferences for
pictures will be forwarded to local
theatres.
The Legislature's Varsity com-
mittee is currently considering
recommendations for the modifi-
cation of rulings governing the
distribution of football tickets to
transfer students. Present sug-
gestions call for greater practical
University residence credit for
such students than has been
granted in the past.
'SEEING PENCIL' ... James Fika, a blind student at the University
tries out the "Electronic Pencil," which may enable the blind to
read by hearing. The stylus sends out a beam of light which is con-
verted into sounds that are different for each letter.
lies in the problem of translating
the sounds created by the pencil
into words.
Discouraging too great enthus-
iasm at the present time, Morris
told the delegates that the rev-
olutionary device will not be avail-
able commercially until means of
instruction in its use are more
fully developed, a task which the
University bureau is currently un-
dertaking.
Morris cited the case of theI
Radio Serial
casts Students
Love rides a rockypath in these
days of meat shortages and high
prices when meat menus are all
that keep the men happy.
Still, a clever cook with vege-
tarian inclinations, wins the day
and her man in the speech depart-1
ment drama to be broadcast at
2:30 p.m. today over Station
WKAR, East Lansing.
The third in a new radio series,
"Living for Moderns," the drama
features an all-student cast and
is directed by Garnet R. Garrison,
speech instructor. Scripts for the
series have been obtained from
the NBC public service depart-
ment, and were used in the cur-
rent network series, "H'ome is
What You Make It."
Speech students Bill Bromfield
and Carolyn Wheeler play the
parts of the couple irl love, and
Sam Rich and James Lynch that
of their antagonistic fathers.
most successful user of the in-
strument to date-a man who, us-
ing his own means of interpreting
the sounds, has attained a read-
ing speed of about twenty words
a minute, approximately one third
the standard rate of braille trans-
lation.
Looking to the future, Morris
held out hope for a device which
will actually pronounce the words
on a printed page, but added that
the instrument is still in the em-
bryo stage.
Both devices were born in the
RCA laboratories at Princeton
University, under the sponsor-
ship of the National Research
Council's committee on Sensory
devices.,
*VETS CHECKS
Checks are being held at the
Ann Arbor Post Office for the
following veterans:
John M. Arnold, Robert P. Bar-
rell, William John Bielauskas,
Russell A. Brant, Mark N. Haller,
Jr., Martin L. Joiner, Henry S.
Ludwig, John A. MacDonald, Don-
ald R. Murray, H. Janney Nichols,
Robert W. Reisdrop, Beecher F.
Russell, Patrick Clyde Huss, Sam
I. Roth, Dane E. Smith, John W.
Toma, Duane G. Ward, Richard L.
Weigel, John B. Wood.
Veterans listed above should
pick up their checks by Nov. 28
when they will be returned to Co-
lumbus, O.
Events of Next
Seen atKey to I
By J. M. ROBERTS, JR.
AP Foreign Affairs Analyst
The next'100 days may turn out
to be one of the critical periods in
the history of the world.
By the end of that time we will
know how Europe has passed the
winter, expected to be a cold and
hungry one. We will have a good
idea as to the immediate future of
Germany. The Marshall Plan will
have taken definite form. In all
probability the immediate outcome
of the current outbreaks in France
and Italy will have been decided.
Conclusive Battle
These 100 days may not produce
the conclusive battle-between de-
mocracy and totalitarignism-that
looks like a campaign which will
go on for years-but the outcome
will have an important bearing on
the form which the conflict will
take from here on out.
As anticipated, the recent tide of
conservative voting and the im-
minence of the arrival of addi-
tional relief from America have
ISA To Hold
Post-Football
Campus Party
Cider and doughnuts. wil be
available to the entire campus
after the football game tomorrow
at an open house at the Interna-
tional Center. The event will be
sponsored by the International
Students Association, the NSA
Committee and the Center.
"We hope that all students will
drop in and get acquainted after
our team's victory tomorrow," M.
K. Raju, president of the ISA,
said.
The open house will mark the
official end of International Stu
dents Week, although the real
climax will come next Wednesday
at an ISA sponsored Thanksgiv-
ing Dinner at the Masonic Tem-
ple. American students have par-
ticularly been invited to attend.
Tickets are now on sale at Lane
Hall and the Internationtl Center.
Dean and Mrs. Sawyer will be
guests of honor at the Dinner and
Hickman Price of an automotive
concern will be the principle
speaker.
International Student Week ac-
tivities today will include a tea at
Martha Cook dormitory and an-
other at Lane Hall at which for-
eign students will be the special
guests.
"Campus Quarter," weekly-: ra-
dio program sponsored by the
League and Union, will devote
next week's show to foreign stu-
dents.
lund red Days
Vorld's Future
goaded the Communists of West-
ern Europe into violent reaction.
To Meet Crisis
The French and Italian govern-
ments are mobilizing to meet the
crisis. Italy is mustering her
armed police strength. France,
torn by strikes and violence, has
called 140,000 additional troops to
the colors.
There is talk of imminent civil
war in both countries. However,
the Communists, so far, have not
demonstrated the strength for it. I
hope it is not wishful thinking to
believe the present outburst of vio-
lence will reach its peak before I
Christmas and then subside. It
looks more like an attempt to bluff
the governments- into according
them greater power than a truly
definitive effort to take over right
now.
Civil War
Civil war in France or Italy
would almost inevitably bring on
World War III. Russia doesn't
want that. She wants to keep the
poit boiling, as in Greece, where it
is noticeable that nothing is being
done to increase the size of the
bonfire. But she doesn't want it to
boil over. She could and probably
would call off the French and Ital-
ian Communists before anything
like war develops.
Big Four Meets
Following the expected failure of
the Big Four foreign ministers to
reach an agreement in their meet-
ing which opens in London next
week, France, England and the
United States will face an imme-
diate decision on the German
problem. What they do will affect
the history of Europe for a long
time. How they approach it will
depend at least in part on develop-
ments in London.
German Economy
However, they are leaning
toward development and re-inte-
gration of the Western Germany
economy into that -of all Western
Europe under continued strict
control, leaving Russia to go her
own road in her occupation zone
but not formally surrendering the
idea that, one day, Germany must
be reunited. This means using
Germany to the fullest extent in
the economic war with Russia. The
three powers may resort to some
Sort of central German adminis-
tration, but retain the real gov-
erning power themselves, just as
we have done in Japan.
Gathering Strength
This period we are now entering,
then, is one of gathering strength,
cleaning up behind the front lines,
organizing for the offensive and
holding on until the European re-
eovery program is really under
dway. How well this job is done now
may have a decisive long-term ef-
fect.
It is a new "Battle of Midway."
4~4
NADIA YESTREBOVA 7
... has movie lead
Russian Film
F~ill Feature
BalletExperts
Three Russian ballet stars are
featured in the film "Russian Bal-
lerina," to be presented by Art
Cinema League at 5:30 p.m. today
and tomorrow at Lydia Mendels-
sohn Theater.
Maria Redina, star of the film,
is a young dancer with her own
ideas on how Tchaikovskys
"Sleeping Beauty" ought to be
danced.
Galina Ulanova, outstanding
dancer on the Leningrad Theater
roster, is featured in a perform-
ance of the classic "Swan Lake"
ballet.
Nadia Yestrebova is seen as the$
third in the trio of ballerinas.
Now in its eighth week on
Broadway, the picture is the first
Soviet film based on the Russian
ballet and features the company
of the Leningrad State Theater.,
A new version of "Sleeping
Beauty," as well as the classical
Petitpas choriography, are fea-
tured in the film.
The plot of the picture is con-
cerned with the backstage ro-
mance of two young artists, played
by Maria Redina and Vladimir
Gardin, who are trying out for
the regular company in the Len-
ingrad Theater.
Yearbook Office
Hours Extended
An extension of Michiganensian
business office hours will allow
seniors to pick up picture proofs
during the following hours:
From 9 a.m. to noon and 1 p.m.
to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday,
and from 7 to 9 p.m., Tuesday and
Thursday.
Students have been urged to
come during the morning or eve-
ning hours to avoid crowded con-
ditions.
Despite blizzards and rough
terrain, science, represented this
time by Prof. Karl F. Lagler. of
the zoology department, has scor-
ed again.
Prof. Lagler has returned from
the Upper Peninsula with a large
catch of fish to be examined in
an attempt to answer a number
of fascinating questions as to their
origin. They were netted in Mr-
ror Lake, which is a thousand feet
above Lake Superior and is, from Dr. Carleton Sprague Smith,
the fishes' viewpoint, completely chief of the Music Section of the
inaccessible. New York Public Library, will lec-
The lake has been isolated from ture at the University on "Bra-
other bodies of water since short- zilian Architecture" on Monday at
ly after the rece.-sion of the last 4:15 p.m. in the Rackham Amphi-
glacier, 25 thousand years ago, theatre.
and just how the several speces The lecture will be illustrated
of fish got where they are and with slides and is given under the
what they have been doing in the auspices of the Department of
way of speciation (specialized evo- Fine Arts.
lution) are the questions being Dr. Smith graduated from Har-
tackled. vard University and took his doc-
Similar ::esearch by Prof. Lag- torate at the University of Vienna.
He has taught at Columbia Uni-
MCAF Committee versity Leland Stanford Univer-
sity and New York University. He
The Executive Committee of the has also lectured for the Sociedade
Michigan Committee for Academic Felipe d'Oliveira, Rio de Janeiro,
Freedom will hold a dinner meet- Brazil, at the Escola Livre de
ing in the faculty dining room of Sociologia e Politica of Sao Paolo,
the Union at 7 p.m. tonight. Brazil.
F or HRChristmasx
.4
BLOUSES
Dress and sport styles in cot-
ton, rayon and wool Jersey.
$2.70 to $7.95
r
f SWEATERS 4
Lovely all-wool jacquards and 4
Vsolidcolor pullovers and 4
W i cardigans.
ROBES
'rebil ized velvet, wool flan- ~
nets, quilted satin and crepes, 4
rayon jerseys, and quilted
r ' mandarin.
Michigan Theater BuildingAA
4
4
SCIENCE SCORES:
Prof. Lagler Snatches Fish
Isolated for 25,000_Years
A
4
ler on fish found on Isle Royale
at a comparable altitude has re-
vealed appreciable changes in
their characteristics.
Dr. Smith Will
Speak on Art
I
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DAILY
OFFICIAL
BULLETIN
(Continued from Page 4)
will be given. Symposium will fol-
low business meeting.
Coming Events
Inter Co-operative Council pre-
sents Mr. Harvey Weisberg and
panel in a discussion of "The Na-
tional Students Association," 8
p.m., Sun., Nov. 23, Robert Owen
Co-operative House, 1017 Oakland
Ave. Social hour and refreshments.
The public is invited.
Graduate Outing Club: Ice-
skate or hike. Meet at 2:30 p.m.,
Sun., Nov. 23, northwest entrance,
Rackham Bldg. Sign up at Rack-
ham check desk before noon Sat-
urday. All graduate students wel-
come.
Latin American Society: Meet-
ing, Sun., Nov. 23, 3 p.m., Rm. 319,
Michigan Union. 4 p.m.: Moving
pictures of Latin American coun-
tries (open to public).
B'nai B'rith hillel Foundation :
Open' house, Saturday after the
game. All students invited.
B'nai B'rith Hillel Foundation
will open its Corned Beef Corner
at 8 p.m., Sun., Nov. 23. Open
every Sunday evening.
For that delicious
lunch that satisfies
try
MILLER'S
Fr
i
t@
A
t01 CHRISTMAS SERVYICE
Live out of town?
Then don't wait until Christmas vacation to
shop. Buy now for the best selection. Corrugated
cartons for customers who wish to ship gifts.
Short on space?
We still have a little left in which to store
customers' purchases until Christmas.
And renem ber---
Kids like gifts on birthdays, too!
4
T
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