THE MICHIGAN DAILY THURSDAY, MARCH 17, 1949 ...:.. Repairs and1 F THE HOUSE'S rent control bill allow- ing individual localities to lift the con- trols as they see fit is passed by the Senate it is . conceivable that rents will skyrocket upward in urban communities all over the nation. The logic employed by advocates of the lifting of controls seems grossly distorted. It appears obvious that with acute housing shortages in the nation's urban areas the demand for houses is far greater than the existing supply. It would be much more sensible to maintain controls until a state nearer the equilibrium point is reached. The House, however, has merrily handed the reins over to pressure groups in indi- vidual cities and towns and plans to allow them to employ their faulty reasoning in persuading naive local governments to lift the controls. Typical of the possibly well-meaning but somewhat narrow-minded men found in these pressure groups is Wynn C. Cooper, vice-president of the National Association of Home Builders, who spoke in Ann Arbor Monday night. According to Mr. Cooper, our unem- ployment problems will be solved if we Editorials published in The Michigan Daily are written by 'members of The Daily staff and represent the views of the writers only. NIGHT EDITOR: JO MISNER Rent Control lift rent controls. Immediately, he says, such a wave of home building and home repair work will sweep the nation that thousands of unemployed workers will once more be sitting in the lap of luxury. To clinch his argument, Mr. Cooper points out that home-owners are making extensive improvements while repairs made by land- lords are almost negligible because "rents are far too low to justify any other course by landlords." Mr. Cooper seems to forget that one of the major problems of builders in the large urban areas in which rent controls are enforced is a shortage in the number of skilled and semi-skilled laborers available. It seems very unlikely, therefore, that with the lifting of rent controls thousands of men will be employed when builders are already crying for more labor. One doesn't become a mason or a plumber over night. While it is possibly true that more re- pairs would be made if the controls were lifted, it appears rather doubtful that large numbers of industrial workers could step right in and make the repairs without considerable training. Mr. Cooper goes on to assert that if rents are allowed to find their "proper" level "so much housing will be erected that before long tenants will be dictating the rents they'll pay. One wonders how much "dictating" ten- ants did in the thirties when there was no shortage of housing at all. -Jim Brown. 'Grass Roots' Initiative E PREROGATIVE of the people to in- itiate action forms the very heart of democracy. When elected representatives and those in positions of authority.fail to deal adequately with essential problems of democracy, it is the privilege-nay, the obligation of the people themselves to supply the answers. A heartening example of "grass-roots" initiative which follows closely in the footsteps of the highly-effective Commit- tee to Abolish the Ban is the campus Com- mittee to End Discrimination. The CED was organized by students who recognized that the university as a strong- hold of the knowledge which "in every country is the surest basis of public happi- ness," must take the lead in making de- mocracy a reality by first setting its own house in order. More than a dozen campus groups have thus .far joined the movement to combat racial and religious discrimination at the University and in the immediate vicinity. Surely, a more genuine expression of democracy than the willingness of such varied groups as the Young Progressives, Student Religious Association and the Nd4 Women's Residence Hall to check their ideological differences at the door at each meeting and devote their full effort to the pursuance of a common ob- jective would be difficult to visualize. Needless to say, this example of the abil- ity to stress areas of agreement rather than disagreement might well serve as a model for a troubled macrocosm. The functioning of the CED is relatively simple, with each member organization pos- sessing one vote on any question that arises. A simple majority decides all issues, though significantly, nearly all votes up to now have been unanimous. Deserving particular commendation is the mature, carefully-planned fashion in which the CED has approached the prob- lem of discrimination. Wisely deciding to limit the scope of its endeavor to an area that it can handle suitably and with some expectation of success, the group is con- centrating upon the University's admis- sions and employment policies. Again, the organization demonstrated ad- mirable discretion in first undertaking a comprehensive survey of the discrimination situation within its defined areas rather than merely launching an immediate cam- paign against suspected bias. Perhaps the only unfortunate aspect of the CED is that not more campus groups have seen fit to throw their strength behind the movement. Certainly there are many more than a dozen campus organizations that agree all men should be judged on their individual merit and not on the basis of their skin color or religion. What better way to combat totalitarian- ism than to make democracy work? -Buddy Aronson. Peace Work ONE BY ONE, the Arab states are slowly signing armistices with the new republic of Israel, bringing the end of years of Near East struggling in sight and marking the end of one of the UN's most effective jobs. On Feb. 24, at the Island of Rhodes, Egypt signed an armistic with Israel and last week Trans-Jordan followed suit. The other Arab states-Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Syria and Lebanon are expected to sign on the dotted line before too long, too. There are many satisfying things about these developments, not the least of which is that the homeless Jews of Europe get their chance to found a modern, progressive state; that at last a world which has given them such a battering for several thousand years is at last giving them a place to settle down in peace. Another pleasing aspect is the success of the UN; for once it has worked; for once it has brought peace, which is, after all, what it is supposed to do. True, the UN has brought peace in another part of the world, in Indonesia, and it's true, also, that the UN isn't the only factor in the dawning Israel peace. The other factor, it would seem, is the fact that England gave Israel de facto recognition in January, which the New York Times says was a "clear warning to the Arab states not to wait (to sign the armistices) -any longer." Britain, of course, has many treaties with the Arab states. But essentially, the approaching Israel peace is a UN show; after all, it was in the UN, two years or so ago, that the original partitioning of Palestine into Israel and an Arab state was conceived, and the UN Se- curity Council, in the persons of the late Count Bernadotte and Dr. Ralph Bunche, have been the arbitors in the Arab-Israel war. The question then rises: if the UN is so successful here, why can't it bring peace in the other parts of the world, primarily between the United States and Russia. One answer, perhaps the chief answer, is that the UN is equipped only to check outright aggression-it doesn't recognize a "cold war," although there have been a number of ill-fated disarmament plans, atomic energy control plans, and what have you. Another answer is the fact that, it seems, the bigger a nation is, the less it respects the UN and works by itself. This is cer- tainly true of the United States, with its Truman Doctrine, Marshall Plan and North Atlantic Treaty; Russia has done pretty much what it pleases in the Balkans. Thus we see the UN gradually slipping into an idealistic vision of the past, so far as real world,peace is concerned. But even if the UN only continues to bring peace in limited spheres, such as the Near East, it is serving an invaluable pur- pose. -John P. Davies. CIINIEMA At Architect. Auditorium SONG OF THE STREET, with assorted urchins. IN THE WORDS of the chap sitting next to us at the preview of "Song of the Street," just because a picture has a lot of dirty people in it doesn't mean it's good. We have a faint suspicion that the pro- ducers were aiming at that touchstone of "B" pictures-social significance. Because of the way they went about it, however, the suspicion remains very faint indeed. Several extremely nondescript Paris street boys romp pointlessly, and with very little con- tinuity, through this opus. Much as we deplore the Dead End Kids, they occasionally manage to be funny in their vulgar way, something their French counterparts never even come close to. On the other hand, these incipid Dillingers are neither pathetic, terrifying, lovable, clever. ... In fact they never emerge into anything like individual characters.' Even Jacques, the so-called hero, who manages to look soulful at inappropriate moments, is a nonentity. His first remark, to the effect, that he won't go to work and be treated like a slave, led us to the over- hasty conclusion that he had Communistic leanings. Unfortunately, nothing as drama- tic as this was planned for our hero. The highest he aspires to is leadership of a seedy and disorganized street gang, and love of a seedy and disrueputable blond, who in the true Camille tradition, is willing to give up her lover, "for his own good." Things get progressively you-know- what, until Jacques is forced to stand trial for something he didn't do, but only be- cause he didn't get the chance. In a tense courtroom scene, his mother rises to her feet and pleads with the court to put the blame on her instead of on her errant son. Aha, social significance at last? Before she gets a chance to expound even the most elementary tenets of environmen- tal psychology, her son is released from prison, and riding around on some sort of wagon, supposedly finally adding a con- arnia hit to cn-if * r n ,. «a-e'rz8.e-cock N Nf '+is w« ti«...rw ro.r w DAILY OFFICIAL BULLETIN I'D RATHER BE RIGHT: The ,Grand Issue (Continued from Page 2) cedence over all other appoint- ments. Graduate Aptitude Test: March 17, 7-10 p.m., Lecture Hall, Rack- ham Bldg. Students enrolled in the Grad- uate School for the first time must take the Graduate Aptitude Test, or they will not be permitted to register again. Other students who are appli cants for degrees and who have not previously taken this test or the Graduate Record Examination, must also be present. Students planning to take the examination must buy a $2.00 fee ticket at the Cashier's office be- fore going to the examination. Veterans should report to the! Graduate School offices before go- ing to the Cashier's office for the fee ticket so that a requisition form may be signed. Admission to the examination will be restricted to those holding examination receipts. Completion of the Graduate Aptitude Test (or the Graduate Record Examina- tion) is a prerequisite for the mas- ter's degree and for admission to candidacy for the doctorate. Seminar in Applied Mathemat- ics: Thurs., March 17, 4:15 p.m., 247 W. Engineering, Prof. C. L. Dolph continues his talk on "Non- linear eigenvalue problems for the Sturm-Liouville Systems." Geometry Seminar: Thurs., March 17, 3001 Angell Hall. Mr. D. K. Kazarinoff will speak "On Pas- cal's Theorem." Orientation Seminar: Thurs., 3 p.m., 2019 Angell Hall. Mr. J. K. Baumgart will speak on "Contin- ued Fractions." Zoology Seminar: Thurs., March 17, 7:30 p.m., Rackham Amphi- theatre. Mr. Max A. Proffitt will report on "Body-scale Relation- ship in the Blue gill." Mr. Vernon C. Applegate will report on "The Sea Lamprey in Michigan." Open meeting. Events Today Agenda for Senior Board Meet- ing: 3 p.m., today, Michigan Union ....... .... .... .... .. I Executive Report: A. Presidents' Conference. B. Revision of elections. C. Effect of discounts. D. Newspaper. II Committee Reports III Old Business: A. Class gift. B. Constitution. C. Senior Night. IV New Business: A. Guest Speakers. B. Constructive projects. C. Criticism of Board. The Political Science Round Table: 7:30 p.m. in the East Con- ference Room, Rackham Building. All political science graduate stu- dents are expected to attend. Gilbert and Sullivan Society: Rehearsal for all principals and cast, 7 p.m., Michigan League. The action will be set and everyone participating on stage must be present. International Center weekly tea for all foreign students and Amer- "Anybody Here Want to Cast The First Lump?" --- -(1 I) *"t.x '. - -1 '4 r' '4 44bZZ A L Letters to the Editor- ican friends, 4:30-6 p.m., Interna- tional Center. Arts Chorale and Education Chorus rehearsal, 7:10 p.m., 506 Burton Tower. American Institute of Electrical Engineers and Institute of Radio Engineers; Joint Student Branch. Field trip to Michigan Bell Tele- phone Company, Detroit, Michi- gan. Busses will leave from in front of East Engineering Bldg. at exactly 1:10 p.m. today. Tickets $.075 for members and $1 for non- members are available in 2514 East Engine. Tickets are also available for the Banquet on March 23. They can be purchased from any officer of the organization. Graduate Student Council Meet- ing: 7:30 p.m. West Lecture Hall, Rackham Bldg. AVC: Meeting, Michigan Union, 7:30 p.m. Elections. Nominations still open. United World Federalists: Gen- eral meeting, 4:15 p.m., Michigan, Union. Plans will be made for a state-wide meeting of student U.W.F. chapters. Hlillelzapoppin: Tickets on sale starting today, 1 p.m., Michigan League lobby. La p'tite causette: 3:30 p.m., Grill Room, Michigan League. U. of M. Rifle Club: Meeting, 7 p.m., ROTC range. Practice hours, Wed., 12:30 to 3, Thurs., 7-9, and Fri. 7-9. Young Democrats: Meeting 7:30 p.m., Michigan League, Speaker on "American Foreign Policy." U. of M. Dames Drama Group: 8 p.m., at the home of Mrs. James Livingston, 417 Eighth St. Coming Events Political Science Graduate Cof- fee Hour: Fri., March 18, 4-5, Michigan League Cafeteria. Eta Kappa Nu: Dinner meeting and election of new members, 5:30 p.m., Fri., March 18, Faculty Din- ing Room off the South Cafeteria of the Michigan Union. All active members must be present. Undergraduate Psychological Society, trip to Cassidy Lake School. Bus leaves 12:45, Friday from the east side of Hill Audito- rium. U. of M. Sailing Club: All new and regular members meet at the side door of the Union, Sat., March 19, 1 p.m., to go to the lake; weather permitting. German Coffee Hour: Fri., 3- 4:30 p.m., Russian Tea Room, Michigan League. Westminster Guild, First Pres- byterian Church: "St. Pat Party," Fri., March 18, 8 to 11 p.m., social hall, church building. Motion Picture: "Marriage in the Shadows" (German film), pre- sented by Art Cinema League and Association of Independent Men, 8:30 p.m., Friday and Saturday Hill Auditorium. Tiickets on sale 2 p.m. Thursday. The Daily accords its readers the privilege of submitting letters for publication in this column. Subject to space limitations, the general pol- icy is to publish in the order in which they are received all letters bearing the writer's signature and address. Letters exceeding 300 words, repeti- tious letters and letters of a defama- tory characterorssuch letters which for any other reason are not in good taste will not be published. The editors reserve the privilege of con- densing letters. *s " Mission to Moscow To the Editor: THREE CHEERS for Gil McMa- hon! We are in hearty agree- ment with the suggestion which hie made in the March 12 Daily that Mr. Ed Yellin (and all others of the crimson hue) move to Rus- sia. We hereby pledge $1.23 to- wards a fund to pay his passage to the "Proletarian's Heaven" (one way, of course). -Phil Daykin, Bert Lum, Chuck Carrol, Joseph Neuman, and 35 others. * * * Economic Serfs To the Editor: MR. BARND'S letter of March 10 challenged my letter, Feb- ruary 20, concerning the Minds- zenty trial. Neittur, however, un- veiled the controversy: that Cath- olic dogma and temporal politics are two. That these were made one by recent Catholic action through out the world. That to question the Cardinal's political activities is a religious heresy. It is here where Mr. Barnd's militant anti- Communism of Catholic actions and I differ. Today, while we speak of the commies maintain- ing foreign allegiance, who can deny the allegiance of Roman Catholics everywhere to the spir- itual mandates of His Holiness in Rome, especially when this spiritual guidance has today sworn a political anti-Communist oath. When both Communists and Catholics despise each other, what objectivity can be expected to render unprejudiced party, when the former upholds dialectic ma- terialism and the latter aims to perpetuate institutionalism? It is evident Mr. Barnds is a Conservative Catholic. I too am Catholic. But I cannot negate, nor apologize for thehierarchial compromises Mr. Barnds defends. Cardinal Mindszenty's administra- tion of the Hungarian Latifundia was a historical fact before Com- munist infiltration in Hungary. To quote from Nagy, former Hun- garian Prime Minister, a conserv- ative anti-Communist: "Another group of large estates which could not be distributed was in the hands of bishoprics. The Roman and Greek Catholic Churches owning large estates saw to it that they remained in perpetual possession as acquired lands." i Since 1848, Hungarian serfs were politically emancipated. But peasants, peons, and cotton pick- ers who must live a sub-standard existence are indeed economic serfs. Their serfdom is their wretched economic plight. The 500 acres you say Cardinal Minds- zenty owned totally ignored the important fact that a priest re- nounces wordly values at ordi- nation. Cardinal Pa-y-Daniel of Franco Spain, and Cardinal Cop- pello of Peron Argentina today strongly unhold neo-fascist ideals. Why don't you oppose fascism with the same vehemence you at- tack Communism? Liberalism, Mr. Barnds, ceases to be liberalism when it sponsors inquisitions, upholds censorship, and extolls intransigency. In spirit, it's cognizant of human dignity; in function its inclusive of knowledge and tolerant of con- cept. Its intolerant of intolerance, be it Communistic or reactionary. -Manuel H. Guerra. *4'** Lovelorn To the Editor: BECAUSE I am so worried and. concerned and do really wish very much to make life more wholesome for our straying young Michigan coeds, I sincerely do wish to have a love-lorn column to advise them got up for our school paper, as there must be a likeness to Dorothy Dix on your -staff. -Mr. Walsh. * * * Critic's Critic To the Editor: LAST FRIDAY evening I had the great pleasure of hearing the twin bill of opera presented at Lydia Mendelssohn Theatre. After the performance though, I was a a loss to reconcile what I had heard with the opening night re- view of your critic, in which he characterized Puccini's Sister An- gelica"~ as being "insipid." While it is not the purpose of this letter to attack the validity of Mr. Crohn's criticism. I. should like to have made public certain pri- vate opinions of my own which differ from his, and which should serve to balance the record. The libretto for "Sister Angel- ica" is most certainly insipid. It is incredibly naive in its story, and deadeningly static. Presum- ably unaware of these three strikes against him, Puccini set out to write what must be one of his finest and most lyric ofhscores. One must certainly have been moved by the antiphonal singing in the opening tableau, the evok- ing of the ecclesiastical spirit through the use of organum-like passages, and the rapid succession of marvelous arias. What was most incredible of all though, was the fact that "Sister Angelica" emerged very successfully as a dramatic work of high emotional impact. When one considers the tremendous handicap imposed upon Puccini by the libretto, one realizes that he accomplished a musical and dramatic miracle. The main "burden" in "Sister Angelica" falls to the soprano of the title role. For her singing of this part, Miss Mary Jane Al- bright drew some faint praise, and the comments "throaty . . , un- pleasantly metallic ... strained." I didn't hear the opening night performance, but I seriously doubt that this couldbhave been. I have heard Miss Albright on many oc- casions, and never has she proven to be anything other than one of the finest of sopranos to appear in opera here. While it is impossible for me to make a positive statement about Miss Albright's singing on opening night, I am under no such handicap in attempting to describe her performance on Fri- day. At that time, she gave the best performance that I have ever heard a soprano give in opera in Ann Arbor. Her voice was big, warm, and rich, her intonation accurate, and diction clear. Her melodic lines were sustained in the best cantabile style. The tre- mendous ovation at the final cur- tain was a clear tribute to an ex- ceptionally fine singer, produc- tion, and opera. -Martin B. Bernstein. The deer and opossum in Mis- souri's forests and the fish in Ozark streams don't know a politi- cian from a post oak. But the peo- ple who appreciate. wildlife now that it has fared better since con- versation was removed from po- litical control. -St. Louis Star Times By SAMUEL GRAFTON W HEN THE SENATE votes on a matter of foreign aid or rearmament, it puts on its most solemn bipartisan look. Dis- agreement is deprecated. A very special dis- cipline takes over. You can almost see the blue serge suits changing into togas as the Hon. Gentlemen act in unison to save free- dom on this planet. What on earth leads the Senate to feel that this same sort of spirit isn't necessary on civil libertias? Why does the Senate feel it is safe to hang up its statesmen suits and go suddenly formless, like a subway crowd, on the issue of human freedom? It is not safe. It is in the highest de- gree unsafe for the Senate of the United States, in a day in which freedom is the chief issue on this earth, to split into three groups when that issue comes before it in concrete form-a group of Southerners filibustering against civil rights legisla- tion, a group of Republicans who, in the main, are helping the Southerners to continue their filibuster by siding with them on the thinnest of technicalities, and a group of Democrats whose party won the election but who are being kept from fulfilling their mandate and putting their program over. What do they think we gain when we impress the world with our unity on the issue of guns, and with our disunity on the issue of freedom-to protect which, sup- posedly, we want the guns? Why, when it comes to human freedom, do the Hon. Senators feel that the blinds are drawn, that the neighbors aren't look- ing, that it is safe to go technical and ob- structionist? But this is, as I say, not safe at all; it is reckless and dangerous. It is precisely for the issue of human freedom that the Senate of the United States should, in this bad hour, reserve its best behavior, its deenest sense of unity, its finest discipline. over human freedom ber. in the upper cham- Are we to use our grand manner solely for questions of guns and alliances, while reserving a more uninspired approach for the issue of human freedom? But it is hu- man freedom which is the grand issue-this is the one on the importance of which the whole world is in substantial agreement, or pretends to be. Even dictators can sell their services today only on the plea that they are increasing liberty. This is the issue which stands at the absolute forefront of the world's mind-and this is the one on which our Senate chooses to split into help- less fragments. We have voted without a sense of history on an issue that is pivotal to us, to the world, to the hundreds of millions of colored and exploited peoples on this earth. Unless we undo the harm, we are in danger of learning the hard way that men sometimes make history when they do not realize they are making history-perhaps more often than when, in full dress, they think they are. (Copyright, 1949, New York Post Corporation) SLooking Back 50 YEARS AGO: While The Daily estimated that it would take a student 44 years to take all the sub- jects offered in the literary college, a Uni- versity bookstore offered 30 five-pound vol- umes of the Encyclopedia Britannica- nearly six feet of solid reading matter- for the sum of one buck. 20 YEARS AGO: The Junior Girls' Play "Forward March," a satire on women and warfare, was re- ceived enthusiastically in its opening per- formance at the Whitney Theatre. 1 YEAR AGO: After rabid clubs for and against General Fifty-Ninth Year Edited and managed by students of the University of Michigan under the authority of the Board in Control of Student Publications. Editorial Staff Harriett Friedman ....Managing Editor Dick Maloy..............City Editor Naomi Stern.......Editorial Director Allegra Pasqualetti ...Associate Editor Al Blumrosen ........Associate Editor Leon Jaroff.........Associate Editor Robert C. White. Associate Editor B. S. Brown ............Sports Editor Bud Weidenthal ..Associate Sports Ed. Bev Bussey .....Sports Feature Writer Audrey Buttery ......Women's Editor Mary Ann Harris Asso. Women's Editor Bess Hayes ..................Librarian Business Staff Richard Hait .......Business Manager Jean Leonard ....Advertising Manager william Culman ....Finance Manager Cole Christian ... Circulation Manager Telephone 23-24-1 Member of The Associated Press The Associated Press is exclusively entitled to the use for republidation of all news dispatches credited to it or otherwise credited to this newspaper. All rightseof republication of all other matters herein are also reserved. Entered at the Post Office at Ann Arbor. Michigan, as second-class mail matter. subscription during the regular school year by carrier, $5.00, by mail, $6.00. BARNABY Really kind of you to assist us by acting as my stand-in, -4 Gee! I'd like to be big and strona like tha- - 1 I Mr. Discobolus, if you'd like to give any testimonials for 1