THE MICHIGAN DAILY WEDNESDAY, MAY 14, 1952 SL's Procedui STUDENT Legislators will be confronted with a three-point effort to cure their procedural ailments tonight. Although the motion to be presented would probably snip vey little actual red tape, the effort to deal with a chronic problem is commendable. The proposal, sponsored by SDA presi- dent Ted Friedman provides that: 1-Committees be limited to 10 minutes in giving their weekly reports, outside of any motions which may be brought up. 2-Strenuous efforts be made to obtain standing late permission for women mem- bers in order to avoid forced adjourn- ments before the agenda has been covered. 3--Every third week, the agenda be juggled so that old and new business should precede instead of follow the com- mittee reports. The first point seems of dubious benefit, inasmuch as the committee reports stripped of accompanying motions rarely exceed the limit set. The time wastage comes in on trifling motions which occasionally arouse trifling debate. The second plank is very worthwhile, but unfortunately is not a new idea. The Legis- lature in the past has made repeated at- tempts to work outsome such blanket ar- rangement with 'the Dean of Women, but has only been able to obtain late permission for specific meetings when a long agenda is anticipated. Suggestion number three also has some ral Red Tape IRAMA merit, and perhaps might be a beneficial revision of SL's standard operating pro- cedure. The complaint is that members who wish to bring up new issues or pre- sent motions that the cabinet declines to sponsor are often frustrated by a clock- dictated adjournment before new and old business, now the last items on the agenda, are reached. However, if an urgent matter needs to be brought up, the rules may be suspended -and often are-to consider it out of its scheduled order on the agenda. More important than the specific re- commendations are the reminder they present that a student government should always keep in check the inevitable ten-' dency of its procedural machinery to be- come too ponderous and unwieldy. Of course, on the other hand, efficiency should never be obtained at the expense of adequate consideration for all im-. portant decisions. Those who listened to retiring president Len Wilcox's summary of SL's year last week could not but agree that this has been the most productive and constructive of the Legislature's six years on campus. But en- tangling procedure remains always a sore point. Whether the motion in question pass- es or it, it will have accomplished a valid purpose if it can re-focus attention on the problem. ---Crawford Young A". XIettei' TO THE EDITOR The Daily welcomes communications from its readers on matters of general interest, and will publish all letters which are signed by the writer and in good taste. Letters exceeding 300 words In length, defamatory or libelous letters, and letters which'for any reason are not in good taste will be condensed, edited or withheld from publication at the discretion of the editors. Religion at the University -Two Views- A GREAT misconception has arisen in the minds of many University students of the SL Student Religion Committee's pro- posal to expand University offerings in reli- gion courses and obtain a head co-ordinator for the studies. Unfortunately, many students have come to think of the committee's plan as a method of cramming a certain philo- sophy or lreligion down one's throat. Actually, the committee clearly states in its report that, "The end sought is under- standing, rather than belief. The aim is to provide a working philosophy of life through opening the student's eyes to the fundamental problems and to provide him with the best materials for finding an ans- wer." Up to this time, the University has offered 'only specific courses in religion under its "Religion in Ethics" curriculum, without first laying the groundwork with more gen- eral survey courses., Because of this, the Student Religious Committee's /report seeks to expand the present program to include courses in reli- gious history, comparative religion and other similar courses, designed to fully acquaint the students with different sec- tarian beliefs. Thus far, the committee's report has been backed up by SRA, SL, Ann Arbor student pastors, members of the original Faculty Committee on Religion (which formed a similar plan in 194'8), and by President Har- lan H. Hatcher in his speech Monday to the' students. Although it would of course be dan- gerous for a state university to allow one specific religion to be taught to the ex- clusion of others, this in no way means that a university should not recognize religion. In fact, the Northwest Ordinance, which proclaimed that "religion, morality, and knowledge being necessary to good government and the happiness of man- kind, schools and the means of education, shall forever be encouraged," gives this in- stitution a moral obligation to recognize this facet of learning. If the committee's proposal is approved by the administration, it would mean a great step forward in expanding the educa- tional background of University students, in enhancing each student's own philosophy of life, and in eliminating religious preju- dice. --Marilyn Floridis and William Riley UNTIL RECENTLY it was assumed that the Constitution embraced all Ameri- cans, whether believers, agnostics or athe- ists. Now it seems popular to contend that "the state cannot be perfectly neutral in religion" and that "the state- believes in God." This is the erroneous premise of the Student Legislature's Committee on Religion in its argument for the expansion of the religious program at the University. On the contrary, the nation's history is replete with examples citing the necessity of maintaining a state entirely divorced from any religious basis. To cite but a few: In 1796 the American treaty with Tripoli, signed by George Washington, specifically stated that the United States government was not founded on the Christian religion. In 1807, Jefferson resisted religious pres- sure to name a national day of prayer, and in 1832 Jackson similarly refused to recom- mend a national fast day. In 1830, Richard M. Johnson, later vice- president of the United States, said in his famous report on "Sunday Observance and the Mail," that the Constitution "gives no more authority to adopt a measure affecting the conscience of a solitary Individual than that of a whole community." Indeed, it is noteworthy that the Constitution itself is an entirely secular document; the word God is nowhere mentioned in it. Basically then, the assumption that the state, of necessity, must be in accord with religion and that subsequently, a state- sponsored university Is an organ fbr the voicing of religious views, is false. As yet, agnosticism and atheism have not been outlawed. If the rights of these groups are ever abridged, the freedom of the "be- lievers" will become equally insecure. As Mr. Justice Jackson of the Supreme Court recently said, "The day that this country ceases to be free for irreligion it will cease to be free for religion." -Bob Jaffe Editorials printed In The Michigan Daily are written by members of The Daily staff and represent the views of the writer only. This must be noted in all reprints. NIGHT EDITOR: ALICE BOGDONOFP At Lydia Mendelssohn. . GOODBYE, MY FANCY, presented by the University of Michigan Drama Season. THE drama festival is an institution con- ceived by the Greeks some 2500 year ago. Although the purpose has undergone some alterations with the centuries, the idea still seems like a good one, and las night the annual local edition was launche with the presentation of a 1948 comedy- drama, "Goodbye, My Fancy." The produc- tion gives promise of a sound and enjoyable season. The acting is polished and professional, the play is admirably constructed, and the comedy, though not startlingly original, is deft and well-handled. Still, it is not the kind of play that would have been precisely comfortable in a Greek festival. It is distinctly difficult to main- tain much credulity in the central charac- ters or to find anything very stirring in the political and ethical repartee. This may be due to the fact that a commodity like cour- age is a little uncomfortable in a slick comedy. Also, Miss Sylvia Sidney is too persuasive an actress to be really hard-put to get people to swallow her political pill. At the end, it seems like her capsule was sugar-coated in the bargain, and much enjoyed by all. This-is perhaps proper in the well-nade play. Miss Sidney as the liberal congress- woman invests the vehicle with the warmth and color of long experience. Apparently born with a social conscience, she graduated from the storm-tossed de- pression waifs of her early years in Holly- wood to the competent woman of the world roles of more recent times. She is, however, by interpretation here a female first, a politician only second. It is there- fore probably unpardonable to prefer her salty candor of the second act to her fluttery flight to commencement exercises as t e final curtain falls. The men in this drama are definitely secondary. Note that the brainchild of a lady playwright, who, typically, conceives one of her heroes as middle-aged, handsome, and dignified; the other as middle-aged, handsome, and undignified. It is not very difficult to guess which one the heroine thinks she wants, then guess which one she chooses. Capably managing the role of the college president is David Orrick, who is suitably nondescript, even in his final "reformation" at the end. Robert Webber plays the Life photographer like a devil-may-care Errol Flynn. He is quite successful. Other fairly stock roles are acted by .Jean Casto, as the wise-cracking secre- tary; Cynthia Latham, as the Old Guard housemother; Dortha Duckworth, as the president of the Alumni Association; and Beverly Dennis, as the idealistic student. Each of them Is finely interpreted. Despite the fact that this is the kind of stage comedy that Warner Brothers pur- chases (and, in fact, did), it is, within its limits, entertaining and highly acceptable as stagecraft. The runners are slick after "Goodbye, My Fancy," and the festival is rolling, Aristotle notwithstanding. -Bill Wiegand 'S e. e ., -Daily-Bill Hampton "You may as well give it up, Bloggins - the thing opened last night." ON THE Washington MerryGoRound with DREW PEARSON Counterproposal... To the Editor: ON MAY 5, during a meeting with President Hatcher, I pre- sented a letter to him with a counter-proposal on the present Lecture Committee. Because of recent undue and unfavorable publicity to the University, I felt' that some changes were called for. The proposals were: 1-that the present regulations requiring Lec- ture . Committee, approval o f speakers be removed. 2-that the regulations concerning subversion be retained. Quoting now from my letter . .. "Subversion being de- fined as in the (Univerrsity) "Re- gulations." These regulations pro- hibit addresses 'which urge the destruction or modification of government by violence or other unlawful methods . s' "This definition does not ' and should not include the advocacy of social change, no matter how radical the change may be. It should apply only to the tradition- al concept of subversion, i.e. the advocacy of force and violence. "3--All speakers brought to the campus by students or student or- ganizations be considered guests of their sponsors . . . . 'Univer- sity students or student organiza- tions are responsible for their guests' compliance with the stan- dards of conduct.' "Such a move would have dis- tinct advantages over the present set-up. It would relieve the Uni- versity of the responsibility of passing judgment on speakers and of the unfavorable publicity re- sulting from an unpopular deci- sion. It would place on the stu- dents the responsibility of seeing that the regulations are not vio- lated. "If the University feels that such a policy might not be en- forceable, I suggest the following procedure. Each student organi- zation notify the University three days in advance, giving it the name of the speaker, his topic, and other such pertinent informa- tion. If the University has any doubts as to the fitness of this in- dividual, it can send an official observer to the meeting. "If this policy were carried out, there would be no danger of the Regents' By-laws against "sub- version" being violated. No stu- dent organization would Jeopar- dize .its existence by bringing such a speaker nor is a speaker apt to place his followers in peril by violating the regulation." -Marge Buckley Co-Chairman, Young Progressives "THE COURAGE of a man and that of a woman are not, ias Socrates supposed, the same: the courage of a man is shown in com- manding; that of a woman in obeying . . . As the poet says, Si- lence is a, woman's glory.' -Aristotle DAILY OFFICIAL BULLETINj I! . * a a A EAA *A -4 APpAA AA *..S A ~ *~p AAAA WHAT can be said about Gargoyle, any- way? What can be said about a joke, a pun, a funny story? For that matter, what can be said about an elephant, except perhaps that it is a nicely planned elephant, efficiently designed to carry logs, howdahs, or mauhouts? But something, obviously, must be said about Gargoyle-this is a review-so I shall observe it on the same terms as those employed with the elephant. It is a historical Gargoyle. Does it, therefore, broaden the reader's knowledge of history, provide him with new perspectives on the massive panorama of human experience through many centuries? No . . . some- thing more. It is a May Gargoyle. Does it, therefore, incline the reader to such spring-like activities as galloping around a Maypole, singing madrigals beside a brook, or sprinkling daisies on doorsteps? No, not exactly. It is a Gargoyle, which in my mind stands for a grotesque-something made purpose- ly to be somewhat outside the ordinary ner with extremely interesting advertise- ments, while Stu Ross' cartoons and draw- ings reflect his ability to do with one simple line what less skilled draughtsmen have. failed to do in twenty. For delicacy in style and wit, I recommend to you Ross' four cartoons "We Came, We Saw . . ." some- where near the middle of the magazine. Depending on y ur taste, you may like a tidy little opera entitled "The Battejed Broad," written by Ross and Editor Don Malcolm, who thoughtfully inserted it in a conveniently detachable form. It is occa- sionally based on Carmen, though the arias may be traced to more primitive sources. I rather liked "Custard's Last Hand," by Dave Palmer, of uncertain derivation, pure his- tory. The same goes for "A Tail in Two Cities" by Malcolm and Ross which dis- closes a hitherto undisclosed plot between Paul Revere and King George III. My sympathies do not quite extend to Bill Russell's "The Idiot and the Oddity,"1 whose one page spread contains the most{ unholy melange of puns I have ever en- countered. But "I Remember Rodney" by CURRENT MOVIES At The Oi-phenm ,.. A SIMPLE CASE OF MONEY. WITH THE strained comic attempts of Abbott and Costello's "Jack and the Beanstalk" still painfully clear in the mem- ory it is refreshing to find a movie in town that is really funny. "A Simple Case of Money" is not so much about money as the things just the promise of money can accomplish. Three people- a tramp, a downtrodden housewife, and a 106-year old postman-mistakenly believe they have won the French national lottery. As a result the first finds a friend, the sec- ond recovers the love of her husband, and the third acts as matchmaker for a local Romeo and Juliet. Notwithstanding the im- plications of the title, this is really not such a "simple case." The charm of the picture lies in the fresh, easy manner in which it is enacted. All of the major actors are exceptionally natural, making the slapstick which forms a basis for the comedy unusually believe- able. The first and third episodes are completely farcical, but the second adds a note of pathos and provides a very nice contrast for the other two. Although it is difficult to say whether the dialogue fulfills all its possibilities, the Eng- lish subtitles are subtle and witty. In spots the translation is spotty, giving only a bare idea of the conversation, but the gestures and actions of the cast sketch in the gen- eral picture. The photography is not outstanding, and occasionally lapses into plain inadequacy. With their lack for capturing realistic spon- taneity it is disappointing that a few foreign films fail technically to exploit it. There is none of the round neatness of a Holly- wood production in this movie, and it suf- WASHINGTON-Congressmen who put their wives on the govern- ment payroll have dreamt up various excuses for this type of nepotism, but the excuse of Congressman Ernest Bramblett, Cali- fornia Republican, takes the prize over all. He claims it's necessary to have his wife around to make sure Communists don't sneak into his office and steal his secrets. In a letter to his constituents, Bramblett warns ominously: "We know that Communist agents are everywhere around us. They're in every strategic place in the Nation, particularly so in California. "They are thriving on the alarming number of security leaks caused by highly recommended, but lonely or homesick govern- ment secretaries talking to unsuspected 'friends' in Washington, "In fact, it has reached the point that you don't know who can be entrusted with confidential data and who can't." However, Bramblett is sure his wife isn't a Communist, so he confides: "I had to resort to taking Mrs. Bramblett out of our home, away from the children, enlisting her help to handle matters of a confidential nature, to escape this problem on my staff." The suspicious congressman neglects to explain what secrets he has in his possession that the Kremlin is plotting to steal. As a member of the House Agriculture Committee, he has access to nothing more top secret than the latest cure for chicken -:ce. Even these farm secrets will be safe with Bramblett, however. "I thank goodness," he explains, "that I married an extremely capable secretary 30 years ago, because since her addition to our office, there are no worries about information leaks to the Kremlin coming from our personnel!' PRESIDENTIAL PEEVE OVER STEEL THE STEEL COMPANIES had no inkling of it, but President Truman came close to putting them under the command of an Army general at the height of the steel crisis. What aroused the President was a dispatch he read on the news ticker that several steel companies were locking out the returning steel workers. In a rage, Truman summoned an emergency meeting of his steel advisers. Though it was already after dusk, Secretary of Defense Lovett, Secretary of Commerce Sawyer, Acting Attorney- General Perlman and Acting Mobilizer Steelman dropped every- thing and rushed to the White House. The President read them the news flash and announced firmly that he didn't intend to let the steel companies get away with a lockout. Perlman promptly suggested that "we get an Army general to run the steel mills for the Government." * Truman was irate enough to approve of the idea, but Secre- taries Lovett and Sawyer warned against it. They argued that it was too drastic a step and that, anyway, an Army general might not know how to run the mills. Perlman then suggested bringing an injunction against the steel operators, forcing them to admit the workers back on their jobs. Meanwhile, more details came over the news ticker, and it turned out that the steel companies were not defying the Government but ex- pressing a worry about shutting the steel furnaces off and on. So President Truman cooled down. Before the emergency meeting broke up, however, Secretary of Defense Lovett expressed the hope that Secretary of Commerce Sawyer would take part in the week-end negotiations with CIO Chief Phil Murray and U.S. Steel President Ben Fairless. But Steelman broke in sharply. "This type of matter is in my hands," he declared. Actually the labor dispute should come under the Secretary of Labor. However, Steelman has so monopolized labor problems that Secretary of Labor Tobin has considered leaving the cabinet. * * * * . ANTI-YANKEE BLOC FOR SOMETIME it has been suspected, though never concretely proved, that Dictator Peron of Argentina was trying to build up an anti-Yankee bloc in Latin America. In Bolivia, for instance, his hand unquestionably was behind the recent bloody revolution. Now, however, concrete evidence has been pinned on Peron, and the Argentine Ambassador to Ecuador, Csay Mazzetti, has been thrown out of that country for interfering in the Ecuadorian elections. The man who threw him out is Democratic President Galo Plaza, the only South American president born in the United States and one of the few remaining champions of free government in the Western Hemisphere. He had caught the Argentine Ambassador contributing more than $15,000 to the election campaign of J. M. Velasco Ibarra, ex- Ecuadorian dictator who has returned from exile in Buenos Aires to run for President of Ecuador on a dictatorial platform obviously "made in Argentina." The amazing part of Ambassador Mazzetti's performance was that at first he made no secret of meddling in Ecuador's domestic affairs. He instructed the Argentine consul in Guayaquil to give Velasco as- (Continued from Page 2) American Chemical Society Lecture. The University of Michigan Section sponsors a lecture by Professor Harold C. Urey, Institute of Nuclear Studies, University of Chicago, on "Some Chem- ical Evidence Relative to the Origin of the Earth," at 8 p.m., Thursday, May 15, in the Rackham Amphitheatre. All interested persons are invited. Academic Notices Engineering Mechanics Seminar. Wed., May 14, 3:45 p.m., 101 W. Engi- neering Bldg. Mr. J. R. Sellars will speak on "Some Problems in Stability of Laminar Flow." Seminar in Applied Mathematics. Thurs., May 15, 4 p.m., 247 W. Engi- neering Bldg. Mr. K. M. Siegel of Wil- low Run Research Center will speak onr "Scattering from a semlinfinite cone." Logic Seminar, wed. May 14, 2 p.m., 2219. Angell Hall. Mr. J. R. Shoenfield will continue his talk on' "Axiom Sys- tems for Mathematics." Geometry Seminar. wed., May 14, 4:10 p.m, 3001 A. H. Mr. Joseph Ben- nett will talk on "Equidistant Loci in Hyperspace." Seminar in Mathematical Statistics. Wed.,, May 14.3 p.m., 3201 Angell Hall. Messrs. Tysver and Royston will be the speakers. Orientation Seminar (mathematics). Wed., May 14, 2 p.m., 3001 A. H. Mr. Akers will discuss "Thompson Geome- try., Doctoral Examination for Sidney Ro- sen, Social Psychology; thesis: "Social Power and Interpersonal Adjustment," Wed., May 14. 10 a.m., East Council Room, Rackham Bldg. Chairman, Ron- ald Lippitt. Doctoral Examination for Myrtle Fos- ter Black, Education; thesis: "The Or- ganization of a Public Community Col- lege Program in Relation to Postsecon- dary Educational Interests and Needs in an Industrial Community," Thurs., May 15, 1 p.m., 3203 University High School. Chairman, A. D. Henderson. Doctoral Examination for Ernest Henry Wakefield, Electrical Engineer- ing; thesis: "The Opening of the Pro- portional Region to Beta Counting and the Development of Two Flow Beta Counters," Thurs., May 15, 1:30 p.m., 2507 E. Engineering Bldg. Chairman, S. S. Attwood. Aero Seminar. Mr. James S. Murphy, Willow Run Research Center, will talk on "Some Effects of Surface Curva- ture on Laminar Boundary Layer Flow," Trhurs., May 15, 4 p.m., 1504 E. Engineer- ing Bldg. All interested are invited. Concerts Arts Chorale and Women's choir, Maynard Klein, Conductor, will present a program at 8:30 p.m., Wed., May 14, in Hill Auditorium. Soloists will include Glenna Gregory, Mary LeCompte, Joan St. Dennis, Ruth Orr, Arthur Jones, Robert Kerns, Sylvia Schreiber, and Donald Haas; Mary Catherine Hutch- ins, Jane Townsend and Kathleen Bond will accompay the groups. Included in the program are compositions by Brahms, Franck, Walther, Mozart, Ran- dall Thompson, Ralph vaughan Wil- liams, and Ross Lee Finney of the School of Music faculty. The public is invited. Student Recital: Charles Stephenson, tenor, will present a program at 8:30 p.m., Thurs., May 15, in the Rackham Assembly Hall, in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Master of Music degree. Mr. Stephenson studies voice with Harold Haugh, and has plan- ned a program to include works by Carissimi, Scarlatti, Handel, Porpora, Vaughan-Williams, Finney, and Schu- bert. It wil be open to the public. I Events Today I. refreshments. All those of Polish des- cent and their friends are invited. Wesleyan Guild: Do-Drop-In for tea and talk, 4 to 5:30 p.m., Guild Lounge. Cabinet meeting, 8:30 p.m., Guild Lounge. Civil Liberties Committee. Meeting, 7:30 p.m., League. Election of officers. All members are urged to attend. All' other persons are welcome. . Coffee Hour for students and faculty of Speech and Music, 4 to 6 p.m. Union Terrace Room. U. of M. Rifle Club will meet at the ROTC Rifle Range, 7:15 p.m. A return match with the Ann Arbor Rifle Club is to be fired. Student Legislature. Meet in the n derson-Strauss dining room, East Quad at 7:30 p.m. All interested students are invited. Coming Events International Center Weekly Tea for foreign students and American friends, 4:30-6 p.m., Thurs., May 15. U. of M. Sailing Club. Meeting, Thurs., May 15, 7:30 p.m., 311 W. Engineering. Election of oficers. Shore school for new members. Saturday and Sunday-Midwest Col- legiate Dingy Championships at Whit- more Lake, Banquet, Sat., May 17. 7 p.m., Union. Chess Club. Meeting, 8 p.m., Thurs., May 15, Union. International Relations Club. Busi- ness meeting, Thurs., May 15, 7:30 p.m., League. Modern Poetry Club. Meeting, Thurs., April 15, 7:30 p.m., Conference Room, League. All poems of Wilfred Oweri In- cluded in the Oscar Williams anthology will be discussed. Mr. Greenhut of the English Department will participate. This is the lastrmeeting of the year and members are urged to attend. Guests welcome. Literary College Conference Steering Committee. Thurs., May 15, 4 p.m., 1011 Angell Hall. A new Chairman will be elected. ,', --- Sixty-Second Year Edited and managed by students of the University of Michigan under the authority of the Board in Control of Student Publications. Editorial Staff Chuck Elliott .......Managing Editor Bob Keith................City Editor Leonard Greenbaum, Editorial Director Vern Emerson ..........Feature Editor IRon Watts .............Associate Editor Bob Vaughn ...........Associate Editor Ted Papes ............. Sports Editor George Flint ....Associate Sports Editor Jim Parker .....Associate Sports Editor Jan James .............Women's Editor Jo Ketelhut, Associate Women's Editor Bnse'tts Staf7 Bob Miller.........Business Manager Gene Kuthy. Assoc. Business Manager Charles Cuson ....Advertising Manager Milt Goetz........ Circulation Manager 4 -Z I