PAGE FOUR THE MICHIGAN DAILY SUNDAY, DECEMBER 7, 1952 UU k BOOK REVIEW: Arrow in the Blue ARROW IN THE BLUE by Arthur Koest- ler; Macmillan. THIS FIRST volume of Koestler's auto- biography takes him from his birth in Budapest in 1905 to his alliance with the Communist party in 1931. Arthur Koestler has earned a wide repu- tation as a brilliant journalist, sensitive novelist, and keen political analyst. His gifts of lively chronicling, detached hu- mour, and penetrating psychological per- ception have produced some of the best firsthand reports from inside the hotbed of the first half of the twentieth century. Koestler's experience as an active Com- munist yielded the insight for Darkness at Noon (1940), Yogi and the Cojnmissar (1944), and The God That Failed (1950). His youthful effort as a colonist plus spor- adic sojourns in Palestine resulted in Thieves In the Night (1946) and Promise and Ful- fillment (1950). Koestler's daring and ideal- ism led him behind Franco's lines in 1937 for Dialogue with Death (1938) and Spanish Testament (1938), and the frustrating days of a cofrupt, crumbling pre-war France pro- duced Scum of the Earth (1941) and Age of Longing (1951). Arrow in the Blue is a remarkably suc- cessful synthesis of self-examination, politi- cal analysis, and historical sketching. The book strikes home at a college audience par- ticularly, for it covers Koestler's childhood, adolescence, university experience, and the five years following his departure from home and from school. Koestler's sensitive adventures in Vien- na, the Middle East, Paris, and Berlin gain significance and universality as they are set against the political and social phenomena of the day. His portrayal of his family and parents as they drift across Central Europe, cosmopolitan yet un- worldly, is deft, humorous, and sensitive. Koestler's chapter on the tumultous, care- free,' secure carryings-on of his Vienna 'Burschenscaft' (drinking and duelling fra- ternity) is a gem. Koestler studied for an engineering degree from the ages of 17 to 21, though mostly ignoring slide rules and laboratories in favor of the "highly enjoy- able activities of the Burschenschaft, read- ing in psychogy, psychiatry, and social en- , gineering, Zionist politics, and other pecul- iarly Viennese distractions. Koestler notes that his college years was the only period he thoroughly and completely enjoyed him- self without any feeling of guilt. Six months before graduation Koestler dropped his studies and left for Palestine to join a communal farm settlement. Though completely unacquainted with Zionism be- fore his university days, Koestler's Zionist Buschenschaft projected him into an active and leading role in the local movement. Arrow In the Blue reveals the excite- ment and the frustrations of Koestler's two years In the Middle East. Untrained and unprepared for the devbted, ascetic, malarial-ridden life of a pioneer farmer in the undeveloped Palestine of 1926 Koestler left the settlement to roam through Haifa, Tel Aviv, and Jerusalem. The Open City I think it was the distinguished delegate of the Philippines who mentioned the rising of cities on the banks of large rivers which led to great civilizations. I also see a great city growing up on the banks of the East River. This city has no moats or draw- bridges; it has no limits or boundaries; it does not fly the flag of Caesar. It is not built on rock or stone but on concepts and ideologies; it is not built with brick and mortar but with emotions and feelings. It is not built with the whip and lash but with freedom and dignity. May this open city of ideas, with an ever increasing number of flags, grow and spread by the Indus and the Ganges, the Don and the Volga, the Seine and the Tiber, the Nile and the Euphrates, the Amazon and the Mississippi, the Yellow River and the Yalu. Let history show that the peoples of this century have been great architects of hu- man dignity and human freedom, great builders of material colossi, great inventors of engines of destruction which they con- verted to the uplift and happiness of man- kind. -Concluding statement by Syed Amiad Ali of Pakistan, President of the 14th Session of ECOSOC, August 1, 1952 At The State. FLAT TOP, with Sterling Hayden and Richard Carlson. MONOGRAM Pictures, an outfit that rich- ly deserves its obscurity, apparently tried to cram every war-movie gimmick possible into this production. Not only does it fail to try anything new, but also does the rou- tine things as miserably as possible. The point of the whole business, when it can be glimpsed, completely fails to come off. As one of the characters puts it, the idea is that "there's no room for individualism in the Navy." Far from rep- resenting a huge and important military The year that followed was a constant struggle against hunger and despair, en- livened by the Bohemian atmosphere of his surroundings and acquaintances and occassional sales of political and travel articles to the European press. At twenty-two Koestler landed a job as Middle East correspondent for Germany's major news service, replete with interviews with Arab kings, investigations of the vices of Beirut and the poverty of Cairo, and a quixotic interest in the social and religious cranks that thronged the Holy Land. Too much a European to remain overseas, Koest- ler demanded, and got a Paris assignment in 1929 at the age of twenty-four. Arrow in the Blue deals mostly with anec- dotal trivia of Koestler's Middle East stay. Though it contains little by way of analysis or evaluation, its description of the ways of life and of the people there at the time has the sparkle of well-written sympathy and understanding. The superficiality of this portion of Koestler's autobiography, relative to the greater digestion and personal per- ception of other episodes, suggests that per- haps Koestler has still to come to terms with the values that pulled him from Vienna to Palestine twenty-five years ago and the ex- periences he had there. Koestler's year in Paris as a political reporter probably laid the groundwork for his later departure from the democratic camp to join the Communists in 1931. Arrow in the Blue notes the corruptness and the perennial crumbling of the French democratic system. Nevertheless a year later, in Berlin as a science journalist, Koestler still espoused the values of the Weimar Republic, middle-class, honest liberalism, a faith in reason and in the population, and a belief in progress and respectable democratic methods. Arrow in the Blue provides an amusing and captivating portrayal of the Berlin of the radical Bohemia, the staid, influential Ullstein Publishing House, denizens of public communication and a bulwark of German liberalism and the Weimar Republic, and the adventures of a science editor on Zep- pelin trips to the Arctic and interviewing in- ventive cranks and Nobel Prize winners. This was the Berlin of the 1920's and 1930's that replaced Paris as the capital of Europe, the Berlin of Isherwood's I Am a Camera, of cosmopolitanism, culture, inflation and un- employment, and impending catastrophe. Koestler sketches the distressing, lonely picture of Germany's hapless liberal forces caught between the twin suppressions of Nazi and Communist totalitarianism. Only at that time Koestler did not view them as twins. Sucked in by the Soviet myth and horrified by the selfish domination of Hit- ler's industrial sponsors and the callous racism of his frustrated supporters, Koestler deserted the sinking ship of liberalism and joined the only German force willing, able, and ready to slug it out with the Nazis in the gutters, the factories, and the minds of the masses, the Communist Party. In The God That Failed Koestler describes the twenty-four hour period preceding his letter to the German Central Communist Committee. It included a disastrous poker game, a drunken party, a cracked motor block in his recently repaired car, and a regretted overnight 'alliance.' Arrow in the Blue makes plain that though Koestler moves 'suddenly, as in his snap decision in 1926 to throw up his studies and leave for Palestine after an afternoon's intensive, re- flective discussion, his attitudes are well prepared by many months of thought and inclination. And given the shape of things in Germany in 1931, who can blame Koestler for grasping any tool to fight off the Nazi beast? True enough, Koestler's Arrow in the Blue admits that he became a Communist without reservations. But Koestler is the prototype of the modern man, at times in love with unreason, living the modern myths, and leaping at all-inclusive an- swers to humanity's and his own social problems. Arrow in the Blue makes equal- ly clear Koestler's life-time concern with the infinite, the absolute, the cure-all, the complete answer, and the utopia. Koestler's life led him from a cosmopoli- tan, cynical, gay Vienna to the Promised Land, with a short stopover in thegtolerant liberalism of Europe of the 1930's, and then a blind acceptance and faith in the Land of Promise. Yet each step was the product of a keen mind and a deep experience. --Ted Friedman settlement eventually, with Carlson con- fessing, "you were completely right, chief." Another major conflict involves a pilot grounded for disobedience by Hayden. He sulks around the ship until his big chance comes. With everybody else off on a mission, the carrier is attacked. This lad zooms into the air and shoots down six Zeros. There's a similarly glorious happy ending for almost everyone. None of the characters has more than an embryonic development, and the dialogue reflects this. Comic-book monstrosities like "Boy, would I hate to get in a dog-fight with him" are scattered liberally throughout. The sequences calculated to be tear- jerkers are clumsy, ridiculous and in poor MUSICS COMPLETE WITH massive choir, soloists, and accompanying ensemble, the Chor- al Union's annual super-colossal production of Handel's Messiah was undoubtedly a far cry from what the composer heard at its first performance. As a Christmas gesture of resounding faith, this performance was successful. From high in my vantage point in the second balcony, the choral sounds re- verberated off the walls beyond the exits for seconds after each section was finished. But as an expression of Handel's musical intent, there were flaws. The main com- plaint was the orchestra. A pick-up group, such as was employed last night, will na- turally not have the precise intonation or technic as an established group, but they should still play with enthusiasm. The fault . was primarily the conductor's. The overture was lifeless; McCoy could not get the slight- est crescendo from his musicians. From a purely choral standpoint, Mc- Coy proved himself much better. His choir was technically flawless, its tone predominanfly vocal, though on occasions the sopranos and altos sounded harsh. The only real trouble, however, was in lyric passages. In purely declamatory Choruses, like the famous Hallelujah chor- us, the massive choir is effective, but in the melodic chorus, like "For unto us a Child is born," the sound was too heavy. There were just too many people to sing softly. The soloists were the most interesting part of the program, James Pease, along with Eunice Alberts, being the most outstanding. Pease's voice, a rich operatic bass-baritone, was exciting in the dramatic recitative and aria, "The trumpet shall sound," while Miss Alberts was best in the aria, "He shall feed his flock," where her voice was especially suited to its soft, melodic line. Nancy Carr, soprano, was also at her best in this aria; in passages where she had to sing louder, her voice became a little strained. David Lloyd, tenor, has not a rich voice, which hampers him slightly, but in the recitative, "He that dwelleth in heaven," he showed a real dramatic quality. The Choral Union seems set upon main- taining their tradition of presenting only the Messiah as there first offering of the year, though there is certainly other ex- cellent Christmas music, by such composers as Bach and Palestrina. But if they are so intent on performing Handel, it would be a wonderful idea if they formed themselves into a Handel society, along with their other functions. They would have over thirty oratorios from which to choose, and would be doing the community, in fact the na- tion, a much greater musical service than they accomplish now. -Donald Harris DREW PEARSON: Washington Merry-Go-R ound WASHINGTON-Sources close to General '' Eisenhower say that if the President- elect had to have a break with Senator Taft, he would rather it came early than late. Though he did not expect or want the disapproval of the powerful GOP Senate leader over new Secretary of Labor Durkin, nevertheless Ike figured a break was prob- ably inevitable and, if so, he would rather battle it out with Taft during the first two years of his administration rather than the last two years. Meanwhile the most interesting thing about the headline-making Durkin appoint- ment is that it was largely accidental. It came about partly because Ike and advisers, 'having almost completed the cab- inet, looked it over and found no one repre- senting minority groups. It was a cabinet comprised solely of Protestants, and wealthy Protestants at that. So it was decided that the Secretary of Labor must be either a Catholic or a Jew. Prior to this, Governor Alfred Driscoll of New Jersey had been considered, though he happens to be a Presbyterian. He felt he must remain in New Jersey. - TAFT BLOWS - FRIENDS OF Senator Taft say that pri- vately he blew off more steam over the appointment of Sinclair Weeks as Secretary of Commerce than Durkin as Secretary of Labor. For Taft remembered all too vividly how he had helped make Weeks chairman of the finance committee of the Republican party following which Weeks, at a crucial moment of the pre-convention campaign, telegraphed members of the finance commit- tee and the GOP national committee urging that Taft withdraw his name from the race. Taft had also given Eisenhower a list of his recommendations to 'the cabinet, from which, however, not one name was select- ed; and Taftites say this was a breach of the Morningside Heights agreement on patronage. Though Taft got credit for appointing his distant cousin, Ezra Taft Benson, as Secre- tary of Agriculture, and George Humphrey of Cleveland as Secretary of the Treasury, actually he initiated neither. Meanwhile, he was convinced that Dewey was passing on if not picking the entire cabinet. "How About Launching A Dove Over Here?" iette/J TO THE EDITOR The Daily welcomes communications from Its readers on matters at 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. [+ARRT + THE ANN ARBOR Art Association's 30th Annual Show is currently on display in the Rackham galleries, where it continues through December 18th. Hours are until 10 p.m. daily, closed Sundays. There are a great many paintings in the four rooms, and it must have been a great deal of work for the hanging committee of two, namely Messrs. Thomas McClure and Cecil North. They did a competent job and are not, of course, responsible for the gen- eral quality of the stuff inside the frames. Unfortunately, most of the paintings may most accurately and kindly be described as clumsy and inadequate. Too much of the Same Old Stuff without even the justification of technical competence. Roughly 80% of the wall space is taken up by flower-fanciers, landscape lovers, and imitative modernists. For all the difference it makes in the representational work of the first two varieties, none of the artists from the Minoan period to the present need ever have picked up a brush. They are "natural" painters who paint what they see-what anyone can see-leaving out only the qualities essential to art (vitality, imagination, etc.), but capturing all the details their in- adequately trained senses and hands permit. The modern-type canvasses are generally a little better because any attempt to be weird requires some inventiveness. They don't suc- ceed either, though, because they are copying externals, and have not turned to cubism or whatever out of artistic necessity for this form of expression, but because it is The Thing To Do, and to prove to the world that they are Up On Their Picasso. Happily, there are some good works peppered into each of these groups, and their competence is greatly enhanced by the particular context. These form a part of the wholesome 20%, together with some others that would hold their own in any show, mostly by the old de- pendables. Carlos Lopez' "Three Musicians" captures'the largest slice of cake, as far as your reviewer is concerned. Kamrowski is the clos- est thing we have to Picasso in Michigan, so far as I can see. He has never stopped too long in one spot, and "Jack in the Box" is in a much different vein than the canvasses I have seen lately with his signature. The principle of the thing is more pleasing than this particular color riot, which sthikes me as slightly gaudy and a little too deliberate. After the Association's trinity showing earlier in the year, I carefully sought out Bill Lewis' FREIGHTER FROZEN IN. It doesn't seem to have quite the vigor of some of his earlier pieces; still, it's one of the eight or ten really good paintings in the show. His stoneware pot is also quite good. Jamie Ross is another artist I sought out for his previous per- formance, and here again I feel that his "Landscape with Lonely Trees" falls a bit flat after some of his others. His smaller watercolor, "New England Street," is much more satisfactory. Those of you who have seen Ross' mobiles might be interested to know that he has several of them on display in the coffee room of the Arts Theatre Club. There are a few pleasant surprises to be found here also, chief- ly in the work of Mark L. Harris, Jr. I would take his "Animals" or "Conversation" in preference to any painting in the show ex- cept the Lopez; unfortunately, none of the three is for sale. When I first saw Harris' canvasses, I took them to be the work of an exceptionally gifted child somewhere between six and twelve' years old. The only information I have to the contrary is a listing in the Ann Arbor telephone directory, so I presume my bubble of en- thusiasm is pricked. I now half-expect a large gentleman between 20 and 30 to des- cend on me in a furry, but I'll stick to my guns. I don't, of course, mean that either canvas is childish. But both reveal the uncluttered and delightful imagination of the child, both in the conception and col- oring. Harris, whatever his age, has retained what Herbert Read calls "the innocent eye," and manages to transfer his vision to the canvas. Although the two are only slightly similar otherwise, Harris shares this outlook with Paul Klee, one of the brightest lights in 20th century art. Russell Steinke is another welcome addition to my list of "discoveries." His "Summer Evening" is an extremely powerful and moving study of a negro couple; the asking price leads me to conclude that Steinke is already well-established, so he is probably new only to me. His not-for-sale "Nude Figure" is just as fine, on a smaller scale, as his other. The ceramicists are as good, on the whole, as the painters are bad. Not a piece that doesn't bear detailed inspection and satisfy sight and touch. There is apparently no end to the variety of beautiful forms, glazes and designs that these people can concoct. As seems to be the usual thing in pottery displays hereabouts, J. T. Abernathy carries off top honors. His black plate with white design is excellent in every respect. His vase is only slightly less wonderful, and a huge bowl with red interior glaze is the biggest bargain in the building. Pauline Elliott is perhaps Abernathy's most serious contender, with a large green plate, a large speckled vase, and a light green bowl. For the rest, you pays your money and you takes your choice, but this is only figuratively true, as only about half the pieces are offered for sale to the covetous onlooker. This is a great pity, because a fine pot can apparently be had for much less than even a punk oil, judging by the price list. In the "for sale" class, pay particular attention to Jean Hazen, Dorothy Cahill, R J. Raymond, Ann Rae, and Ethel Kudrna Lewis, who is willing to part with one of her three pieces. No censure intended, but it is our misfortune that Mimi Dobson, Helene Allmen- dinger, and G. Dart have either already sold-or would rather not Puzzled... To the Editor: HAVE BEEN following Bernie Backhaut's political develop- ment via the Letters to the Editor column with interest and not with- out some confusion. Last year Mr. Backhaut was a loyal if somewhat deviant member not only of the Young Democrats and the Civil Liberties Committee but SDA, the parent organization of which he now implies is radical. In the mid- dle of the Presidential campaign he was lured into the camp of the Young Republicans, and evidently renouncing all his previous politi- cal affiliations, became an ardent supporter of Eisenhower, To add to my already confused state of mind, Mr. Backhaut came out in the Letters column a few days after the election, with a let- ter in highest praise of Governor Stevenson. By then I realized that Mr. Backhaut must be contemplat- ing writing a book entitled "I Was a Republican for the SDA." Mr. Backhaut's last contribu- tion in Tuesday's Daily tries to smear one of the most sincere and hard working liberals on campus. Perhaps Bernie means to change the title of his book to "Backhaut, the Man, the Chameleon, the Ism.", -Jack Johnson * * * Rose Bowl.. .. To the Editor: FOR THE second consecutive F year, Michigan is not going to the Rose Bowl. Do you want to know why? Well, I'll tell you why. It was because of the Illinois game. That was the only home Big 10 contest in which the Victors were not very valiant and, had we won that game, the Wolverines would now be practicing for the New Years day classic at Pasadena. But no. Why was this game lost? I'll tell you why. There was only one canceled pep rally this season and that was scheduled for the night before the Illinois game. Who can attribute this to ordinary coin- cidence? Who can say for sure that this was just negligence ra- ther than a calculated plot so in- famous as to deprive the Maize & Blue of the glory they so justly deserve? Who can claim that the cancellation of this pephrally had nothing to do with the ultimate determination of the Western Con- ference champions? It does not look good for the Wolverine Club from here. Either someone slipped somewhere or there is a dastardly plot in our midst, a plot so vile as to dwarf the deeds of Benedict Arnold, Pan- cho Via, Alger Hiss and Rudolph, the red nosed reindeer. The circumstances involved in the cancellation of this rally should be investigated immediate- ly. Now if only the Wolverine Club would invite a speaker. -E. Sterling Sader Coffin Nails .. . To the Editor: A CAMPUS newspaper, which rightly seeks to preserve its integrity against attacks from without, must be continually on guard against threats to its integ- rity from within. To this end, it must at all times adhere to the highest standards of journalistic ethics. It must be objective in its news, courageous in its editorials, and honest in both. Any depar- ture from these canons weakens the effectiveness of the collegiate press, and gives more ammunition to those who would suppress or censor it. A case painfully in point is Gene Hartwig's signed editorial, "Ike's Labor Appointee" (Daily, Dec. 5), which said in part: "The appointment means that organized labor will have direct access to the White House. In ad- dition, the President will have at his disposal a man who can advise on how labor will react to public policy measures. Durkin may also act as a spokesman who can inter- pret the views of the administra- tion to labor and the public." Three days earlier, in the Ann Arbor News of December 2, the fol- lowing statement appeared in Da- vid Lawrence's copyrighted syn- dicated column: "it means that union labor will have direct access to the White House. It means also that the new President will have at his elbow a man who can tell him how Labor will react to various proposals of public policy. Likewise, Gen. Eis- enhower will have a spokesman who can interpret the views of his administration to labor and the The Bank Dick .. To the Editor: FIRST SAW "The Bank Dick" when I was 15 years old. I couldn't recommend my critical opinion at that age but I thought it very funny-so funny that I had the nerve to take my father to see it. Though he never liked movies. He liked this one, though he never said so. Since then I have tasted the tra- ditional subtleties of Indian Kath- akali Drama, and the richness of the European stage. I've also seen "The Bank Dick" five more times. I still enjoy it. I recommend it to all my friends. W.C. Fields was seriously a very funny man. He had presence. The depths of: "Don't get excited, honey. I was only try- ing to guess your weight." This film is no mere television bait. -John F. Mills «nw.a Mail, Please . . To the Editor: AM WRITING this letter in hopes it will improve the mail situation in my squad. We are in the First Marine Di- vision, Recon Company, now serv- ing in Korea. When we are not making patrols we just lay around in hopes we may receive some mail from back home. We would like to correspond with some of the wo- men at the University of Michi- gan who 'would be interested in writing to some of us Marines in Korea. Here are our names and ad- dresses: Pfc Jimmy R. Willis 1162151 Cpl. Bill Samaha 1168537 Cpl. Kent Nixon 1188316 Cpl. Andrew Guidry 1182625 Pfc. Howard C. Davenport 1192158 Sgt. Ted Amos 1095204 Bobby Strode HA/USN 348-36-52 Recon Co. 1st Mar. Div. FMF c/o Fleet Post Office San Francisco, California -Jimmy R. Willis Tom and Bernie .. . To the Editor: I N A LETTER in Tuesday's Daily Bernie Backhaut refers to him- self as "a liberal Democrat," and bemoans the fact that he cannot return to the fold because it has been captured by the awful ADA. In a letter to me, dated last Tuesday, Bernie refers to himself as "an Independent Democrat- sort of a Wayne Morse in reverse." Still later in the letter he says that the most effective vote-getter to- day is a "Conservative Democrat." Now, I do not know Blue Car- stensen, nor am I a member of the ADA, but I do know Bernie, all too well, and I do consider myself to be a good Democrat, so here's what I think. It has not yet been made a crime in this country to be an ADA mem- ber. If the majority of Young Dem- ocrats at the University desired Mr. Carstensen for their President and voted for him, I think Tho- mas Jefferson would approve. And in any event it is decidedly~much better to have as President of the YD's a person who is still not ashamed to be called a Democrat- rather than a person who has quit his party, is still undecided wheth- er he is liberal, conservative, or independent, and who regards Bob Taft as the finest Senator sitting in Washington today. At any rate, we can hardly blame Bernie from wanting to get away from the company he's been keeping since he quit the YD's. -Gene Mossner I f 4 0, 4P i Sixty-Third Year Edited and managed by students of the University of Michigan under the authority of the Board in Control of Student Publications. Editorial Staff Crawford Young......,Managing Editor Barnes Connable........... City Editor Cal Samra ... ....... Editorial Director Zander Holander .... Feature Editor Sid Klaus- ,. ,.. Associate City Editor Harland Britz..a.,...... Associate Editor Donna Hendleman ... Associate Editor Ed Whipple......-.. ..Sports Editor John Jenks.... Associate Sports Editor Dick Sewell.. Associate Sports Editor Lorraine Butler.......Wowen's Editor Mary Jane Mills, Assoc. Women's Editor Business Staff At Green ....B..... . Business Manager Milt Goetz ... Advertising Manager Diane Johnston... Assoc. Business Mgr. Judy Loehnberg ... Finance Manager rom Treeger .... -Circulation Manager