PAGE FOUR THE MICHIGAN DAILY SUNDAY, MARCH 13, 1953, WAGE FOUR TIlE MICHIGAN DAILY SUNDAY, MARCH 13, 195~ THREE-FOURTHS AFFILIATED: Safe, Vague Conservatism Displayed by Candidates A Cloud No Bigger Than a Man's Future DAVIS INTERVIEW: An Expert Looks at American Literature 4I A QUICK SURVEY of candidates and their platforms makes it evident that Steve Jelin issued a legitimate warning last Wed- nesday night. Discussing three possible pitfalls for student government under SGC, he men- tioned loss of "liberalism" as embodying one of his greatest fears for student government in the next few years. Although he stressed the presence of ex-officio members on SGC as a great cause of a conservative coloring, he might well have added the elected candidates also. All 24 candidates were asked five questions for The Daily supplement appearing in con- junction with today's Daily. The questions aimed at giving candidates opportunity to express opinions on some of the specific cam- pus issues I.e. driving ban, bias clauses, fra- ternity and sorority rushing problems, con- troversial sections of the SGC proposal, and methods of improving over SL's record of the last eight years. With few exceptions candidates talked around the campus' pressing issues. For some reason every entry seemed to think he had to mention in his small alloted space that one of SGOC's biggest problems would be organiza- tion. It seems extremely profound thinking that a new organization would need organ- izing. VOTERS want to know what SGC can and is going to do after it once gets organized. Obviously SGC's future is going to depend a great deal on early organizational procedures, but all the organization in the world doesn't produce action from a student government. Many candidates apparently were afraid to go out on a limb in support of anything, in fear of antagonizing a segment of campus. If you support an SGC policy which will step on vested interests of a leading campus organi- zation, like removal of bias clauses or spring rushing, it isn't likely fraternities and sorori- ties will be contributing en masse first place ballots to your cause. However in the present state of affairs anybody with the courage to vehemently stand on such a platform would be so individualized he would probably have little difficulty winning. Having people against you doesn't make you lose 'put in the Hare system a definite following can make you a winner. MAYBE many of the candidates expect to get their votes from group support. 18 of the 24 candidates are members of fraternities and sororities certainly not indicative of pos- sible "radical" tendencies of the new SGC. It is unfortunate that the electorate is go- ing to have to choose a group of candidates who don't want to commit themselves on is- sues. Asthings look now fraternity and sor ority dormitory support is going to elect a candidate. This is an 'unsavory state of affairs for a University with the reputation of Michi- gan. -Dave Baad _ _ I fi si a x ' , 2+ --+ " . ' z e'' ..K"i...., ,' , LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Some Real Issuues for SGC Found. in CSP Platform EVER SINCE Common Sense Party first made its appearance on campus one of the most frequent arguments it has had to combat is: "Who will disagree with your platform? Those are the things everyone-wants." If CSP has really put its finger on the pro- posals which a majority of the student body would like to see implemented, we might take a closer look at its fifteen point platform and that platform's relation to the new student govern- ment coming into existence next week. On the surface the issues are not dramatic. But there is little doubt that these "old tired issues" are still a source of student discontent, and still need solving. They include: improve- ment of the student judiciary system, for many students judic has come to mean just another arm of administration control; faculty freedom to express political and economic beliefs as long as an individual does not use his position to influence others, this problem goes to the root of a university's reason for existing; the right of students to hear any speaker of their choice, one of the fundamentals of the always impor- tant question of intellectual and academic free- dom. CSP'S PLATFORM includes suggestions for implementation of many of its proposals. On the problem of a "dead" weekend before fi- nal exams for instance the platform offers con- crete suggestions on which Student Govern- ment Council should take immediate action. CSP prpposed that students be given a week- MOVIE REVIEW At the Michigan.. . NEW YORK, CONFIDENTIAL with.. . I'll never tell. THE MANAGEMENT will probably deny this, but it is a fact that the Michigan Theatre sells tickets right at the box office. If youlve got tie price you can get in all right. And the police know it. The flick now on display will come as a shock- er to the Corn Belt yokels who like to think New York is an actual city, to the fine decent yokels who never dream that N.Y. is in fact the most colossal front for organized crime in the history of the world. And who controls this syndicate whose hydra- headed tentacles dip into the bleeding pocket- books of Mr. and Mrs. America? Broderick Crawford, but he'll deny it. He's using a differ- ent name of course, and wearing a mustache and pretending he can't act but it's Crawford all right. And he's not the only one. There are others, former actors and actresses, all trying to hide the traces of their profession, all in this as deep as Crawford. Anybody who knows films from Shinola can figure Hollywood is behind the whole thingg But New York, Confidential, based on the two-fisted best seller by Jack Lait and Lee Mortimer, rips the lid off the whole squalid oc- topus and exposes the quicksands of indecency and lust AND vice inside. It tells confidential. how these scum bribe and corrupt some pretty high-up people whose names would make you gasp if you knew them. But it has the courage to withhold this information even though a lot of Commies and New Dealers might not like it. A whole bunch of other people aren't going to like this film one bit better. Movie critics and other perverts, for one. As a matter of fact you could count t;e de- cent people connected with this film on the fingers of a one-fingered hand and that's Brod- end to catch up on and review course material before the spring exam period, even if this means giving up a "meaningful" commence- ment. It suggests that a survey of seniors, par- ents and alumni be taken to find out how these people feel on the question of a "meaningful" commencement, and it recommends that SGC press for permanent representation on the Uni- versity Calendaring committee. which sets up versity Calendaring committee. The new student government with a $9,000 budget, derived from taxation, could afford to sponsor such a survey. With Regental recog- nition SGC is in a position to insist that the University consider the results of its survey and give it a voice on the calendaring committee, which sets up the University's yearly schedule. THERE ARE several other suggestions in the CSP platform which prospective SGC mem- bers would do well to take a look at. They in- volve, for instance, representation of Interna- tional Student Association on the Council, wom- en's hours, and discrimination in University housing. Many of these proposals incldde sug- gestions for implementation, similar to the one that accompanies the "dead" weekend propo- sal. Others, like the stand on free expression of beliefs by faculty members, are statements of policy. By looking into these statements and their ramifications SGC members would be fulfilling their duty to express student opinion on important questions. THESE ARE the issues which must be kept in mind when the ground work for SGC is laid in the next few months. The attitude of the new council toward these problems, and the action it takes on them will serve as precedents and may decide the whole future of SGC as an ef- fective student government. It is unfortunate that during the past few weeks of campaigning many of these problems have been ignored. But it is crucial that SGC candidates, as well as candidates for top posts in the seven campus groups represented on the council begin giving them serious consideration. -Phyllis Lipsky Sixty-Fifth Year Edited and managed by students of the university of Michigan under the authority of the Board in Control of Student Publications. Editorial Staff Sugene Hartwig.....................Managing Editor Dorothy Myers..............................Citydi tor Jon 6obeloL ...................... Editorial Dirctor Pat Roelots. ....................Associate City Editor Becky Conrad........................Asociate Editor Nan Swinehart.........................Associate Editor Dave Livingston..........................Sports Editor Hanley Gurwin.................Assoclate Sports Editor Warren Wertheimer............Associate Sports Editor Ros Shilmovits....................... Women's Editor Janet Smith................Assncate Women's Editor Dean Morton................ Chief Photngrapher Business Staff Lois Pollak........................Business Manager Phil Brunskill..............Asociate Business Manager Bill Wise................Advertising Manager Mary Jean Monkoski.............. Finance Manager Telephone NO 23-24-1 Membr The Associated Press Michigan Press Association Associated Collegiate Press The Associated Press is exclusively entitled to the use for republication of all news dispatches credited to it or otherwise crediteG to this newspaper. All rights or republication of all other matters berein are also re- served Entered at the Post Office at Ann Arbor, Miehigan. as second class mail matter. Published daily except Mon- day War by April.. .. To the Editor: "WAR BY APRIL," "War before summer," this is the continual line of thought one gets from his newspaper, radio, and TV set now- adays. People have come to ac- cept this idea, drummed into their heads as it has been, in much the same way as they have learned to absorb the modern cigarette ad- vertisement. But let's stop and think. Is there any justifiable rea- son for war in the Far East? I say, "no." War, especially mod- ern war, is too great an evil to ever make it justifiable again. The little "good" obtained from a war never balances or justifies the ter- rible evil that results from it. Is the "saving of face" in the East worth the thousands of lives and millions of dollars it will cost? What about Formosa and Chiang? Of course we can't sur- render our allies to the Reds-- but there is a solution. Let the United Nations administer Formo- sa, and allow the Chinese Com- munists to enter the United Na- tions. One more veto more or less will not effect the efficiency of this governing council to any greater degree. Surely a war of words in the )councl chambers is far better than a war on the bat- tlefield. -Richard VorenKamp * * * Arab Refugees... To the Editor: THERE ARE some facts con- cerning the Arab refugee prob- lem that Y. Menkes, A. Menkes, and M. Menaster, have omitted. The Palestinian Arab exodus be- gan as a result of the massacre of Arab citizens at Deir Yassin by the Irgun. The Israeli army later on occupied the two large Arab towns of Lydda and Ramlah and evicted the Arab citizens there by force. It did the same to many villages in northern Palestine. It is neither for the Zionists nor for the Arab governments to dic- tate that the refugees should be re-settled. They demand that they go back to their homes, and they have every right to go back. Finally, it is not for Menkes, Menkes, and Menaster to judge the sincerity of Mr. El-Dareer's feel- ings towards the refugees. We re- spect the sincerity of Jewish feel- ings about their tragedy in Europe. We ask that they should respect our feelings for the Arab tragedy in Palestine. -Michael Marmura Spring Weekend... To the Editor: "WE WOULD LIKE to express our heartiest thanks and ap- preciation to all of the many peo- ple who have worked so hard and have given their time to help us on the 1955 Spring Weekend. We only regret that we are unable to thank each person individually, and sincerely hope that the events of the weekend will justify every- one's hard work." -Barbara Burstein Stan Leiken 1955 Spring Weekend General Co-chairmen * * * Zionist Protest .. To the Editor: BE IT KNOWN that the protest action taken by the Universi- ty of Michigan chapter of the Stu- dent Zionist Organization in re- gard to the appearance of the Ber- lin Philharmonic Orchestra on the University campus on March 15, receives the full backing of the national organization, The National Council of the or- ganization, at its meeting this past weekend, endorsed the protest and boycott by its Michigan University To the Editor: YOUR ARTICLE concerning SGC - on page six of Friday's paper . reflects the only too typical atti- tude among many campus "lead- ers" that SGC is doomed to fail- ure before it starts. Under a sub- heading "Candidates Pessimistic," an SL member running for SGC is quoted as saying that "the can- didates themselves are pessimis- tic." Unfortunately, this opinion does not prevail among many of the SOC candidates, especially some of those who were previously mem- bers of SL. What is more unfor- tunate is that if these pessimists are elected to SGC, their pessi- mism will almost certainly be re- flected in their acts and the fail- ure they predict will almost cer- tainly come true. Some of the candidates look on SGC as "one last chance" to "show our strength" in making student government effective. Since SGC has been officially rec- ognized by the Regents, it should promptly demand that the stu- dent driving ban be lifted, that the three professors dismissed last spring should be reinstated, that other major changes sought by SL should be "pushed" immediate- ly to determine whether or -not SGC is going to be successful. I disagree. I think SGC has the greatest possibility of being the successful student government that most of the people on the campus, includ- ing the Regents and the admin- istration, want it to be. As proof of the favorable hopes of the Re- gents and the administration, the SGC was given much power for a two-year trial in spite of the ex- cesses of the SL (certainly not be- cause of them), But if SGC is to be successful in gaining the recognitioon of its opinions by the Regents and the administration, it cannot start off its existance by immediately "de- manding the moon." SGC will be successful by tact and patience through small gains, small con- cessions, and small successes. I believe that these "pessimistic candidates" are undermining SGC before it ever starts with their predictions of gloom and doom. I, for one, believe that SGC can and will be a great success-if it's giv- en a proper chance. -Bill Hanks SGC Potential... (EDITOR'S NOTE: Prof. Joe Lee Davis of the English department here answers our reporter's questions on American Literature.) WHAT EVENTS AFFECTED AMERICAN LITERATURE THE MOST? I WOULD say there are two im- portant milestones. The first is what F. O. Matthiessen called the "American Renaissance" - the period in which Emerson's ideas, especially his theory of expression, shaped American letters and af- fected writers as diverse as Tho- reau, Whitman, Hawthorne and Melville. In this period-the de- cade of the 1850's-appeared such masterpieces as "The Scarlet Let- ter," "Leaves of Grass," "Moby Dick' 'and "Walden." The other important event has been in the present century: the second "American Renaissance" between the World Wars, particu- larly in the Twenties. Out of these expansive decades have come all the American writers who have received the Nobel Prize and many others almost as good and some even better. WHO HAS INFLUENCED AMER- ICAN LITERATURE THE MOST? SO FAR as the 19th Century is concerned, Emerson was the great shaping force, as critic, phil- osopher and esthetician. After him, Howells helped bring into being the age of Realism. H. L. Mencken and T. S. Eliot have been two of the most potent influ- ences on 20th Century American literature, although Mencken was of his day while Eliot still wears well. WHO ARE THE BEST OF THE AMERICAN WRITERS? IN A POLL taken in 1948, teach- ers of American literature were asked to rank our writers. Eight stood out above all the rest: Hawthorne, Poe, Melville, Henry James, Emerson, Thoreau, Twain and Whitman. I agree, although I wouldn't put them in just this order. In my opinion the two American works most worthy to be included in a course in World Literature are "Moby Dick" and "Leaves of Grass." Among living writers the two who interest me most (not neces- sarily the greatest, for time is packed with surprises!) are Wil- liam Faulkner and Wallace Ste- vens. The former is somewhat un- even and Stevens somewhat dif- ficult, but I still think them best. I would also add Rqbert Frost to these two. WHAT FIELD IN AMERICAN LITERATURE HAS CON- TRIBUTED THE MOST? SINCE about 1850, the greatest works have been in the novel. Poetry comes next and after that the prose of doctrine, including criticism. Too much American drama (and this goes for some of O'Neill) has dated rapidly. WHAT FOREIGN COUNTRIES HAVE INFLUENCED AMERICAN LITERATURE? AGAINthis must be broken down into periods. The early and middle 19th Century saw Eng- land's influence leading to roman- ticism and the American renais- sance. German and Spanish and French literature also exerted in- fluence. Later, French Naturalism and Symbolism and 19th Century Rus- sian fiction must be reckoned with. Faulkner, being a wide read- er, reflects many influences, but certainly he has learned much from Dostoievsky. Continental influences, rang- ing from Scandinavian and Ger- man Expressionism'to French Ex- istentialism, are still being felt in drama and fiction. HOW IS AMERICAN LITERA- TURE INFLUENCING OTHER WORLD LITERATURE? THERE'S no doubt that Ameri- can works have influenced other literatures. Poe had immense influence on French symbolism. Hawthorne affected the English novel, notably Hardy. Whitman has for a long time been a force in world literature. And what would English literature be like without James and Eliot? The influence of American writers on other literatures is mounting today. Consider the vogue of Faulkner and Dos Passos in France. Hemingway must also be included. The Nobel committee noted his "style-forming" influ- ence. Now it is the American novel that everyone is interested in as never before. HOW DOES TODAY'S LITERA- TURE COMPARE WITH THAT OF A CENTURY AGO? QUANTITATIVELY, we would find today's literature far in advance. As far as quality is con- cerned, we've had far better dram- atists like O'Neill, Williams and Miller than any of 10 years ago. Range of experiment and ex- perimental skill are far greater in fiction than in former times. The tragic vision of Faulkner, when. at his best, is worthy to be com- pared with that of Hawthorne and Melville. And Faulkner, it must be remembered, is but one of several major talents. Poetry in the 20th Century is on the whole greatly advanced. Among earlier poets, it would be difficult to find a group compar- able, say, to Frost, E A. Robin- son, Jeffers, Cummings, Stevens and Eliot. These are in the same class with Whitman and Emily Dickinson and far superior to the so-called "school-room" poets: Bryant, Whittier and Longfellow, although the latter deserves re- valuation as a narrative poet. There has been a rich critical movement in this century. The flowering is far beyond anything we have had earlier. HOW IS' AMERICAN LITERATURE TODAY CHARACTERISTIC? IT IS characteristic of America but quite differently sometimes from what we think. None of our spokesmen are more critical of America than our writers-and this is a sign of our national health. They keep alive our ideal- ism and are free to express them- selves as they could not in a to- talitarian state. Our censorship has been negligible. Our best writ- ers are still thorough-going indi- vidualists. IS LITERATURE AS SELECTIVE TODAY AS IT WAS OR ARE MORE PEOPLE READING MORE TRASH? THAT more people are reading today may be indicated by paperback sales. Certainly litera- ture is taught in schools as never before. On the other hand, radio, tv, and the many other distractions of a machine society raise the ques- tion: are people getting out of literature what they got a hundred years ago? Sharing good books was more a part of the average family's living in the 19th Cen- tury. Readers loved books, and they constituted a more cultivated class than the so-called educated class today. This is not statistical evidence, though, but merely my impression. ARE ECONOMIC CONSIDERA- TIONS' IN THIS PRACTICAL AMERICAN SOCIETY DIVERT- ING WRITERS AWAY FROM LITERATURE? T HERE is some evidence that wrtesin order to make a living, must write for tv and the movies. Such activity may or may not hurt a writer. Gore Vidal, despite his work for tv, is still turning out pretty good novels. On the other hand, one wonders what Ben Hecht might have done if there had been no Hollywood. I still tend to agree with James T. Farrell in his somber reflections on American writing-the book clubs, Hollywood, radio, television and the paperbacks are taking over and their total effect is cor- rupting. WHO IS TODAY'S WRITER? THE tendency today is for the best writers to come from the colleges, from creative writing classes. Writers used to come from .among the journalists, like Dreiser and others of his period. Journal- ism still produces some of our best writers but the more distinguished stylists seem to be coming from the classroom. A number of our most promin- ent writers have been or are teaching creative writing, such as Allan Seager, Lionel Trilling, Wal- lace Stegner, Katherine Anne Por- ter, A. B. Guthrie, Robert Penn Warren and Saul Bellow. .John Aldridge in his "After the Lost Generation" sees a danger in college-sponsored creativity-- too much technique and too little grasp of life. I don't take this view. Hope lies in th integrity be- ing produced in colleges. WHAT TRENDS DO YOU SEE FOR AMERICAN LITERATURE? THE New Criticism will continue to exert influence, despite some signs of a reaction against it. It has preserved integrity in our lit- erature and needs to extend its influence. The "pure pietry and obscure poetry" sponsored by this criti- cism will give place to a poetry more accessible to the average reader and more expressive of our life but still righly resourceful in its aesthetic strategies. Thirdly the decline of natural- ism will perhaps continue, with new developments in fantasy, symbolism, satire and the art nov- el. The tradition of Dreiser, Far- rell and Dos Passos was an im- portant one, but the James Joneses aren't keeping it alive. The possibilities of symbolism in fiction are variously illustrated in Hemingway's "The Old Man and the Sea" and Faulkner's "A Fable," and in the work of a host of new writers. Malcolm Cowley and Aldridge may teach these youngsters needed lessons but won't be able to discourage them. The historical novel is still an important form. While much of this fiction is for the popular mass audience and isn't of the highest literary value, such writ- ers as Guthrie and Conrad Richter do admirable work in this field, and there will be others. No abatement seems promised in the concern with psychology, especially abnormal psychology. Tennessee Williams has a better grasp of it than O'Neill before him. Some of our younger writ- ers have had both successes and failures with it Shirley Jackson, Carson McCullers, Truman Ca- pote, Paul Bowles and Norman Mailer among others. -Harry Strauss s 4 DAILY OFFICIAL BULLETIN .+ t . The Daily Official Bulletin is an official publication of the University of Michigan for which the Michigan Daily assumes no editorial responsi- bility. Publication in it is construc- tive notice to all members of the Uni- versity. Notices should be sent in TYPEWRITTEN form to Room 3553 Administration Building b-fore 2 p.m. the day preceding publication (be- fore 10 a.m. on Saturday.) Notice of lectures, concerts and organization meetings cannot be published oftener than twice. SUNDAY, MARCH 13, 1955 Vol. LXV, No. Ill Notices Meeting of the University Staff. Gen- eral staff meeting at 4:15 p.m. Mon., March 21, in Rackham Lecture Hall. President Hatcher will discuss the state of the University. All members of the University staff, acaderfic and non- academic, are invited. President and Mrs. Hatcher will hold open house for students at their home Wed., March 16, from 4:00-6:00 p.m. CANDIDATES OPEN HOUSES March Time House Candidates 13 6:30 van Tyne House, Personnel Interview. Mon., Tues., March 14 & 15. The Carter Oil Com- pany, Subsidiary Standard Oil Com- pany (N.J.), Tulsa, Oklahoma-M.S. and Ph.D. in Chemistry, Chemical, Electri- cal, and Mechanical Engineering for Research and Development in the fields of Petroleum Exploration and Produc- tion. Disciplinary action in cases of stu- dent misconduct: During the period Dec. 1, 1954 to Feb. 22, 1955, cases in- volving 28 students and 3 groups were heard by the Joint Judiciary Council. In all cases the action was approved by the Sub-Committee on Discipline. Conduct unbecoming a student: a)Illegally entering registration at Waterman Gymnasium: One stu- dent fined $10.00 and warned; one student fined $5.00 and warned. b) Taking items of food from a su- permarket without paying: Two students fined $20.00 each, $10.00 suspended in view of court fines and costs of $21.25 each. c) Taking and retaining rug belong- ing to Ann Arbor resident (togeth- er with two other students pre- viously disciplined): One student fined $25.00 and warned. d) Attempting to sell student football, tickets at price above legal amount: Two students fined $5.00, required to pray$4.00 restitution to Ticket chaperoned women were guests: Three students fined $35.00 and warned (previous disciplinary ac- tion); two students fined $20.00 and warned; two students (house officers) fined $30.00 and warned; one student (house officer, pre- vious disciplinary action) fined $60.00 and warned. Violation of state laws and city ordi- nances relating to the purchase, sale and use of intoxicants: a) purchasing intoxicants as a minor, using false identification, and con-. suming intoxicants in a student residence: One student fined $30.00, fine suspended in view of court fine of $54.30 and warned. b) attempting to purchase intoxicants as a minor, using falsified identi- fication: One student fined $20.00, fine suspended in view of court fine and costs of $51.25; one stu- dent fined $15.00, fine suspended * in view of court fine and costs of $54.30 and warned. Violation of University automobile regu, lations: Two students fined $20.00 (sec- one violation) and warned; one student fined $40.00 (third violation of Univer- sity regulations), $25.00 suspended, asked to remove cir from campus and severely warned; one student fined $10.00 and permit revoked; one student fined $30.00 (third violation of Univer- sity regulations) and required to re- move car from campus and warned: Lectures University Lecture in Journalism. Wallace Carroll, Executive News Editor of the Winston-Salem (N.C.) Journal, will speak on "Seven Deadly virtues" of American Journalism in Rackham Amphitheatre Mon., March 14, at 3:00 p.m. A coffee hour will follow in the Department of Journalism Conference Room. Open to public. Prof. R. A. Stirton, chairmrn of the Department and director of the Muse- um of Paleontology, University of Cali- fornia, will speak at 8:00 p.m. Tues., Mar. 15, in the Natural Science Auditor ium, on "Living Australian Mammals," under the auspices of the Department of Geology. Open to the public. John L. Austin, professor of moral philosophy at Oxford University, will speak on "Performative Utterances," Tues., March 15 at 4:15 p.m. in 1025 Angell Hall, under the auspices of the Department of Philosophy. Academic Notices Seminar in Chemical Physics. Mon., March 14 at 4:10 p~m. in Room 2308 Chemistry. Dr. E. F. Westrum, Jr., will speak on "New Developments in the Theory of Low-Temperature Heat Ca- rI