THE MICHIGAN' DAILY'' SUNDAY rapping Rites Provide )rama on Diagonal LOTS TO CHOOSE FROM: Record Shopping Presents Selection Problems .MJ By DIANE LaBAKAS Y It's thot unusual during spring to see all sorts. of gregarious ritu- als performed on the Diagonal. These informal initiations are given annually by Sphinx, Michi- gamua, Druids, and Vulcans, men's honorary societ'es. All except Sphinx consist of seniors. Those tapped" are either leaders in cam- pus activities ors athletios. Sphinx, founded in 1904, chooses second semester sophomores to serve on~the-Court of Sphinx dur- ing. their:junior year. Those tapped are expected to go to the top of their fields when they graduate. Sphinx Tap At Midnight The Sphinx initiation begins with tapping at midnight. The following afternoon the old mem- bers dress as Egyptians and carry a pyramid to the Diagonal, chant- Sting verses to "The River Nile." The neophytes (new members) gather at the Diagonal where wat- er is thrown on them and end up at the Burton Tower fountain where they are thrown in to swim "The River Nile." Sphinx consists of 30 members who serve refreshments at J-Hop and give Christmas parties for children at the University Hospi- tal, Michigamnua, founded in, 1902, is the oldest honorary fraternity on campus. It consists of 20 members. Michigamua 'Rope Day' Tapping takes place at the hous- ing units in the evening. Their ritual, known as."Rope Day," takes place on the Diagonal in the af- ternoon. The Young Bucks gather at the Tappan Oak which is the big tree between the General Library and Haven Hall. A bonfire is built and the present tribe march to President Harlan H. Hatcher's front lawn where they smoke the peace pipe. Brickdust is then thrown on the new members who are roped together and do the duck walk up to the Union tower. Men tapped by the Druids are named after trees. Tapping is done at midnight. Those chosen are blindfolded and taken to the Druid Cave in the Union tower where they kiss the Druid log, re- cite a chant, and then take off their blindfolds. Druids Carry Logs Ceremonies take place on the Diagonal. Pledges carry logs on their shoulders and water is thrown to make them grow. The Druids, consisting of 22 members, put out the Student Di- rectory, sponsor Christmas parties for orphans, and contribute to charitable causes. Vulcans, founded in 1904, con- sists of 18 engineers who are ac- tive in extra-curricular activities. Vulcan Smudge Pot Tapping is done at midnight. New members recite a chant in front of a smudge pot and then are taken somewhere in a truck. Several nights later, those tapped meet outside West Engineering Annex at 7 o'clock where they are smeared with black motor oil and run around with torches. They are sent into the University heat- ing tunnels and eventually end up at the Union. The Vulcans give talent shows at the University Hospital, spon- sor trains and give scholarships. By ERNEST THEODOSSIN People who buy phonograph records for Christmas may find themselves lost in a woodland of paradoxes. Record prices, for example, were supposedly reduced at the begin- ning of the year from $5 per 12 inch LP to $4. But there are very few $4 12-inch LP's available: most records are, being given special packaging-perfumed, open-win- dow jackets with prints of the world's greatest paintings, lush leather coverings: the costs some- times climb to $7 per record. Stability which the record in- dustry has tried to achieve has been anything but consummated. There seems to be a lack of good music left to record-so re-record- ing and novelty records are the general rule. Moreover, prices are exceedingly varied and today's record buyer has the problem of shopping around for bargains. (1) He can mail to New York for records and receive as much as a 30% or 40% discount. (2) He can buy from local record shops at the standard prices-but what he most often pays for is not the record itself, but the 48 page en- closed booklet, or the detailed brochures giving biographical in- formation about the composer in French, Italian, and/or Spanish. (3) Or, he can settle for cheaper, early LP recordings which contain as little as one-half the amount of music that can be gotten onto a record under present-day re- cording techniques. As if this weren't enoug'h, there is talk of another record speed to allow more music per recording. Extended-play records (45's) are still being sold, but there is talk of eliminating them completely. Standard-play records (78's) are; generally considered obsolete. The individual who purchases records, either for himself or as gifts, has thousands of recordings, to choose from, but an equal num- ber of decisions to make. Below is a listing or the various types of recordings available and an examination on recent trendsa in each field. Classical... Classical music, generally serious music of the opera or symphonicj nature, iA available in dozens of versions. Most record companies have their own recordings of the major works, and with little left to1 record by important composers,I they are concentrating on "com-l plete" sets of recordings (e.g. Chopin's Mazurkas Complete, The Complete Piano Music of Mozart), taping of performers "in concert"E and more elaborately packaged re-l cordings of operas. Also, music ofE the 15th and 16th centuries is be- ing recorded more often. Popular .. Popular music continues to con- centrate on juke-box favorites, and the standard procedure is to issue 45's. More night club per-1 formances are being recorded "inr person" and jazz bands issue theirI concert performances. Also, oldert recordings are being transferred tor 12-inch LP's. Film.. .I Sound-track music has been scarce this year because Hollywoodc has produced few musicals. Theset recordings usually sell for higher prices than regular popular music and studios have been issuing two older 10-inch LP's on one 12-inch LP. Broadway... Broadway musicals continue to hold the field in "show music" and are also priced higher than regu- lar popular records. Original cast recordings are the vogue, although many bands are providing non- vocal renditions of Broadway mu- sic. Novelty ... Novelty records are the general rule. One company has a con- tinuing list of "Music for . " recordings (e.g., "for . . . Gracious Living, Barbecue, Foursome, Af- ter the Dance, Do It Yourself, the Engaged, Baby Sitters"), Posthu- mous relases of famous entertain- ers (e.g., Glenn Miller) a-d re- leases of old-time show business entertainers (e.g., Ruth Etting, early Bing Crosby, early Fred As- taire) have become particularly popular. Folk... Folk music has enjoyed new popularity within recent months. Music of early America has been revived, and there are at least two or three records available of music from most foreign coun- tries. 1 Foreig ... With a decreasing supply of classical and American music left" turned to the foreign field. Par- isian night club performances have been issued, and foreign record- ings of classical music are be- ginning to compete with American performances. Television... Television is a relatively un- tapped field. One "sound track" recording, the "Ford 50th Anni- versary Duet" with Mary Martin and Ethel Merman, achieved great success, but few other shows have been preserved on wax. Television performers have issued recordings, of course, but very little is being done with the actual audio por- tion of television. Drama... Drama has received little atten- tion by record companies. There are some dramatic interpretations of recent vorks like T. S. Eliot's "Cocktail Party" and "Murder in the Cathedral," but most of the recorded material has been Shake- spearean readings or condensed in- terpretations of famous plays. Al- most nothing Exists on current American drama. Spoken... Spoken records include such novelties as "Great Moments in Sports" and a few comedy per- formances by famous entertainers. There exist some poetry readings by famous poets, but there is nothing resembling a thorough, consistent program in this field. One reason is naturally because most people are not interested in "spoken records" and the market -DaIlY-Hal Leeds LONG AND SHORT OF IT - Icy winter mornings pose a perennial problem for coeds: whether to wear ever-popular white bobby socks, always a standby, or to choose more unique and much warmer wool knee socks. FadsReignBruinefly OnFashion Trone to record, record companies have 'is considerably narrow. * -1 Wonderful! Wonderful! Viyella. Smooth as silk, warm f as toast - and guaranteed washable -- in authentic 11 tartanplaids and solid colors - from $10.95. 2- All silk nd 52 inches long ancient madder ties in neat foulard patterns - $3.50.- -Stainles se bwith leather strap su-i rask. $7.0 4- Our own exclusive crew neck shetland sweater. Hand knittedor u .by Robertson of Scotland and six-foot 2. SWEATER ~12.50 6. ___ SCARF~ 6.50 6 Gnui ne taiore Bermuda Shorts and Engish Wool t N} . .. - Challis Cinch ring belt. - unlintedrsllar an cuffs, ghenerous box pletback, .''+- . Nonstretch seamlesssilk knit tie. SHIRTS 3. TIE 2.50 xt7 } S -...............8. Ancient madder silk vest made specially for 'us by C Welch, Margetson and Co. and Ltd. of London-$ 22.50 1Other Styles from $10.50 WI Cae/1t Lro thern 4 k} t< t astoat -- ad garatee wahabe - inautentc By VERNON NAHRGANG Bermuda shorts, crew-neck sweaters. and trousers and caps with belts in the back are today's fads on the University campus. Local stores carrying any or all of these items have to restock them often. At least two-thirds of these and other current fads, however, will be long forgotten a year from now. Why, then,, do people become so excited over them? What is the appeal of the "fad" to University students? Prestige Attraction One reason is that most people desire toraise their standings in the eyes of others by copying persons of high prestige, David W. Varley, of the sociology depart- ment, explained. People living in a society where success is measured rin terms of wealth, Varley said, tend: to ex- press their standings in symbolic terms. "A man cannot," he pointed out, "just hang a sign on his neck saying that he .makes $500,000 a year. But he can hang a neck- lace on his wife's neck that says the same thing." Another way of accomplishing this is with the use of fashionable clothing. Fashions and fads are a way of showing social and economic posi- tions. College students, Varley agreed, may use fads as an indica- tion of their position with a certain, group in their society. Clique Explanation This action of the student raises another problem-that of the ado- lescent with an unwanted feeling. He usually has a desire to join some group when he comes to college. This is the beginning of strong cliques, Varley explained. In turn, the groups and cliques adopt fadsthat bind them to- gether. The "hood," Varley said, prevalent among those of high school age, is an extreme example of this problem. Fashions are also adopted ac- cording to the prestige of the de- signer. This is another facet of the group of people who try to better themselves in others' eyes. Salespersons and clerks in Ann Arbor's clothing stores also had many ideas on the subject of fads. One saleslady insisted on an Eastern influence in the world of fashion and fad. She said that most of, the campus fashions are imports from the eastern part of the country. Chicago Before Bay City Varley backed this up by point- ing out that fashions travel along routes of communication and transportation. "New York fash- ions," he said, "will be found springing up in Chicago long be- fore they are seen in Bay City." Then, too, the Eastern influence is another part of the influ nce of persons with higher prestig. Still another idea advanced by a salesman in a men's clothing store was that fashions are cyclic in operation. "Most of today's fads," he said, "are not new. "There are," he pointed out, "a couple of raccoon coats being sported around campus this year." However, Varley said, there is a compatibilty principle to be con- sidered. No fashion or fad will be copied if the cost is too high. This, he explained, was the cause of the failure of the "new look" of post-war fame. Few women could afford to buy complete new'ward- robes, but had to make a few adjustments and perhaps add a dress. or two. I I U King Bee t i. rq . 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