Sixty-Eighth Year
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'orials printed in The Michigan Daily express the individual opinions of staff writers
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AUGUST 8, 1958 NIGHT EDITOR: ROBERT JUNKFM
FuBbright's Criticism
Warranted, But Useless
IKE HAY while the sun shines," the old
naxim goes, but yesterday Sen. William
ght gave the old maxim a political twist.
utlook for the free world today is not
but turning this to his advantage, Sen.
ght made political hay by his attack oil
iministration's foreign policy.
called the United States foreign policy
:quate, outmoded and misdirected .
in part on a false conception of our
al interests and in part on an erroneous
sal of the world in which we live." In
"The New York Times" said may well
a fresh Democratic attack on Admin-
on foreign policy, Sen. Fulbright said that
ited States foreign policy reflects a "dan-
apathy" and "a quite incomprehensible
ingness to look facts in the face."
mother section of his speech, Sen. Ful-
either misunderstood the current Middle
crisis or was playing to the galleries,
chose to ignore larger immediate con-
tions to call "the safety of our men in.
iddle East" our "primary concern at the
nt."
EPT for the last, all of Sen. Fulbright's
icisms seem at least plausible. It does
as he said, that wve "have one foot over,
ink," it does seem that we have lost con-
ble ground to the Russians since World
I ended. Most important of all, it does
to be trie that we should look to our-
for the cause of many of our failures.
however much Sen. Fulbright's rhetoric
ed up his cliches, they will still remain
. Critics of an administration's foreign
have been active since the end of the
I World War with much the same
ins.
ough Sen. Fulbright did not deliver it, he
ted the type of speech that is needed,
he said we should not put off a recon-
sideration of our foreign policy any longer. We
may intuit, or think we intuit, that something
is wrong with American foreign policy, but if no
other way of doing things is suggested, then
the Administration's foreign policy "wins" by
default.
Sen. Fulbright and other important and
knowledgeable critics have done little but
criticize, .instead of coming up with a sensi-
tive, intelligent alternative for our present
foreign policy Perhaps the lack of sugges-
tions indicates the difficulty of devising a for-
eign policy that is both imaginative and takes
into consideration all the problems that the
United States must face.
THERE have been suggestions, of course, but
they have been mainly of a horatory nature,
I.e., calls for a "forward looking" or "searching"
foreign policy that will enable the United
States to "confront the crucial issues that face
us in the years ahead.".
The words may be brighter and more pol-
ished than those given here, but in all cases
the actual machinery of the plan is not put
out in plain sight. "How?" is a question too
little answered in foreign policy discussion.
Some advice that pretends to be practical:
has been given, but it is usually advice that
considers only a few aspects of a complicated
problem. No critic in a position of influence
has suggested an idea for anything resembling
a comprehensive foreign policy, yet they all
say that the problem is a comprehensive one.
As Sen. Fulbright is one of the Democratic
party's chief foreign policy spokesmen; we may
hear a constructive program by him in the
next few weeks. But until that time, if it comes,
Sen. Fulbright himself should realize the truth
of the aphorism which he applied to the Ad-
ministration. "(A man) is not really a failure
until he starts blaming others."
-LANE VANDERSLICE
Southern Approach a Misnomer
rHE SOUTH is allowed to take its own
e in the implementation of, the Supreme
order to integrate its public schools, as
people contend that it should, it may,
forever.
ere has been considerable talk about dis-
ug the emnotional make-up of the South-
eople by forcing them to relinquish a "trait
V" which is as much a part of the South
rn liquor and black eyed peas. There is
logic in this reasoning. The Little Rock
ent was a good example of what can hap-,
f the Southerner's feelings are not taken
account. However, indications are that
feelings are more than being taken into
nt; that, in fact, they are being catered
recent court decision testifies to this.
federal district court judge set 1965 as a
ative" date to begin the integration of
ls in Prince Edward County, Virginia.
case, in the heart of Virginia's black-belt,
een awaiting a decision since 1954, when
s one of the original five cases on which
United States Supreme Court based its
regation decision.
>arently time was not of the essence to
udge. A minimum of 11 years will have
ed, that is providing the "tentative" date
tes more than tentative, before he would
seek to have integration dispel segrega-
'VEN years is a long time. It is enough
ne for an entirely new generation to be
ughly indoctrinated by its parents and
associates with the segregation principle. It is
11 years for the evil root to more deeply im-
bed itself in the Prince Edward community.
It seems, then, that the repercussions of the
Little Rock incident are actually of more im-
port than the incident itself. These repercus-
sions manifest themselves in government fear
that another Southern community will stage a
"Little Rock." And thus the stalling in the
blind .hope that either the situation ,will re-
solve itself or that perhaps if everyone shuts
their eyes, when they .reopen them, the entire
issue will have dissolved.
THE SITUATION is certainly not a desirable
one, regardless of one's views. On one hand
is the South - unyielding, threatening to use
nothing short of force to maintain segregation.
On the other the federal government, more
specifically the judciary, is obliged to follow
the decision of its highest court, yet is un-
willing to stick its neck out so far that it is
reddened by popular opinion or by foreign
sentiment.
The situation does not lend itself to com-
promise. Indeed, the federal government's de-
cision to give Prince Edward County more
time to consider that its schools will be inte-
grated has been interpreted in the South as
giving in. to the "southern approach to inte-
gration." The term is .a misnomer - a mis-
nomer because in actuality the only thing the
South intends is to maintain its segregation
tradition.
-JUDITH DONER
Much Ado
About Nothing
ALTHOUGH the accompanying
music may have been Elizabe-
than, there is more than a touch
of the 19th century in the "Much
Ado About Nothing" production
at Stratford, Ontario.
The Canadian group costumes
Shakespeare's comedy of plotters
and lovers in fashions from the
last century and rolls the audi-
ence with a heavy melodramatic
hand from the same era.
But the slapstick and broad
humor is delightfully applied,
lightened by a mock serious ap-
proach that fits the play's title.
The group reveals its most effec-
tive handling of the over-empha-
sis technique in the second act
as Benedick overhears his plot-
ting friends discuss Beatrice's
supposed love for him.
THE OTHER elements of the
melodrama are also emphasized.
Hero swoons dramatically when
her virtue is questioned and the
villain, Don John is dressed in
black.
However he lacks more than a
mustach. Bruno Gerussi as the
brooding plotter is too spitful
rather than spiteful as he schemes
revenge. In planning to dupe
Claudio into doubting first Don
Pedro and then Hero, Gerussi's
Don John relies too much on
sputtering emotion and not
enough on a cunning approach.
Revelations of a different type
of emotion are handled quite con-
vincingly by both Beatrice (Eileen
Herlie) and Benedick (Christoph-
er Plummer) as they let their
masks of mutual scorn disinte-
grate, allowing a love affair to be-
gin.
The couple are well matched in
their immense abilities. Miss Her-
lie can lash cuttingly with a sharp
shrew's tongue, yet, just as effec-
tively, melt into a silly girl when
hearing of Benedick's affections.
Plummer magnificently fills the
role of the woman-hating soldier,
showing he can both swagger with
disdain and stagger with love.
Equally well, he handles the slap-
stick of the second act, showing a
sense of timing and facial expres-
sion that finds and sustains any
pretext for a laugh.
AS IN HIS other comedies,
Shakespeare employs solid doses
of irony in "Much Ado About
Nothing." Plummer creditably
utilizes it to the fullest.
Tony van Bridge provides the
necessary gruffness to Dogberry
as an English cop and rather de-
lightfully fulfills the dumb police-
man stereotype.
The clowning episodes with
Verges and the buffoons of the
night watch are generally directed
by Michael Langham, with a re-
freshing lightness. However, there
are scenes, especially when they
nab Conrad and Don John's co-
conspirator, Borachio, o u t s i d e
Hero's window, that the slapstick
becomes almost too heavy, re-
minding one of the "Keystone
Cops."
In contrast, the "heavy" scenes,
in the church when Claudio hu-
miliates Hero and disrupts their
wedding, and later when he lays
a wreath at what he thinks is her
grave, are uniformly well done
and provide colorful spectacle to
the mirthful comedy.
-Michael Kraft
AT NORTHLAND:
Sweet-Sour
Satisfying
MELVYN Douglas and a polished
cast of supporting perform-
ers are providing excellent enter-
tainment at Northland Playhouse
this week in a pre-Broadway pro-
duction of "Sweet and Sour."
The problems of a turn-of-the-
century Jewish family comprise
the plot of the show. The elabor-
ate Victorian stage settings are
well- executed and a treat to see.
"Sweet and Sour" makes its
strongest pitch to those whose
background and experience en-
ables them to identify themselves
.with the situations portrayed.
But there is sufficient universal
appeal in the show to make it a
worthwhile evening for almost
everyone. The dialect portions
have been watered down so that
the lines are readily understand-
able.'.
MELVYN DOUGLAS is cast as
Pa, an ' overbearing but lovable
eye-glass salesman who has four
maiden daughters. The girls are
single because Pa feels no man is
quite good enough for them. Yet,
he blames them.
Due to Douglas' strong perform--
ance of the part, Pa emerges as a
warm, human person rather than
a tyrant.
Th ehe. memers nf the cst
King Henry I
Part I
NEW YORK PRO MUSICA:
Group's Pefracs'ryFine'
Entrance to the Festival Theatre
IN THE production at Stratford,
Ontario, of what is probably the
finest of Shakespeare's history
plays, "King Henry IV, Part I,"
the action begins with a few tell-
ing lines from the last scene of
Richard SI and ends with an even
briefer extract from Henry V,
spoken by him as Prince Hal.
This minor manipulation of dia-
logue, in providing the audience
with continuity by showing what
has come before, why the situa-
tion exists and what will follow ii
the next ruler's time, illustrates
one thing: The most complete un-
derstanding and highest enjy
ment of this play comes onlywith
close acquaintance and study.
While "King Henry IV, Part I"
is physically a superb production
at Stratford, there aspects of
the Shakespeare work that are not
clearly brought out for the audi-
ence, aspects that are often even
disguised from recognition.
* * *
THE MOST unfortunate of
these Is theconflictbewee
Prine Hal and Hotspur. As the
latter, Jason Robards, Jr., ini spite
of a fine, resonant voice that is
deeply effective, loses much of the
meaning and artistry of the verse
by allowing himself to be caught
up in the rhythm of recitation, a
rhythm he easily communicates to
the audience.
Robards is nevertheless a strik-
ing figure and an actor with yet
undeveloped potential. The only
other criticism of his Hotsp.Ur is
that, with a beard, he is made to
look a good deal older than Pince
Hal and the obvious audience
comparison of the two young Eig-
lishmen is long in coming.
Even the ultimate encounter of
Hotspur and Prince Hal in the
final act, as well staged as it is,
loses effect from lack of prepara-
tion.
* * *
THE FINEST performance
comes from Douglas Rain, whose
Prince Hal is outstanding. A very
forceful, direct and at all times
kingly young man, Prince Hal is
everything that S h a k e s p e a r e
made him. Rain's characterization
has . personality and depth.
As Sir John Fastaff, Douglas
Campbell is equally successful in
communicating the Shakespeare
role. Campbell's Falstaff is a
weary, weighted old sot who pro-
vides many laughs at his own ex-
pense - and expanse.
In other roles, Max Helpmann
as King Henry IV, William Hutt
as Worcester, Ted Follows as
Poins and Douglas, Christopher
Plummer as Bardolph, and Powys
as Glendower all provide very fine
support, to the very successful
production.
* * 9
THE technical staff, too, has
made its immense contribution to
this success - a contribution that
transcends all others.
The staging, lighting, and cos-
tuming are excellent throughout,
building a very great visual Im-
age through contrasts of dark and
light and color for the setting of
the Shakespearean verse.
Direction by Michael Langham
fails only with Hotspur; it is at
other times well evidenced in the
impressive production that thrives
on visual and verbal contrasts.
--Vernon Nahrgang
'BEGGAR'S OPERA:
Excellently
Staged.
A WORTHY assortment of Can-
adian artists has been as-
sembled at Stratford to present
twelve performances of John
Gay's infamous "]eggar's Opera."
the first large-scale musical work
to be produced by the Festival.
Its hero a highwayman, its
heroine the daughter of a receiv-
er of stole ngoods, "The Beggar's
Opera" satires the political and
social situation in 18th century
London.
Gay's opera was first performed
in 1728, and has appeared in one
guise or another ever since. A re-
cent adaptation.
THE STRATFORD Festival
presentation of "The Beggar's Op-
era" is excellently staged with
bits of scenery hung from the
stage roof to make quick transi-
tions possible.
Make-up and costuming are
patterned after the illustrations
of Hogarth, according to designer
Brian Jackson.
Robert Goulet sings the role of
Macheath the highwayman; he is
truly the "singing actor" required
for this part. Maxine Miller, as
heroine Polly Peachum, is proper-
ly sweet.
But the best acting on stage
comes from Chester Watson, who
AS PART OF the more and
more varied Stratford Shakes-
pearian Festival the New York
Pro Musica presented last Sat-
urday a concert of miscellaneous
15th and 16th century music.
In the succeeding four centuries
there have been such great
changes in the occidental musical
idiom that It is easy to overlook
the differences between the sever-
al compositions of the Renais-
sance; one vague classification,
"antique music," serves in gener-
al to embrace them all.
This does not by any means im-
ply a dull evening: there is in this
early music a sense of simple yet
earnest melodic and harmonic ex-
perimentation; there are harbin-
gers of devices to be fully instru-
mented only after a century or
more in the golden age of classi-
cal music; and there is of course
great beauty, both in the music
itself and in the subtly shifting
tones of the unfamiliar instru-
ments.
* * *
THE PERFORMANCES were
very fine. The ensemble consisted
of but six singers and four instru-
mentalists, with some of the sing-
ers handling an occasional re-
corder or percussion instrument.
The curious instruments were
described after intermission.
The portative organ is a small
device with a single manual, which
is played with one hand, the oth-
er operating a single bellows. Its
tone is only slightly different
from the recorder, and the blend-
ing of these two was beautifully
effected during the performances.
The bass viol differs in several
respects from the violoncello,
which it superficially resembles: it
has six strings, frets on the finger-
board, and, most important, a dif-
ferently shaped body and sound
slots.
These last give it a sound much.
purer and somewhat more nasal
than the usual "string tone." In
fact the only rich tones were
those of the harpsichord, which
was used almost entirely as con-
tinuo, the instrumental melodies
being carried by the strings and
woodwinds.
* * *
THE SINGERS were all good
and expertly trained, but not in-
dividually outstanding: thus they
were at their best in the ensemble
pieces, which were very fine in-.
deed. The countertenor lacked the
eerie, at first almost nauseating
quality, usually associated with
that strange register, so that his
solo pieces were disappointing.
The two sopranos had complete-
ly different voices: Betty Wilson's
is the pure white type; Bethany
Beardslee's, darker, more richly
colored. The two were appropri-
ately deployed, the unhappy
mournful aria being given to Miss
Beardslee.
The overall balance of the even-
ing must have been due in large
measure to the musical director,
Noah Greenberg.
* * *
THE FIRST part of the pro-
gram was devoted to-works of
Early Flemish Masters, including
the selection most savored of the
audience: a set of dances by Tiel-
man Susato.
These dances were actually of
lighter substance than most of the
program, but apparently titillated
through their amusing orchestra-
tion, involving a congeries of
curious percussion instruments:
small drum, bells, fingercymbals,
etc.
The second half of the program
comprising Renaissance Spanish
Music, was more interesting to
me. The music was obviously Re-
naissance, but not at all what I
should have called Spanish. It'
sounded like the standard pre-
classic music of Italy or mid-
Europe.'
There were several sets of varia-
tions for harpsichord with record-
er or viol, alone, which were ob-
vious elementary precursors of
the fuller sets of variations to fol-
low in succeeding centuries. The
Recercada Quinta of Diego Ortiz
was, in fact, described in the pro-
gram as "actual textbook models
of improvisational procedures."
The program concluded with a
group of villancicos, sort of folk-
songs, which were marked by
amusing and nearly scurrilous
verses. I left in great spirits, but
still ruminating on the lack of
"Spanish" in the music.
* * *
ON OUR return to Ann Arbor I
found the answer to the musico-
logical puzzle.
It seems that what is usually re-
ferred to as "Spanish Music" is
perhaps better called Moorish.
The Moors occupied much of the
Iberian peninsula for some seven
and a half centuries before the
Renaissance, and their influence'
was wide-spread.
-j. Philip Benkard
INTERPRETING THE NEWS:
Challenge for the UN
By J. M. ROBERTS
Associated Press News Analyst
UNITED STATES, having escaped a
nmit conference which could have pro-
only a new high in international recrim-
n, now proposes to substitute construe-
roposals for the Middle East.
Y include attempts through the United
is to take the militancy out of the Arab
alist movement; to make fair. distribu-
rd development of water and other re-
s, and to settle the refugee problem.
ning up the Middle East problem in the
. Nations General Assembly will set off
the most outlandish debates in the his-
f such bodies.
TA Khrushchev still will have the oppor-
ity to make his propaganda play. The
. States will reply with its dossier on in-
aggression. But Khrushchev has given
effort to put President Eisenhower per-
' on the defensive in a public , ebate
ternational morals.
.ishchev can be well met by. American
als that the United Nations itself move
establish stabilizing institutions to re-
:olonial policies in the area. -
hat, the United States will be playing a
It will also put the Soviet Union on the spot
by demanding that she cooperate in stabiliza-
tion instead of concentrating on disruption.
IF INSTITUTIONS are offered which can be
accepted by the Arabs themselves, then So-
viet opposition would be a display of evil temper
which she cannot afford.
Development of natural resources will not
alone suffice. An atmosphere will be required
in which the Arabs will be helped to work out
their own destiny, with the United Nations as
arbiter of their rights with dev4loping com-
panies.
At the core of any such efforts will be rela-
ions between the Arabs and' the State of Is-
rael, which will have -to agree if the water
resources of ,her neighborhood are to be put
to proper use.
The chief form of colonialism still existing
in the Middle East is the participation of out-
side governments in the companies which pro-
duce the oil.
' U OPEAN policy has been to keep the Arabs
divided in order to make control of the re-
sources easier, whereas Arab union is the natur-
al state if they can be diverted from their mil-
itancy against Israel.
"THE WINTER'S TALE'
Production Overly Serious
"THE WINTER'S TALE" is a
comedy of mixed emotions; it
brings together the tragic and the
comic in a series of events that is
in turn serious, sad, amusing,
shocking and incredible. For those
.who take it too seriously it be-
comes a puzzling play.
In the current production at
Stratford, Ontario, it seems at
times that director Douglas Camp-
bell has indeed taken the play very
seriously, with the result that the
tragic elements have been intensi-
fled while some of the more comic
or startling moments have been
dulled.
The most famous stage direction
sombre staging of the production.
If, indeed, "a sad tale's best for
winter," the sadness is here.
* * *
"THE WINTER'S TALE," for its
melange of moods, is a fine play
to watch, at Stratford. The listen-
ing, however, is more difficult. With
one major exception - Douglas
Rain as the Young Shepherd-the
cast seems to fail to bring out the
verse in any of its beauty or to
render it particularly meaningful
even for the most attentive audi-
ence.
Acting and staging are excellent
throughout, but the language re-
mains a weakness for many. As
lie's Paulina are fine characteri-
zations that contribute much to
the production's success.
Bruno Gerussi contributes to
the lighter side of "The Winter's
Tale in the role of Autolycus, the
pick-pocket who is obviously a
man of the world. Gerussi, with
orchestral support, makes much of
the play's songs-=which are not
Shakespeare's best.
MOST OUTSTANDING of all,
however, is Douglas Rain as the
Young Shepherd. Here is the most
direct, most mastered perform-
ance: The country bumpkin who is
rather dumb in the city but fairly
sharp nn the farm is niaed with