Wednesday, October 21, 1953

THE COLLEGE NEWS

Page Three

 

Mrs. Neel Appears,
Talks at SDA Tea

Plan to enter politics? If so,
start at an early age. This was the
advice of Mrs. Percy Neel, a candi-
date for the local School Board,
who spoke to interested students
at tea on Thursday.

Sponsored by SDA, under the
chairmanship of Anne Mazick, the
talk was planned to present a sur-
vey of the local political scene. Fol-
lowing it, Mrs. Neel answered per-
tinent questions, and there was op-
portunity for discussion.

In explaining the political set-
up, Mrs. Neel said that the town
of Bryn Mawr is a part of Lower
Merion Township, which is the
largest township in Montgomery
County. The township is divided
into twenty-four voting districts,
each of which comprises a popula-
tion of from fifteen hundred to
three thousand.

The township is governed by
fourteen commissioners, who serve
for four-year terms. Since only
one of these is a Democrat, it is
not difficult to see that this town-
ship is a notoriously Republican
stronghold. In fact, Republicans
outnumber Democrats by ten to
one. Mrs. Neel felt that at least a
small minority of Democratic
commissioners would be effective
as a constructive curb.

The most important office to pe
voted on this year is that of Tax
Collector and Treasurer. This of-
fice carries with it a sizable sal-
ary, including rebates garnered
from back taxes. The Magistrate,
or Justice of the Peace, holder of

Continued on Page 6, Col. 4

Dancing And Songs
Mark Jam Session
. by Harriette Solow, ’56

“Sir, would you play a Charles-
ton?” asked Claire Weigand, in-
spired by the Haverford Jazz
Band. The band was playing in
Applebee Barn on Saturday, Octo-
ber 17 between three and_four-
thirty.

Claire had just taught Penny
Derr a version of the Lindy and
was ready for more—a few steps
of Charleston led to a kick chorus
routine. Actually, dancing was a
natural development since “listen-
ers” tapped their feet, whistled,

‘and sang along with the music, en-
couraged by members of the band
who sang and nodded too. People
wearing comfortable clothes sat on
ehairs and tables and, most impor-
tant, were completely relaxed.

Casual Attitude

“The casual attitude affected the
music in that the “concert” was a
jam session. Songs including “Isn’t
It a Lovely,” “Basin Street Blues,”
and “Has Anybody Seen My Gal”
were played in random order with
pauses for the band to decide what
to play and the audience to chat.
‘As for the actual playing, “They’ve
really got the rhythm and they’ve
really got, the beat” was the reac-
tion of Laura Lee Stearns.

Particularly good was their ver-
sion of “When the Saints Come
Marching In.” It was very spirit-
ed and also unusual because it was
almost completely percussion at
the end.

Members of the band, except the
drummer, Lee Regan, are Haver-
ford students, only one of whom
ig) a music major. Their names
and instruments are: Wis Comfort,
trombone; Jerry Albright, trum-
pet; ‘Sahib Shihab’, piano; Larry
Finkelstein, guitar; ‘Shoeless Joe
Jackson’, -bass viol, and Ed Pine,
clarinet.

Half of them have been members
since last year and the other half
were chosen at a jam session held
at the -beginning of the school
year. The Haverford Jazz Band
has been in existence for three
years.

 

 

Ministers Arrive

Here Next Week

“Religion and Daily Living” will
be the topic at the conference on
religion scheduled for October 28
and 29 when there will be min-
isters of every denomination visit-
ing Bryn Mawr. On Wednesday
there will be one minister visiting
each hall for dinner, and he will

speak on religion in daily life and
lead an informal discussion after
dinner; .\

On Thursday, two of the min-
isters will be in the Deanery all
day for private discussion, and
then at four, all of the ministers
will return for a tea in the Com-
mon Room. Here each will give a
short talk on the aspect of re-
ligion that has meant the most to
him. It is hoped that this confer-
ence will give students an oppor-
tunity to have their questions on
religion answered and will stimu-
late religious interest.

The ministers in the halls will
be: Rabbi H. Hirsch Cohen in
Denbigh, Reverend N. Gordon Cos-
by in Merion, Reverend Edwin
Kennedy in Rockefeller, Reverend
E. A. deBordenave in Pembroke,
Mr. Robert James in Rhoads, and
a Catholic priest, as yet unnamed,
in Radnor.

Students are welcome to come
to all of the get-togethers to ask
questions about their own religion
or any religion in which they are
interested. Any student wishing to
talk to either of the men who will
be in the Deanery, Reverend N.
Gordon Cosby, or Reverend Edwin
Kennedy, may sign for an appoint-
ment on the bulletin board in
Taylor.

‘Friends Of Music’
Give First Concert

by Harriette Solow, ’56

The New Art Wind Quintet per-
formed at the first chamber music
concert sponsored by the Haver-
ford College Friends of Music this
year. This took place in the Haver-
ford Common Room on Sunday,
October 18, at 8:30.

The quintet played Mozart’s Di-
vertimento No. 4 for Oboe, Bas-
soon and Clarinet a little faster
than it is ordinarily played, It was
delightful at this pace. Their per-
formance of Kleine Kammermusik
proved some of the easiest Hinde-
mith for listening.

Serenade and Thema Mit Varia-
zionen Op. 34 by Blumer, a con-
temporary of Strauss, opened the
second half of the program. It was
followed by a very pleasing per-
formance of RoSsini’s Quartet No.
1 in F Major. Trois Pieces Breves
by the contemporary French com-
poser Jacques Ibert concluded the
program.

Composer Ibert

The first of these, allegro, was

very amusing because after the
flute played its melody the French
horn broke in with a theme from
‘Wagner. Then attention flowed
back and forth between flute and
horn until an abrupt ending by the
horn. The third section, waltz,
also had an unusual and unexpect-
ed ending. As an encore, the quin-
tet played a German Dance by Mo-
zart.
The policy of the Haverford
Friends of Music is “presenting in
intimate and congenial surround-
ings, by the finest artists we can se-
cure, the best in chamber music,
especially works not frequently
heard. The next concert of the
series, on January 10 will feature
Agi Jambor, noted pianist. He will
play works of Bach and Chopin.
Concerts are free for students and
they will be welcome.”

 

Professor Maurin
Fluent Trilinguist,
Joins Department

by Jacqueline Braun, ’54

‘A sthdent who. thinks she knows
most of the Bryn Mawr faculty
might be rather surprised by the
number of young professors inhab-
iting the French, Spanish, and Phi-
losophy section of the library, In
an office halfway down the corri-
dor, with the door usually open,
may be found M. Mario Maurin,
new professor of French, With
just a few words M. Maurin can
make a student feel at ease, and
conversing with him is not only
pleasant but as a rule highly amus-
ing.

M. Maurin has a tri-lingual back-
ground. Borr in France of French
and Spanish parentage, he spent
his early years in Spain until his
family returned to France in 1936.
In 1941 he came to the United
States and enrolled in the Lycee
Francais in New York, from which
he received his bachaut in 1945,

Higher Degrees

He then went on to Yale for a
B. A. in 1948 as a Latin major,
and then an M. S. in 1949 and a
‘PhD. in French in 1951. He re-
turned to Europe for a year while
writing his thesis on the subject of
Andre Suares, a modern essayist
and poet. The name of this writer
will always call forth a smile from
M. Maurin, who believes that Su-
ares, though little spoken of to-
day, deserves to rank with the real-
ly great men of letters of twenti-
eth century France.

Between 1951 and 1953 M. Mau-
rin spent an unusual two years in
the United States Marine Corps.
Because of his knowledge of Span-
ish, he was given the responsibility
of training Puerto Rican draftees
in a camp on Parris Island off the
South Carolina coast. After com-
pleting his work there he was sent
to the Marine Corps Institute in
Washington in 1952 as a research
assistant in a language training
program for Puerto Ricans.

At Bryn Mawr this year, M. Mau-
rin is teaching elementary French,
a section of the first year litera-
ture course, and a class in twenti-
eth century French literature.
Suares will undoubtedly find his
way into this latter course to glad-
den the heart of his admirer.

Observer

A. motley crew of Freshmen
scrambles into line as_ twilight
dims the sky above the library.
Orange and black scarves glare at
the vari-colored coats and fire-en-
gine red gym suits. Rehearsal be-
gins and uncertain voices grope

clumsily for the harmony. At the
second verse a staggered line of
sophomores file in on each side
of the Cloisters. One line speeds
along at a slow run, then waits
dejectedly at the center for its
more leisurely partner to catch
up. Two hesitant strains of “Pal-
las”, one a whole stanza ahead,
mingle, or rather clash, in the en-
closure. The straining voices of the
Freshmen plunge into “Sophias”
as each lantern swinger tries to
help out by marking her individual
tempo with a clanking lantern.
Harrassed song-mistresses sigh
and call for another run-through.

Darkness has fallen on _ the
cloisters.. Pale-green lights sus-
pended in mid-air move in mysteri-
ous unison. A line of indistinct
figures glides along each side: of
the enclosure. Haunting strains of
the hymn to wisdom echo through
the darkness. The notes are clear
and crisp as they resound through
the cold autumn night. Darkness
has brought continuity and a
magic touch of timelessness to the
Cloisters.

“No, I’m afraid I won’t be able
to make it to the Symphony to-
night... Sorry, no flicks, either
... Yes, it really is a shame that
I’ll have to miss that lecturer in
the Music Room ... Am I doing
anything tonight? .., Really, you
do ask. the most absurd questions!
This is a “News” night! You know
... . tonight I slave down at the
“News” room... Of course it
takes time, but I wouldn’t have
tried out if I didn’t enjoy doing
Hoa”

Yes, missing those special events
and getting your articles in on
time are worth it, although some
skeptics just won’t believe that be-
ing on the “News” board or staff
could be worth the trouble. Work-
ing on the “News” rather resem-
bles portraying the hero in “The
Pit and the Pendulum”; that inev-
itable deadline is constantly star-
ing one in the face.

Yet even beating the deadline
can be a wonderful game. One feels
a triumphant glow when one has
just run from Rock to Radnor to
put that article in the Copy Edit-
or’s box on time. And when on
Tuesday night the editors head for
home, the satisfaction of knowing
that those six pages will actually
have something written on them
when they “come out” on Wednes-
day offsets that feeling that one
would like to lie down on the steps
of Goodhart and simply stay there
‘til morning.

Getting Job Done

There are serious aspects to get-
ting your job done down in the
“News” room, but it has been ru-
mored that a good sense of humor
is a prerequisite for acceptance on
the staff, and this may well be true.
When the “News” is at work in
Goodhart, an even slightly dull mo-
ment is.rare. Perhaps it has some-
thing to do with the organized, or
disorganized, state of things. The
copy gets lost under the table, or
the galley starts to blow out of the
window, or everyone forgot to
bring a pencil and we may be ‘forc-
ed to correct things with lipstick.

And there is almost always some
poor soul sitting in a corner, hav-
ing a mild case of hysteria, per-
haps due to the fact that someone
else has just thought up a’ sensa-
tionally riotous headline, such as
“Dot Marshall Gives Kids Straight
Poop”. This was once. considered
for use above an article on a meet-
ing of the Freshmen with the Dean,
but was promptly unconsidered
after the Editor had been consult-
ed.

Adventure

The “News” room is always the
backdrop for the unravelling of
tales more fabulous than any Na-
thaniel Hawthorne could invent...
in other words, what happens to
various staff members when said
members find themselves in start-
ling situations. There is always at
least one person around who is
happy to tell about the time she
misquoted Miss McBride three
times in the same article. Or the
honored member who innocently
inquired of a prominent Bryn
Mawr professor; “Do you live
around here, too?”
Incidentally, really getting to
know the faculty and administra-
tion constitutes one of the plus
factors for Board and Staff mem-
bers. They may think we're a
bother, but at any rate they do
know we exist. How could they
help it, being constantly plagued
by blazer-clad figures demanding
their life histories for an inter-
view, or information on what topic
they’ve chosen for Current Events
next week?

Yes, even when it takes an entire
hour to dredge up a headline that

 

counts, or when we manage to

Behind the Scenes . . .

By Joan Havens, ’56

“schedule” three events at once in
the Common Room on the Calendar,
those untold bonuses of working
on the “News” outnumber any in-
conveniences we may feel we suf-
fer fin the interests of journalism.
Anyone can, given a month or two,
pound out a headline, but it’s much
more fun when you know it must
be finished tonight. After all,
there’s always the opening of the
Soda Fountain to look forward to,
and our literary inventiveness is
renewed after a trip to this sooth-
ing locale.

In closing; you can criticize the
articles, heads, and editorials in
the “News” (just don’t do it too
often!), but don’t criticize the spir-
t behind them. If “the spirit is
the thing that counts”, then work-
ng on the “News” definitely
counts too.

Autumn Decoration
Livens Rock Dance
by Barbara Drysdale, 55

Bright autumn leaves and gay
chrysanthemums decorated Rocke-
feller Hall on Saturday night
when last nighters wandered in
from Junior Show to dance to the
music of Jon Whittaker’s Band.

Carrying out the theme of the
hillbilly country portrayed in “Aim
Please”, wagon wheels and
little brown jugs were scattered
around the room. Punch and cook-
ies were served to the guests (in-
cluding two busloads of Prince-
ton boys attracted to the Bryn
Mawr through Junior
Show’s overenthusiastic publicity),
who spent the evening dancing in
the spacious dining room and sit-
ting and talking in the smoker.

With some help from Straw-
bridge and Clothier decorations,

chairmen Joan Polk, Marcia Lock-
wood, Annabelle Williams, and
Janet Mules planned well for the
final event in a pleasant evening.

Bard's Eye View

by Joan Havens, ’56

to

campus

’'Tis four ante meridian;
Throughout the ivied dorm,
Most everyone now slumbers,
As is, this late, the norm,

The clanging of the fire bell

 

Now rends the placid air,
And figures, rudely wakened,
Appear on ’scape and stair.

Towels flapping in the breezes,
Many a curlered mane;

Once out, they stand there glumly;
The Captain shouts each name.

“T told you shoes, not slippers”;
She checks them with a frown.
That ‘coat’ strangely resembles,
Your academic gown!”

“This drill took thirteen minutes;
It couldn’t have been worse!”

(At any rate, it’s over,

And gladly they disperse).

’Tis four fifteen, post fire drill,

As up the stairs they creep.
Twill now be possible, they hope,
To finish with their sleep.

 

Mr. Robert A. Rupen, lecturer
in Political Science, will speak
at 7:15 p. m. in the Common
Roont) on Monday, Oc 26,
at/Current Events. His ‘topic
will be “The Issues Before the
Eighth General Assembly”. This
subject will pave the way for
‘Philip Jessup’s speech on Octo-
ber 30 at the Alliance Assem-

 

bly. Every one is welcome.

 

 

 

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