2

Page Two

THE COLLEGE NEWS

ba 7

Wednesday, October 7, 1959



THE COLLEGE NEWS

FOUNDED IN 1914
' Published weekly during the College Year (except during
Thanksgiving, Christmas and Easter holidays, and during examina-
tion weeks) in the interest of Bryn Marr College at the Ardmore
Printing Company, Ardmore, Pa., and Bryn Mawr College.
The College News is fully protected by copyright. Nothing that appears
in it may be reprinted wholly or in part without permission of the Editor-in-Chief.

EDITORIAL BOARD

DONOIMATIEE ccc ct e ccc cneccneveccessevccceenccses Betsy Levering, ‘61
Oe er rrr ei Lois Potter, ‘61
PRU OIE Give cecccecentcceseesteeoenevestecns E. Anne Eberle, ‘61
PAMUI DURIOE nonce ccc tec ccc cwcesndvetsnoececesvenes Frederica Koller, ‘61
Members-at-Large ...........seseeeeee Marion Coen, ‘62; Alison Baker, ‘62

EDITORIAL STAFF
Isa Brannon, ‘62; Yvonne Chan, ‘62; Linda Davis, ‘62; Sandi Goldberg, ‘62; Anne
Rassiga, ‘62; Grace Stevens, ‘61; Judy Stuart, ‘62.

BUSINESS BOARD
Sybil Cohen, ‘61; Jane Levy, ‘59; Nancy Porter, ‘60; Irene Kwitter, ‘61; Sue
Freiman, ‘61; Melinda Aikins, ‘61; Martina Souretis, ‘61.

\

Pusinees PAGMBGOE 6c eins ccc csccngeccccneccssccsccs Elizabeth Cooper, ‘60
Associate Business Manager .......... 50 ccceceseecvecveues Tina Souretis, ‘60
SATE PROUOBIORUOT ciccice cet ses cccccacnccceceeneceseue Holly Miller, ‘59
CRN, 5555 ire eh Fear e ee cece eet eeeveceeesetes Margaret Williams, ‘61
Subscription Manager ...........:ccseeeeeceecceeeeeeess Susan Szekley, ‘61
Subscription Board: Loretta Stern, ‘60; Karen Black, ‘61; Gail Lasdon, ‘61; Lois

Potter, ‘61; Danna Pearson, ‘61; Lisa Dobbin, ‘61; Sue Szekley, ‘61; Elise

Cummings, ‘59; Sasha Siemel, ‘62; Doris Dickler, ‘60; Kate Jorden, ‘60;
Jackie Goad, ‘61.

Subscription, $3.50. Mailing price, $4.00. Subscription may begin at any time.
Entered as second class matter at the Ardmore, Pa., Post Office, under the Act
of March 3, 1879.



Science and the Modern College

Serious :consideration of the problems involved in the
question of science education for college students in the hu-
manities is relatively new. The tremendous growth of science
during the last century established those disciplines firmly
in the liberal arts curriculum. But the stepchild of “pure’’
science, applied science, received first attention, and many
technological schools or institutes were established with cur-
ricula which largely ignored both the humanities and the
basic sciences. But as the basic sciences were, and still are,
confused with technology, educators began to agitate for
the “humanization” of the “sciences”. This problem, though
still a.real one, seems on its way toward being solved. At
the Massachusetts Institute of Technology more than 25%
of the curriculum falls within the scope of the humanities,
and over 25% more is assigned to science properly so called.
Moreover, it is the rare scientist who is unacquainted with
the subject matter and central questions of the arts and
social sciences.

But while most scientists are at home in the human-
ities, it seems that very few non-scientists are able to, or
even want to, speak the language of science. In a civilization
which is dominated by the by-products of science, this is
simply to leave technology to its own, often dubious devices.
Meanwhile, the philosopher, the economist, even the student
of literature, almost all the specialists in the humanities, are
discovering that they cannot claim real competency in their
subjects and at the same time ignore the influence and the
- achievements of science and technology any more than the
Roman Empire could long ignore Christianity. But while
science informs our society, many of us, who claim to be
students of that society, remain uninformed about it.

The grave difficulties involved in giving science a “crea-

tive place in a liberal arts curriculum are discussed in this
issue by Dr. Walter C. Michaels and by a number of seniors
who are not science majors. The fact that this discussion is
taking place in the pages of the News reflects the dissatis-
faction of the editors with the nature and extent of the pres-
ent requirements; and marks an attempt to lay out these
problems for general examination.

A New Editor And A New Policy

Monday night, over tea and sundries, a plenary session
of the News’ staff and board created two new editorial posi-
tions, Associate Editor and News Editor. From the point of
view of the organization, these changes represent a decen-
tralization of responsibility, and therefore of editorial auth-
ority. This revision is important to the News itself. But
the creation of a news editor marks a change in policy which
has importance for the entire campus as well.

During the election campaigns last spring, a number of
the candidates for Big Six virtually ran on the platform of
extended coverage in the News for their organizations’ ac-
tivities. We objected on the grounds that the News was not
primarily a publicity sheet. But at the same time, we were
forced to review our traditional idea of what constituted
campus news. It was unpleasant to realize that most items
were simply events-as-they-happened, and that we had tend-
ed to disregard, or rather, to overlook events-in-the-making.
This was not a deliberate policy, but the result of the lack of
real channels of communication with campus organizations.

reSDONnS Ie NO Vil

routine news items, but more especialy £ grass-roots
for Salen race ae ae









by Dee Wheelwright

What I mostly did this summer
was to go to Europe, but I’m not
supposed to talk about that here,
as it is such a common thing for
Americans to do nowadays that
Europe is glutted with them and
I had to hunt for hours in Flor-
ence before ffinding the Italian sec-
tion of the town. ‘When my par-
ents (with whom I was travelling
at the moment): ran out of money
in Istanbul and we all had to come
home, I still had the wanderlust,
and so, packing my Boy Scout

{knapsack and — toting my —instru-

ments, I set out to tbe local color
in Nantucket. And it is this ex-
perience, a week of street singing
in that fabulous old whaling port,
which I was asked to describe.

I had no intention of being a
street singer when 1 started out
for Nantucket, or any remote de-
sire to be one. I went to visit
friends Beth (Carr and (Gretchen
Jessup whom you may know, and
if you don’t you should go immed-
iately to the nearest Revue and
strike up an acquaintance. Any-
way, I landed on the island having
come from Woods Hole im a huge
luxury liner which had a chronic
fear of wharves or piers and which
consequently took hours to make

a simple landing. I landed finally,
hoping that visiting the island
would be cheaper than getting to
it: vain hope. Nantucket is full of
tourists, and where there are
tuorists life for the simple liver
possible. Luckily I had friends and
so, instead of \being forced to spend
$2.50 a night (the cheapest avail-
able price) I was allowed to sleep
in the..attic...with, the waitresses
at the~ restaurant-boarding house
where Beth and Gretchen were
working.

But still my money was dwind-
ling fast. I. had to do something
to get some money lbecause even
if the gorse and the furze and the
dunes and the sea'and the whaling
museum hadn’t been so nice and
if I had wanted to leave (which I
certainly did not) I couldn’t have,
because 7 didn’t have enough mon-
ey for a boat ticket let alone a bus
to ‘New York. So I decided to
make a fast buck or two by the
easiest means at my disposal—
singing. I went to the Chamber
of Commerce and they were pleas-
ed. If you had come in June we
would have paid you, they said,
but they gave me their august

| Permission to do what I could on,

my own, and so I ‘went down that

‘| night to see what I could do,

(For a while it was jpretty dis-
couraging because I was singing
to no-one, but suddenly 30 people
sprang: up from nowhere like Ja-
son’s army, and began to sing. I
made ffive dollars in an hour and
quit, thinking I had made pretty
good earnings, and when I went
away the second night with only
four something I still didn’t com-
plain. Until I met Grant who had
been in the racket the year before.

Grant had lots of blond hair and
could sing all of (Puccini by heart,
and he was also a good showman
who knew the ropes (I was total-
ly ignorant) and so we formed a
team. Things picked up..‘We put
on a real show complete with re-
hearsals and a planned program,
and we wore “quaint” straw hats
(which we passed around at dis-
creet intervals during the show).
We made money hand over fist,
singing, not to the college group,
as I had done earlier, but to the



Street Singer Draws Rewards and Hecklers

older people wks had the money.
Once we received an invitation
to audition for a pops record com-
pany, and once an elderly woman
came up to us and said we had
such [beautiful voices we ought to
“use them in the service of the
Lord”,

We, however, did neither, but
continued for four nights to run
our show on Uipper Main St. near
the bank, repairing after an hour
to the neighboring coffee house’ to
count our loot. Four nights may
not sound like much to you, but
after you have gone through the

‘game routine (more or less) four

times consecutively in the fog,
and have lbattled hecklers (luckily
they were rare), little boys and
fighting dogs while at the same
time attempting to keep a lethar-
gic crowd amused and singing, you
are quite ready to quit. It was
fun while I did it, and I’m glad I
did do it, but it’s a tough job, and
I don’t expect to do it ever again
Continued on Page 5, Col. 2



Committee Proposes Positive Action

by Emmy Meyer
Chairman of Curriculum Comm.

The Student Curriculum Com-
mittee, made up of representatives
from each department and class,
serves several important functions
on the Bryn Mawr campus. Some
of these are advisory: the letter
to freshmen, sent in the summer
before their entrance, attempts to
Rive’ information about courses
that will be open to them in the
fall. During Freshman Week, this
year for the first time, the Cur-
riculum (Committee held “office
hours” in Taylor so that girls
could come in and discuss various
aspects of the curriculum before
they made out their schedule.

Another innovation was to have
a small panel of members of both
the student and faculty Curricu-
lum Committee discuss “The The-
ory of ‘Requirements at Bryn
Mawr.” Their discussion attempt-
ed to get at some of the principles
and reasons behind our academic
system. ‘This panel was followed
by a tea at which committee mem-
bers were again available to ans-
wer questions.

Still in the advisory capacity,
the committee tried to help stu-
dents, especially sophomores, to
decide on their major fields by
holding get-togethers at which the



departments -and__their plans —of



study are discussed.

The committee is also the chan-
nel through which student opinion
on the curriculum is voiced. It

rserves as a liaison group between

students and faculty. It presents
new ideas, suggestions, and griev-
ances to the professors and admin-
istration, and works with the cor-
responding faculty committee. Stu-
dent interest, then, is of prime im-
portance to the committee, and ul-
timately to you—for it is you
whom the committee represents.
All of your questions, comments
and criticisms are ‘welcome sand es-
sential, Representatives will meet
with students in or interested in
various departments to hear their
opinions. A list of committee
members will be posted in each.
hall,

Finally, this group tries to as-
sist and encourage student inter-
est in broad aspects of the cur-
riculum, and in general problems
and questions in education today.
Though non-participation in activ-
ities is perhaps in vogue at this
time, student imterest in the cur-
riculum. should. be a fundamental
part of one’s life on this campus.
Rather than keeping suggestions
and gripes confined to the dormi-
tory, bring them to the (Curricu-
lum Committee, twhere positive
aettor can be taken for improve-

ment.



by Marion Coen

(When a well-known alumna pub-
lishes a book it behooves her alma.
mater at least to notice it; when
the alumna is Cornelia Otis Skin-
ner it usually proves good for men-
tal equilibrium as well as lubrica-
tion of mouth and jaw muscles not
only to notice the newly-hatched
tome, but also to slink off for an
hour and read it.

The Ape in Me, the newest opus
of this prolific and renowned Bryn
Mamwrter, pantakes bountifully of
these therapeutic qualities. If not
(as the publishers proudly vaunt)
“rollicking”, itdoes at any rate
guarantee several unsuppressable
shoulder spasms per essay; the
volume including twelve of these
essays, (polemics against. contem-
porary mores, modes, and meth-
ods, e.g., air-line steward cour-
tesy, zippers, and cellophane wrap-
pers) the reader is virtually as-
sured complete _risibility. lubrica-
tion in an hour.

It must be readily (and happily)
admitted that paroxyms produced

‘ _ | by the volume derive not from any

appeal to a rational element, for
‘Miss Skinner’s humor is, in the
main, hyperbolic rather than sub-
tle. It lies in the pure



mouthed through thick Pullman
windaws of a slow -departing
train), but more often, in an al-
most unrecognizably distorted ex-
aggeration of it (e.g. the hacking

to open an impenetrable cellophane
wrapper that results in a gouged
finger, impaled bosom, ~ stained
dress, and lost temper).

In occasional interims between
situations, the pitch of absurdity
is sustained’ through frequent use
and juxtaposition of the many-syl-
labled tand hyperbolic word: (caca-
phony is used in three of the
twelve pieces to indicate noise)

-and, when_a (pleasingly poly-syl-

labic word is not im the offing she
tends to derive her own (e.g. un-
getatable—term used to denote
‘well-wrapped, packages). .
Mention of ¢his proclivity for
the many-syllabled should, how-
ever, serve only to preface what
may bbe considered Miss Skinner’s
most effective humorous device;
her startling use of the unexpect-
ed, and ergo piercingly funny,
word. The success of this method
depending so strongly on context,
it seems hardly fair. to extract
particulars as examples. Never-
theless, one can hardly resist not-
ing the manufacturers who tact-

ciation of

Latest Skinner Opus Delights Reviewer

jarring flip, hotels reminding you
of their courtesy with countless
tender avowals, and Barbara Frit-
chie whooping out her patriotic
sentiments to the self-controlled
Andrew Jackson.

Unfortunately, this very meth-
od sometimes falls somewhat short
of its mark with the result that it
itches, rather than tickles, its au-
dience. These instances, however,
are few, and we can easily forgive
‘Miss, ‘Skinner. for knowing about
the Punic war but being a little
uncertain just who the “Punes”
were, or even for her avowed teti-
dency of mistaking the pronun-
t’s Cheops “with
that of a cut of meat.”

And we can forgive too (if some-
what more reluctantly) the rather
tedious habit of self - depreciation
on the grounds of oft-reiterated
“bad” habits and “dreadful short-
comings” all of which (though
sadly bemoaned by the author)
the reader would happily exchange
for her awn.

‘On the whole, the book is fun-

reading, its enjoyment somewhat
enhanced by a feeling kinship
for its Bryn Mawr au and a

consequent sympathy for. certain
attitudes: (e.g. time-tempered

sorrow that at The Hill School, ©



absurdity of the







fully fail to specify the mode of

opening their tins, the elongated

2} American at a Japanese dinner
extended pil tform oe

Se



SER ee ln aie Sls Si

Penn, and Haverford, the “scenes”

of her only prom-trotting, the
sree were “fall serious, spectacled,
_

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