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Wednesday, May 15, 1957

THE COLLEGE NEWS

Paes Three







. insist on his being.” Mr.

Varied Panel Discussions and Lectures Entertain Parents



Brown Explains
“Vassar Study”

The Vassar Study ‘has provided
evidence for the existence of edu-
cational types and of patterns of
lives to be led by college worfén,
while it also indicated the enorm-
ity and complexity of the whole
question of the liberal arts edu-
cation. Mr. Donald R. Brown,
Assistant Profesor of Psychology,
reported on this research project,
conducted at Vassar College under
a $2 million Mellon Foundation
Grant in the lecture entitled “Per-
sonality Development and Higher
Education: The Vassar Study” at
12:15 p.m. Saturday, May il, in
the Music Room.

As Mr. Brown explained, 50 Vas-
sar alumnae from the classes of
1925-30 were brought back to the
Vassar campus for 10 days during
the summer of 1954. “The assess-

‘ment of the total person” was

made by a staff of 11 through in-
terviews, written tests, and the
examination of college records. The
study was seeking to isolate con-
sistent patterns. Does college make
any appreciable difference in the
life of the college woman? Does
the experience.-have..aconsistent
effect? What changes occur during
the college years that will influ-
ence the student as she “faces the
afterlife’ 20 or 30 years later?
To be sure, general patterns, rather
than definite answers were obtain-
ed. All the women professed to be
profoundly influenced by their col-
lege education, but while they talk-
ed enthusiastically they could des-
cribe their feelings only in vague
terms. They favored the liberal
arts program but could not explain
what it was. The general consensus
was that Vassar was the most
nearly perfect institution.

The staff, with the aid of IBM
machines, ordered the complex
data. The seven variables govern-
ing a college education were as-
certained as_ social orientation,
orientation to the professional role,
faculty values, orientation to the
role as wife and mother, the seek-

Continued on Page 6, Column 4

A feature of Parents’ Day, May
11, 1957, was a group of three
teacher-and-student panel discus-
sions on “The Undergraduate Col-
lege”,

The topic of one of the three
was “The Required Subjects: Their
Place in the Curriculum”. The
chairman was Dean Dorothy N.
Marshall, and the participants com-
prised Milton C. Nahm, professor
of philosophy, Edward H. Watson,
professor of geology, Marjorie W.
Milbank ’57,.a history major, and
Helene S. Rosenbaum ’57 a phi-
.osophy major.

‘Dean Marshall laid the founda-
tions for the discussion by mention-
ing the changes in attitude which
have characterized education since
the Second World War, from a very
free and general to a rigidly plan-
aed curriculum and now to a com-
promise between the two. The
philosophy presently followed at
Bryn Mawr prescribes a combina-
tion beginning with specific re-
quirements and progressing to
more general and individually de-
termined work.

The specifically required courses
fall into three ‘categories: three

areas. of study, science, social..sci-

ence, and literature, from each of
which the student is free to make
her own choice of one course; two
language translation examinations,
which many students are able to
pass without taking any college
work in language; and two requir-
ed courses, freshman English com-
position and Philosophy 101.

Mr. Nahnt justified. the presence
of Philosophy 101 (a general sur-
vey of the history of philosophic
thought) as one of the two re-
quired courses in the Bryn Mawr
curriculum on the grounds of its
durability, its relation to all other
branches of .man’s thought, its po-
sition as mother of the sciences,
the incorporation in our common
vocabulary of its language (for
example, such words as inference,
implication, therefore), its integra-
tion of method and subject matter,
its ability to stand out alone in



Continued on Page 4, Column 2



Lattimore Views A

As Clue to Sophocles’ Drama, Poetry}

“Many critics, ancient and mod-
ern, have seen Sophocles stand at
the very center and perfection of
Athenian tragedy to whose art
Aeschylus is an introduction and
Euripedes a decline. The orthodox
view, if such it is, has been chal-
lenged in modern times; ancient
testimony shows interesting vari-
ants,” stated Richmond Lattimore,
Paul Shorey Professor of Greek in
his lecture, “Ajax,” A Study in the
Poetry of Greek Tagedy: on Satur-
day morning in the Quita Wood-
ward Room,

Mr. Lattimore spoke of the Ajax
of Sophocles, which he has recent-
ly translated as showing another
aspect of the dramatist. Longinus
and Plutarch criticized certain
lapses and unevenness in the plays
and although it is not certain ex-
actly what was meant, it may seem
that certain actions “have a pecu-
liarity, a surprise or even inconse-
quence or mystery to show that
Sophocles is not' quite the perfec-
tionist, nor yet the rationalist, we
Latti-
more, in his own criticism finds,
“in some sort of anomaly, which
is not necesasrily a fault, the clue
to the essential poetry and drama
of Sophocles.” '

The particular version of the
Ajax which Sophocles used, uncor-
rupted by folk-tale variations, “re-
enacts the story of the destruction
of the indestructible man; only his

own hand can kill him; ‘using the
fatal gift from the dead hand of

“Sort of Anomaly”

hig enemy Hector.” Ajax is “the
noble man who must live with hon-
or or die with honor,” and his
character is in accord with the
statement of Sophocles, “I make
men as they ought to be (or as
men ought to make them)” when
that statement is interpreted in
the light of drama, and not in
terms of everyday good and evil.
For the great speeches and the
scene of Ajax’s suicide there is
both poetic and dramatic reason.
“Ajax has seen his necessary
death by sheer fogic. But the death
is enacted in an atmosphere of un-
reason, barbarism, primitive pas-
sion where logic can not reach,
whose force we feel but cannot
quite understand. This is the dark
substrate of Sophoclean tragedy.”

Ajax is not a drama of ideas,

nor is it predominantly moral for
its hero does not learn of suffering
by suffering but “dies magnificent-
ly, unrepentant, cursing his human
enemies~-and “ignoring his divine
enemy with cold silence.” He is not
a figure from real life, but a cre-
ation of dramatic action which de-
mands his greatness, “The wild
fury of the dramatic’ imagitlation,
above all the lines, make good that
greatness, - - while he lasts, in his
tragedy. This is the illusion of
poetry which works to guarantee
the greatness of Ajax.” Of all
the plays of Sophocles this is the
one of which it might be said that,



ee eee et ee
sonnel ——ee So



The panel discussing the “Major
Subject’”’ treated its topic both from

‘the point of view of those who

plan and develop the major and
those who are exposed to it. Two
faculty members, Miss Gardiner
(chairman of the panel) and Mr.
Marichal gave the former point
of view, while Rutkg@Corn and Paula
Coudert represented the students’
side.

Ruth Corn gave a resume of
the major in the English- Depart-
ment, stressing that the student
had to prepare for exams in a
broad field as well as her special
interest. The culmination of the
courses, papers, and research is
honors work, the “intensification
and amplification of what the stu-
dent has been doing for the past
four years.”

Mr. Marichal of the Spanish De-
partment then outlined his plans
for his students, emphasizing that
a language course at Bryn Mawr
was a literature course. “We do not
aim to turn out U.N. interpreters,
although I’m sure our students
would be perfectly capable,” said
Mr. Marichal. He believes that the
main value -of learning another
language is the fact that it enables
us to think and say that which
might never occur to us in English.
A “language laboratory” for begin-
ning students is Mr. Marichal’s pet
project at the moment.

Continued on Page 5, Column 5

Prof. L. J. Berry
Talks on Height,
Effects on Mice

“Of Mice and Mountains” was
the Parents’ Day address given by
Mr. Joe L. Berry, professor of
biology.

Describing his work as “the facts
are there, but I don’t always know
what they mean,” Mr. Berry spoke
on his recent experiments with
mice at high altitude levels. Al-
though he worked last year at the
High Altitude Laboratory of the
Andean Institute of Biology in
Peru, at an altitude of 15,000 feet,
for his experiments at Bryn Mawr
he necessarily employs simulated
heights.

Studying the response of mice to
infectious diseases at high alti-
tudes, Mr. Berry has found them
less resistant to bacterial disease,
such as typhoid, and more resistant
to influenza, a virus infection. In
order to understand this, the body
chemistry of mice adapting to high
altitude was investigated.

From such experiments, it was
found that citric acid, one of the
results of the body’s decomposition
of sugar, decreases 30 per cent
in the tissues of altitude mice. Mr.
Berry then said that he believes
that the decrease in tissue citric
acid and ip the resistance to bac-
terial disease is, in part, due to
an increase in the corticle: hor-
mones, which include cortisons.

After explaining further experi-
ments. on blood chemistry, Mr.
Berry mentioned that his group
had also found that the number of
bacteria needed for death by typ-
hoid is the same in immunized and
normal mice, a fact which is diffi-
cult to interpret,

In conclusion, Mr. Berry sketch-
ed the present direction of his ex-
periments, in which the work of
seniors and graduate students is of
high importance. They are attempt-
ing to discover in what organs
bacteria exist, where they go, and
what the effect of poison upon
them is, In adition, vital research
is being done on the question of
why mice die of typhoid..and why.
it takes @ constant number of
typhoid bacteria to kill a mouse.

Student-Faculty Relations, Majors, and Required Subjects
Discussed hy Panels Composed of Students and Faculty

The panel which discussed stu-
dent-faculty relations on Parents’
Day .was composed of Mrs. Helen
Taft Manning, chairman, John
Pruett, Associate Professor of
Physics, Nancy Coyne ’57, Sylvia
Hewitt ’57 and Joan Parker ’57.

Mrs. Manning opened the discus-
sion by giving a scanty summary
of student-faculty relations since
the founding of Bryn Mawr in
1885, She explained that the cur-
riculum_ of. German. -universities,
which widely substituted lectures
for class discussions or oral trans-
lations, served as a model, At
Bryn Mawr the lectures were sup-
plemented by seminars at which
the students and professor ex-
thanged positions since the former
made reports, posed questions or
channeled discussion (idealistical-
ly). Mrs, Manning then comment-
ed that student-faculty relations
are much more intimate! today as
compared to a few decades ago
when students were forbidden to
confer with any male member of
the faculty. However, even though
an improvement has been made
there is still a request for more
conferences and conversations with
the faculty to “increase the meet-
ing of minds of professors and
students.”

After this general introduction
the discussion. was focused on hon-
ors papers, and delegated to the
panel. Sylvia Hewitt, who did an
honors paper in history, was very
enthusiastic about the benefits of
such an undertaking. She explain-
ed that the student works in close
cooperation with one or two pro-
fessors discussing specific points
of interest or having paths of in-
quiry suggested to her. However,
it was made clear that the role
assumed by the professor is solely
that of an advisor. It is the stu-
dent’s duty to organize her mater-
ial.

Mr. Pruett commented that it
requires a different type of mind to
work successfully in the sciences
than in humanities. He _ believes
that the required eighty average
in major courses to do honors is
an artificial dividing line which
should be more flexible to enable
capable students whose averages

Continued on Page 5, Column 1 |

R. Wells Views
Popular Politics

“The College Graduate and Prac-
tical Politics” was the topic for
Mr. Roger H. Wells*’informal ‘lec-
ture given on Parents’ Day, May
ll, in the Ely Room, Wyndham.

Mr. Wells first commented that
since equality of the sexes is a
Bryn Mawr tradition, established
by M. Carey ‘Thomas, his talk would
deal with the college graduate in
general; Life may expfore the ‘pe-
culiar manifestations of one sex.

The difference between ‘words
with good and bad connotations
was discussed—why should “pro-
paganda” be a “bad” word, when
“education” is a “good” one? The
audience reacted unfavorably to
the word “‘politician”, and the men-
tal image evoked was of a portly
gentleman with a lange cigar. This
reaction is about normal, Mr- Wells
remarked, since recent surveys

69% of the population would not
like to have its children enter pol-
ities as a career. Among the rea-
sons given for this dislike were

and there is little money in it.

Asa result of the disfavor in
which politics is held, it is estimat-
ed that there are about as many
active citizens (that is, people who
vote more than once every four
years) in America as there are
active criminals.

But why is there such a wide-
spread dislike of politics and pol-
iticians? One reason suggested
by Mr. Wells is that America has
never had a governing class as does
England and that the successful
businessman is more admired than
vhe successful politician. The dis-
taste may also stem from an Amer-
ican prejudice against the foreign-
born, for as millions of immigrants
poured into the United States, it
was chiefly the politicians who
Americanized them, and the stolid
middle-class may have _ subcon-
sciously associated the politician
with the foreigner.

This distaste has taken strange
forms—although politics shéuld be
concerned with policy making,
Americans’ chief concern seems to
be “taking things out of politics”.

Continued on Page 4, Column 1





Mr. Alexander Soper’s Parents’
Day Lecture at 12:15 on “Far East-
ern Painting” was chiefly an at-
tempt to “measure what the Jap-
anese have done against the stand-
ards of the Chinese,” and was il-
lustrated with slides.

Mr. Soper, Professor of History
of Art, noted that the Japanese had
borrowed heavily from Chinese cul-
ture in their early history, but
that by the end of the ninth cent-
ury, there was already a change in
attitude from imitation to indepen-
dence, especially in the field of art.

Vis-a-vis art there are two main
distinctions between the Chinese
and Japanese peoples which can
be seen in their attitudes towards
the natural world and in, their de-
finition of man. For the ancient
Chinese, nature was always. an
enemy; yet when civilization be-
came oppressive, the natural world
became an escape. Chinese land-
scape painting became an _ enter-
prise taken quite seriously. The
Japanese, on the other hand, had
always regarded nature as an ally.

Early Japanese sagas tell of
victories over man. rather than
nature. Japanese poets frequently
compared the beauty of landscapes

with women and vice versa.

- Another opposition noted by Mr.

| Soper -was the Chinese emphasis on



Differing Oriental Attitude Toward Man
And Nature Creates A Contrasting Art

sistence on subordinating the in-
dividual to the social group of
which he is inescapably a member.
Since early times, the Chinesé have
commemorated the individual
through portraiture. Japanese port-
raiture rose above mediocrity
“only in times of great Chinese in-
fluence.” These opposing tenden-
cies are also seen in the two ways
of {characterizing the poet. The
great poets of China were remem-
bered as individuals and often
wrote of themselves. The Japan-
ese thought of their poets in
groups. These points were illustrat-
ed by slides showing one of the
36 Japanese Tale of Genji poets and

on horseback. Mr. Soper remarked
that Japanese painters have come
to specialize in crowds as —the-
Chinese had’ in the solitary figure.
- Professor Soper closed his lect-
ure with the notation of one char-
acteristic of Japanese art that has
no counterpart in Chinese art—an
abrupt change in direction, that
came between the earlier and later
half of the twelfth century and
which is seen in the two extremes
between gentleness and brutality.

These two alternatives were seen
in a portrait of a Buddhist deity
and a portrait of a demon god who
‘was worshipped with equal sincer-



the individual and the Japanese in-

ity for the defense he provided.

ae

have shown that approximately-

that politics is dirty and crooked, ’™~. -

a painting of solitary Chinese poet —