SUMMER SESSION KANSAN
Official Summer Session Publication of the University of Kansas
VOLUME XXV
Audience Is Mystified By "Spirits"
NUMBER 10
But Lecturer Lifts Lid Of Deceit From Hoaxes In Demonstration Talk Wednesday Night
For a time, it appeared that Dr. Higgins had himself discovered a method of communicating with the departed spirits. But the doubt was dispelled when he explained that the demonstration was only an illustration of work methods used by better known spiritualists.
Persons in the audience who came preconvinced that any demonstration of spiritualistic art would fail to impress them experienced frequent moments of doubt, especially when the lecturer seemingly allowed himself to come under the psychic influence of a departed friend, and performed feats which would be greeted with jeers if attempted by a commercial mystic.
Spirits stalked through Hoch auditorium Wednesday night as Dr. Howard Higgins, Boston psychologist, invoked their aid in performing mystifying feats as part of his lecture exposing spirit hokum in America.
"I don't want to be quoted as saying anything I have said here tonight," Dr. Higgins requested, as the audience sigged with relief from the strain of following him through his mystic seance. "For example, when I said that one in 10 or 15 million spiritualists really have a psychic power, I was only using words some of them use in their demonstrations. Neither that statement nor any other I have made during the first part of my lecture is true."
FRIDAY MORNING, JULY 9, 1937
After the demonstration of spiritualistic methods, Dr. Higgins went on to expose many of the tricks of the trade by use of slides and diagrams. He related the history of the "art" as discovered in 1848 by two small girls in the South.
They amused themselves one night by typing an apple to a string, hiding it under the springs of their bed, and bouncing it on the floor of their room. Their parents downstairs, unable to explain the origin of the mysterious sounds, blamed it on a ghost, and the "science" of spiritualism was born.
According to Dr. Higgins, much of the power of the successful spiritualist comes from his knowledge of the theory and use of psychological facts, and of the power of suggestion. Subjects in all cases are first determined to believe what they are told. Otherwise the phenomenal success of spiritualism would be impossible.
"One development, though, which put a serious crimp in the style of the mystics, was the invention of the flashlight," said Dr. Higgins. "Now, they can perform only before those who are true believers. Anyone armed with a flashlight can expose them easily."
—J.H.C.
PROF, EUGENE A. STEPHENSON
Stephenson Heads New Department
Will Direct Study of Petroleum in Engineering School Beginning Next Fall
Dr. Eugene A. Stephenson, who will head the newly-organized department of petroleum engineering in the University, has already established a residence in Lawrence. He and Mrs. Stephenson will live at 1516 University Drive, where they have purchased a home.
Professor Stephenson, who comes here from Rolla School of Mines, Rolla, Mo., did undergraduate work at a denominational college at Adrian, Mich., and took his Ph.D., degree from the University of Chicago, in 1915. He served on the faculty of the Chicago institution for a number of years.
"We have prepared a course which is intended to give intensive training to a group of students best fitted for that particular type of training," Professor Stephenson said recently. "We expect to turn out only the highest grade of petroleum engineers."
An office and laboratory for the new department are to be fitted out on the ground floor of Haworth hall, the mining and geology building. A proposed curriculum has been prepared and submitted to Dean Ivan Crawford, new head of the School of Engineering and Architecture, and to Chancellor Lindley.
Professor Stephenson's father, Chandler W. Stephenson, was a graduate of the University in 1879, when he took a B.S. degree. He came to the University from Chetopa. Some years after his graduation, he delivered the annual commencement address here.
The program for the department includes research into problems of the petroleum industry.
The restoration is effective immediately and affects practically all active employees.
Good news for University employees came yesterday with an announcement by Chancellor Lindley that one-fifth of the maximal cut imposed on salaries has been restored.
Chancellor Announces Part Restoration of Pay Cuts
Forestry Lecture Ends Busy Week
Trees and Their Help In Native Welfare Will Be Discussed by Expert In Fraser Tonight
Forestry and what it means to every American citizen will be part of the ground covered in an illustrated lecture beginning at 7:30 tonight in Fraser theater, when Dr. H. N. Wheeler, of the U.S. Forest Service, appears on the summer session lecture course, rounding out a week of unusual activity on the campus.
“Trees are one of the basic factors in our economic scheme,” said one listener after hearing Doctor Wheeler, “but we never appreciated their full importance until we heard him speak. We felt like standing up at the end of the address and giving three cheers for the silent but heroic tree.”
Doctor Wheeler, who abandoned a university career to enter the forest service in 1905, is a veteran of many years, as a ranger and forest reservation supervisor. He is noted for his brilliant, dramatic, and frequently humorous appeal as a speaker, and is said to inspire the greatest enthusiasm for contribution to forestry wherever he speaks.
He includes in his lectures a treatment of local problems, and tonight he no doubt will discuss tree planting as a means of preventing the soil erosion so disastrous to farms in this part of the country. His lecture will be illustrated with projected pictures, collected in all parts of the country. An open forum will follow the ad-
An open forum will follow the address.
Flute Featured In Recital Monday
Herbert R. Rifkind, instructor in woodwind instruments, visiting faculty member in the Mid-Western Music camp from Chicago, will play a recital Monday night on the flute and piccolo, with ensemble numbers for four flutes, as well as two violins, viola, 'cello, and contra bass. The recital will begin at 8 p.m. in Central Administration auditorium.
A brilliant performer on the flute, Mr. Rifkind has had wide concert experience with the instrument. Among the organizations with which he has appeared are the Chicago Civic Symphony orchestra (under Eric DeLamarter and Frederick Stock of the Chicago Symphony orchestra); Bachman's Million Dollar Band; and the People's Symphony orchestra.
Charles Sanford Skilton's "Sioux Flute Serenade" will be featured on the program. Professor Skilton is a member of the School of Fine Arts faculty.
The program follows:
Part I
"Second Concerto in B Minor," polonaise, badinage, (Bach); Mr. Rifkind, flute.
"Dance of the Blessed Spirits,
from "Orfeo e Eurydice," (Glick);
Mr. Rifkind, flute; George B. Loper
and Helen Shideler, violin; William
Seguine, viola; Gertruze Shideler,
cello; and Worth Blair, string bass.
"Nocturne," op 17, (Doppler)
"Nocturne," opus 17, (Doppler); Mr. Riftkind.
"Du bist die Ruh," transcribed for flute quartet, (Schubert-Riffkind); Mr. Riffkind, Jean Klussman, Marguerite Hynk, and Margaret Hyde.
"Syrinx", (Debussy); "Suite",
opus 34, number 3, (Widor); "Sar sur
thee", (Widor); "Sirius", (price),
(Lemmone); "Sioux Flute
Serenade", (Skilton); Mr. Rifkind.
Part II
"Chant du Rossignol," opus 21.
(Filipovsky); "Poupee Valsante," (Poldini); Mr. Rifkid, piccolo.
Medicine For Ailing Schools Is Fraternity Speaker's Topic
Sheffer Groups Problem Under Four Headings at Phi Delta Kappa Dinner; Tuwele Are Inducted
Twelve Are Inducted
"Remedies for the Present Kansas School Situation" was the subject of an address given by Dr. W. E. Sheffer, superintendent of Manhattan city schools, at the annual initiatory banquet of Phi Delta Kappa, the men's professional education fraternity, Wednesday evening at the Colonial tea room. Twelve initiates were guests of the chapter—having been taken into the chapter Wednesday afternoon.
In discussing the state's educational predicament, Doctor Sheffer admitted that many current defects exist. One of the principal problems which must be remedied, he believes, is lack of co-operation—not only among teachers and educators themselves, but among the laity.
tem of education in general. As a fourth problem, the speaker lumped together school finances and several other kindred phases.
Remedies suggested by Doctor Sheffer were definite. In the first place, he pleaded for the introduction of a long-term program of improvement of supervision. The first thing that must be done, he believes, is to take the county and state superintendencies out of the hands of politics and place them in the control of boards of education for counties and the state, respectively.
Another problem is the huge number of teachers who are improperly trained and supervised. A third, and one which is involved in the second, is the large number of one-room schools and the rural sys-
"The principal educational officers must be selected for their actual merits end qualifications," he said, "rather than for their party affiliations and political prestige."
Another remedy for educational deficiencies will be a unified high school system. At present, Kansas has too many entirely different types of high schools: community, rural, Barnes law, tuition, and va-Continued on page 3
Choir Sings Sunday Night In South Park
Group of 45 Voices Under Dean Swarthout to Give Two Numbers At Church Service
The Summer Session A Cappella choir of 45 voices under Dean D. M. Swarthout will sing two unaccompanied numbers Sunday evening at South Park, in connection with the Union Church service. The choir is a new venture in the summer music program and consists of the 25 members in the regular class in advanced conducting and choral repertoire, plus other selected voices.
The first number to be sung Sunday night will be one which was composed over 350 years ago. It is "O Bone Jesu," by Palestrina, a number known as a work of great beauty, and written by one who in some respects stands at the head of all choral writers. The composition, which freely translated means "O Blessed Jesus," will be sung by the choir in the original Latin text.
The second number is a motet by Zingarelli, written about 150 years ago, entitled "Go Not Far From Me, O God." A work of rare charm it begins with a slow and effective first section having fine choral possibilities, and moves into a lively conclusion on the words "O let my mouth be filled with Thy praise."
Members of the Summer Session A
Cappella Choir for this year are:
Soprano: Mary Elizabeth Bear, Ruth Gillum, Margaret Hayes, Jean Russell, Dorothy E. Shanton, Marian E. Terrrell, Irene Oliver, Clara McGrath, Georgia Anna Shaw, Ramona Harnar, Norma Parry, Naomi Fisher, Theo Sperry, Beula Workman, Margaret Harris, Esther Davies and Ila Martin.
Alto: Emily Jane Ball, Jeanette Barbour, Geuda Burgan, Viola Heitschmidt, Dorothy Klawhnn, Mildred Smith, Muriel Smith, Dorothy Enlow Miller, Claudia Mahley, Tane Twed Bell, Mildred Seacat, Elfrieda Franz, and Alice Russell.
Tenor: Hilton Woodbury, Harold J. Smith, T. H. Reynolds, Don Myers, DeLloyd Tibbs. T. G. Larremore.
Bass: Lewis Copeland, Fred Kihm,
Vernon Landon, Clifford Royer, John
Bondeson, J. Harold Smith, Robert
Towse, Don Fannell, and Ernest Harrison.
COMING EVENTS
Tonight
Lecture on forestry, Fraser Theatre, 7:30.
Sunday. July 11
Mid-Western Camp Orchestra concert,
6:45, Fowler grove.
Mid-Western Camp band concert,
Union ballroom, 4:30 p.m.
Summer Session A Cappella choir at Union church services, South Park, Sunday night.
Monday, July 12
Rifkid flute recital, 8 p.m., Central Administration auditorium.
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