Page 2 University Daily Kansan Wednesday, April 13, 1955
Once upon a time there was a play. This play was written by William Shakespeare. This play was presented at the University. This play was reviewed in the University Daily. Kansan by Dee Richards, Mr. Richards' review made some people laugh. He told the editor he wrote a letter to the editor. He told the editor he was not happy, Mr. Richards' comment the editor. He said he was not happy with Mr. Murrill's comment. Mr. Murrill wrote another letter to the editor. Mr. Murrill still is not happy. Spring vacation began. He asked the editor why his letter printed. Spring vacation ended. Unhappy Mr. Murrill asked the editor why his letter printed. Mr. Murrill, unhappy, will be happy to see his letter in print. See below;
Letters
Murrill Jabs With a Left
Dear Miss—I beg your pardon—Mr. "Dee" Richards,
I understand that psychologists consider those who take criticism as a personal affront or who exhibit somewhat nasty little tempers as people who are rather immature or, shall we say, "infantile."
In view of your "vast" experience in matters pertaining to the stage, I must admit that your criticism of Richard III, if not "stupid," was immensely mediocre or rather, average. Read the reviews of plays by good drama critics in decent newspapers and you might just possibly get what I mean.
I did not ask that a theater production, if undeserving, should be praised. In fact, a poor actor should be condemned, but in an intelligent manner so that said actor, if he is worth any kind of salt, will profit from his mistakes. This applies to all walks of life.
In my opinion, cast and pre-performance announcements of a play are, of course, publicity—not reviews. Any worthy university newspaper publicizes, and rightly so, forthcoming university theater attractions.
Incidently (sic), just for the record. I worked as a reporter on the McGill Daily, an experience which cured me once and for all of ever wanting to become a "journalist."
Now enough of this sparring. When I wrote the letter to the Daily Kansan concerning University theatre reviews, I really did not have you, Mr. Richards, in mind at all. What I did have in mind was the last five years of dismal and dreary theater reviews. In other words I had reached the saturation point.
If it is the policy of the Daily Kansan to hand out indiscriminately reporting assignments for theater reviews—regardless of the reporter's knowledge of the stage (excluding, of course, your eminent self)—and the last five years seem to bear this out—then such a policy is an absurd one.
Yours ad nauseam,
Yours ad nauseam.
Rupert Murrill, alias the Earl of Hereford (Entre nous—Richard III after the last performance elevated me to the Earldom).
To the Editor:
In view of the somewhat unkind remarks made in your columns about the recent production of Shakespeare's Richard III, I should like to comment upon what was for me a thoroughly enjoyable experience.
I . . . attended the Saturday night performance, which a member of the cast assured me was the best acted of the four. Allowing for the fact that the players were amateurs of the stage, it seemed to me that the production was well cast, well paced, and sensitively directed.
I thought . . . that Mr. Ross's portrayal of the title role here was not far below that of Whorf (Richard Whorf in the Boston production of the play) in excellence.
In the conception of the play and the handling of the scenes, the KU performance was superior (to the Boston production) in some respects. This was particularly true in the treatment of the queens. Their lines call for vigorous denunciations of Richard. By overstressing these denunciations, the Boston performance made the queens seem shrewish and quarrelsome. By playing the scenes more quietly, the KU actresses gave a more genuine sense of tragedy.—
Another high point for me, because so unexpectedly, was Richmond's final speech of the play. Usually these lines are perfunctorily done, a hasty winding up of the action which has reached its climax in Richard's death . . . Mr. Sawyer pronounced them with such youthful sincerity and genuine feeling that they suddenly illumined the whole play.
To appreciate great plays of the past, it is necessary to bring to them something more than at attitude of indifference or sophisticated boredom. The effort of adjusting our attention to older techniques and points of view is well repaid by the discovery of universal truths and points of view that are significant in all ages. Not to make the effort is to limit our horizons to the immediate and contemporary. Let us hope that such a limitation will never become characteristic of KU.
John E. Hankins Professor of English
Ed. Note: And so dieth Richard III.
The Chi O's asked for it. The fountain and Jimmy Green will be cluttered together. Anyway, now the campus cops can keep both eyes peeled—for the vandals they never catch.
Tacos and Tortillas aren't the things we remember most about the long-remembered visit to Mexico—Tijuana, Mexico, that is.
Only six or so weeks until that lovely summer vacation. Think of it—swimming, hiking, boating, sun bathing, etc. Or do you work in the summer, too?
Beautiful spring weather prevailed until the opening of the baseball season and now—the spring rains start.
Quemoy and Matsu, a group of five little islands in the Formosa strait, have never been of great importance in the history of man. Today they are of international concern and might be instrumental in starting another war.
One Woman's Opinion
The islands belong to the island group known as the Pescadores. The name is derived from the Portuguese word, pescadore, meaning fisherman.
History of the islands is scant. In 1683 the Manchu Tartars who overthrew the Ming dynasty in the early 1600's captured the Pescadores, which had been held for a time by a Ming supporter.
The Pescadores belonged to China until the close of the Sino-Japanese war in 1895. At that time, by the Treaty of Shimonoseki, the Pescadores were needed to Japan. They remained a Japanese possession until the close of World War II, when they were given back to China.
Matsu is six square miles of rock. Its civilian population of 11,000 has been virtually unmolested since civilization began. The people depend on the sea for food and their culture has been undisturbed for centuries. They live in caves cut in the cliffs.
Why does anyone care about Matsu? Because the tiny island blocks the port of Foochow on the Chinese Communist mainland 18 miles away. Today there is a garrison of 6,000 Nationalist Chinese soldiers on Matsu.
Quemoy is actually a group of four islands. History at present is concerned mainly with only one of them, designated Big Quemoy. In area Quemoy is about the size of Staten Island in the New York harbor. The majority of its 42,000 inhabitants are fishermen. A Chinese Nationalist garrison of 50,000 soldiers is now stationed on the island.
Quemoy is of great strategic importance because it blocks the Chinese Communist held port of Amoy on the mainland. Amoy is the best and the biggest port on the Chinese mainland.
The 35-odd offshore islands now in Nationalist hands are all strategically important. They provide radar outposts for warning against possible air attack. They are bases for small-scale attacks on the mainland, and for intelligence and guerilla activities.
The islands are currently the last Nationalist stronghold preventing the Chinese Communists from invading Formosa.
According to Admiral Arthur W. Radford, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the indigenous troops in Formosa can handle the current situation with U.S. military aid and advice, which they are currently getting. Asked whether he thought Formosa was vital to defense, Adm. Radford parried with, "The Joint Chiefs of Staff feel the islands should remain in friendly hands."
It is felt that the Chinese Communists will not launch an attack on Formosa and the Pescadores until they have gained air superiority. Until recently they have been unable to set up jet air fields close
Daily Hansan
University of Kansas Student Newspaper News Room, Ad Room, 401-736-7548
Member of the Inland Daily Press association, Associated Collegiate Press association, Represented by the National Advertising service, 420 Madison avenue, N.Y. Mail subscription rates, $3 a semester or $4.50 year (add $1 a semester if in Lawrence). Published at Lawrence, Kan. University year except Saturdays and Sunday. University holidays and examination periods. Entered as second class matter, Sept. 17, 1910, at Lawrence, Kans. post office under act of March 3, 1879.
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An Honor System Proposed
A proposed honor system for Mississippi Southern college has been presented to the college administrative council. Under the proposal, a pledge to abide by the system would be made a requirement for entrance and would become a permanent part of each student's record.
Outlining the responsibilities of faculty and students, the proposal also would set up a system for reporting violations, a commission to act upon the reports, two classes of conviction and a means of appeal. For students, the proposal would entail an acceptance of obligations to work independently in writing exams and in preparing themes and papers. Other obligations include refraining from receiving or giving information during an exam; taking, illegally, copies of any examination; studying from a stolen test and taking concealed information into an exam.
enough to do this. However they are now building a base near Foochow, and when it's finished the experts look for trouble.
—Margot Baker.