Kansas State Historical Society Topeka, Ks.
Daily hansan
53rd Year, No. 45
LAWRENCE, KANSAS
Tuesday, Nov. 16, 1954
Spoon River Residents Come to Life in Play
By MADELYN BRITE
The dead residents of Spoon river returned to life to link their tombstone epitaphs with their actual lives in the second Studio theater production of the season last night in Green theater.
An excellent cast of 18 townspeople appeared in a dimly-lighted graveyard setting to relate the circumstances of their death in "Spoon River Anthology," a collection of poems by Edgar Lee Masters.
"Moonshine," by Arthur Hopkins, and "Special Rates," by Bernice Harris, completed the program of three one-act plays to be presented at 8 p.m. through Thursday.
The audience's attention during "Ocean River" was held by the close atmosphere of the cemetery and the good acting of the characters who were of various occupations and personalities. Tom Merrit, played by William T. Teichgraeber, college freshman, was killed by his wife's lover. Other members of the cast included a soldier, the town drunkard, a lawyer, and a minister.
Shirley Dean, education junior, acted the part of Daisey Frazier, a notorious townswoman.
A touch of humor was added to the eerie scene when Gerald K. Scott, college senior, appeared to tell how he was killed in a train wreck and buried in Spoon river by mistaken identity.
Dr. Allen Crafton, professor of speech, as Fidler Jones, received hearty applause. Last to appear beside his burial site was J. Morgan Sherwood, graduate student, as Richard Bone, the stonecutter who carved the epithets. His own monument, with only the years of his life and death, was placed among many false ones he carved.
In "Moonshine," a revenue officer, Bruce Dillman, journalism junior, happens onto a notorious chief of a mountain gang in the wilds of North Carolina. The play is set in the hut of Luke Hazy, the moonshiner who has killed twelve mountain residents in a family feud. The plot has the revenue officer out-witting Luke to save himself from a similar fate. The lines and facial expressions of the characters were humorous and compensated for the weak plot.
"Special Rates," presented after the anthology, provided a contrast of light humor for the evening. The scene opens in the farm home of Alf Sanders, played by John Ryberg, college sophomore. Alf must choose between the freedom of his present batchelorhood and marriage to Jo Ann Young, college sophomore. Margaret Hunt, college freshman, was good in her part as Mittie, Alf's married daughter who tries to prevent the marriage. A Republican-Democrat argument between Alf and his brother, Nath, played by Donald Johnston, business junior, provided added amusement.
Moore to Discuss Poetry of Eliot
Two aspects of the poet, T. S Eliot, his multi-faceted personality and the importance of his poetry, will be featured in Prof. Geoffrey Moore's weekly lecture at 7 p.m. today in Strong auditorium.
Mr. Eliot, who was born in St. Louis, became a naturalized British citizen, and is claimed both as an American poet by American critics, and an English poet by English critics. He is a director of the publishing firm of Faber and Faber, a poet and playwright, and one of the leading modern literary critics.
Mr. Moore, the visiting Rose Morgan professor, will present sidelight on Eliot's personality, including illustrative anecdotes. He will also summarize Eliot's influence on 20th century poetry.
Dixon-Yates Hit On Profits Issue
Washington — (U.P.)— Sen. Albert Gore (D-Tenn.) last night the Dixon-Yates power contract, despite "so-called improvements," still will allow "exorbitant profit" to the private utility group involved.
The Tennessee senator, one of the chief critics of the contract, said it still is possible the companies in the Dixon-Yates combine "can go through with this deal without putting up as much as one silver dollar, or one paper dollar."
He said revisions made in the contract before it was signed by the Atomic Energy Commission last week "had no bearing upon the risk" assumed by the utility group.
The big risk in the utility business, Sen. Gore said, is in getting customers and collecting bills, but in the case of Dixon-Yates, "The government commits itself to a contract for 25 years, so there is no risk as to market."
The contract provides for Dixon-Yates to build a steam plant to supply power to the Tennessee Valley Authority to replace TVA power used by the Atomic Energy commission.
Sen. Gore and others have denounced the contract as an attack on TVA. But even more important, he said, is the "prostitution" of the AEC. He said the contract draws the AEC "into a political fight" and "into the power business which was not its function at all."
Sen. Gore said he believes the Democratic - controlled Congress next year can "kill" the contract even though it has already been formally implemented.
Censure Is Only Answer To McCarthy, Watkins Says
Generality Limits Understanding, Lecturer Says
"Reflective writing tends toward generality," Dr. Brand Blanshard, Yale philosopher, said yesterday in a lecture on "The Art of Reflective Writing."
Speaking of philosophy writers, Dr. Blanshard, visiting humanities lecturer, who will speak at 8:20 p.m. today in Fraser theater, said they sometimes do not convey their intellectual thoughts so the reader can understand them easily.
"Concrete things are complex, and most men's minds are so constructed that they think things through. Minds leap from the specific to the general." he said.
Bv LEE ANN URBAN
Dr. Blanshard attributed part of this failure to convey thoughts clearly to excessive generality.
Instead of seeming to be just a translation which does not quite fit the score, as many English opera translations appear, this one permitted a smooth and brilliant performance.
The opera involves a romance between Count Almaviva, played by John McCollum, and Rosina, portrayed by Jacqueline Bazinet. The romance is threatened by Dr. Bartolo. Rosina's guardian, played by Robert Gay, who wants to marry her
Rossini Opera Proves An Entertaining Farce
The philosopher added that the reader is sometimes at fault when he does not understand what he reads, because obscurity is often due to lack of reflective thinking.
By GRETCHEN GUINN
The performance of the comic opera in English seemed to increase the audience's appreciation of it. The English translation by Mr. Goldovsky and his assistant, Sarah Caldwell, allowed better character interpretation by the cast.
The incorrect use of words and sentences also contribute to the failure of reflective writers, Dr Blanshard pointed out. He stated that color words, those with emotional overtones, are not needed to write philosophy or science.
The 1954-55 Concert series opened last night in Hoch auditorium with a highly entertaining production of Rossini's, "The Barber of Seville," performed by the Boris Goldovsky Opera theater.
"Each sentence should carry the thought one step forward," he said. Comparing sentences to stepping stones, he said they should be arranged in groups for rhythmical structure.
The light-hearted humor of the opera was portrayed perfectly by the actors.
"The problem of style is not just words and sentences, but style of mind," Dr. Blanshard said. "If a man's mind moves on the surface of things, the defect will show in his writing."
The portrayal of the Barber of Seville by Arthur Schoep was the highlight of the performance. Mr. Schoep's interpretation of the jolly, fun-loving barber added the zest to the opera that made it sparkle.
himself.
Dr. Bartolo is aided in his schemes by Don Basillo, the music master, sung by Robert Mesrobian. Count Almaviva is helped by Figaro, the barber of Seville.
Mr. Gay portrayed a very elderly rheumatic villain whose assistant in the plot to wreck the romance was the sly music master, who was not above taking a bribe to desert Dr. Bartolo and act as witness to the marriage contract of the Count and Rosina.
Figaro's song in the first act about the way the jingle of money affected his brain and helped it solve knotty problems was particularly amusing.
The supporting roles were also well performed. Ambrogiog, Dr. Bartolo's servant, played by Ernest Eames, and Marcellina, Dr. Bartolo's housekeeper, played by Edith Gordon, constantly amused the audience with their antics as the opera progressed.
- Washington—(U.P.)—Sen. Arthur V. Watkins (R.-Utah) declared today that any compromise that does not demand Sen. Joseph R. McCarthy's outright censure will be "a compromise with indecency."
BRAND BLANSHAR
West Europe Series Was Lecture Thrill
LEE ANN URBAN
Lecturing to 85 students from all over western Europe in an 18th century palace was an interesting experience for Dr. Brand Blanshard, visiting Humanities lecturer and chairman of the Yale philosophy department.
Dr. Blanshard was one of the Yale professors to teach in the Seminar for American Studies in Salzburg, Austria, during the summer of 1953.
The six weeks' seminar was founded by a group of Harvard men after World War II with the idea of "taking America to European students."
Dr. Blanshard lectured on American philosophy and Anglo-American ethics. Among his students were a Catholic dean from a college in Sicily, a Communist lecturer on philosophy from the University of Belgrade, a woman philosopher from Florence, and a newspaper editor from Vienna.
Dr. Blanshard said he found a deep interest in America in the students. "Their intense interest in the United States and their sufficient knowledge of English helped to make the seminar a success."
"They often think of Americans as completely materialistic, but the seminar helps destroy this illusion. They seemed to have a feeling of universal friendliness and gratitude toward the United States," he said. The Catholic dean and the Communist from Belgrade disagreed on many things, but they "reserved their fireworks for class and were good friends afterwards," Br. Blanshard said.
The average age of the students was 28, and many of them had begun practice in law, architecture, journalism, and other professions. A special committee selects the students to attend the seminar and paves their expenses.
The seminar is held in the Archbishop's palace, which is located near a lake and surrounded by the Austrian Alps. "It is one of the most beautiful spots in Europe," Dr. Blanshard said.
The students sleep on army cots but attend classes in rooms of 18th century grandeur.
- "I don't see how you can compromise with the indecent attacks Mr. McCarthy has been making on us since the Senate returned," he said. "They are a worse display of unsenatorial conduct than the original (censure) charges against him."
It was one of the bluntest statements Sen. Watkins has made since the censure controversy started several months ago. It came as the Senate swung into the fifth day of its historic debate.
Sen. McCarthy's forces drew encouragement from Sen. Francis Case (R-S.D.) who broke ranks with his censure committee colleagues yesterday and formally withdrew his support for one of the two counts for which the group recommended censure. He said he no longer could agree Sen. McCarthy should be censured for "pre-whensible" treatment of Brig. Gen. Ralph W. Zwicker.
Sen. McCarthy said today that Sen. Case's action was an "important development," but he doubted it would save him from censure. Sen. Watkins conceded it "may make a difference with many senators who have the old Army-McCarthy charges in mind." He said "even if McCarthy did denounce Gen. Zwicker, some will be reluctant to damn him for it."
But Chairman Watkins and the four other members of the censure committee stuck to their two recommendations of censure.
Sen. Case said he decided to withdraw his support for one count because Sen. McCarthy had reason to be "danned mad" when he was questioning Gen. Zwicker 'ast February.
Senate Republican leader William F. Knowland said Sen. Case's switch has shed new light on the Zwicker count and Sen, Everett M. Dirksen (R-III), a McCarthy backer, said it had created a new "atmosphere."
Sen. McCarthy lashed out today at a slashing attack Sen. Sam J. Ervin (D-N.C.) leveled against him in a Senate session yesterday afternoon. If he had made the same remarks against another senator, Sen. McCarthy said, "They would ask to have me censured for it."
Only $842.08 has been collected in the Campus Chest campaign so far even though $252.04 was collected yesterday. This total is far short of the goal of $7,693.
Campus Chest Far Short of Goal
The Chest received the following donations yesterday:
North College hall, $12.55; Gamma Phi Beta sorority, $22; Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority, $66.06; Phi Delta Theta fraternity, $46; Theta Chi fraternity, $23.05; Alpha Delta Pi sorority, $13.73, and individual contributions. $4.
The money taken in at the Campus Chest dance tomorrow will raise the total, but unless students contribute a large amount today and tomorrow, the drive will end far short of the goal.
Weather
Increasing cloudiness is predicted for eastern Kansas tonight and tomorrow with occasional showers in the northwest tonight and east tomorrow. Temperatures will drop slightly tomorrow. The low tonight will be 35-40 in the northwest and near 50 in the southeast.