PAGE SIX
UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN, LAWRENCE, KANSAS
TUESDAY, MARCH 6.1951
Thought for the Day
It is a comfort to the unhappy to have companions in misery. —Benedict Spinoza
The Editorial Page-
Wherein Papa Explains FEPC
By BRADLEY MORISON
Associate Editorial Editor of Minneapolis Tribune
Q. Papa, what does FPPC mean?
Q. What does that mean, Papa?
A. Why that means fair employment practice commission, sonny.
B. What does that mean, Papa?
A. It means, sonny, that everybody gets an equal chance at jobs whether his is white or...
Q. Is that good, Papa?
Q. Is that good, Paper?
A. Heavens no, dear. It's very bad.
H. Hevels has he?
Q. Why is it bad, Pana?
A. Because a lot of radicals and trouble makers are behind it They want to ...
Q. You mean like Communists, Papa?
A. Yes, that's it, exactly, like Communists. They want to . . .
Q. Papa, it says here that Governor Dewey of New York is for TFPC. Is he a communist. Papa?
A. Of course not, sonny. Don't be a fool ...
Q. It also says, Papa, that Nelson A. Rockefeller, Paul G. Hoffman, Eric Johnson, and Beardsley Ruml have all supported FEPC legislation. Are they radicals and trouble-makers, Papa?
A. Don't be silly, my dear child. Why, they are some of our most highly respected . ,
Q. Papa, it say here that the Republican party approved the principles of FEEC at its 1948 convention. Is the Republican party awfully radical. Papa?
A. No indeed, my son. As a matter of fact it's quite . . .
Q. And Papa, it say here that the American Legion department of Minnesota passed a resolution favoring FEPC at its last state convention. Is the American Legion terribly radical, Papa?
A. Why, of all the absurd ideas! The American Legion is one of the most patriotic and . . .
Q. Papa, it says here in the New York Herald Tribune that the EPC has been a big success in New York state. Is the New York herald Tribune a Communist newspaper, Papa?
A. Well, I should say not! I can't imagine a more . . .
Q. Papa, it says here in the Declaration of Independence that "all men are created equal, that they are endowed by the Creator with certain inalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness." Is that Communism, Papa?
A. Now don't be a silly goose. Why it's the very opposite of . . .
Q. But Papa, if all men are created equal and are entitled to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, why shouldn't they have an equal chance at jobs?
A. Because, sonny. That means interfering in other people's business, and in this country every man has a right to do exactly he pleases without some bumbling bureaucrat . . .
Q. You mean that we can drive down Nicollet Avenue 80 miles on hour if we want to, Papa?
A. Oh, heavens no, dear. You see the law says we can't do that
because we might seriously injure someone if we . . .
Q. Papa, does it seriously injure a man when he can't get a job
because he's the wrong color or religion or . . .
A. Of course, it does, but . . .
A. Of course, it does, but. . . .
Q. Well, Papa, if it's ok to have speed laws to keep people from
titting hurt. I don't see why FEPC is so awful, terribly . . .
A. Oh, shush, son! Be still. Can't you see I'm trying to help your sister, Mary, write her theme on "Our American Heritage of Freedom."
Anti-Democratic Sophistry
The A.S.C.'s refusal to support the bill for an F.E.P.C. should at least be notable as the most disgusting display of anti-democratic sophistry of the year.
ear Editor:
Firstly, I would like to know Mr. Howard's proof for the statement that the bill, only now in committee, is "opposed by the majority of the state legislature." Secondly, the K.U. budget is a separate issue from F.E.P.C., and each must (and we must insist on it) be considered on its own merits; we must not be intimidated from expressing decent, honest opinions on a subject of such importance. Thirdly, if the student council is not able to represent the student body in a competent fashion what is its reason for existing?
It was rather ironical that the next item of the story was a Council appropriation to the International Relations club. This may be quite excellent in itself, but it is completely meaningless to talk of international relations in one breath and in the other to condone in effect the present discriminatory practices within the state.
Wesley Elliotu
Graduate student
Wonder if there's any way of getting the lead out of the deadwood redwoods?
Little known facts department: One can see the campanile from the observation platform on top of Fraser hall.
Bach-Tones Can Be Heard On Organ
Dear Editor:
The Kansan on Feb. 23 included in its pages a letter to the editor written by Stanford E. Lehmberg, College sophomore, bearing the caption, "Museum's Bach-tone Organ Ain't What Bach Heard." Mr. Lehmberg's complaints, in essence, seem to be these: that the museum organ is smaller than those "played regularly" by J. S. Bach, and that it has neither "solid foundation tone" nor reed tone.
I don't know half as much now as I did as a college sophomore but perhaps I can help clarify the question of the organ's authenticity, since I am responsible for having designed and built the instrument.
Proper evaluation of criticism is dependent upon analysis of the critic's background of preferences and prejudices, so let's take a look at organbuilding developments during the first half of the 20th century. Possibly we would discover that Mr. Lehmberg might have been revolted by the very organs J. S. Bach himself played.
The case of neoclassic versus romantic was fought out in American organ journals a number of years ago and fairly well settled, presumably. (At least the opponents tired of battle and agreed to disagree!) Mr. Lehmberg's recent blast comes somewhat as a wild shot fired after a truce has been declared.
The organ world is divided into two camps and one No-man's land; the Romantic, the Neoclassic and Middle - of - the - roaders. The period from 1910 to about 1930 was the heyday of the Romanticists whose battlecry was, "Down with Mixtures, bring on the Gross Flutes!"
For the benefit of the laity who don't know which end of the keyboard is up: exponents of the Romantic Organ embrace, among other things, the thesis that pure musical tone is pure fundamental tone, or practically so; that a full-organ "ensemble" is built up by superimposing larger and larger masses of fundamental (i.e., dull, muddy) tone to produce climax. "solid foundation tone" Mr. Lehmberg calls it. The result is a bloated, hoody calliope quality that has kept many a discriminating music lover away from organ recitals for many a year.
Conversely: the Neoclassists claim that the truly musical tone is rich in harmonic development, that in order to enrich the full ensemble a number of harmonic pitches must be added above the fundamental tone, the cumulative effect of the higher pitches being to produce climax through intensity rather than sheer bombast.
The romantic "solid foundation" Mr. Lehmberg has been taught to like and the classic foundation tone of the Coethan organ he mentions are two different breeds of cats. Romantic foundation tone is solid. Mr. Bach's was delightfully transparent. The 18th century German Prinzipal 8', unlike the American romantic Diapason 8', had an unforced, singing tone rich in harmony development. The weight the Prinzipal added to full organ tone was far less than Mr. Lehmberg "visualizes."
The full ensemble resonance of the museum organ is surprisingly like that of the 18th century organs, in spite of its diminutive size. No foundation tone at the museum, Mr. Lehmberg? Of seven ranks playing from the manuals three are of 8' pitch, two of them quite "foundational", the other four are upperwork. At Hof, Bavaria, I played and inspected an organ built in the 18th century by Heydenreich, a pupil of Bach's favorite builder, which has its qualities, only six of which are foundational in character. The ranks above 8' pitch number thirty-three in its two manual divisions. Perhaps the museum organ hasn't a large enough proportion of upperwork for its foundation tone!
All organs of Bach's time were not 3-manual jobs, nor even 2-manual. Bach's Arnstadt organ had but two-manuals. The single-manual Positiv organ was a popular chamber instrument for clavier music now played almost exclusively on the pianoforte but originally written for harpsichord or Positiv organ. The Positiv organ was used, too, with chamber instrument groups as well, since its tone was transparent and piguant.
The Great division of the museum organ might well be labelled "Positiv", since its qualities and pitches are almost identical to those of the Baroque chamber organs. At no
time, however, have I as the builder of the organ made the mistake of calling the instrument a Baroque or Bach organ, knowing as I do the propensity of the scholarly mind for pouncing on chance phraseology and shredding it forthwith. We have called it an organ built in the classic style.
Mr. Lehmingber is correct in his assertion that the museum organ is not a Bach organ, nor is it a Baroque organ as he suggests calling it. He is greatly in error, though, in assuming that because he doesn't like transparent ensemble quality that surely Bach didn't play that type of instrument.
Mr. Lehmberg is correct in his assertion that the museum organ is small, but again he is incorrect in his assumption that because of its size it is incapable of handling the larger works of Bach. Mr. Weirnich in his practice preceding the opening recital played the Passaaglia in C Minor quite effectively.
That the organ is small is no reason for its remaining so. The present Swell division (if it can be dignified by the term) is scarcely big enough to perform its required duties. Realizing this fact, we built the swell
chest and swell-box of sufficient size to permit the addition of a number of ranks at a later date, among which would be included not only two reed stops, a Krummmhorn 8' and a Clarion 4', but another "foundation" stop, a Geigen Principal 8', and an independent mutation, a Nazard 2 2-3'. Anyone not satisfied with the size of the organ is cordially invited to place a piggy bank at the entrance of the museum to receive contributions toward addition of the missing tone colors.
Charles W. McManis,
AB 36, Mus B. 37
Organbuilder
Kansas City, Kansas
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