PAGE FOUR
Published Tuesday throcffh Sat
urday mornings inclusive during
the University year by the staff
of The Daily Collegian of the
Pennsylvania State University.
Entered as second-class matter
DAVE JONES. Editor
Managing Ed., Marshall O. Donley; City Ed., Chock Asst. Bus. Mgr., Mark Christ; Local Advertising Mgr.,
Obertancc; Copy Ed., Chiz Mathias; Sports Ed., Sam Pro- Robert National - Adv. Mgr., Dave ' Burke;
copio; Edit. Dir., Dick Rsu; Wire-Radio Ed., Bill Jost; Circulation Co-Mgrs., Prank Cressman, Diane Miller:
Photo Ed., Bruce Schroeder; Soe. Ed. Lynn Kahanowitz; Promotion Mgr., Ruth Israel; Personnel Mgr., Patience
Asst. Sports Ed., Dick McDowell; Asst. Soc. Ed., Lis Newell; Ltagethuem: * Office Mgr.. Gail Shaver: Classified Adv.
Feature Ed., Nancy Meyers; Exchange Ed., Gus Vollraer: Mgr., Jean Geiger; Sec.. , Carol Schwing: Research and
Librarian, Lorraine Gladua. Records Mgrs., Virginia Bowman, Francis Crawford.
STAFF THIS ISSUE: Night editor, Nancy Ward; Copy editors, A'l Munri, Phil Austin; Assistants,
Annie Campbell, Ted Serrill, Bill Snyder, Margie Pearce and Bobbe Weinberg. Ad staff, Steve Wy
man, Pat Dickinson.
Vacation Quiz Plan: Regrettable Proposal
A regrettable proposal designed to limit pre
vacation class cutting will go before the College
Senate in December. If the Senate carefully
considers all ramifications of the proposal, the
only recourse will be to defeat it.
The proposal would request the faculty to
give a quiz in each final class session within
24 hours before each vacation. The quizzes, to
be-effective, must have some effect on the final
course grade. Such a policy for giving quizzes
is unsound.
In its haste to reduce pre-vacation cutting,
the committee presenting this proposal has
obviously overlooked many glaring faults:
1. Such a policy might easily result in every
student having five or six quizzes just before
a vacation. These, coupled with regular class
assignments and perhaps a bluebook, could re
sult in detriment to the student’s grades, merely
to keep him on campus until vacation of
ficially begins.
2. Quizzes are lo test a student's knowledge
of the course, not to make him attend class.
When a quiz beepme an attendance mechanism,
the philosophy of education needs a thorough
review.
3. The minority of students classes at
vacation time, yet the entire student body is
being penalized with this quiz procedure.
4. It is poor policy for the University or any
group to ask a faculty member to give a quiz
when he may not wish to. This plan, of course,
could be voluntary. But that does not remove
the point that a faculty member should be al
lowed to run his classes largely as he sees fit.
5. It would be quite a gigantic quiz that
would weigh heavily on the course final grade.
In fact, in some cases it might be a minor
bluebook. Six minor bluebooks in 24 hours?
The idea of instituting quizzes in these classes
proceeds from the proposition that class attend
ance is necessary for proper education. And
Shot in the Arm
Charles Laughton, undeniably one of the out
standing personalities in the entertainment
world, will be on campus this evening in the
second Community Forum, “An Evening With
Charles Laughton.”
The presentation of people such as Laughton
and his wife, Elsa Lanchester, who appeared
in last year's forum series, shows the high
quality of entertainment that can be brought
to Penn State through the Community Forum,
Laughton’s talk has stirred considerable com
ment through the campus. Many people who
have become acquainted with the noted British
actor, through the medium of’ television, are
anxious to see him in person. He will present
a program of readings from American litera
ture.
In previous years. Community Forum has
lacked the support it deserves. This may be due
to the fact that the talent presented has not
interested the general public. The appearance
of such people as Laughton may be the shot in
the arm the forum needs.
Safety Valve •..
On Changing Lyrics
TO THE EDITOR: I noticed in .. . the change of
this institution there was some question as to
the propriety or necessity of changing the texts
of several of our songs. ... I would say that
changes are completely unnecessary.
As an example, the first line of the "Nittany
Lion" was cited where it says—" Every college
has a legend—." The word "college" here is not
capitalized and ... is simply_ a generic term
for institutions of higher learning. Other refer
ences to the "college" would have the same
interpretation ...
There will probably be enough minor details
to work out without tampering with our lyrics.
—Hummel Fishburn
Head of Departments of Music
and Music Education
• Letter cut
Junior Prom Refunds
Will End Tomorrow
Tomorrow is the deadline for
persons to exchange dance pro
grams for Junior Prom refunds
of $1.50 at the Student Union desk
in Old Main.
I Hatly Culltgt&tt . S'SEdsTZ'hIHPS
I * . ! newspaper. Unsigned editorials
arc by the editor.
Snccts&or to THE TREE LANCE* eat. 188?
inly 5, 1934 ftt the State College, Pa. Post Office under the act of March 3. 1879.
—Don Shoemaker
Chapel Choir to Meet
Tonight in Carnegie
The Chapel Choir will meet
at 6:30 tonight in 117 Carnegie,
instead of 7:30 as previously
announced.
THE DATLY COLLEGIAN. STATE COLLEGE. PENNSYLVANIA
VINCE DRAYNE. Business Mgr.
although this may be a widely-accepted educa
tional principle, it could be wrong.
Few are disillusioned enough to ■ believe all
Penn State students are seeking a real educa
tion. This is the basis many use for arguing
class attendance is not really necessary, since
class attendance contributes to the education
we all desire. But there is also a realistic side
to the attendance question.
A student either finds class attendance neces
sary to pass the course, or unnecessary to pass
the course. If he finds it unnecessary—finds he
can pass the course without class attendance—
there is not much reason for him to attend.
If he cannot pass without he will at
tend or flunk. For that student, attendance
regulations are not needed.
Some will say a student may be able to pass
a course without attending class, but could
gain more if he attended. This is true. The solu
tion to that, however, is twofold: .
1. The faculty member should make his class
es interesting enough so the student will want
to attend, or
2. The faculty member should make the
course so hard that the student would be forced
to attend it to pass.
There is a minimum for passing, as there
must be. If a student can reach that minimum
without attending class, why should he be
penalized because another student must attend
class to meet that minimum?
It appears, then, that the whole basis for the
vacation absences proposal may be wrong. But
even if it is not—even if mandatory attendance
is desirable—the plan is still bad.
We have become so worried about class at
tendance that we appear to be sacrificing some
highly important principles. In our haste to
keep the student in class, let us try to improve
the class quality rather than use a quiz—or
other device—as an attendance mechanism.
Gazette...
Today
AMERICAN FOUNBRYMEN’S SOCIETY,
. 7:30 p.m.
NEW AND VIEWS STAFF AND CANDIDATES,
6:30 p.m., 14 Home Economics Bldg.
PENN STATE FENCING CLUB, 7:30 " p.m.,
North Corridor Rec Hall.
RADIO STATION CONTINUITY CANDI
DATES, 7 p.m., 312 Sparks.
WRA OFFICIALS CLUB, 6:30 p.m., 2 White
Hall.
STUDENT EMPLOYMENT
Students from the Altoona, Greensburg, and
Jeanette areas interested in working at home
during the Christmas holidays.
William Appleton, Donald Bailey, George
Biemesderfer, Frances Black, Patricia Collins,
Ruth L. Davis, William Detterer, Fred Ernest,
David Friedenberg, Marcia Goldberg, Lois
Helms, Edmund Lutes, Dean Moyer, Richard
Rau, David Schuster, Allene Seltzer, John Shel
ly, Merle Umstead, Ruth Wagner, and Edward
Yarosz.
PLACEMENT SERVICE
The companies listed below will conduct interviews oa
campus. Schedule interviews now in IX2 Old Main.
STANDARD OIL DEVELOPMENT CO. will interview
Jan. B.S. graduates, M.S. and Ph.D. Candidates in Com
mercial Chem. on Nov, 19.
THE YOUNG WOMAN’S CHRISTIAN ASSOCIATION
will visit the campus on Nov. 19 to discuss opportunities
in the organization with interested students. *
UNITED AIRCRAFT CORP. will interview Jan. B.S.
graduates in Aero. E and ME on Nov. 19.
UNITED AIRCRAFT CORPORATION (RESEARCH
DEPT.) will interview M.S. and Ph.D. candidates in Aero. E
and ME on Nov. 19.
TIMKEN ROLLER BEARING CO. will interview Jan.
B.S. graduates in ME and Mining E. on Nov. 20.
U.S. NAVAL ORDNANCE LABS, will interview Jan.
B.S. graduates in EE and ME on Nov. 20.
U.S. STEEL CORP. will interview Jan. B.S. graduates
in all engineering curricula on Nov. 23.
OHIO DEPT. OF HIGHWAYS will interview Jan. B.S.
graduates in CE on Nov. 23.
THE ATLANTIC REFINING CO., CRUDE PROD. DIV.;
DALLAS. TEX. will interview Jan. B.S. and * graduate’
students in CE, EE, ME, ChE, and P.N.G.E. interested in
production, research and -field work on seismograph crews,
on Nov. 23 and 24.
PROCTOR AND GAMBLE will interview_Jan. graduates
in Bus. Adm., Liberal Arts and Psychology on Nov. 23.
U.S. RUBBER CO. will interview Jan. B.S. and B.A.
graduates in lE, ME, EE, ChE, Chem., Bus. Mngt. and
Acctg. on Nov. 24.
FIDELITY MUTUAL LIFE INSURANCE will interview
Jan. B.S. and B.A. graduates interested in life insurance
selling. Interviews should be scheduled by Nov. 24.
Amherson Gets Post
Dr. Jean D. Amberson, head of
the Home Economics Education
department, has been appointed
home economics representative
from Pennsylvania to the Nation
al Education Association for 1953-
54.
HOSPITAL
an on Campus
I tie
twdn pwrfe?sow^>^^^
i — ■— _
Great White Way
Whispering
Gallery i
Npt having trodden down the Great. White Way for almost two
years, we couldn’t resist when we saw in the New York Times that
Jose Ferrer was opening an eight-week drama festival at the New
York City Center. The timeless “Cyrano de Bergerac” was to be the
first offering.
The secret got out and soon we
had conscribed a motley crew of
Daily Collegian staff members and
stray drama enthusiasts to make
the trip to the Big Town.
Leaving campus Friday night
we got caught in an unexplained
fog along the way and kept circ
ling around a pivot point near
Berwick. Finally we got off .our
orbit and camped down at the
rambling and palatial retreat of
our party in Stroudsburg.
We stole into New York City
the next day in time for lunch and
the famous cheese cake dessert
at Lindy’s. Deciding we had
enough time to catch a Saturday
matinee, we forked., out $4.20
apiece to. the scalpers for plain
old $3 seats, last minute cancel
lations to “Guys and Dolls.”
After three years of loud and
hoary humor, the play is getting
sadly shop worn and struck me
as being amazinly unfunny. Iva
Withers does a fair job as the
brassy dancer at the Hoi Box
who's been engaged for 14 years
and tells her tale- of woe in
"Adelaide's Lament," first pop
ularized by Vivian Blaine. Rob
ert Alda and Isabel Bigley ("Me
and Juliet") have long gone on
to something bigger. Norwood
Smith and Sandra Hight try
hard to be successful replace-'
ments.
Damon Runyon’s so called char
acters of the big city—the mission
dolls, nightclub babes, gamblers,
and drifters symbolized just so
much stereotyped nothing. If one
can forget all sense of plausibility
and accept “Guys and Dolls” for
what it is, a rough, tongue-in
cheek musical comedy, it might
still prove enjoyable. It is with,
none of our own laments that we
discovered it will close in two
weeks.
Nothing irritated us so much
as the obviously forced humor,
gs in the case of the police lieu
tenant who discovers the gamb
lers had a crap game in the Save
a Soul Mission and replies, “May
be that’s what’s meant by holy
rollers.”
Walking down Broadway and
Times Square and soaking in all
the bright lights, and cardboard,
the penny arcades, and the strange
mixture of people pushing to and
fro is still an education in itself,
but we got tired of crawling
through the solid phalanx sweep
ing down from 50th street, and
couldn’t help wishing that every
one would just go home.
That evening we trotted off to
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 1953 ,
J | \ c T ct
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Am falfar
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.By CHIZ MATHIAS.
dinner at the Russian Tea Room
on 56th street, where we became
thoroughly indoctrinated with
cold borscht, shish-kabob, and
even a Moscow Mule—served in
a copper mug because it might
have dissolved the glass!
On our way to. the theater we
.discovered a fascinating book
store, one of those little holes
in. the wall, where all kinds of
good literature, is on sale for
less, than the list price. Fine
reproductions of Cezanne and
colorful facsimilies of Toulouse-
Lautrec posters hung from the
ceiling and could be purchased
for a mere $2.98. We spent so
much lime browsing that we
were almost late for the cur
tain.
.At the City Center we found
ourselves seated in the orchestra
about' halfway down the aisle.
More than,.3ooo people jammed
the theater, but we lost all con
sciousness of them as soon as the
curtain went up.
Mr, Ferrer, who doubles as di
rector and star, has produced near
perfection in Brian Hooker’s ver
sion of the Edmond Rostand po
etic drama. From the opening
scenes at the. Theater de Bour
gogne in Paris where Cyrano
fights a delightful, if finally gory,
duel, to the final convent scene
where he lies dying, “Cyrano” is
an absorbing theater piece doused
with wry comedy.
Ferrer is always the masterful
actor as the long-nosed Cyrano.
He captivates the audience with
out even trying and they follow
him humbly from wit to sarcasm
to tragic desire without being
aware of each step.
As the beautiful Roxane, film
queen Arlene Dahl is highly
decorative, but not quite so
emotional as we . pictured the
mourning cousin who, learning
it was Cyrano she really loved
utters at his death, "1 have never
loved but one man in my life,
and I have lost him twice."
Richard Whorf has designed
five complete and stunning sets
for the City Center production.
We were especially impressed
with the garden scene where Rox
ane appears on the balcony to
hear her lover Christian’s roman
tic song told by the hidden Cy
rano. The highly imaginative set
is complete with electric stars,, ar
tificial roses, and a pond of water
reflecting the moonlight. ,
By BiMer