MONDAY, MARCH 7, 1955
THE DAILY TAR HEEL
PAGE TWO
The Star-Spangled
Curtain
You can't huy The New York Times in
Moscow, You can't subscribe to American
newspapers or magazines in the Soviet lTnion,
and you can't purchase them on newsstands.
The Iron Curtain keeps Western periodicals
of all types out of the hands of Russian citi
zens. ,
Well, here's some news for you. You can t
subscribe to Pravda in the United States, ei
ther. Almost all printed matter from Russia'
even scholarly publications is now being
help up by the Post Office Department as
"political propaganda."
This ered ion of barriers by our govern
ment in a new area of the marketplace- of
ideas come as rather startling truth. Atten
tion was c.vlled to it yesterday by Dr. Louis
Hacker of Columbia University.
As Dr. Hacker put it:
This administrative action should be a matter
of concern to Americans, since it is apparent
that we in America shall know very little of
what is taking place in the Soviet Union and
other Iron Curtain countries unless we have
full access to the publications originating in
these lands.
This is another in our government's leng
thening string of little moral compromises
that unheralded; arc weaving themselves into
a curtain around our own shores.
You can't blast Soviet denial of visas to
American students, the United States has re
fused to allow Russian students to repay the
visit American students made last year to
Russi::.
And )ou can't talk too blandly about Rus
sian restrictions on free circulation of West
ern newspapers: they're no tighter than our
own restrictions on Russian publications.
Wc can lind no excuse for the Post Office
Department's blocking of Soviet newspapers.
A Jeffersonian maxim needs application:
"Reason and free inquiry are the only ef
fectual agents against terror. Who is to dog
matize opinions for our citizens? If an idea
be false in its facts disprove them: if false
in its reasoning refute it. But, for God's sake,
let us freely hear both sides."
A Young Man's Fancy
Turns To Meteors
Spring, which. is supposed to arrive at .:$Cy
a.m. March 21, cannot be reckoned on the
Vernal Equinox in Chapel Hill.
Spring is already here. It came to town
while you weren't looking over the weekend,
and we do not make this measurement by
flowering quince and cherry, and jajxmica
alone.
For last weekend, a Miss Scarlett Scott of
North Franklin Street got a statuesque pink
horse outside Iter home re-painted reel; and
on the south campus, smack in front of South
Building, a huge "meteor" landed with a
blinding flash and 'rooted itself into the
ground.
These are surer harbingers of the season
than daffodils in full bloom. Regrettable as
the painting of Miss Scott's pink, horse may
be, it is a sign: Spring has come to the cam
pus. The first panty raid is no more than a
fortnight away.
10,000 Formosans
Could Be Right
We are sure it is all right with Chiang
Kai-Shek for American public opinion to
continue confusing our obligation to the
Formosan people with our "obligation" to
him. '
But a fundamental distinction needs to be
made and is made in a stimulating article
in the latest Reporter. If the people of For
mosa were allowed to submit their destiny
to a UN supervised plebiscite, it seems doubt
ful on the basis of history that they would
ratify the nationalists' control.
That is not to say that the Communists
from the mainland would be voted in, ei
ther. It is to say, however, that the Formo
sans, as The Reporter phrases it, "are no
more Chinese than the Mexicans are Span
ish." The Formosans fought off the Nationalist
invaders in 1917, and in the same year Na
tionalist machine-gunners under the com
mand of Chiang massacred 10,000 Formosans":
That it seems to us, should be added, at
least in parenthesis, to any discussion of our
moral obligation to Chiang Kai-Shek and his
"Formosan government."
Carolina Front
'Let's Have A Look At Those Securities'
Monday Notes
Taken In A
HotMeeting
Louis Kraar
- r
Cfje Batlp Use Jfyttl
The official student publication of the Publi
cation Board of the University of North Carolina,
where it is published
daily except Sunday,
Monday and examina
tion end vacation per
iods and summer
terms. Entered .s
second class matter at
the post office in
Chapel Hill, N. C, un
der the Act of March
8, 1879. Subscription
rates: mailed, $4 per
fear, $2.50 a semester;
delivered, $6 a year,
$3.50 a semester.
CHARLES KURALT
Eddie Crutcbfield
.
Sale of fV t-Vwvrrty -2
Mf '3
optfiesi rt (Ivor 1
4
J
--YOU SAID IT-
Uditor .
Night editor for this issue
MONDAY NIGHT notes on the
Student Party's presidential nom
inations: It's 7:15, . and , the meeting is
going to start in 15 minutes. Don
Fowler and
Manning Munt
?ing are going to
fight it out in
all three Roland
Parker lounges
for student bodv
j presidential no-
rT j David Reid,
wnu wamea 10
run for vice-president, says he
can't run for the post because
the Student Council says he does
n't have the average. Bob, Young
will run if Fowler gets the pres
idency, he says. Then the meet
ing starts.
DON GEIGER, chairman of the
party, stands before the packed
meeting just like he did last year
when he was running for Presi
dent. Only then he was the only
candidate.
Manning Muntzing, wearing
flannels and looking confident,
enters and says to me that he
talked to SP mogul Joel Fleish
man, but still Muntzing says he
doesn't know where Fleishman
stands.
- Fowler, wearing a tweed coat
and looking tense, enters and
opines, "It looks tough."
I move about the room, which
gets hotter by the minute and an
informant says that Fleishman,
'who reputedly controls many
votes in the party, sent for Munt
zing earlier in the day.
It's 7:58, and David Reid gives
the report on the student Legis
lature. Everybody's shuffling.
Noise, and no one listening.
"NOMINATIONS ARE now op
en for president of the student
body," Geiger says. And then the
noise stops.
Lewis Brumfield ambles up to
the front of the room and drawls
out a ten-minute nomination talk
for Don Fowler.
After informing the body that
Fowler is "well-known, well-liked,
and well-respected," Brum
field sits down.
SAM WELLS gets up and talks
for Muntzing, who according to
Wells is "the best possible no
minee . . . the only man the stu
dents will elect."
Muntzing gets up, pauses long
time, and talks about the need
for a "new spirit in our policies."
He promises "to do all in my po
wer to see that student govern
ment doesn't take its freedoms for
granted."
Larry McElroy talks about
Fowler, Charlie Hyatt talks about
Fowler being "a North Carolina
boy," and the girl next to me
scribbles on my pad, "Gross pro
vincialism." Ai 8:55 they bring in a public
address system and open the
doors to let some of the air out.
BILL BAUM gets up and talks
for Fowler. "He's damn good,"
says someone near me. Then it's
9:05, and the Muntzing folks are
smiling.
Gordon Forester gets up and
says that "we've seen student go
vernment rot and decay under
three presidents who were not
qualified to be President . . . be
cause they didn't have the in
terests of the student body at
heart."
David Reid talks about how
the University Party is "shaking
in its boots" about the possibilty
of Don Fowler running. And Fow
ler and Muntzing seem to be
shaking in their boots about the
possibility that they might not
get it.
THEY TALK AND talk. It's hot
as hell. We drink cokes.
It's 10:25 and they're voting
finally. Coeds are tense over clos
ing hours.
The votes are cast, one by one.
Fleishman gets up and leads a
song to relieve the tension.
"Manning Muntzing," someone
shouts. Pat McBane grabs a boy
near her and hugs him. All
scream and yell and sing. 1
Manning, looking better and
smiling, comes in. They all pump
his hand. "I haven't anything else
to say," he says. And this seems
okay.
Six votes made the difference
and someone near me mutters
something about Fleishman con
trolling five or six votes.
Ijpp
'Titantic Heroes Were Your Kin7
Two Mountain Poets
r ,v i i
1 : ? J
Ed Yoder
At a table in Danziger's, near
the wall from which Tom Wolfe's
eyes still look down on the Cha
pel Hill scene.
a mountain
poet sat down
sthe other after-
noon to explain
his affection
for the man
he called "the
ghostly haunt
er of himself."
The poet out
of the mountains (Skyland, N. C,
nine miles south of Wolfe's own
Asheville) was Ernest Schoeler,
a short, German-born man with
a twinkle in his eye. He has
written tlie poem, "To Tom,"
printed below. And now the
Thomas Wolfe Memorial Associ
ation has accepted Mr. Schoe
ler's tribute to hang under the
portrait of Wolfe at Asheville.
Mr. Schoeler, who talks with
equal ease about the Argonauts
and the Labyrinth at Minos,
about philosophy and people, left
his home in Germany to go to
sea when he was 12 years old.
A trail of what he describes as
"rough-necking it" led him
through intervals as sailor, po
liceman, lumberjack, and rail
road builder.
He has sailed the Atlantic, laid
rails, and cut trees in the Sierras
of California. Then, several
years ago, he came to Western
North Carolina to Tom Wolfe
country and to the curiosity
about life that has become tha
source of his poetry.
"I'd like to see the color of
man's eyes who'd tell me he un
derstands Tom Wolfe's work en
tirely" he said; "I don't think
there's an intellect alive who can
tell me eOeirything about his
work!"
Wolfe fascinates Mr. Schoeler
because he was "the eternal
question mark." The only thing
worthwhile, the poet says, is the
quest "the search man follows
... an unending treadway, mov
ing up and sliding back again."
He thinks Wolfe possessed that
acute awareness of the search
for the ultimate. Man, philoso
phized Mr. Schoeler, as he leaned
forward intensely, is like the un
fortunate King Sisyphus, eter
nally doomed to roll a gigantic
stone up a hill in Hades, only
to have it grow heavier and hea
vier and finally roll back down.
All of this fermented in Mr.
Schoeler's mind until his poem,
"To Tom," leapt spontaneously
from his brow, requiring almost
no word changes. , ,
But where did a poet whose
native tongue was German get
his command of English? While
Mr. Schoeler was lumberjacking
in California, an English profes
sor from the state university at
Berkeley asked him the same
question. The answer is simple:
Mr. Schoeler thanks an odd com
bination of reading and what he
calls "good luck" for his powers
of diction. He has not studied
English formally, says he would
n't know a participle "if I met
one walking on the street;" but
he depends on a sensitive ear,
where an alarm rings instantly
when he hears or reads faulty
English.
The gift of the ear for Eng
lish might have been instanta
neous to judge by a story Mr.
Schoeler tells: "I had a dream,
once," he said, " and the figures
in the dream started speaking
English to me. So I spoke Eng
lish right back!"
Now, Mr. Schoeler, who tried
to take notes on Wolfe's novels
and "found myself copying the
whole blooming book," seeks a
wider audience for his lays and
some apt criticism.
When I left him sitting in
Danziger's, he planned to motor
to Raleigh for an audience with
Richard Walser, State English
professor and crack Wolfe scho
lar and, the writer hopes, just
the critic Mr. Schoeler is seek
ing. 1954 TAX TOPICS
Your Rights of Appeal
If you believe there' is an er
ror in any bill, statement, or re
fund in connection with your
1954 federal income tax, you are
entitled to present your reasons
to the District Director of In
ternal Revenue and have the
matter reconsidered. Also, if any
audit or investigation causes
proposed changes in your tax, to
which you do not agree, you are
entitled to have the matter re
considered by the District Direc
tor. If agreement is not reached,
the District Director will advise
you of further appeal rights.
His office address is Room p03,
Post Office Building, Durahm.
The telephone number is 6-2091.
Those Olympian Clouds
On the front page of this morning's
Daily Tar Heel there is the story of the
session of the student Legislature which
decided to investigate The Daily Tar Heel.
The campus newspaper was referred to
in the meting as the "Second 'Daily Work
er' " and it was suggested that it be
brought down "from the Olympian clouds
of pseudo-intellectualism."
In the criticism of the Daily Tar Heel
the question has often been raised as to
whether the paper expresses the opinion
of the majority of the students on cam
pus. Maybe it does and maybe it does
not. Personally, I think the ideal for any
campus newspaper is to rise higher than
the typical student and thereby stimulate
him to a type of serious thinking to which
he has hitherto been unaccustomed. Even
if the student does not agree with the
editor's views, he will have been benefit
ted if the expression of those views has
led him to a more critical examination
of his own position.
In my opinion, The Daily Tar Heel has
made an admirable effort in working to
ward this goal. From Rolfe Neill's cru
sade last year against big time football
to Charles Kuralt's plea this year for a
Christian and democratic attitude toward
the race problem, the Tar Heel's editors
and other writers have demonstrated an
ability to think maturely that the Uni
versiy should be proud of.
The University of North Carolina will
see a sad day when its newspaper ceases
to be the free organ of expression of its
editors and fears to express certain views
because of the opposition that they arouse
in certain quarters.
To Legislator McElroy with his claims
about pseudo-intellectualism in the clouds,
J would say, "Why don't we as students
try to get up there ourselves?"
Ed Ramsaur, Jr.
Spillane Reads Easier
Editor:
I have taken 40 courses at this Univers
ity and 29 of these have been with de
partments outside of the School of Bus
iness. Of the 11 business courses I have
taken, nine were required. Thus, I would
have been allowed to take 772 of my
total courses outside of the business
school. Approximately 47V2 of my
courses dealt with liberal arts. From the
above figures, I fail to discern over
specialization of business majors.
I enjoyed my courses in history, Eng
lish, and the like. But I enjoy business
courses even more. Frankly, I am more
interested in a balance sheet of a cor
poration than the bed sheets of Henry
vni.
Chaucer intrigued me but Spillane is
easier reading and besides, he spells his
words correctly. f
Bill Shakespeare wrote a nice story
about a couple of 14-year olds, who ex
pounded their undying love. But the un
dying love died before the youngUters be
came old enough to make the love story
really interesting.
T really enjoyed all of these courses but
I'll be damned if I am going to major, in
the area. Other people are tetter equipped
to take advantage of such courses.
To give you an example of my know
ledge of philosophy, I shall now quote tne
autobiography of Socrates. "Socrates was
born in Athens. Socrates went around
spreading advice. Socrates was poisoned."
Chester E. Lewis
Correspondent Wanted
I have long desired to correspond with
an American student, and so have, ap
proached you in my quest. No doubt my
method of approach is somewhat irregu
lar but I considered a direct appeal to a
student body would facilitate my search,
and at the same time afford those stu
dents an opportunity, who, like myself
are desirous of forming a Penfriendship.
I have set out below my particular, .in
terests which I trust, some students may
find mutual. I am an Arts student, 22
years of age, male, and extremely in
terested in modern languages, science,
education, photography, music, and sport,
especially tennis. Thanking you in antici
pation. Leon Quinn
5 Martin Street
Naremburn ,
Sydney, Australia
Vote On Segregation?
Editor:
Re: Mr. Grimes' letter and the replies
to it which The Daily Tar Heel has print
ed; much has been said about the "opin
ion of the majority of the student body"
concerning segregation. How can anyone
know what the majority believes?
If you really Want to obtain some con
crete facts, may I suggest you use some
of yourv "pseudo-Yankee" influence and
have the following question (or one of
like meaning) appear on the ballots in
'the forthcoming elections:
"Would you be in favor of Negroes
mingling with you in matters other than
strictly business, e.g. your educational,
social or religious functions?" (A ques
tion of this nature would be better than
one such as "Is segregation wrong?" to
which 99 percent would probably vole
yes.)
A question of this type, besides giving
a basis for argument to one side or the
other, might just cause somebody besides
freshmen and politicians to turn out and
vote.
Bill Graham
Moonlight On The Levee:
Showboat Was A Success
TO TOM
You ware :the ghostly haunter of yourself, forever haunted ; V;;
By the lost, the part ;remembered,part forgotten memory-;; : j
That if but fouM.andaUrememberedorbutall forgotien: ;
Would then have eased your tortured soul and niade you freev ; J
But you became the curious stranger in life's noisy inn, r . 4 J
And sailed the darkiorbidden sea that until then tad never scea a sail . : '
The argonauts of y kin:
In this.yourepic search for golden fleece and holy grail ;r - j
ypuvejitthe torch,you proved that darkness ipust and can be ovetcotsei
So now your work .your search will never cease ' J
For ail will carry on that really understand. know this, 'Oh Tom. ;
Aridre'st you now for.oncejn peace, -
' -Etnzsi Schoeler ; -
- SKYLAND, M C.
Ted Rosenthal
There are three plays most often men
tioned as contenders for the mythical title
of "Best American Musical-Comedy," Ok
lahoma, Gershwin's Porgy and Bess
which current fashion terms a "folk op
era," and Showboat.
All have plots that are native to this
country', springing out of her soil lush
and urgent as young cornstalks reaching
for the Kansas sky. Their music is also of
the land off the plains, rivers, hills and
of the people. The sounds of Americans
working and feeling, wishing and some
times crying, written down and molded in
to a new idiom.
OL' MAN RIVER
In Showboat is contained more than one
of the most commercially successful scores
ever written, and more than the show-within-a-show
motif flows through the
script. There is the unifying lyric force
of the Mississippi Mark Twain's river
a spirit which has long animated the Am
erican mfnd. And it is said that Jerome
Kern was fascinated by the River, when
he composed the music.
So as the Playmakers' production ap
peared on the boards of Memorial Hall,
more was involved than the performance
alone; it was a nostalgic page of our na
tional creative heritage, revived for the
first time by a college drama group.
A MOVING MOSAIC
To present Showboat requires the bind
ing together of many and different pieces
spoken parts, sung parts, dances, orch
estra into a moving mosaic. To approach
the maximum within the play, there must
be a wide range of very specialized ta
lent. It is no insult to the Playmakers, or di
rector Kai Jurgensen, to say that the per
formance lacked a certain polish call it
tightness, nor that the desired mixture of
voice and acting ability fell a little short
in some roles.
For example, the orchestral elements,
conducted by Wilton Mason, were good;
but in some numbers, most noticeably
David Small's rendition of "Old Man Riv
er," the accompaniment seemed too in
flexible, so that it became a question of
the singer's fighting not only the acous
tics of the building, but his own musical
support. In the same selection, the orch
estra muffled the voice, during the diffi
cult low-register passages.
Martha Fouse, starring as Magnolia,
gave a fine performance both vocally and
dramatically, and Marte Boyle was a vi
vacious joy as the comedienne Ellie. The
choral work of the men's and women's
groups also was particularly effective.
DREmM-REAL pattern
Yet it is impossible, without carping,
to draw a line between the good and the
very good of the performance-, for in spite
of its rougher places it was sound through
out. John Shearin played Gaylord Rave
nal; Suzanne Elliot, Julie; Sydney Z Lit
wack, Captain Andy; Patricia Seitz, Queen
ie; Charles Jeffers, Frank; David Small,
Joe; James Hager, Steve; and Lillian
Prince, Mrs. Captain Andy.
k
1 v
i
:! 7 '
f ;
SHOWBOAT'S 'MAGNILIA'
Mantia Foue gave a 'fine perfemtmnee'.
Supervising the technical aspects which
were all well-handled, were Irene' Smart
for costumes, James Riley for setting
Harry Coble for choreography, and Harvev
Whetstone for lighting.
And also present, invisible but in mind
was the sweat of the dockhands. the wa
ters lapping up against the levees, and
of the nver-the Mississippi or any river
For whatever the specific names chosen