Wednesday. Do omliar if. 1%!

Farewell to 'lhe S8tB

SCARLET AND BLACK

l’ags Titre!

 

 

} Letters

(Continued from Page 2)

we became involved personally
with the course; we planned
the classes!

Sure, it has its poor points,
but I honestly think that as an
experiment, it is the most ex-
citing course offered on the
Grinnell campus.

0n the social studies course.
A lot of students have given up
on it, I know; rve almost given
up on the Grinnell student, how-
eve and that’s my excuse for
avoi ng the classes (besides
the fact that I slept through a
third of them. This course is an-
other Grinnell experiment. Too
large-scale, perhaps, not out-
iined enough, perhaps, not ex-
perimental enough, p e i- h a p s.
But it is credit-fail, It is an
attempt to give the students
what they are asking for. it has
offered some of the most fasci-
nating assignments (i.e. going
to a bar, a cattle auction, or
[u the Grinnell Historical Mu-
seum). It is relevant. So what
if the Sumerians are dead; so
will you and l and all of Grin-
nell be dead one day, too.

This is to wish you a merry
Christmas and to say Grinnell
isn’t Utopia, but it’s trying!

Pearl Kadotﬂ

Xmas Poem Gluddens

Josiah Newton

Tn Ihe Editor:

It has come to my attention
that you have written a poem
about me which is appearing
in the Christmas Supplement or
The Scarlet and Black this
week. I want you to know that
I am indeed honored and
touched by your action, for i
never thought I was worthy of
a poem.

I must admit that I have not
had much time to read the
newspaper this semester, but it
is not because I didn’t like it.
Indeed, 1 hardly saw it, tor r
was always busy studying,
which, after all, is the duty of
a student.

If you have an extra copy
or the poem, would you please
selid a copy to my aunt. See
me for the address.

Josiah Newton

 

I A Senior's Last Glance at Grinnell

By ANDREW ROTHSTEIN

As I leave Grinnell, I am
aware of two contradictory the-
matic schemes which are vying
ior that honored place in my
mind which will be my memory
of this school, of the two, the
one that expresses my disap»
pointment, an inevitable disap-
pointment after being told that
Grinnell is the Harvard oi the
Midwest," draws upon concrete
dissatisfactions [or its strength.
The other, the more positive re-
membrances, seems composed
completely of intangibles.

Paramount is the decay that
pervades the campus. The sick-
ening bourgeois uniiormity and
acceptance ct that uniformity is
the primary danger Grinnell
must face in the near future.
Too many students have come
here with either no foundations
or with a rigiditied corpus of
dogma that they refuse to re-
view. Neither allows tor growth.
The former case results in in-
secure, self-conscious efforts to
be "in." These are the students
who cannot rebut even the most
primitive challenges to their
newly - adopted creed. They
merely stand sputtering and em-
barrassed. Opposed in suriace
manifestations to those psuedu-
Leitisls—Rightists, and this is
the shame of Grinnell, are the
inarticulate but loud New Lelt—
ists and Archaic Righlists. Both
are so sure of themselves that
they babble on and on using
erudite commonplaces. While
these people have a superiicial
understanding oi the terms they
use, they cannot persuade any-
one: simply because they either
Cannot trace the fundamental
roots of their belieis or these
roots have long since died. Typi—
cal oi this dilemma is the ire-
quent resort to “You know "
in any case. there is no eifnrt to
come to an in-depth comprehen—
sion at the problems that are to
be attacked, nor are examined
the contradictions that will arise
irom the assumedly remedial
hocus-pocus.

Parallel to this stagnation of

the student body is the encrust-
ed ambiguity/deceit of the Ad.
ministration which does not treat
as students as people capable of
learning from experience. Con-
frontation between Establishe
ment and student uncoordina-
tion has been avoided as much
as possible through the use or
ruses and diversions that have
sewed only to cloud the issues

and obscure the formers Stand.
The ﬁnal proof of the Adminis-
tration's desertion of the pro-
iessed goals of this college is the
new P. E. Complex that has
taken precedence over the up-
dating oi the Library and the
expansion of the teaching staff.

Still, Grinnell is in that mur-
ky era through which all in-
stitutions must wander. The
grandeur that it was maintains
a relatively high level or class-
room education; but unless the
etiorts or faculty and students
to shore up the collapsing sys-
tem and to inject new Vitality
succeed, Grinnell will become
the France of American higher
education. Two things make me
pessimistic about Grinnell's fu-
ture in this respect, The faculty
is [00 conservative; the students
are quitters. The incident at the
crosses on central campus last
semester passed like some
amusing joke—the students, by
not following it up, gave the im»
pression that the Administration
was really calling all the shots;
the seriousness of the matter
was not driven home by repeti-
tions after the first crosses were
removed Even the Black stu-
dents, by allowing themselves to
be gavelled into submission at
[he Mock Democratic Conven-
tion last year, have shown a
Willingness to give up. The
growth of CBS plus such positive
steps as the iilms that were
shown and the visit by Cham-
bers is perhaps only a screen
hiding the fact that The Brother-
hood seems to have been al-
lowed to pass silently into oblie
vion.

Oh, but there are some posi—
tive aspects. My wife, my son,
and my triends. The rest 1 could
have found elsewhere.

Acting Good in The Dutchman

By ELEONORE SPIEGEL

LeRol Jones' Dutchman is not a piece of work to be taken light-
ly, though it contains some hysterically funny lines, because it
brings to mind serious questions about current movements among
black people. From the moment white Lula (Debbie Abbott)
swings her sexy little self into the seat next to black Clay Williams
(Grady Murdock), she begins to mock him. She taunts his clothes,
his mind, his manhood; in fact. she finds something with which to
humiliate him in everything he does and says. Clay tolerates Miss
Abbott’s quick and clever shifts from sexy to scornful to hateful
as long as he can. He humors her outbursts and accepts her invi-
tations. But even the good-humored character Mr. Murdock p0
trays has a breaking point; and Lula's taunts about his unsophis-
ticated black ancestors seem to snap something inside him. Be-
cause Mr. Murdock's acting is so good and because we have seen
how Miss Abbott has brought him to that point, the sudden transi-
tion that Clay makes from the quiet, middlerclass Negro to the
angry black is believable; and the stream of abuse Clay pours
torth so passionately does not take us by surprise.

Whether Jones intended it or not, the play up to this point bears
a certain resemblance to Negro history in America. injustice aiter
injustice throughout the years has sometimes resulted in an hyster-
ical anger welling up in black people. When that violent anger
takes possession of a man, his worse nature. as Jones says in the
play. demands, indeed needs, revenge. It is too late at that point
for reason and religion to work their beneficial inﬂuence. As Jones
says, if you force a man who is violently angry to submit to reason,
he will only murder with rational explanations.

Two questions arise troni these considerations. First, is a man
who is driven to loss of self-Control by injustice culpable tor the
bad actions which he does While his anger sways him? Secondly,
what will the result of his actions be? Dutchman does not deal
with the iirst question. but it gives some answer to the second.
While Clay is pourlng out his indignation, Lula becomes more and
more hateiui. When the outburst is over and clay is preparing to
leave the subway, Lula suddenly slabs him to death. Violence,
Jones seems to be saying, even the violence of righteous and pas-
sionate anger, breeds more violence and more injustice — a point
which those who wish to be in the grip of such hysterical anger
might well consider.

Given the play they chose, the Ex-loco players are to be com-
mended ior their excellent acting. Because I have it on good
authority that Grinnell actors want to be criticized on their pre-
sentations, I have racked my brains to find flaws with Miss Ab-
butts and Mr. Murdoch’s performances and can oifer only a
couple or suggestions. Miss Abbott might have made more of a
contrast between Lola's theatrical and genuine emotions; what
seemed to be the real Lula Coming through in moments of diSv
gust or hate did not appear very different from the sexy. teasing
Lula. And, in the ﬁrst act, Mr. Murdock was a little too middle-
class and couegiate to be convincing.

Variety Sets Tone F or Concert

By MELISSA HAYS

The members of the Ensemble Contemporara, Mr. and Mrs.
Patrick Purswell and Mr. and Mrs. Paul Zonn, played ior a small
but enthusiastic audience Friday night.

First on the program were iive capricoios for oboe and piano
by Ursula Mamlok. Composed in 1968, these pieces received one
or their first performances Friday night. Because of their variety
of effects and wide range of dynamics, 1 found them more inter-
esting than the Music for Oboe and Piano by Alan Stout.

In the composition of Five Pieces for Piano, Pulitzer Prize
winner George Coremb used the stringrplucking technique with
great success. The diiiiculty in the pertcrniance of these pieces
lies in the detailed notation that must be carefully followed. Also,
a sophisticated pedal technique is required to sustain certain
notes longer than others which have the same attack point. The
first piece was played inside the instrument, achieving a myste-
rious, ethereal effect, whereas the last was played both on the
keys and directly on the strings, the tension increasing with the
shortening of the intervals between inside and Outside playing,

Mosaik, by the Swiss composer Hans Ulrich Lehmann, allows
the performer more freedom than the Crumb work. Many “ges~
lures” (comparable to “phrases") are carelully notated by the
composer, but their arrangement is left to the performer who
seeks to give them the proper balance. This is not to say that such
a piece is easily performed. The timbral qualities of the clarinet
are fully exploited, and the microlonal trills and the double and
multiple-stops require a great deal of mastery. A ilute solo, Se-
quenza, by Berio was similar to the Lehman in its use of timbral
effects.

Last on the program was an improvisation, the Aksorber. Al-
though events appeared and were imitated in all the parts, there
were no definite pitches or time values assigned. Thus, while a
unity was maintained by playing within certain restrictions, the
players were allowed a great deal oi ireedom in the interpretation
of their parts. Many humorous moments were provided by various
whines, honks and rumbles. A tape recorder was used to either
play pre-recorded sounds or to play back the music that it had just
recorded. These were played forward or backward, straight or
distorted. E h player showed a sensitivity and awareness at the

es as they had throughout this fine perlormence.

 

