Page
_THE RECORD.
__ Thursday, April 16,1942
Mental
Panic" Mwii Qa!
Last week Thursday the exhausted American and Filipino forces on the Bataan peninsula were forced to cease resistance. Thus came the end of a gallant fight that for four months has been the only bright spot in the Allied war picture.
What was the reaction to this news in America? A mass reaction of anger and pride in a great defeat, to be sure, but still the usual confusion of opinion. "No army has ever done so much with so little" —that was the tribute of General MacArthur. DeWitt Mackenzie, war analyst, proceeded to show that the loss had been inevitable ever since Japan gained air and sea control about the Philippines. The Chicago Tribune prayed that the nation could remove from office the "blundering Washington bureaucrats who brought this catastrophe upon us." In short, America as a whole did not learn one positive lesson; the catastrophe of Bataan was complete. "Mental confusion, indecisiveness, panic/' Hitler once said, "these are our weap ons." For m any m onths Americans have been learning how to dodge these weapons—when they ride on the voice of Hitler. It seems, however, that many Americans have picked
up these weapons, and are using them
on themselves.
* * * *
The conflicting press reaction to the fall of Bataan is only one example of self-confusion. There are many others. A short time after rubber tires were put on the ration schedule, an executive of a large tire company made a statement to the effect that this country's stockpile of tires was so large that the majority would rot before they could be put into use. Sugar rationing was announced, publicized and postponed. As late as two months after the plan was first announced, we are still hearing denials that the rationing of sugar is necessary.
Consider the confusion caused by the radio and the newspapers. The American radio public is developing a new mental disease, "radio fatigue," from listening excessively to emotional broadcasts of the war news. If this emotion could be directed into right channels, it would probably be sufficient to produce thousands of tanks and bombers. Newspapers make sensational headlines out of rumors and all too often incite complacency by headlining small air battles as Allied victories while relegating to small type the obnoxious though important defeats.
What is the answer to this confusion? Where does the fault lie? Certainly not with the people. If
the people are not interested in the war effort, explain what has been causing during the past few weeks the largest influx of mail to Congress that the national capital has ever seen. Explain the magnificent turnout of men and women who want to donate their time to the war effort. Explain the only widespread criticism, "Why can't I do something to
help?"
* * * *
The answer to this confusion lies with the leaders of the American people. There is a peculiar American tendency to want to do great things— and, unfortunately, to leave lesser tasks to "other people," who, too often, don't exist. We would all like to tackle Hitler personally—only it can't be done that way. It is up to the government to straighten people out and to direct the emotional energy of the American people in cleaning up the smaller jobs. The willingness is undoubtedly present. There must be someone to direct it.
How is this to be done? There is only one way. The people must be led, and be led forcibly—as much as we hate the word. This means, first of all, an effective system of propaganda— not a system like Hitler's that will deal in half falsehood, half truth, but a system that will
bring from the present confusion a clearcut picture of American aims and effort. This should not eliminate all criticism or the "other side" of a question, but it must do away with the absolutely destructive criticism and the insane blow-up of rumors whose only effect is to create in the American people the weapons of Hitler—"mental confusion, indecisiveness, panic."
Secondly, and it is bound to come, there must be more complete regulation of the nation's energies. The time for requests to become commands is overdue. (Witness how the collection campaign for tin from collapsible tubes was secured when the order was issued that an empty tube must be returned before a new tube can be purchased.) Stricter regulation emphatically does not mean an abrogation of freedom. Rather, it means the perfection of freedom, in which we must only cease doing what is harmful to the war effort.
Even if these two prospects do not sound too pleasant, we will have to do the best we can with them. Controlled propaganda and more complete regulation are two weapons that any country engaged in a "total war" —a war which vitally effects everybody and everything—can not afford to overlook. W. B.
TREE TAPPERS TRAP SAP
fi/oleA
By Robert Mertz
No sir, there's just no end to the industries of which St. John's can boast. Another new one, following the pattern of national defense, began here several weeks ago. Although still a small-scale industry, it promises to become another vital form of self-sufficiency if the directors see fit to make it that.
Several weeks ago a newspaper article on "catching the sap or being a sap" prompted a number of Fathers and Brothers on the campus to start a campaign of extracting the sap from the vast area of hard maple trees in the vicinity.
Actual tapping was started a bit late this season, but from March 28 until April 12, approximately 1440 gallons of sap flowed into the buckets hanging on 150 maple trees.
The flow of sap usually begins with the first spring thaw. By drilling a hole about !}£ to 2 inches in trees of not less than ten inches in diameter, the greatest amount of sap may be obtained with no damage to the tree resulting. Trees of a smaller diameter are usually in need of most of their sap until they are a bit more mature.
After the sap has flowed into the buckets beneath the spouts, it is poured into large boiling kettles and is cooked either in the woods or hauled to the candle shop where Brother Michael has set up a cooking plant. From about 32 gallons of sap, the boiling-down process leaves about one gallon of thick syrup. The boiling time can be varied according to the desired thickness of the syrup.
college papers. A special two Maroon came out to honor
Through the cooperation of the chemistry department, the sap was analyzed and found to have about a 2 per cent sugar content. The finished syrup product contains about 65 per cent. Brother Philip, Brother Charles, and Father Wendelin began the tapping process, and Father Matthew directed the work in the testing laboratory. Formerly a few trees were tapped each
spring to secure food for the apiary. Now,
according to volume, there are still only a few
trees being tapped, but since about 45 gal- "On Catholic Education.*'
Fingerprinting Highlights College Offense Week • Paper Registers Plea For Inspired Leader
This has been a week of special editions of at Loyola Univ., New Orleans. Highlights of
page Loyola the week were fingerprinting and blood typing Offense Week" of every student, sale of defense stamps, Mac-Arthur Day, first aid demonstration, and special convocations.
MUSTS
Ions of the finished product have already been secured from the 150 tapped trees, there is evidence that an eventual syrup industry is in the offing. At present, however, it was found unwise to take all possible sap from the trees. Though such a practice would yield an excessive amount of sap this season, next year would be lax—sap doesn't run through dead trees. So for this reason, only a few trees were selected as a starter. By next year there is a possibility that all likely maple trees in and around St. John's will be utilized in producing the same kind of syrup which was found on the ice cream in last Sunday's dinner.
Roy J. Deferarri.
Commonweal, April 10. "Novice in Harlem."
Mary K. Jendo.
Catholic Digest, April 1. "Christianity Now And After.'*
Michael de la Bodoyere.
Atlantic Monthly, April. "Homespun Culture.'*
Everett G. Reid.
Land and Home, March. "Literature And Idealogy".
James T. Farrell.
The English Journal, April 1.
The Gonzaga Bulletin was also a special edition heralding Intramural Softball Week. Nine softball teams of the four classes will play 36 games to decide the annual champion.
* * * *
The St. Thomas Aquin announced Rita Hayworth would appear soon, that free cigarettes would be given away, that Wm. Shakespeare Jr. had been added to the English department. The date on the paper was April 1.
* * * *
An annual war is carried on at Colorado Women's college when freshman journalists take over one edition of the Western Graphic. This year, the seniors scooped the freshman plans, and published them. The retaliation next week should be interesting.
Of 'June Arid
WHY NOT SWING THE CLASSICS? *
Recant
Published every Thursday by the students of St. John's university. The official newspaper of St. John's and organ of the alumni.
Entered at the post office at Collegeville, Minn., as second class matter, January 30, 1925.
Subscription rate $1.00 a year.
Member of the Catholic School Press Association, Associated Collegia to Press, and Minnesota College Press Association. Distributor of the Collegiate Digest, National advertising Service, New York, Chicago, Boston, Los Angeles, San Francisco.
STAFF
Editor.......................James Cullen
Sports Editor................Ralph Robeck
Sports Reporters......Walter Tooley, Heinz
Arnold, Ernest Fleck, Julian Wolf, Robert O'Leary, William Cox
Literary Editor...........Frank Schraut, Jr.
Feature Editor...............Robert Mertz
News Editor........Vincent Schoeneberger
Make Up Editors........Herbert McKnight,
Gregory Perrizo
Art...........John Jacobs, Roger Landwehr
News Reporters,.. .Allan Archibald, William Bossenmaier, Thomas Morrow, James Buysse, Hugh Daviea, Richard Tavis, Hilary Tegcls, Charles Thompson, William Durkin, William Henry, James Doerner, Donald Morrow, Francis Culhane, Carl Thomea Circulation Manager. .... .Stuart Kustcrman
Typists........James Buysee, Ralph Schmitz
Alumni........W. Keith Roloff, Thomas Nix
Faculty Advisers:
Rev. Baldwin Dworschak, O.S.B. Mr. Thomas Cassidy
LET THERE BE MUSIC
Some weeks ago on his regular Sunday commentary, Deems Taylor attacked the mutilation of famous music by unable, unequal, and eminently unworthy swing-gangs. Surely every honest lover of the best in music agrees with Mr. Taylor's condemnation of the "adopting" the classics to swing tempo, and embellishing them with asinine or at best insane words describing the sentimental immaturity of some drooling lover.
But there is another side to this whole question that Mr. Taylor, though he hinted at it, did not develop quite thoroughly enough. A possible text for this facet of the matter could be the quote from Ernest Newman that Taylor repeated: "Any music worth playing at all is worth playing badly.'* With this idea in mind, I say let there be more swinging of the classics, much more, as much as possible! + * * *
Now I know it is daring to state such a wish; and I have done so only after making a primary assumption: that "popularizing" a classic can do no harm either to the classic or the lover of good music. In all reason it can't. As Mr. Taylor himself pointed out, something that has been magninciently alive for more than a half century will not be hastened to untimely death because it suffers "popularization." It may become a little shopworn and
be played less, but I doubt even that. In spite of "Moon Love" or "Dear Love" or whatever it was, there has been no decrease in the number of performances of Tschaikowsky's Fifth Symphony.
As for the classics lover—naturally he is not harmed. It is so ridiculously easy to turn off a radio, or to enjoy a drink while sitting out a dance!
What, after all, is the principal objection to swinging the classics! It is a purely personal matter—that one feels acute revulsion and amazed contempt for the beings who, finding themselves incapable of self-expression, steal a theme from one of the masters and attach their own silly little thoughts to it. It is an intense and painful revulsion, the kind of thing one would feel at finding a page from Hellzapoppin' in the middle of The Faerie
Still, I repeat: let there be more swinging of classics. There is no harm in it, on the contrary, I see much good in it. Let me put it as a paradox. Through the ruining of music, music will be made better.
An analogy can be offered by way of explanation. The best movies (How Green Was My Valley, The Informer, Wuthering Heights, Pygmalion, many others) were made from the best of books. Because of these movies the general level of moving picture excellence was
raised. There is reason to believe that the very same thing is happening in the popular music field. If tin-pan alley has to compete with Tschaikowsky and Schubert and Debussy, then its level of excellence must necessarily raise, for one melody from any of the masters will hold its own against the past twenty years' tin-pan alley output.
The paradox has another, a humanitarian side. If the public is fed better music (as adaptations are) the public taste will, in direct proportion, swing upward. It was this very thing that happened to the Greeks; after Aeschylus, Sophocles, and Euripides they found themselves unable to enjoy anything but the best drama.
The problem is almost ethical. If the public is unable to enjoy the original, give it to them in a simplified (if distorted) form they can enjoy. Only so can they be taught its excellence.
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QUARTERLY
In spite of difficulties with the printer, with the finances, and with the call of St. Joe in spring, in spite of the paper shortage, the abbreviated school term, and tests in spring— there will be a Quarterly.
Dust off your literary efforts: the Quarterly wants to print them. Needed are stories, articles, poems, epigrams, illustrations. And this year (or the first time kibitzing will be tolerated.
