November 9, 1938

              Skidmore News 
VOLUME FOURTEEN		SARATOGA SPRINGS, N. Y., WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 9, 1938		NUMBER SIX

NEW ACTIVITIES WILL COMMENCE AT K. T. HOUSE

Mrs. Doris Whitelaw Announces Parties for Coming Year; First is Tonight.
  
Two years ago Skidmore College was given the use of the Katrina Trask House, the former home of George Foster Peabody, to carry out an experiment in College-Community Co-operation.
  
At the very beginning of the plan there was a determination that the Katrina Trask House should provide a natural channel for activities that would be of service to both the community and college. The advisory committee of the House which is made up of town people and Skidmore people, have formed some definite plans for activities to be carried out this year. Mrs. Doris Whitelaw of the Sociology Department of Skidmore and Director of Activities of the House, has announced the dates of a series of three parties to be held at the House this month.
  
Invitations have already been sent out for the first party to be held the evening of November 9. Dr. and Mrs. Bolton will head the program of entertainment. A social hour will follow at which time refreshments will be served. Students of Skidmore will be asked to serve.
  
A Czechoslovakian program, including a round table discussion, folk dancing and music will take place on November 14. Although the program for the party of November 21 has not been arranged yet, the plans are for an evening of musical entertainment.
  
The young people of Saratoga have an important place in the plans for activities of the Katrina Trask House.
  
An invitation to the Girl Scout organization of Saratoga to use the House in whatever capacity it might wish, was accepted. The House has now been made the headquarters of several troops. Jean Newhal, Itinerate Girl Scout Director from National headquarters has been holding classes in group leadership during the past month. College students have attended these classes.
  
A group of young women who work in the community of Saratoga have been meeting at the House in the evening for recreational classes. These classes, under the direction of Mrs.

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Try To Become a True Christian Says Rev. Brown

Problem of Racial Prejudices During Every-Day Life Confronts Many
  
Trying to adjust the confliction in our minds between doing what we should do and doing what we want to do was the basic thought underlying the Reverend C. Victor Brown’s address stressing racial prejudices in vespers Sunday evening, November 6.
  
If we all were to be honest with our friends we would all admit that this experience of being a Christian is no fun. Often we would like to throw the whole of our religious convictions overboard and, in doing this, forget about trying to be a Christian. There is no sincere Christian who has ever lived and who has ever taken his religious beliefs seriously who has not found himself in trouble at one time or other.
  
It was pointed out that an example might be drawn from the story of Peter, who had tried to free himself of his religious convictions. Peter’s problem was a great one. He was a Jew and the Jewish Christians believed in keeping the Gospel in their own group. Peter also felt that the Gospel had a universal value which should be preached to everyone, whether he was a Jew or not. The Gentiles had heard the preaching of the Gospel and many of them applied for admission but were refused this right because they were not Jews. What to do? Here was Peter preaching a Gospel which was too big for him. As head of the church he felt it imperative to preach the Gospel to everyone, but as a Jew he wanted to keep it within his own group. The Jew said that there were no races but his own. The Christian said that all men were one. God makes no distinction between the races. Peter faced, as we all do, the great task of deciding between doing what he should do and doing what he wanted to do.
  
“There is at work in our world this spirit which some will call God, demanding that human beings increase their oneness. If we don’t co-operate with it we suffer the disaster that follows in the weight of non-cooperation,” the speaker said.

Ours is the same problem as Peter’s. We find ourselves faced with a universal Gospel which we are too narrow to interpret. The two streams of influ-

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Classes Clash on Grid
  
Saturday afternoon approximately 200 of us who were so fortunate as to be on campus this week-end witnessed a display of class spirit that cannot be equalled.
  
At 12:45 upper-classmen made way for the Freshmen eleven that dauntlessly advanced on the athletic field, in answer to the Sophomores’ challenge for an inter-class football game. Purpose could be read in their every movement, as padded and warming-up for action they flexed their muscles and charged madly down the field. What a team! At 12:50 the Sophomores in response to cheers from their public, lightly (in spite of the beans) vaulted the wire that skirts the field, and with a glint of battle in their eyes grimly dashed upon the field. What a team! A whistle blew, and who should be on the other end but “Can-your-butts” Flatow—the umpire. This at the outset seemed an ill-omen for the speed of the game for just previously we overheard a couple of her phys-ed cohorts drumming rules into her. Flats shrilly blasted forth again—the Freshmen won the toss-up and kicked off into Sophomore territory.
  
Beyond this point the game is a mystery to us—our attention was caught by the colorful, frenzied, wildly gesticulating mass of humanity that overflowed the smoking area. Talk about atmosphere — the Syracuse-Colgate crowd wasn’t in the picture! Janie Meagher, Tobey, and “Heap-big-fun” Meron, be-furred and blanketed, plus Dr. Dentons, pennants and bottles presented an hilarious picture of die-hard alumnae. Crow, the Juniors’ president, completed with child, Alice Toomey, looked more like the village prostitute than that proverbial figure herself. Amid much banging of pans and blowing of bugles, the Seniors paraded around the field behind “Cheers” Trabold. Suddenly, in the midst of “A-tisket, a tasket, the game is the basket,” the Sophomore cheering section surged onto the field. For the next few moments there was considerable back-slapping, pounding, etc. We didn’t know what was coming off—perhaps Flato was being beaten-up! But no (shucks)—upon inquiry we found that the commotion was caused by the Sophomores’ glorious victory over the Freshmen to the tune of 12-0. The afternoon didn’t end with black defeat for the Class of ’42, however, for before the teams had a chance to regain their wind, they unquestionably won a tug-of-war from the exulting sophomores.
  
Thus ended a memorable inter-class battle—but we hope you won’t take us literally as far as “euded” is concerned for we look forward to more encounters of this nature.







SKIDMORE JOINS OTHER COLLEGES IN BROADCASTS
  
Skidmore College will participate in a short-wave educational program which will be picked up particularly in Latin America and which is meant to interpret education in the United States to foreign countries. Skidmore is only one of the participating colleges.
 
The program will be heard every Monday afternoon at 4 o’clock, and the dates for the Skidmore participation are as follows:
 
November 14: A Typical Day at Skidmore College.
  
December 12: Christmas Vespers at Skidmore—A word description of the procession with candles, etc., and a part of the actual Christmas Vespers program.
  
January 9: Training for Careers at Skidmore College—Scene I. Freshmen meeting three faculty advisers; Scene II. Sophomore has interview with Vocational Bureau; Scene III. Senior applies to Vocational 
Bureau for help in securing a job; Scene IV. Vocational Bureau follow-up of alumnae.
  
February 13: Music Program.
 
March 13: How Skidmore Students Govern Themselves — Typical class meetings. Meeting of Senate, Executive Board, Judicial Board.
  
April 10: Music Program. 

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Costume Plates In Water-Color On Exhibit Here
  
A distinct change from the modern paintings shown during October in Hathorn Studio are the drawings of French peasant regional costumes which will be in the Exhibition Gallery from November 3 to 10. These maquettes are facsimiles of water-colors by Gratiane de Gardilanne and Elisabeth W. Moffat, and were secured through the Pegasus Press. The original collection is in the Metropolitan Museum while this group is circulated by the American Federation of Arts.
  
About ten years ago when Mile, de Gardilanne was traveling in France, engaged in research for designing costumes for Balieff, she got the idea of a collection of regional costumes. After receiving encouragement from Mrs. Rogerson, and being assured that Americans would be interested, Mile, de Gardilanne and Miss Moffat searched through many French villages to find authentic costumes. With the aid of museum officials they obtained material for about two hundred watercolor drawings.
  
The collection was presented to the Metropolitan Museum as reference for students, artists, designer, costumers, and theatrical producers.
  
Under the patronage of the Duchesse de Vendome and the American Ambassador an exhibition was held January, 1928, in the Bernheim-Jeune Galleries in Paris. The French were enthusiastic in their praise.

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HUGH G. R. SELLON SPEAKS ON EUROPE
  
Thursday, November 10, the assembly speaker will be Hugh G. R. Sellon of the Institute of International Education. His topic will be “England and the Central European Problem.”
  
Mr. Sellon received his Master’s degree from University College, Oxford, and was formerly an Exhibitor there. As a student he received first class honors in modern history and was the Bryce Historical student at the University.
  
Before taking up University teaching he was a member of the Secretariat of the League of Nations at Geneva. Mr. Sellon was a lecturer in Modern History at the University of St. Andrews, Scotland and a lecturer in Internation-

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LAWRENCE TIBBETT TO APPEAR IN SECOND CONCERT OF SERIES

Famous Metropolitan Baritone to Give Program of Five Groups Friday, November 11, in College Hall. To Sing in Chicago This Winter.
  
Friday evening, November 11, in College Hall at 8 o’clock, Lawrence Tibbett, baritone, will sing for Skidmore. Mr. Tibbett is a native American, having been born in California, but his fame is international. As a youth he enjoyed singing in the streets of Los Angeles along with selling newspapers. He was twenty-five when he journeyed to New York on borrowed money to study voice. In six months he had a Metropolitan Opera contract. Soon after he sang the part of Ford in “Fal-staff,” thus beginning his brilliant career. Mr. Tibbett opened the Chicago Opera season in “Otello” on October 29th. He will return to the Metropolitan Opera House the latter part of November where he will fulfill his regular season. He will again sing the role of Ford in “Falstaff” at an early date this season, a revival of which is being looked forward to by many.
  
Following the singer’s recent six months’ tour of Australia he is quoted as saying: “Do I like Australians? My word, I do. I find your audiences very musical—as good as any I have ever sung to. I have heard some fine voices in Australia too; but I think your chief difficulty is that young musicians appear to leave it too late before they begin to study seriously. Economic conditions may have something to do with that and, of course, there are not the teachers here (Australia) that there are abroad. I myself started singing seriously when I was 18, and I have been singing professionally ever since.”
  
Mr. Tibbett’s program will include: 1. Where’er You Walk, by Handel; 2. The Bailiff’s Daughter, from Old English.
  
In the second group will be: 1. Nacht und Traume, by Schubert; 2. Meine Liebe ist grun, by Brahms; 3. Allerseelen, by Strauss; 4. Ewig, by Erich Wolff.
  
Mr. Stewart Wille, accompanist, will play: 1. Sonata No. 104, del Pe-trarca, by Liszt; 2. Traumerei, by Strauss; 3. Rhapsody, Op. II, No. 3, by Dohnanyi.
  
The fourth grouping will be Mr. Tibbett’s rendition of Cortigiani, vil razza dannata, from “Rigoletto” by Verdi.

In the fifth group will be included: 1. The Water Mill, by Vaughan Williams; 2. Ah, Love But a Day, by Mrs. H. H. A. Beach; 3. The Hand-Organ 

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[photograph] 

LAWRENCE TIBBETT






GOVERNMENT ART HAS GOOD FUTURE
 
Wednesday evening, November second, Miss Pease of the art department, introduced Helen Appleton Read who gave an illustrated lecture on Government art activities. Mrs. Read said that she was particularly interested in the potentialities in government sponsored art for the growth of American art. This is the first time that the government has ever felt that art programs are worth supporting.
  
There is quite a difference between W. P. A. art projects and those of the Treasury department, which the speaker pointed out. The murals and sculpture work sponsored by the Treasury department is not the result of jobs created for needy artists, but are the expressions of a “native American tradition.” Murals, Mrs. Read went on to say, are the ideal medium for expressing pictorial ideas—they require a universal feeling for the artist must cooperate with the architects and builders. “There are great epochs of mural painting when the community is imbued with some social, religious or political belief,” the speaker said.
  
When the government first started these competitions for work in government art projects so much talent was brought to light that the two distinctions were created between W. P. A. and Treasury departments and the W.

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Hazing Dazes Class
  
When we first looked at a student kneeling close to the ground in a “praise Allah” fashion we - thought Skidmore had adopted Mohammedanism. Closer inspection revealed that it was a nearly-exhausted freshman “wiping” the smile off her face in answer to one of the sophomore’s demands on “Freshman-Sophomore Day” last Tuesday, November 1.
 
The entire Freshman class turned out at 8 o’clock in ten pigtails, two different shoes and socks and a clashing color scheme. Some freshmen, particularly those with long hair, told us they were up at six-thirty braiding their hair and darkening and thickening their eyebrows in Groucho Marx fashion. At first we were inclined to feel sorry for those with closely-cropped mops, but they managed to meet the requirements by taking ten different tufts of hair and tying simply HUGE ribbons on them. Particularly attractive, from the artistic point of view, were those landscapes and bird’s nests which included in their midst parasols, miniature bibs, garters (to hold the braids), and six-inch ribbon, which completely masked the wearer’s neck and shoulders.
  
We found, in addition, that while the laundry bag method of carrying books was awkward, it also had its good points (although several of the freshmen who used laundry cases looked as if they were going away for the week end). Cases were especially useful in saving their books from the wear and tear of “dropping” them from five to seven times between each class. One freshman we know had to “drop” her books five times, “wipe” the smile off her face twice, sing (you guessed it, “A Tisket-a-Tasket”); recite “Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow,” although “What Fools These Mortals Be” was also popular; tell a joke AND explain it—all during her trip from the mailroom to English class. (P. S.-—She got there on time, too.)
  
Freshmen were allowed in the mailroom only by special permission of some sophomore, a permission which was very difficult to get because there never seemed to be a Sophomore around at the right time. When one was about, her presence necessitated such standing, curtseying, door-opening, book-dropping, and wiping of smiles off faces (those sidewalks are mighty hard) that in the end there was neither time nor strength left with which to collect the mail.

Nevertheless, despite the profuse protests and blushes on the part of the Freshmen, they truly derived as 

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