Page Four

SCARLET AND BLACK

January I6, I959

 

(Blztlel‘d

To the Editor:

Generally we find. ourselves in
agreement with Paul Hass, and
it would seem that the majority
of his statements are supported
by the facts, but in his column
on the Kingston Trio he flipped
his lid: his whole column is
composed of nothing but the
fabrications of his outraged
mind We cannot find a support-
able smtement other than those
concerning the prices we are
paying for the Trio and the
painful memories engendered by
the former brassy concerts,

In the first place, we have
understood from student Coun-
cil members that we are still
to have Rey de la Torre (the
money for his concert comes
from a difierent fund and is
not being used to finance the
coming of the Kingston Trio)
and the Minnesota folk—singer,
Gene Bluestein, as well as the
Societe Corelli and, later in
the year. a festival of Italian
music This year there seems
to be a fairly good variety in
the concerts, which is more
than can be said for the past
two or three years, filled with
Shearing, Ellington, Marterle,
the Four Freshmen and Malt—
by!

The proposal concerning the
Kingston Trio, Brubeck and the
Hi-Lo's (we don't. know what
they are, either) was made to
the council by a committee for
the first time in four years. Al.
ways bclore the selection of
available groups was in the
hands of an individual, and some
of these selections have been
even stranger than the present
ones. This year the council ap—
pointed a committee of those
interested from among its mem-
bers to serve with Paul Jones
in the chosing of concerts. We
thought at the time and still
think that the establishment of
such committee was a great
step forward.

The charges leveled against
the Kingston Trlo as a per—
forming group were rather iii.
considered. "Tom Dooley" was
one of n number of songs on
ll 12" LP put out by the Trio.
The song did not come out as
a single on 45 until long after
it had been popular. Had it
heen out: primarily to apnea!
to the “slack-jawed fans of
the top 40" we are sure such
would not have been the case.

The Trio do not say they are
folk-singers, but all their sing-
ing has been done within thdt
idiom, and their material is just
as authentic as any being sung
by top—flight folk-singers per-
forming today. It is true, how-
ever mat they are not collectors
and preservers of songs just as
they come from the source. as
are the Lomax family or John
Jacob Niles. The great value of,
these latter is that, no matter
how often a song is sung (to be
truly sung it has to be felt, and
in the feeling may be innovated
upon), due to their careful col-
lecting the song is always avail-
able just as it came from the
people who created it mrough
generations of singing it.

There is really no more or less

correct version of a folkrsong as
long as the different versions
are equally true to the spirit of
the song. for a folk-song grows
and changes as it is sung over
and over, just as does the lang—
uage in which its sentiment is.
expressed or its story told. The
main ingredients of a good folk-
singing group are a varied tep-.
crtoire, a reeling for the songs,
musical ingenuity and spontanr
city in expressing that feeling
for the song, and most import-
,ant or all, enthusiasm for the
song and for singing. The King
ston Trio have all of these.

The Trio do not come to us
unknown save for "Tom Dool-
ey." Long before “Tom Dool—
ey” became pnpular they had
appeared at “The Purple
Onion" and the “hungry i” in i
San Francisco, "MI. Kelly’s"
in Chicago, made a success-

 

Gllmour To Leave
for Senate Dulles

c. Edwin Gllmour (political
science) has been granted a two
semester sabbatical lcavc which
he will spend in Des Moines in
his recently won capacity of
state senator.

His leave will be taken the
second semester of this year
and the second semester of 1960—
1961, as those periods corres—
pond to the sessions oi the state
legislature.

The legislature convenes in
January of every other year and
is in session for approximately
100 days. The term of a state
senator is four years.

ful tour through Mexico. They
are currently appearing at
Town Hall in New York They
were also a smash hit at the
Universities of Texas and
Colorado.

Such follcsinging groups as
the Weavers and the Gateway
Singers have also appeared at the
“hungry i”—We trust our cam-
pus authority on folk music,
Paul Hass. has heard of these
groupsiand we can say that
we would very much like to be
thought good enough to appear
in such company: In addition,
if the Trio is to be charged
with being commercial, what is
so uncommercial about Pete
Seegeri We can assure Mr.
Hass that very few singers. poly.
ular or otherwise, make as much
money as he docsl

The Trlo's unfortunate appear.
ance on the Perry Como show
is hardly a fair sample by
which to judge the quality of
their performances. We can only
suggest consulting someone who
has their album, The Kingston
Trio is a fine group of per.
former5#thelr voices are not
outstanding, but their enthus—
iasm and feeling for the songs
they sing are. They will give
us a memorable and highly en-
joyable evening's entertainment.

Helen c. Edsnondson
Mary Edmondson

(Edi Note:

Mr. Bass replies: Touche! It
appears that my huge battery
of researchers has failed me
in this instance; I had no idea
that the de la Torre concert
was still possible nor that the
Trio was so widely revered.
I still maintain, however, that
the price is absurd, that Grin—
nell as a whole does not truly
want the group, and that (to
quote I). w. Brogan) “Primir
tive art which is not really
primitive is boring in the not
very long run")

Government
To Sponsor
Loan Funds

Government student loans
established under the National
Defense Education act of 1958
will probably be available to a
limited number of Grinnell
Students in the second semes-
ter, Merritt c. Ludwig, vice
president for administration, an—
nounced today. The college has
aleIed for funds to establish
a National Defense student loan
fund.

The amount of funds re-
quested hy institutions of
higher education exceeds Gonr
zress' appropriation of $6,000,-
000 for 1958-59, Of this appro—
priation. $114,000 has been
allocated for all Iowa colleges
and universities. Grinnell's
share will be known in Feb
wary.

At Grinnell. government loans,
like all other loans, will be ad~
ministered by Charles L. Kauf-
man, (treasurer), and will be'
made primarily on the basis of
financial need.

Terms of the governmentl
loans are very liberal, Ludwig
stated. Simple interest of 3 per.
cent is charged on the unpaid
halanse. but does not commence
until one year after the bor—
rmch ceases to be a fulletime
student, undergraduate or qradr
uate. After that. he may have'
up to ten years to repay the.
principal with interest, Interest
is waived up to three years
while a borrower is in the U. s.
armed forces

1f the borrower should die or,
hecomc totally disabled before
the loan is repaid, the debt is
cancelled. In addition, a borrow—
N- mav convert up to so per-l
cent of the loan into whatl
amounts to a scholarship by
working as full time elementary
or secondary public school
teacher. The government can-
cels 10 percent of the loan for
each year of teaching up to five
years.

“With the demand for long—
term student loans growing
rapidly at Grinnell, we wel-
come this additional source of
lunds to assist our students."
Ludwig said. “However, long—
tcrm loan funds will still be
limited. and with them we
can hope to assist only thosc
students whose financial need
is ereatest, Others who need
assistance, of course, will be
ablc to qualify for help under
the college’s recently-an—
nounced monthly payment

LOANS
Cont. p. 6, col. I

 

Cont-mucus Sun; from 2:
If You Haven’t Heard About It, You Will!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

rrtE srRAMeER was
«‘MEW Aeau‘ Him.

m M on. nono- erase

OHERLIHY'FLEMING-Z|MBAL|Sl,llt‘

Thur-iri-Soi

MATINEE SAT. 2 PM.‘

Technicolcr'

A ummltssmf Production '
A cowwila richn-

WWW! ,

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

PLUS—COLORTOON

 

Schadb Performs
Recital In I'lerrick

Janet schaab will present
her senior piano recital Sun-
day at 4 pm. in Herrick chapel.

Selections im- the recital
will be based on five major
composers. Three Scarlatti
sonatas are on the program,
the F minor, the A major
and the A minors Other pieces
are a B-Jch Toccata in D ma»
jar and Chopin's Etude in D
minor, Mazurka, and Etude in
A minor. The recital Will
close with a Bartok suite,
Opus 14, and Dehussy‘s "L’lsle
Joyeuse." ’

Last summer Jan sang with
the St. Louis municipal opera,
and has participated in the
choir, glee club and the Deb-
onairs during her past three
years at Grinneil. Recently she
toured New York. Washington,
D.C., St. Louis. and the Iowa
area with Richard Howe (mu-
sic). playing at fund-raising
affairs for the new Grinnell
development plan.

Gaskell To Deliver
Formal Addresses

On Mall) Subjects

On Monday and Tuesday,
Robert E. Gaskeil, head of the
mathematical research labora-
tory of the Boeing Airplane
Company, will give a series of
lectures here, Gaskell, brought
here through the Mathematical
Association of America and
sponsored by Grinnell’s math.
ematics department will deliver
three formal addresses, all open
to the general public, in the
science lecture room.

His schedule is as follows:

Monday, 9 cm. — “Case
studies in Industrial Mathe—
maticsr”

Monday, 3 pm. — “Mathe-
matics Goes to Market."

Tuesday, 4 pJIL —— “Trans-'
forms and Their Uses."

Gaskell was a 1933 honor
graduate of Albion college and
received his M.S. and PhD. de—
grees from the University of
Michigan in addition to teach.
ing there.

 

Too Busy To Wash?

When you’re busy
catching up on work
for finals, why not
bring your clothes
to us. We’ll wash and
iron them for you
while you’re studying.

GRINNEL’L
LAUNDRY

Member of

North and

South Campus

Cleaning Agency

JIM JACOBSON, Senior from Des Moines, President of
the Council of House Presidents and captain of the Swimming

team,

W'EL‘LHOUS‘E STUDIO

Across from the Post Office

 

