FELIX
NEW
P H Y S I C S
B L O C K
T O A D S T O O L S
The New Physios blooK was opened on October 20th. by S i r John .Cookroft. A large crowd of distinguished people gat hered i n the main Physios l e c t u r e theat r e t o hear S i r John, introduced by the Viscount Falmouth, and the Rector, give the opening address. His d e s c r i p t i o n of the e l e c t r i c a l apparatus which producei a l a r g e current, poking through a hole i n the w a l l , f o r one of Professor Black e t t ' s expf^imenisj • was very w e l l reoeiv ea .'n_ replir,. Processor 'SSeokett p a i d t r i b u t e t o S i r John, and saying that. S i r John was the'best s c i e n t i f i c admin i s t r a t o r i n England today.
Sir John then oalled'upon modern technology to aid him. i n unveiling the large block of stone above the entrance In spite of the rain, a large number orS people watched the ceremony from across the road. After the opening, the assemb led company wandered around the block, examining laboratories and apparatus. A l l agreed that everything was well app ointed, and, so far, no major grumbles have been heard. It seems as though Professor Blaokett's praise of the arch iteots and contractors i s well deserved
H i s t o r i a n s o r f i l m producers, wishi n g to recapture the atmosphere of We^l ington's tent en the eve of Waterloo, cr Montgomery' s\>aravan before^ Alatnein would have been w e l l advised t o eaven; drop on a m i l i t a r y conference h e l d i l l an upper room of B e i t H a l l i l a t e on the eve'of the opening of the JJbysios block For t h i s was the f i n a l bwtefing before Operation Toadstoo 1.
The reason f o r the Operation was simple. Several users of the new Physic block had noted i n horror that a number of i r o n toadstools had been planted j u s t outside the b u i l d i n g , i n Queen's Gate, but had been painted as mushrooms They could only be toadstools, however, being obviously u n f i t f o r human consumption. So i t mas decided to restore them t o t h e i r proper species by p a i n t i n g a v a r i e t y o f c o l o u r ed spots a l l over them.
The atmosphere was tense i n tne b r i e f i n g room as the reconnaisance p a t r o l l a i d down t h e i r cups of coffee and set f o r t h . While they were taking up t h e i r p o s i t i o n s t o guard against the blue-uniformed enemy, a F i f t h Colum, c o n s i s t i n g of twfc of the p r e t t i e s t g i r l s a v a i l a b l e (both- a l a s - engaged), entered the b u i l d i n g i t s e l f and engaged the night watchman i n charming conversation. Meanwhile, the Operation proper got under way. Armed with brushes, pots and " s t e n c i l s " (pieces of card-board w i t h round holes i n them), a commando group gained access t o the mushrooms by a secret route and completed the mux a t i o n i n t o to-tdstools at l i g h t n i n g speed. Having r e t i r e d , they deoidecrw paint the'concrete pots as w e l l , j u s t to match. Withdrawal of a l l p a r t i e s was eompjaKed without any c a s u a l t i e s , excep t a few paint covered hands and clothes
and i n f a c t , without any s l r n . f enery a c t i v i t y . Kopping-up operations we e un dertaken with a mugful of p e t r o l .
Obsessed by the S c i e n t i s t ' s love of symmetry, sone of the r a i d i n g party tho ught i t i n t o l e r a b l e that the other end of P r i n c e Consort Road should remain m decorated. Their a r t i s t i r t a l e n t s turned t o the statues outside the Royal School of Mines. Theseweatherworn f i g ures now blossom f o r t h i n resplendent • m a s c u l i n i t y or languorous seductiveness I t i s rumoured that a stony smile has at l a s t sprecd across the l i p s of B e i t and Wernher, and that the b e l l e s of the R.C M., pranoir-g primly down the s t r e e t i n the morning with t h e i r music cases, are ,half-oonsoious of a roving yellowpainted eye that appears t o f o l l o w them as they go*
Nor d i d Guilds escape. A r t i s t r y , was somewhat exhausted by than-ther e are not any statues outside Guilds anyw ay- but theredid at l e a s t appear seme i n d i c a t i o n that R.C,S. painters had been there.
The r a i d e r s ' one regret i s that they were not able to c o r r e c t some of the equations on the since u n v e i l e d s l a b , toj b r i n g them i n t o l i n e with the information given on c e r t a i n of t h e i r own,exam, papers . However, i t w i l l a l l be out of date before long.
The toadstools, i n c i d e n t l y , rever ted t o mushrooms s h o r t l y before the buildiflgrwas opened. P i t y
3
FELIX
m i Suddenly, i t ' s The Jazz Consortii-n! This cosmic group went i n t o o r b i t i n tht top chophouse of Imperial College l a s t Saturday. Man, they blew l i k e they were i n the Galaxy K81 i n Ursa Major. (Like, dig the extended astronomical metaphor, Dadl) Unfortunately, i t - w i l l probably take several l i g h t years before the squares d i g t h i s sort of 3olid noise. Components of the Consortium are: Dick iadraore(tpt.), Walter Skinner(alto), Kichard Bush ton (piano)-, F r e n e t i c Farnsworth(bass), Mike Smith(drums), Qh Buddy-boo, Walter just knock me out, he's so funky. I mean, he has c e r t a i n l y gotten Birds message. And Kike crouches there batterin g h i s s o l i d s t e e l tubs. At present the Consortium are running through the Miles Davis book. Norman Granz. had better duckl
The forthcoming Jazz at the P h i l , tour looks l i k e being a knockout. I mean,with G i l l e s p i e and Cannonball Adderley i n the side, i s there anything else? Another a t t r a c t i o n f o r you p l u t o c r a t i c bums i s the f i l m "Jazz on a Summer's D a y . " s t i l l show-, ing at the Cameo-Holy.I believ e i t ' s a gas,but,of course, I haven't seen i t my*r self,due to a lack of l e t t u c e . L i k e , that's the way the cookie crumbles!'
"THE
MUSIC
NEm The l a t e s t news f l a s h from Doc. i t t t n chard i s that he i s running out of bead s mirrors and shotguns, e s s e n t i a l f o r t r a d ing with the A l b e r t a n a t i v e s . K o n k s v i l l e l V i s i t o r s I have had from overseas t h i s week include new harp s t a r , Emily F l u e , the g i r l who has set the Punjab an f i r e ; way-out bop euphonium player, G l o r i a Quink; and s t e e l erector Harry Stashing** ton. Sales of my "Do- i t -yourself-hardbop-kit" are f a l l i n g , due t o competition! from lfenitoys. They are producing a comprehensive "Jazz set" f o r l/lOd. But . they're small potatoes, Man, i n f a c t C u b e s v i l l e , man, C u b e s v i l l e . By throwing i n a p l a s t i c a l t o , and l i f e s i z e model of Uranus, hard-bop k i t sales should h i t the top. This weeks book choice i s Ephraim Sewers' erudite tome,'The s i g n i f i c a n c e of the bassoon i n wallpaper design". To get Sewers' message, the only t h i n g t o do i s f l i c k through those swinging pages while simultaneously p l a y i n g a whole-tone blues on an ocarina. Eimahot.
A student i n London has one b i g advantage over h i s p r o v i n c i a l counterpart, and that i s ' that London o f f e r s a large number of theatres,two opera hou3es,two resident b a l l e t companies and two l a r g e concert h a l l s with n i g h t l y concerts of both c l a s s i c a l and more modern m u s i c However i t i s amÂŤ?i1ng how many students f a i l to make use of these almost u n r i v a l l ed opportunities;so to encourage- them the f o l l o w i n g notes have been compiled. T h i s week's a r t i c l e i s devoted to opera,but i t i s hoped i n l a t e r numbers to mention the t h e a t r e , b a l l e t and forthcoming concerts. The opera season opened on Oct.19th .fith a gala performance of "La Somnabula? This seldom heard I t a l i a n opera i s sddel i g h t f u l work and the veteran I t a l i a n conductor S e r a f i n c o n t r i v e d , w i t h Miss. Joan Sutherland and the r e s t of the c a s t , t o make t h i s performance a great success. The same conductor and soprano triumphed i n 1958 i n the production of D o n n i z e t t l ' s "Lucia di. Lanmermoor"which w i l l be heard again l a t e r i n the season. don stage.The sets and costumes f o r these two very w e l l known operas are r e a l l y f i r s t class,and when your correspondent saw t h i s " c o u p l e t " l a s t term,the resident company d i d the music f u l l j u s t i c e . Saturday,0ot.22nd,Franco Z e f f i r e l l i ' s b e a u t i f u l production of " C a v e l l e r i a Ruaticana"and " I a g l i a c o i " r e t u r n to the LonThe published programme includes f u t u r e performances of these three pp*eras,as w e l l as r e v i v a l s of "Peter Grimes" "Carmen" ( i n E n i j L i s h ) I l Barbiere d i S i v i g l i a " a n d "Macbeth" (both i n I t a l i a n ) a n d "Der Rosenkavalier'(in German} Among other r e v i v a l s to date,probably one of the most s u c c e s s f u l i s "La Cenere n t o l l a " ; R o s s i n i ' s g a y , f a i r y t a l e opera being w e l l - s u i t e d to the intimate a t mosphere at Sadler's Wells.Once again the E n g l i s h t r a n s l a t i o n helps to put aoross the inherent w i t and charm of t h i s piece i n which Denis Dowling i s p a r t i c u l a r l y successful as "Dandini",repeating the performance he gave at Glyndebournethis year.
U N .
B o u n c e
At Sadler's Weils,the season started somewhat e a r l i e r w i t h a new production of "La Traviata".As w i t h a l l performances at t h i s t h e a t r e , i t i s sung i n E n g l i s h and so provides an e x c e l l e n t opportunity f o r the newoomer to opera to f a m i l i a r i z e himself with the music.- and p l o t without having to contend with I t a l i a n dialogue. — G a l l e r y seats a t Sadler's Wells can always be obtained on the night of a performance at 3 / - . Tickets f o r Covent Garden should,however,be bought w e l l i n advance f o r f i / - or 7/6 depending on the performanoe.
N
O
V.
5*.
This year's "Guy Jawkes Wail" w i l l be h e l d on Saturday, 5th. Noveriber, at the College Sports Ground at Bipson Lane, H Harlington .
Tiokets w i l l be on sale from 1 s t . Nov ember and w i l l be obtainable from the Union Offioe at lunch time. The p r i c e of 2/6d.' inoludes hot dogs, transport to and from H a r l i n g t o n , and entrance to the dance.
RUSH "Now
d i g t h i s Atomic solo,Man!"
Ilaice sure of your t i o k e t by coming punctually on the 1 s t . since t h i s i s on extremely popular f u n c t i o n , and t i c k e t s w i l l s e l l out q u i c l i y .
F E L I X
4
Free S p e e c h We have recieved the f o l l o w i n g l e t t e r from George Bacynski,who l e f t l a s t year w i t h a degree i n Chemical Engineering and i s now doing a postgraduate course a t Perdue U n i v e r s i t y . Dear Jim, Since I've only been here about tbrÂŤe weeks,I shouldn't i n a l l f a i r n e s s , try and draw any conclusion from what I've experienced of U n i v e r s i t y l i f e on t h i s side of the A t l a n t i c . What I s h a l l do f i r s t of a l l , t h e n , i s to describe Purdue U n i v e r s i t y to you,and then give you my f i r s t impressions o f the place.(I warn you,though,that I disclaim, any r e s p o n s i b i l i t y f o r any l e g a l proceed*, ings r i s i n g out of the contents, of these letters,and that i n the event of ay being subpoenal by the Senate Investigation SubCommittee,I expect F e l i x to pay f o r the best lawyer I oan get.)Well,here goes!
Editorial
Comment
Vffl NEED TOTTERS. Every E d i t o r .01 " F e l i x " has made t h i s appeal. This E d i t or i s no exception. Regular f o r t n i g h t l y a r t i c l e s , occasional a r t i c l e s , any a r t i c l e s i r i l l d o . A s i x page " F e l i x " i s not a good r e f l e c t i o n on the l i f e of the Uni o n , and i f % of the College wrote one a r t i o l e per f o r t n i g h t , we should get 28 a r t i c l e s , enough t o f i l l about' 9 pages. I f you f e e l the need t o b u r s t i n t o p r i n t about l e c t u r e s , the Union, women or anything e l s e , do so. Immediately.
ICWA E l e c t i o n . Due t o the non-return of Sue Coombs, President e l e c t of ICWA,another election, iias been held, and Mary Tones i s the new President. Ann Hodnett was elected Hon.Sea.
Dear S i r , I t has been my misfortune to eat another meal in. Ayrton H a l l . Of the food,the- c a t e r i n g s t a f f and the general s e t t i n g I have no complaints,but the animals t h a t were.also e a t i n g have provided yet another example o f why the youth of the country i s ao widely condemned today. P r o v i s i o n of cloakroom f a c i l i t i e s has been made i n the b u i l d i n g , together w i t h a h a l l porter to take oars of a r t i c l e s deposited t h e r e i n . E i t h e r i t i s the habi t of the I.C. animals to throw brown bags, duffle-ooats,and other garments a l l over the tables from whieh they eat a t home,or dare I suggest that the I.C.anima l s do not possess t a b l e s at t h e i r homes, to say f a r l e s s of hooks and cloakrooms. This i s by no means the f i r s t occasion oh whioh suoh squalor has been endured, t o ' make i t possible to eat an e a r l y meal at I.C.;in f a c t i t occurs in. Ayrton H a l l every evening. May I therefore suggest an a d d i t i o n t o the " o u l t u r s " programmes-that o f a course e n t i t l e d "Elementary E t i q u e t t e " o r "Manners Maketh Man",so that these 1.0. animals may have the opportunity of becoming gentlemen, lours F a i t h f u l l y , A.S.Tarte.
Purdue U n i v e r s i t y i s located i n the township of West Lafayette,across, the Wabash r i v e r from the parent town of l e f ayette,and about 120 miles south of Chicago. The U n i v e r s i t y i s s i t u a t e d ekcaocamjuiA^approximately 360 acres i n area,but the 70 o r so main (educational) buildings are concentrated i n a s t r i p l A m i l e wide and! mile long. The remaining 200 acres are devoted p r i n c i p a l l y to h a l l s of r e s idence f o r students, and recreational.' f a c ilities, Perdue i s a large U n i v e r s i t y by E n g l i s h standards, although i t i s ranked only 15th i n s i z e i n the S t a t e s . I t has about 20,000 students of whioh^abbut 1/j are post graduates. The main f i e l d s of s p e c i a l i s a t i o n , roughly i n order of importance,'are:Science and Engineering, A g r i c u l t u r e , Education and the Humanities,and Home Economics. Now that I've set the soene,I'd. b e t t e r give some idea of what i t ' s l i k e to be at Perdue. In the f i r s t p l a c e , I was struck by the. s i z e , London U n i v e r s i t y i s so spread out that i t i s very d i f f i c u l t to vsualise i t as a whole. Here everything i s concentr a t e d i n a small area, and as you look • around a l l you can see(or so i t seetasj i s row a f t e r row of very l a r g e f o u r o r f i v e ajtory red-brick .buildings. Perdue bss,o6. course,ope important advantage over London i n that,being compact,there i s no wasteful d u p l i c a t i o n of f a c i l i t i e s , a n d one large b u i l d i n g about the s i z e of the Hoderic H i l l b u i l d i n g , i s u s u a l l y s u f f i c i e n t t o hold a complete department. The second thing I n o t i c e d was the i n f ormality of the r e l a t i o n s h i p between s t a f f and students. For example,a few days ago the s t a f f of the Chemical Engineering department i n v i t e d new graduate students to a p i c n i c ( I should say, i n passing, that p i o n i o i n g ( ? ) i s every popular weekend pastime i n the 3tates,but i t has been so oommerota l i a e d that i t bears l i t t l e resemblance to pieniolrig i n England,apart frEm the f a c t t h a t one eats out o f doors.) A f t e r the meal,the s t a f f challenged the students to a game of s o f t b a l l ( a cross between baseb a l l and rounders.)That they got soundly fceateh i n the end was due mostly t o the shortness o f b r e a t h r a t h e r than a saakto#3skillband they were on l e v e l terms, f o r most of the game thanks t o some f i n e p i t c h i n g by the head of the department, whose curving d e l i v e r i e s were very hard t o h i t . I oouldn't imagine t h i s s o r t of thins, happening'at Imperial College^or any other E n g l i s h B n i v e r s i t y and i n many;ways I think i t ' s a p i t y because everyone enjoyed themselves,and i t broke the i c e i n no unc e r t a i n manner. F i n a l l y I suppose I'd b e t t e r say somethi n g about Perdue t r a d i t i o n s . These are many and varied,and are always-being thrust down our throats(when I say "ours" I'm i n c l u d i n g myself among the Freshmen.). I had heard i t s a i d q u i t e o f t e n that Americans were ooncioua of Itheir lack of t r a d i t i o n s , but i t wasn't u n t i l I got here thet I r e a l i s e d f u l l y what was meant. They have many
t r a d i t i o n s over here,but,although everyone goes through the motions,one gets the impression that t h e i r - t r a d i t i o n s are s l i g h t l y ridiculous,and that they are s l i g h t l y ashamed of themselves f o r going through the motions but that they are taking courage i n numoers.Now I'm not a r a b i d nationa l i s t , a n d I'm w i l l i n g to admit that many E n g l i s h t r a d i t i o n s are now s l i g h t l y r i d i c ulous. The b i g difference i s that very few E n g l i s h t r a d i t i o n s started out by being r i d i c u l o u s from the very moment of t h e i r inception. Well,I've opened my mouth,and I.'.ve put ary f o o t i n i t up to the knee, so I t h i n k t h i s would be a good point to f i n i s h . A l l the b e s t ! George Bacynski. Dear S i r , May I , through the colu/ms of your paper, enquire i f anyaejjhers o f I.C. would be interested in forming an Qrni> t h o l o g i o a l Society w i t h i n the college. Many u n i v e r s i t i e s i n the countrv have made valuable contributions to the understanding of b i r d behaviour. I f e e l that Imperial College oould w e l l provide s u f f i c i e n t people of energetic and s c i e n t i f i c d i s p o s i t i o n t o do the same. The w t i v i t i e s of such a s o c i e t y would involve l e c t u r e s , f i l m s and demon s t r a t i o n s , w i t h a considerable amount of outdoor f i e l d work. Such f i e l d work could include surveys, trapping and r i r ging and the study of s p e c i a l i s e d topi c s . Such a c t i v i t i e s could even be a r r anged on an expedition scale. Contact would be established with other s o c i e t i e s i n t h i s oountry and abroad, and the p u b l i c a t i o n of reports jphuld-further- our i n t e r e s t s , and one w^-uld hope, reputation. I f anyone i s i n t e r e s t e d i n such a .aociety would they contact me v i a the Union Rack, i n order to co-ordinate e f f orts and henoe r e s o r t to the usual o f f i o i a l channels. lours f a i t h f u l l y , Roger G. Thompson. Dear S i r , there must s u r e l y come a time when a man having passed h i s prime and the i n e v i t a b l e quiet shadows of the l u l l a f t e r the storm appear,looks at the m i r r o r and says t o himself " I have had my say,done my b i t , l e t the young new members take over."This man would remember the p a t h e t i c pioture of an elder statesman j e e r i n g l y r e j e c t e d by the youngsters who grew t i r e d of that interference t h a t so annoyed him e a r l i e r . Some suoh are amongst us,having served u . p o l i t i c a l and s p o r t i n g court j e s t e r s "for many years ana l a s t year" very ably as chairmen of the various committees. One oan only hope that the d i s c r i m i n a t i o n that comes w i t h the years w i l l a l l a y the l i k e l i h o o d of an unnecessarily d i s t a s t e f u l experience. Please Sirs,thank you" we say,but please put your pens i n your poei-ets and leave i t t o us. Yours F a i t h f u l l y , A.Hall. Dear S i r , I am w r i t i n g to c o r r e c t an e r r o r i n the a r t i c l e on the SCO,which appeared i n your l a s t e d i t i o n . The C h r i s t i a n Union does not require i t s members t o accept' ten points of doctrine. One beoocies a member on agreeing to a three p o i n t d e c l a r a t i o n of b e l i e f , w h i c h i s acceptable to members of a l l C h r i s t i a n denominations. Although we have a membership, non-members are warmly weloomed at any of our meetings. We should be glad i f you would be so kind as to p u b l i s h t h i s l e t t e r i n order t o c o r r e c t any f a l s e impression that may have been given. Yours F a i t h f u l l y , Martin A t k i n s President.I.C.C.U.
F E L I X
VIEWPOINT
S.C.C. The f i r s t meeting of the SCO was held onOotober 17th.and a t t h i s meeting Mr, Brian Ford was e l e c t e d Hon.Sec. A r e p o r t was given o f the SCC Executive ooamxttee meeting which covered four main p o i n t s . F i r s t , i t was noted that Council had requested the student o f f i c e r s of the SCC to i n v e s t i g a t e the problems of ove»seas students. Second, the question of the obscuring of notic e boards by the c l o a k room doors was r e f e r r e d to the Bouse Committee. Third,olubs were asked to make more i n t e l l i g e n t use of the i n t e r n a l not— iceboard. L a s t l y , i t was agreed that orders for engraving pots 'should go v i a the Chairman of the SCC to the trophy o f f i c e r .
jar.KaoHierson.representing the Debating Society,stated that C o u n c i l had placed the s o c i e t y i n the ECC. He thought that the major a c t i v i t i e s of the s o c i e t y were d i s cussing, arguing and debating of r e l i g i o u s , p h i l o s o p h i c a l and p o l i t i c a l issues and that,therefore,the Debating s o c i e t y was more «Hn to the SCC clubs than the ECC club 3.lt was a l s o more convenient i f the Efcaaidentoof dBebaees could attend the SCC meetings In order to contact speakers for' debates,The f a c t that i f the Dab.Soo. were i n the SCC i t would be the only one awarding colours was dismissed as t r i v i a l . A request that the Chairman at. the SCC ask Council to reverse i t s previous deoision was carried,neirucon. The date of the next SCC meeting was f i x e d as Nov.21st,junior treasurers were, reminded to c o l l e c t t h e i r account books from Dr.Owen,and volunteers were obtained to decorate the p a v i l i o n at Harlington on Nov.5th. Clubs were reminded of the Onion r u l e against d i s t r i b u t i n g l i t e r a t u r e i n the refeotories. CluBs-were -aske4 n o t t o arranmt meetings on Nov. 15 tli as there would os, a Union Meeting oh that day. Some dlsaatis£ f a c t i o n waa expressed that t h i s date had not been announced e a r l i e r . . A suggestion was made t h a t olubs be allowed the use of the oollege i n t e r n a l p o s t a l system.
Despite well-meant attempts to damp down c o n t r o v e r s y , i t appears that d i s cussion of important Union matters has continued unabated. The Rover orew have r e c e n t l y voted 12-11 against wearing t r o users «t one of the most heated meetings y e t helm a t I.C. Soon, the S o c i a l i s t Soci e t y w i l l be the government a t an I.C, mock Parliament, and w i l l be l e d as Prime M i n i s t e r by the. only p r o - S a i t a k e l l i t e i n the s o c i e t y . The Debating Society,placed against i t s w i l l i n the Recreational Clubs Committee,have received unexpected support from the S o c i a l Club-* Committee whioh. decided unan-uaously t o ask f o r the r e t u r s of the Debating Society t o the S.C.C.
THE* W O R L D
OF
ART
P r a c t i c a l l y everyone i n the E n g l i s h book reading s o c i e t y i s awaiting w i t h b a i t e d breath the r e s u l t of the Crown vs Penguin Books case. The most used word i n the language at the moment appears to be unexpurgated. LADY CHATTEBLEY'S LOVER, always a sensation,has now reaohed overwhelming heights of n o t o r i e t y . Lawrence w i l l soon be as famous as Shakespeare,ar<l yet we may never be able to read t h i s famous(infamous?) book. There i s a b i g weakness somewhere when a l e g a l system c a l l s upon twelve ordinary people w i t h absolutely no l i t e r a r y quali f i c a t i o n s whatsoever to judge whether or not a book by a very able w r i t e r should, or should not be placed on the b o o k s t a l l s f o r everyone to buy and read. t
The p u b l i c a t i o n of the d e l i b e r a t i o n s of C o u n c i l i n F e l i x was a welcome improve ement on previous p r a c t i c e but may I go a step f u r t h e r by mentioning issues n o t yet decided?Cbuncil have rightly'' l e f t the d e c i s i o n on.-. • the destination, of t h i s year* c a r n i v a l proceeds t o the I. C.Executive Comi t tee. We c e r t a i n l y should t r y to avoid an annual controversy on t h i s matter. Might X suggest,however,that any member of the Union w i t h strong views on t h i s subject, see members of the Executive Xu advance? This should ensure that the d e c i s i o n t h i s year i s not completely a t variance w i t h the wishes of Union members,even i f u n s a t i s f i e d customers s t i l l exist.
Anotner issue to be decided soon,this time by Counoil, i s whether ttev-^£>n-aeabers should have to pay f o r casual use of the tennis c o u r t s . The present p r a c t i c e i n a l l other sports la' that a membership Tee I s charged by a l l oluDs and t h i s fee e n t i t l e s the member to the use o f the appropiate f a c i l i t i e s . The s i t u a t e ion i s a l i t t l e d i f f e r e n t f o r the tennis courts(and squash presumably)where a very high proportion of the users of the courts may only play one or two games per year. I t has been suggested that the tennis courts should be considered as a r e c r e a t i o n a l f a c i l i t y of the Union j u s t l i k e the t e l e v i s i o n room o r the Union lounge and that no charge should be made f o r tne h i r e of the courts. The r e g u l a r users of the courts would become members of the tennis c l u b in the u s u a l manner.
Surely a much more r e a l i s t i c approach would be to appoint a committee of, say, q u a l i f i e d w r i t e r s , o r i t i o s and readers to judge suoh a work. Let us hope,anyway,that the case goes to Penguin Books g i v i n g us the opportunity to judge f o r ourselves. M u r i e l Sparke has j u s t produced another book c a l l e d "The Baohelors."(price 16/-) D i s s a p o i n t i n g l y , i t f a l l s sadly short of her previous book,that very successful and amusing novel,"The B a l l a d of Peckham Eye." I n her l a t e s t attempt,she again chooses t o h i g h l i g h t a p a r t i c u l a r s e c t i o n of the Community; t h i s time the bachelor s o c i e t y of Kensington,Chelsea and Hampstead. She never quite f i n d s or keeps the osphere of these d i s t r i c t s and t h i s gives the s t o r y rather a hollow r i n g , the pers o n a l i t i e s of a couple of the main characters have been b u i l t up quite s a t i s f a c t o r i l y , but the secondary characters are r a t h e r weak, due to only, one short descript i o n o f each a t the time of entry i n t o the action. The p l o t of the novel centres round a group of s p i r i t u a l i s t s a n d , p a r t i c u l a r l y , t h e i r medium,who i s on a charge of f o r g e r y and fraudulent conversion. I n t r i g u e sprouts everywhere,even i n t e r u p t i n g the bachelors' search f o r f r e e love and meals.
Overseas Students. On Thursday,Oct,20th,the SCC o f f i c e r s met Mr.Taylor of the r e g i s t r y and the Presidents of the I n t e r n a t i o n a l Relations Club,the Indian,Pakistani and Arab societies to discuss the problems of overseas students. Mr. and Mrs. Cox and Mr.Ng Wing Kong were a l s o present i n advisory capaci t i e s . The discussion l a s t e d s e v e r a l hours and the main points are summarised below. * 1) The Hector's Sunve-jia showed that a large proportion of overseas students f e l t that the Union was not diving enough f o r them. 2) B r i t i s h students,though r a r e l y predjudioed against coloured students,are too reserved o r elae too p a t r o n i s i n g i n t h e i r r e l a t i o n s w i t h them,and overseas students want,above a l l else,normal genuine friend ship. 3) Some overseas students are al30 at f a u l t i n that they are l o o k i n g f o r colour prejudioe and ascribe too many- of" the v i c i s s i t u d e s of everyday l i f e to t h i s cause and rebuff attempts at f r i e n d l i n e s s on the p a r t of B r i t i s h students. if) There i s nothing the Union oan do to combat colour, prejudice outside c o l l ege where the coloured student i s most l i k e l y to f i n d i t . 5) -Admitting a l l .eolelBwsd tAsfienta ,%a: h o s t e l or running a •l&Ssri&)^'\WXjt& am t h e i r behalf .although aWVmwjmwxTae, presents great p r a c t i c a l d i « T l a u l t i e s i 6) The o r g a n i s a t i o n of" fresners'reoeptions and dinners f o r overseas studentr would accentuate t h e i r uneasiness rather than r e l i e v e i t . 71 The President of the I n t e r n a t i o n a l
The contrary viewpoint,expressed i n the preliminary d i s c u s s i o n on C o u n c i l , i s that the tennis c o u r t s , l i k e the boathouse etc.,may be u s e f u l sources of income to the Union and should be ignored. The point was a l s o made that c a s u a l u s e r s of the o-siujts might act.-, more responsibly i f they had had t o pay f o r the p r i y i l e g i and that., i n axr/ case She sum i n question (tOs max.per annum)was not excessive by any standard. The issue i s due to be decided a t the next meeting of Council. SPEAK NOW
OR FOREVER HOLD YOUR PEACE.
.Relations Club s a i d he d i d not t h i n k h i s c l u b had organised enough meetings f o r overseas atudents recently,and promised to r e c t i f y the s i t u a t i o n . 8) Formal club meetings However,did not r e a l l y meet the d e s i r e of overseas students f o r personal contact w i t h B r i t i s h students, and the i d e a was ccnoeived o f appointing sympathetic and e n t h u s i a s t i c Unionmembers to be " c o n t a c t e r a " i e . to arrange small informal gatherings of B r i t i s h and overseas students at i n t e r v a l s I throughout the year .This scheme' s t i l l requires more a t t e n t i o n to d e t a i l but seems to present some chance of meeting I the current d i s s a t i s f a c t i o n of. overseas students. Bob Finch .
The s t o r y i s s u f f i c i e n t l y involved to hold the readers i n t e r e s t , b u t never q u i t e reaches the point where the reader cannot put the book down. Miss Sparks l i v e l y s t y l r e l i e s mainly on dialogue,which i s both w i t t y and amusing,and never boring.However, i n t h i s book she has not managed, to b r i n g the reader i n t o the story and make him r e a l l y care what i s going to hflrpen. One more or l e a s f e e l s l i k e a d i s i n t e r e s t e d o u t s i d e r being t o l d about f r i e n d s of friends. On the whole,a r a t h e r d i s s a p o i n t i n g f o l l o w e r to her previous book,but one w e l l worth reading,at l e a s t to the keen reader. To f i n i s h , t h e r e are three i n t e r e s t i n g Penguins published t h i s month that are worth buying.Two are by W i l l i a m Faulkner; "INTEUDEE IN THE DUST."and "LIGHT IN AUGUST" The f i r s t i s about the colour problem i n the southern states of America,and the s t o r y i s treated as a t h r i l l e r w i t h murder and a lynch mob included. I n t e l l i g e n t and exciting. The second,a t r u l y great novel,aaais w i t h the p r i d e , l u s t , h a t r e d and b r u t a l i t y of a C a l v i n i s t s o c i e t y . As a oontrast, "FUETHEB FABLES FOR OUR TIME."by James Thurber,for Thurberites only. UGibion.
A purely s c i e n t i f i c college tends>t» the production of graduates with seme s c i e n t i f i c knowledge, an o v e r- develop ed f a c u l t y f o r destructive o r i t i o i s m , and often a narrow, ignorant state o f mind as regards n o n - s c i e n t i f i c matters.
One of the purposes of the Union i i . t o t r y t o turn d e s t r u c t i v e c r i t i o i s m i n t o c o n s t r u c t i v e and t o endeavor t o educ-i ate the student, i n matters i t h e r than s c i e n t i f i c . Unfortunately the tendenoy to d e s t r u c t i v e c r i t i c i s m i n t h i s •college i s , i f anything, gaining. One may hear, i n the s t y l e of Bernard Levin d e s t r u c t i v e c r i t i c i s m of, aay,"FelixJ "Phoenix", a c l u b ctffiolaj.!or:a, Unjoa o f f i c i a l ; t h i s without thought of the .good features apparent, without appreci a t i o n of the amount of work l^volvedu
mm SIX
You oan r e l l s e the s i t u a t i o n more f u l l y i f you oheok your reaotions t o this a r t i o l e . They w i l l probably be, something of"the n a t u r e of 'The Stupid I d i o t ' ; instead- of forgetting; the* person involved and considering s e r i o u s l y the points the a r t i o l e r a i s e s .
.The Debating Society i s very much affected by t h i s a t t i t u d e . At Orfprff and Cambridge, these two p r o v i n c i a l u n i v e r s i t i e s , the Debating Society i s the Union, whereas here the s c i e n t i s t s relegate i t to the l e v e l o f a s o c i e t y for those who l i k e t a l k i n g . Yfhen a motion i s announced f o r debate, they, , say, 'What-a r i d i o u l o u a m o t i o n ' ; i n s t e a d of' .considering the.-arguia*ri>s;thoy cKsraiss i t without serious -thought. When I . C . students come t o a debate they l i s t e n t o the main ar>a%':ars and when the debate iB open to,s$he house they refuse t o speak, due t o t h e i r fear of being devoured by howls of d e r i s i o n from t h e " B e c t r o y e r a " .
The Debating Society a t I . C . i s open t o a l l members o f the Union; anybody may suggest, i n w r i t i n g , a motion. I f I . C , i s t o beoome a b e t t e r balanced community, x t i s going t o produce s c i e n t i s t s who a r e n o t j u s t b o f f i n s , then suoh s o c i e t i e s as the Debating iiooiety oust b e supported. Students must come along, l i s t e n o a r e f u l ^ y t ? arguments and then speak f o r t h on t h e i r opinions froa the • f l o o r . I f t h i s s t a r t s t o happen, a more oonstruotiye society ' i l l b ? g i n t o emerge and the College w i l l f l o u r i s h as V result. . F i n l a y D. KoPherson, Presidents., f Debates.
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D A Y 1960
MOTORING November 6th;. and the Brighton Run are f a s t approaching and Bo' w i l l , as u s u a l , be amongst the Veteran cars lee.v i n g Hyde Park i n the e a r l y hours of the morning. Boanerges, the o f f i c i a l c a r r i a g e of the President of C i t y and G u i l d s , i s a 1902 James and Brown 5 - s e a t e r Phaeton. Last year Bo suffered a crack i n one o f h i s c y l i n d e r s and reached B r i g h ton only with t h e - e i d o f the s e v e r a l strong Guildsmen'who made up h i s crew and jump ed out a t every s l i g h t upgrade t o add t h e i r power t o h i s . During the past s i x months , however, Bo has undergone an extensive overhaul and i t i s expected that he w i l l reach Brighton with no mis haps.
I hope that as many Guildsmen as possi b l e w i l l be i n Hyde Park t o give him a good send o f f and those who d i s l i k e r i s i n g e a r l y on Sunday mornings w i l l be on B r i g h ton promenade t o cheer him on h i s a r r i v a l t h e r e . After the run a luno heon w i l l be h e l d at Olarges H o t e l ,
B r i g h t o n , organised by ths'C- & G Club.
otor
Amongst Bo's other outings thiL*.terra he w i l l v i s i t Putney on I.Iorphy Day and w i l l l e a d Guildsmen t o cheer the ne-.v Lord Mayor a t h i s show.
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T A B L E TENNIS
For the f i r s t time i n the Club we had eight teams out f o r the f i r s t matches at the season, unfortunately a l l these had to be cancelled because of F o l i o . The matches w i l l s t a r t again on October 29th when the club has a very strong f i x t u r e w i t h Hosslyn Park. We hope that the s p i r i t and i n t e r e s t i n the olub w i l l not d i e down because of the break. By the time t h i s i s published two f i l m s w i l l have been shown t o members. One i s the O f f i o i a l Rugby Union I n s t r u c t i o n a l f i l m whioh has how to be brought up t o date. The second i s one of the A l l Blacks' tours. With beer and sausage r o l l s t o f o l l o w t h i s cannot f a i l as a successful evening.
BOXING
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MORPHi DAY. A f t e r t h e p o l i o o u t b r e a k , Morr>hy Day h a s had t o he p o s t p o n e d . S o on t h e 2 6 t h . O c t o b e r t h e r e w i l l be a race f o r Coxless pairs,and a l a d i e s race
Dear S i r , In view of the di3cus3ions now under way as to what sports f a c i l i t i e s there should be i n Prince'3 Gardens, I thought that your eeaÂŤtpra-"might be interested i n the f o l l o w i n g report I received from Mike Barber(ex RCS) now doing research at Yale. "Perhaps the olub would be i n t e r e s t e d i n knowing a l i t t l e about the f a c i l i t i e s at Yale. In Newhaven i t s e l f there i s a huge gymnasium that houses j u s t about everything,three swinging pools,one an Olympic pool,the other two seperated by a moveable b a r r i e r so that the s i z e s can be a l t e r e d at w i l l ! > Around these pools i s a board running track. The temperature of t h i s room i s maintained at 70 Degrees F. and the humidity at JO^.There are 15 squash oourts gyms,and boxing f a c i l i t i e s and a tank f o r the oarsmen with a pump to simulate f a s t and slow-moving r i v e r a ' i n e i t h e r d i r ection,wave-maker3,wind-makers and sun lamps. Out at the sport f i e l d two miles from the camrus i s an American f o o t b a l l 3tadium seating 77,000 and a b a s e b a l l stadium (seats 15,006). There i s a f i r s t c l a s s running track w i t h two 220 yds. s t r a i g h t s . This i s connected by a tunnel under the main road to the locker house and an indoor 220 yds. cinder t r a c k . A i r - c o n d i t ioned f a c i l i t i e s e x i s t f o r a l l f i e l d events. There are a l s o soccer,rugby, hockey c r i c k e t ( ? ) p i t c h e s , b a s k e t b a l l courts and an i c e rink. 'The colleg e has i t s wn g o l f oourso, where the cross-country races are a l s o held;the l a t t e r over three l a p s o f a h i l l y one and a h a l f miles,the record being 2}:17 Free transport and medical f a c i l i t i e s are also provided." Unfortunately,as a p o s t - d o c t o r a l student,Mike cannot represent h i s c o l l a g e and make f u l l use of a l l the f a c i l i t i e s provided. Yours F a i t h f u l l y , J.L. C o l l i n s .
RCTSM
BOAT
T h i s season I m n s r i a l C o l l e g e S a b l e fenuls Club i s e n t e r i n g s i x teane i n the U n i v e r s i t y o f London League. P r e l i m i n a r y t r i a l s have a l r e a d y been h e l d , and s e v e r a l t a l e n t e d new p l a y e r s h a y a been d i s c o v e r e d . F i n a l t r i a l E u n f o r t u n a t e l y had t o be p o s t p o n e d . b u t i t i s hoped t h a t t h e y w i l l t a k e p l a c e e a r l y ' n e x t week. From a. p l a y i n g p o i n t o f v i e w l a s t s e a s o n was r a t h e r d i s a p p o i n t i n g , t h e f i r s t team b e i n g r e l e g a t e d t o %he same d i v i s i o n a s t h e s e c o n d t e a m . I f e e l sure however, t h a t t h e r e w i l l be a g e n e r a l i m p r o v e m e n t i n t h e s t a n d a r d o f p l a y t h i s y e a r a s many * r u s h e r s h a v e a l r e a d y shown i n t e r e s t i n the c l u b . F i n a l l y I should l i k e t o ask a l l p l a y e r s s e l e c t e d t o t u r n up f o r .matc h e s t h i s y e a r , as l a s t y e a r s teams were some t i m e s i n c o m p l e t e due t o t h e u n r e l i a b i l i t y o f some members.
Due t o t h e p o l i o , t h e f i r s t t r a i n i n g s e s s i o n w i l l be h e l d on F r i d a y , O c t o b e r 2 8 t h . T h e t r a i n e r , Mr. A.Dani e l s w i l l be i n t h e I.C. U n i o n Gym a t 5> 30 p.m. t o i n s t r u c t n o v i c e s and o t h e r s , A l l a r e welcome t o t a k e P.E. t r a i n i n g w i t h the olub.
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The p l a y i n g s e a s o n onened on a d i s a p p o i n t i n g n o t e , as o n l y the seve n t h team won a g a i n s t o u t s i d e o p p o s ition.The 1st. XI, f i e l d i n g four f r e s h e r s , had an away m a t c h a g a i n s t , St. Mary's Teachers t r a i n i n g C o l l e g e S t . M a r y ' s who had a l r e a d y p l a y e d f o u r m a t c h e s , were an e x t r e m e l y , i'i t and c l e v e r s i d e . A l t h o u g h we managed t o h o l d them to^ a 3"3 s c o r e d u r i n g the f i r s t h a l f , " t h e y g r a d u a l l y got on t o r i n t h e s e c o n d and added t h r e e m o r e t o t h e i r t a l l y . O n t h e same d a y t u e Renond and t h i r d e l e v e n s o l t y e c i e a c h o t h e r i n a l e a g u e m a t c h a t Ha Isl i n g t o n , and t h e s e c o n d ^team c a p t a i n e d by T r e v o r W i l m o r e . w o n an e x c i t i n g . m a t c h . The t h i r d t e a m , h o w e v e r , hope^ to_ g a i n t h e i r r e v e n g e when t h e y Hftny" t h e r e t u r n l a t e r i n t h e seaon.' B o t h t h e f i f t h and s i x t h t e a m s u n f o r t u n a t e l y l o s t , the former to U n i v e r s i t y c o l l e g e I V and t h e l a t t e r t o t h e Tondon S c h o o l o f E c o n o m i c s I I I B o t h t h e s e m a t c h e s were i n t h e L o n d o n U n i v e r s i t y l e a g u e . T h e s e v e n t h team, h o w e v e r , won 4-2 i n a f r i e n d l y m a t c h a g a i n s t London S c h o o l o f Economics I V at, B e r r y l a n d s . A f t e r the" m a t c h e s on t h e o p e n i n g day o f t h e p l a y i n g season t h e o l u b s "Die and mash s u p p e r was h e l d i n t h e u p p e r r e f e c t o r y . I t was p l e a s i n g t o s e e so many f r e s h e r s a t t h i s f u n c t i o n . S p e e c h e s were made by t h e c l u b c a p t a i n I a w r i e A u s t i n and P a u l D a v i e s , t h e seventh team's captain,who i s a l s o " c h a i r m a n o r A.C.C. Tne c a c t a i r t d e m â&#x20AC;&#x201D; o n s t r a t e d the a r t o f d r i n k i n g from the boot (ornamental b o o t s are brought b a c k t o 1.1. by S o c c e r -Hub touring sides). The p l a y i n g s e a s o n c o n t i n u e s n e x t S a t u r d a y , ' w i t h a t r i p t o .Southampton U n i v e r s i t y f o r t h e f i r s t , se'e.o-d and t h i r d e l e v e n s , and f r i e n d l y o r l e a g u e m a t c h e s i n L o n d o n f o r t h e othre r s i d e s .
FELIX
8
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• Havinsj s u r v i v e d t h e v i g o u r s o:' three c i r c u i t s of Parliament Hill F i e l d s the p r e v i o u s Saturday about tv.enty " o l d l a g s " and f r e s h m e n presented t h e m s e l v e s f o r a match on Wed. O c t . 1 2 t h . v B o r o u g n Road C o l l e g e . T h i s m a t c h was u s e d a s a t r i a l f o r s e l e c t i n g a team t o r e p r e s e n t I . ' - . i n t h e U . l . R e l a y t o be h e l d on t h e f o l l o w i n g S a t u r d a y . I t was a n t i o i n a t e d t h a t t h e m a t o h w o u l d be k e e n l y f o u g h t a s B o r o u g h Koad w e r e t h e s e c o n d n e s t team i n •London l a s t s e a s o n - I.C!. were t h e . oest' o i oourse . The r a c e s t a r t e d a t a q u i " k p a c e and s e v e r a l B o r o u g h Road r u n n e r s were w e l l p l a n e d a t t h e f r o n t o f tne f i e l d . A f t e r the water snlas h three
3 o r o u g h Roao. men b r o K e away, but were so- " f o l l o w e d ,by f r e s h e r Ted W i l K i n s , J i m B e r n a r d and Dave Hammonds. The l e a d i n g two B o r o u g h Road r u n n e r s , h o w e v e r , went on t o w i n but were c h a s e d home h a r d by Ted W i l k i n s , two more B o r o u g h rtoad r u n n e r s , and Dave Hammonds. A few y a r d s bao« oame W a r r e n , B e r n a r d and f r e s n e r J o h n Young. The f i n a l r e s u l t , wan a w i n by w o n (-7*1 rtoad by 33nts. t o 21. A l t h o u g h I.C. d i d n o t t a k e na r-t i n t h e U . J . Road R e l a y , o w i n g t o t h e c a n c e l l i n g of c o l l e g e snort i t i s i n t e r e s t i n g t o n o t e t h a t Borough Road were v i c t o r i o u s . D.A.T.H. 1
The S a i l i n g Club had enquiries-from a bout 100 freshers at the reception, and hopes t o have about 50 f u l l y paid up me mbers_ t h i s year. The term has s t a r t e d well,with helmsmans t e s t s , i n s t r u c t i o n f o r beginners, and some keen r a c i n g i n the f i r s t U n i v e r s i t y A aridB points races, i n which we gained 1st,2nd Vth,and 2nd and 3rd places r e s pectively. In answer to the unhappy a r t i c l e r e l a t i n g the b e d e v i l l e d s a i l i n g experiences of the Editor' of F e l i x , a committee has persuaded him to give the a r t one more t r y i n the near f u t u r e . We are convinced that the experience w i l l make a deep impression on him,and we hope to publish a f u l l r e p o r t with photographs i n a l a t e r Felix. We have also challenged the B 5 ruggei team to a rugger match, to demonstrate our superior f i t n e s s or otherwise. I t ha3 been suggested that the S a i l ing Club should form a swimming subsection,as so many members Seem keen to make c l o s e r contact with the Harp. While s a l i n g i n a promising p o s i t i o n i n the ivelsh Harp open meeting on Sunday, the vice-Commodore suddenly performed a neat backward r o l l i n t o the water. He was l a t e r seen swimming a f t e r h i s notorious orange boat and popsy crew. (The popsy crew i s not yet notorious or orange.)
ATHLETICS
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The f i r s t match of. the A t h l e t i c s season w i l l b e a t r i a n g u l a r match between I.C., London School of Economics, and Mannheim U n i v e r s i t y , Ceraany. The match w i l l take place s t Hrerlingnara on November 2th., and i s a r e t u r n maxon w i t h Mannheim. The l a s t time we met th en was, two years ago, when we were defwited by a narrow margin.
F I V E S
CaotaJa* A.J. S l s i e l , Cham. Eng. H I III mmwHIIII m i l BttWgUmm from.the Secretary, JiD*B«rtse Keoh. Eng.. II, Steoa 21. weata' H a l l * ' The courts themselves are, opus and are situated, Oppo s i t e Weetas R a i l . I t i s haped t» hold club meetings satsnwaswattajr U H O W U a t the aoeur-ca, so-.tsat^ahyone interested can- get a game*, ^ g i n n e r s are weloome. A.J.K.
The club has now becoiae established i n i t s ma r i g h t , that i s i t i s no long er a f f i l i a t e d t o tha squash olub. A s t r o n s . f i x t u r e l i s t has been arranged whioh includes most of the London clubs as w e l l as'St* John's Collage, Cambridge*
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The club w i l l he iiroviding b a l l s worn several p a i r s of'gLoves are a v a i l a b l e . These oan be obtained e i t h e r from th»
Published by FELIX BOARD, Imperial College Union, S.W.7 Printed by WEST LONDON OFFSET CO., 307a Telephone Place, W.14 Tel. FUL
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T r i a l s f o r the U.L. Winter Relays Competition w i l l be held i n conjunction with t h i s match, the actual relays being held at Hotspur Park on 15th November. In t h i s competition wa are expeoting strong opposition f o r the Hospital sides e s p e c i a l l y St. Mary's, but i f we are able t o f i e l d our strongest team we stand a very good chance of winning. As i n previous years we are very f o r — tunate i n having at College several freshers vfith ve y f i n e performances t o t h e i r oi'edit. Wa are hoping t o see as many of them as possible i n action•at the matches mentioned above,ana 1 wou-i l i k e to take t h i s opportunity of wishing them the best of luck i n t h e i r f i r s t appearances f o r I.C..