56 ST. GODRIC'S SECRETARIAL COLLEGE For Administrative and Secretarial Careers Intensive Courses for Graduates for well-paid and responsible posts. Active Appointments Department. Expert advice on careers and individual care. Resident and day students accepted. Special Courses in Administration and Management, Journalism, Advertising, Languages and Foreign Shorthands, Hospital, Library and Political work. Apply io: J. W. LOVERIDGE, M.A. (Cantab.) 2 Arkwright Road, Hampstead N.W.3 Telephone: HAMpstead 59S6 libhakt N VER NEWSPAPER OF THE STUDENTS' UNION, LONDON SCHOOL OF ECONOMICS AND POLITICAL SCIENCE (UNIVERSITY OF LONDON) DECEMBER 6th, 1956 THREEPENCE SIMMONDS University Booksellers Our shop'is not the biggest in London, but it is amongst the best. And it's a place where you will obtain individual attention. We stocl< most of the books on your syllabus, and we are five minutes from L.S.E. 16 Fleet Street, London, E.C,4 (Opposite Chancery Lane) UNION SHOP IS DOING WELL The Union Shop Committee are pleased with the results of their first few days' trading; in an interview with our reporter, Subhash Kamerkar, the Union's Administrative Vice-President, claimed that sales of the usual diaries, stationery, and scarves had shown a considerable increase, probably due to the fact that the Union Shop was a central focus for the purchase of goods. The Union shop as it exists at present does not pretend to emulate the big Oxford Street stores—yet. The staff of the shop do feel, however, that it can build up for itself a record of useful servicc to the members of the Union. Even in its present form it represents much j hard work on the part of Sheila ' Hampden, Alan Parker, Chris Bruston and the four committee members, in order to get it started. Delays have not been uncommon, the worst being the failure of a consignment of Christmas Cards to arrive from the printers. By the time " Beaver" appears these should be on sale—please note that they will be at reasonable prices. Increased Subsidies Great plans for expansion are under way. The Committee do not only wish to improve the quantity and the quality of the goods already in stock, for a number of new articles will appear, in accordance with various suggestions made by students and others. These will include a machine-made blazer badge cheaper in price than those supplied by nearby retailers, and nylon stockings for the ladies. In fact the aim is to cater cheaply for all the goods which the student requires for day-to-day life at L.S.E. Nor is this all. If support is forthcoming from the members of the Union (and no one denies that this is a big proviso) the shop could well make an annual profit of £200 per annum. This sum would be used for increased subsidies to Union societies—everyone has a vested interest in the success of the Shop. Offers of help and suggestions would be warmly welcomed by the committee. TRIBUTE TO A DIRECTOR COLIN WILSON Doom of Western Civilisation Addressing a large meeting of the Arts Club on Friday, 23rd November, Colin Wilson, of " The Outsider " fame, provided us with a desperately gloomy picture of Western Civilisation completely out 19 YEARS OF DEVOTED SERVICE On December 31st, 1956, Sir Alexander Carr-Saunders, M.A. (Oxon. and Cantab.), LL.D., Litt.D., D. en Droit, D. Litt., F.B.A., will be retiring from the Directorship of the London School of Economics. His place will be taken by Sir Sydney Caine, K.C.M.C., B.Sc. (Econ.) (Lond.). Sir Alexander came to the School in October, 1937. Before this he had held the Chair of Social Studies at Liverpool University. Sir Sydney Caine will be leaving his post as Vice- Chancellor of the University of Malaya to take over the Directorship of L.S.E. He himself obtained his degree (1st Class Honours) at the School in 1922. In 1948 he was Third Secretary to the Treasury and Supply Delegation, Washington. " Beaver" takes the opportunity of paying tribute to Sir Alexander and Lady Carr-Saunders for their inestimable services to the School. We wish them future happiness in the years ahead. UNITY THEATRE A LIVING NEWSPAPER WORLD ON EDGE All Your Answers Questioned ! FRIDAYS, SATURDAYS, SUNDAYS at 7.45 p.m. Members only. Membership S/- a year Tickets 2/6 to 5/6. Affiliation Terms available I EVERY SATURDAY AFTER THE SHOW; i Discussion, led by a prominent personality | Box Office: EUS 5391, 1 Goldington Street, N.W.I "Ehe Editor and ^taff of "jSeaticr" toish all reailerB a ^ery iriappy and pleasant Christmas, and a prosperous Jftcto ^ear. 'CtiE next edition of "jScaDer" toil! be on sale on lEhursday, Sanuarji, 24tli ig??. of control, the only chance of those he calls "The Insiders". Mr. Wilson divides mankind into three types. Those who merely exist in this world, not considering the complexities and problems of life, are known as the Bourgeoisie. Those who have turned away from this existence to a life of contemplation and spiritual existence, motivated not by anti-social but anti-world tendencies, are the " Outsiders Redemption of civilisation lies solely in the hands of those outsiders who, strengthened by their term of self-imposed exile, return to become " Insiders ", determined to face these complexities and challenges of life, subjecting them to a thorough and critical analysis, ultimately gaining control so tfiat the new order, neo-socialistic but anti-materialistic in nature, can finally be ushered in. " Insiders" were men such as Christ, Buddha, Confucius, Blake, Doestoievsky, and latterly Shaw, who, it was suggested, was one of the greatest men Western civilisation had produced. But unless the flow of " Insiders" is hurriedly and greatly increased, then our civilisation will crumble within thirty years. Save for his re-division of mankind, there was little that could be labelled as original in Mr. Wilson's argument, and rather like Plato and Aristotle, he simply recorded and perhaps clarified what many have accepted as fact for years. Yet many people doubt the view, implied if not categorically stated, that Western civilisation has all but lost its vision. No one will argue that the vision has not become somewhat blurred but it is nothing that history will not put right. If we will not attempt to live the second half of the twentieth century on the beliefs and ideals of the first, its salvation lying in the hands of but learn our true relationship to the rest of mankind, then the situation will be greatly improved. KINGS ATTACK UNION MEETING For the first time in many months, L.S.E. received a flagrant breach of inter-collegiate peace during the Union Meeting which was being held in the Old Theatre on Friday, .30th November. Several unruly youths from the small College across the way were intent upon stealing " Beaver " from the President and Council. The attack was well planned, lights were immediately switched off, and had it not been for the swiftness of action on the part of some of the members of the Union, " Beaver " might well have been successfully kidnapped. Fortunately the raiders were detained and subsequently held to ransom by the Union, until King's College paid the ransom of £15. A motion to this effect was put by the Union and a member of the attacking force spoke against it. His speech, however, was so unpopular that he was helped off his feet with the physical aid of a fire-extinguisher. The assembly then burst into triumphant song with a rousing chorus of " All King's Students are Illegitimate On receiving the news of this dire defeat, further reinforcements from King's College were soon forthcoming, and a secondary wave of hostilities broke out within the Old Theatre on the arival of some 50 extra unruly youths. Fights took place on the floor of the Theatre, but finally the force was overwhelmed, and the prisoners removed to a place of safe-keeping until pay of ransom. "I'm djingfoT a coj^ee . . . Let's go to the GAIETY" The Cafe to suit the student's pocket 149 Strand, London, W.C.2 Restaurant and Snack Bar THE OFFICIAL SPORTS & COLOUR OUTFITTERS JACK HOBBS LTD. 59 FLEET STREET, E.C.4 FLEet Street 2139 / deserve art FRBMUNS 'ELEPHANT' ALES LIGHT AND DOUBLE BROWN On sale at the Three Ttms Bar and from Free Off-Liccnces in London and the Howe Counties FREMLIXS LIMITED - MAIDSTONE AND LONDON TGA KiVA 2 BEAVER December 6th, 1956 N.U.S. Annual Council The NUS Annual Council was held at Liverpool on November 23rd to 25th. The meeting hall is in the Students' Union Building which stands in a rotting working-class district in the centre of the great port. Surrounded by square miles of grimy, crumbling terraces, the university buildings are themselves monuments to the two worst periods of English architecture—the ornate red-brick Victorian cathedral style and the jumbled dccorated-austere of the inter-war period are both represented. Now added to these is the new brick chemistry laboratory with its severe lines. Efficiency This provided some of the rare The, Council, contrary to legend, light relief in a day which saw was, business-like and dealt with a considerable number of motions and reports on topics ranging from constitutional amendments to apartheid, from post-graduate awards to Hungarian relief. In all some 70 items of the agenda were completed in the period from 10 a.m. on Friday to 4 p.m. on Sunday. These included reports and debate on finance, constituent organisations and membership, travel, NUS Hostel and Hostel Appeal, publications, grants, Hungarian relief, vacation work, and international relations. It was a disappointment to the LSE delegation that the report on ISC is to be held over to the Easter Council, thus depriving them of the opportunity of trying to amend the Executive motion on that subject. ' . . . and Conflict Interest quickened on Friday morning after a period of staid constitutional debate. There was a motion from Sheffield to abolish the allocation of a seat on the Executive for a Welsh Vice-president. Before the discussion had time to develop into real internecine slanging the Executive intervened to give its support to the continuation of the Welsh Vice-presidency. Had the motion been passed it is quite likely that the Welsh colleges would have seceded. No conference is complete without its " walk-out" and we were treated to the ceremonious exit of the Nottingham delegation when their motion to give precedence to domestic affairs was overturned by being " not put The delegation marched staunchly in again after sufficient time had elapsed for their point to have been made. debate from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Finance On Saturday the subjects of grants and welfare were fully discussed. These form the bulk of NUS activities and policy and are the reason for the existence of the union. Although political subjects creep into the agenda and are vehemently debated whenever the opportunity affords, they are, for good or ill, regarded as being extraneous by the majority of delegates. The Budget Report failed to provide the reason for the complacency of the Executive which was apparent in their reply to charges of inefficiency by Birmingham. The Accumulated Fund, which stood at £15,000 in 1951, is expected to have fallen to £5,000 by the end of this year. A loss in the region of £1,000 in the current year on the Vacation Work Department will be counterbalanced to some extent by profit of £500 to £1,000 on travel. NUS faces a real possibility of the need to realise assets or to curtail activities, or both. One does not suggest that these losses are due to inefficiency by the treasurers, but neither do they provide a buttress for the complacency with which the Executive greeted a report by a firm of business consultants on organisation. This seemed to recommend some fundamental reorganisation of the administrative and financial departments, but the Student Treasurer was not inclined to see it as far-reaching. Discussion of international affairs was left until Sunday and the subject was introduced by Peter Hornsby, the Student Treasurer, reporting on the Hungarian Relief Appeal. He had SPOTLIGHT ON DEREK SHAW BDAVER LONDON SCHOOL OF ECONOMICS HOUGHTON STREET ALDWYCH - LONDON • W.C.2 Vol. V No. 5 Editor: John Stevenson Associate Editor: Christina Vlachovtsikov Neius Editor: David Lee Art Editor: Edward Simpson Sports Editor: David Watkins Business Managers: Terence Foster, Michael Silver Staff: David Laidler, Michael Kusmirak, Valerie Ohrenstein, Beryl Towel and Maureen Brodie CHRISTMAS, 1956 Once again we will be singing those rousing carols whicFt-celebrate the return again of Christmas, Christmas, 1956. Every year about this time we turn to consider the significance of those euphemistic words " Peace on Earth, Goodwill to all Men and every year we become more and more sceptical about the chances of total peace and happiness for the year ahead. It is unfortunate that this year is no exception; indeed, we have cause for even greater scepticism. During the past few months both the eastern and the western halves of the world have experienced tragedies unequalled in their proportions for many years. We have been faced with political strife within our own shores, and we have seen and heard of atrocities committed within the confines of the Iron Curtain that have shocked and revolted us, to say the least. In short, crimes have been committed that will need great penitence in good faith from the criminals concerned. May we hope that in 1957 more support will be given to the voice of the United Nations, and less to the voice of self-interest. POST BAG Firm believers in L.S.E. typology must have a very difficult time in trying to decide where Derek Shaw fits in. Those who pride themselves for deserving the title of " intellectuals " might hesitate to accept among their ranks a member who chuckles, quite shamelessly, at Goon Show jokes, who, when at parties is capable of pretending that he has never been into a library and who is perfectly aware of the fact that the rationale of statistical analj'sis is not all what life can offer. Derek might not be an intellectual, but he is certainly not " pseudo". He is genuinely interested in sociology and has not contracted the all-too-well-known affection of pretending that one can become a brilliant student without hard work. An Enlightened Despot? Derek Shaw is not a Londoner. He comes from the New Forest, and has had some experience in industry before coming to L.S.E, In London he is an enthusiastic inmate of Passfield Hall. Rumours about his activities therein are by John Greve been to Vienna last week and said that there were already some 3,000 student refugees. So far, £10,000 at least has been collected by British students, but if the expected number of Hungarian students is to be educated £250,000 is needed in this country alone. It is hoped that the Lord Mayor's Fund will provide the balance. Freeman's Optimism Roland Freeman, who was installed as President of NUS on Sunday afternoon, gave the report on the lUS congress. Whilst the familiar criticisms of the attitude and conduct of the International Union of Students were made, and not without some reason, there was not complete despair. The President said that a change of attitude was apparent at Prague. There was a general move to play down the political and partisan approach which had hitherto been a feature of lUS conferences. lUS stated a need for ISC and I US to come together to try to resolve the existing wide differences. It was singularly unfortunate that the same afternoon as this report was delivered a long telegram, of fraternal greetings, from the Czech students should have made detailed reference to the Western movement in Suez, whilst ignoring the situation in Hungary. It is difficult to comment fully in restricted space on the whole of the Council's activities, but some impressions remain clearer than others. There seemed to be a tendency for delegates to accept statements from the platform without much hesitation. The Executive has a propensity to self-perpetuation, which cannot be healthy. One or two of the chairmen showed an ignorance of the principles of chairmanship which would not be tolerated long at LSE. The business was extremely well organised, and I do mean organised. In the elections for various posts, Dick Whitehouse was placed on the Steering Committee for the April Council. various and often contradictory. He is alleged to shut himself up in his room and study for hours on end, while he himself sometimes comes to college with amusing tales about exclusive drinking-parties with unexpected endings. However that may be, Derek is certainly not a one-track mind. Last year he used to come to the 10 o'clock Monday lectures with a definitely healthy-looking complexion, feeling " a new man " after some hours of rowing on Sunday mornings. He used to disappear for whole afternoons in the Union offices and it took me some time to discover that he was the right-hand man of the editor of " Beaver ". He himself edited last year's last two issues and the first two ones of this year. People who have worked with him know something of his determined attitude towards what he considers to be his job. There is something of an enlightened despot in Derek. He knows only too well that as far as " Beaver " is concerned, democracy is very hard to reconcile with the need to get the layout finished in time. Deferred Views and ... How far this attitude is characteristic of him is difficult to say. He is always very polite and ready to listen to anyone's opinions, but one can feel that he has strong ones of his own which it is often very hard to sway. He most certainly is not easily persuaded in tutorials. An hour's argument once a fortnight is by far not Union Society Sir, There has been much discussion of late as to the extent of political activity in the Union. There is feeling, potentially high, in the College upon this topic, not least amongst Freshers, but by no means restricted to them. Official comments, by eminent past and present officers, have been at pains to eradicate the belief that " Packing " takes place in the filling of minor enough for him. Last year he solved the problem of idle intervals by engaging in a correspondence with his tutor, where they exchanged polite but determined views on some controversial issue. Modesty Those who, by now, have hastened to classify him as " authoritative " may have to sigh and acknowledge once more the complexity of human nature, in view of the fact that this is combined with an almost perplexing modesty, Derek's modesty is not of the fish-ing-for-compliments type. As most of his attitudes, this, too, is hard to characterise. To put it in an epigramatic, and hence inadequate way, Derek is more preoccupied with what he does than with what he is. He is not afraid of taking things seriously, because for him a sense of humour is one thing and cynicism another. To use the well-known metaphor, Derek is more interested in looking at the actual landscape than holding a mirror and watching himself looking. He is the sort of person who can draw and play guitar and sing "sawcey" songs and never let you know about it, unless you happen to be together in a party; and then he performs without waiting to be asked twice. His most probable reaction when reading these lines will be a chuckle, a lifting of the shoulder, and a " I didn't know that myself which only goes to prove the point. One Never Knows . . . His plans for the future? his likes and dislikes? his weak spots? When putting forth these questions one realises that Spotlights are not for Derek. One is reminded of the French fairy tale, " Every day I learn something more about his planet, his departure, his voyage. It came little by little, almost by chance through the sweet calm of our talks ". Sweet calm may not be the right word for Derek's army-major talks over a cup of coffee at Mrs. Popper's. But then Derek is not a Little-Prince coming from a planet. But they share the same keen interest in what is going on in the world, the same lack of self-consciousness and the same knowledge that when describing a friend. Union offices. This, in my opinion, is the least objectionable aspect of (lolitical influence. More important would seem to be: — (a) The domination of Union election by political societies. (b) The consequent " closed shop" tendency of senior Union administration. (c) The repulsion from Union activities of students unable to associate themselves rigidly with the political point of view. These are very real and potent factors, which intimately affect us all at L.S.E. If anyone is interested in joining a society in the process of being formed, whose primary object is aimed at combatting these factors, and which, it is hoped, will take over the function of debate in the College, so deplorably ignored, they may register their intention by signing the application form on the History Notice Board. I will be glad to supply further information. If there is, and I believe there is, sufficient enthusiasm in L.S.E. to make such a project realistic, then let these latent sympathisers emerge, unify and succeed. Les Dighton {Chairman of temporary Union Society—Unformed). " Apologia for Hipkin " Dear Sir, I am grieved that my first contribution to "Beaver" from the outside, as it were, should take the form of a complaint, but I must protest against the " Apologia for John Hipkin " which masqueraded under the name of " Spotlight " in your last issue. It is very difficult to word such a protest without appearing to launch a personal attack—which would be both undesirable and against the avowed policy of your paper. Let me confine myself to pointing out that it is a gross travesty of the facts to suggest that it is his dull witted political enemies who have kept Hipkin out of Union office. And surely your anonymous correspondent must admit that such a man as he describes would be able to make a success of the routine jobs in the Union hierarchy and rise within it. Your real man of character is the man who raises such routine jobs out of the mire of mediocrity. Yours, etc., Derek Shaw. it is more important to talk about " the sound of his voice and the games he likes most " than about " the number of his brothers and his father's income". But then Derek, with the love of statistics he has lately developed, may come for-ard with the most unexpected questions. With him one never knows . . . Come to Moscow for the World Youth Festival AUGUST, 1957* *£47 INCLUSIVE Students from all over the USSR are preparing a great welcome for British students at the World Festival in Moscow next August. Here's a chance in a lifetime for direct personal contacts and free and open discussion with students from all over the world. Places are limited—Send a stamped, addressed envelope for full details if you're under 30. BRITISH YOUTH FESTIVAL COMMITTEE 35! Goswell Road, London, E.C.I December 6th, 1956 BEAVER FRESHERS SEE L.S.E. Find College too impersonal: Union too political Of a sample of first year students, 50% had newer been to a Three Tuns Social and a similar proportion felt " lost" during their first days at L.S.I:. These are some of the results of an inquiry into freshers' feelings and attitudes on L.S.E. and the Students' Union. They were obtained from a questionnaire which we handed to a random sample of some 300 people. " We " are a small group of students who, as individuals, are interested in these matters—not (as some seem to have thought) a mysterious revolutionary organisation._ When we first counted the number of forms returned we felt a little disappointed. There were some 75 of them, of which a dozen could not be used owing to different reasons, mainly the lack of sex-identification. But by the time the work of classifying, analysing, counting and sorting was finished, we were not too sorry that it hadn't been a larger pile of papers. We certainly do not suggest that the numbers or percentages shown further down are representative for the college as a whole—for such pretensions we should have needed much larger numbers or a more truly representative sample. But we do think that our hope of finding a few interesting facts on the question; " How do freshers feel about Union has been fulfilled. The composition of the group that answered the questionnaire was as follows: Men Women Total 18 and under 17 13 30 19 to 21 16 8 24 22 and over 6 3 9 39 24 63 Interest in Union The first question, " Are you interested in the Students' Union ", revealed a marked difference between men and women: 2/3 of the men replied " yeswhile more than one half of the women replied " slightly ". Some of the reasons for the apparent lack of interest of such a large group may be found in the added remarks: " Impersonal feeling in college amongst students generally " Very disappointed, no university atmosphere " Disadvantages of large college outweigh benefits, principally in . .. overcrowding . . . and lack of corporate feeling and loyalty ". Asked whether the formal (i.e., Union Meetings) or the social side of Union life attracted them more, 5 women and 2 men said "neither", 40% answered " both " and 16 men (no women!) replied " formal ". The next two questions may be looked at together. They dealt with past and proposed future attendance of Union meetings. By then 4 ordinary meetings had been held. Past attendance: Men Women 3 or 4 meetings 1 or 2 meetings none 16 11 11 Future attendance: Men Women regularly 19 6 occasionally 17 18 never 3 - Looking at these figures we see that regular attendance, past and future, is more common among men than among women; in fact 50% of the men and 25% of the women intend to come regularly in future —the latter are the same six that have been to most past meetings. How far intentions will correspond with reality, and how far intentions on paper are intentions in fact, remains to be seen. Use of Franchise The next item on the questionnaire dealt with voting. Of those who had been to any Union meeting at all, 80% of men and women had generally used their right to vote, and when asked, through an election, to state a preference for a N,U.S. observer, 11 of the 18 men present did so and 7 of the 12 women. Personally we were rather startled by these figures. Whilst one could argue that freshers should, indeed, from the very beginning use their vote where business is concerned, even if they know little about the matters in debate, one must admit that they could not possibly have known whether X or Y would be more competent as an observer at the N.U.S. conference. Seeing the large number of people who did vote for one of the candidates, one is very much inclined to doubt if voting on business matters was well considered. The number of societies joined— of the Union combined with the A.U.—appears generally to lie between 1 and 6; 3 or 4 being the most '¦ popular" number. The number of meetings of these societies attended varied so greatly that it is almost impossible to come to any generalizations. Three Tuns And now for a rather interesting part of college life: the Three Tuns Socials, It appears that (including even the first one, the so-called Freshers' Social) more than 50% of men as well as of women have never been to a Three Tuns Social, Of all the others, only two men have been more than twice—the rest have come once (11 men and 11 women) or twice (6 men, no women). Note that of the women who went at all, nearly half belonged to the 19 to 21 age group, which constitutes only one third of our sample. We can thus conclude that (in any case for those who answered the questionnaire) Three Tuns Socials are more popular with the " intermediate" group than with the younger or older women. Men will now at least know what to expect there, and this may be of particular use to the young gentleman of 19 who'• remarked on his leonardL^ 86 Kingsway, W.C.2 Holborn 2240 BLAZERS BADGEIS OFFICIAL SUPPLIERS TO THE STUDENTS' UNION form: "Not enough females—I haven't got one! " " We felt Lost" Question 8 dealt with two related topics: the Freshers' reception and whether or not the student had experienced a feeling of being " lost" during the first days at college. The great majority was " generally satisfied " with the freshers' reception (only 10 stated their dissatisfaction) and this certainly must be gratifying to the organisers. A very different picture, though, was shown by the second half of the question: a total of 30 people (17 men and 13 women) had felt, in some way, " lost" during the first days. Some comments may illustrate this: " The first evening . . , in the Three Tuns was no use as a means of reception for Freshers"; " The first Bar Social wasn't very successful—most people . . . wondering why they had gone . . . talking to people they had gone with . . . "; " That at a Freshers' reception some consideration might be paid to establishing contact between students of various subjects "; " I would have appreciated some introduction to the scholastic side of University life, i.e., those small points which tutors think students already know . . , Other people talked about help in understanding the complications of Union meetings and the, perhaps, somewhat too " informal " exterior appearance of certain Council members during the first meetings where freshers were introduced into Union life. Politics in the Union The last item on the questionnaire dealt with the so much talked of political aspect of Union. A few facts came to our attention which may not be very revealing and certainly do not explain the deeper place of politics in daily Union life, but which still are of some interest. Of the freshers who handed back their form, exactly one third had joined a political society—being 16 men and 5 women. The group most interested politically was the 19 to 21 age group. In order to find out whether the " politicos " had more influence in Union (and in Union meetings particularly) than those not politically committed, we compared some features for the two groups. The result was the following: " interested " politicos " politicos ' ' in the Students' Union men 80% 70% women 80% 35% attended 3 or more Union meetings mefi 50% 30% women. 40% 20% intend to attend " regularly " men 45% 50% ¦women 40% 25% " interested " politicos " politicos ' ' in the This table shows that the politically active people tend to have a more positive attitude towards the Union, especially the women. That the intentions of the " politicos " are better than of the " non-politicos " does not mean that indeed all these people will come to most Union meetings—their past record clearly points the other way. We must be careful, though, not to jump to conclusions; it should not be forgotten that the political group is smaller and that, for instance, the number of people attending 3 or more Union meetings was 8 in each case. Thus we have not yet found out what part politics play in our Union; we should prob- TOM DALE HANDS OVER Tom Dale handed over the Chairmanship of L.S.E.'s Liberal Society on Tuesday, November 27th, to Trevor Smith, his newly elected successor. After holding the office for a year he has now vacated the office in order to devote his attention to his work as Deputy-President of London University Union, Speaking to the Liberal Society Annual General Meeting, Tom said that the past year had been reasonably successful, notably with reference to the size of membership, which had approached that of the other main political societies. Other appointments to the Executive Committee included Miss Cecelia Smith as Deputy-Chairman and Michael Blankenhargen as Secretary. ably need an investigation specially designed to discover the feelings and interests of people with and without political commitments, to bring some light into this matter. Many of the comments were related to the "political problem": "... inflated interest in politics; out of all proportion to its undeniable importance "; " There is too much politics which one cannot escape if one goes to Union meetings"; " Remove political debates from Union Public Business. They don't increase interest in the Union and students who wish to hear such debates may get . . . (them) . . . from the Political societies ". One question, however, comes to our mind when we read all these comments: would interest in Union and Union meetings increase when the meetings were more unpolitical ? What people would attend.' How would they compare with the present "active" members? Would those who now say they don't come because of " political bias come when this " bias" was removed radically—or are they just looking for an excuse to stay away? Has there not, after all, been a large amount of entirely non-political business in past Union meetings? Conclusions Finally, a few words about some other remarks that have been made. These were concerned with clashing of different events; with the impression given to women students that they are not welcome in the Students' Common Room—as, apparently, the men frown upon their presence there; the hard life of the Arts Club; and with the little tolerance for dissenting views in Union meetings. All comments have been passed on to Council, in the hope that it may find some useful suggestions in them. For the Student body as a whole the most interesting outcome of this " experiment " probably has been to show: (a) the concern of quite a number of people with the lack of community spirit at L,S.E.; (b) the failure of the Bar Socials, so far, to cope with the difficult problem of personal contact in so large a college; (c) and the need (also in the same sphere) for a more personal introduction of freshers into college and Union life. We sincerely hope that satisfactory solutions may be found for these matters, but it is clear that many of those now passively criticizing will have to help actively, if anything worth mentioning is to be achieved. f f '-tt Balance theory with practice by reading THE FINANCIAL TIMES At the University you have a unique opportunity to obtain a valuable, practical insight into industry, commerce and public affairs, the financial times is now available at the specially reduced rate of 2d. (half the published price) to all students who are taking a full-time course of education in Great Britain. In its pages every day you can read of the influences that affect business decisions—market reports, trends, production techniques and many other topics— a useful 'preview' of problems you will ultimately have to face. Whether you are inclined towards the Arts or Sciences, the financial times will help you to get ahead more quickly when the time comes. Now at Students' Concession Rate Price 2d. Write to us for a special order form, complete it and hand it to your newsagent. Look to theJ^Liture, read THE FINANCIAL TIMES today write to: the publicity manager, the financial times, 72 coleman street, london, e.c.2 4 BEAVER December 6th, 1956 AS IT IS WRITTEN BY GEOFF STERN Desmonde Turns Up Trumps "Why you — " Desmonde shot out a sharp, straight left which sent "Foxy" Featherstone-haugh reeling on all fours. For once the bully was getting his deserts. " There, that'll teach you to make fun of my grandmother." " Good egg, Desmonde," yelled a delighted lower-fourth former, his spots simply glowing with pride and admiration for his idol of the Remove. Featherstonehaugh lay quivering on the floor and cursing like an old sailor. " You abominable cads," he swore, " I'll get even with you, Desmonde, you detestable little fellow. I swear that if your voice hasn't broken by next week I'll j -- y well go and break it for you." " Shut up, Featherstonehaugh," said an angrj- Desmonde. " Shut up, or I'll smack you again—this time without gloves on." " I'll Featherstonehaugh was about to riposte when a familiar sound reverberated round the cloisters. " Cave chaps," cried the lower-fourth former. " I hear beer barrels. Here come the pre's." There was a general rush towards the latrines. " And you, too, ' Foxy the lower fourth former cried, but it was too late, and " Foxy" Featherstonehaugh still lay smouldering on the ground as three senior prefects marched down the cloisters. The Hon. Dicey Strouthwater, Vice-Captain of the School, who, under that cold exterior, was really quite warm at heart, paused to regard Featherstonehaugh still panting on the floor. " Well, Featherstonehaugh. What's the trouble? " The bully thought hard. " Well-er-I-er," he stammered. " I had too much Christmas pudding, sir." " What ? " roared the Vice-Captain. Then he suddenly remembered that it was the last day but one of term, and he laughed. " Well, if it weren't the last day before the Christmas hols., I'd be inclined not to believe you, but we'll let it pass. Get up, young a-s." Tlie bully had been let off punishment (for in the Lady Hilary St. Maur Peabody School for Boys the loser of any fight was entitled to .six strokes of the cane), but nevertheless he felt humiliated and was determined to get his own back on the golden haired boy from the Remove. On the following day, before the annual Christmas service (held, incidentally, every year at Christmas time), " Foxy " Featherstonehaugh began to put into operation the foul plot that he had hatched the day before. His rival was in the choir and there were severe penalties for choir boys who forgot or mislaid their hymn books. He therefore contrived to steal the other's hymn book in order to get him into trouble. The plan worked and Desmonde realised the position as soon as the chaplain announced the opening hymn. To make matters worse, his housemaster, also a soprano, was on this occasion sing-in? just behind him. It never occurred to Desmonde to look over someone else's hymn book; after all, that would be sharing, and young gentlemen are taught never to share anything (that is vaguely socialistic and must, as such, be condemned) so Desmonde remained quiet throughout the singing. During the reading of the first Lesson, Mr. Pook, his house-master, leaned forward and whispered, " Why aren't you singing, de Wolfe? " " I've, er, lost my voice," Desmonde twittered. " You appear to have lost your hymn book too. This is a serious matter." Desmonde's mind was racing. He remembered the fate of previous choir boys who had lost their hymn books. Nevertheless he could not completely comprehend his present predicament. He could have sworn that the hymn book had been with him as he entered the chapel, and yet, he would not for a moment suspect that it had been stolen. After all, the kleptomaniacs at the Lady Hilary St. Maur Peabody School for Boys stole £5 notes and watches, but not, surely not, hymn books. The service dragged on as lesson after lesson was read, and hymn after hymn sung, until finally it was all over. The term had ended, but Desmondc had still to make his explanation to the " Spook "—but what excuse could he offer? He began to explain his position, but the " Spook " obviously was in no mood to believe him. However, there was a sudden interruption as the Hon. Dicey Strouthwater burst into the room with a brief " Excuse me. May I speak to you for a moment, sir? " The Vice-Captain of the School and the Master conferred for a moment or two until the latter said gravely, " It appears, de Wolfe, that there has been some mistake. Your hymn book, the Vice-Captain informs me, was apparently stolen by one of the boys who, you will be glad to hear," the master smiled grimly, " has gone home rather earlier than expected." Desmonde breathed a sigh of relief. " Nevertheless," the Housemaster continued seriously, " I would not have minded so much if vou had lost your hymn book as you had said, although that would indeed have been a serious offence. But your conduct has been far more serious than I had originally supposed." Desmonde frowned. What was the "Spook" leading up to? " Firstly, you have lied to me. You told me that your book had been lost when in point of fact it had been stolen. Secondly, there is a rule here which entitles the loser of any fight to six strokes of the cane. You allowed your hymn book to be stolen and you have therefore put yourself at a disadvantage in the fight. You shall consequently be flogged." And so saying, poor old Desmonde, crying bitterly, was dragged off by the hair to the " Spook's " study. There is a moral to this story .. . And I will receive £5 from anyone who can think of one. COMDEMIALLY . .. SAVOIR VIVRE A new code of conduct, for the use of those L.S.E. students who want to create the maximum good impression with the minimum effort. Was it by design or accident that the Statistical Survey of " Beaver's " popularity appeared in the same edition as Geoff. Stern's satirical article on Statistical Surveys? At all events it is understood that very few people.bothered to fill in their proforma, which I i;ake to show a disinterestedness in the survey rather than in " Beaver ". Those that are received are probably anti, for the pro and indifferent groups would be less inclined to fill (them in. However, there can be little doubt that many people feel critical of " Beaver ", and some don't hesitate to say so. Such people must be reminded that this newspaper is the paper of the students of this college, and those that don't like its contents are quite at liberty to sit down and improve it. In fact, the Editor would be more than delighted to be snowed under by copy, which would enable him to be much more selective about what goes in the paper and what goes in the paper-basket. A " Herr Zuschauer" wrote a very damning letter a few weeks ago complaining that the standard of writing in " Beaver " was abysmally low, and sent in some of his own efforts just to show willing. Whether these were good or bad is irrelevant. The point is that he did something positive, which is more than most moaners are willing to do. Get your pens out, you many-coloured mud-spatterers! ? * * * The exhibition of photographs at the Leicester Square Theatre was well worth a visit. The subject was the Hungarian uprising, and these photographs captured magnificently the spirit of the people and the bitterness and hatred against the regime. One memorable picture was of a woman spitting on the lynched hanging figure of an A.V.O. officer: there were many equally memorable. The fact that these photographs captured the spirit of their subject so well seems to suggest their technical excellence: I fancy the initiated found them so. The exhibition was dedicated to the photographers who risked their lives to get the pictures. One, in fact, not only risked, but gave his life. by Satiricus I have to admit to a fascination for the Underground. I am one of those queer people who get immense satisfaction from travelling to the end of a line, especially if I have come from the other end. Some parts of the system, however, have more attraction than others, and such a one is that admirable 300 yards stretch from Holborn to Aldwych. Entering the train at Holborn is like entering a new world and this impression is even more striking when one arrives at Aldwych—a visitor to L.T.'s Lilli-put. Here one sheds a tear for Adam Smith, for the ticket collector is lift operator, porter and probably cleaner to. And how do L.T. regard this line? Is it the Coventry to which unskilful and recalcitrant motormen are sent, or could it be the Valhallah to which go tried and trusted servants of the company, gone to stud, as it were, until old age or the welfare state carry them off? I heard of a friend who decided to store petrol in the bath. Unfortunately he also had the habit of smoking in his bath. R.I.P. L.S.E.'s most desolate student: car that goes, petrol coupons: cancelled driving test. " The Great Adventure" presented by the Film Society, was as good as we had been led to believe. Everyone must have been impressed by its simplicity and, above all, its beauty. I have never seen a film in which the music was more effective in evoking the mood of the picture. It was not just a background, but an integral part of the film. Happily I decided to leave after this film and so avoided the inevitable posterior blisters that 4 hours in the Old Theatre produces. Sir Arnold Plant turned up to give a lecture on industry the other day clothed in shimmering starched front and tails. Students were disappointed to learn that this was out of respect neither for the subject nor themselves, but to enable Sir Arnold to attend a function immediately after the lecture. Lectures The cruel institution of ten o'clock lectures is an ordeal to be borne with dignity and grace. (a) Entering the lecture room at ten-thirty is quite legitimate as long as (1) you don't bang at the door waiting for an uproar of "Come in (2) you don't insist on giving the lecturer detailed explanation of your belated arrival. Ladies are advised to smile and blush (if they can manage to do so). Gentlemen should just crawl in and keep quiet. (b) Yawning during the course of the lecture is usually considered as slightly improper. Students who can't overcome this embarrassing UNITED NATIONS SOCIETY presents Eve of the Ball DUTCH BAZAAR To-day Thurs., 6th December in Room 237 at 4.0 p.m. Wines and Spirits to be auctioned Get your dfinks in to-day for tomorrow's consumption habit should try and be as conspicuous as possible and maintain during the whole hour an attitude of utter physical exhaustion. This subtle device provides the lecturer with an opportunity to rationalise and interpret boredom as lack of sufficient sleep. Students who adopt this behaviour, should not be surprised if they gradually build up a reputation of being hard working, conscientious and possessing a keen mind. (c) It is also advisable to use shock tactics with regard to smoking. The main thing is not to look apologetic. It is advisable to assume a posture of rapt attention and light one's cigarette absent-mindedly, as if dwelling under a spell of magic. The chances are that this will create a generation of happy, self-confident lecturers with a slight tendency towards finishing in the average, one minute after the official time limit. . . . and for heaven's sake, laugh at the jokes! Classes The general principle governing behaviour in classes is to keep as much as possible out of the limelight. (a) Any student who feels that his wisdom is too much to bear in silence should address himself exclusively to the lecturer, use as many "I-am-sure-to-be-completely-wrong " as possible and, above all, talk very softly. This will help to create an atmosphere of complicity with the lecturer and force him to restate the argument for the benefit of the class. The utility of such a device is too obvious to need commenting upon! (b) During those awful silences students should try to sneeze or cough. If a sufficient number adopt this behaviour (laughing is easier than sneezing) the chances are that for the remaining hour the conversation will switch over to the weather, which is always a welcome topic and makes people feel at ease. Refectory Queue To be sociable and spontaneous in the one o'clock queue are qualities which, curiously enough, are very much looked down upon. Happy extraverts undergo the painful experience of having to suppress such natural inclinations as joining a friend near the counter, no matter how genuinely pleased they might be to see him . . . there . . . This is admittedly a very perplexing social phenomenon, apparently to be explained by the high proportion of unstable and paronoiac* characters to be found among modern young intellectuals. * An erudite form for suspicion. General Hints Statements to be avoided: At lunch time: Duzkheim's view of solidarity is a sublimated reaction formation, to a subconscious wish of complete destruction of society, stemming, as anyone can see, from the death instinct . . . " Point of Order" (in Union meetings). " But I have never seen you before " (on canvassing days). " Eight o'clock under the clock " (it is not considered funny any more). Acts to be avoided: Having always one last cigarette in one's pocket (it's surprising how quickly people will start suspecting the truth). Shooting off to the lending library as soon as the lecture ends. Starting amiable and intelligent conversation with the pretty Freshers who stand behind the selling stalls and pretend not to notice the heaps of " Beaver " stacked on the table. C. Vlachoutsikos. An Oration Day Presentation of Gluck's ORPHEUS & EURIDICE in the Founder's Room by the L. S. E. Orchestra & Choir Conductor: Alan T. Peacock December 6th, 1956 BEAVER 5 THEATRE PAGE Pastures New WORLD ON EDGE * Unity Theatre "The Numbered" (Elias Canetti). by Michael Webb Playhouse, Oxford. To forestall any charge of parochialism, I am devoting most of my space this week to two important productions recently presented in Oxford. Firstly, the world premiere of "The Numbered" at the Playhouse. This play does not attempt a comprehensive "Brave New World" type of society; rather it describes one equally fantastic conjecture— that all human beings have a predestined length of life, their names being the number of their years. The consequences and implications of this feature are portrayed in the series of episodes, ranging from tragic to hilarious, which comprise .\ct I. In the second act, a man named Fifty (a successful Winston Smith), defies the law and starts a revolt which overturns the society. The audience is left to decide whether our own uncertainty of death is in fact preferable. Stark and Episodic The stark, episodic character of the play may, perhaps, be compared with Brech, but there the comparison ends. Apart from a few impressionistic props on a bare stage, the production eschews confusing symbolism, and the cast, in contemporary dress, stress the unchanged attitudes to questions other than death. The acting throughout is brilliant. Mr. Sebastian Shaw endows the Keeper with humanity beneath an impassive facade. It is in the scenes of impassioned argument with him that Mr. Frank Windsor as Fifty is most impressive, but it is his almost fatalist quest for truth, and his evangelical fervour in spreading it that gives the play such cohesion and urgency. One hopes that ere long the Arts, or some equally enterprising theatre, will mount this stimulating play in London. " To foster and further the art of the drama in accordance with the At The Palace . . . " Christophe Colombe " (see below) " The Flies " (J. P. Sartre) Last week O.U.D.S. gave a private production, directed by Mr. Michael Gregory, in a new translation by Mr. Vernon Dobtcheff. The philosophic preoccupation of contemporary French drama is well illustrated by " The Flies," Sartre's first play, in which he uses part of the Orestes legend to expound the existentialist view of human freedom. Orestes returns to Argos to find the people tortured with remorse for the murder of King .\gamemnon. Every anniversary they make atonement by receiving the ghosts of the dead, and are further tormented by a plague of flies sent from Zeus. Orestes, until now an Outsider, is fired by Electra to avenge his father by killing Aegisthus and Clytemnestra. Orestes then departs, taking with him the flies, now metamorphised BEAVER Short Story Competition One prize of a guinea will be awarded to the best of three short stories to be printed in the editions of " Beaver " next term. The Editor invites contributions of short stories which should be limited to 750 words. Closing date for contributions has now been extended to January 17th, 1957. The Editor's decision is final. Unity Theatre is one of London's smaller, yet well known, theatres. It is, in actual fact, a theatrical society, which owes its existence and its allegiance to the Labour movement of this country. In spite of this political connection, the theatre does not aim entirely at preaching some political dogma; it claims immunity from political extremity. This can be seen clearly from its latest production, " World on Edge". The aims of Unity are expressed in its constitution: production is expressed is in the shape of a Living Newspaper. It was in America, during the mid-thirties, that this particular innovation in the world of the theatre was born. Its purpose is to act as a theatrical medium for social and political criticism. " World on Edge" lives up to this principle. As a production it is very ambitious, and most successful; its success is accentuated by the fact that the whole production, which involves the writing of the script, cast hunting and actual production and presentation, was effected within the absurdly short period of a fortnight. Many people consecrated the whole of their leisure hours to enable this Newspaper to be produced; the writers worked, at periods, throughout the whole of the intervening week-end, including the night. Such whole-hearted devotion deserves immense commendation. Subtle Attack The actual ideas and material contained in " World on Edge " are well balanced, political-wise. During the first few pages before the interval, the writers have attempted to present to their audience-readers a running commentary of the politically mixed up state of both the Eastern and Western sides of the hemisphere. The one is principle that true art, by effectively presenting and truthfully interpreting life as experienced by the majority of the people, can move the people to work for the betterment of society." The form in which Unity's latest A HONTH or MOUERE " LE MISANTHROPE - Palace Theatre into fairies, and all the remorse of his people. Atmosphere Lacking As I visualise it, the first essential is to create the atmosphere of claustrophobic gloom overhanging the oppressed city, with an immediate contrast at the end, when Orestes announces his expiation. This was only partially achieved. The crowd in Act II, probably due to overstrain, failed to convey the terror, the agony of suspense which should completely overwhelm the audience. Then the element of low comedy at the be-continued at foat of next column Classic, farce and modern spectacle, all have their place in the highly varied selection of plays now being presented by the Madeleine Renaud --Jean-Louis Barrault Company for a four-week season. The former category is represented by " Le Misanthrope generally considered to be Moliere's greatest work. If one were to follow a narrowly biographical interpretation, one might see the author himself in the rigidly outspoken honest Alceste, who loses everything because he cannot make a few concessions to social convention, or alternatively, because he cannot betray his principles. Since nothing can save Alceste from his own nature, '* Le Misanthrope " becomes tragedy on a comic plane, with the hero going out in the head to a social wilderness. The background to this character study is Moliere's favourite topic of satire on the " precio-site " of " le grand siecle High Standard Mr. Barrault ensures that Alceste's monomania and his alarming frankness both to Oronte—an Osric in glorious Technicolor— and to Celinere, stand out clearly from the foppery and artificiality of the other suitors. As the object of their attentions, Mme. Renaud is enchantingly sweet and capricious. The high standard of the other character roles spotlights the achievements of the principals and does the greatest credit to the company. The appropriate atmosphere is created by the single vast chambre, copied from contemporary illustrations, and makes a worthy setting for M. Barrault's own swift-moving, vigorous production. Another of the plays at the Palace is strongly recommended. This is " Christophe Colombe ", by Paul Claudel. This " grand spectacle " has music by Milhaud, production by Barrault. Also FILM SOCIETY Grand Going-down Presentation! John Mills Valerie Hobson Alec Guiness Jean Simvions in Charles Dickens' "GREAT EXPECTATIONS" Directed by David Lean Humphrey Jennings' "LISTEN TO BRITAIN" Norman McClaren's " NEIGHBOURS " Karel Reiss's " MOMMA DON'T ALLOW " MONDAY, DECEMBER 10th 6.30 p.m. OLD THEATRE ginning of the last act is surely only permissible as a contrast, by which the tension may be even further increased. The scene which followed the murder, however, presented Us with Furies attired like pantomime cats (and about as sinister) performing a sort of square dance around the sanctuary. Had they been kept in the shadows they could have become unbearably frightening in the imagination and the vital contrast at the end made more complete. In most other respects the production had a pleas- ing fluency, the lighting was often imaginative and the incidental music was singularly effective. As Orestes, Mr. Michael Elliot was deputising at short notice, and he is hardly to be blamed if his ambitious interpretation was not fully realised. Mr. Vernon Dobtcheff was a superbly impressive Zeus, combining physical presence with a delivery of deceptive ease. The power of Mr. Paul Naye's Aegisthus was. demonstrated in all his scenes with Zeus—animate and inanimate. counter-balanced by the other. Subtle attacks are made upon both France, Britain and America, and the Soviet Union. Perhaps the attack is a little more forceful in the former instance than in the latter, but one tends to forgive that defect, rather than to condemn it. It is in the second half that the aim of the production is slightly unfulfilled. Instead of demonstrating the importance of United Nations activity within the field of international politics and the attempts of the U.N. to prevent and avoid war, it merely advertises (to great advantage) the work of F.A.O., and points a finger of some ridicule at the actual political value of the U.N. It criticizes most admirably the question of the veto within the Security Council, but fails to inspire sufficient confidence within the audience towards the future function of the U.N. It demonstrates the need for the United Nations, but offers no constructive criticism. In spite of this reserved, and personal criticism, I applaud the whole cast and producer (the very well known Andre van Gyseghem) for their excellent work and presentation. The actual production is of an exceedingly high standard, yet this is to be expected of its producer. The subtlety of its wit is most enjoyable, especially the Rock-and-Roll number, " Stock Exchange Rock written to great effect by Alfred Hicks. Point of Departure The unmistakable aroma of sawdust and freshly painted canvas, besweatered forms muttering in odd corners, frantic activity followed by dull lethargy, these are the birth-pangs of a dramatic production. In the midst of such a scene, John King is producing the Dramatic Society's Oration Day presentation of Jean Anouilh's " Point of Departure backed up by a blend of old and new talent, with a veritable army of painters and carpenters, to tackle what must surely be their most enterprising attempt for many years. Leading Roles True to tradition, Freshers have the leading roles. We shall see Mary Stroud and Michael Webb as the ill-fated lovers, well supported by Emmanuel de Kadt as M. Henri, the messengers of Death. The experience of Peggy Owen and Michael Bernstein, veterans both, will show to good effect in their delightful tragi-comedy parts as " Father " and " Mother The story is a classical theme " Anhouilhated" in a modem French setting, with two young lovers hounded by an inexorable Fate to an end which, although long apparent, is capable of riveting one's attention in a manner known only to those very few writers with a " sense" of the Theatre. The production will be performed on December Sth, 6th and 7th, and is well worth seeing. D.S.M. 6 BEAVER December 6th, 1956 SPORTS NEWS Rugby Club MOlINTAimHHNG CUl Exit L.S.E. In a very keen and enterprising game, L.S.E. were very unfortunate to be defeated by the Royal Vets in the Second Round of the U.L.U. Cup by 11 points to 9. The result was in doubt until the closing minutes, and the competition was excitingly contested until the very end. Through a defensive error, the Royal Vets obtained the lead early by a snap try, but this only encouraged the L.S.E. pack and continuous assaults were made on the opponents' line, gaining advantage from the set scrums Jim Seaman fed his backs constantly. But they seemed to lack that extra finesse to finish off the movements. However, they did manage to come near scoring a few times, only to be recalled because of some infringement or other. Ultimately Dave Taylor kicked a penalty and so equalised. This gave great encouragement. Forwards and backs lined up well, but to no avail. Soon the Vets scored again from a loose pass, when L.S.E. had the line at their mercy. After the interval the game continued at a furious pace, with increasing dominance by the L.S.E. forwards. This ultimately led to a try. After a quick heel, John Owen broke through for the defence, and sent John Redding through for an unconverted try. Immediately after the drop-out, L.S.E. scored again through Dave Taylor, who jumped on a loose ball and ran 50 yards, swerving past several would-be tacklers, but again the kick at goal failed. The issue now was in balance, but here the Royal Vets showed real cuf) fighting spirit. The closing seconds witnessed a formidable drive by the Vet forwards and three-quarters. In the end they secured a goal, again from a defensive error, to clinch the game. Thus the titanic struggle ended in real Cup atmosphere. L.S.E. 6: Old Wimbledonians 0 The defeat in the previous cup match had little effect on the L.S.E. side, and indeed in this match played champaign rugby. This was indeed rugby at its best, both teams being of equal strength, and a ding-dong struggle throughout the game, L.S.E. finally emerging victors by two unconverted tries. Play, in a pointless first half, was commanded mainly by the forwards, both packs striving for dominance, with the ball heeled regularly by both teams. The visitors, however, showed some reluctance to handle the ball, and were continually thwarted by the L.S.E. back row, with three men playing up field, all mistakes were instantly picked on to some advantage. The L.S.E. backs showed supremacy, with some strong running, but were effectively marked by a very good covering defence. After the interval L.S.E. soon took command in the tight, with John Elliott hooking extremely well, and in the loose, with John Cox and Viv Davies leading the pack from the middle of the back, always to the fore. The forwards played as one man, and from a break by Malcolm Schofield, John Cox showed remarkable pace in going for the line, and scoring a good try. Both teams now endeavoured to open up the game, and play improved to a spectacle, scoring chances only missed by inches on both sides. L.S.E. eventually took the lead from a break by Garry Morris, who completely split the defence and ran SO yards to score one of the best tries this season. The team has shown a definite improvement in recent matches, due mainly to the enterprise being shown at half-back by Jim Seaman and John Owen, and to a very fast back row composed of John Harries, Viv Davies and Mai Schofield, who are always ready to seize any chances left open by the opponents. L.S.E. 8; Charing Cross Hospital 3 Continued improvement in the L,S,E. side was again evident, when a strong Charing Cross Hospital side were defeated by 8 points to 3. This was ideed a rare feat for the opponents were a much heavier side, and it seems now that the team are well set for continued success for the rest of the season. It looked at first that the Hospital side would command a big lead for they soon scored During this first term the L.S.E. Mountaineering Club has held a number of successful outings. Dropping books for belays, the group has headed to N. Wales on two weekends. In October a Freshers' meet saw new members hesitatingly loading into a Dormobile and bouncing off for 200 miles to the Snowden area. Saturday and Sunday were spent initiating Freshers on the routes up the Milestone Buttress and Little Tryfan. Mountaineering spirit won out and in spite of a usual lectureless Monday, no " prospectives" were lost. through a breakaway try. However, L.S.E, drew level from a back movement, when the ball was fed to Garry Morris, who crossed over in the corner for an unconverted try. The rest of the game continued to be very equal, although the L,S.E. backs were continually probing the opponents' defence and ultimately Brian Monks managed to cut inside beautifully for a try, which Dave Taylor converted. The secret of the success, however, lay with the forwards, who mastered a much heavier and stronger pack by playing together rather than as individuals. Outstanding in the line-out was Jim Clifford, who improves with every game. Special note should be made of John Owen, whose tactical kicking was invaluable, and Don Barlow, who was very safe at fullback. Second Team Do 11 ell Fielding a strong team, L.S.E, seconds beat their opponents by 52 points to 3, bringing their total to 300 points this season. Success came largely due to good football, teamwork and a smattering of individual initiative. Against a strong wind in the first half, L.S.E. accumulated 23 points against their opponents' 3. Whilst the advantage of the wind was lost in the second half due to a five-minutes downfall of rain which made conditions sticky, L.S.E. continued to be well on top. In the end 5 goals, 8 tries and a penalty were amassed against a solitary try. In November a second weekend was spent at Llyn Ogwen, and rumours of pitching tents at 4 a.m. in the rain proved realistically true. Yet the sky cleared enough on Saturday and Sunday to provide two good days of climbing. Between weekend trips there have been several jaunts to the Harrison Rocks, near Groombridge, Sussex, for practising techniques necessary on more strenuous climbs. The mountaineers are feeling the petrol pinch. An outing scheduled for 30th November to 3rd December has been cancelled, though several may try to arrive on someone else's petrol by hitch-hiking. However, a vacation trip has been arranged for the tentative date, 27th December to 2nd January, and at the definite location of N. Wales for better exploration of areas that cannot be tackled too well on short weekend trips. And for those partially recovered from the Com-mem. Ball, a Sunday at Harrison Rocks is planned for 9th December. This season the club has a record number of forty-five paid-up members, and efforts are being made to bring that number up to fifty. Perhaps with so many members the club is too large, for a certain amoimt of congestion is experienced at our practice sessions in the Gym. on Wednesday afternoons. The School is equipped with its own badminton court, but unfortunately this is used as a store by the Library. The Club is forced to use the limited facilities available in the Gym., where a high standard of Badminton is impossible to attain. It is therefore necessary to hire some good courts at Fulharn Baths, which is our Incidentally... Dick Farley, throwing the javelin, came fourth in the U.L. Athletic Championships. * * * * Basketball team normally turn out 3 Americans, 2 Canadians, 1 from Iran and 2 Englishmen. * * * * L.S.E. Cross-country lost narrowly to U.C., 29 pts. to 30 pts. * * * * Women's Hockey Team could do with some more players. * * * * Greenall and Reading continue to play well for U.L. Rugby Team. * * * * Dave Taylor has scored 70 pts. for the L.S.E, Rugby Team so far this season, * * * * We wait with interest sport results of the afternoon after Com-mem. Ball! " home " ground for matches, A Great Success The Club runs four teams, two men's, one ladies', and a mixed team None of these teams has met with conspicuous success yet this term. The men's First Team did well to beat London Hospital under adverse circumstances, but were beaten by Chelsea Polytechnic and Imperial College. The mixed matches have been a failure this term, as the pairs have not yet settled down to play together. Practice and co-ordination can change this situation. The ladies' team had one success this term, though it was not confined to Badminton, when they played the men of Imperial College. THE WORLD'S GREATEST BOOKSHOP BOOK.S** FOR ALL YOUR CHRISTMAS Gift Booli^s Foyles have Depts. for Gramophone Records, Stationery, Music Handicraft Materials, Lending Library, Foreign Stamps 119-125 CHARING CROSS ROAD LONDON WC2 Gerrard 5660 (16 lines) Open 9-6 (inc. Sat.) Two minutes from Tottenham Court Road Station LAW BOOKS NEARLY 2,000 LATEST EDITIONS SECOND HAND Special Announcement Aftor 123 years at our present address, we have now extended our premises, which include a Showroom of nearly 2,000 latest edition Text-books; also a large collection of trials, Criminology and Legal Biographies. Inspection invited — correspondence welcomed WILDY & SONS LTD. Law Booksellers and Ivicenyed Valuers since 1830 Lincoln's Inn Archway, London, W.C.2 Telephone: Holborn 5160 Telegrams: WUdy's, Holbom, London HOCKEY CORNER On Wednesday, 21st November, the L.S.E. 2nd XI caused a mild stir in University hockey circles and astounded themselves by defeating the University College second string by one goal to nil. Yet this result, if anything, flattered the U.C. team, who never settled into that smooth, almost mechanical, style of play which is the U.C. hallmark. Indeed, such was the superiority of Beaver that for vast stretches of the second half the U.C. side were impounded in their own circle, struggling to check the waves of L.S.E. attacks or to intercept the cunningly taken corners. It would be invidious to single out any name for special acclaim but it should he mentioned that Briston, Harris, Farie, Smith and Crittenden attacked like demons, and that Gustafson, Pickering, Foster, Kemp and Wallis kept a pincer-tight hold on the U.C. vanguard. Borjomenyi also played well. Triumphant, L.S.E. 2nd XI ventured into a game with Southgate Adelaide the following Saturday, and, with a weakened team, emerged with a 1-1 draw. This match was most notable for a completely unprecedented 60 yards run by Bryan, whose final pass was driven liome by Harris. CHURCH OF ENGLAND CHAPLAINCY Doci's of the Word A Campaign conducted by Monks and Friars of the Church of England NEXT TERM ST. GEORGE'S, BLOOMSBURY WAY mid the UNIVERSITY COLLEGES AND MEDICAL SCHOOLS The Cowley, Mirfield & Kelham Fathers and The Society of St. Francis Badminton Club Published by the Students' Union of the London School of Economics, and printed by Sales (Wright) Ltd., 3 Bectory Grove, London, S.W.4.