Just an Island and You—
What 10 Books Would You Take?
By Jane Clark
If you were permitted to take
only the proverbial ten books
with you if exiled to the prover
bial desert island, what would
they be? The first of a series of
faculty members to answer this
question was Allen Hugh Smith,
assistant professor of law.
When I asked it, he leaned
hack in his chair, laced his hands
together, and stared at the far
corner of the ceiling.
“Well, it makes a difference,
of course,” he began, “whether
you mean what do I consider to
be the best books ever written,
or if you mean which I enjoyed
reading most the first time, or if
you mean which one would I en
joy re-reading to the exclusion
of all others.”
I chose the last category, since
these desert islands people are al
ways cast away on with only ten
books are presumed to be devoid
of literate people and printing
presses.
“This isn’t necessarily in the
order of importance,” he warned,
“but I’d take one of the Oz books
with me, certainly, and probably
the one, “Glenda of Oz.”
His next two choices were
more in keeping with what one
is expected to take to a deserted
desert island—“Summa Theolog
ica” by St. Thomas Aquinas, and
Plato’s “Symposium.” Then he
pased for a moment, and with
a slight shrug, went on “I sup
pose, out of a sense of duty more
than anything also, I’d take Oli
ver Wendell Holmes’ ‘The Com
mon Law’ along, too.”
One novel appears on the list—
Evelyn Waugh’s “Brkleshend
Revisited,” which Mr. Smith re
cently read and which impressed
him greatly. Covering drama and
poetry, he selected a complete
Shakespeare, including sonnets,
and ‘The Four Quartets’ of T.
S. Elliot. He also commented in
passing, “If I knew of a really
good Elizabethan poetry anthol
ogy, I’d probably take it instead
of one of the other hooks, hut X
don’t.”
His eighth choice was The Bi
ble, and “for pure literary beau
ty, the King James version.” He
went on, “If you’ll notice, my list
leans toward the meaty, provoc
ative type of literature, and the
Bible is certainly both.”
Returning to the lighter side
again, he chose Dorothy Sayre’s
“The Nine Tailors,” a mystery
laid in the English countryside
and concerning the detective,
Lord Peter Wimsey. “I’d take
that because it is an excellent
piece of writing, and has especial
ly fine descriptions of the char
acters of rural English folk.”
Choosing the final book proved
to be the most difficult task. Af
ter a few minutes of thought he
said, “It looks as if I’d go away
with only nine books,” but for
the tenth volume he finally se
lected “Confessions of St. Augus
tine,” which makes my list rath
er heavily loaded toward theol
ogy, I suspect,” he finished.
Movie Reviewer
Likes 'Mourning Becomes Electro'
By Jess Branie
Eugene O'Neill's Mourning Be
comes Elect ra, currently show
ing at the Mayflower theater, is
a powerful and moving story of
the tragic destruction of an en
tire New England family. The
Mannons, despite their worth,
strength, and ability, are de
stroyed by defects which they
cannot overcome.
Ezra Mannon, the patriarch of
the clan, who, having tasted
death, now desires life, is mur
dered by his wife, Christine, who,
hating him and loving Adam
Brant, the romantic sea captain,
destroys both husband and lover,
and, in desperation, ends her own
iife. The tragic aftermath of
these events, the near madness
and suicide of the son, Orin Man
uon, and the eventual isolation of
his sister Lavinia, within Jthe
great house of the Mannons, is
presented with an artistry which
the screen rarely achieves.
Among a cast which includes
^uch names as Raymond Massey,
Katina Puxinou, Leo Genn, and
Kirk Douglas. Rosalind Russell
stands out as a dramatic actress
of greater power and range. The
sophislJJcated, brittle persons
whom she has portrayed before
have not prepared us for the sur
prising ability which she pre
sents here. As Lavinia. standing
statuesquely, draped in black, on
the steps of the Mannon mansion,
in sharp contrast to the white
pillars of the house, she is an ar
resting figure.
Katina Paxinou, of For Whom
the Bell Tolls fame, turns in a
strong and more than competent
performance, as Christine. Some
of the most moving scenes in the
picture take place when mother
and daughter lunge at each other
in verbal combat. Raymond Mas
sey, as the father, gives us a first
rate recreation of Ezra. Michael
Redgrave, one of the best of Eng
lish imports, makes his usual
brilliant but calm and controlled
appearance in the creation of an
important role.
Addicts of O’Neill will be
pleased to hear that Hollywood,
not in its usual manner, has
treated the play very well. The
cuts, necessary in a play of this
length, are well done. There are
no real losses of continuity, nor
are any major events or inci
dents taken out. A few scenes
are added, but the spirit of the
play is not destroyed.
The staging is interesting in
that the camera’s eye confines
itself largely to the front of the
Mannon mansion, three rooms
within the house, and Adam
Brant’s ship, the Flying Trades.
So, Hollywood has followed the
stage version closely.
Mourning Becomes Electra is
of the best. It stands up as a
motion picture and as a success
ful transcription of the play, de
spite what some of the critics
may have said of it. Its psycho
logical realism and dramatic
qualities should make it enjoy
able to almost anyone, whether
a lover of O'Neill or not.
Among the Stacks
"Without Magnolias'
By Jo Gilbert
The American Negro has been
the subject of many pieces of lit
erature since Joel Chandler Har
ris. But few among the authors
have tried to portray the upper
class Negro, the Negro whose
way of life compares to the av
erage “white.” One of the few
is Bucklin Moon, whose “With
out Magnolias” (Doubleday and
Co., $3) won the George Wash
ington Carver award this year.
The basic story is that of the
Mathews family, a middle class
family in Florida. Interwoven
with it are the stories of people
whose lives touch upon the des
tiny of that one family. Esther
Mathews is a widow with three
children—Luther who leaves his
job as bar tender to work in the
ship yards, Bessie, the secretary
to the president of the small Ne
gro college in the town, and Al
berta, who went north to New
York's Harlem.
One of the elemental conflicts
of the book is the struggle be
tween Rogers, the college presi
The Oregon Daii y Emerald, published daily during the college year except Sundays,
Mondays, holidays, and final examination periods by the Associated Students, University of
Oregon. Subscription rates: $2.00 per term and $4.00 per year. Eutered as secoud-class matter
at the post ortice. Eugene, Oregon.
B1LI- YATES, EJitjr
VIRGIL TUCKER, Business Manager
Associate Editors: Juue Goetze, Boblee Brophy, Diana Dye, Barbara Hey wood
Advertising Manager: Cork Mobley
BOB REKD, Managing Editor
Assistant Managing Editors: Stan Turnbull, Don Smith
dent, and a member of the col
lege’s board, the editor of a small
liberal paper. The showdown
comes when the editor demands
the firing of Eric Gardner, radi
cal young professor at the col
lege, who is also Bessie’s boy
friend.
The book is good and written
with warmth and understanding.
At times Eric isn’t quite believ
able but on the whole Moon does
an excellent job. He drives home
his point subtly instead of using
the usual sledge-hammer tactics
of most writers or this subject
material.
Earle Stanley Gardner, proba
bly the most prolific writer of
mysteries, comes out with a new
one: “The Case of the Cautious
Coquette” (William Morrow and
Co., $2,501 It is usual Perry Ma
son formula with the usual cast
of characters: the team of Ma
son, Della Street, and Paul
Drake versus the usual stupid
district attorney and police. Also,
the end is the usual brilliant
court room scene dominated by
Attorney Mason. Like Little Or
phan Annie, Mason always wins.
Incidentally, the best thing I’ve
read in a long time is “Cheaper
by the Dozen” by Frank B. Gil
breth, Jr. and Ernestine Gilbreth
Carey (Thomas Y. Crowell Co.,
$31. It’s the humorous account
of how Papa Gilbreth raised a
family of twelve. In my opinion,
it’s a “must” on your reading
list.
Pictorial Melange
BIRD ON HAND — Evelyn Knight, singer, receives
assistance from talkative pet parakeet at her home in Hollywood.1
FASHION PARADE — Models in new fashions drive
around Rome’s Piazza di Siena after appearing at the horse show.
STANDING JUMP — An Austrian rider jumps his
mount from a standing position in a Rome horse show exhibition.
A M B ASS AD6 R. F | S HER MAN _ Javier Najera
Torres, Mexican boy ambassador to the U. S., fishes with Karen
ince, his guide for a day at the Gypsy Trail Club, Carmel, N. Y.