Dominican College of San Rafael - Firebrand Yearbook (San Rafael, CA)

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white winged angels and golden halos, their very sim- plicity was deeply sincere. On Palm Sunday, the Troupers read in the Mys- teries of the Rosary, and later in the semester the Gil- bert and Sullivan operetta, lolanthe, was presented. SCIENCE CLUB DR. CARROLL went off to Japan. Everyone lamented, but our grief has been soothed by our new professors: Dr. Dodson of the Biology depart- ment, precise with the precision of a newly acquired Ph.D., and with no illusions as to spoon feeding, and Mr. Pillsbury, head of the Chemistry department, of the Peripatetic School, even of temperament, even in his assignments, even in his grades. The Science Club has gone on, but not in unbroken tradition. The old custom of a dinner off campus was waived in favor of a formal initiation of new members in the Fanjeaux living room. Perhaps this is the be- ginning of a new tradition. Dr. Dodson gave a lecture on Genetics and the Russian Controversy; for weeks after, members of the club were still asking, What happened to Vavilov? Sister Thomas was impressed into giving a picture of the activities of the club in its very beginning. We were both amused and inspired by this account of our worthy forebears. 149

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plays themselves, the Shield Day play and the Christ- mas play have aroused universal applause. Both plays also aroused discussion. The first was more generally liked than the second, but the reactions to it were almost as interesting as the play itself. On the surface there is so large an element of com- edy in Ladies in Retirement that the tragic suffering of the main character, to many people, was lost. The situation is this: a woman of fierce maternal instincts loves her two half-witted sisters as a tigress her two cubs , and for love of them she murders her employer, a woman who has been her best friend. The two half- witted sisters furnish the main comedy, and to many of the audience their comic acting swept away all the other issues. To others their comic scenes were as pathetic as amusing. To some it seemed amoral, and to others it seemed a fine criticism of life, a moving and ironic representation of the futility and the folly of sin. Henri Gheon ' s Christmas in the Village Square was almost a shock to some of the audience who expected a traditional pink and blue Christmas play. A band of strolling gypsy players present the story of the Nativity realistically, but with moving tenderness. To the con- servatives their realism seemed irreverent, but to those who laid aside their preconceived notions of 148

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MUSIC CLUB THE Music Club is not new this year; it has only begun with a new flourish. It has been reorgan- ized to develop a stronger unity in the whole music department and to create a more intelligent apprecia- tion of music. Under the direction of Miss Ray and Sister Francis Xavier, the following officers have been elected: Eva Taverna, President; Mary Lou Fitterer, Vice-Presi- dent; Marjorie Hansen, Secretary; Carrie Jane Ander- sen and Alice Tobin, Publicity Agents; and Margaret Herbring, Ticket Agent. The ticket agent is very im- portant; it is her duty to know all about the concerts and symphonies in San Francisco and to get tickets in time for the college music lovers to attend the best. This privilege carries its own excitement, but not negligible is the pleasure of attending concerts on the campus, whether the artists be the students them- selves or distinguished musicians. Not the least pleas- urable of the club ' s duties is the sponsoring of these guest artists, and their entertainment after the con- certs. A casual meeting and mingling with the great makes fame seem less remote and perfection more tangible. Inspired by the concerts in Angelico and by their attendance at the symphonies, the students find 150