University of Chicago - Cap and Gown Yearbook (Chicago, IL)

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For thirty years Maude Slye has been experimenting with mice to prove the inheritahility of cancer tendencies. She had long been using mice in her study of heredity of general diseases, when she discovered some of the mice dcveloPed cancer. Altogether Miss Slye has recorded the family tree of some hundred fifty thousand individual mice through about one hundred eight generations. In caring for them. she has been able to increase their life span from three to four years in contrast to the two month career of wild mice. From her observations, Miss Slye has found that cancer heredity follows exactly.' the well-known Mendelian principles. She can- tends that two things are. necessary to development of cancer: an inherited susceptibility and an irritation of the tissue. For some years she has been urging the establishment of a central record for human genealogies, in order to etfect some control over cancer. Charles E. Merriam is a unique combination, a political scientist and a practical experimenter in politics. Valued equally in Washington circles as in Chi- cago, Mr. Merriam has gained a reputation as an A-l adviser and authority in his field. Author of numerous books on politi- cal theory, notably History of American Political Theories, and the American Party System, he has had profound influence on American political thought. Using Chicago as a laboratory for his studies of the political parties and problems 0E metropolitan areas he has added as much prestige to his personal reputation as to that of the University's political science department. One of the cityts first citizens, Mr. Merriam succeeded in bringing to Chicago the Public Administration Clearing House among many other governmental bureaus. For years he was an alderman of the old seventh ward and in 1911., was candidate for mayor on the Republican ticket. His eomact with Chicago politics has been continuous ever since then. h22h

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Are You a Communist? A deep voice from the radio startles the listener as he involuntarily draws his chair closer and tunes up the radio. The program that followed was the University of Chicago Roundtahle, that program which after six years on the National Broadcasting Company without interruption now has more listeners than any Other educational program. In the last year and a half the number of stations on the Roundtable network has doubled and the audience has increased to some four mil- lion American adults. The Roundtable broadcasts try to provide these Americans with stimulating discussions on topics of current interest. These of course vary greatly according to the program, the artists involved, and the immediate news of the times. This recent success was due to the research staff, headed by Sherman H. Dryer, set up by the Uni- versity for the purpose of increasing the audience appeal of the program. Difficulty is encountered with such a program because the experts will not talk in the language of the listener nor have they much time to devote to a minor point. In order to correct these faults a recorded rehearsal of the broadcast is held where participants lose their mike lright and try out the discussion. When this is played hack the errors seem very obvious and suggestions are made for improvement. The ideal group of three consists of two recognized authori- ties and a third experienced round tahlcr who will poke questions at each One and try to keep them down to definite terms. At intervals the director Hashes picture cards lettered in cartoon fashion which admonish the speaker to put his elbows on the table 01' to speed up. In this wa;r the sugges- tions are followed hut treated as a joke and :10 eepted graciously. T0 catch the immediate atten- tion of the listener, the programs have been opened by dramatic news Hashes and startling news questions. The time spent in planning and carrying out the program is rewarded by the response from the radio audience. On the first six days following the recent discussion on the Jewe by Speakers Willey, 'Wirth, and Wilson, one thousand letters a day Were received. Copies of each broadcast are now distributed in pamphlet form to five 01' ten thousand listeners every week. The number of letters received after each week- ly hroadeast is sufhcint testimonial as to the popu- larity of this feature on the airwaves. However, the future of the Roundtahle stood on rather shaky legs last autumn when Vice-President Benton of the University discontinued University broadcasts in connection with other schools. He maintained that any advertising the University was able to do through the medium of radio should he done for the University alone and not for the University merely as one of several institutions. At that time many critics criticized his actions, claiming that the University could never afford hook-ups that would reach such wide audiences, if they went into broadcasting for themselves. Benton felt differently. The result is obvious from the reception the Roundtahle discussions receive from Florida to Michigan. Not only is the Uni- versity successfully advertising itself through the medium of radio, hut is also providing people from many parts of the country with excellent intel- lectual entertainment. e247