The Bulletin left out a crucial do not in my letter ("Battle of values is `bogus'-it's all materialism underneath") published in the May 1996 issue. My statement should have read: "I prefer to be committed to values that do not have to do with material success (even intellectual success!) and power." My concern remains a spiritual one. I believe that "old fashioned Marxist ideals of economic justice" are easier to achieve in a spiritually oriented culture.
In a similar vein, I was struck by the point of view in the article "Black Magic," about Assistant Professor Yvonne Chireau's study of African and African American spiritual beliefs (May 1996). Her sociological, psychological, and anthropological approach presupposes that there is no actuality in the beliefs being studied. Spiritual culture can be seen as the focusing of actual powers or energies; magic is a very specific focus of these powers on a small area of human life, analagous, say, to focusing sunlight with a magnifying glass.
If African or African American practices are seen from this viewpoint, then instead of being seen as the last resort of an oppressed people, these practices can be seen as insightful and powerful.
Ann Erickson '65
Guerneville, Calif.
Notice of the death of Peter Gram Swing took me back 55 years. On Dec. 7, 1941, I was playing ping-pong with a "gob" named Peter Swing at the Sunday afternoon open house of the Art Association in Newport, R.I. In one gallery was a juke box with the latest records for dancing, another had the ping-pong table, and the board of directors room offered fruit punch and mountains of cookies and cupcakes.
A group of Newport girls had been invited to "entertain" the servicemen stationed at the Newport Naval Training Station and at Fort Adams, the army base. And there were rules, strictly enforced by the Soldiers and Sailors Committee of the association: Only enlisted men allowed, caps to be removed on entering, no dates entering or leaving, no girls who were not invited by the committee. Every Sunday between 2:00 and 6:00, the place was filled.
Peter Swing was a regular and was eagerly awaited. Not only was he the best ping-pong player any of us had ever encountered, he was also a delightful guest. On that awful Sunday afternoon there were two announcements. The first was President Roosevelt's speech on the radio; the second was from military police directing all service personnel to return at once to their bases. The only sounds in the Art Association were of boots moving toward the doors and an occasional "Thank you."
I never met Peter Swing again, but I was delighted to learn of his appointment to the Swarthmore faculty. I wonder if he continued to play ping-pong.
Dorothy Parrish Mowery '43
Sarasota, Fla.
To the Editor:
Your pictorial on the glorious new Kohlberg Hall contains no credit for the architect. Who designed this innovative masterpiece?
Robin Manners West '79
Santa Fe, N.M.
Kohlberg Hall was designed by Margaret Helfand Architects of New York in partnership with Ehrenkrantz & Eckstut Architects; Coe Lee Robinson Roesch, Inc., landscape designers; and artist Mary Miss. Margaret Helfand, the principal architect, is a member of the Class of 1969.
To the Editor:
I enjoyed reading Christopher Edley's ['73] excellent article in the Feb. 1996 Swarthmore College Bulletin on "Are American Values Changing?" Needless to say I completely disagree with the religious right and their poisonous propaganda (some of which he quotes). Much to their chagrin, we are indeed facing "changing values." The scientific revolution of the 20th century has brought real knowledge to replace the myths of ancient philosophers. It is now preposterous to believe that our Earth and life on it were especially created by "God," with us as his special creation "in his image." We now know that, due to our Earth's size and location, our planet provides special conditions for life.
On the infinitesimal side, we now know beyond any reasonable doubt that we evolved here from small single-celled organisms that "self-organized" by clearly understood chemical affinities from the "primordial soup" of oceans billions of years ago. We also know clearly that occasional induced mutations in the informational molecules of DNA, common to all life forms on Earth, can explain clearly how new life forms gradually evolved over billions of years, guided by the evolutionary principles of "survival of the fittest." This has led to the creation of all of the remarkable forms of life that inhabit our planet (or once did, or which may do so in whatever future we may have left).
This brings us to the other knowledge we now have, that our Sun will eventually run out of hydrogen fuel and die, ending forever any forms of life continuing to exist on Earth and probably also ending the independent existence of what we know as Earth.
It is my opinion that this new vision of the origin and evolution of the universe, the solar system, and life on our planet is as awesome and wondrous as the biblical myths. It is a vision that the marvels of modern instrumentation have made it possible for us to "see."
These discoveries are clear reasons for "changing values" that are hard for some people steeped in religious dogma to accept. Perhaps the comments of the German philosopher Schopenhauer on the three stages of truth are pertinent: First, ridicule; Second, vigorous opposition; Third, acceptance as self-evident.
Charles C. Price '34
Haverford, Pa.
The Bulletin welcomes letters from readers concerning the contents of the magazine or issues relating to the College. All letters must be signed and may be edited for clarity and space. Address your letters to Editor, Swarthmore College Bulletin, 500 College Avenue, Swarthmore PA 19081-1397, or send by electronic mail to bulletin@ swarthmore.edu.
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