Rock V Roll Is But a Symptom
Of Decaying Art Form In America
According to Harvard Sociologist
PHILADELPHIA, Ufl—Rock ’n’
Roll, asserts a Harvard sociolog
ist, is not, as many people say,
; the fantasy of crazy teenagers,
ibut a symptom of a decaying art
•form in America.”
| “As for one of its chief ex
-j ponents, Elvis Presley, the man
} /said, he can be summed as
I ‘hvild modern music in general.”
* These views were expressed by
Dr. Pitirim Sorokin in a panel
discussion of fine arts at the
meeting of the Assn, of American
Colleges.
* Dr. Sorokin said a new creative
day is coming, but meanwhile,
«we are living through the de
scent of our art forms into the
social sewers inhabited by all
-kinds of dehumanized and patho
logical human animals.”
The real promoters of “artistic
oddities” $uch as rock ’n’ roll, he
continued, “are the vast commer
' cial interests well organized into1
_4 _
a powerful machinery of exploit
ers and falsifiers of art values.
Teen-agers are merely their vic
tims.
“Today we live in a world of
creative midgets. This creative
sterility is particularly visible in
soap operas, plays, shows and
literature staged in the movies
and on radio and television.”
He said the future of American
art rests largely with the col
leges, but added they must re
ject “sham art and sham beauty,”
if they are to nurture a renas
sance in this century.
"4-on” Duplicate Receipt Books
al the Nugget
ARCTIC SANITARY
SERVICE
PHONE RED 181
Novelist In Jam
Over Meeting with'
Native Africans;
Johannesburg, South Africa, ‘JV
—Novelist Alan Paton has been
charged with taking part in an
unlawful meeting of native Afri
cans. He was ordered to cippear
in Durban magistrate’s Court on
Jan. 28.
Paton was charged with violat
ing the 1933 provincial notice act
by attending or taking par; in the
meeting Dec. 6 without obtaining
prior consent of Durban’s mayor.
Paton, author of “Cry, the Be
loved Country” and other novels
on South African racial themes,
was alleged to have; been one of
the speakers.
The meeting was called by the
Civil Liberties Defense Commit
tee, a non-European group, one
day after 156 Europeans, Indians
and Africans were rounded up in
nationwide raids and charged
with treason. Those arrested and
now being tried included relig
ious leaders, journalists, lawyers,
legislators and students.
Most of the defendants are
known opponents of South Afri
ca’s racial segregation policies.
Astronomy Notes
By OLAF HALVERSON
The star located in the upper
left hand corner of the constella
tion Orion is called Betelgeuse
and it has become one of the most
interesting of our stars.
When professor Michelson of
the University of Chicago discov
ered a means of measuring the
diameter of stars, he measured
Betelgeuse and found it to be of
| the most enormous size. If this
! huge star were placed in the
position of our sun, it would fill
the solar system nearly to the
planet Mars.
The measurements were made
at the Mouni Wilson Observatory
With the largest reflecting tele- j
scope ever made. The telescope
has an aperature of a little more
than 100 inches. A set of mirrors
was attached in such a way that
for the purpose of measurement
| the effect of a 240-inch aperature
j was obtained.
' The distance deduced from the
l best determined parallax of the
star gave an actual diameter of
230,000,000 miles.
Snowflakes are made of frozen
| water vapor, rather than frozen
! water.
SCORCHY SMITH _
;
I
HALF ACRE CASTLE
I WANT HIM TO ^
TAKE UP A HOBBY
AND 1 THINK
FAINTING WOULD
TfiE. nice./^—
■
PADRy AN ARTIST?.. I'M \ BUT I GUESS HE'LL SAVE
AFRAID HE WON’T MAKE ) A LOT ON HAIR CUTS,
MUCH MONEY- - -^HUH,SUE?
VL i \) ik- I . > ——>-L \ f PH IAN HF GOT SIMPLY FURIOUS*
tlNNY- PS5T- HOW plD you MAKE\ HE SAID I WAS TRYING TO FORCE
£XTT GIVING CHUBBY THE J HIM INTO 00IN6 SOMETHING HE
OIL PAINTING SET? THINK }F"p-\ DIDN'T WANT TO/jr
HE'LL TAKE IT UP AS ^ -
.A HOBBY? *--r
■fl
m m 0
Alaska Mineral
Production Shows
Decline In 1956
Receipts of minerals at mints
and smelters and estimates of pro
duction from individuals and com
panies indicated the total value
of 1956 mineral production in
Alaska was $750,000 less than the
value in 1955, according to the
Bureau of Mines, U. S. Depart
ment of the Interior. A drop in
the value of gold production
largely accounted for the de
crease in total value.
Sand and gravel replaced gold
as the leading commodity pro
duced toy the Alaskan mineral in
dustry, in terms of value. Gold
was second* in value and coal
ranked third. Mercury produc
tion increased sharply, climbing
to fifth place in 1956. Chromite
production showed a slight rise
above 1955.
The government continued to
aid the financing of exploration
for strategic minerals through the
Defense Minerals Exploration
Administration. The active con
tracts (totaling $763,000) in 1956
authorized exploration work for
mercury, copper, nickel and ,
tungsten.
A most encouraging outlopk for
the mineral industry was the
marked interest shown, by oil and
I mining companies in potential
Alaskan mineral resources. Pros
pecting centered on mercury,
iron, copper, nickel, tungsten and
uranium; non-metallic deposits
(barite, limestone, sulfur from
pyrite) also were being investi
gated. Oil leases held by major
oil companies neared the 5 mil
lion acre mark.
Gold production declined 18
percent below 1955 output. The
shortened mining season (result
ing from late snow in the spring
and early snow in the fall) con
tributed to the decrease. The
trend towards mechanization of
placer mining continued; this
trend has become almost manda- •
tory because of rising costs and
a stable price.
United States Smelting, Refin
ing & Mining Co. was again the
largest gold producer in Alaska.
The company continued to oper
ate two units; one unit of six
dredges in the Fairbanks area and
one unit of two dredges in the
Nome area.
A baby chick, peeping in its
shell before hatching, will be
quiet at the hen’s warning cluck.
Nome Directory
NOME ROTARY CLUB
<s£jsK%l.'6} Dewey Goodrich •
President
l
i W. Mecklenburg
Secretary
Wednesday Luncheon
Northwestern Alaska
Chamber of Commerce
Meets Every Tuesday Noon
STAN MORGAN, President
ALASKA CHAPTER H. 1
Oidor of Eastern Star
“***■ * 3rd Monday of each month
Belly Edwards
Worthy Matron
W Helen Dunbar
_Z _Secretafy
,
anvil LODGE
No. 140
Robt. K. Lewis, W.M.
Nervin W. Lewis. Sec.
tfeeti 1st and 3rd ’’’huraday each month