Law Forbids House Dances This Saturday

All eight House dances planned for Saturday night have been cancelled--to be replaced by late parietals--as a result of a 1960 Massachusetts law prohibiting dancing on Veterans' Day.

Eliot and Dunster will run open dances on Friday night, with Quincy undecided as of last night whether or not to do the same.

The year-old law which declares eight holidays legal equivalents of Sundays, will not affect traditional late parietals the night before a holiday. In all the houses definitely not holding dances, girls will be permitted until midnight on both Friday and Saturday nights.

Athletic events may not begun before 1 p.m. Saturday, according to the same law. But the University had scheduled varsity soccer, and freshman and J.V. football games for 10:30 a.m. College authorities are now considering the various possibilities for handling these games.

If a possible appeal to the Massachusetts Department of Public Saftey for special exception to the law is unsuccessful, the three games will be played either Friday or Saturday afternoons. Varsity football, beginning 1:30 p.m., is unaffected by the new law.

Midnight Parietals Saturday

Elliot Perkins '23, Master of Lowell House, announced last night that Saturday parietals would be extended to midnight, adding that he spoke for all the Masters. Immediately beforehand, a meeting of the Interhouse Social Committee had officially confirmed the dance cancellations. A combined Quincy-Leverett closed dance, an open Eliot dance, and closed dances at all the other Houses had been planned.

Discovery of the pertinence of the new law was made when Winthrop House social chairman Daniel J. Morrison '62 applied for a license for his House dance last Friday night. He was denied this by Cambridge City officials, who told him that the law prohibiting dancing in private as well as public places will be strictly enforced. As on Sundays, only wedding celebrations will be exempt from this rule.

Law Slips Attention

The abortive dance planning was done in ignorance of this law, which also slipped the attention of Dean Watson "until a few days ago."

It is thought that bands and other entertainment will not insist upon previous contracts, since the original engagements would be for essentially illegal function.

Cambridge Mayor Edward A. Crane '35 expressed the opinion last night that this law might not entirely preclude the social events scheduled. Since wedding dancing is allowed, Crane said that the Harvard-Princeton traditions might also be allowable, since they were in the nature of ritual. He stated that the Federal Supreme Court would undoubtedly hold this opinion.

In addition to Veterans' Day, other newly created "Sundays" in the Massachusetts year include New Year's Day, Memorial Day, July 4, Labor Day, Columbus Day, Thanksgiving, and Christmas. On these days there can be no dancing (from midnight to midnight) and athletic events cannot start before 1 p.m. or end after 7 p.m. The only difference between these days and the "real" Sundays is that it is legal to serve alcoholic beverages on the eight holidays.

The drink-dance conditions will have unusual effects on this year's Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve, both of which fall on a veritable Sunday, and are immediately followed by a legal Sunday.