THE NEBRASKAN, THURSDAY, JULY 26, 1931.
s
V
T. A. BLAIR SEES NO BIG DANCER OF STATE
BECOMING A DESERT; CHANCES OF MOISTURE
MORE El lin-NT AS DRY CYCLE NEARS ITS END
That Nebraska is in no great
danger of becoming a "Gobi" des
ert is the prediction of T. A. Blair,
head of the Government Weather
Bureau and assistant professor of
meteorology at the University of
Nebraska, in reply to the specula
tions of drouth weary Nebraskans
on the possibilities of another
great inland desert.
Admitting that aridity and heat
which this year have blazed a trail
of devastation from end to end of
the state are without parallel, he
believes that the cycle is at an end.
Once that cycle is completed, he
went on to say, fields of the state
once more will be green and pro
ductive and streams in Nebraska
again will run bankfull.
"Our science ot predicting
weather phenomena is not definite
enough to grasp the full signifi
cance of this drouth in its relation
to the past," said Blair. "But we
can recognize certain ups and
downs in weather records, and
these indicate that our present
drouth is not a permanent or fun
damental change."
In Blair's office on the univer
sity campus are weather charts on
which are plotted precipitation
variations since 1S78, year of the
Lincoln bureau's establishment.
Even further back, to 1850, are re-,
corded rainfall totals, based on less
, accurate observation of army posts
. . r e t .1..
The charts show a series ot
iPERIMENTAL PRIMARY SCHOOL AT
TEACHERS COLLEGE IS GREAT SUCCESS
First grade students at the Uni
versity of Nebraska s elementary
education laboratory school
thoroughly enjoyed their last day
of summer "college work" last
Thursday morning.
To the twenty little tots, who
had completed a summer study oi
the farm, the ice cream sherbet
was really their "dessert." They
had already learned to feed ani
mals, churn butter, make cheese,
set hens, and had experience with
growing seeds and had collected
grains which is really something
different in first grade study.
Rural Pupils Guests.
Their guests at the Thursday
farewell party were the students
from Miss Gladys Zutter s rural
room, picked students from Lan
caster county rural schools.
The third grade students, under
Miss Sue Burford, put on an elab
orate demonstration of "Play in
Other Lands," inviting the other
classes to the pageant.
The stage setting and posters.
all the work of the youngsters,
were done under the supervision of
Miss Lyda Dell Burry, summer art
instructor at the school. With col
ored hemispheres ribboned off to
show the six chosen countries, the
children dramatized the parts of
the natives, in full dress, illustrat
ing the life and homes of the
Dutch, Arabians, Congo district.
Eskimos and Swiss. The stage
background showed the "typical
ities of the lands selected, with
perhaps the chamois skin door ig
loo rating as the "coolest." Next
was the Swiss Alps.
The nursery room, where mem
bers of the younger young set were
educated and entertained daily, was
another particularly bright spot on
Thursday, altbo their official "good
Dyes were not said until Friday,
Examined Daily.
There playing and enjoying
themselves under the tutelage of
Miss Clara Evans and Miss Adelene
Howard, the little folks played,
sang, skipped and behaved very
nicely even tho visitors were
crowding all windows and doors.
Every morning when the tiny
tots made their appearance witn
their moth era they were examined
by a doctor to make certain that
they were well enough for the day's
program. Then, Thursday, as on
other days, the mothers were at
liberty to go leaving little "Susie
and "Dickie free for their litera
ture experiences, rest, lunch, and
play. The zest with which the
youngsters jingled their play band
bells, softly sang, and reacted to
musical chord isgnals was remark
able.
The fourth graders were not pre
sent Thursday morning as their
teacher, Miss Frances Assen
macher, was not in the city. Their
work closed Wednesday. Their
r
RENT-A-CARS
m hre available to mimmw
students. Low ra'es &nd good curs.
No red tape. Always open.
Motor Out Company
1120 P Street
cycles of copious moisture and
parching drouth, but from the
point of departure 1850 the gen
eral tendency of the moisture line
has been downward. Precipitation
here this year, 5.35 of an inch, is
only one-third of the average rain
fall of sixteen inches for the first
six months of the year, and low
est recorded during the eighty
four years of records.
"The chart snows these cycles,"
said Blair. "From 1878 to 1885
rains increased and then dropped
from 18S6 to 1901. From 1902 to
1909 the tendency was upward,
but since that time the tendency
has been uniformly downward,
with the exception of the wet year
of 1915."
The fact that variations divide
themselves naturally into cycles,
he pointed out, gives indication
that the end of the dry tendency
is approaching in Nebraska,
"No one knows the cause oi
these drouths beyond the proxi
mate forces which withhold rain
fall." said the expert. "But conjec
ture on radio activity, over culti
vation of land, a falling water
table and other explanations are
onlv theories, generally unbased
on definite fact.
"We cannot foretell with cer
tainty the end of these conditions
in Nebraska. But we are certain
that conditions will change and
that rain once more will tall over
the state."
which is as much as we expect
Their project work included the
constructure of a minature high
way, the collection of pictures,
model planes and busses and the
making of a frieze of the airport,
and posters of ideal highways.
Study Housing.
Miss Edith Erb's sixth grade
under the direction of Miss Ger
trude oering, teachers college in
structor "They have learned the
privilege never before granted Lin
highways and skyways, with tours
summer course included a study of
coin grade school students thirty
minute classes in beginning typing,
to the bus station, municipal air
port, a trucking company, and even
an out-of-season inspection of snow
removal equipment,
boys and girls completed the plans
for a large learning situation,
studying housing in all of its
phases. Their work included the
selection of sites for farm homes,
the study of slum clearance, the
collection of pictures, newspaper
clippings, house plans and building
materials. They went into city and
farm planning, blue printing, the
composition of music and poetry,
the filtering of water, the making
of a frieze in design of all occu
pations included in the building of
a radio broadcast.
The last three weeks of the sum
mer session, they were given the
entire key board in three weeks,
older tsudents to do," she stated as
she pointed to some of the concert
work which they had fingered out
Several of them had as many as
three consecutive perfect lines in a
short half page, accomplishing
such lines as : "'fff frr ftt juu jvy
frr ftt juu jyy and A lad asks a
lass. A lad asks a lad."
Thursday was the do-as-you-please
day for the young "stenos"
and "secretaries," with most of
them writing personal business let
ters or experimenting "on their
own."
Henzlik in Charge.
F. E. Henzlik, dean of teachers
college, and Miss Clara Wilson,
chairman of the department of
elementary education at the uni
versity, were in general charge of
the laboratory school, conducted in
the Bancroft building. There have
been an average of over 1,000 vis
itors a week all summer includ
ing parents, friends and student
teachers, according to the word of
the door clerk.
"The aim of the school is the
growth of the child emotionally,
physically, mentally and socially,"
Miss Wilson declared. "The core of
the curriculum is social studies and
science and arts, with the three
R's the tools of learning serving
as a means to an end."
She declared that teaching the
child to think comes first and the
building of desirable social and
moral habits and health physical
and m e n t a 1 is stressed. She
pointed out that nothing else in the
school routine or procedure is im
portant enough to cause loss in
any of these.
He: Will you marry me?
Heiress: No, I'm afraid not.
He: Aw, come on, be a support.
PPRSONAT S
Emanuel Wishnow is leaving
soon to study music at Falls
Village, Conn. He will study with
Jacques Gordon, of the famous
Gordon String Quartet. He will be
away until the opening of the fall
term of the school of music.
Miss Alma Wagner, instructor
in voice has left for Chicago,
where she will attend the Century
of Progress exposition. She will
later visit various points in the
east
Mrs. Lura Schuler Smith is
leaving Aug. 1 to spend a month
in Estes Park, Colo.
Prof. Howard Kirkpatrick, di
rector of the school of music is
visiting a summer camp at Nemol,
S. D., where he has a summer
home.
Lavonne Rist went to her home
in Humbobldt with Roma De
Brown last week end.
Mary Lou Denton was in Lin
coln Friday to complete her sum
mer school work. She left school
recently due to the serious illness
of her father. Her home is in Tal
mage. Katheryn Ellis, of Weeping
Water, spent the week end at
home.
Maxine Cloit spent the past
week end at home in Plattsmouth.
Lillian Rowher made a business
trip to David City last Saturday.
Dr. Elizabeth Williamson, in
charge of Carrie Belle Raymond
Hall, has left for her home in
Galesbury. Hi- .
Mrs. Gadis, house mother at
the Pi Beta Phi house during the
summer session, plans to spend
most of the month of August
with friends in Estes park.
Vincint C. George and Helen Day
Coon, graduates of the University
of Nebraska and now residents of
California, visited here last Satur
day. Vincint George, graduate oi
1916, plans to spend about a month
in Custer county. He is an instruc
tor in the Los Angeles Junior col
lege. Mrs. Hattie Hepperly Dewey of
India visited the University recent
ly. Mrs. Dewey, after she was
graduated in '21 went to India to
teach. She plans to visit with her
folks at Norfolk for about a year.
Walter H. Keller. '31, for the
past two years part time instruc
tor in economics, has re&:gned his
position and will leave for Berke-
To The Student Body:
The business firms of the city of Lincoln, who have
actively supported this publication, have appreciated
your patronage during the summer session. In return
they have made it possible to continue your summer
paper at a time when every dollar is spent with care.
In return, it is no more than fair that the students
PATRONIZE business firms who PATRONIZE the
institutions of THIS UNIVERSITY.
The Nebraskan brings to your attention the greatest
values in history. Business men expend hundreds of
dollars each summer with the Nebraskan, in turn for
which they should receive your fullest consideration.
Patronize the Advertisers Who
Patronize U?!
The Summer Nebraskan
W ATKINS BELIEVES THAT BIG TREE BELT
TO BE SAVING FACTOR IN SOIL EROSION
The c o n t e mplated Roosevelt
"tree belt" received great encour
agement from Clayton W. Wat
kins, extension forester at the Uni
versity, recently. He saw in its
great possibilities for preserving
and conserving the natural re
sources of Nebraska.
While Watkins declined to say
just what part he would play in
the program should it be carried
through, he stated that examples
of shelter belts already in exist
ence in the state were of some ben
efit The "belt" he said, should be of
some help in preventing soil ero
sion which has become an acute
problem in some districts, slow up
the wind velocity and decrease
the amount of evaporation from
the soil.
Watkins further explained that
ley next week where he has ac
cepted an appointment as teaching
assistant at the University of Cal
ifornia. He will take work toward
his doctor's degree.
Earl C. Hold, '31, will leave for
California next week. He was as
sistant instructor in economics
during 1932-33, and has been at
tending the University of Califor
nia this last year. He was award
ed a teaching assistantship in eco
nomic history in January. He will
continue the work next year, while
preparing for his doctor's exam
inations. Dr. Watson is planning a three
or four weeks vacation. He first
plans to visit the World's Fair and
later his father in Minnesota. He
hopes to do some lake fishing
while in Minnesota.
Miss Minnie Schlichting, assist
ant principal and s u p e rvisor,
Teachers college high school, and
Miss Lois Keefer, Longmont, Colo.,
who is attending summer school
here, will drive to Minnesota for a
three weeks' vacation at the lakes.
Their itinerary will also include
Duluth, Minneapolis, and St PauL
Norman Finke, '34, was a visitor
on the campus.
Dr. P. G. Johnson
To Present Paper
At Teachers Meet
Philip G. Johnson, Ph. D., super
visor of physical and biological sci
ences, teachers college high school,
has been asked to present a paper
if the tree belt contemplated by
the Roosevelt administration were
planted in the proportions indicat
ed by recent announcements, it
would have a great effect upon the
production of crops. For, accord
ing to Mr. Watkins, many farmers
over the state have planted small
tree belts, and surveys have shown
that they not only affect the im
mediate territory but the area
some distance from it
The shelter belts wherein wind
breaks would be established run
ning north and south, planted one
bile apart, making 100 parallel
windbreaks in the belt, is a bigger
project than the Tennessee valley
project, in the mind of Mr. Wat
kins. According to Watkins planting
will not start until 1936 or there
abouts, and will put many men to
work.
at the national meeting of science
teachers who are members of the
American Association for the Ad
vancement of Science.
Dr. Johnson has been asked to
serve on a committee of the Na
tional Council of Supervisors of
Elementary Science to study the
development of a National Council
of Science Teachers and will prer
sent a plan for such an organiza
tion of Science Teachers at the
American Association for the Ad
vancement of Science meeting in
Pittsburgh In December.
FACULTY WRITINGS
LISTED BY DOANE
Librarian Compiles Netc
Catalog for Ttco-Year
Period.
A University of Nebraska bulle
tin has been edited by Gilbert H.
Doane, librarian, which contains a
list of publications by members of
the faculty during the period from
July, 1931, to June, 1933. An ap
pendix lists graduate theses of the
university from July 1, 1931, to
Aug. 30, 1933.
Seventy-one departments of the
university are represented with
publications of faculty members
from each department.
As to the number of publications
in the various departments the
first ten appear thus: law, 69;
English, 58; industry and survey,
46; surgery, 44; geography, 35;
chemistry, 33; agricultural exten
sion service, 29; agronomy, 28;
physics, 24; philosophy and psy
chology, 24.
Rice OwL