TWO
THE DAILY NEBRASKAN
SUNDAY, FEBItUAKY 23, 1936.
Daily Nebraskan
, . , Station A, Lincoln, NebrMki.
1935 Member 1936
Associated Golle6icde Press
Thli paper It represented for Qenetal advertising by the
Nebraska Preai Auoclatlon.
Entered as second -class matter at the postofflce In
Lincoln, Nebraska, under act of congress, March 3, 1879,
and at special rate of postnne provided for In section
1103, act of October 3, 1917. authorized January 20, 1822.
THIRTY-FOURTH YEAR
Published Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and
Sunday mornings during the acadenilo year,
SUBSCRIPTION RATE
1.50 a year Single Copy 6 cents l 00 a semester
32.50 a year mailed 31.60 a semester mailed
Under direction of the Student Publication Board.
Editorial Off Ice University Hall 4.
Bunmess Off ice University Hall 4A.
Telephones-Day: B6801s Nlflht: B6882. B3333 (Journal).
Official student publication of the University of Nebraska
in Lincoln, Nebranka.
IRWIN RYAN EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
TRUMAN OBERNDORF BUSINESS MANAGER
EDITORIAL STAFF
MANAGING EDITORS
Georqe Plpal Arnold Levin
NEWS EDITORS
Johnston Snipes Dorothy Bentz
Jane Walcott Eleanor Clizbe Don Wagner
Society Editor Louise Magee
Women's Editor Regina Hunkins
BUSINESS STAFF
ASSISTANT BUSINESS MANAGERS
Bob Funk Bob Shellenberg Bob Wadhams
Circulation Manager Stanley Michael
The Banner
Of Fraternalism.
Uevenge is a sordid term. .Kevenge noted
into actuality is more sordid. Civilization ab
hors the thought of it. In courts of law since
nncionl times there lias been waged a constant
battle against such a niggardly prncti'"! as re
venge. Tn social relationships those are ostra
cized who follow its contemptible dictunis.
Yet under the present, banner of "hell week'"
colleges of today carry the word's despicable
nature forever onward.
Fraternities today have only bidden lie
week's true significance by euphemistic termi
nology. Continuation of hell week practices
is but the desire of some to atone for those in
flictions placed upon them when they were in
a position of disadvantage. Whether they call
. it "need of disciplining freshmen" or "need
of inculcating into the yearling a sense of their
insignificance in relative matters of worth"
the underlying cause is usually the same.
Were it a truth that fraternities need to
resort to these means in order 1o discipline
their freshmen in the right manner, then the
Nebraskan would think even less of fraterni
ties than it does now. That college students,
like stupid animals, cannot afford guidance
without use of the "whip," would be a shame
ful thing to admit. Continuation of hell week,
if not because of the motive attributed by the
Nebraskan, should then reflect so grotesquely
the uselessness of fraternities as to bring
about their abolishment. Hut this we hope is
not the case.
We hope that fraternities are not. suffer
ing from such illusions of grandeur as to ac
tually maintain that hell week performs a use
ful function. If so, maybe the trouble lies
within the intellect of the student. No, the
Nebraskan believes that these nssiuinitics car
ried on under the banner of hell week are for
the most part but wishes of individuals within
a fraternity to "put through the paces"
pledges that they might realize just how won
derfully stalwart were their predecessors.
Were it nothing else than tin; necessity of
leaching undergraduates the manners of good
taste and restraint, it should suffice for the
abolishment of hell week. Now the Nebraskan
realizes that replies will be made that hell
.week doesn't hurt the pledges, and that they
don't object too strenuously.
The NYbraskan believes it is Ihe actives,
because of their own obi use n ess, to whom we
should extend our sympathy. The Nebraskan
leaves the matter of physical injuries, so often
the topic, out of the discussion. Naturally, it
is only obvious that such are not wanted. The
quarrel is with those oblivions actives who are
totally unaware of the puerile tactics Ihcy in
sist upon pursuing. "We but suggest to them
that they do the obvious and "grow up," and
use some intelligence in shaping their own
habits of life. There is no one so disgusting as
an obnoxious, officious person suffering from
the hallucinations that by bulldozing someone
who ostensibly cannot raise a protest they are
the "apple of the fraternity's eye."
STUDENT PULSE
Brief, concise contributions pertinent to matter of
tudent life and the university are welcomed by this
department, under the usual restrictions ot sound
newspaper practice, which excludes all libelous matter
and personal attacks. Letters must ba signed, but
names will ba wlthneld from publication It so desired.
Frosh Want
IS'etv Deal.
TC THE EDITOR:
Incidental observation has disentombed
for me, and ninny others, a highly flagrant
shortcoming of the easily remediable methods
of instruction at this university. Many other
freshmen with whom 1 have come in contact,
who "came to Nebraska for knowledge," ex
press acquiescence with this view.
This execrable defect is Ihe indifference
and procrastinative laxity of the various pro
fessors. They apparently view eaeJi class ses
sion as another perfunctory matter and be
lieve that, a few bearded "jokes," a few smat
terings as to "what, f did wlmn J went to col
lege," and a few doubtfully pertinent phrases
awkwardly and tritely expressed will suffice
for the hour. Quite on the contrary, some
seem to elate themselves by hurling aromatic
ally flowery phrases of flamboyant claptrap at
the students. At any rate Ihe sessions are in
sipid, provocative, and a waste of our time
even if we must tenderly condole with our
mentors.
Let's see. Most; of us have anywhere from
twelve 1o sixteen hours of weekly lecture.
Twelve to sixteen hours, say; even a freshman
can put quite a few chapters "on ice" in that
length of time. Then Ihere are many who
cither work or participate in extra-curricular
activities, and they particularly depend upon
lectures as an expository means. They, or we,
uf.iuiy have time to study outside of class sev
eral hours and then waste lime in a classroom.
It is particularly imperative that to them the
lectures be commendably enlightening in char
acter. Why should we have to sit on cramp
ing, crude chairs and with a synthetic smile
on our gaunt and weary faces listen to irrele
vant or pedantic pratiugs as we vainly try to
get "an idea." We try to extract cream for
the essence but get only a small amount, of
"skimmed milk." And so I say that Ihe pro
fessors must awake and alone for this injus
tice or we should compel class atlciub'vce 1o
be optional. P. G- C.
CONTEMPORARY
COMMENT
Class Cuts.
Students at Amherst college, starting this
semester, are permitted by college authorities
to have unlimited cuts from classes. The new
ruling tosses into discard the HO year old pol
icy of the university of limited class cuts. It
also docs away with the ruling of giving high
ranking studeuts privileges of cutting classes
as is now in effect at Oklahoma A. and M.
Amherst's plan of allowing unlimited cuts
will be followed by other colleges all over the
nation and is in practice now at a few schools.
Adoption of such a plan all over the collegi
ate world is strictly in keeping with the mod
ernization the breaking away from the old
customs now going on at institutions of high
er learning all over the land, such as the Uni
versity of Chicago's system whereby students
i-an get college degrees by passing examina
tions as soon as they are judged capable of
taking them.
Amherst's plan is beautiful in theory but
will probably prove a failure in actual prac
tice. Authorities plan to give the unlimited
cut system a semester's trial.
Although almost every student who comes
to college knows that he is here to learn, there
is a very small number who study for the love
of learning. The great majority of the col
lege students, be they 1G or 211, have fo be
driven to get any work out of them. And if
it were not for the system of cuts, class at
tendance would fall until there would be no
use in a teacher coining to class. Out of a
class of .'10, it would be very rare if more than
two students could be found who attended the'
class because they voluntarily wanted to learn
what the course had to offer.
A. and Jr. has as good a system as any
school of which we know regarding cuts from
classes. Here juniors and seniors with a two
point average are privileged to attend classes
at their own option. This is as fair a rule as
any and it is much more apt to stand up over
the years than the unlimited cut or strict no
cut rules. The A. and M. system rewards stu
dents for making an effort. The Daily 0 'Collegian.
Vegetation Plays Important
Part in Soil Erosion Control
Botany Professors Explode
Belief That Degree of
Slope Major Factor.
The common belief that the
steepness of the slope la the most
Important factor affecting soli
erosion was exploded recently in a
bulletin by Dr. J. K. weaver, pro
fessor of plant ecology and Wil
liam C. Noll, assistant in botany.
They cite experimental evidence
to prove that the character of the
vegetative covering plays the larg
est part in the retention of surface
water and soil.
"The startling Jact that 400
years are needed to produce a
single inch of surface soil should
impress upon us the importance of
a comprehensive soil conservation
program today," th? authors write.
If we are to allay the fears of
slowly approaching starvation we
must act while there is yet time.
That 35 million acres of for
merly cultivated land have been
easentially ruined by erosion and
that an additional area of about
125 million acies have lost all or
most of the topsoil, with another
100 million acres of crop-land
heading in this direction, should
be sufficient evidence that the
problem is one of profound eco
nomic importance, write Dr.
Weaver and Mr. Noll.
Vegetation Aids Sail.
The authors point out that veg
etation as a product of the soil la
gencr'xMv n. derstood, but that soil
as a product of vegetation is not
so widely comprehended. This
phenomenon is explained as follows:
Vegetation accelerates weath
ering of rock into fine soil by ex
cretion of acids and mechanical
effects of roots. It supplies food
for myriads of microorganisms.
both plants and animals which live
for burrowing animals. By mak
ing and keeping the soil poroud
and adding humus, plants Increase
absorption and percolation of rain
water, thus preventing rapid re
moval of soil by runoff."
Conduct Field Tests.
Dr. Weaver and a group of ad
vanced students conducted nu
merous field tests for determining
water runoff and erosion near
Lincoln. They found that grass
land binds the soil more effec
tively than any other type of veg
etation. The grass tops break the
impact of the raindrops and the
extensive foliage loses large
amounts of water through trans
piration, frequently 30 to 40 tons
per acre a day in midsummer,
which results in decreased water
content of soil and consequently
increased power of absorption.
Fallen plant materials also form
small dams which hold the water
momentarily, thus promoting per
colation. "Every agency that destroys
the cover of vegetation, gives op
portunity for erosion in propor
tion to the completeness of the
destruction," according to the bul
letin. "Overgrazing is the worst
on unbroken land. More progres
sive engineers are bow coming to
realize that the proper place to
control runoff and erosion is at
the start and that check dams ar.d
debris bnsis are temporary de
vices.
Test Runoff.
A single rain of three inches
falling on a 10 degree slope on
silt loam soil near Lincoln result
ed in a runoff of 11 percent from
prairie, 51 percent from pasture,
and 72 percent from a pasture so
badly overgrazed that the ground
was bare. No erosion occurred in
prairie, 355 pounds per acre in the
good pasture, but nearly five tons
per acre of soil were lost from
within the soil, c.s well as food the badly overgrazed area.
WHITE TO CANGELL
Of the 436 traffic deaths in Los
Angeles in the first eleven months
of the past year, 58 percent of
them were pedestrians. Records
compiled by the Automobile Club
of Southern California state that
pedestrians were at fault in 72.4
percent of the pedestrians' deaths.
In 1934, 69.4 percent of the deaths
were cases in which the victims
were to blame, indicating that
carelessness on the part of the
walkers is increasing. Los An
geles Junior Collegian,
vlUIlI
llus'.cr Team to Meet South
Dakota Debaters This
Week on AAA.
Tryouts for debute, previously
announced to take place on Tues-
lav evenine. Feb. 25. will not be
held unless sufficient persons file
their intention to try-out by Mon
day morning. Feb. 24. according to
Prof. H. A. White, debate coach.
At least eieht ocrsons must leave
their names with the coach before
th.-it time and un to Thursdav eve
ning, Feb. 20, only five names had '
been filed.
The trv-outs were scheduled for
the mirnose of Eivinsr new men.
who are not now debating a chance
to participate in the activities of
fered by debate.
According to Prof. White there
will be no special trips or other
concessions for the men who are
chosen if a debate try-out is held,
but the men who aij chosen will
all be given a chance to debate
one or two times during the re
mainder of the school year.
During the next week Nebraska
debaters will engage teams from
the University of South Dakota, at
Vermillion, S. D., on Feb. 28 on the
subiect of "Resolved that the agri
cultural program based on the
AAA is deserving of public sup
port," and at Onawa, la., debaters
from the University of South Da
kota on Feb. 29.
March 6 and 7 Nebraska stu
dents will participate in the tour
nament at Iowa City. Nine other
schools will be represented in this
tournament.
PENNY CARNIVAL
SIDE SHOW PRIZE
GOES TO THETAS
(Continued from Page 1).
It Seems" and Delta Gamma tied
with a hammer and nail contest.
Third place was taken by Alpha
Omicron Pi's Laurel and Hardy
show.
Give Dutch Dance.
A floor show preceded the cup
presentation, with Marjorie Ban
nister, member of the Coed Coun
selor board, acting as mistress of
ceremonies. As a part of the
program, Terry York sang, ac
companied by Ruth Mary . Jen
nings. Playing on two clarinets,
accompanied by Howard Agee on
the piano, Craig Spencer stopped
the show. Under the direction of
Lois Rathburn, the Coed Counsel
ors' tap dancing hobby group gave
a Dutch dance.
Winner of the contest for guess
ing the correct number of beans
displayed in a jar on a table in
Social Science building, during the
advance ticket sale, was Henry
Remington, who come within 620
beans of guessing the correct
number, 5,171. Charles Reilly,
Ralph Heed, John Campbell, and
Betty Hillyer had all guessed
more nearlv the numher hut in
j their absence the prize was prc-
scmeu co Kemington.
Other booths at the carnival
were. Silhouettes, Alpha Chi Ome
ga; fortune telling, Alpha Xi Del
ta; doughnut stand, Barb A. W.
S. league; haunted house, Chi
Omega, shooting gallery, Delta
Delta Delta; horse racing, Phi
Mu: Poneve. Sle-ma Delta Tmr
campua personalities, Wilson and
Howard hall; and Bingo, Palla
. dian.
j Three Engineers
(Jet Employment
(JE Laboratories
Jobs were awarded to three men
out of fifty interviewed last week
by M. M. Earing, General Electric
Co. representative, according to
Prof. J. W. Hancy, chairman of
mechanical engineering depart
ment. The newly hired men are
Pete Jensen and H. E. Anderson,
mechanical engineers, and Ted W.
Schroeder. electrical engineer
"Mr. Boring is visiting 118 col
leges, anr expects to select about
120 men," stated Prof. Haney.
"The fact that Nebraska will con
tribute three of these, is a con
siderable tribute to the students of
the engineering college and their
training."
All three men are outstanding in
engineering campus affairs.
Schroeder is president of engineer
executive board. Jensen heads Sig
ma Tau, national engineer honor
ary. Thse men will start work this
summer at the General Electric
laboratories in Schenectady, N. Y.
West Coast Paper Keviews
Book by a Nebraskan
A review of "Fightery Dick and
Other Poems" by Prof. Derriek
Lehmer, former university slu
dent, appears in the San Francis
co Chronicle. Dr. Louise Pound
has received a copy of the recent
ly published book.