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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 7, 1937)
. J .TWO THE DAILY NEBRASKAN SUNDAY, FEBKUAIIY 7, 19.17. Foreign Guests Recount Visits At Universities Traveling Scholars View American Students as Ambitious Lot. Vilitur'n nutr: Knlliiw n urr rxwrpts from nil lirtMr t-ntitlid "InniH-cntu Uirimil." wrlllrn by Muni Urn mid John Ahvuii'liT. twii Aiintrnlliiii HtuilrnlB, whit hnvr jiiHl roiniilrli'it tmir nf llir I'nltrd Miilin, iliirlm which Ihi'y vlltrd rollm-n unci llnlviTaltim In rvrry wctlnll of thr roiuilrv. The arflrlr from whlrh thr f"l IoIiik rrrrils rc tnkrn, lrlnt'l In till- Jiinililry lllr ill "Thr Inti-rrollritlun mill Inr HHrtfuiM." In I ho nrtlilr thr million, nhilr InrldriitR of Ihrlr lour nnd rmp:irp Amrrlriui iinlvrmlllr with those of I. renin tii'.tiiiiiM.) From simmcr in California to winter in New York, passing a varlgated "fall" in the middle west; from slow speaking Texas to French-speaking Montreal such was the geographical range of the depleted V. S. C. F. "team" that visited the universities and colleges after the Pacific Area Conference. Socially our contacts ranged from kindergarten classes in grade schools to faculty gatherings; starting with a "significant" (blessed word l conference we fin ished (or, more literally, were fin ished with l a stupendous Thanks giving dinner. And in these three gloriously full months we certainly met "the swellest bunch of folks." Vast Number Students. Such a visit as ours brought home to us the immensity of the American S. C. M. as well as its amazing complexity. It makes an Australian laugh heartily when he finds for example on the first campus he visits twice as many students as there were in the whole of his owncontinent. But we grew accustomed to being in the "world's largest S. C. M." after we had seen the world's largest elephant skeleton, read the world's largest "funny" supplement, dined at the world's residential girls' school (we found there were two of these in the country, and chewed the world's largest one-cent stick of gum. The fact that there are nearly a million university students in America almost as many as in all other countries put together has tremendous implications for the part the American movement has to play in the W. S. C. F. and ther world enterprises. . . ... In spite of all this variety and size we found a surprising oneness of purpose and a real sense of unity though we had a feeling that the Pacific Coast was not as well coordinated with the whole as most other regions. "Dynamic" Personality. Motion, Action, Doing these are found everywhere. The motto of the American students seems to be "Let's go, gang." In all, we spoke to about 10,000 students and col lectively they left the impression having enough energy to push this old globe in any direction they chose. And at a football game! They are yelling dynamos. It's the "dynamic" personality that counts in this country. This vitality is warm and full blooded. It ex presses itself in a hospitality so generous as to be overwhelming. Cheerful American Outlook. . . . On the whole, the American student U free from the fears, the strains, the stunning confusion that Kuropean students face. This gives him a cheerful, selfconfident outlook (frequently, however, tem pered by a number of inward doubts l, a surcness about the se curity of the future that is ex ceedingly refreshing though aften too naive to stand against broader visions. The dark clouds on the other aide of both the Atlantic and Pacific oceans and the sinister shadows that checker this coun try itself, have not cast a gloom over his living. The result is an optimism that is almost boyish, an immaturity that is in danger of bring superficial. The founda tions of this optimism need under girding with much more than ma terial well-being and national "sit ting pretty." Dark realities must be faced, in order that the im movable foundations faith in the ultimate dependability at the heart of the universe may be created. The much talked of de pression washed at the sands of this soft foundation and produced a degree of self-criticism, of doubt in the soundness of things that is surprising to a visitor; but every . where in university control; in newspapers; in war preparations there are signs of a far greater flood coming and there is as great a need for a spiritual flood con trol program as for a topographi cal one. This prophetic note is not ringing at all clearly in the pro grams of many of the S. C. M.'s, though it sounds out constantly from fthe natonal leadership of the movement. It is needed as a cor rective to the remarkably pene trating "Hollywood psychology" which even among university stu dents regards publicity as the summum bonum of life. This gilded prize, however transeient, gleams as a genuine Holy Grail for thousands of students and to gether with its counterpart measurement in quantitative terms is a persistent temptation even to planners of "Y" programs. Practicality of Curricula. One of the most noticeable things about the American uni versity system is of course its es sential practicality. It is healthy and refreshing to see how thoroly well adapted to the needs of the country it is. Courses in flour milling, in dairy products, in hotel administration these would hor rify an English educator. But America is never frightened of be ing different and educationally there has been a big departure from the traditions of the little country that broke away from the United States in 1776 as we learned to define England while we were in Philadelphia. But again, this virtue can be carried too far and mav lead to a neglect of the broader horizons. It often tends to spread education very thinly, so that a student may contend, for example, he knows French when he can say Chevrolet coupe as I've heard it put. Learn U. S. Customs. And so having learned that traf fic runs down the wrong side of the road everywhere but in Amer ica, having got used to handling neckles and dimes and "bucks," having learned what skillets and biscuits and candies are, having traveled thousands of miles by bus, train and car without a single trouble to speak of, having learned the correct pronunciation of alu minum and corollary and sched ule, having learned that even an American can be humble, having charged thru the middle of a pres idential campaign, having learned more about our own countries than we ever knew before, having devoured delicious salads and drunk gallons of fruit juices, learned to carry "cokes" like gen tlemen and sampled ice cream sodas in about 15 different states, having seen Niagara and viewed New York from the top of the Empire State building, having fallen in love until 70 times 7 (and necessarily out again), hav ing plodded thru snow and been invited to take off our coats and suspenders (don't worry, you Aus tralians, this does not mean your "garters") in the blazing sun, and having been asked innumerable times about Mahatma Gandhi, and often "Where did you learn to speak English?" in short, having had a hotcha time, having been "routed thru a great setup" and seen more "world's largest" than we believed existed we say "Farewell America" and more and still more power to you. May you continue to be the stronghold of democracy, the mother of the nations, the con stant inspiration for a great world enterprise, the greatest contribu tor to the world Christian com munity. SIGMA TAU MEMBER TO ADDRESS AG ENGINEERS Petersen to Develop Topic On Concrete Tests at Meeting Tuesday. George Petersen, senior in the engineering college, will talk on the subject of "The Testing of Con crete" at a regular meeting of the American Society of Agricultural Engineers, Tuesday evening, Feb. 9, at Ag engineering building. Petersen, who is a member of Sigma Tau, honorary engineering fratrnity, and A. S. A. E., will get his degree in agricultural engi neering in February, 1938. He has been working in the material test ing laboratory in the University of Nebraska for the past three years. With the increased use of con crete the testing process has be come very important. Anyone who is interested in this field should take advantage of the opportunity to hear this talk. 'vt75it-''?hx:,-! Mm- ........ " ' J :;:vt..'.. JhsL JkonL (pOjCfJL Arnold Levin .j" :.:m i.i75 w d I. Oev .; PLANS calling for $5,011,000,000 expenditure on flood control and public works were President Roosevelt's pro-season valentines to members of congress. The two houses in Washington seemed, on the surface, receptive enough. The senate paused in its consideration of the 5100 million dollar deficiency bill, from which it is planned to fi nance emergency flood relief needs, to hear the president's mes sage, which entailed plans for the prevention of future floods and a shot in the arm for industry in fu ture depressions. The public works part of the program calls for gradually in creasing expenditures over a six year period, until over 10,000 spe cific projects are completed. Which puts the nation two years ahead of the end of the next Roosevelt re gime, if the scheme goes into ef i'ect. Dan Dunn, the comic strip de tective hero, draws the same moral from each case solved "Crime Does Not Pay." Yesterday a 20 year old farm youth learned the true meaning of that ethically drawn war cry ol the comic's ace crime solvers. Under severe police grilling, Robert Kenyon broke down and confessed that he had lured Dr. J. C. B. Davis, prominent Willow Springs, Mo., physician to his death on a false call. Ransom was the goal, but the electric chair, say Missouri authorities, shall be the end. A bill has been introduced in the Maine legislature seeking to change the date of the state election from September to No vember, removing the state from its "weather vane" role in na tional elections. Evidently the state has lost faith since last November. A 12 year old wife was sepa rated from her 19 year old hus band and placed in temporary cus tody of a children's agent in Wat ertown, N. Y. In Kentucky, a 22 year old husband gave his 9 year old wife a doll for a wedding pres ent and boarded up his mountain shack against a throng of curious visitors. In both states the legis latures began preparations for badly needed laws against child marriage. However, to all of you who "ooh" and "ah" at such re ports, don't forget that Juliet, of the famous Romeo and Juliet com bination, was but 13. Shirley Temple-Freddie Bar tholomew sounds like a nice child's romance, but try to put the two names together in Hol lywood! The two studios who are respective owners of the two actor's contracts went into tan trums when a publicity picture showing the two together was planned. The feud was carried over to the respective families, the lad's relatives claiming that "that little Temple girl" snubbed their Freddie, and Miss Temple's family pointing smugly to a first place for their Shirley in box office appeal as adequate reason why she couldn't appear in publicity photographs with any other child star. Too bad they had to get piactical about it all it seemed like such a nice affair when we started dut. Mhs Pound Reviews Craigie Dictionary for American Literature Miss Louise Pound of the Eng lish department has a review of the first part of the monumental new "Dictionary of American Eng lish on Historical Principles," in the January, 1937, issue of the pe riodical, "American Literature." The dictionary was edited by Sir William Craigie. Miss Pound returned early lost week from Washington, D. C, where she attended the meetings of the Fellowship Award Commit tee of the American Association of University Women. Si - TANKSTERETTES SET FEB. 13 AS DATE FOR SEf Women Interested in Offer Asked to Sign Names At Armory. Tryouts for membership in Tunksi r.t tos irlrls' swimming or ganization, will be held Saturday, February 13, at i;30. inose in terested should nlace their names on the bulletin board at Grant Memorial or on the bulletin board at the pool. Contestants must come eniiinneri with bathinir shoes, cap. and swimming permit. The latter may be obtained at the university health office. Selection is based on form, speed and endurance. To com plete form requirements, the ap plicant must he able to execute five strokes -front iCiawl, back crawl, side, elementary back, and breast. Speed requirements are based on the performance of front crawl, back crawl, and breast strokes, and endurance require ments are that the applicant swim twelve lengths of the pool in ten minutes. Telegraphic Meet Slated. Work is progressing toward the National Telegraphic Swim meet to be held some time between March 15 and April 15. Anyone interested who has not registered is asked to do so immediately so that the requirement of eight half hour practices may be fulfilled. To be eligible for entrance in the meet applicants must have car ried twelve hours in good standing the previous semester and must now be registered as an under graduate student. Free hours open to practice are 4:00 o'clock Mon day, Wednesday and Friday; 7:30 8:30 Monday, and 1:30-3:00 Sat urday. A meeting for all regular mem bers of Tanksterettes and those in terested in the telegraphic meet has beecn set for Thursday, Fb. 11, at 7:00 in Grant Memorial, room 101. OFFICERS TEA DANCE Mary Yoder Presides at First Meeting of 1937 Group. Election of officers for the uni versity R. O. T. C. sponsors or ganization was held at the initial meeting of the group on Thursday afternoon, Feb. 4 at 5 o'clock in Ellen Smith hall. Mary Yoder, Honorary Colonel of 1936, will automatically serve as president of the group for this year and Marian Rolland, regi mental sponsor, will fill the office of vice-president. In the election held Jane Sawyer was named to assume the duties of secretary. Pat Scott will serve as scrapbook chairman for the ensuing term and Helen Pascoe will handle the pub licity for the organization. As an additional feature of the meeting. Miss Yoder read the con stitution of the organization, em phasizing the provision that two absences automatically drop a girl from membership in the spon sors group. A meeting to discuss plans for a sponsors tea dance to be given in the near future will be held on Wednesday afternoon at 5 o'clock in Ellen Smith hall, Miss Yoder announced. Trojan Pole Vaulter Exhibits Finesse in Freshman Track Try Robert Short, sophomore, who spent his freshman year at Southern California university, has joined the rank of pole vaulters on Coach Henry Schult's track team. Graduating from Nor folk high school in 1934, Short sought warm climes in which to practice his catapulting art, and enrolled at the California institu tion, where he received his track training. He has polevaulted 12 feet 2 inches several times. Due to the ruling that he must spend one year here before being eligible for the varsity squad, Short will take part in the tri-color meet this Monday. foiui&sdloh'A. The Higher Vantage Point By Rev. F. I-. Rodenbeck, Pastor of St. Paul's Evang. Church "Lead me to the rock that Is higher than I." Psalm 61:2. We can find a refuge only in something bigger than ourselves. We can only look up to something that is higher than we are. Our life shrinks when we do not look to things higher than ourselves. We must have room to grow or we shall become smaller. Even our reading must be a rock higher than we. Then our eyes can be lifted in aspiration, discovery and wonder. This principle applies to our re ligion especially, but the danger is that, often in our practical think ing we level our conception of God to our own stature. Then God be comes one, who is not worshipped when not looked up to in trust. There is no adoration, no wonder. We speak to Him without much thought about what we have to fay. We read His word casually or ignore it. Then we do not listen and if we do, we obey so indiffer ently. There can be no real depth to life, no breadth of meaning without vision. We need "The Rock that is high er," in order to have a larger vi sion. We are so apt to get lost in details that we lose the sense of the whole. The immediate prob lems loom so' large that we lose sight of the goal. The present dif ficulty blots out the possible solu tion and outcome. We need to look upon life from a higher point of view. We want the Rock that is higher and that Rock is Christ. From the vantage point of His out look on life we see all of life in its larger meaning. When the power of the heights comes upon us we are drawn away from the littleness of life, from narrow outlook and from absorp tion in self to tne wider ruller view of life and acceptance of our place in the great plan of God. WEATHERLY TO TALK ON FUNCTION OF UNIVERSITY Lincoln Minister to Preach On Place of College In Community. "The Function of a University" is the subject of the sermon to be given by Dr. A. L. Weatherly, minister of the Unitarian church at 12th and H sts., at 11 o'clock this morning. "The function of a university is to serve as a community agency in the search for truth," re marked Dr. Weatherly in refer ence to his topic. "And the uni versity exists not merely for tha search for truth, but for the ap plication of truth to human wel fare," he continued, "and there Is dynamite in this statement if it is rightly interpreted." Rev. Weatherly also intimated further that he intended to indict superfluities of a university such as athletics, military drill, and certain training courses that should be relegated to trade schools. Y. M. ELECTION DATE SET AS FEBKUAIIY 8 Election of officers of the cam pus Y. M. C. A. has been set for Monday, February 8. Members will cast their votes at the chapter rooms in the Temple during the hours of 9:15 to 12:00 and 1:20 to 5:00 p. m. Nominees chosen by the com mittee on nominations are presi dent, Dpn Williams; vice president, John Steinhaus; secretary, Erie Constable and Bob Roland. Vetera are privileged to insert the name of any candidate desired for the office who was not selected by the committee. F. Ugai, Frosh Fouthaller Kelurns lo University Fred Ugai, all state lineman in 1934 from North Platte and a member of the '35 frosh squad here, returned to school this se mester. He intends to go out for the varsity eleven during spring drills, and will try out for a guard post. While under the tutelage of Ed Weir, frosh coach, before leaving school, Fred showed signs of be coming a lineman of much ability. After nearly a two year respite, the North Platte luminary is ready for all gridiror playing that may come his way. ,