Page 2 THE NEBRASKAN Wednesday, May 12, 1954 EDITORIAL PAGE Time For H Change The "Letterip" column of The Nebraskan for Monday carried a note pointing out some irregularities in the procedure used during the fraternity Ivy Day Sing competitor To day's letters-to-the-editor column carries a reply to the charges of irregularities, which gives the reasons and makes several sug gestions. Several things seem to have come out of the entire situation that are well-worth con sideration by all fraternities that take part in the annual competition. First, the individual responsible for the errors, irregularities or what you will, did not have an ulterior motive or err with a purpose. In his reply, he noted that 4ie wanted to have one of the best Ivy Day Sings possible, and did what he thought right in achieving that end. The Nebraskan does not feel that he can be charged with mishandling Snarf The little professor seen either smiling toothily or snarling nastily at poor abused students in the famous Bibler cartoons will at last become personified at the University, Listed as a faculty popularity contest, stu dents will nominate and vote for the pro fessor who supposedly fits the description end attitude of the Bibler pedagogue. Of course stipulations have been made that the instructors nominated must give their con sent to run for the title. As yet no report of a professor either be ing nominated or refusing a nomination has been received however it is expected that some faculty members will disapprove ' of course! For a clarification of qualifications this poem has been composed: S is for his sickening tests, N for nines we never get, A for assignments, always short, R for his 80-page book report. F for flunks on our grade sheet. And add an F for a "simple" exam week. Put them together and they will spell, The professor we'd like most to see in the winning place of the Professor Snarf con test. J.B. The Mob Giggling girls and bellowing boys had a little party on 16th Street Monday night It was all in childish fun. Oh, a few screens were broken, a little furniture soaked and some people got roughed up a bit but it was nothing, really. It was nothing but a mob. Whether very serious damage was averted because the mob lacked leadership, or because it lacked followers is a topic being discussed. It Is, at best, of little importance. The matter of Importance is that, for the second time in three years, the University produced a mob. Thinkinr persons who saw both Monday Meat's action and that of three springs ago, realized that any mob is a potential danger. That this year's fracas quieted into a street dance it fortunate. That it remained in es sense a body of unthinking, yelling persons who had lost all Individuality in group action is nnthinkably bad. Mob action has no place In an atmosphere cf intelligence. Mobs govern in totalitarian regimes in which all appeals are made to the emotions Instead of. to the mind. The screaming hoard of soldiers which finally swamped Dien Bien Phu was an uncontrollable moban unthink ing mass of humanity. The Germans rallied to the support of Hitler were parts of a mob they did not reason, they acted. Monday night's small riot has been easily explained as the effects of no spring weather until recently and the Imminent close of school. This is partly true. After being kept indoors for an unusually long time, tempers become 6hort and any effort to do the right thing is Just that an effort Any relief from this realization' that finals are lmost here and that books must be "hit" Is welcome. Something is wrong with a school, how ever, which produce students who leap at the chance to forget that they are supposed ie be able to think. Something is wrong when the accepted release of energy and tension is in a riot mob action. Perhaps those who govern the women of this school should wonder if the reason their charges often Join enthusiastically in pro ceedings like those of Monday night is be cause they feel as if they are behind prison walls. Perhaps those who govern the men should wonder if a method of fostering self discipline can be found. Perhaps all those In charge of administering students should 're-evaluate their programs in the light of the small riot. And perhaps students who participated in the disgraceful display should ask themselves why they allowed themselves to become mere sheep without minds following the unthinking herd and becoming, sot indl Tidoa.lt with minds, bat parte of a mob. S.H. the affair, and does not feel that he deliber ately "changed the ground rules" to fit the .wishes of any particular group at the expense of another group. Second, the charges and the answers to them point up a situation that is not Being handled in the right way. In an event where competition is keen, with definite rules and regulations governing the competition, it is necessary to have the rules and regulations administered and enforced by more than, a single individual. Though committees and special groups are a horror to many persons who want to get things done, they are neces sary if the rules are to be enforced without partiality or kick-backs by groups who have detected faults or errors in administering them. As it stands now, the Ivy Day Sing for fraternities is almost entirely under the man agement or direction of a single individual. This person is pressured by groups and other individuals to make , "minor exceptions." Often when exceptions are made, with re sults unfavorable to other groups, the one person making the final decision comes in for some sharp criticism that is not entirely due him. The Monday "Letterip" included several suggestions, all of which seem to have merit in making certain that a similar complaint will not need to be made next year. One suggestion was: "The number of chorus members total no more than 25.",. The reason for making this suggestion is obvious. This number would allow all fraternities to have equal representation in the sing, if they desire it. All fraternities on the campus have at least enough members to supply this number and the larger houses are prevented from making the smaller groups look silly simply by weight of numbers. The last suggestion reads: "That the only fraternities that are eligible to sing as a com petitive group will be those which are mem bers of the Interfratemity Council." Perhaps this ruling would discriminate against several groups without good reason, but it would cer tainly make an end to complaints similar to the one this year. The Nebraskan feels that another ruling be made to the effect that a committee, not a single individual, should be charged with the responsibility of handling the Fraternity Ivy Day Sing. This committee would formulate and enforce the rules to apply to the sing. This group would have absolute authority over the organizations taking part in the com petition. If the rules are set up to be enforced by a group and not an individual, it removes one of the weak points in managing the Sing that has cropped up each year. To this date the enforcement has been on a strictly per sonal basis, leaving a situation which makes the person in charge in the position of a stickler or a rule-book reader when he en forced them. With the committee, enforcement would be placed on an impersonal basis, a much superior situation. T.W. Margin Notes Ticket Dodger A citizen of Petersburg, Virginia, recently parked in a no-parking zone and conse quently posed a rather unusual problem for the police. The fellow parked his car, a 1902 model, in a congested traffic area and returned to find a crowd inspecting the 52-year-old auto. A policeman was nearby, with his little ticket book in hand. The policeman, however, was a little hesitant about writing out a ticket, although the car was obviously violating the no-parking rule. Virginia law says that a ticket must be attached to a car's windshield. The antique auto doesn't have one. Surprise Package! The Oklahoma farm couple who found a mysterious box, tightly sealed, near a creek on their property got the surprise of their lives when they saw its contents. The small wooden coffin, measuring three feet long and two feet wide, was covered with a spray of artificial flowers. An in scription read: "Our baby Agnes, killed by a truck Feb. 5, 1952." Inside lay the remains of a dog. Changed Sign Brother, cross over the line! These were probably the sentiments of a Richmond, Va., minister when he lamented drop In church attendance. Virginia highway signs said before a barrage of such complaints: "Do not cross solid line when on your side." They . are being replaced with new ones which read "Do not pass when solid line on your side." The church in question is located on a curve. The Student Forum WelL did you see that silly ad I put in yesterday's newspaper for a roommate?" The Challenge Training Of Minds Called Country's Biggest Task By H. O. THUESEN (Professor Thnesen Is head of th School of Industrial KntlnMrlng al Oklahoma AAM. This article was mailed lo The Nebraska by him afler the student paper (here re primed an atrlcle written br Bert Bishop.) We cannot lift ourselves by our bootstraps no matter how strong our muscles are. But it has been demonstrated again and again that individuals, states, and nations can do so with their minds. From its Inception, the United States recognized the potency of learning In reaching economic and cultural objectives. The people of the United States put their faith in Intelligence and as a conse quence enjoy a higher standard of living, greater military security, and generally a higher cultural level than the people of any other land. To prosper, a community must take full advantage of its best in tellects. One intellect like Edisons' was sufficient to begin the develop ment of the electric light which makes life more pleasant for all of us. Relatively few but certainly keen minds developed the internal combustion engine which makes our tractors and automobiles run, thus making our tasks lighter and -increasing our pleasures. Intelligence is the backbone of military survival in a hostile world. Survival power lies not in numbers of men but in the in genuity of the armanment which we can supply. The wonderful music we are pri vileged to hear over the radio, the pageantry that comes to us via television, the art that comes to us in four-color printing, and the news of the printed page which enhances our cultural life are products of superlative thinking. It is interesting to note that the general well-being of the people in a nation and even sections of a nation parallels the investment the j people make in developing mental growth. Where the emphasis upon education is high, the standard of living is high. Where education is starved, one finds starving popu lations. The nations that have used education to lift themselves by their bootstraps have easily done so. The power of education to im prove the- cultural and economic well-being of people is the essence of the Point Four program. Even a little enlightenment in a back-. ward country can work wonders. Education is not provided by a generous state In order to indulge its youth but as an investment In its mental resources as a means of lifting its citizens all . of its citizens by their bootstraps toward a better and fuller life. If we properly develop our men tal resources, there appears to be no limit to the things we may have good health, good food, good homes, good cars, and good roads upon which to run them. Neglect the development of our mental re- flFTT-TBXSD TEAR Member: Associated Collegiate Press Advertising representative: National Advertising Service, Ine. (20 Madison Ave New York 17, New fork ft la pn artel ot the atatmtj at th EDITOlUsX VthJTT tJafrraratrs at Mebraaha M aa erproaeie of aludin' Editor Ballr flail " -Ptaton. eats, aaeardtn. pa 0.1-ttete U at tea tutorial rf Editor Tarn Woodward .y-w TOrlf student puhliratlon ana adtalnlebrnd Manning Bdttet Ja. Zurtom y M fcoard at Puft!tiwM, -It la the declared poller at row oarnaoa t fre from, edttormj eeoaonMo pa the part al M toP' J J"- tfeUmau, Ssoar. or an to pa at aa nosnhar a th fauJt? of ,. Mariana Hansen, ra Harvey tmfwwjr feat ttie awwtoer of the staff at Tfea SHJSrV.'.L. .....Mam tttanea eSrawkaa am evstsoaaily reapoeelble ar trtart tat aw Lanor Omn rntodsea a 4 nr nnias, ta a nrWised " alCPORTEKS Boaarhr Ooewo, Harriot Rnee. Luctrree Swttaar, Jack ribwiTtptMa) rata tn I) l wmmr, r M Ballad, at Fraimaen. tviltlamett Deeeh, Barbara Elcke. Marela i-S to th eoMeca aw, C4 osaUed. Start aep la five Mlciwlaon, Sam naa, Barbara Clark, Granny Warren, . rablftbd tm Taeada. Wadneaday aad Krmer Harold ttoeeUue, Rata kJatnert, Burton Mann, Lowell M-S" th aatMMl rear, eaeept eaeatloe aad enaniutttou Vestal, Ralph Nickel, Brora Mlnfeer. John Terrlll. Elm ato4a. On teeee asbiiabed d urine th tnanta at . Ran, Herman Anderson, Clark Glbba, Brae Brnfinann, yaau by U ioJTersltj Nebraska andar ta Sandra, Carraa. mmrvU at th ("mtnttittna at Student PabHcafteas. BUSINESS STATS f,w)J aa ew.r.od etaoa arnttsr at to Post Office at Bnalneaa Manare? Stan ftlppi l,ffMn. Nebiwuistn, nmier act at tiencnwe, Marah t, aVaa't Baatnaw ilanafer Chat Sinter, Ooran Jaeobe, I af4 at anaelal rat at aeatact provided for ia ttaott Chile tteettsaj .! Cousiwia f Met. 8, 1911, authorises Clwitati.m Manacar Hon lime HUM JXewrn..... ..Grace Barrey ,A sources for even one generation and our health, our food, our homes, cars, and highways will certainly deteriorate. Communities that cultivate their mental re sources can have their cake and eat it too. . There are many instances in his tory of nations that have reached a high level of enlightenment only to suffer a rapid decline to abject poverty because of failure to keep the light of learning burning brightly. Most people in the United States are aware of our dependence for not only our well-being, but also for survival itself, upon the education of our mental resources, a Nevertheless, there is a small minority which either through per versity or ignorance scoffs at ed ucation. Such people derisively re fer to our most capable scientists as "long hairs" or worse, even though they share generously in the fruits of the scientist's intellec tual labor. Consider the simple task of digging ditches. Not many years ago, many laborers were en gaged in this arduous task at low wages. But, now, because of the scient ist's and the engineer's Inventions and developments, most ditches are dug by men who tide machines and receive much higher wages but yet dig ditches at lower cost per foot. Similarly, hybrid strains of corn, developed originally by a handful of genteticists, perhaps even "long haired" geneticists, have increased the earnings of untold numbers of corn growers who now can grow nearly twice as much per acre as could be grown a quarter of a cen tury ago. Any community's greatest ftrset is its youth. Each generation lies for the generation that follows. Our aspirations are in our children. Wherever we have failed we hope our children will succeed. What ever society is to be must be ac complished through industry, intel ligence and aspirations of the young men and women and the bovs and girls of today. this Is a fruitful responsibility. It is cur privilege to prepare our youth to the best of ouj ability. For their greatest success and ours, their potentialities must be most fully developed. Society suf fers no greater loss than when its youth is handicapped in body, mind, and ideals through the ne glect of their forbears. Since youth is our greatest re source, the most capable members of our generation should be charged with preparing them for the world that will soon be theirs. We should follow the sound prac tice of the good husbandman who saves the best of each year's crop for next year's seed. Similarly, society should dedicate its most capable members to the task of preparing this generation's youth for tomorrow's responsibilities. From The Tar Heel Trials And Tribulations Of One Blood Donor Told (This article, written br Chuck Rauarr. appeared on the editorial pare ef the North Carolina student newspaper. Tn Dally Tar Heel. For those student whs remember their blood donor daya (be fore the campus Bed Cross fare up the Idea this year It will brln( back a familiar, very important taak.) a THE FASTEST red tape rou tine I ever saw. The Blood Bank in Graham Memorial that is. I stepped up to the desk in the north end of the lobby and gave my name. That was easy enough, I thought. The next step was the kitchen. A little harder. Name, address, age, etc., carefully printed on a white card by a Gray Lady. Then the signature, a a a AH HA! Now you're hooked! Getting a little weak in the knees as I received memories of xough handed Army medics, I wobbled into the Williams-Wolfe lounge and sank into one of the new pseudo-seats for TV-watching. A nurse with a thermometer and a motherly air stepped up and popped it into ray mouth. The thermometer, that is, I RELAXED. Maybe I've got a fever. Where there's life there could be disease. The nurse took the thermometer, checked it and recorded my temperature on the card. Must be OK. Getting shakier by the moment, I had my blood pressure and my weight checked, and beaded for the rough spot in the gauntlet the blood tester. A gentlemanly old fellow, ap parently a doctor, asked me a series of question about whether I had a history of tuberculosis, Where Are We? By BERT BISHOP There is no need to welcome our new chancellor. He will receive more welcomes than he can deal with handily anyway. It might do to ask a few questions of him, or at least of those who will study undfr his supervision, remote as it may be. The University Is thriving, as a whole. But there is one area which is slowly dying, slowly becoming Inept and stagnant. What can be done about the mould In the hu manities? The only department in this area of our1 institution which seems still to be healthy is the history de partment. The classics are pushed into a remote corner of Andrews Hall. The only reason the English department is still superficially, fecund is the freshman English re quirement. Comparable decay has invaded almost all others of the so called liberal arts, to the point where they would dry up from lack of interest were it not for specific requirements for a de- gree. a a a Many say that this university has stagnated in the humanities because of tenure, because men who once were alive and vibrantly interested in their fields have held on until they now do nothing but repeat themselves. Some say that the humanities are dying all over the nation and that fie are not alone here. Some assert that there is deliberate war waged by the technical fields against the liberal arts because technicians are inter ested in efficiency and they believe the humanities are a waste of time. a a a Whatever the reason may be, the result is that those fields which once made up the heart of formal education are now in danger of existing only as curios. It is not in the slightest good riddance. yellow jaundice or hoof and mouth disease. I was rattling off no's as he rattled off maladies when, wham! he cracked down on my finger with a wicked hunk of razor blade, thanked me, and told me to go downstairs, a a "WArT!" the doctor suddenly yelled. "You have a fever!" I breathed a sign of relief. He had just noticed the temperature list ed on my card. It was 100. I never felt better in my life, but I wasn't going to admit it to him. A new thermometer was stuck in my mouth. It came out reading 69. "Can't give, huh?" I ventured hopefully. "That's normal enough," the doctor said. "Different people carry slighJy different tempera tures. You're elected. Go down stairs." a a a DOWNSTAIRS I got a bottle and answered some more ques tion. A pert young Ngurse's aide with a delightful bedside man ner helped me down on a hospital .table in the Rendezvous Room, a gentle nurse slipped a ridiculously gentle needle in my arm, and I was off to the races. Why, this isn't so bad after all! A few minutes later I was on my feet slppinr orantre Juice and munching a donut in the com mandeered game room. I thanked the Gray Ladles for the chow down, and sauntered back up to my typewriter, where I went to work with a renewed vigor and an overpowering sense of Inflated patriotism. There is enough acting in the world against the nobility of man with out annihilation of those things which reassert it. But what can be done? One high official has said, "We are go ing to put the College of Arts and Sciences on the map." What this .platitude Implies is no remedy it is another blow against the hu manlties. We need no neon signs or advertising campaigns what we need Is a concerted drive to obtain men of stature. If our own men are stale, then perhaps a little honest competi tion in their own institution will re. fresh them. If the humanities are dying, perhaps our encouragement to them will be their salvation. If there is a war waging against them, we, here, need as many men of ability and substance in high places as we can obtain. AH this cannot be done in the name of putting ourselves on the map. It must be done because there are hundreds of good stu dents each year who become discouraged in the foul air of our version of liberal arts and turn to the more practical fields. There is no possible reason for academic fame. There is a need to save youn? people who would commit themselves utterly to lit. erature, philosophy, and learn, ing In the broadest sense, if they could find something here worth such a dedication. There is nothing so discouraging as passivity and resignation on the part of those whose job it is to in spire and instill interest. No young man or woman can be excited by a monotone treatment of Browning in this day of flashy business and scientific achievement. They don't dare plead that learning is unim portant or, worse, that it is futile they know better. All they need to say is, "I won't break my back for pedantry alone." From Iowa State How To Stay In College Suggestions Presented (This article la ' repriated treat the edi tnrlel peres of th Iowa Slate aradeat aews paper. The Coihnte Kye. The material was take from aa ACP ara release of as Krstiom made by Robert Trsoa of the Hunter collece (New York) department of parcholoar and philosophy!. 1. Bring the professor news paper clippings dealing with his subject. Demonstrate feeling in terest and give him timely items to mention in class. If you can't find clippings dealing with his subject, bring in any . clippings at random. He thinks everything deals with his subject 2. Look alert. Take notes Eag erly. If you look at your watch, don't stare at it unbelieving and shake It. a 3. Nod frequently and mur mur, "How true!" Te you this seems exaggerated; to him it's quite objective. a 4. Sit in front, near him. (Ap plies only if you intend to stay awake.) If you're going to all the trouble of making a good im pression, you might ai well let him know who you are, espe cially in a large class. a a 5. Laugh at his jokes. You can tell. If he looks up from his notes and smiles expectantly, he has told a joke. 6. Ask for outside reading. You don't have to read it. Just ask. a a 7. If you must sleep, arrange to be called at the end of hour. 11 creates an unfavorable im pression if the rest of the class has left and you sit there alone dozing. a a 8. Be sure the, book you read during the lecture looks like a book from the course. If you do math in psychology class and psychology in math class, match books for size and color, a a 9. Ask any questions you think he c a n v answer. Conversely, avoid announcing that you have found the answer to a question he couldn't answer, and in your brother's second grade reader at that. a 10. Call attention ta his writ ing. Produce an exquisitely pleasant experience connected with you. If you know he's writ ten a book or an article, ask in class if he wrote it. a a a As to Whether or not you want to do some work in addition to all this, well it's controversial and up to the individual. Letterip Topics Of Student Letters Include Fraternity Ivy Day Sing, Air ROTC Dear Editor: As chairman of this year's In terfratemity Sing. I do believe that "Discouraged" deserves an answer. I also believe he has a valid gripe. To answer his question, one-by-one. Phi Chi had 28, net 30 men singing Saturday. This, I still realize, is three aver the maximum number. However, I was not in the Administration Building when the judges were deliberating and deciding the winners. Therefore, what could I do when, after a long period of debate which held up the Ivy Day ceremonies, the Judges came to their final decision? a a a I instructed Song Directors of each fraternity that these groups would not be in the competition. That these groups were partici pating as guests. This decision was later changed. Why, I am not certain myself. Earlier in the day. AW8 and Mortar Boards decided that the nurses group be permitted to compete is the sorority sing. Therefore, these same groups, plus the two medical fraternities, felt that they should be aUowed to compete, basing it en the same principles which ' allowed the nurses to compete. I reluctantly consented, realising fully that I bad opened myself op for a bar rage of criticism. As for paying their fees late,' since they were considered guest groups before Saturday morning, I felt that Kosmet Klub should not rightfully charge them the regular fee. This is why I col lected the entry fee the afternoon of the Sing. I hope this is under standable. Why was one of the winning groups allowed to sing a medley when I specifically outlawed this in the rules of the Sing this year? Well, it was a concession to the choral group which sang the medley. They had been working on it several weeks before they submitted the number to me. I granted them this special con sideration. I was wrong. a a a However, 1 also granted special considerations to frater nity groups on the eligibility of some of their chorus members. I felt that my original rules con cerning eligibility were a bit too high, and so I compromised. Per haps I was wrong here, too. The r.-Rion for the compro mises, deviations from the rules, and breaking of one rule was my itr rfoBfn fn STVITRV s-a ternity to make a good appear ance Saturday. It was not done with bias or favoratlsm to ANT one fraternity. As a fraternity man, I know just how "Discouraged" feels. I'm certain his fraternity, and all the other fraternities worked hard on their songs and deserve a fair and honest answer to the questions raised, I am going te recommend the following to the Interfratemity Sing Chairman for next year: 1. That aU fraternities sing fraternity songs. I. That the number of chorus members total no more than 25. 3. That the . only fraternities that are eligible te sing as a competitive group will be those which sre members of the Inter fraternity Council. (This will eli minate Phi Rho Sig-ai and Phi Chi from competition.) This is my answer. I've made mistakes, I'll admit I did it in an attempt to make this the best Sing ever. I made these question able errors without prejudice. Marshall Kush&er 1954 Interfratemity Sinf Chairman. Dear Editor: I'd like to take this opportunity to thank the United States Air Force for permitting me to stay in their great ROTC program for four years. Since they didn't give roe my commission (but heck, it's been fun anyhow), I'll try to be the best private in this glorious branch of the service. It's been wonderful taking thes interesting courses these past four years. I don't feel bitter about x not getting my bars as some of the seniors in Adminis tration do. Golly, look at all that money I made by just going to class. Gosh, Thanks alot, Air Force! GUNCHO University Bulletin Board WEDNESDAY Cosmopolitan Club. 7:80 p.m.. Room 813, Union. Bridge Tournament, Beginners, 5 p.m.; Advanced, 7 p.m., Union. Philosophy Club, 7:30 p.m., Tpculty Lounge, Union. Pi Lambda Theta, S p.m., Room 316, Union. $ , y-K v.r ed -w.-p