University of Oregon, Eugene
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GRADES AND THE GREEKS
GPHE INDIANA DAILY STUDENT recently edi
toriaiized and pollyanna-ized over the report
of the National Interfraternity conference to the
effect that at Purdue and Butler universities,
scholarship rating of fraternity men was higher
than that of unorganized men.
Averages at 156 American colleges and universi
ties, the report further states, show a rise in fra
ternity grade averages, although they still are
under the “All-Men” averages.
The Daily Student finds sufficient stimulation
in this fact to congratulate the fraternities for their
splendid progress. "Gone, perhaps forever, is the
too frequent connotation that the fraternity house
is merely a club for college men who have not the
time nor inclination for study,” it says.
This seems to be a rather dubious foundation
for any great throwing of the hats in air. It is
commendable, surely, but only because it is less
deplorable than it formerly was. It seems a little
early for any congratulation to the American col
lege fraternity.
Ostensibly the fraternities take the cream of
the entering classes. Ostensibly, the fraternity
puts forth a great deal of effort in driving its mem
bers on to grades, with regulations to compel poor
students to work. Yet with all the system of house
grades, study tables, upper-class supervision of
work, systematic files of old examination questions,
and the like, every term finds the fraternity aver
age lagging behind the university average, the all
men, the dormitories, and the non-organization men,
who have no scholastic discipline off the campus.
Here at Oregon, the grade showings released
every term show this to be a consistent delinquency.
Last term, for example, we got the following re
sults :
The all-university average was 1.2981. Non
fraternity men were above this with 1.3220. The
all-fraternity average was under this with 1.0883.
Non-sorority average outranked the all-sorority
average 1.5623 to 1.2923.
These are some samples of the way it runs. In
sum the whole grade report usually indicates the
scholastic superiority of non-fraternity over fra
ternity, of non-sorority over sorority, of women
over men, anti of the dormitories over all general
classes of residence status.
We have no intention of reviving the old cry of
“Abolish fraternities." The fraternity is an insti
tution that adds immense vitality to campus life
and social training that would otherwise be sadly
missed. It has been as much a part of the scheme
of the American university as are the classrooms.
But it must be borne in mind that the fraternity
grades are not up to the high standards that should
be maintained. It would be difficult to prove that
the fraternity causes the low grades. The fact re
mains, however, that fraternities must eliminate
their scholastic disrepute, or they cannot hope to
endure permanently as desirable groups dedicated
to fuller development of the college career.
THE ROOSEVELT DOLLAR—III
^T'ANGIBLE evidence of the effects of President
Roosevelt’s gold policy is most easily found in
the international field. When the administration i
announced its intention of buying new-mined Amer
ican gold in Jate-October, the general price level
made but slight changes for the better. When the j
treasury commenced foreign gold purchases, the!
dollar abroad, however, underwent marked depreci- j
ation in value. It is this aspect we shall consider
in (he present article.
When the United States dropped off the gold
standard last April, the dollar instantly lost value
with relation to the pound sterling and the frane. i
The pound went up to 85.50, and the franc to six
and one-half cents. In other words, since the
American government no longer redemeed its obli
gations abroad in gold, world confidence deter-1
mined its value at a lower point. The Britisher I
was now able to buy American goods for less of i
his own money, and a purchaser from the United!
States was forced to pay more for British goods.
The same situation prevailed in France, and in both
cases the economic advantage became America’s.
The world economic conference met at London
in June, and the two most important problems lie
lore the nations were the slubilizulton of the dollar
and the pound, and tariffs. The former was ob
viously the more important, for a discussion of
tariff, could mean little if no one knew what the
doll • t and the pound were going to be worth i'F
foreign exchange. France advocated a return tu>
the gold standard, where she alone of the great
powers still remained; but Secretary of State Hull
gave the gold bloc little satisfaction. The confer-1
ence broke up without clarifying the monetary!
issue.
The gold value of the dollar stood at about 88
cents after the United States suspended specie pay
ments. That figure has been driven, by means of
foreign purchases of gold with United States cer
tificates, down almost to the 60-cent level. The
policy corresponds to that of Great Britain in 1931,
when that nation left the gold standard and drove j
the pound sterling down in terms of the franc and i
the dollar. The advantages sought by that country :
were essentially the same as those now sought by |
the United States.
Increased foreign markets are the principal ad- ■
vantage in the deprec'. 'ion of a currency. Great;
Britain, realizing this fact, has utilized its exchange ;
equalization account since 1931 in the purchase of
gold francs to preserve the pound’s advantageous j
position against the dollar.
President Roosevelt has directed his gold policy
in an attempt to wipe out this country’s disadvan
tage abroad. To state the matter more clearly, the
dollar of 60-cent gold content, which is the result
of the administration's gold purchasing campaign,
will enable foreign buyers of American goods to
buy more cheaply. In like manner, American buy
ers will be more likely to find goods produced by
their own countrymen cheaper than those imported.
A 'trade advantage for the United States, or at
least greater equality in foreign markets, is a basic
aim of the Roosevelt dollar-devaluating policy.
If congress chooses to stabilize the dollar at its
present gold value abroad, Europe will acclaim it
as a definite step toward America’s return to the
gold standard. Europe has remained silent during
the past two months of dollar devaluation, despite
the obvious damage dealt her trade advantages
with this country. Bike the shrewd merchant that
she is, Europe will welcome stabilization, for it is
not. so hard to face conditions when one knows what
they are.
The president expects the devaluated dollar to
have both domestic and foreign benefits. He de
sires a rise of the price level to the 1925-26 level.
He desires stable commercial relations with the
world, with this country on a footing close to that
of former years. His program, however, has been
widely criticized by economists. In tomorrow’s
article these critics will be given a hearing.
On Other Campuses
“It’s a Tradition” . . .
llTHAT is a tradition?
* ' According to the dictionary, a tradition is
"a body of beliefs or usages handed down from gen
eration to generation” or “accumulated culture and
practices so handed down.”
But having had this clarified, we are once more
thrown into a muddle by a glance'at the student
handbook, which sets forth that it is a tradition
that there be no “queening” at football contests,
that it is a tradition that chapel services be held
every day at 10 o'clock, that it is a tradition that
only seniors sit on the senior bench, etc.
If these, and a dozen other items are “tradi
tions," then the students have lost all respect for
tradition.
In the first place, it is hardly proper or correct
to call them traditions. In the second place, usage
has discarded some, and adopted others.
Since when, for instance, have the seniors chal
lenged the faculty to a baseball game just before
the final exams? Yet the handbook says they do.
Also we note that seniors only may wear som
breros. Despite the handbook, the seniors seem to
have signed away their rights.
Freshmen do not park their automobiles on Uni
versity avenue. Neither does anybody else, but it’s
red paint, not “tradition” that decrees it.
All of which shows a need for revision of our
"traditions.” Strictly speaking they should not be
called traditions, unless they have been handed
down for us from preceding classes. Also it would
be better if they were divided up into rules and
practices. For instance, it would be a rule that
there be no smoking in front of the Administration
building, and a practice that the Trojan war flag
be flown before the California and Stanford games.
This would make it easier when we wanted to
establish a new practice, which we could do arbi
trarily.
For instance we could say: "After Tuesday, it
shall be the practice for seniors to wear opera
capes.” But it. is incongruous to say: "After Tues
day, it shall be a tradition for seniors to wear opera
capes.” -Southern California Trojan.
OVERFLOW
JACK MILLER, journalist and basketball im
" presario, comes in for notice with the week's
Silliest Simile.
It occurred in political science class yester
day. M. Schumacher was discussing the pos
sibility of one-third of the population of Oregon
swinging the legislative representation in the
state legislature. Mr. Miller took issue and
spake:
"But one horse pulling together can outpull
two horses that aren’t!” he said.
Miller will receive the Overflow Cup. (The
one that runneth over.)
* * *
Some time ago, the buildings and grounds
department planted some grass down by Thir
teenth and Kincaid. It didn't turn out very
well.
So they dug it up and planted again. And
dug it up and planted. And dug it up and j
planted. And dug it up and planted. And dug
it up and planted. And dug it up and planted.
And dug it up and planted. That's as far as
they've got.
Eight times have they sown their seed and
seven times has the seed borne alien fruit. They
have succeeded in raising every kind of grass
but the one they want.
So they’ve go: their seed down now and
await results, a little grimly but patiently. If
they don’t get it. right tins time they’ll prob
ably retire to a corner, take down tin ir hair,
and jmt h.fVi .< good tv;.
It i ) ol ,uch .turf that utheiota are mad6 of. i
He Hasn’t Met Us Yet - By STANLEY ROBE
j
V
N<Vf, Corffr
L_ PEA/A/ANT i
Riley and the Fire Hydrants
OEMINISCENT of Parks Hitch
cock’s famous petition to the
executive council requesting that
Southern Pacific trains be re
quired to whistle “Mighty Oregon’’
as they steam past Villard hall,
is the “fire hydrant” jape perpe
trated upon City Commissioner R.
Earl Riley of Portland.
A few days ago brief United
Press dispatches carried the infor
mation that Commissioner Riley
had been requested by a Univer
sity partisan to paint half of
Portland’s fire hydrants yellow'
and green, since it smacked of
rank favoritism to paint them all
orange and black, the colors of
Oregon State college.
Promptly and decisively the
Oregon State college Barometer,
apparently in all seriousness,. took
editorial offense at the letter, in
a piece entitled “Tragic or
Funny.”
That's all that was known about
the matter here until yesterday,
when the Emerald finally man
aged to obtain a copy of the letter
to Riley. It follows:
"Hon. Earl Riley,
Commission of Finance,
City of Portland,
Delegate Extraordinary of
Oregon Agricultural College,
and Rotten Golfer
Sir:
“I have, been a resident of Port
land, County of Multnomah, under
the State of Oregon, for more than
forty years. During this time I
have made my home in and near
this fair city of roses. Never, in
all my life, either in private or
public, have I beheld such misuse
of authority as that exercised in
the recent painting of city fire
hydrants under your remote con
trol. I have no objection to the
painting of the city fire hydrants
in order to preserve them for the
generations yet unborn who will
have to pay for them, but I cer
tainly do object to a public serv
ant so far forgetting his duty to
the citizens and taxpayers of this
community as to bring in his per
sonal ideas of beauty and adorn
ment.
“In collegiate circles it is a well
known and established fact that
graduates of the Oregon Agricul
tural College are 99.9 per cent
color blind. This results in an
inability to see any colors except
orange and black. The recent
painting of the fire hydrants and
the selection of color clearly indi
cates that you are still O. A. C.
minded and not City of Portland
County of Multnomah-State of
Oregon minded.
“To make myself perfectly
clear. I believe that as you in
sisted on using the orange and
black colors of your Alma Mater
to decorate the fire hydrants
which are under your personal
supervision, you should have been1
fair enough to the great mass of;
graduates of the University of
Oregon (some of whom are 01 ;
were your friends until this hap
pened! to have taken them into
your confidence and to have:
painted 'at least half of the fire I
hydrants lemon and green. This
would have made the student
bodies of both schools perfectly at 1
home when they come to hold!
some athletic contest on Multno
mah field. I understand the sup
ply of fire hydrants is running
out and that we still have the
>111110 number of fire hydrant j
painters and 1 would suggest that
you immediately petition the C.
a A ’•> paint every alternate
Lire hydrant lemon and gieen.
"You are about to again face
the voters of this community as
a candidate to succeed yourself in
your present position, and, while
the graduates of the University of
Oregon are not numerically strong
enough to defeat you, I believe
that this action on your part will
so enthuse them that they would
feel in that same mellow frame
of mind that they had for some
time following their recent victory
over the eleven iron immortals
from your Alma Mater. In this
mellow mood ihey would naturally
not give a d-n for whom they
voted for public office, and I am
sure, under these circumstances,
they wduld support you.
“Believe me to remain,
“Yours sincerely,
“A. FRIEND"
And here is the Barometer’s
editorial comeback, complete,
which brings the weighty contro
versy to a halt, as far as we know,
without precipitating another out
break in higher educational cir
cles:
"In a recent edition of the Ore
gon Journal a partisan of the Uni
versity of Oregon calls on Com
missioner Riley of Portland to
paint fire hydrants in the city
green and yellow rather than
orange and black if he desires to
retain his job at the forthcoming
city election.
"The reason given by this parti
san is that it gives Oregon State
undue publicity to have Oregon
State colors on the fire hydrants
and makes Oregon students feel
out of place when they attend a
football game in Portland. He fur
ther accuses Commissioner Riley
of painting the plugs this color
merely because he is a graduate
of this college and says that 99.9
per cent of Orego'n State gradu
ates are color blind and cannot
recognize any color other than
orange and black.
“It is encouraging to know that
99.9 per cent of our grads are that
loyal, and we imagine that the
other .1 per cent must have trans
ferred to the university and
changed from normal minded col
legians to radical supporters of
that institution.
“My, my, it certainly will be
nice the next time we go to Port
land to notice all the gayly painted
hydrants, and we are certain that
we will feel more at home.' It had
escaped the notice of most mem
bers of the Barometer staff that
Beaver colors were displayed with
such prominence in that fair me
tropolis.
“Contrary to examples set by
many leading newspapers in the
state the Barometer has always
endeavored to steer a fair course
in institutional matters. It is not
the wish of this paper to treat
university students ■ unfairly, so
for their sakes Commissioner
Riley has this paper's permission
to change some of the hydrants
so university supporters won’t feel
out of place and homeless when
| they 'are in Portland.”
Scanning the Cinemas
MCDONALD ‘‘Fugitive Lov
ers," Robert Montgomery,
Madge Evans, Nat Pendleton.
Also, “The World Changes,”
Paul Muni, Guy Kibbee, Mary
Astor.
COLONIAL Special matinee,
Eisenstein's "Thunder Over
Mexico,” show starting 2:15.
Evening, “Wake Up and
Dream," Jack Buchanan.
By J. A. NEWTON
Matinee Special
At the requests of hundreds of
people who wished to hear Ro
land Hayes last night, the manage
ment of the Colonial theater is
running a special matinee of
“Thunder Over Mexico" at 2:15
this afternoon.
For photographic beauty this
picture surpasses anything seen
on the screen in years. The act
ors are native and untrained, facts
which show in their performances,
But Director Eisenstein has made
the most of them to make the
film more realistic.
“Thunder Over Mexico" has
been called the picture causing the
controversy during the year. It is
called propaganda, and people
pounce on it for its actors and
story. However. I feel that if one
is capable of appreciating the
beauty of this work he is also ca
pable of disregarding what propa
ganda there may be present.
"Wake Up and Dream" is an
other English contribution. So far
the island nation has given us only
"Henry VIII.” which was really
worth mentioning twice. This is
said to be very racy and sophisti
cated.
It: au English musical in which
they go the whole way, jo we re
told. When the hero walks up
stairs, so does the music. Get it?
From a stage success, “Yes, Mr.
Brown.”
“Fugitive Lovers,” at the Mac,
was directed by one Boleslavsky.
and the picture shows photograph
ic tendencies which parallel those
of the more advanced Eisenstein.
Interesting lighting, angle, and
close-up shots, as well as staccato
flashes are used for dramatic ef
fect.
The picture depicts a series of
adventures which happen to a bus
full of people on a cross-country
trip.
Madge Evans hops said bus in
an effort to elude one “Legs” Caf
fery, big shot gangster who has
taken a shine to her. Nat Pendle
ton, just a big good-natured guy,
tries to be mean, but his good na
ture comes out. Montgomery as
the escaped convict who boards
the bus and falls for the girl, and
Ted Healy is the funniest thing,
what with getting dignified mid
dle-aged ladies drunk, etc. The
stooges, worse luck, do very little.
"The World Changes” is another
story about the back country boy
who becomes a millionaire. It be
gins with a pain in Aline Mac
Mahon’s tummy. A bit later when
a baby was flashed on the screen,
a feminine neighbor said. “I don't
know how I knew it, but I had a
hunch thered be a baby before
long.”
The moral of the picture seems
to be "stay on the farm and marry
the home girl, because if you go i
east and make money your wife
will go crazy and your sons will be
fools.”
Paul "Chain Gang'' Muni does
hi* vert bent Director Mervvn:
Cham Gang” LeKoy also.
CRITIC SAYS HAYES’ ART
CLASSICAL IN SPIRITUALS
(Continued from Fage One)
lenge to the musicians to write a
song which would invite to a
haunted kingdom far away—this
Hayes did with particular grace
and poetic feeling. His encore af
ter this group, “The Song of the
Cossacks,” broke the ground for
the modernist group which suc
ceeded.
This third group I liked the
least, perhaps in so large an audi
torium the lack of melodic line
made the mhard to follow; the
Eichheim setting of “Come Not
When I am Dead” seemed to me
to suffer from a confusion of
styles—a Liza Lehmann opening,
and a Debussy close. The encores
which followed opened the way
for the spirituals. “The Rain,” in
serio-comic vein, was gladly re
ceived; and “Plenty good room in
My Father’s Kingdom, Jus’ Choose
Your Seat and Sit Down” had a
rhythm as catching as “Ezekial
Saw a Wheel.”
The spirituals speak for them
selves; but they are enhanced by
the <Ji3ciplined artistry which
makes Hayes at home in five lan
guages and the main European
styles in music. How well he
knows his compass, and keeps to
the perfect lyricism which is his
forte, never, even in the lively
Russian numbers, trying to move
completely into the dramatic prov
ince,—though he did the bit from
Tanieff’s comic opera very amus
ingly. But the lyric ss his chosen
domain.
BOSSING SEES DANGER
TO SCHOOLS OF U. S.
(Continued from Page One)
into objects with “befuddled
minds and with feet of sodden
clay.” He lamented the cause
which makes possible the an
nouncement in a metropolitan pa
per the cut in Portland school
budgets along with the plea for
12 and later 15 million dollars for
roads in Oregon.
Change in Emphasis Needed
“The time has come for the pro
fession, from the university down
to the kindergarten, to change its
sense of values and its emphasis,”
he concluded, after citing the fact
that school children know more
of Jack Dempsey, Babe Ruth,
Henry Ford and Douglas Fair
banks than they know of Edw'ard
Bok or Jane Addams. In spite of
this, Dr. Bossing feels that the
educational system has been a
shining light in comparison with
so many other institutions of our
country.
He urged teachers to become
militant and organize to fight. Al
though some have felt it beneath
the dignity of the profession to
unionize, Dr. Bossing opines that
the time has come for the profes
sion to meet “force with force.”
He concludes his article by cit
ing many cases of efforts to abol
ish schools. He said that in Chi
cago a committee of taxpayers is
avowedly out “to get the schools.”
Innocent
Bystander
By BARNEY CLARK
1^0, I. B. was NOT at Ernie's
^ ’ night before last. And fur
thermore. he is pretty tired of peo
ple coming up to him and asking
if he was, and when he says “no,”
going into raptures about the
FREE beer, and how Don White,
in a very jovial mood, played bar
tender, and how Mikulak didn't
get home until 8 in the morning,
and what a head THEY have. I.
B. admits that Don must have
looked pretty cute in a white
jacket, and that no doubt every
body had a lovely time, but he
was not there, and after the
fourth repetition the saga gets
tiresome.
We hear from underground
sources that .1. Mervin Rodda
announced his engagement to
Elizabeth Bendstrup during din
ner at the Theta Chi mansion
last night, and celebrated by
passing around a whole pack
age of Camels. lie must have
been happy!
We were somewhat puzzled .by
the signs at the entrance to the
Igloo for the Hayes recital last
p. m. On one side was a poster
which read “General Admission,”
and on the other a sign that said
“Oregon State Students Enter
Here.” Apparently no provision
at all had been made for our
OWN students, and we think that
it is an injustice, seeing as how
we pay 10 iron men a term for
our A. S. U. O. membership!
* * *
OGDEN GNASHES
“Green
Is mean!”
“Now, son, we will trace the
reproductive processes of the
flowers!”
Emerald
of the Air
ANCE again harmony reigns as
the soft, caressing tones of
Lou Parry’s silver-lined voice are
.released into the ether this after
noon. When the asbestos is re
moved from the mike, Lou will go
into a strange interlude of mod
ern rhythm such as pleases the
auditory organs to no little de
gree. She is accompanied by Max
ine McDonald, veteran piano
mauler. Station KORE at 4:30.
All the blues that’s fit to croon!
“Patronize Emerald advertisers.”
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