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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (Oct. 7, 1936)
PUBLISHED TIY THE ASSOCIATED STUDENTS' OF THE UNIVERSITY OF OREGON University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon Fred W. Colvig. editor Walter R. Vernstrom, manager ’ ' LeRoy Mattingly, managing editor EDITORIAL OFFICES: Journalism building. Phone 3300 - Editor. Local 354: News Room and Managing Editor, 353. BUSINESS OFFICE: ASCO otices, Phone 3300 Local 237. MEMBER OF MAJOR COLLEGE PUBLICATIONS _ Represented by A. 1. Norris Hill Co.. 155 E. 42nd St., New York City: 123 W .Madison St.. Chicago: 1004 2nd Avr.. Seattle; 1031 S. Broadway, Los Angeles; Call Building. San Francisco. The Oregon Daily Emerald will not he responsible for return ing unsolicited manuscripts. Public letters should not he more than too words m length and should be accompanied by tlie write s signature and address which will be- withheld if requested. All communications are suhjeet to the discretion of the editots. Anonymous letters will be disregarded. The Oregon Daily Emerald, official Indent publication of the Univet itv of Orcg.m. Eugene, published daily during the college vear except Sundays, Mondays, holidays, examination periods, the fifth day of December to January 4, except January 4 to 12, and .March 5 to March 22, Much 22 to March 30. Entered as second class matte, at the postoffice, Eugene, Oregon. Subscription rate, $2.50 a vear. All advertising matter, regular or classified, is to be sent to tbo ASl'O offices on University street between 11th and 13th Associate editors: Virginia Endicott, Clair Johnson EDITORIAL BOAR!) Mildred Rlacltlmrnc. Darrell Ellis, Howard Kessler. Wayne Harbor!. Dan E. ( lark Jr., Victor Dallairc, Charles Paddock UPPER NEWS STAFF Uoyrl I upling, assistant agin^ editor Pat Frizzell. sports editor Paul Deutschmann. news Ed Robbins, art editor man editor i\OOCrl I MII'ILK, CIIICI JJIKIIl C'l itcr Paul Plank, radio editor Howard Kessler, literary editor Clare Itf'-c. women’s editor Gladys Battleson, society editor MJSINESS STAFF Patsy Neal, national advertising Gerald Crisman, circulation manager manager Caroline Hand, executive secre tary Secretarial and Exchanges: Mary Graham. Hrnryctta Mummcy Executive reporter.'*: Margaret Kav, Gordon Connelly, Robert Pollock. Htibard Kuokka A Toot For Root HATS off to George Root and the staff of last year’s Oregana! The All-American rating given the 1935 yearbook by the National Scholastic Press association was well-earned, and it serves to near out campus opinion that the book was one of the best college annuals ever created. That Oregana had smartness, color, style. It was original, in tune with the times, and yet \it, presented old Oregon in the way that we will all like to look back upon it modern, but mossy with fine old traditions. Root has left a mark at which succeeding edi tors may well shoot. We Slick By Our Guns rpHE Emerald would like to assure Mr. Cornian, -*• whose communication is printed elsewhere on this page, that yesterday’s editorial deprecating the “sealed bid” system of pledging was not writ ten with any destructive intent. On the contrary, it was written after due reflection upon the “basic ideas” that made this fall’s rush week the most orderly within the memory of the Oldest Living Inhabitant. Mr. Corman is no doubt right when he declares that "date-breaking,” “hot-boxing,” ^“pin-plant ing,” and “knocking” were only external evidences of a deep-lying fault in rushing as it was practiced last year. And, indeed, the “sealed bid” plan was an endeavor to correct the relatively untrammelled competitiveness, which was the basic fault of the old system, by making it more possible for rushees to exercise their own choice in pledging. # » * ((i~xATE-JiREAKING” and “holding-out” have iA been obviated by the new system; not, how ever, though the “sealed bid,” but through the careful registration and close supervision of rushees which the revised code prescribes. "Hot boxing” and “pin-planting” still flourished this fall, although not as flagrantly as in times past. The Emerald does not retire from the position that it took yesterday. Rushing abuses are, we agree, the outward evidence of "deeper disturb ances,” but we cannot call any system successful that, while working a basic change, still permits the old excrescence of evils. Open Forum To the Editor: This in reference to the editorial "Successful? Yes, But . . in the Tuesday, October 6, 1930 issue of the Emerald. In spite of several incon sistences and contradictions, the main point of the editorial is absolutely correct: that although this rush week was one of the smoothest of the last few years, still there is no reason why it cannot be made better. But before this bettering process is launched, let’s not begin to tear out parts of the plan before we discover what were the basic ideas that did make this a greatly improved system. Probably because of the tortures I saw this plan go through on its way to adoption, I can see and appreciate some of the deeper ideas behind the plan. ‘‘Date breaking,’’ "hot-boxing,” "pin-planting,” “knock ing,” and all the rest are not the basic objections to such a plan as was in effect last year. These are only the superficial stumbling blocks that have been pushed up by deeper disturbances. To get at basic facts, that is where one must start. As I understand a fraternity, it is a univer sity home, composed of men who, though not necessarily of one type, are companionable, friend ly, and sociable, and among whom there is mutual respect and admiration. In acquiring new mem bers, a process of selectivity goes on and only those men are asked to join for whom the house has, and from whom it can expect admiration. Likewise with the new member: he picks a house made up of fellow.s he likes, and with whom he feels he can spend an enjoyable college career. And now, if either of these choices, the house’s or the new member's, is influenced by any except its own desire and will, the whole idea of the fraternity-sorority system is broken down: men are pledged to houses where there is no mutual respect, friendliness, and certainly no confidence. To avoid this I can perceive of no better way than to allow the fraternity the right of thinking out the qualifications of a man in a closed meeting, with no outside influence; and allowing the pro posed member the same right of thinking out the qualities of the houses he has seen and making his choice independently of what others think. The sealed bid, the object of criticism in the editorial in question, is a theoretically correct and practical means to this end. As to “hot-boxing,” I can conceive of no plan that would prevent a fraternity “out for board bills” from getting a man off in a corner and sweating an answer out of him. But the sealed bid automatically negates any answer he might make, and allows him, within his own mind, to pick the right fraternity for himself. Any attempts at "hot-boxing” this past rush week were certainly not in accord with the “fine spirit” that did pre vail most of the time in most of the houses. After all, it will not be until the fraternities themselves realize that clean rushing is to their ultimate advantage, that great strides can be made. In the meantime, don’t do away with the very backbone of the new system, the sealed bid. W. F. Corman, Phi Sigma Kappa. Optional ROTC? (Editor’s Note: In the Portland Oregonian last Sunday was presented a debate between the Rev. J. J. Handsaker, northwest secretary of the Council for the Prevention of War, and the Rev. John W. Beard, pastor of the Mt. Tabor Presbyterian church of Portland. Rev. Mr. Handsaker urges support of the initiative bill to make military training optional in Oregon schools of higher education. Rev. Mr. Beard takes the negative stand, contending that ROTC should be required. The Emerald believes that the Oregonian article is very reveal ing of the issues involved, but that a rebuttal froip student point of view is called for. Don Thomas, who handles the rebuttal for the Reverend Mr. Beard's negative position, is an officer in the ROTC at the Univer sity and is prominent in the student group opposed to the bill. Howard Ohmart, who has written the affirmative rebuttal, is a member of the Oregon Committee for Peace and Freedom, the student organisation which brought about the initiation of the bill.) Says Dim Thomas Many thousands of people will be surprised this November to find themselves voting on a peculiar curricular matter which the state lias delegated to a board of techni cal experts to administer. They will even be more surprised to find that the whole matter was instigated by persons not connected with the subject whatever. It may be bet ter explained to the voters that the campaign for the abolishment of required military training in the schools of Oregon originated In New York City. Inasmuch as Handsakcr has pre sented this point in his argument — .” . . But the sole question in the election is whether a youth shall have the right of choice as to w he ther or not he takes military train ing while in college as he has the right, before lie enters college and after he leaves it.” May I make the following observations for his enlightenment and that of the vot ers. The 10 or 12 politieally-mnded s tudents who have agitated for this initiative and the paid workers sent to Eugene to stir up this matter e.re practically the same persons (Phase turn /,> page three) Says lloirard Oh mart By HOWARD OH MART There’s something ironical in tHo fact that a Presbyterian minister of the gospel, a disciple of the Prince of Peace, should be the one to write an argument for greater militarism and preparedness in Sunday's Oregonian. One is wont to ask (the Right Reverend?) Mr. Beard if he can visualize his Mas ter garbed in a monkey suit, lug ging a rifle around over the drill field, learning to be a more effect ive killer of his fellow men. Two fall a c 1 e s underlie Mr. Beard’s entire approach. First, the entire statement is one of commen dation for military training in gen eral; nowhere is a case made for compulsory instead of an optional course. The issue is not one of drill vs. no drill, but of compulsory vs. voluntary drill. Second, every point that is made in substantiating the worthiness and necessity of drill would apply equally for universal military training. Mr. Beard offers no reason as to why the college student alone should be forced to take military. If it is right and just that the stu dent should be compelled to lake classes in wai it is equally right to compel every eligible male citizen as Mussolini has done in Italy and Hitler in Germany. If that is wrong, and the vast majority of American citizens would condemn it, then it is wrong to force the col lege student into ROTC courses. For purposes of simplification and because of insufficient space the arguments are reduced to five principal points: 1. The first erroneous argument would place military in the same class with other compulsory (?) courses such as “mathematics, his tory, and the languages.” (Mr. Beard should have consulted the catalogue first.) He further main tains that it builds a better phy sique. As our commit tee has point ed out on previous occasions there is no justification for comparing drill with the compulsory courses in liberal arts. RQTC is a highly specialized course organized around a questionable goal, under the aus pices of an outside agency, and is not taught by scholars but by pro fessional soldiers. This can not be said of any of those liberal arts studies that are actually compul sory. Furthermore, those courses that are required of all students as Eng lish comp, physical ed. etc., are ones that are universally recog nized as essential to an education and have a place in the curriculum of practically every college or uni versity. The absence of ROTC in many schools and its optional status in others readily indicates that the same is not true of drill. As to the ROTC's being "a builder of men,” we will allow a fellow militarist to answer the Rev. Mr. Beard. Herman J. Koehler, found er of the West Point system of physical training, stated that: “The use of the musket as a means to physical development of anyone, be he man or boy. is worse Mian worthless, it is in my opinion posi tively injurious." Or again Dr. Dudley A. Cargent, late director of the Heminway Gym at Harvard: "After taking the most favorable view possible of military drill as a physical exercise, we are led to conclude that its constrained posi lions and closely localized move-' ments do not afford the essential requisites—the general health and condition of the system.” 2. Rev. Mr. Beard quotes statis tics from 16,000 ROTC graduates as to the advantages of ROTC Their conclusions are obviously biased. Their favorable response merely proves the optionalist ar gument that the ROTC inculcates in the student favorable attitudes 1 toward militarism and war. Yoy might as well ask the Interfratern ity council if the fraternities con stitute a satisfactory college sys- | tern of living, and expect an un biased reply. 3. Chaplain Beard further main tains that "the present status of military training ... is in complete harmony with our democratic in stitutions ...” A quotation from the ROTC text book, dated Nov. 30, 1928, in which democracy is defined should pretty well shatter this bit of ecclesiastical opinionating: "De mocracy: a government of the masses. Authority derived through mass meeting or any other form of 'direct’ expression results in mobocracy. Results in demogog ism, license, agitation, discontent, anarchy.” On page 7 of the same manual we find "The didactic method concerning facts of his tory, social changes, economic de velopment, and basic principles of our government will be used with out discussion and yvithout argu ment, special emphasis being given to the fact that the United States is a republic, not a democracy.” Need more be said ? 4. Proving his argument by quoting an European professor of a decade ago Parson Beard main tains that great preparedness is necessary, and he mimics the American militarists to say that so-called “civilian army” will les sen the dangers of a large stand ing army. The necessity for great preparedness is without this dis cussion, but to the second state ment we would answer that far from being a "civilian army” the ROTC makes for a militarized cit izenry—at least insofar as it ac complishes its purpose as set forth in another quotation. Major Wil liam W. Edwards wrote in the In fantry Journal of October, 1924: “The defense act (which estab lished the ROTC) has two distinct functions: the first is so obvious as to need no comment, that of train ing officers and men for the re serve forces: its second function— that of trailing the popular mind to the necessity and needs of de fense. The Junior ROTC fulfills the first mission indirectly, and for the second I believe there is np greater or better agency fit our command.” 5. Ere he rises to heights of rhetoric in his conclusion in which he assumes a rather incongruous position for a minister (that of de bunking the ideal of peace as noth ing more than a “splendid dream”), Mr. Beard states that the ROTC training “takes away all the ro mance or romantic dreams or con ceptions of war.” If Mr. Beard thinks that walking around the campuses in shiny boots and neatly pressed uniforms, or marching be hind a rally band in football pa rade before the admiring fans, or staging a military ball with its at tendant pretty coed as the “Little Colonel” is presenting war in its true colors, if that is robbing war of its romance, then Mr. Beard must have quickly forgotten his experience over seas where he should have seen war “as she is.”' Perhaps the fact that Chaplain Beard can execute such a perver sion of his profession as he does in writing the negative argument on the drill issue is the greatest proof of the effect that functioning in or connection with a military organi zation can have on an individual. Whether he be veteran or minister or student, the subjugation to mili tary authority tends to bring the individual around to the militarist’s viewpoint, to develop a puppet who will allow the war department to do his thinking for him. Voters of Oregon will have an opportunity next month to strike a blow at such indoctrination, to check the spread of militaristic propaganda, and to establish the right of the student to his own choice and exercise of will, by vot ing “308 X YES” on the Noncom pulsory Military Training bill. Patronize Emerald advertisers. The Passing Show By DARNEL ELLIS An Unreckoned Tackier Lightning crashed into a group of high school football players at Canton, Ohio, yesterday, killing the team’s co-captain and injuring 11 others, including two coaches. An eye witness to the tragedy said “there was a blinding flash and members of the team fell to the ground.” Those on the squad knocked down by the shock and now in the hospital for treatment said they did not know what happened. Pre-meds Enroll Out of 400 medical students ap plying for admission to the Uni versity of Oregon medical school in Portland yesterday, only 62 were admitted, filling the quota of 240. Class work will start today. A touchdown resulting from a Benson fumble in the final period of the game gave Jef ferson the long end of a 12 to 6 score in the Portland inter cholastical football league. A New City Rises Reconstruction work at Bandon, destroyed by fire the night of Sep tember 26, is proceeding rapidly with the Vetgran3 of Foreign War3 continuing to provide relief for the homeless. Citizens of the fire-ravaged city welcomed the announcement yes terday that the county has waived a $21,000 tax bill for improve ments. Sunday. Black Paint WSC students awakened yester day to find their campus smeared with black smudges that resembled the letter “I.” The “smudges” were found on buildings, sidewalks, and even on the cage of “Butch Meek er,” live cougar mascot of the Washington State college football team. 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