Oregon W Emerald
LOUISE MONTAG
Editor
ANNAMAE WINSHIP
Business Manager
MARGUERITE WITTWER
Managing Editor
GEORGE PEGG
Advertising Manager
JEANNE SIMMONDS
News Editor
MARILYN SAGE, WINIFRED ROMTVEDT
Associate Editors
Art Litchman, Tommy Wright
Co-Sports Editors
BYRON MAYO
Assistant Managing Editor
MARYANN THIELEN
Assistant News Editor
BERNARD ENGEL.
Chief Copy Editor
ANITA YOUNG
Women’s Page Editor
GLENN SNYDER*
World News Editor
BETTY BENNETT CRAMER
Music Editor
Editorial Board
Mary Margaret Ellsworth, Jack Craig, Ed Allen, Beverly Ayer
Published daily during the college year except Sundays, Mondays, and holidays ana
Anal exam periods by tne Associated Students, University of Oregon.
Entered as second-class matter at the portoffice. Eugene, Oregon.
ReataHal Education...
“With an area comparable to the four Northwest states,
[Texas supports only one system of graduate study. Why should
,the Northwest refuse to avail themselves of equal advantages
from approximately the same population as the Lone Star
State ?”
Dr. H. G. Merriam, head of the humanities department of
the University of Montana, has used this argument to boost
his idea for the establishment of a regionally financed, instead
of state supported, university system for the Northwest. Con
tending that Oregon, Washington, Idaho, and Montana support
inadequately staffed and financed schools of medicine, music,
•forestry, agriculture, and other special fields, he advises them to
pool their resources.
It is now illegal for states to invest in institutions outside
their own borders, but Dr. Merriam.points out that the people can
instruct their legislators to overcome that carrier.
While his suggestion has some great advantages, it also has
other faults besides the legal difficulties. He cites the forestry
education setup in the four states as an example and says OSC
and Montana maintain separate schools only 250 miles from
Moscow and Pullman, which also have forestry training. Re
gardless of whether or not his mileage figures are accurate,
elimination of three of those schools would mean additional
travel expenses to many students.
Then, too, the system would not allow for those students who
want to minor in a special school. If departments were main
tained for them, the overlapping would t.ake much of the saving
put of a regional system.
These objections, and others that could he listed, seem petty
until we recall the purpose of state-supported institutions of
higher education. If education is to be as accessible as possible,
consolidation is not necessarily the answer.
However, in Dr. Merriam’s plan there is an idea of inter-state
cooperation in higher education. Even if centralized, separate
schools arc not ideal, coordination of educational systems can
eliminate unnecessary overlapping and build up the strong
points of the established schools.
(2a*uyieddia*tal
Comments
By Toil Hallock
Minnesota's Senator Joe Ball de
fined the term “liberal” last week,
with as apt an analysis as we’ve
yet to see: "A liberal stands for
the freedom of the individual, in
opposition to control by capital, by
organized labor, or by government.
Too great concentrations of power
in the hands of any group or gov
ernment are dangerous to that
freedom of thought and action for
which mankind has struggled
through the ages.” Amen.
A Day In Congress
We would like to take you
•through Wednesday. May 1, 1940,
as it appears in the pages of the
Congressional Record, concerning
both the senate and house.
Mr. Capper quoted from the
Farm Journal: “‘Effective reform
in the officer’s caste system, which
has been the subject of so much
criticism by patriotic, self-respect- !
ing young men who have been
made the victims of personal
abuse. .. ’ ” The preceding remarks
were part of a list of suggested
changes to be made, by congress,
in our military.
Mr. Brooks commented on the
proposed loan to Britain: “I am
opposed to it because we are loan
ing it to the government of Great
Britain which presently is a So
cialistic experiment in the hands
of a party headed by Harold Laski,
who blithely denounces our form
of government and economy at the'
very time when we are struggling
to sustain our system of private
enterprise under a truly republican
representative form of govern
ment.”
Mr. Brooks undoubtedly refrain
ed from using the word "demo
cratic,” knowing he might be in
vestigated by the current congres
sional un-American committee if
he should be found mouthing the
aforesaid epithet. We would ap
preciate reading his attitude on any
proposed loan to Russia, perhaps
designed to help burned out Uk
rainian peasants.
Intolerance Again
Said Mr. Ellender, upon hearing
that William H. Hastie had been
nominated to be governor of the
Virgin Islands: I think the presi
dent made a very serious mistake
in selecting a colored man to be
governor of the Virgin Islands, be
cause I believe it will retard the j
(Please turn to page seven)
Telling the Editor
About Current Affairs...
To the Editor:
It’s good to see some vets tak
ing a petitionary interest via “Tell
ing the Editor” in the padolescent
goings-on about the campus. But
shucks, Chaney Jr., Johnson, Leck
band, etc., where else is the op
portunity given to participate in
kid-stuff and learn a little along
the side? Certainly not out there
in that cold, cruel, competitive,
ogreish world where we’ll have to
make a living after the checks
stop coming. j
No, it isn’t a bad world as viewed
from our little iglooish collegiate
atmosphere, but the statistics pre
sent a picture slightly different as
we note the large number of dis
charges because of neuroses. And
here’s an item to idle over: the so
called fears of the competitive
world, illustrated by the anxiety
neuroses, were unknown in the Red
Army. There, each “soldat” knew
why he was fighting, what would
be done to help the disabled, and
that he would have a job when the
war was over.
Speculatory explanations: The
Russki soldats weren’t subjected
to a free press like we were, so
they didn’t need to worry about
two sides of a question. And in a
country much poorer in develop
ment than ours they nevertheless
have more job security. Perhaps
that’s due to the tremendous po
tential opportunities.
More multifarious mulling: May
be Plato was right (another Com
mie!) in agreeing with the Rus
sians that the mass of humanity
isn’t capable of operating its gov
ernment except indirectly through
the intelligentsia. Hey, I said
“Maybe”! But from every corner
of the rather vacuous political lot
come voices that seem to indicate
that we are getting anarchistic
and collectivistic at the same time.
Sordid Strike Struggles — we
need collectivistic discipline, they
say. (They is everybody not dis
satisfied.)
Intra-labor factional fights and
fidgets—we need collectivistic co
operation, they say. (They is the
social democrats.)
Religious differences—we need
more “Youth for Christ” move
ments, they say. (One of they is
The Rev. Gleason L. Archer jr.,
who also authored, “A believer
should not enter into marriage
with a member of another faith,
or with a member of the Ftoman
faith for instance, or the Jewish
faith, or with a member of some
other Protestant sect that doesn’t
know the score, for in this he takes
one step away from God.”
Federal Trade Commission
(which sees that the acetacetacylic
pills you take really are rightly
proportioned with aceta—well, that
they are well-built aspirins)—it
demonstrates too much collectiv
ism, curb its power, they say. (One
of them is the new Republican na
tional chairman, Rep. B. Carroll
Reece of Tenn.)
Racial discrimination — laissez
faire, we don’t want so much of
this minority-rights propaganda,
they say. (Everybody knows they
includes Rep. Rankin and Sen. Bil
bo.)
OPA—too much collectivism,
they say. (They includes J. Howard
Pew, Sun Oil Co. president, whose
company got caught doing a little
black - marketing and violating
price ceilings and had to pay a
little $162,700 fine.)
Oh, I know I'm inconsistent and
confusing—might be even a bit
confused—but to stop being de
structive I might suggest that con
fusing or not we do try taking an
active interest in affairs of nation
al and international import. Unless
we don’t feel up to assuming the
responsibility of taking an active
direct part in our government.
Faith, don’t falter in the belief
that the individual CAN make a
wise decision if presented with ob
jective facts. That means stimulat
ing our “free” press out of its sub
jective distortion by powerful in
dividuals, who having made up
their minds, do all in their power
to subjectively angle the news. I
should talk, biased individual that
I am, I’d rather read Pravda than
the Chicago Tribune simply be
cause I’ve read the latter!
Tsk, tsk, here I go stirring up
“operational fatigue” by cluttering
my mind with disconcerting
thoughts. Back to the pert green
hair ribbons. Don’t be so ducktless
Dudrey, swallow your herring, Hal
lock, raise the rear Russell, and
so-on. Veteranistically,
—Geo. Holcomb.
About Old "Bones'...
I was preparing to enjoy break
fast this morning when my stomach
was turned by the reappearance of
an old and sickly “bone” in Wed
nesday’s Emerald; namely, that
letter to the editor.
Why must people always drag
. . what WE were fighting for”
baloney in on a nearly invisible
thread in an effort to present a
super-patriotic argument in sup
port of an inconsequential little is
sue that has been hashed over
throughout collegedom the country
over, for ages untold.
Traditions can reach two ex
tremes. They can become a nui
sance, or they can be ignored to
the point where they no longer pro
mote “school spirit.”
Traditions should not be held
over for tradition’s sake, but only
as long as they are of benefit to
the institution. Americans have
always been ready to discard out
dated traditions in favor of chang
es which are of benefit to the pub
lic at large. Without this spirit,
the United States would never
have risen with such amazing
speed to a position of world leader
ship.
Even in our “tender years” it
shouldn’t be considered too long
haired to instill a little logic into
our personal conduct.
As for manliness, Mr. Lau, I
suggest that if you wish to be,
quote: . . admired for (your)
guts,” you, too, should join Vassar
where you could expose your pos
terior to the paddle indefinitely,
thereby gaining the high esteem
and admiration of the ladies, who
are doubtless more appreciative of
such sterling qualities than the
average veteran. __ —Hans Wold.
About Pin Planters . . .
One of the main components of
a university is tradition. Mill race
dunkings, Junior Weekend, and piiT*~
planting ceremonies — these are
what alums remember and talk
about, long after Caesar and Plato
are forgotten.
With pin planting comes the
usual teasing of fraternity broth
ers. . . Staked to the ground in an
empty lot was one such lucky soul
Tuesday—waiting for “the one” to
rescue him.
Instead of the usual harmless
fun, a well-known member of the
administration arrived in his sedan,
and, by a few well-chosen and cut
ting words, changed a group of
laughing, “we’re-having-fun” stu
dents to a set of depressed individ
uals.
No known University regulations
were broken, no classes were dis
rupted. Why weren’t those students
allowed to carry on these old tra
ditions ?
It is the students who must de
cide whether they wish to keep
tradition alive, or let it die, letting
the long-hairs reign supreme.
Betty Ditto.
Arlene Johnson.
About Traditions . ..
Traditions are well and good,
but where does Larry Lau get off
by making all of his rash state
ments ? Does he actually suppose
that he is speaking for the majori
ty of the veteran student body?
Certainly he does not express my
own views on the subject. Why is
it that I must pick up the Emerald
and constantly read that old argu
ment of patriotic talk all the way
through, when it speaks of the vet
eran, in an effort to get him to
conform to what seems to him
nothing but a childish pastime.
He speaks of “being one of tl^
boys.’’ Well personally, I do not
care if I am one of the boys or
not. I have been married over four
years and find the company of
my wife, children, and friends ex
ceedingly stimulating to keep me
from wanting to run around with
a “beany made of overseas rib
bons.” I have my own friends at
Skinner’s Butte Villa along with
the rest of the married couples.
But, as for college tradition, a
little bit can go a long way. I came
here for an education and not for
(PIcctse Turn to Page Seven)
9
Caps, gowns and
Commencement .
Announcements
should be ordered
at the "Co-op" at
once.
All orders must
be in by May 18.
.he "CO-OP”