Emerald
ALL-AMERICAN 1946-47
Thr Oregon Daily Emerald, official publication of the University of Oregon, PubKshetl
Sly dK the college y~r except Sundays, Monday, and final examination pertods.
y Entered as second-class matter at the postomce, Eugene, Ore.
Member of the Associated Collegiate Press
gQB FRAZIER, Editor___BOB CHAPMAN, Business Manager
BIT T YATES JUNE GOETZE, BOBOLEE BROPHY
_Manag'ing Editor_ Co-New, Editor._
DON FAIR FRED TAYLOR
Co-Sports Editor
walt McKinney, jeanne simmonds, maryann thielen
Associates to Editor__ _
PHYLLTS KOHLMEW WINNY CAHI.
HELEN SHERMAN Advertising Manage!
Asst. Managing Editor______
DIANA DYE A M JIM WALLACE
Assurfant Nws Editors __^_
,, .Marilyn Turner
National Advertising Manager... Billi Jean Ricthmiller
Circulation Manager . ___
. _Marge Huston Foster
Office Manager .-.- .....—.
Editorial Board: Harry Glickman, Johnny Kahananui, Bert Moore, Ted Goodwin, BiU
Strattor. Jack Billings._ _____
CUpfied
Racial Intolerance Has Become
A College Problem, Paper Says
(From The Texas A. & M. Battalion)
No subject in collegiate realms is more touchy, more inflammatory
than 'that of racial or religious discrimination in educational institu
tions. North and South, East and West, are all equally guilty. The
North condemns the South for not admitting Negroes to state univer
sities. The South condemns the North for barring Jewish students.
North and South both look questioningly at California and criticize the
exclusion of loyal Japanese-Americans.
Calling names does no good. We all have our faults. And we only
dig in and defend our prejudices when they are attacked from the
outside.
Therefore The Battalion agrees with the committee of the Associa
tion of American Colleges which asks that these problems be solved
by education and voluntary action, rather than by “coercive legisla
tion” such as has been introduced in several northern states. These
bills threaten the tax-exempt status of non-sectarian colleges found
guilty of racial and religious discrimination in admitting students.
Race-and-religious baiting has reached alarming stages in Amer
ican colleges. (Much as it did in German universities when Hitler
took over.) A Jewish faculty member was beaten at the University
of Illinois. A Nisei Japanese veteran and his family were denied the
right to live in a housing unit operated by a California college. Our
own problem is somewhat different—we have no Negroes in our white
colleges, but we are just now beginning to place our Negro colleges
on the same educational plane as the white.
But anti-discrimination laws are a doubtful cure. They might slay
the discrimination dragon officially, only to create a worse monster
which would hide in the shadows.
The AAC committee, (headed by Dr. William P. Tolley of Syra
cuse University, a Methodist school) says that they are in “hearty
accord” with the motives of the groups supporting such legislation,
but added "It is our conviction that the problem of discrimination
should bo solved by education and voluntary action and not by coer
cive legislation.
“However well intentioned such legislation may be,” the commit
tee continues, “it would place in the hands of the state a threat to
the freedom of colleges now independent of political control.”
We don't blame any college not founded by a political unit for
wanting’ to keep out of politics.
The AAC suggests as the most practicable approach to the prob
lem the appointment of a national commission to which instances of
discriminatory policies can be referred. They say further that this
commission should have the authority to investigate, and “establish
the facts as accurately as possible.”
The group fails to suggest what methods of persuasion might be
used in such cases.
Whatever action the national group takes, the problem has defin
itely moved into the shadow of collegiate administration buildings. VYe
agree with the committee that “there should be an active program
among all colleges to broaden educational opportunity to qualified
youth regardless of race, religion or national origin.”
2Q Years Ago
The University of Oregon team went down to defeat 27 to 26,
at the hands of the touring Whitman College Missionaries who played
a superior brand of ball throughout both periods of the game.
Oregon’s Ducklings opened their 1928 basketball season by de
feating Commerce high school 35-12.
A resolution favoring changing the name of Oregon agricultural
school to Oregon State college was unanimously adopted by the as
sociated students of the college.
The Oregon hoopsters won their second conference game 36-16
defeating the Washington State Cougars.
I
How to Choose a Good Book
What good books should a good-book club
study ?
That problem is facing the founders of the
new book discussion club, which met for the
first time last Wednesday. Books suggested
at the first meeting ran from Plato’s “Rep
ublic” to John Gunther’s "Inside U.S.A.,”
from Homer’s “Oddessy” to Jimmy Byrnes
"Speaking Frankly.”
When the group meets again, probably a
week from Tuesday night in the browsing
room of the library, a definite program of
some type will have to lie worked out. Fac
ulty members will then be asked to speak to
the group on books in their own fields.
The Emerald offers a word of caution in
the matter of title selection, and points to a
rather tragic example of what can happen if
the selection committee gets carried away
with this culture business. The general ex
tension division has been offering a no-credit
“Great Books” course evenings for towns
people. The fall term course went over well
with “The Brothers Karamazov,” Moliere’s
plays, and other titles of equal weight. But a
lot of people dropped out winter term when
they saw the “list”.
Here are a few of the titles which may
have scared away some normal burgher who
would like to have become learned, but
would not go through all the agony indicat
ed :
“The Summa Theologica,” St. Augustin’s
“Confessions,” Spencer’s "First Principles,”
Adam Smith’s “The Wealth of Nations,” and
fohn Dewey’s “Reconstruction in Philoso
phy.”
Now that’s a pretty steep list for a group
of people who want to pick up culture nights,
but who feel they can’t quit work in order
to do it. The scheme is that one book will be
discussed each week. Learned is the man who
has read even half of these works, and the one
week between discussions is not time enough
for the ordinary ambitious peasant to wade
through them.
This problem is one that is bound to arise
if the group goes at its study chronologically.
It might be wise to skip around from modern
to ancient and back without particular re
gard for chronology. After all, this book club
is supposed to be a voluntary thing. Students
will read books, attend the meetings, and dis
cuss their reading only so long as they are in
terested. They will not keep it up if they feel
the club has turned into another class in “lit
erature.”
What’j wrong with starting with some
readable, but nonetheless worthwhile, mod
ern such as Thomas Wolfe? A generous dose
of writers of our own day would serve to
sugar coat the pill, and woud offer a cushion,
for the discussions of Justinian’s “Digest of
the Roman Law.”
They Have a System in Berkeley
All we know is what we read in the ex
changes, but it would appear as if the Un
iversity of California has a system. Exams
are looming down in Berkeley, and the last
pre-final issue of the Daily Californian which
arrived in Eugene Friday carried a half-page
ad for “seminars”.
The system is not completely self-explan
atory, but apparently works like this: The
student pays $2 for a two to three-hour sem
inar in almost any subject of his choosing.
The groups are conducted by “experienced
graduate tutors.” some with Ph. D. degrees.
The ad explains that “Everything for which
you will be held in finals will be ORGAN I
ED, SUMMARIZED AND ILLUSTRAT
ED by probable examination questions an
swered in acceptable form by tutors”.
The system is almost guaranteed to help
the student toward better grades, the ad ex
plains, and urges students to buy their tick
ets early because attendance is limited to the
available space in the University buildings
where the groups are conducted.
At first glance such a system would seem
to put too lhuch emphasis on the grade as
pect of education, an aspect that is already
way over-rated in the majority of American
schools.
On the other hand the plan seems to pro
vide a concise, boiled-down view of the term’s
work, and the student who attends such a
seminar will surely learn something, and
even the better students should have an op
portunity to sharpen their thoughts. A well
run bull-session over the term’s work is a
great help—even to the faithful student who
has been to every class and who has read
all the books.
Of course the seminar is not a strange thing
to this campus, either. Every exam weak the
bistros on the campus periphery are filled
with seminars on a co-educational basis, and
living organizations are host to stag sessions.
But they lack the direction that the California
plan offers.
It is possible that the plan could not win
University approval, and could not be carried
on in the official way it is handled down
south. But it does seem like a neat way for
some indigent grad student to pick up a little
loose change.
No Husband-Hunters, They
1 o 25 per cent of the freshman women, con
gratulations. To potential Pho Betes, honor
scholars, or just plain educated citizens, con
gratulations.
To the 75 women who received 3 points or
above in their first grades received from the
University of Oregon, congratulations cer
tainly are in order, for it’s been said that the
first is the worst, and if one can complete
successfully and happily his freshman year,
he's of college caliber. And just one-fourth
of the girls who matriculated fall term have
already shown their college merit bv above
average grades. Mortar Board, senior wo
men's honorary whose membership require
ments emphasize scholarship, will salute the
3-pointers plus Tuesday evening, when they
stage their annual Smarty Party, designed to
recognize and honor scholarship.
Frankly convinced that learning (intellec
tual achievement) is a university’s aim. The
Emerald is proud of these freshmen who so
adequately refute the cynics of the modern -
college generation. The skeptics, if they be
milder than the cynics, are convinced that -
students, particularly women students, are
coming to college merely to fill in that time
gap between high school and marriage, and
to avoid the buffetings of the business world.
“The girls fritter away their time,” they *
scoff, "and learn nothing, for they have no
interest in learning.”
1 he 25 per cent don’t agree. We’re proud
of a fourth of the frosh women. Their 11
and better averages, above the traditionaLcol
lege mean ought to be indicative of the serious -
minded interests of a great many of the ■
“younger set".
__ J.B.S.
We Pray We Are Not Being Too Previous
Maybe it's a little early to say anything, but
so far it looks good. The Emerald has not re
ceived a single irate letter about the Hold
ridge speech Thursday. There must have
been people in his audience who disagreed
violently .with Uie.r.etirgT E. Gda stand again- .
st universal military training. But thus far
there have been no squawks.
it would appear that the ancient Ameri
can principles of tolerance, freedom of speech,
and freedom of thought have crept out to
the Pacific Coast. It is all so welcome after.,
. tlje. A.djiyiic speech last fall.