Oregon Daihf
EMERALD
The Oregon Daily Emerald is published Feb. 4 thru 8, 11 thru 15, 18 thru 22, 25 thru
29, March 10, Apr. 2 thru 4, 7 thru 11, 14 thru 18, 21 thru 25, 28 thru May 2, May 6 thru 10,
12 thru 16, 19thru22, and May 26 by the Associated Students of the University of Oregon.
Entered as second class matter at the post office, Eugene, Oregon. Subscription rates: $5 per
school year, $2 per term. .... , ,, . , , . t , ,
Opinions expressed page on the editorial are those of the writer and do not pretend to
represent the opinions of the ASUO or of the University. Initialed editorials are written by
the associate editors. Unsigned editorials are written by the editor.
Lorn a Larson, Editor
Carolyn Silva, Business Manager
Marjory Bush, Don Dewey, Gretchen Grondahl, Associate Editors
Phil Bettens, Managing Editor
Sally Thurston, Advertising Manager
Wire services: Associated Press. United Press. Member, Associated Collegiate Press.
News Editor: Larry Hobart
Assistant Managing Editor: Phil Johnson
Sports Editor: Bill Gurney
Asst. Sports Editor: Larry Lavelle
Asst. News Editors: Kathleen Fraser, Jim
Haycox, A1 Karr
Makeup Editors: Judy McLoughlin, Faul
Bluemle, Larry Hobart
Wire editors: Donna Lindbeck, Lee McGary,
Len Calvert, Mary Ann Mowery, Helen
Jones
Feature Editor: Harriet Walrath
Photographer: Fred Schneiter
Advertising Salesmen: Ann Bankhead, Ward
Cook, Marcia Dutcher. Barbara Keelen,
Tom Matthews, Silva Wingard.
Practice What You Teach
Have you ever wondered how high school students manage to
graduate without learning anything? Maybe it's because their
high school teachers have been graduated from college the
same way.
The Chicago Education Examiner’s office has found out just
how little some of the prospective leaders of our youth actually
know.
“Use the words listed below in sentences that will illustrate
their respective meanings: incoherent, dietary, punitive, tra
vesty, succinct, insurgent, malcontent and divest.” That was
one question on an English examination given last month to
400 would-be high school teachers. Here are some of the more
glaring results:
“The cake was on the punitive side.’’
“Your research paper has malcontent.”
“The travesty of the blast could not be measured.”
“The insurgent in her side was two inches deep."
“The original species of monkeys is succinct.”
“Divest problems will inflict you on this task.”
One shocked Chicago school official said: “Some people who
go to college get through in a peculiar way. They pay their
tuition so long, and stay exposed so long that somebody just
finally gives them the necessary credits.”
He is so right.—D. D.
The Deadly Parallel
It's always dangerous to get facetious with a serious subject.
But this is spring term, and some irrepressible imp inside us
insists on finding deadly parallels between Dr. Alex Inkeles’
definition of the social motivations of Soviet society, as given
in Tuesday’s assembly address, and life in a certain institution
of higher learning.
Dr. Inkeles’ six major characteristics of the Soviet regime,
and their collegiate parallels:
1. “It places abstract social and national goals above human
welfare, as exemplified by the ruthless pace of industrialization
and collectivization.”
(It places abstract social and institutional goals above human -
welfare, as shown by the ruthless pace of orientation and final
examination.)
2. “It has a strange, ambivalent conception of the psychology
of man: Man is relatively inert and needs guidance, but man is
also dangerously spontaneous, capable of sudden fits of energy,
so needs constant watching.”
(Man is relatively stupid and needs prodding by the Office
of Student Affairs, but man is also capable of sudden fits of
rioting, so needs constant supervision, preferably by the Ore
gon Mothers.)
3. “It demands constant sacrifice with the smallest material
rewards and the longest delay.”
(It demands constant studying with the lowest GPA rewards
and the longest delay in returning papers.)
4. “It exacts a frightful toll on the grounds of responsibility
without giving the citizen a chance to control all the factors
involved.”
(It exacts a frightful toll on the grounds of requirements
without giving the student a chance to control his course of
study.)
5. “It confuses people’s origins with their behavior and in
tentions.”
(It confuses professors’ number of published magazine arti
cles with their academic ability.)
6. “It attaches a political meaning to every personal act.”
(It attaches a moral meaning to every glass of beer con
sumed.)
Now we can all sit back and wait for the McCarthy investi
gation.—G. G.
Open Jlettesi...
Here's a Chance
ro Sell Oregon
To the students of the University
of Oregon:
At perhaps no other time in the
University's history have its stu
dents faced greater opportunities
to be of service to their alma ma
ter. I say this because as student
body president, I am particularly
conscious of this aspect of stu
dent government, but also be
cause I believe it is a fact in
which every student should be in
terested.
There seems to be general
agreement that the past year has
been one of the best in the Uni
versity’s history. It is j>erhaps fit
ting that such a year should mark
the 7oth Anniversary of the Uni
versitv of Orecron.
The outlook for next year is
blight. The story of some of the
University’s outstanding achieve
ments- our 75th Anniversary lec
ture series; honors won by fac
ulty and students; the quality of
our student body—all of this is
becoming known outside the Uni
versity circles. Perhaps the best
concrete evidence of this was the
attendance at Duck Preview. It
was more than twice'as large this
year as last year.
One of the most important
things which we as students can
do at this particular time is ac
tively to join the ranks of sales
men for the University. With
such an active sales force, we can
make next year an even greater
one than the present year, and in
so doing help materially to ad
vance the programs of our Uni
versity.
How should we do this ? By ac
tively promoting the University
in our home towns this summer.
Tell the graduated high school
seniors of our new Student Union
and the science building of which
we are very proud. We had one
of the finest assembly programs
on the coast this year. Our extra
curricular activity program was
as good, if not better than, it has
ever been. These are the things
which high schbol students want
to hear about, and these are the
things that will sell the Univer
sity of Oregon. ,
So remember again: This sum
mer, you are the University's
salesmen. You are the ones who
can make next year an even bet
ter year, and by so doing, your
University and its students will
benefit.
Pat Dignan, President
Associated Students,
University of Oregon
-The Atomic Afge
Present Congress May Enacf
Coal Mine Safety Legislation
-By Phil Johnson -
\
States' lighters and Congress
ional incompetence have taken
their deadly toll, but it appears
that effective coal mine safety
r cgulation
law in 1952.
This would
be the crown
ing achieve
ment in a 45
year campaign
to cut down on
the number of
mine disasters.
In 1908, af
ter almost 12,
000 miners had
been killed
PHIL JOHNSON
during a four-year period, the
United Mine Workers asked
Congress to create a Bureau of
Mines which would study mining
conditions. “The men who have
seen their comrades bruised, bat
tered, crushed and torn to pieces
by these mysterious underground
forces,” the petitioners stated,
“demand that the United States
Government prevent these acci
dents.” Congress took no action.
Two years later Congress fi
nally created a Bureau of Mines,
which was to study disaster
causes and methods of preven
tion. However, some coal oper
ators refused to give Information
or to permit Bureau of Mines
officials to enter the mines for
observation of conditions.
The disasters continued, in
1939 the Senate passed a bill
giving Federal inspectors au
thority to enter and examine
coal mines, but the measure died
in the House.
However, after six explosions
caused 276 deaths in 1940, the
slow-moving Congressmen pass
ed the present law, which per
mits Federal inspectors to in
spect mines and recommend
safety precautions.
Nevertheless, there is no en
forcement authority, and mine
owners frequently ignore the
recommendations, I.ast December
119 men died in West Frankfort,
III., when a faulty ventilation
system permitted an aceumtila
- K I
tion of gas which was set off by
an electric spark from defective
mining equipment.
The mine owners had failed to I
act, although 13 of 16 federal
inspections listed hazards in the I
Teacher Material?
our
“Th* whole family was proud of Sian last week—First one in
generation to graduate from college.”
£ > • ■ ' i •
mines, and six warnings con
cerning the gas had been given
to the owners.
It is a tragic fact that some
mine owners, (not necessarily
those at Frankfort), don't want
to incur the expense of proper
safety conditions. Their losses
in mine explosions frequently are
covered by insurance.
Shine attempts also have been
made to shift the blame to the
miners. Opponents of federal
regulation have pointed out that
many mine contracts provide for
workers' committees to recom
mend safety measures. Frequent
ly, they don’t do so.
There arc two causes for this
failure. The workers are in a
highly-seasonal, low-wage in
dustry, and they hesitate to de
mand improvements that would
mean a temporary shutdown of
the mines because they don’t
want to suffer a reduction in
their subsistence wage. They are
sometimes willing to gamble
their lives.
Also, workers frequently do
not have the technical knowledge
necessary for an adequate knowl
edge of mine hazards.
Another argument, led by
states’ righters, contends that
states should enforce mining
safety laws. I'nfortunutcly, they
haven’t been doing that. The Bu
reau of Mines reports that West
Virginia, which has the best rec
ord for following federal safety
recommendations, carries out
only about 40 per cent of those
reeommendat ions.
The ghastly toll continues to
rise. In 19 years (1933 through
1951 i mine accident deaths total
led 21,554; cripples and injuries
numbered 1,071.703. In the first
four months of 1952, 208 more
went to the grave, leaving be
hind 143 widows and 282 child
ren.
The proposed law, providing
for closing of mines refusing to
follow safety orders (retaining
operators’ rights to appeal to the
courts) should have been enacted
in the 1800’s.
Gamp.uA Jieadlutel. .
Frat Serenade ,
Ends in Brawl
By Rae Thomas
What started as a serenade by
two fraternities at the University
of Chicago turned out to be a
mass free-for-all with “real spir
it,” as someone said.
The two singing groups were
joined by others and soon over
200 men were gathered. Things
soon got out of hand. Girls’ dorms
were raided with cries of “Bring
out the women” and “We want
sex.”
Campus police were surround
ed, and air was let out of their
tires. Said one officer: “I would
say that so far the demonstration
is orderly.”
The campus was pleased that,
on a campus well-known for its
lack of spirit, such a brawl could
be organized in such a short time.
# «!« *
Fifteen male residents of Cas
cade hall at' the University of
Washington pitched in to take
over their janitor’s duties one day
last week. The janitor, John
Adair, was guest of honor at the
hall’s annual picnic.
“The real reason the boys are
doing this,” Adair said, “is be
cause their girls say they don’t
get enough training in house
work.” i