EMERALD EDITORIALS Tradition Time Jokingly we asked someone the other day if the Emerald should favor traditions or op pose them. "W hy not just ignore them like everybody else does?” came the reply. This would be the easiest way out and would probably meet with the greatest ap proval—but we think traditions should be mentioned, at least during the week when we’re stuck with them. In our opinion, one of the best things the ASUO senate ever did was abolish the "tra dition" of no smoking on the Old Campus. Excluding the fact that a lot of people don’t even know where the Old Campus is. the so-called tradition was still a little stupid— there were just too many people smoking there for anyone to enforce the rule. The six traditions that are left areu’t reallv bad. Take for example the one about saving "Hello” to people on the Hello Walk in front of the Student l. nion. Nearly all campuses have a rule like this— and it’s a pretty good one, especially on our campus, where friend liness is a sort of tradition anvway. Most of the rest of the rules apply to fresh men—which is only fitting. Class conscious ness, as it pertains to the year in school, has been called an anachronism. And it is to an extent, since the Second World War and Korean War have interrupted the normal flow of students and have tended to disunite the classes because of the different ages and ranges of experience of students of the same class. But it’s still nice to set the freshmen off as campus novices once or twice a year. Hats and ribbons aren't really humiliating, and the whole idea gives the freshman something to look forward to besides mere ly being a year closer to graduation. As a matter of fact, the only thing really wrong with traditions is that they are largely ignored except by the more rambunctious members of the Order of the O, who, after inactivity early in the week, stage orgies of righteousness Thursday and Friday and throw every available good looking freshman woman into Fenton pool. One thing is certain—traditions are here to stay—at least for the time being, so we should observe them and try to live with them. Why So Many? Why so many songs on the program for this year’s All-Campus Sing? We’ve heard the question asked by many students, and we think it’s a good ques tion. When the "Sing" was held on Satur day nights, everyone expected to spend the whole evening or a major portion of the evening at the event. This year, however, the addition of the Canoe Fete to the Junior Weekend schedule lias pushed the all-campus sing over to Sun day. Many mothers w ill w ant to start home early Sunday afternoon — others will he forced by necessity (in the form of train, plane and bus schedules) to leave earlv. With several awards being made along with the sixteen songs which will be pre sented, the program will be exceedingly long—especially for a Sunday afternoon, and more especially for an afternoon on which many of the students’ guests will have to be leaving for home. Nothing can be done this year, but it'-, something to think about for the future. Why not cut-the program to ten songs? Sprinklers Again I he sprinklers are on again. 1 here’s really nothing unusual about the sprinklers being on again, but the Emerald traditionally comments on the University's sprinklers and on the inconvenience they cause when you have to leave a walk to avoid getting sprinkled—then find yourself sinking in muddy grass. The outstanding characteristic of the Uni versity s sprinklers is the cunning with which they’re strategically placed so that they 11 hit the walks between classes and at noon. Actually, the people who are devotedly watering their lawns and the University peo ple who are devotedly sprinkling the campus are amusing. Everyone complains all through April about the wettest April in history, etc., then five days after the raiti stops, everyone is out watering his lawn. Oh. well, the sprinklers are just one of the evils which accompany spring—and in the long run the good outweighs the bad. Footnotes Oregon students aren’t so bad after all. We- just read a big story in the Stanford Daily about a student who consumed a half gallon of wine, hopped into his car, got going at "excessive speed,’’ lost control of the car, and ran into the porch of a professor’s house. * * * The Scene: A campus hangout: The Ac tion: Careful scrutiny of the credentials of several patrons. Conclusion: Even the ASUO president-elect isn’t exempt from Maxie’s rigid ID rules. INTERPRETING THE NEWS Attitude of Cynicism Prevails As Big 4 Meeting Approaches BY J. M. ROBERTS Associated Press News Analyst Reports from Paris indicate strongly that when the Big Four foreign ministers meet in Vienna this weekend they will pass di rectly from completion of the Austrian treaty to consideration of a1 full-dress conference on Eu ropean settlements. French sources appeared confident the treaty would be cleaned up in short order, al though the British and Ameri cans still were cautious, re membering the last-minute monkey wrenches thrown by Molotov on other occasions. Soviet authorities, though still bitterly critical of Germany’s af filiation with the North Atlantic Alliance, continued to talk of ne gotiated settlements, and West German’s Chancellor Adenauer predicted a period of conferences. There was a suggestion of compromise in the air between the British view that the Euro pean conference should be con ducted by the chiefs of state and the American stand that all pre liminary work should be done at the foreign minister level. One outcome might be a brief meeting of the prime ministers and the President to give the foreign ministers a sendoff. That would be kin to the procedure often used by the foreign ministers and their deputies. Secretary Dulles indicated, however, that the United States will move in all of this with ex treme caution. He said the Aus trian treaty would represent an important change in Russian pol icy, but made clear he accepted it as a tactical change, not strategic. He reminded that it was Russian procedure to zig zag toward a fixed goal, pausing to regroup her forces when ne cessary. Adenauer ascribed this neces sity to the new force aligned against the Communists by the Paris accords which admitted West Germany into NATO and provide for her rearmament. That the diplomats were en tering a period of movement was emphasized by Molotov’s willingness to leave a Warsaw conference with his satelite foreign ministers in order to meet Macmillan, Pinay and Dulles in Vienna. The Russians and the satellites are working out a military con solidation to reinforce Molotov’s political moves during the next few months. They are setting up a mutual defense system of their own like that of the West. It doesn’t mean much, since all the strength of Eastern Europe fell into Russia’s monolithic control system long ago. It is obvious that both sides are approaching the matter of a conference with a great deal of cynicism. THE LOOKING GLASS Local Movies Show Sex, Violence, Music By Leu Calvert Emerald Columniat Music, sox and violence arc dominating Eugene movie screen* these days. A so-so musical called "Three for the Show” ended Tuesday night at the Heilig. Starring Het ty Grable, Jack (Phfffti Lemmon and the ever-wonderful Marge and Gower Champion, the movie tends to lose its plot about half way through. Continuing at the .McDonald is a ruther'interesting film en titled “Violent Saturday.” Con cerned with the plunning and execution of a hank robbery In a small town, the Cinemascope movie features sexy Virginia Leith, who would “make any man drool,” as one of the char acters puts It. Neither movie is particularly outstanding in character and scope. “Violent Saturday” is in teresting because of the people in it. Many of the major roles are filled by relatively unknown ac tors who do c reditable work. "Three for the Show" la notable for the fine dancing of the Cham pion*. They arc at their very best in a "rehearsal” dance in the film. Also interesting is a dance done to "Waltz of the Flowers." Both movies are hampered by rather bad co-features. "Seminole Uprising, with "Three for the Show" in Just another mediocre Western being re-shown on a wide screen. The title of “Tonight's the Night," with “Violent Katur day," must mean that tonight Is the night for slu|»»tirk ami corny humor. One never ceases to wonder why Hollywood wastes good actors like David Niven and Harry Fitzgerald In such run-of-the-mill attempts. A new character actor emerge« in "Violent Saturday" very dear ly. He is Tommy Noonan who portrays the respectable bank manager who likes to watch girls urflress at night. He is very good in the role and should appear m more films. For Miss la-ith, this Is the seeoi d film we have seen her In, “Black Widow” la-lng the first. This movie should boost her u long nay* to the star dom she scrniH destined to. It Is her voice, a husky, throaty murmur, that really gets to you. Krnest Borgnlne, the fat .<* r g- ant In "From Here to Kt< mity" also wins notice for his wmrk in "Violent Katurday.” The actor gives a very sympathetic portray al of an Amish fanner who does not believe In violence, but who finally kills to save his family. Considerate Guy raar, * “I thought I’d be considerate and tell her that her hose were wrinkled—but she wasn’t wearing hose." oe. Executive Secretary: iLverly f.andon A‘->.’t. Adv. Mgr.: Evelyn Nelson Photography Editor: Dale Turner Photographers: Larry Spaulding, Rodney Sunderland.