OrewmDaHy
||EMERALD
A Different Text
This week a new Took, one of many, will
go on shelves and into display cases of
bookstores throughout the nation. How
ever. this book 'will be of special interest
to members of the University family, for
it has been written bv our own Karl Pom
eroy, professor of history.
Most people, think of hooks by university
professors, groan as thev think only of
endless textbooks — some interesting, some
dull. But this book is different.
It’s a lively book, interesting and enjoy
able to read, written i< r the layman. "In
Seach of the Golden West" is it> title,
and the book concerns tourists who have
traveled west jusf/ to see the country and
to have a good time.
Pomeroy, who has taught at the Univer
sity since 1949. has been on leave during
the year on a Guggenheim fellowship do
ing research on a book which will be com
pleted next Vear on the history of the
Pacific coast. He has previously had two
books published.
To a reader with only a sketchy his
torical background, the book i> informative
as well as entertaining. And we'll wager
that even Pomeroy's colleagues in the
history department will enjoy it.
Briefly, the book tells how tourists have
l>een important to the west, and how they
have helped to mold and change it to fit
their expectations and needs. Their reasons
for traveling west haven’t always been as
clearly defined as tho>e of the forty-niner,
the trapper or the missionary, but they
have been an important part uf the West.
Few vacationers traveled west by stage
coach, hut with the completion of the trans
continental railroads, many tourists headed
toward the Pacific. Pomeroy's hook covers
this exodus from tlie first Pullman Palace
cars during the livO’s through the present
day when many areas geared exclusively
to the tourist trade.
The hook was prompted by Pomeroy
interest in the touri-t angle of American
historv, for he feels that the "reactions of
tourists tell many things that are signif
icant about America."
Pictures of travelers during the late
nintecnth and early twentieth centuries add
a great deal to the book. 0
Pomerov says that he gathered the ma
terial through class lectures and t<>uri't
information. If the lively text of his book
is indicative of his lectures. Pomeroy's
classes next year should he filled.
Fitting Climax
Sunday's stirring Sousa encore hy the
mammoth Philadelphia < irchestra was a fit
ting climax to what we can gladly report
was a successful season from the college
side of the Kugene University and Civic
Music Association.
Eugene Ormandy’s entourage drew a
large audience into McArthur Court. Al
though mostly Eugene citizens, a goodly
number of University students (with moth
ers in tow) managed to attend.
With the Continued appearance of such
attractions as Mantovani. the DePaur
Chorus and the Philadelphia Orchestra,
we'll have further opportunities to get that
"well-rounded" college education we've all
heard so much about.
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2w C<
aJJ
‘Pangloss Story’ Is Typical Picture
Of Unfortunate Examination Situation
A topic that receives a good
deal of well-deserved negative
comment, particularly as the
end of the term
approaches, is
the subject of
examin ations.
The theory,
practice and
value of testing
has become the
enigma of the
modern univer
sity, the para
dox of progres
sive education, the Gordian knot
of education departments.
The unfortunate nature of
most criticism is that it is aimed
at the annoyance of having to
do what little studying most
students do, rather than ques
tioning whether a system built
around tests effective promotes
education as it should.
It would certainly be proper
to ask whether any test can be
devised that necessitates a
thorough knowledge of a sub
ject as well as provides an in
centive to do more than is
minimally required. But rather
than delve into this field, which
would require some rather per
turbing assumptions about pro
l'essors and students, I would
like to dwell on a subject of
more relevance on this campus.
What are the unhealthy effects
that an education system built
around testing produces in
study habits and attitudes?
Tests have become a necessary
evil amidst a jolly life of alcohol
consumption and sexual drive
satisfaction, both obscured
faintly by a thin veil of crepe
paper. Because of this, a mul
titude of devices have been de
vised to circumvent these un
pleasant interruptions to an
otherwise happy existence. Here
is one field where ingenuity and
incentive have proliferated.
Happy is the Greek*organiza
tion that is the proud possessor
of an up-to-date test file. Given
the proper conditions, a few
minutes spent with this valuable
tool insures at least a passing
grade in any course. Passing is
all the University requires,
therefore it must be plenty
good. The test file is most help
ful in courses that require a
deep understanding of the dis
tinction between right and
wrong—right and wrong gen
erally being relative to the par
ticular curriculum or instructor
and not the real world.
A test file is really a gold
mine if the professor in ques
tion has acquired tenure, a dis
like for class preparation and
the firm belief that all students
are imbeciles anyway.
I'm reminded of a storf about
a certain professor in the psy
chology department. The only
notation on his card in the test
file was the somewhat mys
terious inscription, Eleanor R.
It seems that this particular
man, Pangloss T. (for trauma;
Idego had a rather unusual
attachment for a test monkey
named, appropriately Eleanor
R. (Pangloss was unusual in
several other ways. For in
stance, he had a very attractive,
bushy tail. Some even were as
bold to say that his middle
initial stood for this luxuriant
growth. It didn’t, except in the
sense that he may have had a
tail trauma.)
Students discovered that by
including a t;lo\\ ing: descript
ti<m of Eleanor K. in their tests
they were assured of a passing
grade. .Matters got. so out of
hand that students would merely
write this name and turn in
their tests. The grade came to
depend upon the aesthetic
heauty of the script.
Eventually, Pangloss became
completely unbalanced, was ap
pointed head of the primate
labs at the Princeton Institute
for Advanced Study, and found
much time to dabble with his
other pet hobby, devising mul
tiple choice tests in which every
answer was completely irrele
vant.
But. I have digressed too far
afield. Cheating would be a
fertile field for comment, but
the caliber of students that use
this device to get around tests
is of such a nature that this
practice hasn’t been developed
to a very successful point.
The same applies to the
mickey mouse system of sched
uling. This means taking courses
that either have ridiculously
simple tests or none at ail. An
example of the latter would be
choral union, where the only
test is whether or not you have
vocal chords, except in certain
cases where nasal intonation
and intestinal echoing have
sufficed.
In the final analysis it is hard
to decide whether to condone
on condemn such practices.
V. hat else could happen in a
system that emphasizes form
and not content ? Until the sys
tem itself is subjected to deep
going reappraisal and change,
the best we can hope for is
sophisticated by-passing of edu
cation.
The Swingingest
i<"mnnr~> ■ ■ h ii/f7h j i h
'CES, ERVIN, WHY DIDN'T WETHi'iKTO DRIN6 A HAMMOCK.:'*
Letters to the Editor
Emerald Editor:
I would like to protest the
publication of any more film
"reviews" similar to the one
written by Mr J. Lengel of "For
Whom the Bell Tolls ' (Friday.
May 17). Mr. Lengel seems to
think the film is anothei pleas
ant” bit of trivia with an
"agreeable plot.” a "suspense
packed climax,” and sex. Now,
"For Whom the Bell Tolls ' is
far from a great film, but it
does deal with a rather irnpor
The ‘Old Hand*
Looks ar Spring
(Note: \s do most ev-Kfn
eruld columnists, Scott Mc
\rthur, sometime author of
"Blue Monday" in 1955-56 his
return's! briefly to the scene
of earlier campus <-rimes.
Struck by sprint; term, Junior
Week and all that, ( .d::tini»t
McArthur Mok Hot at in Inuiil
and waxed philosophic. What
happened follows.—Kd.)
Oregon’s academic win el
creaks closer to the end of :h<*
1956-57 school yea! At.d it at
fateful day looms nearer, ire
signs of approaching summer
are at hand.
(Jay young swains mote the
scenes of their amorous opera
tions from parked autos in the
alley to parked autos by the
rit er.
The Pioneer Mother moss
green face blanches . t the
thought of the end-of-the-yc.ir
onslaughts on her person and
dignity.
The beer companies call for
extra drivers to transport in
ti cased supplies of amber blew
to hard-pressed merchants in
the University neighborhood.
Occasional non-appt eeiative
neighbors grit their teeth as
ancient and honored songs deal
ing with Beer, Paddy Murphy
and Hairy-Chested Men arc
brought out of fraternal moth
balls and yodeled once more
down quiet, green-carpeted Wil
lamette Valley.
But, alas, also lurking behind
(he Ivy-choked walls of the
great buildings at the Seat of
Learning are other men. Men
with hooks, thick glasses, crafty
smiles—men with blue hooks
and tests prepared.
So, as the time for tests looms
ever closer, we chant the well
known chorus of Springtime on
the Campus:
Let’s flick it in and go drink
beer.
tant even In world history in
which many courageous Amer
icans. such aa the hero, took
I art The Spanish Civil War
was not fought, ns Mi. I^engel
mistakenly believe*, bei w<-.n
the loyullata and the Kaput
Ili ans These term* refer to one
and the name group, those loyal
to the Republican gavernrm t
of Spain, who fought agarr-1
Franco1* fascists. Caty Coo;»t
doe* not play a "soldier of for
tune In the employ of lh<- Re
public” but an American cohere
instructor who volunteered to
fight for Demur racy land v. s
not paid for it) at a time w I. n
anti-fascism waa not enmur
age<l by the United Slate
Today, when the United S
ia again supporting Dictator
Kranco, it has become
what unfashionable to j n
well of the pre-mature anti
faaciata who fought for Spam
in the late 30 a, but II i <pi
possible that the court- o! t r e
Second World War would r. <■
bf«-n dlffeient If th<- West 1
not been so Intent on appm 4
Hitler and Muaaollni by with
holding support from the
ermnent of Spain. In other
words, the film dealt with a
much more serious topic th . n
the nonsense written by Mr.
i-cngcl Indicate*, ami The K -
erald would do well to ntak>‘ rt
attempt to raise the level of . i
film reviews above that of the
high school*.
Michael Munlt
Graduate in
1‘nlltical Science
Emerald Editor:
On behalf of Associated W m
en .Students I would lik. to
thank all the University women
who contributed so generously
towards the AWN l’enrv-a
minule night. Over $18<i was
collected for the scholarship
fund.
Nancy Castle
A U S Treasurer
Thr Oregon Daily Emerald i* c1' ' *
live days a week during *t>«r '* t" ■
■inept during € xanmiatinn* and
« ti ilr, liy the Student EublifatM-u 1^ el
j( the I'mvei ity uf Oregon. I'-':i
< < nml clan# matter at the pen! oifn * I l1'
O tie, Oregon. Sulim npt inn rale- I, r
ictiuu] year, pet term.
Opinions expressed nn the rditen. . 1 ■ re
tie those nf 'rhe Emerald and 11** 1 * ' i •'J
end t'i represent the opinion oi the
n the University.
( IIAKI.ES Ml I'CIIKEMOKI-.. I '■'
OAKY CAN'S, Iltptine-s Manager
JACK WILSON, Editorial I'me I
AI.I.EN JOHNSON, Managinu 1 ' '
CI.KN CHAVES, Advertising M. - K,r
COKM'.I.IA IOCI.K. WM. ( OOk,
Associate Editors
I'll 11. IIACKK, News Editor
EDITORIAL. HOARD: „
< harles M itelicdniote, Ja. k \\ d •‘lien
Johnson, Cornelia Engle, Willi.itd *
I*1.i 1 Hager, ’I'orn Cliapitian, Jerry o',
sev, Wayne Woodman.