North Carolina Newspapers

Page Two THE DAILY TAR HEEL Wednesday, March 30, 1932 Mht Satip Car Ipeel The official newspaper of the Publl- cbuuus uuiuu sjua.ru ox me uiuvcia"j It cf North Carolina at Chanel Hiil jhere it is printed daily exceptMon- mas, and Spring Holidays. Entered as second class matter at the post of March 3, 1879. Subscription price, for the college year. nfflooa n i second floor of the I Graham Memorial Building. Jack Dungan.. .....bditor Vwh ManairiTiff Editor John Manningl....Business Mgr. I Editorial Staff EDITORIAL BOARD Charles G. R. W. Barnett, Henderson Heyward, Dan Lacy. Kemp Yarborough, bid- ney Kosen, J. J?. Alexander. FOREIGN NEWS BOARD E. C. Daniel, Jr., chairman; Frank Haw- ley, tr. xiiumpsuii, -uuu e,, Claiborn Carr, Charles Foe. FEATURE BOARD Ben Neville, T. W. TJlackweU, i H., Joseph bugar- man, vv. k. luaaieman, vermom Royster. CITY EDITORS George Wilson Tom vvaiKer, vviuiam jia&.ee, . u. Davis, W. R. Woerner, Jack Riley, Thomas H. Broughton. LIBRARIAN E. M. SpruilL , . . .-11 I TTTT'Tr'T T?TCJ T TT ; A Tlill I XLEiiJ-i XVO cl. XX. JU.Ul.lia, !! -. I W. O. Marlowe, E. C. Bagwell, K. J. I Gialanella. W. D. McKee, Harold Janof sky, F. C. Litten, N. H. Powell, M. V. Barnhill, W. b. Kosentnai, C. S. Mcintosh, Robert Bolton. Business Staff CIRCULATION MANAGER T. C. Worth. USUMbS !JlrAxC x JVlJiiis x Assist- ants: R. D. McMillan, Pendleton Gray, Bernard Solomon. ADVERTISING DEPARTMENT Jimmy Allen, manager; assistant: Howard Manning:: nl Jones, xi. Louis Brisk, Joe Mason, Dudley COLLECTION DEPARTMENT John Barrow, manager; assistants: Kan- dolnn Kevnoias. joe vveuD, uim Cordon, Agnew Bahnson. Wednesday, March 30, 1932 The State College Inquisition Rolls On (Continued from first page) ernment, better education, and liberality should be fit cause for the removal of anv college presi- dent in the nation. Even as the American Asso- ciation of College Professors and other national university or- ganizations have censored Presi- dent Brooks for his action against Dr. Taylor, all that he can exnect to accrue from his latest and most noble gesture is further distrust for his admin- istration, his institution, and a widespread amusement upon the part of college student bodies and administrations. There has this day been for warded to all the college dailies, and college news organizations in North America news in de- ,tail of. this latest monument in the already outstanding admin- istration of President E. C. Brooks of the State College of the Greater University of North Carolina. The Steam Roller Method of Education During the last few months the student body has manifested m speech and in writing a feel- ing of discontent with the sys- tem of compulsory class attend- ance under which it is forced to labor. Considering the stringencies, and so forth. This training cy of the laws and the utter dis- regard for student opinions with which they were enacted it is .surprising maeea mat tne pro- . - "I 1 1 i 1 I 1 , tests have been so mild. Cow- ed by the steam roller methods . - which put such laws into oper- ation, the student body evident- ly feels itself incapable of sue- cessfully struggling against a force so overwhelming and ruth- less. There is every reason for a healthy resentment of this com- pulsory attendance. In pre- cedent the University has none of the outstanding colleges of j i t j? ; j tne nation, in iorcing me siu- dent to attend classes the Uni- versity is presupposing an un- All in all, they are, on a presum i ii i i i it.. aergraauate oi nign scnooi cai- ibre, unwilling and unfit to con- auct witn wisaom or maxurity the pursuit of his or her studies, The man or woman who comes to college has completed all com- pulsory education that the law requires and is presumed 4o be motivated by a real desire for 1 J S j j m lf iXXl aavancea sxuay. io aicxaie xo such a student and treat him as a child 13 to insult his ability nT1 rmpof inn sinrpritv nf Tiis desire ior nigner eaucauon. - t j a Furthermore by thus forcing attendance the college degrades the spirit and the ideals of University training. A degree ig 0 was at least something to be sought after and not some- I Vii rrr r Via -F-tvo-J flmiTi Vi o , . , . OI ever one wno VAm es any fe.ebe inte5fst in a l- lege curriculum, isy so aomg the authorities are debasing the Vflillft aTlA merit of the deere? and placing the cause of high- PT. Ar!nrntirm in a most hnmiliat- . . 1U iUlc Perhaps all these objections , :r ,1 ungni, uc uvcuuuacu ix cvmiyux sory attendance had yielded any f reault hnX)9d and - - nsed tor it. i5ut alas this is not the case ThQ results of the last quarter show more failures than at any time within the last - . nr. Q T,i0fnw ivui yjx ll v vcixo ui viaj. moKui t. " . - Til X,4 r oisierea upon a neipiess siu . ' preuetieuteu uy mtr eAamyie ox aTlv outstandino- school, diamet- rically opposed to the justly cele- brated spirit of liberalism, that has marked Carolina in the nast , , , . ., n "m uiamai xnuiC io impossible and inexcusable to rpxfll. S11h p-0ffiRt has , ... j up to uie present, Lime sraueu Unavailing. Wp must throw our- selves once more upon the mer- cy of the powers that be, hop- ing that in their wisdom they will relieve us of an intolerable, unfair, and fruitless affliction. J.F.A. Supposedly Worthwhile Organizations Argument at its best is mere- Uy the statement of truths which ot their own character carry weight. It is only when doubt enters the mind of the propon ent of an idea that he need re sort to thundering phraseology and overemphatic vituperation, Some slothful thought has been given to the matter of the multiplicity of organizations on Hill. They are all wonder- ul some affirm; others, that they are entirely superfluous. txt ; j t h001 - " Blues jiav The "club" has its justifica tion in that it provides an op portunity for intimate and or- ganized companionship. If the cJub is organized for the pur- Pse of discussing foreign at prs then this club has the ad- vantage of this common ground of interest. Amphoterothen, the pi' and Phi, Epsilon Phi Delta, the Polity Forum, the Interna- tional Relations Club, and oth ers are admirable efforts to stimulate and direct serious thinking. Another justification (?) is that a man can be rated by the number of clubs he is elected to. Still another, the existence of many clubs pres ages the creation of many presi- dents, vice-presidents, secretar m leadership is valuable. These points are the main planks of the clubman's case. I n t -a $ut enougn has been said asrainst these organizations to w reveal a rather strong feeling that they and other organiza tions are superfluous. One group of clubs which no one tries to justify intelligently is that to which the Bulls Sheiks, and "13" Club beloncr These clubs do nothing, repre- sent nothing, and are expensive Their initiations are childish tiresome, and irritating. They are I "rah rah" without having anv of the vividness of "rah rah"-ness at its best (or worst) ably serious campus, super- fluous. Another group ot organiza tions, that to which Epsilon Phi Delta and the like belong, are supposedly serious, forward looking groups of thinking men But why so many of them? As it is there is an almost exac 1. .. m i aupiication oi membership in hese clubs. So it works out hat Jim James or Alex Alexan der pays his ten dollar (more or less) fees to one, two, three, ad infinitum, treasuries so that he will have the chance to dis cuss the sales tax and the Chi nese situation once, twice, three times, in different rooms but with the same men. This would be laughable if it weren't such a real problem. The "activity" consideration, that is, joining one group after another in order to get some of that evanescent prestige which comes with lots of activities, is anything but a laudable one. For it places a premium on pan handles and relegates achieve ment of the real sort to a secon dary and inconspicuous position. An integration of all these so- called thoughtful groups, a re- scaling of the financial struc tures; deletion of 'the "rah rah" stuff, and an emphasis on the supreme importance of sincere and thorough thought and ac tivity this is the ideal. R.W.B. Eddie Cantor For President! After eight months of expo sure to the ballyhoo of some six or seven presidential candidates, The Daily Tar Heel has finally given up the ghost and an nounced its own presidential preferences with thought in mind to banish forever from the public eye the present array of anxious politicians now clamor ing for the -nomination. With meticulous foresight and no little amount of private investigation, this sheet now goes on record as supporting Eddie Cantor for president, Ben Bernie for vice- president, and Walter Winchell as sneaker of the house. These nominations are made with sev eral important points in mind. First, the election of these men would end their radio wise cracks, a public blessing in itself. Second, there would be much more pleasure in blaming na tional catastrophies on Cantor, if for no other reason than to hear his rejoinders. Third, the men tality of the chief executive and his staff is perpetually in ques tion: here there would be no question, but a universal convic tion instead. Fourth, the time spent in listening to speeches against the repeal of prohibition could be devoted to a session of Winchell's choice dirt. Above we have' enumerated only four of many points in the favor of this governmental com bine. One of its redeeming f ea tures would be the provision of a vice president who could play a clarinet' and a president with a sense of humor: but even that would not be enough to insure our proposed administration of enough votes to swing the coun try. Obviously the strength of the candidates must be matched by a stalwart platform of suf ficient proposition to restore the country again to prosperity and crooked bankers. It we con sented to support the Cantor party, the planks in their politi cal promises would have to in clude: Immediate and uncondi tional return of the Lindbergh baby; the adoption of a prohibi tion law; suppression of Ogden Nash verse and Will Rogers' "Letters of a Self -Made Diplo mat Xo Senator Borah." These would be but a few examples of social and political reforms ef fected by our administration once that it was in office. So let us return the rule to the people; vote for The Tar Heel's candi dates and make America safe for democracy! D.C.S. Advocating The Sales Tax The imposition of additiona taxation by the federal govern ment is apparently necessary, Granted that fact, its conse quences must be faced, and how ever disagreeable the burden of additional taxes may be, they ought to be regarded, as obliga- tory and as a duty of citizenship! Any attempt by a people pos sessing universal suffrage to evade the responsibility for evils and errors committed or permitted or inevitable is hardly commendable, although changes and readjustment and improve ment in our present financial and economic systems are worth while objects, while a desire to eliminate hard times is natur ally excusable. From the standpoint of prac tical economics the proposed sales tax may be unwise, as in serving perhaps to reduce pur chasing power; from the stand point of the actual condition of he people it may be oppressive; from the standpoint of civic and political theory, nevertheless, it is a just measure. It is a -tax on consumption and will fall on all classes in proportion to their consumption, if not to. their wealth. A policy of penalizing o a greater extent than is done at present that wealth which the government has permitted and even encouraged is neither logi cal nor. just. Wealth ought to be either eliminated, and social- ism avoweaiy ana aenniteiy adopted, or else allowed to bear no more than (or not excessively more than) its just share. All this, to repeat, is submit ted from the standpoint of theory. In actuality, the poor may be unable or woefully ill- fitted to bear any of the addition al taxes, and the rich may be quite capable of bearing all. As far as abstract justice is con cerned, howrever, the American people have stumbled or let themselves be led into the pres ent morass, and ought to face the consequences. K.P.Y. With Contemporaries College Journalists A perusal of college news papers of many different schools over a period of time would show that the student editor frequent ly falls prey to a feeling of fu tility. He learns that a reform er is never liked whether his re form is successful or a failure. He finds that he has a rapid turnover of friendships. He becomes aware of those mighty barriers the smaller mossybacked administrative and faculty interests. He frequent ly is outlawed by the thick- skulled and the brothers of his fraternity. He knows that few care or will long remember his work. He expects his intentions to be misinterpreted, no matter how obvious the motivation for his acts may be. He feels like tossing in the towels fifty times in as many days. He says : "What's the use?" The minute he gives in to his own inclinations for peace, he places himself beneath the sod. If he stops and looks over his problems and troubles in a quizzical fashion, he feels the old animosity stir within him and realizes what a life it would be if someone wouldn't dis agree and there were nothing tc fight about. There need be no envy of those college editors who are flag pole sitters for two semes ters and permit the rest of the world and even the campus to go by without molestation. The boys who really have the fun are those who never know how long they will have their scalps, who laugh and defy the bigots and motheaten vested interests, who openly flaunt the epitaphs which have been written for them in advance, and who take matters seriously without be coming overly serious. There is an art in raising the hornets and doing it so well that they have no comeback. Most of the esteem accorded i . J!j the active college eauor is worth considerably less than the hatred he gathers. He usually has a few staunch friends who are large enough to overlook his hastiness, a faux pas now and then, the seeming ly inane and meaningless news or editorials he sometimes prints, and his somewhat blind adherence to his own peculiar code. One consolation, however makes up for the lost peace and sleek contentment. The adver sities of one who can openly differ are far more desirable than the dull rote of living which attends the college editor upon whom all blessings flow because every Tom, Dick and Harry, large and small, has a mortgage on his soul. Then, too, he al ways reaches the point where he realizes that his most impor tant issues and bad setbacks will make excellent material " for smiles within another decade. Daily IUini. Letting Off Steam College editors this year are coming in for a goodly share of notoriety . . . Northwestern is only one instance. Reed Harris' sensational charges against foot ball at Columbia last fall started the parade and other editors have followed him since, usually to the loss of their positions. In every college and univer sity there are those who would, if they dared, muzzle the publi cations existing there and con duct them to their own satisfac tion. Such people regard col legiate opinion as juvenile, and hold that every modern educa tional institution is little more than a "hot-bed of radicalism." There are bounds of decency and good taste, beyond which no editor, collegiate or otherwise, should be permitted to step. Oth er than that, however, the faculty-meddler ought to maintain a hands-off policy. While the pen may be mightier than the sword, most people would rather have a few drops of ink between their shoulder blades than a knife be tween their ribs. Letting off ex cess steam via the printed page is, one would think, much to be preferred to noisy and often d a m a g ing demonstrations. Daily IUini. . "The '. , Intelligent Few" Writing in the March issue of Current History, Mr. Bernard De Voto analyzes the general methods of teaching in Ameri can colleges, particularly at Har vard, and comes to the conclu sion that there is not enough special attention paid to the "in telligent few." They are limited, he says, es pecially by two restrictions! The first is having to take and pss periodic examinations; the sec ond is having to specialize in tensely in a single field, such as is required at Princeton under the Four Course Plan. He ad mits that for the vast majority of students the present system of regular tests and theses is the best, but he urges that more ef fort be spent upon developing a system of "education for the intelligent few." Theoretically, Mr. De Voto is undoubtedly right, and few can doubt the value of such ideas, could they be put into effect. But there are on the face of them at least two objections, so strong as to render impracticable the change he suggests. In the first place, how could the authorities determine who the intelligent few are? Not by tests, for by Mr. De Voto's def inition, they are not interested in tests ; their minds rise higher. Nor yet by their faces, for often the bright light of intellect is screened by a sour complexion In fact it seems clear that there could be no way of selecting from a student body the handful who are the true seekers after knowl edge, the true thirsters for a lib eral education. In the second place, Mr. De Voto wants special, highly paid,. brilliant, teachers for his "few'" the svstem to be modelled on the Tutorial System at Harvard. This he admits would definitely detract from the personnel of the rest of the faculty for two rea sons: first, because the best tu tors would have to be given to the "few" ; second, because these best tutors would have to be so highly paid as to force the col lege to economize in its other men. He frankly admits,- there fore that he would deprive the vast majority of "average intel ligence" for the sake of the "in telligent few." That there are a few men in every college who should be al lowed to do unrestricted inde pendent work is undoubtedly a fact, and when a system can be devised which is more practical than this one of Mr. De Voto's and which will not detract from the quality of the education of the majority of the students,. the "intelligent few may re ceive the special attention he be lieves they deserve. But until then, they will perforce have to strain at the leash of intellectual restriction or employ their su perior minds to gain more bene fit from the "restricted curricu lum" than the rest of us can. Daily Princetonian. The Examination System The growth of knowledge has done a great deal of good for the world in general but its ef fect on the average student has been far from happy. For, as time goes on, the standard of necessary elementary knowledge has an unfortunate knack of ris ing steadily; in consequence the poor student is required to ac cumulate yearly a larger store of very detailed and altogether ir relevant facts for the sole pur pose of proving to his superiors that he has been learning as much as is postulated by the ex igencies of a course, which may require those facts as an import ant integral part of the course, though they are objectively of minor significance when the stu dent has ceased to specialize in that particular direction. It is easy to see the reason underlying such a procedure, which is universally recognized as inadequate, but is still adopt ed as the only known way of rat ing the intelligence of the indi vidual student and the amount he has learned during the detail ed course. In point of fact, few will deny that the dreaded Exam is mqre often than not a test not of the learners' ability in a broad way but of his ability to tabu late the results of a hurried and altogether frenzied revision of (Continued on next page) It Is Worth Knowing That There was a one-way street in Pompeii, the Roman city which was destroyed by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 A. D. About 30,000,000 pounds of dynamite are used annually in the construction of high ways in the United States. . The only vicious serpent found in Great Britain is the adder. The University of Pennsyl vania museum has a backgam mon board dating from about 3000 B.C., which was found at Ur of the Chaldes. It is generally believed that only one of Christ's apostles, John, escaped martydom. The first stretch of concrete highway in the United States was laid at ' Belief ontaine, Ohio, in 1893. The Eiffel Tower, Paris, is 1000 feet high.