November 9, 1963
THE OLD ROAD
I must wander along the Old Road again before I am gone. It is
a fine road. It has been there for many years, ever since our begin
nings. It has seen new blood and old blood and all the changes on
our Campus as our Campus' changes which is always. The stately
trees along its rustic passage are ill-attended but not unkempt. Each
autumn they shed their leaves upon the Old Road and each new spring
bring a carpet of pale-green blossoms to cover its hard-brown sur
face. Here and there the tiny squirrels and chipmunks frisk back
and forth in their celebration of the approaching summer. So the
Old Road is not a lonely road.
And where, you ask, is the Old Road? It is there where the young
meets the aged. It is there, just over the slope, where the grassy green
ness inches its way a bit more each day up its beckoning passage. It has
always been there. It has seen everything.
And so the Old Road is a lonely road after all. It is lonely because
it is old. Before it stand youth and progress and the novelty of new
ness which now command the attention of the sentimental genera
tions which seem no longer so sentimental. It watches them come to
enjoy the handsome youth, some with books in hand, some with part
ner in conversation, all no longer so sentimental. And the grassy
greenness inches its youthful impatience a. bit farther up the Old Road.
The stately trees along the Old Road whisper to one another of
the changes the Campus has undergone. They hear again the sounds
of the yesteryear—the chatter of hammering and sawing ficats over
the treetops and the Old Road knows 'Turnbull and Erie are the new
infants in the household; button frosh rings loud and clear and the
Old Road smiles and the colored leaves of the stately trees rustle in
time to fight on state; a resounding road echoes against the pines and
the Old Road knows soccer is a good game for this day; then the bitter
wind of the white, white winter whistles through the naked timber
and the Old Road is glad it has the leaves and not the trees; spring
comes again, the chirping returns and the breathing of the newborn
woods gladdens the Old Road and then a splash from the swimming
pool elicits a chuckle and tells the Old Road that the garden hose
has finally done its job until it is time for final exams and then the
Old Road is solemn because things ought to be solemn at a time like
this; and too soon came the youth, the cocky youth with its prenatal
clanging and digging that cut into the Old Road but could not oblit
erate its seniority. And the grassy greenness inches its way a bit more
up the rustic passage.
So the Old Road is a lonely road. It remembers the days gone by
when its entrance was unstopped and those who were much more
sentimental or those who just liked the Old Road would follow its
pathway under the stately trees, up, up the woody hillside over the
carpet of nutbrown leaves and twigs and up, up along the bank of
the fabled gorge where Doctor Smith throws everyone who doesn't
disect the Echinodermata properly. So come again the autumn is its
twilight. The grassy greeness creeps up the Old Road and it knows
that youth is progress and vice-versa and soon, in a few short years,
it will no longer be an Old Road because there will no longer be any
room, any time for an Old Road.
But suddenly the Old Road thinks that those few remaining years
can be golden years. It thinks that youth and age can live together in
accord. It thinks that the grassy greenness is, after all, only creeping.
And the Old Road is happy because it has seen many good years and
those years have been priceless years and the memories are priceless
too. And the Old Road thinks that maybe someone soon will put a
quaint little sign somewhere nearby that says "The Old Road" and
then points to where the grassy greenness slopes down into the stately
trees that overshadow its beckoning entrance. Then, thinks the Old
Road, those who are still a bit sentimental or those who just like the
Old Road can wander along its friendly pathway and in the peace of
the woods can dream awhile and discover themselves just a little
more. And although it is autumn for the Old Road it is happy because
it knows that from time to time a wanderer along its seldom trodden
pathway will look up and feel the warmth of the friendly sun as its
yellow rays filter through the leaves of the trees. And then a leaf or
two of brilliant red or yellow-brown will float gently to the ground
to remind the wanderer that the Old Road is a fine road because it
is Behrend as it has always been. So that those who care to know
THE NITTANY CIETB
Anthony Downs, a political the
orist, states that the alternatives
of government action can be lo
cated on a left-right scale, and he
contends that each voter can be
plotted on this scale by what he
wants and each party by what it
advocates. The majority of voters
appear to lie in the center of this
lib e r a 1-conservative dimension.
This partly explains why the Dem
ocratic and Republican parties are
careful to nominate presidential
candidates who hold moderate po
litical views.
Another aspect of American
politics is summed up by Donald
Stokes, of the University of Michi
gan, that our political beliefs are
multidimensional. In other words,
knowing how "liberal" a voter is
on one question will not generally
give any clue on how "liberal" he
will be on another. A typical
northern voter may be very liberal
on civil rights, but he may be very
conservative in regard to high fed
eral deficit spending.
We can obtain further insight
into the desired qualities of a
presidential nominee by analyz
ing the members of each
party. The following remarks are
based upon an article that appear
ed in news magazine of the New
York Times November 4, 1962.
The Democratic Party consists
primarily of minority groups, ur
banites, those wage earners in the
lower half of the economic pyra
mid (i.e. those who receive less
than they think necessary for a
decent standard of living), South
erners, and those who aim for
more social equality. Democrats
tend to support high federal spend
ing on public housing, welfare
programs, and medical care pro
grams because they are in the end
must always know that it is not so lonely anymore, this fine, fine
road, the Old Road.
The above was written by David C. Craley, a sophomore at Behrend
last year.
If enough student interest is shown, the NITTANY CUB would
like to back a suggestion to Mr. Thomas C. Campbell, assistant direc
tor of the Behrend Campus, that a sign be erected at the point of the
road's origin (the end of the sidewalk in front of the Otto B. Behrend
Science Building) noting the existence of "The Old Road."
This road hold many happy memories for students both past and
present, and recognition of it would add credibility to the many
"Nature Hikes" taken by the students in the spring.
A sign would cost little, detract nothing from the surroundings
and foster a tradition.
Liberally Speaking—
dave goodwill
Analysis of
President ia
Candidate
the major recipients of these bene
fits.
The Republican Party consists
mainly of business men, small
towners, farmers, and middle class
suburbanites. Republicans tend to
support local self-government; in
dividualism and therefore may
criticize unions, big business, and
big government because they deal
with people as a group; and are
concerned over subversive activi
ties and a "hard line" in dealing
with communists.
A presidential nominee must
satisfy these political qualifica
tions of his multidimensional par
ty, and he must also appeal to
the moderates in both parties be
cause they are the majority. These
are the obstacles that both Sen
ator Goldwater and Governor
Rockefeller must overcome, and
they are the reasons why Gov
ernors Romney and Scranton will
gain support. To further empha
size my point, Goldwater's con
servatism is already showing signs
of mellowing and perhaps the
validity of the slogan "a real
choice" with it.
OSGA...
(Continued from Page 2)
wealth campuses, arrangements
for the Keystone Society State
Conference, a commonwealth cam
pus newsletter, and Intercampus
League arrangements.
The conference ended on Satur
day afternoon with a luncheon
meeting in Hazelton's new Student
Union Building. The main speaker
at the meeting was US. Congress
man Flood, who spoke on several
subjects, including recent develop
ments in Viet Nam.
4~r:+a~~ 1Y W Nct~;~'~~ls~
Page Three