PAGE TWO 11 7 ;ditorial Pennsylvania Legislators Owe Us The Right To Vote Pennsylvania has no excuse for not providing its citizens with absentee voting. Its failure to do this each year disenfranchises thousands of voters, students, traveling men,. and others necessarily away from their place of legal residence on Election Day. Its failure to do so can have no excuse, although two have been given: (1) That administration of absentee voting involves a teriffic amount__of red tape, and (2) that in the 42 states which 40 pro vide absentee voting only a small proportion of the citizens use the privilege. The draft should effectively do away with the excuse about administration. The state constitu tion already requires that soldiers be given the right to vote even though they are not at their 3.eg,al residences. To enfranchise the others who are now unable to vote on Election Day will mean inerely that this machinery must be expanded. The second excuse is no better. We haven't though of doing away with primary elections be cause only 25 per cent of the voters take part in them. Too, our apathetic attitude toward the vote is changing. Registration throughout the United ,States is higher than it has ever been before. Still, thousands of Pennsylvanians who i.vould vote if they were at their home polling places are going to be denied that privilege because their presence As demanded elsewhere. A lot of college students—and there are 2,000 of nem at Penn State alone who could vote—will ,spend five dollars or ten dollars to travel home and vote. But the vast Majority will be able to afford neither the time nor -the money and because of -that wily lose their rights as citizens. It too late now to do any more than urge as Many students as possible to .0. home to vote in 4his electidn. It is not too. early to begin thinking about next election. It is not too early to demand to know whether the candidates for office in this election will en franchise these thousands of voters in the next. It is not too early to Write to our homes and urge those friends of ours who will vote to cast for can didates they know will be in favor of absentee It is not unfair to ask every. candidate for the General Assembly (which must decide on this mat ter of absentee voting) to tell where he stands. And it is not unreasonable. Now is the time to do it. Now is' the time to postcards and letters home. Now is the time to demand opinions and definite stands. Once the election is over we can again ask our kepresentatives to take a stand, can renew our bid for their support. The time to take the first step it now THE DAILY COLLEGIAN "For A Better Penn State" Succßssor to the Penn State Collegian. established t 904, and the Free Lance. established 1887 Tuesday Morning, October 22, 1940 Published daily except Sunday and Monday during the regular College year by the students of The Pennsylvania State College. Entered as second-class matter atily at the post-office at State College, Pa., under the ae of March 3. 1879. Editor Business Manager Adam A. Smyser '4l Lawrence S. Driever '4l Women's gditor-,-Vera L. Kemp '4l; Managing Editor Anbert H. Lane '4l ; Sports Editor,-Riehard C. peters '4l: News Editor—William E. Fthnler '4l; Feature Editor h—Edward ,J. K. MeLotie ' 4l; Ass Assistant Managing Editor-- ayard Bloom '4l; Women's Managing Editor—Arita L. &Tema '4l; Women's Promiition Manager Edythe B. Mickel '4l. Advertising Manager—John H. Thomas '4l -Circulation Manager—Robert G. Robinson '4l; Senior Secretary—Ruth Gbldsteln '4l: Senior Secretary--Leslie H. Lewis '4l. JuniAr Board-John Bner. '42, t. fle l lAl2 Gordon '4.2, Ross. B. Lehman. '42, WiMani J. McKnight 42. Atipi M. Murray '42, Pat Nagelberg '42, Stanley J. PoKeEOP- Aker '42, Jeanne C . . Stiles 42.' , Senior BuSine's! Rent4—Thbmas W. Allihon PAW St. Goldberg !42, 'Tames E. IttcCaughney '42, Margaret L. Da bury '42, Virginia Ogden '42, Fay E. Rees '42.. prFaduste Counselor member Coletiale Press bistribu tor dE Colletriale Dietest to . ittorlal and Business Office 313 QlA4Maln Bldg. 731,d1 711 • Managing Editor This Issue -----Gentite Seifertitein ' , et Rows 'Editor This Issue John 'A. Baer '42 Women's Editor, This Issue___________R. Helen Gordon '42 Bnphomore Assistants _Richarai S. Stebbins. Samuel 1.. Stroh C. Rm,Elf- 11 keig Downtowit 119-12.1. South k'Sl►sier St. Dial 4= c - _ % •• I Campus i- . t:fg Calendar TODAY: German Club picnic group meets at corner of Atherton street and West College avenue at 5 p.m. Phosphorus food . exhibit in Boom 209 Home Economics. Pi Gamma Alpha presents "Painting a Portrait" at 7:30 p. m. in 107 M. Engineering. All invit ed. Business staff of Engineer in Room 314 Old Main at 7 p. m. itorial staff meets in same room at 7:30 p. - m. Meeting of the editorial candi dates and staff of the Penn State Farmer in Room 308 Old Main at 7:30 p.m. TOMORROW: Paul Moritz will speak in the H - ome Economics auditorium at 8 p. m. on "Will China Survive?" 11111111111111(11(11111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111 NIBBLING AT THE NEWS J. GORDON FAY 11111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111ffit Confusion If one of Orson Wells men from Mars were to drop in on us today, .not to make war upon us, but to find out just what is going on here on this planet, his reports. to friends at home would probably begin, "You figure it bizt-I can't!" Of course, it wouldn't take the little fellow from outer space long to understand that'Germany, hav ing taken :over at rge section of i Europe, is doing r best to add Britain's to her list.of scalps, and that Great Britain is so far putting up a pretty good scrap to prevent just that happening. From there on, however, the daily news reports would leave our Martian friend pretty well confusde. He would first read that Japan has signed a mutual assistance pact with the Axis powers then he would learn of Russia's concentration of troops on the Nazi-held Rumanian border and Stalin's proposed pact with Turkey, a country supposedly - on Britain's side of the fence. So far all would be clear, but on turning over the page and reading the headlines, SOVIET-JAPAN PACT IS THOUGHT LIKELY; he would probably begin to wonder. Reading a story one day of the sinking of the English cruiser, 'Ajax. by Italian ships, and reading the next day that the Ajax haS sunk three Italian warboats would not help his Confusion, A hectic flush ;would appear on the Martian correspondent's face as he learned that the Untied , States was releasing previol4Y withheld tools to Soviet Russia .at - the same time that the Communist party, the party of Russia, was be ing barred from election lists all over the country. - About the time that he saw the news of an isolated country, sur roUnded -by several thousand miles of open sea, making defense pre parations to conscript , several million men, but lagging behind in ship and aircraft production; the little fellow from Mars would probably tear his hair, ancl go home... Most • newsmen who are cover ing international affairs woulgin't blame .him. . • • ' 4 ' . ' .• ......• tjale ft I, • • • • 'Ai /is,* gplammetteed 4 .lPrpor 4 Jojnx:_bafabgeop Rfo4l 44 1 1140 Lowistigoriits main line of P. R. on Oct: 25. • make*.ieserir) lila' us at the Shill 41 1 5410 .41cdea bidors abcOte sh4o., • • - • SPECIAL. WRE9 LEAVING STATE .65 11:20 M. . . - 12:3#,R. M.• AND 3:15 B. M. OCTOBER 25 • DIAL 9-2731 BOiILSBUitG OR 733 STATE. COLLEGE HOTEL • Boalsburg Auto Bus Line Inc. THE DAILY COLLEGIAN Letters to the Editor— Semi-Formal Hop Draws Reader's Ire To the Editor - What's this business about hav ing Soph Hop semi-formal (Penn State style)? This idea is crazy. It doesn't give our function the dis tinction it should have. One compare it with any other All- College function that will follow from time to time. This, no doubt, is the work of a bunch of half baked Independents. F. Lloyd Conyers '43 Dr. Butler Explains - And Steps Down To the Editor On October 4th, President Nich olas Murray Butler of Columbia University, in an address to the faculty, made statements that caused general alarm among lead ers in education, youth organiza tions, and committees for academic freedom. The Columbia faculty members and the executive 'Com mittee of the American Committed for Democracy and Intellectual Freedom immediately, in an open letter to Dr. Butler, stressed the need for clarification of points raised in his speech. Dr. Butler replied as follows: "It surprises me that anyone who has been so long, a member of the Columbia University family should share, in any degree, the very obvious and mystifying misin terpretation in the press of my address to the General Assembly of the Faculties on ThursdaY laSt. Academic freedoni is and has 1,31* been so - firmly established at Coliimbia that no one should have the least fear that our University opinion would permit its abandon ment or qualification. "Are not the answers to the questions which you put quite ob- Vious in any institution where ac ademic . freedom prevails? Our factulty members are certainly at full liberty - td think and to talk as they :please upon any • suhject which interests them,. whether it be popular or unpopular. lylore over, it is clearly our duty to pro tect the opinion . and judgments of minorities. -:Majorities can usually take care of themselves. "We and our associates consti tute the Columbia University of our day and generation. We make its policies and we control them. Therefore, the University is not a foreign and remote -thing; it con sists of ourselves. This is why we ask for University freedom as a group, as well as for traditional academic freedom• as individuals. "Of course, the student body should enjoy.freedom. With us it does so in• higheSt degree. That freedom is described by me 'as student freedom arid not as aca demic freedom, since the latter ,term, now two hundred years old, has always had very definite mean ing and.appliation to the work of professors and Scholars." The Columbia members of the Committee thanked_ Dr. Butler for his statement and expressed their desire to maintain the high degree of student body and, academic free dom that now exists. 'Thus apparently ends what at first seemed a problem of great concern. Editor's Note: Collegian editor ially concurred with the expres sion mistakenly laid to - Dr`: Butler. However, the views it expressed were its own. Although it must apologize to Dr. sutler --for mis taking him, it still agrees with what it thought he said. ummiummuummimimpitimiiffiliminimmummumiiiiiimmiumniffin LION - f‘ .-- TALES fl miummtuouumummiiiiiimifilmimimommummiummmu.opiumin' Knowing full well that the- most enthusiastic followers of the "dirt" - columns are coeds and in view of that the fact that „the Cwen Dance was the! chief social event of the weekend, I humbly dedi. cate this column to the girls. Came home from classes Friday all bushed but managed to revive in time to enjoy. a delicious meal. had to cut short a grand bridge gaFrie to" come home and dregs. Must have gaihed weight over the summer because my roommate had to zip. me into my dress. Arrived at White hall fash ionably late. Jean ; Craighead's painting of a med ieval, lady knocked me in the eye as I walked in. Understand that henceforth it will be found in• Vera Kemp's room. Saw packs of people I knew. Lots . of thetas— Benny and Gertie Hellmers with phi"gams,. also Sally Searle with a new hairdo and John Currier. Posie Williams took Jack Cunningham, SAE; and Rowena: Godshalk, came with Tommy Kelly, beta. Eleanor McLaughlin took Peter 'Cra mer and she wasn't the only Kappa with an SAE. There were several: Alpha phis with _Sigma Nus. Chi O's Patton and i3euchle . took Billy Myers-and Timmy Robinson from the beta house, and Margie Roberts, who wrote Co.;Edition's editorial on how to ask a man to the 'Cwen Dance arrived with Sammy Sly in tow. Can't put. Ahem all-down. bat I also sem Millie Schmidt and Harry Wolf; Janie Ryan and Jack Brand, DTD; Mickey McFarlane, alfachi, and Dave Sharp,' Phi Dell; Louise Miller, AOpi, and Gray Ekdahi, AXP; 14,ppa. 5a1.13; Mi/ler and. Tom my Allison, DU; Jane' ,tiackburn, DG, and Jim Sturgis, SPE; Joanne Palmer and Carl Ilip_pen steel, Phi Psi; Jean-Craighead and Joe.Scalzo; ZTA • Kay Walters with Frankie Horpel, KDR; her roommate, Lynn Wolf and cheerleader Walt Sot tung, Theta Xi; Marion Eberts, AOpi, and 'Earl. Johnson, AZ; Bobbie Tear and runner Billy ATO; Millie Austry, Phi Mu and a man I didn't know (chalk one up for her); Gamnia Phi ,Made line Richardson with Bob Lane, Phi Tau; and Hazel Strope with trackman George.Reinbold, Phi Mu Delta. The freshman girls did well for themselves. Jeanne Little took Bob Koch, Sigma Nu; Betty Lou Schaeffer took Homer Half, 'AKpi, over for an orchid; Betty Christman took Tommy Backen stose; Mary Lou Ullon asked Bill Smiley, Phi Gam (I think); and transfer Janie Taylor came with Hoppy Seigel, KDR. A Reader •• •••••-7 TUESDAY, OCTOBER 22, 1940 Deer Diary: Guys and .Gals Together A college man's clothes should come from a college shop. This store kn o w s what you want and the price you should