FRIDAY, JULY 14, 1944
Behind Rockpile Column
Lies Hidden Tale Of Old
"Can you-all tell me what that
pile o' rock is?" an engineer from
Virginia shyly asked last week.
"Hey, what is that rockpile in
front of the armory for anyways?"
blurted a farmer from up coun
try.
Similar questions and mutter
ings are tossed about at the begin
ning of each semester; and if in
quiry and research are carried
through, the student will discover
that this "rockpile" has a long
,story behind it.
The Polylith, so called because it
comes from the Greek lithos mean
ing "stone" and polithos meaning
"several stones," was constructed
by the School of Mines (now
School of Mineral Industries) of
the College in 1896 to represent
the building and ornamental
stones of Pennsylvania arranged in
a column of geological order.
Two hundred and eighty-one
samples were procured from
mines, quarries, and corporations
in 150 localities of the state. These
stones include pre-cambrian rocks,
the oldest in the state, being about
two and one-half billion years old,
to the youngest triassic which
were formed during the dinosaur
period 192,000,000 years ago. Rocks
upon which campus buildings are
erected are approximately 475,-
000,000 years old or one-half of the
way up the scale in age but only
one-fifth of the way up the col
umn.
' Constructed on a base block of
Pottsville conglomerate 6 feet by 6
feet by 2 1 / 2 feet, the polylith has a
base 5 feet square, is 32.7 feet high
and. weighs 33.4 tons.
- When it was erected 48 years
ago, several objects were in view.
Among these, the most important
ones were to enable the geology
student to see at a glance at one
time and place a general but accu
rate - section__of the-crust of the
state with the rocks arranged in
Visiting RUSSII3II Expert
studies American Mining
Methods At MI -School
All the pumping equipment
American industry can produce
in the next few years will be -re
quired for . the . restoration of
Retitled Russian mines,' stated
Kurakov, _head of
,a mining
commission sent to the . College
for four days to study American
methods.
Retreating German armies
have devastated anthracite - and
bituminous inines in the Donets
Basin, as part of their systefnatic
smashing of Russian industry.
The return of the Mines to - full
production will take at - least five
years.
N. • Komarnv, another member•
of the fact-finding mission _esti:—
mated Russian pre-war coal: pro
duction as high as 0,000,000 tons
a month, as compared to the
ma:•;imum German output of 15,-
000 tons a month.
The commission admitted the
superiority, in many respects, of
American mining methods; ex
pressing at the• same time their
faith that production figures in
the rehabilitated mines will be a
considerable increase over pier
war production.
Bam.Props Elect Officers
'Hamilton -Propeller students
Piave elected Ellen Kennedy pre
sident or their group for the com
ing semester. Dorothy Keefe was
elected secretary; Miry -Cashman,
treasurer, and Katherine Chamb
lin, social chairman:
A picnic and dance has. been
planned for this week at the ski
l"dge for the Hamilton women and
their guests.
PENN STATE CLASS RINGS
L. .0. BALFOUR COMPANY
I,OcATAD IN THE ATHLETIC STORE
niorwriew.r!l ,, i7
exactly the same relative order as
that in which they occur in na
ture; and to determine the relative
ability of various stones to with
stand the atmospheric conditions
through the years.
William Lewis Affelder, former
student and later trustee of the
College, began the study of the.
latter in 1899 when he prepared
a thesis on th.e microscopic tex
ture of the rocks. In order to .ob
tain information for this thesis, 'Af
felder sandwiched paper-thin raY:-
ers of each rock between glass 'and
then studied its elements, giving
full details and illustrations in a
thesis filed in the College library.
For 45 years the "rpckpile" has
guarded the armory while fresh
men came and went, pausing Only
to murmur, "Hmmmm, wonder
what that's all about anyway?"
and no geology student has ever
continued the research of relative
durability of Pennsylvania's build=
ing and ornamental stones. The
Affelder collection of experimental.
"sandwiches" is still in the Mineral
Industries office waiting to be con
sulted again. The-polylith is a foli
gotten testirrionial.
PSCA Selects
Summer Officers
Grave Gray, recent delegate to
the United Christian Youth Con
ference at Lakeside, 0., was elect
ed president of PSCA for the sum
mer semester. ' Ann Berkhimer
was selected as secretary-treasur
er for the student cabinet.
Officers were elected and a sim
mer provisional organization de
cided upon at a special meeting of
members 'of 'the PSCA, who held
office or were active On a commit
tee last semester.
Leaders for five commissions
and twO - comrriittees selected were:
Commission I: "Intercollegiate and
World . Fellowship"L--Helen Dasf
senbach 'and Ruth Shields; Com
mission 11. "New StUdent Pro
irana"--aebert Barefast and Mary
Margaret Dunlap; Commission
III: "Religious Emphasis" William
Morton and Grace Gray; Commis;
- sion IV: "Public Affairs"---Lois
McCOol and ="
,Jane Cromis; COm
M - iSsibri V: "Campus and War-
Time Service"—Shelley Smith.
Watts' Lodge Committee: Alan
Bentz and Jean Farley; Personnel
Committee: Esther Miller and
Dorothy Colyer. ,
Chairman for the publicity and
public meetings .committees are
yet to be selected. .Any student
desiring to. take part in any of
I '
the committees or commissions
may interview the secretaries,
Jbmes T. Smith or Miss Betty Far
row, at 304 Old Main.
Service Board To Hold
Raiiii For Transfers
junior Service Board is spon
soring "a rally for transfer stu
dents in the southeast lounge of
Atherton Hall 6:30 p.m. Tuesday.
Campus customs, activities, and
organizations will be di)scussed
by members of the board.
Charlotte E. Ray, Dean of Wo
men, Gertrude G. Rosen, presi
dent of WSGA, and Betsy McGee,
president of • WRA will be the
guest speakers. Cheerleaders will
be present to teach the College
songs and cheers to the group.
ISC is planning an over-night
cabin party for Saturday, July 23,
Mike Lynch, vice-president of the
club, announced.: The party will
be held at the PSCA cabin.
THE .COLLEGIAN
President To Discuss-
Future College Plans
With Alumni Executives
Dr. Ralph D. Hetzel, President
of the College, will meet with the
Alumni Executive Board in the
Alumni Office. Saturday, July 22
to discuss the future plans of the
College and what part the Alumni
Association will play in these
plans.
At -this. meeting, also, the offi
cers for the new year will be
elected and. the program for the
coming year will be outlined.
The Alumni. Association is corn_
posed of 11 men who are elected
by mail ballot, and each man ser
ves on• the board for two years.
Those now serving on the board
are: E.'E. Hewitt, C. L. Eshleman,
H. I. Smith, IVI. J. McCleary, W.
W. Weaver, Mrs. Sparks, G. M.
Arisman, B. C. ,Jones, J. G. Brill,
E. 'L. Flynn, and W. K. Ulerich.
Teachers' Association
Convenes'At*College;
72 Delegntes Attend
Seventy-two delegates from 18
states are attending the nineteen
-ii-i.annual League College, an as
sociation of 'officers of teachers
organizations, convening at the
College until July 19.
Organized in 1912, the League
is an allied organization of the
National Education Association
whose, purpose is to foster pro
fessionalism among teachers and
to develop leadership in profes
sional organizations.
Professional leaders partici
pating in the conference include
Mr. Myrtle Hooper Dahl, form
er president of the National Ed
ucation' Association; J. W. New
ton, president of the Pennsylvania
State Education• Association; Al
onzo F. Myers, National Education
Association committee on defense
of democracy; and Belmont Far
ley, National Education Associa
tion 'director of public rrelation
ships.
Dr. "C. 0. Williams, associate
professor of, 'education is director.
Faculty members appearing on
the program . include_ George E.
Simpson, 'J . . Paul Selsom, James
E. Gillespie, Mrs. Marion Fisher
Murphy, Lloyd M. Jones, Kenneth
D. Hutchinson, 'Jacob Tanger, E.
A. Betts, B. V. Moore, Frank H.
Koos, Joseph F. O'Brien, Miss
•Rose- Cologne, and M. R.. Trabue,
Prof. Bowen To Direct
Milkweed Floss Collection
Pennsylvania's campaign to
collect milkweed floss for use by
the armed forces as a substitute
for kapok in life jackets and life
belts will be directed by G. Harry
Bowcn .of the horticulture depart
ment.
Bowen will supply information
and distribute bags for picking
the milkweed pods to schools. 4-
11 Clubs, Scouts, and other youth
;:'pups which will sponsor local
collection drives. He also will su
pervise the purchase of the pods
collected and arrange for ship
ment to the Defense. Supplies
Cornoration plant at Petoskey,
Mich.
WESTMINSTEK
Third Session Student Depart
ment, Sunday, 9:30 a. m., West
minster Hall
Musicale Service, Westminster
Fellowship, Sunday, 6:20 p. m.
Guest Pianist: Miss Jean Knan
del, Cornell University. The
Fireside Room Fellowship Hour
Especial Welcome to Entering
Freshmen and Student Trolpees
,to Share in a refreshing Chris.
: tin Fellowship with other stu
dents.
Old Main Clock Is Striking
—Overtime And Double Time
In the midst of world upheaval,
when war distresses half the world
and tornados, floods, and mine
crashes testify that even nature
is in a state of unrest, the clock
on the tower of Old Main chooses
to bow to the inevitable and be
come listed as a war casualty.
Although the damage is only
temporary, according to George
Ebert of the department of
grounds and buildings, students
have been highly disconcerted . to
hear the clock bong three times
At 1 a. m. or to listen to the chimes
of the angelus at 2 a. m. instead
of at the usual hour of six.
The clock, a gift of the clasS of
1904 was installed on the original
Old Main building. At that time
it had tremendous hands, measur
ing from 1.4 to 16 feet, which could
be seen anywhere from campus or
town, When the present Old Main
Building was constructed, the
hands of the clock interfered with
the architect's design. This clock,
Bishop Edwin Hughes
Will Deliver Address
Al College Chapel Sunday
Bishop Edwin H. Hughes, resi
dent Bishop of the Methodist
Church in Washington, D. C., will
address the Chapel audience Sun
day on "A • Man Gives God a
Questionnaire."
After studying at West Virgin-,
is University and lowa College,
'Bishop Hughes received from Ohio
Wesleyan his A. 8., 1889; A. M.
1892; D. D., 1894; and L. L. D.,
1909. Boston University confer
red an S. T. 8.,' 1892; Syracuse
University an S. T. D., 1903 ; De
Pauw University an L. L. D.,
1908.
Methodist Episcopal Church or
dained Bishop Hughes to the min
istry in 1892; and from 1892_96 he
headed the congregation of New
ton Center, :Mass. Bishop Hughes
served as president .of De Pauw
University, 1903-08; bishop of
Methodist Church since 1908; sen
ior bishop of Methodist Church
since May 1932.
Other offices he has filled in
clude member of Indiana State
Board of Education •, trustee of
Caarnegie Poundation; president
of State Teachees Association of
Indiana, 1904; president of the
Board of Temperance of 'Metho
dist Church since 1932; fraternal
delegate to English and Irish
Methodisms; 1930; acting presi
dent of Boston College, Apr.-
Sept. 1923; acting chancellor of
American University, 1932.
Bishop Hughes has written sev
eral books, .including Letters on
Evangelisfn, 1903; The Teaching
of Citizenship, 1909; A Boy's Re
ligon, 1914; The Bible and Life,
)914; Christianity and Success,
1928; Worship in Music (part au
thor), 1929.
Me Peoples
National Bank
Welcomes the SuMmer student's and liM.tes
Them To Use the Facilities Of Our Institution
In. Opening Student Accounts
around which workmen have been
swarming for several days, replac
ed it.
Two devices control the clock.
One operates the hands; the other
controls the chimes. Until the
class of 1937 presented the chimes
to the College, it was operated by
a master clock in the telephone
exchange. The movement of the
mechanisms which control the
time movement and the chimes
must be perfectly synchronized.
In order to assure this synchroni
zation, the - clock was switched to
an-electric system in 1938.
Mr. Ebert can offer no explana
tion about why the clock .sudden
ly went off the beam. His crew
has been working steadily to
cate the trouble. It seems that the
morale of Penn State disintegrates
when they.can't measure the time
left in class by the sonorous notes
of the clock on Old Main tower.
'Weatherman' Warns
Backyard Vacationist
Against Too Much Sun
.Vacationers, forced by the
transportation shortage to substi
tute backyard sun bathing for
their usual trips to the shore,
were warned today that the dan
gers of sun bathing are frequent
ly much greater than the bene
ficial results.
Dr. Hans Neuberger, the Cc*.
lege's "weather man," said sun
bathing can be beneficial only
in small doses, reminding that
painful sunburn, and heat strokes,
as well as skin cancer may ye:-
suit from over-exposure.
"Ability to withstand sun," he
explained, "is an individual mat
ter, but no one should make the
mistake of remaining too. long in
the hot sun." He described the
hours frOm 10:30 a.m. to 4' p.m.
as
."particularly dangerous."
. The therapeutical effect of sun
lies in the production of vitami
D in the skin, the weather expert
said. It would be less danger . -
ous—and probably more , effec
live, he - added—to acquire vita
min D internally through food.
Sunburn, he reminded, is a de
layed reaction just as readily ac - 7 .
quired on a day with a low teimi
erature and a cool breeze as on ;i
hot day. The amount of heat sen
sation experienced at the time o .
exposure is no indication of tic
painful burn and blisters whi
may develop overnight, he de
clared, •
I , Spitmn c , feid'tiz MAss
Mrs. Gilma Olson and membtnt
of her wartime cookery class will
discuss the .homemaker's
. problt-a.
E
of rationing in 'he Home conom
ics auditoria mat 3 u. m. 'Wednes
day. All student and the punt ,
are t attend.
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