’AGE TWO
The Dailv Collegian Editorial Page
Editorials and columns appearing; in Tha Dally Collegian represent the opinions of the writer. They make no claim to reflect student or University consensus. Unsigned editorials are written by the edltsr*
Pre-Conceived Pattern
Every once in a while someone takes a crack at
the American newspapers for their failure to re
port the news fully and accurately. Usually it
doesn’t matter, and the press continues on its
merry way, reporting half-facts and, willingly or
unwillingly, distorting public opinion. If the ac
cuser is someone like George Seldes, who makes
a living by publishing a newsletter which exposes
“falsehood” in the press, the newspapers just don’t
say anything about it and the majority of the
people never hear of the charges. If the charges
are levelled by a respectable group, such as the
Commission on Freedom of the Press, the editors
■ shrug their shoulders and make excuses. Nothing
tangible ever results.
In the current issue of Harper’s Magazine, one
of the oldest and most respectable in the country,
• Fred M. Hechinger, an experienced reporter, has
criticized the tendency of American newspapers
to publicize that news matter which fits into a pre
conceived pattern. He cites recent examples—in
cluding the false predictions on the “Dewey vic
tory”—to show how wrong the press has been in
its recent judgments, and he gives instances in
which important facts were completely overlooked
by the press—facts necessary to an informed judg
' ment of conditions abroad by the American public.
Definitely, there is something wrong with the
/ American press. Too often editors have formed a
\ patterned view of the world which win not allow
; them to print information running counter to the
pattern. The public depends on the press to get
the information it needs to form public opinion.
I H it cannot receive all the facts—instead erf the
(half-facts it now gets—the public wili be unable
to make intelligent decisions and may even make
( highly erroneous ones. It has happened before—
( although not many of us remember how the Hearst
, newspapers stampeded this nation into a war with
Spain in 1898.
' The press of America is free to print what it
i wishes, but the essential is that the editors have
free minds which do not force their thought into
' pre-determined channels and do not make pre
( suppositions before the facts—ah the facts—are
/ known. H America’s editors do not learn to think
’ freely for ft»emselves, they may weh guide this
< nation damn a raino«K path by misinforming the
f puMhi.
0M Swpyiiioii Box
A atrteßt who finds the library doesn’t own
book he wants should never let the matter ride.
' The Suggestion Box on the circulation desk at the
central library is for book requests.
The Story book committee, consisting of the
Sbrahan and four staff members, meets weekly to
discuss recommendations. Those signed are given
/ more sennas consideration.
The committee evaluates the books according
'to foefc- reviews and estimated benefit to foe
/school.
74m Huay staff and the faculty are respon
sible for building up the book collection. General
reading matter is selected by the book committee.
.TOae major part of the book fund is divided among
(the schools and departments. One person in each
department is responsible for spending its depart
'ment funds to best advantage.
Aside from the regular book fund there are two
others. The replacement fund duplicates missing
■ and worn out books. The periodical fund goes to
ward buying sets of magazines or back files of
‘ titles which the library is currently receiving. Oc
casionally special funds are available to buy im
portant books or reference sets for which the reg
ular fund is insufficient.
When a book is ordered, a colored slip is put
, into the catalog and the person signing the order
is notified. This slip is used temporarily until the
catalog card is hied. Anyone can determine
' whether the book has come in by inquiring at the
i Order Department. To obtain a book which has
been ordered, a person should leave his name
either at the Order Department or the Circulation
. Department and he wilt be notified when it is
ready.
To keep a complete record of books bought on
a department’s funds, a slip giving the order in
formation, price, and call number is sent to the
person in charge of the fund.
The person ordering a book is notified if it is
out of print or unobtainable. At the request of a
department the Order Librarian will try to obtain
a title in the out-of-print market.
:p«rt* check amt
' your car’s
lU UNSmVKIAIIf
INUINf iOM PARIS
:17;7=
,
to
•
ANTES MOTOR SALES
Vi Mile Worth of State College On
Route 322—Phone 2505
—Ellen Sperber,
FOR THAT BIG WEEKEND . . .
Rent your Tux at HUR'S
Large Selection
OUTSTANDtNQ VALUES m
WHITE DINNER JACKETS
A Complete Line of Accessories
HUR'S MEN'S SHOP
E. College Avenue Opp. Main Campus
First Shoot
Summer Work in 1948 Embraces
Rebuilding of Finninsh Village
(This is the seventh in a series of eight articles on summer
work camp experiences of members of the student body and
faculty* Further information concerning similar projects lo be
conducted this summer may be obtained by contacting the PSCA
office. 304 Old Main.)
As told to foe Daily Collegian by Ted Horner, a member of foe
Friends Service Committee group working in
Salianen, Finland, last summer.
In foe summer of 1948 there were 23 in the group of Americans
who sailed from New York City on the last day of May to spend
the summer in Finnish work camps. It was one of the largest groups
of its kind, for American participation in foreign work camps is not
carried on in large numbers.
The group landed ki Bremerhaven, Germany, and traveled
north by train through Denmark
and Sweden to Rovaniemi, the
largest city in northern Finland.
In Rovaniemi they were joined
by 35 or 40 prospective campers
from other countries of Europe
and spent a full week getting
background material about the
people and area in which they
were going to work from Finnish
professors and businessmen who
came to the Quaker Barracks to
help in this orientation program.
Obscure Country
Finland is a very obscure coun
try in the minds of most Ameri
cans. Those who know anything
about it at all usually think of
it as a country which has lots
of lakes and birch trees, as the
birthplace of Jan Sibelius, and
as a country which pays its war
debts. All of this it is, and much
more. It is a country that is a
younger but just as fervent de
mocracy as the U. S,
Location Hera
In this area most of the seven
work camps were located. After
the training conference was end
ed in Rovaniemi, the foreign
campers, including the Ameri
cans, divided into seven groups
and set out for the particular
project on which they were to
spend the summer.
The groups of which I was a
part went to a little village 80
miles north of the Arctic Circle
called Sattanen, to help rebuild
some of the houses which had
been burned. In the camp at this
village we were joined by a
dozen Finns making our camp
a group of 22. This group was
composed of mostly students and
in addition to the Finns there
were five Americans, a Dutch
girl, a French girl, a Dane and
a Swede.
We worked on three different
projects simultaneously. One was
finishing a house for a war
widow with two children. Her
neighbors had started the house
but were not able to finish H
because they had to do their har
vest. Another was building a
house for a man who had 15
children, all of whom had lived
the previous winter in a little
shack not more than 20 by 30
feet in size. We were never able
to finish that job because cement
was not available for the found
ation.
The third project was building
a small house for a veteran of
the first World War who was
crippled in both legs. That was
our most successful job for by
the end of the summer we had
completed it except for some
minor details.
Saturday. May 7
COLLEGE HOSPITAL Jj».
Admitted Thursday: Burl Neely.
Admitted Friday: Jack Crowe. -\-
Discharged Friday: Gilbert Friedman/ Edwin
Bell, Meta Scott, Stanley Schwartz, Ernest Cozens.
Burl Neely.
The Sinclair and Balletine Co., Ridge Way, Pa.,
is interested in organic chemists. Work largely in
control laboratory in dye pigments and dyes.'
H. J. Heinz Co., May 9 and 10, June grads in lE.
ME, Chem Eng, and Phys.
Strawbridge and Clothier, May 10, June grads
in retailing.
Essex Rubber Co., May 7, June grads in Chem
Eng.
Armco Steel Corp., May 9 and 10, June grads in
Arch Eng, Civil Eng, EE, lE, ME.
Wear-Ever representative will interview stu
dents May 11 and 12 for summer and permanent
employment.
State Department of Highways, May 13, June
grads in Ag Eng, Accounting, Chem Eng, Engi
neering seniors, Forestry.
Hotel du Pont in Wilmington, Delaware, has
openings for two or three dieticians. Applicants
should be Food majors.
National Supply Co., May 9, June grads in ME
for plant work.
J. J. Newberry Co., May 9 and 10, June grads
interested in retailing.
AT THE MOVIES
CATHAUM—Flamingo Road.
STATE—My Dream Is Yours.
NlTTANY—Strange Gamble.
TO THE EDITOR: I hope that my letter of
yesterday was self-explanatory, but I would like
to bring out the following points:
I—As regards Mr. Richards’ letter entitled “The
Laugh of the Week,” people from time imme
morial have always laughed at constructive and
sane ideas and I do not blame anybody for this;
it is just the natural law of inertia.
2 If one keeps his eyes open, one can find that
the caste system exists, in some form or the other,
all over the world, without exception.
India, though ill famed for her caste system, is
the only country, as far as I know, that has taken
definite and positive measures to abolish it. Ac
cording to the New Constitution of the Republic
of India, any form of demonstration of caste sys
tem is a crime punishable by law.
3 As far as the narrow-mindedness part of the
affair goes, the refusal to listen to constructive
criticism is narrow-mindedness in itself.
Kindly consider this matter closed.
(Eljp Hath} Collegian
Published Tuesday through Saturday mornings Inclusive dor*
mg the College year by tbe staff of Tbs Daily Collegian at Tbs
Pennsylvania State Collefe. Entered as secohd does matter
July 5, 1934, <\ the State College, Pa., Poet Office ander Hie
Act of March 3, 1879. Subscriptions 92 a semester, 84 Mm
•chool year.
Represented for national advertising by National
mg Service, Madiion Ave., New York, N.T. Chicago, Bouton*
Loe Angeles. San Francis**,
Editor
Tom Morgan
Managing Ed.. Wilbert Both; News Ed., Jack Been; Sports
Ed., Elliot Krsno; Edit. Dir., Sy Barash; Society Ed., Commit
Keller; Feature Ed., Pauly Moss; Asst. News Ed., Dotti# Werlla
ich; Asst. Sports Ed., Ed Watson; Asst. Society Ed., Barbara
Brown; Promotion Co. Mgr., George Vadass; Photo Ed., Ray
Benfcr; Senior Board, Sylvia Ockner, Robert Rose,
Seidman, Myrna Tex; Staff Cartoonist, Henry M. Progar.
Managing Editor John Ashbrook
News Editor - Shirley Austin
Copy Editor
Assistants _
Advertising Manager
Assistants
S *4TE COLLEGE CANDY CO.-140 S. PUGN ST.
SATURDAY, MAT T WHO
Collegian Gazette
COLLEGE PLACEMENT
for intenUw« iluwld b* mad* in Ml Old Main
OL Safety VaL
Self-Explanatory
Saceeuor to THE FREE LANCE, uL IM7
Business Manager
Marlin A. Wearer
STAFF THIS ISSUE
BUI DctireUtr
. Ed Gudt, Ellen Sperber
ALE CANDY
LLY'S
—Soli J. Bapuji.
Laura Meratelstela
P.U Vrabd, W. Wy.nt