PAGE SIX
Editorial Opinion
Quoting the University
Students tried to get a half-holiday last year. They
were told they were too late, that it was almost impossible
to rearrange the University calendar to fit in a half-holi
day.
This year students thought they could get a hal?-
holiday for 1956-60 since they made their request in
plenty of time.
But this time they were told they must hold their
request until they could justify the half-holiday. It was
suggested to the students by the University Senate's Com
mil tee on Calendar that they would have to list their
reasons and justifications for a half-holiday.
Really, there is only one itistification, and it is a
reason Intrinsic in an official University statement of
policy made in the 1958-59 Catalog.
On page 96 of the 1958-59 Catalog are listed four
reasons for the existence of intercollegiate athletics. The
last tht ee of these reasons deal with the advantages to be
realized by the athlete himself, advantages such as pro
fessional training, increased body control and the other
advantages of practice in athletic endeavor.
The first reason given on page 96 is: "To foster esprit
de corps among the general student body, and to provide
constructive recreation for the spectator, and a significant
source of vicarious personal expression for the individual
student."
We concur wholeheartedly. This is indeed the reason
for intercollegiate athletics. And we can justify athletics,
even athletic scholarships, on the basis of this well-worded
reason
For esprit de corps is invaluable to a university, both
for student morale and for building a strong and loyal
alumni
But how do we cash in on all this esprit de corps and
vicarious expression over the radio. Oh, of course, there is
a lot of excitement in hearing and reading about the
Lions' football games.
But no one can deny that the maximum, and we even
maintain the barest minimum, of esprit de corps comes
only when we sit in the stands of, say, Penn or Army or
West Virginia, and feel the interchange of support and
encouragement between the Lions and their fans.
But how can we go to even one of these games if we
have Saturday classes, and we do. Some students cut to
get to the games. Should they have to?
Thorough—and Thrifty
All-University Cabinet Thursday night approved
plans for the construction of a new Mall bulletin board
after hearing one of the most comprehensive and de
tailed reports in the history of local student government.
The report, given by Agriculture Student Council
President Robert Laßar, covered with admirable thor
oughness every detail of the project from the type of
wood to be used to a method of preventing rotting at the
base of the bulletin board.
Laßar estimated the cost of the board at sl7s—nearly
$3OO less than an estimate given by the Department of
Physical Plant!
If more student leaders were as conscientious about
their duties as Laßar was in this case, student government
might be saved time, money and confusion in many of its
projects.
Editorial's are written by the editors and staff atesabers
of The Daily Collegian and do not necessarily represent
the views of the University or of the student bodg.
A Student-Operated Newspaper
Ottt Battv Toilrgiatt
Successor to The Free Lance, est. 1887
Published Tuesday through Saturday morning during the Lintruant Year, The
Daily Collegian Is 4 student-operated newspaper Entered as second-class matter
July S. 1934 st the State College Pa Post Office under the act of March 3. MIL
Mail Subscription Price, $3.00 per semester UM per year
ROBERT FRANKLIN
Editor 1 0> '
City Editor, David Fineman; Managing Editor, Richard Draynet Sports Editor,
Lou Prato; Associate Sports Editor. Matt Mathews; Personnel and Public Relations
Director. Patricia Evans; Copy Editor, Lynn Ward; Assistant Copy Editor, Dick
Fisher; Photography Editor, Robert Thompson.
Credit Mgr., Janice Smith; Local Ad Mgr.. Tom Burke,: Asst. Local Ad Mgr..
Robert Pirrone: National Ad Mgr., Betsy Brackbill: Promotion Mgr.. Kitty Bar.
gert; Personnel Mgr., Mickey Nash; Classified Ad Mgr., Rae Waters: Co-
Circulation Mgrs., Mary Anne First and Murray Simons Research and Records
Mar.. Mary tlerbein; Office Secretary. Mule Johnson.
STAFF THIS ISSUE': Copy Siiitor, Bill Jaffe: Wire Editor, Cathy Fleck: As
sistants. limits , Anderson. Elaine Miele. Jim Seirill, Joyce Rubenstein, Janet Beak.
ban. Susan Hills, Joan lass, Genie Bermattei, Betsy Ittay.
THE DAILY COLLEGIAN, STATE COLLEGE. PENNSYLVANIA
FRANK VOJTASEK
' Business Manager
Music
Fans Predict
'Stereo' May
Sweep Nation
By SAM DAWSON
Business News Analyst
NEW YORK Rahe music box
which has made such a remark
able comeback since the war to
day has a fast growing baby bro
ther.
Stereophonic sound, its fans de
clare, will sweep the country the
way high fidelity and the long
playing records did before it.
What this may do to the already
established older forms of the
phonographic industry no one is
quite sure yet.
Stereo is a new starter but its
enthusiasts think sales soon will
reach the 500,000-sets-a-year
mark, or about one-tenth of the
total phonograph business.
The latest entry into the home
music field is the device that
makes you think the sound is
coming from all sides of the liv
ing room, instead of Just from
the box in front of you.
With some effort and a bit of
cash your present hi-fi equip
ment can be enlarged to take on
stereo. Or you can start from
scratch and buy a new stereo set
outright.
For records you now have
about 500 titles from which to
choose—or just about one month's
production of long playing rec
ords. But more stereo records are
being rushed to market.
The older manaural records—
millions of them—can't give you
stereophonic sound and the pho
nograph industry wouldn't be too
happy to see this investment of
theirs outdated. The oldies can be
played on a stereo set but they go
on sounding manatiral.
Stereo calls for new records,
new needles and a different cart
ridge, for two amplifiers and two
speakers.
On the standard-long playing
record sound waves are recorded
on one side of the groove. On a
stereo record, One part of the
sound is recorded on one side of
the grove and the other part of
the sound on the opposite side.
The needles pick up both parts
of the sound and the needle and
cartridge separates them and
sends them to different amplifiers
and different speakers. •
The stereo needle has to be
even smaller than the one used
for long-playing records and must
be rounded to keep it from cut
ting into the record.
Gazette
TODAY
Belles Lettres Club, 7:30 p.m.,
Simmons Lounge
Bryan Green Committee, 8 p.m.,
217 HUB
Christian Fellowship, 12:45 p.m.,
218 11UB
Collegian Promotion, 6.45 p.m.,
215 Willard
Dancing Class, 4:45 to 6:30 p.m.,
HUB Ballroom
Education Student Council, 7 p.m.,
212 HUB
Elections Committee, 6:30 p.m.,
214 HUB
Freshman Council, 6:30 p.m., 217
HUB
Freshman Regulations Board,
12:30 p.m., 212 HUB
Froth Art Staff, 7 p.m., HUB
Gamma Sigma Sigma, 6:45 p.m.,
HUB Auditorium
Home Economics Club, 7 p.m.,
Home Economics Living Center
Intercollegiate Con fe r once on
Government, 7:30 p.m., 203 HUB
Lion Club Committee, 8.00 p.m.,
213 HUB
Monitor, 6:45 p.m., 213 HUB
Navy Recruiting, 10 a.m., ground
floor, HUB
Neu Bayricher Schuhplattler, 7
p m., 2 White
Outing Club, 7 p.m., HUB Assem
bly Room
Scabbard and Blade, 7 p.m., 218
HUB
Scrolls, 4 p.m., 212 HUB
Simchas Torah Services, 10 a.m.,
Hillel Foundation
ÜBA, 1:30 p.m., HUB Cardroom
WSGA Judicial, 5:13 p.m., 217
HUB
UNIVERSITY HOSPITAL
Arthur Belles, John Bennett, Burton
Golden, Shirley Greenbaum, Harry Hager,
Philip Johnson, Forrest Leer. Wanda
Knepp. Joseph Kunaman, Emma Longes
necker. Kristin Love, Leah Melnik, Jame*
Mitchell, Andrew Moony!. Michael Raiser * ,
Beverly Rodgers, Clayton Savercool, Far
Wells Shockey, Marilyn Trimble , Roberi
Wall. Albert Would..
Little Man on Campus by Dick Bib
Words to Spare
Trial Solves Case
Of Fallen Bedstead
"I solemnly swear that I did not throw an iron bed
stead from the window of room 314, or any room ad
joining, and that I did not aid or assist any person or per
sons in so doing, and that I was not a party to any plan
for so doing, and was not aware of any student or students
either in the college or prepar
atory department planning to
do so"
So begins the oath taken by
witnesses in The Great Iron
Bedstead Trial.
The dramatic trial was held
by a group of students in 1867,
and the incident referred to in
the oath occurred in Old Main,
then a dormitory.
The purpose of the trial was
to determine who was guilty
of dropping the iron bedstead
out of the fifth floor window
so that the guilty parties could
be turned over to the faculty
for proper action. The oath
plus the notes taken at the
trial are on file in the Penn
State collection of the Fred
Lewis Pattee Library.
The testimony given at this
tense moment in the Univer
sity's early history is highly
involved, filled with reports of
people running up and down
halls and confusion as to just
who was in what room at what
lime and why.
The name of one character
pops up several times in the
testimony, indicating that he
appeared in many rooms on
several floors during the night.
But the student was only look
ing for a: spare bureau drawer,
according to the witnesses, and
so was not accused of any part
in the bedstead episode. Wheth
er he found the drawer was
never revealed.
. . . .
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TUESDAY, OCTOBER 7, 1958
By Dick Drayne
In all, more than 20 student 3
were under oath during the
proceedings. One student, how
ever, stood on his pride and
refused to take the oath. He
agreed to testify, but claimed
he had given his word on the
truth of his testimony, and
that his word was "as good as
an oath,"
The lengthy oath, incidental
ly, continues in the sa m
flowery legal vein as its open
ing sentence, and ends "And
as I have sworn honestly and
truly, so may God help me."
The trial resulted in two
students being named as guilty
of the prank, and their names
were turned over to the facul
ty. What finally happened to
them is not on record, but
judging from the solemnity of
the trial the penalty was prob
ably rather stiff.
The Great Iron Bedstead, in
cidentally, seems to have
marked the first appearance
on campus of anything which
might be called student gov
ernment.
No formal governmental sys
tem was set up until many
years later, but the trial re
sult seems to have been the
first official student decision
and so might qualify as the
premature birth of student gov
ernment.
We wonder how All-Univer
sity Cabinet would handle the
incident today.