’AGE FOUR
Editorial Opinio
Outdated Virtue
After reading articles and books written around the
turn of the century one may get the idea that honesty
was a virtue respected by everyone.
Reading articles and talking to people today one
often gets the impression that only the fool is honest and
those who don’t “fudge” just a little will never be suc-
cessful
Half a century ago the cheater was disgraceful or
even cowardly. Today he is merely clever.
In 1958 75 per cent of college seniors questioned
in a survey admitted cheating and only 13 per cent felt
cheating was basically dishonest.
Undergraduates whine that they have to cheat be
cause “when you’re graded on a curve, you have to cheat
to keep the cheaters from pushing your grades down.”
Y/e wonder what excuse they give in courses in which
they are marked on straight percentage points.
The trouble is that today's high school or college
cheater is tomorrow's citizen who cheats the government
on his income tax or a company on his expense account.
He is the quiz contestant w'ho cheats the audience
and the disc jockey who gets a payoff. He is the dishonest
advertiser Who tries to convince buyers his product has
qualities which it does not.
Financial success has become a virtue in itself ex
clusive of the method of attainment, and honesty—well,
we just don’t hear much about it anymore.
Anthropologist Margaret Mead blames the present
trend on prohibition. "We have to remember that a whole
generation of Americans grew up watching their parents
break the law for iheir own personal pleasure," she said.
Whatever the cause, we think its high time the trend
‘ to view honesty as out-of-date should be reversed and
the place to begin this reversal is in the schools. Some
how the student who looks for security by any method
must be replaced by the student who knows the value of
truth and. honesty.
This is partly a job for the students themselves who
must learn that honesty is really much more sophisticated
than cheating.
A Student-Operated Newspaper
50 Years of Editorial Freedom
Stje Sathj (Mlegtan
Successor to The Free Lance, est. 1887
Published Tuesday through Saturday morning daring ths University year. The
Daily Collegian is a NtudenUoperated newspaper. Entered as aecond-ciass matter
July 5. 1934 at the State College, Pa. Post Office under the act of March 8, 18T9.
Mail Subscription Price \ $3.00 per aemester $3.00 per year.
JOHN BLACK
Editor
Member of The Associated Press
and The Intercollegiate Press
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pyumyiM tt
S ■
" !3 OBVIOUSL I .', IT IS WAV PAST, I:
| gUPPECTME
THE DAILY COLLEGIAN, STATE COLLEGE, PENNSYLVANIA
CHESTER LUCIDO
Business Manager
Letters
Coed Finds
Lounge Life
No Picnic
TO THE EDITOR: Are \ye here
for decoration appreciation, or
are we here for an education?
We sometimes wonder, be
cause we are not given the op
portunity of uninterrupted
study.
Our problems began when
we were moved into the lounge
in the first place, instead of be
ing given a regular room. In
terruptions all the time . . .
people using the lounge as a
thruway, coming in here at all
hours of the day and night
“just to see what the lounge
looks like.”
It was not enough these
strange people passed through,
but we had many of them
staying with us while their
rooms were being painted.
Needless to say, this was no
asset to our concentration pow
ers.
Now, when we (foolishly)
thought things were settling
down at last, they took the
study chairs from our room,
and have just informed us that
the lounge will be painted dur
ing the week of finals.
We repeat: Are we here for
an education, or are we here
for attractive rooms?
—Barbara Silver, '64
—Joyce Leonard, '64
Jr. Praises
ROTC 'Profs'
TO THE EDITOR: I am send
ing this not concerning the
“Compulsory ROTC” question
as discussed over WDFM on the
evening of Jan. 11. 1961.
As to whether ROTC should
be compulsory or not is not
why I am writing. My reason
for writing is that I tend to
disagree with those who feel
that the ROTC instructors are
inadequate to teach their sub
ject. I am referring specifically
to Army ROTC instructors.
These officers have received
training and successfully met
the requirements to teach their
subject.
Due to their military experi
ence and prior training, I can
not presently see who could be
more qualified to teach Mili
tary Science than these offi
cers.
As an added comment, X
have had various instructors
in my prior schooling here at
Penn State who have done a
poorer job of instructing than
the instructors I have had in
ROT C.
—Earl F. Ervey, '62
Confiscation
Plagues Coed
TO THE EDITOR: I wish to
protest about the inaccuracy of
the information given to fresh
man coeds during summer
counseling. In the summer,
they were told that kitchen
ettes are available in the dorms
for their use.
Since utensils are not pro
vided they are urged to bring
a pot for heating water or soup.
What happens! They arrive at
State to find said kitchenettes
not available for use.
When they adjust to this and
instead make instant coffee or
tea using hot tap water, their
rooms are checked and their
coffee pots are taken from
them, even though it has no
electrical attachments to it.
What will they confiscate
next., our high heels and soap
so that we won’t put marks on
the floor or rings in the tub?
—"A Freshman Coed"
Gazette
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Interpretin
JKF Conferences
Receive Praise
By J. M. ROBERTS
Associated Press News Analyst
Just when President Kennedy’s news conferences were be
ginning to threaten the morning and evening coffee breaks
with serious competition, there has been a change of signals:
Perhaps as an experiment
with audience appreciation,
perhaps for other reasons, the
next conference will not be
televised and broadcast “live”
but will be taped for later
showings.
The hours of 4 p.m. and 10
a.m. which are the most rea
sonable for
the confer
ences are
hours when
few except
house wives
can wat c h,
and many of
them are shop
ping
For those
who could
Watch, how- ROBERTS
ever, Kennedy was rapidly ap
proaching a stardom which he
may not attain on cold film.
There's something about
watching him stand there and
knowing that he's battling
those balls back without hesi
tation, right in front of your
eyes, which could be lost in
watching recordings.
So far as news conferences
are concerned, Kennedy’s first
two news conferences have out
distanced anything like them
before.
He walks to the podium like
a man who is just off a fast
express, and immediately en
dears himself with the news
crops by tossing out two or
three brand new headlines. The
Letters
Pocahontas Controversy
TO THE EDITOR: I was sur
prised to read your reporter’s
account in Wednesday’s Daily
Collegian of Dr. Philip Young's
Liberal Arts lecture on the
validity of the Pocahontas and
John Smith story.
Surely Dr. Young cannot still
be ignorant of the true facts
of John Smith’s “rescue" by
Pocahontas as recently re
vealed in that admirable book,
“The Sot-Weed Factor,” by his
colleague in your English De
partment, John Barth.
Yes, I am sure Dr. Young
must know that John Smith
Little Man on Campus by Dick Bible;
FRIDAY. FEBRUARY 3. 1961
air of hurry vanishes, and as
the questions flow you are
amazed by the man’s vast
range of detailed knowledge
about current topics. He does
not hesitate or parry.
It is obvious that he reads
a great deal more than just the
Sunday papers, and that his
assistants are in close touch
with him on the problems they
are studying.
Both conferences have run
over the 30 minutes customary
under former President Dwight
D. Eisenhowbr. Wednesday he
even stayed to answer a last
question after the “bell” which
reporters ring themselves.
I kept wondering how long
he would stay if quitting time
were left to him. He gives every
appearance of appreciating the
-opportunity to talk about what
he’s trying to do.
Naturally he wants to reach
the largest possible audience.
He can do that by evening
broadcasts.
Bui ai 4 p.m. he will be talk
ing to late editors of after
noon papers all across the coun
try. They and the radio will
take away some of the edge of
first interest if the televisors
wait until night.
Presumably what he wants
now is a chance to weigh the
results of both methods. Noth
ing has happened so far to
cause any great fear of “non
correctable” slips on live
broadcasts.
waited 16 years to mention Po
cahontas only because he
dared not write the truth. As
Barth so strikingly brings to
light, Smith's account in 1662
turned out to be a complete
fabrication.
I feel called upon to explain
this to your readers, although
not, I hope, to Dr. Young's em
barrassment, for I feel I under
stand his reluctance to speak
the truth in public. It must be
made clear, however, that
Barth’s revelations are a boon
to history and cannot be hid
den from the world any longer.
—Ted Serrill, Alum