PAGE *OUR
Editorial Opinion
A Mature Congress
The new Undergraduate Student Government Con
gress, although composed of almost completely novice Con- -
gressrnen. moved rapidly, efficiently and maturely through
4a, heavy agenda Thursday night, giving much hope for an
'unusually successful year. ,
The Congress has already - set up committees to con
istruct its by-laws, to work out ;a program to lobby for
'repeal of the four per cent state tax on text books, to get
!the converters so that WDFIVI can be received on AM sets,
rto work with the Liberal Arts facultyen eliminating Com
pulsory ROTC for LA students and has provided the funds
I-for a second student phone at the Hetzel Union desk.
This is, we think, a more than noteworthy list of proi
!ea,. It would seem that this Congress is Benefiting from
a lack of experience and its political unsophistication,
for its efforts are concentrated on the welfare of the stu
dent body rather than on political infighting.
We were also encouraged to hear many of the Con
gressmen speak often of their constituencies and the office
hours they had set up when discussing pro - jeci:ed action.
They will, it seems, be doing their share to make this
new. representative system the democratic process it is
intended to be.
Two words of warning are perhaps in order. The Con
gress must guard against' overgrown bureaucracy. Com
mittees are valuable and necessary but they must have a
purpose for existing—that being the proposal of legisla
tion not the sloughing off of investigation in favor of chaos.
Secondly, the Congress will soon be presented with
by-laws and_proceedural rules, which can make the differ
ence between effective and non-effective governing.
.Congressmen should discuss these rules with parliament
ary authorities on campus and should look over past SaA
-constitutions.
By nature these rules should act to keep Congress
efficient—but many of them will be debatable and have
long and_pot- so illustrions histories.
The foundation of evaluation is, of course, time. It may
be too early to laud and salute; but we hope the first night
promise and enthusiasni of this Congress is not a result of
its novelty, but of its4esimnsibility.
Religion in the Schoo/s
A suburb.of Philadelphia has once again been brought
into the judicial spotlight with regard toreligiOus instruc
tion in the public schools.
The first such occasion was in , 1959 when a private citi
zen went to court to get permission for Abington school
children to be excused from: bible readings which were
required by the Harrisburg Legislaturdt
Edward L. Schenipp, a Unitarian. succeeded in getting
this permission and was also the force li4hind a ruling bt
a district court on Thursday that bars such readings alto•
gather as violations of the First and Fourteenth Amend
ments.
Attempts are now being ;made to get a reversal of this
recent decision through the State Supreme Court. ,
There is no doubt in our, mind that the intent of the
Constitution is violated by making religion a part, if even
a small part. of the publicly supported schools.
As Thursday's Court ruling stated, the fact that some
or all students could be excused does not mitigate fhe
obligatory nature of the ceremony.
Further. the First Amendment says Congress shall
pass no law respecting an establishment or religion,.while
the Fourteenth Amendment says "No state shall make or
enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or im
munities of citizens of the United States."
The intent is therefore to protect the minority group
and , to maintain a permanent separation, of church and
istate. No Philadelphia lawyer an convince us differently
'regardless of the fine intentions of bringing religious ethics
Ito the nation's young.
A Student-Operated Newspaper
OIR Totlntim
• Successor to The Free Lance. a. 1887
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rub! sa%td 'faraday through Saturday manilas dark* Pie glateerldty yen: 'nha
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11•11Ing Adams Saw *ll. SW* Canfark Pa
JOHN BLACK WAYNE trams=
Editor 4111 01 " lhasintes Manager
THE DAILY COLLEGIAN UNIVERSITY PARK. PENNSYLVANIA 1
Letters
Grad Admits
Apathy Issue;
Sees Causes
TO THE EDITOR: Mr. Sprint- i
zen acknowledges that the
views held ir. his letter (Feb. 1)
are not those of the student
body. To a degree this is true,
but I, as a member of that body,;
must agree with his general
proposition that apathy has re-;
placed conviction on this and
many, another campus.
I find it compulsory to agree
that...students "have faith only'
in! the ability •to live without
faith," that his pessimism
"about the future of the U.S:' .
is.warranted, and that our so
ciety is rapidly becoming
"empty inside."
Mr. Sprintsen asks, why. Why
are there no organisations for:
national liberation, the U.N.
education, etc.? Why don't we
respond to the important prob
/erns?
,Mr. Sprintzen anSwers "Be
cause- WE JUST , DON'T
CARE!!" Here is where I have
my filling out - with him. Is this
the answer? Is this an answer
at all? I think not..
I feel Mr. Sprintzen has gone
full circle. He forwards the ar
gument (in paragraph 4) that
students lack commitment, then
concludes (in paragraph 4) the,
reasons we do nothing is be
cause we don't cafe. I submit
the reasons for student apathy
must be found elsewhere.
I suggest the students' and
society's appetite for unique
world missions, for pioneer ex
perience, for - freeing mankind
went but the •back door when
denial of principles, the natural
law, and God came in the front.
The result of this displacement
of principles, the.luer,-"and God
is the emptiness iind inaction
described so despairingly, by
Mr. Sprnitsen.
And without his knowing it,
the emptiness he' detests has
permeated himself.
,As a con
sequence he is unable to, see the
real reasons for his own empti
ness of for the emptiness of his
peers.
LI insist the eoncepts of prin
eiple:,natural law, and God are
stili_'valid.. Within these ,con
eepts lie the hope ,which ' will
fill Mr. Sprin4en's, vacuum and
fhe guiding reasons why stu
dents and in geperal should
begin caring again.
- —John McHale
Grad Student
,
spot Check
On Ad Men
TO THE EDITOR f Die, War.
;Victim, Survival These four
words greeted me as I leafed
through The, Daily Collegian.
The source of this verbage
(rhymes with garbage) was the
crude type of advertising. en
gaged in by the Saturday Eve
ning Post, or its Madison Ave
nue popularizer.
It would be nice to clue these
gray flannel suit, Tarzans into
the fact that these adds are to
be read by university students
,and not bored housewives. A
little less sensationalism, might
produce better results.
A leopard doesn't. change its
,spotse. hoWever, -- ,40 an =intel
lectual, slick paper, photo
magazine can't be expected to
'wise- up either.
—Patrick Taylor
Grad Student
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. World at
Reports Claim
JFK Planning
Cuban Embargo
WASHINGTON (fP)— Presi
dent Kennedy] was reported
last night to have decided to
slap a total embargo on U.S.
imports from Cuba.
The United States has been
buying about $35 million worth
of Cuban products a yar,
mostly tobacco. Secretary of
State Dean Rusk has said Pre
mier Fidel' Castro has been
Using the dollars to finance Red
revolutionary activities in other
'hemisphere countries.
Informants said Kennedy's
action would not end those US.
sales to Cuba which are limited
to food and medicine and which
amount to some $l5 million
annually.
While the U.S. government
has banned sales of other items
in a partial erribargo against the
Moscow-linked Castro regime,
food, and -mbdical shipments
have been 'allowed to continue
on grounds ;that the United
States is still friendly toward
the Cuban people, though not
the Castro' government.
The White House was, ex
pected to have an announce
ment today on the Kennedy
embargo deeisidn.
It follows hard on the heels of
the Punta' del Este. Uruguay,
meeting at which the foreign
ministers of ithe American re
publics unanimously condemn
ed the Castro regime, and com
munism as incompatible with
the American system.
The Ofganiation of American
States ministers voted to take
specific steps against Cuba.
Muziling Debate
Impasse Reached
WASHINGTON (,P) A se
crecy-shrouded peace talk be
tween Secretary of Defense
Robert S. McNamara . and sena
tors Jooking into Pentagon
censorship ,failed yesterday to
end their impasse over McNa
mara's refusal to point a finger
at any of his censors.
But they,decided•to try again
next week' to avoid an open
battle over ! the senators' insist
ent demands that they be told
which censors made specific
changes in.speeches by gener
als, admirals and other top de
-fen.Se officials.
GOP County Leaders
To Hold.Slato Talks
FEASTERVILLE, Pa. (A')
Republican leaders in six
southeastern counties said yes
' erdar those who control the
party's purse strings in Penn
-, sylvania are'attempting to dic
tate who Shall run for goner=
nor and senator.
Frederick E. Ziegler, Bucks
• County chairman; issucd a
statement on behalf of the
. group, saying it intends to
meet independently -to talk
over a GOP slate for this
-year's election, The statement
added that George I. Bloom,
state chairman, and other
county leaders, will be invited
to attend-1
SATURDAY. FEBRUARY , 3. 1962
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a Glance
AEC Reports
New Soviet
Elomb Testing
WASHINGTON (AP) The
Soviet Union apparently set
off-a nuclear explosion under
ground early yesterday,. the
U.S. Atomic Energy Comtnis
skin announced.
The commission said last
night "thedetonation, took
place at the Soviet nuclear
weapons proving ground in the
Semipalatihsk area in central
Asia,' adding:
It's yield was well jsbove the
threshold of underground de
lectability, even by a single
national system, and the ab
sence of acoustic signals indt-'
cafes that it occurred under
ground."
It was the first Soviet under
ground unclear Jest ever an
nounced by the'AEC. •-
The AEC announced 31. S
oviet tests in a series conducted
last fall. The last was -an
nounced Nov. 4.
But President Kennedy his
indicated there were additional
Soviet tests not annuonced by
this country, saying the series
included about 50 in all. •
.Previous Soviet explosions
announced by the AEC took
place in the atmosphere . or
under ,water. A commission
spokesman said he could not
elaborate on the brief state
ment. He would not comment
on the_ exact yield of the blast.
Acloula Will Try
To Unite Congo
UNITED NATIONS, N.Y. (FP)
—Congolese Premier Cyrille
Adoula told the U.N. General
'Assembly yesterday' his gov
ernment is determined to end
secession of Katanga Provice.
He asked for more military aid
to help achieve his goal of na
tional
The slim, 40-year-old politi
cal leader 'spelled out his aims
and policies in a half-hour
speech delivered in French
which drew resounding ap-.
plause.
He is here for intensive talks
with Acting Secretary-General
II Thant and other top U.N.
officials on aid to the Congo.
He wilt go to Washington Mon
day to meet with President
Kennedy,
"Our first concern has always
been and is the re-establish
ment of national unity," Adoula
declared. "From the beginning
my government has announced
its absolute will to do away
with the Katanga secession."
He said that his government
would seek. , that goal through
peaceful negotiations, but-add
ed that its wish for peace "in
no way means that we are pre
pared to compromise on the
principle of unity. •
Red 'Offensive Stops
Laotian Peace Talks
LUANG' PRABANG, Loas
VP)---The Communist offen
sive against the little valley
town of Narn Tha in northwest
Laos broke up another attempt
yesterday at talks on formation
of a three-party coalition gov
ernment. • ..