The gamecock. (Columbia, S.C.) 1908-2006, February 27, 1931, Page Page Four, Image 4
.
^"GAMECOCK
Put)lishcd on Friday of every week during the college year
by the Literary Societies under the supervision of the Board of Publications of the
University of South Carolina.
Entered as second class mail matter at the Columbia, South Carolina,
postoffice on November 20, 1908.
Member of South Carolina College Press Association.
Member of National College Press Association
Rfci t
News articles may be contributed by any member of the student body, but must be
in by Wednesday night before Friday's publication. All copy must be typewritten,
; , double-spaced, and must be signed by the writer. Articles in the Open Forum will
be published at the discretion of the Editor and in the order in' which they are
submitted, with the name of the author signed.'
SUBSCRIPTION~RATE?$2.00 PER COLLEGE YEAR
CIRCULATION?2150 COPIES
Advertising rates furnished upon request
Offices in the basement of the Extension Building
Gamecock office phone?8123, No. 11
g-V'! . STAFF
LkRoy M. Want - - - - Editor-in-Chief
William I. Latham - - - Managing Editor
ASSOCIATE EDITORS
Dorothy Penland --------------- - Associate Editor
Darice Jackson - -- -- -- -- -- -- -- - Associate Editor
Lewis H. Wallace Associate Editor
J. Mitchell Morse - -- -- -- -- -- -- -- Associate Editor
W. G. Jeffords --- - - - . _ Associate Editor
Allen Rollins ------------ - Associate Editor
?y John A. Giles - -- -- -- -- -- -- Assistant Managing Editor
John A. Moroso - - - - _ - - Assistant Managing Editor
N. W. Brooker --------- - Assistant Managing Editor
EDITOR IA L~STAFF
W. B. King - -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- News Editor
Ray Antley - -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- - Sports Editor
Leon K eaton - -- -- -- -- -- - Alumni Editor
E. C. Gilmore - -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- Exchange Editor
Sanders Guignard - -- -- -- -- -- -- -- Fraternity Editor
J. H. Galloway - -- -- -- -- -- -- -- Y. M. C. A. Editor
' Catherine RemlEy - -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- Joke Editor
' \ Assistants: Marian Finlay, J. A. Bigham, Frank Durham, Alan Schafcr, Jean
Wichman, Louise Edwards, Vernon Spears, W. D. Coan, Faith Brewer, Mary
Begg Ligon, Carolyn Burnet, Earl Skidmore, and Harry Morse.
Names of heelers do not appear in mast-head
CO-ED
Frances Black - -- -- -- -- -- - Co-Ed Editor
Millie Taylor - -- -- -- -- -- -- News Editor
Ethel Galloway - -- -- -- -- -- - Society Editor
Jean Wichman - Feature Editor
SSI* BUSINESS
1\V. C. Herbert - -- -- -- -- Business Manager
Sam Taylor ------- Assistant Manager
"" I J. W. Brown - - ------- Assistant Manager
CIRCULATION
1 ~ I J. Roy Prince - -- -- -- -- Circulation Manager
- I Lester Hamilton - -- -- -- - Assistant Manager
/ Melton Goodstein ------- Assistant Manager
" I Hugh Hamilton - - ' - Assistant Manager
CROWING FOR:
News Bureau?Even a great University must advertise.
I Student Activity Building?This is the only way by which student activities
can be properly centered and administered.
*T.. I Voluntary Chapel?A modern tendency and a good one.
--: I Football Stadium?A needed addition to the University's equipment.
I Paved SideWalks?Not only a need, but an immediate necessity.
VV\ FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 1931
< - - Many students would run for offices if they were not afraid to see
I how many (or how few) sincere friends they really had.
A certain state senator has accused the University of everything
except the old charge of allowing the students to matriculate in an immoral
manner.
Imagine our embarrassment when "Cowboy" Urquhart's trunks
v ; v: almost came off during his fight with the V. M. I. heavyweight. Thank
heavens the girl friend wasn't along.
I We've got more than our share of school spirit, for which reason we
- - are glad that the basketball season is over. There's lots of room for imf^H
provement; better luck to you next year, boys.
A Northwestern University professor says that when long skirts
py^v' are fashionable for women a period of business depression follows, and
that when short skirts return in vogue a cycle of good times is approachGirls,
show your patriotism and act accordingly.
A friend of ours on the faculty wanted to know why he hadn't received
his copy of Tins Gamiscock. The circulation department has
several difficult obstacles to overcome in order to give prompt and efficient
service, but they promise to do better in future. "They (the papers)
shall pass out" will be the department's motto.
iffifjp' '
Carolina athletic teams at least take part in the breaking of records.
pT:'v Last year the Gamecocks graciously allowed one of the Tennessee backs
to score enough points to lead the nation's gridders in scoring, and now
only last week our baske^eers allowed Perkins of Tech to break the alltime
Southern Conference record for points scored in basketball.
EPA u. s. c.
P', V|p/
, THE SENIOR VALEDICTORIAN
The election of the senior valedictorian will be held during the first
part of March?it is the initial large campus election of the second
jpvfr semester, at which the seniors have the opportunity to choose a man
who will bring honor to their class at commencement exercises. May
their voting be guided by wisdom and an honest desire to elect the right
man and not the best politician.
The common idea of the valedictorian is the person that ranks highest
in the class, scholastically speaking. There seems to be little reason
why that same principle could not be one of the governing factors here.
Of course, it is entirely likely that the highest ranking member could
riot speak to such a large gathering, but this obstacle could be overcome
by allowing a given number, say the highest twenty-five in scholarship,
to be eligible to run for the honor. If this were done, the University's
senior classes would be practically assured of securing good speakers and
would be certain to .secure men and women who represented the real
idea of a valedictorianship?high scholarship.
Officers of the senior class, take notice of the above and consider it
carefully. It is never too late or too early to make a change for the better.
Now is as good a time to begin a much-needed reform as next year.
Don't pass the buck. ' s
Members of the senior class, vote for the man whom your common
sense and ideas of justice would have you support. You need a man who
is a scholar, but almost as important is the fact that you need a man who
can speak well. As to the last qualification, your field is particularly
limited. Canvass it closely >ana if the right man is not running, put his
name in the race. Elect a man who will make you proud of him when he
stands before the people of South Carolina in early June as your representative.
, WHAT ABOUT A NEW CUSTOM? *
Many times has The Gamecock plead with and begged the freshi
1 men to wear their "rat" caps. Not only this paper but various organizations,
such as K. S. K., and many individuals have done so, > but to no
avail. The freshmen consistently refuse to adorn their heads with the expected
headgear. As a consequence, with the continual refusals to obey
the time-honored icqstom, the spirit manifested at this great University
; has shown a marked decrease with each succeeding year. Several years
ago the situation was bad enough, but now it is fast becoming unbearable.
About three weeks after school opened this year the majority of the first
year men doffed the traditional red caps for more dignified stetsons and
began to think that_they owned this institution even though they were
only freshmen.
What caused these men to get the big head ? Oh, yes, their {leads
seemed to swell to grotesque proportions. The only answer to this that
we know of is that many of them were pledged by the various fraternities
and they thought that in keeping with the dignity> of a fraternity
man, they shouldn't be seen with a red cap stuck on their heads. But
they are sadly mistaken, even though the fraternities represent the social
life on the campus, they uphold the traditions and customs of the University.
And it should be a great honor for every freshman to wear the
insignia of the school. Although the fraternity pledges represented only
a small part of the Carolina freshmen, they set the pace and the others
followed, and soon red caps were a rarity even on the campus.
The remedy to the cap situation seemed very far away until the other
clay when a movement was started, which, if the faculty approves, will
make every freshman beginning next year be exceedingly delighted to
adorn his head with the regulation regalia. This movement is sponsored
by Kappa Sigma Kappa, honor service fraternity at the University, and
it is highly probable that it will be in force beginning next year. The plan
is simply this?shaving freshmen's heads. Prominent officials of the University
have been approached in regard to the proposed plan and they
are delighted with it and believe that it will solve the problem.
The proposed action seems to The Gamecock to be entirely legal
and will not conflict in any way whatsoever with the hazing regulations
enforced at the University. The clipping of hair is no more a form
of hazing than the wearing of rat caps. Other colleges are doing it and
many of them have regulations similar to ours. Although it may seem a
little radical at first, it will soon be a time honored custom and beloved
tradition if it is instituted and enforced.
One of the best features of the plan is that it will take all of the
conceit out of the ex-high school seniors and make them realize that
they are lowly freshmen whose duty is to obey the customs and traditions
required of freshmen. With the freshmen reduced to their proper status,
a more unified first year class is assured and a greater and more unified
spirit throughout the entire school would be the result.
u. s. C.
WELL STATED, MR. CULBERTSON
Even a casual reading of John Bolt Culbertson's inaugural address
as president of the Clariosophic Literary Society printed in the current
issue of The Carolinian, has convinced us that the Clariosophic has elected
a man who will lead his society on to better things; a man who will not
be satisfied to sit back passively while his organization and its fellows
perish slowly, but none the less surely, under his very eyes. For this, the
Clariosophic is indeed fortunate.
Our generation has seen a change in the American mode of thinking.
Somehow, literary societies, once one of the cornerstones of parts of
our civilization, have declined in most ways. The literary pursuits for
some reason do not hold the attraction for the young as once was the case.
But there is one thing that has remained practically unchanged?the
societies have as great a field in which to serve as ever before. In some
manner that must be worked out by students and outsiders of greater
wisdom than that to which we pretend, the societies must and can adjust
themselves to the changing situation. It can be done; if it is not done
and interest reaches an even lower ebb, the societies have no right to exist.
The members of the literary societies must take their minds off the
glorious pasts of their groups; they must look to the future and prepare
for the beginning of a new day. The past cannot mend the present; the
promise of the future lies ahead to a live and visionary membership.
Taking the local case, Mr. Culbertson well states the facts as follows:
"Yet, in all fairness, it must be admitted that the literary societies
have retrograded. Even in my own career as a student, they have
lost in prestige, in membership, and in intrinsic worth. Little by
little they have deteriorated until literary pursuits are at a minimum,
and politics at a maximum. This has been due largely to the invasion
of fraternity groups. Journalistic and literary fraternities have both
cut into the membership of, and weakened the position of the literary
societies.
The literary societies have become more mere political machines
for the distribution of their rich plums, publication editorships and
the like, than capable and functioning literary groups in their own
right. It must be admitted that the greater part of our literary activities
consists of dry forensics which only too frequently are degraded
into arguments and general confusion of little value and of
less inspiration.
"As a literary society, we are a fine debating club, and little else.
The membership of the literary societies cannot be said to be representative
of the literary element of the University. The creative
artists on the campus view us only too often as a boring necessity, to
be endured solely for the sake of a desirable position on the publications.
Frequently refusing to become a member of a literary society,
such an individual is totally lost to the publications, or his superior
talent, is forced into a secondary, or extra-official position and his
full worth not made use of."
Such a gloomy picture Mr. Culbertson paints. We only wish that it
were morally possible for us to deny its truth. As the Clariosophic president
advocates, there must be a change in attitude, a change in tactics.
He lists several things that must be done and these The Gamecock
summarizes and passes on for their true value:
(1) "The first essential is a change in attitude. We must begin
to think more as artists and less as political scientists; we must look
on art as the major pursuit of this organization and politics as an unnecessary
and ruinous evil to be reduced to a minimum."
(2) "We must attract and hold the most desirable type of student.
To do this, we must offer enjoyable programs.
(3) "We must have talks by outstanding students, whether
members of the literary societies or not, and by various professors, or
literary figures of note in and about Columbia."
All well said, Mr. Culbertson. For heavens sake, wake the literary
societies up to the fact that they are not dead as such, and if they are
so weak as to be willing to admit defeat and subsequent death, as they
are not if they are worthy of living, make them lie down and be buried
as quietly as possible.
u. s. c.
When there is nothing tpore to be said, some sophomore always
says it. ,
Love makes the world go 'round when the darn thing ought to
be asleep.
/
Nowadays nobody cares how bad your English is; your Scotch
is the main thing.
\
I II 1 I I I
| DINGLE, DINGLE !
? I
What's the use of sweating, and I
straining, and wasting all your time I
burning the midnight oil, when a y
smooth talker, or one of those rapt i
listeners gets an "A" and you draw
a. "B" out of the grab bag of campus
marking?
The question of marking is al- *
ways interesting, but is particularly a
so at this hectic season of the year 4
( when practically every parent is
wondering why young Willie or 1
Betty Co-ed did not do a little bet- e
ter on that report. ' {
1 here are several very curious r
methods of grading still extant on 1
the campus, even in this age. of enhghtment.
Some professors adhere c
strictly to the grade chart which *
holds that there should be only a
certain percentage of students in (
each classification. That seems fal- \
lible when applied to special classes, s
It presupposes that every class is
an average one, which is an absurd <
theory to any person who has taken
any amount of work above that required.
A class rated difficult and t
approached with some fear and
trembling on the part of an A or B I
student may gather to itself a weird ,
ConcQction of individuals. And the *
opposite often happens. In a class ^
not specialized to any extent seven '
students registered, and of these, '
four did excellent work. An obvious *
injustice would have been worked
'f the professor had been a strict *
adherent of the grade chart sys- J
tem.
Some professors believe in giving !
only two or three "A's," no matter 1
what the size or the quality of the 1
class, And worse, some occasionally 1
inclined to give none. 4
The dingle method is extensively
practiced at Carolina. This is really !
not so insidious as it may seem at '
first sight, because it often entails 1
a lot of work on the part of the student.
It means that he (or she) must
find out what the professor is? interested
^ in, and learn enough on (
that subject to ask searching and intelligent
questions. In that way the '
real purpose of the course is accom- '
plished. I lie ill effect incurred is 1
that it gives the student a feeling 1
that he is putting something ovei 1
on the professor.
There have been cases when ex- ]
I animation papers were not read at
all, and grades given to the stu- '
dent. When the student really !
studies to bring up his grade by his
final paper and the professor *
I doesn't read that, the student lias a 1
right to think that "there ain't no
justice." (
Partiality in grading is the worst :
feature of the affair. There is a stu- 1
dent on the campus who was told *
that his mark in English was ten '
points lower than it otherwise would *
have been because he talked incessantly
to another member of the <
class. I he truth of the matter was <
that the two students had not ex- *
changed over three words the whole
semester, and these had been con- <
fined to perfunctory greetings. *
Cases without number could be t
ennumerated proving the partiality 3
of some professors, but these would I
be as the sands of the sea.
In some courses there is a tradition
that an astounding percentage
of students should fail each semes- 1
ter. This condition is much improved
in the last few years, but it 1
is still a fact.
?u. s.c. ;
The Political Potl
"Always Bubbling Over"
-J c
I he Political Pot stands for open poli- v
tics. From the very beginning have we s
fostered them and will continue to do so R
in the future. Of course, we realize that r
much criticism is being directed against 11
us for our attitude. However, we firmly v
believe that the true politicians on the v
campus will support this column in its v
endeavor to foster open politics and?"the e
best man for the office." When we say t]
true politicians, we mean those individ- !
uals who arc openminded enough to real- ^
ize that the welfare of Carolina depends
on having the best men in responsible
positions. ' s
? t
What a great blessing it would be to c
Carolina if the campus was divided up a
into two or more major parties?the s
Democrats and Republicans, for instance, s
Let each have their candidates and each c
a stated platform. Then we could have c
stump meetings with the candidates mak- f
?rig speeches to the student body and de- u
fending their platforms. We may not R
elect the best man to office all of the e
time by this method, but the campus at s
large would at least know wno were n
running for the various offices and for n
what they stood. a
* / c
It is understood that there arc two
major parties on the campus now. If "
these could enlarge so a* to include the "
V.
Vii' ' 1 \
BnfKfiW uSnMBflmflofejij : ,'v
Dear Mr.
Were it not that recent action had
>een taken by Kappa Sigma Kappa,
lonorary spirit fraternity, I would not
attempt to write this letter concerning
he conduct of freshmen.
The above-mentioned organization
ecently sent letters to neighboring
iducational institutions in an effort to
jet suggestions on the best means ot
naking' freshmen wear their caps. \
When replies have been received, that
raternity has expressed its intention
>f formulating some plan to present
it a faculty meeting.
Because I have something to suggest,
I hope that my handling of this
vorn-out subject will not prove bore>
iome to readers. 1 ,
Freshmen do not wear caps.
Granted I
Should first-year men be required to
vear caps? Should a recent high school
senior be made to realize just what a
unall part of the University's student ^
>ody he comprises? Is it really neces*
.ary for the sake of greater harmony
vith his fellow-students that freshnen
be required to acknowledge in
ionie manner or other the superiority
)f the uppcrclassmen?
. Let us not endeavor to answer thestj
luestions at once. Instead, let us coniider
the object of wearing caps.
The high school graduate feels that
lis whole environmeht revolves around
lis personage. Erudite questions of
veighty import arc answered by him
cgarding everything from Einstein's ' ''
lieory to senior privileges in high
schools. Why shouldn't he be in a' >
position to see the two sides of every
ssue? Has he not studied chemistry,
Foreign languages, mathematics, engish,
and other subjects exhaustively?
Have these not turned him into a
luman dynamo, radiating knowledge
>n all sides?
And when he enters Carolina, what
Iocs he give as his object in enrolling? %
Simply that he wishes to brush off the
-ough edges of the craniumful of eduction
that he already has. Dances,
heatres, and like amusements are to
Jioaden him perhaps?but a cap?
Never I
Our State has said that there will
>e no hazing to remedy this evil. There
should be none.
But there does remain one recourse I
or uppcrclassmen to follow: Clip the
lair of freshmen.
Certain members of the faculty have
jxpressed a belief that this would be
1 good solution to this problem. They
lave said that they believe it would be
i success, and, once the practice has 'j?
jecn instituted, the tradition would be
icceptcd as readily as at Clemson.
Fellow-students, think this over. We;:^
ire all cognizant of the necessity of
taking some action at once, or dropping
til pretension.
When high schools begin to turn
)ut graduates that are capable of ?
grasping the different environment
hey find here, then accept the first;car
man without attempting to orient
liin.
Mr. Editor, invite Open Forum leters
from students. Get the general
ittitude of the campus on this matter <*;'
>y running a ballot in The Gamecock.
Fellow-students, those of you who
)elieve in tradition, who believe in
(ticking by the good ship Carolina
>peak upl Am I wrong? If so, hurt
ny feelings by telling the editor in v;'
he Open Forum column.
With Carolina's traditions at heart,
W. C. Herbert.
.;V'
ntire campus, we believe that our plan
vould work out. Let the fraternities and
ororities cither go with one of these j
;roups or orgafiize themselves iijto one
arty, as they see fit. However, it is more
ikely and probably desirable that they. V
i/ould split among themselves?some
irould go within one party 'and some
yith the other?because all of them are
xcecdingly jealous of each other now, in
he matter of securing offices. Three of
hem at least, now try to "hog" all the ofices
they can. '
We understand that the election of,
enior valedictorian will be held during I
he first part of March. To be a logical I
andidate for this office, one should rank
mong the first of his class in scholarhip,
and he or she ought to be a good
peakcr. However, this is not always the '9
ase, and an incompetent person is chos
n sometimes to satisfy the desire of a 1
>owerful vote-getter. We hope that such 9
/on't be the case this year, and that a
ood and deserving person will be chos
n. This is the greatest honor that the , 8
enior class can bestow upon one of it* I
lembers; a good valedictorian can a<!d I
luch to the prestige of the class, whil? 1
n incapable one can do more#harm than
ould ever be obliviated.
Here is our admonition to the seniors:
Go to the polls and vote for the beat
(Continued on pag9
vJH