FOUR
I THE MICHIGAN DAILY
SATURDAY, JUNE 4, 1
V
THE MICHIGAN DAILY
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buIwW -N f.Th role( yorsnli 1Mu J o' .; R e " *""'" ,
Edited and managed by students of the University of
Michigan under the authority of the Board in Control of
+ Student :Publications.
Publishea every morning rxcept Monday during the
University year and Summer Session y
Member of the Associated Press
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use for republication of allnews dispatches credited to
It or not otherwise credited in this newspaper. All
tights of republication of all other matters herein also
reserved.
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Board of Editors
Managing Editor . . . . Robert D. Mitchell
Editorial Director . . . Albert P. Mayio
City Editor . . . . Horace W. Gilmore
Associate Editor . . Robert I. Fitzhenry
Associate Editor ..... ....Saul R. Kleiman
Associate Editor . . . . Robert Perlman
-Associate Editor . . . . William Elvinx
Associate Editor. .... Joseph Freedman
Associate Editor...... .... Earl Gilman
Book Editor.... .. ......Joseph Gies
Women's Editor . . . . . Dorothea Staebler
Sports' Editor.. ...... Bud Benjamin
Business Department
Business Manager . . . . Philip W. Buchen
Credit Manager . . . Leonard'P. Siegelman
Advertising Manager . . William L. Newnan
Women's Business Manager . . Helen Jean Dean
Women's Service Manager . . Marin A. Baxter
NIGHT EDITOR: ELLIOTT MARANISS
The editorials published in The Michigan
Daily are written by members of the Daily
staff and represent the views of the writers
only.
It is important for society to avoid the
neglect of adults, but positively dangerous
for it to thwart the ambition of youth to '
reform the world. Only the schools which
act on this belief are educationaF institu-
tions in the best meaning of the term.
-Alexander G. Ruthven.
Can Legislation
Cange Human Nature? .. .
ALTHOUGH OBSERVERS of the po-
litical scene concede the federal min-
imum wage and maximum hour bill an even
chance to hurdle the barriers of the Senate and
the Supreme Court, economists are not so sure
that it will accomplish its avowed object-to
r'aise the real income of goods and services con-
sumed by the laboring classes.
To be successful, such legislation must hit at
the cause of the social evil which it wishes to
reform. In this case the evil is the sweat shop
with its long hours and starvation wages. The
possible causes are two: either inability of the
employer to grant higher wages and shorter
hours, or else his disinclination to do so. It is
this latter cause, popularly termed "exploita-
tion" "which bears the brunt of the reformer's
attacks.
That these attacks are justified almost any
humane observer of sweat shop conditions will
admit. But that the plight of the under-paid
worker will be improved by forcing employers
to pay higher wages is by no means the fore-
gone conclusion which it appears on the surface.
Higher wages, enforced by law, constitute an
added cost to production. As such they must
be met, and the employer of labor has four
possible methods of meeting them:
1. He can take the added cost out of his
profits - if any.
2. He can raise the price of his product
to cover the added cost.
3. He can whittle the wages of higher paid
employees down to the level set by law.
4. He can fire those submarginal workers
vxhose value, measured in productive power,
is exceeded by the minimum wage, and pile
their work upon the shoulders of the re-
maining employees.
Whether the, employer will do one or all of
these things depends upon individual circum-
stances. But in any event, it is not logical
to suppose that he will adopt the first alternative,
namely, to take the added wages out of his own
pocket. And this is the only alternative which
would in any great measure benefit labor.
After all, the individual employer-is governed
primarily by the natural motive, call it selfish-
ness if you will, to accumulate wealth. This
profit motive is the foundation of our economic
system. If the employer's income were barely
high enough to cover operating expenses, he
would be forced, perhaps against his will, to take
the last three means of meeting a forced wage
increase. To that might be added the fifth
alternative of withdrawing from business. Cer-
tainly if he is the greedy "exploiter" of labor
of brushes boosted, but that "practically- every
employee affected by the law lost his job."
The price rise is not so important. As long
as the minimum wage is as low as the proposed
rock-bottom base of twenty-five cents per hour,
which covers only the sweated laborer, a rela-
tively small percntage of the total employed,
then the resulting price rise will be confined
to so few commodities as to be born by the econ-
omy as a whole rather than by the laborer af-
fected. Since the higher wage which he receives
will more than compensate for the small rise in
price in a few of the commodities which he
must purchase, he will undoubtedly enjoy a
higher standard of living-if he can keep his
job. What is significant is the fact that eighteen
months after the passage of the Massachusetts
minimum wage law, sixty-seven per cent of the
discharged workers were still unemployed. In-
dustry seems unable to reabsorb this submarginal
labor except at submarginal wages.
The problem in the last analysis simmers down
to this: Can legislation change human nature?
As long as employers are motivated by greed,
they seem likely to continue to exploit labor.
And since the proposed wage-hour bill erects no
barriers to these other avenues of exploitation,
those who expect miracles from the bill are
likely to be disappointed.
-Jack Canavan.
Reformer And
Strong Man. .
HE QUICK BURSTING of the Ce-
dillista bubble in Mexico should be
reassuring to the United States. A civil war'
on the Spanish scale on our southern border
might have most serious consequences to this
country, especially since foreign intervention
on the side of the rebels might easily occur.
At present General Cedillo is still at large in
his San Luis Potosi hills, but whether his cap-
ture takes place sooner or later, the threat of
war which his rebellion signified has passed.
An interesting aspect of the Cardenas govern-
ment's policy toward the rebels is the distribu-
tion of 390,000 acres of land to some 40,000 of
the peasants of San Luis Potosi, many of whom
were in arms against the government. Previous
revolts in Mexico have been dealt with in more
summary fashion, and President Cardenas' move
may be taken as an indication that he intends
not only to pacify the dissidents in the military
sense, but in the economic and social sense as
well.
The whole incident appears to bear out the
contention that Cardenas combines the char-
acteristics of the social reformer and the "strong
man." Mexican politics in the past has had a
surfeit of the latter and occasional examples of
the former, but never the fortunate union of the
two. Under the leadership of the present regime
the Mexican people may expect the continuation
of the' important reform already in effect, the
preservation of civil liberties and the defense
of the people's government against violence.
-Joseph Gies.
The Editor
Gets Told.,..
Letters published in this column should not be
construed as expressing the editorial opinion of The
Daily. Anonymous contributions will be disregarded.
The names of communicants will, however,be regarded
as Cnfidential upon request. Contributors are asked
to be brief, the editors reserving the right to condense
all letters of more than 300 words and to accept or
reject letters upon the criteria of general editorial
importance and interest to the canuvus.
To the Editor:
The Building and Construction Trades Coun-
cil wishes to express their sincere gratitude to
the Student Senate for the progressive action
taken by them in their meeting of May 24th at
which they passed a resolution to boycott
Green's Cleaners until such time as that estab-
lishment recognizes the right of their workers
to bargain collectively through a bona fide union.
Organized labor has consistently supported in-
creased 'appropriations for education. Labor will
doubtless continue to do so as long as educa-
tional institutions remain progressive as exem-
plified in the attitude of attempting to better
the conditions of humanity and as long as stu-
dent sympathies with organized labor are not
stifled. Since students on leaving school will
take their places as workers of one sort or an-
other, intelligent students who have a realization
of their status in relation to the world and
their fellow men will have natural interest and
concern in the organization and function of
labor. Students must realize that education in
a vacuum will not solve their problems on grad-
uation, such as unemployment, wage cuts, etc.,
but that intelligence is needed to cope with these
problems. Only by taking an active interest in
the community, labor organization, unemploy-
ment, civil rights, war, can students prepare
themselves to meet the problems of society.
A resolution, similar to that passed by the
Student Senate, calling for its members not to
patronize Greene's Cleaners, is now being
brought before the various locals of the Build-
ing and Construction Trades Council so that
students and Organized Labor are acting in
unity on this issue.
-Thomas B. Keaton, Representative.
N uisanceTax
Controversy over other features has obscured
one excellent reform in the new tax bill: elim-
ination of several Federal nuisance taxes. Be-
ginning July 1, the Treasury will cease to col-
lect the 5 per cent tax on toothpaste, soaps and
Il feems to Ae
Heywood Broun
The practice of writing letters is on the ii-
crease in America. And so, of course, is the habit
of sending telegrams. Whether the quality im-
proves I couldn't say. Naturally I am talking of
letters to editors, Congress-
men and publicists of one
sort or another.
.i... Those in the know inform
..* me that columnar mail is at
least twice or thrice as col-
uminous as it was a decade
ago. They also say that the
proportion of brickbats and
the percentage of bouquets is
on the decline. This I am
ready to believe.
Radio, with the various lures and gadgets
which it offers, may have something to do with
wearing away . the inhibition of the average
American against setting himself down on paper.
And the autograph craze has made young Amer-
ica pen conscious. Very likely the worth of the
picture stars is still assayed in proportion to
the tonnage of their fan mail, but this is all
old stuff.
* * * *
Citizens No Longer Timid
The interesting development is that John Q.
Citizen no longer is timid about sending his
view to the White House or letting his Senator
know just where he gets off. To be sure, not
all these missives are based upon individual im-
pulse. Organization of various kinds is rife, and
group leader offer set forms and urge their
followers to memorialize in numbers the various
interested parties.
It must be tiresome to get burning protests
which are identical, and Congressmen may well
grow fractious when they find advice on impor-
tant topics signed "Seabiscuit" or "War Ad-
miral," as was the case in quite a few of the
briefs filed during the campaign against the
Reorganization bill. But surely a private person
has the privilege of bawling out a member of
the House by special delivery or of sending his
criticism to the White House. Such actions are
part of the right of petition, and the practice
is more open and honest than that of furtive
lobbying. I do not even see any reason why
columnists should be immune. And they are
not. t
Twenty years ago I had a sneaking notion,
shared by some of my fellows, that anybody
who took the trouble to write a letter to a
newspaperman was some mild kind of nut. But
these denunciations grow more spirited and sane
and cannot be waved out of the picture.
* * * * '
Aims At Moving Target
To be sure, the man or woman who shoots an
arrow into the air in the hope of ,catching a
columnist in the neck aims at a moving target.
It is a craft in which only the quick survive,
and an ability to roll with the punch is essen-
tial. Quite often the reader who hurls the brick
gets less than his two cents worth. The recipients
have learned to dodge and to ski.
A friend of mine who is in the racket tells
me that he saves at least ten hours every year
by keeping a big waste basket beside him to
catch the letters which begin, 'You dirty Red,
why don't you go back to Russia, where you came
from?" He says that he has not finished oneI
like that in fifteen years and that by now he
can almost spot them with his finger-tips before
he opens the envelope.
It is my friend's contention that onlysone type
of letter can get his goat. "When somebody
writes," he says, "and complains, 'You have
bored me terribly for the last three months,'
I feel remorseful, and I want to make amends.
But if the writer says, 'You've bored me steadily
for ten years,' I'm not sorry. That's his fault.
He's a glutton for punishment. He's had time
enough to find out."
+ BOOKS +
(EDITOR'S NOTE: The review of the
O'Brien collection Of short stories
which appeared in this column Thurs-
day was accidentally credited to Joseph
Ges, book editor of the Daily, Instead
of Harvey. Swados who wrote the re-
view. The error which resulted i Mr.
Gies' name appearing at the head of
the column made ineffective the hu-
morous vein in which the article had
been written, for Mr. Swados had de-
voted a large part of the review to his
own story in the O'Brien collection,
speaking of "my intimate friend Mr.
Swados.")
HEAVEN CAME SO NEAR, by Hu-
bert Skidmore. Doubleday, Doran
& Co., New York. $2.50.
By JOSEPH GIES
Hubert Skidmore's second novel, a
sequel to "I Will Lift Up Mine Eyes"
which won a major Hopwood award
in 1935, is rather disappointing. In
spite of the vividness and solidity of
the writing, the author does not seem
to have developed as fully as might
have been expected.
Perhaps this is a harsh judgment,
for the book is unquestionably good.
perhaps one of the best of the year's
fiction. And yet, the things that
stand out in it are the samethings
that were memorable in the first
novel, and the story itself is weakei
and more hackneyed. In several
places the author even retells inci-
dents from the earlier work, while the
lucid and forceful style is marred
from time to time by such trivial
cliches.as, "Ben, conceived in love
and laughter," etc.
The book depends heavily, like its
predecessor, on the picturesque
speech and manners of the hill peo-
ple with whom it is concerned. "I'd
like to see Jewell Rutledge," Effie re-
marks, for example. "Wonder did
she ever get to the third reader?"
This sort of thing occurs a little to
frequently and sounds a little too
familiar.
Nevertheless, the speech as well a
the peope themselves remains fas-
cinating on the whole. The story
this time is strictly concerned with
Ben, the sensitive boy growing up in
the rough and primitive atmosphere
of the Blue Ridge mill and hill coun-
try. Ben, Maw Cutlip and Effie
forced nto abandonutheiraworn-out
land on Cherry Knob and return
one more to Turkey Trot, the mill
town where Nat Cutlip, Maw's hus-
band, was killed in an accident.
struggle to keep alive. They ask no
favors from any one; they ask only
"what every self-respecting Amer-
ican asks; the chance to work long
and hard" to support themselves, but
they don't get it. Ben goes to the
mill where his father worked and
died, and received the answer that
millions of self-respecting Americans
received every day-no work. Finally
Ben's book-learning, which has made
him the butt of the town boys, brings
him the prospect of a job teaching
school ("Ben was allus the pert one")
when he acquires a No. 2 Teaching
Certificate.
But the inevitable tragedy, just a
little too inevitable, arrives through
Ben's passion for Ruby Thorpe,
sweetheart of Buck Harless, the town,
tough. The stage is carefully set for
the frightful climax, which strikes
with the deadening effect of a ham-
mer-blow, by gradual revelations of
the mental make-up of the half-
civilized people of the hills.
As a social document, the book is
authentic and valuable; as a novel
it is faintly stale, though still im-
mensely readable.
Reorganization
The decision of congressional lead-
ers, supported by the President, not
to attempt passage of reorganization
legislation until the next Congress -
no reflection on the merits of reor-
ganization. It merely recognizes th
wisdom of waiting till the passions
aroused by the recent contest over
reorganization have -cooled and the
project can be discussed for what it is
and not misunderstood or misrepre.
sented as an extension of the court-
packing effort.
Reorganization will come eventual-
ly. Every administration since Mc
Kinley's time has realized the need
for or actively supported plans tc
overhaul the tangle of executive agen-
cies in the interest of simplificatioi
and efficiency. It would have beei
poor strategy to run the risk of harm
ing the cause by reviving it now. Bu
it ought to be included in the pre
ferred business of the new Congres
which will meet in January.
St. Louis Post Dispatch.
G-Men Baffled,
hi Kidnapping
Of Cash Child
PRINCETON, Fla., June 3.-(P)-
Federal agents fruitlessly ran dow
half a dozen new leads in the kid
naping of little Jimmy Cash today a
search for the boy extended south 1
the tangled morasses of the Mar
grove Keys.
SATURDAY, JUNE 4, 1938
VOL. XLVIII. No. 174
Seniors: The firm which furnishes.
diplomas for the University has sent
the following caution: Please warn
graduates not to store diplomas in
cedar chests. There is enough of
the moth-killing aromatic oil in the
average cedar chest to soften inks of
any kind that might be stored inside
them, resulting in seriously damaging
the diplomas.
Shirley W. Smith.
Social Directors, Chaperons, House-
heads, Undergraduate Women:.-..
The closing hour for students at-
.ending the Senior Ball, Friday, June
7, will be 3:30 o'clock.
Regular house rules will be in force
luring the examination period and
is long as any students remain in
residence. Women students, except
seniors, are expected to leave as soon
is their last examination has been
;aken. Any student wishing to re-
nain longer than the day following
ter last examination is requested to
secure permission at the office of the
Jean of Women. There shall be no
>ver-night guest in any approved
indergraduate house or dormitory
luring the examination period.
Since the Judiciary Council ceases
;o function with the beginning of
;xaminations, any infraction of the
1ouse rules is to' be referred to the
Jffice of the Dean of Women im-
nediately by the Director or House-
lead.
Senior Women: Senior women are
eminded that flowers are not worn
vith academic dress for the Com-
nencement exercises.
University Women: The list of ap-
roved Summer Session residences for
vomen students are now available at
he Office of the Dean of Women.
Faculty, College of Literature, Sci-
nee and the Arts: It is requested by
he Administrative Board that all
1 istructors who make reports of In-
complete or Absent from Examina-
t on give also information showing
he character of the part of the work
vhich has been completed. This
(2) that they will be required to
demonstrate their capacity to comply
with such standards of responsibility
and orderly conduct; RESOLVED
FURTHER: That a sub-comhittee of
the Committee on Student Affairs be
appointed to examine the present fi-
nancial conditions and conduct of
such organizations and to discuss with
their representatives methods of as-
suring future compliance with the
standards appligable to all student so-
ieties.
To The Members of the Faculty of,
the College of Literature, Science,
and the Arts: The eighth regular
meeting of the Faculty of the College
of Literature, Science, and the Arts
for the academic session of 1937-38
will be held in Room 1025 Angell
Hall, June 6, 1938, at 4:10 p.m.
Edward H. Kaus
Agenda
1. Adoption of the minutes of the
meeting of May 2, 1938, which have
beensdistributed by campus mail
(pages 428-435).
2. Reports,
a. Executive Committe, by Profes-
sor Arthur S. Aiton.
b. Uiiiversity Council, by Professor
Warren E. Blake.
c. Executive Board of the Gradu-
ate School, by Professor A. E. R.
Boak.
d. Advisory Committee on Univer-
sity Affairs, by Professor Preston
Slosson.
e. Deans' Conference, by Dean E. H.
Kraus.
3. Election of six members of the
University Council (4 regular and
2 substitute) and two members of the
Administrative Board. Nominating
Committee: Professors R. C. Angell,
Rene Talamon, and Paul S. Welch
(chairman).
4. Resolutions on the retirement of
the following members of the Facul-
ty:
Associate Professor G. C. Cone,
Professor E. W. Dow, Professor J. W.
Glover, Associate Professor J. A. C.
Hi ldner, Associate Professor Mar-
garet Mann and Professor C. L.
Meader.
June Graduates: The University of
Michigan sends bulletins several times
a year to the complete alumni body.
These bulletins contain interesting
and instructive information that you
will greatly appreciate and enjo. In
order that, you may receive ,these,
please see that your correct address
at all times is on file at the Alumni
Catalog Office.
Lunette Hadley, Director.
Registration Material: Colleges of
L.S.&A., and Architecture; Schools
of Education, Forestry and Music:
Summer Session registration ma-
terial mnay be obtained in Room 4
U.H. Please see your adviser and se-
cure all necessary signatures before
June 24.
To All Students Having Library
Books:
1. Students having in their posses-
sion books drawn from the University
are notified that such books are due
Monday, ,June 6.
2. The names of all students who
have not cleared their records at the
Library by Tuesday, June 7, will ,be
asent to the Recorder'sOffice, where
their semester's credits will be held
up until such time as said records are
cleared, in compliance with the regu-
..lations of the Regents.
Win. W. Bishop, Librarian.
DAILY OFFICIAL BULLETIN
Publication in the Bulletin is constructive notice to all members of the
Universty. Copy received at the office of the Assistant to the President
until 3:30; 11:00 a.m. on Saturday.
nay be done by the use of the
1ols, I (A), X (B), etc.
sym-
Plans For Commencement
Commencement, Saturday, June 19,
6:30 p.m.
Weather Fair
Time of Assembly, 5:20 p.m. (except
loted).
Places of Assembly.
Members of the Faculties at 5:30
p.m. in Angell Hall, Room 1223 Rhet-
oric Library where they may robe.
Regents, Ex-Regents, and Deans at.
5:30 p.m. in Angell Hall, Room 1011,
toe Regents Room.
Students of the various schools and
colleges, as follows:
Literature, Science and the Arts on
Main Diagonal walk between Library
and Engineering Buildings.
Education on walk North side of
Physiology and Pharmacology Build-I
ing.
Engineering on Main Diagonal
walk in Engineering Court.
Architecture on Main Diagonal
wally in Engineering Arch (behind
Engineers).
Medical on diagonal walk between,
Chemistry Building and Library.
Nurses on diagonal walk between
Chemistry Building and Library (be-
hind Medics).
Law on East and West walk, West
of the intersection in front of Li-
brary.
Pharmacy on East and West walk
West of the intersection in front of
Library (behind Law).
Dental Surgery on North and South
walk in rear of North wing of Univer-
-sity Hall.
Business Administration on wall
. in front of Physiology and Pharma
cology Building.
Forestry and Conservation on wall
. iri ront of Physiology and Pharma
_ cology Building (behind Bus. Ad.l.
Music on diagonal walk from Li
brary to Alumni Memorial Hall, nea
_Library.
G Lraduate on East and West walk
1 West of Library entrance.
Honor Guard at Waterman Gym
t nasium.
Line of March: State Street t
:; Ferry Field.
,
On The Level
"
By WRAG
The giant lathe of education having chipped
of most the rough edges and added a few grooves
' of knowledge, will soon turn out its annual sup-
ply of supposedly finished products. And now
papas all over the country can stop oiling the
lathe.
* * * *
It does seem rather funny that the Uni-
versity hands out B.A. and M.A. degrees
when all the dough came from PA.
** * * *
However, most of the new grads will get one
degree from Michigan and a third degree from
pop as to where all the money went.
And caps and gowns for scholastic achieve-
ment will seem a bit odd to most grads be-
cause up till now they have only known of
caps on beer bottles and gowns on dance
floors.
Pig-skin boys will inappropriately get
sheep-skins, but it must be comforting to
those grads who have been on the football
teams of the past three years to have finally
reached a goal.
* * * *
1,
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k
,o
t
C
Comprehensive Examination in
Education scores are available in the
office of the School of Education,
1437 University Elementary School.
The Second Floor of the Rackham
Building will be open to graduate
students wishing to study for ex-
aminations beginning Monday, June
6. The closing hour will be 10 p.m.
Orientation Advisers: Please read
a very important notice on the bulle-
tin board in the League Undergrad-
uate Office.
The Maison Francaise, 1414 Wash-
tenaw Avenue, Ann Arbor, will be
open for the coming Summer Session
under the auspices of the French De-
partment of the University of Michi-
gan. Application for residence must
be made through the Office of the
Dean of Women. Room and board
will be ten dollars a week. A fee of
two dollars for the term will be
charged.
Weather Rainy
The sounding of the University
Power House Siren at 5:00 to 5:151
will indicate that the exercises have
been transferred to Yost Field House.
Students will proceed directly to
the Field House and enter through
the North doors.
Members of the Faculties will en-
ter through the north doors and take
their places on the platform in the
Field House.
Regents, Ex-Regents, Deans and
Candidates for Honorary Degrees will
assemble in the office in the North
end of the Field House.
L. M. Gram,
Chief Marshal.-
Af4fig,,a r f Hanar Societ.iesand
l
The English House, 1501 Washte-
naw Avenue (Sorosis house), will be
open to graduate students in English I
for the coming Summer Session un-
der the auspices of the English De-
partment of the University of Michi-
gan. Rooms will be $30 and $35 for
the eight-weeks term. Board will be
$6.50 a wek for breakfast and din-
ner. Application for residence must
be made through the Office of the
Dean of Women.
I