The Machine Age 3!w 3ichigatt al Sixty-Eighth Year EDITED AND MANAGED BY STUDENTS OF THE UNIVERS TY OF MICHIGAN UNDER AUTHORITY OF BOARD IN CONTROL OF STUDENT PUBLICATIONS STUDENT PUBLICATIONS BLDG. * ANN ARBOR, MICH. * Phone NO 2-3241 hen Opinions Are Free Truth Will Prevail" bill I i WATCHING THE RECESSION: Business U pturn Said B insUp rnUnlikely This Spring By WVLLIAM FERRIS NEW YORK (IP) - What should we watch to see if the country is re- covering from the recession? When are we likely to emerge from it? Dr. Geoffrey Moore, associate director of research at the National Bureau of Economic Research, listed several items which, he said, should be watched closely. They included: 1) An increase in the average work week. This has occurred prior to an expansion in employment in practically all recessions. In both the 1953-54 and 1948-49 recessions the average work week started to lengthen four months before over-all business turned up. The latest 1, Editorials printed in The Michigan Daily express the individual opinions of staff writers or the editors. This must be noted in all reprints. ESDAY, APRIL 2, 1958 NIGHT EDITOR: ELIZABETH ERSKINE The Advanced Student And a Democratic Society 'WAS A BILL ... to provide for the annual selection of the best subjects from the schools, who might receive, at the public expense, a higher degree of education at a district school; d from these district schools to select a certain number of the most promising subjects to completed at a university, where all the useful sciences should be taught. Worth and genius uld thus have been sought out from every condition of life ... --Thomas Jefferson :G '' -, a Y h? 4 .. ... _. o { 11 L"i t. P I N MODERN DAY American education 'bon- fusion over the meaning of the word "de- mocracy" has misled many an educator and parent. Prevalent is the misconception that de- mocracy in education implies all seekers after an education may obtain the same quantity and quality of product. This idea pervades the American educational system from elementary school through to college and university level. In elementary schools, for example, reading classes are usually divided into three levels corresponding to degree of attainment of the student. The most advanced are allowed to forge forward while the "slower" student is given special attention. This is a step in the right direction. Yet this same slow student is not retained in the same grade for repetition if his accumulation of knowledge is not suf- ficient to continue on to the next grade. He is shoved along with his age group to the next grade. It seems the "flunking" process is a rare phenomena in modern education. A more serious problem, however, develops in the secondary level. The high schools of the United States today are filled with students; who, pushed along with their age group, are "just trying to get through." Either they have not reached the age of sixteen and hence are, required by law to attend school, or are yield- ing to parental or other social pressures. This group cannot be disregarded and hence stand- ards must be shaped to include their educa- tional needs. Unfortunately, the consequences of this are not examined closely enough. The advanced student must also be placed within this framework of standards. Standards have become increasingly lower and the effect is, that the superior student has been forced down to the level of mediocrity. That this is true is shown by a comment by a history professor on the faculty of this uni- versity. A high school textbook written by him had been returned by its publisher for re- visions. One such revision was a request to change "20th century" to "the 1900's." It seems high school students today have trouble grasp- ing the relationship of the two expressions. Other such revisions "downward" were re- quested. IT WOULD SEEM reasonable to assume with this downgrade in educational quality in high schools that a similar pattern is occur- ing in colleges and universities. Democracy these days implies that all are entitled to almost the same education regard- less of ability. What has happened is that de- mnocracy has become equated with mediocrity. True democracy in education is indicated in the philosophy of Thomas Jefferson. Equality of opportunity in obtaining an education is the University of Virginia founder's plea for common sense in education. The intelligent child should be given an advantage in obtaining higher education. That all children should be exposed to knowledge is also implicit in his view. Those who are slow should be aided un- til they reach the secondary level and then en- couraged to branch off into fields in which they will be better suited. IN A RECENT article in Modern Age magazine, Prof. Harold L. Clapp of Grinnel College, of- fers some striking contrasts to the American system. His children were educated in Geneva, Switzerland in a public school. He comments, "Swiss school authorities believe in discipline." He proves his point when commenting on the mental development of the Swiss elementary school pupil. In the first grade 13upils are taught that organization of material and pre- cision of expression is just as important as rote memorization. In the sixth grade, Swiss children have a vo- cabulary of seven thousand words including some which would stump the average American collegian, such as "autonomy," "protectorate" and "despotism." Genevese sixth graders, in reading, cover the works of Moliere, Flaubert and Maupassant. Clapp attributes this impressive collection of knowledge to the business-like and disciplined educational system which the school authori- ties enforce. Parents are required to supervise the school work of their children. "Regulations stipulate among the right and duties of the parents that parents must supervise school work done at home." The Sviss system is truly democratic. Com- pulsory education to the sixth grade is charac- teristic. At the end of the sixth year, students are given tests to determine what type of high- er education they are best qualified for. The student may then choose what course he is to follow on the basis of these tests. Essentially this means the Swiss system is geared so equals compete with equals and no one is dragged down into mediocrity. The ad- vanced student is" given a square deal as well as those less adapted for advanced intellec- tual training. All are given ali opportunity to learn but the advanced student is urged to forge ahead. The Swiss system makes sense. American educators might take note of the methods and amazing results of educators in Switzerland, -CAROL PRINS Magazine Editor p. ~.a e" i : S. .. WASHINGTON MERRY-GO-ROUND: Labors of a Lobbyist By DREW PEARSON WASHINGTON - When Alen Davies, lobbyist for the meat packers, stoodyat the bar in the National Press Club and boasted about his close friendship with Ezra Taft Benson, he didn't do himself much good. But he did do some good for the American pub- lic. Bill McGaffin of the Chicago Daily News promptly wrote a story about Davies' boast, even though Davies made big noises about hav- ing McGaffin bounced from the Press Club. The farmers who look to Ben- son for support hadn't entirely realized before that Ezra is more the friend of the meat packer and big processor than he is of the dirt farmer. His close friend Davies for instance, is now lobbying against the O'Mahoney bill, intro- duced by the senator from Wyo- ming to transfer antitrust juris- diction over the meat packers to the Federal Trade Commission. O'Mahoney knows the housewife will get little protection from Ben- son's Agriculture Department, so he wants the Federal Trade Com- mission to act instead. Davies is opposing the transfer. DAVIES is also the lobbyist working to stop the Humane Slaughter Bill, already passed by the House of Representatives, thanks to Congresswoman Martha Griffiths of Michigan. This bill would require hogs and steers to be given a quick dose of gas be- fore they are hammered over the head in the packing houses. In some cases dazed steers, knocked on the head but not killed, go ca- reening around the slaughter- house before they are finally butchered. Lobbyist Davies has been work- ing with the Republican members of the Senate Agriculture Com- mittee to hold extensive hearings on this bill, even though hearings were held two years ago. Meanwhile, Secretary Benson is reported a bit hesitant about his earlier plan to appoint his friend Davies as a delegate to the British Food Fair Aug. 28-Sept. 11 in London. Last year, Davies went as a representative to the American Meat Institute, but this year Ben- son was planning to make him an official delegate of, the Agricul- ture Department - until he got all the publicity over ghost-writ- ing Benson's statement that he would not tesign as Secretary of Agriculture. Editor Walter L. Hart of the Morgantown, W. Va.,, Dominion News, who is something of an avi- ation expert, maintains that there's more risk from flying pri- vate planes than commercial air- liners, and that if Mike Todd hadn't been crossing the U.S. in his own private plane, he wouldn't have come to his untimely death. My own investigation at the Civil Aeronautics Authority bears this out . Latest CAA figures show that airplane accidents in private air- planes are twice as great as those on commercial airliners. In 1956, 1,700 air carriers had 47 accidents, or about 3 per cent. But 28,000 private business or pleasure planes had 1,700 accidents, or six per. cent. LATEST addition to the diplo- matic corps is svelte, handsome Ambassador" Hector Santaella, representative of the new demo- cratic government of Venezuela which recently kicked out long- time terrorist dictator Perez Ji- menez. Educated at Texas A. & M. Uni- versity and Harvard, Ambassador Santaella is a businessman who 'understands the . problems "of American oil companies, yet was arrested three times by hated Po- lice Chief Pedro Estrada because he championed democracy. Calling on President Eisen- hower to present his credentials, he came back impressed. "The President was in excellent health, alert, charming, sympa- thetic," he said. "He has a warm, dynamic personality." Despite the charming reception Ike gave to the new Verezuelan Ambassador, two days later he slapped a restriction on Venezuela where it hurts most - imports of Venezuelan oil. The diplomatic corps was flabbergasted over the fact that Eisenhower delivered a full-dress speech one day last week emphasizing the importance of foreign trade and on the same day, slapped new Amnericah~ re- strictions on foreign trade. His speech against restrictions on foreign trade was telecast to the entire United States from a bipartisan forum organized by Charles Taft, brother of the late Senator Bob Taft - a forum from which such bipartisan speakers as Adlai Stevenson and Speaker Sam Rayburn had agreed with Eisen- hower that foreign trade must not be restricted. YET ON the same day, Ike okayed a further restriction on oil from: 1) Canada, which faced i m m e d i a t e national elections where U.S. animosity is an issue; 2) Venezuela, whose new demo- cratic non-dictator regime can't afford an economic setback; and 3) the Near East ,where Nasser is making inroads on American oil in Saudi Arabia. Remarked one ambassador (not the new Venezuelan): "The hand says one thing, the mouth the other. Either Mr. Eisenhower should not have restricted oil, or he should not have made the speech." Note: Eisenhower was under pressure from Senator Lyndon Johnson of Texas and some of Ike's Texas oil friends to further curtail oil imports. (Copyright 1958 by Bell Syndicate, Inc.) figures on the work week are for February. They show it has de- clined for 15 straight months. 2) An increase in new orders and in contracts for future con- struction. These ordinarily pick up from four to six months before an upturn in industrial output or employment. The latest figures on new or- ders for all types of durable goods are for January. They have de- clined for 12 straight months. Residential contracts have de- clined for five months and com- mercial contracts for nine months.. R * * 3) A CONTRACTION in the, scope of the recession - that is, in the number of business indices affected by it. This has happened first in all 24 recessions and de- pressions the b'ureau has studied. It occurs usually six to 12 months before an upturn in aggregate business activity. 4) A variety of evidence is nec- essary before the recession can be said to be over - not just figures on employment, retail sales or other individual economic barom- eters. In this connection, Moore noted government figures on employ- ment are based on a sample, which varies monthly. Therefore, a one-month decline or upturn in employment doesn't necessarily indicate a sustained trend. * * * 5) IT IS IMPORTANT to adjust the statistics to seasonal varia- tions. Monthly comparisons alone, without adjustment, don't mean much. Unemployment normally de- clines 14 per cent from January to May, increases 18 per cent from May to June, declines 22 per cent from June to October and in- creases 31 per cent from October to January. % Thus, a decline of 10 per cent in the number of people out of work between January and May this year would be less than sea- sonal, and no cause for belief the recession was over. How does this recession com- pare with those of the past? "THE CURRENT decline about equals, and possibly exceeds, the two previous post-World War II recessions," Moore said. He noted that the "leading series" - that is, indices which tend to lead ag- gregate business moves - are down more than in the last two recessions. The current recession does not compare in severity at this point with that of 1936-37 or the great depression of the early 1930s. If the historical precedent of the 1953-54 recession holds and, of course, it might not, Moore said, it seems unlikely a general, sustained, cyclical business upturn will get under way this spring. Paid Up IN THE MIDST of reports that consumers are having trouble repaying debts, the American Bankers Association has just re- ported that, in January, delin- quency declined on banks' con- sumer loans of all kinds. In most classes of bank loans to consumers, delinquency also was shown to be lower than in January of 1957. -U.S. News DAILY OFFICIAL BULLETIN The Daily Official Bulletin is an official publication of the Univer- ity of Michigan for which the Michigan Dailyassumes no edi- torial responsibility. Notices should be sent In TYPEWRITTEN form~ to Room 3519 Administration Build- ing, before 2 p.m. the day preceding publication. Notices for Sunday Daily due at 2:00 pm. Friday.. WEDNESDAY, APRIL 2, 195 VOL. LXVIII, NO. 133 General Notices President and Mrs. Hatcher will hold open house for students at their home wed., April 2, from 4:00 to 6:00 p.m. Phi Beta Kappa: Annual business meeting, wed., April 2, 4:15 p.m, Rm. 451 Mason Hall. Election of officers and new members. Undergraduate Library: From Mon. March 31, through Thurs., April 3; reservations may be placed at a special. reservation desk on the Second Floor of the Undergraduate Library for Re- serve Books to be circulated from the Undergrduate Library, over the Spring Recess. Reservations may be placed for one book per person per course during the following hours: 2:00-5:00 p.m., Mon- day-Thursday. If there is only one copy available in the Undergraduate Li- brary, no reservation will- be taken. In order to fill the reservations, Re- serve Books will not circulate April S. Reserve Books may not be charged out for the spring Recess without a reser- vation. The Reserve Books that are being held will be available from 8:00 a..- 5:00 p.m., Fri., April 4. Books not claimed by 5:00 p.m. on that day will be returned to the stacks. Reserve Books that have not been charged out over the Spring Recess will circulate according to the follow- ing schedule:- Out Fri., April 4; Due April 7 at 9:00 a.m. Out Sat., April 5, 800 a.m:; Due April 7 at 9 a.m. Out Mon., April 7-Thurs., April 10, 4:00 p.m.; Due following morning at 9:00. Out Fri., April .1, 4:00 p.m.; Due April 14 at 9:00 sa. ' June graduates may now order their caps and gowns at Moe's Sport Shop on North University. There will be an International Center Tea, sponsored by the International Center and the International Students Association this Thurs.. Apr. 24, from 4:30 to 8:00 p.m. at the International Center. Biological Station: Application for ad- mission for the coing summer session should be in my office before Apr. 15. An announcement d e s c r i b i n g the courses offered can be obtained at the Office of the Summer Session or from the Director. Applications should be made on forms which can be secured at 2129 Nat. Sci. Bldg. A. H. Stokard, Director. Grants for released time for faculty members in the Behavioral Sciences. Apr. 2 is the last day that applications may be made for released-time grants to faculty for research in the be- havioral science fields. Applications should be filed in the Graduate School office by 4 p.m. Agenda, Student Government Coun- cil, April 2, 1958, 7:30 p.m. Council Bm. Minutes of the previous meeting. Officer reports: President - letters? Exec. Vice Pres. - Interviewing and Nominating Committee International Student Relations Seminar, M-Hand- book, motion; Admin Vice Pres. - Elections report; Treasurer. Officer Elections. Standing Committees: National and International, Public Relations, Edu- cation and Student welfare, Student Activities Committee; Constitutions: League; Activities: African Student, Union, banquet, April 19, Lane Hall. Old Business. New Business - Housing Discrimina. tion, motion. Constituents time. Members time. Announcements. Adjournment. Lectures Roy B. Canfield Memorial Lecture: "Respiratory Emergencies in the New- born." Dr. Willis J. Potts, Prof. of Surgery, Northwestern Univ. and Sur- geon-in-chief, Children's Memorial Hos- pital, Chicago. Wed.,rApr. 2, 8:00 p.m., Hospital Amphitheatre. Readings by Members of the English Department: Prof. Robert F. Haugh will read "Some Stories of J. D. Salinger" on Thurs., Apr. 3, in Aud. A, Angell Hall, at 4:10 p.m. Concerts Vienna on Parade will be presented in Hill Aud. as the last concert of this season's Choral Union Series, on Wed., Apr. 2, at 8:30 p.m. Tickets are on sale at the University Musical Society dur- ing regular office hours; and 'will be on sale at the Hill Aud. box office af- ter 7 p.m. Wed., preceding the concert. There= will be a "Hi-Ft Concert" in the Union Music Lounge Wed., Apr. 2, from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. The selections that will be played are: Tchaikovsky's 6th Symphony (Pathetique); Bartok's Concerto for Orchestra; Mozart's 41st Symphony (Jupiter). Good Friday Concert: Gustav Mah- ler's Second Symphony (The Resurrec- A } a t. 1 4,000 Voters Made Decisions Affecting 29,000 C -k APPROXIMATELY 8,000 Ann Arbor residents stepped into their roles as citizens Monday by voting in the special school election. Twenty-one thousand others stayed home. A little more than 4,000 Ann Arbor property owners accepted their responsibility for the education of the community's children Mon- day. Just a few less voted "no." At stake were a $3,750,000 bond issue pro- viding funds for additional badly-needed build- ing and classroom space and a two and one- half mill property tax increase which sought to put the community on more equal ground in competing for competent teachers and other school personnel for their children. Neither of these proposals offered a panacea, but after previous rebuffs by the city's voters, they were all school officials dared ask for. Commendably for them, somewhat less than one-seventh of those eligible to decide, saw fit to give education and Ann Arbor's children a break. By a margin of only five votes on the tnillage proposal and 121 votes on the bond proposal this fractional group was just big enough. IF ALL MARGINAL elections would turn out this gratifyingly, then let's be quick to ad- vocate them. Let just a third or a fourth of the people make our communal decisions for us; let a majority of the minority prevail with foresight and wisdom. But, unfortunately, the results of Monday's vote were not normal for Ann Arbor. They were a- lucky exception to precedent. If thirty-two people had cast their ballots differently, the story would have been quite familiar. We would hope that the one-seventh has be- gun a trend which will attract some reinforce- ments to help them overcome the educational apathy and irresponsibility of many Ann Arbor property owners. -WILLIAM RANSOM "t. c. IN THE STALIN PATTERN: Khrushchev: Can He Achieve Total Power? INTERPRETING THE NEWS: Neighbors of Goodwill By J. M. ROBERTS Associated Press News Analyst SECRETARY DULLES has been quick to note that, after the Canadian elections, affairs at Ottawa remain in the hands of kinfolks. Many persons in the United States, know- ing Lester Pearson so well and respecting him so much, leaned toward his Liberal Party if they took any interest at all, which most of them did not. There was also the fact that the Liberals had held power during most of the mature lives of Americans, and all had gone well. d1I rM1 ri~4 Aenrt t 1t la [' But most of those in the -United States ac- cept most Canadians as a part of the American way of life just as their two countries occupy most of the North American Continent. The chief fly in the ointment is that when the big United States turns over in bed, some of the cover may be pulled off Canada. But like a good wife, Canada knows that there is. no ill intention, and that the United States, with great world responsibilities, has special problems in keeping warm. THE WORLD TRADE and general economic situation'of the United States has been hurt ink Canada some recently, especially what the Canadians considef. the dumping of U.S. sur- nhi whAnt+ +hrmgh+th. frmipnanid nrngrem_ By WILLIAM L. RYAN Associated Press Foreign News Analyst N IKITA Khrushchev has bitten off a tremendous chew. It may prove indigestible. In many respects, the rise of the Communist boss, now also So- viet premier, compares with that of Stalin. But in many important respects,nit differs radically. Upon the differences .Khrushchev may yet stub his toe. The Red world Khrushchev now seeks to rule single-handed is dif- ferent from the one upon which Stalin burst so furiously decades ago. Communists in today's Red em- pire likely are disturbed about last week's developments-first at Khrushchev's boldness, and sec- ond, at his bald violation of prin- ciples he laid down for them. * * * KHRUSHCHEV, the man who decreed e taration of top narty known to-have said it is virtually impossible in these complex days for one man to de both. Khrushchev will be 64 April 17. For all his bounce and drive, many must wonder whether he can do both jobs effectively. Stalin still was under 50 when he achieved total power - far more total than that wielded by Khrushchev today. Khrushchev used Stalin's tested methods in his ascent Each em- ployed the party to build a vast personal machine. Each peopled the party apparatus, and then the government, with his own hench- men. * * * STALIN made alliance with men he would later disgrace. He joined Zinoviev and Kamenev in the struggle against his brilliant ri- val, Trotsky. Victorious, he turned on his allies. Khrushchev also made alli- quently defended in a denuncia- tion of Stalin's excesses. Stalin made concessions in his grab for power - to workers, and particularly to farmers. Once sure of himself, he turned savagely on the farmers and forced collectivi- zation on them in an incredibly brutal campaign. Khrushchev makes concessions to workers and consumers. He woos the farmers. He expresses the intention of defying warnings from doctrinaire Communists and permitting collective peasants to buy their own machinery. But al- ready there are hints that this re- form in itself may lead to de- priving the farmers eventually of the small private plots they cher- ish as their own. * * * THROUGHOUT all the convul- sions attendant upon Stalin's rise, Soviet internal policy displayed astonishing continuity. It. was ev- ervthing for heavy industrv. with Stalin, however, was cautious. Khrushchev is a gambler. Stalin was aloof, forbidding. Khrushchev is a garrulous and gregarious traveler. Stalin had an enormous secret police network and a sep- arate police army to enforce his will. Khrushchev's police system is only a pale reflection of sta- lin's. In mutual self defense, the late lamented "collective leader- ship" had to purge the police and severely limit its power. Now it would seem almost impossible to restore police power on the mono- lithic pattern of Stalin's day. But the most important differ-* ence between the two careers is this: * s STALIN rose through total ter- ror in a nation still largely back- ward. Today's U.S.S.R. enjoys widespread education. Its people have far superior living standards. The Comunist party inside Rus- , 'j 4 i 1.