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CAMPUS MIRROR
THE CAMPUS MIRROR
The Students' Own Publication
“Service in Unity”
THE CAMPUS MIRROR STAFF
Kditor-in-Chief Penelope Bullock
Associate Kditors-in-Chief Elizabeth Lipford
Doretha Williams
Editor of News Jean Warren
Associate Editor of News Helen Robinson
Editor of Special Features Eleanor Bell
Associate Ed. of Special Features....Lydia Brown
Editor of Sports and Jokes Sara Smith
Social Editor Evelyn Ebbs
Art Editor Jennelsie Walden
Music Editor Mildred Cuthbert
Exchange Editor Kathryn Brown
Business Staff
Business Manager Alice Clement
Advertising Managers Helen Nash
Alma Vaughn
Circulation Manager June Strong
Secretaries Johnnie Hunter
Rae Jamison
Treasurer „ Alfred Taylor
Faculty Advisor Miss M. Mae Neptune
Subscription Rates
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Vol. XVII February, 1941 No. 5
Editorial
Elizabeth Lipford ’42
The American standard of living has
been acclaimed by some to be the high
est yet achieved by the human race. We
all say that but what do we mean?
Food, clothing, and shelter used to
be considered the only needs of man.
But not for an American; he needs food
—yes! But in great variety. He needs
clothing—yes! But he wants more than
just coverings for his body. His wife and
daughter want smart styles, fast dyes,
and good material. He needs shelter—-
yes! But he w r ants electricity, electrical
appliances, running water, and modern
plumbing.
Even when these wants are filled—we
have not quite measured up to the
American standard of living. The Amer
ican wants much more out of life than
just food, clothing, and shelter. He
wants, for instance, time for leisure and
recreation and luxuries. He strives for
self-development.
By any means of comparison — with
other countries and with our own past,
the American standard of living is con
sidered the highest. That does not say
that every individual in the United States
enjoys all the benefits of this high stand
ard, but it does mean that an increasing
ly large number does, and that the aver
age for the entire country is high.
Let us put the yardstick of leisure to
this standard. This yardstick rates the
American standard very high in afford
ing much time for amusement, recrea
tion, and travel.
It used to be that a man worked twelve
hours a day, slept eight hours, and spent
much of the remaining time going to and
from work. No such program would fit
the American standard of living now.
The American wants more time for lei
sure. The average American divides his
week of 168 hours something like this:
40 hours for work, 56 hours for sleep,
and 72 hours for leisure. In the Ameri
can way of living more time is devoted to
leisure and recreation than to work or
sleep.
There is another aspect to leisure. In
America children are provided with a
long period of leisure during which
foundations are laid for future living.
For a time children went to work as soon
as they were old enough to be of use.
Later in several parts of the United
States, children had to remain at school
and play until they were fourteen years
old. As the standard of living developed
this period of leisure was extended until
now, in many states, children remain at
school and play until they are at least
sixteen years old.
Another yardstick to be used deter
mines the amount of material goods each
of us has access to. This yardstick de
termines how much food the average man
consumes, how much clothes and furni
ture he buys each year. It measures the
educational plants and the expansion and
improvement of facilities for the promo
tion of health. When this yardstick is
used, the United States stands at the top
of the list. Proof? Let us look at the
facts. The United States has only six
per cent of the world’s land area and
seven per cent of the world’s population.
But Americans consume half the world’s
coffee and rubber. Americans have at their
disposal about half of the world’s com
munication facilities and electrical ener
gies and about thirty-five per cent of the
world’s railways. In other words, a rel
atively few people produce and consume
a large part of the world’s goods.
It is true that the bare necessities of
food, clothing, and shelter are not what
we mean when we refer to the American
standard of living. The American strives
to turn luxuries into the common run of
things used by everybody. When he has
done this, he forgets that they were ever
luxuries. Who thinks of the electric light
as a luxury? Or the electric kon? Or
the radio? Once only a few could enjoy
these commodities. With the passing of
each year more Americans regard these
as necessities.
If there is one phase of the American
standard of living we are all interested
in, it is in self-development. This involves
the formation of character rather than
the accumulation of leisure hours and
material objects. Such a formation re
quires a departure from the notion that
all values are measured by materials
which are changed by wind and time.
The American standard of living al
lows a man to give prime consideration
to loyalty and good faith rather than to
(Continued on Page 7)
Maurice Hindus
At an assembly held in Sisters Chapel,
February 10, the University community
had the chance to hear Mr. Maurice
Hindus, a foreign newspaper correspon
dent, a noted author, and a graduate of
Colgate University. Mr. Hindus spoke on
the subject “Hitler and Stalin”.
In a calm yet arresting manner, Mr.
Hindus compared Hitler and Stalin. Hit
ler he considered as a physically small,
unsuccessful architect who has not de
clared himself to he an atheist hut who
expects the church and religion to bend
when he pulls the strings. Hitler does
not want to destroy capitalism itself, hut
he aims to suppress all capitalists who
are not Germans. He considers women
intellectually and socially inferior to
men and fit only to aid in the propaga
tion of the world by bearing children.
He is out to conquer the world for the
German people.
Stalin, Mr. Hindus considered as a
physically large man, the son of an in
dustrial class family, and an unsuccess
ful priest who now declares himself to
be an atheist. Stalin aims at a world
revolution that will do away with cap
italism and private business. This par
ticular character sees no difference in
the intellectual and social status of men
and women. He fosters no sense of racial
discrimination or inequality. He would
conquer the world for the industrial
classes.
In commenting on the three possible
outcomes of the war, Mr. Hindus pre
dicts that if Germany wins the war, the
result will be that of a united Germany
using her power of sovereignty in the
world to root out from her borders all
non-Germans and so placing heavy bur
dens on more distant countries. If Rus
sia pushes her revolution to the front,
Mr. Hindus can see only bloodshed and
violence for a long time. However, ac
cording to Mr. Hindus, if England wins,
there will be a reorganization of Europe
along economic and social bases. Op
pression will be denounced and freedom
promoted. The choice now is between
bad and worse, not good and evil.
After the lecture, questions were
raised from the audience. To these Mr.
Hindus answered with clearness that
came as a result of his wealth of first
hand information. To the question as to
why Russia continued to send supplies
to Germany although the two are not at
all friendly, Mr. Hindus said the same
principle was involved as in the case of
America sending supplies to Japan. It
is a matter of business, of fear, of self-
interest based on economics.
Other questions brought forth the fol
lowing opinions: England alone can not
(Continued on Page 6)