Student Now-pa or of Grinnoil Collage
In: uni sum
“IINNKKI. IOWA '9".

An lndep-naenr newsman- published
weekly, except during hol|dly1 Arid exami-
nation periods, by in. Gunmen commluee

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Sccond clan posugc paid it Grinncil In. subscription mo woo our.

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Editor-in-Chlﬂ

Spam Editor

Business Manigzr

Circulation Manlger

Associate Editor

Cartoonist

Repairman ..

a, James A. Arlen

.leiirey Shecror

. Bruce Strain

Douglas Earl

Connie Ericson

Mimi Anderson

. , Lynn Adams, James Archer, Carol Bradford,
Michael Daley, John Gardner, Reggie Graham, [man l-iari,
Leslie Horton, Pam Hum, Bonnie Nelson, Mary Rayburn,
Karen Ruhne. Lynne sicmcu, Maren Stewart, Yvor smakley.

Editorial . . .

,The Schnoirov Case

When the Schneirov case comes to court, the
jurors will have a difficult chore. If they were to
judge simply on the basis of whether or not a rule
was broken, there would be no question of the ver-
dict. Schneirov himself readily admits to having had
a girl in his room. The only problem would be that
of sentencing.

The court, however, may be tempted to ques-
tion the rule, to determine whether the rule is in ac-
cordance with the law that one should not harm
himself or another unjustly.

Law is the conscience of society. Rules are the
applications of that conscience to particular situa-
tions. The court will thus have to decide whether the
rule is a violation of our collective conscience.

If the court decides to do this, it must define
‘harm’ and ‘justice.’ The term ‘harm‘ may be more
pertinent to the issue.

It may be that neither oneself nor any other
person is harmed by a violation of the open dorms
rule. It may be that once the rule was related to the
universal law, and at that time one would have done
harm by violating the rule. It may be that times
have changed, and, since people no longer think in
the same Victorian fashion, the rule is outdated. it
may be that the rule exists unfounded by any law,
that questions of “harm" and “justice” are irrele-
vant. All this may be.

If the court is unable, or does not have the right,
to disentangle such complexities and implications,
it must act in accordance with the rules that are al-
ready established. To act in any other way would.
lead to anarchy, a situation repugnant to any rea-
soning man.

Ex Post Facto Philosophy

In this week’s edition of the Scarlet and Black
there is a story about the recent change of rules at
Cornell College. An editorial on the victory by
Cornell’s Student Council says: "As many know,
the major issue at stake in last week’s controversy
was not open dorms. The extension of that privilege
was merely the vehicle used to present a much fur-
ther reaching principle — that of student self-de-
termination.”

This is an argument similar to the one about
the American Civil War, that the war had nothing
to do with the question of slavery, but was con-
cerned, rather, with “states’ rights.”

The students take a past action of theirs and
then try to apply some sort of philosophical system
to it, much like Hobbs, who seemed to develop his
ethical theories and then looked for a system of
physics to accompany it,

Presumably, it is expedient to add the philoso-
phical system after the action is complete, for to
have the philosophy in the beginning might restrict
one’s activities,

Let us hope, however, that in seeking a change
of rules, the student government of Grinnell tries
to establish the “much further reaching principle”

before it takes any action, for such a procedure
would be more honest.

SCARLET AND ILAGK

Letter To
The Editor

Wallace Ad Criticized

To the Editor:

The s L 3 seems to have
missed the point in printing both
the advertisement for George
Wallace and the advertises
ments for the other two "ma-
jor" candidates. There is a
difference between publishing
a statement, speech, or posi-
tion paper, which seeks to in-
form the public on an issue,
with the theoretical purpose of
aiding it in making an elecion
al decision, and priming an ad<
vertisement, Do politicians ac-
tually seek to make their views
known, or do they try to sell
themselves to the people
through pleasing slogans? The
full-scale advertising cam-
paigns of all the “major" cam
didates seems to make the an-
swer self—evident.

The whole point in advertis-
ing is to make an initial
investment in an ad, which is
then so effective that returns
are more than the initial invest-
ment. Wallace pays some-
one to write resounding state-
ments on why he is just
what the “American people"
need to cure what ails them.
Wallace is packaged and sold
to various organs of public me-
dia, who dish him out to those
who read and buy. Wallace
pays money and gets votes. The
same is true for Humphrey
and the new, improved Nixon.

Wallace and Humphrey and
Nixon don‘t write their own ad-
vertisements; they employ ud-
vertising agencies to help
them, the same as GM, United
States Steel, or the Peace
Corps. But the latter are con
porate groups; the former,
men —- we aren't electing a
Corvair to the presidency. it
would be nice to know what
any of the “major" candidate:
really believes.

in printing the advertise.
meats, the SH! was not actual-
ly promoting ticedom of speech,
but indulging in complicity or
becoming a partner to wrong
doing, an accomplice to the
crime of pretending advertising
lmplics a responsible political
statement, which in fact it does
not.

Last week's editorial states,

If we were [0 run the
ad, Wallace might well
include Grimell in a list

of “liberal" coile g e l

where his ad appeared,

and this might help his
campaign. Or it might
hurt it. Yet if we were to
refuse to run his ad, he
might include Grinnell in

a list. of colleges who re-

fused to run his ad, and

this also might either
aid or hurt his campaign.

It is also uncertain

whether the ad itself will

be of any help to him.

Anything which results in
such ambiguity naturally gives
rise to the question, is it wonh
it? The advertisement actually
has an ideological mmiiica.
lions, has nothing to do with
ircedom or speech; it is an ap-
peai to p consuming public
which finds iiuch slop palatable.

Kit lode!

Friday Octet-r I in.

Where the Truth Lies . . .

By DONALD "UMP

Last week in Gardner lounge,
Mr. Crossett of the Classics de-
partment gave a remn of his
lecture on virginity. Appro-
priately. the talk proceeded
somewhat like a heroic, or
maybe. a mock—heroic battle,
Mr. Crossett took a great deal
of ground using honorable
weapons and great intellectual
deftnesr; but when questions
Were honored from the audl<
ence, his opponents attempted
to retake th: lost turf in what
was at times rather like a
slap-stick pie fight.

in classic form, the defender
of virginity began his confron-
tatinn of arguments in the lec-
ture by reciting a list of illus-
trious ancestors. On his side of
the issue were the GrecoRo.
man heroes like Achilles, Odys.
seus, and Aeneas, and the
founders of the human race,
Adam and Eve. Even though
the fact that Achilles slept with
Briseis was not discussed to
my satisfaction, Mr. Cmssett
had good credentials. In fact,
all of Western civilization
seemed to be in his background,
and it was a generous gesture
that he did not demand the
genealogy of his opponents,

The two major weapons of
the opposition faced by Mr.
Crosseit were the arguments
that sexual intercourse is natu-
ral and that “the Pill" pres
vents all the unpleasant conse-
quences of fornication. The po-
nitlon attacked in the lecture
can be stated as follows: People
of mature age should be allow-
ed to fornicate freely as long
as 1) both are willing, 2) they
are sincere, and 3) no harm
results to either person. After
committing their act, they
should feel no guilt.

Now it seems to me that Ml“,
Crossett’: attack lacked the
flare he showcd two years ago
when the lecture was first giv-
en. But the logic was well
aimed and rharp. Particularly
penetrating were two points:
first, the question, Would you
like the happiness of your life

and the possible creation of new
human life to rest upon prob-
ability? Even if the chancel
lhdt “the Pill" will fall or.
very slight, can you afford to
take any chance at all? Second.
the fact that man only become:
man when he has some rule it!
obey, some choice between
good and bad, like that pm
sented by God's commandment
in Genesis.

it is a shame that the ques«
tions from the audience after
the lecture never rose to the
level of these lovely strokes, so
that someone could at least
have gone down heroically. In.
stead, most of the attacks of
the students were foolish, and
revealed the fact that few men
know how to listen. There were
five misinterpretations of Mr.
Crossett’s analogy between vir-
gins and cars during the first
hour alone, and none of them
as charming as the indignation
of the girl who two years ago
jumped up and cried, “I do not
feel like a used carl” This
year students merely charged
like bulls, and were slaughter-
ed like cattle,

it is interesting that those
who spoke were not strong and
confident; and it is a tribune to
the power of Mr. Crossett’s an
guments that people seemed to
laugh a bit too loudly when
wmeone mocked the analogy of
the used car. Whether or not
anyone was convinced is doubt-
ful, but almost everyone who
spoke up seemed to feel ihrcao-
cncd by the logic. In ia‘c: one
of the most popular position:
was that logic does not lead to
truth, even if tnie statements
are made at each point in the
argument.

I can imagine the words of
two typical members of the
audience as they walked homoi
“Man. you have to answer all
the little questions his way; but
then he puts it together all
wrong." "Right, Herbie. tho
points he made wen ork» but
he was being tricky with the
logic." In other words, comet
where in between the mith lies.

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The hole caused by the de-
molition of the old power plant
is going to be filled in and the
area landscaped. The architec-
tural firm of Skidmore, Ow-
lngs, and Merril is studying the
area which will become an
"outdoor living area." The
plans shoiud be ready in about
a week.

Dirt from the excavations for
the Physical Education Com-
plex will fill up the hole. Th8
planting of shrubbery and tree:
takes a long time so the land-

The Hole

leaping will not be complete
until the spring.

In this area there will be a
central marker noting the plan
where the old stack used to be.
The stock was a longitudinal
and latitudinal marker. The
archiiedts and the Grinnell A11
Department are working to-
gether on the marker.

According to Mr. Evan Wal-
den, Director of New Construc-
tion, a fountain for the area is
out of the question. Fountains.
he said, do not run smoothly on
campuses, for they are subject
to many trickster: and pranks.

 

