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Show '6V .lorious Graduation Rights Of Passage b Commencement will be June 8. 5 Once again the local scions of rationality will ,n andon their offices and class rooms and berobed in . ;' ulti-hued medieval fol-der-ol, will smile benignly : hile troop on. troop of young people who were at ast mediumly successful in college receive their : nion cards and, have their names read aloud at least . : 1Ce at sometime during the solemn and tradition-eeped, tradition-eeped, pompous and ludricrous ceremony. Also there will be some speakers. They will, we redict, give some sage if general advice to the new litiates on the wise conduct of their future affairs, ote once more that the name of the ceremony, "com-tencement" "com-tencement" is pregnant with meaning and conclude ingingly that these young people are the leaders of he future. (Everybody already knows that these oung people are the leaders of the future. But few, f any really doubt that it is only by default.) Various groups about the city such as the Elks nd the Masons as well as many of the social units on ampus indulge periodically in similar rites of passage nd we suppose that this ceremony is neither more or less foolish than those. S Evidently, some members of the academic community also have needs to dress up in some-l some-l thing different now and then and parade in front I of a certain number of people, keeping all the while, a very straight face. And the ceremony does " no harm. But it has come to our attention that there are " . number of graduating students who despite all ap- :eals to tradition and school spirit, a chance to make nom and dad proud, and all that stuff, would really d Jather not go. But they must or have their diplomas withheld. Now the University makes a number of re-J re-J luirements upon those who wish to graduate, but it is u ery difficult to see how this one enhances anybody's ducation except by hardening his derriere and devel-m devel-m 'ping his capacity for not wanting to go to the bath- u oom- f And for those who don't like that sort of it - thing, the ceremony is simply a nuisance and a ifl bore for which they must pay money to rent the 3 proper paraphernalia, spend several hours in less than the pleasantest of circumstances and have nothing at all to show for it. We see no reason 4i why anyone who doesn't want to go should have - to. j But there seems to be little hope for a change of j policy, and so for those who must unwillingy be so -j jionored we can only offer our condolences and, as (age advice for the conduct of future affairs, suggest fhat it might be easier if one got potted first. 3 |