From New York University's Washington Square College comes the report of youthful optimism and confusion. Senior class members polled by the yearbook, declared (1) that they expect to be earning an average of $5000 five years from now; (2) that they will not find any job acceptable unless it pays more than $25 a week; (3) that cultural subjects were worthwhile; (4) that their favorite course is the philosophy of history and civilization.

Unless these shiny-eyed young hopefuls undergo distinct changes of mind, most of them are destined to become what they would now call failures.

In the first place, the idea of averaging $5000 annual earnings after five years is absurd. John R. Tunis in his survey of Harvard's class of 1911 showed that even after a quarter of a century his classmates were earning less than $5000 per man. The number of college students has increased almost six-fold since Tunis' undergraduate days: the college diploma is progressively decreasing in its power to assure large incomes.

Further, the beliefs that a $5000 income should be a student's goal, and that a job is not worth-while because it pays $20 a week show how a liberal education can miss fire. These seniors who want to measure the worth of a job, or of a career by the cash return have forgotten King Midas who proved centuries ago that wealth is no key to happiness. . . --Brown Daily Herald.