Sorokin Thinks Harvard Men Grown-up; Calls Them Immune to Co-ed Temptations

"Sexes should be segregated in high school," said Pitirim A. Sorokin, professor of Sociology, "for students do not work as well as they should in adodles-cent co-education." Following this, however, professor Sorokin contended that in the more mature college students co-education was advisable, adding, "I wanted to merge my Harvard and Radcliffe Sociology A sections, but the dean's refused."

Professor Sorokin went on to divest himself of mature sociological thought on matters ranging from the level of maturity attained by Radcliffe girls to the value and standards of religion in the postwar world, to audiences ranging from Harvard undergraduates to readers of the magazine "Current Religious Thought."

Pointing out that Russia, after 20 years of official co-education in secondary schools, has recently changed to a policy of segregation, Sorokin contended that probers of the human habitat and life are sure to follow him in concluding that high school pupils are not yet ready for the difficult complexities involved in co-education.

College Men Mature

On the other hand, it is his contention that, during the days that intervene between high school and college, the youngsters become mature enough to ignore members of the opposite sex, even if they masquerade in some of the sweaters used in the Hollywood type colleges.

Possibly due to his experience teaching Radcliffe girls, Sorokin feels that co-education makes no difference to the college students. Another consideration may be that the average undergraduate can undoubtedly hie himself off to some place where there are women and therefore the main angle becomes one of travel.

Professor Sorokin also contended that, because of the greater economy involved in having one big college instead of two smaller colleges, co-education is very desirable in communities and institutions that cannot bear the heavy load of carrying on their backs separate boys and girls colleges. Co-education is economically desirable in colleges.

He then rejected the oft-quoted arguments of the prominent church and women's organizations, ranging from the United Mothers of America to the Women's Christian Temperance Unit, to the effect that co-education had a bad influence on the morality of the college student, saying "Sociologically there had been no effect on morality."

Following naturally along the lines of fairness from love ot war and the post war, Professor Sorokin went on to say that after the war the nations must gather into an international organization.

He also advocated an "integration of morality," adding that "a transvaluation of the present sensate norms by coalescence with more spiritual principles as end-values has become inescapable."

Sorokin advocates a four-point program for lasting peace, starting with a "reintegration of basic values so as to terminate the existing 'anomie.'" His second point was the necessity for "universalizing the basic norms of conduct," after which he added international authority and the limiting of the powers of states to make war