Shammai vs Hillel- Who was On the Derech?

I have been looking into the arguments between Hillel and Shammai. 
I may not be a Torah Expert per se by the notations of the Religious Leaders of Today, but that said, I will offer the following insights.
Here is the Wiki entry on Hillel and Shammai. It details 5 of the main arguments of this debate:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hillel_and_Shammai
I must say that the 18 measures of Shammai are not an article I have been able to pull up on the internet.  Perhaps I will another time.
But for now, lets stick to the main 5-6 items in the wiki article.

Admission to Torah study. The House of Shammai believed only worthy students should be admitted to study Torah. The House of Hillel believed that Torah may be taught to anyone, in the expectation that they will repent and become worthy.
Shammai is correct in the sense that Torah really does need a true strong student to believe its Truths and Writings.  But that said Hillel is also correct in that anyone who can learn and study may indeed come to realize the importance and relevance of G-ds word. 
But that said, I side with Shammai in this argument becuase if Hillel is correct, one might just consider that anyone with any background is going to read and learn our Values.  This might seem right from an outward position, but consider that those who are not dedicated Beleivers of Torah are going to also try to use Torah to stifle and arrogantly dispute Torah law.  It is better that they do not know Torah law. This is actually the case with Christians and many of the non-Jewish learners today.


White lies. Whether one should tell an ugly bride that she is beautiful. Shammai said it was wrong to lie, and Hillel said that all brides are beautiful on their wedding day.

Actually ones perceived "beauty" should be ones soul. Not ones physical or material appearance. So both of these guys got it wrong on this matter.  Shammai is wrong becuase his decision to say that the bride is not beautiful is an acnowledgement of the fact that there is physical and material beauty that we must attend to.
I say this, tell the bride that she is a beautiful Soul.  That is going to be true in many ways.  Even if she is unorthodox or unsophisticated, she still has the capacity to be beautiful and clearly going to the chuppah is a beautiful experience.  Hillel was on the money in the sense you should make the bride feel healthy and good, but to make it a show of material and physical beauty they are both in error.

Divorce. The House of Shammai held that a man may only divorce his wife for a serious transgression, but the House of Hillel allowed divorce for even trivial offenses, such as burning a meal.[7]



Hillel is really not on the derech here.  To say that you can just flippantly divorce your law given bride is to say that our laws are so silly that we can just do whatever we want to make ourselves happier.  Laws are exact and we need to obey our Laws.  To say that we just have the priviledge to divorce for whatever trite matter there may be is just to spit on the exactedness of a Torah law.  This is becuase to divorce for a silly matter, we are saying that we really do not see that our Marriage Arrangements are that strong that we must endure all the humiliating and troublesome feelings that we may have in the case of a not so saavy arrangement that we just don't feel complements the way we wish to be regarded by others or by our self or the way that we just really want to feel when we are at home.  True feelings are extremely important, but lets really think twice before we write a New Law (A Gett or divorce decree) when we just dont have it as good as we really wanted it to be.  So in this regard, a little more forebearance and a little less "moxie".  This is just an orthodox situation that really needs to be done in an orthodox style.  So to just flake out and leave your marriage just becuase its not to your suiting is really an embarrassing violation of Torah Law.

Hannukah: The House of Shammai held that on the first night eight lights should be lit, and then they should decrease on each successive night, ending with one on the last night; while the House of Hillel held that one should start with one light and increase the number on each night, ending with eight

I am going to say that Shammai knows the right choice here.  But that said, I always had been taught Hillel's method.  The reason I side with Shammai (and I am yet to do it right and even then my mother does the menorah and she is the one who is really calling the shots even though I hope maybe we can talk about this one) is that Shammai sees that the light is stronger in the beginning of the Hannukah holiday.  Makes sense to me.  The beginning they had more oil.  They could burn brighter.   The end of the holiday is going to leave us sad that the holiday is over. (well we are all still exuberant but really a holiday is over). So that said, I say that it would seem more orthodox to have the candles diminish in number rather than increase in number during the observance.  I say start with a hannukah explosion of light and get less as the holiday goes.  But that said, it still is very fun to see more and more light as we go through the eight days.  So guess what guys,  Hillel is right too.  On this one, I say that there is really no right way to do this.  So these guys just have a different mood and that is all it is.  Its not Torah Law and its not a matter of priority either.  

Gentiles:  according to this article, Shammai wished that there be no contact with the Romans and Hillel did not agree and felt that the Jewish people could mix and intercirculate with some of the non-Jewish persons in their locale.

This is controversal, but in truth, I side with Hillel on this matter.  Hillel is not the enemy and he was not wrong all of the time.  Most would argue that he was right ALL of the time. I say Shammai has alot that we could really learn.  That said, I still hope to see the 18 articles and learn more.
So in this instance, I say that it is actually our priority to intermingle among those who are not orthodox Jews and among those who are not Jewish.  Our people need to remain strong and to mix with those who do not know our ways is a way to distinguish ourselves as a true Torah Orientated people.  I think that Shammai's idea that we not mix is good in a time when our intermingling will make our people sicker in that we might adopt the customs of the gentile or that the gentile will make our people hate our own Ways.  But that said, that means that our people are just not that strong.  Today, many of the ultra orthodox and ChaBaD orthodox Jews have their own enclaves and rarely have any contact with non orthodox Jews or the general public.  I suggest that this weakens our nation and our children will not have the special awareness of the Kingdom of our Creator by staying away from all of the people of our Kingdom and staying out of the intersts of things say like sports and electical advances and the like.  This is really not good for our people and in fact it sets up a situation of animosity among those who are more public orientated jews and those who really wish to just keep to themselves.   I suggest that the children in our homes should indeed have things like television and the computer and should even be considered for some public education.  I suggest that the children who have public education become stronger citizens and stronger advocates for national and public intersts.  True it is good that your children are not exposed to the unscrupulous ways of some of the rest of the public and they are not going to be deceived by false believers and other sad and unfortunate lay and 'moral' leaders of the day, but that said, I suggest that adversity makes us stronger.  I say that really it is crucial that perhaps it be considered that public and private Hebrew education both serve our nation Well.  I suggest that out entire Jewish nation should encourage our children in one or the other or even both and of course even consider a college education even if you were from a Hebrew School that does not seem to value the public non denominational educational system of colleges and universities.
The fact is this:  College educations with the resulting Degree are a way that our Creator can see that our people can accept instruction.  This is a matter of intelligent discourse and one who goes to college has academic challenges.  Sadly, I am seeing that many in the private ultra religous communities shun the college experience and seem to keep their children in only their own educational systems. This is all good and fine in the rabbinic training paradigm to an extent, but I suggest that anyone who goes to a true Affiliated University will indeed be stonger in their personal marketabilty as well as their desire for success.