Thursday, April 25, 1974
University Daily Kansan
5
By STEVEN LEWIS
Kannan Review®
Word Garbage Criticized
a l Alritter
b Potter
c Meyer
d Hales
e Dales
f Gwinn
g Ricke
h Ricke
i Nunnermann
n Nunnermann
m Rishaw
n Wills
v Weamanta
v Leydow
v Leydow
n Shenawshaw,
n Shenawshaw
s Sokoloff
s Sokoloff
t Ricke
t Ricke
u Nunnermann
u D hunke
u Ve logan
u Ve logan
u Tharp
u West
"POWER OF WORDS" by Stuart Cause
(206 pages); Harcourt, Brace and Company;
A New York plumber wrote the Bureau of Standards for information about possible harmful effects of hydrochloric acid on pipes. The bureau wrote back: "The唉. The bureau is indisputable, but the chlorine residue is incompatible with metallic permanence."
After the plumber sent two more letters to the Bureau seeking clarification, the Bureau responded: "Don't use hydrochloric acid; it eats the hell out of pipes!"
The preceding incident is one of many related by the late economist Stuart Chase in his 1953 book, "Power of Words." Chase once again writes through steps of English
Chase emphasizes that he appreciates people who use short, clear words instead of abbreviated phraseologies. For example, when one buys an insurance policy, instead of "Here is your policy," one gets: "This policy is issued in consideration of the buyer's prior claim." The application is attached hereby and made payer bereof, and of the payment for said insurance on the life of the above-named insured."
language garbage and points his finger of shame.
Chase criticizes legal jargon because it is a dead language from which the law profession refuses to cease and desist. Chase notes that as most people would say, "Have an orange," the expert in legal phraseology would say: "I hereby give and convey to you, all and singular, my estate and interests, title, claim, and advantages of and in said orange, together with all rind, juice, pulp and pits, and all rights and advantages therein . . . anything herebefore or hereafter or in any other deed or deeds, instrument or instruments of nature or kind, nature or kind to the contrary.
A more perplexing problem addressed by Chase concerns the very structure of our language, which he says constrains our understanding of mathematics into the age of relativity through a new type of mathematics. The English language, however, and most other Western languages, still has us mired in the age of scientific knowledge of its subject-predicate structure.
Chase suggests we need a communications revolution, similar to the Einstein revolution in science, to divorce the Internet from our own world or either good or bad, with nothing in between.
MOVIES
"GIMME SHELTER"—Rock concert with Mick Jagger and the Rolling Stones at Altamonte 7 and 9:38 p.m. tomorrow and Roxy at Wrigley 5 p.m. Saturday in Woodruff Auditorium.
'Exorcist' Highlights Movie Scene
Instead of being taught formal grammar, Chase says, students should be taught to shy away from such absolute terms as "never," "always," "all," "only," "same" and to distinguish facts from inferences and the facts that are inferred. Referents referents to support, everything they say.
"DUMBO"--Children's cartoon about
Dumbo, the flying elephant, and Timothy,
his mouse friend. 1:30 p.m. Sunday in
Woodruff Auditorium.
“Power of Words” is well-written, incursive and entertaining—an island amid a sea of meaningless words, worth anyone's time.
FAR FROM VIETNAM" and "IN-TERVIEWS WITH MY LAI VICTIMS"
Two films about Vietnam. The first is a
series of impressions of Vietnam by leading
filmmakers. The second is a 1970 film of
five news with American soldiers who
describes the war and why and how they
killed the My Lai villagers 7:30 p.m.
Monday in Woodpuff Auditorium.
"HATFUL OF RAIN" 1987 movie www.explores the disasters of drug addiction through the broken and thwarted lives of its victims, especially in the lecture hall of the Museum of Art.
"THE WORSHIP OF NATURE"
Kenneth Clark's "Civilisation" film about the romantic period of the 1800s and men such as Rousseau, Goethe, Constable, Friedrich and Turner. 7 p.m. Sunday in woodruff Auditorium.
Beware of persons who treat words as things in themselves without finding connection to their meaning. The Greek philosopher Aristotle thought there were eight legs on a fly. For centuries thereafter, scholars were content on the fact that birds could fly down a飞 to check Aristotle's accuracy.
Words Often Too Abstract To Be Accurate, Realistic
Chase accuses philosophers who reason primarily from word to thought to word of wasting everyone's time, often on unanswerable or meaningless questions.
Who knows how many Americans have gone hungry because "a worthy man can always get a job." Beware of persons who treat concepts as things in themselves.
he once repeatedly bisected a stick, he could do so forever, according to a mathematician's logic. This indicates that words and reality are often unrelated, not related, and the economy of Stuart Chase explains in his timeless book, "The Tyranny of Words."
And then there are principles, which Chase defines as high-order abstractions, normally without referents, difficult to test for an inference problem. When who get raped are as much to blame as the rapist" is a principle, useful to store in the brain and bring forth when one doesn't want to be raped.
If one wants more knowledge, Chesay says,
he should go outside his mind to observe
things in action. Ostriches don't really bury
their heads in sand, they run like hell.
"THE TYRANNY OF WORDS") by Stuart
Brace and Company, 1893
Brace and Company, 1893
Back, young men and women of the 20th century, to the bosoms of the Great Philosophers. Within these academic shades let it be known that Galileo flung his telescope to the heavens in the stake to no purpose; Einstein discovered nothing of educational importance.
-Entertainment-
By STEVEN LEWIS
Kansan Reviewer
"LET'S SCARE JESSICA TO DEATH"
A young woman who is recovering from a
The position of counselor for B'nai B'rith Hillel Counselorship will be available beginning July 1, 1974.
Interested and Qualified Persons
Should Contact Don Miller at 842-7821
POSITION OPENING
nervous breakdown moves to the country where she encounters mysterious strangers and violent murders; 7:30 p.m. Tuesday in Woodruff Auditorium.
SUA FILMS SUA FILMS SUA FILMS SUA FILMS SU7
"GAY DIVORCEE" and "2ND STREET"-Fred Astraine and Ginger Rogers star in the first musical; Dick Powell, Ruby Keller and Ginger Rogers star in the second, an old-fashioned music with all the singing and dancing. 7:30 and 9:30 p.m. Wednesday in Woodruff Auditorium.
Popular Films
SHELTER
GIMME
Mick Jagger & The Rolling Stones
FAR FROM VIETNAM
dir. Godard, Renais, LeLouch plus interviews with Mai Lai Veterans
Friday, April 26
7:00.9-20
Robert Redford star as two con men who take a crime lord for $500,000 after he commissioned the death of their friend. 7:15 and 9:40 p.m. at the Hilbrick III.
7:00-9:30
Saturday, April 27
Monday, April 29
5c 7:30 Kansas union
Horror Films
2:00-4:30-7:00-9:30
Children's Films
Monday, April 29
75c
Kansas Union
DUMBO
Walt Disney
Sunday, April 28
LET'S SCARE JESSICA TO DEATH Tuesday, April 20
"THE EXORCIST!" Shocker about a young girl who is possessed by the devil and
Kansas Union
"BLAZING SADDLES!" -Western
guarantee to provide "ridin', ropin' and
wranglin'." 7:30 and 9:30 p.m. at the
Varsity.
MUSIC
the resulting exorcism. 6, 8; 15 and 10:30 p.m. at the Hilfrest. III
"UNIVERSITY CHORUS AND ORCHESTRA"-The University Chorus and Orchestra will perform Bertozio's "Requiem" at 3:39 p.m. Sunday in Auditorium.
"THE DAY OF THE DOLPHIN"
George C. Scott stars in this story about two marine biologists who teach a dolphin named Alpa how to speak English. Then he faces the enemy, and his jeroboam almed at the president of the United States. 7:30 and 9:30 tonight at the Granada.
75c
Classical Films 42ND STREET
50c
GAY DIVORCEE
Wednesday, May 1
75cea./51 both Kansas Union
SECOND CELLED
REATH
Film SEDAY
Thu April 25
April 26-27 at 8 p.m., 28th at 2:30
University Theatre, Murphy Hall
KU-ID Free . . . Adults $2.00 . . . Children 50°
Tickets at Dance Office, 201 Robinson
National Volunteer Week April 21-27,1974
Volunteer Clearing House
University Office
114 B Union
864-3869
Sponsored by National Volunteer Action Center
Community Office County Courthouse Lobby 841-5059
If you want to volunteer to work with people, we can place you in any of a variety of settings:
- consumer protection ·drug counseling ·recreation day care radio-reading to the blind big brother/big sister international relations museum teenagers neighborhood organizations
We thank these Lawrence merchants for helping us recognize volunteers:
.CAMPUS HIDEAWAY CASSEM'S CLOTHING LAWRENCE LUMBER COMPANY
.ROYAL COLLEGE SHOP UNIVERSITY STATE BANK