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University Daily Kansan Tuesday. Nov. 27, 1962
Musings On Mitchell
Jack Mitchell and crew came out of the Missouri game about as well as they could have expected. Whenever an underdog team outplays its opponent and manages a tie there is some satisfaction derived. But a tie against a supposedly better team is the best way the Jayhawkers and bosses could have closed the season as far as receiving any derogatory comment is concerned. People take a neutral attitude toward such an outcome and do not bother to worry about the season.
This is not necessarily to imply that there should be a deluge of negative comment poured upon Allen Field House for the fourth place finish and the embarrassment of the Nebraska game. There is undoubtedly much which could be criticized unfavorably if one were to analyze the season in light of what was expected. The point here is that demanding scrutiny should be made of the KU football program in the next two years and if the results are not at least equal to 1961, preferably better, there should be a huge step taken in the direction of a revamping of the situation.
MITCHELL HAS JUST finished his fifth season here and is preparing for another at this time although the season closed less than a week ago. These five years have been one continuous story of "almost." There were two years of development, one title taken from KU, one disappointing and hard to explain second place finish, and this year. This certainly is not a record to be ashamed of. It is one which should be looked upon as the groundwork for great teams—not the good, adequate, near great, or whatever, squads Mitchell claims to have had thus far.
The football program here should be considered to be at the crossroads. Starting with next season there will either be a constant upward surge which will last several years or the Mitchell regime will stumble along with a couple of crowd-teasing teams which will provide many
trills and equal disappointments and only enough wins to maintain a respectable finish. It is, of course, hoped that the trend will be one of continual building to the point that KU will be not only a contender for the Big Eight Conference championship but a favorite annually.
The complaints against the performance of the Jayhawkers this past season should be withheld, generally. A coach cannot be expected to pull such a young team to the top after the heavy losses as were experienced from the Bluebonnet Bowl group. Years such as the one just completed are to be expected and, possibly, welcomed. They show the coaches are willing to admit that they are starting over again almost at scratch to build toward a championship a couple years to the future.
But, it might be noted, Oklahoma is in the Orange Bowl in a rebuilding year.
THE FRESHMAN TEAM WALTZED to victory in both of its games this season and a few individuals showed they will be of considerable help to the varsity next fall.
These two reasons plus the additional factor that Mitchell has been here long enough to establish himself in every possible manner and has accustomed the area fans to his coaching methods, be they what they are, point to unprecedented success in the near future.
THIS FUTURE SUCCESS should be expected and demanded. The talent is evident. The experience is present and growing. The spectator interest is ballooning. The power to recruit top high school athletes is available.
The problem now is to see if each of the preceding four factors can be molded by Mitchell to nudge KU to the zenith of the football world.
This editorial is not a call for the head of Jack Mitchell. It is too photogenic at present. Maybe if a few too many grey hairs and losses creep into the picture the axe should be raised.
Bill Sheldon
The Battle's Over
Editor:
... Letters ...
(Ref: The failure of KU's plan to use MU's trick against them)
There were two temples on the north and south sides of a city in Japan. Each day a runner was sent into the Market, from each temple to buy food. One day, as the southside runner passed the northside runner he called to him, "Where are you going?" to which the other replied, "Wherever the wind blows me." The confused runner reported this to his teacher who instructed him to ask next time, "What if there were no wind?" So on the following day when the two passed, the southside runner called out, "Where are you going?" to which he got the reply, "Wherever my feet will carry me." This too he reported to his teacher who instructed him to inquire next time,
"What if you had no feet?" The next morning when he saw the other runner, the southside runner called out again, "Where are you going?" and the northside runner answered, "To Market."
Perhaps KU coaches should take a lesson from this anecdote and not fight last year's battle plan so.
K. C. King
Junction City, senior
* * * *
Hospital Staff Praised
Hospital Staff Praised
Editor
While I was sitting in the Kansas Union watching the television on Saturday, November 10, I felt a pain in my heart which made me unable to breathe. A friend who was sitting near me took me to Watkins Hospital. The nurse called the doctor on duty who ordered something to be given to me. I was afraid that that medicine would affect my ulcers so I asked the nurse
to call Dr. McClure who was taking care of me the week before. She told me that he was not on duty that night. I asked her to tell him only that I was at the hospital. He came at once and ordered some shots and each half hour all night he was in contact with the hospital checking on me. He visited me twice on Sunday. He checked all the possibilities of the causes of my troubles. Since that time he always comes to visit me at least twice a day and spends a long time with me. I believe such a doctor is not only a physician but more a psychiatrist. I haven't found in my life such care and interest from any private doctor.
Regarding the nurses, I couldn't find such nice people or such good services elsewhere as they have given me. From time to time they clean the room, change bed sheets and towels, bring all the newspapers and supply me with different medicines.
Daiilaj Wicksere
University of Kaasas student newspaper
Founded 1889, became biweekly 1904, triweekly 1908, daily Jan. 16, 1912.
Telephone Viking 3-2700 Extension 711, news room Extension 376, business office
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EDITORIAL DEPARTMENT
Richard Bonett, Dennis Farney, Zeke Wigglesworth, and Bill Mullins, Assistant Managing Editors; Mike Miller, City Editor; Ben Marshall, Sports Editor; Margaret Catcart, Society Editor.
NEWS DEPARTMENT
Managing Editor
Scott Payne
Clayton Keller and Bill Sheldon ... Co-Editorial Editors
BUSINESS DEPARTMENT
Martinache Business Manager
Jack Cannon, Advertising Manager; Doug Farmer, Circulation Manager;
Gene Spalding, National Advertising Manager; Bill Woodburn, Classified Advertising Manager; Dan Meek, Promotion Manager
Lastly, the very wonderful system — the hostesses, which I haven't seen in the hospitals in other countries. Each morning a lady comes to ask me if I need anything. One of them wrote a letter for me and typed it. Another called two friends to bring my mail. A third one brought me a magazine and the last one wrote this letter as I dictated it to her.
For the food, the dietitian comes from time to time to ask me if I have any complaint or any kind of special dish which I want.
I am really unable to say anything except deep thanks to Dr. McClure and all the other doctors who devote every minute for the patients, to Mrs. Stene and to each of her staff of nurses who are very kind to me, to the hostesses whose names I don't know, for their voluntary services, to the dietitian for her clean and healthy food, to all American and foreign friends who burden me with their kindness and generosity. And lastly, thanks to Mrs. Mumo who was always kind to my visitors. To all of these I can only say thank you so much.
Dr. Samy Affy
Cairo, UAR,
graduate student
COMMEN t Galling the Gauls
A classic lesson in human affairs, one that might well have come from the Old Testament, can be seen today in the relations of Algeria and its former master, France.
French Premier Georges Pompidou and Jean-Marie Jeanneney, the French ambassador to Algeria, have made statements that Ahmed Ben Bella, premier of Algeria, is not being kosher in his dealings with France.
FRANCE HAS more or less supported Algeria since Algeria became independent this year. France has poured millions of francs into Algeria for economic and technical aid. Now Ben Bella, like a rat, has gone behind France's back and done it dirt.
French ire hinges on two acts by Ben Bella. First, he recently made a speech in which he said he is seeking aid from the U.S.S.R., Bulgaria, the U.A.R., Hungary and Czechoslovakia. Secondly, French officials claim Ben Bella has not honored the agreements made at the Evian conferences by which France agreed to free Algeria.
These acts have rankled the French gentlemen in Paris. They now are asking themselves whether Ben Bella really wants French aid. They are hurt, befuddled and irate. They cannot grasp why the dog is biting the hand that feeds it.
The situation is clearly a case of old-fashioned, textbook poetic justice.
The whole thing started with the French colonial treatment of Algeria—which at best was bad.
Algeria had been considered a part of France since the middle of the 19th century—as far as the European-Algerian population was concerned. As for the Moslems of Algeria who constituted 90 per cent of the population—that was another tale.
THE MOSLEMS in Algeria finally received French citizenship, on paper, with the enactment of the Algerian Statute of 1947. The statute set up two electoral colleges, one to represent the Europeans, another to represent the Moslems. It was an interesting system-one college to represent 10 per cent of the population (the Europeans), and one to represent 90 per cent of the population (the Moslems).
Such a setup would have satisfied most dictatorships, but to the colonial-minded French it was just a start. Not satisfied with an unequal system of representation, they proceeded to stuff the ballot boxes during "elections."
A brilliant example of this hanky-panky took place in the spring of 1954. Demaghlatrouus Larbi, a Moslem, was running for reelection in a district containing some 980 voters, 280 of whom were members of his own family. After the ballots were counted, it was announced that Candidate Larbi had received 11 votes.
HE WAS somewhat indignant. He stormed the local court armed with affidavits from 400 people who said they had voted for him, plus evidence showing that 33 of those who voted against him were dead and 400 had long since moved to France. His case was thrown out for "lack of evidence."
Election-rigging was not the only area in which the French used the lead-foot approach to the Moslems. In education, for example, only French was taught in the schools, and Algerian history was unknown. Instead, little Arabs went home and told their daddies about the glories of Napoleon and Joan of Arc.
Another factor concerning the Algerian Statute of 1947: all properties belonging to the Islamic church were confiscated (they called it nationalized) by the French authorities. Mosques where once Allah was God were now Christian churches—for the good of the people, no doubt.
YES, INDEED, the French racked up quite a record in Algeria, just as they had in Indo-China and their other colonies. In light of this record, it is surprising that the fight for Algerian independence was not bloodier than it was.
Evidently, the French officials who are so distraught have forgotten all this. They seem to think that since France has been so benevolent in giving Algeria its independence, the Algerians should be nice children—neither seen nor heard.
I suggest that they take a minute and remember what happened in Algeria. Then maybe they won't be so eager to condemn Ben Bella for what he has done.
—Zeke Wigglesworth