Page 2
University Daily Kansan
Wednesday, Jan. 15, 1964
Black Shoes
It's hard to know whether to laugh or to weep over the Battle of the Black Shoes.
WHEN THE battle began, in 1957, the Army and Air Force were authorizing black dress shoes for their officers, the Marines had dark brown and the Navy both black and brown shoes. There was a move afoot then to standardize the shoes, but an assistant secretary of defense ruled that standardization would impair morale; therefore the different colors would stay.
In 1961, another effort was made, as somebody noted that before 1957 the Army and Air Force had changed to black shoes from brown without apparent injury to morale. Then last year the Marines abandoned dark brown shoes for black. Only the Navy continued to issue brown dress shoes to certain officers.
That was its prerogative. But the General Accounting Office—which keeps a gimlet eye on Federal spending—pointed out that every extra shoe color adds 102 items to the military supply line, one for each size. So, it said, the Navy's brown shoes were needlessly costing the taxpayers more than $150,000 a year.
THE GAO, getting nowhere with the Navy, the other day appealed to Congress in a 28-page report, "Unnecessary Costs Being Incurred as a Result of the Navy's Refusal to Accept the
Standardized Officers' Dress Shoes Agreed Upon by the Army, Air Force and Marine Corps." The report, incidentally, cost $3,700 to put together.
That's nothing compared to what must have been the cost in time spent in the struggle by what the GAO calls "great numbers of both military and civilian high-salaried personnel." Among them were two assistant secretaries of defense, one assistant secretary of the Navy, a major general, a Navy captain, a lieutenant colonel and from 28 to 66 participants in each of six interdepartmental standardization meetings dealing with dress shoes.
WHETHER BECAUSE of the GAO's dispatch of its report to Congress—with copies to President Johnson and Defense Secretary McNamara—or because it simply was fed up with the whole thing, the Navy has now capitulated, in part. It will stop issuing brown shoes. But officers who want to can still wear brown shoes with khaki uniforms. There will still be some brown shoes in the Navy, but not at public expense.
All of which may well lead the patient public to wonder how many other governmental battles are being waged along similar lines. When people in private business behave in like fashion they often are given the boot.
BOOK REVIEWS
— The Wall Street Journal
THE HORIZON BOOK OF THE AGE OF NAPOLEON, by Horizon Editors (Horizon, $18.95).
One of the most beautiful gift books to appear in recent years is available in time for the Christmas trade, and discerning readers are enjoined to take a look at this book about the Napoleonic era. It has textual excellence and pictorial grandeur. Illustrations are lavish and of considerable value, particularly to readers who enjoy paintings both romantic and historical.
"The Age of Napoleon" has been in work for a year, with a staff of writers, researchers and artists attempting to assemble the data and the illustrations. J. Christopher Herold, who wrote the excellent "Bonaparte in Egypt," contributed the narrative. There are 330 illustrations, 117 of them in full color. And there are special photographs, including the throne room at Fontainebleau, Napoleon's study at Malmaison, the battlefield at Waterloo, and Nelson's flagship the Victory.
Paintings include David's "Coronation of Napoleon," a portfolio of Goya's etchings from "The Disasters of War" and several of Goya's portraits of the Spanish royal family, a Turner self-portrait and his painting of the battle of Trafalgar, Lawrence's portrait of Wellington, and many likenesses of Napoleon. There are several detailed maps.
In general, the text includes analyses of Napoleon as a man, the French Revolution, the ideas of the time, the conquest of Europe, royal ferment all over Europe, the English scene, the glamor and glory of the age, the impact on colonial areas, the ill-fated venture in Africa, and the exile—CMP
111 Flint Hall
Dailu Hansan
University of Kansas student newspaper
UUNiversity 4-3646, newsroom
UUniversity 4-3198, business office
Founded 1889, became biweekly 1904,
tristweek 1908, daily Jan. 16, 1912.
Member Inland Daily Press Association,
Associated Collegiate Press. Repres-
ented by National Advertising Servi-
ce. Subscription only. News service:
United Press International.
Mail subscription rates: $3 a semester or $5 a year. Published in Lawrence, Kan., every afternoon during the university year except Saturday and Sunday.
Provides comprehensive examination periods. Second class postage paid at Lawrence, Kansas:
NEWS DEPARTMENT
Mike Miller ... Managing Editor
EDITORIAL DEPARTMENT
Blaine King ... Editorial Editor
Joanne Zabornik, Advertising Mgr.; Dana Starr, Classified Adv. Mgr.; Dana Starr, Classified Adv. Mgr.; Jim Elisizer, National Adv. Mgr.; Cary Schroepe, Merchandising Mgr.;
Jackie Stern, Rose Osborne, Assistant Managing Editors; Kay Javir, City Managers and Machin. Society Editor; Roy Miller, Plaintiff Editor; Don Black, Picture Editor.
BUSINESS DEPARTMENT
Bob Brooks ... Business Manager
The People Say...
Suicide
Editor:
We noticed in today's paper (Monday) that another death and an attempted suicide have added to the grim statistics of Ellsworth's brief but tragic history. This is the second "successful" death and at least the second known unsuccessful suicide attempt. In all cases the men participating in this "death wish" were freshmen.
It is time to seriously reconsider our policy toward freshman men. During their freshman year at the University of Kansas, all KU women are required to live in a freshman dorm. Here they are under a highly organized social program, they have regulated study and quiet hours, and receive active counseling. Much time and effortgos (sic) into makeing (sic) them feel a part of the University and of their living group.
But for the 18-year-old male freshman, who is suddenly considered more mature than his female counterpart, no special provisions are made. He is thrown into a living group where no one seems to care who he is or what he does. Ordinarily (sic), the freshman men are diffused through the various living groups to such a degree that they are forced to act maturely in a more mature enviroment (sic).
But in Ellsworth, well over 75 per cent of the men are freshman (sic). They are unorganized, undisplined (sic), and seemingly unwanted. There are not enough upperclass men to create a mature living enviorment (sic). We have seen the results which are now changing (sic) the name of our particular section of Engel Road to "Death Row." Something surely can and must be done about it.
Sally Sieg
Shay Sage
Clathe sophomore
Cheryl Paul
Northbrook, Ill., sophomore
Two Noses
Editor:
In view of the recent and belligerent criticism concerning the Fall (?) issue of the 1954 JAYHAWKER, I wish to take an opposing stand and congratulate the JAYHAWKER staff for their efforts!
Of special importance and note in this first issue are the two photographs of our chancellor, Dr. W. Clarke Wescoe. I must say I am quite impressed by viewing first, the chancellor's right eye and nose on one page, and lo and behold on the very next page, his left eye and his nose again! Quite complimentary indeed!
However, I trust that in the future the JAYHAWKER staff will not discriminate against those of lesser importance and see that everyone gets their nose in twice.
David Long
Salina sophomore
Concern Worked
Editor:
It is not often that a spontaneous action, carried out on a basis of principle and conscience, can be shown to have had an international result of prime importance. One such occasion has just occurred. On December 15, 1962, fifteen members of the Bahá'í World Faith, actively teaching their religion in Morocco, were tried in the mountain village of Nador, where there convicted of heresy, i.e., converting members of Islam to the Bahá'i faith. All these prisoners were told that they would be immediately released if they would recant their faith and return to the Muslim faith. Three were sentenced to death, five to life imprisonment, one to fifteen years, and others were released. Reports of this unheard-of event in a modern nation, one of which had just affirmed in its new constitution the principle of freedom of religion, were carried in the world press. With an extraordinary perception this obvious miscarriage of justice, and this significant threat to a great principle of the rights of man, was detected by Dr. Landsberg and the faculty. In a splendid and unparalleled response, almost one hundred faculty members of the University of Kansas signed a petition which was forwarded to our government for strong representation to the Moroccan ambassador, Mr. Bengel-loum. The spontaneity of this outcry, its obvious strength of feeling, and strong reaction which obviously followed it in our own state department and in our executive office had immediate persuasive effect. The sentences were not carried out; the prisoners were held in Kenitra prison near Rabat for almost a year; those condemned to death were held in solitary confinement. The Supreme Court of Morocco, upon appeal of the cases, cast the case out of court on a technicality, exonerating the defendants and clearing them of all charges.
There is no doubt that the force of American public opinion was immensely persuasive, indeed, possibly all-important. That none of the members of the University of Kansas faculty appear to have had any personal interest whatever in the Bahá'í World Faith is an even greater tribute to their defense of pure principle. That the voice of conscience still may be heard in this complex, confusing world is most comforting, and we hope that the University of Kansas faculty will take personal gratification from this unprecedented reversal of a medieval decision in a modern land. It is quite possible that in the United Nations it will provide precedent for all nations who affirm the principle of freedom of religion. We commend you in the highest terms.
Bahá'í International Community
David S. Ruhe, M.D.
ONCE THERE WAS
A SLEEPING
COUNTRY THAT
HAD SPENT
EIGHT YEARS
UNDER A SPELL.
NOBODY TALKED.
NOBODY ARGUED. EVERY-BODY SLEPT.
THEN ONE DAY INTO
 THIS COUNTRY RODE
 A HANDSOME YOUNG
 PRINCE. "IT'S TIME TO
 GET MOVING AGAIN."
 THE PRINCE DECLARED.
 THE COUNTRY STIRRED
 IN ITS SLEEP.
FOR THE FIRST TIME IN YEARS PEOPLE ACTUALLY BEGAN TO TALK. THEY ARGUED. THEY TOOK SIDES. "STOP TALKING SO LOUD!" THE REST OF THE COUNTRY GRUMBLED IN ITS SLEEP"HAVE SOME CONSIDERATION FOR THE REST OF US."
1
BUT THE TALKING ONLY
BECAME LOUDER. MORE
AND MORE PEOPLE
AWOKE AND, ANGRY
THAT THEY HAD TO BE
AWAKE, BEGAN TO
TALK, BEGAN TO
ARGUE, BEGAN TO
TAKE SIDES.
THEN ONE DAY THE YOUNG PRINCE WAS KILLED- NO ONE COULD AGREE BY WHOM.EVERY SIDE ACCUSED EVERY OTHER SIDE.BUT CALMER HEADS PREVAILED.
SEE WHAT WE HAVE COME TO WITH THIS WICKED DISSENSION" CALMER HEADS ARGUED "LET US CLEANSE OUR SOCIETY OF THIS DIVISIVE DEBATE!"
AND THE COUNTRY,
SUFFERING FROM
WOUNDS AND GUILT,
CHEERED. DEBATE
HALTEO. ARGUMENT
DIED. AND THERE
WAS NO MORE
TALK IN THE
LAND.
The Hall Syndicate, Inc.
AND AS THE COUNTRY
PREPARED FOR
SLEEP IT HOPED
NO ONE WOULD
EVER ASK IT
TO MOVE
AGAIN-
FOR IT REALLY DID NOT WANT TO KILL ANYMORE PRINCES.