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University Daily Kansan Thursday, Jan. 5, 1956
Adenauer Still A Leader At 80
The old fox, as he is called, is getting messages of congratulation from all over the Free World today.
It is the 80th birthday of leather-tough, poker-faced Konrad Adenauer, chancellor of the Federal Republic of West Germany.
The messages, from presidents and kings, prime ministers and foreign ministers, are not mere formalities. They are warmly sincere.
For to Chancellor Adenauer, more than any other man, is due the fact that West Germany has become a bastion in the allied defense against Communist aggression.
It was on Sept. 15, 1949, that Konrad Adenauer was made chancellor. He was elected by his parliament in Bonn, the West German capital, by a majority of one vote—his own.
How important that one vote was is difficult to realize.
At that time demoralized West Germany was still digging out of the ruins of World War II.
Under Chancellor Adenauer's firm, far-seeing leadership, West Germany has become a sovereign nation. It has joined the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. Its industry is booming. It has attained the status of a world power.
And now, the first army, air force and navy men of what is to be the 500,000-man West German streitkraefte—striking force—have gone into their barracks.
To start the new year. Chancellor Adenauer
has answered the threats and promises of the Kremlin by saying, "Our place is with the free world of democracy, constitutionality, social justice and social progress."
East Germany remains under Communist rule, an enslaved satellite of Russia. How great is the difference between free West Germany and captive East Germany is shown by a few figures.
Months ago more than 160,000 men had volunteered for service in the West German armed forces. Undoubtedly the entire 500,000 could be raised by volunteer enlistment.
During 1955,4,286 members of the East German police army fled to West Germany. Also, 271,000 Germans in all crossed the frontier to the West. In four years, nearly 9 million persons have crossed—out of a population of less than 18,000,-000.
Konrad Adenauer, at 80, is still very much West Germany's strong man. Nearly six feet tall, he remains ramrod-straight His face, with high cheek bones, shows his stern, indomitable character.
He shows no sign that he is even thinking of retirement. He can still work harder than many men 20 years his junior. He has just recovered, with rapidity that astonished his doctors, from a bout of pneumonia. He cannot last forever. But when he does go, he will leave his monument in his strong, free country.
—Charles M. McCann
United Press
Too Few Students Study Science
There's an abundance of statistics and comments these days on the problem of educating students in the physical sciences. But we don't believe any of them tell the story better than an unsolicited letter just received by the Manufacturing Chemists' Association from a college chemistry teacher. Writing on the eve of the White House Conference on Education, he puts down his heartfelt experience both as teacher and parent.
"We are all concerned," he says, "with the decreased enrollment in our schools in chemistry, physics and mathematics on all levels. The result is tragic—an insufficient number of teachers, research personnel, engineers and technicians—on all levels. Why is it happening? I think I know some of the reasons.
"Students as a group do not want to study the difficult subjects. Too many enroll in watered-down courses and memorization courses. In these courses an 'A' or 'B' is almost guaranteed. Students have told me that they are crazy to take chemistry—too much study, too much laboratory and too much mathematics and they are not sure of an 'A' or 'B'.
"This institution has 1900 students—about 550 freshmen. The physics professor has 14 students, four of whom are freshmen. These are facts. Several years ago we had sections of 36 or 40 in both inorganic chemistry and physics. When applicants for the freshman class are interviewed and chemistry, physics or mathematics is mentioned they shy away—as from a plague. They say in no uncertain terms that they want none of that! What has caused all this in the last few years?"
"The textbooks of inorganic chemistry are watered-down apologies or are so formidable that they are frightening. There seem to be too few good,
sound texts for the average student who is interested and wants to do a good job. I have texts on my desk of 875, 570, 730 and 650 pages. Much of the material in many of these can only be assimilated by the brightest student. (One of my younger colleagues has just told me that his freshman chemistry text had just over 1000 pages. His students couldn't use it and were scared of it.)
Such texts are enough to discourage and frighten the average student fresh from secondary school. These youngsters are nervous, imature, apprehensive and unsure of themselves. They must be brought along slowly and patiently and not have this high powered material hurled at them in concentrated chunks.
"The rank and file of our students are the backbone of the future—the teacher, research worker, technician, etc. A few of these students are geniuses or near genuises; they are in a class by themselves and should be so treated. Average students know of the frightful mortality in inorganic chemistry and that scares them or keeps them away from chemistry. There is no reason for the average grade of a chemistry class to be 35.40, 50.61, or 69 in tests or at midyears. Is it any wonder that these youngsters fresh from high school shy away from chemistry?"
"It has been my observation and experience that the secondary school students of the last 5 to years have a poorer foundation than those of the previous decade—a rather subjective view but my test scores and course achievements in chemistry point to this. Perhaps the answer is that we may be beginning to feel the pinch of poorly prepared teachers in the science fields."
-Magazine of the Manufacturing Chemists' Association
Workers Vote As Individuals
Last month, the Democrats and Republicans pleaded their cases in a drive to win the votes of the AFL-CIO before the labor convention which united 16 million workers.
President Dwight D. Eisenhower congratulated labor for taking an interest in our political affairs, but some Republicans said the AFL-CIO should not endorse political parties.
Adlai Stevenson, former governor of Illinois, and Averell Harriman, New York governor, urged labor to vote for the Democrats and received support from several labor leaders.
Support from labor leaders does not mean that the individual union member is pledged to one political party.
The classic example was Ohio during the 1980 election. The late Sen. Robert Taft ran for re-election and labor leaders made a tremendous effort to defeat the co-author of the Taft-Hartley Act. The regimentation did not work, as the average laboring man voted for Sen. Taft in a landslide victory.
It is a good thing that the worker thinks individually. Neither manufacturers nor labor leaders can control his vote. This if of vital importance if the thought of the individual is to remain dominant over the control of the group in our country.
David Webb
We'll agree, on two counts, with "Phog" Allen and his attorney son Mitt concerning the present squabble with Col. Harry D. Henshel over the speech Dr. Allen made last week in Kansas City. First, we'll agree that taking the dispute into court is a bit petty, as are the public attacks and counterattacks now being thrown back and forth. Also, we'll agree with Dr. Allen that it would be interesting to see the results of a court action . . . very interesting, in fact, to see Dr. Allen support his statement that Col. Henshel has been "hitch-hiking" at the public expense.
LITTLE MAN ON CAMPUS by Dick Bibler
"OFCOURSE I SAD WE WERE GOING'SHE-IMG'—IT'S PRONOUNCED THATWAY."
... Letters ...
Editor:
It was our good fortune to witness the large measure of happiness and joy brought to a group of children from Lawrence's less fortunate families by the men of Tau Kappa Epsilon fraternity, along with their dates. Unless you were there, it is almost impossible to realize what this party meant to those kids whose Christmas trees weren't loaded like yours and ours this year.
It was quite evident, too, that the hosts and their dates experienced many heartwarming thrills from the sincere gratitude of their little guests. We should like to commend the generous, thoughtful gesture of this group of university men and women as being worthy of many repeat performances.
Sincerely.
Sincerely,
John W. Miller, Chief
Lawrence Fire Dept.
A. L. McKittick, Jr.
Lawrence Auxiliary
Fire Department
(The Lawrence Fire Department deserves a hand also for the wonderful cooperation at the party. We doubt that the children will soon forget their ride on a real fire truck,—Editor).
Editor.
Whereas, it is a well-known fact that the student's lot is a hard one, especially the graduate student, and that anything to divert the mind from the daily toil is most appreciated, and
Whereas, a certain beloved friend has been sorely missed these past few months from the pages of the Daily Kansan by said students, therefore
Be it hereby resolved that we the undersigned do petition, request, and demand the return of POGO to the pages of said Daily Kansan, which is the only newspaper we ever see.
Alan Syverud
Jay Vivid
Graduate student
Mureil Hoecker
Industrial City, Mo.
senior
Tumma Orsa,
oachage student
Djad Sorensen
Graduate student
Keith Atkinson,
Graduate student
Jeanne Ellis,
Graduate student
Warren Knarr,
Graduate student
Carol Burgess,
Milford, N.H. junior
Bill Pivonka,
Graduate student
Don Fuhhlage,
Graduate student
James E. Coleman,
Graduate student
Bob McKinney,
Graduate student
Ronald J. Clark,
Graduate student
Editor:
Is this a university or a nursery school? After the Student Court session from which I have just returned I am inclined to say the latter. The entire proceedings struck me as a gigantic farce. The only resemblance between the so-called Student Court and a court of law is the oath; it's mumbled in both.
I have participated in and observed court proceedings both as a private citizen and as a serviceman. I am used to being treated as an adult, not as a wayward child who must be taught the error of his ways. I returned to this university to study and learn, not to act in a gaslight melodrama for the benefit of embryo lawyers. At the same time I feel that it is my right to receive justice while I am pursuing those lessons.
I thought some military courts were a little farnetched, but they had the excuse of being amateurs. The justices (?) of the Student Court are supposed to be nearly professional. If they have to play court to attain that professional stature why isn't a faculty advisor required to be present to see that justice isn't miscarried? All other student organizations have advisors.
Thomas A. Foster, Jr.
Graduate student
I do not mind your filling in space with information about bugs and other thrilling subjects, but PLEASE be accurate.
Verdi wrote thirty operas among other things.
Editor:
Carmen I. Ebersole
Music librarian
Daily Hansan
University of Kansas Student Newspaper News Room, KU 251, Ad Room, KU 378 Member of the Inland Daily Press association. Reprinted in the Journal Association. Represented by the National Advertising service. 420 Madison Ave. N.Y. Mall subscription rates: $3 a semester or four months in semester in Lawrence). Published at www.kansu.edu. Kans., every afternoon during the University year except Saturdays and Sundays in certain periods. Entered as second class matter. Sept. 17, 1910, at Lawrence, Kan., post office under act of March 3, 1879.
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