University Daily Kansan Monday, January 17, 1955
Egypt Key to Area Wanted By Reds
Egypt, a country that has been torn by feuds between government leaders, a country that has little industrialization and a great amount of poverty, is the key to a potentially rich area which the Communists want to control.
The Communists want Egypt for its strategic position, for control of the Suez canal, and for the potentially good but undeveloped resources in Egypt, the Sudan, and Kenya. Oil of course, is the main interest of the Russians.
The government has just completed another turnover in which President Mohammed Naguib was ousted and Col. Abdul Nasser gained control of the government.
Gen. Naguib had taken control of the country with the help of Premier Nasser on June 18, 1953, when he proclaimed himself president and prime minister. He had planned to hold this combined position for three years and then have an election in which the Egyptian people could choose their own president. Earlier the constitution of 1923 had been abolished along with political parties.
Because of its vulnerable position geographically, its lack of a stable government, and its lack of an adequate army, there has been a great deal of speculation as to whether the Communists would attempt to gain control of the government.
Geographically Egypt has three distinct areas of which only one, the Nile river valley, is actually suitable to support a large population. The other two areas, the Libyan desert which lies to the west of the valley and the Arabian desert which lies to the east of the valley, are almost uninhabitable and support only 177,000 of the country's 21,425,000 persons. To the east of the Arabian desert, bordering the Red sea, are mountains which range over 6,000 feet high.
More than 70 per cent of the people in Egypt make their living through agriculture. Yet, only 5 per cent of the people own more than 37 per cent of the arable land. Most of these people have tracts of land containing more than 50 acres, while the average farmer tries to exist on about one acre of land.
The main form of communication and one of the most important resources which the country has is the Nile river. The river is formed by the union of the White Nile and the Blue Nile and varies from 3,600 to 10,000 feet in width.
One of the hottest issues in Egypt for the past several years has been with England as to who would control the strategic Suez canal. This was finally settled this year when the British moved out and agreed to leave the canal in the hands of the Egyptians.
Before the rebellions of the past two years, Egypt had a hereditary monarch with a representative form of government which was set up by the constitution of 1923. Before that the country was occupied by Britain since 1882.
The first modern ruler of the country was King Faud I, who ruled until his death in 1936. At that time King Farouk took over, remaining until July 26, 1952, at which time he forcibly left the throne in favor of Faud II. By this time corruption had done a lot of damage to the country.
To the Western World it is extremely important to keep Egypt out of Communist hands. It would relieve the minds of many Westermers if Premier Nasser could build the country up so that it wouldn't be at the mercy of the Soviets as it now may be.
—Dana Leibengood
Graduation Address
(To the cadets and midshipmen who may not debate about China.)
You are the best we have. You are our hope.
We have taught you everything that you need to know;
How to stand, talk, fight, endure, how to handle arms,
How to sail, walk, fly, move armies, handle men,
How to order, be ordered, look, keep clean—these things
You know. You know this too;
You are taught to lead but not to be leaders. You know That exceptional men are dangerous in these days. You are taught to be strong, and yet not strong enough For question or dissent, either by friend or foe. You are taught to be free Americans, yet to distrust American freedoms, for they are dangerous now. You are taught to win, yet we send you into the world Stripped of your greatest arm; the right to know, Doubt, differ; the right to reason why— If ever, you must die
Pogo Censured By Swampland Indootobobaly
Simple J. Malarkey stomped into the office of Howland Owl, editor and publisher of the Okefenokee Bugle, the herald of the swampland, to register a protest about the paper's cartoonist, a possum named Pogo. It seems that Pogo's comic strip character—namely Joe McCarthy—was too similar in appearance to Malarky, and Simple J. was quite perturbed.
From the Reporter, a fortnightly of facts and ideas.
"Indoobitobobaly," replied Owl. "You have a definite point there, besides your head. The editorials should be in the editorial column and no place else."
true, true. Well spoken, Mr.
Owl."
"I won't stand for this!" Simple J. shouted at Owl. "Pogo is painting me in a ridiculous light. What could be more ridiculous than U.S. Senate hearings. There's no mistaking my face in the puss of that ugly monster. I demand that you stop running Pogo's comic strip."
"That ah was. Go round up Pogo Possum and tell him he's fired."
"Right away. That sounds like ..."
"Was you a-hootin' and a-holler-in' at me?"
"Thank you." Owl smiled in self approval. "Hey, Churchy La Femme, fighting city editor."
Half an hour later, Pogo stepped meekly into the Bugle office and asked Owl why he was fired. Because of the editorial comment in the comic strip, Owl replied.
Pogo, unfortunately, is just another victim of the growing fear in the United States that even a minor insult will have drastic effect on the one who makes the insult. Satire, the clearest type of humor in existence, is dying out, make no bones about it. Stan Freburg, the great recording satirist, found that out.
"Too many people have complained," says Howland, "that you make them look ridiculous by comparing them with U.S. Senators and others."
Freburg had just recorded "Try," in which he magnified the characteristics of Johnny Ray's version of "Cry" into a very clever parody. Some time later, Freburg and Ray met at a party. Freburg introduced himself, and held out his hand to shake with the crying singer. Johnny Ray stopped, let the name Freburg sink in, connected it with "Try," and turned his back and walked out.
Will Rogers, the greatest satirist of all time, was loved by everyone, but he died in the 1930's. Times have changed since then. In this day and age Rogers would probably be branded un-American for his statements on the U.S. government.
Pogo, we're for you. Stan Freburg, we're for you. You make us laugh at the characteristics of even the people we follow, and even more so at the people we dislike, so go ahead. Maybe, if you point things out long enough in your humorous way, they'll be corrected. Maybe.—From the Oregon State Daily Barometer.
The U.S. Army in the Frankfurt, Germany, and area employs 45 German dentists and 148 German dental assistants and X-ray technicians in its clinics.
About 65 per cent of the 1,000 employees at a U.S. Army Ordnance rebuild shop at Baeblingen, Germany, are refugees from countries now behind the Iron Curtain.
LITTLE MAN ON CAMPUS by Dick Bibler
"He told me he was guard for th' team—do you suppose he meant the equipment?"
'Across College Campuses'-
Student Editor Would Disband Useless Clubs
Daily Texan editor Shirley Strum is all for disbanding clubs at the University of Texas. This latest lively piece in a lively series by Miss Strum attacks the problems of the whole "scramble and scurry" system of campus activities.
"Excluding honoraries and professional organizations there are far too many organizations on campus," she writes. She then defines a club as a group that is headed by a person, busy in 49 other activities who plans meetings and programs for members to attend. The leader then tries to disengage the members from their other 49 activities to come to the meetings and programs.
"All of these people are so busy in their—quote—service to the University—unquote—that they don't (a) sleep (b) eat (c) study or (d) relax," editor Strum charges, and then asks: "Isn't the whole idea of activities garbled and functionless as it now stands? And if so, why do these people kill themselves and force other people to come to meetings?"
If the clubs don't have a reason for being, if the same old faces attend the same meetings in the same old places, and if activity is to remain a struggle where one of the biggest problems of any executive council is a way to enlist enough members—then disband the clubs, the Daily Texan advocates. Because "isn't it a bit silly and a terrific time-wasting extravagance to have people existing for clubs rather than vice versa?"
Plans for a $1,500,000 Family Life building have been approved by the Board of Trustees of Brigham Young University, Provo Utah. Bids will probably be called in March and construction started this spring. The new three-story building will have 95,000 square feet of floor space.
Housing the complete College of Family Living, School of Nursing, and the departments of Sociology and Psychology, the building will be "unique as a whole, being the first college building in the United States having all the family studies together," according to university architect Fred L. Markham.
The University of Washington may have no Campus Chest drive next year because of the poor response on that campus this fall, according to Joann Bower, assistant chest chairman.
Students have become so used to a one drive system that they don't remember what it is like to be asked to give many times a year, she said. "If the multitude of little drives returned for a few years the students would again welcome the Campus Chest."
Daily Hansan
University of Kansas Student Newspaper News Room, KU 251 Ad Room, KU 378 Member of the Inland Daily Press association. Associated College Press association. National Advertising service. 240 Madison Avenue Mail subscription rates; $3 a semester or year. Add $1 a semester if in Lawrence. Add $1 a semester if in Lawrence. Kan., every afternoon during University year except Saturdays and Sundays University holidays and examinations. Kan., second class matter. Sept. 17, 1910, at Lafayette, Kan., post office under act of March 16, 2014.
EDITORIAL STAFF
Editorial Editor...Letty Lemon
Editorial Assistants
Dot Taylor, Amy DeYong