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University Daily Kansan Tuesday. February 10, 1953 Letters
Peace Hopes Dim In College Poll
College students have little hope of either a speedy end to the Korean war or of peace between Russia and the United States.
In a survey taken by the Associated Collegiate press, students across the nation were asked, "Do you think the Korean war will be over within six months?"
Of those asked, 5 per cent said yes, 82 per cent no, and 13 per cent had no opinion.
Students were also asked, "How do you feel about chances for a peaceful settlement of differences between Russia and the United States?"
Three per cent of the students asked, said chances are good, 27 per cent said chances are fair, 54 per cent said chances are poor, 12 per cent said no chance at all, and 4 per cent had no opinion.
In a student opinion poll taken one year ago the same question was asked. At that time only 45 per cent of those interviewed said chances are poor.
Most students lay both the Korean war and cold war at Russia's doorstep. "Russia is not looking for peace but for power," says a junior from Mount Mary college, Milwaukee.
A Purdue university student sees no chance for peace "unless there is a civil war in Russia."
An engineering student at the Citadel, a military school in Charleston, South Carolina, comments on Korea, "The situation should be turned over to the military entirely; statesmen have already blundered away two years in Korea."
Those who feel there is still a chance for peace, tend to pin their hopes on a revolution in the Soviet Union, Soviet fear of western power, U.S. patience and diplomacy, President Eisenhower, and a turning back to religion and God.
A student at Trinity college, Washington, D.C., sums up the feeling of many students when, having granted there is a chance for peace, she adds, "But it will take a miracle."
The recent order to shift the Seventh fleet from Korea would not seem to change this student outlook very much. The only difference it would make, many KU students feel, would be to make either a full-scale Chinese war more imminent or it might take some of the pressure off Korea.
—Don Moser.
UPA Brings New Era To Cartoon Industry
Bugs Bunny may have had his day.
The cloud on the Hollywood horizon threatening Bugs and company are some startling cartoons turned out by an "upstart" studio UPA (United Productions of America)and released through Columbia pictures.
We hope that the budding cloud turns into a downpour and even casts a pall of gloom over the giant of studio cartoonists, Walt Disney himself.
Any more we profoundly dislike having to sit through time-worn cartoon routine showing lovable little animals gleefully gargoring each other. We're tired of the cute 'lil critters who are overly cute and scamper through the same old business of skull bashings and idiotic chases.
Stephen Bosusow, head of UPA, obviously was tired of the stylized beasties in the cartoon field, too. When his young studio was first associated with Columbia, the head office ordered the customary barnyard frolics.
Then for one cartoon they gave Bosusstow his rein. The result was "Gerald McBoing-Boing," which won the 1951 Academy Award for cartoons and has become the most successful cartoon short ever made. It claims more than 30,000 bookings, and there are only 23,000 theaters in this country.
The public response was a roaring approval of the frankly two-dimensional cartoons of UPA which are the first true cartoons because they caricaturize rather than try to reproduce reality in a saccharine way.
There is a greater significance here, also. UPA's success again demonstrates that Hollywood has not gauged popular desires as well as it always claim it has. UPA may be paving the way for more fresh approaches in techniques and story ideas for the entire industry.
We predict that when it is released, "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs" will be relegated to the same category as "Birth of a Nation." —Jerry Knudson.
To the Editor of the Daily Kansan:
Red Theories Not Kept Hidden at KU
The thought that the viewpoint of a student from a 33 per cent Social-Communist nation may be of interest to somebody, made me forget about our Italian saying "never disagree with young and nice-looking women." I mean Margot Baker and her letter "Red Label Threat Hinders Education," published in last Friday's Kansas.
I don't think that American college students are having a vital part of their education purposefully ignored in regard to the study of communism and Russia.
At KU I have taken the undergraduate course of Principles of Government, whose textbook by J. A. Corry has dozens of pages entirely dedicated to Marxism and Bolshevism. The study of Russia is as clear and as scientific as the survey of American or English institutions, in comparison to only a few paragraphs about France and absolutely nothing regarding the South American republics.
The teacher, Prof. W. E. Sandelius, never played down any question about communism, and quite a few questions from the students dealt with that subject. (As a matter of fact, in that American class I got acquainted with the communist theory. Till then it was enough for me to know the communist practice: the thousands of Italians they killed in the Liberation days just because they were not communists; the traitor-comrades they kick out of the party when they don't like their ideas; the machine-guns and rifles they have in their cells; their deputies boxing either in the Upper or Low House; the political strikes they set up, and the dictatorial bad will that kept them from collaborating with anybody else, Social or Christian-Democrats, Republicans, Liberals or Independents.)
In the other classes I attended they also talked about Communism. In English 1a the sound Democratic instructor would lead a conversation about social politics and Socialism rather than about English or Composition. I had to remember the course of Italian Literature at the University of Rome, taught by the communist Senator Nicolino Sapegne—who never talked about politics, being a communist leader in a 33 per cent Social-communist country. In the completely anti-communist America the English instructor used to chat nonchalantly, and abundantly about Marx, Trotzky, Lenin and Stalin.
My impression is rather different from yours, Miss Baker. Maybe up here you read and talk too much about Communism, and for the few American fans they don't seem to have found a policy of "less words and more action." A policy something similar to the 75 days ultimatum that the U.S.A. is using toward some of your best friends, the Western European nations. But for the communists you have had only showy trials, campaigns and debatable slogans that presented them with an emphasis they don't deserve.
It is really so funny to meet American women and men who talk seriously about Communism while drinking beer, driving cars or dancing with a good orchestra or relaxing on long sofas—all things awfully difficult to get under a Communist government. I guess that in Russia they don't talk so often and so kindly about your country, Miss Margot Baker.
Little Man on Campus by Dick Bibler
Al Traldi graduate student from Italy
"May we introduce ourselves? My frat brothers and I couldn't help but notice you're wearing our pin."
Don Moser
Random Thoughts
In case you are wondering whatever happened to the communist witch hunt at Nebraska university, it fizzled out.
Last month the head of the American Legion's un-American Activities committee, Joe Vinardi, accused a history professor of using a certain book in his classroom. Mr. Vinardi implied the professor was teaching communism to his students by use of a textbook on Asia published by the Pacific Institute and containing an article by Owen Lattimore.
We are glad to see that this thing flopped. This guilt-by-association attitude that "education reformers" are now taking, could lead to the destruction of all professors who dare to teach any form of contemporary thought which is not American.
We hope that this smear campaign did not have the effect that most have, that of ruining the professor's reputation without any proof. It seems to be one of the signs of our time to haphazardly smear some one, then when the damage is done, forget about it.
An odd post script to the story is that Mr. Vinardi told the Legion that if they could find communist literature and really fight it, their membership would really increase. According to a school paper, the Legion's membership in Lincoln is "lagging."
恰 善 责
If no other fame comes our way this year, KU will still be the only school in the Big Seven with a champion flapjack flipper who failed to flap.
One Hollywood picture company says that they are going to work exclusively in the field of three-dimensional movies. This, no doubt, is a great step forward but it is going to be hard to sit through those great feast scenes Hollywood likes to put on. The thought of sitting passively in the theater when a waiter waves trays of turkey, roast beef, or a flaming sword of shiskabob under our nose is a bit hard on the salivary glands.
A local paper says that Lincoln, when in church, had to sit sideways with his legs partly in the aisle. Old Abe didn't know how lucky he was, if he had to try and sit in Hoch auditorium, he'd have had to cut his legs off at the hip.
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The eager journalism student can't wait until tomorrow's visit by Palmer Hoyt. He will be greatly depressed when he finds that the Denver Post publisher probably has never even seen a bucket of blood.
HE'S SO LOADED WITH WOOD, FOLKS
FIGGER HE'S APENCIL, SPECIALLY
WHEN HE WEARS A RUBBER RAIN HAT:
NICE LOUGE'N CHAP, STRAIGHT AS A
RAMROOK... BUT LOGGY...WELL
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Mail subscription rates: $3 a semester or $4.50 a year (add $1 a semester if in Lawrence). Published in Lawrence, Kan., every afternoon during the University year holidays and exam days and Sundays, University holidays and exam days, terted second class matter Sept. 17, 1910, at Lawrence, Kan., Post Office under act of March 3, 1879. 0