PAGE SIX
UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN, LAWRENCE, KANSAS
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Thought For The Day ---
MONDAY, JANUARY 8, 1951
"Corrupted free men are the worst of slaves"—Garrick
Editor's Answer To C Of C
Dear Mr. Zook:
It has been most amusing to read your letter of Dec. 20 in which you show how completely you missed the point of my editorial.
For your information I shall explain, again, my opinion on the use of Community Chest funds to finance the Christmas decorations on Massachusetts street, the wrapping service (which you brought to my attention as being part of the Christmas activities expenditure), and the Fourth of July fireworks.
But, first, I wish to agree with you on a statement in your letter. I am, and the editorial was, biased. Biased, but not distorted, in favor of the needy families in the community. I am biased in favor of this group because they are so often the forgotten members of the community and seldom have a voice in community affairs. So, now that my position is clear on that subject, I shall proceed.
Since you note in the fourth paragraph of your letter that I criticized only the portion of the Community Chest funds set aside for Christmas activities and the Fourth of July fireworks, I assume that it was obvious that those were the particular expenditures I considered wasteful and of little, or no benefit to the community. I did not say anything about the housing assistance or mental health clinic because they are beneficial to the community and legitimate uses of Community Chest funds.
You then proceed to state that you base your argument on the premise that my likes and dislikes are selected by the benefits that accrue to University students. Since that is not the case, which I think was quite evident in the editorial itself, your argument is not valid.
However, I feel that you do raise a few issues that should be clarified, and therefore I shall try to clarify them.
My statement that the Christmas decorations cost $2500 was based on the assumption that these decorations constituted all of the Christmas activities to which that sum had been allotted in the Oct. 13 budget. I see my mistake in your detailed list of these activities and in the revised figure $2,375. But, these details do not, in my opinion, change the criticism of the expenditure as wasteful and of little, or no benefit to the community. I still think that a Christmas dinner, a new pair of shoes, or a week's supply of fuel would be more expressive of the real meaning of a Community Chest than tissue, ribbon, and light bulbs.
The Fourth of July fund was criticized for the same reason. Surely a picnic, swimming party, movie party, or summer recreation program could provide as much entertainment from $1,000 as watching the money go up in smoke and sparks, and be more in keeping with the spirit of the Community Chest.
Since I have already expressed my opinion on the housing assistance activity, I shall pass on to what you call "a real argument with respect to Community Chest funds."
If you or the Community Chest committee don't feel that the Y.M.C.A. and Y.W.C.A. are eligible for funds from the Community Chest, don't give the organizations any, but leave the name-calling and rumor mongering to someone with Congressional immunity.
I must correct your statement that no student donations were asked for the Lawrence Community Chest in the campaign just passed. I was asked to contribute to the Lawrence Community Chest by a solicitor who was going from door to door asking for contributions. And since I am not the only student who lives in a residential section not connected with the University, I am quite sure I was not the only one asked for a contribution.
You are correct in saying that the poster showing the boy with the bandaged head was not used in the Lawrence Community Chest drive. My confusion resulted from over-exposure to the Kansas City Star.
As to who contributed the most and who didn't contribute, I have no curiosity or interest. But it does seem to me that giving anonymously would be giving for the sake of giving, alone, and not for recognition.
And I think it should be stated that the largest part of the contributions made by Lawrence merchants to student activities are in the form of advertisements, and tax-deductible. I do answer that the merchants should pay a large part of the bill for the very reason you anticipate, because the students spend so much money in town.
And finally, the Chamber of Commerce may be made up of a true cross-section of the community in your opinion, but it isn't in mine. I have been in the business world both as a white-collar worker and as a day laborer, and I have made a study of business organizations and their stand on education, free enterprise, free press, etc. Despite the experiences, I still have hope for democracy.
Bull Fiddle Back In Action
"Ghost Train" Recalled
John A. Bannigan, Editor
Salt Lake City—U(P,R)—A big bass fiddle which hasn't seen much action in the basement of the city and county building for the past 15 years has been given a new lease on life. The city commission approved a request by a men's choral group to restring and recondition the instrument for use.
Sincerely.
Boston — (U,R)—They called it "The Ghost Train." Put into operation in 1891 between Boston and New York by the old New York & New England Railroad, it consisted of all white cars, with white silk window curtains and gold plush seats. It covered the 200-mile run in five hours and 40 minutes which is still good time.
The 'Chest' Budget
COMMUNITY CHEX
1950-51
(from Journal-World, Oct. 16)
Boy Scouts $3,000
Girl Scouts $2,378
Hi-Y 275
Y Teams 350
4-H Club 1,000
YMCA 900
YWCA 900
Sabaton Army 4,075.50
Social Service League 1,250
Christmas Activities 2,500
4th of July 1,000
Housing Assistance 900
Marital Health Clinic 1,800
Shrinkage 500
Administration 1,500
Total $22,575.50
Revised Budget from Journal-World,
Dec. 1
Drive fell short of goal by $3,375
$800 was deducted from expense allotments
$400 was deducted from shrinkage fund and then drive fund was only $2,475 short.
Navy Budget (All allotments cut 5%)
Boy Scouts $2,850.00
Girl Scouts 2,259.10
Hi-Y 261.25
Y Teams 237.50
4-H Club 950.00
YMCA 855.00
YWCA 855.00
Sabaton Army 4,088.75
Social Service League 1,140.00
Christmas Activities 2,375.00
4th of July 950.00
Housing Assistance 605.00
Marital Health Clinic 1,110.00
Total $19,546.72
The Public's Pulse No Comment
Dear Editor:
After your unrealistic attempt to awaken little three year old Virginia to reality concerning Santa Claus I have become somewhat concerned about you. Really now, don't you think you were going, too, far in trying to persuade a three year old child to share all the burdens of your world? I suggest you talk to some wide-eyed youngster about that age. You might learn something.
My friend, you were not telling us anything new about suffering and orphaned children. Death, sorrow, and misery, I might let you in on a little secret, have been with humanity always. It just happens to be that you are living at a time and in a country where millions of children are blessed with the opportunity for happiness. Their happiness, dear editor, and that of any child anywhere, comes from the simplest of circumstances. Remember? If not, then ask some father or mother. They will tell you.
Some of their happiness comes from the story of Santa Claus. Their dreams, their imaginative anticipation, their surprise bring them joy in a world so abundant with despair. Yet, you, dear editor, would deny them this happiness. Their minds do not comprehend commercialism but they do comprehend a happy moment. I say—deny them not their happiness today for tomorrow they may be no more.
Robert M. Mathews Freshman medic
Library Comments
Dear Editor:
Our comment on your headline, "Library Records Show Fewer Books Checked Out This Year," is that this was probably due to the fact that $ \frac{3}{4} $ of the call slips that one presents come back "Misplaced" or "Lost."
Alvaro Will
Marshall Swain
College sophomore
It takes only about five hours of labor per year to raise one sheep, according to the University of Illinois college of agriculture.
An issue of the Dove, dealing with campus politics, beer in the Union, the election, and the Korean crisis, went on sale today.
KU Dove Is Not A Symbol Of Peace
News Room K.U. 251 Adv. Room K.U. 376 Student Newspaper of the UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS
Member of the Kansas Press Assn.
National Press Assn., and the Associated Collegeate
Press. Represented by the National Ad-
vocacy Service 420 Madison Ave, New York City.
Editor-in-chief John A. Bannigan
Managing Editor Business Manager Emily C. Stewart Gerald Mosley Asst. Managing Editors: Edward Chapin, Francis J. Kelley, Patricia Jansen, Arthur Mchutte. City Editor ... John Corporon Advertising Mgr. Joseph Ward Migr. Mgr. Joseph Lewis Circulation Mgr. Joseph Lewis Classified Ad. Mgr. Virginia Coppedge Promotion Mgr. James Murray
Now a liberal campus magazine, the Dove hasn't always been strictly liberal. It was established in the dean of men's office in March, 1925 and dedicated to the expression of any and all student opinion.
The opinions in the first issues covered everything from descriptions of college students as morons and "ignorant panders of cheap or rotten culture" to strongly idealistic and pacific articles.
These opinions received comment from the great and small of the nation. The Horton Headlight called it an exhibition of disloyalty to country and disloyalty to God. Sinclair Lewis sent approval, contributed $100 to the magazine, and stated, "Your paper won't be worth a damn unless some of you are kicked out of college."
No one was kicked out of college but the Dove continued publication, William Allen White said of the Dove, "I like your little pink sheet. Don't be afraid to discuss the serious things in a serious way. You have done a lot of things I wouldn't have done; but a lot of things I would have done you wouldn't have done."
In 1935, the magazine condemned in banner headlines a member of the Board of Regents who had expressed his disapproval of socialism in a convoiation speech.
In 1940, war caused the magazine to cease publication while it was loudly opposing peacetime conscription.
Since World War II the Dove has been constantly liberal in opinion and reached its largest circulation when opposing the conservative opinions of the Eagle, its campus enemy.
Both students and faculty have published articles in the Dove, John Ise, professor of economics, Alk Crafton, professor of speech, and Carroll Clark, professor of sociology were among its early contributors.
The editorial policy of the Dove was established in the second issue of the publication. The editorial in that issue stated, "If you think the Dove is printing a lot of radical applesauce, write something better and send it in."
Little Man On Campus
by Bibler
"Why don't I rewrite the introduction and juggle the chapters, making the '48 edition of my text obsolete . . . I'm beginning to miss that royalty check, J.B."