PAGE SIX
UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN, LAWRENCE, KANSAS
MONDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 1950
Thought For The Day—
"Make yourself an honest man, and then you may be sure there is one less rascal in the world." - Carlyle
Give Jazz A Break
With the coming of a top quality jazz concert to the University tonight, it behooves me to step to the defense of one of the most abused and criticized American arts.
Called everything from animalistic wallowing to the music of neurotics, jazz is probably the most underrated art of today especially since it is practically the only form of art which has originated in America.
Beginning with the simple jungle rhythms of the African slaves in the South, jazz may be said to have arisen in New Orleans. From there it was carried up the Mississippi river to St. Louis, and from there to Chicago and New York.
All along the way jazz picked up characteristics of the persons who played it. And it became what it is today, a personal form of music expressing the personalities, moods, and feelings of the instrumentalists.
Jazz is intimate. So intimate that it is both exhilarating and relaxing to both listener and musician. This, perhaps, is one reason why many persons are so apathetic toward jazz. They don't realize that one cannot listen to this form of music any more casually than listening to the classics.
American idolatry for European culture has been a deterrent to jazz. Too often people fear that they will appear plebeian if they demonstrate a liking for American art.
Why not give jazz a break? Listen to it as carefully as you would a difficult symphony, with the realization that you are hearing personal emotions, not style and technique. Pete North
Pete North.
The Public's Pulse
Editor's note.: Following is the answer to the two letters in the Nov. 16 issue commenting on the feature story about Rudi Hofmann, the German exchange student. We asked Hofmann to write a statement of his side of the case and the second letter was sent in voluntarily.
I am sorry, but I must repeat what I told Marvin Arth, Kansan reporter: Until V-Day, I did not know concentration camps existed in Germany. The only exception was Dachau which I thought to be a mere prison for political enemies of the "Third Reich."
I fully realize how hard this is to believe for people who suffered under the cruelties of the Nazis, and this—and not any personal motives whatsoever—is why I feel I have to explain my statements.
When we worked on farms and in factories during our vacations, we had no close contact with the people, and I think it rather understandable why nobody talked to us fannie youths about the evils of Nazism.
In 1941, when I was 12 years old, I became a student at the Adolf Hitler school. We almost never left the campus, which was a little town itself. The civilians from the surrounding villages did not come to the school, because as Catholic people, they were opposed to us and they had not been treated too well when the ground on which the school was built was taken away from them.
We learned a lot about "concentration camps", that is, the camps which had been established by the British in South Africa during their war against the Boers in the last years of the 19th century. This may be one reason why our leaders never mentioned German concentration camps to us.
In the winter of 1944, shortly before the Battle of the Bulge started, my class had to join the SS, that is, we all were quite happy about this. But also in the SS division "Hohenstaufen", we remained a special unit as our average age was 15, our former teachers now being our officers.
We lived separately from the other units, we didn't join their front actions, and I didn't talk to more SS men than I did to any other soldier.
I remember only one occasion when one of us asked what had happened to all the "enemies of the Fuehrer" who had been arrested and deported. The answer was as vaguely stated as it was silly: "They're working in the occupied countries in the East." I confess that I did not make the logical conclusion between what I had been taught about the elimination of Jews and their sudden disappearance.
I confess that I very probably wouldn't have cared much—as I was fanatically convinced of the idea of the superiority of the "northern race"—if I had known what really happened to them.
Finally, I fully realize that what I said cannot change the bitter hate of all victims of Nazism against the Nazis. After all, this is not what I intend to effect. I also know that no friendly hand-shake and no superficial "Let's take it easy—it's already past," will help.
I am here in this country as a representiative of the good will of all young Germans who have learned out of their experiences and who want Germany to become a free country again, in spite of all reactionary elements and difficulties.
their own faults and stay for that what their government did) but because it is necessary if we want to avoid hate between the nations. That you understand me right: Those people who suffered in Nazi camps should try to forget, or at least to forgive. We Germans will never forget the cruelties which were done by members of our nation.
Therefore, and because I have totally changed my ideas I had as a youth, I don't need to diminish the inhuman crimes committed by the Nazis and I don't need to lie about my past.
Being a German exchange student myself, I was very interested in reading your story about Rudi Hofmann and the answer letters of Mr. Birnbaum and Mr. Szabo. I really wish you would never have printed the article about Rudi for I think it is time to forget all that stuff. Not because we Germans do not like to hear it, (there are some people even in Germany who see
Rudi Hofmann.
Dear Editor:
Rudi said that he did not know about the concentration camps, and I must tell you that I believe it. It is true that the boys in the Adolph Hitler school were allowed to listen to British broadcastings and that the British told about the concentration camps. But being taught 24 hours daily in Nazi ideology, whom would you believe—your own leaders or the bad "enemy," especially if you have the brains of a 12 year old kid? For people who knew about the camps it was much too dangerous to talk about that to a youngster who was filled with Nazi spirit by his instructors. So he could not know, and that is all that he said, or isn't it so, Mr. Birnbaum? Did he really say: "WE did not know"? I agree with you that many Germans knew about the existence of concentration camps, but I definitely disagree that they knew what happened there. With studied malice the Nazis (not always "Germans," please!) imprisoned honest people who were only their political enemies together with criminals and lustful murderers in their concentration camps, so that the man on the street naturally had a wrong idea about the purpose of these camps. And the guards of the camps didn't talk very much, first because they were not allowed to, and rather preferred to stay outside than inside the camps, and second because they knew that the majority of the people would scorn and hate them if they did.
To keep prisoners from bribing their guards, the guards were changed. But they usually came to another camp and never to another unit. For they were good Nazis and selected cruel beasts, and both were more rare in Germany than you might think.
I am sorry that Mr. David and Mr. Szabo do not know Rudi Hofmann, otherwise they would never have written: "Think up a better excuse." It certainly was no excuse. Because there is no excuse for that which happened.
Ekkehard Wicher,
German exchange student.
University
Daily Hansan
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Aest. Managing Editors; Edward Chapin, French Chronicles; Patricia Jansen, McCurey; McCurey
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Joseph Ward
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The notice that Senator Kefauver, the head of the senate crime investigating committee, is going to speak at a convocation Nov. 30, has started the rumor that this is merely a ruse to cover up his real purpose-investigating the political situation at K.U.
Let's mark one up for the Kampus Kops for saving our flag. Maybe next time they can keep watch on our bonfire.
For eight weeks, not one "Crisis" speaker has touched the water by the speakers' stand. Though the Ise wit had obviously not run dry, the good doctor became the first to take a drink. (Rodney Nipnap bets it was plenty stale, though.)
ATTENTION STUDENTS FROM WICHITA
Dick Haughton & Orchestra
presents
"Concert Of Modern Music"
Friday, Nov. 24th
8:15 p.m.
W. U. Auditorium 75c per person (tax incl.)
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