PAGE SIX
UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN, LAWRENCE, KANSAS
TUESDAY, OCTOBER 10, 1950
The Editorial Page-
Captive Audience
In the past two weeks University students and Lawrence townpeople alike have been subjected to a new phase in "captive audience" advertising in a local theater.
Advertisers apply the term "captive audience" to theater audiences as it adequately fits the situation where the persons who paid their money for entertainment have to see and hear commercial—and now political-advertisements.
As if the commercial shorts—sometimes hilarious but more often stupid in their presentation—were not enough, political advertisements are now being added to the bill of the nation's theaters.
The particular short shown in Lawrence concerned an automobile: mechanic and an ant colony. The short was well drawn, well illustrated, and printed in color. At first it looked like a cartoon—and a silly one at that—but soon it developed into a tirade against anything which was not co-ordinated with the "capitalistic" system. The short showed the allegedly evil ways into which an ant colony (or a country) falls if the people accept "socialism," "state planning," or anything with the word "welfare" attached.
The short came unannounced. It was not labeled advertising nor was its source indicated. It was merely added to a long showing of advertisements in an effort to get its idea across to the "captive audience" before it realized what was occurring. Judging from the laughs and derogatory remarks which followed the short, it failed to do its job.
This is an example of the program being used today by certain persons who oppose the trend the United States is taking. It exemplifies the thorough job being done to discredit anything not in agreement with the 20th century concept of American capitalism. Who paid for the advertisement, its creation and distribution was not told. This seems odd in that screen advertising from local firms bears the name of the advertiser, while this particular one was "slipped in" on the moviegoers.
Movie advertisements seem here to stay. They obtain some results and revenue they bring has secured them to the theater operators. While the moviegoers have become accustomed to these and now expect to see them, it is sad when persons pay money to be entertained at theaters and instead have to witness a presentment of political propaganda, hereto kept to the radio and newspapers where it was known and labeled as such.
—John Hill
Welcome Ally
The denial of Turkey's request to be permitted to join the Atlantic Pact some weeks back was disappointing. Whatever reasons the experts might have had for their decision were not readily apparent to the lay citizen, interested not in technicalities but in the reality of building up Europe's defenses.
Fortunately what was veted in one way was accepted in a different way. The U.S.State Department has announced that the 12 members of the Atlantic Pact have invited Turkey "to be associated with" them in planning defenses in the Mediterranean area, and Turkey has accepted.
Turkey is a central anchor for the free world. It occupies one of the most geographically strategic areas in the world—the place where three continents and two oceans come together. It has a common frontier with Russia and its satellite Bulgaria. It is an indispensable link in the defenses that include Iran to the east and Greece to the west. It has a stable government moving in its own way toward democracy. It was a target for Russian pressure long before the Red ambitions for all of Europe became plain. Turkey's participation is good news. Another obvious step is to include Greece in the picture also.—St. Louis Star-Times.
Kansan Comments
A University professor whose alma mater is Notre Dame is still rationalizing about the outcome of Saturday's game. His two best excuses for the defeat of the Irish are (1) Purdue had at least five Chicago Bears playing on its team and (2) they deserved it—after all, they've been trying to beat Notre Dame for 17 years.
Wonderful thing about these modern conveniences the University offers. Now secretaries who dislike the taste of glue need not hesitate to mail out reams of correspondence. The envelopes are flavored with peppermint.
A young co-ed whose beau told her, "I'd like you to take my ring and wear it around your neck," startled him with this reply:
"Thank you, but I really don't think I could get it over my head."
K. U.'s newest potential homemakers are doing very well . . . judging from the view obtained through the open windows in Fraser hall on days Clothing I students "fit" their garments.
Student Condemns World In Crisis
Dear Editor,
Good old open-minded K. U. has done it again! The faculty has come up with another course which might as well have the endorsement of the Henry Wallace for President club and the Hollywood Ten as that of K.U.
I refer, of course, to that two-hour-each-Tuesday diatribe with the awe-inspiring title, The World In Crisis. It was advertised as a survey of present world conditions embodying a cross-section of views; in operation it has not approached such an impartial stature by even the wildest stretch of the imagination. Its cross-section has been, in brief, a cross-section of "liberal" thought which has ranged from Professor Saricks' apologies for pre-war Russian imperialism through the good chancellor's muddled, ivory tower idealism to Doris Fleeson's open sarcasm.
-Topeka Capital
(Name withheld by request)
Many of us hoped that the remarkable job done by Prof. J. Eldon Fields in unscrambing Hilden Gibson's indoctrinating curricula in Western Civilization would mark the end of one-view courses at K.U. Perhaps the same Fields can do a comparable job in tonight's "World" lecture. I personally hope he does. Until this happens, however, it looks like the Hill has another class dedicated to the principle of academic other-worldliness.
Let's look at the record. Chancellor Malott's attempt at intelligence has highlighted by an obvious dislike for America's determination to stop Red aggression in Korea and an eloquent plea for the admission of Commie China into the U.N. (in spite of the fact that the Formosa government is the only constitutional government on Chinese territory and the Red bandits seized control by open violence. The rookie historian, Saricks, told in sorrowful tones of German and Italian help to France in the Spanish Civil War but neglected to mention that Russia had a number of divisions fighting on the side of the Red "Republican" forces. He also assured us that Russia alone was ready to stand by Czechoslovakia at Munich (which ought to be of some consolation to the ghost of Jan Masaryk) and because of its snub at that conference was hurt-of-heart and would not help Poland (never mentioning, of course, that the Soviets invaded Poland in conjunction with the Nazis in 1939 and subjected it to the status of a satellite upon the conclusion of old War II.)
College Senior
Miss Fleeson also jumped on the Red China campaign wagon and, in addition, spoke at great length about the shame of McCarthy's "character assassinations" of the poor pinks in the state department and, in the next breath, spread invectives upon Bricker, Jenner, and George for not agreeing with her particular domestic beliefs.
In Britain it's against the law to kiss a girl on Sunday, but who looks at a calendar when he's kissing a girl?
Oldtimer Joins Newcomers In 46th Nightshirt Parade
By MARVIN ARTH
Four uniformed motorcycle policemen with wailing sirens started the 46th annual nightshirt parade Friday night. Then 1,500 wind-blown Jayhawkers started to march north on Oread behind the K.U. band, which blared the tunes of "I'm a Jayhawk" and "Sunflower."
In a black convertible came Dean Laurence C. Woodruff wearing a white monogrammed night gown and a night cap marked "Seated beside him were Miss Margaret Habein, dean of women, and Arthur "Dutch" Lonborg, director of athletics.
The march changed to a slow run at Tennessee and the band stopped playing. A southeast wind whipped the multi-colored night-shirts and bathrobes.
Townspeople and upperclassmen watched from their homes along the route of the parade as the cheerleaders started a "Beat Colorado" chant.
A student of the University in 1890-93, Charles W. Baldridge, went the entire way with the nightshifters. He had attended K.U. before the tradition started, but this was his second, parade. He had also marched in 1945. His only comment on the strenuous march was, "I made it, but I didn't have any energy to spare."
Little groups of students dressed in stripes and polka-dots and flowered prints joined the marchers from time to time. A KuKu in a new jacket rang a bell intermittently.
The students reached the blazing, swaying bonfire at the baseball diamond in South park. Firecrackers in the blaze popped in staccato bursts. One flew out and fizzled in minute brilliance against the giant fire.
A searchlight shone high over the heads of the marchers as they moved toward South park. It cast a weird blue light on the trees, swings, and fences as it swung to spotlight the students gathered around the bonfire to listen to a pep talk from Mr. Lonborg, Cheers and the Rock Chalk yell bounced off the cardrums. The snake dance began.
The three-block-long dance started with the searchlight in the lead. Its glistening silver-blue light passed over the 7:42 clock high on the tower of the yellow stone Douglas county courthouse.
A hat flew off the head of a student dressed in a zebra-striped shirt bedecked with a red heart. A marcher in a red flannel tomie
coat and no pants strode along on nairy legs and waved coyly to the crowd.
The strenuous up-hill climb began to show on the faces of the marchers. Two Jay Janes strolled nonchalantly along the sidewalk in front of the Crown drug store.
All the pool players in Tut's Billiard parlor had abandoned their tables and were jammed against the window watching the yelling Jayhawkers.
The snake dance whipped along fast; then it writened slowly. A blue-jeaned co-ed fell on her nose. Horns blared from cars in the rear and the clock in the Western Union office said 7.50.
A group of yelling students moved a Crosley car with a 19-county tag off Massachusetts and set it on the sidewalk on the seventh street side of the Eldridge hotel where it rolled its uncertain way down the narrow sidewalk.
The worn-out marchers lined up and were served cold cider by Jay Janes. The yelling and screaming had died down to a murmer. A mongrel dog howled as the searchlight was driven away.
The car bearing the deans and Mr. Lonborg was carrying 16 persons by the time the parade passed beneath a Jayhawker theater marquee which glittered "711 Ocean Drive."
The searchlight sent a shaft of light into the black sky and came to rest on Shorty's cafe. Shorty's was empty...not even a waitress was in sight. A girl left the line to mail a letter. The searchlight rounded the curve into Sixth street and flickered on the J. Underwood and Sons sign.
The light was reduced to a glimmer as it shone on the American Service company sign. It went on again and spotlighted the autumn leaves in all their brilliance. It flashed past a memorial which read, "Named in honor of Charles Robinson, first governor of Kansas."
Students scurred away. At 8:12, Massachusetts street was normal except for a small remnant of the band marching south and playing, "Little Brown Church."
The nightshirt parade was over.
Mr. Wicher says, in German schools, the student starts with details of construction and later studies form. Then he has real knowledge of what can and cannot be built successfully. In America, students start with a building as a whole, and then work on to details. He feels therefore that American students draw the plans of their buildings and houses before they discuss the possibilities of building them.
Amateur German Bricklayer Carpenter Studies American Architecture At KU
Speaking with a slight accent, he said, "The boys have a feeling for form here, and it may be best to see if a student has a feeling for form and proportion, because construction can always be learned." He went on to say that Germany lags behind the United States in the architectural field especially in heating and air conditioning. Wicher wants to bring "air conditioning and architecture with much glass back to Germany."
Would you, like Ekkehard Wicher, Wiesbaden, Germany, start an education in architecture after two years' experience as a carpenter and bricklayer?
Probably not; Wicher, however, exchange student at the University under the Institute of International Education, had to have practical experience in construction work before enrolling in architecture at the University of Meintz, Germany. During the two years, he attended trade school classes five hours each week and took an examination at the end of that time.
In regard to modernistic American houses. Wicher feels that the flat rooms common to this type of architecture would be impractical in Germany where houses are built with pointed roofs to let the snow slide off. He also feels that the flat roof would be hard to introduce in Germany because the "Germans think flat roofs are only for stables."
The tall, darkhaired, twenty-one year old youth says he likes America very much. He learned to eat hotdogs and drink cokes from the American soldiers in Germany. He received his first impression of root beer in New York city and says that it "tastes like a glass of water with tooth paste melted in it", but he likes it anyway.
KU Scenes On Christmas Cards
Independent Student association house representatives are selling Christmas cards showing campus scenes. Richard Krimminger, I.S.A. president, said that downtown stores will also handle the cards and plants are being made for a booth on the campus.
Scenes depicted this year are the chancellor's home, the Museum of Natural History, Jayhawk drive, and Strong hall. Each box of 16 cards includes all four scenes.