PAGE SIX UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN, LAWRENCE, KANSAS MONDAY, MAY 1, 13 OND The Editors Report一 FOR LACK OF TALENT A Bird Was Lost The dean of men and the dean of women have asked the Bitter Bird to discontinue publication. They say their reason is that there is room for only one campus humor magazine. ye ED To say the least, this seems a rather odd excuse to ask a publication to stop. Previously, we had been under the impression that educators thought there were too few publications, that the press was becoming too highly concentrated in too few hands. As journalists, we have long had the charge of "partisan viewpoint" drummed into our ears because the educators felt the trend toward "one-newspaper" towns an evil thing. There may, of course, be many good reasons for desiring an end of the Bitter Bird. For years past, it has caused the administration considerable woe. Much of the humor magazine has been more than unfunny and more than a trifle risque. Possibly, it is true that "there is not enough talent to put out more than one humor magazine at the University." If this is true—it is not our opinion—it seems to us that discontinuing the Bitter Bird is a poor way to correct the fact that there is so little talent at the University. We think we are safe in saying that few writers will deny writing humor definitely requires talent. To develop that particular talent takes much fostering, a great deal of encouragement. To allow talent to burgeon, even if the talent is only humorous writing, as many avenues of expression as possible should be open to aspiring humorists, howsoever little their talent may appear at present. We had thought it was an educational institution's obligation to train talent, howsoever little there may be. We had supposed that an educational institution would welcome the chance to develop talent in whatever way it could. Much of what Mark Twain, or Bob Benchley, James Thurber, Bill Vaughan, or any one of the dozens of humorists present and past, wrote was not very good at the start. Each had to develop his talent over a long period. It did not come to life full-blown And perhaps the same can be said in defense of the Bitter Bird. Granted it is not a very good humor magazine, that the persons who write for it are not very capable just now. It could never become top-notch, nor could aspiring humorists develop, if its career is terminated before it really got started. No one needs to be addicted to campus humor magazines to concede they have a place in present-day college life. If this were not true, few colleges—instead of the hundred who have them—would support them. A year or two does not a magazine make. And neither does a semester or two a humorist make. It takes a bit more time than that—unfortunately. No one is forced to buy an "alleged" humor magazine. He can pass them up as readily as he can this month's True Confessions if he wishes to. Toleration is one of man's best virtues. When it comes to tolerating freedom of the press, that virtue becomes an absolute necessity. More than likely, the Bitter Bird in its present condition should be changed—but not discontinued. The Publications committee of the All Student Council should consider some alternative to that of flatly discontinuing the Bitter Bird. What could be done? We can think of several lines of action. First, the supervision of the publication should be improved. Interested faculty advisors should be appointed. There must be at least one member of the faculty who understands the essence of good humor. Second, the editorial staff positions of the Bitter Bird should be opened up to all interested students. It should not, as so often has been the situation in the past, be handed on from fraternity to fraternity, from one small group to another. The students at large should be given an opportunity to demonstrate their humorous ability. With a student enrollment as large as the University's, there surely is enough talent to put out a humor magazine as small as the Bitter Bird. Instead of paying salaries to editors of the publication, the staff members could serve in that capacity for nothing except the experience—as the staff of the University Daily Kansan does. The money saved could then be used to buy material for the Bitter Bird. Payment would only have to be nominal. Yet any payment at all would prove to be a greater incentive than there is now. When the problem of what the Bitter Bird should be, and how it ought to be run, is thoroughly—and impartially—examined, we feel sure that an alternative to discontinuing it completely can be found. If, by continuing the Bitter Bird, only one top-notch humorist can be found and developed, then the publication will have served its purpose. They Used To Soy Carrots Were Good For The Eyes Miami Beach, Fla. (U.P.)—Peruvian beer consumption is lowering the rate of blindness in that country, the Pan American conference on prevention of blindness was told. Dr. Jorge Valdeavellano said the government's program of aid to the blind is financed entirely by a one sol tax (about seven cents) on every case of beer sold. Milwaukee to Milwaukee Is Long Way Says Postman Milwaukee—(U.P)—As a joke, Mrs Connie Frey bought a Swiss post card here, wrote that she was having a fine time in Switzerland, and mailed it to a friend in Milwaukee. When the post card arrived at the friend's home, it was stamped "Postage due two cents." "Foreign mail takes three cents," the mailman explained. TODAY'S MAIL Sir: Impressive In glancing through the April 24 issue of the U.D.K., I noticed Mona Millikan in a letter to the editor mentioned a need of securing independent poll workers through the I.S.A. and A.W.S. Our organization was notified of this need at 7:30 p.m. Monday preceding the election and took action at that time. Between 7:30 and a 10 o'clock deadline the same evening our hardworking representatives came up with over 25 poll workers, a large majority of whom worked Wednesday. If we had had better notice our record would doubtless have been more impressive. However, this incident does point to the fact that our organization can serve the student in many ways, which is the purpose of the I.S.A. Most remarkable is the fact that we haven't been branded political (for furnishing poll workers) YET! Dick Krimminger President I.S.A. Student Court Delays Hearing With only three cases to be heard, the April session of the Student court was postponed from April 27 to sometime late in May. Cases pending will be continued until then when all remaining cases of this semester will be heard. University Daily Kansan News Room K.U. 251 By Bible Adv. Room K.U.376 Student Newspaper of the UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS Member of the Kansas Press Assm. National Press Assm. Press Assm., and the Associated Collegiate Press. Represented by the National Ad- 力服务, 420 Madison Ave. New York City. James Morris Editor-in-Chief Doris Greenbank James Shriver Managing Editor Business Mgr. Asst. Man. Editors ... Norma Hunsinger Kay O'Connor John Hill City Ediner Ralph Hemeway Edward Chapin Jackson Coon Martin Marks Elaine Elvig Steve Ferro Feature Editor ... Fletcher Lester Photograph Editor Frankie Walts Telegraph Editor Robert Sigman William Graves Richard Tatum Lloyd Healey Sports Editor Richard Dilsaver Sports Editors Bob Leenard Ray Solidan Arthur McIntire Mona McIntire Society Editor Faye Wilkinson Society Editors Billie Stover Emily Stewart Editorial Assts. Keith Leslie Adv. Mgr. Charles Reiner Gr. Mgr. Yvonne Joserand Nat. Adv. Mgr. Forrest Bellus Classified Ad. Mgr. Promotion Mgr. John Wiedeman Little Man On Campus "Come on. . . come on. It's five minutes to eight. There's no excuse to be late in those pajamas!" Thwarted We believe in the fondling of snakes, especially on the K.U. campus. In fact, we can't think of a better place to fondle snakes. There are all sorts of insidious ways of restricting human freedom. From snakes you can go almost anywhere Sir: If Mr. Sciortino would restrict a harmless pleasure like this one, what will become of our other lesser joys: drinking beer, smoking cigarettes and reading the Daily Worker. There is nothing in the Constitution or the Alien and Sedition acts Okay Read Dale Fields' editorial on the Union cafeteria. I haven't noticed anything wrong with the hamburgers. Sir: John Swigart Engineering senior to limit our rights to a little this like this. If we want to go on to laying snakes we certainly shall. And the right to do so is something we shall defend to the last. Dan Gallin, College junior. 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