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UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN, LAWRENCE, KANSAS
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 1, 1942
The Editorial Page
Life Magazine Pictures University Students As Adolescent Slackers
The male college student is a noisy,discourteous slacker who goes to school only to escape the draft and hold campus political offices. The coed is a legume individual who apple-polishes her way through school, and whose principal reason for attending an institution is to collect the fraternity pins of the members of the stronger sex.
Neither student is aware that there is a war going on, and neither respects the heroes of former conflicts. Instead they spend their time jitterbugging, parking, and in "living cosily in a world of fantasy far removed from the harsh realities of the world around them." All this, according to the November 23 issue of Life magazine, is the typical American college campus.
Ye Gods! The writer who dreamed up that bundle of misconceptions must have been dipping deeply into the weed. Perhaps he never went to college—or perhaps he was a member of that small minority of "playboys" who are found everywhere, be it in the services, in the defense plants, or in the schools.
There are pictures plenty in Life of a posed coed apple-polishing, of a jitterbugging duo, of a student rushing into class later, and of the "campus bigshot." But where are the pictures of medical students studying until 3 and 4 a.m., of ROTC units drilling, of coeds selling defense stamps, of physical conditioning classes sweating on the obstacle courses, of serious students in war courses working day and night upon their books with little thought of social activities? These are the more typical activities at an American university, today.
In publishing the misleading photographs (taken on the campus of the University of Indiana), the magazine has hurt itself far more than it has injured the college students of the nation. Always a popular magazine on any campus, its reputation among students will sink to a new low. Many university readers who scan its pages in the future will do so with tongue in cheek.
As for the students themselves, they can best expose the many fallacies in the article by rolling up their sleeves and tackling their jobs harder than ever. They can answer fallacious words with action which will prove that college students are seriously preparing themselves to meet the urgent needs of the country. Then it will be clear to the American public that the editors of Life magazine, not university students, are the "adolescent" ones.
0.
Answered Louis Fischer, when queried during an address as to when the war will end: "The war will end on October 17, 1943, at 4:30 p.m., just in time for cocktails."
Disinterest in Lectures Creats Bad Impressions
Archduke Otto, pretender to the throne of Austria, spoke at Hoch auditorium, and only a small audience in the spacious building heard the brilliant orator—a man hated, but respected, by Herr Hitler himself—discuss important issues with the authority of a man who has been at the scene of action.
Ernesto Montenegro, learned South American journalist, lectured in Fraser theater upon the culture of our southern neighbors-countries which each day assume greater importance in the international picture. Barely a halfhundred persons were present to hear him speak.
Two men who could tell the University of Kansas students of important happenings in the outside world, and the students were not interested. The University had gone to considerable expense to bring here men capable of making worthwhile interpretations of the muddled world picture. Students were offered the opportunity to hear these speakers with no additional cost other than their activity fees, but they didn't bother to attend.
Is it any wonder that many persons read into every action of an American university student a disinterest in the events outside his own small college world. It is any wonder that when the students of this University asked an extension of their Christmas vacation period, many persons saw only their immediate selfish gains and thought those the only reasons for their request? Is it any wonder a recent issue of a nationally distributed magazine depicted college life as a world of dreams?
Any person who has associated with Kansas University men and women knows of their interest in world events. People with less contact with the students, however, must make their judgments from cold figures figures which show that hundreds of students paid cash to dance to a name band, while a handful of students were willing to sacrifice their time and the energy required to walk to Hoch auditorium to hear a lecture by a famous man.
UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
Student Paper of THE UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS Lawrence, Kansas
Publisher ... John Conard
EDITORIAL STAFF
Editor-in-chief ... J. Donald Keown
Associate Editors ... Bob Coleman, Bill Feeney,
                   Ralph Coldren, Dean Sims,
                   Matt Heuertz
NEWS STAFF
Feature Editor ... Joy Miller
Managing Editor ... Glee Smith
Campus Editors ... Dale Robinson, Scott
Hookins, Eleanor Fry
Sports Editor ... J. Donald Keown
Society Editor ... Ruth Tippin
News Editor ... Dean Sims
Sunday Editor ... Virginia Tieman
BUSINESS STAFF
Business Manager ... Oliver Hughes
Advertising Manager ... John Pope
Advertising Assistant ... Charles Taylor, Jr.
Rock Chalk Talk BETTY LOU PERKINS
Try this over to the tune of "White Christmas." The words were written by Mary Louise Dillenbach of Corbin hall.
"We're dreaming of a K. U. Christmas Which ain't so rosy—you might know. Where there ain't no Santy And the 'cheer' is scanty And drizzle takes the place of snow. Such nightmares of a K. U. Christmas Grow as the fatal day grows nigh, May you not feel pensive and sigh As we bid our Yuletide fun goodbye."
*****
The cast practicing for the play "This Thing Called Love," are a bit apprehensive about the furniture props.
Harlan decided that the real furniture had better be obtained quickly before the cast lands in the hospital with broken bones.
Last night during rehearsals, Harlan Cope, Battenfeld, stumbled over part of a desk which was representing a footstool and nearly landed on his face.
Tom Scott Cadden, Dean Sims, Frank Sims, and Antonio Lulli spent a weekend in Des Moines some time ago visiting a friend of Lulli's.
The boys stayed at a hotel and were having a fine time until Dean Sims called Luli's room and disguised his voice.
"This is the police," said Sims, "We're just checking. Do you mind if we come up?"
Lulli hung up quickly and ran into the bedroom where Frank Sims was sleeping. "The polecee! They are coming here! Queeck, we must hide the bottle!"
The Phi Psi house received a telegram the next day from these brothers which read, "Starting back. Lulli's corpse in the rumble seat.
球 球 球 球
Ed "Swede" Linquist was chosen as a member of the University's all-American Glamour team. "Chief" Long, another player, reports that onearing this, Swede drawled, "Aw, I'm not good-looking."
Anyway, Swede claims this has caused him a great deal of embarrassment.
** ** **
Coach Gwinn Henry has a right to feel a bit apprehensive about taking his son with the team to a football game.
On the train one of the players (Ray Evans?) slipped an empty bottle into Henry's son's pocket, then slowly pulled it out when Gwinn Henry came in.
This same trick was first tried on Vic Hurt, but Hurt didn't have anyone to make explanations to.
(Purely from the male point of view) - - - Why can't we have more of those windy days on the Hill?
--women ready to perform whatever service may be asked of them for the sake of their country."
NO DIFFERENCE What They Were Saying ★★★ ★★★
One War Ago
One war ago they were saying just about the same things. The German and English high officials were quibbling; Kaiser Wilhelm II was insisting, "Remember that the German people are the chosen of God;" while King George V said: "We are fighting for a worthy purpose, and shall not lay down our arms until that purpose has been achieved." Theodore Roosevelt put in his two cents: "We have room for but one language here, and that is the English language."
The WAACS and WAVES are products of the present war, but they really began back in World War I when Elinor Glyn said: "English women in every class have shown that Woman is capable of as glorious a courage, as steady a devotion, and as patriotic a sense of duty as Man." Anna Howard Shaw insisted that "We need an army of
1
cor
"Never Say Die"
The bewildered Frenchman was then, too, a topic of discussion. Said Edith Wharton in 1914: "The Frenchman wants to be free—free even when he might be better off, ma-
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