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UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN, LAWRENCE, KANSAS
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 1942
The KANSAN Comments...
Congress-Wolf or Red Riding Hood?
It seems safe to assume that Congress welcomed the appointment of Melvyn Douglas and Mayris Chaney to the Office of Civilian Defense. It may, as a man, doubt the wisdom of the appointments, and may be resolved to do something about them, but still, it must be pleased that the appointments were made, and that they were made at the time they were.
For congressmen are politicians, and election is not far off. Our solons are uneasy over the stink raised when the public realized that they had been devoting important time to consideration of a bill to pension themselves, thus diverting the national attention, which should be centered on the war effort, and part of the nation's funds, which must be turned to war production, to themselves. The public saw, and was displeased. Congressmen realized the displeasure they would incur, come next election, as a result of this action.
When it became known to them that Mrs. Roosevelt had secured the appointment of some of her proteges to OCD, Congress welcomed the opportunity to divert public displeasure to someone else. So, it opened up with both barrels, and let Mrs. Roosevelt have it, right between the eyes.
The advisability of allowing Mrs. Roosevelt to continue as a high-ranking OCD official might well be questioned. The advisability of allowing Mayor LaGuardia to continue as its director might also be questioned. It seems highly probable that more efficient persons might be found to handle the jobs. Possibly that will be the ultimate achievement of Congress. But not until the pension thing has had time to be forgotten.
---O--would undoubtedly like very much to make peace with China.
A man in Louisiana whose auto was demolished by a train emerged grinning from the tangled wreckage, and remarked triumphantly that anyhow he had saved three of his tires.
What's Wrong At Singapore?
It's about time that two of Britain's seemingly ever-present Generals were replaced— Generals Too Little and Too Late, a pair that have figured in every battle which Britain has undertaken in this war.
In the Battles of France, Greece, and Norway, the British have passed off their defeats with "Britain always loses every battle except the last one." But now the situation is getting serious. If Singapore falls, and it probably will, the way is open for the Japs to prolong this battle for many years—if they do not actually win it.
Singapore is the last great base of the allies in the Far East. If the Japs capture it, they are free to strike against India and the African coast. The East Indies and even Australia may be next on the list, and the Allies can do little to stop Japan without Singapore from which to operate.
The seriousness of the loss of Singapore cannot be overestimated. Practically all of Britain's vast colonial empire will be open to attack if it falls. The effect on the morale of these colonial peoples will be terrific, since they can feel that they no longer can count on Britain for adequate protection, nor need they fear her strength. The Chinese, whose aid against Japan is practically a necessity, will also fear a British defeat in the Far East. To what extent is impossible to say, but Japan
The probability of a Jap land attack on Singapore has long been evident. Yet the British refused to believe it. The result is the perilous situation in which Singapore now finds itself. Again Britain can point to inadequate troops, guns, and planes to stem the tide.
The Allies cannot afford this kind of reverse. The Far East should remain out of the hands of the Japs at all costs—Generals Too Little and Too Late had better step aside, and do it quickly.
Most storekeepers seek to eradicate mice from their places of business, but not one enterprising merchant in Weston, Texas. He allows each customer a shot with his air rifle as a premium on every purchase.
OFFICIAL BULLETIN UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS
Vol. 39 Tuesday, February 10, 1942 No. 81
Notices due at News Bureau, 8 Journalism, at 10 a.m. on day of publication during the week, and at 11 a.m. on Saturday for Sunday issue.
K. U. Young Republican Club—There will be a meeting of the club Wednesday, Feb. 11, at 8 p.m. in the Kansas Room of the Memorial Union building for the election of officers.-Lloyd Woodburn, Secretary.
There will be a makeup psychological examination for students who missed the regular test—Saturday, Feb. 14, at 9 a.m. in room 121 Fraser—A. H. Turney.
Social Pathology Field Trip: The social pathology field trip to Kansas City will be made Saturday morning. Feb. 14. All members of last semester's Social Pathology class are to meet at 8 o'clock Saturday morning in front of the Union building. Trip will be made by bus—Mabel A. Elliott.
Tau Sigma will meet as usual this week with the following exceptions: Celebration and Waltz, Saturday at 1:30. Galliwogs', Tuesday night after the game—Anna Jane Hoffman, Pres.
PI LAMBDA THETA—Pi Lambda Theta will hold a business meeting Thursday at 4:30 p.m. in room 115. Fraser Hall—Ruth Lichen, president.
NOTICE TO ALL UNIVERSITY STUDENTS—Dr. E. T. Gibson is at the Watkins Memorial Hospital each Tuesday afternoon from 2 to 4:30 P. M. for discussion with students on problems of mental hygiene. Appointments may be made through the Watkins Memorial hospital. Ralph I. Canuteson, Director, health service.
UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
Student Paper of THE UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS
EDITORIAL STAFF
Publisher ... Kenneth Jackson
Editor-in-chief ... Charles Pearson
Editorial associates ... Maurice Barker and
Floyd Decaire
NEWS STAFF
Feature editor ... Bill Feeney
Managing editor ... Heldi Viets
Campus editors ... Betty Abels and Floyd Decaire
Sports editor ... Chuck Elliott
Society editor ... Saralena Sherman
News editor ... Ralph Coldren
Sunday editor ... John Conard
United Press editor ... Bob Coleman
BUSINESS STAFF
Business manager ... Frank Baumgartner
Advertising manager ... Wally Kunkel
Subscription rates, in advance, $3.00 per year, $1.75 per semester. Published at Lawrence, Kansas, daily during the school week except Monday and Saturday. Entered as second class maternal on September 17, 1984, office at Lawrence, Kansas, under the Act of March 3, 1879.
Rock Chalk Talk
BETTY WEST
The current Personal and Community Health class, better known as Hygiene I, has what any bridge fan would recognize as unfair distribution. It seems to be composed in greater part of the Sig Alph, Pi Phi, Kappa, and Gamma Phi chapters, with a few lost souls stuck in here and there as intercellular material.
Back from arid Arizona to continue his matriculation has come Sig Alf Mike O'Bannon, gone these many years. The only bit of culture he seems to have picked up in his wanderings is a vocal aria called, "You Can Get More Loving From A Grand Baby Than A Baby Grand," which his brothers are rapidly getting tired of hearing.
To keep their grades up to the usual Rhodes scholar level, the Phi Psi's this year decided to charge a fine of $3 for every tenth of a point under a 'C' average. Largest contributor to this kitty was Zeke Stuckey with something over $30, with which the Psi's plan to build Chinese pagoda in the front yard.
To impress his family with his scholastic integrity, Phi Delt Thad Robbins decided to leave his car home in Pratt second semester. To walk though, is to die, so Thad bought himself a lovely Ford of an early vintage and not too good a year. Though it is now black, Thad plans to camoflauge it with red, white, and blue on a yellow background, and have its face lifted.
Although the machine formerly had a top, it was necessary to remove it, since it was slightly loose in the front, and any sudden stop would cause it gently to rap Thad on the head, leaving him slightly stunned and unable to get where he was going.
The car has, in addition, three kinds of stops, operated by a series of pedals placed somewhere in the floorboard. For a slow stop use the left hand pedal, for a medium stop, use the middle pedal, and for a quick stop, one steps on everything, and pulls all available knobs. This complicated braking system is one of the reasons the Hillside has been looking so battered of late.
A Novelty
Northbridge Rectory
Practically all of the recent novels about wartime England will fall into one of the two following categories: 1. the unsung knights of the R.A.F. who ride through the clouds into the jaws of death with a song on their lips; 2. the poor "little people" who manage to stay thumbs up in spite of the constant reamings which they are subjected by the dirty Huns.
To anyone who has become slightly bilious with this literary diet, Angela Thirkell's this latest book, "Northbridge Rectory," will prove a novelty, and incidentally quite interesting reading. Nothing much happens — the author points no moral, nobody is killed, the book is completely devoid of profanity and obscenity, there is no love triangle or quadrangle, and if the story contains any propaganda, it slid by the reviewer undetected. Still, as pure entertainment, the novel is a bell-ringer, and does everything up in some 316 pages. English Village Scene
Women will find "Northbridge
Mostly For Women
Except by taking away most of the able-bodied men, the war has not dealt harshly with the little English village of Northbridge. It is peopled mostly by a group of middle-aged women with too much time on their hands, with a few soldiers, some clergymen, and the English equivalent of 4-F's composing the rest of the populace. Most of the people would prefer to go about their business quietly, sometimes wishing that the war was over and that everyone would calm down. The more vigorous ladies appoint themselves to defense committees, volunteer to watch for parachutists from the tower of the church (until it gets cold) and try very hard to create a wartime atmosphere of vigilance and sacrifice for the cause, but Jerry refuses to cooperate even to the extent of a few bombs, flying scornfully over the village on the way to other objectives.
Interesting
Rectory" more readable than "will the men. The book is without any blood-and-thunder doin's, the absence of which tends to discourage male interest. The reviewer had his hopes dashed early in the book when the bombers soared over Northbridge without dropping a single bomb. Again, when an influenza epidemic broke out, he was jubilant over the prospect of a few deaths, but no dice, everyone recovered.
He was compensated, however, by Thinkell's descriptive genius, at times reminiscent of the P. G. Wodehouse style but with a distinctive touch all her own. There is the usual blurb at the end of the book about all the characters being purely fictitious but notbody could draw such clearly-cut characterizations without having somebody in particular in mind.
Best humor in the book, of which there is a considerable amount—the ladies have decided to stage a mock air-raid disaster, with casualties and all (portrayed by Boy Scouts decorated with signs announcing a broken back or shattered blip), and an elderly lady gloats to her friend that she is to portray a hysteria case.
Leading Lady
If these monsters in human form who refer to themselves as the faculty give you a moment's respite from grueling study, let me advise you to kill that moment with "Northbridge Rectory." (New York, 1941, Alfred A. Knopf, publisher, 316 pages.)
There are no "rookie" dollars. Send yours to the front! Buy U.S. Defense Savings Bonds and Stamps!