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UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN, LAWRENCE, KANSAS
SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 23, 1941
The KANSAN Comments...
PERSPECTIVITIS
by the REV. EDWIN F. PRICE Dean of the School of Religion
Though perspective is a special concern of the artist and the architect, it is an essential element, not only of pictures and blue-prints, but also of human vision and the conceived relationships of things. Limited perspective results in a restricted horizon. Loss of proper perspective is the cause of warped views. If mole-hills are made into mountains by too close-up a view, mountains are reduced to mole-hills by seeing them too far off. Perspectivitis is a disease which approaches epidemic proportions.
One prevalent form of this disease is that reflected by Burns' cure-seeking petition;—
"O wad some Power the giftie gie us To see oursels as itthers see us! It wad fare mony a blunder free us, An' foolish notion."
But so insidious is this ailment that rarely is the victim able to make such a comprehensive diagnosis. One discouraging characteristic of this disease is the patient's apparent lack of desire to be cured; though, when proper diagnosis is made, the diagnosis is, indeed, more than half the cure. If any one thinks he is unaffected by this malady, let him look searchingly into a mirror and behold with borrowed eyes what "ithers see."
Another form of this disease is observed in humanity's economic and social morality. Perspectivitis is a form of arrested social development. Countless millions caught in its clutches can see no further than the horizons of race or class or nation. It is a characteristic of the disease that it increases the keenness of one's social vision within the bounds of one's more immediate circles while at the same time it blurs one's sight of the larger concentric circles of humanity's evolving relationships. It exaggerates "My" or, at best, "Our, within limits." It minimizes "Mankind."
In industrial disputes, perspectivitis blurs men's vision of the place of even such a simple palliative as a "cooling-off period," while it utterly blinds them to the creative therapeutic values of intelligent togetherness. In the area of international affairs, perspectivitis limits men's vision to national boundary lines and blinds them utterly to the indispensable necessity for planetary cooperation.
In time, as in space, perspectivitis seriously distorts men's pictures of things. Salutary as it would be to "see ourseles as ithers see us," it would be doubly beneficial if we could also see ourselves today as we will look back upon today's selves from the tomorrows. Only in the larger perspective of the feeling of the morning after can we correctly determine whether we were our true selves the night before. Perspectivitis blinds us to that critical corrective of warped moral vision.
Again, the incapacity to imagine a possible more beyond the vanishing-point of present vision is another symptom of this malady. An old Chinese proverb says, "He who strikes the first blow confesses he has run out of ideas." It requires the creative imagination of long-range vision to see that enduring worth and beauty are not born of compulsion. Beating a man over the head with a violin will never convince him of the beauty of violin music. Nor has any man ever been won to the benefits of democracy by seeing pseudo-democracy fashioned as a club whose bludgeonings are directed by a vacuous mentality.
Truly, the warped and short-range vision incident to perspectivitis is a most insidious impairment. And, unlike most diseases, it can not be treated by any other person until it has been adequately diagnosed by the patient himself. Diagnose your own case. Any symptoms?
OFFICIAL BULLETIN UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS
Vol. 39 Sunday, November 23, 1941 No.50
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.
W. S.G.A. COUNCIL: W.S.G.A. Council will meet Monday evening at 7:00 o'clock in the Pine room. Mary Ellen Roach, secretary.
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MEN'S STUDENT COUNCIL: The Men's Student Council will have a special meeting at 7:00 p.m., Monday. Nov.24, in the Kansas room.-Fred Lawson, secretary.
NEWMAN CLUB MEMBERS—There will be no Corporate Communion or Breakfast next Sunday. Because of a conflict with the Kansas State Sodality Union convention at Leavenworth, Father Weisenberg can not appear to lead the discussion-Matt. Heuertz.
FACULTY OF THE COLLEGE OF LIBERAL ARTS AND SCIENCES will meet on Tuesday, Nov. 25, at 4:30 in Room 210 Frank Strong Hall—Deane W. Malott, Chancellor.
UNION TRAVEL BUREAU-All students or faculty members who want rides or have room for passengers for week-end or holiday trips, notify the Travel Bureau in the Student Union Activieies office in the Memorial Union immediately. Phone K. U. 71.
FRANK ARNOLD, Manager
WOMEN'S RIFLE CLUB MEETING—For all University women interested in learning to shoot. Monday, Nov. 24, 8:00 p.m. Second floor of Fowler Shops. Dorothy Durand. Captain.
ALL STUDENTS graduating at the end of the first semester who expect to teach should secure blankes and complete a registration in the Teachers' Appointment Bureau immediately. It is probable that a considerable number of vacancies will be received during the holiday season—H. E. CHANDLER, Secretary.
NOTICE TO MEN CLASSIFIED IIA for Selective Service—Every student classified IIA for Selective Service is requested to call at the Registran's office to see Mr. Hitt.
R. Q. BREWSTER, Chairman University Deferment Committee.
SIGMA XI. The regular November meeting of the Kansas Chapter of Sigma XI will be held on Thursday, November 20 at 7:30 p.m. in Blake hall. Dr. R. H. Wheeler, chairman of the Psychology department, will speak on "The History of Climate in Relation to the Rise and Fall of Government."—W. H. Schoewe, Sec't.
NOTICE TO PREMEDICAL STUDENTS: Due to the abnormal situation there are some students desiring to enter medical school next fall who did not take the Medical Aptitude Test at the regular time last spring. For these students, the Association of American Medical Colleges is arranging to give a special test at 1:30 p.m. on Friday, December 5, 1941, in Room 206 Marvin Hall. Those students who wish to enter medical school next fall should take the test at that time since the regular test to be given next spring will come too late. Will such students please register AT ONCE at the Medical School Office, Room 10 Strong Hall. A fee of two dollars will be charged for this special test. For further information, inquire of Parke H. Woodard, Associate Professor of Physiology, Room 8B, Frank Strong Hall.
UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
Student Paper of THE UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS Lawrence, Kansas
Publisher ... Stan Stauffer
EDITORIAL STAFF
NEWS STAFF
Editor ... Bill Feeney
Editorial Associates: Lyle Eggleston, Raymond Derr
    Charles Pearson, Katherine Bozarth
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Sports Editor ... Clint Kanaga
Society Editor ... Betty Abels
Make-up Editor ... Gerald Tewell
BUSINESS STAFF
Business Manager Frank Baumgartner
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Subscription rates, in advance, $3.00 per year, $1.75 per semester, Published at Lawrence, Kansas, daily during the school year except Monday and Saturday. Entered as second class lawman, except office at Lawrence, Kansas, under the Act of March 3, 1879.
Rock Chalk Talk DEAN OSTRUM
I thought I said PLEASE, God?
The Pi Phi's have pledged a new man! After having him eat all his meals there since the first of the year and listing his number in the student directory as 415, there was nothing left to do but pledge him.
The impressive ceremony took place yesterday at noon. Elaborate plans were made by Mary Jean Miller and Martha Alice Horner. Poetry by Jill Peck made the pledging ceremony especially impressive.
Peek made the prelingency especially important. Tired of being a rushee for so long, the new pledge had repeatedly told the arrow-wearers "he wanted his pledge pin."
His requests were finally answered at an informal meeting during yesterday's lunch before the game. Peck poetry predominates:
"Let's take a vote, let's not guess—
"Do we want Hardman? HELL YES!"
Grid-star Paul Hardman now wears the wine and blue. A large cardboard arrowhead bears out his choice!
Those Chi Omega's have done it again—this time with leg art. Winning the sorority house decorations last year, Friday night they carried off grand prize for homecoming floats.
Pledges Virginia Britton, Christine Turk, and Martha Nearing, briefly dressed in snow suits with short skirts, posed with cotton snow and a giant snowball. The Missouri player whose feet protruded from the snow ball merited the catch line. "We'll snow 'em under!" (It wasn't the Chi O's fault it didn't snow Saturday).
As the Chi O snow float went by with it's scantily clads, a little boy standing with his mother on the corner of Massachusetts and Ninth streets was overheard to say, "Now I know I'm going to K.U.!"
The Last Mile
By MORRIS CHELTENHAM
This was the first time I had ever been inside one of the cells in the death block, frankly I was frightened. It was hard to know what the kid in the cell was thinking. I had it rather easy, compared with him. All I had to do was to get a story for the paper. He had just another hour to live. Then they would take him into the Room, and—
He wasn't tough loo was a rather handsome boy, but look in his eyes. You know the type, and know how hard it is to talk to them.
He wasn't tough looking, like a hardened criminal. Instead, he was a rather handsome boy, but there was a wild, defiant sort of look in his eyes. You know the $ ^{2} $
"Would you do it again if you had a chance?" I asked him, and then hated myself for it.
But he didn't seem to mind. "Yeh, Yeh, guess I would. Probably sounds foolish standing here talking about principles, but that's just about why I did it."
Then the warden came in, and quietly told me that my time was up.
Then he came in. He seemed very calm. Still kept his face behind that mask of indifference, but his eyes kept that wild look. The guards led him over to the Chair, and began to adjust the straps. I cursed the delay when one of the fumbled with the straps, heaved a sigh of relief when he was finished.
There were a handful of reporters, and a few other people in the Room. A gray fog seemed to form inside the room, and blur things—the shadow of the big Chair, the faces of the people around me. God, I wish they would hurry this thing up. Funny, wishing that they would hurry and put that boy in the chair.
Then I felt sick to my stomach. I didn't want to watch this. In fact, I was looking at my sheoftops when the lights dimmed for a moment.
I didn't feel quite so bad when it was all over. One of the veteran reporters and I dropped in at a little tavern not so far from the prison, and chatted over a sandwich and beer. The veteran reporter had seen so many of these things he could afford to philosophize about them.
"Sure it was a tough vap, but hell he knew what was coming. The law was clear about the whole matter."
Yet he deliberately smoked a cigarette in the rotunda of Frank Strong hall. I have no sympathy for him."
"Guess you're right," I said. "Looks like he walked the last mile for a Camel."
SUN
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The Wesley Foundation will send eight representatives to the National Methodist Student conference at the University of Illinois December 29.
Delegates will be Carroll Clawson, Junie Sutherland, Earl Riddle, Donna Jean Stember, Richard Edgar, Lois Burns, Evan Hollinsworth, and the Rev. Edwin F. Price, director of Wesley Foundation.
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"The Student in Christian World Reconstruction" will be the theme of the conference. The program will be divided into three sections: platform addresses by national religious leaders; discussion of commissions; and creative interest hours.
This conference will attract 1,500 students and adult workers from colleges and universities in all states and some foreign countries.
Wesley Foundation cabinet also discussed plans for the annual Christmas banquet of the Wesley Foundation at the University. The banquet will be held at the First Methodist church December 18.
Eight to Attend Methodist Meet
Apple production in the States for 1940 is estima 114,400,000 bushels.
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