PAGE SIX
UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN, LAWRENCE, KANSAS
SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 9, 1941
The KANSAN Comments...
WHY THE DICTIONARY?
By H. H. LANE, Chairman, Department of Zoology.
The past seven days have been observed as "National Book Week"; fiction, history, science, books for adults and books for children, all have been featured and displayed, and the whole project will probably stimulate a temporary interest in the reading of books of all sorts save one, and that one without which other books become unintelligible—the dictionary.
The most essential and indispensable tool that no man or woman can get along without is our mother tongue. Whether one is a farmer, lawyer, business man, artisan, minister, editor, salesman, doctor or teacher, he must use words to make known his wants or to interest another in his proposition. The meaning of words must be understood, not merely vaguely and in general, but exactly and minutely, if one is to give adequate expression to his ideas. But how rarely does one find an author or speaker with an appreciation of the proper term for the idea he attempts to convey! When such is found, he stands out above his fellows like a giant among pygmies. Unfortunately most persons use words loosely, carelessly, or even erroneously, content if another but vaguely understands what is intended.
The trouble is that it takes work, real hard, long continued work to acquire a mastery of English sufficient for the ordinary requirements of today. English is a language rich in words, often varied in origin, and sometimes flexible in meaning. Our vocabulary is very large, and has been derived from every trade and profession in which we as a people are engaged. Probably no other language, living or dead, has so large a number of words with which to clothe thought.
Familiarity with even a respectable part of this large vocabulary can come from only two sources—hearing or reading. But all too often one receives only a vague or incorrect understanding of the meaning of a word when met with for the first time, and he depends upon the context to make clear what idea another has intended to convey by the use of this word. Yet there is at hand an instrument designed for this very purpose and admirably adapted to function in this field.
The unabridged dictionary has recently been characterized by an editor in Kansas as "the most stupendous compilation of knowledge and information in the English or any other language." It is an unusually accurate presentation of every word and the idea for which it stands. A vital education is to be found between its lids. Synonymms and antonymns, derivations and changes in meaning are all set forth before him who will but take the time and trouble to consult its pages.
But there lies the rub! It takes time and trouble—not a great deal, but some—to consult a dictionary. Many of us think ourselves in too big a hurry or we are too lazy to take the trouble to seek in this large book the information it would be to our advantage to have. Some do not realize that they need to use a dictionary; they adopt a newly heard term, if it strikes the fancy, without pausing to consider whether it be adapted to the correct expression of the rather vague idea they have in mind. There is "no royal road to learning" here, as everywhere else. Without concentrated effort over a reasonable period of time no one can hope to extract all that he needs even from a dictionary, in which information and knowledge are set forth in homeopathic doses.
It has bee nour observation that the greatest obstacle to the frequent use of a dictionary on the part of the younger generation, aside from pure laziness, is a fundamental lack of familiarity with the order of letters in the English alphabet. Until one learns that "g", for example, is the seventh rather than the tenth or seventeenth in the series of letters much time is lost in thumbling through the pages of the huge book until by mere chance the initial letter of the word sought is come upon. An hour well spent in memorizing the alphabet in the accepted order would make consultation of the dictionary a speedy and fruitful pleasure and satisfaction, rather than an annoyance such as it seems often to be. It could soon result in an enrichment of the student's vocabulary to the extent that he could read books with intelligent understanding and could express his own ideas and thoughts with precision and without hesitation or awkward groping after an elusive term—elusive most surely because not clearly apprehended.
Elephants can hold their liquor. In Portugese East Africa a herd was sobering up after having indulged in fellowship around a large bowl of native alcoholic beverage left by residents of the region, who were celebrating. The elephants drank deeply, then proceeded quite steadily on their way.
OFFICIAL BULLETIN UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS
Vcl. 39 Sunday, Nov. 9, 1941 No. $ 4^{1} $
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. N.A.A. AVIATION CLUB: The women's aviation club will meet Thursday at 8 p.m. in the Pine Room. Any woman interested in aviation is invited. She need not be able to fly—Nancy Kerber, president.
ARCHERY CLUB: There will be no meeting of the Archery Club Tuesday because of the holiday. The next regular meeting will be Tuesday, Nov. 18 at 430 p.m. in the Community building. Anyone interested is invited to attend. Betty Lou Currant, president.
KU KUS—There will be a meeting of the Ku Kus in Mens Lounge, Union Bldg., Monday night, 9:00 p.m. BOY EDWARDS. Pres.
Prospective teachers may obtain junior memberships in the Kansas State Teachers Association at the office of the School of Education, 103 Fraser Hall.—Signed, R. A. Schwegel, president K.U, Unit.
Faculty members who have not yet called for K.S.T. A.membership cards may obtain them at 103 Fraser Hall.—Signed, R.A.Schwegler.
PRACTICE TEACHING: Students desiring to do supervised teaching during the spring semester should make application at once in the office of the School of Education—Signed, George B. Smith, Dean.
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 Frank Strong Hall. A fee of two dollars will be charged for this special test. For further information, inquire of Parke H. Woodard, Assoc. Professor of Physiology, Room 8B, Frank Strong Hall.
EL ATENO will meet Thursday, November 13 at 4:30 in Fraeser Theater. Mr. Hall Manin will show colored slides of Mexico and all interested are urged to attend. These are quite worth while pictures and there will be no admission charge.
FRANK PINET, President.
ENGLISH MAJORS: On Wednesday, November 12,
at 3:30 p.m., in the Kansas Room of the Union Building,
Professor J. W. Ashton will speak to English
majors, graduate students in English, and others
interested, on "Richard Hilles; Tudor Englishman."
FRANK PINET, President.
UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
Committee on Meetings of the Department
Student Paper of THE UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS Lawrence, Kansas
That snaky feeling hit the beginning German class of instructor Sam F. Anderson Thursday afternoon. George Hughes, Sigma Chi pledge brought a garter snake to class. It coiled calmly beside him on the desk arm of a vacant chair, causing a minor riot before the instructor came in.
Then all was hypocritically quiet. Soon Mr. Anderson noticed the new addition to class, asked unexcitedly, "What do you have there, Mr. Hughes? A reptile?" Hughes was disappointed. The riot was over.
Phi Gam Swede Olson let out a ringing active yell for freshman Hoyt Smith the other day. His voice boomed down the hall. From the middle dormitory came a smart soprano squeak, "Come and find me."
Needless to say, he was found.
Every week for four weeks Eugene Ninginger, Jayhawk Co-op, has received an anonymous postcard of philosophy and quotations. Whether the sender is a student Socrates, a Hill leg-puller, or a dreamy eyed girl, Ninginger hasn't the faintest notion. The hand-wirting is in blue ink, and looks like a man's, say Ninginger's friends.
Evidence that the writer may be a woman, however, is a bit of sweet soap on the first card. It might have been a felicitious male, however.
The messages include such bits as, "I shall take a hand and walk a thousand steps. We shall dig a grave and bury, but glory, we shall be born again."
Billy Sunday? Mr. Hyde? Canaries in the corner?
Jim Draper, 1041 Tennessee, has been to the movies only twice this year, and both times at the physical force insistence of housemates. Not that he's a pleasure hater. He just likes to be different.
Carrying 20 hours in the School of Engineering has its drawbacks, too.
When Ralph Schaake, Jayhawker end, is not on a football trip, he spends afternoon leisure hours knocking out waiters and fountainseers in the Union. His exact recreational methods are a Union fountain secret, but they are good enough to draw a crowd consistently. You might call it Schaakeism.
From Marquee
Culture Cats at Play To Parquet
You're On Your Own, Now
Having accepted with a quiet little smile your program from the personage who is passing them out, and having followed the usher quietly down the aisle to your seat, you face the first crisis. You will inevitably be fated to seat yourself next to two elderly matrons all bundled up in Persian Lamb coats. They appear not only to be occupying most of their seats, but also yours, and a good portion of all the atmosphere about them
Winter being the season of culture and play going—the time when one customarily meets one's enemies and friends inside a hall rather than a golf course—there are certain proprieties to observe.
There you must throttle down your beery baritone and assume the demeanor of Elsie Dinsmore about to leave this carnal world. The first thing to achieve is the passionately interested look, the slavish bearing of the devotee to art.
If you are going to create a reputation as the perfect concert goer for yourself you've simply got to behave when you take an evening out for the better things. All the better etiquette books will condone a lot of noise, if it $ ^{4} $
is well bred noise, but not inside the lobby doors of a theater.
Black Hole of Calcutta Stuff
It will be necessary for you to say, "Pardon me, please" in a loud firm voice in order to attract them back from their other world reverie. They will rear up, plumes bristling, and attempt to crucify you with a look. You must worm your way firmly past them, drop into your seat, and murmur "Thank you."
Now the real work begins. It is probably stifling inside the theater, and removing your coat in the space allowed is not easy. If you're a girl you've got to juggle a purse, a program, and probably several small purchases of the day. If you're a man
you'll have to worry about your date's possessions as well as your own. All this shifting about will bring you several disapproving stares, and heaven help you if you're late, and the program has already started.
During the program you are expected to sit in one spot as if transfixed, and any whispering which is done will place you on the lifted eyebrow list of your neighbors.
Take Your Choice
Clapping is permitted, but enthusiasm is discouraged. If you are really a music lover, and have a tendency to weep in moving spots, for heaven's sake take yourself upstairs to cheap seats with the rest of the rabble. The first twenty rows in a theater do not show emotion.
It is also cheery to remember that only really important people or boors will leave a concert hall before the program is completed. This does not mean you can leap to your feet as soon as the artist pulls himself to his. You've simply got to wait for a decent interval and see him safely off the stage.
Of course, your other alternative is staying at home, and why not?
Y.M. Plans for National Council
Y. M. Plans for National Council Carroll Moon, Y.M. secretary of the Rocky Mountain region, met with members of the Y cabinet yesterday at Henley house. Plans were made for the National Assembly of the National Inter-Collegiate Christian Council which will be held at Miami University, Oxford, Ohio.