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UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN, LAWRENCE, KANSAS
THURSDAY, SEPT. 25, 1941
The KANSAN Comments...
PAN-AMERICAN COOPERATION
Students at the University, upon their graduation in 1945, may be able to step into their automobiles and head southward, arriving three weeks later in Santiago, Chile, if present plans for the Pan-American highway are completed on schedule.
The new highway already is a factor in the defense of the hemisphere, and will, upon completion, be even more valuable, and unique among nations of the world as a cooperative enterprise.
Long an engineers' dream, the ribbon of concrete will some day stretch from Fairbanks Alaska, to Chile, across the Andes to Argentine, north again through Uruguay and into Brazil. Communicating branch highways will ultimately connect all of the 21 American republics.
Millions of Americans have already vacationed in Mexico by automobile. The completion of the road will make it possible for millions of other North Americans to visit their southern neighbors, over a road as modern and as smooth as our own U.S. 24. Most of these Americans could not find it possible to finance a trip to the same countries by boat.
The plain people of North America therefore, will meet the plain people of the other Americas—and in meeting, will provide a better understanding than is possible among diplomats, or among men who have gone from the United States to our southern neighbors to exploit the wealth of these countries.
Tourist money is a great leveler of barriers abroad and will be the means of stimulating the growing friendly relationship among the Americas. The excellent reception of U.S. tourists in Mexico proves that.
In these days of billion-dollar appropriations for national defense, the 120 millions needed to complete the highway seems small. Each of the 21 American republics will share in its cost on the basis of its financial capacity.
This is a time for Congress to be generous any appropriation spent on this Pan-American highway will be returned a hundredfold, in good will and understanding.
Women are being urged to wear trousers in England by the director of civilian clothing. That's nothing new. Women have worn the pants in most American families for generations.
ANOTHER AXIS ENEMY
In addition to the stiff resistance of the Russian army along a 2,000 mile front, the invading German forces will soon face an enemy equally dangerous—winter.
Germany is not exactly a tropical rain forest, nor are the German armies totally inexperienced in winter campaigns. Still, they have never had such a large army so far from home facing such a stubborn enemy, with cold weather approaching.
Snow has already fallen on the Leningrad front, and since the second Russian city is in the same latitude as the islands of northern Canada, it will soon be icelocked. Marshall Timoshenko's forces on the central front have held the best Nui divisions in check, have even pushed them back to within a few miles of ruined Smolensk, relieving for some time the pressure on Moscow. Heavy, chilling rains are
falling on this front and mud has proved a hindrance to the panzer units, whose strong point is swift encircling movements. German commander von Bock has less than six weeks to reach his objective, the Russian capital, before winter puts an end to operations.
The picture is less bright for the Russians on the southern front. Winter does not come so early in this region, and is not as severe as it is farther north. Kharkov, the next German objective, is exactly on the same latitude as Winnipeg, or some 50 miles north of the U.S.-Canadian border. If the Germans continue moving at their present rate on this front, they may take the important industrial city of Kharkov, drive into Crimea and the Donetz basin, even into the Caucasus, depriving Russia of oil and iron ore.
Germany's problem is to maintain a long line of communications in bad weather, and to keep her armies sheltered and provisioned. So far, they have managed to keep up communications under adverse circumstances, and have a large number of prisoners who could form labor gangs to repair the cities leveled by the Russian "scorched earth" policy. The German high command has already started working on this problem by requisitioning skis and all the fur clothing available.
Over the struggling armies, over the civilians driven from their homes by war, lies the common threat of cold and famine. We often wonder what Vittorio Mussolini was thinking of when he described war as the "quintessence of beauty."
OFFICIAL BULLETIN UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS
Vol. 39 Thursday, Sept. 25,1941 No.9
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.
A. LEE.E.: The A.LEE. smoker will be held on September 25, at 7:30 p.m. in the Kansas Room of the Union building. All Electrical Engineers are cordially invited. Refreshments will be served.
Swiss Flag Swingers see Mr. Wiley, Room 302 Frank Strong Hall, Wednesday through Friday, Sept. 24-26, between hours of 1:30 and 5 p.m.
DIRECTORY: Copy for the Student Directory is now being prepared. Students who have not filed addresses and telephone numbers at the Registrar's Office should do so at once. James K. Hitt, assistant registrar.
A. S.M.E.: The A.S.M.E. Smoker will be held on September 25, at 7:30 p.m. in the Men's lounge of the Union Building. All mechanical engineers are cordially invited. Refreshments will be served.
ENGLISH PROFICIENCY EXAMINATION: The first examination of the four to be given this school year will be held on Saturday, Oct. 4, at 8:30. Candidates must register in person at the College Office, 229 Frank Strong Hall, Sept. 29, 30, Oct. 1. Only junior and seniors are eligible. Seniors who pass this examination may qualify for graduation in June, 1942—J. B. Virtue.
MODERN CHOIR TRYOUTS: Tryouts will be held for Modern Choir at 3:30 Friday afternoon, 9:00 Saturday morning in the Union Ballroom. —Clarence Peterson, director.
UNION ACTIVITIES: All people interested in Student Activities Committees apply at Student Activities office, Union Building, between 2:30 and 5:00 in the afternoon.—Fred Mitchelson, publicity manager, Union Activities.
NEWMAN CLUB: The first Corporate Communion and breakfast of the Newman Club will be held at and after the 9:30 Mass next Sunday. All Catholic students are urged to attend.-Albert Protiva, president, Newman Club.
FRESHMAN MEN. All freshman men wishing to be considered for positions on the intramural managers board must turn in written applications at 107 Robinson before Oct. 3.-Maurice Baringer and Bill Collinson, senior managers.
UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
Student Paper of THE UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS Lawrence, Kansas
Rock Chalk Talk
When the Sigma Nu freshmen walked out Monday night, they took to the Delta Gamma house a prized moosehead, shot by Teddy Roosevelt, which has traditionally hung in the hall of the fraternity house. Now the moosehead is back, the D. G.'s are wondering, and the freshmen are sore and sorry.
About 4 o'clock this morning pledges of Sigma Nu had a rude awakening After two hours of enforced antics, the freshmen were told to march in military formation to the Delta Gamma house to fetch their big game. This time did
For some time the men stood in front of the sorority house singing "Delta Gamma, we want our moosehead," to the tune of "Boola Boola." At last girls began peering out of windows. Then the front door opened. The moosehead was just inside.
Recovering the head was not the end of the story. For some time the guilty freshmen were made to follow their quarry on their knees, praising Allah. Now they know what it means to hunt moose.
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Jay Janes in uniform. Vociferous rallies. Football season, and everybody's happy.
Those who attended the yell session across from Frank Strong hall this morning had at least one complaint, however. Why must the Rock Chalk be pitched so that only basses can catch the undertone and even sopranos feel out of place an octave higher. Couldn't the cheerleaders call in a disinterested alto or tenor, arbitrate, and decide on a popular pitch a bit above basement?
Five A.T.O.'s failed dismally in an attempt to get to their 9:30 classes Wednesday morning. Dick Webb, Frank Rush, Fred Coulson, and Max Howard had planned to ride up the Hill with Don Thompson in his ponderous Cadillac convertible. But first, said the owner, they had to put the top up.
Although Thompson usually requires helpers who have had experience with circus tents, he and the other boys finally got a roof over their heads. Then the five started for classes, jubilant if late.
At the corner of Fourteenth and Ohio the rusty bus suddenly both ran out of gas and had a flat tire.
Again the work crew got busy.
FIVE A.T.O.'s missed class.
Closed on Sunday Alumni Office Vault Is Museum, File, Workshop
Sacred to the Alumni office and the inmates thereof is the Alumni office vault which now houses most of the surplus souvenirs, files, and impedimentia which cannot be incorporated into the alumni office proper.
The family vault is conveniently located across the hall from its main branch in the basement of Frank Strong Hall, consisting of one well lighted room, cluttered with such things as plaster of paris hitching posts, class banners, and an array of fond momentoes which doting alumni have sent back to the University.
Temporarily housed in the vault is the Alumni office library, which has been moved there until a larger bookcase can be made to accommodate its growing ranks. The alumni of this University, it appears, write too many books.
Occupying a revered place on these shelves are "Americans All Over" by Jerome Beatty and Raymond Clapper's dissertation on the evils of democracy called "Racketeering in Washington". William Allen White has the most books there, not the least of which is a slim green copy of "Mary."
The most expensive volume in the Alumni office library is a $15.00 gem by Rexford Newcomb on Mediterranean architecture. Incidentally, when this book was being shipped it ended up in a freight car next to a box of frightened skunks. The alumni office, consequently, had to dangle it out of the window for several days after it arrived.
Included in the modern improvements department of the Alumni office are a special steel box to be constructed in the vault to hold records and voiced recordings of University
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prominents, which will be preserved there for an eager posterity. Sachem, senior honorary society for men, will also have a place in the Alumni vault for their records and minutes.
There is also a print in this box of the old windmill, now deceased, which used to stand west of the campus near the Sigma Nu house. Also to be found are pictures of various groups of matriculating young men and women sitting glumly upon the steps of Fraser hall looking for education.
At present someone is conducting a big carpenter job over in one corner, and the floor is littered with shavings. In another corner are two large boxes. "One of them is for trash, and the other is not," said Fred Ellsworth, alumni secretary, ruefully, "and I can never keep them straight. The box which is not for trash is full of cardboard used for stiffener purposes, and we're always getting them mixed up."
A box of old pictures which have been gathered from time to time holds fascination for most visitors to the alumni office vault. In it you may find pictures of the first University Glee Club organized in 1891 called the "Glee and Banjo Club." An exclusive sitting made by the Kappa Kappa Gamma chapter sometime between 1890 and 1893, proves the sorority spirit was strong even then.
Several years ago someone who was looking through some old files in the vault found the original of a telegram sent in 1880 announcing the death of an illustrious regent in Atchison. Upon the day of his funeral University classes were dismiss'd and the chancellor and retinue de-
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