PAGE SIX
UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN, LAWRENCE, KANSAS
SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 3, 1940.
The Kansan Comments-despite Mr. Willkie's protestations of liberalism. I have examined Mr. Willkie's record to the best of my ability and have found nothing to indicate any enduring liberal inclinations on his part. True, he wrote an article on civil liberties for the "New Republic." But it seems to have escaped the notice of most people that this article appeared after he was beset by presidential aspirations rather than before. Either the man is confused or he is deliberately insincere. One cannot endorse the New Deal and damn it at the same time.
EDITORIALS★
BOOKS★
The Democrats met in Chicago for a convention that had many of the aspects of a good, old-time variety show. "Dear Alben" Barkley vied with "Happy" Chandler in the singing of "Wagon Wheels" and "Sonny Boy." The convention renominated Mr. Roosevelt and polemized the momentous occasion—the first time in history that an American party had nominated a candidate for a third term—by singing "When Irish Eyes Are Smiling."
How are we to know how to choose? In vain one examines the party platforms for a clue as to what would happen in the event of accession to power. There is scarcely any discernable difference between them, have a slight indication that the Republicans would deal somewhat less tenderly with the National Labor Relations Act than would the Democrats. And we already knew that, anyway.
WHILE my knowledge of history is neither so exact as Mr. Paullin's nor so cosmological as Mr. Wheeler's, nevertheless such information as I do have does not reveal any record of confusion worse confounded than this campaign.
Confusion Worse Confounded
The saying that there is no essential difference between the two major parties has been repeated so often by teachers of political science that it has become trite. Moreover, it does not have even the redeeming virtue of being always true. There have been moments in American history when parties stood on great issues. But the present campaign has been from the beginning a curious cross between a tragedy and a farce. There may be great issues in this campaign, but, if so, there has been a conscious effort to becloud them.
The utterances of the candidates are usually rewarded as a better guide than platforms, but here again the present campaign presents a curious anomaly. Mr. Roosevelt has in no uncertain terms restated his faith in the social and economic reforms which his administrations have labored to achieve. But at the same time he is faced with a situation, perhaps partially of his own making and perhaps not, in which it is doubtful that either he or any other man could continue and extend the things for which the New Deal stands.
The Republicans, the Grand Old Party of solidity and conservatism, opened their proceedings at Philadelphia with a rendition of the stirring though somewhat revolutionary "Ballad for Americans." "When I tried to write a song for the people," lamented Mr. John Latouche, the author of the "Ballad," "everybody from Wendell Willkie to Henry Ford adopted it as a reactionary anthem."
'Variety Show' Nominates F.D.R.
Mr. Willkie's position is even more anomalous. Willkie's acceptance speech at Elwood indicated, as the wag put it, that he "has no use for Roosevelt and precious little for the G.O.P. He pledged himself to support and continue the New Deal program and said that it was bringing the nation to certain ruin."
It is undoubtedly true that Willkie will have the nearly solid support of the business community, and of most other conservative sections of American thought.
On the other hand, Mr. Roosevelt seems to have the support of most of labor despite the disaffection of John L. Lewis. And the liberal intellectuals, as indicated by the New Republic poll, are backing the President by approximately nine to one.
The same can equally well be said about the war issue. Roosevelt, says Willkie, is a war-monger, but the Republican candidate has failed to express disagreement with a single one of the concrete steps taken by the administration either in its foreign policy or in its program of national defense.
All of which legitimately raises doubt as to Mr Willkie's sincerity, and there are those who doubt that the Republican leopard has really lost its spots.
In the face of this evidence, it seems to me that this election is still basically a decision between liberalism and conservatism though admittedly the situation is confused and the issues are cloudily drawn. I say this
Perhaps the best indication of the probable future policy of the two aspirants lies in the character of their associations and the sources from which they draw their support. Mr. Willkie, say, the liberals, is a Morgan man. He is the head of a corporation which is controlled by the house of Morgan, his nomination was engineered by an advertising agency whose largest clients are Morgan firms; and a Morgan partner, Thomas Lamont, had to be hustled out of Philadelphia by Willkie's more politically astute managers lest his presence gum up the works.
Willkie's Sincerity in Doubt
Bussiness Will Support Willkie
LETTERS★
I see nothing wrong with an election posed upon liberalism versus conservatism. That is as it should be. It is the essence of democracy that people should be able to choose between two or more alternatives. And when it is over, let us abide by the result. But let the alternatives be clear—clear enough, at least, to give us a reasonable foresight of the relative consequences. Let us have an honest choice—Hilden Gibson, Instructor in Political Science and Sociology.
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Subscription rates, in advance, $3.00 per year, $1.75 per semester. Published at Lawrence, Kansas, daily during the school week and Saturday. Entered as second class matter September 17, 1916, at the office at Lawrence, Kansas, under the Act of March 3, 1879.
UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS
OFFICIAL BULLETIN
Vol. 38 Sunday, Nov. 3, 1940 No. 36
Notices due at Chancellor's office at 3 p.m. on day before publication during the week, and at 11 a.m. on Saturday for Sunday issue.
BOTANY CLUB: Botany Club will meet Wednesday evening. Dr. R. H. Beamer will review the 1940 Biological Survey. Room 417 Snow Hall. 7:15 p.m. Ronald McGregor, president.
CHRISTIAN SCIENCE ORGANIZATION: Christian Science Organization will hold a regular meeting Tuesday afternoon at 4:30 in the Pine Room of the Union building. All students, graduates, and faculty members are welcome.-Patricia Neil, secretary.
DRAMATIC CLUB: The Dramatic Club will have a picnic Thursday afternoon. All members and apprentices should meet at the front of Green Hall not later than 4.30. If unable to attend, please notify one of the officers immediately.—David Watermulder, secretary.
GRADUATE CLUB; The Graduate Club will have a picnic Tuesday evening, November 5. Meet at the Union Building at 5:30 and hike to Clinton Park. Bring your own lunch. Coffee and doughnuts will be served. Adjournment at 8 o'clock—Edith Borden, publicity chair.
EDUCATION FACULTY: There will be a brief meeting of the faculty of the School of Education to consider committee appointments at 3:30 tomorrow afternoon, in 115 Fraser Hall.-Deane W. Malott, chancellor.
PREMEDICAL STUDENTS: The Medical Aptitude Test will be given in Room 206. Marvin Hall on Friday, November 8, beginning at 1:30 p.m. All premedical students who plan to enter medical school next fall either at the University of Kansas or elsewhere should take it on the above date since it will not be given again this year. A fee of one dollar will be collected from each student at the time of taking the test. Further information if desired may be obtained from the undersigned—Parke H. Woodard.
STINKER'S CLUB: An important meeting of Reck No. One of the Ancient and Honorable Society of Stinkers will be held at 4 o'clock Thursday afternoon in the Little Theatre, Green Hall. All residing Immortal Odors, Lingering Odors, Arriving Odurs, and Departing Odurs are asked to be present. All odors are required to wear their sacred pins.—David Watermulder, A.F.D., Immortal Odor.
W. S.G.A.: W.S.G.A. Council will meet at 7:00 in the Pine Room on Tuesday.-Doris Twente, secretary.
Y.W.-Y.M.; Y.W.-Y.M. Membership Assembly will be held at 4:30 Tuesday afternoon in the Kansas room.
—Margaret Learnard.
NOTICES★
THE BOOK SHELF
The Voyage, by Charles Morgan (508 pages; the Macmillan Co., New York). $2.50.
Barbet Hazard, the principal character in Charles Morgan's recently published novel, "The Voyage," is a French vine-grower and prison-keeper who one day opens the door that his prisoners may escape and for doing so goes to prison himself. But to report the main thread of story in this novel thus simply is to report it inadequately; for Mr. Morgan is a philosophical novelist, and his narrative is presented principally as an illustration of philosophical ideas. As in "The Fountain" and "Sparkenbroke," the plot and the outward events in the lives of the characters in this novel seem inconsequential, even meaningless, until they are related to the ideas which underlie them.
"The Voyage" is primarily a story of the inward life. Barbet Hazard is a man who achieves peace within himself. It is not the sterile placidity which comes with indifference or resignation or mental laziness, however. It is the harmony which results inevitably from awareness of an all-inclusive unity in the universe. Perceiving himself at one with nature and mankind, freed thereby from all conflicts and rebellions, Barbet has a reserve of power which some of the countryfolk in the valley of the Charente believe to be supernatural. A few who do not understand call him the simpleton of Roussignac. But Barbet does not mind. He is completely untouched both by the things people say and by the complex system of standards and judgments which man has created for himself.
For Barbet Hazard, therefore, life is extraordinarily simple; and because it is simple, it is also free. Through his sense of unity he is released, for example, from the fears and hatreds by which most men are spiritually confined. His great need, indeed, is to have no such encumbrances, no chains to hold him earthbound. When he finds himself hating and fearing his prisoner Blachere, he opens the prison doors, not to free Blachere, who will never be really free anyway, but to free himself. Barbet will go to prison for his act, but to him prison of itself is nothing. To be tied by force is still to be free. "The terrible thing is to let chains grow in one's own mind."
Even Charles Morgan's most enthusiastic admirers have felt that at times the characters in his novels have leaked "life-likeness," that they have been dimly drawn, mere mouthpieces for the Morgan wisdom. In "The Voyage" they will find a consistent sharpness of characterization—from Barbet and Therese Despreux, the famous cafe singer with whom he falls in love, on down to the least important of the prisoners in the jail at Roussignac. They will find too a slight gain, at least over "Sparkenbroke," in story interest, but without any loss of what is typically Morgan. There is the same beauty in his prose, the same fineness of texture, the same concern with matters of mind and spirit.—N.H.C.
ROCK CHALK TALK
Yesterday being Sadie Hawkins day (gulp) campus men found themselves in dire danger. Import of a girls' hockey team and export of the football team helped even up the male-female ratio here, making the going even more hazardous for boys.
Seen being chased by two Daisy Mae's were Bob Brockett and Joe Brown, both of whom were swift enough to be safe.
Theta Becky Trembly hit the Sig Alphs hard when she wore a sarong to their party Friday night. Somebody said that she out-Lamoured Lamour.
Yesterday afternoon Jayhawkers had one ear turned toward the radio for Sooner-Cornhusker going on at Norman and the other ear to the ground to detect rumblings of what may happen here next Saturday.
Conclusion was that the Kansas-Oklahoma game will be a toughie, and also, judging from the peppy reception given Nebraskans, that it is a good thing we do not meet the Sooners on their own territory this year.
Ruffling is under way on those petticoats trucks will wear next Friday night in the pep parade of floats; inspired artistic minds are worrying over house decorations; prospective queens are raiding for the coronation.
Homecoming would be a perfect week-end if we just didn't have to play Oklahoma.
Bill Perdue. one of the Delts pulled into Potter's lake Thursday night by Cedric Moorhead, tells the world that after the ducking he took his revenge.
Two more days until election. The heyday of polls and straw votes is over for a while, because now the real thing comes along.
Tuesday night will be a good night to stay up because, beside listening to election returns, you can also get in practice for next Friday and Saturday.
America's defense spirit is being manifested in many ways these days, but it remained for a New York judge to decide just how far such things can go. The judge rejected the request of a bailer for continued freedom because the need of his services were important to the national defense. Nothing ventured, nothing gained, except that in this case it was no strikes, no hits, one error.
Headline: "Spain's War Minister Has Gone To Canaries." When did the change the name of the place?