PAGE SIX
UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN, LAWRENCE, KANSAS
TUESDAY, OCTOBER 8, 1940
UESDA
The Kansan Comments-- EDITORIALS LETTERS PATTER
'Utterly Rudderless'
Dorothy Thompson, the syndicated columnist, tells of a recent interview with four June graduates "from an old and honored eastern college," all of whom "had enjoyed a high scholastic record (two of the four were Phi Beta Kappas) and other college honors," who "all told with greater or less articulateness, with more or less clarity of analysis, the same story," that of being left "utterly rudderless," the effect of education upon their lives.
Education, Miss Thompson says, had broken down their beliefs in any positive values, and it also had served "to weaken their faith in their country, in its history, in its traditions, and in its future; to put them, themselves into intellectual and psychological confusion" and several other things. One of the young men, she reported, even "had come near to the edge of a nervous breakdown," a thing he happily avoided by taking stock of himself and deciding "that the real truth was that I didn't have any guts."
The "most articulate and thoughtful one" said: "We were told to maintain the critical attitude — toward history, philosophy, biography, sociology, economics. We were soaked in historic relevatism. I tried to maintain a healthy skepticism.' The trouble was that I observed, in reading history, that the people who moved this world were animated by a passion for something . . . I could see that, if I and my generation were going to mean anything in this world and not just be dots and specks pushed around by forces we couldn't control, we had to find out what our convictions were. But meanwhile I had lost my moorings."
Miss Thompson further states that it is just such rudderless youths who have lost their moorings "that Hitler made the leadership of a movement that has plunged a large part of the earth into destruction." And, she warns, Our colleges are full of youths who think that Hitler or Stalin—preferably Hitler, because he appeals more strongly to the well-to-do youth—are great men, whereas actually universities "must train the natural aristocracy—the aristocracy of the mind, spirit and character, without whose leadership society slips into chaos."
Now, with all respect to Miss Thompson, it appears she must have had a fairly interesting interview with four mental hypochondriacs. But why she should draw the inference that because these four misfits were unable to orient themselves, the entire educational system had broken down is difficult to understand. A university naturally inculcates a skepticism, a skepticism that depends upon the individual whether it is healthy or of a pathological nature.
That these four youths were graduates also is difficult to believe, for the cynicism displayed has a sophomoric tang. It seems impossible, ever, that the four might have been giving Miss Thompson, an avowed Hitler hater, an abstract lesson in esthetics. Or, more probable, the boys were pulling Miss Thompson's leg (or her limb, to put it more delicately).
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The Kansan wishes to express its regret that through a typographical error the word "not" was included in a sentence of the article
Correction--written by Dr. Theodore Paullin, instructor in history, which appeared in Sunday's issue. Inclusion of the negative, unfortunately, gave the sentence exactly the opposite meaning intended by Doctor Paullin.
The war department recently announced that it had changed one of its iron-bound rules, allowing volunteers to enlist for one year instead of the former three-year period. The hitch comes in the fact that these one-year enlisted men cannot be accepted for air, armored services, and certain technical jobs. With these positions eliminated, there isn't much left, and what does remain isn't very choice. As when Uncle John used to come for Sunday dinner and speared the wishbone and both drumsticks before passing the plate.
UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
☆ ☆ ☆ ☆
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UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS
OFFICIAL BULLETIN
Vol. 38 Tuesday, Oct. 8, 1940 No. 17
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.
EL ATENEO: Habra una session del Ateneo j e jueves a las tres y media de la tarde en lle F.S. Se convidan a todas los que se interesen por hablar espanol.-Merl Simmons.
CATHOLIC STUDENTS: Rev. E. J. Wisenburg, will be at the Pine Room of the Union Building Thursday from 1:00 to 5:00 for personal conferences. Non-Catholics will also be welcomed—Albert Protiva, VicePresident.
DELTA PHI DELTA: Delta Phi Delta will not meet Wednesday, October 9, at 8 o'clock in the Pine room of the Union building—Bettie Ann Leasure.
ESTES REUNION PICNIC: The Estes Reunion Picnic will be held Thursday for all who have been to the Estes Conference or are interested in going. The group will meet at 4:45 at Henley House. There will be a charge of 15 cents.-Ruth Yeomans and Paul Gilles, Co-chairmen.
I WANT TO BE A CAPTAIN CLUB: The first meeting of the "I Want to be a Captain" Club will be held tonight in the Men's lounge of the Union building at 7.15. All men of draft age are eligible, and are cordially invited—Bill Douce, acting chairman.
NEWMAN CLUB: The regular discussion meeting of the Newman Club will be held this evening at 7:30 in St. John's Church Hall. Everyone is invited.-Albert Protiva, Vice-president.
JAY JANE MEETING: There will be a Jay Jane meeting at 4:30 on Wednesday in the Pine room of the Union building—Ruth Spencer, President.
SCABEARD AND BLADE: Meeting of National Society of Scabbard and Blade at Marvin Hall, this evening at 7:30. All active members must be present. —R Stadler, Captain.
QUILL CLUB: The American College Quill Club—Feoh Rune will meet at 7:15 p.m. in the pine room of the union building on October 10—Jean Sellers.
W. S.G.A. COUNCIL: The W.S.G.A. Council will meet at 7:00 in the Pine room this evening—Doris Twente, Secretary.
W. S.G.A. TEA: There will be a W.S.G.A. tea for all women students on Wednesday from 3 to 5 in the lounge of Frank Strong Hall—Jean Klussman, Social Chairman.
Y. M.C.A. BANQUET: Supreme Court Judge Hugo T. Wedell will speak to members of the Y.M.C.A. and faculty at the dinner this evening at 6:00 in the Union ballroom—Keith Martin, Membership chairman.
YOUNG REPUBLICAN CLUB: The Young Republican Club will meet tomorrow night at 8:30 in the Men's Lounge of the Union building instead of tonight as had been announced. The meeting will be brief but extremely important.-Bill Douce, Chairman.
Exchange Student Changes Ideas of U. S.
But America isn't like the movies at all!
So thought Jerry Holy (pronounced "holly") as he stepped off the French ship, "Champlain," which was recently sunk by the Germans. That was in June, 1938, and Jerry is still amazed at his former conception of America.
He came to this country because his father was sent to the Untied States as a government official. After attending Northwestern two years, receiving his A.B. last June, Jerry was chosen by Pan-Hellenic to come here as an exchange student.
He came to this country be Untied States as a government western two years, receiving chosen by Pan-Hellenic to come here as an exchange student. He stays at the Delta Chi house, majors in economics.
Back home the American pictures he had seen showed a toptah Broadway, the underworld, and Hollywood-ized life in general. Jerry particularly remembers a Marx Brothers' movie, from which he gleaned the notion that Americans swung into theaters on a rope like Tarzan, and sold crackerjacks in the streets in their spare time.
Many American movies shock tradition-loving Europeans—"Marie Antoinette," for instance.
"Take "The Boys from Syracuse,"" he smiled. "Europeans would have thought it crazy. And in Europe crazy is not a nice word." But did he like the movie? Definitely, he did. "I wish I could have seen it again," he admitted.
Besides many years in Czechoslovakia, Jerry spent his high school years in France, and some time in Switzerland. Incidentally, the high school basketball team of which he was a member almost won the French championship.
Well-equipped by experience and education to formulate opinions on Europe today, Jerry stated, "I would not be optimistic about my nation's fate if I thought this regime would last for, say, two decades. But I believe it will not last."
Concerning propaganda, he is frank but not frantic. "When my people are seeing Nazi parades, giving Nazi shouts, reading Nazi literature, it is more probable that it would otherwise be that they will become pro-Nazi."
With Europe in turmoil, does Jerry plan to return? "If I ever can, I may," is his only statement. At present concentration camps do not hold a soft spot in his heart.
ROCK CHALK TALK
--work." And so now, Dorothy has written the outlandish story of her son's existence (She probably turned the MS in to her publishers in short). The book will be out to the public next month. The title: "Curioser Curiouser—A Book In the Jugular Vein."
By BILL FEY
Profiles from the movie seat: Much disturbed were the two young gentlemen as they played peek-n-boo with the pheasant feathers bobbing from one of those atrocities women wear on their heads, even in a cinemaauditorium. In stage whisper tones one leaned to the other and remarked, "Wonder if we could flush the whole covet?"
Solved for all time is the problem of exercising the apartment dog now that we have the innovation of the four men studies currently keeping the wall paper dirty at Apt. 12, Moody. As mascot, the four boys have one of the Irish terriers which once snuggled up to Pat, famed "smelling pie" companion to the journalism department's own Ken Postlethwaite—he of the horseshoe haircut.
In any event, the boys found it a constant problem to give Junior his exercise, to say nothing of letting him out of the four rooms so that he could exercise. But the answer was as simple as a clothesline, which is what solved the weighty problem. Now all they do is tie the long line to the pup's harness, lower him out of the window to the ground, elevator fashion, and he is then free to romp to the end of his rope. It's all very nice for the guys in the apartment—but what of the dog? There isn't a tree for yards around.
My favorite printer's devil says that love is a series of mistakes all us men would like to make at least once more.
Sur-r-e and thirs Frank O'Flaherty as gr-r-and a lad as iver flew the map o' Ireland on his freekled face and sondy hair. An' now Frankie is aboot to join wi' them navee flyin' men insist o' th' ar-r-my. Frankie found oot th' buys in th' nave ha' got snuppy gr-e-een outfits, an' th' buys in ar-r-my only ha' broon ones.
Note for November: Dorothy Rice Sims is one of those American unpredictables who give this country its askaned-look foreign reputation. She it was who drove a motorcycle full-blast up Riverside Drive the same moment her crusading mother had launched a campaign for Noiseless New York. She writes—mystery thrillers in which the reader sometimes never finds the crime, 'cause Dotty wants to keep it a secret. She's a philosopher—but she spells it with an "i" which once prompted George Kauffman to teach her the mysteries of spelling by explaining, "There is only one 'z' in 'is', my dear."
Her husband is P. Hal Sims, bridge expert. She promptly invented that screwy system of her own called psychic bridge. Some of the betterctors in the country, under whom she has studied, have been convinced by that what-the-hell-is-it quality of her works.
Remarked one co-ed over the leaves of her freshly-bought Sour Owl. "I can't understand why they have a clean joke on one page and a dirty one on the very next."
Quickie: The name of Yahudi's wife is Rebecca.
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