PAGE SIX
EDITORIAL
UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN, LAWRENCE, KANSAS
THURSDAY, APRIL 11, 1940
The Kansan Comments-- EDITORIALS LETTERS PATTER
Martin Dies: Thespian
"Yes," the witness agreed, "and sometimes you have to give ridiculous answers to ridiculous people." Mr. Dies' gavel saved his committeeman by the bell.
Representative Martin Dies and the Committee Investigating Un-American Activities have by this time exceeded "Tobacco Road" in the number of consecutive performances—before appreciative audiences, as the critics say and are now eligible for whatever prize drama critic George Jean Nathan et al wish to confer.
"Well, it's sometimes necessary to ask ridiculous people ridiculous questions," Representative Dempsey of New Mexico said.
This same gavel and citations for contempt have greatly lessened the cry of "Touche!" in recent verbal duels, and the action has become less bloody. Yet somehow the gavel and the writ do not seem quite sporting. A return should be made to the former Texas rules. Mr. Dies owes it to his public.
Asked whether he agreed with everything Earl Browder, American Communist party secretary, advocated ,a witness replied,"That's a ridiculous question."
Lately, however, a noticeable let-down has been apparent on the part of the show's stars, Representative Dies and Dr. J. B. Matthews, committee research counsel. The dialogue no longer is effervescent, sparkling with charge and counter-charge, and Mr. Dies has become grumpy. Time was when the gentleman from Texas recognized no equal in the art of repartee, bon mot, and ad lib. In one scene, for example, the following interplay occurred:
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152
YOU SAID IT
NYA CHAMPION
EDITOR'S NOTE: The following letter relating to the NYA program was written by Representative Guyer of the second district to a graduate student of the University. At the student's request we are publishing it.
Dear Sir:
I have yours of the 1st expressing your views with regard to the NYA program, and replying have to advise that it was my pleasure when this appropriation was before the House to vote for an increase of $85,000,000, which places the figure as the bill leaves the House at $2,300,000 above the appropriation for the current fiscal year.
circuit. I am not convinced that the fundamental principles of the NYA is desirable, any more than are many of the other activities for which the present Administration is spending money, for it is merely treating a symptom of our economic disorder which is in need of attention. The ideal for which I would strive would be balanced economy in which each individual in his own way, so long as he did not trespass the rights of others, could by his own efforts realize the privileges of education, the comforts of adequate housing, food and clothing, and a realization of his ambitions and aspirations. Until that ideal is attained, however, we must treat the existing symptoms of the disorder in which ourselves. I have supported the NYA treatment because it gives youth a sound opportunity to pursue its education to some good citizens instead of turning it loose to congregate in hoodium gangs from which it graduates into a career of crime. I feel that it is a better investment, until we can remedy the cause of the disorder, to take care of those symptoms needing attention—the care of our youth—than it is to let it become chronic by permitting them to become contributors to the high cost of crime in this country.
Sincerely yours,
U. S. GUYER.
WHOOPSIE DOODLE—Editor Daily Kansan;
Another innocent has fallen; another cable has been hooked around the hearts of Americans, lovers of the under-dog, advocates of fair-play, justice, and democracy.
Advocates, lovers of democracy! We would fight for it; we have fought for it. We will fight for it again?
On M-Day the army takes over. It decides who shall be the killers and killed; who shall be clerk and who day-laborer; who shall be free—and who shall not. We shall be told that we can say, and' what we can not say—or print. While we are fighting for a democracy! We have some men printed the Ten Com-
ay or print. When we saw in the last carnage some men printed the Ten Commandments and distributed them; those printers went to prison. Thou shalt not kill!
And for what, may we ask, do we give up our Americanism? To save democracy, of course! To save democracy, we give up democracy. Mocking, weird delusion! We kill and are killed in the name of peace.
If you want to fight, then fight-fight for the hardest cause, in the most courageous army; fight with the soldiers who keep their heads when all around are losing theirs.
Fight to save democracy. Fight, and keep the United States free to preserve an institution which a foreign war can only lose. Save democracy—but be sure that you save it in strength and power, not in a war-wracked and spent nation, a decimated people; save it in action, not as a preserved and pickled illusion held ahead of you by those who ORDER you on.
So you do want to fight. Then stand up and say so—say that you refuse to allow your government and your compatriots to be thrown to the cannons and poison gas. Say that you will not allow YOUR hand to be used in placing them there; that you will fight—by NOT fighting.
BOB A. HEDGES
UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS
OFFICIAL BULLETIN
Vol. 37 Thursday, April 11, 1940 No. 126
A. S.C.E.: A.S.C.E. will have a meeting this evening at 7:30 in Marvin hall Room 210. Purpose is to discuss plans for Kansas City Convention. It is very important that all those planning to attend the Convention be at the meeting—Leonard Schroeter, president.
BOOK EXCHANGE MANAGER VACANCY: Applications for W.S.G.A. Book Exchange Manager are due in the Office of the Adviser of Women, Room 220 Frank Strong Hall on April 15, 1940. The applicant should preferably have some experience in a book store or exchange, or business training. References should be included—O'Theen Huff, president of W.S.G.A.
JAYHAWKER BEAUTY QUEEN CONTEST. Entries must be in the Jayhawker office by Monday, April 15. Pictures may be any size or style.-Richard MacCann, Editor.
MUSIC ROOM: The Music Room will be open from 3:30 to 5:30 tomorrow afternoon and from 7:30 to 9:30 tomorrow evening. A special program of operatic music will be played in the evening—Ernest Klema, chairman.
NOTICE TO ALL UNIVERSITY STUDENTS; Dr. E. T. Gibson is at the Watkins Memorial Hospital each Tuesday afternoon for discussion with students on problems of mental hygiene. Appointments may be made through the Watkins Memorial Hospital.—Dr. R. I. Canutéson.
QUILL CLUB: Quill Club will meet this evening at 7:30 in the Fine room.-Evelyn Longerbeam.
REINTERPRETATION OF RELIGION COMMISSION: Reinterpretation of Religion Commission will meet tomorrow at 4:30 at Henley House. Rev. Price of the Methodist church will lead the discussion. All are invited—Corinne Martin, Gordon Brigham, Co-chairmen.
K. U. TOWN MEETING: The last of the current series of "Town Hall of the Air" will be this evening at 8:30 in the Union Lounge. The topic will be "What are the essential differences between the Republican and Democratic Parties?" Everyone is invited—Richard Raup.
UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
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ROCK CHALK TALK
By Marilyn McBride.
Of all things, snow in April.
Of all things, snow in April.
The Hill is in the throes of a spring refurbishing. The silver roof of Fraser is now covered by the familiar red top. Said one student in an unsentimental mood: "No matter what color they paint it, it still looks like a barn." The annual crop of tulips is sprouting in all the campus flower beds except the triangle between Green and Fraser. . . . workmen are excavating there. Rumor has it that the deepening hole is to made into a wading pool for the lawyers.
★
Professor Crafton sums up the movie-going public into four categories: (1) the lovers of the horse opera, the admirers of the wild western saga; (2) the wide-eyed adolescent and sub-adolescent who follow the adventures of their current hero and heroines; (3) the star-gazers who fall into three groups: (a) moon calves who adore Tyrone Power's eyesbrows; (b) the thwarted ones—these seek the amusement of compensation; (c) the bored one who acquires the movie habit through a lack of ability to amuse himself; (4) people of some intelligence who want some element of culture, taste and content in their movies—adult entertainment.
The Finns weren't the only people
in Europe who had a hard winter. The coldest winter in years has injured crops and is one of the reasons for the German blitzkrieg on Denmark. The Danes are the largest agricultural producers in Scandinavia, and Germany needs food with her cabbages and potatoes frozen in their huge storage pits, the killing of German winter wheat, and the failure of the promised Manchurian soybean crop. But you can't starve your cows and milk them, too, and when the Germans blockade Danish imports of cattle fodder the slaughter of livestock becomes inevitable which leaves the Danes with exactly nothing.
The horrors of radio listening: too many small-town announcers attempting a not-so-dramatic imitation of Boake Carter. And now comes a commentator, Shelby Stork, who chews his words just like Clark Gable, something incongruous about deah Rhett spieing off contemporanities like Skagerrak, and Scapa Flow.
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Local antique fanciers and rock-garden addicts have been eagerly eyeing the tearing down of the wrought-iron fence of Brynwood Place . . . fortunately for the beauty of the place, the fence is to be restored.
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Work is continuing on the restoration of exhibits in Dyche museum, with some of them nearing completion.
Dyche Mammal Exhibits Are Nearing Completion
For the past month, work has been done on the exhibit of California asphalt pits. This diorama shows the actual arrangement of fossils as they were excavated from the pits. The background shows an elephant, which is miring down in the tar pits, about to be attacked by a saber toothed tiger. When the exhibit is completed, the skeleton of the tiger as excavated from the pit will be displayed.
The Bison Occidental skeleton which was uncovered in Logan county, is to be mounted in front of a scene depicting the over-hanging rock ledge under which it was found. According to H. H. Lane, curator of the museum, the animal was one of five which was probably killed while taking shelter under the rocks from an approaching blizzard. The particular specimen is quite famous because of the arrow head found under the right shoulder blade.
The panorama of North American mammals, which occupies much of the first floor, is rapidly taking shape. These scenes represent the range of the North American continent from Kansas to Greenland. Background scenes are being painted by Sam Dickenson.
Among other exhibits on which work is progressing are those of the Phillips county rhinoceros, the sea
lizard of western Kansas, and the partheus, which is a 14-foot relative of the tarpon.
Expect 3,000---
(Continued from page one) the bands and baton twirlers will be held at 3 o'clock tomorrow afternoon in the Memorial stadium. Other events will be held in Hoch auditorium, Memorial Union ballroom, Fraser theater, and Frank Strong auditorium.
Judges for the contests will be: Walter Aschenbrenner, director of the Chicago Symphonic琴协; Lytton S. Davis, director of musical education in Omaha; James P. Robertson, supervisor of music in Springfield, Mo.; L. Bruce Jones, supervisor of instr. music at L. Rock, Ark.; and the following members of the University of Kansas faculty: Dean Swarthout of the School of Fine Arts; Russell Wiley, director of the band; Waldemar Geltch, professor of violin; Joseph Wilkins, professor of voice; and Mrs. Alice Moncrieff, associate professor of voice.
Following this district contest, the national-regional festival will held in Kansas City on May 9,10,and 11. Those who qualify here will attend.
DON'T FORGET THE RELAYS!
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