EDITORIAL
UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN, LAWRENCE, KANSAS
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 6, 1940
The Kansan Comments -- EDITORIALS ★ LETTERS ★ PATTER
Hull Can't Stop Them From Going to Aid Finland
An "underground railway", safer and more streamlined than the model of the 1860's, has been recently pressed into service, enabling American volunteers to reach Finland in less time and move simply than a Reno divorce. One detachment of volunteers sailed last week on the sea-going railway, according to an Associated Press report. They are the first of some 9,000 American citizens who shortly may be actively aiding hard-pressed Finland.
Two routes have been opened for the convenience of volunteers through the efforts of a clique of wealthy Swedish and Danish noblemen, including Count Folke Bernadotte and Baron Bror Blixen. One route is direct: passage as a crew member of a ship bound from New York to Sweden, Denmark or Norway; the second, more practicable because of maritime laws restricting crews and the supercargoes, may be termed the scenic route: via Ottawa, Canada. The Americans are given passage on the guarded convoys of supplies and troops bound for England. From England the route goes to Sweden, thence to the Finnish front.
At first, Secretary Hull's September dictum of no passports for those unable to prove "imperative necessity" was an effective red signal for the railway. Later, however, the operators became color blind when it was discovered that passports—which, after all, are only formal calling cards—were not needed now that foreign countries concerned were receiving informally. The volunteers of the "bootleg brigade" do not lose their citizenship, although the passports are necessary to uphold American citizenship rights abroad.
It appears doubtful if the United States, in its behind-the-scenes role in the northern war theater as a "benevolent neutral," will attempt any further impediments to block the embarkation of the unofficial expeditionary force. At times, neutrals, and particularly benevolent neutrals, find it more expedient to assume the position of the traditional Irish cop whose beat became less complicated when he looked the other way at the proper time.
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But We Love It---
But We Love It... 'It's Not Entirely Fun Say C.A.A. Student Fliers
By Leilyn Young, c'40
An airplane motor roars overhead. You look up—and think: "There's one of those lucky CAA flying students."
But, are we Civil Aeronautics Authority students lucky? Do you realize what we must go through to get this opportunity to learn to fly?
For an entire semester—day after day, week after week—we had to be at class at 7:30 o'clock each morning. We had to make up all our cuts. Even if the ground school professors, Howard Henry and Ralph S. Tait, of the School of Engineering and Architecture, didn't mind, the CAA requires that we spend a minimum of 72 hours in class.
Now we're attending class again for two weeks—half of us at 7:30 a.m. and half of us at 4:30 p.m. We're reviewing last semester's work before we take our government written final examination.
Before we're through with the subject and receive our private pilot's certificates, we'll have taken 14 different examinations and a number of shot guns. Included in the tests will have been two physical check-ups, one flying skill quiz, and five different types of final examinations.
There's no changing of a test day for us. The CAA specifies that just so many class periods will be devoted to each particular subject in the course, and on the final day of this period we have our quiz—whether or not!
Instructors lecture students about being late to class, because we're tardy so often. When we go out to the airport to fly during an hour between classes, we often are unable to reach our next class on time.
Perhaps as we come in to land the wind direction changes at (Continued on page seven)
Baker Beams, Students Snicker Books Borrowed
They all laughed when several thousand students placed their hands on a stack of grade-bearing post cards a month ago and swore that "this semester, I'm really going to study."
Those sworn scholars are last-laughing now.
Watson library circulation figures, released by C. M. Baker, library head, show that students were students more in February than in any other first-of-the-semester month in the library's history.
With classes beginning on Feb. 7, the month was left with only 22 days to run up a library figure. In that time, 19,140 books were checked out at the library's reserve desk alone. Clerks at this desk averaged 870 books a day.
Baker said that this was the largest circulation the reserve desk has even experienced for the month of February. Students checked out 2,408 more books this month than for the corresponding period last year.
Daily circulation came dangerously close to breaking the record twice during February. On Feb.20 the desk experienced the largest bookhandling of the month when it checked out 1,327 volumes. Feb.27 saw 1,326 books pass over the desk. Both figures are but a few volumes short of the record.
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The critic of Hitler who got a sentence of ten years may console himself that it won't be a crime that long.-Publication Paragraphs.
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YOU SAID IT Curb News Display?
To the Editor:
The story of the confession of John Claflin in the recent incendiary incidents published Feb. 21 in the Kansan was a big story, of considerable local and state-wide interest. It covered the solution to an important and newsworthy local mystery, the central figures of which was a student well-known and well-liked on the campus. But was this story worthy, in all respects, of occupying three-quarters of the front page of the Kansan?
Most of our student body is drawn from the high schools to which the Kansan is sent daily. Interested high school students read it daily. Yet Phi Delta Theta fraternity, named in the inch-and-a-half headline over the story, was made to share, heavily, in the humiliation resulting from the incendiarism. The fraternity was in no way responsible for Claflin's actions; furthermore, it is one of the oldest and strongest fraternal organizations at the University.
There should be a certain amount of common courtesy, of discretion, of prudence, and of impartiality, among journalists. Editors and reporters for a college paper should endeavor to point out to their readers the better points, merits, and advantages of their school. News value should be prominent, but not predominant in determining the spread of a story.
Stories of this sort could be well reduced in size and prominence, if not eliminated completely from the front page of the Kansan. The Palmer bootlegging story, which gave very accurate details of how much liquor was found by police, is another example—and it was printed on the same page—of one of the reasons why K.U. is not given the support and recognition it deserves throughout the state.
DISSENTIENT.
UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
Official Student Paper of
THE UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS
Lawrence, Kansas
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UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS
OFFICIAL BULLETIN
Vol. 37 Wednesday, March 6, 1940 No. 105
EDUCATION FACULTY: The faculty of the School of Education will meet at 3:30 Thursday in 115 Fraser Hall.—Deane W. Malot, president.
MATHEMATICS STUDENTS: The Math Club will meet tomorrow at 4:45 in room 203. Edison Greer will talk on "Functions: The Genealogy of Variables". Visitors are welcome—Marlow Sholander, president.
MUSIC ROOM: The Music room will be open to tomorrow from 3:30 to 5:30 in the afternoon, and from 7:30 to 9:30 in the evening. -Ernie 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. Canuteson.
PHI CHI DELTA: Pledging services, followed by an important business meeting, will be held at 4:30 tomorrow in the Pine Room. There will be no luncheon this month.-Doris Coleman, president.
PI ALPHA: There will be an open meeting to all Episcopal Men students at 8:30 tonight.-Clark Parker, vice-president.
QUILL CLUB: Quill Club will meet at 7:30 o'clock tomorrow evening in the Pine room of the Union building. This is an open meeting and all who are interested are invited to attend.-Evelyn Longeram.
PROFICIENCY EXAMINATION: A limited number of students who desire aid in preparing for the examination of May 4 may be accommodated in the special class now forming. Consult the undersigned, 305 Fraser, at 9:30 Tuesday and Thursday or at 3:30 Monday, Wednesday, or Friday. The class meets at 1:30 Tuesdays.- J. B. Virtue.
SOCILOGY CLUB: Sociology Club will meet tomorrow evening at 7:30 in the Kansas Room of the Union building. Dr. Slyvia Allen of Menninger's Clinic will talk on "The Social Aspects of Mental Illness."—Jean Steele, president.
Y. M.-Y.W. FRESHMAN COMMISSION: There will be a point meeting of the freshman commission tomorrow afternoon at 4:30 in the Kansas Room of the Union building. Professor Wheeler of the Psychology department will speak. All freshmen are cordially invited to attend.-John Conard, Helen Martin, publicity chairmen.