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University Daily Kansan Tuesday, May 10, 1980
The Bogus Oath
The more we read about religion being tied to political campaigns, the more disgusted we become with the ignorance of those who should know better.
The latest move to correlate religion to politics has been in West Virginia.
The West Virginia student newspaper says the "bogus oath" of the Knights of Columbus, a Catholic men's organization, is receiving wide distribution there.
THE INFAMOUS OATH is purported to pledge a member Catholic to wage "relentless war, secretly and openly, against all heretics, Protestants and Masons."
These unfortunates are to be extirpated from the face of the earth without regard to age, sex or condition, by hanging, burning, boiling, strangling and burying alive. The loyal son of the Church is supposedly enjoined to "rip up the stomachs and wombs of their women and crush their infants' heads against the wall . . . to annihilate their execable race."
A recent Sunday New York Herald Tribune front page story told of a West Virginia Baptist minister who distributed copies of the oath to his congregation.
This sounds so ridiculous we wonder how anyone, with even a semblance of education, can believe in its existence. The Knights have repeatedly denied it does—or for that matter, ever has—existed. Yet, it seems to crop up whenever Catholic politicians congregate.
The Herald Tibune then printed the actual Knights of Columbus oath:
"I SWEAR TO SUPPORT the Constitution of the United States. I pledge myself as a Catholic
citizen and a Knight of Columbus fully to enlighten myself upon my duties as a citizen and conscientiously perform them entirely in the interest of my country regardless of all personal consequences.
"I pledge myself to do all in my power to preserve the integrity and purity of the ballot and to promote respect for law and order. I promise to practice my religion consistently and faithfully and to so conduct myself in public affairs and in the exercise of public virtue as to reflect nothing but credit upon our Holy Church to the end that she may flourish and our country prosper to the great honor and glory of God."
So how did the bogus document, which is now being used as political propaganda against Sen. John Kennedy, originate?
THE MARCH 18 ISSUE of the Commonweal says the California Free Masons, in one of their investigations of the Knights, had the bogus oath printed in the Congressional Record.
The Knights, besides saying the oath never existed, strongly pointed out "neither the alleged oath nor any oath or pledge bearing the remost resemblance thereto in matter, manner, spirit and purpose is used or forms a part of the ceremonies of any degree of the Knights of Columbus. The alleged oath is scurrilous, wicked and libelous, and must be an invention of an impious and venomous mind."
The Commonweal adds that the oath has also been circulated in Akron, Ohio, and Pittsburgh, Pa.
It made the rounds in Pittsburgh just before National Brotherhood Week.
- Doug Yocom
The Primary Goal
We would like to take this opportunity to congratulate the 48 senior students who have reached the heights of academic honor and achievement with their election to the KU chapter of Phi Beta Kappa.
IDEALLY AT LEAST, students attend a university for an education with scholastic excellence as the primary goal. They walk from a relatively sheltered high school educational background into a college community with high standards and an intellectual give and take where everyone is on his own.
These students find that there is more in college than books alone. There are multitudinous organizations searching for members, cultural events by the dozens, friends to meet and keep,
sports events and a social atmosphere that never runs down. These activities also do their part in the educational process by helping to make the student a well-rounded, well-oriented citizen.
THE DIFFICULT POINT is knowing when to give up the activities and pick up the books. Many, many students are pulled into a gay whirl at the first of their freshman year that they either are unable or unwilling to escape until they graduate. Others have proved themselves capable of orienting activities with studies.
The Phi Beta Kappas belong in the latter group. They have reached their peak and proved their excellence. They are proof to the world that the "younger generation" is still worth betting on.
Carolyn Frailey
Editor:
RELAYS
Mr. Tom Heitz's letter of Monday, May 2, concerning the Kansas Relays Committee, appears to be based on several unfortunate and misleading assumptions. Mr. Heitz stated that while the Relays Committee rightfully sends letters requesting that all organized house presidents encourage their men to apply for the Committee, it neglected to notify the 2,000 unorganized independent students. Mr. Heitz failed to mention that the Committee also placed an announcement in the Kansan for all to see. This seems to be a standard method of requesting applications that numerous campus organizations use. I doubt that Mr. Heitz can cite one campus organization that contacts personally each of the 2,000 students who aren't connected with an organized living group.
HOWEVER, in the future I would acclaud Mr. Heitz if he would personally contact all the unorganized 2,000 independent students, who surely do not read the Kansan, and notify them that applications will be taken for freshman positions on the Relays Committee in Feb. 1961. Perhaps when other campus organizations petition for personnel, Mr. Heitz will again
be gracious enough to contact all 2,000. Certainly the unorganized independents should be given every opportunity to participate in activities. Since many organizations lack the time and financial means to contact these 2,000 students, I hope Mr. Heitz and the ASC will lose no time in filling this need.
Indeed, no time must be lost as the Mav 2 edition of the Kansan announced that applications are being taken for Spectrum. I hope Mr. Heitz will alert all the 2,000 independents while Mr. Jim Austin should notify all his friends. Unless every other organized and unorganized student applies and is appointed, Spectrum is in danger of being a "closed club." Obviously unless Spectrum is an "open club," it will be unable to function properly.
TURNING to Mr. Jim Austin's statement that the Relays Committee is a "closed club" and "narrow in its selection," I was amused, but not surprised, that he did not offer a shred of evidence to support his statement. One can perceive the motive for his unwarranted remarks by remembering that he is a dedicated politician. Evidently his reasoning was: "Since I, as Student Body President, didn't make the appointments to the Relays Committee,
the appointments could not have been made fairly and thus (note the logical leap) the Committee is a "closed club."
Mr. Austin would no doubt want to expand the ASC bureaucracy to include the Relays Committee so he could dole out additional political spoils to any of his deserving party workers. Perhaps it would also be feasible if he appointed the officers of the AWS, IFC, SUA, the Jayhawker — in fact why didn't we let him appoint everything through his puppet appointment committee? However, I don't think the majority of the ASC members and the student body would approve of such a plan for the obvious reasons.
Mr. Austin's unjustified accusation failed to mention that after the request for applications in the Kansan, only freshmen from 14 out of 40 men's living groups bothered to write a letter of application. Evidently, most freshmen are not interested in the Relays Committee which is indeed a disappointment. It is my hope that in the future more of the freshmen will apply so that there will be a greater number of qualified men to select from.
Stan Lehman
Stan Lemmall
Abilene senior and
chairman of Kansas
Relays Committee 1960
Sound and Fury
Publish or Be Damned
The other day while I was talking to a group of Southern segregationists about the shield of the law of the land beneath which they could safely operate, ignoring the fact of the Civil War of a hundred years ago. I was informed that this really was possible only because the so-called liberals of the north were not altogether unsympathetic. Is it true then that as long as the affairs of the South are not brought too close to home by sympathy sit-ins the hypocritical attitudes of say the Big Eight area can parade under guise of liberalism?
When people are far removed from the scene of inhuman atrocities but have concern for such irregularities there are several ways in which they can make a positive contribution. One of the greatest forces known in the field of human behavior is moral pressure. This pressure can be brought to bear sufficient weight in most cases where people have not been totally dehumanized by some perverted ideology. Sympathy sit-ins and other non-violent means in areas not directly affected by the particular blight are greatly heartening and encouraging for the campaigners on the spot and are equally demoralising for the upholders of unjust practices.
It is a shameful fact that stands taken by people like Mr. Truman and our own Mr. Dalby only go to confirm the opinion confided to me by the southern segregationist group that I referred to. We are facing a grave issue whose seriousness will be brought home as increasing numbers of people get their freedom in the neighboring continent of Africa and begin to exercise their choice in opting for this or that ideology in the global struggle. Let there be an end to this double-talk so well exemplified in the ASC debate and subsequent Kansan reports. People who are opposed to expression of sympathy for the freedom fighters in the South should take a deep look into their own convictions and having done so if they find out their true stand on the issue of segregation they better speak up, publish it or be damned for it.
-R.S.P.
Political Payola
(ACP)—Iowa State tried a new gimmick this spring to bring out the vote in an all-university election.
From the IOWA STATE DAILY came word that nebbishes would be given to all voters. The nebbishes were exchangeable for a nickel coke in the student union between 8 and 10 p.m.on election night.
Dailu Hansan
University of Kansas student newspaper
Founded 1889, became biweekly 1904, triweekly 1908, daily Jan. 16, 1912.
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Member Inland Daily Press Association. Associated Collegiate Press. Represented by National Advertising Service, 18 East 50th St., New York 22, N.Y. News service: United Press International. Mail subscription rates: $3 a semester or $5 a year. Published in Lawrence, Kan., every afternoon during the university year except Saturdays and Sundays, University holidays, and examination periods. Entered as second-class matter Sept. 17, 1910, at Lawrence, Kan., post office under act of March 3, 1879.
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LITTLE MAN ON CAMPUS By Dick Bibler