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University Daily Kansan
Monday. Dec. 7, 1959
Impulsive Purifiers
The bosses of the big broadcasting networks Wednesday pledged more stringent industry policing of television and radio commercials.
This should just about close out the controversy. But it probably won't. The industry people seem determined to wrap television in a cloak of purity. Nothing—not even public opposition, if it should arise—could slow the march toward purification.
The TV bigwigs are going overboard with their clean-up campaign hoping the ensuing publicity will restore viewer's confidence in the industry.
This is a typically American reaction to a disclosure of fraud. We change the entire organization to make certain the evil has been eradicated.
The trouble is that too often the ingredients are changed and the result in no way resembles what we had before.
This is like finding a fly in a piece of cake. Instead of cutting out the offensive piece, we bake a new one.
Take education: We thought we had a good system. But when the Russians orbited their
first Sputnik, we "discovered" a deficiency in science.
Instead of revamping our methods of teaching science, we are in the process of overhauling our whole educational system. The result is that nobody seems to know what courses are important anymore.
But this is the American Way. When a wrong or a weakness is discovered, we become a nation of impulsive purifiers.
Perhaps they will do some good. Certainly, many commercials could stand a revising. We'll believe the movement has done some good when there is a ban on the "Look, Mom, no cavities!" ad.
However, we'll also know that the purification of television has gone too far when we see one of those little girls from the same toothpaste ad come running down the street yelling:
Thus following the quiz show scandal, it was only natural to assume that the entire television industry would be revamped. And, the uplifters have not failed to exert themselves.
"Look, Mom, no television!"
The Navy ROTC men are unhappy with the non-marriage clause in their contract. The question seems to be:
Contemplating Our Naval
The Midshipmen are moaning.
Does a sophomore or junior know himself sufficiently to say he will not meet anyone he will want to marry after signing the contract? Is he able to control the future to the point that he can avoid meeting the ideal girl?
People at this age are subject to complete changes of thought. A "confirmed" bachelor at the age of 18 might be in love at 19.
This is the time many students begin to formulate a way of life and thought which they will follow the rest of their lives. The Army and Air Force programs recognize this and students are allowed to carry on a normal collegiate life. Part of this normal life includes the right to decide for oneself, at any time, whether or not to get married.
The navy has offered three reasons for the non-marriage clause in its contract.
We realize that the navy contract is legally binding. But even so it is far from being fair. The midshipmen are not trying to step out of the contract, but are only pointing out its unfairness.
The first is: "The navy feels the men cannot be loyal to two masters."
This seems ridiculous. Averages show that married students make better grades than do unmarried students. Then, too, a wife can help the
The second reason is that the midshipmen are put on the same basis as the naval academy student.
ROTC student to do a good job for the navy. Marriage can be a stabilizing factor.
This reason seems more ridiculous than the first. KU can hardly be considered as a military academy since it is a co-educational school. KU will never become, "The Annapolis on the Kaw."
Finally, the navy says it would be responsible for the wife and children of the married student.
We doubt that the navy would feel overly burdened by this responsibility. It does not seem to mind watching over the wives of officers and enlisted men on active duty.In fact it goes out of its way to provide adequate housing, medical and recreational facilities for them on bases throughout the world.
Maybe the navy will throw out the clause. It is about time the true feelings of the men were considered. All the navy's out-dated rules and traditions should have gone out with the old rum ration (grog). But perhaps the navy should have thrown out the asinine stipulations and kept the grog.
Apparently the navy isn't too sure of the fairness of the clause, because for the past two years the clause has been brought before a special committee for consideration. Apparently, the clause maintains a navy tradition. It has been scheduled for review again in 1960.
Ralph Wilson
Appreciation Expressed Editor:
Last Wednesday, Dec. 2, a small but attentive audience, listened to an interesting and enlightening discussion pertaining to socialism in China and Russia today. It was delivered by Scott Nearing, world famous sociologist and economist. His views and beliefs were frank and to the point. He spoke his mind, pulled no punches and believe it or not, no one threw a stone.
Dailu Hansan UNIVERSITY
University of Kansas student newspaper
Founded 1889, became biweekly 1904,
triweekly 1908, daily Jan. 16, 1912.
Extension 711, news room Extension 376, business office
Member Inland Daily Press Association. Associated Collegiate Press. Represented by National Advertising Service, 420 Madison Ave., New York, N.Y. News service: $10 each. International subscription rates: $3 a customer 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 student. 17, 18, 19, 20 Kan., post office univer act of March 3, 1879.
NEWS DEPARTMENT
Jack Harrison ... Managing Editor
EDITORIAL DEPARTMENT
EDITORIAL DEPARTMENT
John Husar Co-Editorial Editors
BUSINESS DEPARTMENT
Bill Kane  Business Manager
John Husar ... Co-Editorial Editors
HISTORY DEPARTMENT
It was an extremely enjoyable evening and I think it is a shame that we do not have many more programs of this nature to help stimulate our otherwise corrupted and misled minds.
I would like to thank the person or persons responsible for Mr. Nearing's appearance, on behalf of those who enjoyed his comments as much as I. I hope that we will be seeing and hearing much more of this healthy, open-minded expression of thought in the future.
Here is a way for us to hear views and beliefs that are somehow kept hidden in a fog of obscurity. Here is a chance to take a peek at the other side of that proverial coin. You know, the one that usually lands with the truth side down.
Here's one big hurrah for Peter Posch, Walter Meuse and the Kansas editorial department for Nov. 30's, "A Visitor's View." It did my heart good to read some of that so-called foreign humor that is actually the backbone of American humor.
Long Beach, N. Y., Senior Applauds Column
Jim McMullan Long Beach N. Y. Senior
(White, Anglo-Saxon, Protestants), DAR-niks (Daughters of the American Revolution), and Beatniks, it is a sweet sight to read some humor that doesn't cry out paranoia, isolationism and spillage, in that order.
In this era of WASP-niks
Harry Golden, in "Only in America," bewails the fact that since the advent of the McCarran (anti) Immigration Act, America has forgotten how to laugh at itself. The time was, when the British, French, Jews and Americans were the only peoples who could make fun of their social, political and economic crises, America can no longer do this. Oh, for the days of yore when humorists like Will Rogers and Mort Sahl were the rule not the exception.
The typical foreign student interview invariably begins or ends with the penetrating question: "Well, after two weeks in America, what do you think of it?" This is answered by the equally pregnant philip: "Well, it's very big .. isn't it?"
For my money I would rather read the Posch and Meuse comments on America than have to swallow the insipid and perfunctory remarks of the typical foreign student interview.
--Donald Kissil
New York, N.Y., graduate student
Star Sees Faculty Salary Hassle
The Kansas state budget division, apparently under Gov. George Docking's orders, has whacked off requested faculty salary increases of $1,350,000 at the five state colleges. A general 7 per cent increase on a merit basis had been sought to enable Kansas to compete with other Middle Western schools.
It is assumed that Governor Docking will submit a budget to the Legislature in January without the increases. Also it is assumed that the Legislature will restore all, or part of the requests.
This is what happened in previous sessions. It is beginning to resemble a shell game of now-you-see-it and now-you-don't. The game, however, isn't funny. Its continual repetition is beginning to annoy a great many Kansans who are fearful that perpetual harassment will cause permanent damage to the schools and that Kansas youth will be the victims.
We can't believe that any governor wants to see this happen.
—The Kansas City Star
P L
By Calder M. Pickett
Associate Professor of Journalism
In an attractive format that surpasses even the Bantam Classics, Signet has entered the field of presenting great books in inexpensive form. One of the first is Thomas Hardy's celebrated story of Egdon Heath, and of the dark and troubled people who lived there more than 100 years ago. The novel, which has overtones almost of a Greek tragedy, is of Eustacia Vye, passionate girl who weds the returning Clym Yeobright, although she loves Damon Wildeve, a man as dark and wild as she is herself.
Tragedy overcomes the impetuous Eustacia, and her husband becomes an itinerant preacher. Published in 1878, "The Return of the Native" generally is accepted as Hardy's greatest work, and one that foreshadows both form and content—particularly psychological content—of novels of the 20th century.
That is why the old religions and the old Scriptural language showed so sharp a wisdom when they spoke, not of one's duty toward humanity, but of one's duty toward one's neighbor. Duty toward humanity may take the form of some choice which is personal or even pleasurable. But we have to love our neighbor because he is there—he is the sample of humanity that is actually given us. C. K. Chesterton.
THE RETURN OF THE NATIVE, by Thomas Hardy. Signet Classic, 50 cents.
Courses in writing are elecmosynary enterprises so far as the college budget is concerned—opportunities provided to a small minority of students to investigate their artistic possibilities at the college's expense. The students who take them should be grateful. Sometimes, improbably enough, they are.-Archibald MacLeish
We make our friends; we make our enemies; but God makes our next-door neighbor.
Worth Repeating
I have learned as much from Charlie Brown of "Peanuts" as I have learned from Perseus—Jerome S. Bruner
LITTLE MAN ON CAMPUS By Dick Bibler
"HEY, HOW'S ABOUT TH' CATSHP?"