Daily hansan
58th Year, No. 57
Friday, Dec. 9, 1960
LAWRENCE, KANSAS
Collector's Life Discussed In Poetry Hour
Although the name of Sir Thomas Phillips is known by every serious collector of books and manuscripts in the world, there has been very little known about his private life and personality until recently.
The discussion during Poetry Hour yesterday was concerned with the life of this famous collector.
George H. Healey, professor of English and curator of rare books at Cornell University, spoke about the private life of Sir Thomas Phillipps.
"ORDINARY UNPOLARITY is fairly easy to obtain, but to achieve the high, foggy pinnacle of public dislike which Sir Thomas Phillips did has inspired the awe of many scholars. Sir Thomas seemed to enjoy and thrive on this distaste of the public."
Prof. Healey said:
He began to collect books as a teenager in school, the tall light haired sp. eaker commented. This interest in books and manuscripts continued throughout his life until he had the largest collection of medieval manuscripts ever owned by one man.
Prof. Healey continued:
"THE OBSESSION to own so many literary works became so great that he always spent his money before he got it. His wife was so unused to such financial burdens that she attempted to take refuge in alcohol and eventually died."
Prof. Healey offered as proof of the extraordinary traits to Sir Thomas Phillipps personality the action which he took immediately after his wife's death.
He said of Phillips:
"He wrote to all of the titled people in the area and asked about any eligible daughters and their specific doweries. He intended to marry a woman with enough money to finance his purchases."
SIR THOMAS would buy any book he came into contact with, Prof. Healey said. As a result of this he was desperately in debt for 52 years of his life.
The one other passion noted by Prof. Healey besides desire for collecting books was hate.
The speaker said:
"This feeling was directed against a young man who eventually became his son-in-law, James Halliwell-Phillipps. Halliwell was penniless and, because of this, was forbidden to marry Sir Thomas' oldest daughter. The couple eloped and the old man's wrath descended upon them."
THROUGHOUT the rest of his life, Sir Thomas spent his time in trying to make life completely miserable for the young couple, Prof. Healey commented. He did everything he could to discredit James. He even moved his huge collection from the family estate so that his daughter and her husband could not inherit the whole collection.
Prof. Healey concluded.
"The dispersal of his estate has taken more than 50 years, and innumerable libraries, including the library on the KU campus, have profited from his objection for books."
Weather
Today's high will be between 30 and 35 degrees. The skies will be fair today and tonight. The low tonight will be around 20. It will be partly cloudy and warmer Saturday. These weather conditions are expected to hold through Wednesday.
Hanna To Discuss SE Asia at Forum
Willard Hanna, American Universities Field Staff representative, will speak at the Current Events Forum at 4 p.m. today in the Browsing Room of the Union on the crises in southeast Asia.
Southern Threats Drop Attendance
NEW ORLEANS — (UPI) — U. S. deputy marshals escorted white children into an integrated elementary school today but threats of violence and economic reprisals dropped attendance to nine.
It was the first time in three weeks of integrated classes that the deputy marshals, who wear yellow armbands, have escorted anyone but the four Negro children into the two integrated schools.
Peters Calm, Wescoe Angry After Conference Title Grab
A contrasting air of indignation and calm prevails following yesterday's Big Eight Faculty Committee decision which took the conference football title from KU.
"I hope the University of Kansas has now seen the end of this harassment," Chancellor W. Clarke Wescoe said shortly after the announcement.
"I KNOW THE facts, and I consider the men involved men of integrity. I believe their story. Their story indicates KU violated no rules, nor did anyone else associated with the school."
Chancellor Wescoe was referring to Bert Coan and Bud Adams. Houston oilman who allegedly paid Coan's expenses to a College All-Star football game in Aug. 1958.
point the committee based its decision on.
It is reported that this was the
COAN AND Adams have repeatedly denied that Adams paid the player's way or that Adams was acting in the interest of KU. Coan at that time was enrolled at TCU. A member of the TCU Board of Trustees accompanied Coan on the trip to Chicago.
Adams is a major stockholder in the Houston professional football team.
"Im disturbed by the hypocrisy of intercollegiate athletics," Chancellor Wescoe continued. "But I can assure you, the University of Kansas is no hypocrite."
It was reported by several reliable sources that the vote on the decision had been 5-3.
Coan Stunned by Decision
"I really didn't think it would happen, but the news wasn't a complete surprise. I guess I was just dumbfounded when I found out."
Bert Coan was speaking this morning about being declared ineligible for football by the Big Eight Faculty Committee yesterday afternoon.
KU OFFICIALS, prior to the meeting, had thought it would take a two-thirds or 6-2 majority to carry the decision. The conference rules state that a 6-2 majority is needed to enact legislation.
Coan was disappointed with the decision taken by the conference faculty advisers but his biggest regret was that the entire team had been punished.
HE SAID, "It is a real bad thing to happen to the whole team. It is too bad something like this had to happen after the team had worked so hard."
the Colorado and Missouri games
had they found him ineligible.
The decision stated that Coan was ineligible for competition until Oct. 25,1961. Of this Coan said:
As far as Coan's future is concerned, he said:
THE PENALTY levied against Kansas was the forfeiting of the two games in which Coan played following the NCAA ruling. He said he thought the vote by the University eligibility committee of the faculty senate, which declared him eligible, cleared him and that he could have sat out
"Losing half a season is just about as bad as losing complete eligibility."
"I'm not sure yet what I will do but I would like to finish my education. I have been in school for three years and still have a long way to go. It would be nice to finish."
He said, "Although I didn't play until we were well ahead in the Colorado game and they could have won without me in that and the Missouri game, I am here to play football and I want to play."
Several faculty representatives from the Big Eight schools were contacted in Kansas City last night for comment on the vote.
Coan said he thought that Kansas had at least enough friends among the other conference schools to prevent the ruling. He said he couldn't understand why any of the schools except Missouri would have any reason to vote against Kansas.
Earl Sneed, a dean at the University of Oklahoma, said that a 6-2 majority was not necessary regarding eligibility voting.
Warren Thompson, a professor at the University of Colorado, said:
Vote Recount Said Useless
MISSOURI, which has been cited in many quarters as the instigator of the entire situation, now claims the conference championship. Coan said, "I don't see how Missouri can get any real satisfaction out of winning the title in this manner. But one thing they can't take away from us is our play on the field. We won the championship on the field. Nor can they take anything away from us personally."
Coan said, "I'm sure the conference acted on the information which the NCAA had gathered which I feel was circumstantial evidence."
"Bert feels pretty bad about it. I think Bert feels he will receive a great deal of ridicule about this situation and this is a pretty big
DONNA LEE COAN, his wife,
said:
The sophomore halfback said he could not understand how the Big Eight could take any action against an individual since the NCAA did not.
WASHINGTON — (UPI) — The Library of Congress has raised a new factor in the Republican recount challenges in Illinois and other states which seek to trim or overturn the electoral vote margin of President-elect John F. Kennedy.
"ALL IT TOOK was a simple majority. The 6-2 rule didn't apply in this case. We (the faculty representatives) had agreed that a simple majority would be all that is required."
The library said the issue hung on the meaning of the constitutional phrase "appointed electors." It said the reasonable assumption was that the Constitution meant what it said — the President shall be chosen by a majority of the electors actually "appointed," not a majority of the number to which all states are entitled.
The Library, in response to inquiries, said yesterday that if Illinois Republicans succeeded in withholding the state's 27 electoral votes from Kennedy, it would only reduce the number of votes Kennedy needs to win.
But the Library said it seemed clear that if Illinois refused to cast its 27 votes, the number of "appointed electors" — the wording in the Constitution — would drop from 537 to 510. Kennedy then would need only 256 — a majority of 510 — to win
this would be only four more than the 269 needed for a majority.
The Democrat now is credited with 300 electoral votes. But if the 27 Illinois voters were withdrawn, as GOP Gov. William G. Stratton has suggested, Kennedy would have only 273. It had been assumed that
place to be singled out as being responsible for something like this."
There was only one thing which relieved Coan. He said, "They have been trying to take some type of action ever since I have been here at KU. They have always had the facts which they have now.
"It seems funny to me they took so long coming to a decision. Having this hanging over my head for so long has made me very nervous. I am glad it is all over and I don't see how anything more can be done concerning the trip to Chicago."
Prof. Thompson said the committee had agreed on the simple majority before the group met in Kansas City.
The same situation would apply to other states where the vote outcome is or might be contested.
Others from the Universities of Missouri and Kansas State were contacted and refused to make any comment.
Reaves Peters, executive-secretary of the Big Eight who released the decision, said it was the toughest case to come before the committee in history.
"If there is a violation of conference rules, however, something has to be done," he said.
KU was cited for violation of three conference rules.
Coan will not be eligible for football competition until Oct. 25,1961, one year from the date the NCAA placed KU on probation for violation of recruiting practices.
Decision Draws Sharp Comment
The Big Eight Faculty Committee's decision declaring Bert Coan ineligible drew sharp comment from all sectors today:
"It was a case of the generals winning the war and the diplomats winning the peace. I was in complete disagreement with all that was said during the seven-hour session"—Laurence C. Woodruff, KU faculty representative to the Kansas City meeting.
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“... Our conference is run by faculty representatives of all the schools and their decisions are final and binding ... The Big Eight faculty findings must be respected by everybody. The only salvation of this great sport of football is faculty control and NCAA rullings” — Dan Devine, Missouri head football coach whose team becomes the Big Eight champion upon the ineligibility ruling.
"We're very disappointed at the action taken against the boy (Coan). We felt all along he was eligible. Our rules in the conference are so that it is up to the individual schools to act on eligibility and our faculty eligibility committee declared Coan eligible" -A. C. (Dutch) Lonborg, KU director of athletics.
Laurence C. Woodruff
"This is the most difficult assignment a conference can have. If there is a violation of conference rules, however, something has to be done. We have to pick a date from which his ineligibility was to begin, and the Oct. 26 date was chosen . . . the same date that the NCAA placed the University of Kansas on probation" — Reaves Peters, executive secretary of the Big Eight Conference.
"The decision was a crying shame, because it deprives a fine coach and a great bunch of kids of a championship they had already won"—Pete Bausch, KU football star in the '30's.