Wednesday, Feb. 11, 1959
FINAL PRIMING-Byron Klapper, Bronx, N.Y., sophomore, as part of the backstage force on the French farce "An Italian Straw Hat," arranges a hat—not the straw hat—on a member of the cast, Karen Lipe, Kansas City, Kan., junior, who portrayed Helene, the young bride. For a review of the opening production see page 2.
Change Language Teachings?
Principals' Aims Please Professors
Three University foreign language educators today expressed complete agreement and some pleasure with a recommendation that a new approach to the teaching of foreign languages be adopted.
Daily hansan
The National Assn. of Secondary School Principals recommended a "complete change of emphasis from learning about the language to learning the language itself."
Emphasis at the start would be on learning to converse in the language. Grammar, direct translation and reading and writing the language would follow later. The originals also recommended the use of tape recordings, iams, slices, records, and foreign newspapers and magazines.
Now in Harmony
J. Neale Carman, professor of Romance Languages, said the recommendations are "in harmony with all the latest movements."
"What is important is that the secondary school principals are expressing these ideas," he added.
"We agree completely with their point of view. That is why we have the sound rooms," he said. "The description of the recommended methods is the description of the methods all progressive language teachers want to use and are using if they have the materials and facilities."
Professor Carman cited the work of two University instructors as pi-
Bill Allows Censors $28,242 Expenses
The bill was introduced to set limits on several agencies which operate out of fee funds they collect from their operations. The Board is self-supporting from fees.
TOPEKA —(UIPI)— An appropriation bill was introduced by the House Ways and Means Committee today which would permit the Board of Review to spend up to $28.242 a year.
LAWRENCE, KANSAS
Last week a bill was introduced in the House to abolish the Board, the state motion picture censoring agency.
onereing in the field of language instruction in grade and junior high schools.
He said Agnes Brady, professor of Romance Languages, and George Kreye, associate professor of German, started the teaching of foreign language in the Lawrence public schools over 10 years ago.
"I am very happy to see the educators come forth for language. It is quite true we need a complete change of emphasis from 'learning about the language to learning the language itself.' Since the war we have been doing this at the University.
Asked her opinion of the principals' recommendations, Miss Brady said. "We congratulate on having seen the light."
'Seen the Light'
Professor Kreve said:
"We probably have one of the best physical sound rooms in the country. We also have foreign films, if they aren't censored" he said.
56th Year, No.85
Book Store Loses $2,500 to Shoplifters
The Kansas Union Book Store reported yesterday that losses due to shoplifting have again reached approximately $2,500 for the year.
J. J. Newcomb, manager of the book store, said that shoplifting has become such a big problem each year that the Union Operating Committee has been asked to help prevent pill-fenge by "doing what they can."
One example of the trend toward preventive measures is the checking stand outside the entrance during enrollment time. About 5,000 persons go through the turnstiles every day during the three-day enrollment.
"The checking stand is primarily for the convenience of the students and to speed operations," Mr. Newcomb said. "Secondarily, it is to stop shoplifters."
Last year the operating committee, composed of alumni, students and faculty members, granted a total of $60,000 in patronage refunds.
"We inventory on the cost system," Mr. Newcomb, said, "and we have no way of knowing how high our profits should be.
"The cost of the shoplifting is ab-sorbed into the store's net income," he said.
Mark Twain Scholar To Speak Tuesday
Mark Twain and his "Huckleberry Finn" will be discussed in the next Humanities Series lecture Tuesday by Dr. Walter Blair, chairman of the English department at the University of Chicago.
The eminent scholar on Mark Twain and the history of American humor will speak on: "Mark and Huck: The Biography of a Book" at 8 p.m. in Fraser Theater.
Dr. Blair's address will include findings made during 15 years of research culminating in nine months of study last year of the Mark Twain papers at the University of California.
During the three days of his visit here, Dr. Blair will also speak to 11 classes in history, English, journalism, radio-television, and political science. Most of his talks will be about American humor, but he will also lecture on Emerson, methods of literary study, and use of motion pictures in literary study.
On Monday he will speak on "Changing Characters in American Humor" at a coffee in the Browsing Room of the Kansas Union. The program, sponsored by Student Union Activities, will be at 4 p.m.
Before he turned to university teaching, he was a newspaperman, humor writer, and humor columnist. He was born in Spokane, Wash., in 1900 and was reporter on the Snooke Spokesman-Review, a leading morning daily in the Pacific Northwest.
He received the Ph.D. at Yale in 1923 and the M.A. and Ph.D. at the University of Chicago. Both of his theses dealt with aspects of American humor.
At Yale, where he did his undergraduate work, he was an editor on the humor magazine, the Yale Record. He won a national "College Wits" contest conducted by Judge magazine.
His first book was a collected edition of the poems of Julia A. Moore, "The Sweet Singer of Michigan," who wrote poems so full of unconscious humor that she became a favorite of comic writers, notably Mary Twain and Ogden Nash.
Walter Blair
Dr. Blair was appointed instructor in English in Chicago in 1926, full professor in 1944, and chairman of
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Eventually the losses affect the students through the percentage of refunds returned to the students. However, Mr. Newcomb pointed out; the loss due to shoplifting is small enough now not to affect refunds.
"We're proud of our 10 per cent refund because most commercial businesses can pay only four per cent.
"We operate on the basis of honesty and self-service. We'll continue to operate on the principle that students are honest," Mr. Newcomb said.
"Shoplifting is a touchy subject," he concluded. "There are so many good students that it's hard to saw anything about the bad students."
The annual report made out for the fiscal year ending in July of 1958, indicated 72.8 cents out of the dollar taken in was paid to suppliers; 16.7 cents for operating expenses; 9.2 cents for customer refunds and 1.3 cents for the store's net income.
The students have a great deal invested in the book store, and the store's employees feel it is the students' duty to treat them fairly, he continued.
The book store's share from each dollar is placed in a reserve fund for inventory purchase, emergency expense and expansion.
Warming Trend Due for Area
Although warming trends will end the fairland effect of icy trees it will undoubtedly be a great comfort to students who have had to fight their way up hills and try to stop at the right corner on the way down.
The low temperature on the campus yesterday was 15 degrees, but the weatherman predicts clear skies and sunny weather, with a considerable warming trend beginning.
Cold weather prevailed over all of the state last night with a low of 9 degrees reported at Hill City,
Fair and warmer tonight. Increasing cloudiness and warmer tomorrow. Low tonight generally 28s. High Thursday 45 to 55.
Salina and Concordia and a high of 22 degrees at Garden City.
The warming trend, which started in the west, is expected to cause widespread melting of the ice. Freezing temperatures again tonight will be the case over all of the state
Lenten Customs Change Through Ages
By Harry Ritter
Mardi Gras parties and other celebrations gave way at midnight last night to the Lenten season and Christians over the world began thinking once again of the forty days of prayer and fasting by Jesus in the wilderness before His crucifixion on Good Friday.
The Lenten observance is also significant of the forty days of the biblical flood, of the number of years of the Israelites' wandering, and the days of the fast of Moses on Mt. Sinai.
Lent is from the old English word "lenten," and means spring. Its use in the church goes back to the fourth century. There is a beautiful symbolism in this, because Lent leads to Easter, which is the spring of the soul.
The Lenten season consists of 40 "week days," plus six "Lord's Days" (Sundays), just prior to Easter. And for many Christians it is the time of the year when they pause and put their spiritual lives in order.
Lent begins today with Ash Wednesday. It is so called from a medieval custom of daubing one's forehead with ashes from the palms of the previous year's Palm Sunday. The symbolism was contription and sorrow for the sins that crucified the Lord Jesus.
The first Lenten seasons were not 40 days in length. The earliest records on the observance of Lent imply that the first Christians held weekly Lenten observances, with their Friday fast being a memorial of the death of Christ and their Sunday service commemorating His Ressurrection.
Lent had been extended to thirty-six days by the third century, including six days of Holy Week.
Originally, the extended Lenten season commenced on Sunday. In 487, the four days preceding that Sunday were added, making 40 fast days.
Many changes have taken place down through the years in the observance of Lent. It is still a time of fasting, prayer and the performing of good works, but the ancient rules in most cases have been relaxed.