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University Daily Kansan Thursday, Nov. 20, 1958
For a Good Purpose
The All Student Council, acting in the benefit of campus race relations study, voted not to appoint its own racial investigation committee Tuesday night.
After more than one and one-half months of thought and observation of the problem, a two thirds majority of ASC members decided that better human relations on campus can be more easily effected through the efforts of a single, independent group (the Group for the Improvement of Human Relations), than through a public committee, acting as an arm of the ASC with all the accompanying publicity.
The GHIIR was in favor of the committee. It felt the committee, as part of the ASC, would have considerable prestige and influence in implementing solutions to KU and Lawrence race problems.
The GIHR, however, did not consider the obvious political use interested parties can gain from such a committee. Either way the committee turned, it would have benefited one political party or the other, never both. Soon the political squabble would have turned the committee into a mess, causing it to lose the perspective of its goal.
The GIHR is a private group to the extent that it may use its own methods and staff, unsullied by promoters of political interests. Anyone interested in working is invited to join the GIHR, but no large body has any means of dominating the organization. The group's effectiveness lies in the independence and undivided interest of its members.
Contrary to some belief, the GIHR has ASC approval and commendation, and is partly supported by student body funds. The ASC voted $180 to the GIHR at its recent budget meeting.
Now that the shouting has died and the legislation ended on the matter, we should all feel grateful that race study will continue on our campus under the watchful eyes of those interested. Improvements will not be hindered by publicity.
Under the veil of quietude, and with the support of the All Student Council, the GIHR will continue to efficiently rid our campus of any racial problem. —John Husar
Open House Change
Because of the KU-MU football game in Columbia, Mo., Saturday, Dean Emily Taylor engineered a change in the Panhellenic open houses originally planned for KU's sororities and freshman women on the same date.
This change enables the women to take part in the all-University migration to Missouri this
weekend. After all, what is a migration without dolls? Dean Taylor apparently realized this and deserves to be commended for her understanding assistance.
The new dates for Freshman Open House are set for Dec. 2 and 4. We hope no new activity turns up to coincide with these dates. —J.H.
Pro-Jazz, Anti-Harwi
Monday's Daily Kansan contained a review of the Modern Jazz Concert in the Kansas Union Sunday night. I have clipped out the writeup and I will keep it, as I am sure will many jazz devotees who attended this little concert.
For the review is simultaneously the most laughable, sad, inept, enjoyable, sickening, idiotic, and perfectly predictable piece that I have ever read concerning this music.
Editor:
It appears in a newspaper that annually receives honors for journalism—from other journalists, but understandably seldom receives anything more than a sad shake of the head from playwrights, musicians, sports authorities (except sportswriters!) or anyone else specifically qualified or informed in an intellectual capacity. There have in the past been exceptions to this last generalization, I know, but too darn few of them. The review comes from a newspaper whose reporters have shown a devastating ignorance and disregard for jazz in the past—omitting earlier this semester any mention of the concert by the Modern Jazz Quartet, the most famous organization in contemporary jazz music.
Typically, it considered praiseworthy almost all parts of the concert that made jazz listeners uncomfortable, and criticized harshly the thoroughly fine displays of jazz musicianship so abundant in the proceedings. It ignored com-
pietely the excellent performance of a young trumpet player, Carmel Jones, who at only 22 displays as much feeling and fluid phrasing on one of jazz's most difficult instruments as one is likely ever to hear in a college jazz concert.
It came from a college campus that next week will turn out 3,000 strong for a concert of good old rock and roll by the Kingston Trio, unknown a year ago, to be forgotten a year from now, and justifiably so. It came from a campus whose Kansas Union (by vote of the student body) possesses a juke box that blares forth daily with the strangest sounds ever identified with a civilization and from a University that (now get this) is known as Snob Knob the rest of the state over.
LITTLE MAN ON CAMPUS BY BIBLER
I am sad and completely discouraged. The awful part is, where do we go and what do we do now?
John W. Hardy
John W. Hardy Lawrence graduate student
We have one suggestion for the new United States flag. With Hawaii, the Virgin Islands, and Puerto Rico lined up ready for statehood, we might put the stars on with zippers, like the old sergeants used to do with their stripes.
Dailu Transan UNIVERSITY
University of Kansas student newspaper
Founded 1889, became bweekley 1904,
triweekly 1908, daily Jan. 16, 1912
Telephone Viking 3-2700
Extension 711, news room
Extension 376, business office
Member Inland Daily Press Association. Associated College Press. Represented by National Advertising Services, N.Y. News service; United Press International Mail subscription rates: $3 a semester or $4.50 a year Published in Lawrence, Kan., every afternoon during the University year except Saturdays and Sundays, University News Department. Entered as second-class matter Sept. 17, 1910, at Lawrence, Kan. post office under act of March 3, 1879.
NEWS DEPARTMENT
NEWS DEFARREMENT
Malcolm Applegate ... Managing Editor
BUSINESS DEPARTMENT
Bill Irvine Business Manager
EDITORIAL DEPARTMENT
Al Jones ... Editorial Editor
By Gilbert Cuthbertson
Ivar Lissner captures a certain statuesque quality in the history of the Romans. Pygmalion-like, he sculptures almost living characters of the Caesars from the cold marble busts which line the Capitoline Museum in Rome. The author carves vital historical individuals from the archives of Cicero, Tacitus, and Suetonius.
THE CAESARS: MIGHT AND MADNESS, Ivar Lissner. (Translated from the German by J. Maxwell Brown.) G. P. Putnam's Sons, $5.95.
Here then are the Caesars who fulfilled the "tu regere imperios populos" myth of Vergil—their might and their madness.
"...such they were, or at least the ancient tradition says they were. In this book we shall be taking a closer look at them all and laying our fingers on the pulse of a great and vanished world."
Lissner begins his narrative in 108 B.C. with "rivalry and revenge" between the partisans of Marius and Sulla, which heralds the long series of fluctuating historical currents. The scene moves rapidly on through the struggles between Julius Caesar and Pompey, Mark Anthony and Augustus.
"The Caesars: Might and Madness" is a scholarly study of complex personality with an emphasis on historical realism. There is the gloomy and mistrustful mien of "the sinister recluse of Capri," Tiberius, asphyxiated by Caligula, who in his turn is assassinated. Here also is the figure of Claudius, who absent-mindedly asked: "Why doesn't the Empress come to the table?" after having had her murdered.
Trooping across the stage comes an imperial processional like that in Hawthorne's "Howe's Masquerade" -self-apotheosis intermixed with depravity, cruelty, persecutions, gluttony, cupidity, suicide, succeeded by passion, militarism, oppression, terminated by murder and assassination. The Julio-Claudians, the Flavians, "The Year of the Four Emperors," Lissner carves them in all their grotesque detail—madness.
Suddenly the pattern breaks with the accession of Nerva in 96 A.D., succeeded by Trajan, Hadrian, Antoninus Pius, and Marcus Aurelius. These years typified the other extreme: imperial expansion, foresight, philosophic wisdom, statesmanship, peace—might.
Madness again—"the dangerous buffoon, monster, gladiator, self-styled hero"—Commodus. In this period the cry was heard: "Rome to the highest bidder...sold to Julian for 6,200 denarii to each of the Praetorians." Here is Elagabalus, the half-demented boy priest of a fanatic Syrian sun-cult, Elagabalus, who smothered his guests to death with exotic blossoms.
The crisis mounts after Severus Alexander's murder; Rome is challenged by the Sassanids and Zenobia in the East and the Alemani in the North. After a period of military anarchy, suddenly another reversal results in the administrations of Diocletian and Constantine, who temporarily resolve the political and economic threats to the Empire.
In 337 A.D., with the death of Constantine, Lissner concludes his stimulating portrayal of the Caesars, their idiosyncracies; the Caesars, their triumphs and tragedies, their vices and virtues, their might and madness.
"It was a proud and mighty world, the Roman empire. . . In these pages we shall meet the men who reigned over that world in such God-like splendor, meet them before its power fades altogether ... meet them before we become so old that we begin to tell ourselves it was all a colorful dream."
WHAT IS A NEBBISH?
While not quite a leader of man, he is ever with us! Come in and meet the rest of his family ... on note paper, waste baskets and other items, $1.50 each
Vickers Gift Shop
(Across from the Granada)
1023 Mass.
AN IDEAL GIFT
Have you tried our Dance Music Service?
1011 N.H., Phone VI 3-4916
A COMPLETE RECORDING SERVICE With a Grand Piano in Our Studio 3313-45-78 Records