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University Daily Kansan Tuesday. Oct. 16. 1956
'Fraternities Lack Maturity'
"No really brilliant student who is mature and psychologically whole could possibly become a member of a fraternity nowadays, anymore than he could join the Ku Klux Klan...it probably would be wise for teachers and parents to point this out to boys and girls of college age who are not bright enough to perceive it for themselves."
That is how Sloan Wilson, author of "The Man in the Gray Flannel suit," feels about the brotherhood of Greek letter societies.
In an article in Sunday's American Weekly, the magazine published by the Hearst Publishing Co., Inc., "The Case Against Fraternities," Mr. Wilson questions the purpose and necessity of fraternities and sororities in the first installment of a forum series on controversial educational problems. Next week, in answer to Wilson's blast, Herbert L. Brown, past chairman of the National Interfraternity Conference, will present the pro side of the debate.
Mr. Wilson, a former assistant professor of English and director of information services at the University of Buffalo, condemns Greek organizations mainly for their attempts to create an aura of exclusiveness and for their practice of intolerance and bigotry. He discredits what he calls "the so-called advantages of fraternities," the development of social ease, the sense of belonging and post-college business "contacts."
"Undoubtedly there are students on every campus who are afraid to stand up as individuals. For such people it is not enough to be a member of a family, a church, a college, a nation and the human race." Mr. Wilson said. "They like to believe they're something special because they have achieved membership in an organization which keeps others out. Fortunately, most colleges now have psychiatric clinics for such students."
The novelist feels there is a bright side, however. Mr. Wilson claims that, after decades of notorious immaturity, college students show signs of growing up. He credits the influence of World War II veterans with bringing about this gradual departure from "trick handcelasps, juvenile insignia and the paddling of posteriors."
He does not wish to exaggerate the evils of fraternities, and says that there is nothing vicious, as some have claimed, about the people who join such groups.
"Even those initiation stunts which result in fatal accidents, like the one last winter at M.I.T., are not the product of evil thinking. They are the result of not thinking at all. The existence of fraternities can't be justified any more than can many other manifestations of adolescence," Wilson concludes.
The forementioned article is typical, if more severe, of a number of comments on campus social organizations the past several years. Sam L. Jones, a Kansan editorial writer during the spring semester, who has since left the University, won a chunk of infamous recognition for an editorial of the unforgettable "What's Wrong . . ." series, saying the Greeks on this campus were on the way out. His reason was their failure to accept the responsibility of leadership on the Hill. More recently Life magazine devoted nine full pages to the triumphs and humiliations of one university's "rush week."
There have been countless other articles on the subject of fraternities-praising abundantly and blasting heatedly the very existence of Greek organizations.
Since each student and faculty member is affected in some way by the conduct of fraternities and sororities, the Daily Kansan is interested in receiving letters on this problem.
Jim Sledd
... Just Browsing ...
This past weekend was really am amazing one, complete with all kinds of miraculous happenings which really approach the umbelievable.
In the first place, KU won a football game, which is a feat in itself.
In the second place, Missouri won a football game, which also is a feat in itself.
In the fourth place, everybody we know managed to live through the weekend, which at times surprises us even more.
In the third place, Kansas State won a football game, which seems to be one of the major upsets of the year, despite the fact that Nebraska is no national power in itself.
And in the fifth place, and the most wonderful surprise of all, it rained.
We sent our enormous research staff out to investigate what miraculous phenomena of nature might have brought such a marvelous opportunity to the fortunate residents of Mount Oread, They—the staff, that is—returned with a variety of explanations.
To be sure, it wasn't much of a rain, but the signs were unmistakable. You looked up toward the sky, and that wonderful wet stuff just kept falling on you. It was almost like being trapped by a lawn sprinkler.
Another said the water pressure had gotten out of control in the University water mains.
One said that Mother Nature had gotten her signals switched, and that the rain had actually been intended to arrive during the first quarter of the Oklahoma game.
A third said it was merely a shower of pessimistic tears from Coach Bud Wilkinson of Oklahoma.
But after struggling through these and many other suggestions, we finally ran the whole batch through an IBM machine and came out with the real answer.
The credit for bringing rain to Lawrence must go to the girls from that sorority down at the end of the campus, whose only previous distinction had been the poly bathtub in the city.
it seems these energetic little dol-
lies got busy and sponsored a carwashing project on Saturday morning, and sure enough, it rained that very same night.
You may scoff at this as mere coincidence, but you'll have to admit that such things happen quite frequently.
And as we sweler through class in the middle of October, still wearing summer clothes, we've come up with a plan.
Why not use a little more of this reverse psychology on Mother Nature in an attempt to cool things off a bit.
What we're advocating is for all the little dolllies on the campus to start wearing such summary items as shorts, bathing suits, etc., every day.
We'll guarantee that this would bring cold weather within two or three days, and it should be lots of fun till the sun goes under.
Quill Club To Meet Wednesday Night
—Dick Walt
Ward Miner, visiting assistant professor of English, and Mrs. Miner will be guests of the Quill Club at 7:30 p. m. Wednesday in the Oread Room of the Student Union.
Prof. Miner was studying in Finland under a Fulbright grant before coming here. He taught American literature at the University of Turka and at the Abo Akademi, a Swedish speaking university, also in Turka. The meeting is open to the public.
One middle-aged father down the street was all primed to say that he didn't want anybody making a fuss over his birthday, but nobody did.
"A millionaire in your party," says the fellow at the next desk, "is a bloated special interest; a millionaire in my party is an enlightened steward of well-earned wealth."
Portrait Artist Needs Some Help
The owner of a professional football team accuses the Ivy league of destroying football. This is about like accusing the church bingo game of destroying Las Vegas.
Does anyone have a recollection of the personal appearance of two early-day chancellors—the Rev. R. W. Oliver, KU's first chancelor, 1865-67, and Joshua A. Lippincott, chancellor from 1883 to 1889.
Daily Hansan
Daniel MacMorris, Kansas City,
Mo., portrait artist, would like to
hear from anyone who can contribute information about the personal features of these two men.
MacMorris has been commissioned by the KU Endowment Assn. to paint their portraits. KU will then have oil portraits of all former chancellors to display in Strong Hall.
True, Cumberland college lost to Georgia Tech 222 to 0 in that famous game 40 years ago, but loyal Cumberland grads point out they were playing on Georgia Tech's field.
University of Kansas student newspaper
trweekly 1908, daily, Jan. 16, 1912
trweekly 1908, daily, Jan. 16, 1912
Telephone VIking 3-2700 Extension 251, 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. New service: United Press. Mail subscription rates: $3 a semester or $4.50 a year. Published in Lawrence, Kan., every afternoon during the University year ends. Unpublished holidays, and examination periods. Entered as second-class matter Sept. 17, 1910, at Lawrence, Kan., post office under act of March 3, 1879.
NEWS DEPARTMENT
Dick Walt             Managing Editor
Margaret Armstrong, Gerald Dawson,
Larry Stroup, Louis Stroup, Assistant City Editor; Felicien Febenb, Assistant City Editor; Jane Technovsky, Telegraph Editor; Joan George, Assistant Telegraph Editor; Daryl Hall, Sports Editor; Gerald Thomas, Sports Editor; Betty Jean Stanford, Society Editor; Dona Seacat, Assistant Society Editor.
EDITORIAL DEPARTMENT
Ray A. Wingerson ... Editorial Editor
David Webb ... Associate Editor
BUSINESS DEPARTMEN
Todd Wittenden, Manager
Lee Flaim, Advertising Manager; Joe
Gould, National Advertising Manager;
John Switzer, Classified Advertising
Manager; Wayne Helgesen, Circulation
Manager; Jim Gamper, Art Director
STUDYING CAN BE BEAUTIFUL
Is studying bugging you? Do you have trouble remembering names, dates, facts, figures, and the location of the library? Dear friends, it need not be so. All you have to do is master the simple art of mnemonics.
Mnemonics, as we all know, was invented by the great Greek philosopher Mnemon in 526 B.C. Mnemonics, incidentally, was only one of the many inventions of this fertile Athenian. He is perhaps best known for his invention of the staircase, which, as you may imagine, was of inestimable value to mankind. Before the staircase, people who wished to go from floor to floor had to leap from springboards. This meant, of course, that aged and infirm persons were forced to live out their lives, willy-nilly, on the ground floor, and many of them grew cross as bears. Especially Demosthenes, who was elected consul of Athens three times but never served because he was unable to get up to the office of the commissioner of oaths on the third floor to be sworn in.
But after Mnemon's staircase was invented, Demosthenes got up to the third floor easy as pie and took the oath-to Athens' sorrow, as it turned out. Demosthenes, his temper shortened by years of confinement to the ground floor, soon embroiled his countrymen in a series of senseless and costly wars with the Persians, the Visigoths, and the Ogallala Sioux. He was voted out of office in 517 B.C., and Mnemon, who had made his accession possible, was pelted to death with fruit salad in the Duomo.
Mnemon was petred to death with fruit salad...
But I digress. We were discussing mnemonics, which are nothing more than aids to memory - catchwords or jingles that help you to remember names, dates, and places. For example, any student of American history surely knows the little jingle:
Columbus sailed the ocean blue
In fourteen hundred ninety two.
You see how simple a mnemonic is? There is no reason why you can't make up your own. Say, for instance, that you are proceeding with American history.
The Pilgrims landed on Plymouth Rock
In sixteen hundred twenty, doc.
(This jingle is especially useful to medical students.) The next important event is the Boston Tea Party. Let us compose a rough-and-ready couplet about that:
Samuel Adams flung the tea Into the briny Zudyer Zee
You can see how simple and useful they are-not only for history, but also for current events. For instance,
In nineteen hundred fifty six
It's the cigarette that clinks!
What, you ask, is the cigarette that clicks? Why, Philip Morris, of corris! And why shouldn't it click? Could any cigarette be more pleasing to the palate? No! Could any cigarette be more tempting to the taste buds? No! A thundering, thumping, resounding no! Get some today, hey. You'll see.
You won't need mnemonics to remember the wonderful natural flavor of Philip Morris Cigarettes, whose makers are delighted to bring you this column every week.