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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (April 2, 1942)
cMoui jmfiositawt H R.Q^G? T^OTC military training has not always been the University of Oregon’s most popular course. In those peaceful years of Ihe 1930’s, when the world was repelled by the thought of another war, and in the early ’40s when America thought that not wanting war would keep her out of it, Oregon students were apathetic toward compulsory ROTO. IIow could a youth educated to hate war reconcile himself to the military training which made wars possible? War came swiftly and quickly to America. It was a war brought to our own shores, a war the nation could not avoid if she were to remain whole. Military training became the crux of the American way of life; uniforms became common place. Those men who had taken college ROTC were grateful to the nation’s farsighted educators who had maintained some sort of military training for college students even during the years when war was improbable. Students who had secured ex emptions found themselves in a tough spot. For Uncle Sam’s Washington fish bowl took them just as rapidly as the ROTC trained men. The latter were able to advance faster, to get along better under army regulations. RECENT letter from a February draftee from the Uni versity of Oregon reads: “As far as military drill is con cerned, I haven’t really learned much yet. In fact, I knew considerable more than they have taken up here. College ROTC is plenty valuable, believe me. 1 only wish that every man now in college could be made to see how valuable, how indispensable, it is. It has made things very, very much easier for me. Be cause of it (and 1 only took freshman and sophomore training at school) 1 have been constantly shoved into the foreground in one way or another. ...” The training given Oregon undergraduates in classes and on the Thursday drill field is not to be considered lightly. Building a highly trained army from millions of civilians who have never seen a rifle is not an easy job. The role that college educated, trained ROTC men play in forming a nucleus is a significant one. The work they are doing here is highly im portant in making America’s wartime army a victorious one. Ajjte/itk&Co44,nU^o^Ball(U± moving of ASUO and class elections up to mid-April carries with it definite advantages. One of the principal difficulties of student government has been the lack of con tinuity between one set of ASIIO officers and the executive committee that follows. The retiring council often meets only once with the new committee before graduation, and the incom ing committee begins the fall term with little or no knowledge of what student government is. how it is managed, or the channels through which it is developed. With a month and a half before this year's ASUO presi dent and the other senior executive committee members leave school, the orientation of the new governors to their job of stu dent government shauld be more complete than usual. Next year's exec committee can begin the year with a basic knowl edge of its job and how it is to be conducted. There will be no sudden spring term dawning of what the whole subject of “student government" is about. The Oregon Daily Emerald, published daily during the college year except Sundays, Mondays, holidays, and hnal examination periods by the Associated Students. University • f Oregon. Subscription rates: $1.25 per term and $o.00 per year. Entered as second* class matter at the postoffice, Eugene. Oregon. HELEN ANGELL, Editor FRED O. MAY, Business Manager Associate Editor/, Fritz Timmen Ray Schrick, Managing Editor Betty Jane Biggs. Advertising Manager Jack Billings, News Editor Elizabeth Edmunds, National Advertising Manager Editorial board Buck Btichwach, Chuck Boice, Betty Jaue Biggs, Ray Schrick; Pro fessor George Turnbull, adviser. UPPER BUSINESS STAFF Helen Rayburn. Layout Manager Jim Thayer. Promotion Manager Helen Flynn, Office Manager Lota Clause. Circulation Manager Connie Fullmer, Classified Manager Editorial and Business Offices located on ground floor of Journalism building. Phones 2300 Extension: 382 Editor; J5J News Office; 359 Sports Office; and 354 Business Offices. / Was There ....by Maurice O'Connell As Told to PENNY NICHOES (Editor’s note: Maurice O’Con nell is a University freshman, and has consented to write this article about his arrest on an espionage charge in Japan sev eral years ago because of its timely interest just now.) I know that this war of Ja pan's is not a new idea. For as long ago as 1935, Japanese offi cers were on the alert to keep military plans or' demonstrations covered with a blanket of utmost secrecy. I know, because I was there. Japanese officials arrested me in 1935 on suspicion of espionage because I had been taking pic tures of Japanese battleships and planes on maneuvers. I was taken to intelligence office headquar ters and grilled’ for several hours before being released. Here’s how it happened. My aunt, Mrs. E. J. Loney, and I were on our way to China to join my uncle, who was a mana ger of the China Importing and Exporting company in Shanghai. We we re sailing on the General Pershing via the northern route. The voyage took about three weeks, and I had a great time all the way. We ran into one storm, but not a very bad one. I guess it seemed worse than it really was, but the waves looked bigger than the ship and threatened to swamp us, but we weathered it all right. A Dollar Camera The trip was uneventful except for the storm until we were just outside the harbor of Yokohama. Japanese battleships and planes were maneuvering there, and I got out my dollar camera and took pictures of them. Others on the ship were doing the same thing, and I didn’t know there was anything wrong with it. Then, just as we were about to dock at Yokohama, several Jap anese m i litary police came aboard. Officers on a nearby bat tleship had sighted someone on the General Pershing taking pic tures of the maneouvers and were courteously but determinedly in sistent on discovering the guilty party. Several passengers on our ship had been photographing the bat tleships, and officers of the Gen eral Pershing were afraid that if they were suspected of espionage the entire ship would be searched and held over for some time. They thought, however, that if a young boy were named as the person who had been taking pictures the Japanese would dismiss the case right away. They explained the situation to me and told me how to act while I was being ques tioned. The Investigation The Nipponese first conducted a preliminary examination on board the ship. Then my aunt, the police, and I drove to Tokyo where we went to military head quarters for further examination. Some of the officers rushed away with my camera and the films while the others gave me a polite but firm third degree. An inter preter quizzed me and then told the others what I answered. They would jabber in Japanese for a while and then pounce on me again with a new question. They were very courteous but very per sistent. They did not injure me in any way. “What is your name? Where are you going ? Why did you take those pictures? What is your un cle’s employment? Did you see anyone else on the ship taking pictures” For more than two hours they asked me such ques tions as these while the fihSis were being developed. No Damage When the pictures were made the Japanese examined them carefully. My little camera bare ly showed the battleships at all. Finally, when I had promised in writing not to take any more pic tures, they released me. They re turned my camera, and' my aunt and I went back to the ship to continue our journey. We stayed five months in Chi na, then my aunt and uncle and I returned to the United States. I had lots of fun telling all the fel lows about my adventure, 'whichr_ was just about the most exciting tiling that ever happened to me. I wasn’t scared at all—just thrilled. After the war is over I’d like to go back to visit China. But I hope I won’t have to wait that long to see Japan. I hope I’ll see Nippon again very soon—there’s work for me in Tokyo. JlaAt By MARY' WOLF “Eavesdropping again,” said Adam as his wife fell out of a tree.—Stadium World, Tacoma, Wash. * * * Credit goes to a physiology professor of Kansas university for scaring the most freshmen, green ones, this week. In one of his classes the other day he was expounding on the touchy sub ject of vivisection, and relating bits of letters received by vari ous animal carvers through the country, Condemning them for vivisectional practices. “And then there was one,” con tinued the professor dramatical ly, stepping closer to the open door, “that ended, “Die damn you, die!” At this point a little fresh man girl walking by the door of the room peered at him smitten with terror, and ran practically down the hall. Two morons were walking along a road when they came to a river that didn't have a bridge over it. One of them said, “I’ll turn on my flashlight and you can walk across on the beam.’'—J*Iills Col lege weekly. If all the men taking physical education were laid end to end, they would probably be so tired they’d just lie there. -—Indiana Daily Student. * * * Protect our birds. The dove brings peace and the stork tax exemptions. —Idaho Argqnaut. Nothing Sacred By J. SPENCER MILLER Scene in the life of a Gossip columnist . . . The pride and joy of Marshfield and the Sigma Nu menage, Greg Decker came bust ing into Beejay Biggs’ office, “I'm looking for one of your boys— Friend J. Spencer Miller.” There I was wallowing in my dirt. I looked up at all 6 feet, 3 inches of Uncle Gregory and answered in a qua-a-a-king voice, “I'm the lad. Can I help you?” “You sunf can, chum. There was a little item in the morning’s paper that seemed to pertain to me. Have a cigarette?” Greg more or less informed us that the only pin he had planted outside of Norma xrevurrow was on Ills MU1HEK. We believe him, too. The Sigma Noos are mighty rugged. Answers to our question of yesterday are pouring in. “Why I would NOT like to be stranded on a desert island with Madeleine Carroll.” ' Lee Flatberg, “Heck! I'll take Betty Grable!” Ray “Spider” Dickson, “Can’t think of any. It’s spring term. Joe Montag, “I go steady.” Morrie Stein, “Why, Hedy La marr might be on the next island. Always strive for the best, I al ways say.” SPRING RAMBLINGS — The Tri-Delts have picked up plenty of hardware since last term. They’ve got lots and lots of pins and Ken Christianson — Pitts burgh Theta transfer, Dorothy Stoltz of the veddy, veddy Stoltz es, has been keeping steady com pany with Delt Jim Tait. The old Emerald house days are gone for ever, Dotty—The last communi que from the DG front reports that the two DeeGees without Kappa Sig pins are still holding out, and that if the Betas can hold out a little longer they will send reenforcements. We nomin ate our boy, Lee Spitzer for the smoothest man on the campus— (Please turn to page three)