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*
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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
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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)