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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (Jan. 19, 1944)
Pna and Gan I Dear Editor: Although our membership is small this term, we of Campbell co-op are still recognized as a men’s living organization free of any other affiliation. However, there are some people on this cam pus who will not make themselves realize that we have equal rights as such. This fact became very appar ent last Saturday evening when five-eighths of our members got together and visited 18 women’s houses during the Nickel Hop. No, it wasn’t the girls that we danced with who didn’t know that Camp bell was still on the campus. In fact they were very glad to have us spend our money in their in dividual houses. We came home feeling proud of ourselves having met some very nice girls and hav ing averaged over 13 tickets per member for our entire house. The wind was taken out of our sails when this morning’s Emer ald announced that Company B., ASTU had won the title, King of Wolves, with an average of only 3.5 tickets per member. Of course we were glad to hear that the boys of Company B had made such a good turnout but the thing that stumped us was how any person in an organization such as A.W.S. could have made such an error in addition and division. We don’t like to believe that there was any manipulation of figures or withdrawal of tickets done by anyone when the purpose of the Nickel Hop is so sincere. It may be that the contest did not include civilian men, if so we wish the A.W.S. would have stated that it was for soldiers only. Although we received honorable mention for out-doing the soldiers by four times, we want to know if the AAV.S. has been making mistakes so long that they cannot carry on a program without such inefficient practices as were ap parent in the handling of the Nickel Hop. If such inefficiency is to continue we suggest that the A.W.S. either discontinue entirely or make up its mind to do a bet ter job than it has been doing. Yours sincerely Boys of Campbell Co-op Highest Buyer (Continued from pane one) SAE house and John Straub hall to escort the five finalists for the title of “Bonds Away Girl” into McArthur court Saturday evening. The men should pick their repre sentative by 5:30 Wednesday eve ning, according to Miss Fridcger. Peter Howard, Campus (Continued from pacic our) outstanding sophomores in 1942, and again as one of three out standing juniors for 1943. He was elected to Scabbard and Blade, military honorary in 1942, also serving as president of the student YMCA in 1942-43. He was a mem ber of Sigma Delta Pi, honorary for upperclassmen in Spanish, and a member of the student discipline committee for 1943-44. Reaction to Peter Howard’s death was very strong on the campus. Orlando Hollis, acting president of the University, in speaking of his death said: “I am deeply grieved to hear of Peter Howard’s death. 1 have known him for many years and watched with great satisfaction his de velopment as a young man and as an outstanding student at the l niversity.” Virgil D. Earl, dean of men, said: “1 was shocked to hear of Peter Howard's death. He was a young man of exceptional ability who gave promise of being a lead er among men.’ Howard was engaged to Doris i.oo Riley. MARJORIE M. GOODWIN EDITOR ELIZABETH EDMUNDS BUSINESS MANAGER MARJORIE YOUNG "Managing Editor roseann leckie Advertising Manager ANNE CRAVEN News Editor Norris Yates, Joanne Nichols Associate Editors EDITORIAL BOARD Edith Newton Shirley Stearns, Executive Secretary Shaun McDermott, Warren Miller Army Co-editors Bob Stiles, Sports Editor Carol Greening, Betty Ann Stevens, Co-Women’s Editors Bill Lindley, Staff Photographer Carol Cook, Chief Night Editor Published daily during the college year except Sundays, Mondays, and holiday* and final examination periods by the Associated Students, University of Oregon. Entered as second-class matter at the postoffice. Eugene, Oregon._________ ^batUuf cui fy&ual? During the first part of the war Great Britain was famous for its slogan “Businesses Usual.” But as time went on, the English nation found that “business as usual’ was becoming more and more difficult, more and more impractical. W ar and “business as usual” just didn’t make for a winning combina tion, and the Britons found that old patterns had to be changed in order to fit the new conditions arising from the war. And old patterns must be changed here too. I hat realiza tion has come to some students here, to students knowing and respecting the old traditions and patterns of social life on the campus, but becoming increasingly aware of new conditions and the fact that these new conditions cannot but have some effect, temporary or permanent, on the old order of things. For this reason a dinner has been arranged for social chairmen of the various houses to meet with social leaders among the ASTU students Wednesday night. Under discussion will be the social problems of the campus to acquaint the civilians with the interests and wishes of the soldier students and to formulate a working plan to coordinate the interests of the civilians and soldiers. But the plans and discussions will do no good without a corresponding change in attitude among the coeds in regard to the dating problem. “There just isn't time for this playing hard to get feeling that the girls have,” one soldier said, and he wasn’t far from wrong. Some of the ASTU men arc here only for three month periods. Both the ASTU’s and the air corps men have only about one hour each day free time, in which they quite often have other things to occupy their attention. But occasionally they have time to dance, to go out for coke daes and to have a good time. The coeds are busy too, with class work and campus war activities, but their time is more elastic and adjustable. Under a program of dances such as the ISA Canteen, which would allow soldiers and coeds to become better acquainted and to have a good time together comes the answer to some of the problems. Cooperation will be needed from the coeds so that men who attend such dances stag would be provided with partners. The old pattern which prevented many girls from going to dances without escorts must therefore give way to conditions brought about by the war. The girls them selves in many cases are becoming bored with sitting around the house over weekends and would welcome a chance to go to dances where they could have a good time. It isn’t a question of raising soldier morale; the morale among the coeds could stand a little jolt too. M. Y. Political Putty . . . Members of the freshman class will meet Thursday night to organize themselves officially as the class of 47. Business of the evening will include the adoption of a constitution and the nomination of officers. For the past several years the words ‘‘politics” and ‘‘poli ticians” have carried rather unpleasant connotations to stu dents of this University. The first term was seldom mentioned alone—it was always preceded by the qualifying .adjective “dirty.” And to call a student a politician was to imply that he was engaged in a rather shady business for some devious purpose of his own. Politicians and politics had about the same social standing on the campus as bootleggers and their pro fession during prohibition days—they were necessary evils. Once there was a time when politicians—not just campus politicians, but politicians generally—were not so regarded They were statesmen, leaders, influential men, outstanding cit izens. They were considered fine and worthy individuals. They were the founders and builders of the nation, and they ex emplified the noble traits on which it was based. But time passed, and politics became associated in the public mind with graft, log-rolling, gravy-trains, and similar assorted species of corruption. This was true on the campus as well as through out the nation. And freshmen politics were especially dirty. There upper classmen gave their unorthodox and sometimes not quite Up From UO By PEGGY OVERLAND This isn’t the account of a man whose life is remarkable for his deeds. Jack Bellinger, '34, is a good newspaperman but he has a far more exciting claim to pub- ' lie attention than anything he might have performed while “in the line of duty.” Bellinger was the first prisoner of war taken by the Japanese government after Pearl Harbor. The actual story goes some thing like this: He was two days out from Tokyo, on a Japanese ship, the Tatutu Maru, when Pearl Harbor crashed into print on ev ery newspaper in the world. Back to Yokohama went Bellinger to be booked as an American spy and imprisoned by the Japanese prose cutor. After six months of solitary confinement, in which a barley and rice diet and third degree methods figured largely, Belling er was returned to the United States late in August of 1942 on the diplomatic exchange ship, Gripsholm, with U. S. Ambassador Grew. But the circumstances leading up to this “incident” were devious and show a peculiar Nipponese characteristic, for Jack Belling er was the reporter who inter viewed Yosuke Matsuoka, Japan ese foreign minister, on his visit to the campus back in 1932. Bellinger was active in campus affairs. He was associated editor of the Oregana, news editor and a member of the editorial board of the Emerald, and a member of Sigma Delta Chi, men’s profession al journalistic fraternity. Mat suoka’s visit to the campus of which he was a graduate in lav/, was of unusual importance that year. The speech which he gave was the only one he presented while in the United States after representing Japan at Geneva. At that conference Matsuoka had notifed the League of Japan's intention to withdraw, and his speech was for the purpose of ex plaining his country’s action. It was a big day for the Emerald when the news of the speech was wired round the world. Perhaps the contents of Bell inger's interview wouldn’t be ap proved by him now, but it was well-written and some of his statements were prophetic. He quoted Matsuoka when he said, “Your nation will not be prepared to send its sons to the Far East to fight, and perhaps to lose their lives ...” and the Emerald car ried an editorial with the words: ‘‘Yosuke Matsuoka's visit will be remembered here in the years to come as a significant moment in the annals of this school. Future events may cast even greater im portance upon it.” After his graduation in 1934 with a B.A. in journalism, Belling er worked in the Salem bureau of the United Press and was also associated with the Salem States man. Later he went to Japan to teach English in Oajama Gakum college. He visited in the United States in 1939, and then took a job on the Japan Times-Advertiser. Later, after his release from prison, Bellinger said it wasn’t his stories which were carried in American newspapers, but the sensational headlines which were later added in the United States and Japanese papers that brought about his arrest. Whatever it was, the Japanese immediately con fiscated his scrapbook of news paper clippings, including ffie American stories with the scream ing headlines which had infuriated the government. During the first weeks of ex communicado internment the Ja panese prosecutor ordered Belling er dragged out two or three times a day in an attempt to obtain a forced “confession.” It was at thi3 time that he was placed on a rice and barley diet which resulted in his teeth showing signs of “rotting away.” Despite tlie kicking, slap ping and beatings, Bellinger re fused to “confess'’ and was sen tenced to 18 months to two years for espionage and “violating Ja pan's national defense act.” Emaciated and ill, Jack Belling er didn’t know until a few days be fore his departure that he was to be released and sent home on the repatriation ship, Gripsholm, (Please turn to page three) ethical schemes a preliminary try-out before putting them to general use. Freshman politics were like political primaries, except that unsuccessful schemes were weeded otkt rather than unsuccessful candidates. »}< i'fi In such a university as ours it is impossible ifor the fresh* men to go away by themselves and set up their owh government unassisted by more experienced upperclassmen.’But therC^fs nothing to stop them from thinking by themselvles. It is time that the taint permeating politics, and especially freshman politics, was removed. Internationally; speaking, a nation used as the freshmen of this University h^ve tradition ally been used is said to be exploited. On this capipus we call anyone so used a ‘‘tool." The freshman class has bfeen a tool for too many years. It is time for it to become the powerful, self directed political weapon it rightfully should be. j —J. N. Hogan's Grocery and Cook's Market 544 E. 13th Piione 2066 FOR THAT SPECIAL PROGRAM i tor t' YOUR HOUSE DANCE . j i come to Valleg Printing & Stationery Co. 76 W. Broadway